D-d-d-dancing In Dublin

Hey y'all. Shame on me...it's been much too long since I last blogged/posted/did anything with my life really. Well this week at UCC is R&G week...Raise and Give week which is great because obviously everyone is raising and giving money for charity. Anyone back in the States, for reference, it's like a week long spring weekend...aka DRINKING ALL THE DAYS.

Now for any relatives reading this, fear not, 1) I am of age (hell, the drinking age over here is 18 so I'm pretty much elderly compared to some of these hoodrats) and 2) this is Ireland y'all...you should have expected at least one post discussing the drinking culture...because that is what the culture is like over here...drinking IS the culture...again emphasizing that this is IRELAND.

Needless to say, for the past six days (excluding this past Wednesday when I was sick), I have had at least one drink per night. YIKES. I am certainly feeling quite charitable this week. 

YUUUSSSS

So this past weekend, from Friday to Sunday, a few of my friends and I went on a school trip to Dublin. The night we got there, a pub crawl was planned for us and we went to three pubs and one club at the end. The first two pubs were kind of low key which was nice. I got a pint of Bulmer's hard cider which has truly become my krytonite...SO GOOD. 

Then there was a chocolate tequila shot, a strawberry beer and a strawberry shot

Literally so delicious

The third pub was by far my favorite. It was three stories high and on the second floor they had this awesome rock band performing classic 80's rock songs. THAT'S MAHHH JAMMM!!!

We be like:

and

Jammin' to Michael Jackson

But after that pub is when the magic truly began. We then went to a club and I could tell with the music crankin' that it would be a blast in a glass. So we walk in and start dancing and if any of y'all know me at all, you'll know that I love dancing. I'm not talking professional, but I love just making a fool of myself (aka every day of my life) and dancing is the perfect way to do so. 

#GOONSQUAD

So I end up doing my moves and moving the hips and before I know it I'm dancing in front of this guy and it was like he summoned me to some kind of battle. It was literally like something out of movie, with a circle of people around us, we just went to town.

Walking in I be like:

Then he went straight for the kill shot:

(Crump n' dump it out)

And I was all like:

(Ohhh okay brothah, I see you)

Damn, dat boy's hips did not lie

We jumped on it like pros:

But I wouldn't be dissuaded that easily:

And I turned up the heat:

And then I really burned down the place:

He tried to compete...his shoulder swivel though....

But then my stank face and blades came out and it was all over for him:

Game over son:

Walked off like this:

Peace and blessings, SMOOCHEZZZ

I'd say my first time in Dublin was a success. I showcased some of my best moves, all done in my Bean Boots by the way. I ain't even sorry about it. Other girls were busy stumbling in their ten inch heels and I'm over here all like:

Hookah, PLEASE.

Other than the pub scene, we went and saw Glendaloch, the Wicklow Mountains, the Guinness Factory, Phoenix Park and Trinity College. WHEWWW. What a trip. 

Glendaloch

Obviously my favorite part was the sheep

Absolutely stunning: Glendaloch

The Wicklow Mountains

GUINNESS STOREHOUSSSEEE.

Michael Collins and I (my personal hero)

Although Dublin was jam packed into about three days, I loved every second of it. I definitely look forward to going back...maybe for another dance off? A girl can dream. 

Twerk it out y'all, 

Lady B

SATURDAY'S A RUGBY DAY

As many of you know, back in the States I play for the Wheaton Women's Rugby Team. As many more of you may have guessed, I miss the hell out of my teammates and of playing the game. However the upside of studying abroad in Ireland is that rugby is all around me. I get to witness rucks, scrums and mauls galore. But much to my dismay I can't play over here. At the end of our fall season this past October I got hit by what felt like a freight train from hell. This girl from Smith College came out of nowhere and I'm pretty sure it looked something like this:

Whoop there it is

Definition of I saw stars that day. YIKES. My shoulder was in a good amount of pain that day (and several days afterwards) and because my doctor's office is full of neanderthals I didn't find out what I had done to my shoulder until December. After an X-ray, an MRI and several heated verbal altercations on the phone my ortho doc told me that my shoulder had been 'semi-dislocated'. I can't remember the fancy science term she used but she said that my bone basically slipped out and slipped back into the socket and the push back in basically crunched the top of the bone. OHHHH. Good to know my shoulder decided to perform a mini friggin magic trick. 

Needless to say I have had to do physical therapy while over here in Cork and I'm technically not allowed to play in order for my shoulder to 'heal'....

All of the feelings.....

Thanks doc.......

Although I am grateful for the time off to nurse my wound, it is honestly KILLING me to not be able to play. I miss tackling and scrumming and hell, I even miss running (who am i?). 

Personal philosophy

What I miss most:

That intense scramble for the ball

When you perform a damn good stiffarm and can see the pain/tears in the enemy's eyes

SCRUMSSSS

Even ones that end like this:

Maybe not so much these scrums.....

That face-plant of the front row thoughhhhhh....OUCCCHHHH....there goes my neck.

That front row life...all up in their bidnesssss #propsandlockscandropit

But above all, I miss my teammates. In highschool I did swim team and other more arbitrary clubs so I never really was part of a 'team' atmosphere. Rugby, for me, is one of the most 'TEAM' orientated sports. You literally are playing on the field FOR your teammates. Each tackle, each ruck, every scrum is for them and for me, my team has become my family.

THE CREWWWWW

Such a stone cold pack of weirdos

So if any of you Hotsteppas are reading this, know that you are dearly missed and I hope y'all have a fantastic season. 

Until the next post!

~Bridge

Far Over the Misty Mountains Cold

This past Sunday my friend Polly and I joined the Mountaineering Club for a 'hike' in Kerry. I'm using the term hike loosely here because it was certainly MUCH more than a hike. We literally climbed to the summit of a MOUNTAIN. To put it in perspective, for any Lord of the Rings fans out there, I felt like Frodo and Sam climbing Mount Doom...aka I was feeble, weak Frodo and I certainly wished I had a Sam to carry me up the rest of the way. It did not help that I was already suffering from a cold that week and climbing up this mountain in the rain/sleet/snow was probably the last thing I should have been doing. But no matter, I felt like a champion having finished the 5 hour 'hike' up and down that mountain and reaching the bottom in one piece. Not to say I didn't take a tumble here and there....

The entire way up I kept playing the "Misty Mountains Cold" song over and over in my head because all around us were mountains and they were all surrounded by a fine mist. I figured y'all should get the full experience by looking at some pictures I took and listening to the song too.

Press play and enjoy!

Us at the summit! 

Also, while I'm on this Hobbit grind, y'all should take a listen to Ed Sheeran's "I See Fire" because it is pure magic. If any of you know anything about me, you'll know that 1) I love Tolkien/The Hobbit/LOTR 2) I love Ed Sheeran 3) I love the combination of all. PLEASE ENJOY.

~Bridge