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Arriving back in Ireland we'd hardly time to put our bags down before we were handed a drink and ushered out the door! We'd the Kings of Leon to see, and along with my mum, dad, brother, aunty and uncle we headed to a big field in Belfast to watch them. Being Ireland of course it had to rain on us, in fact as soon as we'd arrived in the airport it was raining, nothing changes! But the weather didn't dampen our spirits and we'd a great night.
The next day however I could finally get to enjoy all those little things that I'd missed while we were traveling, like showers with no flip flops on, not having to wear ear plugs and the home comforts of just sitting on a sofa and watching tv, it was bliss! So after a couple of days of not doing very much it was time to start getting ready for my big 30th birthday! Lots of my friends and family were invited to the party at my parents' house, and because of Darren and the fact that it was a BBQ my mum suggested having an Aussie theme, which is exactly what we went for. So I got straight on line to order posters, balloons, streamers and blow up kangaroos, it was so much fun, I'd forgotten how much I'd missed internet shopping too! Darren busied himself with what to cook and we both put together an all Aussie playlist.
Along with my parents and brother we headed down to Dublin for the semi-final of the all-Ireland, Co. Clare vs Co. Limerick, which my parents had treated us with tickets for. I didn't tell Darren what we were going to, but when he saw lots of people walking around the streets with either a green or yellow tops on, he soon figured it out and was very excited to see his first ever hurling game. The match was great, the sun was shining and Co. Clare won, we'd such a great time!
So the 28th August finally arrives and Darren had all my cards and presents laid out for me ready to open, oh I just love birthdays! I was so grateful for all my presents and cards, and after a quick chat with Darren's family in Brisbane and his niece Angelina (who I share my birthday with) it was time to get ready for my parents present which was a night at the Galgorm Resort and Spa. Oh a whole day of being pampered, eating nice food and spending a night in a luxurious room, I just wish I could turn 30 every day! Checking in was amazing, everything was so nice! It's a world away from the campsites and hostels I've been living in for the past 3 months, and when I got to our room I had more surprises waiting for me; a bottle of champagne, cupcakes and a gift voucher for the hotel, oh I was so spoilt! Needless to say the spa was unbelievably relaxing and soothing, we could hardly pull ourselves away, but dinner was booked and we didn't want to miss that.
The River Room has only two options for dinner, a 5 or a 7 course tasting menu, and oh my god, it has to be the nicest food I've ever eaten. Course after course we were left speechless, and the only sounds that were coming from either of us were oohhs and aahhs or oh my god! It was so incredible, so much so I've included some pictures of the food we ate because they were works of art in themselves; oh I just wish I could do it all over again! The whole 24 hours we spent there were extraordinary and it was definitely the best way to start my new decade.
Getting back home it was all systems go getting ready for my big party on the Saturday night, putting up decorations, cleaning and cooking, it was a lot of work but it was definitely worth it as I'd the best night. Nearly everybody came, (there were 60 of us in all) and as far as I could tell everyone had a ball, it was awesome.
As for the turning 30 thing…….well having had my crisis at 25 which led me to leave London, move to Ibiza and then head out to Australia, turning 30 was a breeze; in fact I've loved it. I can definitely say that I'm happier now than I've ever been and I'm excited about what's coming next, life is good.
I just want to also say a big thank you to everyone for all their birthday messages, cards and presents, they meant so much to me. Thank you.
Clare
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Pat Hi! Clare,you have done it again, what a write up, ex. I could just picture it as I read your words, your excitement bounced off the page, your mum & dad have done you proud. I don't know after this how you will be able to cope with the real world :)) but like everything you do, you will. Lots of luv from the Seaye clan, luv pat