camper van

When planning the honeymoon, John researched the best way for us to travel around New Zealand. He decided that renting a camper van from Escape Rentals was the best idea. Their vans are full size vans instead of dedicated campers. They are then fitted with a bench, table, counter and sink. We also got a cooler, a propane stove, camp chairs, a grill, and a solar shower. We didn't use the shower much, mostly because it wasn't sunny enough to get warm enough. There was also an electric heater, which came in very handy since some of the nights got quite cold.

Each van is uniquely painted on the outside in a theme. Our van was freshly painted and we were the first to use it! It was named Tamanui Te Ra, which we were told meant "big boy sun." We quite liked our van (except for the loose battery cable which Escape didn't seem to realize it had) and got a lot of compliments on it as we drove around New Zealand.

Just for fun, here are two pictures of other Escape vans we encountered as well. One day, we saw 7 Escape vans. I now wish I'd taken pictures of them. :)

Roller Derby

This spring, one of my dear friends told me that she has was interested in Roller Derby. This summer, she told me that she was going to try out for the team and that she made the "you get to practice with us" "team." She seemed to really enjoy it and invited people out to watch a match last Saturday.

Since I had no idea what this Roller Derby was, we decided to go and check out what our friend was so interested in. So, in Roller Derby, the women skated around a track. There was one person who could get points by passing members of the other team. Another person set the pace for the rest of the skaters. Basically, it was contact roller skating around a track. It was really fast moving and has a lot of rules about how you can block and such and at any given time, there were usually at least 2 people in the penalty area. I didn't really understand all the nuances but it was quite impressive to see these women's skating abilities. It is something that we'll definitely be doing again and maybe we'll even get to see our friend out on the track...

Seasons Changing

Lately, I have noticed many subtle signs that autumn is upon us and summer is a mere memory (although a good one). The mornings and evenings are cool and crisp even though the days have still been warm. I left work at 7:00 PM yesterday and it was dark! Part of that was a storm coming but it is definitely getting dark sooner and the light is fading. Earlier this week, I was looking around at the trees as I drove home and some of them are changing. I really enjoy this part of the year because it is so pretty. I just hope that the leaves are changing more and are pretty 2 week from Saturday. :)

T minus 1 and counting

Thursday was one month before the wedding! We are now less than one month out. People keep asking me if I'm excited and I really don't know. I don't like that every spare/down minute, I am thinking about what needs to be done. We have a long "to do" list that is getting managed but it is still longer than I would like. I am really glad that we are here to do these things because it would be hard to do some of this stuff from a few thousand miles away.

Recently, we have gotten a lot done. I have tried on my dress and had a fitting (hopefully the only one), one of my bridesmaids got fit at the same time and the others have appointments for fittings. We have booked the rehearsal dinner location. Today we did a few reception decorations. I also finished one of the bridesmaids' shawls and am about 1/4 the way done with the second. I still need to weave in ends and block the third one that is done but that shouldn't take long...

Anyway, soon, we will be married and off to New Zealand! I'm so glad that John is researching and planning the honeymoon! Actually, he has been amazing through the whole process and has been doing more work that I have been for the wedding planning/tasks.

So, am I excited? I guess so. I am more in awe that we are getting married in less than a month! I don't think it will really sink in until I walk down the isle and see all the people in the church there for us.

Warning: political post

This is an election year but we will be on our honeymoon during the election. It will be quite interesting to hear the results and election coverage from half a world away. For the first time that I can remember, I really care about a candidate. Now, I have always had a preference and hoped that the "other candidate" didn't win but I was more voting against someone than for someone.

This year, I care. I care deeply. I care enough to want to donate to a campaign for the first time. I respect the candidate even though he is a politian. I am also watching the political rhetoric and choices for VP from the candidates. Obama chose Biden, who has been in politics for ages (too long, I think) but balances any perceived in-experience on his part. Today McCain announced his choice, Palin. She is a young candidate who has been governor for two years. Therefore, she also balances him in the opposite way. No matter who wins, history will be made with this election and I find that really exciting.

Lately, I have started reading Ravelry's political message boards. I checked out the McCain supporters group to see what they were saying about Palin and if they thought she could help McCain get former Hillary supporters to vote for him. What I found most interesting, though, was an idea to make her a community blanket. One of the supporters is going to sew all the squares together that other supporters have knit or crocheted. In contrast, the Obama supporters are knitting and crocheting things to donate to homeless veterans. While I like the idea of cooperative knitting, I don't think that supporters would be making a male VP (or presidential) candidate a blanket.

If women want to be treated equally, we should treat each other equally. By immediately doing something nurturing for a candidate and not doing this for other candidates, these people are saying that the woman is different. That does not help the cause of equal rights for women. Now, don't get me wrong, I think it is great that these supporters want to show their support. I just question if it really helps the bigger cause of equal rights/perceptions of women. Or maybe that isn't really the goal here...

Sunny summer

A month ago (where did the time go?), Aileen came to visit. While she was here, I took her to multiple yarn shops (with some major stash enhancement) and to explore the city. The day that we went downtown was sunny (but hazy) and hot. As we walked around the city center, I was reminded of how interesting the architecture is here. I had forgotten how varied the buildings are, and yet they work together well.

I have to say, it is wonderful to have a summer again. Last summer in Ireland was so rainy. Even during the nice summers in Ireland, they don't compare to summers here. However, now the sun sets sooner, there is a chill in the air at night, and autumn is coming...

Where's home?

Periodically, people ask how we are settling in after our move. People often ask how it feels to be "home." This is something that I have been giving a lot of thought to lately. See, when Aileen came to visit, I found myself referring to Dublin as "home." I did this without even thinking. For example, when we took her to an "Irish Pub" for dinner (for the humor value since it is NOTHING like an Irish pub), I looked for the bathrooms and upon finding that they were downstairs, I thought, "oh, they're downstairs, just like at home." My next thought was, but I am home. I also referred to Dublin as home during conversations with her. I thought is was maybe because she is from Dublin so it made sense. When talking to my sister this weekend, I also referred to Dublin as home a few times. This seems to be happening more since we've moved, rather than less. I'm not really sure what this is about. I wonder if it is because we aren't truly settled yet (and I don't think we will be for a while). We haven't "laid down roots" yet.

Anyway, these references and my thinking has made me wonder, what is home? Where is home for us? Do we have one? Dictionary.com has 31 entries under the search home! The one that I think is at play with me is this one: "the place in which one's domestic affections are centered." See, we have multiple places with "domestic affections." Does that mean that we have multiple homes since I don't think there is one place where the affections are "centered?" The old saying says that "home is where the heart is" which means that, yes, I have many homes. One is where I grew up, another where my sister lives, another is Dublin, and finally where we are currently living!

Busy Weekend

It seems like we've been quite busy since we've moved back. If we aren't visiting people/collecting stuff, we seem to be organizing the house. I am really glad that I have Mondays off, too. However, my Mondays seem just as busy. During my commute, I often wonder where my time is going. I just don't know. All I can say, it isn't spent knitting (well, unless it is Tuesday night).

This weekend was no exception. I got a wonderful evening to myself while John went to a barbecue place in the city. On Saturday, we woke up, hung up art on the walls and then went shopping for more house stuff, like picture frames. We also had a pre-marriage counseling session and then went to a party. The party was good since we got to meet new people and see people that we haven't seen in a while. It was strange for us, though, that we left a bit past midnight and more than half the people had already gone home. We then dragged a friend to a "post drinking" breakfast place and finally got home about 2:30 AM. We haven't been out that late since we left Ireland. It was really nice to be out late! (bonus points if you notice what is different about me in the picture)

Sunday morning, we got a phone call at 10:00 AM from my brother asking what we were up to since he was going to a Renaissance Faire and would be about an hour from where we live. We already had lunch plans and I went to a movie with a friend in the afternoon. We then went up to have dinner with him and went shopping afterwards (that will be another post).

On Monday, I had an eye appointment at 10:00 AM and then we met with the caterer in the afternoon and did our weekly produce shopping. This weekend, Aileen is in town (she arrived today) and we should have another fun, busy weekend!

Accents

Since moving back home, people have told me that I have an Irish accent. Now, I know that I don't have a full on one because people in Ireland told me this all the time. :) When we moved back, I heard the accent a bit but now only hear the local accent in a few people.

A couple weeks back, Aileen called me from her sister's. It was so good to hear from her. I miss my friends in Ireland so much. Anyway, while talking to her, I heard her accent for the first time. I never noticed that she has a bit of a Dublin accent (sorry Aileen). A while ago, someone from Ireland called to talk to John. Again, I heard the accent. I have to say, when I hear it, I get a bit of a pang of "homesickness." I miss that accent and really look forward to Aileen coming to visit next weekend!!!!!

Public transport?

So I was driving in my car this morning thinking that I should look into public transport options to get to work so that I could knit on the train again. I miss my knitting time and really haven't been able to get much done. Silly long hours.

I was listening to the news and then on comes a piece about public transport. Apparently, because of the increased petrol/gas prices, more people have started taking public transportation. Therefore, the trains are more full. The mayor's suggestion to fix this problem: take out some of the seats on the trains so that more people can stand and fit! Of course people are upset by this idea because they want seats on the rush hour trains. I also wonder why they can't add more trains because there always seem to be a lot of trains sitting around in the exchange areas when I'm on the train.

While I'm on the topic, last week, I heard a piece on the radio about the mayor's idea to help the buses. See, there is a common problem of bunching (which I learned is a bunch of the same route coming right after each other). The mayor's suggestion to fix this problem is to put GPS in all the buses and then have someone in a remote location watch to see the spacing between buses. If the buses get bunched, he suggested sending someone out in a car to tell the drivers to wait and fix the spacing issue! Why can't they use a 2-way radio instead of adding to the traffic congestion?????

"Cabin" fever

Tomorrow is the 4th of July and we get a long weekend! Since I work Tuesday through Friday, I have 4 days off!! I am very excited for the long weekend since it has been a bit over a month since we moved back and we haven't gone anywhere. This week as I was driving to work, I realized that it has been a month and we haven't even thought about a vacation or a long weekend away! It has been a bit over a month since I've been on a plane and I'm getting itchy.

Tomorrow we are heading out of the area to go to John's brother's house for a picnic and fireworks. It will be nice to be away but I'm getting itchy for a "proper" weekend away (no, family doesn't count as proper time away). We'll have to figure one out soon. Maybe August. I don't know if I can go until our honeymoon...

Where ya been?

OK, it has been well over a week since I last blogged. I've been busy, really. I can't really say what I've been doing because the time is just a haze, but I do know that it went by very quickly. I started the new job last week and I think I'm going to like it. I'm not really getting eased into the job but I think it is better that way. I am going to learn a ton and felt like a student at times last week since, well, I was a student 9 years ago!

On Saturday, I went to the hair salon to exchange some face wash that I got and then spent some time in the afternoon taking pictures for the This Is Knit's World Wide Knitting in Public Day Scavenger Hunt. It was fun but tiring riding around on public transport getting the pictures since John had the car. He was playing golf. We then went to the pub to celebrate a friend's birthday. (Note the size of the beer and sangria that John is holding)

We are also getting the house settled in. We went and got bookcases this weekend and John put them together so now we can start putting books away and getting rid of some of the clutter. Slowly, slowly putting things away and getting settled...

How does it feel?

People on both sides of the "pond" (and even random strangers for that matter) keep asking me things like, "Are you happy to be back," and "how does it feel to be back?" Well, I really don't know how to respond to this because it feels, well, weird! I mean, I am enjoying reconnecting with people that I haven't seen in a while but I also miss my friends in Dublin and we aren't settled here yet.

Actually, to be honest, I feel drained. I am really enjoying this time off work. I am doing a bit of house related stuff every day but just vegging as well. I know that I need that. There is a part of me that doesn't want to start work next week. I could use some more time off. Yet, I am bored, too. Not really sure how that works and I need to get back to work and get into a routine so that I can feel more "normal."

The other main piece of it feeling weird to be back is that our place doesn't feel like "home." I feel like I am in someone else's house because we don't have many things yet (like pictures on the walls). We are still setting up. I am sure that soon it will feel like home. I'm curious to see how long it takes for this house to feel like "home" because it is easily at least twice the size of anywhere that we have lived before (and about 3 times the size of our apartment in Dublin). It is in a nice neighborhood but it is suburban. We are off a main road but there aren't shops or restaurants within walking distance. At least the train is within VERY easy distance and they have made this one more frequent so it is pretty easy to get places via public transport.

The other reason that it feels strange is because we haven't seen our friends that much. Since we aren't leaving in a week, we have time to reconnect and see people when they are free and aren't on this manic "must see people" schedule. That meant that during my first week back, I only saw people a couple times. It was great to reconnect with them but lonely at night when I was sitting in this empty house eating on the stairs because we didn't have any furniture yet. (Don't worry, it wasn't that lonely and I was too tired to socialize much anyway).

New Name

So, I am moving in a few days. Chick with stix has mentioned to me a couple times that now I need to change the name of my blog. I have tentatively changed it to (Mis)adventures of Heidirific. However, I'm not sure if I'm mad on the title.

So, do you think I should change the name of the blog? If so, any suggestions on a new name?

I'm so lucky

Moving country makes me more reflective than normal. As I am "closing down" my caseload and saying goodbye to people, I keep realizing that I am really lucky. I am lucky that I have met people here in Ireland that I am going to miss a lot (one of them has plans to visit already!). I have met a great group of women who get together weekly to talk about anything going on in life or just chat. It is amazing girl bonding time and exactly what I was missing in my life. There's just nothing like girlfriends.

I am also lucky that I am going home to some amazing people. We have a friend who was willing to look at apartments for us, not once but three times and help us chose a place to live. That also makes us twice as lucky: we have friends we trust enough to help decide where we should live! Then I have another friend who is willing to take a cut in rent to give us what appears to be an amazing place to live.

It is when people really come through for me that I wonder how I got to be so lucky. Whatever the reason, however it happened, I am so grateful and happy it did!

Progress

So, it is slightly less than 5 months before the wedding and 2 weeks before our move.  Although the "to do" list is still quite long, we got a few things done recently.  First, today I got my wedding band!  And I love it.  It is exactly what I thought I wanted even before we got engaged and it looks wonderful with my engagement ring.  I really want to wear it now but I have to wait.  John's ring should be done before we move as well.  :)  Hurray, one less thing to worry about.  We have also chosen our invitations and will be able to get them printed after we have an address.  And I found my veil.  All small but necessary things.  :)

We have also made progress on the moving front.  I have sold a bunch of our stuff.  We still have more to sell but it is coming together, or rather emptying out.  :)  We shipped some books home this weekend and went through more stuff and donated yet more stuff.  We just have to keep going through things and getting rid of stuff.  I really don't know how we accumulated so much stuff, and some of it moved with us last time.  Tomorrow I call the airline and book the cats onto my flight.  So much preparation and so little time to knit...

Preparation

As Coastal Aussie noticed, we are leaving Dublin, in 3 weeks! Well, that's how long I have anyway. So, in 3 short (or long) weeks, our European adventure will be coming to an end. People keep asking me how I feel about leaving. To be honest, I really haven't thought about it. I am happy that I am going to get to see my family and friends at home more often. But I am sad that I am leaving friends that I have made here. We are also going to miss the travel. There are a lot of things that I will miss about living in Dublin and have grown a lot and learned a lot in the three years we've been here.

There are also a lot of preparations to be made. We have to clear out our apartment. Man, we have acquired a lot of stuff in 3 years! So, now we get to go through everything and decide if we want to try to keep it, sell it, or donate it. Do we really need this paperwork or that? It is like a three year memory trip. It is also a really strange feeling to be selling off things that you have accumulated over three years. It is different to me to sell/get rid of things that you don't want anymore. These are things that are perfectly fine and I would be happy to continue using if we were living here but it costs more to ship than to replace and I have a the originals sitting in my sister's basement, just waiting for me to return home and collect.

LYS

Since I have started knitting, I have had a LYS, or Local Yarn Shop. Ever since I signed up for my first knitting class, I knew that they were nice, friendly ladies. See, I chatted with them for at least half an hour when all I meant to do was give them money for the class! Throughout the last bit over a year, I have gotten to know them a bit better and become a "good" customer. :)

See, I buy the majority of my wool/yarn from them (and often feel guilty if I don't) and have taken a lot of classes from them, as well as going to knitting night on Thursdays. They have encouraged me to do some of my own designing and wowed over every finished object, and some works in progress that I have brought in. Last night, I wasn't able to go to Knit Night and I got a text from Lisa asking how much yarn I needed for the shawls that I am making for my bridesmaids. I emailed her back this morning and then spoke to her. The yarn they had coming in (and I planned to snatch all of) is on backorder until Sept!!! That just won't do. So, unknown to me, they called a bunch of other Irish shops to see if any of them carried the yarn and had some in stock. They found one company that did and had that information for me by the time I called them back this afternoon! They didn't want me to have a crisis! That just amazes me.

After I got home from work this evening, I called around to some shops back at home since I'll be moving back there later this month. The first shop I called didn't have the yarn but could order it. When I explained that it was back ordered here in Ireland, one of the women took my details and said that she would put my request out on another site and to have a distributor contact me directly! The second shop I called asked me about the yarn and then said she didn't have it. She wasn't helpful (wasn't helpful in person the one time I have been there either). The third shop (sadly websiteless) I called had the yarn I needed and even the amount I needed! After I explained that I was calling from another country, I asked if the woman would mail the yarn to a local address for me. She will!

With the yarn crisis averted, I rang my LYS back and told them how much I had, that I did need their remaining stock and that I was successful in finding yarn at home. The process just amazed me at how much customer service a LYS can give. In many ways your LYS is like a hairdresser. Once you find a good one, you are intensely loyal and feel like you are "cheating" if you go somewhere else, even if they don't have the item you want. You develop a relationship with them. They are not just a shop owner or a shop, they become a part of your life...

Ugh!

On Friday as I rode on the bus, I listened to my MP3 player and cleared out old messages on my phone. As I got off the bus at my stop, I continued to play with my phone and listen to my music as I made my way to the jewelry store to look at wedding bands. I looked at the bands and decided that I needed one the same thickness as my engagement ring (which is thicker than average here in Dublin) so I will probably need a custom ring (which of course costs more).

Anyway, as I left the jewelry store, I decided since it was payday, I would head to the other jewelry store where we were going to order John's ring from. I reached back into my backpack and it was open! I know I had closed it on the bus. I reached inside the front pocket and there was no wallet!! I dug around a bit, and nope, it was gone. I then went back to the store I had just been in and asked the sales assistants if the bag had been open when I was in the store. It was! I then texted John and asked him to look up where a Garda station was so that I could report my wallet stolen. As we were talking, I saw a Garda and asked where to go. He directed me to the nearest station and I headed off. Meanwhile, John canceled one debit card and texted me the number to cancel the other. I canceled it and then went into the police station to report the theft.

The Garda was very nice and understanding. She took my details and asked what was in my wallet. I gave a brief list of what I could remember and explained that my driver's license is there and would be difficult to replace. She asked if I needed a letter from the police saying my wallet had been stolen and that she would ring on Monday to check if I needed a letter. I thanked her for her time and went on my way.

Saturday afternoon, I went wallet shopping. John was supposed to meet me after getting my bus ticket for next month and bus ID replaced (luckily Dublin Bus didn't charge me for it). While I was trying to find John and find out of if a charity shop near us took donations, the Garda from Friday rang to say that my wallet had been returned! That never happens! I went to go retrieve my wallet and see what had been taken. All my ID was still in it! I don't have to replace my driver's license. Hurray! The thief (thieves) took my money, bus tickets, prescriptions, and taxi voucher that I needed for Monday (can get another one easily enough). So, thanks to whoever turned in my wallet. I has made my life a lot easier. Now I just need to wait 5 days for my Irish ATM card back...

B.F., A.F.

When traveling, I seem to pay more attention to things people say, especially when we are in a non-English speaking country and others are speaking English. People may think the same of us, but I find the things people say very entertaining. On this trip, we saw a lot of younger kids, well by younger, I mean they could be college age. As I get older, it gets harder to guess the age of people.

Anyway, we heard a lot of college students, presumably on spring break. While in Budapest, we happened to over hear a group talking. One of the "kids" asked the other, "What did people do before Facebook?" and then one of the girls asked, "Like, how did you know if a boy liked you?" I smiled at this and thought about how different dating is for the younger generation. They text back and forth before you go on a "real" date. They network on Facebook and Bebo. Maybe people in "my generation" do this as well today but I am so glad that I don't have to figure out the new rules of dating!