Top 10 Things I Miss

Michael and I were talking and he asked me what I missed most about the US.  My first answer was a no-brainer but then it got me thinking of what else I missed.  Outside of missing friends and family which is a given, there were a few other things I missed, so I decided to make a list of the other things.  Granted, living in Ireland has its perks and I am loving my life, but I can't help but miss some of the conveniences of home.

Top 10 Things I Miss Most About The US

1. Full size washer and dryer... that works.
    Our washer and dryer here is tiny... tiny! We can fit maybe 1/3 of what we could fit in a US washer  
    and dryer.  The dryer takes forever to dry and won't work if the load is too heavy.  So, we end up 
    hanging everything up to dry, which takes around 3 days.  Some of our clothes end up smelling 
    funny and feeling like sandpaper. Our laundry hamper is always full no matter what we do.  

2.  High chairs in all restaurants
    Majority of restaurants here do not have high chairs.  Some have told me they don't allow babies. 
    Some will say they don't have a high chair and they don't allow the buggy which means you have to 
    hold your squirming toddler as you (try to) eat - NOT WORTH IT.  Its been somewhat discouraging 
    finding restaurants that are toddler friendly.  

3. Target, Walmart, Stores open pass 7pm
     I miss options and convenience.  There are not a lot of store options here in the city center and   
     when you find one, they don't always have what you need or much variety.  So, you end up having 
     to go to 3 different stores. The stores close early and the prices are higher than the US, especially 
     since there's a 23% VAT on purchases.

4.  Sales racks
     Sales racks are far and few in between in the stores I have been to.  I think the only time I saw a 
     sales rack was in the outlet mall I went to.  In most of the other clothing stores, I have yet to see a 
     sales rack which is unheard of to me.  I would always shop at the sales racks in the US.  Clothes 
     were so cheap back home!

5.  Banks that open before 10 and after 4
     Yeah, so banks here open at 10 am and close at 4 pm with an hour lunch in between.  You also 
     have to conduct your bank business at your designated branch, you can't go to another branch to 
     do any business outside of withdrawing or depositing money.  If you want to set up a direct deposit, 
     you need to submit a form to your branch.  

6.  Trash bins
      Trash is only picked up where I live once a week.  We have to leave it out on the street with a waste 
      sticker on it or they won't take it.  The waste sticker costs 3.50 Euros each! I have to go to the post 
      office and buy these waste stickers for each of my trash bags.  It can get pretty costly and without a 
      dumpster, the trash piles up quick.  Remember, I do have a toddler in diapers.  

7.  Petite clothing stores
     I have seen one store with a petite clothing section here.  I have yet to actually find my actual size.  I 
    do have plenty of clothes, so its not a big deal, but when I go shopping I can't find clothes that fit me.  
    I will have to be resigned to the fact that if I buy pants or skirts I will have to get them altered.  I used 
    to shop at Ann Taylor or Ann Taylor Loft for my clothes as their petite clothes fit me perfectly but 
    alas, no stores in Europe.

8.  Elevators
     Elevators are also very far and few in between.  A lot of places we go to have stairs.  Our apartment 
     has stairs and no elevator.  It can be pretty hard getting around with our buggy going up and down 
     stairs.  If I'm alone with Connor and the buggy and there is a place with stairs, I just avoid it and 
     leave as its too hard for me to carry everything up and down the stairs.

9.  Sink with one faucet in the bathroom
     So, we have seen this a lot.  Our apartment has this too.  Our bathroom sink has two faucets, one 
     for hot water and one for cold water.  You have to do some strange finagling to get warm water.  I 
     guess you could just plug up the sink and fill it with both, but man that takes a long time!  

10. Free refills, more than one napkin
      Ok, ok, we came from the land of excess.  But we do miss getting free refills on drinks and being 
      able to get more than one napkin at a restaurant.  We are paying the same price as we did in the 
      US, but you are definitely getting less.  

To be sure, a lot of these things are to be expected.  I am not whining about these things but thought it would be interesting to share the differences from my perspective.  Ireland has a lot of great things to and I might devote a blog post on that in the future!