Winding Down

I really thought I was going to write when I got home! Time goes way, way too quickly. It seriously feels like I just got off the plane at JFK, and now I'm already thinking about starting to pack everything back up for my flight Wednesday night. But it's OK, still got a few days left. Right now, I'm sitting in my living room watching The Town (3rd viewing - such a quality flick) with my parents and brother. It's been a really great Christmas vacation. Definitely a little too short for my liking, but it's been such a gift to be back home. It's so weird though. I was in Cork two weeks ago, and one week from now I'll be back there. Recurring theme in this blog - time is a funny, funny thing!

Couple of great highlights from the past two weeks. One of the first nights I was home, I went with my brother Joey to our high school's holiday concert. I hadn't been back to my high school in a while, so it was definitely bizarre going to the concert and not recognizing a ton of students because I've been out of high school for so long. It seems like that whole period was a lifetime ago. I went back to my high school the next morning with my friend, Annie, for the annual Christmas celebration called Mumming where every grade sings a Christmas song. It was the first time I'd joined the Alumni group to sing which was very special. I also got a chance to see some teachers I hadn't seen in a while, and catch up with a few younger friends still at the school.

Another highlight of the break was a Christmas Eve brunch I went to at my friend Hayden's house. It was a group of seven of us, and I hadn't seen many of them since graduation 2 1/2 years ago. Getting to start off Christmas Eve by seeing some great old friends was absolutely perfect. It makes me sad that keeping in touch with people is so difficult. You try to text, skype, see each other over vacations, but life gets in the way and suddenly, 2 1/2 years has gone by. It was great catching up and reminiscing about high school days. You know, when we were still "kids" (I will cry the day I begin seeing myself as an adult).

Christmas Eve and Day with the fam was great. We always have so much fun, so I knew this year wouldn't be any different. We went to 10 pm mass at the church we've been going to since we were all really little. The next morning, we opened up presents in Greenwich before heading to my Grandma's in New Jersey for the day. All of the presents I gave to my family were HUGE hits! I gave my little brother Timmy Irish fudge and an Irish/American pin. Joey got a two-volume edition of Les Miserables that I found at the coolest old bookstore in London. Kevin got a truly authentic Guinness pint glass that I "borrowed" from a pub in Cork. I got my Mom a small Eiffel Tower from Paris. And the big gift I was really proud of: I made my Mom and Dad a calendar full of old family photos. This is what the cover of it looked like. It was so much fun to make, and I loved the look on their faces when I gave it to them!

It's been a great two weeks. But it's unbelievable how much I've missed out on. I can't count the amount of stories I've been told by my brothers and parents of things that have happened that I'm just totally unaware of because I haven't been around during the fall, nor was I in Greenwich over the summer. It's weird knowing life keeps going on when you're not there.

Next post will be from across the Atlantic again! I'll have New Years in Paris to discuss, and I will be with three Holy Cross friends who are coming to visit me in Cork the first week of classes. It will be a great start to the spring.

Slan!