Happy Saint Patrick's Day!

Happy Saint Patrick’s Day!  This time last year I was in Cork in Ireland, waiting for my roommate to get back from the parade.  I don’t do parades.  They have balloons and small children and lots of people.  Yuck.  

This is what we did the night of St. Patrick’s Day: went to a pub, drank too much, walked home with some other extra-curricular activities (see below), and finished our homework.  Class the next day was awesome.

This year, Grandma and I drove up to REI this morning for new shoes, because Rochester has nothing going for it. 

I forgot how much I love this store.  It has a climbing wall in it.

Grandma got some sandals, and I got Merrell’s new Pace Glove.  I don’t run, but hiking with barefoot shoes has always interested me.  They’re cute, even if my feet are huge.  I’m going to keep these away from my mother.  I’m not sharing this time. 

We ate lunch at the House of Coates.  Everyone else in the restaurant ordered the corned beef and cabbage dinner, except for Grandma and I.  We don’t like corned beef, so we got a BLT and a burger.  An apparently world-famous burger. 

The food was delicious, and by the time we were finished there was a line out the door. 

This fog popped up unexpectedly on our way home.  

Like zero-visibility fog, which was apparently disconcerting for grandma.  I’m just confused about why it was there.  It was pretty awesome.  I think it was due to rain and the ground still being frozen and the sun coming out eventually.  Minnesota in March is just wonderful (read with heavy sarcasm.  March in Minnesota sucks.)

This is Minnesota in March.  Snow and a pond in the same cornfield.  Everything is going to flood again this year!  Yay!  (I really need a sarcasm font.  Someone invent one for me, please.)

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!  Go drink a Guinness (yum, when properly poured) or a Harp (yum all the time) or a Smithwick’s (pronounced Smittick’s, and yuck) for me.  Actually, don’t drink a Smithwick’s for me.  Ever.

-Erika