Playing with Friends on the Weekends

For February, and now the beginning of March, we have felt like we're doing our final get-togethers with friends here in Dublin. Each time we hang out with friends, it feels incredibly special and also tinged with sadness because we know it will be one of the last times we see them. I'm finding I want to savor each one of these visits with our different groups of friends and we've filled up each weekend in an attempt to do this. For about a month now we've hosted friends for dinner, often on both Saturday and Sunday just to cram in as much as we can. The week is so jammed with the PhD and preparations for moving that we can really only see people on Saturday and Sunday so we've resigned ourselves to filling our remaining weekends with nothing but love.

These first were from last month when we went bowling with Richie & Joanna and baby Jasmine. Bowling is incredibly fun to do with kids (more fun for me though) but in Dublin it's oddly expensive so this is our first time doing it.  

What's that now? The pregnant lady won?! That's right, I was victorious.

Joanna brought over her Chinese tea ceremony set and it was so lovely! There's a whole process and you purposefully spill the tea out and over the brown teapot which then seeps through the holes in the wood, down to a tray below. And the tea is meant to help with digestion and 'feeling full' so much appreciated for pregnancy.

Our beloved Richie, Joanna & baby Jasmine

Norah reading to Lilia in the incredible Dun Laoghaire Library just 2 blocks from us.

A lovely evening at our place with Karen, Nolan & baby Hannah. Here she is doling out hugs on her way home.

The Saturday DLPR Running group - Still going strong (and now meeting 4 days per week!), after 3 years and 2 months. Saturday is still an institution - we meet at 10 am, here at the pier, have a run, and then coffee in the café afterwards. I'm still plodding along now, at 6 1/2 months pregnant but I think the running will soon be done and I'll switch to walking for my exercise. So far, I have felt amazing and I'm promised myself, as long as that continues, so will I. (and conversely, the day I start to feel pain, or feel uncomfortable running, will be the day I stop)

And in the café afterward - this was a group of about 18 so it was lovely and busy and two new babies of runners were along to the café as well. Such a great day.  



Wayne, me and baby bump out for a short run.

Me, here at 6 months and Norah giving baby both a hug (and a listen?).

I'll leave you with a bit of an odd video (gorgeous music but odd set-up). So this was 2 weeks ago at the Dublin Chinese New Year Festival where we went with Richie & Joanna although it's not of the Chinese portion of the events, but two young guys playing Trad music. Well worth a listen.

To prove it was actually a Chinese festival, here's the Chinese Lion (I thought it was a Dragon...no, turns out, it's a Lion):

And dinner with Kara, Joe, Geordan & Rory - We can hardly believe that when we arrived, Geordan was less than 2 and Rory was still in Kara's belly. Now he's almost 3!

Love these cutie pies!