What's on your (PHOTO) Friday Menu?

Good Morning Gang!

Ok, ready for a recap of the most frustrating day??? I went to Verizon to get my new phone and somehow it ended up being a 5 hour drama, that ended with me still not having a phone. It was literally insane. I have a "Friends & Family" account shared with my parents, a friend, and Grim. At some point, my contact information and my mom's got conflated, and yada yada yada.... I couldn't check out because the name on the billing (which I couldn't change) was not the same as my credit card. I talked to half of the employees at Verizon yesterday and all of them have assured me it's fixed but, first of all, it isn't. I got an email after talking to them for hours to fix my name, and the email was addressed to my mother. Ahhhh. And now there is another problem. Since I had the order in the system for awhile, even though I never checked out, it says I am not eligible for an upgrade anymore because it says I upgraded yesterday. Well, damn. I was laughing my head off last night because of the total frustration. I know I need to call them again and keep trying but I don't know if I can muster up the strength to handle more "help" from Verizon today. Do these people want my money or not?

QOTD: How many countries have you visited? I think 11 for me?

Pics this week are some cookies in case you don't follow my page on the socials, and the giant Valentine's chocolate box that Grim got me!

No big plans for the long weekend. We're going to have some friends & family over on Monday, and today we might try to take a friend out for lunch because it's her birthday, but that's about it! One more week before I start my new job!

• protein coffee
• eggs
• ?? lunch out
• leftover steak tips & zucchini

I tried to switch to Verizon from AT&T twice and both times walked out of the stores. Two different places and both so disorganized and inefficient. I went back to AT&T where they greet you at the door, know what they are doing and get you out in 10 minutes. I hope they get it all straightened out for you.

Your cookies are so beautiful and creative and you could have made a career out of them. It is always something you could go back to. Love the candy but we still want to see those cats. I have been to only four countries, but plan to add a lot more in the next few years.

I am thinking of moving to Ireland with my sister in the next year or two. She purchased a home in the little town close to where our father grew up. It is called Hollymount and has about 60 or 70 residents, but a lot of people who live on farms close by.

It has a grocery store, a gas station, a health club with a pool, and a number of pubs. One of my sisters owns a pub there but she lives in North Carolina and has hired people to run the pub for her. She found great people and it has been a great success.

My other sister bought the house across from the grocery store. She is a retired nurse and wants me to live with her so she can help with any health issues as I grow older. Ireland is cold in the winter but flights to France and Spain can be as low as $29. So we plan to spend winters at warm, sunny beaches. Many of the residents and farmers nearby are my cousins, so it should not be lonely for us, but a big move nevertheless.

Here is picture of the grocery store and the yellow house directly across from the store is where we will be living. We are not in a rush to move but probably in 2024 or 2025.





OH put one picture on twice and won't let me take it off. The big red circle is the grocery store.

How exciting! Did you get Irish citizenship through descent? I have some friends that were able to get it through their grandparents and I am jealou

I am working on the citizenship. Have sent all paperwork but have heard the Irish government is slow.

How fun for you! I am picturing the town from The Quiet Man :) I hope it works out!

Here's a good stick, to beat the lovely lady!

So exciting, Mary!

Wow, that would be a big move but sounds like you have a solid plan.

I would totally do that if I could. At minimum, I'd love to have dual citizenship just to have an escape route if things really go south here in the US if and when the orange nightmare manages to pull off the election. DH missed eligibility for Italian citizenship by just a year or two (his cousins are all eligible. His grandparents were born in Italy, but he would only be eligible for citizenship if the grandparents were naturalized AFTER he was born, but unfortunately, they became naturalized US citizens a couple of years BEFORE he was born, so he's SOL. His older cousins are lucky!!). My neighbor got German citizenship right after Orange Man was elected in 2016 - her mother was a holocaust survivor and had her German citizenship illegally taken from her, so her kids were eligible for it, so she (the neighbor) got it. I have no options at all - although I believe Spain still has a golden passport program, so that could work. That's pretty costly, though, since you have to buy property above and beyond a certain number of euros...)

I would so come visit you in Ireland. Beautiful country! Hope it works out.