Just An Interesting Fact.....

I nearly passed out today when it cost me 48EURO to fill up my car's tank with fuel. That is equal to $58.31!!! That means that I am paying almost $5 per gallon of gas!!!! Hope that makes you appreciate the price of fuel in the USA. :)

City Boy....

Ok........... I confess………………. Deedra is right…….. I’m a city boy! It would seem that I proved this point (Just as I do over and over just about every day) today when we got a roll of pictures developed and half of the pictures were of cows… and none of the pictures were of us. But hey… Seeing cows is still really novel to me… so it is understandable if I constantly have to point them out as we drive or take pictures of them when the lighting is just right…. But you have to understand that the wildlife of my childhood consisted of a caged parrot that bites, raccoons, chipmunks, or feeding the ducks/fish in the city park… So the wildlife on the side of the roads in Ireland seems exotic in its own way. Believe me when I say that cows, for example, each have a distinct personality. I admit it… I get a real laugh out of their big wall-eyed looks as they strain to reach that bush just out of reach on the other side of the wall with their long tongue… ha ha ha ha… I can’t help but laugh when they run… he he he he he ho ho ho hoooo……. My day is completely brightened when I hear the bellow of a long deep “Moooooooooooooooooooooooo” (that slowly rises in pitch the longer it is held out) echoing from a distant field! OK……….So, I’m a city boy…….. You can’t really blame me if I take a lot of pictures of them… can you? But when you get a picture back that is as comical as the one posted below, the film definitely wasn’t wasted! I have laughed at this picture all afternoon… Yes, the cow’s eyes are a great color of blue… and its curly hair makes me smile… but what I think is ‘utterly’ funny is the other cow just over her shoulder… look at her… she is standing there straining… looking sad as if she is being left out of something big… she has this look as if she is trying to figure out what she is missing… ha ha ha…. Yep, maybe a city boy but that picture is classic and is one that I will laugh about for years to come!!! What do you think?

“The eyes just freak me out” – Deedra

A Story From Alabama...

My sister Jodie is a sixth grade teacher at a middle/elementary school in Huntsville. Her son, Brandon, is a sweet, quiet kindergarten at the same school. Brandon came into her room yesterday telling her about "something dangerous and scary" that happened to him in school that day. Jodie stopped what she was doing and listened intently. Brandon told her about a little boy getting sick on the playground that day. The substitute teacher asked Brandon to walk him to the first aid room (because Brandon knew where it was located & she did not want to leave the class unattended). Brandon being the sweet kid that he is, left the playground and walked the sick child to the first-aid room. He hurried back to the playground... but when he came out into the play area the large doors closed behind him.... and there was no one on the playground. Brandon tried to open the doors but they were locked (for security reasons)... Brandon tried and tried to open the doors but they didn't budge. That is when he noticed "a stranger on the bicycle" riding by. Brandon really got scared... and he "prayed a lot to God to help me". Brandon said that he prayed a whole lot -"like 9 times" - asking God to "please help me". The stranger on the bicycle didn't stop... and then something amazing happened. Brandon said, "I heard thunder and then a door that normally isn't there opened". He then "walked through the cafeteria and went back to his class". Jodie said that she does not know how long he was stuck outside, or what open door he was talking about... but one thing is for sure... God did help him.

A Random Pic for Tuesday...

~A Calm Day~

What a sky...

The sun usually seems to hang on the horizon for hours each evening - lighting up all of the countryside - making all of the colors really come alive... Last night was an exceptionally beautiful sunset. The sun made the clouds seem as if they were on fire.......... So, I grabbed my camera and headed out for a walk by myself. I don't know how long it actually took for the sun to go down... I just kept standing in amazement of the Creator's handiwork.



(you can see more pics of the sunset by clicking on the button below)

Happy Birthday, Wallace!

Happy Happy Birthday, Wallace! (Who is Mary Bobbins anyway? Wasn’t she only on one episode?)


Click here to see another birthday pic

The Big 27.....

I have finally hit the big 27…. Deedra and Dena have been absolutely wonderful to me today! They let me sleep in… and when I finally got up the whole house was decorated with banners & streamers and they treated me to a special breakfast of biscuits (which we can't get in Ireland) with chocolate gravy (using my grandmother’s recipe). We had a very full fun day which included having tea with some friends and opening presents & cards. I got a lot of really nice things… but I think that my favorite has to be the Simpson’s trivia game… the funny thing is that Deedra can answer more questions than I can………. (i.e. the question about Mary Bobbins) The girls even prepared a special dinner for me tonight! Let me just say that I could definitely get used to this!! It has been a very good birthday!!!

Dena Pics

Ok.... I've made a page of a few pics of us and Dena during her visit here. I'll keep updating it over the next few days so keep checking back. Just click on the link below or on the side bar.

She's Here Too!!!

That's right... My sister Jennifer had a little girl named Mallory Allison Jones in Mobile, AL on July 19th. Mallory weighed 8 pounds, 6 ounces and was 20.5 inches long. We just got a picture of our new little niece... Isn't she beautiful?
Congratulations Jenny and Don!!

She's here!!!

We have our first family visitor! And she came off the plane wearing the same jacket and shoes as me(completely unplanned). Dena will be with us for a couple of weeks. A huge thanks to her husband, T.J.! Hopefully any family member who visits this site will be jealous and immediately begin planning their trip as well!

Univ. of Mobile....

(At the Rock of Cashel)

(From left: Alice, Margie, Dr Younce, Gordon, Gayle, Dr Taylor, Michelle, Billy)

Our 8 visitors from UM left today. We have had a great week of showing them around Ireland. We were really impressed with the way they learned Irish-Gaelic and the way they put up with my ramblings about the history of the area. The group was a real blessing to us… and we were so sad to say good-bye to our new friends…. I don’t know if I will be able to play a game of UNO (our favorite late night game while they were here) without thinking of each of them…