Life of Lu

This weekend 3 years ago James and I started seeing each other. How exciting! The reason I say this weekend is because our actual anniversary is the 29th February. Which doesn't exist this year, so we decided to have an anniversary weekend to celebrate!
It all started in Vilnius, Lithuania.
I was travelling through Eastern Europe and after a very long journey arrived at my hostel. Which at the time was going under the name of VB Sleep Inn. I remember being really tired and cranky after my 12 hour bus journey from Vilnius and  when I arrived at the hostel there was this man sprawled on the floor of my dorm asleep. Little did I know as I cursed him for being in my way that I would be dating him six months later!
Anyhow.... To fast forward a few months.... I started to suspect that James had a crush on me... Like the time he dragged me across the dancefloor...
But he denied it, so I ignored it... Then people started to comment on what a lovely couple we made... even though we weren't a couple...



T…

I read the above quote today and it got me thinking.
Who am I?
Am I who I would like to be?
The quote was followed by another quote of his
“I can't go back to yesterday - because I was a different person then”
This also got me thinking about how I have changed in the past few years and if I could would I go back and change it.
I don't think I would.
So let's get to the bottom of it.
Who am I?


When I was in primary school I had a wonderful French teacher called Annie.
She taught us three wonderful phrases that I think answer the question perfectly when you are ten.


Je suis Louise
Je suis une fille
Je suis Irlandaise.


What more does a ten year old need to know about themselves?


Now at the ripe old age of 26 it has evolved slightly.


Yes, I am still Louise
Yes, I am still a girl
and Yes, I am still Irish


but


I am more than that now.
I identify myself with more.


I am ginger. This is something I hated as a child.
I now adore it and wouldn't change it for the world.


I am the girlfriend of a wonderfu…

The Sound of Music the vault of my memories...

This evening I watched the Oprah special on the Sound of Music. It was so lovely to step back into my childhood  to a world that was as much my own as the one I was born into. The entire family were there (well the cast) and they spoke of their experience and sang songs and I sang too. And then the strangest thing happened. During a rendition of Edelweiss, instead of singing along I started to cry. I don't mean I got weepy. I mean I actually sobbed my heart out. In fact, my eyes are still stinging as I write this. I couldn't figure out what was wrong. And then it dawned on me. My fondest memories from my childhood are singing with my sister. Neither of us sang particularly well but we sang our hearts out anyway. Our main score was that of the sound of music. Everything about the film reminds me of Marguerite. How much she loved Gretl. The way she used to imitate the Captain. And I realised that it was the first time that I saw the film since she died. An…

Ok, I have to start off by saying that my favourite colour in the WORLD is by far PURPLE! I love purple I was once told that it was a sign that I am a confused person sometimes hot sometimes cold... to be honest, I don't care I JUST LOVE PURPLE!!
This is one of my purple slippers. The other was on the foot balancing me! I found them yesterday while clearing out a closet. I had thought that I had lost them but I am very happy to say that they have returned!
This is Pippin my purple guitar. I do her a terrible injustice every time I try to play her. She has a boyfriend called Oscar who is blue. They make beautiful music together...
This is my purple necklace that I flung up with my scarves earlier. I know it was a gift but I get so my purple jewellery I struggle to remember who gave what!

My lovely purple jacket

I bought some new weighing scales today. It transpires that my old scales were being very nice to both James and I and lied about our weight. Oh well, I hope someday we will be friends!
My purp…

My lovely blue scarf that I was given at Christmas

 James' bottle of water.  He always drinks the flavoured water with the blue top as it is sugar-free

My blue fruit bowl I'm letting the bananas spoil so i can make some yummy banana bread!

My Russian doll that I actually bought in Sarajevo. I love it!

I love this quote and it is stuck on the back of our kitchen door. Ghandi was a very wise man!

I did some decluttering today. This is one of the full refuse sacks!

My blue curtains!

My blue ribboned bar of soap. It is too pretty to use and therefore totally pointless!

I'm clearing out my old room at my parents house and I have come across lots of old photos!

Me! 

 My Christening!
 My brother looking very studious!  My cousins Claire and Mark  My dad on the day of his first holy communion  My grandad and granny O'Dwyer My Grandad O'Dwyer  Granny and Grandad O'Dwyer

Being Irish I felt I had to go a bit overboard with Day 4! I had so many wonderful ideas. And then I realised that I forgot to but a memory card into my camera. Silly me. I did however find lots and lots of green today!
For example, We had spinach with our dinner today. It went into a lasagne. Yum yum yum!

Both James and I feel that it is important to relax and take time to let your mind sort out what is going on after a day of working. I find that some incense, music and a dim light do wonders for the mind and the soul.

James got this t-shirt in Lithuania. It is of one of their national beers.

James' beautiful (and talented) nieces Katie and Emma made some fabulous Christmas cards. James refuses to take them down. Aren't the gorgeous!
My friend Erin came to visit us in Lithuania and she brought these mugs with her. I love them!


The woods in Menlo. They are so unspoilt, so green and so beautiful!

Our press full of green tea. I kid you not, we have about 15 boxes of herbal teas. Ridiculous.

I teach a P…