Bunnies and Sheep and Cows...Oh My!

I'm currently blessed to be spending some time in Wexford, Ireland where I'll be living come the end of August. Not only is this trip wonderful for me because I'm learning about my duties and responsibilities, but it's also my first time ever visiting Ireland! Although I'm sure I will find many things to love about this country, I can already say after roughly 36 hours that the animals are  definitely at the top of my list. Here are the reasons why, sorted by animal:

1. BUNNIES!!
Rabbits are my all-time favorite animal. I have wanted one for as long as I can remember, but have had to settle for the brightly colored stuffed alternatives every Easter. (I grew up with a beagle, so I suppose my mother was justified in saying no to a live one.) When the plane was landing, I looked out of my window to several green patches of grass among the airstrips. In the first grassy patch were four bunny rabbits hopping merrily around chasing one another. I see this as a sign of welcoming from St. Brigid herself!

2. Sheep
I've been told numerous times that I must get myself an "Irish sweater" while I'm here. These wonderfully warm-looking articles of clothing can only be made from the finest wool, of course. So, I was not at all surprised to find numerous sheep grazing in fields as I looked out my window on the bus ride to Wexford. They looked recently-shaven, so perhaps one of them will be the provider of my soon-to-be sweater!

3. Dogs
On our excursion into town today, we stopped into a silver shop that sells handmade jewelry. Upon entry, a very large and fluffy Scotty dog greeted us warmly. Although he initially seemed rather friendly, he was much more interested in grabbing ahold of anything on us he could chew. Namely, Molly's pants and my jacket. I gave him his lion stuffed animal, which resulted in a short-lived game of tug-of-war, and we went on our way.

4. Cats
There are plenty of cats around Cluain Dara (our neighborhood) that should keep me content with not having animals around the house. There's one in particular who came to our back door during the first family dinner that only has one eye. (Apparently he's a regular visitor!) I saw another one walking across the top of a neighbor's garden wall. I'm sure I will start feeding them before long... :)

5. Cows
I'm pretty sure the only interaction I've ever had with a cow was in second grade when we visited a farm and got to pet one standing in her stall while hooked up to the milking machine.  It never dawned on me that American cows must be completely unhappy until I saw my first herd of Irish cows on the bus to Wexford. I'm not kidding you, these cows were actually frolicking through the fields. I didn't even know cows could run! They are by far the happiest things I've seen since being here.

I will, without a doubt, find more furry creatures to befriend. After all, I will have two years here! Now, the biggest question is whether or not there are squirrels in Ireland...

--Joy.

The Not-So-Bumpy Road to Adulthood

Something I've found myself to be increasingly proud about over the last couple of years are the friendships from my childhood that I've maintained throughout college.  Although my close group of friends all went to different schools, we've kept our ties and have gotten together over every Thanksgiving and Christmas break since we graduated high school.  Even though I have made lifelong friendships in college, there's just something special about being with the people you grew up with.  For one, the fact that anyone who knew me pre-college could stand to be with me for more than five minutes is amazing.  I did a lot of growing up when I moved away, and I praise anyone who dealt with me before I learned how to be an adult.  However, what really puts these friendships into perspective are big life events.  Like, a wedding, for instance.

Amanda and I have known each other since middle school.  I don't really remember anymore what brought us together, but we've been pretty much inseparable since the seventh grade.  We always were the other's buddy for "twin day" during spirit weeks at school, despite the fact that she's a tall blonde with blue eyes and I'm an average brunette with hazel; I'd go watch her dance classes and not understand how the heck she could do all of those crazy hard ballet moves; and we did every high school musical together, she being the dancer and me being the singer/actress.  When the two of us did anything together we were unstoppable.

Our senior year, both of us decided to audition for, and ultimately do, showchoir.  It was that year that Amanda and Gary started dating.  Gary was a big sweetheart that was friends with absolutely everybody.  Us three would hang out together on the long bus trips to various competitions and festivals, and I grew to know him quite well.  Amanda had liked Gary for the longest time, but it wasn't until winter of that year that they finally got together.  One of my favorite stories from the beginning of their relationship is when twenty-eight out of thirty-two members of showchoir got food poisoning two days before our Christmas concert.  Amanda and Gary are neighbors, so she used to drive him home from school.  That day, Amanda had to pull the car over so she could get sick.  At this point, she was one of the first people it hit, and she thought she had just gotten the flu.  She called me after she got home to tell me how embarrassed she was to throw up in front of him.  (They hadn't been dating much more than a week at this point!)  It wasn't until later that night the rest of us got it, too, and she didn't feel as bad anymore.

Nearly four years later, the two are still together and stronger than ever, despite going to separate colleges.  Gary proposed over this past Christmas, and I've never seen Amanda more excited about anything in her entire life.  The two of them are positively adorable together, and I have no doubt they will have a long and happy marriage.  Even though they're not getting married until 2015, Amanda is in full wedding planner mode.  

Today, I went along with her to try on wedding dresses.  The wave of emotion hit me right away when she came out in the first dress.  There she was, the tall skinny girl with braces I had met when we were thirteen, standing there in a bridal gown.  But, my feelings were mixed.  I probably could have/should have cried.  Instead, it just felt comfortably right.  It has come to that point where I can't imagine one without the other anymore, and it seems like their wedding is just another event along the way.  It surprised me that I couldn't muster up more emotion than that, but I guess acceptance and understanding have been a part of my growth over the last four years.  Helping Amanda with her wedding preparations is just like rehearsing for another musical together; so much fun to do, yet a long time coming.

Honestly, the lack of nostalgia during this process kind of frustrates me.  I'm that person who saves every scrap of paper that has even an ounce of meaning to her because I like to hold on to memories of the past.  Surely, if I dig hard enough, I can probably find the old notes Amanda and I used to write each other back in middle school.  But, rather than dwell on the kids we once were, I'm just enjoying watching us evolve together into the adults we've become.  We both have "big kid" jobs now and are beginning to pave our way through this crazy world.  I'm so glad that I still have her by my side after all of these years.

So, check back with me in the summer of 2015 to see how I fare at their wedding - I will probably be a sloppy, sentimental wreck then.  But, who knows.  My next big life adventure might teach me a thing or two more about living in the moment.

--Joy.