gracious love: January 2013

So I went to Ireland for 10 days in December. Yep two countries in 6 months...it's still hard for me to believe it. God gifted my life with really amazing friends, some of which I've known since kindergarden. One, Katie, is not only super gorgeous (I've always envied her flowing locks) but has a heart for adventure and design. She goes to school for nursing and applied for a study abroad program...she was accepted and last August flew to Belfast, Ireland to study at Queen's University. (At the end of January, she will be going to Hungary for 6 months) Another, Brittany, has the most determination and spunk out of all of us. She likes to travel too. Brittany + Heidi + plane tickets = visit Katie in Ireland! So before I even left for Haiti last summer, Brittany and I used a portion of our savings and booked our Ireland trip. Fast forward through a whole semester of everything including the kitchen sink and we are flying over NYC and the ocean. We stayed with Katie in her flat on campus and she taught us the ways of the locals. And yes in case you were wondering it really is as wet and green as people say it is. I def did not pack enough warm socks. So to explain ten days of adventure in a few minutes I created a list of everything we saw, experienced, tasted, photographed, or purchased in the lovely country of Ireland.

1. toured Queen's University (Looks like a castle)
2. ate an Irish traditional breakfast called a "Full Fry" including soda, potatoe, and wheat bread, sausage, pancakes, egg, and a half a tomatoe
3. rode on a double decker bus
4. drank bailey's hot chocolate
5. ate a real german brautwurst
6. went on a pub crawl
7. toured Dublin for a day (even got lost...not fun)
8. saw how Guinness is created and tasted the dark foamy beverage (I gave my pint to Katie)
9. really enjoyed Irish cider
10. saw Dublin Castle
11. was amazed by St.Patrick's Cathedral
12. ate traditional fish and chips (aka french fries)
13. rode in a european car on the european rodes following european road rules
14. saw the sea and countryside on top of a giant hill next to a castle tower
15. ate in a refurbished post office in a little local town (best food ever!!)
16. experieneced european shopping at it's best
17. got my nose pierced
18. went to the cinema
19. became friends with a few super great locals
20. saw where the Titanic was built
21. went through the Titanic museum
22. saw a real life norwahl horn
23. took lots of pictures of moss
24. experienced my first IKEA store (it's MASSIVE)
25. learned that cheers means thank you
26. became accustomed to using 1 pound coins instead of dollar bills
27. learned that dorthy, toto, and prarie roads really are the top things international people associate Kansas with. They really like to say Kansas in an elongated country accent
28. learned that the red-hair gene was created by the vikings mating with the local Irish when they came over on ships and invaded the country.
29. there are lots of weird titled food like sweet chili lama crackers or shrimp flavored potatoe chips

I think that about sums it up. If you ever have the opportunity, please go to Ireland. I only saw the northern part and would love to go back some day. Just make sure to pack an umbrella.

Commence the photos: