The Oh So Dreaded Midterms and Turning 20!

Hello from Belgrove 9, Apartment 1! This is one of three places I have been in the last two weeks. I've either been here, at class, or in the library. After my trip to Cork I had this great plan of writing a little bit of my three papers a night so that it wouldn't be so overwhelming. Well, let's just say easier said than done. Since arriving, I really have not had to do much "homework" other than readings and a weekly one page reflection. So having to buckle down and write three full papers, equating to 5000 words and about 17 pages was extremely difficult. It took me much longer than usual to get focused. I have SO much to look forward to, one of my best friends Emily is coming this weekend to visit, spring break is right around the corner and I'll be off to indulge in all of the amazing cultures of various countries. So that's all that has been on my mind for the past two weeks! I am proud to say that I have completed 2 of my 3 papers and I am well on my way to finishing my third. Sometimes things don't always go according to plan and you have to be willing to roll with the punches. I've spent the past two nights staying up extremely late to finish these papers and although that was my plan for tonight, I had to give my brain a rest. I am still proud of what I was able to accomplish. So I am going to enjoy my weekend with Em! I turn 20 years old on Saturday. Why did that make my eyes well up? I think it's a bittersweet feeling for me. This will be the first time in all of my two decades that I won't see my family. I'm sure you college kids who go to school far away from home are used to that, but for me it will definitely be strange! 

Thinking about my 19th birthday makes me laugh. It was definitely one of my favorites. I remember thinking that 19 wasn't a big deal. I mean, you're already a legal adult, what does 19 signify? But my best friends were more excited than I was and it meant the world to me. I had class all morning and then my Mom picked me up to go out to lunch. We had a plan to go to Flat Top Grill, one of our favorite spots, only to learn that it CLOSED. So we settled for Applebees. To me, it didn't really matter where we ate, but that I got to spend another birthday with my Mama. After lunch, she dropped me back off at my dorm and I walked in the room to find my bed and half of the room completely decorated. It was the sweetest thing and put such a smile on my face. That night, a bunch of us got together to celebrate a conjoined birthday dinner, (HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO COLLEEN BAILEY!) and it was overall a wonderful night with some of my best friends. People worked hard to make sure my day was great and I just want to say thank you again for all who did that because it means more than you know!

So I have no DOUBT that 20 will be any less monumental. I couldn't be happier that Emily happens to be visiting me this weekend. I can't wait for all of the fun experiences we will have together. We decided a few weeks ago that we wanted to visit GALWAY this weekend too! Hear that, Colleen?! I will finally be making the trek to visit your old stomping grounds. Emily and I are SO excited! I have a lot to look forward to this year! So many adventures in different parts of the world, my brother's wedding this summer, my sister's college graduation (which unfortunately I can't come to because my exams are so late, but I have no doubt that we will celebrate when I come home!), and the list could go on and on. Around this time each year, I get very sentimental, thinking about all of the wonderful things I experienced during my past year as well as the things I will look forward to as I grow a year older. I laughed reading one of my apps called Timehop the other day. If you don't know what that is, it allows you to see what you posted, tweeted, wrote on social media, etc. exactly how ever many years ago. So the other day, exactly the to that day, I tweeted something like "hopefully I won't procrastinate as much at age 19 as I did at age 18 (but I probably will). And yes, I was right! But maybe a new decade of my life will change that? Wouldn't bet on that, but you never know ;]. 

So other than that, not a lot has been happening these past few weeks. My friend Kate was in town from Madrid and so I was able to meet up with her and her friends for a few hours, which was really nice! 

SHOUT OUT TO ONE OF MY BEST FRIENDS, BERNADETTE, FOR BEING OFFERED AN RA POSITION FOR NEXT YEAR! I couldn't be happier for you! Though I'm sad we won't be bunk buddies, I know this is something you really wanted and worked so hard to get! I'm so proud of you! 

Congratulations to my cousin, Jennifer and her husband, Kale on the birth of little Aiden! Keeping you guys in my thoughts and prayers. He is so beautiful and I can't wait to meet him!

I'm currently unwinding with some blogging and some Gavin Degraw, so I'm basically in heaven. Have a bit of a headache but I'm betting that it's because I'm sleep deprived. Thursdays are wonderful because I don't start class until noon and I'm finished by 2 or 3. So I should probably get some sleep now if I want to fully indulge on my sleeping in opportunity! Hope everyone is having the best week! Despite a bit of rain, it has been so pleasant here. The shining sun and smell of fresh cut grass bring such a huge smile to my face. It's crazy how quickly the weather can impact your mood, but I am loving it so please keep it up, Dublin! Have to include this picture of a rainbow I took last friday because it was seriously GORGEOUS. Probably the most vivid rainbow I've ever seen in my life. Yes I did stop in the middle of the road to take this picture and made it clear to the locals that I was, in fact, a tourist. But you only live once right?

Alrighty folks, that's all for now! I am off to get some much needed sleep. Thanks for all the love this week, whether it was a facebook message, an email, whatever, it meant a lot. Hope everyone is having a wonderful end to February! Spring is SO close! That is definitely my favorite time of year. A week from today, I'll be in Amsterdam! Throughout spring break I will have one or two days of being home in Dublin before jetting off to my next destination, so I'll try to update you guys as much as possible! 

Lots of Love!