Monday, December 22, 2008

salvage mission

i watch this almost every day. i don't know why. but i think it is a super neat video and song. hope you like it!


Monday, December 08, 2008

i want to eat you

because you look like an ice cream cone!

seriously, how awesome would it be to see this in person? so neat!
st. basil's cathedral / moscow, russia (by j. cobb)

the amazing grace

in o holy night. one of my favorite christmas songs. i can almost never make it through the song without tearing up. ridiculous, but awesome! the words are so powerful and so amazing.

O holy night! The stars are brightly shining,
It is the night of our dear Saviour's birth.
Long lay the world in sin and error pining,
'Til He appear'd and the soul felt its worth.
A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices,
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.

Fall on your knees! O, hear the angels' voices!
O night divine, O night when Christ was born;
O night divine, O night, O night Divine.

Led by the light of Faith serenely beaming,
With glowing hearts by His cradle we stand.
So led by light of a star sweetly gleaming,
Here come the wise men from Orient land.
The King of Kings lay thus in lowly manger;
In all our trials born to be our friend.

He knows our need, to our weakness is no stranger,
Behold your King! Before Him lowly bend!
Behold your King, Behold your King.

Truly He taught us to love one another;
His law is love and His gospel is peace.
Chains shall He break for the slave is our brother;
And in His name all oppression shall cease.
Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we,
Let all within us praise His holy name.

Christ is the Lord! O praise His Name forever,
His power and glory evermore proclaim.
His power and glory evermore proclaim.

Friday, November 21, 2008

if you need to reach me, i'll be under that rock over there

this guy, karl fisch, puts these information videos together. sony adapted one for their executive meeting in rome this past year. wowzers!

Thursday, November 20, 2008

important chart

latest pie chart based on important research i've be working on:

Thursday, November 06, 2008

guilty as everything

one of my biggest pet peeves is dishonesty. of all sorts. there is one that particularly hurts my feelings. that is the partial truth conversation. when someone tells you what they think you want to hear so as not to hurt your feelings. or they only tell you what will place him/her in the best possible light by leaving out specific details/information. problem is, we all know when people do this. a pause. a look. a tone. an avoidance. i know...i've done it too. and probably not that long ago.

that said...one of my biggest admirations is when people are honest no matter the desired outcome. i was talking with a friend last night about this. we had both been in situations when honesty was hard. BUT each time, those relationships were made stronger. built sturdier. surrounded by a trust that only a true friendship can reveal.

nothing major to report here. was just thinking about this today since the conversation last night. i like it. :D

proverbs 24:26 "an honest answer is like a kiss on the lips"

Monday, October 20, 2008

ch-ch-ch-ch-changes

have you ever noticed that life changes? i find that i contradict myself a lot when it comes to change. i love change! i hate change! change is good! change is bad! i have actually caught myself saying both in the same day (almost hour). so, what's the difference between good change and bad change? or is there?

maybe we just roll with the punches. adjust. enjoy the ride. take notes. highlight the important stuff.

i think i'll make chili tonight. decision made.

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

fair game

I found this on a blog. Thought it was interesting. They pulled it from the book, "No Greater Joy. Vol. 1" by Michael and Debi Pearl. A parenting book, of all things.

"There is a universal tendency to try to make life fair. 'You had your turn, now it is mine.' 'You already have two balls and I have none, so you should be fair and share with me.' 'Daddy gave Johnny one, so Suzy should get one also.' We tend to think of legislated fairness as equality, when in fact it is inequality. This is so ingrained in us that we equate fairness with justice. The communist system is built on a principle of forced fairness. In contrast, the American system of government is based on individual rights.

"Pure fairness is as unlikely and as undesirable as making all mountains the same height. It is unnatural and can only be achieved through forced injustice. When it is a rule handed down by 'Big Brother' it will never be carried out with benevolence on the part of the one being stripped of his abundance, nor can it be received with thankfulness on the part of the one expecting legislated equality.

"This indulgent demand for fairness begins at the earliest age. You can know you have already cultivated self-centerdness in your children when Grandma must buy gifts of equal value for each grandchild in order to keep feelings from being hurt. Trying to keep equal accounts, whether in things, privileges, or discipline, is not wise. It trains children to believe they have the right to weigh and balance, to demand equal share, or to veto the good fortune of another. They are turning selfishness into a childhood occupation. Evil covetousness is being rewarded. Parents are missing one of the greatest opportunities to teach their children to rejoice in the good fortune of another.

"It should never be our intention to show favoritism, but circumstantial inequality is not only just but essential to the very foundations of individuality. Some are naturally tall, while others are short. Some are gifted in many areas, whereas others appear to be gifted in little. One farmer receives rain while another suffers drought. One is born into a family of opportunity while another is born into social bondage. One gets a promotion while another loses his job. Many run the race, but only one takes first place.

"When your child gets knocked down, don't reward his whining of unfairness. Teach him how to get up and walk away with dignity. If the other children run off and leave him, teach him how to organize play that will cause them to want to be a part of his activity. But never make your child the unwelcome tagalong of despising peers. When rain falls on his neighbors' crops but not his, teach him how to irrigate. When his wages are lower, teach him how to manage his finances. When someone else gets the job, teach him how to start a company that provides better services. If he has fewer gifts, teach him how to expect nothing and to make little into abundance. Rather than whine for equality, teach him how to give until others are blessed above himself."

Tuesday, September 09, 2008

third wheel

someecards is probably one of my favorite, somewhat inappropriate, ecard sites. this one was sent my way and it made me laugh for about 10 minutes straight!



thanks, mindy!

Friday, September 05, 2008

1 BILLION dollars

That's how much money has been raised from January 1, 2007 - June 30, 2008. What cause is benefiting from such enthusiastic giving? Education? The needy? Cancer research? Countries that have faced or are facing genocide, starvation and/or undrinkable water? Nope.

The winner is...



And anyone that looks at my bank account and can see where I spend my money would know this is not a sermon or finger pointing. Just a little food for thought.

Thursday, August 21, 2008

just another day at the office?

digital divas
digital with j simpson: justin, holly, jessica, brian

Thursday, July 17, 2008

true love will find you in the end

our friend jerry plays "true love will find you in the end" in my and scilla's kitchen.

Friday, July 11, 2008

let's dance

dancing makes you happy


Tuesday, July 01, 2008

sometimes

sometimes you learn something that immediately makes you think and feel two very different things...almost at the same time, even. sad but glad. disappointment but relief. rejected but overwhelmingly loved. sometimes, bad times are good times.

Sunday, April 20, 2008

dublin, ireland: day 8 & 9

day 8 - sunday, march 23rd

today's objectives: abbey easter service at the dublin spire (city centre). spend the day with the boal family.

we started this morning out like all the others. walking. today we are meeting at the spire (which is in the middle of the city) for a "sunrise" easter service. each of the three churches that we have been with throughout the week were all there. when we got there all the streets were empty of traffic. they had blocked off o'connell street for the easter parade that was happening later that day. we found out that the person who was in charge of doing music for the service fell ill...so, david to the rescue. he picked up a guitar and did the worship for us. it was neat to be with everyone at the spire, singing songs, praying, and just being a community.

dublin, ireland: day 8
empty o'connell street

dublin, ireland: day 8
worship @ the spire

after the morning service, all the churches meet up at the methodist church for a traditional irish breakfast. oddly, baked beans are a part of breakfast...but tasty all the same. it was SO cold outside and it was nice to be inside drinking tea and munching on brown bread.

then we head back to abbey church for the normal service. alan delivered a lovely sermon. kevin stepped up to the plate to do some reading. by this time, the congregation feels like family. we arrived the previous sunday, knowing no one, shaking hands and getting to know people. by easter service we are sitting with new friends, laughing about the week, and hugging everyone like we've known each other for years.

the boal family invited us over for sunday lunch after church. this was one of my favorite things about the trip! we arrived to find a HUGE spread of food, all made by ruth boal. when she had the time to prepare such an amazing feast is beyond me! chicken pasta, salad, brown bread, and the best hot tea in the world! to top off lunch, there was homemade apple pie and custard! heaven! this woman can cook! while munching on these delights and sipping tea, we just relaxed and exchanged stories. it was like being home.

dublin, ireland: day 8
kevin and sam (alan & ruth's son) probably discussing judge judy

dublin, ireland: day 8
our group. it was hard to say goodbye. :(

we took the bus back to harvey's guest house where we packed our bags and prepared for the early morning trip to the airport.

day 9 - monday, march 24th

today's objective: pack up and head back to the states.

it was an early morning. we were all packed and downstairs waiting for the bus to take us back to the airport. we were leaving. very sad.

as we were about to leave, robert, the gentleman running the guest house, pulls up in his car. he actually came to take some of us to the airport! he didn't even have to be there that day, but wanted to see us off. that was one of the sweetest gestures and it made me smile. amy, shelby and i rode with robert. mikkee stayed back with the boys and took the bus...someone had to keep them in order! :)

dublin, ireland: day 9
mikkee, thrilled to be waiting on the bus with greg

once at the airport, i was frisked many many times. they also took my knitting needles! at first, the lady pointed to a screen and asked if i was carrying darts. i was like, "no." then i said, "oh, those are my knitting needles." "NEEDLES" she exclaimed! i think maybe i should have called them sticks. oops. coincidentally, they didn't take my pens or pencils. hmmm. looks like i'll be reading for the next 7 hours.

dublin, ireland: day 9
heading home

leaving ireland with this (a favorite of mine): isaiah 55: 12-13

click here for pictures from day 8 & 9

dublin, ireland: day 7

day 7 - saturday, march 22nd

today's objectives: break out into 3 groups (arts, internationals, youth) and focus on meeting and building relationships with people in the city.

the arts group was made up of david and amy. they went to grafton street. this is one of the major shopping areas. it is also where many artists / performers go to display his/her/their specific talent. david took his guitar and "busked" (or performed on the street). they ended up meeting some fellow buskers and exchanging stories & information. amy is so spunky and fun, i'm sure they were all rolling with laughter the entire time!

dublin, ireland: day 7
david busking with dubliners

the international group was made up of greg and shelby. i'm not really sure what came of this one, other than it was probably the most difficult. meeting an international and starting a conversation can be hard when you have language and culture barriers.

the youth group was made up of me, mikkee and kevin. all of us had a special interest in the younger generation. it took about 2 minutes to find what we were looking for. loud music playing out of a van by the liffey river. crowds of people...YOUNG people! we had stumbled into a rowing race between two of the biggest colleges in dublin, trinity college and university college dublin (ucd). i found out later this was the "Gannon Cup" race. so, it was pretty easy to find people to talk to. mikkee and i made several attempts a making friends with the girls, but were not hugely successful. kevin, on the other hand, met some guys that we all ended up spending a lot of time with that day.

dublin, ireland: day 7
gannon cup 2008 - trinity college v ucd

i'm going to include a bit from his (kevin) blog now:

"I bump into the lad from Trinity, Colm. He's there hanging out with some of his college buddies, all who once rowed at Trinity. Peter and Kevin are the two guys I take up talking to and they are a riot. Peter is nuts and reminds me of Paul Alberstadt at a Vandy Football tailgate...he's talking trash to UCD and screaming at the top of his lungs. Of course, I like him immediately. Kevin is a quieter fellow, still in school but who has just accepted a position with Accenture in IT consulting when he finishes. Nice fellow, we chat a bit about jobs and watch the novice race.

The girls soon are upon us. Apparently they have moved on from the girl they were speaking with earlier. She apparently was a little bored. But, the lads are excited to have such beautiful ladies in their presence. Peter is chatting them up and when he sees them without sunglasses, he is enamored by their blue eyes. They soon part for coffee and I tell them I will wait for their return. Immediately, the lads start in on me - "are either of the girls your sister? Are you dating one of them? They are certainly lovely!" I tell them I just don't travel with ugly girls, its how I roll. We all share a laugh over this.

The guys are going to catch a double decker bus to head over to the finish and invite me along. I pass and wait for the girls. Little do I know that the bus will make several trips back and forth. The girls arrive at the same time the lads return, ready for the start of the main event. We all hop on and follow the action along the river. Trinity starts out with a burst, but alas, like in the 3 previous races, can't hold pace and they lose out to UCD by half a length over the 4 kilometer course. Peter is bummed as are the rest of the lads. But in true Irish form, begin singing pub songs which are a bit on the raunchy side. Even the girls laugh at the lyrics as we head back to where we all began. We say goodbye to Peter, take a few pics, get Facebook and MySpace addresses and agree to catch them at a pub later.


dublin, ireland: day 7
peter & friends

Then we head over to Graften where we converse with a couple of lads raising money for local charity. These guys are both genuinely enthusiastic about helping out their fellow man. I will point this out as a perfect outreach later when I see Chuck that evening. Again, we get information and Facebook addresses, grab a bite and then meet with the other members of the team and Chuck for a debriefing. Needless to say, our group has had the most craic (Gaelic for fun) and success in friendship building. Chuck really is encouraged about what he hears and we talk a bit more about future possibilities for outreach."

kevin summed it up well. like he pointed out at the end, after our day of meeting people, we get back together as a group and go over our day and what it means for short term mission teams. there were some great ideas that came out of the meeting. chuck has an amazing vision for this country, and i hope we get to continue helping him in his vision.after our re-cap meeting with chuck, we split up before heading to dinner. a few of our team went back to the b&b to change and freshen up. i went to the supermarket (TESCO!) to pick up some things i wanted to bring back to the states for people. it was cool to just walk the streets and see different people moving about and living. it was around dusk so the sky was really pretty and the air was a little crisp. awesome! there were a lot of outside vendors. flowers, food, and that sort of thing.

we were meeting a couple of amy's ireland friends for dinner @ the auld dubliner pub. when mikkee and i first got there it was so crowded we could barely move. one nice gentleman offered us a seat...in his lap. uh. awkward. we eventually prevailed and found a place to sit once everyone showed up. katherine and christy (abbey interns) also joined our group. it was nice to just sit down and hang out and get to know everyone better for a bit.

dublin, ireland: day 7
amy & her ireland friends

finally back to harvey's for some sleep!

click here for pictures from day 7

dublin, ireland: day 6

day 6 - friday, march 21st

today's objectives: meet missionary from morocco, english speaking corner at immanuel church, give good friday service.

we started this day off with a walk to Saint Stephen's Green for our quiet time. it was a lovely park right in the middle of the city. i found a place to sit in the sun so it wasn't quite so cold.

dublin, ireland: day 6
saint stephen's green

after quiet time, we meet up with chuck at trinity college again. we were going to meet with him and another missionary (from moracco) but she ended up being sick and unable to join us.

next stop, immanuel church for english speaking corner. we were able to take our time getting there since our previous engagement was cancelled. we saw dublin castle...complete with a gift shop and cafe (ha!). the back of the castle was an array of colored buildings. beautiful against the blue sky. we also passed a statue that was dedicated to someone named "moore" which happens to be my mother's maiden name...so i had to get a picture of that.

dublin, ireland: day 6dublin, ireland: day 6
back of dublin castle / statue of "moore"

then, on to immanuel where we met some international students to help them with english. i was with a young girl from china who was going to school to learn english so she could become a doctor. near the end of our time of learning, they do a brief explanation of jesus and the gospel. we go over what we've just heard back at our table. i noticed that the international students were much more willing to try and understand and learn what they just heard (asking questions, etc) than the people we met that grew up surrounded by christianity.

dublin, ireland: day 6
amy & mikkee direct arrivals

dublin, ireland: day 6
english corner

now we walk back to abbey church to do a run through of the evening. our team is doing the good friday service (called tennebrae) at abbey that night, so we want to make sure we have it down. all of us have a part to read, except david, who does the worship music. i think we did a pretty good job of being prepared, even for a run through. one thing...the church was EXTREMELY cold. most of us kept our coats and gloves on the entire time. one of the major appreciations for america and more modern buildings - central heat/air and warm toilet seats. definitely something i've always taken for granted.

instead of having the service in the sanctuary of abbey, we had the service in a smaller upstairs room (with heat!!!). the smaller room made it more cozy and intimate, and i loved it! the service of tennebrae, or "shadows," is an ancient tradition, used in the last days of Holy Week to impress upon the hearts of believers the awful consequences of sin and the magnitude of the Savior's sacrifice. we each read our verses, which was the account of the betrayal, conviction, persecution, and death of Christ. there were 7 candles in the room. after each reading, one of the candles would be extinguished. by the time we were at the end, the room was completely dark. the last candle to be extinguished was the Christ candle and, of course, represented His death. which is what good friday is about. after the service was over, we all stayed in the room and chatted for a bit with everyone. our new community. :)

christy and katherine invited us all over to their apartment afterwards for some tea and cake. the cake was delicious and the conversation a delight!

dublin, ireland: day 6
katherine & christy's place

we are all pretty worn out by now. so, we head back to harvey's guest house and hit the hay. zzzzz.

click here for pictures from day 6

dublin, ireland: day 5

day 5 - thursday, march 20th

today's agenda: tour international scene in dublin (including a mosque). chuck's "project" details for saturday. communion service.

we started the day off by walking (which we did A LOT) to trinity college to meet chuck. while waiting, we looked around the campus a bit. amy took me to see the dorm that oscar wilde used to live in. very exciting! i'm a big fan!

dublin, ireland: day 5
me in front of oscar wilde's door

once chuck arrived, we headed out. chuck took us to a mosque. it happens to be in an old church, believe it or not. a very interesting sign of where christianity is at in this country. the girls all had to wear our scarves on our heads to be able to get in. everyone took their shoes off. the gentleman that showed us around and told us about their beliefs was very friendly, but in an a somewhat uncomfortable way. it's hard to explain. the women worshiped in a separate area than the men. they pray according to a time schedule. definitely a different worship environment than i'm used to. the gentleman did tell us that the muslim community / church has shown huge growth over the last few years. i wasn't sure if that was due to population increase or conversion. christianity in ireland has not grown.

dublin, ireland: day 5dublin, ireland: day 5
mosque in church building / prayer time schedule

after the mosque, we started back to the city centre of dublin...thank heavens we found a bus! we went to lunch with chuck who explained his project for us. i won't go into huge amounts of detail, but he had some brain-storming to do for sure. it will be more clear in saturday's blog post. :)

when we finished our project with chuck, we had a couple hours to do whatever (shopping, sight seeing, etc.) until heading back to abbey church for holy week service stuff. a few of us opted to go to the guinness factory for the tour during this time, instead of shopping. and if you aren't aware, guinness beer is native to dublin, ireland. another massive walk to the factory, 5 stories, and one glass later, we are finally at the top of the guinness factory looking out the 360 degree windows over the city of dublin. awesome!

dublin, ireland: day 5dublin, ireland: day 5

the guinness towers / reward at the top

we all met back up and headed over to the church for communion service. all the services during this week are shared between three churches. none of which are the same denomination. that is almost unheard of here in the states. a baptist and methodist church would probably never hold a function together here in the U.S. but in ireland, it almost seems necessary due to the small number of members. they have to band together and i love that. i wish we were more blind to our 'so-called' differences here too. it's like the gentiles and the jews...jesus' message was for everyone, not just one religion vs another. that's actually what i love so much about the church i attend now...the message is 'love everyone' not just 'love pca members only.' refreshing.

finally, we had team meeting time. i think we were all pretty worn out at this point. emotions were high, nerves were frayed, but we trucked through it...and we all still love each other. haha!


click here for pictures from day 5

dublin, ireland: day 4

day 4 - wednesday, march 19th
(prayer walk / chuck tarter time)

day four's objective was to do a prayer walk (which i have never done before) and get to know chuck, his family, and their mission better.

we started the day off with quiet time, as usual. but this time mikkee decided to take us to killiney beach for our time with God. it was slightly overcast, slightly sunny, and quite cold. the beach was very interesting. made up of sand and smooth oval rocks. lots of fun happy dogs running around as well. killiney beach is also where the lead singer of U2 (bono) lives, and enya.

dublin, ireland: day 4
fun pups on the beach

dublin, ireland: day 4
killiney beach

chuck met us at the beach and we started on our way...we, of course, stopped to take some pictures of bono's grafiti door. :) now, i have never done a prayer walk, and as many of you know, am not great at praying out loud either. so, i was extremely nervous about this walking and praying thing. it ended up not being so daunting. i did not pray out loud, but i was able to say many silent prayers as we went up the streets. it was really inspiring to hear others praying for each other, friends, strangers on the street, the town, the country, and even their own fears and struggles. i hope to one day be comfortable enough to converse with God out loud...but that is my OWN struggle.

dublin, ireland: day 4
this puppy was our constant leader during the prayer walk!

when we finished the prayer walk, chuck took us back into greystones (where he lives) and showed us the town and places that he works with and helps support. one of the most interesting places to me was the ywca. they host groups and even vacationers in a christian evironment. here is a link to their site: http://www.coolnagreina.ie/index.html

we then went back to chuck's home to meet his wife and 3 kids. they were a lot of fun! his wife, michelle, is super sweet and down to earth! the girls chatted with her most of the time. what life is like in the mission field and sort of a "get to know you" conversation...which lasted so long, we almost missed the train back. we only had one car to get us back to the dart station, so chuck had to take us in groups. the girls were first. the boys missed the train. oops. ha! but chuck drove them back to town.

wicklow, ireland: day 4
the life of a missionary kid..cute!

us girls had dinner together before going to the church for holy week service. i was able to secure my first free glass to bring back with me to america at the pub we ate at. woohoo! we met up with the guys at the church and had service. then the abbey church interns (chrisy and katherine) took us to a music outreach night held at immanuel church dublin. ireland seems to really embrace the arts as a way to reach people. i thought that was awesome!

then back to harvey's guest house for our team meeting and BED!

click here for pictures from day 4

Tuesday, April 01, 2008

dublin, ireland: day 3

day 3 - tuesday, march 18th

actually, we were mostly in county wicklow (greystones & glendalough). this was our free day. shelby, david and myself opted for the trip to glendalough with missionary chuck. chuck lives in greystones, so he was the perfect tour guide. we were able to spend a lot of time talking with chuck about his mission too, which was awesome!

this is also the day my camera died, so all of the pictures are from either david or shelby's camera. they were sweet enough to even let me take a few pictures with their cameras. yay!
there are no words to effectively describe how beautiful this country is. i really don't think the pictures do it justice either, but it's all i've got. ha! parts of it reminded me of east tennessee, but it was so obviously not east tn at the same time.

our day: we took the train (called the dart) from dublin to greystones. a train ride looking over the water and hills of ireland...phenomenal. once in greystones, shelby and i popped into a coffee shop (YAY!) while we waited for chuck.

co. wicklow, ireland: day 3
view from dart train

co. wicklow, ireland: day 3
shelby & i finally get some coffee!

once chuck picked us up, he took us to a place called powerscourt for some shopping and country side views. he was great at giving us details about history and culture in the area. shelby and i picked up a few items while the guys did their thing. then we headed to AVOCA for lunch. AVOCA is a brand now, but it is mostly handmade items in co. wicklow. that was probably the best meal ever. i ordered a 'tart' which i thought was everything, then they asked me what i wanted for my THREE sides. hungry? i hope so.

then we headed for glendalough with full stomachs. there is a link below with details about what glendalough is if you would like to check it out. it was spectacularly beautiful! and we saw sheep and little lambs!!!

co. wicklow, ireland: day 3
entering glendalough

co. wicklow, ireland: day 3
the upper lake @ glendalough

after glendalough, chuck took us back to 'town' for dinner at a place called "the hungry monk" (they had chanting in the restroom, or 'toilet' as they say).

we catch the last train back into dublin and have just enough time to pop into a bar for our very first irish guinness. mmmmm!

a grand end to a grand day! and chuck was amazing. we were lucky to have him with us!

link to co. wicklow: wicklow.com/glendalough/glendalough-county-wicklow/

click here for pictures from day 3

Wednesday, March 26, 2008

dublin, ireland: day 2

day 2 - monday, march 17th

saint patrick's day in dublin, ireland. how awesome is that?!

we started the day with breakfast at our b&b (harvey guest house). i really enjoy there breakfast. they have hard boiled eggs, a variety of healthy cereals, oatmeal, scrambled eggs, and fruit salad. there is also something called 'brown bread' which you can only get in ireland. it is thick and grainy and very good. ruth gave mikkee the recipe before we left (woohoo!). my favorite, however, is the hot tea. it's called barry's tea, and it's grand! just add a little raw sugar and a splash of milk. d-lish.

we had a few minutes of quiet time each day. and each day mikkee surprised us with an encouraging letter from a friend or family member. for those of you that sent cards, they made my day! i can't tell you how many times i broke out the tissue (you know me!). love you all very much!

we head out to abbey church all bundled up. when we get there, we are lead to the downstairs room where the céilí will be held to start the clean up and decoration process. however, there is a crew of youth and parents getting ready for the saint patrick's day parade. they were actually IN the parade. a "bee" theme. there were worker bees, a queen bee, flowers, spiders, bumble bees, yellow jackets, you name it. absolutely adorable and incredibly creative. we found out after the parade that their float won the top spot (spirit award) in the parade. and they deserved it!

dublin, ireland: day 2dublin, ireland: day 2
a flower / creator of all costumes & me

when it's time for the parade, we line up outside to watch. it was an amazing blur of color and creativity. not to mention an abundant amount of american marching bands...that was sort of odd. ha!

dublin, ireland: day 2dublin, ireland: day 2
american marching band / colorful parade group

once the parade is over it's back to work. we have practice time (square dancing / line dancing routines that we have to teach at the céilí). then we clean the downstairs room and decorate for the party. the church has invited several other churches and people.

quick sandwich, then time for the festivities to start. the dj sets up, the irish band tunes their instruments, and the dance instructor promises me a dance. very sweet gentleman. the room was so cold when we started, but by the end of the night, we were all in our t-shirts because we were so hot from dancing. we learned traditional irish dances as well as teaching a few american line dances of our own. it was neat to see several kids that were just passing by on the street join in the festivities. we even learned a few salsa and swing moves from our new friends! :)

dublin, ireland: day 2dublin, ireland: day 2
traditional irish dance / céilí (kay-lee) band

after the céilí we cleaned up and moved everything back into the room. it's late, we're super tired and we head back to harvey's for our team meeting and sleep.

click here for pictures from day 2

Tuesday, March 25, 2008

dublin, ireland: day 1

day 1 - saturday, march 15th / sunday, march 16th.

saturday and sunday are both day one since they merged together with no sleep.

we arrived at the nashville airport around 7:30am saturday morning only to find that our flight left an hour earlier...the airline didn't inform us of the change so we got to fly FIRST CLASS on the next flight to NYC. they really do give you hot towels. wow! after arriving in NY we had to take transportation to JFK for our connecting flight...in a limo. not what any of us expected on a mission trip. of course, the shoe box size seats of the next plane brought us back to reality...6 hours of reality.

dublin, ireland: day 1
our first class meal (sweet!)

by the time we landed in dublin it was sunday. we had to make sure to stay awake all day so we would adjust better to the time the next day, so mikkee kept us busy. we had sunday service with the boals at abbey church. lunch with the boals, chuck tarter, and abbey friends. we stayed outside the majority of the day, as the cold kept us from dozing off. amy and chuck took us on a tour of the city. it was beautiful.

dublin, ireland: day 1dublin, ireland: day 1
abbey church / sunset over dublin

dublin, ireland: day 1dublin, ireland: day 1
the spire / temple bar area

i never slept so well as i did that night.

click here for pictures from day 1

boal family:
alan boal - minister of abbey church
ruth boal - wife to alan, mom to kirsten & sam
kirsten boal - daughter to alan & ruth
sam boal - son to alan & ruth

tarter family:
chuck tarter - ireland missionary
michelle tarter - wife to chuck, mom to 3 kiddies
ava - daughter
giselle - daughter

charlie - son

Tuesday, February 05, 2008

cool it now

grrrr!arrrrrrgggghhhh!rrahhhhhrrr!

grumble.