Moving forward!

I checked my email on the road and I saw that the first step of our v1sa process is complete! My application has been approved, which means it moves on to the next step. We found out on my birthday which was a great birthday surprise... Unfortunately, I didn't win the €110 million l0tt0 that took place the same day. lol

Besides that great little surprise, I got to see M for my birthday. One of the girls I'm travelling with, her husband works in France and decided at the last minute to come for the weekend. So, we called M and had him catch the train down and he spent the last two days with us. I loved it!! We had so much fun...

That's it for now. Just wanted to update you all on my great news!!

Going away again...

My friends have arrived from California and tomorrow we are on the road again. Four girls in a Subaru Legacy, driving on the other side of the road. As I am the only one familiar with driving on the other side of the car, I won't be getting to drink too much Guinness this trip! lol

I just wanted to let you know I'd be out of town until next Wednesday. In the meantime, my birthday will pass (37th!) and escrow is meant to close as well. I hardly have time for a road trip. :) But I better enjoy it as this probably will be my last hop around Ireland this year.

Everyone have a great week and I'll see you on the flip side.

Well since it seems I can't sleep...

I'll tell my other news..

Some of you already know that M proposed to me. I said yes (eep!). So the story goes something like this... I'm afraid, while sweet, not long.

Tuesday morning M was awake early. Because he was awake, I kind of woke up, he asked did I want to go for a walk on the beach. I rolled over and said, no, I'm still sleeping. And proceeded to do so for another 3 hours or so.

But midday, he suggested it again. I was in a serious funk for a number of reasons - just tired from living in others people's homes for 6 weeks and wanting to get home to my own, and feeling blah because I haven't been exercising. I agreed and we drove down to the beach. We flipped of our flip flops and walked from Oceans1de to Carl$bad, about a mile or so. We decided to stop for mexican food, my last for awhile. After a yummy meal, it was back down the beach. Being summer, the beach there is more crowded than I've ever seen it. We walked back, talking and people watching, until we came to a place where the crowd kind of thinned (too far for people to walk from their cars). M sat down, I sat down. He got back up on his knees and faced me. I didn't think anything of it until he started saying something about me spending the rest of my life with him (honestly, I cannot remember his exact words!). Part of my brain was thinking, aw, he's joking again but I said yes, in case he wasn't. And he wasn't. lol

I know I've said this a number of times in different places but I truly didn't think we'd get to this point. I mean, it was always a big cloud in the distance, geez, I can remember when he told me he'd never get married again. It doesn't seem that long ago. I remember breaking up because he hadn't processed the pain of that previous marriage. But I didn't remember that the spot he asked me to marry him was the same exact spot where two and a half years earlier he told me he still loved me and didn't want to be without me. It was when we got back together. Pretty cool. :)

So there it is, the story. We went and bought some champagne and two bottles of our favorite Sterling Cabernet (the only expensive wine we like) and broke the news to my parents. I think I heard a sigh of relief, if I'm not mistaken. I'm sure they were wondering. Needless to say, they were pretty thrilled. We flew to Paris the next day (lol) and then when we got home, we told M's sisters the good news. But then his parents came over and we stopped talking about it. Due to reasons I've mentioned before but said I wouldn't mention anymore, he told his parents alone the next day. Everyone is thrilled. Yay, they like me! lol

Finally made it home...

After a long day yesterday, we arrived home about 6pm last night. Our time. We lucked out on our two legs of the flight - San D1ego to C1ncinnati we got emergency exit seats (can you say leg room?!) and Cincinnati to Paris we got bulkhead rows (again, leg room, YAY!) - but apparently we were destined to bad luck because after arriving to Paris 10 minutes late and sprinting (think OJ in the H3rtz commercial of the 70's (or think of him escaping the police in the white truck, both are the same vision)) to the gate for our short jaunt to Dubl1n. It was 6:55 am and the door was just shutting as we arrived - sweaty and out of breath after weeks of no exercise! - and they wouldn't let us on.... M was fit to strangle someone ( I couldn't be that mad as I was still trying to breathe) and I let him go onto the A1r France desk himself to give the girl a piece of his mind. (To be honest, I was bummed but it wasn't worth getting mad about... now if we'd gotten left behind in Cincinnat1 for example... that would be something to get upset about... but this was Par1s!!!) After a few moments of grief, we were re-scheduled on a flight to Dubl1n at 4pm. We smelled, we were exhausted, we were carrying two bags that seemed to get heavier as the day went on, but we were in Par1s.. We marched (okay, slow walk after all the running) right down to catch the train into the city... We had a whole day.... ahh...

Here's a few photos that M took. After a $6.50 cup of cappucino (that's for one!), we wandered around the area near N0tre Dame. Since we only had a few hours and I'd already done the open top bus tour, I suggested the river tour (too tired to walk).


The Eiffel Tower flanked by 2 statues on the Alexander 3rd bridge



N0tre Dame



Houseboats along the Seine


We had a great lunch out, then made our way back to the airport where we caught our flight home. M kept reminding me to tell everyone that 'he proposed, then flew me out to Par1s the next day' to make it sound really good... but I haven't mentioned that proposal here yet. That's for another post...

So, after 13 hours of sleep, I'm back and online and ready to catch up with everything I've been missing for 6 weeks! It's good to be back!

Short note...

If anyone is still even checking up on this anymore.... lol

After 2 plus weeks in Seatt1e, we have bought a house and changed the course of our next few months together. But we have a home together, a start together and I'm looking forward to that future... Now we just have to get him over here! LOL

I'll have to change the title of my blog to Living Seatt1e-ish or something like that.

Heading home in a few days, maybe I'll be able to say more before then. Maybe not. There is still more to write.