Discoveries

This intrepid traveler has discovered many interesting facts about Ireland. The first, is that you take your life in your hands when you go jogging/walking on narrow winding roads at dusk. Especially if there is a steep bank on either side of the road filled with nettles. It's all trails for me from now on. It was a breath-taking walk though.
Another is that a majority of the people here are, let's just say, on the petite side. I could seriously be a pro wrestler here. I could call myself Amazonia. There could really be a future for me here. Kim assures me that all the men that I see that look to be lighter than 115 lbs are not indeed Irish. All the Irishmen at that time of day would be in the pub. This leads me to my next discovery.
There are tons of Polish people here. The Polish people are slightly resented because they flood the workforce here and work really hard, then send the money back home. Sounds familiar, huh? It was so much fun to peruse the aisles of the grocery store, eavesdropping on all the conversations in Polish. I only remember a few phrases, so unless they were saying they had to pee, I wouldn't be able to understand them. I did make me homesick for Poland, though.
Look at the teensy carton of milk! Not a gallon in sight.
One sister for sale! Did we look like dorks to all the Polish shoppers? Yep.
My mom was a Kerr, so I thought these potatoes were cool.
Look at how bright and clean the carrots are! The produce was so fun to look at, each little container was from a different place in the EU. Cherries were from Greece, blueberries from Poland, parsnips from Spain.... Look, I'm a professional grocery shopper back home. Could I resist the lure of the local store? Indeed not!
Want to know something cool? Everything is in English AND Gaelic. Britain was ruthless at trying to homogenize Ireland. Now Gaelic is required for every school child. Way to stick it to the Man, Ireland!
We're heading into the countryside for a road trip to Limerick today, so get ready for lots of pictures of pastoral fields, cottages and sheep. I can't wait!!!

I Heart Ireland

After about an hour on our own at the airport, we ran into Kim. She'd been there all along, waiting at the barrier with her daughter holding adorable welcome signs. We figure she didn't see us for a reason. While she was waiting for us, she met a little girl who is terminally ill. Her family is throwing a party for her, just to celebrate that she's still with them. Kim, a stranger to her until then, is making her a castle cake for the occasion. It was one of those important connections. It all ended up the way it was supposed to.

Ireland is stunning. It's lush, and rain comes and goes during the day. My hair loves it. Kim is delightful. I hadn't seen her since 9th grade, but she's been so fun and welcoming. It was great to arrive at her house, shower, crash, then all crowd on the bed for talking and giggling.

We have a very good view into the neighbor's backyard, and were fascinated with her laundry hanging activities. Later on in the morning it began to rain, so we dashed back upstairs to see what she would do with her laundry. This gal can report that the woman didn't care. She left her laundry hanging during the shower. I'll be sure to keep you posted as the situation develops.

We Made it!

After some nail-biting break-neck speed dashes through unfamiliar airports, flight changes and rearranging, we made it to Dublin! We're now international women of mystery. Due to the drama, we're at the airport alone, and my sister's freaking out because she can't understand anyone. We don't have any contact numbers for Kim, so we're livin' dangerous and free. Look out Ireland!

Nothing is Sacred Anymore in this House

Not even semi-cute pictures of moi.



Ouch. And I think my son has found his calling in life.
Go ahead. Click on it and treat yourself to the full size version. I dare you.

Desktop

I was looking at the thumbnails on my desktop and saw this:

Despite the fact that Lewis' bulging eye is disturbing, this one made me say, "Awwwwwww." Do you know what we did on Tuesday? Celebrated our 15th anniversary. It wasn't terribly romantic, there were 16 shrieking teens over celebrating Dainon's 14th birthday. Lewis was outside supervising an "Ultimate Water Balloon Battle" with a microphone and ginormous speaker blasting a blow-by-blow and teen music for miles. I was hiding in my room with a book. I didn't need the whole romantic scenario, we just got back from a working weekend in Charlotte. My cup was full.
But take a second look at this creation Dainon made. He entitled it "Welded". Could there, perchance, be a little bit of symbolism involved? See how we've 'become one'? And look in the background. Could those be the very flames of passion? A very perceptive young man.

Here's another one I found, "Ultimate Present".

This is my current background for my desktop.

It's an original composition. He's really into political commentary right now. I never know what I'll find when I log on, but last week it was this:Who is he? I know all about him. I shouldn't, but I do. I have a certain son that treats me to Chester trivia on an almost daily basis. Did you know he was so excited to try out for the band that he left his birthday party early? I'll bet you didn't.

Classic Lewis

Lewis tells the corniest jokes. His mind is fertile soil for puns. They just pop right out. Usually, they relate to something he's recently seen. We standing in line at the airport when he came up with what might be his best joke ever. Are you ready for it?

What do you get when a 'woman of the cloth' handles your finances?





Sure you're ready?







Nun of your business.

Did I Just do Something Stupid?

I have a nasty kitchen floor. It's laid with really thick, as in more than an inch, rounded terra cotta tiles. The tile is old and pitted, and dirt is impossible to get out of all those tiny crevices.
I had a brainwave this morning, though.
Instead of taking hours on my hands and knees, what about making use of my husband's treasured toy?



Did I just use 3000 psi jets of water on my kitchen floor? Why, yes. Yes I did. My floors have never been cleaner. My ears are still ringing, I smell like gas fumes, but it was so stinking fun. Was it stupid? Absolutely. Did I flood anything downstairs? Only a little. Was it worth it? Uh-huh.