Trip to Ireland: week 15-16

Alas, this post is supposed to chronicle an incredibly fast but wonderfully memorable trip to Ireland with my mom--which was an amazing thing to share--and meeting our friends there, Janell and Jeff--and going to our Irish friend's wedding--how wonderful is that!? I hope to go back later and plug in some more details, but for the time being, it's about productivity. I looked back at my 2008 trip to Ireland and I was so good about writing about the things I love--food, sightseeing and the immediacy of the most important details of any memorable experience. But sometimes quantity does superceed quality, esp. when you're months behind chronicling one of the coolest trips in a long while. For now, it's snippets with pictures. It'll do for now!

Annette and me with our baby bellies. Annette's husband Declan was Ken's best man. She was hilarious! We met her that night and it was if we'd known her as long as Jane. She's due in February. Before we went ahead and booked our tickets (before I told everyone I was pregnant), I was kind of freaked out about the horrible things that could go wrong and having the stress of dealing with them while in a foreign country. Thankfully the stars aligned and it was a breeze healthwise!

Our GORGEOUS home--Darley Cottage--in Carrickmacross, Jane's hometown, with mom, Janell and Jeff standing at the front door. I wish we could have stayed here longer! The entire cottage had been gutted and restored, complete with a head-to-toe Ikea makeover. The cows from the farm next door would moo at us in the middle of the night. Dang, I love rural Irish life.

Janell and Jeff with their bevvies at the rehearsal dinner--a beautiful spread at a country pub near the Wards' house. The coziest of places. Reminded me of the place where Graham and Amanda meet in "The Holiday" (really the only movie where I have been able to tolerate Cameron Diaz). We were treated so well as guests at all of the extra wedding events.

Jane's friends and bridesmaids.

Jane's siblings, Romy and Daithi (Irish for David). The wedding party dance they did and included Romy was so touching. It's always seemed that Jane and I--and really, our mothers--had a sort of kinship with our younger sisters. So great to see Romy. She remembered me and wanted to hang out with me quite a bit while we were visiting.

The beautiful bride and the Americans--what a great lady! The pictures do not do her--or her dress--justice. She was stunning.

Ken and Jane Murphy

Their very cool ride, a vintage Rolls Royce

I love this photo of Jane showing her Gran her wedding ring.

Just me and the belly, kicking it by the fireside...Janell and I had a few good laughs running around the house posing for pictures (like her and the washing machine). I was really getting into having my belly by this point.

Janell lounging around in one our very chic IKEA-furnished rooms. She's such a poser (meaning she poses).

Mom and me at the rehearsal dinner. I'm fake drinking her cider but slightly jealous.

Modeling our new hats at Giants Causeway. The wind is no joke!

The incredibly unique hexagon-shaped rock formations, Giants Causeway

Another example of how Darley Cottage = Darling Cottage in the adorable hot water bottle covers. Can someone make me one of these? I'm definitely bringing back the hot water bottle to my bed.

Modeling some fascinators. We totally should have bought these, as people were actually wearing them at the wedding!

Some incredibly old church near Athenrye. Our first day with the Doudricks.

The first of what would be many desserts. Exquisite pavlova with fruit and cream. Hello, sweet fabulousness.

My favorite Irish city, Galway. This was our first full day after arriving in Ireland. The sun was just what we needed!

Summertime is weddingtime

I have to collect as many of these coupley pictures as I can--someone tends to close his eyes in about 40% of our attempted photos...

Summer could be here

This weekend was packed, and definitely in a good way. I pulled out my summer clothes storage box that I keep under the bed and welcomed back my long sundresses and Bermuda shorts. The weather has been unseasonably warm lately, so I finally gave in to a wardrobe shift.

Liz and her bridesmaids (We even got a picture with Nan, who has done makeup for most of our weddings!)




Liz's sister Noelle was married last weekend and I was just in love with her vintage-inspired dress and all of its details. The downtown St. Paul building was recently restored it was very cool. Janell and I helped with O for the day; the event was definitely a family affair and it was clear that this couple surrounds themselves with good people. The night before, we headed to Pizza Luce, which after my overwhelming excitement at the GF menu, Janell knew there were no other dining options. It was glorious--eating pizza that was ordered in a restaurant. I savored every bite. We stayed with Amy & Conor, who made us coffee and breakfast. I made sure to rub that one in with the hubs.


Sunday, CB and Dan came over for dinner during a visit home. I wish we would have had more than an evening, but we had a blast. The table was set with candles and some fresh lilacs from our bush, and we grilled shish kabobs and used the fresh berries with some cake for dessert. The sports talk was designated for one room and the kooky, I've-known-you-my-whole-life-so-we-talk-about-everything conversation took place in the kitchen. Hopefully a visit to the east coast isn't too far off!

To Brian & Carlie

Corey's younger brother got married this past weekend. One of the first times I met Carlie was at my wedding. Besides celebrating their very special day, I had some great sentimental moments, as they were married in the same church that we were, in addition to the fact that Corey and I were both in the wedding and walked down the aisle together--again. The weather unfortunately didn't cooperate but the details of the wedding were lovely, as I knew they would be coming from an interior designer. The bride looked absolutely stunning and I really liked how our dresses looked (however, I was silently apologizing for any pain I ever inflicted on past bridesmaids). All in all, it was a nice reminder that I've got this whole other family that I'm a part of.

Fun friday - sunday

I was thinking about what I wanted to post from this past weekend, and realized I had pictures from every day. Friday I had a little Sex and the City viewing get together, so some gals and I happily made some cosmos and snacks while we watched the movie, most of us for the first time. Definitely worth seeing--lots of laughs, and some tears, too. Saturday we went to DJ & Pam's wedding (and I don't have any pictures of them--oops), where strangely, I took few pictures. Honestly, though, 2 nights of being up late really did me in and by Sunday, my cold had really knocked me over. I went with Katie & some of our other friends to the Buddy Walk, and it turned out to be a really beautiful day. The sun was glorious out on the lake, a great reminder of why we live in this godforsaken cold city. Thanks again to all of you who donated!

Texas union

Congrats to my oldest friend & neighbor, Ben, and his new bride Kristin! They were married June 28th in Austin, which ironically is where they met although they are both from the Gopher state. The ceremony looked absolutely lovely, from the natural arbor, to the yellow and orange accents.

Salamati, Carrie & Shandiz!

(Which means "Cheers" in Farsi).Thank goodness the weather was wonderful on Saturday--despite cold and downpours most of the week. I opened the shades Saturday morning and it was glorious! Carrie & Shandiz's wedding was absolutely lovely and very unique. It was probably the smallest wedding I have ever been to. She was the epitome of gorgeous--straight out of a magazine. Everything about it was intimate and about the small details. We took some wonderful pictures at the Lakewalk and saw another, rowdier wedding group (aka Kolquist wedding, incl. my husband). They tried to incorporate some Persian traditions with the Sofreh table, along with us learning some basic Persian dance moves (think screwing in a lightbulb), and saw a few mash potatoeing who were actually around when the mash potato came out. Overall, very wonderful day for my very dear friend.

Week rewind

Lately I haven't really had anything too interesting to write about, but in actuality, most of what I ramble on about is minute and very random. I was crusing online for clipart and stumbled upon this great logo:
I wonder if they have updated signs referring to sightings in Las Vegas or various collectible shops...

I didn't make it to the caucus Tues night because I had to work, but afterwards Corey and I went out for a drink and majority of the TVs at the establishment were tuned into the delegate summaries. Hillary kept doing this stupid pointy finger dance which I think she's mastered on TV for the last 9 months. Corey was in the wilderness with students and parents for a few nights, so my mom went with me to the first of what I anticipate to be many house showings. I was kind of excited. She thought of about 5,000 questions/considerations that me, the rookie, hadn't really figured yet. The realtor told me the average buyer looks at 7-12 houses. That sounds crazy! But I suppose one does so much pre-planning, it becomes pretty obvious what one likes/dislikes. Today I ventured out to run errands, along with majority of the city's population. I found these really pretty printable vellum Anna Griffin invitations for CR's garden-themed bridal shower/luncheon in March. Not much garden action happening then, but we can all dream. Tonight I can hear the wind howling outside my window and I am staying put inside.