Technology Woes

Our computer is under the weather. :( It won't even boot up! We spent the last few days trying to diagnose and fix it, but we have thrown in the towel and taken it to a professional. Thus, my posts will be limited or pictureless until our computer gets better.

In the mean time, I hope everyone is enjoying a short break from the extreme heat!

Time for an Update

I can't believe over a year has passed since my last post!  The past year absolutely flew by.  My last post was towards the end of our trip/belated honeymoon to Ireland.  Once we returned home, we immediately packed up my brother's Crown Victoria and drove across the country to spend a month in San Diego, California.  There we helped fix up a Hansen family home and then drove back to Virginia just in time for school to start.

Year two of teaching was just as difficult and rewarding as year one, but in different ways.  My first year of teaching seemed true of what many veteran teachers tell you - you are just trying to keep you head above water.  That entire first year, I did everything in my power to get through teaching a year's worth of Chemistry on pace.  My second year (and this past year) of teaching I was very blessed to be teaching the same subject, so the getting through the content was not as difficult.  However, I struggled more with relationships with parents and standing up for myself this year.   I dealt with very nasty confrontations from multiple parents during the course of the school year, where I was often berated (once within earshot of some of my co-workers and other parents).  To be fair, in each case there was at least one thing that could have spurred on a productive conversation, but the majority of all of the conversations were unjustified statements.  I struggled with taking some of the rude things that were said personally and beating myself up over them.  But, God is good and faithful and He blessed me with affirmation and encouragement from friends and co-workers.   By the end of the year, learned how to better discern the between the truth and lies and how to respectfully stand up for myself and what I think is best for my students.

Also during the past year, Jonathan started a new job and we adjusted to a schedule with both of us working.  God also blessed us with the opportunity to serve our church, Portico Arlington, by leading a community group.  We get together to fellowship with some great people every Tuesday night.  Each week, we start out with a meal and then discuss the sermon from that Sunday and try to dig deeper and apply it to our lives.  It has been amazing to watch God's work through building relationships, directing conversation and answered prayers.  Please pray that God would continue to bless our community group in these ways.

I am currently enjoying some time off with summer break.  Looking back, this is the first time I've felt able to actually rest since Jonathan and I got married. However, I do want to still be productive, so stealing an idea from my friend Karen's blog, I have made a list of things that I would like to accomplish before I return to school at the end of August.

Summer To-Do's:

• start blogging consistently again
• scrapbook Ireland trip
• scrapbook road trip/California
• scrapbook recent Wyoming trip
• move & reorganize/unpack
• start a recipe journal with Jonathan
• reorganize school files

Well, I guess that is it for now. Look out for posts summarizing some of our trips this past year and some recipes I've recently discovered!

Ennis & Tralee: "Relax, Go Take a Walk on the Beach"

This post is about July 5th.

We started off this morning in Ennis with a mid-morning breakfast and a little bit of a late start at the Elmdale B&B. From there, we started our drive down to Tralee on the Dingle Peninsula, with a stop in Limerick along the way. Just outside of Limerick, we stopped at the Bunratty Castle and Folk Park. Bunratty Castle was in ruin, but in the 1960's was purchased an renovated back to its original state. It was awesome to be able to explore the castle and its tight spiral staircases. From the castle we explored the rest of the folk park, which was a depiction of Irish live in the 1800's. The folk park was a little on the touristy side, so we just walked through park and went on our way.

The banquet hall.

The dungeon.

One of the many tight, little staircases.

Jonathan being dragged down into the dungeon.

The view from the a tower.

Jonathan would have been a giant in the 1800's.

This little street inspired Jonathan to start singing, "There goes the baker with his tray like always, the same old bread and rolls to sell..."

From Bunratty, we headed into Limerick for lunch. While walking the streets looking for a place to eat we stopped and bought Jonathan a pipe made in Ireland. From there we continued drive down to Tralee along a route that took us through a cute little town called Adare. However, we did not know that Adare was hosting a HUGE golf tournament. So, we officially hit our first Irish traffic jam. Three kilometers outside of town, people were pulling over to park for the tournament. It was insane.

After our slow crawl through Adare, we finally made it to the beautiful peninsula of Dingle. Just outside of a cute town called Tralee, we arrived at Camp Juction House. This was an awesome B&B with a large room, a gorgeous bathroom with a power shower, and the most amazing view of both the beach and the mountains. We are definitely coming back to this one. John, the owner of Camp Junction House, insisted that we take some time to relax, take a walk on the beach, and enjoy our stay. He convinced us to save some of our drive around the peninsula for tomorrow.

Here are some views of the B&B and the beach.

After getting settled and our little stroll on the beach we drove through the mountains for dinner in the town of Dingle. The views of the pastures and the peeks at the bay through the mountains can't even be described. Dingle was a very cute little town and we greatly enjoyed our seafood dinner at Ashes Bar. Afterwards, we enjoyed some traditional music at a pub down the street.

We have been blessed with amazing weather again today. Please pray for our continued safety on the roads, especially as we travel on the small, winding coastal roads around Dingle tomorrow. We send love to all of our friends and family back home.

The Burren & Ennis: The Third Stop is the Charm

This post is about Sunday, July 4th - Happy Birthday USA!

We had a late start this morning on Aran Island. The ferry back to the mainland was not until noon. So we had breakfast, biked back to the port town on the island and wondered around for a bit before catching the rocky ride back to the main island of Ireland. Here is our last look of Aran Island.

From the mainland port we tried to drive north a little bit to stop in at the Connemara Marble Visitor Center; however, we totally missed the signs or the turn. We decided it wasn't worth the extra 20-30 minutes it would take to find this place so we kept heading towards the Burren. The Burren is known for its unique landscape when compared to the rest of Ireland, but when we drove through this plateau we didn't really get what was so special about it. Maybe we were on the wrong road, or maybe we were used to this landscape because we just came from the Aran Islands (which are considered a continuation of the Burren). Anyways, we didn't get what the big deal was about.

After driving through the Burren, we arrived at the Cliffs of Moher. This landmark totally lived up to the hype. The cliffs were absolutely stunning. Even though it was an extremely windy day, we really enjoyed exploring and taking pictures of the cliffs.

We are very thankful for the continued blessings of good weather. We hope that everyone back home has a safe and enjoyable 4th of July! Please pray for our continued safety on the roads and for the last several days of our trip.

Aran Islands: Tour de Aran

This post is for Saturday, July 3rd - Happy Birthday Karon!

A&J: We slept in this morning and had a late breakfast at the Branches B&B. As Mike bussled around serving us our "bacon" (ham to us) and eggs we prepared for a rainy journey to the Aran Islands. From the Branches we drove 45 minutes west to park the car and catch a ferry over to the main island, Aran. Alison was smart enough to fall asleep for the 45 minute ferry ride, which was VERY rocky and sea-sickening (need we say more). When we arrived at the island we rented a couple bikes from Aran Bike Hire.

Since the island is only 9 miles long and 2 miles wide, bikes are the perfect mode of transportation. However, the island is quite hilly and it peaks in the middle. As we biked the 5 miles along the scenic route to our next B&B, we paid the price for the long downhill coasts into town by trudging up the equally long inclines.

The views as we were biking were spectacular. Even on a cloudy day, the charm of the little island was unmistakable. Aran has very rocky farmland, and the farmers split their pastures with fences made out of rock. This made for a very unique landscape against the backdrop of the ocean.

Five exhausting miles later, we had finally made it to the Kilmurvy B&B. This cute farmhouse had nice size rooms and en-suites. It also sat in front of a 3000 year old fort. The fort was originally built during the Iron Age as a place of worship and then was fortified over the years into what stands today. The fort is high on the cliffs of Aran and makes several semi-circular rings. Outside of the walls, there is a band of upright, jagged rocks that were once used to protect against cavalry attacks. Laying on our stomachs and creeping up to the edge of the cliffs, we were able to view to the crashing waves below. Jonathan also thought that the gusts from the ocean created the perfect, breezy conditions for a nap.

The greatest experiences on the island occurred after we biked the 5 miles back into town for dinner and some drinks at the Ti Joe Watty's. When we first got there, the pub was packed with people watching the Spain/Paraguay game. We decided to squeez into a spot along the bar to have a dinner and watch the game. While we were eating and hanging out we met a man named Jack. Jack is a lobster and crab fisherman who also works at a tourism shop on the island. He thought Jon had a "trusting" face, so he left Jon with his wallet as he went to use the restroom. Because he had given Jon his seat earlier in the night so that the two of us could eat together, we decided to buy Jack a "loaf of Guinness," (in his words). He was very appreciative and and the walls quickly fell down between a couple of Americans and a hardened Irish fisherman. Jack entertained us with stories riddled with stereotypes of lazy American tourists that he likes to call "Planks" instead of "Yanks." (due to their average size) Apparently earlier that night, a young American tourist had inquired about the plural pronunciation of Guinness. Jack replied, "a pint is a pint ask for two pints, or five if you can do the math."

During the evening, we came to know another fisherman from the island named Paddy. Paddy was very sweet and clearly enjoyed the attention from a couple of young American tourists. Paddy wanted to talk about anything and everything - from gardening, to his travels on the American East coast, to the best routes for our next few stops in Ireland. He was an incredibly charming older man who so appropriately mirrored the genuine kindness of the Irish.

After a week we finally feel like we have become better accustomed to the Irish way of life. Biking the 5 miles back to the B&B with a few Guinness (pl?) in our bellies, we marvelled at the simplicity of life here and depth of those who call this home.

We are exhausted from all the biking and using muscles we haven't used since we were kids (according to Jack). We leave you with a parting Irish phrase picked up from Paddy.

Slainte wi! (Good Health!)

Sligo & Galway: A Taste of the Local Life

(We've added these maps to all of our previous Ireland posts to help give you an idea of where we have been each day. Enjoy!)

This post is for July 2nd - Happy Birthday Alex!

A&J: We woke up and had an early breakfast at the Adtardman House and enjoy our last few looks around the magnificent house and property. Then we headed 20 minutes east into the town of Sligo. We spent some time wandering the streets and shops in the city center.

Almost every morning with our breakfast, our hosts serve coffee in a cute little metal teapot. Alison really wanted to take one home, so we stopped into a local kitchen store to buy one. Sligo is known for influences on traditional Irish music, so we headed across the street to a music store. We had a great conversation with the man who owns the store about Irish music and County Sligo. He looked to be in his mid 30's and had his adorable toddler son running around with a bag of animal crackers. We really enjoyed learning more about Irish music, and he even allowed us to listen to some tracks from two CD's before we purchased them. We are glad that we waited until we got to Sligo to buy some Irish music. We were able to purchase music from two groups based in Sligo from an authentic Irish music store, rather than a touristy gift shop in the larger cities.

From Sligo, we drove two hours south to Galway city. We got there around 1pm, so we spent a few hours exploring the city before checking into our B&B. Galway is known as a good place to shop because they have several pedestrian streets. We purchased a cute pair of boots and some cheap jewelry for Alison and then headed a few blocks over to St. Nicholas Cathedral. The cathedral was huge with all stained glass windows. The windows were amazing with their vibrant colors and detailed Biblical depictions. What was interesting, was several of the windows and other decorations had a bit of a modern touch, which we didn't expect from such a traditional looking Catholic church.

From the cathedral we headed back to our car and over to the Branches B&B in East Galway. We got terribly turned around after a few round-a-bouts and it took us an hour to find a B&B that is a 5-minute drive from the city. We reserved a last-minute room at this B&B and ended up with a tiny double room that they usually rent as a single. However, the owner, Mike was very understanding and gave us a reduced price. After settling in and updating the blog, we caught a bus into the city to grab a late dinner and listen to some music. We went to the King's Head Bar, but we too late for food service, but right on time for beer and the second half & overtime of the Uruguay/Ghana game. What a finish! Due to how late the game ran, we were not able to stay for the band that was setting up because we had to catch the last bus back to our B&B. After a wet ride home with some bus route confusion, we made it back get some sleep.


Thanks to everyone for your thoughtful messages and prayers. At our halfway point in this trip, we have enjoyed all of the ins and outs of Ireland and have been having a wonderful time together on our honeymoon. Please pray for our continued safety and for good weather tomorrow as we will be heading to the Aran Islands for the day and can only travel by bike.