Fairytales

What girl doesn't want the grand gesture?  Pretty dresses, dancing, the moment in the rain when the kiss is so strong you feel like you have no legs...basically every romantic film i've ever seen has had one or all of these, and as much as I tell myself it's unrealistic, and that's not every day life, I feel myself getting sucked in every time. I love my boyfriend; more than I love anyone in the world. Most of the time it is the little things that make me love him even more, like last night when I had a little to much wine and he knocked out the rest of the beer in the fridge and we had the brilliant idea of baking brownies at midnight- with no eggs. Haha. It was a chocolaty gooey mess.  Delicious though.  Ugh I went on a tangent- anyways- about 85 percent of the time this keeps me more than happy...but every great once and a while I want ROMANCE. I want him to not be so......every day. I want dancing for no reason, I want candles and rose petals, I want a suprise weekend getaway like I planned for him a few years ago, I want thought and effort haha. This sounds awful- because he is the best person I know. He's selfless, and patient, he does the dishes lol, he accepts that I sometimes have a  bipolar 5 minute rampage when I can find anything in our tiny apartment- so this really is my only constant complaint. Its a futile one; it's not malicious or on purpose on his end, but I can't help but wish there was more   cheesiness in our relationship haha. Sincere cheesiness. I have said something a few times- but i feel like such agre complaining about anything since he is so good to me. I just wish he'd want it too, and come up with these things on his own. Boo. No romantic comedies for me for a while- they are ruining me.  lol

Who I am- My Love

Twirling in a computer chair
trying to find the words
what makes me....me?
So different than others.
The same streaked hair, eyes, nose and mouth as so many.
The same cold feet, the same chewed cuticles.
The same old toothbrush.
The same jeans as she, the same lip gloss as another, the same boots as one more.

Loving you makes me myself
I am different, beautiful and brave.
I stand out in a room, my laugh can be heard for miles.
A short glance, a secret smile.
an inside joke.
Hair intertwined on one pillow, impossible to separate strand by strand.
No words Necessary.
No careful phrasing, no choked tears.
No unanswered questions.

One glance, one syllable, one breath.
and all is understood.
My flaws are adored, my weaknesses are strengths, my habits are unique.
My eyes are a shade only you would recognize in a sea of blues.

all of these and more, are why I love you.

Hopeless Romantic?

Ok- I'm literally fuming. It's a bit ridiculous being that it was brought on by a Lifetime movie- haha, Never the less- it got me pretty upset.

Here I am, tonight. I had seen this commercial for a movie called "Unanswered Prayers" based on the Garth Brooks song. In the song as you remember Garth Brooks (apparently- or so in this story) runs into his old high school flame, his first love, the one he was infatuated with. The one he'd always wanted and adored. BUT as he is remembering the old days, and recalling how much he loved her (or so he thought) he looks at his wife, and thanks God for her. Thanks God he DIDN'T answer that prayer.  I sang along the song as a little girl,  it is still one of my favorites. I remember a few of the prayers as I had growing up, and in past relationships. I look back at them now with a smile, and I look at the goofy, silly, beautiful man that I love. As much as i ever thought I knew what love was, what it meant, or how people showed it- I didn't know romantic love until he entered my life. So the song holds a place in my heart. Well- the MOVIE does NOT.

The man in the film has a great marriage and a son and she's been in love with him since 5th grade and blah blah blah. Cheesy Cheesy Cheesy. Anywhoo- he does NOT look at his wife and thank God for her- he has to sneak around with the old girl first, get drunk and fool around with her, and THEN realize that he is a total ass. Beg his wife to forgive him as she bawls in the kitchen, and then hate himself. UGH. The naive me thought this would be fairytale-esque and not so typical. I threw the remote and refused to watch the end.

Then I realized why i was so pissed. Almost every relationship I have ever known or put faith in has failed miserably at some point. Honestly.  What is that? I grew up believing that if you love someone you love them, plain and simple. Uncomplicated, black and white. Why do so many people have to screw it up royally to realize they had it pretty damn good? And that it's what they want, and had it the whole time, and were to stupid to realize it? What is it about relationships that have everyone so scared?
I realize how idealistic this sounds, but I grew up reading fairytales. I put alot of stock in them, and loved like that my entire life. I Do.  Not.  Falter.  To this day. I have always loved whole-heartedly. 100 percent. I have also been 100 percent faithfully committed to who I was with. 

Now I have a lot of male friends. I adore them. I hang out with them- sometimes without my boyfriend-GASP!  We do crazy things like have coffee and see movies and have MEALS TOGETHER. (sense the sarcasm).  It is sad in this day and age when many would assume that there has to be a catch....why spend time with a man that isn't who you are with?? I am not perfect by ANY means, but I'm plenty comfortable in where my heart resides to think nothing of doing these things, Jon always knows who i'm with and where I am. Those who are scared of those situations are probably those who are unsure in their heart, I like when people say "it's out of respect!" ummm ok.... sooo whats disrespectful about having a meal? About conversation? If everyone's fine with it there is no disrespect involved...right? I've never been so drunk, or confused, or angry, or what have you that I did anything to jeopardize my relationship.This one or any other one.    Ever.


That is not meant to sound holier than thou, or cocky and I realize it does. I realize I come off that way sometimes, and people are good at reminding me. Also this is not directed at anyone specific but to the general public and I hear this stuff ALL THE TIME from others...   "I was drunk, it was a mistake!" and "I was confused- it wont happen again!" and " I didn't mean to hurt you" and " It just something I had to figure out!" all that other crap is something I don't understand.

Now, that being said. I am in a relationship that had its own up and downs, its own battles. Its own little bumps and bruises. There was no cheating, but we weren't completely sure we were meant to be together. So We took a break, we figured it out. We didn't stay together, lie to each other, hide things, reveal them later when it wouldn't be so bad, we took time away. REAL time. and we BOTH knew it was happening. , So I understand some of the doubt, or the faltering to an extent, but at the risk of sounding cocky (once again) there is a little thing called fidelity people, Fidelity has a little friend named Honesty. Fidelity and Honesty's grandpa's name is Respect. Give it a go.

My unanswered prayers?  I prayed (at 12) that God would wake me up from this nightmare when my grandparents died, and that he'd take it back 3 months later when, to top it off, my best friend moved away.  They stayed gone. and she left.

I prayed that My teeth would magically fix themselves. They didn't


One of the biggest ones was thrown into the heavens out of desperation and the complete demolition of me heart at 19 as my best friends told me the worst thing you can hear about the person you love- I prayed it wasn't true. and that we'd be together forever. We weren't.



My answered prayers?


Jonathan Cole McCracken.  Years later. Disguised as a quiet kid reading Lord of the Rings in the OCCC lobby haha. Who looked like he was gonna bolt for the door when I asked him to borrow his psych notes. Who I had to literally say "You gonna kiss me or not?" to....2 months later. Haha!  and there you go...  :)

Traditional "What I am Thankful For" - its WAY long. haha

What I am Thankful For:

My love.  "Boyfriend" doesn't give him enough credit. That' s a term you use in middle school to describe the boy you sat next to at lunch who grossly kissed you once and gave you half his peanut butter sandwich. This man I am referring to is my favorite part of my life. Takes me as I am, always. knows me better than anyone else does or ever has. better than I know myself. Loving him makes me a better person.

My family.  We are a bunch of sarcastic, stubborn, fiery people. Almost like Italians, haha. But we love each other so much its hard to breathe. I am strong, confident, true and stubborn like my mother. I am sarcastic, love with all my heart, self-sufficient, and get the job done like my father.  I refuse to be spoken down to by anyone- I get that from them both haha.  My brother Brad is an inspiration. Good at everything he tries to do. He's an amazing artist; in every sense of the word. He has a quiet way about him that is different from the rest of us- a bit better in my opinion. He's going to do great things, not to mention He's a wonderful brother.

My younger sister is just her. In every good sense of the expression. She's a perfect combination of our parents. She's more mellow than I am, but don't tick her off. She actually listened to me when she was growing up about making good decisions- haha. She's smart and thoughtful. She accepts people for who they are and accepts herself for who she is. I love that about her.  My youngest brother Brian is a trip. He's crazy and funny. At 10 years old, I swear He should do stand-up.  He hides his huge heart behind a little tough guy exterior, but still lets me kiss and snuggle him like when he was little. He is a great judge of character. He has literally gotten in a fight defending the kid in his class his peers were making fun of. I think He loves Jon almost as much as I do. Before he was born we would be sitting at the kitchen table and I always felt like someone was missing, After he was born I realized I think it was him.. :)

Jon's Family- 

Scott, Paula, Kelli, Aaron, Baby Liam, Bub and Jenny-  I know alot of people say in-laws, or who they love's family is a nightmare. I beg to differ haha. You guys do so much, and you have always made me feel like part of the family. I cannot express how much I appreciate that. I love you guys so much!!

Matt, Cristy and Jackson- you know how much we love you. Our adventures are always so much fun! From getting into cars with strangers at Cuppy and Joe's to Bear's diabolical poo incident- there is never a dull moment. We kind of adore you.  :)

ok-I simply cannot address you separately- there is just to many haha. You guys are so amazing. I consider you my family as well. I always wanted the big loud family, and tons of people and cousins and pure havoc... Well..... I got it!! and I love it. I feel so blessed to know you all, and love the diversity of personality. More so than that I love what you all have in common- how much you love each other. 

My friends- Once again to many to address seperately, However we will try. first the Girls:

Megan. Marie. Whitman. ~Jon is my love but you are my soulmate. I don't know what I would do without you. You have seen me through the hardest times and best times of my life. You are what best friends are made of.  You are like my human Valium- haha. You know how to chill me out, and there's something to be said about that! Like i know that Jon is who I will spend my life with, I know I will spend it with you as my friend. I love you more than words can say.

Momma Tina and Crazy Ricky- Thank you for being such great parents to my Fuzzball up there. I dont know what I'd do without her! I love you both like family!! Xoxo

Cortney a.k.a "Abbott"- dude. Dude. I think God made us on the same day, but made you taller and thinner and gave you the straight teeth- but gave me the ghetto booty and decided I was a Bobcat. Where as other people had to know me to understand me- you always got me haha. You are a true-blue, stand up for your friends, and love with all you are type of person. I know you always have my back- and our few epic fights were because we love each other so much. You are a gorgeous person inside and out.  Love you!

Nicole Joann- Niki Niki Jo Jo-haha

You are simply incredible. You inspire me all the time. You are tough, and brave in all areas of your life. You do things your way. You push the edge of the envelope. You meet your goals.   You love freely and easily. You're passionate. We have been friends our entire life- and helped groom me into who I am. Like sisters we fight and argue. We make each other nuts. But I love you like a sister- Always. Don't know how I'd function if I didn't have you.  :)

Jessica DeNice-You amazing teacher you! More adult that the rest of us- you do so much!! Coaching and making us all look like slackers haha, I love that you had a dream and achieved it. We don;t get to see each other as much as we'd like- but we both know how much we mean to each other! I love you girl!

Jilly Bean- You handle yourself with more grace than anyone I know. You are a great balance of love and logic. You pretty much always do the right thing. You have had some rough times- but always come out clean on the other side! I'm so glad you are happy- you deserve it! Love you!

Sassafrass- You crazy woman, you. Haha! I simply adore you. You are true to who you are, don't take anyone's crap, and have a huge heart! I know this past year has been crazy rough on you, but you are so much stronger than you know. God has big plans for you! I love you!

My dear Mrs. Whitney- What can I say girlie- you are just amazing! You are an example to be followed. You work so hard, you are such a woman of God and beautiful person. You are probably the most family-oriented person I know. You and Luke are a perfect match- and your love is that of storybooks. I love you. 

Lacey: You are awesome, Mrs Retter! You always have a sweet thing to say, you carry yourself like a woman should with grace and confidence, without being cocky. You work your tail off and make our Christian so happy. We are so happy you guys found each other! i know You, me and Whit will be friends for MANY years- If not on our own accord- our men would never separate anyways  haha. Love you!

Lauren: im so glad we became friends!  You totally crack me up. you also make me feel like my advice is helpful haha. I have so much fun with you! I know you've had a lot of obstacles and changes- but you handle them like a champ! I know you will find success in anything you do :) Love you!

Sarah Hope- Girl Im so glad you are moving Back!  Some of my funnest times have been with you! Skylar is a total doll- I know you had a hand in that ;) haha. She exudes vibrancy and happiness- which only comes from a child that knows she's loved so much. Me+You+Relax Riesling. I love you, SNERT. haha

Kala- My crazy karaoke friend!! You are such a wonderful Mommy to Liam- I hope I can be as good as you are when I get my little ones in the DISTANT future haha. You are a total blast, and you've worked hard to get where you are. He is your first priority- I have never doubted that for a second. You are totally gorgeous, friend! I love you! 

Rachel- Tons of my adolescent memories have you in them- whether we were having slumber parties or trying to  rip each others throats out haha, It was all out of love! You have become this wonderful, beautiful family woman! I am so proud of you! Love you!

Bird- You are such a tough Old Bird- haha. The definition of someone that's been to hell and back- I salute you. You amaze me. You are one of the funnest/ funniest people I know and I totally love being around you. You can ALWAYS make me laugh haha. You're a great Momma to Kiki...she didn't look to happy in that OU jersey though... I think you and Sam Bradford will make a wonderful life together  ;)

Bee- Hey-yo Prego!  haha. You also are a wonderful mommy- deep down i know you're sweet- that's why Aiden is the way he is  ;) I know you always have my back, and once you pop that baby out and visit it's party-hardy time. You are such a wonderful sister to the kids, they are lucky to have you. Love you!

Kara aka "Carinos Mommy"- you are the best pseudo Mommy ever. Thanks for always feeding me and taking care of me haha, hailey is a lucky girl! Love you!

My Norman JC girls- geez you've made my move to Norman so much easier!! You guys are so awesome and I hardly ever mind coming to work- which is wierd! Alisha- "Pillow Fight!" I love our movie dates haha. Aly- shopping with you is so much fun- I love how excited we get haha. ALY SMASH!  Sandi- You wonderful Zumba intructor you! Im working my way up there! and the hottie at Olive Branch- haha! Katy- Brotney spears dance! You make me happy- thats all there is to it haha Sam- The definition of someone who wears a smile in crisis, girl you are an inspiration to us all! Bri- No day is complete without a friendly smack on the hiney haha. Lyd- Like Aly you can chill me out- which is huge- and You are such a good momma to little artie. Reuben- your shenanigans sure make me laugh haha, and you fly planes! I wish I could be as badass as you! Ashley- its PLATE day!!! You know you love me!  To the rest of you I love you as well!! That place oozes with good people, it simply astounds me.

To all my girlfriends- you know who you are. Im sorry i cant list you all- I dont know if you've ever tried to do this- but its HARD! haha. Everyone of you has touched my life in a way that has made me better. I am so thankful for each and every one of you.

BOYS: 

Brandon- What is there to say- we've had our arguments over 4 bottles of wine haha, but I just love you. you are the person I would choose for my best friend. I know how much you love her, and how hard you work for her. Thank you for taking care of her! Love you "Dad"!

Zack Brewer, Luke, Christian- Thank you firstly for being wonderful husbands to the women I love so much! all three of you are amazing. I know how those women can be and you are brave-haha! They adore you as do I. I know we will be friends for years. Love you!

Tim- our coffee dates and deep discussions make you one of my favorite people. You are a human ego boost- and you feel things when you feel them. I love you pseudo- boyfriend!

 Ahdom- I think I would've killed you in years past If I didn't like you so much haha. I know I give you a hard time but you know I will always care about you. You are a big reason I knew what love was about. To think like a crawdad you have to become a crawdad right? :)

Colt- Miss Noxzema Jackson!! Someone who can always put a smile on my face. You care about your friends and family SO much. You are one of my favorite people to be around! I love you!

Eric- THE GUY who got me through me and Jon's dark times haha- two-for's at AMC on sunday were always our thing. I dont know where you are these days but I hope life is treating you well. You always hold a piece of my heart, love. and I am forever grateful to you for being such  a good friend to me when i needed one the most!! We miss you. I love you!

Chaser and Jay-tub- Well as my boyfriend's boyfriends I guess we are stuck with each other  :) you guys are amazing friends to us. So glad you are making such a wonderful lives for yourselves, Chase I hope you aren't to busy to marry us at our wedding haha. Jake- hope you feel like crying its gonna be a tearjerker! We love you guys so much!

John Way, Billy Barty, Jed, Will and Nikita- You boys have a  great way of always making me feel accepted and special- almost like a cool guy with long hair haha. You never seem to mind that Jon brings his girfriend everywhere ;0) You are wonderful friends to Jon and to me. I love that you guys make me feel like you love me almost as much as you love him. You are awesome. We love you!

Jon face- You little genius you! I know I dont see you much but that doesnt mean I love you any less than I always have. You are hilarious, and a hottie I might add  ;) Me and jon miss you- come see us! love you!

last but NOT least-

Jeff Kenney- aka JRK. You are one of my favorite people in the entire world. I respect and love the person you are. You have always listened when i needed to talk and offered advice when i asked for it. I will always think of you as someone I can count on, and One of the truest people I have ever met. I love you so much!

all the other men in my life- You are just as important. once again writing it all out isnt easy! Everyone has influence and I adore all of you. Thanks for everything you do!!

Galway City Nightlife:Velociraptors, Dancing and Supermac

We have yet to find a party place we loved as much as Killkenny- those people put the "fun" bar at an impossibly unreachable standard.  However, We did find that while Galway City is different- it can get pretty damn entertaining  :)

We woke up after our day of rest  (yesterday) and after a breakfast of bacon and eggs and getting to sleep in, we started to get ready to explore the city.  It was still raining:but not as hard as the day before; and we were determined to see the place every town/city called "young, vibrant, and unforgettable."  Well all of these are true.

We started out walking own Williams street, a pedestrian street where the main restaurants, shopping, and of course pubs are.  We got Halloween accessories- Nicole got bunny ears and I got a headband with a little pirate hat on it, we got a present for my mommy  (ssssshh) and Nicole found a really cute Ireland jacket. I loved the hustle and bustle of the city centre. The Latin Quarter and Quay  (pronounced "key')  street was pib after pub after pub.  There were tons of GORGEOUS shops, and they already had Christmas garland streamed from buliding to building above us.  We then headed back to the B and B to relax a bit and get ready for the infamous Galway City nightlife.

When walking down Williams street that night, they had turned the junction of all the pedestrian streets to a Halloween carnival/dance party, There was a gazebo and dj blasting music- "Thriller" of course. We saw a group of kids dancing and a huge skeleton walking down the street. There was a flamethrower, and a ton of people dressed up. The city lights were very invigorating- this was looking like a good night!!

We started at the Front Door; there was a soccer game  that EVERYONE  was completely into. We had a drink, listened to Lady Gaga's "Paparazzi" and headed across the street to try our luck at a little more interaction at "Busker Brown's".  Good decision. The bartender were male- and dressed as David Hasselhoff, or just Baywatch, wearing a cloth pair of abs, a blond wig and red swim trunks. The other was a giant baby, in pink (one piece) footie PJ's with ducks on them, and a binky in his mouth. We got a table and settled in to wait for funny conversations to eavesdrop on haha.

After we had a drink, an older an walks up with a HUGE platter of food that had been barely touched (this was a very nice place) and said 'here girlies- help yourself!" now normally I wouldve shoved it away, disgusted and insulted.  But the Irish are different, and this was filled with chicked tendres, onion rings, french fries and wonderful yumminess.  3 beers in Randi and Nicole and all food is food.  Sorry mom. But it was glorious.

We finished our drinks, and walked into a random pub to pee, and this is where it got interesting. A group of about 5 boys  (ages 20-21) snagged us and said "Are ye American?' and we said "Yes..." and they said "You need to see this city centre with some locals..' we of course gave our normal  "We are here for friends, and drinks. Keep your hands to yourselves and we can have a good time, we are staying in the city center  (only a couple block radius)  and not straying, and we have boyfriends," Haha. They said "ph thats grand!!" and proceeded to show us around. Thats when we realized they were actually velociraptors . They were running like them thru the streets, jumping on trashcans, jumping off, cawing at pedestrians.... i'd like to say this freaked us out and we left them be....but we found ourselves hunched over in laughter at these kids. They were hysterical.

.....at one point one grabbed a bag of chips from a sandwich place in his mouth and raptor-style-ran down the street with them- as the man came out yelling  WHAT THE HELL ARE YE doin?!", we stopped and apologized.

No..... we didn't, haha. Not knowing what to do Nicole and I clasped hands and cracking up RAN as fast as we could after the raptors. Feeling like kids again, Nicole and I enjoyed the completely childish company of our new friends.  They were perfect gentlemen, no not gentlemen.....boys. Young, funny, boys.

We ducked into a nearby nightclub where there was dancing, not bumping and grinding like the U.S, similair to country dancing, lots of twirling and and two-step like dancing.  Me and Nicole were excited, the boys were pounding the drinks, we were sipping ours and enjoying the show haha, The more they drank, the wackier they got.  One did get a little out of hand, got a little close to my face and as I threw my hand up and said "HEY MISTER! Be NICE!" Nicole saved me haha. She came over and we danced instead.

We saw one of our new friends leaning against the wall of the bar in an obviously over-drunk fashion. We took on the motherly role, helped him down the street as his friends laughed at him behind us, and went on a quest for food to sober him up.

The boys wanted to go to Supermac (irish version of McDonalds) Ok- not as good in my opinion. there is a huge food court in the middle of the cenre next to the pubs, it contains a snadwich shop, a Papa Johns, and this Supermac cheeseburger place. Set up like a cafeteria, and I bet it makes tons of money :) Our drunk friend kept going "I want a milkshake, can i have one?" and looking at other patrons going "Do you have my milkshake??" haha, he got one and we all ate, bid our goodbyes and Nic and I grabbed a cab.  Sept like Babies,  winding down now.

4 more days  :(  /  :)

love/ miss you all.

Doolin, Cliffs of Moher and entering Galway City :)

We stayed in Dollin last night at a HUGE farmhouse, I think we are getting spioiled by these big, nice places  :0)

In the beginning we enjoyed the small "homey" feeling, the "traditional Irish: Homes.... Now that we are entering our second week we realize that the moving every day and somewhere different every night is exhausting, and the more modern and somewhat bigger houses allow us a little more of a "hotel" feel, meaning we don't feel the need to be charming  haha. We are always very grateful and appreciative, always thank them and smile, but then go up to our room, watch a movie and usually take a mid-day nap, haha. This has been our saving grace.

We got to our farmhouse in Doolin, which was literally more like a hotel.  10 rooms in this one, it had exit lights for goodness sakes, a "dial a cab phone, tons of pamplets and brochures for nearby attractions, etc.

We got to the room around 4, and crashed until 8 pm.
This is becoming aa lovely habit of ours. We get up and ready, enjoy breakfast, pack and lug our suitcases back to the car, and enjoy that days activities. We have lunch, get to our B and B, take a nap, and then go out for dinner and half the time a drink.

We are in the land of beer and pubs, but just like the USA, they are fairly quiet during th week nights, we usually get take away and stay in, or go out to eat, have 2 or 3 beers and then come home to a movie, call the boys, and crash.

Anywhoo- I am the queen of tangents, we fell asleep until about 8 pm, and awoke to our stomachs eating themselves, we decided to go out to one of the 3 pubs in town (tells you how tiny this town is) and grab a bite. Nicole had an awesome fressh salmon with veggies and potatoes, accompanied by a Stella Artois. I enjoyed....get this.... a pepperoni pizza, and my drink of choice; a cider  Seriously.   now I have stuck to the traditional foods pretty well since we have been here, but seeing that on the specials board made my eyes light up. It was delicious.

 We met a couple of wonderful ladies from the states and proceeded to laugh about mishaps, B and B's and driving on the left, at the table next to us was 5 employees of the pub, younger guys,laying poker and just ripping on each other. It was quite enoyable to listen to. We all enjoyed the quietness of the pub, since we were the only people there, and headed home about 11:30.

Today we went and saw the Cliffs of Moher. It was raining cats and dogs and it was freezing, but it didn't take away from the majesticness of it all. If thaat's not actually a word, im making it one because the Cliffs deserve it, haha.  They were a sight to behold, that's for sure.

We then drove to Galway City, Now being that it has been raining cats and dogs most of the day, we of course stcuk to our "check in, take a nap, watch a movie" plan.  Well, we didn't get much further than that. We ordered movies and stayed in tonight. Crappy chinese food, lol. Well my fish and chips was good, Nicole wasn't as big of a fan as me  :)

Tomorrow we plan on exploring the city we have heard so much about, and tomorrow night is friday night......Woooo!!

Miss and love you all,
Randi

Killarney and Dingle- We're getting lazy haha

We left Blarney and Tom and his lovely family to see The Killarney National Park.  It was going to be a great day to be sure. Well.....Not so great. We think we are used to wind in OK, well we are, but on a daily basis. After being here for a while you forget little things, like what its like to drive around and not see everything look like it was perfectly lanscaped, or how reliant we are on the sun, I didn't realize how ired I was until we drove over the mountain and I saw some sunshine- I felt myself breathe deeply and smile, I looked over and Nicole was doing the same thing. It didn't ;ast long, lol. The closer we got tothe park the cloudier it got, and we started to see the rain literally move in. Think of the scene in Forrest Gump when he talks about types of rain and he says "Sometimes the raain blew in sideways..." it wasn't QUITE that intense, but it did get that way. Needless to say we didn't last long at the National Park, we ended up finding our B and B and staying in...but it was actually nice :)

Our B and B was kind of hidden off the road, so when we found it and looked at the outside, which matched the picture, small and cozy, we went to check in.  Kathy was a doll, reminded us alot of Fiona on our first night. Very nice and warm,  VERY helpful with directions and saved us a LOT of mileage when we head to Doolin today explaining that the is a ferry that will save us about 125 km.  AWESOME.

We found ourselves amazed by this place, it was MASSIVE. We went down 3 paisley-patterned hallways to get to our room, a huge  twin room with  an armoire, make-up mirror, beautiful bathroom and  2 wine glasses and a bottle opener. YAY. Think they saw us coming....    :)

We spent the night eating gas station food, drinking wine and watching Sleepless in Seattle. Nicole took a 3 hour nap from 7-10pm  (she was sleepy)  and I read an entire book. The relaxation was well deserved and much appreciated.


to Dingle  (the next day)

We left  The Applecroft House  (our B and B) with stomachs full of french toast  (Yummm) nd headed to dingle. We knew we were supposed to see the ocean today, so we were pumped.  We drove about an hour and then I looked to my left and squealed "aaaaah!!!"  There was Inch Beach.   We ran onto it like little kids, had on our rainboots and stood in the tide. We ran like David Hasselhoff haha. It was amazing. We could only imagine what the Dingle Penninsula was going to be like, so after about 45 minutes playing on the beach we headed that way.  after a bit of driving we were completely astounded. There is no way to describe the penninsula except  take what you felt as a kid on Christmas morning hen you saw your presents. That combination of excitement and wonder, that pure happiness where no one or nothing else is a distraction.  It was glorious.  We looked out n pure awe, stood on  a cliff (sorry Mom) and gazed  staraight down to the rushing waves.. A-Mazing.

We got to our B and B about 4  o clock, watched Elizabethtown and took a nap.  then went outto a nice dinner and saw some traditional Irish music. The city was very quiet and the pub was full of americans lol. Seatlle, Indiannapolis, and Green Bay were the locations I remember. ironically we enjoyed each others company very much. They were all older couples and we talked to them about we had liked most and vice-versa. 

The 2 person band was an older lady and man, with some of the purest voices I've ever heard. very deep and clear, Hrad to describe.  Melifluous if you will.  Lol  (jon.). It was a great night.  :)

Headed to Doolin today. Yalk to you soon. Love and Miss you all.