Merry Christmas

Christmas Eve Update

Ok.... Just as soon as I posted the last post about all of the sunshine, I went out to the store to buy one more emergency loaf of bread. I was just a mile down the road when it started to hail and rain. So much for the sunshine. They are predicting snow tonight!

A few thoughts on Christmas Eve

We were up kinda late last night... in fact I was talking to my mom on the phone until after midnight. It was right about then that I realized... "Hey! It's Christmas Eve here!!" My mom turned around and told my two young nephews (Jack and Brandon) that it is already Christmas Eve in Ireland. I could hear both of the boys let out the loudest "Oooooooooooohhhh" with a bit of excitement mixed with a bit of envy.... then they were back to playing Nintendo.

It has been a quiet day here. Deedra made some brownies that we have been out taking to friends today, and we have had a pretty quiet day. There are a ton of movies on today - if you really wanted to see Babe, Casper, Willie Wonka, Powder, Castaway.... or a ton of other old movies... but I've been happy to spend a few moments sitting in the sun. It has been so bright and warm for the last couple of hours... even the cows in our back yard have been standing still soaking in the rays today.

Christmas in Ireland moves at a much slower pace than Christmas in America. Things close earlier and remain closed longer... And it seems like everyone just enjoys having time to spend a few slow days with friends and family.

Irish Magi...

Our little nativity scene that sits on our mantel is made in the style of the ancient Irish high crosses.

News from Belfast...

I don't know if this is one of those stories that gets air time in the USA or not... but a new record was set yesterday for the United Kingdom's (and Ireland's) largest bank robbery of all time. It is believed that a 20-man armed gang stole at least £20 million from Belfast's Northern Bank - but it is feared the final figure could be nearer £30 million.

The drama began on Sunday night when the gang targeted senior bank staff at their homes in Dunmurry and Loughinisland outside Belfast. Masked and armed men took the staff's families hostage, driving them off to an undisclosed location. On Monday morning, the gang forced the bank staff to go to work as usual in Belfast city centre. After the bank closed the gang gained entry to the underground vaults. At least one lorry was seen making its way towards the bank. The gang made off after loading it up with cash. The kidnapped families were not released until several hours later.

For more updated information on the investigation check out: Sky News

Oh Happy Day....

That is right... Today is the happiest of days! Today, the 21st day of December is the winter solstice. That means that today is the darkest day of the year... We are half way through the Irish winter, and the days will only grow lighter and longer from here!

Random Pic For Today...

The Beach

Answer: The Celtic Languages...

To answer the question... there are six living Celtic language. Irish, Scottish, Manx, Welsh, Cornish, and Breton. We were really impressed with the correct answers, but I was most impressed with my sister Jodie's guess that she claimed was - "a complete shot in the dark"- She guessed that "There are 3 in the Goedelic group- Irish, Scottish Gaelic (or Gaidhlig), and Manx (or Gailek- the Celtic language of the Isle of Man). There are 3 in the Brythonic group- Welsh, Cronish, and Breton".

Great guessing guys!

Father Christmas

We saw Father Christmas (Santa) yesterday. He made a surprise visit to the kids story hour in the local library. It was a lot of fun to see the old guy again. He looks like he has lost a little weight, and he always walks with a walking stick here, but he was very jolly and happy to see everyone, knew all the kids names, and even brought everyone a present! I was amazed to learn that he can speak Irish fluently!

The Celtic Languages

Just wondering... Can anyone name the six living Celtic languages?

Click here to guess!

Sunrise (Take 2)

I wanted to add something about my last entry to the journal. I must say that the best part of a winter's day in Ireland is the sunrise. The sun first starts to peek out around 9:30 and there is a brief window from about 9:30ish to 10:30ish when we are most likely to see the sun. But it is the first 20 minutes or so that is so amazing. The sun hovers at just the right angle so that both the sky and the ocean seem to be on fire. Deedra took the picture below a few days ago from our kitchen window.

Sunrise

Winter time in Ireland is so different that I never really seem to adjust. The sun just never seems to come up all the way. We certainly never see it directly above us... It seems to just skirt the horizon in a constant state of sunset or sunrise. It really isn't bad, we just have to remember that the day does not end when the sun isn't visible.

Ok... Another one on Wallace...

I don't really know how these things always seem to happen to me... But I guess that it is just another opportunity to learn the hard way. To be honest with you it really wasn't my fault... I was just trying to help... Who would have predicted that my attempt to dry a couple of shirts and socks would mean that we now have a few less of each? It all happened because the place where we were staying the last couple of weeks didn't have a clothes dryer. I didn't have any problem with the washing machine; I even was able to hang the clothes out on the line on a sunny day. Well... A partly sunny day. Long story short.... It is a real sinking feeling to be sitting in a meeting and see a beautiful rainbow outside your window during the rain shower. When I made it to the house our clothes were even wetter than when I had hung them out. I'm a pretty thrifty person... So that night I just set them out in front of the roaring fire while we chatted with some friends. The problem came when I decided that they were not drying quick enough. Yep.... not quick enough.... So I decided to hold up several groups of socks closer to the fire. No... I didn't put them in the fire but let's just say that they got a little toasted. Sorry mom, not one of my finest moments.

Wahoo!

We are finally home! We had a wonderful time with our co-workers at our annual meeting! We had a wonderful Thanksgiving day, and it was really nice to be with our adopted family for such a meaningful day. We had a special blessing this year! Our good friends from Alabama (now in Texas), Rachel and Byron, were able to come to our business meetings/Thanksgiving! We had a wonderful time catching up and laughing!