ireland.

i can't believe it's already been a month since my week spent in ireland. those seven days were truly an anomaly when it came to the weather, because it's apparently unheard of to go seven days without rain there. but, it did. just for us. :)

twin and i started our journey through ireland in dublin, where we explored enchanting parks, did a hop-on-hop-off bus tour, ate too much fish n' chips, and even tried some guinness (never again!) but the real excitement of our trip, the part we were most looking forward to, was our visit to tipperary county. this county is the home to enda and miriam, distant relatives of ours. miriam is my grandfather's brother's daughter, and enda is her husband. their beautiful home is nestled next to a farm full of cows, and just seconds away from the infinite green landscape that is ireland. these two welcomed us into their home, having met us once fifteen years go. we talked about family and our ancestors, analyzed a family tree that miriam has been working on, looked at old photographs that we were all in together (so crazy!) and enjoyed some lovely guitar and song by enda himself. 

but it wasn't until miriam drove us two hours west to the cliffs of moher and the house our grandfather grew up in that i knew i would never have the right words to thank her. for as long as i can remember, an image of the cliffs have been the desktop background on my computer. each day i would look at the picture, and wonder to myself how anything could be that beautiful. little did i know that i would have the opportunity to see these stunning cliffs with my own eyes. no picture can do them justice. it will truly take your breath away. 

seeing my grandpa's house was completely surreal. he passed away a year ago, and it was an incredible thing to feel close to him, once again. i only wish that i could have asked him questions, and heard his stories about his time in ireland. from family, i have gathered that my grandpa came to america in his early thirties, where he met my nana. the funny thing is, she was from ireland too. she actually lived right across gallway bay. a little mass of water separated them...that was it. and it took them moving 3,000 miles to meet and fall in love. 

across from the little house, atop a hill, is a cemetery in which many fitzpatricks are buried. so many of my ancestors were right there. miriam explained our relation to many, and told stories of what she knew of their lives. the whole experience felt like it was something out of a movie.

newly renovated, here is grandpa's house. it still belongs to the family. 

a painting of a picture of this house hangs in miriam and enda's home. and now we have a copy, too. 

the cemetery.

grandpa's yard.

the view from the backyard.

the first and only time my mother went to ireland was when she was twenty-one. how amazing that her twin daughters got to go at basically the same age, and explore all the places she did. we feel so lucky.

{photos by laura and me} 

a little look in megan's mind.

as i sit here and listen to the crickets chirp outside my bedroom window, i realize something. it's summer. this is the time of year that i wait for...all year. i dream of the warm nights, the dim lit strolls along newburyport's board walk, and the trips to my favorite local restaurants with good friends. since i have been so preoccupied lately with my new job and the summer course i'm taking, i really haven't stopped to think about how good life is. right now. right this minute. for all those months that i was away in europe, i shut my eyes at night and dreamt of this night. a night when i'm home. and i am so lucky to call this place home.

the course i am taking ends in four short days, and let me tell you, i'm throwing a party in it's ending honor. this is the first summer where i've worked a (somewhat) serious job that requires a commute, and also the first time i've taken a class outside of a normal semester. i feel like an adult. maybe i want to sleep in. maybe i want to lounge around all day in my pj's. maybe i miss not having an agenda. is that bad? i'm twenty-two. i'm supposed to be a college graduate at this point, with a big girl job. for some reason i just can't picture myself in a normal, adult, nine-to-five work setting. and i honestly don't know if i will ever be able to make myself obtain a job of that sort. my dreams, and the type of job i want to fulfill, is a type that not many chase. it's the type of job that pushed me to study in the heart of new york city. it's the type of job that drives my parents crazy. it's the type of job that speeds my pulse and widens my smile. it's the type of job that not many think i can do. but guess what?

i will.

someday.

and that's a promise.

p.s. it feels incredible to write again. i'm back.

we are young.

i can't even explain the feelings i get when i hear this song.

 it's the most incredible thing when a song has the ability to hit you.

 and move you. 

a birthday for best friend.

i don't know what it is about summer birthdays...could it be the gorgeous weather? the possibility to celebrate outdoors? or the opportunity to wear a skirt without tights? the thought of a summer birthday has always sent warm fuzzies to my heart. and the thought of having my own birthday in the summer? well now i'm just dreaming. no matter what i do, my brisk autumn four-days-from-halloween birthday will never move to june, july, or august. 

but...at least i get to celebrate summer birthdays year after year with some of my favorite people. ahem, best friend. every year when you turn my age eight months after me, it astounds me. i can never seem to believe that i am the older one! everything about you is so mature, and you always seem to be the one giving me advice. you're wise, and beautiful, and terribly funny. 

remember when we went away to college together and video chatted from dorm to dorm?

remember when we lied to our parents and said we were going on a camping trip when we really ran away to new hampshire and were rebels on that fourth of july weekend?

remember when we candidly posed in the sand?

remember when you came to visit twin and i after our big move to new york city?

remember when you taught me 'pizza and french fries' on the bunny slope?

remember those late night summer walks through newburyport? (oh wait, we had one last week)

remember when we hiked that little mountain?

remember when you welcomed us home from europe?

...

i'll never forget it. 

to my partner in crime for the past fifteen years:

here's to making more unbelievable memories. 

i love you.

happy birthday. (22! wa-hoo!)

someone turned the big two-five...

i apologize for the confusion this photo may bring, but ben is not my boyfriend. he is twin's. as far as us looking dangerously good together...well that's just a plus. anyway, this guy turned 25 over the weekend! on the 17th to be exact. this happens to be twin's and my favorite number, no wonder we keep him around... :) 

we celebrated with a little gathering on friday night, followed by a boat day on sunday. we ate lots of cake and burgers and beach dogs. we even played some bocce and toasted with some bubbly while our toes were buried in the sand. 

25 may be the silver year, but i would argue that you're gold, ben. golden even ;)

so much love to you. 

{this photo of ben and me was taken in the elevator to the highline park, one of my favorite spots in nyc which i miss dearly!}

dear blog...

i'm sorry that i have not been giving you the attention you so rightfully deserve. since my return to the states, i have been just so busy. i've been working almost everyday in boston, and between the commute and the long hours, i'm exhausted by the time i get home. and when i get home...i have homework to tend to! thankfully this class that i am taking will be over the first week of july, just in time for some good grilling, fireworks, and even castle hill's first show of the season! ah! 

so dearest blog, i apologize again for the lack of loving. you will be getting a lot very soon, i promise.

all my love,

meg

verona.

{the city of star-crossed lovers}

before leaving italy, i knew my journey wouldn't feel complete without a trip to verona. maybe because this romantic city is the setting of romeo and juliet's love story, or maybe because i'm completely in love with its name...

in this courtyard, girls leave "letters to juliet," asking for love advice, or for their chance at true love. letters can also be mailed to juliet's house in verona. each and every letter gets a response. over 800 letters are received a day.  

 another popular thing to do in verona is to "lock your love." twin took this opportunity, and now the love she shares will be locked in this beautiful city, forever. 

although the tragic love story of romeo and juliet is believed to be fictitious, this is not entirely the case. two souls, with names that are not confirmed, from rivaling families, did meet and fall in love in verona. the story of the montagues and capulets was first documented by dante, and later adapted by shakespeare into what we now know as one of the most famous plays and love stories of all time. it is believed that shakespeare was the one to name the characters, so it cannot be confirmed that the actual juliet was named juliet, and so on. what's most important is there is ground to the story, and as much truth to it as you wish to believe.

twin, still awe-struck. 

me, matching lake como. 

our time in verona was nothing short of lovely, and it's a place i'm certain i'll return to someday.

maybe...to lock my love for eternity ;)

a night full of hugs, love, and surprise.

on friday night, laura's boyfriend picked us up and drove us to his house, where we had an inkling that something maybe, sort of, possibly could be going on. we had heard a few whispers the day before, so twin and i played it safe by wearing cute outfits and maybe even wedges. we are fashion students after all, and have a reputation to uphold... ;) when we arrived at ben's home, a few familiar cars were in the driveway, and suddenly my nerves turned to happy butterflies. i could tell we were going to have an unforgettable night ahead of us. 

long, much needed hugs were exchanged as our dearest friends continued to walk through ben's door. as a night full of hysterical conversation, gigantic smiles, and great music rolled on, i couldn't imagine feelings any happier than the ones that i felt. it had been so long...too long without these beautiful people that i am blessed and lucky to call my friends. 

...

while twin and i were lost on italian tangents, we barely noticed laura's boyfriend leave. it wasn't until i heard commotion a little while after that i realized where he went...to pick up our friend kenny from the bus station! kenny, along with his lovely friend olivia, made the trek from new york, just for us. seven hours on a bus. just. for. us. friends don't come any better than that. do you know the feeling of total, sheer, and complete surprise? how about when it's the most incredible surprise you could imagine?

yeah. that's how i felt. 

the happiest of tears filled my eyes as kenny continued to hug us. i could not believe he came all that way...for us. i still can't believe it. and the best part? he stayed all weekend!

 missed you so much, jake and mel!

you can tell from this photo that kenny doesn't waste any time making friends.

our friend adam arrived shortly after, and after a few more tears, the room felt so complete. a night all too similar to this one had happened a couple summers back, where a huge cake fight went down. the blue frosting from that cake fight can still be spotted in nooks and crevices throughout ben's kitchen. so it was inevitable that the cake with these twin's little faces on it would end up everywhere. (i secretly love cake fights, and may even be part of the blame for starting this one. oops!) 

just...aw.

at one point in the night, laura came up to me, looked me in the eyes, and uttered, "you're so loved." i'll never forget her whispering those words. it's an incredible feeling knowing that people are there just for you, celebrating you. people who truly care about you. and truly missed you while you were away.

ben, i'll never be able to thank you enough for putting all this together. and to ben's parents for allowing us to host a little get together in their home, you are complete sweethearts. 

*photos (mostly) by jake salley. thanks so much jake!