High Hopes & Heartbreak: Top 'O The Mornin' To Ye!

Only a few weeks behind on my St. Patty's Day post, but better late than never. ;) Most of you probably already know this, but my friend Megan (a sister to Court and Casey) came down to visit, and we had a total blast! On Friday night, we ventured out and had a nice dinner at the Water Street Brewery, which I haven't been to yet. I think I've mentioned this before, but when people come to visit, I like to try and eat at places that I've never been; that way, we can both experience something new! Lord knows there are enough restaurants in Milwaukee to try something new for a LONG time. Anyway, it was a pretty lowkey night since we knew we'd probably get a little crazy on Saturday for St. Patrick's Day. If you are unaware, it's pretty much one of my favorite days of the year. Not sure when or why my affection for this day grew so strong, but I get SO excited about it. Needless to say, it did not disappoint. When we went out on Friday, we noticed that there were a convenient number of Irish bars right in that area, so we set our sights on that part of town. Now get this. My mom and Aunt Becky were in town for a concert, and turns out there hotel was right there. Not even kidding, without even knowing where they were staying, turns out it was literally a walk across a little bridge from their hotel to the bars we wanted to go to. If that's not a coincidence, I don't know what is! We met them around noon and ventured around the area. One of the bars I've always wanted to go to is called Harp. I love Irish bars, and Harp is my favorite Irish beer (although I like a lot of them), so the place has always made me curious. They had a big 'ol tent and there were tons of people in there. Given how hot it was that day, it was a little uncomfy in there. A few beers were drank as we people watched, and after I almost got my a** kicked in a bathroom bar fight (no joke), we moved on to a few other places. Eventually, we met up with my old boss Duane and his brother Dan, and man, what a hoot that was. Those guys are crazy, but so ridiculously fun. We went strong all day, and by the time we got back to mom and Becky's hotel, it was time for bed for this girl. ;) Meg and I stayed at their hotel because it probably wouldn't have been safe for us to go back to my place, even in a cab, ha! I woke up feeling better than I thought I would, but that changed pretty damn quickly. As we recapped the evening and sat around, I started to feel quite sick. Even had to kick mama out of the bathroom just in time for me to vomit. Yeah. I was that girl. I can usually handle myself and can also recover well, but not this time. I pulled myself together long enough to leave the room, but by the time the elevator hit the ground floor, I almost puked again. Panicked and thought I'd lose it right there, and of course the bathroom was all the way across the hotel. I made it. :) Got home in one piece, and, you guessed it, lost it one more time. Yeah, folks. Are you gettin' it? I was p.a.t.h.e.t.i.c. Fortunately after Meg left, I was able to lay in bed ALL day, but no joke, I think it was probably 3 days later before I felt 100%. I had a total blast, but if I learned anything from this year, it's that I need to pace myself, be more careful, and avoid mixing things. If I'm drinking beer, I need to remain strong and just drink beer. Irish car bombs and shots, as tempting as they may be;), need to be off limits. I can't handle it like I used to, ha! With all this said, however, I am still very much looking forward to next year. :) Enjoy a few photos from our adventures!