Kilkenny, Ireland

The shops were so gorgeous!

Our first destination on our Groupon Tour'de Ireland was Kilkenny.  It's located inland centrally and we managed to figure out how to efficiently work the numerous round abouts outside the city and got to our hotel in one piece.  We were so tired because we basically stayed up for over 24 hours and drove straight to our hotel.  We were there by 7AM and asked if there was any room that we could possibly check into at this early hour.  Everything was full, but they generously offered us the wheelchair accessible room as ours for the night.  The hotel staff was excellent and very helpful in orienting us to the city.  We went inside our room an immediately passed out until 3PM.  So we slept through our first day of exploring, but it was worth it.  

That evening we decided to try this restaurant everyone raved about online.  We parked and walked right passed it... thinking we were lost.  But really, it was tucked in a corner and closed.  We were severely underdressed and chilled, but walked the main streets in the dark (its only 5PM, I remind you) to find a cute Italian restaurant with an Early Bird special.  Here we were seated by the street window and enjoyed some of the best Bruschetta we had ever tasted.  Paul was drooling.  We stuffed ourselves with the main course of risotto and salmon and walked the street to find a pub where I could get a beer.  I mispronounced my order and ended up with a Pilsner instead of a Paulander, but it was beer and we were among the local Irish, so I was satisfied. 

The gardens in front of Kilkenny Castle

The next morning, I realized I had left my beloved scarf on the plane.  Yes, Anna, my favorite grey scarf was probably sitting on the plane next to my travel pillow. URHG!  So I was on a mission to find a scarf, and a nice coffee.  We went to a small sandwich shop that was another Trip Advisor favorite to get a coffee and wandered the streets until we found the Kilkenny Castle!  We asked directions only to be embarrassed because it was this MASSIVE stone castle just around the corner hahah, you seriously couldn't miss it.  Classic tourist move.   While waiting for the tour to start we had lunch at this adorable cafe with a little too many pink and purple pillows and hearts all over the place. Despite the decor their tea, sandwiches and breakfasts were very tastey and reasonably priced.

Paul and I went for a stroll in the shops behind the Castle.

We took the tour of the castle which was very interesting, the views and the landscaping of the park on the castle grounds were beautiful.  It was an excellent tour.  After our quick introduction to Kilkenny, we wanted to get on the road to our next desitnation, but stopped at the grocery store for a scarf and some tea biscuits that Paul was on a mission to find.

My handsome tour guide.

Then it was back into the car for another road trip to the Rock of Cashel, navigation courtesy of our Ipad and shear luck...

Honeymoon in Ireland: Day 1

Shortly after Dooze and Kathy left Pittsburgh, Palu and I were packing up our stuff to enjoy our honeymoon and first vacation as newly-weds! We left Pittsburgh during the middle of a snow storm and started the trip dragging out luggage down the middle of the street in squirrel hill because the sidewalks were so covered in snow that the wheels on our luggage wouldn't move.  You know it was bad when a neighbor stopped their SUV to ask if we needed a ride somewhere!  We of course refused and moved on down the hill to the bus stop, only to have perfectly timed connections to the airport.  Yay public transportation in the middle of a storm came through!

After walking around aimlessly trying to find it, we found our car!

When we arrived at the airport, we werent even sure what airline to check into because our connecting flights were a random addition to our itinerary.  Jet Blue we found out.  When we got there they heard we were going on our honeymoon and we were upgraded to bulk seats with extra legroom!  I'm not sure if it was our honeymoon or Paul's height that got us upgraded, but either way we kindly accepted the gift!  We did the usual Rite Aid stop for some treats and waited for our plan to board.  The same attendant who gave us the free seats also called us to board early with all the fancy passengers and gave us a smile, it was so much fun.  We sat down, only to realize that in our excitement we left Paul's phone charging on his 12 foot iphone cord in the hallway of the terminal.  You're not allowed to exit the aircraft, so the same guy that had been doing all these favors also went into the terminal searching for Paul's iphone... sorry man.  Finally, with all of our belongings we were off!

In the air Paul and I got a coffee and pepsi, and the flight attendant asked if we wanted a drink to celebrate our honeymoon.  Unsure if we were going to be charged or not, we accepted and figured that we were celebrating so we could pay.  Turns out it was another complimentary perk of being newlyweds because we got two free red wines and two hefty doses of Bombay Gin.  The party started from there and shortly after Paul dropped his bottles all over we landed in Boston to connect to Dublin!  When we landed the plane clapped for us as the newlyweds to congratulate us, too fun!

We made it to our first hotel! Thanks Paul!

We ran all over the airport to the international terminal only to realized that we were once again out of security and found ourselves chugging all the drinks we bought for cheap at Rite Aid. We were that couple...

Finally, after taking advantage of the Duty free for a bottle of wine, we were waiting to board our jet to Ireland.  It was a nice big international plane with plenty of empty seats.  We were seated together (thank you Pittsburgh attendant) and enjoyed dinner and the in flight entertainment. On the overhead we heard an announcement that someone had lost a black Iphone with a black case on the jetbridge.  Paul checked his pockets only to confirm what we were both thinking... Paul's phone, again. HAHA!!  I was roaring, we weren't going to get that phone to Ireland if we tried.  To pass the time I picked a great Spanish flick with subtitles, and watched a few episodes of East Bound and Down, which reminded me of my great times in Hawaii with Ronnie Werner.  

We tried to sleep, but it was so early and uncomfortable. Probably because the guy behind me thought my travel pillow was a complimentary pink gift from the plane.  When I went to use the bathroom, I saw him comfortable as can be with my pillow around his neck hahah!  I was laughing and sad all at the same time.  Apparently he thought it was a gift from Air Lingus because he left it on the pillow when we deplaned in Dublin at 5AM.

The airport was pretty quiet, but nice, new and clean.  We made it through customs after getting grilled on what cities we were visiting.  I had no idea, but Paul came up with two cities haha!  Then we walked to get our rental car only to realize we didn't bring a GPS.  Without any cell phone data available, we were going to rely on WiFi and maps to navigate because renting a GPS for the week was wicked expensive. We sat in the airport to call credit cards that were denied, get cash, and try to get a game plan ready to hit the road to our first destination.  I was loading maps on my ipad and downloading apps like crazy.  I was SO nervous about trying to navigate this country while Paul was driving stick on the wrong side of the road.  Needless to say, we found our rental car and our courage and headed out of the airport onto the freeways of Dublin.  After going North for a few kilometers when we wanted to go south, I finally started to get a hang of this whole map thing.  Luckily there wasn't a soul on the road on Sunday morning at 5AM.  We were in Ireland, so let the adventure begin!

Kathy and Dooze Visit Pittsburgh

Dale the terrifying terrier.

Shortly after my parents left back for home, we were expecting more family to visit us out in Pittsburgh!  It's been so wonderful to have numerous visitors over the winter!  This time Kathy and Dooze were going to make there way out in the car to visit for a short weekend.  Dooze has such limited time with school and preparing for all of his activities, that when they found a few free days over winter break, they hit the road!

Kathy and Dale in Frick Park!

Dinner and Waffleonia!

It was a little chilly, but nothing compared to the weather that Wisconsin was getting this winter!  What a great winter for snowmobiling, but it was really daring and SO cold!  So, we took advantageous of the few evenings we had and took plenty of walks around our neighborhood.  It was such a treat to finally get to explore some of the shops and window fronts that I'm forced to walk past each morning.  

Anderson construction team.

We went out for Thai food at Bangkok Balcony and then grabbed dessert at Waffleonia, which is a VERY SMALL shop where you simply order a waffle with toppings, and leave in order for more foot traffic to flow through.  We also found a few gems on the street including a record store!  This record place is a whole shed full of old records - I bet you could spend months inside going through their inventory, it was quite amazing.  We picked up a few cheap CDs to listen too and then made our way to 61C for a quick coffee and tea to warm up.  

Uncle Doozey.

We had to spend some time indoors as well, since it was still winter.  Paul and Dooze put together one of our wedding gifts, which is actually a changing table!  It looks awesome and now serves as our catch all for mail, DVDs, and candles!  I love it! It was such a wonderful visit, and of course it went much too fast! Luckily it was just the start of the year and the many visits to come in the springtime!  

The delicious waffle masterpiece.

The photographic muse of the weekend, thanks Dooze for the pictures!

Christmas in Pittsburgh

Dale, freshly groomed, looking like a hot Christmas mess.

Our Christmas celebration this year was nice and low key.  To celebrate the holidays, we spent time cooking some wonderful meals including roasting duck and enjoying some fresh shrimp that my parents brought back from Florida.  Both were absolutely delicious.  We also went of plenty of walks and worked a little around the house, as we always do when my parents visit. Dale added another level of chaos as one would assume.  The pup was crazy and enjoyed helping us unwrap the presents on Christmas morning. 

Red Solo Cups for Mom and Dad!

GARTH! YES.

Ohhh Thank you for your help dale.

We had a few simple gifts for one another. My parents got me the Garth Brooks box set, which I've watched already like 5 times.  Oh my gosh, his concert at the Wynn is better than I ever could have imagined. I remember when I heard he was coming out of retirement to play in Vegas, I emailed Joel to ask about the tickets.  He called me out on wasting time and money, hhaha, see below. 

Marsh, Joel <Joel.Marsh@jacobs.com>	2/16/11
to me

A lot pricey, busy morning then I see!

From: Alyce Marsh [mailto:alycemarsh@gmail.com]
Sent: Wednesday, February 16, 2011 9:38 AM
To: Marsh, Joel
Subject: Re: Bad day on the Portage

Hey Uncle Buck,

Here's Garth's tour dates in Vegas....  A little pricey.  Eeeeeeee

LAS VEGAS, Jan. 10, 2011—Garth Brooks has performed to sold-out crowds and rave reviews at the intimate Encore Theater at Wynn Las Vegas since December 2009. Tickets for the next series of highly anticipated concerts will go on sale on Saturday, January 15 at 10 a.m. PT. Tickets are $225 plus service charge and tax ($253 total).

Concert Dates: 
March 25 & 26
April 8 & 9
June 3 & 4
June 24 & 25
July 22 & 23

Concert times: 
Fridays: 8 p.m. & 10:30 p.m.
Saturdays: 8 p.m. & 10:30 p.m.

Haha, so that pretty much settled that. But luckily I got to watch the concert in the comfort of my living room, and Paul finally got to use his surround sound! It was a great time in Pittsburgh, and I'm so happy that they came out to visit!

Lyssa's Christmas present for Dale.

Washington DC, Day 2

Mom by the Federal Reserve!

Tourist Curty.

During our second day in DC, we again took the metro downtown to go to some of the War Memorials and the various sites of the city.  It was going to be a long day of walking, and we were just hoping that the rain would hold off.  Luckily a little moisture makes the pictures look that much better.  We got in our daily Starbuck and walked all over town.  

Vietnam Memorial

Lincoln Memorial

Our first stop that we saw along the way was the Federal Reserve, so naturally we had to get a picture with mom next to the building! My dad was pretty much dressed like a classic tourist. He had a backpack full of our lunches and drinks so we could spare a few pennies on our vacation.  We were laughing because I suddenly turned into the vacation planner and was taking my parents all around town - and I even packed them a lunch!  A little scary!

Our second stop was the Vietnam Memorial showcasing all of the names on the black wall.  This memorial still chills me, and the design is absolutely fantastic. They way they have it so everyone can see their own reflection in the stone is one of it's finest and most humbling qualities. It was sure beautiful. I also love how all of the memorials seem to line up with the Washington monument, the reflection pool and then the lincoln memorial.  They all play off one another in terms of space and views. It's amazing to think of those who worked to plan and design the tributes. 

Korean War Memorial

We walked to the Lincoln Memorial and then back to the Korean War Memorial, WWII, and then finally decided that our soaked feet had had enough of the weather.  My toes were absolute prunes, so it was about time to call it a day and make our way back to Pittsburgh.  

Each star represents 100 Americans who died or remain missing in WWII. 

I'm so happy that we were able to fit in this quick little trip to DC.  I sometimes forget just how close it is!  So, for anyone who would like to visit us, I now know of the perfect little hotel on the outskirts of the city for us to stay in!  

My home.