Well I am back from Ireland – the land of saints and scholars!  I will spare you the lengthy details of my trip abroad and just say, it was wonderful.  Words cannot express how beautiful that country is or how generous the people.  I enjoyed seeing my brother and spending some time with my family, and I am very sad it is over.  I don’t know if I will ever make it back to the Emerald Isle, but I think a part of me never truly left.  Here are just a few pictures from my trip, but I must say, it is so, so much more beautiful in person.

My summer is going very well, albeit much too fast!  After I returned from Ireland, I spent several days back home in Nebraska.  It was nice to relax and recuperate from my jet lag.  I was able to take my niece to the pool, as well as meet my best friend and my god-daughter for lunch one day.

Now I am back in Kirksville, catching up on quality time with my husband.  This past weekend we took a trip to the state park to do some fishing, have a picnic, and catch the “super moon.”  It was so much fun, although Nick got chiggers!  Poor guy woke up on Sunday with probably twenty welts all over his legs.  Lucky for him he is married to a future doctor, who has been taking very good care of him and putting hydrocortisone cream on them daily.  Maybe next time he will put on bug spray like his smart wife ;).

We went to see “Man of Steel” the other night.  It was a great film, although they really do need to start putting motion sickness ratings on movies.  I almost didn’t make it…  I will be the first customer if anybody is clever enough to come up with an app that can do as much.  Million dollar idea.

Other than that, I have been running errands and cooking some of my favorite recipes.  I sat down today and started to catch up on some reading.  I just started reading The Bread Baker’s Apprentice by Peter Reinhart, and I can’t put it down!  Nick bought it for me a few months ago when I mentioned that I wanted to start baking homemade bread.  I just bought a baking stone on Amazon…and I am looking forward to experimenting with my first pre-ferment.

So, all-in-all, I am keeping busy.  I start my preceptorship in two weeks, and school starts after that.  Summer isn’t long enough!  I am sad to say, though, that I miss school.  I miss studying (I know…I am a dork), and I miss my friends.  But it will be here before I know it.