The Surprise

Hello my lovelies. Just as some might save their fun for Lagoon, I have been saving my stories for now.

It sounds like there has been psycho crazy weather all over the US. Blizzards in the east, lots of rain in California, and record breaking heat for areas of the west.

Work is going better since the last time we had a pow-wow. I have been trained how to do more and I feel much more useful than before. I still won't be fully trained when I leave. It a super busy and hard to get time to be fully trained. There is a new fella starting next Monday so that will be good to have another person in the lab.

Since our last friendly visit, Leo went back to England, but this time he didn't pass. No one passed. Leo said he failed by one question. It was a bummer for our bank account but he said it was a really good experience overall. He is thinking about going back and just taking the exam which is a lot less. He thinks he would pass the second time around. Leo also had a series of interviews the last few months for a company called Black Duck. The company was named after the owners favorite black duck. We heard back a few weeks ago that he did not get the job. It's a bummer because it would have been a really good job to have before moving but he is proud of himself because he was able to get to the last stage and there were people with PhDs in the running. Speaking of interviews, there is still no word on when Leo will have his immigration interview. Our sixty days of waiting is up on April 24th so we should hear about it before then.

Leo has put his notice in and will study the month of May to prepare for his final exams. After those are done he  starts his thesis February 2018. Once that is done, he is degreed! Something he never thought would happen. A big two finger salute to all those people who said he was stupid.

Back in March my lovely parents came to visit with the wonderful Miki. I can't believe how tall she is now! It was so good to see them and have a break from routine. We had a visit with Ronnie and discovered that he says hip words when there are people to impress, not that mom or Miki would know. They just stared and smiled the whole time confused at what was being said.

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That was a post I started back in April but things got really crazy and I didn't have anytime to finish it. What  nice blast to the past :) Hello America. Hello Utah. I am back and boy oh boy does it sure feel weird being back. I have dreamed of this time so much but I think it just started to seem just that, a dream. I got back May 19th and it has been an adjustment for sure. Americans are very loud and can be quite overbearing. I now know to some extent the overwhelming terror of a big loud family like mine inflicted on my solitary Irish husband. Anyone have earplugs?

The crazy all started when Miki got her mission call to Russ, I mean Iow, I mean Ohio. As many of you know she leaves May 31st. A week from today. She is very excited to go and I know she will be a fantastic missionary. I was able to get my last day settled and planned my arrival. My Aunt Tara and cousin Tatiana Alexandria Tovar have been planning for a year or so how we would surprise my family. A surprise is something unexpected causing someone to feel mild astonishment or shock. I hope this clears up some confusion because a lot of people seem confused when my family would tell them that I had surprised them by coming home early. They experienced surprise by not knowing what I had planned. Watch the video down below to see some people's reactions to this surprise.

As I was saying in my old post, my parents and Miki came for a super fun visit in March. It was so nice to see them again, especially Miki. After visiting with Ronnie we drove down to our B&B. It was servant quarters on this big property that had been converted into B&B accommodation. It was very nice and super cool. The next day we took a drive through a section of the Ring of Kerry. You would need a week at least to see it properly. The following day we drove to Galway and had lunch there. After a very quick look around we headed back to the servants shack and had a look around the grounds and then paddled around the "pond" in the back yard. Leo and I were in the same canoe and it was his first real time paddling and had no real notion of how to stir or anything really. We had many paddle smacks, eternal circling, and were both very wet from dripping paddles and such. Good times were had by all.

About a week or so after my family left my friend Amy emailed me and said she wanted to come over for a visit. She works for Delta as a flight attendant and has only the tax to pay for international flights. I was able to get a few days off work and she came over. We didn't do a whole lot but we still had a good time. We got drenched at Scrabo and nearly froze up Slieve Donard (the tallest mountain in Northern Ireland). She was my last visitor before I came home and it was so fun to see her. Thank you to all of you who made an effort to visit us while we were abroad. It was always so nice to see familiar faces and show you around the island. Those of you who wanted to but were unable to make it, thank you for the good intentions and happy times we could've had together. I know for most it is a journey that just can't be made.

Not too long after Amy came for a visit, Miki got her mission call and I began making my preparations to come back home. Most of you know I told my family I would be home June 19th but I lied. Boy did that lie work out well for me ;) If you haven't see it yet I've put together a little video of some people's reactions to seeing me home early. For those of you who don't know, my Aunt Tara and her daughter Tatiana were the only ones who knew I was coming home. I have been planning this with them for nearly a year now. I'd say all our conniving and scheming paid off :)

Being home  has been good but also very different. Somethings have been harder to adjust to then others. I still have a bit of anxiety around lots of people. Americans are just so loud and overbearing at times, but I am slowly getting use to it. Everything is so BIG here. I swear you could fit nearly twenty cars from N.I. on the freeway here, these mountains are ginormous,  and your cups for soda are absurdly large, plus you get free refills?! I can't imagine even finishing a cup let a lone going back for seconds!

Leo is still waiting to hear back from immigration about when his interview will be and then he'll be heading here as well. We've been given an estimate of about the second week of August. Until then he has the last bit of course work to consume his days. He has some exams in June and then he is finished with his coursework. Because he is doing an honors program he has a thesis he will finish before he gets his degree. He will start his thesis in February 2018. After June 12th he will be living with his grandpa for a while until he can come to Utah. It will be good for them to spend some time together. I miss him and love him very much but I know that we won't be apart forever.

It has been good to be home with my family and spend some time with Miki before she leaves. It is crazy she is leaving on Wednesday and will be gone for 18 months.  The day she leaves, Kelcie and I will be going down to Moab. I am lucky enough to have the opportunity to work as a guide for June with Kelcie, Tay, and Mitchy. Taylor has a friend that said I could work at his restaurant as well so I will be making a little bit of money for the month.  I've been told there won't be anymore work for me after June so I will head back to the SL valley and find myself a more permanent (boring) job. I am so grateful to my family for letting me stay with them and providing me with so much while I try and get settled back into the swing of life here.

Thanks to all those who have welcomed me back. It has already been an adventure and I can't wait to see the thrills and spills life has in store in the US of A.