Joe was in Asia for two weeks which was really hard for me. We had never been apart for this long and this combined with the fact that we don’t know too many people over here made his trip particularly difficult. I missed him a lot of course, but my fears of watching Animal Planet and eating a tub of ice cream every night for two weeks thankfully didn’t happen. Three things kept me busy:
- My friends Amanda and Jason honeymooned in Ireland, so I flew over there and visited with them for a weekend
- A couple guys from our touch rugby team invited me to go to a professional rugby championship game
- We just bought a Nintendo Wii, so I had lots of time to practice
Firstly, Ireland was really fun. It was a blast seeing Amanda and Jason (who grew up in Fennville of all places!) and driving around the southern part of Ireland. We drove through the famed Ring of Kerry and explored County Cork. They rented a really nice cottage in County Cork which meant that we could see some of the sights that aren’t accessible by car. One of the highlights for me was hiking through farmland to reach the 3 Towers. These towers are the only thing left of a large ruined castle set between cliffs leading to the ocean and an inland lake. We nearly got lost finding it, but it was a truly amazing sight.
The next weekend I went to the English championship rugby game with our friends Simon (far right) and Gavin (middle). These are the same two guys who came over to our place for Thanksgiving last year. The game was fun, and it was just like going to a football game back home. After the game we all enjoyed (many) pints of Guinness into the wee hours. Simon was kind enough to walk me home and I have no idea how I would have made it on my own!
The rest of the time I mostly spent working longer than normal and learning how to play the Wii. I was hoping that I could get a head start on Joe and actually be able to beat him a few times, but I’m afraid my gaming skills are just no match for his. Within 1 day of coming home he was already beating me in Wii Tennis, Boxing and Bowling - I’m sure Baseball and Golf are soon to follow…
I also got my hair cut short, which I am very happy with. It was a surprise for Joe so I had to keep quiet about it for a whole week! When he first walked in the door he was so shocked he didn’t say anything, then he got this big grin on his face 
I really missed my hubby during his two week absence. I’ve heard talk of him taking a similar trip in the fall, but hopefully then I can tag along!