11 years

ireland
competing
competing in ireland
doing shows
wearing sparkly dresses
wearing a wig
wearing 6 pounds of makeup
late night practices
early morning practices
summers at the studio
winters at the studio
being able to leap
winning trophies
standing on podiums
making friends with other girls
seeing said friends all summer
driving long hours to feises with my dad
our talks
playing the sims for 8 hours on aforementioned long drives to feises
crowded venues
feis food
gaelic park
maryville
long summer days spent outside 
medals
getting medals engraved
seeing my name on the results wall
hearing my name called at awards
the oireachtas
the dinner dance
singing christmas carols at awards at oireachtas because it's running late
every
single
year
that feeling of magic at the oireachtas of being in another land
hating the crash when you have to go to school the next day
dance friends
walking around irish fest
workshops with jean butler
the ichc
the old studio on forest home
eating suckers at the pre-oireachtas pep rally that were given to us to shut us up
learning new steps
getting good at new steps
bar exercises
wall squats
getting along with kids 6 or 7 years younger than you
changing in the trailer at irish fest with 70 other people
dingle
the ring of kerry
the glen eagles hotel
killarney
aran sweaters
shopping
aer lingus
inside jokes
that stage
those lights
nerves
so many nerves
leahy's luck shows
buying new tights
new solo dresses
new ghilles
new hardshoes
camp cashel
mount mary college
kathy dennehy
endless hornpipe music
the practice room in embassy suites
rosemont
the hyatt
the walkway
akron
cleveland
indiana
FEISES
so 
many
feises
so
little
time
cold too much air-conditioned venues
too hot venues
cheese fries
high stages
jim shea
maureen doyle
pj mccafferty
red fleece jackets
eye of the tiger
christmas in killarney
the pabst
miller lite
zoo a la carte
the petit center
midwest airlines center
choreography
metallic gold leos
red plaid skirts
blue school dresses
jama jama 
everybody dance now
sleepy maggie
rhapsody in blue
the children's stage
hawaiian shaved ice
minnesota feis
mall of america
kansas city feis
gaelic storm
 


so
many
memories
.