Thursday, November 22, 2012

Thanksgiving and a Visit to an American Girl Place

Dia duit! Happy Thanksgiving, Americans! I've never celebrated American Thanksgiving before, but this year Daid's friends invited us to come stay with them in Connecticut for a few days and have Thanksgiving there. I'm really excited!

At first, Mam and Daid planned to take me to the American Girl Place on Saturday, but they thought it would make more sense if we went on our way to Connecticut, so I got to go yesterday! The car ride was super long, but it was worth it once we got there!



While I was there, I met a girl named Joy who looked just like me! She was super nice, and even agreed when I asked if we could take a picture together for my blog. Thanks, Joy!

I loved the sweater Joy was wearing, so that was the first thing I bought! Isn't it pretty?


Next, I found a toy boat in the store's play area. Another girl joined me, and we played in the boat for nearly half an hour! We pretended that we were lost in a really big, deep ocean. Suddenly, a bad-guy-ninja popped out of the water! The girl and I fought him with the oars of the boat. Just before I pushed him back into the water, I ripped off his mask. Turns out he was actually the girl's dad! Oops!



I looked around for a long time, playing in toy cars, pretend kitchens, and a bunch of other stuff. I wish I could've bought everything! I finally found an AGP Boston t-shirt that I decided to add to my collection. Now I have one from New York AND Boston!

I had so much fun at the American Girl Place! I really hope I can go back sometime soon!

Happy Thanksgiving!

~Saoirse

Saturday, November 17, 2012

Craft Fair!

Shona Dé Sathairn! Happy Saturday! This weekend, I got a surprise visit from Jess! I don't get to see her very often because she lives all the way in Michigan, so I was super excited! She's friends with Charlotte and Zoe and Dani too, so we all decided to meet up at a craft fair. It was a lot of fun, and they even had a special stand with every flavor of fudge you could ever imagine! Charlotte and I split a quarter pound of m&m fudge. It was awesome! ;)

I didn't think I was going to see anything I liked at the craft fair (besides food...), and was amazed when I found a PINK AND GREEN scarf and PINK AND GREEN hair bows! I almost started squealing in the middle of the fair, I was so happy! Jess also found something--a really neat painting of some ravens. I honestly thought it was boring compared to the amazing accessories I got, but Jess told me that it's because I'm not mature. I was going to retaliate, but then I realized that she's kind of right...



Mam took this picture of Jess and I when we got home. 
  

Here are my amazing hair bows! They even have little cherries on them!


And here's my scarf! Jess said it was very "sassy."


This is Jess' painting. I have to admit, it is pretty.
 

 That's all for now! Slán from both Saoirse AND Jess!

~Saoirse

Monday, November 12, 2012

Spirit Week!

Dia duit! Hello, and welcome to my blog! This past week has been a lot of fun. It was Spirit Week! At our school, we celebrate Spirit Week by dressing up to match the theme of each day. Everyone dressed up--even Mr. Linch.

Since Monday was a teacher workshop day, we didn't have school, so Spirit Week didn't officially begin until Tuesday. Tuesday was the easiest of all the Spirit Days, because it was...





...Pajama Day! Pj day may have my favorite because I was so comfy all day!

Wednesday was probably the most interesting of all the Spirit Days. It was...


...Decade Day! Kaya, Josefina, and I decided that we'd dress up as each other's decades. When Kaya first suggested that I do the 1760s, I refused...until I put on her dress. It was surprisingly soft and super comfortable! I think Josefina was the most uncomfortable, because at lunch she mumbled, "These zapatos, I-I mean shoes, are kind of pinching my toes...not that I don't like them or anything! They're actually a really pretty shade of purple!" That's about as close as Josefina gets to complaining.

Thursday was the most fun day of Spirit Week (in my opinion), because on Thursday we got to...


...dress up in our favorite colors! I honestly doubt Kaya's favorite color is brown, but she told me that, "As of today it's a tie between brown and light blue, and after waltzing around in Josefina's clothes all day yesterday I would really prefer some deerskin." She really gets on my nerves a lot sometimes.

Our final day of Spirit Week was none other than...


..School Color Day! Our school colors are red, white, and blue. I thought that was totally unoriginal, but of course nobody listens to my brilliant ideas. I think pink and green is much more unique than the colors of America's national flag. Besides, nobody who currently goes to the school is even originally from America!

I thought Spirit Week was a lot of fun! And guess what else? It's almost Thanksgiving Break! My parents told me that this Thanksgiving Break we can go to Boston and check out a view historical places. On our way home, we're even going to stop at on of my favorite clothing stores and boutiques--the American Girl Place! Hopefully I'll get some pictures to post on my blog!

~Saoirse

Thursday, November 8, 2012

The Marine Band

Dia duit! Happy Thursday! Sorry I haven't posted in a while. School has kept me really busy!

A few weeks ago, when I got home from school, Mam was standing in the living room with two tickets in her hand. She grinned ecstatically as she said, "The Marine Band is having a free concert here, in Maine!" I was surprised to hear her say this in English, since we were at home. Mam is usually very strict about "remaining as Irish as possible."

"Who?" I replied. I'd never heard of the "Marine Band" before.

"They're one of the best bands in the country! They perform for the president!"

"Um...who?" I asked again.

Mam was obviously getting impatient with me. "The Marine Band! They're a huge concert band that's been around for hundreds of years!"

I groaned. Of course it was a banna ceolchoirm leadránach. Mam plays the french horn in a community band, and is obsessed with classical music. "Can't I stay home with Daid?" I pleaded.

"No! This is a once and a life-time opportunity! We have to leave in 15 minutes if we want to get a good seat, so please throw on something nice and get in the car."

I sulked upstairs and changed into my favorite green and brown polka-dotted dress. When I climbed into the car, Mam gave me an apologetic smile before pushing the key into the ignition. We rode in silence for a while before Mam handed me her cell phone. "Ar mhaith leat cuireadh a thabhairt do chara?" she offered, tired of speaking in English.

I began to look through the contacts list. I could invite Dani, but she probably doesn't like classical music any more than I do. Then there's Jess, but she's all the way in Michigan. That left Charlotte and Zoe, my blogging friends who attended Jess, Dani and my Triple Birthday Party.

Charlotte picked up only seconds after the phone started ringing. "Hello?" she answered in a high-pitched, girly voice.

"Hey Charlotte! It's Saoirse--," I began before being interrupted by and enthusiastic scream.

"Oh Saoirse! I haven't talked to you in forever! Well, I talked to you on the phone last week, but it seems like forever ago! How have you been? Zoe and I are fine. Speaking of Zoe, did I ever tell you about the time she and I were raking leaves and--,"

"Yes Charlotte, you told me about that already." I heard Mam giggling in the driver's seat. Me and Charlotte's conversations almost always followed this same path. "Anyways," I continued, "I was wondering if you wanted to meet me at Bowdoin College. Some Marine Band is giving a free concert there. Zoe can come too if she wants."

Charlotte gasped dramatically. "The Marine Band? As in the president's Marine Band? Yes, yes, yes! They're only the best band in the whole wide world! Maybe they'll sign my flute for me? Omigosh, I'm so excited! I'll meet you there!" Charlotte hung up the phone without saying good-bye. I sighed as I handed the phone back to Mam. If my friends thought I was draining, they had obviously never met Charlotte.

When we arrived at Bowdoin College, the crowd was huge! I didn't expect this band to be that famous, especially since they were giving a free concert. It took me a while to find Charlotte, but when she spotted me she gave me a huge, suffocating hug. "Let's go get a good seat!" she squealed as she grabbed my hand and pulled me along.

The band started playing soon after we were seated. They were huge, with nearly every kind of instrument imaginable. And, they actually kept me attention! The first few songs were exciting, but it wasn't until the end that I became really interested. When my eyes were starting to droop after sitting there for over an hour, I heard something really familiar. The band was playing a traditional Irish song! 

The moment Mam and I recognized it, we proudly started singing along in Irish. Charlotte's cheeks immediately turned red, even though it was unlikely that anyone could hear us over the music!

Overall, I actually really enjoyed the concert! Not nearly as much as Charlotte or Mam, but much more than I thought I would! What concerts have you been to?

~Saoirse