AgtSpooky's Hangout

Hey guys!

So the first day back at the office yesterday after my European vacation went exactly as I expected it would - my backup did my stuff for the first week and then ignored everything for the last two, dumping a huge pile on my desk first thing in the morning. Nice. He usually does this to me, so I wasn't surprised. Didn't mean I wasn't pissed off, though.

But enough of the bad stuff. How 'bout some more photos? :-)  Today I wanted to post some pics of the new friends I made while I was in Ireland. lausbub0402's wedding was like a meeting of the United Nations. We had people there from all over the globe! Which turned out to be really cool, actually.

First up is Tony, the resident Irishman. He's Claudia's husband's good friend and was the best man in the wedding. Good lord this man was a hoot! I was warned ahead of time by Claudia that he loves to pick on Americans and has a very dry sense of humor. Boy was she right! But I think I surprised Tony by giving as good as I got, and we got along like a house on fire. :-)  I loved this guy! And I think he kinda liked me, too:





Here he is reciting poetry to me:




Next up are Guisy (on the left) and Nicole. Nicole is a co-worker of Claudia's and Guisy is Nicole's best friend. They're both from Switzerland. Holy cow were these two freaking funny! We spent quite a bit of time together and were also seated at the same table during the wedding reception dinner, where hilarity ensued over the plate of chocolate. I loved talking with them and when we all got out on the dance floor - look out! LOL! I'll always think of them anytime I see a cow. Or a horse. (Don't ask.)




And finally there's Niclas. He's a co-worker as well, but from Sweden. He was there with his lovely wife Pia and their two children, Markus and Paulina. They were all so nice and Niclas and I took an instant liking to one another. This guy was a riot! We teased each other about all sorts of stuff, but especially cameras. See, I'm a Canon girl and Niclas had a Nikon. So we had a friendly rivalry going on. :-)



And this is Niclas deciding he wanted to make my husband jealous, and pretty much succeeding! LOL! Who knew that Tony had picked up my camera and managed to snap this? Hee!




And last but not least, I couldn't leave Ireland without one last pint of Guinness:




I'm so glad I had the chance to meet new people and make new friends. It wasn't all about the beautiful scenery on this trip, but the beautiful people, too. :-)

Well folks, this is my last post from Ireland. Hard to believe that my Great International Adventure has come to a close. I fly home in just a few hours.

The last few days have been fantastic. I got to explore a very old cemetery and finally get some photos of the beautiful celtic cross headstones. Only have time this morning to post one pic, but I'll do more when I get home.

So lausbub0402's wedding yesterday was simply amazing. So beautiful. The groom and ring bearer surprised everyone by wearing kilts! It was so neat. And Claudia looked stunning in her Irish wedding dress. And I managed not to embarrass myself during my reading. :-)

The weather was amazing. Bright sunshine and so hot no one could believe it. Ireland just doesn't get this kind of sunshine! I even got a bit of a sunburn!

The reception was a riot. First we had bagpipers, then Irish step dancers, then an Irish band. I even got pulled onto the dance floor during the audience participation part of the step dancing. :-)  Didn't get to bed until around 3 am, then up at 9 for breakfast before we left for our sightseeing tour at Newgrange.

Only time for one other photo today since I have to run, but it's the one you've all been waiting for - me in a dress. :-)  Here I am with my glass of champagne next to the wedding car.

Thank you all for your comments to all of my entries while I've been here in Europe. I'm sorry I've been too busy to respond back, but I'm so thrilled you enjoyed hearing what I was up to and seeing my photos.

Talk to you all again after I get over my jetlag. :-)