Being a "veteran" of almost 8 months, I was surprised to learn of a new holiday here!  Today definitely ranks high on my list of days...it's Pancake Tuesday.  Last week several people mentioned "pancakes on Tuesday"  to me, and I thought, "yeah, sure I'll join you for pancakes on Tuesday."  Little did I know that EVERYONE was going to be eating pancakes today. 

With Ash Wednesday approaching and marking the beginning of Lent, people traditionally were looking to begin fasting.   Apparently, getting rid of perishable goods (like butter, milk, eggs) and one final indulgence of sweets were both necessary...so what better way to do that than to make pancakes on Tuesday!

Even after learning all these fun facts, I was still quite surprised at the pancakes themselves.  I showed up early to have some pancakes with friends before heading to coffee.  Being the good Cracker-Barrel, IHOP going girl that I am, I assumed the pancakes were for dinner...but NOPE! First I had some spaghetti, then out came the pancakes.  They were very thin and about the size of a small plate.  Once you got your pancake, there were a myriad of toppings:  stewed apples, nutella, sugar with lemon juice (traditional topping), or golden syrup!

Can I just say YUM!!!  I will definitely not miss this holiday next year...

I don't really know why, but I've always LOVED Valentine's day!  It probably all started in Elementary School when we got to decorate shoes  boxes as a special Valentine's mailbox to tote home all the cards and candy from my classmates.  I remember shopping with my mom and sister trying to pick out just the right ones...ones that not EVERYONE would buy.  I remember sorting through them and picking the best ones for my best friends and trying not to write the same sentence on each.  I love those little candy hearts with messages...except the green and yellow ones :) 

As I got older, I still loved Valentine's day!  One year,  I bought my favourite watch EVER at a huge "Sweetheart Sale" (40% off...woohoo).  I still wear the watch today.  I've witnessed some hilarious proposals while out with friends, and watched my share of "chick flicks" that make their way to the cinema in honor of the day.  It's usually been a fun day!

This year was no exception.  My Irish Valentine's Day was great.  It started off with a leisurely morning catching up on some grocery shopping and a quick search for a cookie cutter shaped like a heart.  For the afternoon, I headed into town with friends for a French film as part of the Jameson Dublin Film Festival (it was great...I gave it 4 stars).  After wandering around City Centre a while, I found my way back home and made some cookies (pictured above) while watching "Music and Lyrics."

It was a good day!  Wish I could share some of the cookies with you...

This week, Dublin got a big surprise...SNOW!    It started on Monday morning, but wasn't too treacherous until the late that night.  I headed downtown to meet up with my friend (also named Stephanie) and by the time I got back to my car there was a thick layer of ice on the roads.  My dad would have been proud at my snow driving :) 

Tuesday the weather cooperated JUST long enough for me to go to class.  Within an hour of getting home, there was 5 inches of accumulation outside my door.  After changing into my ski bibs and boots, I grabbed my camera and went on a walk through the snow! 

Other new stuff these days...
1.  I started my second class at IBI and am loving it!
2.  The Lord graciously provided me with another car.  My orange one was
    having some chronic problems...and was becoming a bit unreliable.
3.  I was recently inspired at an art museum and bought some watercolor
    pencils.  My first work of "art" was a picture of my nephews two
    favorite stuffed animals in his huge red wagon :)
4.  Driving to City Centre no longer makes me nervous!  I've pretty much
    mastered it and found a convenient place to park.
5.  My hair is a bit shorter than it has been in a LONG while.  Second trip
    to the styling school was a bit of an adventure.

So that about sums it up!  Thanks for keeping up with me...

Well, my last entry to catch you all up on my holidays is a bit late.  I've had quite the crazy schedule the last week and haven't felt the greatest with some sinus junk, so FINALLY here you go!

For those who don't know, I spent about 8 months in Greece during 2003-2004 working with some programs scheduled during the Olympic Games in Athens.  Since leaving in May of 2004, I've only been able to go back once for a visit with my friends and "family."  It's been THREE YEARS now since I've set foot on Greek soil, so I decided to head there for New Year's...and had a blast.  I missed a lot over the years...so many of my friends are now married and I met a new baby or two :)

What a relaxing time to just chat with friends over coffee and delicious Greek food!  I may have been guilty of choosing New Years for my return because the Greeks eat this AWESOME bread called "vasilopita."  It's a sweet bread that only gets baked once a year...it was just as wonderful as I remembered.  I also enjoyed a wonderful Sunday at Nea Zoi and was surprised at how much of the language I actually remembered. 

The last half of my week was spent lending a hand with a retreat AMG was hosting on site at the Cosmovision Center.  Back in the kitchen cooking with all my friends...it was wonderful! 

I did take one morning break and head off to Athens for a bit of photography and shopping at the Plaka...check out the photos on my photo page :)

Entry 2 of my "catching up" series was an exciting one for me.  I have been many places in Europe, but never have had the chance to visit any part of Italy.  So, when I was finding my cheap flights to Greece for New Years, I worked diligently to have my layovers both ways be in Italy.  My choices were very narrow for airports that supported both the airlines I was flying with, so I finally went with Milan.  With my itinerary, I had 8 hours of exploring on the way over to be followed by 10 hours on my return trip.

Tuesday, December 30th, I set my feet on Italian streets around 10 AM.  Now Milan is not one of those "movie setting" type of cities.  It is mostly known for its dealings in the fashion industry, so my main goals were to have a pizza, a coffee and snap a few "touristy" shots...then I'd know better for my return trip where to spend more time.

I found my way fairly easily from an airport shuttle bus to the Metro.  Using my trusty Lonely Planet Guide book, I sought out a couple of the stops they suggested.  First on the list was FOOD, so I went in search of the Photographers Cafe.  I walked and I walked and I walked...never did find that cafe :)  Faulty map.

So I went to stop number 2!  This stop proved to be a bit more impressive.  I came out of the underground metro and was met with a HUGE Gothic style church called the Duomo made completely out of marble.  It was beautiful and unlike any I have ever seen! 

After snapping a few shots I headed off to get some pizza and coffee.  Neither of these were even slightly disappointing!  The pizza was simple yet amazing...they don't pile on the toppings...but the sauce was delicious.  The coffee was smooth and strong :)

Well, it was getting late, so I headed to the other airport (across town from the one I flew into) to wait for my flight to Athens.  This turned out to be quite the experience as there was NO ENGLISH to be found.  I like to think that I can find my way around pretty well, but with no English anywhere and seemingly no one willing to speak to me in English (or even Greek) this turned out to be quite an undertaking.  I finally found my gate and sat down to read for the hour I had before my flight was scheduled to begin boarding.  After about 45 minutes, I began to worry because no plane or airline personnel had show up at the gate, though passengers were piling up. 

About 15 minutes before my flight was to depart, still nothing!  Then I heard the only Greek family sitting at my gate get up and starting talking about the flight boarding already (luckily I know a bit of Greek).  So I jumped up too and followed them around the corner to see that MY FLIGHT was on "Last Call" boarding status.  I rushed to the gate handed my ticket and passport to the attendant, and asked her why we hadn't been told about the gate change.  My answer, we announced it once but only in Italian :)  Lesson learned!

On my return to Milan...there were 8 inches of snow covering EVERYTHING... so I had to just proceed to the other airport with no exploring.  I wasn't equipped for tromping around in the snow! 

Click the Photo tab to see a glimpse of Milan...

Ok, so I'm aware that I've left you all hanging for a few weeks by posting nothing on my blog.  Sorry about that...but time just got away from me, and then each time I sat down it was a bit overwhelming trying to fit it all into one entry :)  Today I devised a plan...I'll post one event every other day for a week...then we'll be all caught up!

Entry 1: My Irish Christmas!
First of all, I want to say a HUGE "thank you" to each of you who sent me cards and gifts.  I was so overwhelmed with the care shown by so many of you!  I appreciate your prayers and encouragement more than you know.

Here's a rundown of my Christmas day.  I spent Christmas Eve night downtown with a couple of friends, so we woke up on Christmas morning and enjoyed a wonderful breakfast of biscuits and gravy to start our day.  After the delicious breakfast and great company, I headed home to get ready for the rest of the day.  It was AMAZING how quiet the streets were downtown!  I took some photos because you could actually count the cars on one hand.

When I got home, I baked some pumpkin cookies while opening all my gifts (except those from my family).  I enjoyed some Christmas music and a couple hours of relaxation before heading to the Burkes' home for Christmas dinner around 2:00 pm.  The Burkes invited me to their family dinner back in October, and I agreed because I knew it would be a day full of activity.  They have 11 children...so it's a full house!  I enjoyed the afternoon and evening full of good food, lots of laughing, and Kung Fu Panda. 

I returned home later that night to Skype with the family and open my gifts via webcam :)  I love technology!  It was fun seeing my family open the gifts I sent and enjoyed all the wonderful gifts they sent to me.  Griffin, of course, was the cutest of all!  He got a little basketball goal, so he's off to a great start with his sports career.  We said goodbye after an hour or so, and then I made a few phone calls to friends from home. 

I ended my night by watching Elf and enjoying some coffee!  It was altogether an encouraging and delightful day! 

See photos below...
1.  Quiet streets of City Centre
2.  Yummy breakfast
3.  Elf!!!!

So my weekend at the castle is over and I had a great time!  Friday, Sarah and I took my little orange car to Castlewellen in Northern Ireland for a weekend away.  I got to spend the entire weekend meeting new people, studying Romans, drinking tea and coffee, and eating some wonderful food.  After the first few hours my brain was hurting a little bit as I tried to remember everyone's names, but it got better as the weekend went on.  I did know one of the couples before I arrived as they are the new pastor of Ballycullen and his wife...Jeff and Caroline Hay :)

During our free time on Saturday afternoon, I joined a group in New Castle at a coffee shop on the coast.  We spent hours chatting, listening to funny stories, and just enjoying each other's company.  Oh, and the latte was great too!  Sunday, soon after lunch, we headed back to Dublin to attend our Christmas Music Evening at BCC.  I had a singing part as a caroler!

Monday, while procrastinating on my paper for school, I finished decorating my tree.  I have also received several wonderful packages from home.  Can't wait 'til Christmas to open them all up!  Check out the photos below of my tree and the collage of Christmas cards on my wall that grows everyday.  Click on each to enlarge them...

Well, in case you haven't noticed...CHRISTMAS IS ON THE WAY!  I'm getting pretty excited about all the festivities planned here in Dublin.  This week we had our last bible study before the Christmas break, so we took a break from Philippians to bake some cookies for our church to enjoy on Sunday.  We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves...and were only covered in a light layer of flour by the time we were done :)

This coming weekend, I'm headed to a conference in Northern Ireland.  I'll be joining many others Friday evening through Sunday morning at Castle Wellen for a study in Romans.  Looking forward to meeting some new people!

Sunday the 14th, I'm hurrying back to Ballycullen to attend the annual Christmas Music Evening.  We're inviting so many from the community, so pray we have a good attendance!  The message will be centered around "Hope being born."  Many songs to sing, and mince pies for dessert.  (I have 400 invites to distribute this week!!!  Hope I don't freeze going from mail slot to mail slot.)

I'll keep you posted!!!  Check out the photos of cookie baking and Christmas lights on my photo page... 

No, Thanksgiving is not an Irish holiday, however, I celebrated it all day long here in Dublin!  The day started with a sinus headache, but that did not thwart my preparation of the green bean casserole.   Headache subsided just in time to head up the hill for lunch with some of my teammates.  I walked in the Laughlin's door to the familiar smells of turkey, gravy and stuffing.  Shortly after 2pm, we sat down to Thanksgiving dinner #1.  Delicious!

After heading to basketball at the community centre, I then took the bus downtown to the Mulholland's apartment.  They have this incredible place with an awesome view of Dublin. (check out the photos!) Thanksgiving dinner #2 was enjoyed around 8pm with several friends and a couple of new acquaintances.  More turkey, gravy, and stuffing...DELICIOUSNESS.

Following dinner, several of us sat down to enjoy the Peanuts Thanksgiving Special.  I hadn't seen the Peanuts in years.  If the writers  were historically accurate, I actually learned a couple of things :) Fun and educational!

I added some new photos from the day...click the photo tab and enjoy!

I never would have believed it, but this past Thursday, I found a fellow Knoxvillian here in Ireland!  A mutual friend of ours kept trying to figure out if we were both from the same state or not, and from all the messages back and forth, I wasn't sure if she was from Kentucky or Tennessee. Eventually, our mutual friend just gave her my mobile number so we could figure it out on our own.  Well, we both were shocked when we spoke on the phone and figured out we were both from Knoxville. 

Jill (yeah, I figured you were about to ask her name) and I met for coffee in Dun Laoghaire and had a wonderful time!  You would have laughed at us drawing maps and showing each other where we went to church, where our families live, and some of our other favorite places.  We even found out that we have some mutual acquaintances.   I can't articulate what an enjoyment it was to spend time talking to someone from home :)  I love how God arranged all this just for my encouragement!  Yes, we plan to get together again soon.