Goodnight and Joy Be With You All

(Parting glass), look it up! Beautiful. 

 

    I'm home y'all snuggled in bed with A/C and sheets that smell of fresh laundry. So thankful for a smooth travel experience, hugs and kisses from my favorite people upon arrival, and dinner at home :)  But I'm also thankful for all of the faithful readers of my blog. Just seeing that people viewed and read my blog encouraged me each new day. The support and love that all of you poured out to me was such a blessing during this whirlwind of an adventure.  While I will be saying goodbye to This Flowering Path, something else is now blooming. In the past five weeks I have fallen in love with blogging. In order to continue on my World Wide Web rants I have a created a blog that will showcase special areas in my life such as my faith, passion for fitness, beauty, and of course food. It's something I have been contemplating for quite a few months and this blog has helped me truly find a vision for this upcoming blog. So that's it sweet friends :) one chapter ending, but no worries, just turn the page! A new adventure awaits!

You can find me here--> (p.s. this blog is still in the works so give me a few days to  finalize it and start posting)

www.waitingonwildflowers.blogspot.com

"Prettiest Notes Anywhere"

Lit final exam: great! :) Praise.

Lit final Journal grade: A+ Praise....."These are the prettiest notes anywhere!" -Professor Nick

Art Final: Eh, not too shabby. We shall see, but in other news I have received 100 on both major      projects for the class. So good or bath either way...Praise.


        Last night I didn't go to sleep until 4 a.m. Oh trust me, this was not by choice. It seems that same joint aches I was plagued with upon arrival have returned just in time for departure. I finally figured out the root of it though...THE WEATHER! The weather is the same as it was when we arrived - right before our heat wave attack. Now that the rain and high winds have returned so have the aches. Hello pressure. Seriously though, at this point the joy of coming home far outweighs achey shoulders and wrists.

                            And so it begins....packing.

"We Regret to Inform You..."

 

"Attention to all participants who are registered to attend the Primary Group Exercise Certification workshop in Columbia, SC on July 27, 2013.
We regret to inform you that this workshop has been cancelled."  - AAFA

    Thanks AAFA. I truly appreciate another cancellation. But really, I think God totally had my back on this one. 48 hours after returning to the states I had convinced myself I would be able to perform perfectly in front of judges for my certification. Well, the Father wasn't about to let His daughter royally fail in front of 50 people. #thankful. So what does this mean? Well this means I won't be able to teach next semester and I must pray that my boss will delay my position until next semester. Yet, I have faith that God knows exactly what He's doing and in the end He just wanted to see me rely on His plan more than my own. In the mean time, i'm actually already looking forward to using this semester to really form a routine and class structure, get my butt in tip-top shape, and even run a half marathon somewhere in the works. Thank you to all who have supported me during the preparation of this certification. Just a small bump in the road, or more so God's way of slowing down the speed just a little bit to keep things safe :) 

   Many are the plans of man, but the Lord's purpose prevails    -Proverbs 19:21

P.S. My first exam is at 9 a.m. ( that's 4 a.m. for all of you lovely East coast readers) Prayers are much appreciated as it is an essay test...ew. Then after that final packing and a bus to Dublin airport at 3 a.m. That much closer to home! :) 

                                                    Stay grand!

                                                             Cherie 

The Sounds of A Pooch

     For the past weeks I've sat at my desk with the window open - it's necessary when there's no other form of circulation available- and listened to a dog bark...of course my mind has now convinced me that it's Dutches barking. It's not... but sometimes, I like to think it is.

T-Minus 35 Hours

until we embark on the journey back home.




                    Then we shall reunite iced tea.

Also family and loved ones. :P

That time I was in Europe when an heir was born.

   It will be cool to say yeah... I was in Europe when the King was born. Until then, it's a boy yall! Let's hope the genes stick with the cute guys rather than Prince Charles.  Also...they have a royal gyno. Yeah take a moment to wrap your head around that. A royal gynecologist.

Jazz and Wildflowers

           Sneak peek y'all.

                      I'm doing it. I'm starting a REAL blog. I'm talkin' the kind that you keep in your bookmarks tab and check up on daily. All things food, faith, and fitness. It's happening! Hour by hour I wade through the mud of learning the blogging ropes (i.e. codes, java, etc.). It's tough, but I cannot wait to see the outcome of all of this hard work.

                                  Sometimes all you have to do is just start.

Drumroll please.......

My Love has no Beginning My Love has no End

Video of the Day  <--- This is a local commercial that Ashton and I are obsessed with. It's one of those pull on your heartstrings kinda deals with a beautiful song.


      Also on a side note we are officially losing our minds; as in coming to our wits end on this apartment, schoolwork, and even this lack of rain. Home is on our minds- along with ice and A/C but thats another story altogether. So any who not much to mention really just food...always food. :) So here's a recap on my eats as well as silly moments of the week!

Thanks to my new all-natural face wash my face is FINALLY clearing up.
A review on this great new product will be posted soon :)

That's right. That's my name. On a bar of soap. Whaddup coolness.

Adorable table numbers at a cafe/tea room called Hook and Ladder

I mean even the seating was adorable.

And look at this silverware! Interesting fact- I love unique silverware.  At home we have two drawers of silverware. The left side is the "nice" silverware while the right side is the odd and ends...I love the silverware on the right because it has character :) 

Chili-Chicken toasted wrap with dressed salad, apple cole slaw, and soda bread.

Also, today was the first cloudy day in almost 3 weeks.

Tomato basil wrap with veggie chips and a side cottage cheese parfait.

Kiss My Butt Irish Starbucks

   
That's right, I said it. Kiss me arse Starbucks of Dublin. I am not happy with your barista who insisted on arguing with me about ice in my drink even though the drink has the word "iced" in it!  Milly Starbucks I haven't shown enough appreciation; I am so thankful for your loving baristas, extra-iced drinks, and frequent buyer perks.

   On a lighter note, this past 24 hours in Dublin was the perfect way to spend our last free weekend in Ireland. We stayed at the Best Western "Plus" on O'Connell which welcomed us with pillow topped mattresses, the best air-conditioner we've experienced abroad, and friendly concierge. Overall, we got MORE than enough for our money! Thank you-lastminute.com. After a delicious evening at a local italian restaurant that holds pride in their healthy- home cooked meals we settled in for the evening. It was the best night of sleep i've had since arriving in Ireland. (side note-that craziness of not sleeping is finally over!) We arose bright and early with a full 8 hours of sleep to indulge in our cheap 4 euro grocery store meal. We like to call this traveller style. From there we headed into city centre to do a bit of exploring. I fell in love with an adorable all-natural bath store called Lush. Next stop: wax museum! It was a great experience to say the least. I got to meet my movie crush, Smeagol and even James Joyce.  In another part of the exhibit, Ashton and I visited the room of "Horrors". When we walked into the dimly lit room, bleeding limbs and skinned bodies filled the musky room. A wax-man in the corner was sitting in a chair facing the wall. To our surprise, a motion sensor set off the well played trick of turning the chair around. Never in my life have I ran so fast. I literally thought I peed myself- just kidding. Lunch took place at a local vegan bar called Cornucopia. As you all know, I am in love with all things organic and earthy; this place was my perfect cup of tea. Finally, a little browsing on Grafton Street led to a few fun things and a multitude of street performers. Today was the ultimate taste of Dublin and I couldn't have asked for more. While I absolutely love all that Ireland has to offer, the countdown is on until home. Even though people in Europe make fun of us "Americans" I would just like to share a few words: I am proud to be from the peach-state, I will always be a Georgia girl, and yes we do things very differently and often make mistakes but America will always be the place I call home. 

I packed all of my stuff in my mini LuLu Lemon backpack. Go me!

That's a cheesy smile because I was starving.

Mini portion of Salmon and Spinach Lasagna

Pear + Honey + Goat Cheese Salad

Ceiling at Gino's Gelato

Breakfast- traveller style.

:) 

Aren't we adorable!?

We should have taken the warning as a sign......

A little hard to see buts that Freddy...ya know scary dude with the knives for hands.

Bond, James Bond. A little 007 action for ya.

The drink from the "big-argument"

Street sand-carver

Not statues y'all, these are real people.

Squash-coconut casserole

Cornucopia chic walls

Celery-apple juice!

Flower vendor

Din Din tonight :) 

Last and final tour! I was a little excited.

Awwwwwwww

Barley and local green salad + all natural, GF, WF, V banana bread with cultured yogurt + fruit

Goodbye Dublin, Hello Waterford.

  

                            

   

    8 hours of sleep in a pillow top bed. National wax museum. Vegan bar lunch. Shopping on Grafton street. Investing in Birkenstocks. Seeing beautiful places and meeting beautiful people. 

Today I said goodbye to Dublin. In two hours I will say hello to Waterford. And in six days I will be able to say hello Georgia, how I've missed you so. 

But I Don't Wanna Wear Pants Today

I mean come on, who doesn't right? - please please please....if you don't read anything else in this post, please watch this incredible video. I seem to be stuck in a viral video phase...Conversations with My 2 Year Old

          Let's Catch Up

    I'm so terribly sorry for the slight lapse in my postings, as you know things are very busy around here. Especially with it being exactly a week until pack up! I'm so excited it's insane. I love it here, but lets be real. I also love home. Okay random rant over.

 A Ramble On Surfing:

                a ramble? how about a flat out catastrophe (perhaps that's a little over exaggerated for added effect). I cannot skateboard. I cannot longboard. I cannot SURF. But ya know..who cares?! I surfed in FREAKING IRELAND. I mean i'm thankful for the fact that I had the opportunity to even attempt such a difficult "sport" in such a beautiful place! Not a lot of pictures were taken because our cameras were packed up. Sorry folks, wetsuit will have to suffice your "cherie looking like a seal" craving.

  A Speech on Runnin': 

                 I've been on a half-marathon plan for about two weeks now. Everything is going really well. I realized that I had slacked off a bit on my favorite cardio while being here and it was starting to show. Other cardio (my current substitute has been insanity 3/week) just isn't working as well for my body. Running just seems to help all of the flubby areas the best, so why not get back into the swing of things! The plan should take me into November just in time for a thanksgiving half marathon! Thats my goal :) I've even made it a self-rule to run to my destination. For example, city centre is 2 miles from my dorm. About a 30 minute walk or a 20 minute run. I simply suit up and run to my errand, pick up my necessities, and catch a city bus back if it's dark or hot. It's been an easy way of tricking myself into more running...so far I love it! 

A Chit-Chat on Yums for the week:

           I've been 80% clean, 20% splurge -compared to my 50/50 way for the first 3 weeks here- unfortunately, that caught up with me and the fatigue, swollen feet, and slightly snug pants just wasn't worth it. A week into pretty strict eating and i'm already reaping the benefits! When I do splurge I try to go for healthier options (i.e. organic, gluten-free, etc.). It helps keep me in a positive choice mindset.

Goat cheese + spinach + chorizo pizza 

Spinach-cod stir fry

Sweet potato + spinach quesadillas on gluten free tortilla

Whole wheat french toast with honey berry drizzle
Not nearly as good as my uncle Jeff's french toast, but it will do!

A Testimony on Rock of Cashel:

          Dude, it was legit. Cashel was an adorable little town with rich history. I took a tour of Rock of Cashel which was simply stunning and finished the trip off with a visit to Bolton Library to see the "smallest book in the world". Confession: I wasn't supposed to take a picture of it, but come on! I didn't use a flash at least. The picture of me hopping on one leg is related to a local legend. If you hopped around St. Patrick's Cross 9 times on one leg you'll be married in 12 months! No worries...I stopped after a few hops. I figured I would just wait it out :) Better than busting my face in front of a tour of people. Oh Irish myths-they're so cute.

View from top of Rock Cashel

Loveddddd this sculpture of Irish dancers.

I did it!  Haha just kidding Lee ;)

A Plan for the Weekend:

         The last travel weekend is free game for we students! Tomorrow we will go to Dublin for our last official field trips. My art class will be visiting a local art gallery, and Trinity College to see the Book of Kells. Ashton and I will then make our way to our cozy hotel in city center which we snagged an AWESOME deal on. Then Friday will be a little bit of exploring in city centre. Last time we went to Dublin we stuck to the outskirts of town and ended up missing a great bit. Saturday will be a day trip back to Killarney! -Wanted a little extra time in my favorite city in Ireland :) So that's it yall. Don't forget to watch the world's best youtube video above ^ and stay tuned for a posting from the weekend's festivities! I'll be posting small things here and there all weekend :) Dublin here we come!

Went to see Monster's University. Naturally, we were the only people in the beginning!