St. Patrick's Day!

Paddy's Day wouldn't have been the same without Dearbhla being a part of it!
The last 2 years we celebrated in Galway...2013 and 2012
This year was a little different. We woke up on the 17th having no plan to do anything. We were both depressed we hadn't planned anything so before we knew it, Dearbhla was on the way to Dublin for the night!
And...she didn't just drive all the way from Athboy...she brought props!!!
I love this girl. 

I know this is a very late post but better late than never.

Thank you Dearbh for another Paddy's Day spent together

Summertime...And The Livin Is Easy {Florida Part II}

Florida in the middle of summer is awesome...it's low season which means no traffic, beautiful quiet beaches and heat. We had so many things to do and people to see in such a short time, I need another holiday now to take it easy! It's the best feeling having so many of the people you love in the same place at the same time.

Here were some of the highlights:

A trip to Orlando and to Disney World with the girls

Animal Kingdom with Jacqueline

This was Jacqueline's first time there in about 10 years.
The day was rainy and HUMID but the park wasn't insanely busy so that helped.
We rode ... over and over again as I did with Maggie the year before. SUCH an awesome ride! I am normally a complete chicken when it comes to fast rollercoasters that go upside down so this one was a nice compromise - fast, but none of this upside down business.

We went on a safari, it's pretty much literally a real safari too. We saw elephants, lions, hippos, rhinos, ostryichs, monkeys, wilderbeasts and so many more whose names I couldn't tell you - all just feet from the truck. It made me wonder if those guys carry guns or some sort of weaponry in case of emergency. But I guess, in Disney they couldn't. Maybe the animals train with the Disney Hospitality students how to act around guests!

Magic Kingdom with Jacqueline & Dearbhla

I felt very 'light' that day as I decided not to bring my camera with me. I have been there so many times that I have taken so many hundreds of pictures, I felt that's enough for now. Magic Kingdom was open late that night which is always great - it means when all the children have gone home/watching the fireworks/parade, we could go on a couple of the big rides a few times in quick succession.

As soon as you enter the gates of Magic Kingdom, you feel like a child again. It's a special feeling. I'm not sure if that is just for us, as we have so many memories there from when we are children, or if that is the same for everybody.

Dearbhla's first ride- It's A Small World...we broke her in gently! Look of terror!

Naples 5th Av. beach for the sunset.
..one of my favourite places ever

A mini reunion with Gloriana and Liset

Gloriana had come from Mexico for a short visit. It was amazing to see her. Between best friends, distance is nothing - the relationship never changes, only gets stronger.
Next time, it will be a trip to Mexico that will bring us together.
And hopefully a trip to Rome soon to reunite with Liset!

A visit to Marco
...and to my parents for lunch by the pool. It was my first time back to Marco Island in quite some time - it was so nice to be back.

Dad on BBQ duties!

Lunch time!

Ahhh lunch!

Such a good day! 

More pictures soon...

Have a good week!

Snorkeling on Key Largo

57.  Snorkel again in a coral reef

I crossed off another item from my LIST last week.

I went snorkeling a few years ago and was completely blown away; I knew I wanted to do it again. Last week we returned to Key Largo to snorkel again.
The natural beauty is incredible. It's a whole other life under the water. You can see so many different types of fish...including barracuda...scary! One girl reported she had seen a shark although I have my doubts since no one else did.
It made me wish I had a good underwater camera so I could capture the immense beauty - you can never imagine it until you have seen it.

It's over a 3 hour drive from Naples so we set off early in the morning to ensure we could get everything done as snorkelling was not our only plan for the day.

Here's a few pictures from the boat...

 The poor fish didn't know what was coming!

Awesome day!!

Summer Fun......Sousse

Well...the adventures have continued since my last post (weeks ago!:-/)
I am currently in pjs, sitting on my bed, windows open, sun still shining in (at 21.30) with a tub of Ben & Jerry's next to me, with summer dance music playing in the background....perfection?

Last week came time to visit my favourite place in the world and spend quality time with some of my favourite people. Granted, some of them were kind enough to take second place to the beach a few days, but that's OK.

I am sad to say I used my camera very little but the memories will remain, like always.
Summer is a funny time of year...I mean, every year you think 'this summer can't be as awesome as last summer' because of all the memories you've had,  knowing you can never create the exact same memory again. But as no surprise, this summer is creating new and exciting memories itself that when next summer rolls around, we will look back and say 'Nahhh, it can't be as good as last year.'

{Speaking of memories, I have decided I want to make time to scan a load of old pictures from my parents old albums and each month, share a little of my past with whoever wants to read it. It will also be my way to 'go back in time' }

Dearbhla (who must be sick of me by now) and I spent the past 2 weeks in Sousse enjoying all the fun summer has to offer. The mornings were spent on the beach, (The early mornings were probably spent with Dearbhla wondering when I'd ever wake up.) the afternoons spent still there, or visiting; trips to the Medina or the Port for some shopping. The evenings were spent with dinners at the hotel, shows, out for ice creams/coffees etc...

Love this familiar sight

Tunisia's beauty sometimes fascinates me...on just a short walk from the room to the beach, look at all the colours you encounter:

Purple

 
  Light Pink

Yellow

Light Blue

Dark Pink 

White

Red

 The familiar sounds on the beach of the sea rolling in, people talking and laughing and those familiar characters that walk along trying to sell something.... "Pario, pario," " Nice, fresh, nice nice..."

Got to spend time with 3 people I love that I would rarely get to see together at the same time.  I just wanted to be quiet and listen to them all speaking together - so thankful to have that moment.

More fun with people I love

Fun!

 And I can't finish this post without a little mention of our trip back to Dublin. It was the first time in 15 years where I thought Dearbhla might actually kill me. Ok, maybe second to the time she ran for one of my drop shots on the tennis court and rolled her ankle!
It started off 'risky' leaving at 8am to be at the airport for 9 considering it is a 2 hour drive. With a loaded boot, back seat and front seat, a nervous passenger being driven at 140 kilometres per hour and the sun beaming through the window on my face the entire journey, it was a recipe for disaster. Or adventure. However you want to look at it. (I know what way Dearbhla was looking at it.)
We were informed when we arrived to the check in desk, sweating, that we  had made it with ONE minute to spare. Now there's not wanting to hang around airports...but that may have been pushing the boat out.
As if that wasn't enough... when we got to Paris, we were thinking having an hour and a half was plenty of time as we ambled slowly around CDG. Shockingly, as we arrived to our boarding gate, we found NO ONE there and saw the tail end of our bus pulling away. "JESUS JOANNE!" was the initial reaction!
However...I have continued my record of never missing a flight and we arrived in style to the aircraft - by private transfer with chauffeur.

Dearbhla has already tweeted....she's ready for a new travel companion...and that was on the 1st day!

Now to the next adventure.......