A girl needs more than ruby slippers

Welcome to October in Oz!

 
Well, today has been interesting so far.  Scarecrow's sister who has been visiting from New Zealand with her munchkin flew home today after a 4 week stay.  Somehow, with 6 adults and 2 kids still in the house it feels a little emptier.  Looking forward to winning the lottery and going for a visit soon!  Safe travels!

Secondly, a great big shout out must go to my Meg of Honor and her fabulous blog Musings of Meg.  She was one of the huge driving forces behind Scarecrow and I's wedding being such a big success.  I'm flattered that she dedicates a post to the details of her cake baking secrets.  Anyone who was at the wedding knows how delicious both the wedding and groom's cakes were, so go and check her out for some of the back story!  Who knows, she may even give you the recipe. 

Not only did we have our sweet little Kiwi nephew visiting, but we also live with Scarecrow's other sister, her husband and their munchkin.  This Sunday was his christening and it was a lot of fun.  He's such a character and handled it all beautifully!  I had to laugh because I held onto the tiny Kiwi nephew during the service and if I had a nickle for every time someone came up to me and said, "You sure look good holding a baby" or "This is great practice for you" I'd have a lot of nickles.  Good to know THAT'S international as well!

As far as daily life goes it's been much the same.  I did go last week to a meeting of the local International Women's Organization here in Limerick.  A friend of a friend told me about it ages ago and I finally got the time and the gumption to go and see what it was about.  They were very sweet, the majority older ladies (though I was assured that there are younger members) and I felt completely welcomed.  I'm hoping to get more involved with them.  They have a monthly chapter meeting, which is what I attended.  They also have an assortment of activities throughout the month including a book club, a crafts group, dinner group, etc.  I'm particularly excited because at this chapter meeting they had a woman come and speak about doing genealogy in Ireland.  Naturally the LDS church came up and it was funny, when she asked if there were any Latter-Day Saints in the group I was the only one to raise my hand.  She then thanked me for all the work the Mormons have done in promoting family history and record indexing.  Not only that, but she's involved with the local theatre scene and has passed my number on to a local theatre group director to help me get involved.  When I  told her I have a mostly technical background (mainly lighting and set construction) she got particularly excited, so maybe that'll lead to something.  As I said before, I'm anxious to get "my" life here.  There's Eoin's life, our life, but as of yet my life is still pretty blank.  Here's to filling that canvas!

I've been taking nice long walks with Maybell and it's been a great time to walk and reflect.  I know I'm not completely unique in being an expat.  And I thought on this most recent outing with my sweet little companion, what are those things that I would DIE without?  I'm not materialistic in the slightest, but I've found that having certain things has made my life infinitely easier and I couldn't possibly manage without them.  I'm sure this changes from person to person and from country to country.  I plan to add to the list as I discover more about life entails here.  Don't worry, the Scarecrow is one of those things I couldn't possibly live without.  Believe me, I've tried!  However, not everyone is as lucky as me and can have him so I left him off the list.  But for anyone thinking of moving abroad, here are a few things to get you started:
 Things I've found I can't live without

1. My GPS - I jumped up and down like a little kid when my parent's brought this over.  Thank you Amazon wedding gift cards!  I instantly felt my independence sky rocket when I stuck the micro SD card into the slot.  Scarecrow said he would get me maps more often now that he knew how happy they made me.
2. A scarf - It's Europe.  Need I say more?  Not to mention it's a proven fact that if your neck is warm the rest of you instantly is as well.
3. My phone, equipped with Whatsapp

 I would be LOST without this.  I don't have international texting, but I do have free wi-fi on my phone.  This little app works with wi-fi to send texts, pictures, videos and audio to anyone else who has the app.  It's only $1.99 to download it (unless you have Android, it's free).  Literally, this is how I stay connected to friends and family in the States.  If you do not have it yet YOU SHOULD!  And you should tell me so I can make sure I have your number in my phone!  Even if you're just going on an international trip, get it.  Anytime you have free wi-fi (data is crazy expensive when you leave the country) you can send a text to anyone anywhere in the world.  Love.  Love love love love love.

    4. Ipod, especially for those long walks with Maybell (don't worry Scarecrow, I always leave one ear bud out to listen for cars).
    5  .My rain jacket I got for $15 at Kohl's.    A friend of Scarecrow's sister was visiting and she said something very wise which I think is soundly true, especially here in Oz.  It's not bad weather, it's bad clothing.  I was walking the dog and it had been showering off and on all day.  We left during a sunny spell, but I took my rain jacket anyway.  Wouldn't you know that 5 minutes before we got home we were caught in the rain?  And wouldn't you know it didn't bother me one bit!  Dress for the weather you have, not the weather you want.
  

On that note, I leave you with one more shot from my walks with Maybell.  This house is on our road and I think it's the cutest house in the world.  Someday, maybe someday.