Update from Dublin

What a busy first week back in Dublin it’s been!
I had such a fun time in New Zealand. I think it goes without saying that I loved seeing all our friends again and treasured the time we got to spend with our families. I only wish we got have stayed for 3 weeks more! There was a strong feeling of relaxation and comfort at being ‘home’ when we arrived in Auckland and as we drove the familiar road from Auckland to Hamilton. I’m loving being here in Ireland, the travel and the new places and people but it’s also helped me to see how much I appreciate NZ and all that we’re blessed with there!

I got back to Dublin on Sunday last week. It was straight into work on Monday morning, thankfully without too much jet-lag.

We’re planning to look for a new apartment in the next few weeks so I’ve been keeping an eye out for new places and also beginning to tidy up around our place and pack things up. One thing we’ve been avoiding ‘tidying up’ for the last 5 months is our Christmas tree. We bought a real Christmas tree last year, a beautiful big tree that filled the corner of our lounge and made the house smell like Christmas. Unfortunately, living in an apartment in the city makes it hard to dispose of said tree after Christmas is over… for the last 5 months the tree has been slowing browning on our deck.

We had many helpful suggestions from family on how to get rid of the tree – such as leaving it in the apartment lift or sneaking out in the dead of night to throw it in the river. Taking a slightly more conservative strategy, this weekend I went out and bought a hand saw and dismantled the tree, limb by limb so we can put it out in the trash. Quite an accomplishment I felt – and so nice to be able to see our deck again 😛

Unfortunately my weekend turned sour on Sunday as my bag was stolen 🙁 It’s an awful feeling to be without your bag – no phone + no keys + no wallet = no life! In church is the place you least expect to have your handbag stolen but it was also the best place it could have happened as I had friends around me to calm me down and help me sort things out. Wonderful friends who stayed with me during the day and lent me their phones and their money, fed me and offered me a bed when I couldn’t get into my own place. What a blessing they are!

All is mostly sorted out again now and I’m safe and sound in my own apartment again. Hopefully the rest of this week will pass without incident. I’m looking forward to having Matt home again this Sunday 🙂

Comment from Gill on 2008-05-21

You deserve those medals! Great blog and reflections on your trip Home and the challenges you mastered without Matt ‘at home’ in Dublin- that Christmas Tree and the great bag snatch. Go girl! (do find a wee thing or two for Matt to do next week!)

Comment from Brian Chan on 2008-05-23

Was great catching up with you back in Auckers! Sounds like you’re settling back in well, even with the theft. Not a great way to end your first week back, but it sounds like you were well looked after!