At the end of every rainstorm...

...there is a rainbow.
I know this for sure - because it happened today. Genna and I went into town to meet with Lizzy and walk around. They needed some cheap sunglasses for our trip. It was beautiful out, the sun was shining, the sky was blue and the clouds in the sky were white and fluffy like cotton candy. It was quite windy as well, but we didn't mind since it was so sunny out! We met Lizzy at Finn's Corner, a store that sells rugby jerseys and sports clothing. From there we went to Penny's, where the girls found some great sunglasses and I found - for really inexpensive may I add - some jean capris (which is great because I don't have any) and a pair of navy blue leggings (also great and will be very useful on our trip). They were a steal I promise. From there we walked around a bit, and checked out Merchant's Quay, which is something like a mall. They grabbed some food at Quizno's but all I could eat/drink was a sprite. I hadn't been feeling well day. It may have been all the caffeine I had ingested but who knows. We checked out a book store on Oliver Plunkett street as well, perhaps for some good reading on all the flights we would be on the next three weeks. After that we were satisfied with our purchases and decided to head back to our respective apartment complexes. Genna and I said good-bye to Lizzy at the top of Oliver Plunkett street, as we walked across Grand Parade and headed down Western Road Genna pointed out some threatening grey clouds in the distance. We hoped it would stay to the right of us and decided to walk instead of hopping on a bus or taking a cab. About halfway down Western Road Genna remarked on how nice the weather was while we were in town. I responded that we were lucky it hadn't poured on us and we exchanged stories of being drenched from being caught in the middle of a downpour on our way to class or home during out stay in Ireland. Within a few minutes it started to drizzle. I had a hooded sweatshirt on so I wasn't too worried. Within moments after that...it began to rain even harder. We started to laugh, "I'm so glad we just said how it hadn't rained on us yet." WIth that, it began to sleet or hail or whatever it is that really hurts when it hits your face. We cursed Ireland and its rain as we headed for a bus stop that would shield us until it calmed down a bit. After a few minutes of standing extremely close with a bunch of other people who were also in need of shelter, Genna took a peek outside and said, "I can see sunshine and blue skies, let's go."
We continued on our journey down Western Road and as we passed the Western Star, an old bar that is no longer in business and functions as a meeting place, Genna felt compelled to turn around. "Look at that!" I turned around as well. To our surprise, in front of us was an amazing site. A complete rainbow stretched across the road in front of us, its colors were so bright against the blue sky behind it, and especially in comparison to the grey, ominous clouds in the distance. We stood there for a moment in awe. It was by far the most perfect and most beautiful of any rainbow we had ever been privileged enough to be in the presence of. We were hesitant to walk away. It was so majestic looking. By now the sun was shining down, warm on our wet faces, but it was still drizzling a bit. As we turned to finally take the last turn that would take us home I remembered one of my favorite quotes, "For every rainstorm, there's a rainbow." It's true. We witnessed it.