Travel: Chicago

Hi all,

So - we arrived back Saturday morning from our 8 day trip to Chicago and I'm still jet lagged. The aul' body clock is still all over the place but I'm hoping it will get back to normal fairly soon. We had the most wonderful time. My friend Siobhan, was so good to us and drove us all over the place, she really did spoil us.

We were there for Paddy's Day and watched the "Six Nations" final in 'Fado Irish Pub' in Down Town Chicago. We were there at 09:50 am and were delighted that the queue or "the line" as they say state side wasn't too bad. Thankfully a kind lady standing in front of us over heard us talking and asked us if we had the VIP tickets. We were like "no, what tickets?" She told us that three of her friends didn't show up and we could have theirs. I then looked around the corner and realised the real "line" was a block and a half long. We were simply in the right place at the right time.

After cheering on Ireland to their Grand Slam victory we left Fado and headed towards the river. They dye it green for St. Patrick's Day every year and it truly is a site to behold. It's one of my fondest memories from the trip.

Things to do in Chicago:
The John Hancock Tower - Why not try a cocktail on the 96th floor of the tower?! It's views are breath taking just make sure you wait there until you get a window seat so you can really appreciate the view.

The Sears Tower - We did both of these towers on the same day. I would actually say the views are better from The John Hancock Tower however The Sears Tower has the novelty factor of "The Ledge" where you can stand out and feel like your standing in the air over the city. A bit nerve wracking at first but we soon mellowed out and took a few snaps.

The Home Alone House - This was one of my favourite things we did in Chicago. I think everyone loves Home Alone so I was so excited to get the chance to go here. The house is situated about 40 minutes North of the city. We were lucky because Siobhan brought us but you could get an uber out to it if you wanted to. It looks smaller in reality than it does in the film but it was a surreal experience being outside such an iconic house!

The Cheese Cake Factory - This is located at the bottom of The John Hancock Tower. It's obviously renowned for it's cheesecake but we went full hog and got mains and a cocktail as well. Definitely go here if you are visiting Chi city. The cheese cake is just beautiful.

The Magnificent Mile - It's basically a walk on Michigan Avenue from the river to Oak Street. It encompasses some of the world's most renowned retail stores as well as some of the finest places to dine in Chicago.

The Bean in Millenium Park - It's just one of those touristy things you need to do!

The Wiener Circle - This is a hot dog joint located in Lincoln Park. It's known for it's staff verbally abusing customers so we went in for the laugh but they didn't give us any abuse. I know how ironic- the one time you want to be verbally abused! I looked in to it more afterwards and it seems this normally happens more at the weekend and late at night. We ate our hot dogs and headed on our way.

Chicago pizza - Chicago is known for it's 'Deep Dish' pizza. A few people put us off it so we just went with normal pizza instead. We headed to Pequods Pizza - a hidden gem based in Morton Grove. The service here was top class and is definitely worth a visit, especially if you are staying in the north side.

That's my little round up of the 'Windy City'. My main tip for anyone thinking of visiting here would be leave the touristy stuff to the week days. Every where is crammed at the weekend!

We had the best time and met the best bunch of people. Siobhan has the loveliest friends there, a little family away from home for her.

I just want to say a huge thank you to Siobhan, our host for the week, our personal uber driver and most of all our wonderful friend.

As usual, if any one is heading to Chicago and needs any tips or advice drop me a line!

Love,
M
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Fashion: Misguided Haul During #StormEmma

Hi folks, hope you're having a good week! I'm so happy it's Thursday and the weekend is nearly upon us once again! I am heading off to Chicago this day next week to visit my friend Siobhan, for Paddy's day and I cannot wait! I haven't really bought any clothes since Christmas and I had that 'I HAVE NOTHING TO WEAR' feeling! During the Irish epidemic that was #StormEmma I decided to head over to Misguided  for a gawk and picked up three playsuits and three body suits while I was there. You know- just to have some going OUT OUT clothes for Chicago! All items are linked to Misguided.

Playsuits

Misguided €34.00

This Pink Tie Kimono playsuit was the first item I tried on because I thought it was going to be the nicest. Unfortunately it was too small for me, a bit tight on the tummy! I'm that awkward in-between sizes kind of person. Anyways, enough said, it's going back!

Misguided €38.00

                                                                                                                                                                                                      

I absolutely loved this Star Print Tie kimono playsuit. This was a size 8 and fitted perfectly. It's just so comfy and I can't wait to dress it up with a pair of nude Amy Huberman stilletos! Definitely keeping this one!

                                                                         

Misguided €34.00

I really liked this playsuit. In fact I liked it so much I got two of them. (I ordered two by accident and one is going back). Again I got this in a size 8 and it fits well. It's not as roomy as the star print one but a much better fit than the pink tie kimona. It just goes to show you what sizes are like. I have three different playsuits here in "size 8" and they are all in reality, different sizes!

Bodysuits

Misguided €17:00

I loved this turtle neck bodysuit.  They are so handy as there's no need to worry about tan. You can just throw them on with a skirt or jeans and off you go. I'm keeping this one!

                                                     

Misguided €25:00

Again, I just love this purple velvet bodysuit. I got this in a size 10 and it's a good fit. I'm gonna keep this one too!

Misguided €54:00

This is actually a body suit with shorts. I only bought it because I thought it was a playsuit. The quality of this bodysuit was poor as it had a lot of loose threads hanging from the sleeves and the back. This has to be returned.

The grand total of these items was €236.00 but I got it all for €118.00 by using the discount code of Go50. I'm not sure if they are using that discount at the moment but they usually have some offers on over on Misguided. All and all it was a fairly successful haul, 4 out of 6 ain't bad! If any of you have bought any of these I would love to hear from you!

M

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Book Club: Truly Madly Guilty

Book of the week!

Last week I asked for suggestions over on Insta-stories for 'good books' to read. A few people got back to me with various titles and the one I decided to go for was Truly Madly Guilty by Liane Moriarty. Initially I was a bit like 'Oh Jaysus there's 465 pages in this,' but I had heard so many good things about this author I decided to take the plunge. 

Liane is the author of Big Little Lies, which has been turned into a TV series starring Nicole Kidman and Reese Witherspoon. I plan to make my way through more of her books after this one and already have the next one on standby rearing to go.

Don't worry I'm not going to give away any spoilers! Truly Madly Guilty is set in Sydney and is based on three couples. There is Erika and Oliver, both accountants and both with a passion for spreadsheets and an orderly life. Then there is Clementine and Sam. Clementine is a talented cellist and herself and Sam are much more chilled than the fore mentioned pair. They have two small daughters named Holly and Ruby. 

Erika and Clementine are childhood friends but they have a very strange relationship. In fact if it wasn't for Clementine's mother Pam taking pity on Erika as a child, you'd wonder if these two would ever have become friends at all. It seems highly unlikely. 

Vid and Tiffany are Erika and Oliver's next door neighbours. They have one child named Dakota. They are warm friendly people who love entertaining. They innocently decide to hold a barbecue one Sunday afternoon.

Vid meets Erika outside their house and he invites herself and Oliver over. When Erika mentions that her friend Clementine and her family are coming over for afternoon tea Vid insists that they all come to the barbecue too. Erika reluctantly agreed.

I don't think I have ever read a book filled with such suspense. The first sentence of the book is 'This is a story that begins with a barbecue,' said Clementine. She had been going round giving talks about what happened at the barbecue since that day. We don't actually find out what happened at the barbecue until well over half way through the book. That's what keeps you reading. You just want to find out WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED AT THE BARBECUE?!! 

After we finally find out what happened at the barbecue, there are various themes emerging from this book. Regret, shame, guilt, gratitude and even one character suffering from PTSD. I don't want to give too much away but it's definitely worth a read. If anyone has any book suggestions I'd love to hear from you! You can buy Truly Madly Guilty here.

M

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The Top 5 Perfumes I'm Loving At The Moment!

Source

Hello! Hope you're all keeping well on this peculiar Wednesday evening. As I write, the snow is falling fast outside. I'm thankful to be inside with the fire on keeping me cosy and the kettle boiling on repeat! Tea any one?!

I usually like to write on a Wednesday evening. We're over the hump of the working week, the end is in sight and people tend to be in better form. Of course I could be wrong but that's the way I like to look at it.

I wanted to keep this Wednesday's post light and breezy, and what better way to do that than talking about perfume?!

I think with perfume it's either a feast or a famine. You're either down to your last precious drop of your favourite scent, or else you've been gifted a few bottles around the same time and have nearly too many to choose from! Of course we all would prefer the latter situation. That's kind of the situation I'm in at the minute. Don't get me wrong I have three on the go, hardly swimming in a big tub of perfume but I actually can't remember the last time I was in this situation. Sur lookit, I'm not complaining. Here are three of the perfumes I'm using at the minute and also a few of my favourites, you know - those ones you always give yourself a quick squirt of in the airport.

1. Jo Malone Earl Grey and Cucumber
Of course Jo Malone had to feature on this list. This beauty came into my life last November when I casually mentioned to my mother as we were strolling down Shop Street (Galway) that I had run out of perfume. I said I wanted to get a Jo Malone one but wasn't sure which scent. She kindly insisted on buying it for me. In to Brown Thomas we marched and straight over to the Jo Malone Counter. The girl was like, 'So are you looking for a fresh, citrus, or fruity smell?' I had no idea. I just smelled them all. We left with a citrus scent - Earl Grey and Cucumber in a 30 ml bottle for €54.00.

2. Jenny Glow Pomegranate Noir
I got this as a Secret Santa present from one of the girls at Christmas. I use it as my work perfume and I love it! It really is difficult to distinguish the difference between this and Jo Malone's Pomegranate Noir. There is a huge difference in price though. Jenny Glow's version retails at just €7.45 for an 80 ml bottle.

3. Daisy Dream by Marc Jacobs
This is the most recent addition to the collection. I received this as a gift recently. A 50 ml bottle costs €54.00 in duty free. It's a fresh and light perfume and I just love the bottle!

4. Gucci Flora by Gucci Gorgeous
This is my duty free quick squirt and run! I really don't know why I've never bought it. Perhaps I will when the above three run out. It has a beautiful floral scent and is plain and simply just divine.

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5. Victor and Rolf Flower Bomb
I had this perfume before but alas, all good things come to an end. It's a floral scent as suggested by it's title. It's one of those scents that everyone loves! A 50 ml bottle will set you back €90.00

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So there you have it. My favourite perfumes at the moment. Stay safe on the roads over the next few days!

M
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Travel: Croatia - Korcula

Hope you all had a good weekend. Earlier on in the week I said I'd come back to my Croatia trip and do a post on Korcula so here it is. When we booked the trip we were looking for somewhere relaxed and chilled and we certainly found that in Korcula. We got a ferry from Dubrovnik to Korcula and the journey took 3 hours.

The Hotel:
We stayed in Hotel Marco Polo. It was a gorgeous hotel with a beautiful spa and outdoor pool. The room was nice I just didn't find the bed very comfortable. Other than that I couldn't fault it.

View from the hotel room

The Island:
Korcula is a beautiful island. Perfect for anyone looking for peace and quiet. We enjoyed strolling along in the 32 degree heat taking it all in. We didn't know this but Croatian's are mad into water polo. One evening, when we were walking along the sea front we heard some shouting and roaring from a swimming pool. We walked over towards the swimming pool to find a water polo match taking place. Korcula were playing Dubrovnik. I can only describe the atmosphere as similar to Mayo playing Galway in the Connaught championship. Water polo is their G.A.A.

The Old Town

Things to do:
Fish and Fun: A local man runs a business called 'Fish and Fun'. He takes 6 people out on the boat at a time. He brings you to a spot where you can go swimming or if you're not in to swimming (like me) you can lie out on the boat deck and sun bathe. I did go in swimming after a while after a French lady convinced me to put on a life jacket and jump in! The boat owner dived in and caught a fish and prepared a meal in front of us on the boat. It was delicious.

Cooking our fab meal.

Day trip to Badji: This is a small island about 20 minutes from Korcula. You're dropped off on the island for about 3 hours then the boat comes back to collect you. On this island there is a monastery, a restaurant and a souvenir shop. That's basically it. There's lovely walks around this island and it's a nice way to spend a few hours.

Moreska Sword Dance: If you happen to be there in July or August on a Thursday night you need to see the Moreska Sword Dance performance. It's on every Thursday night during these months at 9pm. How there are no accidents in this I will never understand!

Food and Drink:
Massimo Cocktail bar: This was my favourite bar on the island. It is set in the Zakerjan Tower. It's a bit of hike. There's stairs to climb, then a ladder. Not very suitable if you're wearing a skirt! The waiter takes your order and rings it down stairs. Your drink is delivered up to the tower by pulley as you take in the view of the glistening lights on the sea. It was a nice experience, something that I'd never seen before, just be careful on the way down.

Konoba Mareta: We found this recommendation on Trip Advisor and delighted we did. Your meal is served outside down a stone street. We both ordered the steak as advised and it didn't disappoint. Service was top class. This place is a must to dine in for anyone visiting Korcula,

I loved Korcula. It's kind of like a mini Dubrovnik. It too has an Old Town, albeit much smaller. Any questions just give me a shout and I'd be more than happy to help. Hope you all have a good week and the 'Sunday Fear' isn't too bad. Take care.

M
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Travel: Croatia - Dubrovnik

I always try to have something booked a few months in advance, just to have something to look forward to. It keeps you sane at work too as you count down the weeks til you're off on another little adventure. As I mentioned in my first post I travelled for 7 months in 2014 throughout South East Asia, New Zealand and Australia. I documented this in my 'Rustic Roamer' blog. If anyone is travelling to any of these areas you can read about my experience here and who knows you may pick up some tips for your trip.

Last July, myself and Kev headed off to Croatia after hearing lots of positive feedback about the country. We decided to go to Dubrovnik as you can fly there direct from Dublin with Aer Lingus.
The Monday morning flight goes at 07:40 and we arrived in Dubrovik at 12:05. We decided that a week was probably too long to stay in Dubrovnik so we opted to divide up the trip by staying 2 nights in Dubrovnik, 3 nights in Korcula and back to Dubrovnik for another 2 nights. In hindsight we probably should have stayed 4 nights together in Dubrovnik as it would have saved some hotel hopping.

Hotels:
The first hotel we stayed in was called 'Hotel Vis', located about 10 minutes on a bus from the Old Town of Dubrovnik. The room itself was fairly basic but the hotel was clean and tidy. What I liked about this hotel was that the beach was right on it's door step and the bus went from outside the front door into town. One small thing that bugged me about the beaches in Dubrovnik is that they are all stoney. If you are going swimming you need to buy these special shoes (unless you don't mind walking on rocks). They are only about €5 to buy and they sell them everywhere in Dubrovnik so fret not.

Hotel Vis

The second hotel we stayed in Dubrovnik was 'Hotel Adria'. This is again located about 10 minutes outside the Old Town however there was no bus stops outside this hotel. You're best shout is probably getting a taxi in and out. This was a lovely hotel which had a spa and an outdoor and indoor pool. The restaurant offered breathtaking views over looking the Adriatic Sea.

Hotel Adria

Things to do: 
The Old Town: We spent most of our time in the Old Town. You could just spend hours getting lost within the walls and back streets of this beautiful part of the city. It's like a maze and you really don't know what kind of bar, restaurant, or quirky shop you will find as you turn each corner. Be careful though because the stone is really slippy to walk on. On every street you will see musicians and people sitting outside enjoying the sun. The night life is pretty mellow there. It mainly seemed to consist of couples and friends sitting out enjoying a few civilized cocktails.

Kev being a tourist in the Old Town

The Cable Cars: This is a must do for anyone visiting Dubrovnik. The best views of Dubrovnik and the surrounding area are seen from up here. It's about a 10 minute walk from the old town to the cable car lower station. The tickets are €19 return. It takes about 10 minutes in the cable car to get to the upper car station. While you're up there definitely eat in The Panorama Restaurant. It's steak is to die for and the strawberry dacquiris are divine! You will need to book this restaurant especially at peek times as it is usually booked out.

Enjoying a cocktail in The Panorama Restaurant

The Blue Eye: This is a 45 minute boat trip departing from the old port of Dubrovnik. It takes in fantastic views of the medieval walls of the Old Town and surrounding areas as well as been able to take a peek through the glass (at the bottom of the boat) at the underwater world of the Adriatic Sea. We did this on the first day and it was a lovely way to get a feel for the place.

All aboard The Blue Eye!

Eat: Dubrovnik is known for it's fabulous food, particularly it's fish. I would reccommend Nautika restaurant for a seafood lunch. It's located on the very edge of the sea at Pile, alongside the western entrance to the Old Town. The food and views are magnificent. Nautika is a sister restaurant of The Panorama Restaurant which I have mentioned previously. If you fancy a bit of fine dining then look no further than Proto. It's located in the heart of the Old town, at the corner of Siroka Street and Vara. It is renowned for the sea food but offers plenty of meat dishes as well. When on holiday one must treat themselves.

That's my little round up of Dubrovnik. It is an expensive city but it is definitely worth the visit. Any questions give me a shout because I'm sure I've left something out. As I mentioned we visited Korcula too so I will do a piece on that later on in the week! That's enough excitement for one day!!

M
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Braces: 8 Months In- The Low Down!

I always thought I'd fairly okay teeth. They were white, healthy and slightly crooked on the top front however nothing I ever thought would warrant orthodontic treatment. I barely paid any heed to them in college or when I was abroad. I thought they were, like you know, grand! It was only maybe this time last year that they started to bother me. I started to notice that my smile was wonkier and a bit more lob sided than usual in photos! Heaven forbid!
Anyway, I went for my consultation in Keenan Orthodontics, Castlebar in April last year. They also have a practice in Forster Street, Galway. He told me I needed 4 teeth out to make room to straighten my top front and bottom front teeth. I got those 4 teeth out with my own dentist. I found this the most traumatic part of my braces journey so far. It wasn't my dentist's fault but the act of it was just sheer barbaric!
I made an appointment for June 13th in the Castlebar practice. I opted for clear on top and the ordinary 'train tracks' on the bottom. The dental nurse actually puts on the braces and the wires and the orthodontist sticks his head in to double check their work. All he said was “See ya in 12 weeks' and sent me on my way complete with a folder on what not to eat with braces, and advised to take regular pain relief for the first 3 days.

Frequently Asked Questions:
Are they sore?
They weren't sore at all the day they were put on. I had a small bit of pain on the second and third day but I was expecting it to be a lot worse. Maybe that's why I didn't find it too bad. It's the teeth moving that causes the pain.

Are they annoying?
Yes, they sure are annoying. I constantly have to check my teeth to make sure there is nothing lurking. I can't go anywhere without my intra-dental brushes. You definitely get used to having them though. After a few weeks adjusting to your braces, checking your teeth after meals will be part of your routine.

Are they expensive?
All dental work is expensive, that's just the way it is. I had to pay €730 deposit up front and have to pay €175 a month for 20 months so all in all that comes to €4230. So yes, they are pretty expensive.

How long do you need to wear them?
My orthodontist expects me to have them on for 2 years in total therefore I've another 16 months to go. Every case is different though, it could be longer or shorter than 2 years.

How often do you need to have your wires changed?
Again every case is different. I started off as 12 weeks, before reducing to 8 weeks, then 6 weeks and 6 weeks again so God knows what he's going to say to me the next time I go in.

Are they worth it?
I have mine on for 8 months and already I have noticed a difference. The gaps are beginning to close where I had the teeth removed and my top teeth have slightly straightened out. I have definitely seen progress.

Wednesday, 13th June 2017

Friday, 16th Feb 2018

My product of the year!

M
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