A few more pictures have been added to the last post....

Snowing in Galway!!! This past weekend was full of crazy weather...rain, snow, hail, wind, sun....Changed every 5 minutes.

A few weeks ago Kelly and I had the opportunity to get out of the "city" for a night. We decided to head to the village of Doolin, considered by many to be a shrine to traditional Irish music.

The drive south was beautiful. So beautiful, in fact, that we decided to take many different roads to see more of the countryside.

Riiiight. Okay, we were having some difficulties finding the correct road.

But we did finally get there! Looking for places to camp was tricky as it was still the low season and none of the official sites were open. After finding lots of "no camping" signs we found a hostel where we could camp. We set up our tent in time for the moon to come up.

Then off to a great pub (the one that Kelly and her mom hit up in Sept) and had a nice, slow dinner and some pints. Kelly had a giant plate of mussels and veggie lasagne, I had a delicious seafood chowder and the best fish and chips EVER.

HAPPY PADDY'S DAY!!

We went into town to watch the parade. It was pouring rain and everyone was soaked. It would have been a miracle if the costumes and floats made it through the day.

Practically every school and club in the city puts in an entry.

There was shamrock and green EVERYWHERE!

Once thoroughly soaked we ventured into the King's Head Pub to meet up with friends. The streets were packed with people and the pubs were even busier. Guinness takes forever to pour on a good day so you can imagine the backlog at the bar. We watched the big rugby match as Ireland crushed Italy but then in hurling Galway lost to Dublin. People sure love their sports here, it's madness.

On Sunday we went to a Comedy Club and saw the Canadian Comic of the Year, Sean Collins. He was a gas! His act went over really well with the locals. Nice for us to hear some Canadian humor.

Back to normal for now. This week is study filled for Kelly and more job hunting for me!

Sorry for the temporary blog malfunction. Hopefully you can now see all the photos...

Hello! Things here in Ireland are good. Chris is getting settled and negotiating with immigration. I have wrapped up the cardiovascular and respiratory systems and have moved on to the gastrointestinal and renal systems. We are enjoying being together and having some laughs getting used to living together again.

We bought a new car a couple weeks ago...a 95 Toyota Corolla hatchback. It stays parked during the week but it as it has given us a whole lot of freedom to explore on the weekends. Here's a bunch of pictures of what we've been up to....

Chris' trip up north to Donegal to buy the car...

Our new wheels!! "Blue Thunder"

(Credit to the Quinn's for naming the car)

We did a little hike in Connemara last weekend. Wind and rain cut the hike shorter than planned but we enjoyed ourselves anyway....

Nice windy wet spot for a picnic lunch...

This past weekend, our good friends Ryan and Desiree Quinn came to visit us from Nigeria. Friday was my birthday and to celebrate, we went to a small town called Gort to attend a traditional Irish party called a Ceili. It was very Irish!!! There was great traditional music, irish dancing, tea, sandwiches, friends, and lots of fun!! My friend Angela surprised me with a cake on the bonnet of her car in the parking lot...

Angela and her boyfriend Eoghan (pronounced Owen)

Chris and I practicing our Irish dance moves after a lesson from Angela. We learned a Waltz and some set dances. It was a bit embarassing cuz we were clearly rookies in a room full of very talented people. The trouble is that the song always seems to end just when you're getting the hang of it. Great fun though!!

Ryan, Des and us

Saturday morning we drove north to Wesport, County Mayo, to climb Ireland's Holy mountain called Croagh Patrick (765m). It has been the site of Pagan worship since 3000 B.C. In 441 A.D., Saint Patrick is said to have spent 40 days on the mountain top fasting and praying for the Irish. He also apparently cast all the snakes out of Ireland, a deed which I am especially thankful for! It is now the site of an annual Catholic Pilgrimage (which many people complete barefoot) and there is a small church on top where services take place regularly in the summer.

Starting out...

Hiking in the fog...a taste of Irish weather for Ryan and Des

There are steps for pilgrims to follow all the way to the top. This plaque describes what they are meant to do when they arrive at the top. The little doll is 'Flat Stephanie', Ryan and Desiree's travel companion. She belongs to a young girl in the U.S. and is currently on a journey to see as much of the world as possible before returning home with photos and stories to share with her owner (for an elementary school project).

Washrooms at the top of the mountain!!

At the church on the summit

Des and I on the way down

View of Clew Bay

Looking back at the summit

Sunday was a very nice sunny day so we went down to Blackrock beach and had a very brief dip in the ocean (currently about 5-7 degrees celcius). It was very refreshing and we didn't stay in long (though we were brave enough to jump in a second time).

Chris' face says it all!!

Warming up in the sun.

Most exciting of all is that we had a new little nephew born on Saturday, Feb. 24th to Lori and Jason (8lbs, 8oz). We are very sad that we're not there to meet him. His name is Gavin Luke Armstrong and he and his Mom and Dad are all doing well.

Cute as a button!!

That's all for now! K&C

Finally Reunited!!!!

Chris arrived on Sunday...there was drama right to the bitter end (he ended up stuck overnight in New York on his way here) but he made it safe and we are very much enjoying being together again. I don't think it has sunk in yet that we don't have to say goodbye anytime soon. We spent an action packed first day seeing as much as we could together and since then, have just enjoyed doing ordinary things like making dinner and sitting down at the table to eat together, watching movies, going for walks..etc.

Self portrait at Lahinch- a little surf town. There were lots of people out in the water and what looked like great waves. There were even some small enough for a beginner like me to surf!!

Quick stop at the Cliffs of Moher. There have been a few deaths there since November (people blowing or jumping off the cliffs) so they have really increased the number of barricades and the security presence.

A drive in the country....it was a very sunny day but we did encounter a very thick stretch of fog. I rented a car to pick Chris up at the airport. It was my first time driving on the left hand side of the road. I didn't find it a problem at all and actually loved the windy roads and roundabouts. Chris was a bit of a stressed out passenger! The narrow roads combined with driving on the left made him quite nervous (gasp!). I think it's sweet revenge for all of his high speed mountain driving I've had to endure over the years.

Chris has arrived in the middle of a stretch of beautiful weather. The days have been sunny and clear. The temperature is a bit colder...regular frost in the mornings but the sunshine is lovely! With this nice weather we have also had some really great sunsets. This is the tail end of the tail end of the sunset on Sunday.

Introducing Chris and Kelly O'Mieske...

I managed to convince Chris to not have his first Guiness with breakfast when he got off the plane to ensure that his first was a proper pint in a good Irish pub. We did make it on the first night though....a couple pints and some great live music. Chris is in his glory and I am a converted Guiness hater...it tastes horrible in Canada but here....YUMMY!!
Slainte!! (Irish 'cheers'- it means 'to your health')

I think this is a record...4 posts in just a few days. I am trying to earn some brownie points with those of you (Jenn and Jolleen) who notice when I haven't posted in a while. Actually, in just a week, Chris will arrive and I this blog will have a co-author (Jenn- I'll give you his e-mail address so you can cc him on your 'reminder' messages).
This week we managed to get all of the mature students in our class together for dinner and drinks in a town called Athenry. They are the gang that I spend most of my free time with....

On the left (front to back): Ian (Canadian), Angela (Pharmacist), Aine (Dietician), Me, Maeve (Pharmacist)
On the right: Barry (Physiotherpist), Joe (Pharmacist), Ciaran (Veterinarian), Joe (American), Kieran (Teacher)

Angela, Barry, Kieran, Joe, Ian, Joe, Ciaran, Me, Aine

Teddy Bear Hospital

Two weeks ago, the medical faculties society (Called Slainte, pronounced 'slauncha') organised and hosted a 'Teddy Bear Hospital'. The aim of the project is to introduce children to 'Doctors' and 'hospitals' in a fun, non-threatening way so they are less afraid when they go to visit the real hospital or Doctor. Children aged 4-8 brought their stuffed toys to the 'hospital' so their ailments could be assessed and treated by us medical students. We would examine the bears, send them to the x-ray department, bandage them up, and finally, send them with a prescription to take to the pharmacy. The pharmacy department was stocked with candy, stickers and fruit. We saw hundreds of kids and the whole day was super fun. One little boy was extra special for me. His name was Peter and he was very scared to be there. Peter was clutching a little stuffed duck who he introduced to me as 'Duck'. Duck had apparently fallen from a very tall tree and injured his eye, his beak, and his wing. We took 'Duck' to the clinic and had a great time bandaging all of his injuries. He was more bandage than duck when we were finished with him but the most important thing was that Peter was smiling and laughing through the whole thing. He was so sweet!!! Anyway, the three of us made it into the local paper this week. Here we are......

I'm just over 2 weeks back into school now. So far, the semester is off to a pretty good start. Our timetable and exam schedule seems much more manageable this term than last so hopefully I'll have more fun things to write about in the months to come. This past weekend some classmates and I too a trip to a town called Westport. It is about 2hrs north of here in the mountains. The drive was beautiful and we had a good night out in town. Our intention was to hike up a very famous mountain called Croagh Patrick on Sunday but unfortunately, the weather didn't cooperate. The weather hasn't actually been cooperating with much lately. As you may have seen on the Canadian news, we have been having really bad storms here. The wind and the rain have been fierce and incessant!! Luckily, not too cold. It has been about 5-10 degrees when raining with the odd crisp, frosty, blue sky day (like today).

My good friends Aine and Angela

The Famine Memorial

(Approximately 1 million people died and 1 million emmigrated between 1845 and 1849)

Croagh Patrick

(There is an annual barefoot pilgrimage to the top of this mountain)

Less than 2 weeks and Chris will be here with me.....yippee!!!!!!!

I finished my first term exams on December 11th and left Ireland the next day for a well earned vacation at home. I spent the first two weeks in Alberta visiting with my family and friends. It was so wonderful to see Chris, my family and my friends again. On the 31st, Chris and I flew to Montreal to celebrate new years and spend time with our good friends Gord and Rebecca. We spent 5 days drinking great wine, eating great food and playing games. Finally, we spent a day recovering from it all at a Scandinavian spa near Mont Tremblant. Here are some photos of New Years at la Sucrerie de la Montagne (a maple syrup farm between Montreal and Ottawa).

Rebecca, Gord, Kelly, Chris, Jill, Aaron, Hollie (and baby Nikko), and Ross

Chris getting ready for an evening of French Canadian festivities....

...and CELEBRATING French Canadian Style

Based on these pictures, you might find this hard to believe but actually, Chris had very little to drink that night. Apparently, this is the most comfortable position for relief from overingestion of tortiere (meat pie) and maple syrup.

Sorry ladies....He's mine...... all mine!!!

This is the owner of la Sucrerie de la Montagne and host of all the festivities.

January 5th, 2007...Gord and Rebecca got married!! It was a great day of celebrations at Mont Tremblant.

The morning after the wedding, Chris and I once again parted ways. I arrived back in Ireland on the 7th and started classes on the 8th. Chris returned for his last few weeks of teaching and skiing.