We had a great holiday spent with friends and family. It was busy, but so great. We stayed at my parents this time, since BJ's parents had lots of company already staying with them. It was great to be able to catch up with my parents.
We got spoiled rotten, as did baby Sterken (aka "Sparky"). It's crazy to receive baby gifts, and to be excited about them. I have a feeling Sparky will be quite spoiled when he or she actually gets here. I would expect nothing less from either set of grandparents.
We came back to WI today so that BJ could go to the Bucks/Pistons game in Milwaukee tonight. He is so excited, and apparently they have great seats.
I am 13 weeks along as of Friday, and feeling pretty good. My next appointment is January 5th. I am excited about the opportunity to hear the heartbeat this time.
That's all for now. Hope everyone had a great Christmas!
Saturday, December 27, 2008
Sunday, December 14, 2008
Update
It's been a while since I've updated. Nothing too exciting has been happening lately, so it's hard to update.
We are mostly settled in to the apartment, though we have found out that there is not enough room for all the stuff we brought, even if it is only half of what we own. We really like the area that our apartment is in. Within walking distance there is a restaurant, bar, coffee house, and a few cute shops.
BJ has been working a temporary job packaging holiday meats and food packages. Though it's not something he loves, it is a job, and it gets him out of the apartment. He has worked 6 days last week, and will probably work another 6 days this week. Hopefully the full time job that he was offered will start the first of the year. It is for a small company, doing a couple different jobs. It was pushed back in early December, until January. Let's hope it doesn't get pushed back again.
My job is going well. It's almost the same job as I was doing in Michigan, and I'm still loving it. We are talking about hiring in a part time person to help with the stuff I don't have enough time to get to. Knowing how much of a controll freak I am, that is going to be a hard transition for me, but I know that it is needed. We also need to make sure that someone is well educated on my job for the time that I am off on maternity leave. Wish me luck in giving up some of the aspects of my job.
We had my work Christmas party last weekend at the Wilderness Reosrt in Wisconsin Dells. Here is the only picture we got of the two of us from that night. We had a great time getting to know everyone a little better, and Jason spoiled us with an Ipod Touch for Christmas. What a fun toy to play with!
We are trying to get more familar with the area. I have an application to become a co-leader for a Girl Scouts troop in Sun Prairie, and BJ and I are going to talk to a lady in January about volunteering at a retirement home walking dogs for the residents.
In baby news - things seem to be going well. The doctors office called yesterday and said that the ultrasound from the 1st looked great. My next appointment was supposed to be next week, but due to the holidays it's not going to be until January 5th. I am 11 weeks along, and still have been feeling pretty good. Hopefully the tiredness will let up a little as I'm ending the first trimester. I have been in bed or ready for bed by 8:00 every night for the last month. BJ has been wonderful. He really has been doing a lot around the house including cooking, cleaning, and just taking care of everything. I am lucky to have him.
Sunday, December 7, 2008
Baby Sterken - Due July 3, 2009
We are so excited to share the news that we are expecting our first child July 3, 2009. Though it will be hard being away from friends and family, we are excited to start our family here in Wisconsin.
I had my first appointment on November 24, and the doctor said that everything seemed great. The doctor (Dr. Wendricks) was a referal to me from someone in the area, and I love her. She was really easy to talk to, and she made me feel a lot more comfortable.
I had an ultrasound on December 1st, and got to see the baby, and it's little heartbeat for the first time. The ultrasound really made the pregnancy seem so much more real.
Here is a picture from the ultrasound at 9 weeks 3 days.
Today I am 10 weeks 2 days along, and really feel blessed so far. I haven't been sick that often, and most of the time feel great. I have been really tired, but a little extra sleep is nothing to complain about.
BJ is getting more and more excited about the baby. We have told our friends and family, and they seem excited as well, though our families are both a little sad that the baby will be so far away from them. We'll be home often, I promise!
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Henry Villas Zoo
On Sunday I convinced BJ that we should go visit the free Zoo in Madison. The Henry Villas Zoo is near downtown Madison, really close to Camp Randall where we had gone the day before. It was a little chilly out, so we stopped and got coffee at the place by our apartment (Beans and Cream) and we were on our way.
We got to the zoo and realized when we couldn't find a parking spot that something was going on that day. Turned out it was trick or treating day at the zoo. All of these adorable little kids in their halloween costumes were walking into the zoo. I do believe we were the only people there without kids. I would have taken pictures of some of the cute costumes, but the parents probably wouldn't have been to happy.
We somehow found a way to get out of the crazy flow of adults hearding kids, children in too big of costumes tripping over themselves, and dads pushing strollers, and ended up having a great day at the zoo.
For a free zoo they really had a lot to see. Our favorite was the polar bear. He was very active when we were there, and put on a show for us. When he dove into the pool, BJ and I both swore it was just a guy in a bear suit, the way his legs bent backwards looked so human.
We attempted to take a picture ourselves, this is the results.
So we asked a man that was waiting for his family to take our picture instead. I think we made his day. He was very concerned that we picked the right place, and that we liked the picture he took. It was sweet.
It was a fun experiance, and I have a feeling it will be a great place next spring and summer to take people who visit us.
We got to the zoo and realized when we couldn't find a parking spot that something was going on that day. Turned out it was trick or treating day at the zoo. All of these adorable little kids in their halloween costumes were walking into the zoo. I do believe we were the only people there without kids. I would have taken pictures of some of the cute costumes, but the parents probably wouldn't have been to happy.
We somehow found a way to get out of the crazy flow of adults hearding kids, children in too big of costumes tripping over themselves, and dads pushing strollers, and ended up having a great day at the zoo.
For a free zoo they really had a lot to see. Our favorite was the polar bear. He was very active when we were there, and put on a show for us. When he dove into the pool, BJ and I both swore it was just a guy in a bear suit, the way his legs bent backwards looked so human.
We attempted to take a picture ourselves, this is the results.
So we asked a man that was waiting for his family to take our picture instead. I think we made his day. He was very concerned that we picked the right place, and that we liked the picture he took. It was sweet. It was a fun experiance, and I have a feeling it will be a great place next spring and summer to take people who visit us.
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Go Badgers!
Task #1 on our Tour of Wisconsin is Complete!One of the first things I noticed when we moved, was how much these people love their football. Packer or Badgers, they are crazy about football. When I found this out, I knew I had to get tickets for BJ to go to a game. The University of Wisconsin Badgers Stadium (aka Camp Randall) is about 15 minutes from our apartment in downtown Madison.
We parked at my boss' apartment and walked a long way to the stadium. They have a path, I assume it's for the students walking from downtown campus to the stadium, but after "16 blocks" as Jason told us, and sneaking through a hole in a fence, we got to the stadium. I would have taken more pictures, but I realized on the way that the camera was out of batteries.
We found our gate, and got into the stadium and started walking up the ramp to the very top of the stadium. We were as high as we could possibly go, but the view was pretty good still.
Most of you know, I am not a fan of football, so I was not looking forward to going to this game, but one of my co-workers told me about the different traditions throughout the game, and he got me a little more excited about it. I swear I did more people watching then football watching, but hey I was entertained. At one point I thought the guys on the field were fighting, when in fact they were just starting another play. I didn't catch the words before they got out of my mouth, and BJ thought it was pretty funny. I am sure it's pretty entertaining to go to a football game with someone who knows nothing about the game and asks a ton of questions! The lady next to me was pretty entertained as well!
So thanks to the Sterken luck in the stadium, the Badgers won for the first time in like 5 games! It was, from what I watched of the events on the field, a good game too. All in all we had a pretty good time. It was a little cold though, and by the time the Badgers scored their last touchdown in the fourth quarter I was ready to leave, and walk back the 16 blocks, with another trip through the hole in the fence by the yellow train (yes, this is how we remembered our directions).
We parked at my boss' apartment and walked a long way to the stadium. They have a path, I assume it's for the students walking from downtown campus to the stadium, but after "16 blocks" as Jason told us, and sneaking through a hole in a fence, we got to the stadium. I would have taken more pictures, but I realized on the way that the camera was out of batteries.
We found our gate, and got into the stadium and started walking up the ramp to the very top of the stadium. We were as high as we could possibly go, but the view was pretty good still.
Most of you know, I am not a fan of football, so I was not looking forward to going to this game, but one of my co-workers told me about the different traditions throughout the game, and he got me a little more excited about it. I swear I did more people watching then football watching, but hey I was entertained. At one point I thought the guys on the field were fighting, when in fact they were just starting another play. I didn't catch the words before they got out of my mouth, and BJ thought it was pretty funny. I am sure it's pretty entertaining to go to a football game with someone who knows nothing about the game and asks a ton of questions! The lady next to me was pretty entertained as well!
So thanks to the Sterken luck in the stadium, the Badgers won for the first time in like 5 games! It was, from what I watched of the events on the field, a good game too. All in all we had a pretty good time. It was a little cold though, and by the time the Badgers scored their last touchdown in the fourth quarter I was ready to leave, and walk back the 16 blocks, with another trip through the hole in the fence by the yellow train (yes, this is how we remembered our directions).
Saturday, October 25, 2008
Change of Focus
BJ and I have decided that in order to fulling appreciate this new state, we need to explore it. You'll find on the right hand side of this page a list of all the activities, and events that we want to experience in Wisconsin. We will use this blog as a virtual scrapbook of our adventures.
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
How cute is this Kitten? This is Chloe. She is the new kitten my in-laws decided to get this weekend. BJ's dad is trying to talk me into bringing her to Madison to keep me company. Before I opened this picture I said "no way".Then I opened the picture and told BJ I couldn't wait to have her here. We are trying to figure out if we really want a litter box in the apartment though. I would hate to have a smelly apartment. I'm not even a cat person, but she is so cute! I have a feeling she will stay where she is.
Of course, Samson who is also living at my in-laws with BJ is less then thrilled. I guess him and BJ's parents little dog ganged up on her, and Samson tried to play with her. He is a little to big to play with her, and they scared her. Poor cat. Makes me realize that we probably can't have her with Samson. 
How Cute is Samson though? I may be a little biased.
How Cute is Samson though? I may be a little biased. Our apartment does not allow big dogs, so Samson is going to be living with my parents until we find a place here we can have him at. We are trying to look for a condo or townhouse in the area so that we can bring him to Madison with us soon. I never realized how much I would miss him, and the thought of a year without him kills me.
I get to see both of my boys this weekend, I am very excited!
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Happy Birthday Hun!
Today is BJ's 29th birthday. Happy Birthday Hun! I miss you like crazy and hate that I can't be there with you today. Hope you have a great birthday.
Monday, October 13, 2008
Sunday, October 12, 2008
We made it through the big weekend! The people in Wisconsin are so welcoming, and we had a blast. I have been sleeping for the last two days, but I am excited to start another week without the thought of the huge meeting looming over my shoulder (well not until the January one at least).
The evening portion of the meeting was a costume party with an 80's TV theme. Our office dressed up as the Duke's of Hazard. That means I got to be Daisy Duke, being the only girl in the office. For anyone who knows me, you know the last thing I would be comfortable doing is dressing up to draw attention to myself. I tried to talk the guys out of making me even dress up, but they wouldn't let up. So I wore the wig, and the shirt, but couldn't do the shorts. I lasted about an hour with the wig. I'll post pictures if there are any. It was a blast, and there were some amazing costumes.
BJ left here a couple minutes ago. It's getting harder and harder for us to leave each other. Only a couple more weeks until he is here for good! We unpacked some stuff today. I think I need to unpack the rest though because the boxes are starting to drive me crazy. There isn't a lot of room in our apartment though. I think a lot of this stuff is going back to Michigan with me next weekend.
The evening portion of the meeting was a costume party with an 80's TV theme. Our office dressed up as the Duke's of Hazard. That means I got to be Daisy Duke, being the only girl in the office. For anyone who knows me, you know the last thing I would be comfortable doing is dressing up to draw attention to myself. I tried to talk the guys out of making me even dress up, but they wouldn't let up. So I wore the wig, and the shirt, but couldn't do the shorts. I lasted about an hour with the wig. I'll post pictures if there are any. It was a blast, and there were some amazing costumes.
BJ left here a couple minutes ago. It's getting harder and harder for us to leave each other. Only a couple more weeks until he is here for good! We unpacked some stuff today. I think I need to unpack the rest though because the boxes are starting to drive me crazy. There isn't a lot of room in our apartment though. I think a lot of this stuff is going back to Michigan with me next weekend.
Monday, October 6, 2008
Progress
I am slowly getting closer to having things organized for the meetings this weekend. I'm excited about meeting all the new people, and seeing how things are different (good and bad different) here in Wisconsin. Wish me luck that this week continues to go well!
Finally a Couch!
You would never guess that I would be so excited to get a couch in the apartment. For the last two months our apartment has had a bed, a TV, and TV stand in it for furniture. I am so excited that I finally have somewhere other then my bed to sit down on!
That's right, after two months here, we finally moved stuff to the apartment this weekend. I rode with my boss home Friday night. I got to BJ's parents house at 2:00 Saturday morning. We were up by 7:30 to go get one of the U-hauls in Allegan. Then we went to GR to get the other and meet Jason (my boss) at his house.
We moved all of the stuff from Jason's house, our house, and the office, and were on the road by 4:30. We drove into Madison at about 9:00 central time, and all I wanted to do was sleep.
We got up early Sunday and got our apartment and the office stuff unloaded. The rest of the day I spent being lazy! It was wonderful. I think I needed to catch up on sleep and just relax, it felt great.
Today the guys are unloading Jason's stuff into his condo. I don't envy them at all. Something about a 4th floor Condo and a regular sized elevator doesn't sound like much fun to me.
When they are done, I am bringing BJ to Milwaukee (about a 90 minute drive from Madison) to catch the Lake Express so he can go back to Michigan for the week. He will then be back on Friday just in time for the party portion of the meeting, and boy will I be excited to share a drink with him then!
Wish me luck, it's going to be a long week!
That's right, after two months here, we finally moved stuff to the apartment this weekend. I rode with my boss home Friday night. I got to BJ's parents house at 2:00 Saturday morning. We were up by 7:30 to go get one of the U-hauls in Allegan. Then we went to GR to get the other and meet Jason (my boss) at his house.
We moved all of the stuff from Jason's house, our house, and the office, and were on the road by 4:30. We drove into Madison at about 9:00 central time, and all I wanted to do was sleep.
We got up early Sunday and got our apartment and the office stuff unloaded. The rest of the day I spent being lazy! It was wonderful. I think I needed to catch up on sleep and just relax, it felt great.
Today the guys are unloading Jason's stuff into his condo. I don't envy them at all. Something about a 4th floor Condo and a regular sized elevator doesn't sound like much fun to me.
When they are done, I am bringing BJ to Milwaukee (about a 90 minute drive from Madison) to catch the Lake Express so he can go back to Michigan for the week. He will then be back on Friday just in time for the party portion of the meeting, and boy will I be excited to share a drink with him then!
Wish me luck, it's going to be a long week!
Thursday, October 2, 2008
I am loving this cooler weather. It's nice to be able to run around in jeans and a sweatshirt. Though, it does make it hard to get out of a warm bed in the morning!
We have a big meeting next week for work. A meeting Thursday, and two meetings on Friday. The second one on Friday is our awards banquet for the quarter. It's a big event, and I'm stressed because we really just started planning the smaller details of it. It's been hard for me to plan this meeting because it was half planned before we moved to Wisconsin by the person who was previously in my position. So I have had to make some changes, and adapt our normal meeting to fit what she had already set. Oh well! Everyday is a new adventure right?
I have not had a chance to catch up on the new fall shows. I always see previews for shows that I think would be really good, but without DVR here in Madison, I'm not catching the ones that I wanted to check out. Am I missing anything really good? BJ has told me that DVR needs to be on my to do list before he will move out here. It's amazing how much we use it!
We have a big meeting next week for work. A meeting Thursday, and two meetings on Friday. The second one on Friday is our awards banquet for the quarter. It's a big event, and I'm stressed because we really just started planning the smaller details of it. It's been hard for me to plan this meeting because it was half planned before we moved to Wisconsin by the person who was previously in my position. So I have had to make some changes, and adapt our normal meeting to fit what she had already set. Oh well! Everyday is a new adventure right?
I have not had a chance to catch up on the new fall shows. I always see previews for shows that I think would be really good, but without DVR here in Madison, I'm not catching the ones that I wanted to check out. Am I missing anything really good? BJ has told me that DVR needs to be on my to do list before he will move out here. It's amazing how much we use it!
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Update
I have decided to start blogging about everything in our move from Michigan to Wisconsin. This is more a way for me to keep track of what happened when, and it probably won't be all that interesting for anyone else.
Here is the cliff notes version of what has been happening in the last three months.
The end of June my boss, Jason, was offered a position similar to what he was doing in Michigan, in Wisconsin. They were making some changes to the management here, and asked Jason if he would like to take over the State. When Jason told me about the move, I did not hesitate, and asked him right away if he would consider taking me with him as an administrator. There were some things happening in our organization in Michigan that I wasn't thrilled with, and new that it would be so much different not working for him. (I did give him a fair chance to say no for those of you who are wondering.) After a bunch of conversations, and a really long weekend waiting for the official call, it was decided that BJ and I would be moving to Madison, WI.
The job that I have now is very similar to the job that I had in Michigan, but it's complicated by the fact that we are creating all new systems, and setting up a brand new office. It took us a month, but we finally have a fully functional office. That makes my job so much easier.
BJ and I decided that he was going to stay in Michigan for a while, until the house sold or at least for three months while I got everything set up in Madison. Knowing how busy things were going to be, I figured it would be best for him to have a stable job in Michigan while I spent time here. That has been very hard, being apart for 5 days at a time is trying for us, but we are adjusting to it. We tend to feel like we have to cram everything in on the weekends, and that makes for some stressful moments, but we are working it out.
The great news is that our house sold faster then we could have ever imagined. The first people who looked through the house put an offer on it two hours later. We were pleasantly surprised. We closed on the house last Friday, and now BJ is living with his parents for a couple of weeks. It looks like he will be moving to Madison permanently around the end of October. It's great to know there is an end in sight.
I am slowly getting used to Madison. The roads drive me crazy, and there were a few times I was tempted to just turn the car off and call someone to find me, but I'm getting more and more used to them. GPS has been a lifesaver. I still use it at least three times a week.
The city seems to have a ton of things to do. It's a college town so there are tons of bars and restaurants downtown, and I'm sure we will have lots of fun checking them all out when BJ and I are here for a full weekend sometime.
I have been driving home (I mean back to Michigan, got to get out of the habit of calling MI home) every weekend because of the busy calendar we had scheduled before the move. The 5 hour drive is really not that bad, though I have found that books on CD are a great way to make the drive go faster.
This weekend we are finally moving stuff to the apartment. When all the stuff gets here, I will make sure to take pictures of the apartment. For the past two months I have been living in a one bed room apartment with a bed and a TV in it. I'm excited to have a couch after this weekend!
I think that is the basic rundown of all that has been happening.
We are really looking forward to this huge change in our lives, and feel like this is a great opportunity for us. We know it will be a challenge being away from family and friends, but we are excited about the new adventure in front of us as well.
Here is the cliff notes version of what has been happening in the last three months.
The end of June my boss, Jason, was offered a position similar to what he was doing in Michigan, in Wisconsin. They were making some changes to the management here, and asked Jason if he would like to take over the State. When Jason told me about the move, I did not hesitate, and asked him right away if he would consider taking me with him as an administrator. There were some things happening in our organization in Michigan that I wasn't thrilled with, and new that it would be so much different not working for him. (I did give him a fair chance to say no for those of you who are wondering.) After a bunch of conversations, and a really long weekend waiting for the official call, it was decided that BJ and I would be moving to Madison, WI.
The job that I have now is very similar to the job that I had in Michigan, but it's complicated by the fact that we are creating all new systems, and setting up a brand new office. It took us a month, but we finally have a fully functional office. That makes my job so much easier.
BJ and I decided that he was going to stay in Michigan for a while, until the house sold or at least for three months while I got everything set up in Madison. Knowing how busy things were going to be, I figured it would be best for him to have a stable job in Michigan while I spent time here. That has been very hard, being apart for 5 days at a time is trying for us, but we are adjusting to it. We tend to feel like we have to cram everything in on the weekends, and that makes for some stressful moments, but we are working it out.
The great news is that our house sold faster then we could have ever imagined. The first people who looked through the house put an offer on it two hours later. We were pleasantly surprised. We closed on the house last Friday, and now BJ is living with his parents for a couple of weeks. It looks like he will be moving to Madison permanently around the end of October. It's great to know there is an end in sight.
I am slowly getting used to Madison. The roads drive me crazy, and there were a few times I was tempted to just turn the car off and call someone to find me, but I'm getting more and more used to them. GPS has been a lifesaver. I still use it at least three times a week.
The city seems to have a ton of things to do. It's a college town so there are tons of bars and restaurants downtown, and I'm sure we will have lots of fun checking them all out when BJ and I are here for a full weekend sometime.
I have been driving home (I mean back to Michigan, got to get out of the habit of calling MI home) every weekend because of the busy calendar we had scheduled before the move. The 5 hour drive is really not that bad, though I have found that books on CD are a great way to make the drive go faster.
This weekend we are finally moving stuff to the apartment. When all the stuff gets here, I will make sure to take pictures of the apartment. For the past two months I have been living in a one bed room apartment with a bed and a TV in it. I'm excited to have a couch after this weekend!
I think that is the basic rundown of all that has been happening.
We are really looking forward to this huge change in our lives, and feel like this is a great opportunity for us. We know it will be a challenge being away from family and friends, but we are excited about the new adventure in front of us as well.
Friday, May 9, 2008
Johnnie Fox's Pub Pictures
Here are some of my favorite pictures from our visit to Johnnie Fox's Pub in Dublin.
We are back
We are back safe and sound. I'll post pictures and the rest of our trip details this weekend. He had a great time, but it's good to be home.
Monday, May 5, 2008
Day 2
I promise I will post more pictures soon!
Sunday we visited Malahide Castle, which is just outside of Dublin.
I hate to say this, but I cannot tell you a lot of the history behind the castle that we learned, other then the fact that the Talbot family lived there. It was an interesting tour though, I promise.
The grounds that the castle is on, is used as a public park, and the area is kept up very nice. There are also soccer fields and walking trails around the castle.
After we visited the castle, we stopped in a cute fishing town on the way home, called Howth. It was a beautiful city, right on the water. On the ride home the bus driver showed us a little more of the city. It is amazing to me the amount of 
construction that is going on around the city. If you look at this picture you can see all of the cranes that are downtown working on building that are being refurnished, or torn down to be replaced. In this area there were at least 20 of these cranes.
After the visit to Howth, we returned to the hotel, and BJ and I took a nap. After our nap we went to explore the city some more. Checking out St. Andrews Cathedral (I think) and the park on the grounds of the church.
That evening we went with a group of about 20 people to a Pub called Johnnie Fox's Pub. It was about a 30 minute crazy cab ride away, but it was so worth it. We had so much fun listening to traditional Irish music and just enjoying everyone's company. The driver that took us home, was sure glad when we finally got to the hotel I'm sure. I've got lots of pictures from the pub, but they are on the camera that I don't have the cord for. This was so far the best experiance we have had in Ireland, it was so much fun, and the food was amazing!
I'm off to bed, but wanted to at least catch you all up on day 2.
Hope everyone is doing well!
Sunday, May 4, 2008
Day 1
We are here and we made it through our marathon day! We left the house Friday morning at 8:00. Drove to Detroit, and got on a plane to Boston at 1:30. Landed in Boston at 3:30 and left for Ireland at 6:30. After a 6 hour flight we arrived in Dublin, Ireland at 5:30 am (Saturday) local time.
We arrived at our hotel, the Radisson SAS Dublin, and quickly freshened up (thank goodness our rooms were ready), and went down to the buffet to grab breakfast. We found out later that our breakfast cost us 22 euro each, about $36 American, ouch! I should have had another mimosa!
We left the hotel for a city tour at 9:30. It was interesting to see Dublin and here a little about the history of the city, but I do believe we were going in circles, since the tour guide pointed out the Temple Bar area and Trinity College about 20 times each! I'll admit I did fall asleep for a minute on the tour, it was a little long (2 1/2 hours) for 40 people who had basically been up all night.
After the tour of the city we were dropped off at the Guinness Storehouse for a tour. It was a self guided tour, and I think BJ and I walked through all 7 floors in less then 15 minutes. There was free beer waiting for him at the top floor! I think it would have been a little bit more interesting if it was a guided tour, but it was fun to see the history. For the record I did try a sip, but was reminded that I do not like Guinness, or the hairy feeling it leaves in your mouth, yuck!
Finally after the Guinness tour we were able to go back to the hotel to relax. BJ didn't want to take a nap so he was going to explore the city while I slept. He sat down on the bed to watch TV for a minute and was out before I even feel asleep. We were told to only sleep an hour, so that we didn't screw up our sleep for the night, but there is no way I would have waken up after only an hour. When the alarm went off after two hours I still felt like I could have slept another couple hours!
We got ready and went to check out the city quickly. We went down to Temple Bar since it's only a 5 minute walk from our hotel and we figured we knew the area well enough from our tour earlier in the morning. I cannot believe the number of Pubs in this 10 square block area, it's amazing to me! We were there around 5:00 and almost all of them were already packed full! We stopped and had a drink at a pub (I am having a hard time not calling them bars), and then went to explore the rest of the area quickly.
Our welcome dinner for the group was at 7 at the hotel. We had a great meal, and lots of fun catching up with everyone.
After dinner we went to the Hairy Lemon (ask BJ what the name of this pub is and you'll get anything from the fuzzy navel to the hairy banana). This was a pub that Jason and Andy had found the night before we arrived, and said we had to check it out. We ended up going with a group of at least 30 of us. It was like an old house, that still had all the separate rooms in it. It was crazy in there and trying to get 30 of us anywhere is not easy, but trying to get 30 people into a bar that is already packed full was quite an adventure. Luckily we found a spot upstairs by a less busy bar where we could all hang out. I found my new drink at this bar too. Jason's dad asked me what I wanted to drink and then asked me if he could pick something for me to try. It is a cider on tap called Bulmers Irish Cider. Most of you know I can't stand the taste of alcohol and only drink mixed drinks, but this I loved! I'm glad to have found something new to drink, since I can't get lemonade here for my regular drink. I went back to the hotel around 11:30 because I was trying to figure out a way to just lay on the floor and take a nap at the pub, so I figured it would be in everyone's best interest. I think BJ came in about 1:15.
So we made it through days 1 and 2! I'll post pictures tonight.
Got to get going we are schedule to visit a castle today and then we have the afternoon to explore the city. BJ and I got some good suggestions from some of the locals, and a couple that has been here for a couple days already. It should be a fun day.
Hope everyone is doing well. Mom and dad give Samson some loving from us.
We arrived at our hotel, the Radisson SAS Dublin, and quickly freshened up (thank goodness our rooms were ready), and went down to the buffet to grab breakfast. We found out later that our breakfast cost us 22 euro each, about $36 American, ouch! I should have had another mimosa!
We left the hotel for a city tour at 9:30. It was interesting to see Dublin and here a little about the history of the city, but I do believe we were going in circles, since the tour guide pointed out the Temple Bar area and Trinity College about 20 times each! I'll admit I did fall asleep for a minute on the tour, it was a little long (2 1/2 hours) for 40 people who had basically been up all night.
After the tour of the city we were dropped off at the Guinness Storehouse for a tour. It was a self guided tour, and I think BJ and I walked through all 7 floors in less then 15 minutes. There was free beer waiting for him at the top floor! I think it would have been a little bit more interesting if it was a guided tour, but it was fun to see the history. For the record I did try a sip, but was reminded that I do not like Guinness, or the hairy feeling it leaves in your mouth, yuck!
Finally after the Guinness tour we were able to go back to the hotel to relax. BJ didn't want to take a nap so he was going to explore the city while I slept. He sat down on the bed to watch TV for a minute and was out before I even feel asleep. We were told to only sleep an hour, so that we didn't screw up our sleep for the night, but there is no way I would have waken up after only an hour. When the alarm went off after two hours I still felt like I could have slept another couple hours!
We got ready and went to check out the city quickly. We went down to Temple Bar since it's only a 5 minute walk from our hotel and we figured we knew the area well enough from our tour earlier in the morning. I cannot believe the number of Pubs in this 10 square block area, it's amazing to me! We were there around 5:00 and almost all of them were already packed full! We stopped and had a drink at a pub (I am having a hard time not calling them bars), and then went to explore the rest of the area quickly.
Our welcome dinner for the group was at 7 at the hotel. We had a great meal, and lots of fun catching up with everyone.
After dinner we went to the Hairy Lemon (ask BJ what the name of this pub is and you'll get anything from the fuzzy navel to the hairy banana). This was a pub that Jason and Andy had found the night before we arrived, and said we had to check it out. We ended up going with a group of at least 30 of us. It was like an old house, that still had all the separate rooms in it. It was crazy in there and trying to get 30 of us anywhere is not easy, but trying to get 30 people into a bar that is already packed full was quite an adventure. Luckily we found a spot upstairs by a less busy bar where we could all hang out. I found my new drink at this bar too. Jason's dad asked me what I wanted to drink and then asked me if he could pick something for me to try. It is a cider on tap called Bulmers Irish Cider. Most of you know I can't stand the taste of alcohol and only drink mixed drinks, but this I loved! I'm glad to have found something new to drink, since I can't get lemonade here for my regular drink. I went back to the hotel around 11:30 because I was trying to figure out a way to just lay on the floor and take a nap at the pub, so I figured it would be in everyone's best interest. I think BJ came in about 1:15.
So we made it through days 1 and 2! I'll post pictures tonight.
Got to get going we are schedule to visit a castle today and then we have the afternoon to explore the city. BJ and I got some good suggestions from some of the locals, and a couple that has been here for a couple days already. It should be a fun day.
Hope everyone is doing well. Mom and dad give Samson some loving from us.
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