events #1, 2 and 3

EVENT #1
March 8 & 9
Ballintoy, Northern Ireland
the ladies from my home group and i were at a B&B in Ballintoy, on the northern coast of Ireland. it was absolutely stunning. one of the highlights of the weekend was our fashion show! we were talking about body shapes, and each group had to choose a model (me!) and the rest of the group had to design an outfit that would best suit the model's body shape (mine is the hourglass). the outfit was made out of garbage bags/paper/string, etc! it was quite the event! we had a catwalk and we had to walk up and down and pose, and everyone cheered for the one they thought should win! i didn't win, but not for lack of trying! i was strutting my stuff like no one's business.
sorry this picture isn't bigger...it was emailed to me from the girl who took it, and i can't get it any larger.




EVENT #2
March 14
Glengormley, Northern Ireland
i went to a "ceilidh" with some girls from home group. a ceilidh (pronounced "keylee" i think!) is a dance! not the kind with flashing lights and pop music. thank goodness. this was a dance in a presbyterian church, a fund raiser for a team going to japan in summer. there was an old man on a keyboard and a middle aged woman with the microphone calling out the steps! so the dancing was more structured routines rather than hip-hop be-bopping, which is what i had thought it was going to be! i excelled at the dances (seeing as i spent most of my childhood summers performing routines!) and had a truly fabulous time! no one really knew what they were doing, and everyone was having fun and just going along with it! one game we played (oh yes! there were games as well!) was the hat game. everyone got a hat, and we formed a circle. as we walked around, the lady with the microphone would take people's hats off them; they in turn had to take the hat off the person in front of them, and so on. if you were caught without a hat when the music stopped, you were out! it was especially hilarious to watch the grown men tearing around the gym in ladies hats, trying to snatch them off one another! they also served a "supper" at around 9:00pm...little sandwiches with the crusts cut off, chips, dainties, and apple pie! with very tasteless whipped cream...blech. the evening was really fun and i am so glad i could experience a ceilidh.


Helen, Bev, Maxine, Sonia, Claire

Claire and I in our hats! (the man handing them out had given me a hat, then looked at me, took it back and proceeded to give me this huge honker of a white hat! not sure what his criteria was for handing out hats! maybe i looked canadian and therefore needed a hat befitting to my country!)

EVENT #3
March 15
i got a haircut! most importantly, i got bangs! finally! i've wanted them for years and have finally taken the plunge! i think i'm ready for the responsibility of them...straightening them and fussing about with them! yep, i think i like it!