eesh.

i have been slacking on this, blog, you know. 


trying to manage a couple night classes, work every day, school, and of course zumba, has been a little harder than i expected. 


my brain is still not functioning to full capacity. that can't be good, can it?? it's still enjoying a christmas break when i am trying real hard to be studious and make it to class on time, or just to class? 

i am absolutely loving these shoes i purchased.

they are still working their way into my every day, uh, business attire. 

oh, and these pants! 

i am on a colored pant rave right now! 

colored skinnies from express - the royal blue, or purple, or i guess all of them could very well be my next purchase.

i think i've pretty much skipped over approximately 3 weeks and 2 days of my life on here. i know you are a little upset about it, but sorry. i don't want to bore you with overdue christmas/holiday posts. 

however, me and a couple friendy friends took a trip to idaho for the holiday weekend to visit a friend. it was a wonderful break, a relaxing couple days, and of course, always, a good time!

me and al pal. 

p.s. please excuse the poor picture quality. mobile photos just aren't the best. i have been slacking on photog taking too. oopsies. 

la galleria.

our last day in paris was spent with a little sleeping in and heading to the gallery malls at lafayette. 


i've seen quite a few malls in my time, but this was the biggest by far. it was seven levels (i think?) and full of clothes, shoes, scarves, hats, purses, etc... 
all of the shops were connected. in some shops, there was maybe a small wall separating the shops but you had to be very careful if you were buying anything! a lot of the shops were designer and quite pricey. but it was still fun to look around! 


i purchased these bad boys (totally european right?):

hilary and i met back up with the group and we were off to catch our train back to london. the trip to paris was so quick! we only caught a glimpse of what was really there. but with what i saw, i was in love. it was nice to experience something other than london and to really have to figure things out on our own in a place we had never been before.

but once we were on the train heading back, i felt like i was going home. granted, no home cooking and abnormal faucets. back to frosties & milk and frozen meals. i was definitely spoiled by the kensington area and the things i was familiar with. 

but isn't that what it's all about? learning and realizing that what you have is the BEST!

dublina.

today was our first free day in dublin! the weather cooperated very well so i was pleased. i hate being rained on and wet and rainy. it was a little overcast but totally great.


our first stop was the writer's museum but it was a little more expensive than we had expected so we didn't go inside. i heard it was really cool though.


we headed down to henry street, one of the main shopping streets in dublin. and let me tell you, there were so many shops! most, i had never heard of but very cool. we went into this natural made makeup store. they were selling all natural soaps, bath fizz and lip balm. the soaps were amazing. you could tell them how much you wanted and they would cut it and wrap it up. almost like cheese in a deli. most of the shops were fairly cheap and so different than anything we have back home! i purchased a few "souvenirs" to help me remember dublin.


we passed by the bank of ireland that used to be the parliament building so it has no windows, very interesting. christ's church cathedral was beautiful! we went inside for 3 euro and it was worth it. i can't get over how amazing the buildings are - the detail especially. the WAX plus(+) museum was way cool! i had never been to a wax museum and they had all sorts of things, not just wax figures. most of the figures had to do with ireland's history of civil wars and all that. there were some celebrity figures as well. the library/history museum was also really cool. there are so many sites here it's hard to remember!


our group met at 4:45 at the fountain in the park near st. patrick's cathedral. we went inside for evensong and the service and had a thought after for a small fhe. it's so interesting to see the service that was held. so different than what i am used to. but people worship in different ways i guess!
it's kathryn's birthday so we all went to dinner at o'neil's pub. hilary and i split the roasted chicken which was fantastic. most of the food here is good but i am always hungry so it's hard to find food for cheap! i'm glad we purchased groceries!


we all attempted to go "pubbing", that was kathryn's birthday wish, but it was hard with a group of 12 and walking into a pub without attracting stares from those drunk off their guiness (most popular beer in ireland!!).


only 2 more nights in this hostel! none of us are loving it. it's just kind of gross to be honest. the rooms are quite small with 10 girls to a room. one shower room that we all have to share. i have no idea how often it gets clean. i am coping, but it's pretty nasty. i can't wait to leave. the first two nights in wales are set up with hotels and i am looking forward to that!!


a few of us girls have been talking about the fact that we lucked out with our professors. i wish you all could meet them! they both are relaxed and easy going about everything. they definitely trust us and it's fun for us to have freedom to do things without needing to be checked on every second. we all agree that having a buddy is crucial. i mean, think of the movie, taken. i love the thing, but it's pretty scary if you think of it! the girl just gets TAKEN out of her room! her dad is listening on the phone. my worst fear is getting kidnapped, by the way, but i am pretty cautious to say the least.


ireland is amazing. i can't wait to get to wales and most of all, london! we will be staying in flats there and can actually settle down. it will be wonderful. i will be an expert before you know it!


i apologize if these posts are so long to you all... it's just hard to not include everything! they're probably boring too but this is somewhat of my journal as well. i am loving loving loving europe. i hope to come back someday and you all should try and make the journey. it doesn't have to be with me of course, just sometime.


i'll try and post pictures when i can. hopefully wales will have better internet! this one just takes forever. 
cheers.