The Time I Had a 24 Hour Snow Day Extravaganza

#14 I wandered up to Nicki's house from my place during the first of two major snowstorms to pummel Charlottesville and add additional snow onto Mount Saint Barracks. We holed up and worked from 11am til 7, taking breaks to run and skip through the field between Huntington and Ivy. I ended up just sleeping there, not having the energy or desire to make the 40 minute walk back to my house. I like being able to leave my car covered in snow and not worry about digging it out for weeks. Plus, slumber parties are always adventures!

The Time I Got in Two Accidents in as Many Weeks

#13 Though it seems improbable, I ventured out into the rain only to get pummeled on I-495. What gives fate? I feel like I'm in Final Destination. I would write more about this adventure, but I don't like thinking about it because it happened on the beltway and could have been terrible. I don't ever want to drive again! Driving FAIL. Not all adventures are good ones.

The Time I Went Off-Roading in Stab City

#12 Let's just say I don't like tiny European highways that have no shoulders and massively large tractor trailers. Here we are with a couple of Galway Hookers, enjoyed after a brief drive through of Stab City (ie Limerick). Last night of the trip... and if possible, the best!

The Time I Drove the Ring of Kerry and Saw a Perfect Rainbow

#11 We drove the ring of Kerry today because we heard it was pretty. Pretty is an understatement. We saw one rainbow that spanned greater than 180 degrees. I hadn't thought that was possible! We walked around a point at the three sisters (pictured above) and meditated (some of us...er, me... chose to jump around with excitement instead of meditate) over the spectacular scenery. You'd think I would have been tired of 5 days in a European car with 4 boys... but I've rarely been happier.

The Time We Had a Pint at Dick Mack's in Dingle

#10 In our last night of the road trip, we stopped in the tiny town of Dingle. This pub had been made famous by visits from celebrities such as "Julie Roberts." Brendan and Jerry took over the snooker table and we met a man named Eamon who was the godfather of snooker in Dingle. He dressed up in slacks to play at the local pub, he had several proteges, and he worked some kind of crazy black magic on the table. Jerry went 3-1 in the beginning because of two defaults. One guy never even got to take a shot.

The Time We Didn't Go To Cuba in Galway

#9 Turns out Galway is a blast. We settled ourselves into a snug for a seafood dinner (where Jerry laughed at another Spoff story), after which we listened to live music at another pub and met a group of girls whose first question was where are you from and whose second question was what instrument do you play? Classic Ireland. No, we don't play instruments, but we do enjoy a baby Guinness every now and then. They invited us to Cuba, where we eventually attempted to meet up but were denied entrance. Then we met the poor man's Jeff, Brian ordered a frozen yogurt, and I threw salt at Brendan.

The Time We Heard the Real Deal in Sligo

#8 We ventured on a 3 hour drive from Belfast to Sligo today, stopping at Benbulban the table-top mountain (aka Ben Bundy, Belbundan, Belfundan, you get the point). We stopped at a neolithic megalith (?) and climbed up to a view of the Sligo mountains and the expansive sea beyond. The owner of our Sligo B&B directed us to several authentic Irish pubs for late night fare and pints. We ate fresh crab and blood pudding, brownies and Banoffee pie. We read in the guide book that Sligo "oozed bohemian," which was frankly the only reason why we chose it for the night, so we checked out Shoot the Crows, a centuries-old pub in the heart of Sligo that was apparently quintessential bohemian. We drank brandy and listened to Van Morrison until the local band came on and played phenomenal Irish music. One of the members sang about the famine and the wars and the history of Ireland, which I told the person next to me was "awesome." She asked if all Americans used that word, and I replied we did, to which she replied, "You make me want to get drunk."

The Time We Sang Galway Girl and Sat in Snugs at Pubs

#7 Tonight in Belfast, we ventured out to the Cathedral quarter for some "bohemian rapping," only to find virtually all restaurants are closed in Belfast on Mondays. Hmm. In true adventure form, we wandered aimlessly until we discovered the Washington Restaurant. We traveled thousands of miles to eat American food. Afterwards, we nestled up a niche in the Crown Bar for a pint, and moseyed over to Fibber Magees for a live irish cover band that played Galway Girl and the Proclaimers as Norwegians and girls from Derry irish danced. Also, Brian opened the conversation to love, and I think I flipped the tables on him!

The Time We Toured the Murals of Belfast

#6 Today, we embarked on a Black Taxi tour of the conflict-torn side of Belfast. We saw the startling images of gun-wielding teens and bloody hands on the sides of hills. Though I've loved the pub nights in Ireland - meeting locals and listening to music - this tour has probably been my favorite part of the trip so far. To be so close to conflict is a completely new experience for me.

The Time I Ate Fish and Chips and Played Spoff at the Hairy Lemon in Dublin

#5 This past summer, I was introduced by Mirms to the incredible game of Spoff. At the surface level, it is a phenomenal way to get people to share embarrassing stories, but when introduced to an Irish pub, it has proven to start some downright hilarious conversations. It's become our group's go-to pub night activity, catching the attention of fellow Irish restaurant-goers. Tonight, we played over a plate of fish and chips and a pint of guinness. The start of the best week ever. We officially brought Spoff to Dublin - and it was received with gusto.

The Time I Went to Disney, Didn't Run a Marathon, and Played Real Life Mario Cart Instead

#4 Whitney, Kelly, Megan, Berna, and I had been planning this marathon for 8 months. We hadn't trained, but we were unfazed by it. In fact, according to Whitney, it was to our advantage that we hadn't trained - our muscles would be fresh and ready. The odds were against us. Megan got sick and her eyes swelled shut and she ended up canceling. I injured my knee dancing on New Years. Berna hadn't run more than 3 miles since Christmas. Kelly had prepared multiple worst case scenario course departure points. It was 27 degrees, the lowest temperature in Florida since 1989. Then, I took a left turn to get on the highway at 4:45am on the way to the race and Mr. T. Torres put an end to our marathon dreams. Instead of taking our picture with Goofy, we took it with Trooper Van Buskirk as he surveyed the damage. Four hours later, we returned to the villa, slept for another three hours, ate cheese at Chili's, and played putt-putt golf. Then I tried to leave for the first day of class but was thwarted at the Atlanta airport and forced to stay in the Comfort Suites (misnomer). It could have been a disaster but instead was an adventure with three of my favorite ladies.

The Time I Visited the Biggest Snow Pile in America

#3 When in snows at the Barrack Obama Shopping Center, they have a very specific game plan for plowing. It involves taking all the snow and putting it in the same place, creating a mountain of snow that has no chance of melting before 2015. It began to melt after Christmas, but soon the temperature sunk back down to below freezing, creating a large area of frozen flat ice around the Citgo. That's gotta be safe. Also safe? Driving large tractors up a ginormous pile of snow that is twice their height.

If you're wondering how big this snow pile actually is, please refer to the red shopping cart that someone wheeled up the side.

The Time I Ate Frozen Cheese

#2 I look miserable in this adventure because I was in fact the coldest I have been in two years. Mom, Anna, and I visited a DC farmer's market in the 20 degree weather (not sure about the temp with the windchill... my guess is -47 based on how I felt) to buy soups and sample cheese that had frozen in the cold. We lasted about 10 minutes. The latte was luke warm after 7.

The Time I Partied in the Commissioner's Suite with Terrell Owens

#1 For New Years, my adventure entailed taking a car to the subway to a cab to the National Building Museum, where I got a wrist band that let me get a second wrist band that let me into a small room inside the biggest room in the world in order to hope for a chance to party with Terrell Owens, who was rumored to be present. I wore a princess dress and arrived with the mayor of Washington. The first song of the new year was Party in the USA, and we saw a man pee on a wall...indoors. When we walked out of the commissioner's suite, it was like we entered a war zone. I might have hurt my knee dancing. At the end of the night, we ate greasy food and saw a girl have a mental breakdown over a lost purse. She kept yelling, "THIS IS ME DYING!!!!" She needed to take a slice of the reality pie. Goodbye naughties, hello teens!