Decisions

This year, we are having great difficulty planning our holidays. I know, life is tough. :) We usually take two one-week trips but have to take one week in Sept to go home. We are planning on going somewhere the last week of October (week with Halloween). However, we can't decide where to go. We wanted to go to Croatia or Slovenia but it would be difficult to get there that time of the year.

For this holiday, I really want nature. It will be our only "real" vacation of the year and I desparately need a nature break. I like waterfalls and mountains and the ocean. We like culture but I really want nature and some nice weather (the Irish summer has been a bit of crap this year).

So readers, any suggestions (we've been to Barcelona, Madrid, Munich, London, Paris, Brussels, Salzburg, Venice, Norway)?

happy adoption day

A year ago today, we picked up Tiffin from the vet's office. So, today is Tiffin's adoption day and she is officially one year old. She was so small and shy when we got her and now she is an average sized cat. When John's distant cousin came to visit, she even came out to sniff her within 15 minutes of her arrival. When we got her, she would barely let me go near her and now she comed out to greet people. She also seeks my attention when I wake up in the morning and when I get home at night. She does this thing where she jumps on near us and then stands on her back legs, reaches her head up, and stands higher as we reach to pet her. It is absolutely adorable.

In honor of adoption day, here are "then, later, now" pictures.

Progress

Today was a good day. I could see my progress! I like days like that.

Anniversaries

Thursday was the two year anniversary of my move to Dublin!  It is hard to believe that it has been two years. In some ways, the time has flown by. In others, it has seems like an eternity that we've been over here.

When I was considering moving over, I happened to talk to someone who had just moved back from two years in Ireland. An off hand comment she made has stuck with me and I think about it every now and then. She said that 2 years would be enough to work in Ireland and that I'd be ready to move back after 2 years. At the time, I wondered what she meant. I now think I have an idea.

Anyway, I have been reflecting on the last two years and I am amazed at how much I've grown and changed in the last two years. Moving abroad has allowed me to reflect on my priorities (and change them). It has allowed us to travel more and see Europe. We work less. We go out about the same amount. In general, the pace of life is slower here and there is a balance to life. I have gotten a balance that I never thought I would get. I have always been a workaholic and have finally realized that work isn't the most important thing. I actually rarely think about work once I leave. It is really refreshing and I don't want to go back to taking loads of work home and working 50-60 hours a week.

W.I.P.s

While K was here in late March/early April, I told her she could look through two beginning knitting books to see if she would like me to make her her birthday present. She chose a poncho from the Stitch and Bitch Handbook. I figured since it was in there, it would be easy enough and the stitches didn't look that hard. It would be my first time knitting in the round, but I was up for the challenge. Besides, it used very thick yarn so it should be a fairly quick knit.

So, we went to the yarn store to get the yarn. They don't carry the thickness that I needed and they didn't know of anyone in Dublin who would have the size round needles that I needed if I did find thicker yarn. So, we picked a medium thickness and I discussed how to modify the pattern to make it work on the new yarn. We agreed that I should follow the directions for the size "large." So, I cast on the stitches I needed, went to a knitting circle to find out how to do the "magic loop" technique I would be using so I didn't have to switch needles as much, and started knitting. It was awkward at first but I got the hang of it. Then I looked at the size of the hole for the head. I stretched it. It looked small. John said it was small. I kept knitting. I had about 6 inches done and I decided one day, the hole for the head really did look small so I tried it on (when John wasn't around). It didn't fit. So, I was glad I figured it at an early stage, realized I could fix an aspect of the design I wasn't mad about and frogged it (rip it rip it rip it) back to the beginning. I should have taken a picture of how far I got, but I didn't.

I then did some math to figure out what multiples I needed for the rib pattern and cast on a much larger number of stitches so that I knew it would fit (and used larger needles so I wouldn't have to change them later). I joined the yarn by myself and started knitting. I got about 5 rows in and twisted something so it didn't lay flat anymore. Again, I frogged it back to the beginning and tried a third time.

So, I cast on the number of stitches that worked, joined the yarn, and started knitting. I got to the point where I wanted to add a new color and I did. I then wanted to change to the third color and somehow I was making a wrong stitch. Luckily, I was at a knitting circle and one of the ladies knew how to do magic loop and she tried to figure out what I did. She had no idea but we just made the different stitch a design feature and she then showed me a different way to do magic loop that she thought would be easier for me. At first it was more difficult, but now it is far easier and I like it better.

Anyway, I knit happily along and occasionally looked at the poncho and how it was turning out. I just didn't seem wide enough. Then one day, I had 10 inches of the poncho done, I decided I should look at the pattern again. I read it for about the 20th time and this time I noticed that I was supposed to be making 4 stitches every other row and I had only been making 2! Oops. So, I emailed the lovely ladies at This is Knit and went down to the shop to discuss the project. Luckily, I only going to ripped out a section of the poncho and hope for the best on the shaping of the shoulders. I also managed to get the project back on the needles which I thought would be harder since it is knit in the round. Needless to say, I'm a bit frustrated with the project and it is going to be put on hold for a bit (maybe).

Meanwhile, a friend is retiring soon and moving back to the U.S. I thought it would be nice to make her something. While at This is Knit on Friday, I discussed my design ideas with the lovely ladies there. Lisa had some good suggestions for the borders and how to make it drape better and we came up with a plan. When I got home, I looked through the cable book that John got me a while ago, realized that they had the directions written out so I could in fact make most of the cables in the book, and picked a pattern that would be one part of the design.

I then had to do math again to figure out how to best combine three different stitch designs into a pattern. I needed an odd number of stitches for the border but my patterns ended up with an even number and I wanted the symmetry. So, I figured out how to fix this problem (add a stitch after I did the border and decrease it at the end) and moved on to the design and then wrote the pattern on paper. I didn't have the exact sized needles that the yarn suggested so I started on larger ones since I knit tightly anyway. I cast on the number of stitches I had calculated and decided it wasn't enough. So, I added in more but then had to add them into the rest of the pattern. I figured out where to add them but didn't add them in properly on my written pattern because I got confused as to where they were actually added in. So, at about midnight, I convinced John that he wanted to add up each row with me and put the pattern on the computer since it would need to go there anyway. He begrudgingly agreed and I read each row to him. He used Excel to sum up the rows and if I didn't have the right number of stitches, it was easier for the two of us to figure outwhere the pattern was off since we could both see the patterns in the stitches. Finally, we got it and went to bed about 1:30 AM!

However, during theprocess of starting the knitting, I realized that the bigger needles are in fact too big. My knitting isn't tight enough so the stitches don't show up as well as they should. So, I'll be heading back to the yarn shop for different needles...

Planning

So, since we've gotten engaged, we have been discussing lots of things about the wedding and trying to reach consensus on our "style." The problem is we don't really know what style we have or want and I have always dreamt about two very different wedding types. So, we continue to research reception sites and try to figure out our budget. And I continue to wait for my planning magazines.

Since I can't really plan much right now, my thoughts have turned to the honeymoon destination. I want something to look forward to. :) I want to put it in my head that I am working for ____. Originally we thought about New Zealand but I'm not sure we have enough time for there since I think we only have 2 weeks (maybe 3) for the honeymoon and that isn't enough time to get there, get over jet lag, and see the country.

So, dear readers, I am looking for suggestions for our honeymoon. :) Here are the criteria:
1. Not in the U.S. (tax reasons)
2. Pretty nature to hike in and I like waterfalls (big ones).
3. Not touristy/tourist trap/resort
4. We want a balance of nature and culture

Update: I forgot to say, we are having the wedding/reception in the U.S. and are planning autumn 2008 but don't have a date set yet. So, for the honeymoon, we could leave from the U.S. or Dublin.

Two more

So last Tuesday, I blocked out the whole day to deal with immigration and to get my work authorization renewed. I got there at 7:30 AM and to my surprise, the doors were already open. I met the guy at the door who was in charge of giving out the visa tickets (they only give a certain number a day) and he said I had to get my garda card renewed first. So, I then got into a different line to wait for a different number.

While waiting, I was in front of a nurse from the Philippines who had been here 7 years and hadn't applied for citizenship. He was complaining about the process and how long it would take to get the paperwork done. So, I was 11th in line and waited for about 20-30 minutes to be called. I gave the guy all the papers he asked for and he said that he would stamp my passport. He insisted that I didn't need to go through the visa line. He then took my picture for my garda card. I waited longer and got my passport and new card. I looked in my passport and there was only a rubber stamp type stamp in my passport saying I was allowed to stay for two more years. I asked the guy keeping track of the visa numbers and he said he didn't know, I should ask the immigration people if this was really all I needed. I then asked the guy who processed my paperwork and he said, yes, that was all I needed!

So, I was done about 9:00 AM!! I then called a friend who's been through this process just to double check that was all I needed. It is all she has as well. So, a stamp in my passport (just like the ones they use when you enter/exit a country) saying that I can stay until the 22 May 2009 is all I need to work for two more years! Well, that and the garda card that has a code saying I am on a work authorization...

Propoganda

In my excitement at being engaged, I went to a couple bookstores to get a wedding planning book and look at wedding magazines. There wasn't much selection for wedding planning books so I ordered a couple off amazon.com and will have them hopefully next week. I found a book on saving money and picked up a couple magazines for fun. A coworker gave me some more magazines from when she planned her wedding.

I looked at the pictures of the magazine and was struck with 1) how ugly a lot of the dresses are in the magazines and 2) how much more expensive dresses are in Ireland than the U.S. (where I will be getting my dress). Because a couple titles sounded interesting, I decided to read an article in one of the bridal magazines. Oops. It is about the most sexist reading I have done, possibly ever. All the propaganda says all attention should be on the bride. The articles talk about "you, you, you" in the singular form. Isn't there a groom???? Isn't he necessary also? Isn't the wedding about celebrating the couple starting a new part of their lives/adventure? I think I'll lay off the wedding magazines. Well, except the Chicago one that a friend of mine is sending me. :)

Eiffel Tower,part 2

Since we didn't go up the tower on Sunday, we went back Monday night after our sightseeing. I was tired and didn't really want to go. But, I had said I wanted to go up the tower at night so we were going up at night. So, we got to the tower, got our tickets and got in line. We didn't have to wait too long for the first level and had to switch elevators to get to the top. We waited and waited and waited once again. It was quite windy on the tower and cold. I was really glad that I wasn't in a skirt like the day before.

So, finally we got up to the top and it was surrounded in plastic so we could see the views and had no wind. However, we couldn't take pictures. So, we figured out how to go up one more level and the views were quite impressive. While we were on the top of the tower, the flashy lights went off. It was far more impressive to see it from the ground than on the tower. Once I was done taking pictures, we then figured out how to get the two elevators down and left.

Once at the bottom, John asked me if I wanted to take a taxi or the train. I said taxi and then changed my mind. So, we headed off through the green area towards the train station. On our way, we saw a statue that he wanted to look at. The name on it was Jeoffre. I stood up on one of the steps leading up to the platform and he turned me to face him and we started dancing. The next thing I knew, John was down on one knee looking up at me (which was a long way since I was standing on a stair) saying, "Honey will you marry me?" I was shocked and hugged him and (I'm told) immediately said, "yeah."

Eiffel Tower,part 1

While in Paris, we saw the Eiffel tower popping out from trees, other buildings, and such almost everywhere we went. When I fist saw it in the distance, I thought it was one of the ugliest buildings that I have seen. It was just this metal tower and didn't look impressive at all.

After we went to Versailles, we stopped at the Eiffel tower stop so that I could see it at night like my coworkers suggested. When we got there, the tower looked far different. It was massive and had some sort of beauty to it. Since it wasn't' dark yet, we went to find dinner and came back. When we came back from dinner, it still wasn't very dark and I realized that the battery was almost dead on my camera. Therefore, we just sat on the green watching it get dark and took pictures until the battery died.

As we were leaving, we looked back and noticed that there were all kinds of flashy lights on the tower. John had read that the tower was lit up for 10 minutes an hour so we figured this was what the guidebook meant. It was really neat to see the tower look like a flashing Christmas tree.

Arc de Triomphe

The last thing that we saw was the Arc de Triomphe. We saw it in the distance shortly after leaving the Orsay and I decided that we should walk to it. It didn't look that far away. It was. We walked and we walked and we walked. We stopped for some ice cream. Then we walked more. Finally we go there (OK, it only took about 45 minutes to walk to it but I was really tired) and it was far more impressive and large than we thought. It is over 100 feet tall!

The arc was commissioned by Neopolean and honors those who died in battle. It also has tombs of unknown soldiers. While we were there, there were people who looked like veterans around. You can go up in the arc but we decided that I wanted to try to go shopping instead and we had to leave to catch our plane...

Museo de Orsay

On our last day in Paris (yes, we are nearing the end of the "tour), we went to the Orsay Museum. It was my compromise for not going to the Louvre. I just got overwhelmed thinking about the Louvre and we'd both heard good things about the Orsay. So, we went and were not disappointed. John was far happier in it than I was since there were quite a few artists' works there that he wanted to see. I liked the sculpture and some of the paintings. Since my wrist was hurting, he got the camera and took almost all the pictures of the museum. This is to say, he took LOADS of pictures of art. I won't post too many of them. :)

The Orsay is in an old railway station and has mainly French art produced 1848-1914. The station was built in the early 1900s but became unsuitable for trains and it opened as a museum in the 1980s. Apparently it is best known for having impressionists such as Monet and Renior. However, there is also art by Van Gogh, Cezanne, Degas. The museum even has furniture! Granted I don't know much about art, but how is furniture art?

Yarn!

While in Paris, we focussed on sightseeing. We didn't get to do much shopping even though we did walk down one of the main shopping streets. In preparation for the trip, I sent out an email asking my knitting list serve if they knew of any good yarn shops in Paris. I got one message back suggesting a few places. We made it to one of them and it was wonderful. The colors of the yarns were so vibrant and the staff let us look as long as we wanted. After we selected our yarn (we got two: an alpaca and a bamboo), we told the sales person what we wanted and he went in back and wound it for us in the weight we wanted! It was quite impressive and I am looking forward to knitting with the bamboo. It is so soft and feels like silk. I have to finish my niece's poncho, first, though.

Although we weren't supposed to take pictures in the yarn store, we did. Actually, John did. I was having too much fun feeling all the yarns and looking at the sample items. :)

Saint Chapelle

While in Paris, we broke our usual routine of seeing two sites per day. We instead tried to pack into the few days we were there as we could. So brings on the next site: Saint Chapelle. It is a small little church that is near a government building so we got to go through a metal detector before we could get in! When walking in, I was quite disappointed because it is this tiny building. However, it is more impressive once you go upstairs. :)

So, Saint Chapelle was built in the 1240's to house relics from the Holy Land. The gothic church has very intricate stained glass in the chapel upstairs. In fact, the walls are covered in them and can be difficult to see what scenes we depicted.