travel – Mary's Average Adventures

30 Things Before 30

June 23, 2017Mary4 Comments

I’m getting old, my mom won’t like to read it but it’s true. I will be 23 by mid September. I started a big girl job. I’ve been eating salad. You know, adult things. So 30 is just under 7 and a half years away and there’s a lot I would like to do between now and then so I thought I would share my 30 things before 30 list!

See at least 30 states.
Get paid for a freelance gig.
Travel to a new continent.
Develop a healthy diet and regular exercise routine.
Visit 7 new countries.
Start the adoption process.
Read 300 books.
Curate a collection of my own recipes.
Take three random classes just because.
Go vegan for a month.
Take a vacation just to relax.
Buy a house.
Volunteer using talents.
Get Leslie a friend.
Visit somewhere new for at least a month.
Become a blogging “expert”.
Make time for vacation every year.
Create a budget and stick to it, allowing it to fluctuate as finances change.
Learn how to let go of material items.
Strive to spend majority of time with enjoyable tasks.
Find a go-to therapist.
Take a real picture everyday for a year.
Post 700 blog posts.
Take 20 minutes once a week to do nothing.
Face a fear every year.
Figure out how to use the Super 8 camera.
Have a real “Treat Yo’ Self” day every year, but save for it.
Live alone.
Share passion with others.
Make a positive impact on someone’s life.

What do you want to do before you turn 30?

I Will Blog!

August 30, 2016Mary4 Comments

I’ve been missing from here all month. I forgot that I have a post I can do on Nashville, my overalls, and my August Birchbox. Or maybe I didn’t really forget, maybe I just didn’t do it. I mean they will get done, for some reason it’s just taking time.

My biggest mistake this year was not making myself a blogging schedule. I need to set myself a schedule at the start of the year otherwise I do nothing. I would say this year has been a failure of a year. If anyone has any suggestions for 2017 I am more than willing to take them!

I also want to a September challenge, so be on the look out for that (hopefully).

I don’t know. All of my blog posts have been whiny “I don’t know what to write” or Birchboxes. I just don’t know what to do.

I will blog. I really will. Hopefully it will be quality and it will be soon.

Please leave your blogging struggle help suggestions in the comments!

Being Back at College

January 27, 2016Mary2 Comments

After taking a semester abroad, I didn’t know what to expect when I came back to my home university. There’s a lot less excitement, a lot more classes, and it’s back to normal life. It’s been a real wake up call compared to Ireland.

Now, I am trying not to be one of those people who dwell on their experiences abroad and how much better they were than those in America. This semester won’t be any easier if I just keep looking back at what an amazing time I had while I was away.

Getting back into the swing of things at school has been busy. I came back on a Sunday, had four classes and work that Monday. Life is busy. I’m taking a lot of credits this semester since I dropped a class last semester. I just want to make up for it now rather than next year, honestly I just want the easiest senior year possible.

Friendship and professional relationship wise it was really easy coming back. I think it helped that I talked to Eric most days while I was away, and then over winter break as well. I didn’t feel like I missed anything in their lives to catch up on, he kept me in the loop for the most part. I kept in touch with my adviser while I was away as well, so there wasn’t a lot I needed to tell her either. I think my transition back has been rather simple for the most part.

The weirdest thing about being back is 1) not seeing my new friends every day, and 2) seeing people I’ve never seen before every day. I guess at a lot of schools number two wouldn’t really be that big of a deal, but I go to a very small school where you usually at least recognize everyone if you don’t know them personally, now I don’t recognize or know so many people because a whole class entered the school while I was gone, and it’s just really weird walking around. The first week was almost surreal, it didn’t feel like my school anymore, now I feel back to normal.

I’m glad to be back, I’m glad to be back in a normal routine and schedule. I hope that you’re all having wonderful semesters so far!

Late Night Blogging with Mary: Part 20

January 20, 2016Mary6 Comments

I’m exhausted. Just like physically exhausted. My IT class has already kept me up until 2 am two nights ago and until 12 last night and it’s only the second week of classes.

This semester is going to be long. I just know it. Maybe this light dusting of snow will give me a delay tomorrow, I would not complain. I would like to have a week off due to snow delays and days off in total because they added a week to our calendar. We’re supposed to get this huge snow storm this weekend, but I have a feeling that it won’t happen. Also, I hate that, weekend storms are the worst. I always have to move my car through the icy campus and they wait until Sunday to actually plow/salt anything. Maryland doesn’t do snow well.

My classes thus far are interesting, yet I know they will be challenging. I’m already learning new things in nearly all of my classes, which is great because usually it’s still a review. I’m glad that I’m finally getting interested in what I’m learning about. Advanced Reporting is probably my least favorite class, but Online Journalism is probably my favorite, we all know I have a little obsession with the internet.

This weekend I have a lot to do, and I would like to do some scrapbooking. I know I live a fascinating life and you were all dying to know that I just want to scrapbook. I want to try and get a head start on my homework that way I’m not procrastinating. This week when I tried to get ahead on my IT homework, the site was down, so that didn’t help my procrastination at all. My philosophy is this semester the farther ahead I get the easier life will be in the long run. We’ll see how that works out.

I really want to get into being more creative. I feel like I’m just letting all of my creative energy fall to the wayside while I don’t do much with my free time. I need to devote more of my free time to creative things and less to Netflix and doing nothing.

I don’t know if I’ve written this anywhere, but I’m very glad to be back at school with my friends, but it does take some adjusting. I hardly recognize anyone and all of last week I just felt like I had to leave soon. I think it’s just starting to sink in that I’m not going back to Ireland anytime soon, however, I am glad to be back. You can’t dwell on the fact that you’re back in the US, otherwise you’ll never move on in life, so I’m just accepting it and moving on.

Everyone seems to just be going back to school, but how are your semesters going so far? Or jobs? Or just life in general?

Average Adventure: Sevilla, Spain

January 3, 2016January 2, 2016Mary1 Comment

Well, this has been well over due. I went to Sevilla back in November to visit my friend Molly who was there for the semester. I would say that this is easily one of my favorite trips and most memorable trips that I made while I was away. I think it’s probably because I was going to visit one of my really good friends and it was the first time I was with someone who knew me really well for the first time in months, it was great.

There were orange trees everywhere. This was something that really puzzled me. They aren’t eaten. I don’t know why that bothered me so much, it just did. I just thought it would be so innovative if there was just food all over the city. I don’t know.

We did a lot of sightseeing on the Friday that I was there. We got there Thursday but our train form Madrid left super early and we were exhausted so we saw more of the city and then looked at more stuff the next day. This is the view from the top of a church. A church. I believe it was the Cathedral de Sevilla. It was a Catholic church too, which was cool for me. The top picture was taken in this area that had a lot of holes for me to trip in, which I tripped in most of them, but it was in the church. The church was absolutely massive.

This was the wall tile in a building somewhere, I thought it was pretty.

That evening we went to see the sunset on the top of the Metropol Parasol. It was absolutely amazing. It was one of those sunsets, or maybe even moments that you can’t even believe is real.

I believe this is the Plaza de España. This was an area of a lot of wedding pictures. It was very pretty. I love this last picture of Molly and I because I’m like totally ready and already posing, but I have no idea what she’s doing haha.

One more post from my trip coming eventually!

When you know something’s ending, like for good, do you feel like yourself?

December 19, 2015Mary2 Comments

Eric requested that this be the title of my last blog post in Ireland, while this isn’t the last blog post about Ireland it’s the last one while I’m here. Again, I messed up flight times, so I’m at the airport with some time to kill and I thought that this was fitting.

I’m not sure I quite understand this. I told him last night on FaceTime that I don’t know of any times where I haven’t felt like myself. It is an interesting question though, I know I’m walking away from something great and now part of me will always have a special spot for Ireland, but I wouldn’t say that I don’t feel like myself.

This morning so far has been interesting. I tried to change my flight for earlier but alas no luck so I will be lucky if I’m back home in Pennsylvania by midnight. My prayers were answered and my bag was not overweight, just very full. It was not until I was already at the airport that I realized my flight didn’t leave until over an hour later than what I thought. I don’t know what I read that made me think it was at 11:30, I swear when I checked yesterday it was but I would have gotten an email if it changed and I did not get an email. When I was going through security I bumped my laptop of the counter, and the corner broke. Thank goodness it still works because everything I love is on this thing.

I’m very ready to go home, but saying goodbye to people was sad, I don’t know why I thought it would be easy. Now I have friends all over the US now so that’s really nice because there’s about 10 or so states that I can visit people in during my more domestic travels. I’m excited to eat my favorite snack and bake and see everyone I love for the holidays. I start work again on Monday, I don’t know my schedule yet, but it will be interesting that’s for sure.

I’m so glad and blessed that I got this experience. I’m sad to be leaving, but I also can’t wait to come back someday with my own family eventually. So this is just an extra post with a last slán (goodbye) from Ireland. Maybe I don’t quite feel like myself today, maybe just a little off.

America be ready, I’m almost back!

Average Adventure: Madrid, Spain

December 13, 2015Mary5 Comments

First things first, whoops on the post that was supposed to go up tomorrow. Anyway, after going to London, my next stop was Sevilla, but it’s to expensive to go straight there. I was going to try and work out the bus from Madrid to Sevilla, but they don’t accept American cards online so instead, I chose to take the train the next day and spend the night in Madrid, because that was still cheaper than flying straight to Sevilla, plus I got to see more of Spain. While I’m super glad I went to London and Brighton, I kind of wish I got to spend more time in Spain, but that just means that I’ll have to go back one day.

Part of the problem about going to Spain was that I remember very little Spanish. I knew very little of what things said. This was some type of museum, of what I’m not sure.

I found it really interesting that so many of their street signs were covered up with stickers. I thought it looked really cool but also it might be confusing to drive around if you don’t know your way.

Here’s some treetops.

My favorite thing about Spain was that everything was so intricate and there was so much attention to detail. This was just the Metro but the gate was detailed, the sign was detailed, it was just nice place.

Then finally just a few more snaps of Madrid. It’s just a very pretty place. I took a lot of pictures but unfortunately most of them were not in focus or I hated them, so this is it for now.

12 Days of Christmas starts tomorrow!

Late Night Blogging with Mary: Part 18

December 7, 2015Mary4 Comments

Well it’s been awhile since I’ve done some late night blogging, and really that’s all I have time for right now it seems. I go home in 12 days by the time I hit publish on this post, which is crazy, this semester has gone so quickly. However, I have 8 assignments due before them, I crossed off two today (thank goodness) but it’s stressful and I’m ready to be done with them all.

It’s weird getting ready to go home, it has gone by really fast, but I’m also ready to go home. I’ll miss the people and the city but I really miss my family friend back home, so I’m pretty ready to get home.

A lot’s going on and a lot is about to happen. I was away for a week, saw Molly, and now I’ve been back in Dublin ever since and I’m just trying to make the best out of my last few weeks here. I’m also getting ready to start 12 Days of Christmas on my blog! 12 days of daily blogging! I do miss that sometimes, so this will either feed the fuel or leave me hungry for more, we shall see.

I’m also very excited for Christmas, I’m almost done my shopping. I love Christmas, I can’t wait to get home to wrap the presets. The things I’m most excited about going home are as followed: IHOP, wrapping Christmas presents, and having an oven. That’s obviously not including seeing everyone. I really miss IHOP, it will be breakfast on Sunday. Well maybe dinner because it’s so crowded Sunday morning and afternoon, you just have to time out the meal times. Also, I’m excited for American Netflix, some options are better here, but there are a lot fewer.

Let me rant about housing back home for a second. They won’t tell me who I can live with, they are literally just going to stick me with some random person in some random building which is absolutely absurd if you ask me. I’m so annoyed. It doesn’t make sense for them, and it doesn’t make sense for me. I can’t even fill out a form to see who I would be most compatible with. It’s just ridiculous. They wouldn’t let me save a spot, their recommendation for study abroad students is to live in language housing, providing no recommendations for people who are studying in an English speaking country. It’s really helpful. I’m annoyed.

Anyway, I’m beyond ready for bed. What’s going on in your life?

Average Adventure: London… Again!

December 2, 2015December 8, 2015Mary4 Comments

So I know I just did a London post, but I went back! Literally the weekend after the first one, but that’s just the way time works. I wanted to spend more time, go to Brighton, and just see as much as I could, but not in 24 hours. I had to be checked into the hostel by 9 so by the time I got there it was dinner and go to the hostel. I had all day Sunday, Monday I went to Brighton, all day Tuesday, and then left super early Wednesday morning. It also turns out that I don’t have very many pictures from this trip, my apologies.

London at night.

When you forget that you had manual settings on the camera. It does look cool though.

Then Abbey Road.

This is unfortunately all of the pictures I liked from this trip to London, however, I liked them enough to include them, but there were too many from Brighton to include in into that post. I’m almost caught up on adventure posts too! Yay!

Average Adventure: Brighton, England

December 2, 2015Mary11 Comments

Depending on how long you’ve been following me, you may or may not know that Brighton has been a place that I have always wanted to go, making it onto my Travel Bucket List. I don’t know when the obsession started, but the pictures I’ve seen are always just so pretty and it lived up to my expectations. Since I was in London, a short train ride away, I decided it was the perfect time to go to Brighton.

The first stop was obviously the pier. If you look up Brighton, the first things you are going to see are the Lanes and the Brighton Pier.

I also really wanted to walk along the beach. It was so, so windy that day, so I walked along the sidewalk above the beach more so than the actual beach.

Obviously these were all taken at different times of day, but I just wanted to keep going back. It was just so pretty. The waves were super rough because of the all the wind, but it was beautiful. I saw a very unlucky man get attacked by a massive wave on the pier while he was taking a picture, and I just wanted to cry for him. I really hope his camera/phone wasn’t ruined and that he lived nearby.

This is a little bit of the lanes, but also some just random pictures I took. I can’t remember what the fancy building is, I could look it up, but I’m lazy.

These are two of my favorite signs that I have seen anywhere. I don’t know why I like the bike one so much, I just do. The other one says “I have great desire My desire is great” and I just thought it kind of spoke to me. It was in that spot that I decided to come back to blogging like full on, like obviously I’ve been blogging but I haven’t felt great about it. This was the spot where I decided that needed to change, so I just really like this now.

It was one of those places where I’ve just always wanted to go and it was just perfect. I met a nice lady in a souvenir shop where I bought a t-shirt. I explored The Lanes, admiring the Cath Kidston store where I wanted to buy everything, but refrained. I’m glad I got to check this off the bucket list.