more Ireland

halfpenny bridge... or ha'pney bridge
the famous Abbey theatre.. the national theatre of ireland
and Blanchardstown, a nearby village

Ireland contd

Celebrating his 80th birthday













my dad and his cousins Anne & Mary






Anne and my aunt Mary and uncle Jimmy

Ireland

I went to Ireland for 2 weeks this summer.. It was my first time. My dad spends his summers there, and since we've only known each other a few years, it was the first time meeting most of his family. We went to the village he was born in and saw lots of beautiful countryside. It's really so green!! rolling green hills... its a beautiful place.

oh yes, and that birthday party....

what a summer

crazy summer..! got engaged, bought a condo, and turned 30.. in that order :) the place is gorgeous. a little further from the city, but now we have trees and air instead of traffic and noise. we gave up convenience for space and it was worth it. plus i got a car, so that helps with the distance.

back on the horse

After many years away, I'm finally back on the horse !! Through my new work with Arbonne, I met a woman who teaches riding and I've been going every week for a lesson. The first few weeks were pretty rough on my legs, but thanks to yoga, I've been able to jump back into the game. I am soo grateful to be back with these beautiful beasts. This is Solomon..

the Ring

I wish I could show you in person.. here's a picture of my beautiful engagement ring. Tony and I chose it together.. we knew we wanted something other than a diamond..and we found it!!
It's an amethyst with tiny diamonds all around it. I love it!!

We're Engaged!!

The big news is ....We're engaged!! yippee!!! it's so exciting! Tony proposed on a beautiful day last week at the beach. I, of course, accepted happily.
We haven't made any firm plans yet for the date or place.. but we're thinking about next spring.
We plan to host a site for the wedding details...
For now, we're concentrating on getting our new home ~ we close on the condo on April 23rd!! Once we're settled in our home, we'll start planning the big Day :)

New Year, New Biz

The new year is upon us and I've been a busy bee!! I've started a new business with Arbonne. I love it! I'm meeting all sorts of interesting new men and women and I'm going to support my performance career with my Arbonne income!
Check out my new website at www.ainerock.myarbonne.com

Happy New Year!

The holidays were great.. Mom came to visit for Christmas and we had a quiet few days. We had our first dinner party in our little apartment, and enjoyed great food by chef tony .... great wine...and great company!
We spent NY's Eve at Entourage (Tony's restaurant). Tony was working, but we found a few minutes to celebrate together.

new kitchen!

i spent the day yesterday taking off the doors and painting our cupboards white. what an improvement. now we just have to hope the landlord doesn't have a fit when we move! :)

and may i present stella,
the newest addition to our family!

A day at the races

we went to Arlington for the day last weekend.. only placed a few bets but no big winners that day. we had more fun in the barn then at the track! such beauties! It was Tony's first up close and personal experience with the horses, and they got along splendidly.

more mexico pics

some more pictures from the retreat.. mmm so much good yoga

my goddess card

"Aine : celtic goddess. queen of the fairies protector of women, cows and crops "
well, that's not much to live up to! geez.
my friend Ali gave me this card as a gift. i do always talk about taking risks and living life to its fullest potential..

our new chariot

well, really Tony's new chariot,as he's the one who needs it to go to work. i'm just a happy participant... I'm not allowed to drive it yet because the Illinois insurance doesn't consider my ontario license valid (!). drat! which means i have to take a drivers exam to get an illinois license (double drat!) .. does that mean i officially live here? :)
we looked at hybrids and investigated diesel vws (they aren't out here yet) but this saab was the best value for our buck. it gets good mileage and by the time we trade it in the hybrids will be rockin and affordable (i hope!). or a biodeisel car!! yes please.
for now i'm lovin our saab and gonna start taking some roadtrips!!!

in case you missed out on the pictures from the trip.. hit the title link

Pictures mexico trip

frothee!

scary!!!!
Originally uploaded by ainerock.

late night find in Vegas...the bartender says just mix and shake!! GROSS!

tulum sky

cloudy but still soo beautiful! A few days of rain and some wild storms ..

hola!!

stylin the hats
Originally uploaded by ainerock.

the yoga retreat was so beautiful..! mother nature gave us a taste of the dark sky and storms but the sun finally came out! its hot but the wind from the ocean is constant and lovely. we moved, we chanted, we ate, we rested... !bliss !..


mexico