Wednesday 16th/17th March

We went to Elmhurst on the way to the airport and walked around the little town then sat in Caribou coffee again playing more games until it was time to leave for the airport. We said goodbye to each other (It was sad). The next day at 8am I arrived in Dublin. Mike picked me up and we went for a Starbucks for about an hour, while we had left the lights on in the car!! So when we went to drive off to go home the battery had gone dead, (being saint Patrick's day, nothing was open) we couldn't get a new battery and we couldn't get any jump leads or anything so we tried to push it and start it that way. No luck. We then went to catch a bus into Dublin city centre to get a coach from there to Kilkenny and get another car and tow it down. When we got into the city, the parade was on so we had to wait to get through it. The cops had to stop the parade for a few seconds so he could let us and other people through that need to. We were just about to leave on the coach and then mike's mum rang to say his brother was coming up with jump-leads. so we jumped off the coach, got our money back and tried to get a bus from city centre to Blanchardstown (Dublin) but cos the parade was on, all the buses were taking different routes and going from different bus stops. So it took us about and hour and a half to get to Blanchardstown when it only took us 15 mins on the way. We couldn't find the right bus!! It was a very long day. Plus I only slept for 40 mins on the plane that night!! But it worked out to be a nice adventure. :)

Tuesday 15th March

We went to Target again to get a few thing that I wanted to get before going home! We went to Caribou and sat playing games and drinking a hot chocolate for HOURS! Spoke to Mum and Dad on the phone while we were there too. :)

Monday 14th March

Emily, Me and Rocky all went to Naperville. I bought a Game that I like cos me and Emily had played it. Then we took Rocky for a walk by the river. That was nice But Rocky kept eating goose poo!

Sunday 13th March

Emily, Terry and I all went to church-that was a funny experience as is was sort of in a coffee shop. hard to explain! But that was nice. After church we went to Northwoods for a breakfast buffet, then went to a maple syrup thing where we saw maple water come out of the trees and tasted it right out of the tree. Then I bought some Maple sugar-If I add water to it, it would turn into maple syrup, I can also use it as normal sugar on other things too. On the way home we went to the candy factory to get lots of different sweets to bring home. Later on we started playing ticket to ride but the Terry had to go to bed as he had to get up early for work. I started to pack so i knew how much space I had in my suitcase for more stuff that I bought there.

Saturday 12th March

We went skiing in Michigan on this day! It was so much fun! It was my first time skiing on real snow. I have only done dry slope skiing before when i was a lot younger. The first couple of times this day i took ages to get the hang of it, i couldn't stay up very well and kept falling over! I started off with the bunny slope, which has a rope to pull you up. I had a break for a while and got back on the horse :) After a while, I moved up on the bigger slope as I was getting better and better :) I was very very nervous. We all then went onto the chair lift up to the top of the hill. Emily went on her own chair and Terry and I went on one together. Terry was practically holding my hand as I was so scared! Emily told the man at the top to slow the lift down so I could manage to get off without falling! Ha! The first time I went down, I fell twice and went down on my bottom! The second time, I fell once and skied all the way down without falling, and zoomed past Emily! I was so happy! I really enjoyed it from there on :) Emily and Terry were great at the skiing. Terry went on one of the really big hills, and lost one of his skis! Somehow He managed to walk back and get it! On the way home we went to a Christian restaurant and shop and had something small to eat.

Friday 11th March

Today we went to Valparaiso, on the way we went to a dog shelter, all the dogs were really sad and sweet. We went to a cupcake shop that had really nice cakes in there-Lots of them. We sat there for ages talking! Terry came home in the evening from Minneapolis (He was there all week with work) Then we went to Texas Roadhouse where I had a huge Bacon and Cheese Burger! Yum!

Thursday 10th March

Went down town to Chicago all day, bought a couple of jumpers and got some really tasty cheese and caramel popcorn! Yum! :) In the evening we played ticket to ride-It's a board game. I love that game.

Wednesday 9th March

I watched the Christmas story sequel, 'My summer story' in bed when I woke up. Then Emily an I did an exercise DVD of Jillian Michaels. Then Emily dropped me off by Borders book shop where I could walk to other shops to look around while Emily went to her acupuncture. Then we went home for lunch and watched the back-up plan. We were going to go to the mall but just went straight to Penera bread cafe to meet Emily's friend Sara for a couple of hours. After that I insisted on going to IHOP (International House Of Pancakes) for dinner! I really wanted to see what it was like. I was a bit disappointed with it but it was OK. In the evening we just watch TV or another movie.

Tuesday 8th March

We spent most of the Morning deciding what to do. Then looked at puppies in the garden center place. Then we went to Target which is a big shop full of loads of different types of things. Drinking a Starbucks caramel hot chocolate while walking around (They have one in the shop) Then went home for lunch, followed by taking rocky for a walk around the neighbourhood and run around the little park nearby. Afterwards we went to the library where I used the internet and we chose some films to watch. Then we stopped off at terry's mum, Lorraine's house. Lorraine took me, Emily and Terry's brother Troy out for dinner at a Japanese restaurant called house of Kobe where the chef cook on your table. That was very tasty, then what you don't finish you take home in a doggy bag for the next day :)

Monday 7th March 2011 U.S.A

Mike drove me up to the airport. We went to the new terminal. I bought a puzzler book and we shared an Irish breakfast. Then I was off to Chicago. 8 hours later i got there and met Emily. In the car her dog, Rocky was waiting. First time I met him. He's lovely. On our way from Chicago airport to Emily and Terry's house in Indiana, we went to a supermarket called Trader Joe's and got loads of food for the week. Emily and I got home and I unpacked.

Thursday 17th June 2010

We left the hotel at about 10 and the slowly made our way back to the airport. when we got back into Dublin, the bus we wanted to get back to Kilkenny was goingto be a few hours. so we got another one that went near where we wanted to so then mike's mum and dad picked us up from that bus stop. we were sad to be back cos we had a lovely time.

The next day we then picked up the Rabbit, Pigs and hamster (Plopsey, Millie, Molly and Plum). It was so lovely to see them.

Wednesday 16th June

All day we got all our last minute things in the little town that we wanted to get! And we went to the beach for the last time but i didn't go into the sea cos my eczema was very stingy. and we went into the swimming pool again.

Tuesday 15th June

We went to town for half the day and to the beach and swimming pool for the rest of the day. we had to buy more suncream but it was very expensive to buy! While I was playing on my lilo float. It burst! It was very funny-It split down the middle and then popped! He-he! I went up to get another one but i didn't open the packet cos we were going home in a couple of days.

Monday 14th June

We went to Slide and Splash water park. Another hour bus ride. It was very exhausting running up and down those steps to the slides all day, but it was very fun sliding down them. :) we were there all day, but as we were very burnt, it was quite uncomfortable to start with.

Sunday 13th June

Today we went to the swimming pool-which was quite cold actually because the weather was mostly hot, and also went to the beach. In the little town, we bought a lilo float and used it in the swimming pool and the sea and as a bed on the sand :) Just relaxed for the day but got very sun burnt.

Saturday 12th June

Today, we went to Zoo-marine (It's like a zoo for water animals and tropical birds) We took a bus down to it-I think it took about an hour. That was great- we saw seal and seal-lion shows, bird shows, Dolphins shows (That was fantastic!!) and other shows too, and crocodiles and penguins and loads of other animals. There was also a few little rides to go on. That was a great day out! :-) Then we got back on the bus and we were very tired and slept on the bus. That evening we went out for another Italian pizza.

Friday 11th June

We went down to breakfast and had scrambled egg, ham and bread rolls. (all week, it got a bit boring towards the end of the week, but it was tasty) Then we went into the town center on the bus which was right outside the hotel, and explored the the lovely town. we were trying to look for a supermarket but there wasn't one anywhere. Mike and I hired a bike-car and rode it up and down the boat harbour. Afterwards we had a really tasty ice-cream. Later on we traveled back to the hotel and went in the swimming pool. that evening we went for a nice Italian pizza just in the little town up the street.

Thursday 10th June 2010 Portugal

Mike and I have arrived in Faro, Algarve in Portugal in the early afternoon. Got a train to Portimao where we stayed for the week. The train journey took about 2 and a half hours. We got there, unpacked an walked up to the little strip of town just a bit up from the hotel to explore and also looked down to the beach which was really pretty. There was a table-tennis table and a snooker hall down in the basement of the hotel, so we played that for a while. Then we relaxed for the evening.