So Who Wants to Know What I've Been Up Too?

So this is an insane and cool predicament I’m in… well sort of. I mean It’s been over a year since I last posted. But this post is also a cause for celebration! It’s my 300^th post. Like holy fucking shit! Seven years and 300 posts!

I wish I had posted more. I mean I never even caught you guys up on the rest of my trip! Shit so much has happened and I’ve neglected you all immensely. Well not that many have been paying attention anyway. But this is still like my therapy, it’s a place to let shit out and relax and just say whatever and not be judged. It’s a platform that I feel like I can inspire people and just tell my store. I like telling stories. And I like telling my story.

Telling your own story is something you rarely get to do because everyone that you know has seen your story evolve and watched you become the person that you are. And here… here almost no one knows me. No one knows what shit I’ve been through in the last year. No one knows how depressed I’ve been. No one will judge me on the fact that I’m now gearing up for a trip to Europe where I will be totally selfish.

I’m going to Europe because I feel so trapped and suffocated in my life. I had a boyfriend for the last year and I can honestly say it wasn’t a relationship that benefited me. I learned a lot from it but I’m ready to move on. I’m ready for a new adventure and that’s what I’m off to next month. It’s been over a year now since I’ve had a huge European adventure.

Speaking of European adventures… After Oslo I went to London

Because everyone knows I can’t resist London…

I also can’t resist Trafalgar Square and it’s for an other post but I decided to show my love for Trafalgar in 50 pictures of the square. It was a fun way to spend the afternoon.

I went to Dover to finally see the White Cliffs that I have wanted to see for years!!

And I went to Worcester…

And got a Tattoo!

Then I went to Spain to visit Ana..

And I went back to the Lighthouse that I’d been at four years before and I couldn’t help but reflect even then how much my life had changed…

And then of course I had to go to Barcelona to visit Lenka!

I took a mini Gaudi tour of the city… but that’s another post as well I suppose.

And after Barcelona I went to Paris…

I’d met an amazing French girl while I was in London. We were both staying at the same hostel and she liked my blue hair. So we started chatting and I ended up staying on her couch while in Paris. I met up with Damien’s Sister and we went clubbing. And I lost my wallet. But then I got it back.

And Paris grew a little tiny fond spot in my heart….

After Paris I flew to Ireland. One of the families that I nanny for in the states moved there for 6 months for the dad’s job. So I went to see them.  And we had a fucking blast!

I got to see Cobh again…

They stayed in Kinsale and the town is so pretty…

And I got to see Cork.

It was an amazing trip and it was lovely and I didn’t want it to end. But well shit from home just started weighing me down. Things were really going to shit with the house and all that. And I was still worked up about my dog Charles.

He ended up getting pretty sick and on October 30^th we put him down. It was really hard and upsetting for me because he was my dog more then anyone else’s. So that was really really hard. But then so much changed so fast.

My dad and older brother moved to Mount Holly. Christmas sucked, I spent the morning with at the time boyfriend. Then I put together furniture at my dad’s house and had dinner with my brother’s girlfriend’s family. It was nice but…

Christmas had always been my favourite holiday. It had always been an amazing kind of day and all about family and food and I knew it had to end sooner or later because us kids would all find significant other’s but I still didn’t want it to end and to actually have what I considered an “adult” Christmas sucked.

But I got over it. New years came and went. And the rest of the year really just molded together in a blur of shit and work and drama. 

But in the less shit bit of it all I went to Denver with Jameson, who I was dating at the time. It was a fun trip. So I saw Denver...

And Rocky Mountain National Park.

I went to Canada for the first time and saw Niagara Falls! 

And I went to visit my mum in Texas. That was a bright spot in it all

And my best friend Sheridan came out from Nebraska and we had a grand adventure and saw Boston!

But those mini trips weren't enough to stave off the suffocation of routine. Then just a few weeks ago I decided enough was enough. I needed to clean my life up. I’d been in a constant depressed mood and I was tired of it. So I broke up with my boyfriend and really started to do more of what made me happy.

Since I’ve moved in with a friend. After losing the High Bridge house I moved in with my little brother for ages but then he got engaged and I wanted them to have the house so I moved in with a friend. I’ll be couchsurfing for a few weeks soon because I feel like it. I’ve had more time for myself and to do what I like…

I started writing a new book! And I got a third job. But it’s a fun job. So I nanny for two families on Mondays. Tuesday through Saturday I’m at the shop. And Friday through Sunday night I work at a haunted hayride.

And holy shit I realized since I haven’t blogged you all aren’t aware that I’ve had a “real” job sinc e I got home from Europe!!!! My little brother Hunter works as a mechanic. And two days before I’m home he messages me and asks if I want to be the Service Writer (aka glorified secretary). And I was like yes totally. So he was like okay come in for an interview Monday. I got Saturday night. So I was in for the interview Monday and I started Wednesday. And I’ve been working there ever since!

It was good money and I saved up and paid lots of bills and all that good stuff. I finished writing my young adult vampire novel while at work. So really it was perfect because I didn’t have a lot of work to do so I could write and read. And now it’s just annoying to work there. All the drama is killing me so Tuesday was my birthday!! I’m 26 yay!! And I also quite my job. I gave my boss my one month notice!

I figured I had to do it soon because I take off on November 14^th! So he knows I’m not coming back and it was good to finally let everyone know what the fuck I was doing. Because I’d bought those tickets over a month ago!

So there you are essentially caught up on my life without all the boring whining! And I couldn’t be happier with how it’s all fallen into place. I leave for Copenhagen on the 14^th. Why Copenhagen? Well I’ve never been and the plane ticket from JSK to COP was only $172!!! Yes one hundred and seventy two dollars on Norwegian air! From Copenhagen I fly to Rome and Rome to Prague for Thanksgiving with Lenka! And then I’m looking for a Hostel job in prague so I can chill there for a while. Otherwise I might go be an au pair in Milan… So we shall see! For now I’m leaving the door open to adventure and I’m sure it will all turn out just grand!

Cheers,

Adventure 2013: Limerick

So my trip started with a short flight down to Philly… on a propeller plane…

Now I don’t know why but these planes skeeve me out a bit. They’re safe obviously as I took one down and back but still they scare me a tad bit. 

I slept most of the flight over because I was stuck on a shitty plane without the individual TV screens. So I landed in Shannon and had a very nostalgic morning. I caught the bus into Limerick city centre. My first stop in Limerick was the milk market. I was hoping to find some good cheese but it’s really changed and my favourite cheese stall wasn’t there so it was a little depressing. But I found a charity shop there and ended up getting a cute new coat, I’d underestimated the weather. I’d packed a really light jacket and I wanted something just a bit heavier. I also got a cute pair of shorts that look like a skirt when you stand with your legs together.

Then I wandered around city centre and took in the good old sights of Limerick. 

And I met up with my host, Marco, and we chilled for a bit before he went to play football (aka soccer) and I opted for a nice nap. Later after I’d woken up and Marco was back he introduced me to his friends that lived in the same complex. He had to work that night but his friends were willing to babysit me for the night. We ended up going to The Parlour. It was a really cool place and it made me a little sad because it was so cool and to think that I wasted a whole semester going to Smyths and Icon. But no use dwelling on the past. I still got my Guinness and Bulmers so all was well. Going out also helped to sort of combat my would be jetlag because a it worked in my favour and b the next day it inspired sleep in time.

When I got up it was time to hit the city and see it in a way I’d never seen it while I lived there. I had done a wee bit of research to see where I should visit, like thee super touristy things. First stop Saint Mary’s Cathedral. 

It’s the oldest building in Ireland still in everyday use. Just as a reference it was built in 1168...

Now when I thing of Cathedrals I always think of the opulent and grand cathedrals of Florence or Paris or Cordoba. All restored and wonderful and shining. 

The exterior is wonderful obviously…

But inside it was the strangest mixture of dilapidated and poetic

I can’t quite put my thumb on it…

I guess the best way to describe the difference is like walking into someone’s home that has everything in order and you hate to make too much noise or disturb anything, that’s what it’s like to walk into a grand cathedral. 

While walking into Saint Mary’s was like walking into your own home where it was okay to just be you and walk around and see and get close to things.

I loved it.

Then I wandered over to Saint John’s cathedral. It was built in 1861 and is the tallest building in Limerick. On the tall note it also has the tallest spire in Ireland at a whopping 94 meters.

I wandered over to the Hunt Museum. It’s a cool looking building but I suppose that’s to be expected when it was the old customs house. I wandered around and it was kind of cool with a mix of really boring. I love museums I really do but this one wasn’t very interesting. There were a hand full of cool things so it was worth my time I suppose.

Then i just wandered the city

When I’d arrived in Limerick I wasn’t sure if I’d be spending two or three nights there since I wasn’t 100% sure how I was getting to London. Turns out there was a very convenient route. A bus from Limerick to Waterford then to Rosslare harbour where you catch a ferry to Pembroke Wales and then bus it into London. Originally I thought it was going to be this difficult adventure since it was going to be 16 hours over to London. Well I just made it sound complicated when honestly it was rather easy. I was taking the evening ferry so I left Limerick at two in the afternoon on a bust to Waterford, which was an adorable town

When I got off the bus there I waited a bit before I hopped on my Euroline bus. Which I made an idiot of myself early on cause I hand the driver my ticket and he takes it. So I’m like do you keep the ticket? Because I’ll need it to board the bus in Wales. The driver almost laughs at me and he’s like no you stay on this bus till London. I just smiled and pretended like I knew what that meant. In my head I was like well how is this bus ferry part going to work. Silly me the bus drives on you get off the bus while the ferry is at sea then you get back on the bus and off you go to London. 

The ferry ride was beautiful and awesome because I got to watch the sun set over Ireland!! And me being me I took a million and one pictures.

The ferry ride was only 4 hours so I stayed up to observe all there was to observe. When we landed in Wales we had to go through immigration which consisted of them glancing at my passport and having my bags sniffed by a dog. Then it was back on the bus and sleepy time till I got to London.

I had plenty of time to reflect while I was on the ferry staring out at black nothingness and my thoughts kept drifting to Limerick. It had been a fun few days there and I thought about how much fun it was to have gone to school there and I couldn’t help but realize that I never really wanted to go back. It was funny because while I waited in the Limerick bus station I couldn’t help but contrast it to the last time I was there. It had been at the end of my semester and Damien had showed up to go to the airport with me. At that time I had been so afraid to leave like the moment I was on the plane home a spell would be broken and I would loose something. I’ve grown a lot since that time and it showed in the fact that I was excited to leave. I was after all facing an adventure that I thought would show me more of the UK. The excitement in the pit of my stomach was something I never wanted to loose and to not loose it I had to chase it. It’s hard to really explain what that moment was to me. It was like an epiphany and reflection all rolled up into a ten minute wait. Little did I know I’d be chasing that feeling to the other side of the world in a two weeks.

Cheers,