Summer Days

The days of summer are grinding on.

A lot of "stuff" is going on, but at the same time 

there is always moments to capture joy.

Some of the family had tickets to comic con (Dad, Matt, Maria and Ryan)

and it seemed like an exciting place to be.

Lots of crowds and activities -  some of 

the city's finest days I imagine.

Since we moved here I have always wanted to stop in at this cute 

little book shop.  

Finally did it!  I could have pulled up a chair

and stayed for a long while.

Hannah and I went to a wine-tasting class, which was

actually fun and we both learned a lot.

Hannah leaned over halfway through the class (bored)

and said "What I learned is that I would rather

have a margarita!" 

But the vineyard is beautiful and peaceful, and add to that

a glass of wine and you can't lose.

Some random encouragement to live by:

"God is not in the business of leaving things broken and messy.

He's not a God that sees a hard situation, shrugs, and says, "I guess I'm

not really sure what to do with this one."

He's a God that brings life from death, beauty from ashes, 

hope from despair, light from darkness, and healing

from the most broken, mixed up, and messy situations."

A wonderful birthday

This birthday was full of blessings from start to finish.

So grateful!

Started off with a lot of sunshine

and coffee at my favorite coffee shop.

My usual - iced vanilla latte, 

and avocado toast.

Wandered into a shop and God gave me this

awesome reminder.

My husband gave me tickets to see Hugh Jackman

on tour next week!!!

Beyond excited!!!

The family also gave me a retro vintage record player!

I have to say that it was TOTALLY UNEXPECTED

and I was beyond excited!  I used to love music so much

in my youth, and still have a box of old albums...

Seafood boil for dinner

Some albums to play on the record player

And Matt gave me a gift card to the best home decorating shop 

in existence!  This will be my first chance in our new

home to go pick out something to decorate with

from my favorite store!!

Meanwhile, Maria wasn't here.  She was somewhere else!! haha

Indy enjoyed getting his dinner in a special "game plate" that Maria

got for the dogs.  He has to paw the bones, and underneath

is his food. It's entertaining and funny to watch!

Special love for Freya

Thanks family for the great birthday!!  It was a wonderful day!!

Love you ALL so much!!

The only thing that could have made it better is if Ryan had been here too.

Day 21 - Last Day touring Ireland

On our last day, we toured the palace and gardens at Powerscourt Estate.  

Their gardens are rated the third best in the world!

We could see why.

After being there, we also discovered that the Count of Monte Cristo's 

famous scenes where they buy a palace and the Count arrives in a balloon

at a party were filmed in these gardens!

If you have seen the movie, I took this picture from the exact place that

they pulled up the wagon full of gold and jewels and told the owner of the house that they were there

to "buy their lovely home." 

This was one of my favorite places on the trip -

the trails were gorgeous, the trees were huge and beautiful,

and even with tourists there it was so peaceful.

Ended the day in their cafe with what I think was our last cappuccino in Europe!

Most beautiful sight of each day haha

This has to be one of my top 10 pictures of Europe, and top 5 places on earth.

I never wanted to leave the meadows and woods.

Rows of roses

This section was a Japanese Garden and it was stunning!

Dan the man enjoying a bite of his cheesecake

Just leave me here for eternity

This was, I believe, our last pint in Europe too.

You have to spot the people to understand the massive size of the trees

A blaze of purple

Day 20 - Glendalough and Lough Tay

Today we visited the ruins of an Irish Monastery - set in the most gorgeous mountains,

with views that are probably some of the most beautiful I have ever seen. 

I took so many pictures - and had a hard

time narrowing it down to these.

Learned that these early monks are the source of the beautiful

Celtic cross.

"Which way should we go?"

Both led to utter beauty but we only had time to choose one.

I think we chose wisely.

I don't think I have ever had a more peaceful, beautiful walk in any woods ever.

We hadn't eaten anything all day, and by now it was 2 in the afternoon,

so we stopped at a local Irish restaurant for lunch,

After lunch we drove to Lough Tay - which is also known as Guinness Lake.

The lake was so far away I couldn't really capture it, but apparently the Guinness

family owned all this, had the white sand shipped in to give it a distinctive look - like a

pint of frothing Guinness.

They even had a castle and some small lodges built on this 6000 acre estate.

You can rent it for a mere 20,000 Euros per week!

Apparently the rich and famous do...

Our faithful car getting us all around this island.

Time to head down to the hotel pub for one last round or two

of Jameson Old Fashioned!