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!

All my green shirts to choose from!;)

First mirror shot of the day.

 Eh, what the heck. Why not throw on some green mustaches? ;) As L would say, "You like a me mustache?"

 

 Cool festive mannequins on top of Mo's!

Sisters! :)

Me and mama!

Somehow the young one is taking a picture of the parents on their phones. That darn Instagram. ;)

Yummy grilled cheese and tomato soup with a cool shamrock in it!

Aunt B caught this cute one of me and my mom walking to the Roman Coin.

My gyosas from the sushi place when we ordered in into the bar! Awesome. :)

Day two! Not gonna lie, I kinda loved my outfit that day. :)

All of us!

The awesomely huge bloody mary we got from INdustri Cafe! They even give you a plate for all the goodies!

 Aunt B rockin' that green wig in style!

 Even my coat is green! :)

 I love bagpipes!!!!!!

 We hung out in this tent for most of the afternoon. Much colder this year! ;) Good times though!

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!

We sent this to a few people we wished had been there.

Cool green chair in the hotel! Fit our theme well. :)

Now Piggy in the green chair! :)

Me and mama at Trinity.

Becky and mama at McGillycuddy's.

Me and Pig in the tent at Harp!

See what I mean? Irish car bombs are BAD. ;)

Just hangin' out!

Me and Duane. Oh, what a guy! :)

Take us home. ;)

Happy 4 Months!

Today's been a good day! Not only did I get to go out and celebrate one of my favorite days of the year last night (St. Patty's Day), but today marks the day that I've been in my job for exactly 4 months. FOUR months! I seriously cannot believe I've been here for a third of a year already! There have naturally been some difficult days, but when I reflect on the time I've been here so far, I honestly cannot even express how much I enjoy my job and being in this city. I still learn so much on a daily basis, both about the work I do and about Milwaukee in general, so I feel like I'm growing a lot as a person. Gotta say, I'm kind of proud of myself! :) I've already done a lot more than I ever thought I could. And with it being such a busy time in our office right now, I feel like the school year will be over before I know it. Crazy how time flies these days! Anyway, this is a short entry in comparison to some of my recent ones, but I just wanted to take a quick minute to talk about my 4-month anniversary with my job! Wish us luck on many more happy months together! :) (Oh, and just for fun, I've included a few photos regarding St. Patty's Day!)

St. Patty's Day flowers from my boss! (He knows how much I love this day!)

A pitcher of green beer for me and my coworker, Kari!

A pint of beer and "The Monster" (both mine). The name of it says it all.