We Survived "The Big Freeze"!

From the time I got back to Dublin on January 2nd until this past Monday the 11th, we were experiencing the coldest weather Ireland has had in about 30 years. It started before I got back- right around Christmas, but it got very bad around New Year's. Temperatures weren't that cold by MN standards- lows of around 14 degrees F and highs of around 32 degrees F, but the country is not used to such low temperatures! Snow fell, became packed down, and turned the roads and sidewalks into skating rinks. At one point the Dublin buses shut down- my coworker's husband had to walk home to Lucan from work in the city centre, and it took 2 hours! Schools stayed closed an extra week and the airports around the country were all closed for awhile throughout the cold snap. I made it into work and back each day, but left early a couple of days, and we didn't do any home visits on Thursday and Friday (the 7th and 8th). A thaw began a week ago, and by this past Friday it was 50 degrees F! We're still feeling the effects of it though- our water has been turned off from 7pm to 7am since Friday because water supplies are very low. People were running their water continuously to prevent pipes freezing, and a lot of water mains have burst. At least we have water most of the day though! Here's a video from the news last Friday:

Paul unfortunately came down with the flu last Friday, so he's been between the bed and couch pretty much all this past week. He began to feel up to getting out of the house on Thursday, so we took in Avatar that night. He also ventured out on a few outings over the weekend, so I think he'll be ready to get back to work tomorrow. The doctor said it wasn't H1N1, but I'm really not sure how they can tell without doing a test. He got Tamiflu and an antibiotic because he had also developed a "chest infection". Thankfully he's feeling much better and I've stayed healthy!

Christmas in Minnesota

Christmas in Minnesota came and went extremely quickly! I flew in on December 18 and was able to see some friends before Paul flew in on the 23rd. His flight was a little disrupted by bad weather in Chicago and the "Snowmageddon" that hit the Twin Cities, but he made it eventually. The snow also changed our Christmas plans a bit, but we were still able to see almost all of my family. Paul flew back to Ireland on December 30, and I flew back New Year's Day. It was a wonderful two weeks. Now it's back to work tomorrow! Here are a few photos from the trip.

Sara, Heidi, Jessica, and I with Santa at Old Navy at the North Branch Outlet Mall- I enjoyed the shopping and catching up with friends!

In Duluth with Courtney and her new daughter, Carly

My sister's dog, Anna, with her Christmas present from me!

Mom opening gifts on Christmas Eve at Margo and Justin's

The snow!

Justin, Margo, Paul, and I at The Melting Pot- had a yummy dinner!

Paul with one of the icicles that was hanging from the house

Dad, Me, and Paul bowling

Sammin Christmas

Since Paul and I will be in Minnesota for Christmas this year, this weekend we celebrated Christmas with Paul's family. Paul's parents, PJ and Bridget, sister, Marie, and her fiance, Brian spent the weekend with us. It was my first time ever making a turkey and being responsible for the Christmas dinner. I was a bit nervous, but I think everything turned out quite well! I had lots of help which was great!

Everyone headed out after brunch this morning, and now it's time to get the suitcases out and start packing! I leave for MN on Friday, and Paul will be flying over the 23rd. I'm also looking forward to watching the Vikings game shortly- it's one of the NFL games to be televised here today, and since it's the early game I'll actually be able to stay awake for all of it!

Here are some photos from the weekend!

The turkey!

I added some American touches to the Christmas dinner- sweet potato and green bean casseroles

PJ, Bridget, and Paul opening gifts

Brian and Marie opening gifts

All of us- Paul, PJ, Brian

Me, Marie, Bridget

Our Site!

It's been awhile since my last post! These pictures were actually taken back in October- over the October Bank Holiday weekend. During the week previous to that, our site in Louisburgh was cleared and a temporary stone road was put in to be used for access during construction. It was amazing to see it, as it was a huge transformation! We have no definite plans for building and will continue to take things very slowly.

This one was taken from the middle of the site, standing toward one side. That's Croagh Patrick in the background behind the clouds- Ireland's holy mountain.

Taken from across the road- that's Paul's parent's house on the left.

We hope to be able to keep this tree if it doesn't interfere with construction.

Anniversary Weekend!

Paul did an amazing job of planning a fantastic surprise anniversary weekend for us.  I really had no idea where we were going or what we'd be doing.  I was told to have my bag packed (carry-on sized with a ziploc bag of 100 ml liquids!) and be ready to go at 11:45 on Friday.  We headed to the airport, and our first destination is listed below:

When we arrived in London, Paul had all of the directions for where we needed to go printed out on a sheet of paper that I wasn't allowed to look at!  Here we are waiting at the Underground at Heathrow waiting to go into London.

We arrived in London, checked into our hotel, then headed out to dinner.  After dinner, my next surprise was Wicked.  I loved it!

The next morning I was told we had to go one Underground stop from the hotel, and we had to be there by 12.  Turns out it was the King's Cross/St. Pancras Station.  Were we going to Hogwart's?

No, even better!  We had tickets on the Eurostar train to Paris!  Here we are in the boarding area.

We arrived in Paris, checked into our hotel, then took the Metro to Notre Dame.

Dinner in the Latin Quarter.

Breakfast the next morning on the Champs Elysees.  Delicious!

Paul at the Eiffel Tower.

Happy 1st Anniversary!  Thanks for an amazing weekend Paul!

Happy Birthday Paul!

Paul's birthday was this past Wednesday, the 14th.  We celebrated by going out to dinner with Marie, then some of the guys came over to watch the Ireland football match.  Happy 29th Paul!

Autumn happenings

The leaves are changing, and we have enjoyed some beautiful autumn days here in Dublin!  No, Ireland is not always 100% green!  Two weeks ago we were in Louisburgh to celebrate friends' Dave and Sally's wedding reception- they got married in Florida the previous week.  See how the night progressed:

At Paul's parent's house before leaving for the reception

Jean, Dermot, and Paul- relatively early in the night

Paul, Matt, Jean, and Sean- quite a bit later in the night

Dermot- you know you've had a good night when someone ends up on the roof of your car!  And no, those aren't snowflakes, just the rain reflecting with the flash

Paul was in Louisburgh again last weekend meeting with a couple of people about getting our site cleared, and it should be started early this coming week.  We hope to have all the clearing done by Christmas, but we'll be taking the building very slowly.  Our jobs are still in Dublin with not much chance of anything happening for us in Louisburgh anytime soon.  This way we will have plenty of time to research options and negotiate the best prices possible for everything for the house.

This coming week we'll be celebrating Paul's birthday on Wednesday with dinner and a movie- the big celebration will come next year for the big 30!  We are also going away next weekend to celebrate our first anniversary, but I don't have any idea where we're going!  I've been told to be in the apartment at a certain time on Friday, and other than that I haven't a clue!  I'll keep you posted!