Hello from not Spain. I was planning to go to Espana (imagine I know how to insert a tilde) this weekend but airfare was WAY too expensive. It's their big Carnival this weekend, so maybe I'll be fortunate enough to find cheaper tickets on a less popular weekend.
I feel like I haven't written in forever! It has been two weeks since I wrote something in-depth. Once again, thank you guys for my awesome birthday video. That meant so much to me; I was really excited! (Special thanks to you, Jill. I know you edited it. Roomies for life!) I can't wait to do another hangout with all of you on Friday! EEEE! There's so much exciting stuff happening to you guys. See, I'm not the only one having adventures.
But speaking of my adventures, since last I wrote I've been to a church retreat in Norfolk, and to Ireland, and to Peterborough. I also ate Chinese food with my British family and sang karaoke on Valentine's Day. It's been grand.
Rather than re-cap every moment of every day, I'll hit the highlights:
*Church retreat: It was amazing. It was such a powerful worship experience, right up there with the worship services from Camp. Seriously, it was amazing. Partially because it was so different. There were times when everyone was just mumbling their own prayers all at the same time, and we'd just keep singing and singing all these great worship songs. If it was time for lunch and we were still in the middle of an awesome time of worshiping God, oh well. We just got to keep going. There wasn't a tight schedule of activities. There were plenty of great games (including the extra violent chair game!) but the focus was really, really on worship and prayer. It was great. Plus, I got to meet a ton of university students who are ENGLISH (and Irish, and Scottish, but mostly English)! AND I get to see them again because we're having a reunion of sorts in Lincoln in a couple of weeks and eating Mexican food. Can't wait!
*My birthday: Ireland, baby! I was on a ferry, and then I was in Ireland, kissing the Blarney Stone. I finally got my birthday present from my parents in the mail (it was a Hunger Games shirt, which I'm totally going to wear when I go to London March 14 to stand outside and stalk the red carpet premiere)!
Ireland was fantastic! I want to live there, along with every other place I've been. I was a little disappointed that I didn't have more time in Dublin. We were only there for about half a day. I definitely had a good time there, though. My friends and I found someone's credit cards on the ground and went on a quest to a shady part of town to turn them in at the police station, and then we went to a traditional Irish jam session, where my friend Ellyn played her fiddle! Oh, and before that we took Irish dancing lessons. The musician was attractive and Irish, too, which was a plus. ;) Still haven't found my Irish/British husband though.
*Valentine's Day: Despite not having a lovely accent-tastic valentine, I had the least banal Valentine's Day ever (banal is the word of the day, just so you know). Ya know why it was so exciting? I did karaoke, that's why! Granted, I sang with four other people and everyone sang along so no one could actually hear us, but still. At least I did it. And it was quite a party down in the Bistro. It was a lot of fun.
But now here's the bad news: When I went to Ireland, I forgot to take the Ireland letter. BOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!! That was the sound of the world ending. Okay, perhaps I'm being a little overdramatic. After all, I'll be going back to the Emerald Isle when my parents come over at the end of the semester, so fear not. My tasks were to kiss the Blarney Stone (which I did without being asked), to propose to an old man, and to taste Irish beer from a pub. It was also suggested that I find a four leaf clover, ask if there are snakes in Ireland, and look for the end of the rainbow. I didn't do too badly with this list, despite not having it. Blarney Stone--check (or tick, as the Brits would say. They tick the box instead of check it). I also found a four leaf clover. It was inside a glass thing on a necklace. Haha, okay, that doesn't count, but I did at least look for one in the wild. No luck though. I didn't drink any beer and there weren't any rainbows. But next time I'm there, I'll definitely ask about the snakes. Also, it wasn't Leap Day. A woman can't just propose any time!
Speaking of Leap Year proposals, I bought a claddagh ring! You know, the kind with the two hands holding the crowned heart? It's so cute! And so Irish! A ton of girls from Harlaxton bought them and I had wanted one since I watched the movie Leap Year. The ring symbolizes love, friendship, and loyalty. The hand you wear it on and the direction the heart is facing indicates your relationship status, which I knew, but didn't really think about too much until my friend Jordan said, "It's like Facebook for your finger." Which is a totally hilarious yet accurate statement. But it occurred to me, "Oh my gosh, I just purchased and am now wearing a ring that's all about defining romantic relationships. That's kind of putrid." It was a fleeting thought, because it's not really that at all. It's an ancient Irish tradition. It's about--as I said--love, friendship, and loyalty. AND it's a really gorgeous ring. So no, it doesn't bother me at all. I love it. I never take it off. But you know, I think in real life I'm the least romantic hopeless romantic I know. It's kind of ironic, actually. In theory, yes, I'm a crazy, cheesy, hopeless romantic. In practice...ehhh...not so much. But that's fine, because I'm a writer. It only matters if I'm romantic in theory. LOL.
Well, that's that, I suppose.
Until next Thursday,
Anna Beth
I feel like I haven't written in forever! It has been two weeks since I wrote something in-depth. Once again, thank you guys for my awesome birthday video. That meant so much to me; I was really excited! (Special thanks to you, Jill. I know you edited it. Roomies for life!) I can't wait to do another hangout with all of you on Friday! EEEE! There's so much exciting stuff happening to you guys. See, I'm not the only one having adventures.
But speaking of my adventures, since last I wrote I've been to a church retreat in Norfolk, and to Ireland, and to Peterborough. I also ate Chinese food with my British family and sang karaoke on Valentine's Day. It's been grand.
Rather than re-cap every moment of every day, I'll hit the highlights:
*Church retreat: It was amazing. It was such a powerful worship experience, right up there with the worship services from Camp. Seriously, it was amazing. Partially because it was so different. There were times when everyone was just mumbling their own prayers all at the same time, and we'd just keep singing and singing all these great worship songs. If it was time for lunch and we were still in the middle of an awesome time of worshiping God, oh well. We just got to keep going. There wasn't a tight schedule of activities. There were plenty of great games (including the extra violent chair game!) but the focus was really, really on worship and prayer. It was great. Plus, I got to meet a ton of university students who are ENGLISH (and Irish, and Scottish, but mostly English)! AND I get to see them again because we're having a reunion of sorts in Lincoln in a couple of weeks and eating Mexican food. Can't wait!
*My birthday: Ireland, baby! I was on a ferry, and then I was in Ireland, kissing the Blarney Stone. I finally got my birthday present from my parents in the mail (it was a Hunger Games shirt, which I'm totally going to wear when I go to London March 14 to stand outside and stalk the red carpet premiere)!
Ireland was fantastic! I want to live there, along with every other place I've been. I was a little disappointed that I didn't have more time in Dublin. We were only there for about half a day. I definitely had a good time there, though. My friends and I found someone's credit cards on the ground and went on a quest to a shady part of town to turn them in at the police station, and then we went to a traditional Irish jam session, where my friend Ellyn played her fiddle! Oh, and before that we took Irish dancing lessons. The musician was attractive and Irish, too, which was a plus. ;) Still haven't found my Irish/British husband though.
*Valentine's Day: Despite not having a lovely accent-tastic valentine, I had the least banal Valentine's Day ever (banal is the word of the day, just so you know). Ya know why it was so exciting? I did karaoke, that's why! Granted, I sang with four other people and everyone sang along so no one could actually hear us, but still. At least I did it. And it was quite a party down in the Bistro. It was a lot of fun.
But now here's the bad news: When I went to Ireland, I forgot to take the Ireland letter. BOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!! That was the sound of the world ending. Okay, perhaps I'm being a little overdramatic. After all, I'll be going back to the Emerald Isle when my parents come over at the end of the semester, so fear not. My tasks were to kiss the Blarney Stone (which I did without being asked), to propose to an old man, and to taste Irish beer from a pub. It was also suggested that I find a four leaf clover, ask if there are snakes in Ireland, and look for the end of the rainbow. I didn't do too badly with this list, despite not having it. Blarney Stone--check (or tick, as the Brits would say. They tick the box instead of check it). I also found a four leaf clover. It was inside a glass thing on a necklace. Haha, okay, that doesn't count, but I did at least look for one in the wild. No luck though. I didn't drink any beer and there weren't any rainbows. But next time I'm there, I'll definitely ask about the snakes. Also, it wasn't Leap Day. A woman can't just propose any time!
Speaking of Leap Year proposals, I bought a claddagh ring! You know, the kind with the two hands holding the crowned heart? It's so cute! And so Irish! A ton of girls from Harlaxton bought them and I had wanted one since I watched the movie Leap Year. The ring symbolizes love, friendship, and loyalty. The hand you wear it on and the direction the heart is facing indicates your relationship status, which I knew, but didn't really think about too much until my friend Jordan said, "It's like Facebook for your finger." Which is a totally hilarious yet accurate statement. But it occurred to me, "Oh my gosh, I just purchased and am now wearing a ring that's all about defining romantic relationships. That's kind of putrid." It was a fleeting thought, because it's not really that at all. It's an ancient Irish tradition. It's about--as I said--love, friendship, and loyalty. AND it's a really gorgeous ring. So no, it doesn't bother me at all. I love it. I never take it off. But you know, I think in real life I'm the least romantic hopeless romantic I know. It's kind of ironic, actually. In theory, yes, I'm a crazy, cheesy, hopeless romantic. In practice...ehhh...not so much. But that's fine, because I'm a writer. It only matters if I'm romantic in theory. LOL.
Well, that's that, I suppose.
Until next Thursday,
Anna Beth
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