Brrrrrrrrrrrrr!

So, the headline in the local paper today said that we are experiencing the coldest winter in Ireland in the last 18 years. It's been in the 30's this week, but feels like it's in the 20's. I heard in Dublin they had enough snow to cancel flights today, which is very unusual. We haven't had any snow that stuck, so I guess we're lucky! The crazy part is that this past summer everyone said that it was the worst/wettest summer in recent memory. So, I have to ask the question.....why is this all happening the year that we move to Galway?? For a Southern California girl, it is really testing me. :o)

Next week Marco has to attend some big conference for work in Cork, which is a couple of hours south of Galway. We have another friend that is going down to see her boyfriend, so I decided to ride along and see a different part of the country next weekend. To be honest, I'm not really sure what there is to do in Cork, but it should be fun to do a little road trip!

I'm now 19 weeks pregnant and am really starting to feel the baby move around! Maybe it's swimming or doing salsa dancing or has the hiccups. It's fun to imagine what is happening in there. This morning was the first time that Marco could actually feel the baby move, and that was pretty exciting. I'm still feeling good and can't believe we are almost halfway there....yikes.

Snowflakes and Justice

So, apparently, it does snow in Galway!!! It's been on the cold side here the last couple of weeks, but we still mostly just get lots of rain. We had a good hail the other day that covered the ground and made everything white....for about 20 minutes. This morning as we were getting ready for work we both looked out and noticed that it was snowing. My goodness, they were the biggest snowflakes I have every seen! Like the size of cotton balls! It didn't last very long, but it sure was nice to look at for a bit. One funny note....February 1st is officially the first day of Spring in Ireland. Still feels like winter to me, but I have noticed that the days are getting slightly longer. We are really looking forward to Spring and Summer!

Now, about the justice thing. I got a call last week from the Garda (local police) to let me know that the laptop thief had been caught and was in custody! I don't know all of the details, but it turns out that he admitted to entering our place and trying to take the laptop! They were going to charge him on that count, but were also trying to get him to confess to some other crimes they suspected him of. I am truly amazed at how quickly this all happened and it makes me even happier to live in Ireland. :)

On a side note, it looks like Marco's contract is going to be renewed for at least another year, so we have decided to stay here a while longer and continue our adventure.