So Part 2 might come later... maaaybe

HAHA I just realized how long it truly has been since I have posted on here. I really hope you weren't checking in everyday waiting for part two. I'm so sorry. I feel like a terrible person.

A lot has happened over the last few weeks, but what is important is what has happened the last few days and the upcoming few.

I am coming home!

To Washington, not Montana, yet. I only have 4 more days left in Ireland! I am trying to make the most of it and do a lot of fun things to remember this wonderful country. My two Irish housemates left today. It was really emotional.

Let me start from Monday!

Monday was when Maynooth University celebrated Christmas Day. Which is pretty much a party from 10am to 5am (the next morning). It is supposed to be just in the venue (bar) on campus, but sometimes (all the time) spreads into town. This year they went all out on security and wrote probably 8 emails leading up to the day telling everyone the rules and what is expected of them. Of course it didn't go the way they wanted, but they get an A for effort. I had an amazing time hanging out with my friends and playing Phase 10!

Interlude

I got my housemates addicted to Phase 10! I taught them how to play and now they can't get enough of it! I'm being the coolest person in the world and leaving my deck with them. I told ye I have a hundred more at home!

End Interlude

By Tues/Wed my roommates boyfriend had planned a secret birthday dinner for the whole house to come and celebrate in Dublin. It was all extremely hush hush, so naturally I halfway spilled the beans. Not about the surprise but that we were in a group chat on Facebook without her. It was an honest mistake! I just wanted to share a joke with her that one of the boys had said and she said 'where did he say that?' And me being me said in the group chat. Not remembering she wasn't in it. SEE honest mistake. She beat me up about it and I took one for the team but she was still genuinely surprised when she got to the restaurant Thurs night and saw the whole house there!

So Thursday night was our Secret Santa gift exchange/21st Birthday Party/and Last House night out together/Family Meal. It was a blast! By the time we got home and all changed into our PJ's we were ready to play Phase 10. Everyone thought that was the best way to spend our last night together. Patrick and Jack (the two Irish boys) were planning on taking early trains home. Virginia and I knew that we would not be off to see them go so we said good bye after the game and left it at that. Not wanting to get too emotional.

This morning when I woke up expecting them to be gone and I walk in the kitchen and there is Jack! I told him that wasn't fair! We all said goodbye last night and now it would be too hard! He told me Patrick was still there too. I didn't see him for a few more hours and when I did I told him the same thing. I really am going to miss them. They were two of the best housemates I have ever had! I did record about 30 mins of us just talking and playing Phase 10 so I will get the chance to hear their AWESOME accents again. But it won't be the same. They are both fun and quirky and a blast to make fun of! We shot a lot of friendly banter back and forth over the semester that I hope won't be forgotten. We all still have a Facebook group chat that we can talk to each other on. Mainly because Virginia and I want to know who is moving into our room! I really hope it is two more girls to keep the apt clean. The boys will get kicked out for sure if it is going to be two more boys!

Alas, Virginia and I both got a hug from the boys before they left for real and Jack even wrote us each a note that I knew I couldn't read then. I have now and I did tear up, he put a few tissues with it next to the P.S. note that said 'just in case you get emotional' AWWWW I did.

I am now finishing laundry and getting organized so that I can start packing over the weekend. My departure is drawing nearer and nearer I can't help feeling sad but also extremely excited to see my dog! I will be home at noon on Christmas Eve! I'll have just enough time to wrap all my gifts, do some holiday decorating, cooking and eating ;) and catching up before spending an amazing Christmas Day with my family!

Can't wait!

12 Days in the UK (part 1)

I have been in the best mood for the last few days. All due to the two awesome people I traveled with! We had an amazing time! 

The first day we had been up for hours because we had to be at the airport uber early. I think we ended up staying up for 36-48 hours. When we got off the airplane I was in a glaze to just get to our hostel. We had to take a taxi all the way from Birmingham International to Nottingham. We were all so tired we slept and put our lives in the hands of the cabby. It was a little over an hour cab ride and he dropped us off right in front of the hostel. Nottingham was so cute, like adorable cute. The quaintest little big town I have ever seen!

We went to the Hostel reception and found out we can't check in until 3pm. We had gotten in at 9am and were dead! I wanted to just lay down and sleep for years! Not gonna happen apparently, we had to walk around until 3pm. We went to a cafe to get some caffeine and I sat down and just nodded off for over an hour.

Once I finally decided to get up we all decided to just walk. We followed some signs and ended up at the Nottingham Castle! It was a museum and there was some awesome Robin Hood stuff in the gift shops. Sad news, we didn’t get a picture with the Robin Hood statue, there was people all over the place and we were bushed! The night in the hostel was probably the best sleep I had in months. The bed was sooo much nicer than the bed I sleep in now in my apartment. I’m pretty sure that it was the second best bed on the whole trip.

When we finally caught our bus to London, it was over an hour late, we had a little adventure in the tubes. Lauren and I were staying at one hostel while Virginia stayed at a different one all the way across town! Lauren and I have been so excited about staying in this particular hostel because it looked awesome from the pictures. So Lauren and I separated from Virginia and ventured into the depths of London’s famous underground Tubes!

Now think about this, 2 girls from the States that have no idea how anything works or where anything is in the UK walking down at least 50 ft underground jumping on a colored train going go knows where. We looked like massive deer caught in headlights just standing there staring at a map. Colors and lines everywhere and we didn’t have any idea where we needed to get off. On top of all that there was a lot of construction going on so we had to get off at weird places, make connections and go up and down so many escalators. I felt like I never wanted to ride one again. Lauren and I literally were yelling at each other because we didn’t know where to go, and we were tired, and we were lugging around a suitcase and duffels and backpacks.

By the time we got to our hostel (that we were really looking forward to) we were so dead. To top it off our hostel was SO gross. Really, really gross! Lauren and I agreed that we would get out of there in the morning. We lugged all our stuff close to 20 blocks to find a new place to stay. We are total Americans finding something familiar, a Holiday Inn! Those 5 days in the Holiday Inn were better than in my apt on campus.

The first time actually going out to explore London was surreal! Again we took forever in the tubes finding our way around. Virginia and I ended up at a stop some random place in London. I wanted to go one way and Virginia said no lets go this way. So I, being the nice guy that I am, followed her. We ended up in the business district where the (drumroll please) The BULLET of London was! Or the Gherkin building. I remember writing papers and doing research on it in HS. I have wanted to see it so badly! I totally geeked out by it, taking pictures and walking around the whole base! Virginia kept calling it a Faberge Egg. There is a mini sculpture of it made out of Lego’s! So Coooool!

Then after that little adventure we ended up back at the station and went my way and ended up where we really wanted to be. The London Bridge and the Tower of London. There were a lot of people all gathered around the Tower and we tried to squeeze in and see what was going on but we just ended up asking. It was a ceremony commemorating the fallen soldiers of London. Remembrance Day or Poppy Day. Where they have one poppy flower per soldier and list off their names as they place them around the tower. It was pretty special to get to witness.

Virginia and I headed to the London Bridge next and walked across it. It was kinda a cool feeling. We took many pictures as well. Once we got across it was getting later and we knew it would take us forever to find out how to get back to the room, so we headed back. I’ll stop here just so that I have multiple posts and not just one massive post. J So more to come! J

Skittles and Looney Tunes

Here I am waiting for 3:30am to come around. We have to catch the Airport Hopper at 4am for our flight at 6:25am. I am now starting the 12 day adventure in Scotland and Britain! I am going to have so much fun! We are going to be serious backpackers. We have so much stuff we want to take but then you have to remember about the stuff you are going to bring back, so we packed an extra duffle. I am so pumped! I am packing granola bars, skittles and these amazing cookies that are so addicting!

I was sick since last thursday, I still sort of am but I am getting better. Anyway being sick always drags me down and I always manage to get sicker than the person I caught it from. ALWAYS! It's a nightmare. Anyway I missed a class this Tues that I knew was going on, I thought it was the first one of the class. (remember my classes [modules] start at weird times) As it turns out there was two lectures on Monday and one on Tues and then I assumed one on Wednesday because it was written on my timetable. So I showed up today and it was a completely different class. I was so confused. I looked on the door and it even sad the class was held there. Then I looked on Moodle (our assignment and class site) for the HW and lecture notes since I couldn't find the class. This class is supposed to be 3 weeks, 4 hours a day Mon-Wed, 6 Lectures, 3 Studio sessions, and 2 assignments that are done in groups of 3. SOOO needless to say I was way behind, confused and in a class that I am not really interested in.

I came to National University of Ireland Maynooth because I was hoping for Design Architectural or Drafting of some sort but that didn't happen. There 'Design Innovation' Program is Product Design. Little bit of a let down. I knew I could do it because creative thinking and design are similar. I also knew I could do the 3 year classes. The one thing I was not expecting was the weird schedule and impossibility of finding the lectures! Plus I am an International student for 1 semester in their 3rd year Product Design, they were not expecting a lot out of me. Kinda makes we want to do really well. Anyway I talked to the professor and International Office and they both advised I should transfer. So I am now going to be taking 2 more History/Early Irish modules. I know I will be able to catch up while I am in Scotland because it will be reading and essay writing. Easy to do on 5 hr train rides.

So today coming out of my sickness and messed up sleep schedule I dreamed of the Looney Tunes! Naturally I watched Space Jam as I was getting ready for the day. Then I downloaded the Looney Tunes App on Windows 8 that has alllll the episodes! Kinda made my day. I got my nails redone all Halloweeny  and did all my laundry to pack. I had to run all over campus to get the laundry coins and print boarding passes. Did you know it is €3.20 to get ONE coin for laundry, and you have to have one for wash and one for dry. LAME! EXPENSIVE!

Here I am at the end of my story and watching Looney Tunes waiting to walk to the Bus Stop to get this party STARTED! Remember I am going with my roommate Virginia and friend Lauren. We might end up getting sick of each other. :) maybe we'll see. I will be posting a lot of pictures and possibly updating the Blog. I won't be taking my laptop, I don't want it to be stolen. I'll write as soon as I get back on Nov 4th!

Cheers from Ireland!!

Trip to the UK

Next Thursday a couple of friends and I are going on a 12 day trip! We are traveling across the UK! Starting in Birmingham > Nottingham > London > Briton Beach > Stonehenge > 221B Baker St > Glasgow > Edinburgh > Inverness > Loch Ness > Isle of Skye > fly out of Edinburgh.

It is going to be so much fun! I am having a lot of fun here! Getting HW done on time. Going to class and also enjoying the occasional night out at a Pub. Remember if you want to have something from Europe let me know and I might be able to oblige you!

Let you know how it goes!

Rain Rain!

It is now starting to feel like I'm in Ireland. It is finally raining and cold! I love it!

I wanted to take a minute and ask a favor from my Drafting/ Architecture friends and colleagues. I have to do a few interviews on people in my field about the Health and Wellbeing of Drafting /Architecture. Seems weird but it will make way more sense if you would like to volunteer so I can explain. We would have to do it over Skype and on your free time, I will work within your schedule. I appreciate it! 

Please let me know if you are interested! I need at least 3 volunteers! lizzerdh2o@gmail.com

Thanks! 

Weekend Tour around Ireland!

My trip this weekend was amazing! I didn't write about it on Monday or Tuesday because I was mainly sleeping. What went down this last weekend went by so fast and we saw so much I just came back to my dorm on Sunday night and died!


Friday-


I got up super late because I knew that the bus would not leave until 2. I slowly got ready, packed and fed. When I got to the Phoenix Building (where we had to meet) I saw a ton of kids waiting with suitcases and bags. Thank goodness I was smart and just packed light (for once) my backpack and purse. done. Light easy to carry and I knew I would buy stuff so I left room as well. I also brought along 4 corked glass jars to put rock, sand and grass in at the various place were going.


There were so many students we had to take two huge charter busses. The bus was very nice and since I signed up for this trip alone I met a lot of new people. The first leg of the trip was close to 3 hours long and the first stop was Blarney Castle! I love Ireland! the view out the window for the whole 3 hours was amazing. I took pictures of mainly homes, because I am a weirdo, but I also took a lot of pictures of the landscape. There are so many rock walls in Ireland it was so gorgeous to see!


Blarney Castle is the home to the Blarney Stone. It is a huge stone mounted on the highest tower of the castle that you lay down bend backward reach out and kiss it. Now I know it is tradition and I know that I was told why people do it but I can't exactly remember. Probably something to do with having good fortune for 7 years or being able to talk eloquently for 7 years. Something like that. Well at the bottom of the castle there is a sign that talks about how dangerous the staircase is and who climbed it. Turns out Oliver Hardy and Winston Churchill climbed the tower to kiss the stone. I love Oliver Hardy! I told myself I was going to make the climb no matter what. Once I started I didn't think you could stop but all the rooms off the stairwell were so interesting I had to take a break and go see. lol I believe the staircase was about 2.5 ft wide and each step was 9x9 spiral all the way to the top! I will post pictures of them, they were CRAZY!

When I finally got to the top and around to the stone I was nervous. I didn't know if I wanted to lay down and kiss something that I knew billions of people had already done. That stone is so old. It even looked black and worn, but then I thought to myself. Oh come on Lizzie You will probably never come back here and get this chance again. If you get Herpes you can tell people it was from an ancient stone in Ireland on top of a castle! So I did it!

I walked around the grounds and castle for a while longer before we had to meet back at the bus to go to Cork where we stayed for the night. The Hostel was really nice. I was in a room with 11 other people. Metal bunk beds and only one plug, that caused a lot of controversy. Once we were all settled we went for dinner at Thomond Bar. Since there were 65+ of us we didn't get our food until close to 2hrs later. I had two berry ciders at that bar then we went to another pub called Old Oak Pub. It was neat there was an older bar in the front then a lounge in the middle and a new bar with a dance floor in the back. I hung out in the lounge with my friends. I didn't buy more to drink but I finished my friends cider because she didn't like it. We went back to the hostel and slept for 3 hour then got up, had toast for breakfast and got back on the bus by 8am.

I know I am being soooooo descriptive and writing everything! I'll keep it down for the next two days! :)

Saturday-

We drove for a while to get to Killarney. There we had the option to go on a horse and carriage ride through the town and national park or walk around on our own for 2 hrs. Of course I went on the carriage ride! Beautiful horse, her name was Sally, and our driver was John. The carriage ride took about and hour and some change. We went through part of the National Park on the outskirts of Killarney. It was so beautiful! I loved all the nature, rolling hills and beautiful castles and lakes. I am IN love with Ireland! After the ride my friends and I walked around some more before I had to get back on the bus for another long ride.

We stopped at Inch Beach for a quick view of the ocean before we went to Dingle for lunch. There were so many shells in the sand I took a few small ones for my corked jar, along with some sand. The smell of the ocean was so delicious! I missed seeing the ocean when I was home for a bit over the summer. Once we got to Dingle I had the feeling I was in Westport, WA. Absolutely a beautiful day for the ocean, and to top it all off I had famous fish and chips at 'The Diner' in town. We had a few more hours to walk around the piers and have a nice long look at the ocean. I also took some small rocks from the peninsula.

We drove for another couple hours before we came to our hostel for the night. I was so beat I knew I would want to eat a little bit and then go to bed. So I went over to the bar had a cider with dinner and then when my friends came in they wanted me to stay. I decided to have another cider and then go to bed. Of course, the music started around 10 then more people came in and we started playing games. Then my drink got spilled when it was just about empty, my really nice friend bought me another one. So I didn't wanna be rude, so I drank it. I was so hot and tipsy and I couldn't hear myself think over the sound of the music. I went to bed to see if I could get a few hours in before the 8am start the next day.

Sunday -

I woke up knowing I was going to the greatest natural phenomenon in Ireland! The Cliffs of Moher! I have been wanting to see the cliffs for as along as I have wanted to travel. We had to travel another 2 hours to get there but it was way worth it! It was so hard to contain my excitement when I walked from the parking lot to the Cliffs. There is a wall about 20 ft from the edge for safety but I could still get an amazing view! We had great weather for the view, not the perfect in the morning but I am glad it cleared up by the time we got there. My friends and I walked along the edges to the right of the cliffs around the bend to a different view. Absolutely phenomenal! I took a few blades of grass, rocks and a flower from the cliffs and put it in my bottle. I couldn't get over how wonderful it was to see the views I have be dreaming about seeing. We only had a few hours to wander around be fore we had to head back. We went to the visitors center and I had a few coins made for my little sister. Flattened 5c pieces.

After we left we went to a small town to have lunch. Our bus driver was telling us about our next stop when I got really excited we were going to the same cliffs of rock that Harry Potter 7 was filmed. The part where Hermione and Harry were on the run without Ron. I was pretty ecstatic to be standing right where Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson were. We passed by other famous areas, like where P.S. I Love You was filmed and where Leap Year was filmed.

I had an amazing trip and a wonderful experience seeing the best of southwest Ireland. I have a bunch of pictures I will post to the Pictures tab of this blog. I also have updated the Friends and Place I've Been tabs. I purchased a lot of postcards as well for my growing collection. I am going to be going to more places and experiencing way more things before this trip is over!

First Day of Classes! (well class)

I woke up today to a bright lovely day. Which is weird for Ireland this time of year. Apparently it is the hottest it has been in a while. I looked out the window and saw like a hundred huge black Chickens! (crows) They are everywhere! I have been addicted the The Blacklist recently ad so I watched a few episode before I got up to have yet another cold shower. We just figured out there is a timer on the water heater to heat up in the morning and evening. So throughout the day the water is going to be cold. LAME!

Anyway I went to my first class at 11. It is literally the next building over, so mental note I don't have to leave my bed until 10:55. :) The professor is a cute little mid old lady. She wrote the Early Irish Literature book we have to read for the course. She said we don't have to buy any of the books because they will all be on Moodle (the online assignment portal). I still might end up buying it for the Kindle. Well today has been very uneventful. I have to go to south campus and pay for my trip I'm taking this weekend. It is a trip to Cork, Kerry and the Cliffs of Moher. Fri-Sun! Kinda exciting!

That is about it for now. I'll write more after I have my first design class.

Well this is new!

Well my trip was long, very long. On the first leg of the trip I watch a total of 5.25 movies. Delta had a lot of new release movies! I watched: Maleficent, Jack Ryan Shadow Recruit, How to Train your Dragon 2, Draft Day, The Amazing Spiderman 2, and about 30 mins of Million Dollar Arm. Guess I still have to finish that one sometime. I was right to choose a Vegetarian meal. I got served first for every meal/snack. Seeing the sunset was amazing that high up. Then 4 hours later was the sunrise. I didn't know it but when I landed in Paris I was 9 hours ahead of Seattle, and Dublin is only 8 hours ahead. I did some serious time travel! :D

When I finally got off the plane (I was sitting in the back) I hurried to find a departure board for my connecting flight to Dublin. It was where I expected! All the way across the airport. Little did I know when I got to the Terminal I had to go through security again. I had just filled up my water bottle so they made me stand there and down the whole thing. I did it easily enough, I was thirsty. The french TSA lady was impressed. I had about another 4 min wait until I had to board the next plane. This one was three and three so of course I was in the middle between two guys. By this point I was so tired I could have slept for 10 years. I got maybe 45 mins with my eyes shut. I landed in Dublin and went through customs so quick it was amazing. I was the 2nd in line. Straight in front of customs was baggage and I could see both of my bags right there coming around the bend! I was soo excited! I prayed I would not lose any.  

I took the early Airport Hopper bus from the Airport to Maynooth. The stop was still a ways from campus. The bus driver told me that all I had to do was walk straight up the street and take a left at the light and campus was straight ahead. I did what he said in a daze because I was so tired. I was also really hot. I thought that it would be cold but 65 over here is like 80 at home. weird. Downtown Maynooth is adorable! I walked right down this cute cobblestone sidewalk and all the shops and cafes were so cute I could just die. It really puts things in perspective. In America all our shops and coffee shops are mostly bent on business. Huge franchises, not the small close knit community like Maynooth. Everyone looks so friendly and happy. It's amazing!

When I walked on campus it didn't even feel like it. There were so many trees and then a few buildings here and there. The air was so fresh and clear and the fall leaves blowing in my path, it felt surreal. Granted I was so tired I was probably seeing things that weren't there. :) My main goal was finding my bed. I asked some nearby students where the check in was and they thought they new but the were new on campus as well so we all wandered around until we found it. Picture this: One massive suitcase, a big duffle strapped to that, a full backpack on my shoulders and a laptop bag full of electronics across my chest and finally a neck pillow dangling in front of me bobbing from side to side as I walked close to 2 miles. Yeh, funny huh! When I got checked in I went straight to my apartment. I made so much noise coming up the stairs banging my luggage on every step. No wonder when I walked into the apartment two guys came out of the living area and gave me funny looks. First thing they said was, "Hi! What part of America are you from?" I thought that was so hilarious. I hadn't even said anything they just KNEW I was American! :) I told them who I was and where I was from then I dropped all my stuff off in my room and made the bed and PASSED OUT!

I woke up around 8pm. I didn't get up, I just read. I went to sleep again around 2:30am. This went on until my roommate showed up the next day around 10am. Her name is Virginia and she is from North Carolina. Confusing huh? Well we got acquainted a little and then went shopping and walking around campus. It was the first time I got up and around to see anything on campus officially. South campus is absolutely gorgeous! Huge gothic style architecture. Big beautiful buildings and chapels. I was in awe. I told myself I would definitely bring my sketch book here and live. Well I didn't last long. I was still so jet lagged I went to bed around 4pm. The coolest thing happened at 8pm that woke me up. The fire alarm. Yeeeeeeeah! NO! I was so sleepy, I got up threw on a sweatshirt and barely got to the door when it turned off. So I was instantly back to bed. I woke up around 2:30 he next morning and read until about 6 for a shower and a shot at actually being a part of Orientation.

Virginia and I share a room. Its about 6x10 with one bunk bed that is so short if feel claustrophobic. One desk and one closet. I didn't put anything away until she go here was we could figure out how this is going to work. It did, everything is stacked in the closet or still in suitcases or on the floor! Ahh very homie. By the time we got through the first day of orientation I was dead on my feet. I went ot bed again around 6pm. Then at 1:40 that magically noise came back. This time it was so long and loud I actually got all the way outside. I was up then so I read until about 4:30 then fell back asleep and got up around 8 for more orientation fun! :)

For those of you who know me well know that I get sick often. That part hasn't been at all fun since being here. I have had maybe 3 "meals" and some jerky and a lot of water. It hasn't been fun, I think once I can get though the jet lag and settle into classes I'll be better. I have read a lot so far though. I bought 3 new books before coming and now I have 1.5 left. gee what am I going to do! Well the Wifi is really good so I can stream movies really well. I might be able to watch the Seahawks next week!

I am having a great time so far. Don't get me wrong I went through the homesick paranoid panic attack on the first day but I'll be fine. I'm just constantly syking myself out! This is going to be great! Well classes start on the 22nd and we have a week to sit in on as many classes as we want before we actually register and pick the ones we want to be in for the semester on the 30th. Cool. I'm down.
I have 5 flat mates. One who lives in my room, Virginia. Two Chinese guys at the end of the hall in a bunk room, and two Irish fellows each in there own rooms. Things are different here but I will get used to it and I want to know so much about all the buildings around me.

So this is a lot in my first official blog post from Ireland. So I'll be done. I am still connected to Facebook, Twitter, Gmail, Skype and here. I have a Whatsapp messenger on my phone for texting if anyone wants to talk I can still text all the time through that. Can't wait to hear from you! :)

Go dtí an chéad uair eile!
(Until next time!)

The Night Before

Here I am, sitting in my dad's chair the night before I head out to Ireland. My mom and I just got done packing all my stuff. It took forever because I have so much and we used Ziploc Shrink bags. Shrinking everything is a great idea except for the fact that it makes bricks! I was way over the weight limit. So we decided to pay for a second bag. I now have one 45 lb bag and one 35 lb bag, a carry on, and my bag with my laptop. I am set.

On the other hand I have a serious upset stomach. When I get so stressed and nervous my stomach hurts. So I have had a 4 day stomach ache. Definitely sucks, like really bad. I can expect to be having a stomach ache for another few days just because I am going to be in a new country with new people. I have realized the longer that I am in Chehalis with my parents the longer I feel like it is my "home" again. I know that I am going to be more home sick than if I would have been here for only a few weeks, instead of over a month and a half.

This is going to be great. We will leave at 8 or so in the morning because there is going to be a lot of traffic on the freeway to Sea-Tac Airport. I have all my boarding passes and paperwork ready. I'm just so excited! So excited!

I will keep the blog updated as much as I can during my travels and when I actually get settled in I'll probably write a lot! I'm going to go to bed now. Wish me luck!

13 HOURS 25 MINUTES

Hippie Town

Oh yeh, thats right! I'm in hippie town. I'm here visiting my bestest friend Lexie. I took the Amtrak up, the longest train ride ever. There was so much construction and congestion we were stopping and going and stopping and going. One good thing was the view! Absolutely gorgeous! The water, the boats, the old parts of town you don't usually drive. It was just so beautiful. I had two seats to myself, one for my stuff and one for me and my laptop. I watched a couple of movies and the wifi was amazing the whole way up. When I stepped off the train it was raining cats and dogs and I LOVED IT! I am such a fan of the rain and this was the first time I have experienced Washington rain in a very long time! As I am standing in the rain I look everywhere for Lexie. I call and wandering up and down the side of the building looking and looking. As it turns out I was way on the other side of the station. Geeze, amateur hour!

She drove us back to her place, in the rain, up a hill, in the dark. It was awe-some. :) I was just excited to be there! I think her place is adorable, a little wonkey, none of the rooms are the same size, but I think that is what adds character and individuality to the place! AND I get my own room while I'm here, and a sleeping bag! :) I slept well and we hung around and lazed about this morning with breakfast and coffee/tea. Now we are in the Fairhaven district walking around, window shopping and walking and walking. We went to the farmers market and now we are in a bookstore cafe. I made the mistake of walking up to the 50% used books shelf. Oh man, I wanted to buy so many, some were olny $2.50!  I bought one, Amity and Sorrow by Peggy Riley. Now I am sitting here writing this while looking out over the Puget Sound and sitting next to my bestest friend. Hmmmm so nice... I'm thinking I might be hungry. There is a pregnant lady sitting next to me eating an amazing looking wrap! Lexie and I figured out our whole eating schedule so I know fish and chips is next, I think its one block up!

We are heading back on Sunday, then packing! Woot Woot!

10 DAYS 21 HOURS LEFT

Count Down

So you know how I said I wasn't going to think about it. Well I'm thinking about it the whole time! Like literally. Where am I going to go? What am I going to do? What are the classes going to be like? Are they going to be small? Is the schedule going to be intense, like 8am classes all week! EEEK yeh no I really don't want that. I want to enjoy my time abroad! Not wake up early. Ain't nobody got time for dat! I imagine what I will see, where I am going to go to buy groceries. What kind of sheets I want to buy when I get there. There are so many things I am thinking about. Small stuff and large stuff.

It's getting close and mom doesn't want to let me go. I am going up to Bellingham to visit my bestest friend Lexie and she said, " I don't want you to be gone, when I could be spending time with you!" I was like, "Mom you're going away for the weekend for your anniversary!" (btw it's my parents 26th year anniversary) So long story short I'm going to Bellingham this week and then packing NEXT week to leave on the 14th. If anyone wants to get together before then I would love to hang! And let me know what you want me to get you from the Emerald Island! (Under €3, More for the people I like :D)

13 DAYS 14 HOURS

What do you think of these?

Organizing

Well tonight, I organize. I just have random junk laying all over the place in "my room". I need to start packing stuff next week and get together what I am taking and what I am not. Then the week before I leave I will probably cut all that in half. What I was told is lay everything out and then cut half of your stuff and double your money budget! :D I feel like I won't be able to afford it but I will try too take as much money as possible!

While I was organizing I found the luggage tag that I ordered a couple months ago. It made me smile! So I filled it out and put it on Nauti!

BATMAN MINION CARL

Got a Room

I feel like a total failure. I tell myself I am going to do something and then turn around and absolutely forget and never do it! I told myself that I was going to write a blog and keep that blog, but here I am weeks, nay, Months later finally writing again. Sheesh.

Well, the last time I wrote I was packing to leave Montana. That was an event. First my mom flies in and we catch up and celebrate my birthday. Then we decide that I might need a storage unit to put all my stuff in. So we call around and finally find one, and it was the last one!

We probably spend more time on campus talking to the wonderful ladies in the financial aid office than actually packing. Just FYI, study abroad is not cheap. There are many choices in life, and I made the choice to go into maaaando debt AND probably have the greatest experience of my life in Ireland. I think I can live with that decision. That is what's important.

The day mom and I flew back to Washington was one of the most stressful days I have ever had in Montana, and I did a year in Architecture! Which is saying something. On the other hand, I did it all to myself. I got worried and stressed over the tiniest of details. I tried to formulate our schedule down to the millisecond and all for nothing! We ended up being early for the flight. Got in a game of Bananagrams at the gate! I freaked myself out and got an unset stomach just from all the excitement and stress of moving. Jeeze just picture me doing it in the big times, like after I'm married with 2.5 kids and a dog.

So we got home alright. Not much turbulence or traffic on the drive home from Sea-Tac. I'm treating my time in washington like what it really is for me. A Vacation. I'm sleeping in til the afternoon, I'm saying up til all hours of the morning and I'm eating what ever is left on the stove. Ahhhhhhh so nice to be on vaca! I went to a few dr's, one to make sure I can go overseas, one to put new spikes on my teeth for my braces, and one to make sure I can see. I have seen a few friends since I have been here. But alas everyone is growing up and going off to school themselves.

Last night I got my room assignment all figured out. I decided I didn't want to pay $3000+ for a room of my own with an en-suite bath, so I downgraded to a $1500+ shared room. It is in an apartment with 4 rooms, 1 shared and 3 singles, and 2 shared baths, kitchen and living space. I'm getting more and more excited about the trip. I'm trying not to think about it that often because my stomach will start hurting and I'll get all stressed... It is getting closer!!

18 DAYS

Packing for home

Well, It's hot. Not just ew! is that sweat?! But like you can't even cross your legs with out slipping from the pool! Its attractive, I know.

So with all that in mind, I'm packing... Yeh, not the smartest move... But it has to be done. My mommy is going to be here this Saturday and I want most of the packing done so it is easier to put in storage, and not that much for her to do. Then the week she is here we can do fun Montana stuff before we go back to Washington. I will be leaving Fri July 25th. So close...

I know i'm missed because the calls from my little sister have gone from once every two weeks or so to everyday, if not twice a day! She is so cute... I answer and we just have awkward silences.

Kayla- "Hi"
Me- "Hi, whats up?"
Kayla- "Nothing"
Me- "oh, ok"
Kayla-"........."
Me- "..........."
Kayla-"......."
Me-"So did you have anything you want to talk about"
Kayla- "No, I miss you"
Me- " I miss you too, but if you wanna chat, you can text me. I'm at work."
Kayla- " But I wanna hear your voice, I miss you!"
Me- "I miss you too"
Kayla- ".............."
Me- "................"
Kayla ".............."
Me- "So I'll talk to you later, love you, bye!"
Kayla- "Love you too, bye Lizzie."

Seriously this is how it goes everyday! She is soo adorable and I miss her so much!
I will be home soon and I will be able to see my friends and relax before Ireland!

My Bucket List for Washington:

• Go Camping!
• Go to the Lake!
• Go to the Ocean!
• Go to Pikes Place!
• Hang out with friends! 
• See Yola!
• Then go to the ocean again! 

No particular order but I want to do all these things with family and friends!

Can't Wait!

Kept my Kidney and Going to Dublin!

Today is the day I bought my tickets to Dublin. Like no biggy... Just going to Dublin. I think I'm leaving on the 14th of September, maybe. Then after a short while in Paris I shall arrive in Dublin. The time I'm coming back to the states eludes me. It might be somewhere around Christmas Eve. I shant think about it, it's no biggy.

WHATEVER!! I'm going to Dublin and this is sooooo exciting!! But I really am going to be leaving on Sept 14th and returning Christmas Eve! THIS  IS  SO  EXCITING!!!

Buy plane tickets or keep my kidney?

"Plane tickets are expensive." Thank you captain obvious! "Finding the right ticket at the right price. Kayak, search one and done." Really? No. I have to keep searching and then if I find a good deal I have to check on it everyday to make sure it doesn't sky rocket! I am buying the tickets tomorrow so I need to make sure that I don't have to make a emergency run to the hospital to sell a kidney. :) I do know that buying the tickets will make the trip to Ireland seem that much closer! I have a count down going! 75 days 16 hours 52 mins and 25 secs to go! It's getting closer and becoming more real! I have a friend who is in Europe right now and so I'm going to grab feedback from her about what to pack, things I might need or didn't need to pack.

Today I bought my own luggage! Shopping at TJ Maxx does give you brand names for cheap! I got a 28" Grey and Orange Nautica for $50! I nick named it Nauti! I now have my own luggage, not just using my parents. I feel so grown up! Well if I don't have to sell a kidney I'll let you know.

NAUTI!!

More good news!

I needed to upload a lot of documentation to the Gilman to accept my scholarship by June 6th. A lot. So I freaked and didn't know what most of it really needed, certain forms and what not. I emailed my study abroad adviser and was like, HELP! She was very helpful, we got all of the things I needed uploaded and submitted. I will be receiving the money within 3 weeks. One clause I thought was weird was that I had to fly a US Carrier. Which is way more expensive than Aer Lingus or similar. Oh well, I will still get there. When my adviser and I were just about done she said, can I ask you a question? I said absolutely. She asked if she could set up a press release for me. I was excitedly surprised! She said that since I am the only person in Montana to receive such a prestigious award, she wanted the community to know that it is possible for students to achieve what ever they want academically. There is not a limit to what a student can do. I told her that I would be honored to be in a press release.

In doing research and watching videos about Gilman scholarship awardees I found out that the Gilman is a legacy. Once an awardee, awardee for life. Many students have been invited to parties, embassy, and even the White House. My adviser told me that if I get invited, in the US or abroad, for me to go! She said that it is one of the best things I could do. I definitely think that things are falling together for be better than ever! It was Nov 2013 and I told myself that it would be cool to travel to Ireland and study Drafting. By Jan 2014 I was in the program and filling out paperwork, applications, writing essays and figuring out financial aid. Even with this amazing awesome scholarship I still need more funds to make my trip not put me in further debt. I am doing all I can, more scholarships, fin aid at the university and prayer.

I am sure I will be fine but anything helps. Studying abroad is not cheap, but the experience I will be getting I don't think I could put a price on. I love learning, traveling and most of all architectural drafting! I'm unbelievably excited!

Goodnight

I GOT THE SCHOLARSHIP!!

So as you may have guessed by the title, I GOT THE SCHOLARSHIP!! I have been checking online and my email everyday for the past 3 weeks! I woke up this morning and did the same thing, thinking 'It still hasn't come yet'. I get to work and I hear a little bleep from my phone thinking it's nothing... I go to my station, set up and look at my phone as the computer is booting up. I see "Gilman" and underneath it "Congratulations!" AND I START HYPERVENTILATING! Literally! I go to my bosses office and tell him as I'm almost not breathing. Literally. Then I called my parents and they were so excited! Mom was ecstatic and Dad said keep it up! :) Now that I got it Study Abroad seems all the more real!

As I get home and comfy, watching TV for a while, calling my family, again, I get another call. Here I'm thinking its Mom again, but it wasn't, it was my cousin AJ! I haven't heard from him since I last went to see him in 2011! Crazy! He sounded sooo different, it has been sooo long! He wanted to know about Study Abroad and where I was going! So blast from the past, I'm going to be reminiscing all week I know it! We agreed we need to start messaging more often, so will I? or won't I? hmmm Yeh I will! I miss him!

So thank you all for crossing your fingers for my scholarship!

Goodnight

Memorial Day Weekend Success!

I worked a lot last Friday, and I had a 3 day weekend ahead of me. I thought that I would call up some friends to do something fun. I did also have laundry to do, but that would come second. Lol. A friend and I decided to go  up to Hyalite. So there I was ready to swim and work on my natural skin color, Tan. We had a beautiful drive up, sooo gorgeous I wasn't paying that much attention to the road, and on the windy road up to Hyalite, you should pay very close attention. We got up there safe and as we were climbing we started seeing more and more snow. When we hit the top and I got my first glimpse of the lake it was all frozen over! It was so beautiful, I took a lot of pictures and my friend and I went to go and play in it! Was probably not the best idea, but you only lives once! We went down to the water and I saw these floating rocks, as I got closer I saw that they were on top of ice. We broke off a piece of the ice, which was really difficult by the way, and picked it out of the water. It was 4 inches thick and looked awesome, all halfway melted and spiky! Stepping into the water was kinda like stepping into death! It was not cold, it was frozen! Our feet were tingling only after 10 seconds in the water. I think the longest we were in the water was maybe 30 seconds and I feel like we should not have done that. We were being extremely mature about the whole experience. We would pick up and throw smaller pieces of ice at larger pieces of ice in the lake trying to break it. Then we were the most awesome people ever and left our many chunks of ice to two small boys throwing rocks onto the ice. We were heroes! :)

After our little adventure, I was extremely disappointed that I did not get to swim. I was so pumped to get into the water. What I thought of just as we were coming back down the mountain was the little pond with a beach area nest to the park right across the street from us. It was the best idea I have had since deciding to go to Ireland. We were both hungry by the time we got back to Bozeman so we hit up Smith's. At the entrance there was FREE RIBS! Soooooo delicious! I wanted more and it made me miss home even more.
By the time we got to the beach/pond the sun was in optimal position and my craving to swim was pretty high! The second I stepped into it I was GOING IN! It felt so nice and warm yet cool and the sun hitting my face was amazing. I really needed my color back. I am unbelievably white. My friend said I shouldn't talk, she said she is translucent. We hung around there and swam for a while, until we saw the sky was starting to look a little ominous. It was probably going to rain within the hour or so. I say it was a great Saturday!

Sunday afternoon I went to Livingston with a different friend, before we got to her house we stopped to see the bears! Brutus and Jake and Maggie! They were so cute I just wanted to go up to them and squeeze them to death! They were sooooo fluffy! I took a lot of pictures and a few videos. I also got tan! We got Chinese food and watched movies and played games the whole night! Cards Against Humanity is the worst best game ever! I won, but I don't know if that is exactly a good thing? :P

Monday my roommate and another friend went to go see X-Men: Days of Future Past, definitely mind blowing. We were all wearing matching Marvel t-shirts, we got a couple of weird looks but that's just how we roll! :) At the end of the day we played Settlers of Catan, I won twice after figuring out even how to play. It was long and interesting to begin but definitely by the second game it was a lot simpler.

I really enjoyed my weekend and thought it was a good way to kick off the summer! I hope there will be many more weekends like it! Cross your fingers for the Gilman Scholarship! Hopefully I will find out if I got it or not this week! :)

Goodnight

New Schedule

So, obviously my job is going amazing. I am learning sooooo much, as I have said before. This week my boss asked for an update on how things are going. I told him that I felt like I was getting paid to learn instead of paying to learn in college. He asked me at what rate was I learning, I ask him, From where? So I said, I feel like if 10 is the most I could ever learn I have gotten 1-3 from high school 3-4 from college and 4-7 at Impact. I know there is still a lot to learn, but being at Impact feels like the best experience of my life! It will definitely go on my resume and get me more job opportunities when I get back from Ireland.

So yeh, the Ireland deal. The move out and replace me deal. Its going ok. Now. We had some scheduling issues before but it is all fixed now. We had the potential new roommate over tonight for dinner and it all went great, we figured things out and everything is set. I will be resigning my job on July 18th, my mom will be flying in late July 19th, We will celebrate my birthday on July 20th, we will start packing and moving things into storage July 21-24th, we will take a day July 23rd to go to Yellowstone, then finally I will be moving out and flying back home on July 25th! Then hopefully that weekend I will be going to the ocean! I miss it so much, I can't wait to see it again! It is going to be an exciting week.

Again, cross your fingers for the scholarship. I really need it, without it my trip will be really tight and I will be in a lot of debt. Please cross your fingers.

Good night

I GOT ACCEPTED!!

This morning I got accepted to National University of Ireland Maynooth for Study Abroad for Fall 2014!!! I'm so excited because now it is official! I am going to Ireland in a few months! I am starting a list of what my family and friends want me to bring back for them! I have Fabric, a Pint of Irish Whiskey, a shot glass, a scarf and a postcard... One hurdle done. One more to go, the scholarship, I really need it... We'll find out in a couple of weeks if I get it or not... So CROSS YOUR FINGERS!! :)

Computer Problems... Always...

Work has been going amazing! I still love my Job. I still walk in early and then blink and see it is time to go. I'm always the last one in the building and I actually have been locked out a couple of times. Sorta. I couldn't figure out how to unlock the front door. From the inside. I'm telling ya it was like Lizzie vs Front Door. Front Door 1. Lizzie 0. Then I would go out the back door and walk around to the parking lot. But here is the kicker. I would get locked out of the back door during my breaks. Now there is a key pad, I was told what it was but it literally would not unlock. I told the secretary and she came out and did it also. It opened for her once then we did it again and NOTHING. So I have had to walk all the way around the building to come in the front door after my breaks. So to wrap up Lizzie vs Back Door. Back Door 8. Lizzie 0. It has been fun.... :)

On to the computer problems... I want to game... My friends and I play Dota 2 and I need a fast ish computer... Now here is the kicker, my roommate had a 3 yr old Dell Inspiron and she games alllllll the time without any network connection issues or lags... I'm a drafter and I had AutoCad Architecture but I uninstalled it to make more room for gaming... obviously... :) I have a 1 1/2 yr old Lenovo Thinkpad Twist Windows 8.1... and I still have issues. My game lags, Internet is slow... I get kicked off the internet all the time... She NEVER does!

I want to get someone to look at it and tell me whats wrong. I want to stay at my awesome job forever. I want I want I want... : D

Saturday Blues...

So, here it is, Saturday... A full week done... Work done... No school... No tutoring... For most students today is the first free day of summer break. They will all be moving out of the dorms, hanging with friends and having no worries. But here I am, alone, in bed, watching TV and movies. Do I want to get up and do something? Clean? Work out? Read? I don't know. I slept in til 12:30. Wasted away the day. The sun is still out and a lovely breeze is still blowing. But what to do? These are my Saturday Blues...

First Day of Summer Job!

Today was my first day of work at Impact Drafting. I extremely enjoyed it! When 5pm hit I thought I had only been there for 15 mins. Time flew by. You know what they say, Time Flies When You're Having Fun! I learned new commands in AutoCAD and new building codes. I have a huge willingness to learn as much as I can while I am there. I know things are going to be completely different from what I have learned in class. It is going to be an amazing summer! 

Also! I submitted my application to NUIM (National University of Ireland - Maynooth) for study abroad... Finally. It took a second, there were forms that they needed to approve from me before I could electronically sign my application. It has been a process but everyone cross your fingers and hope and pray for me to get accepted into the University and the Scholarship! 

I'll find out about the scholarship by late May-ish if I got it or not. I really really need it. I'm going to Ireland if I get it or not I just really hope I do so i'm not in debt for the rest of my life for one semester of Study Abroad. So, again cross your fingers! 

I'm going to have an amazing rest of the week at my awesome job! With the best schedule!

-Lizzie