Tag Archives for mom

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!

growing up is a funny thing. when i was a little lizzie i could never have imagined MY MOM as a child. because she was always MY MOM. but now, as we celebrate another year of her life, it’s interesting to look through gorgeous photos of her youth and imagine how she lived life at my age. and it’s bizarre to realize i haven’t always known her. she lived an entire life without me, my brother, my sister, or even my dad there.

it’s interesting to see photos and remember who was in the photos at that time, and who would be in the photos today. i’m pretty happy with who my mom decided to keep around and who she wanted to be in photographs with.

happy birthday mom! i love you like crazy.

if you’re lucky enough to know my mom, you’re lucky enough

you are…

gorgeous.
the sweetest lady i ever did meet.
a funny, funny email writer.
more supportive that i really ever deserve.
a talented gardener, i mean have you seen the backyard?
great at makin’ babies. clearly the three of us are exceptional.
a good chooser of men. (glad you kept dad around)
a really precious grandma.
a lovely daughter.
a super sister.
but
most of all,
the best mom a girl could ask for.
i love you
i love you
and i love you.
happy mother’s day mom!
from all the way across the sea,
lizzie

if you’re lucky enough to know my mom, you’re lucky enough

how sweet it is to have visitors like you

what a weekend. my parents arrived in galway friday evening and left for london early monday morning.

the poor things were pretty tired on friday when the first arrived. they had been traveling since midnight ireland time and didn’t get into galway until about 8pm galway time. that’s a whole lot of traveling. but they didn’t let a little jet lag phase them. i met them at their hotel, the meyrick hotel, and we went out on the town. well really, we just had dinner and a few pints before they crashed. but regardless, the food was amazing and it was a great chance to catch up.

on saturday we all slept in a bit and didn’t get together until about 11.30am. the weather was gorgeous and we spent the afternoon walking around downtown galway, down by the bay, and eating at one of my favorite bakerys- griffins.

we attempted to have an afternoon cup of tea at the tea room i was itching to take them too. unfortunately, the rest of galway must have had the same idea because the place was packed. so instead, we opted for a different type of drink. and then began the pub crawl. from 4pm until 1.30am we ventured to some of the best pubs in galway for irish music. we ended the night in the crane bar and spent at least 4 hours there listening to an amazing irish session.

and sunday we somehow woke up early and headed off to a tour of connemara. lauren was too sick all weekend to go with us and lucy was out of town, but rachel joined us for the tour. the weather wasn’t as cooperative but even rain couldn’t hide the beauty that is connemara. we went with a fabulous tour company, galway tour company. we were able to visit kylemore abby and cong, and we saw a bundle of waterfalls, lakes, and breathtaking scenery.

the only downfall of the weekend was the speed at which it passed us. i’m hoping the rents will make it to ireland again while i’m here, especially if i end up staying for the entire summer. and chances are good that at least my dad will return seeing as his company is in both america and ireland.

this week is jammed packed with the boring stuff: laundry, school, and essay writing. but it’ll all be worth it. this weekend i’m off to paris and the following week is nuig’s rag week. i will explain rag week in more detail eventually, but in a quick summary it’s an insane week of all day, all night partying celebrated by the entire university.

i hope your weekend was as fun as mine and i hope your week is much more fun than mine.

if you’re lucky enough to have lovely parents, you’re lucky enough

q&a

this photo is proof that i’m thinking about you all and sending lots of international love!

 

and as promised, i am going to continue to answer questions about study abroad, me, and life in general

a question i’ve been asked more than anything is…

q: what do you miss?

a: i do miss my family. i miss them a whole lot. but the unfortunate truth is that i’m very much use to missing them. i’ve written about it before, but my family is very spread out. my sister lives in australia, my brother is currently in afghanistan, my sister in law and baby nephews live in tennessee, and my parents live in northern california. and my cousins, aunts, uncles, and grandparents are spread out all over the states. so while i do miss them, it’s not unbearable because i’ve trained my heart to love them from afar.

i really miss my friends and i am always thinking about how much fun we could all have together here in ireland. but i know they are having a blast at college and it’s easy to remind myself that i will see them again.

and i miss my job and coworkers. thank the lord for email and facebook, because i’ve been able to stay in touch with them but it’s still strange to go from seeing their wonderful faces everyday to not.

and mexican food. oh spicy, spicy mexican food. i miss mexican food something fierce. i miss fajitas, tacos, burrito bowls from chipotle, and i miss pouring tapatio on everything.

but, to be completely honest and completely cheesy, i do not miss anything enough that i wish i was anywhere but here. i’m having a great time and i’m so excited that i still have months left to enjoy ireland. it’s a great feeling to have people (and food) at home that you miss, but it’s an even better feeling to be happy with where you are.

if you’re lucky enough to have someone or something to miss, you’re lucky enough