ciao roma

Valentine and his horse Rocky. He was swindeling us for money because she needs new horse shoes...I was a sucker for it. But atleast we got to pet a horse and hear a really old half drunk irish man rant about how much he hates bush!
Guinness and I are friends.
The writer's museum! Cause i'm a dork!
mmmmmmmmmmmmm Irish coffeeeeeeeeee
mmmmmmmmmmmmmm squared.

a street by our hostel!

our first proper pint of guinness...yes that is my hand and yes I drank it. you would be mad if i didn't.
hoooraaaaaaaaaay beer!
This is atop the guinness brewery, called the gravity bar. once you get to the top of the tour you get a free pint. and all over the glass they have James Joyce quotes...because....he's the shit.
gravity bar. prettttyyy. They actually give you a map to help you try to find some of the landmarks from up there. pretty sweeet.

Hi friends. Today we arrived in Rome....WITH luggage in tow. Thank god for that. the flights were super short and great...they were filled with Italians...so we got to practice brushing up on our listening/speaking skills. We actually arrived IN rome (after the train ride from the bus station and a taxi ride) at 9 pm. Immediatley once we got into our hostel we wanted to run out the door and look around. We asked some of the other kids at the hostel where some places to eat were, then began wandering. We ended up at a little...kind of fancy...but really cheap pizzeria where it cost 6 euro for a pizza the size of an American pizza that would have cost atleast 12 bucks. so that was nice. then we split a half bottle of wine. And upon recommendation of a roomate in Dublin, I will now be keeping a wine journal, which i thought was pretty brilliant. So this one was a white wine...but i really could not get over the fact it tasted like freaking roses. I'm not joking at all. take the smell of roses and make it into a taste and you have that wine. it was bizarre. After that we walked to the Trevi Foutain..which of course...was flooooooded with tourists and street vendors and men shuving roses in my face to the point which i had no choice but to take one and john had nothing but $.40...so i only snagged one. so we got plenty of pictures of the fountain, which i'm sure you have all seen. but pictures will be up soon. The thing is throwing change in it...so...i did. cause well shit, we're tourists. After that we got some gellato...because we decided that we only have a little more than 24 hours in Rome, so who gives a damn if we look like tourists. So with that in mind...on our way back to the hostel...there were a TON of street vendors selling fake prada bags. And I'm not sure who the wise person told me was, but...as I remember it, "buy a fake prada purse....they look so damn real!" and ya know, I said what the hell not. Since they are vendors, I could talk them down. And seriously, they're damn cute. And no one can tell the difference. So whatever. So i bought a HUGE green and white woven..checked...looking prada bag. he first told me 40...but...After some mingeling I got it for 20. which was pretty sweet considering its the size of my bookbag. so now I have quite the collection of purses, one from dublin that's a short of rough canvas with different gaelic words written all over it, a 2 euro bag from the writer's mueseum and my cute fake prada bag. hooray! So now we're just sitting back at the hostel in our 6 person bedroom...with no one in it but us...everyone elses shit is scattered everywhere....but they must be partying. duh. But as for us, we wanted to come back and hang out and relax a bit. I was actually really impressed at how easily we started talking in Italian to all the locals. I guess since all we've been taught for the past two years is how to have conversation, it's a damn good thing to see my college money is going toward some good use. We're just really anxious to get out tomorrow and see old Rome. That's truly all I care about anyway. yeah okay and maybe some shopping. eee! But since I couldn't finish up my blog from last night, I shall continue and insert some pictures! hooray! So last night, was a perrrrrrrrfect way to end our days in Dublin. I can't tell you how many locals thought I was either Scandanavian, from Norway, or from Ireland. It was a relief actually to see that people don't look at me and think "that damn American,"...because John got that a few times a tthe second stupppppppid busy bar we went to. But I actually was also really relieved to see a buch of locals because their faces were small like mine! it was strange. haha. One of the older guys we were hanging out with told me about how many Liddy's there are still in Country Claire, where my family is from, and how alot of them are great musicians and great poets. so I'll definently look into that. But without further lallygagging, here are some Dublin pictures. enjoyy.

now I'm dozing off again. so more tomorrow after our awesome day in Rome. <3

last night in Dublin

Hey guys...

as the title says, it's our last night in Dublin. I don't have much time to type because John needs his laptop back to post pictures. (sixminutestolive.blogspot.com check it out for pictures!!). but we got our baggage at the last second before we were so fed up john almost took the bus to the airport...so! needless to say, we were so FREAKING excited. we took showers and went out with our new roomates. We had a memorable amazing last night with some locals that included singing a collection of Smiths' songs and some really random American songs such as "son of a preacher man" and others. by the way, all you hear in Dublin is American pop songs. I have heard "umbrella" more times than I ever heard in the States. but anyway. John's back now and needs his PC. I may never get a chance to update fully on the happenings of the night, but I will sure try. Because....tomorrow it's off to Rome....if god wills it..that is. sheesh. Wish us luck!

Cheers!

day two!

Hi guys. well. we're still in dublin and our bags still aren't here yet. i had a bit of a traumatic morning because i realized that my delivery address was home in west chester. and i about lost my head. but we caught it before it was an issue. but....to make myself feel better i bought a cute bag....and went to a chocolate coffee shop....yes....a coffee shop/chocolate shop. heaven? again, yes. so eventually....all was well. but anyway, just a quick update. john and i are off to the guinness brewery and possibly seeing some writer things...cause...it's us. but anyway. keep the emails coming! love you guys!

Via Dublin..

Hi guys! we're here. and alive!

the flight was great. actually...kind of fun. which is silly. but I actually wanted to stay up because we were getting so well fed and...well...cosmos with 80 proof vodka is fun too. but anyway! like i said, the flight was great...butttttt after the flight wasn't so great. we got off the plane with no bags waiting for us. then a few of us got called to the desk to tell us taht our bags are still in the states. charming huh? a couple that was with us in columbus to dublin also had no luggage. so obviously, delta was lazy and didn't rush our bags to our connecting flight. we did have to run mind you to our flight because our first leg was a few minutes late. but still. no excuse. that's their job. but anywho, it SHOULD be here tomorrow by noon. so let's cross our fingers.

so john and i had to run to the nearest department store called "Dunnes." because well damn, its like....50 degrees here. which damn, coming from the US where its 90 is a huge change. so needless to say, i got a damn cute outfit because delta has to reimburse me for one day of clothes. take that delta. i just don't know how i'll cram it into my luggage. whoops. but after our clothing excursion and a four hour nap because my body HATED me for being up for 48+ hours..no joke...we found a cute coffee shop and asked some of the other customers where they recommended going and it just so happened to be next door! where...i had my first pint of guinness. yes, that's right. Sarah marie frances Carr drank beer....and it was freaking great. if i DIDNT come here and drink that, everyone would smack me in the mouth and call me stupid. so. saved myself that one, eh? so we're now off to going to a few other neat bars we saw on the way back to the hostel...which is also really fucking great. as i write this...they're playing a mixed beatles cd. no joke. heaven? i think so.

tomorrow we're off the guinness brewery, seeing the book of kells and a museum that has an Irish writer thing going on right now. so john and i are stoked of course. but for now...i'm going to appease my john and go buy a pint at as many bars as we can. one a bar. makes sense right?

more tomorrow! wish us luck on getting our luggage. cause frankie needs a shower :)

love you guys! Cheers!

Tomorrow

Tomorrow is my last day in the states. Tuesday, I leave for what I believe to be as an adventure of a lifetime. Expectations and anticipation are killing me. I have no idea of what I am about to experience. I have have thousands of conversations with people about how jealous they are and how I'm going to have such a great time. And I believe them...but I can't quite grasp it just yet. The living room at my house in West Chester is absolutley scattered with all my belongings that I have to cram into my two pieces of luggage tomorrow afternoon. My sewing machine is waiting for me to finish two more skirts. My hair is yelling at me to color it before I forget. And my list of to do things isn't getting any smaller. My brain is soooooooooooooooo scattered. And I love it.

I always knew I would study abroad...but I can't believe it's actually about to happen. Not only am I studying abroad...but I'm visiting the one country that I never thought I would ever see, Ireland. It's going to be incredible. I can't even fathom it. And all the while I'll be with one of my favorite people in the whole freaking world. I couldn't have imagined it being more perfect.

48 hours from now I'll be over the Atlantic ocean. geeeeeeeeeee. Drugged...of course. Flying and I do not get along. But like my mom said, if you like traveling, something's gotta give. So! Drugged it is. Hopefully I'll be conscious enough to see the sun rise as we land in Ireland....and conscious enough that poor John doesn't have to drag me off the plane with all our luggage.

This past week I have done nothing but sit on my ass, see my friends, laugh a whole lot, eat alot of food, buy tons of things, and hang out with my parents. I needed this week like woah. So now, I wait to embark on packing, waiting, and hyperventilating, which, of course, was a given.

I will keep this updated, hopefully, which a bunch of beautiful pictures of me being a silly tourist. But hey, can you blame me?

So...the next time I will be writing may be in Dublin. God damn. Happy day :)

Until then, ciao i miei bambini.

Spring quarter

Today is the first Friday of Spring Quarter and honestly, it could not be any more beautiful. I am currently inside, looking out, (how deep) but enjoying every second of the bright, natural light. In an hour, John and I are going to our very first orientation for our summer trip to Lecce. Which...is bizaree. Because...well...it's actually happening. As strange as it sounds, I never thought we would actually be going. It's probably going to be even more strange when I'm zipping up my luggage and walking out the door to the airport. But for now, this is all very surreal. In general, this quarter seems like it's going to be pretty spectacular. I'm only taking ten hours of classes but I'm also taking an internship down at the Columbus Literacy Council, which takes up another six hours of my week.
The internship is turning out to be really remarkable. And also rewarding. I'm participating in the ESOL (English as a Second Language) program and also help with administrative testing. Currently, I help tutor in a class for refugee women from Somalia and Ethiopia. That in itself is really remarkable. I feel extremely unaware with these women. When first coming to the class I was completley ignorant of the refugee issue in Columbus. I also had no idea that one of the top languages spoken in Columbus is Somali. I feel like I'm a stranger in my own city all of a sudden. This weekend I hope to do a ltitle research on the issues surronding the refugees to help better understand their situations.
The women are incredible though. Already without knowing them personally, they all seem extremely strong and extremely bright. They all have great senses of humor, which to me is imperative. They're all able to laugh and smile if they make a mistake and willing to help each other if needed. It's just a huge eye opener to have never known that in my own city this was happening. This will definently be an experience to remember.
John and I leave in less than three months. ::huge sigh::. wow...wow.

Sleepy

It's 1:20 am.
and I have a big quiz at 830 in the morning.
but instead of sleeping next to my already sleeping boyfriend
I'm sitting here
and typing this
and feeling guilty for not doing the aformentioned studying.

I'm also burning hot
and have a head ache from working out too hard
(canthathappen?)

I have so much to do this week.

mondayitalianquizworkpaperwriting

tuesdayworkturninginpapergoingtoclassmemorizingitalianpresentation

wednesdayitalianpresentationworkstudyingforwomen'sstudiesexamworkmeetingandpresentation to them...hooray

thursdaywomenstudiesexamandpickingupotherexam

fridayitalianclassparty

le sigh. I'm sorry if you actually read that. I really just needed to type that out for my own brain to stop freaking out.

so basically. I"m holding on to survive this week, swinging through next week, then holding my breath til i leave for Italy.

hooray.

Let's take a trip

to someplace warm and forgiving

Uncertain boundaries

Beneath the grays and blues
i can't see through
the open door
and under sheets

i feel the heat
i keep breathing
but while i'm sleeping
my eyes aren't closed

my hands slip and
my feet are struggling
I love you this much
just believe me

i can't stop breathing for fear i'll stop
my eyes keep moving with the wave of my hand
i'm moving i'm wavering
i'm sleeping

I walk the boundaries of where you are
I keep dreaming
i touch the glass
i feel the heat

i can't see through the open door
i'm progressing backward
i'm pulled
i'm pulled

with one hand up
with one foot down
i'm pulled
i'm flying

Stolen

When you looked at yourself in the mirror today, what was your first thought? I need to buy more hair dye

2. Do you read while you’re in the bathroom? The back of shampoo bottles. or face wash. those are interesting

3. What’s a word that rhymes with “fit”? kit

4. Favorite planet? Venus. Cause...well...she's hot.

5. Who is the 4th person on your missed call list? the Roomie :)

6. What is your favorite ring on your phone? tie. "Beautiful boy" cause I know John's calling or "Instant Kharma" cause i know my meggie is calling :)

7. What shirt are you wearing? Work shirt. mmm coffee.

8. What were you doing 20 minutes ago?clocking out of work

9. Name the brand of shoes you’re currently wearing? uhh. some off sears brand. yeah that's right. Searrrrs

10. Bright or Dark Rooms? bright. i hate hate hate hate dark. i don't care what john says. lights on, dammit.

11. What do you think about the person who posted this survey? he's the best thing that ever happened to me

12. If you’re in a room with two beds, which one do you sleep in?sigh. the one john's in. duh.

13. What were you doing at exactly midnight last night? Probably making this blog at Market place with John

14. What was your last text message you received on your cell? Jessie saying she was sorry that i thought she was dead she just fell asleep during the super bowl cause it was so boring. and that she finished knitting my mittens :)

15. How do you like your eggs? Sunny Side up. or scrambled. depending on how invested I am in eating breakfast. sometimes dipping the toast in the sunny side up eggs is damn hard work.

16. What’s a word/phrase that you say a lot? I know, right? Hey maaaiiannn. that's janky.

17. Who told you he/she loved you last? John Michael Cropper.
18. Last furry thing you touched? Salvador. WHILE wearing my new fuzzy mittens. Fuzzy to the MAX

19. How many drugs have you done in the last three days? Uh. lots of coffee. some cigarettes. some bc. and some aleve. I'm hardcore like woooah.

20. How many rolls of film do you need to get developed?oh man. I really really want to get this roll of film from my 16th birthday developed. really bad. i need to get on that.

21. Favorite age you have been so far? Oh geez I don't know. uhh. 18? meh... Every year has had it's real sweet moments and really awful ones too. But. In general, all my years have been pretty sweet. maybe 16 was the best. yeah. I'll stick with that one.

22. Your worst enemy? Um. all my enemies are for stupid petty reason. So stupid and petty in fact that I'm not even going to list them. because I know they're that stupid.

23. What wallpaper do you have on your desktop? A picture of me and my two amazing best friends. how girl-like of me.

24. What was the last thing you said to someone? "Later maaaaan!"

25. If you had to choose between a million dollars or to be able to fly? Um fly. because the difference is me running down the street screaming "I have a million dollars" and probably ten people screaming back at me going "me too!" Isn't half as cool as me FLYING down the street screaming "I can flyyyyyyyyyyy, bitches!" and people going "damn.....She's awesome."

26. Do you like someone? Well...yeah. besides my boyfriend? not many people. People and I don't tend to get along well.

27. If you could punch one person in the face, who would it be? Um. a few people actually. (please refer to the previous question and answer)

28. What is the closest object to your left foot? The trash can it's resting on. classy.

29. If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be? My self-conscious nature. So John would stop nagging me about getting rid of it. and so that I'm not like every other woman in the world wishing she had a smaller waste. wooooooooo!

30. If one thing about you could always remain the same, what would it be?(stolen) My weight. 30 pounds ago.

Here I am

This is all new. so no one criticize. I'm secretly hoping this will some how replace any sort of stagnant moments during my days of unproductivity. but then again. that's all idealistic. Somewhere in the back of my mind I would ideally like to write and publish something one day and have more than three people read it. but. again. idealistic. That can sometimes define me though. I like to put my head in the clouds and keep it there. Pessimism is not my forte. Optimisim is my downfall. Being in love is my elation. The future is my inspiration.