When I had gotten invited to Los Angeles by an internet friend, I was thinking it wouldn't be that much of a big deal. Find out what kind of crazy shenanigans we all get up to.
I wake up the next morning. I go to the bathroom and take a shower, and do my makeup. My look ended up looking like this:
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(Photo credit goes to @aleksandraa.lu on Instagram).
I come out of the bathroom. Woods hugs me, happy that I'm okay. One more night of me not getting pregnant. "I was really cutting it close. It felt like the condom was going to burst at any point." Woods said. "What did I tell you, Woodland. We take precautions, now quit worrying." I said. "I'm just scared. I just want to have fun, but if you fall pregnant then-" I stop him. "Woods! Let's worry about our trip right now." I said, kissing him to shut him up.
Woods goes to the bathroom next. We head out for breakfast. I have potatoes, eggs, and a muffin. Irish people know their way around potatoes. It's their thing. We finish breakfast. Woods told me that today we're going to see the Blarney Stone in Cork county. I've always wondered if the legend of kissing the Blarney Stone bringing you good luck is true. I guess it's time to find out.
We go to the airport, then get onto a bus that takes us to Blarney Castle where the stone is located. Our tour guide takes through the narrow space. I'm slightly scared of falling off the edge because it's a tight fit. One by one, each person kisses the stone. This can't be sanitary, but it's worth the experience, right? You're only risking mono.
When it was my turn, I'm told to lay on my back and tilt my head back. Then, kiss the Blareny Stone. I kiss it feeling the bit of saliva from the last person. I pull myself back up. Now it's Woods' turn. He does exactly as he's told, then we continue our voyage back down the castle. We reach the bottom, and I want to take a walk around. I'm naturally curious, so of course I'd want to do this. Plus, the tour guide said we have time to do so.
I walk away. I take a look around the corner, there's another castle in the distance. Woods turns around to see me not by his side anymore. He thinks Aw, now where did she go? Woods walks around, looking for me. I hop onto a rock, overlooking the sea. Yes, I am standing on a cliff. It's a perfect picture moment. Woods walks over to me. He's about twenty feet away. "Hey! What do you think you're doing?" Woods yells. "I'm taking pictures." I said. "Well, be careful. I don't want you falling off of there." Woods warned. "Pssh, I'll be fine." I said. I take a step back, just to be safe. I ask Woods to take some pictures of me. He agrees and snaps a few pictures.
The guide comes back to inform us that the bus is about to leave. From here, it drops us off at a cute cafe. I order a chocolate macchiato. I also get a few snacks for the ride back to the airport. We sit down in the cafe for a bit to sip on our coffees. We take pictures for that sweet Instagram pic. After half finishing our coffees, we get back on the bus. The bus takes us to the airport. It's time to fly back to Dublin.
We arrive back at Dublin at night. Woods wants to venture out to see Dublin's nightlife. I'm down, as long as we don't go into any pubs or dive bars. I know that's what Ireland's known for, but it's just not my thing. We take a walk across the bridge, looking at the river that runs through the city. It's quite peaceful at night, other than the occasional drunk leaping out from the multiple bars. "You have no idea how much I love you. How much I'm ready to start a new life with you." Woods said. "Love you too. Let's make a deal. How about we wait at least two years before we have kids okay?" I asked. "Deal. I want some time to be young and have fun." Woods said. "That's my point." I said.
When it began to get cold, we headed back to our hostel for the night. We fall asleep. Tonight, Woods did nothing special, since he did it all last night. I spoon Woods. Since we're almost the same height, we take turns being big and little spoon. Tonight, it was my turn to be little spoon. I like being held like this. It makes me feel secure in someone's arms. Someone I know who will take care of me for the rest of my life, and I'll return the favor. I love Woods so much. He makes me the happiest girl in the universe.
We wake up that next morning, wanting to take a lazy day. We've done a lot the past two or three days. We need a day just to reconfigure our brains. All this traveling is finally catching up with us, and we're crashing. After Ireland, we still have nine other countries to go to. We went out of order once when we went to the Netherlands first, but it doesn't matter now. Woods and I are both so tired now.
I did some extensive research. After finding a great spa place, I told Woods we're getting facials and a deep tissue massage. "That sounds great right about now." Woods said. "Let's go then." I said. We head out the door and go to a spa called Buff Day Spa. We walk in and are greeted by the top masseuses. A man named Nick and a woman named Avery. They take us into the massage room. We go into the changing room, take our clothes off, and put on our robes.
We come back in. We take off our robes and lay down on the table. The massage begins with oil rubbed onto our backs. Then, their palms press gently into our backs, taking out any knots that are there. This feels so damn good. I needed this after all the traveling. Avery even massages my neck with feels great. I'm asked to flip onto my back. Now, she's giving me a stomach message. It feels weird at first, but then I get used to it.
She messages my thighs and calves. The message ends with elbows gently digging into my back. Avery wanted to do one last thing, and that's walking on my back. I've never had anyone walk on my back. There's a first for everything. I try to stay as still as possible as Avery walks down my back. I feel each bone in my back crack as she walks. It's very liberating.
Our messages are done. We pay for them, then move onto the facials. Since we've been getting a lot of sun lately, from our trip to Greece, our faces aren't in the best condition. The dermatologist informs us of that. Don't worry, I can see that. She steams our faces, then rubs a scrub that helps take all the dirt out. Then, she puts a hydrating cream on. She rubs it into our face and now it's over. We pay for it, then leave, and go back to our hostel.
That was about the extent of our day in Dublin today. It was relaxing and well deserved.
