Anniversary Getaway

Last Tuesday, March 20th, was our second anniversary.  It's hard to believe it's been two years!
We have loved the adventure it has been so far and are so thankful that God brought us together.  We like to celebrate good things like this, so we try to take a trip each year and reminisce about the last three years we've known each other and look forward to the many years to come.  For our first anniversary we went to Washington, DC and loved it.  This year, we took a trip down to Ireland to Dublin and the Wicklow Mountains.  We figured since we were so close to Ireland, but not actually in Ireland (even though most people think we are), we thought we should at least make a trip down while we're here.

We rented a car and thank goodness my dear husband knows how to drive a stick shift and manage himself well on the opposite side of the road, because I wasn't having any of that!

We spent the first two days taking in the sights of Dublin...

Trinity College Founded 1592.  It was located in the middle of the busy city, but was so tranquil!  We walked through an archway in a building and it was like entering another world.

This is the Spire.  We don't know what in the world it is for except that it's really tall and pointy and fun to look at...

Temple Bar....one of the famous areas in Dublin.  I liked it because it looked Irish.

This is the cool design in front of castle-like buildings that we couldn't go inside.  But, we did go to a really cool museum called the Chester Beatty Library.  They had some of the oldest biblical manuscripts in the world!!!!

This is Dublin Castle.  This part is supposedly from about the year 1228.  Again, we didn't go inside or anything, just pretty to look at...Those are cherry blossoms in the foreground...love Spring!

Saint Patrick's Cathedral....there are a lot of old churches in Dublin, but I wanted to see this one most.

After seeing a bit of Dublin, we spent our last day driving a few minutes south to see the Wicklow Mountains.  By far, this was our favorite part of the trip!

This is Great Sugarloaf Mountain.  It's easy to see, but hard to find the road that takes you to it.  However, we did find it and enjoyed our little hike.

On our way up!

We made it to the top!  Or at least I did....just kidding....Casey was there too.  We enjoyed eating our lunch up there and taking in the view....

Speaking of the view....it was gorgeous!!  We could see in every direction!  These pictures don't do it justice....

 

These yellow flowers were everywhere in Ireland!  They were actually yellow thorny bushes, but really pretty!

 This is our little car that got us around.  We had a fun time and are glad for life's little adventures....

Beautiful Irish countryside....

Thanks for all the well wishes for our anniversary.  We are blessed.

Four Reasons I Like March....

 Here are four reasons that I like March and sorta an update on how life is going...

1.  Daffodils....tulips....or really anything to do with Spring.  Even though Fall is my favorite, Spring has always been a very close second.  I love to see the buds on the trees, hear birds chirping, smell fresh air...the newness of life is beautiful...

Here are a few shots of flowers in the Ormeau Park (pronounced Ormo) across the street from us.

2.  Our Anniversary!!!!  We got married on the first day of Spring (yet another reason why I like the season) two years ago this Tuesday and it's been such a fun adventure!  It's hard to believe it has been two years since that day, but we are excited for all that we've shared and all that is to come.  We're taking an anniversary trip this week to see the south of Ireland.  We promise to put up lots of pictures when we return!!!

3.  March Madness!!!!  Ever since I was a little girl I have loved to watch college basketball, particularly the Tarheels.  My dad and I always cut the NCAA bracket out of the newspaper and put it on our fridge, updating it as the games were won.  It's a fond memory of mine.  Now my husband and I are filling out brackets and trying to catch games from here if we can.  It's been fun so far....GO HEELS! :)

4.  St. Patrick's Day!  Maybe it's just the fact that I love green, but I've always enjoyed St. Patrick's Day.  I should've been an elementary school teacher because obscure holidays tickle my fancy.  I don't go all out for St. Patrick's Day mind you, but I wear my green and treat the day a little special.  This year we've been here in Northern Ireland and decided to go to the city to see what was happening.  It wasn't too festive, but there was a parade, some concerts, and they handed out shamrock flags to everyone.  We also heard traditional Irish music and saw Irish dancing at the market.  So, that was fun for the day, but other than the people attending the events, there wasn't much green around.  They say that NYC celebrates the holiday more than they do here.  Go figure!

"May your thoughts be glad as the shamrocks,
May your heart be as light as a song,
May each day bring you bright, happy hours,
That stay with you all the year long." 

Cheers!