Trip to MN

On Saturday, March 14 I flew back to MN for a little over a week.  The main purpose of the trip was that my mom had rotator cuff surgery in Duluth on the 17th.  Her surgery went well, and she's now in a shoulder immobilizer and starts physical therapy tomorrow.  I was glad I was able to be there and encourage her to do her exercises!

I spent most of the time between my parent's home in Floodwood, MN, and my sister and brother-in-law's in the Cities.  I made a couple side trips to North Branch and Duluth to see some friends, and I was also able to see some extended family.  It was great to catch up with people I hadn't seen in months!  Shopping was also on the agenda.  I still marvel at how much cheaper everything is in the US!  An example- sunscreen is on sale in the drug store chain Boots here for around 20 Euro a bottle.  I got two bottles at Target for $10!  I also did a bit of shopping for summery clothes for our honeymoon to Jamaica, which is coming up in May.  Yay for Old Navy!

While I was in the States, Paul celebrated St. Patrick's Day in Louisburgh, then took the ferry over to England on Thursday to visit some of his family there.  He got back Monday morning around 6am, just in time to pick me up from the airport around 8!  I spent Monday getting unpacked, doing laundry and other stuff around the apartment, and I went back to work yesterday.

This weekend I get to be a guest speaker for the current College of St. Scholastica students who are spending the semester in Louisburgh!  I did it last year also and talked about the whole process of moving over and the differences I've noticed between living in the US and Ireland. 

Here area  few pics of my time in MN!

Margo found some goggles on sale when we were shopping (to use at the pool at the gym), and Justin and Margo had to model them!

Me and Margo

Our attempt at a self-portrait using the timer on the camera!

Stamp 4!

Yesterday morning Paul and I got up early to join the queue at the Garda National Immigration Bureau. I had my new passport (with my new name) and our marriage certificate in hand. After waiting for a little over two hours, I left with my passport stamped with a stamp 4. The stamp 4 means that you are married to an Irish citizen, and you can get a job wherever without having to have a green card or a work permit. And, they stamped it for 5 years, which is great- I don't particularly enjoy having to go to the Immigration Bureau!

We haven't been up to too much out of the ordinary. Last weekend Paul went to a friend's bachelor party in Bristol in England, so I enjoyed some chick flicks and some time to read. Paul is fighting a cold this weekend, so we'll be laying low. We already have a few movies rented. A couple of weeks ago I was hit with a flu/chest infection and missed 4 days of work, so I'm keeping my distance and trying to stay healthy!

The house is progressing slower than I had hoped. We were waiting for awhile to get things from the engineer that we need to fill out paperwork before we can start clearing the land or anything. Patience is a virtue though, right?!?!

Paul has decided not to race cars this season. And no, it has nothing to do with being married or anything I said! We want to focus our resources (time and money) on building the house, and the racing can be a rather expensive pastime.

I leave for MN one week from today! I'll be there for 8 days, and will split my time between the Cities and Duluth/Floodwood. Mom is having rotator cuff repair surgery in Duluth on the 17th, so I'll be around to help for a few days. I also have plans to be back in July for my friend Meghan's wedding, and I know I'll have a bit more free time then, so I'll be able to get together with more people during that visit!