Rest assured, I was not kidnapped by a leprechaun

Did you think I would ever return? Did you think that perhaps I had fallen victim to a leprechaun's charms, or perhaps I had been enchanted by the Book of Kells, or perhaps I succumbed to the left-lane driving, or perhaps I had drowned in a bottle of Irish whiskey.  The later is closest to the truth, unfortunately.

Friends, I have returned from my world travels, and I am sorry it has taken me so long to reestablish my comfy, womfy post here at Hail's Kitchen.  To be completely honest, I have had my arse thoroughly and painfully handed to me by my classes since my return. I know. You're crying elephant-sized tears for me.  But it's due time I settle back into my role as grad student and your humble host.  AND, it's midterms, which means I am HALF WAY THROUGH the semester!

Cheers to that:

I have so much to share with you that I am not entirely sure where to begin.  I suppose an appropriate place would be with this:

Alarming, yes?  Scared the snot out of me. Imagine my first right-hand turn!  Seriously. Think about that for a moment.  Weird.  Unsettling.  Scary. Makes one's butt-cheeks squinch a bit.

I finally settled in and actually enjoyed driving in the left-lane.  However, each and every time I went to buckle my seatbelt I grabbed for the belt with my left hand.  Damned conditioned response.  


Fortunately, we didn't end like these folks.  Yes, I took a picture. I had to tout my skills to my mom that I was a competent driver.

We were, though, not entirely unscathed:

Well, we did not have a SPARE TIRE only an odd contraption that shoots glue and air inadequately into the tire.  By the grace of all things good and holy did we manage to fix this flat tire.  We were able to drive to the tyre (tire) store the next morning where a nice lad named Sean removed a THREE inch piece of STEEL for a mere ten euro.  I am so thankful for not succumbing to the Irish roads and/or the Punto Grande.


Ireland truly lived up to all the stereotypes.  Green. Enchanting:

Need I say more?

After checking my email in the lobby of the hotel one morning, I returned to my shared room with my travel partner, whom I had NEVER met before identifying each other in the airport, to this image:

Best friends.  She was delightful.  My abs are still sore from giggling.  Also from eating so much damn good food, which I will devote an entire gushfest-post soon.  The food was surprisingly wonderful. I have such fun, fun things to share with you.

The wedding, which was the intent of the trip, was something out of a fairy tale.  Really, who gets married in Ireland and has 80 people travel from the US to celebrate with them?  Most epic love event of all time. 

While the sights and sounds and tastes of Ireland were delightful, seeing my old friends (and meeting my new friends: KRISTA!) was certainly the highlight. I rarely get to see these folks in my daily life . . . in the US!  So spending time with them in Ireland was magical.