Happy

I'm a writer at heart, and through every inch of my body.

At night, I dream of the words I'd write if I were awake.  

My waitress book is filled with half written ideas for stories that will never find their way to filled pages of my slanted writing.  

When a professor mentions that the class will consist primarily of papers, I feel a thrill of excitement where the other students groan in almost physical pain.  

So it's always confused me that when I'm so happy I could burst, or have something to say about my own life or to someone in my life, or somebody is upset...words escape me.  

The thoughts bounce around incoherently and never come out right...so that instead I stare blankly like a woman that can't use words.

I can write you a story about a couple that is not me and the words will flow beautifully.  But in my own life when asked to respond to something, I'm lost for words.  

But I am happy.  

So very happy.

Day 74

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Of Trail Rides and Picnics

Yesterday I went horse-back riding for the first time in what feels like forever (4ish years is forever, right?)

It felt so good to be back up there, and I swear I never wanted to get back down.  And it helps that the trail we rode through was absolutely gorgeous...

But afterwards, I had a 2-person picnic to attend, and so of course I donned my camera and popped some blackberries!

Day 73

And, incredibly, the rain held off for us all day!

Next weekend, I head back to college.  But for now, I think I'll enjoy days like yesterday, eating up the last bits of sunshine and summer before the cold descends again.  

(why don't I move somewhere WARM???)

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Disappearing Act

Over the past couple of weeks since my disappearance from this blog, I've had SO much going on.

And I feel like I owe you an explanation, at least a little one, because I had plans for posts.

Primarily, I've been busy with work.  But it's been more than that.  

Life just gets in the way sometimes, and I'll be honest...I've loved every minute of it.

Instead of telling you what's been going on though, I'll give you some pictures.

Day 71

No matter where I end up in life...I think the Philadelphia skyline will always be one of the most beautiful things I've seen

Day 72

Say what you want about Philadelphia fans, and certainly I can't pretend I know anything about baseball.  But I do know that these players love each other, and the game.  How many major league teams run into each other's arms when they win a simple regular-season game?

Over the past couple of weeks, there have been babies born, and parties planned for those still on their way.  Relationships have been formed, and old ones rekindled, while those that never left have carried on.  

As the final weeks of summer wind down, and I get ready for my Junior year of college, I'm loving every minute of the sunshine - whether I've photographed them or not, little or small.

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The First Day: Exploring Dublin

As in all things, the dust has settled.  

A couple of days back at work has brought me back to America, so that I no longer spend the greater part of my days wishing for the green hills of Ireland; for another funny man with a gorgeous accent to whisk me off to somewhere pretty in a bus driving down the left side of the road (although a few hours at work left me wondering why I ever came home).

So now, it's your turn.  For both my own sanity (sorting through nearly 1000 pictures and trying to narrow them down enough for one post would land me in a padded room, I'm sure) and because six days in Ireland is just too much to absorb in one day (even if by one day I mean one blog post), I'm going to let you in on my trip one day at a time.  As the title of this post so slyly suggests, we spent our first day in Ireland (Sunday) exploring the new city we found ourselves in - Dublin.

Because we arrived on a red-eye flight early on Sunday morning, we didn't have any tours planned for the day.  So we dropped our bags off at the hotel (it was only 8:30, and since check-in wasn't for a couple of hours, there weren't any rooms available yet), and set off into the city with our taxi-driver's advice in mind: stay right.  Apparently going left at any point before reaching city center would lead to the proverbial "bad part of town".

Although we got a little lost, we did find this adorable little bus-stop turned park.

(while we took picture after picture, three girls in Trinity sweaters stared us down, presumably thinking "stupid tourists") 

In the entire week we spent in Ireland, this was one of the only Irish flags we saw.  Apparently hanging the flag everywhere is an American tradition.

And have a conversation with a complete stranger we did, but more on that later.  

My delicious lunch found at a sports bar of sorts, where all the "football" fans congregated for a beer before the game.

Can I just tell you how many different forms of potato were on that plate? 

Three.  There were three types of potatoes on that plate.  And let me just assure you that they were all delicious!

A group of people presumably walking to the football game.  Our hotel was right across from the stadium, and our first day there it played host to a game between to apparently well-known teams.  

Remember that stranger I mentioned?  Well, here he is.  Or at least one of them.  Him (Brenden) and a friend (who goes by a name I didn't quite understand through his accent) happened to be sitting at a table next to ours at dinner, and when he saw Corey (brother) taking a picture of me, he decided to photo-bomb.

Corey and I, of course.  

So there's Day One guys.

More tomorrow.  I promise!

<3

PS.  Here's Day 70

Day 70

To the Wild Wild Wicklow

Day 69

More photos to come, just as soon as I'm home in America and can sort through them.

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Kiersten's Adventures in Ireland (the abridged picture book)

Day 67
(A little tea shop in Dublin, where I tried my first crepe - a lemon sugar affair)

Day 68
(Blarney Castle, where I supposedly received the gift of eternal eloquence and, in the process, nearly peed myself out of pure terror)

More on that later.  But for now, sleep before whatever adventures tomorrow has in store.

<3

Wish You Were Here (The Ireland Edition)

It's morning here in Ireland, and while my brother wakes himself up for our tour of the River Liffey, I'm doing what I do every morning in America - I sift through photos of the night before.

Let me just start by saying - this country is incredible.  I cannot possibly describe to you, in words or photographs, how gorgeous it is here.  Just random stops on the road with our tour-guide yesterday were gorgeous.  Stops that in America, I'd probably have paid no mind to.

Every day, I meet somebody from another country, and not just Ireland.  I've met a Swiss couple, and spoken to a woman originally from Canada, who now lives in France.  On our tour yesterday, we were one of two American groups - everyone else on the tour was from another country.

And each and every one of them was shocked by the beauty of every stop, but especially of The Cliffs of Moher (pronounced Mow-er, in case you were curious. Because up until yesterday, I thought it was Mo-hair)

I can't possibly share every photo with you, but I'd like to show you a few - because I'm just too excited not to.

This was the first photo I took in Dublin.  We were wandering around the city while they got our room ready, and I saw this door knocker.

Only I would go out of the country, and find flowers worth photographing

I'm thinking this was just a prettied up busstop, because the girls waiting for the bus there were laughing at us.  But we thought it was worth photographing

These stickers are all over Dublin City.

On our first day here, there was a football game (er...for you Americans like myself...soccer) in the stadium.  These guys were playing for all the fans

Saint James' Castle in Limerick

Yes, that is an American flag you see.  No, I am not lying about being in Ireland.  According to our tour guide, they learned a long time ago to "stroke the American ego" and since "4th of July or whatever" was a few days ago, they had flags up for the American tourists.  It makes us spend more money.

The Cliffs of Moher!!

Happiest cows on earth, apparently 

Everywhere you go in Ireland, there is music

O'Brian's Tower.  A long time ago, a man named O'Brian had this put up because he knew the cliffs would become a tourist attraction.  No joke

Random stop on the tour - gorgeous cliffs that have no name or importance.  They just look incredible

A dilapidated church - it was abandoned during the Potato Famine

The grass was just so green...I had to take a picture

Kilarney

We were all smitten with this kitten.  Hey....that rhymed!

Day 65

Day 66

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