I am already in the best month of the year and you ask how it can improve? Well first off, my favorite month of the year is March because of “March Madness”. I already have brackets printed out to fill out during the Selection Sunday show and even have my red pen and highlighter on my desk lined up to use on my predicted bracket (hopefully I don’t use the red pen much). But while all this is occurring my favorite brother (my only brother) Billy, came to visit me in Cork! I was so excited when he said he was coming to visit. I couldn’t wait to see him, and hang out with him in Cork. He arrived on Selection Sunday in the afternoon during the A10 Championship. I mention the A10 Championship because Davidson College was playing and my brother attended college there and worked with the basketball program there. So, of course we had to watch the game. Therefore, we went to Rising Sons, a brewery who has great pizza and pints. We ordered a pizza and pint and asked if they had the game on their sports package. Unluckily they did not. So, what did we do?? Obviously put in on our phone and propped it up as we watched them win the A10 Championship and get their dancing shoes ready. We had a great first night as we then watched the new terrible format of the Selection Show of the NCAA Tournament and fill in our brackets.
Day 2, I had to work which didn’t work out too bad. Billy came into Ballincollig for lunch with me on my lunch hour and then as I finished my work day he toured around Cork and showed me some new places that I didn’t even know were in the city. We then met up in the city for a great dinner at Electric in Cork City. I didn’t realize that this place was tucked over in the corner of the city (even though Maddy apparently mentioned it to me once haha). We then made my usual walk up to Neptune on the north side for my practice. On the way, we stopped at the bodega on the side of the street and I opened my brother up to the fabulous drink of Lucozade. The raspberry Lucozade which I didn’t try yet, was loved by us both. He then was able to meet all of my teammates and was even able to speak to my Spanish teammate Enric (my brother speaks fluent Spanish). We then bussed back to my place and chilled for the rest of the night.
Day 3, we had big plans. We woke up early and caught a bus to the beautiful town of Kinsale. There we walked around for a while and just toured the town on the water. We went into St. John the Baptist, a beautiful Catholic church on the hill looking over Kinsale. We found this church as we were looking to venture into some museums but unluckily for us a lot (all) of them were closed. The best part of Kinsale was the restaurant called Fishy Fishy. My brother and I split mussels in a thai sauce, a nice seafood chowder and an excellent salmon and cod fish pie. The meal was unreal and one of the best meals we both have had in a while. We then took our bus back to Cork and to my apartment. We then were lucky enough to have a dinner invite to the O’Sullivan’s. My brother was able to meet the lovely family and even met wonderful Aunt Hester, who I met during the Christmas season when I stayed over at their house for the holidays. The meal and company ended a fabulous day with my brother.
Day 4, brought us to the last day of the trip in Cork por mi hermano. Again, I worked in the morning and he and my coach, Paul Kelleher, met me in Ballincollig where we had a nice lunch and relaxed. My brother and I then headed to the city and the bus station to catch his bus to Shannon Airport.
I was so glad that my brother could come visit me in Cork. I was so excited when he told me he would be here for a few days. I’ve definitely missed him and was overjoyed that my best friend could visit his little bro in the Emerald Isle.
