Hi everyone. Now i'm sure that many of you were beginning to think that i'd fallen off the face of the planet. Not the case however my life has been full of lots of adventure and change recently. Let me catch you up to date.

When we last saw our heroine it was the beginning of May. Matt was now working, our heroine was plowing away at her job quite happy and all going well. Despite the fact that all was going so well an evil date loomed where Lindsay's work visa would expire. So she decided to take a brave plunge and after a bit of research asked her boss if her company would consider sponsoring her for a work permit. Her boss was very keen and excited and promised to speak with HR and his boss. After some nudging a few weeks later, our heroine was shot down a notch--although her boss was keen to keep her on, his boss was not. Our heroine was crushed but c'est la vie. Or is it? After much encouragement and support from her coworkers and family she decided to grab life by the ovaries and speak to her boss's boss (for clarification he is the financial director (or FD) of the whole company). So one warm afternoon after a bit of a push she walked in there and laid her case out. Explaining how she felt she was valuable and had made postive changes and was a part of the team. And well, guess what--the FD said yes.

Slowly the process pushed forward. Before i explain what happened, it's probably best i explain the process. In Ireland to keep on an employee who is not part of the EEC or EU who is not eligible for a work visa, you must apply for a work permit. It starts off with FAS (pronounced FOS). First off you have to be in a job which is eligible. On their website the list a large amount of professions which are not eligible due to the fact that there has been a huge influx of foreign workers. These include jobs like nannying, bar work, waitressing, hotel staff, secreatarial, administrative, apprentice anything (mechanics, electricians..etc) and so forth and so on. Presuming you're not in any of those categories you move on to the next step which is advertising your job. Before you can even have a non EU candidate apply you must prove you have tried to fill the position with eu folk. This is accomplished by a requisite publishing of said job on FAS's website and in their offices for a minimium of 1 month. Then after 1 month you may submit the candidates application (which may i note if like 5 pages long and must contain 2 recent photographs). And then pay 500euro and then possibly be rejected.

Long process huh?

Unfortunetly even with my vast knowledge of this there are so many loopholes and what not to catch you in. So being in a job in finance we figured i was sorted. And applied. We had the job listed for about 2 weeks when FAS contacted us saying that despite accounts not being on their list, finance jobs are ineligible for sponsorship.

And that sadly my friends was that.

So when that news came i hit a pretty low point. I left Ireland to go visit some mates in the UK for a week to ensure that when i returned to Ireland it was infact done legally. Which they let me back in, however only for 2 months. So here came our dilema...what next? I can honestly say a decision has not stressed me out so much in years. But we decided with my Mom and Pat due to arrive in Ireland in a few days we would discuss it after they left.

So Mom and Pat arrived. Staying in our tiny little flat in Cork, we gave them our bed and enjoyed the comforts of a nice air matress. We did Blarney and all the usual things which to be honest i'm just not going to go into now as i'm losing steam on writing this entry however i will show you some pics..


Mom and i in a Tree at Blarney Castle



The ring of Kerry (which is a big circle with roads about the width of a single car and the most amazing countryside you'll ever see)



Matt and i infront of Ross castle at Kilarney National Park



Matt and Mom on the roads on the Dingle Pennisula



This beautiful and eery old church on the Dingle Penninsula.



Said church was in fact so old and creepy that you could see where graves had degraded and bones were actually visible....*shudder*



Mom and Pat looking out on the Wicklow Mountains



Glendalough



Mom, Pat and their friend from the Jaguar club, Ken, who we stayed with in Dublin at the Guiness Factory



Guiness ad



A rose in the amazing garden at the B&B next door to where Ken's house was.

So just a few highlights. It was a great trip. Matt passed the parent test with flying colours although i don't think he's too anxious to get back in a car with Pat after a few close calls. And i even came back from our journey with my own little tomato plant. I know it sounds stupid but it is something that i've wanted for awhile now. And which the help of some plant food is HUGE now.

So after the parents left we sat down and had a chat. Really what changed things for us was the anouncement from Matt's good friend Houghie that he was going to be getting married in Australia in Decemeber. I'm now out of a visa here in Ireland,and our next plan of attack (or country to dominate really) was New Zealand as they're quite good about giving out visas to Americans. We also had planned Christmas in the US with Mom and Pat. So we decided our best plan of attack is to go around the world before Christmas. We looked at all our options and in terms of flights and everything this is really the best way to do it. For under 900 euro we get to go 29,000 miles around the world stopping 6 times (including 3 stops in Australia). So we're leaving Ireland at the start of November and making our way to Australia. We're going to stop of prolly in Asia at Uncle Gil's in Singapore. Our route *isn't* planned yet but after some brief traveling in Asia we're then heading to Sydney. We'll spend a week in Sydney, then a week in Adelaide and then a week in Perth for Houghie's wedding. Which is appearently in a trailer park some 300km north of Perth. I have no doubt it will be an experience. Finally making our way to NJ and then to FL for Christmas and then back around the world to Auckland, New Zealand in mid January.

Whew. It makes me tired just thinking of all of it but it will be the trip of a lifetime. In the meantime tho i'm stuck in Ireland. As a condition to my NZ visa (which is currently being processed) i can't have been deported, or refused entry so i'm trying to stay out of trouble here which pretty much means out of work too. Although in exchange for being temporaily supported by Matt i'm becoming a lovely stepford wife (haha. just kidding although i am getting pretty domesticated) not that that will last. We're going to try to apply for permission for me to remain in Ireland legally which is slightly more stress but would solve a lot of my future worries.

So Sin e (which is gaelic for that's it). I promise to try to write more and keep up as i've got the time now as i'm jobless and the world cup is over. :-)