High Hopes & Heartbreak: St. Patrick's Day!

It's no secret to most of you that St. Patrick's Day rivals every other day of the year for me. I honestly am not even sure if I love my birthday more than St. Patrick's Day, although it might be close. ;) To clarify, I am not Irish (maybe a teeny, tiny bit on my dad's side), and there was really no definitive moment when I decided that St. Patty's reigned above most every other day for me. That being said, however, I just adore the day. I get super excited in the days and weeks leading up to it, and that hasn't changed for as long as I can remember. Perhaps it's because I love the color green since it matches my eyes so well (ha). Perhaps it's because it gives people a legitimate excuse to drink green beer at 8:00am. Perhaps it's because it's one of those days where everyone just seems really happy. I don't know. Just something about it that gets me, and this year was no different! In keeping with last year's tradition, it was decided that my mom, my aunt, and my friend Megan would come down for the weekend so we could celebrate in style. Unfortunately, Megan couldn't make it at last minute, which was sad, but we still managed to have a good time! Since the actual holiday fell on a Sunday this year, I took Monday off and we had extra time to celebrate. Friday, we just went to dinner in my neighborhood, and mom and Becky went back to their hotel while I slept at home. On Saturday, we spent a good chunk of time at Mo's Irish Pub that was right next to their hotel, and then we made our way over to Brady Street to hang out with my old boss Duane. That was a hoot as always! My favorite part? We spent quite a bit of time at a bar called the Roman Coin, which does not serve food. As dinner time approached, we were all hungry, and get this. They let you order in food and have it brought there! So, we ordered from the sushi place down the road and had ourselves a little feast right in the bar. Too funny! We explored a couple places that evening, and then got ourselves ready for round two the next day. Interestingly enough, we got a little 'crazier' on Saturday than we did on the actual day, but compared to last year (aka: the worst hangover of my life, no joke), I'd say we handled ourselves pretty respectably! ;) It was much, MUCH colder this year. I'm talking over a 40 degree difference in temp from one year to the next. Just a tad harder to wear a tank top and jeans when it was only about 30 degrees out. Ha! Fortunately for me, I have a green jacket, so it all worked out okay. Anyway, moral of this long story is that we had yet another successful year, and Megan, if you're reading this, your butt better plan to be here next year! ;) Hope you all enjoy a few pics from the fun-filled weekend. Until next year!