Mysterious Abbey

While in County Tipperary, our host told us of some ruins we should bike to see.  We attempted one day, but the bike tires went flat and we couldn’t keep up with the air requirements.  The next day, we drove to the ruins and went for a walk.

 

This is a picture from the top of a small hill looking down on the abbey.  We have no idea what abbey this was or the importance of it, but it was beautiful to walk around.

 

Notice the window on the left is stoned in…we heard about a “daylight tax” where people were forced to pay taxes based on the number of windows they had…we’re not sure if that’s the reason for this one being closed or not, but it’s an interesting thought.

 

Connemara National Park

From our first cottage in County Mayo, we took a day trip to Connemara National Park on the far west side of Ireland. We hiked to the top of Diamond Hill, but it is more like a mountain.  Above is me at the very highest point.  You can easily see the 3 rocks piled next to me.  At that moment, I was the higher than the highest point…actually Matt was since he was standing to take the picture.

Part way through our hike there was a lookout over the area.  It was so pretty…and very very high.

Look at this amazing hike.  I can’t believe that I was able to crawl up the mountain.  Matt left me in his dust and I was constantly behind him in the hike.

View from the top of the mountain…again.  If you look close at the bottom middle you can see Kylemore Abby.  It’s pictured in more detail below.

Ireland-Day 1

After a 3 hour drive to Chicago, Matt and I embarked on an 8 hour flight to Dublin, Ireland.  The flight was full of movies and snacks for Matt while I slept most of the time.  Once we arrived, we got our rental car.

 

This was me for most the trip.  I was the navigator for our trip, along with my friend Tuohy’s GPS. 

Vegas 2009!

This year (2009), my annual pharmacy conference was in Vegas.  I decided to make it a “more fun, less work” trip and invited my sister (Rachel), her boyfriend (Joe), and my husband (Matt).  We did all the touristy things and got to spend some good quality time together. 

Rachel and I at Cesar’s Palace

Notice that Rachel’s winnings is on top, my winnings on the bottom, and Joe’s winnings on the bottom.  Matt was the only responsible party….and kept all his money that day!

While we were in Vegas, we tried a restaurant called Hash-House a Go-Go.  It was a place we saw on Man vs. Food from the Travel Channel.  It was DELICIOUS and the portions were huge!  

 

While in town, we managed to catch the national finals rodeo.  WE LOVED IT! Our seats were way, way, way, up top, but we could see everything and had SO MUCH FUN!  Rachel and I dressed like cowgirls, but somehow we got no photos.  Trust me, we fit the part.

 

Los Angeles-October 2009

This past weekend (October 2009) I went to LA for a conference.  I got to catch up with my hip LA friends, Kim and Greg. 

We visited the tar pits in central L.A.  The fossils date back to the Ice Age and include a saber-toothed tiger (ooohhhh…scary).  They were very interesting and we had a great time!

There was some interesting art at the tar pits.  Kim and I couldn’t figure everything out, but we had fun touring around. 

Kim and I went on a bike trip towards Santa Monica.  Naturally, I biked behind Kim the entire time.  She’s such a machine!

  We even stopped at Muscle Beach so I could work out.  We didn’t have time for me to do my full work-0ut so I just watched others.

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Of course, we traveled down some famous streets.  I tried to snap some photos while Kim drove me in the Jeep, but I couldn’t catch them all.  I had SO MUCH FUN!  Thanks to Kim and Greg for hosting!

NFA Conference 2009

I spent last weekend in Wisconsin at the National Fireworks Association conference. Mom and my two aunts go to the annual conference to represent WALD FIREWORKS! They are kind enough to let me tag along.



Mom and Aunt DeeAnne trying to win some MONEY!



MORE FIREWORKS!



All in all a fun weekend at the NFA!

Colleen and Matt's Wedding

Colleen and Matt's first dance!


Mother of the Bride and Maid of Honor. Aren't they the cutest?!?!?!


Me, Grandma, Mom, and Aunt Jerry.


Rachel and Joe. Rachel...looking good.


Love birds celebrating the big 9 month anniversary. WOO HOO!


Joe and I on the dance floor. We were good...but could not compete with Ben and Bill.

Killer Whales

Matt took video of our whale watching tour...for those interested!

Alaska cruise

I know I have taken my sweet time at getting some vacation pictures posted. You'll see here several photos and they may carry over to another page. We spent 7 days cruising the inside passage of Alaska. The weather was wonderful the entire time (around 60 degrees) and we did so many activites. We traveled with a group of 14 people and did whale watching, kayaking, tours, and lots of shopping. Thanks to Mom and Dad for organizing a family vacation to celebrate their 30th anniversary!


We saw lots and lots of bald eagles on our cruise. Here's one of the better pictures we got.


A sister ship close by. It followed us for a while and then got a whale stuck to the front of it near Vancouver.


Kayaking group...looking GOOD!


Team Ben and Bekah...also known as team WINNERS in the kayak race!


Kayaking in Ketchikan. Team Rachel and Ben.


Check out the hanging trees in front of the hotel...gorgeous...wish you were here.


The Empress hotel...where the Queen and I'm sure Celine Dion stays when they visit.


Victoria at night on our way back to the ship.


Hanging baskets that are all over Victoria, British Columbia. Very pretty and festive.


Ice sculptures on the boat...made from icebergs fished out of the water.


Matt and Ben played in the doubles tournament...again they lost to the team that had Matt's ping pong nemesis.


Throughout the cruise, they had several tournaments and Matt won the first men's single and is pictured here with his metal. The second time Matt played, he lost to a gentleman with is own special ping-pong shoes and paddle. I'm convinced that he played Matt with his "bad hand" to make the game last longer.


The waterfall/ice/snow looking thing between the peaks to my right is a giant glacier. We could see it from Mom and Dad's balcony...which we hardly ever left.


While in Skagway, we took a train ride up to Canada. Please note the excitement of each passenger. You'll notice mom and I taking in the sites.


Doesn't this boat look tiny next to the floating ice. TITANIC!


More floating ice. You would think that it was freezing all the time, but it was quite comfortable.


Waterfall to the ocean near Tracy Fjord. Please note the icebergs floaters in the water.


Rachel and I at the back of the boat...looking for whales.


Brother and I at the top of the Seattle SpaceNeedle. Not worth the $16/person.


MeMe and I riding a killer whale at the Seattle Aquarium.


Killer Whale pod seen from our private whale watching tour. We found these in a patch of water that had 3' swells and we were all rocking in the boat.