Big green fun

Eight years ago today, I was participating in "Big Green Fun" (a.k.a. St. Patrick's Day festivities in Dublin, Ireland). I went with two gals from the Army base in Friedberg, Germany and overall, we had a great time. We got to see the St. Patrick's Day parade, which dragged on for something like 2 LONG hours, but at least we were surrounded by very nice, polite Irish women who gave us shamrocks to pin to our shirts. The picture above is from O'Donoghue's, a pub right off of St. Stephen's Green in downtown Dublin. While there, we got to sit up front with the band, Rattlin' Strings. I loved their music so much that I offered to buy a CD from them. The lead singer wouldn't accept my money for a future promise to send me the CD for fear that he would spend the money on Guinness. Instead, I gave him my address in the states, and several weeks later, my very confused parents got a copy of the CD in the mail. Two years later, when in Ireland with my family and walking along the same street that goes right in front of O'Donoghue's, I ran into the man pictured to the left of the three of us gals, Alan (completely randomly). So, even though I was very jet-lagged, my sister Molly and I went for drinks at O'Donoghue's with Alan to catch up. How could I pass up such an opportunity. What a small world!

I forgot today was St. Patrick's Day until I went to Starbucks this morning and the drive through attendant wished me Happy St. Patrick's Day. What a difference 8 years makes.

I really love Ireland. When Brian and I visited the island, we talked of moving there. The people seriously are some of the most friendly I've found anywhere in the world. Plus, I love their accent (great reason to pick to live somewhere, just like Wisconsin with its wonderful long "o" people). And, now with my red-headed child evidently endangered (see a National Geographic article regarding red-heads becoming extinct), moving to Ireland takes on more of a priority if I want his "race" to continue. In all seriousness, today was not that great a day, so it's fun to imagine "big green fun" every day of the year in someplace other than here.