Work...

We have a very welcomed change in work this week. We have a small film crew here making an educational documentary on Ireland - it's culture, language, and how it is changing. We are working as Joel B's personal assistant/guide while filming is going on. To be honest with you, it has been really refreshing because it has made me step back and look at Ireland with new eyes and to re-appreciate the people here. I'll post more as the week goes on...

Today's Random Pic...

Note sure if I have ever posted this one....

The happiest sheep in Ireland:

Joel Curry

I received devastating news yesterday................... My childhood friend died in a tragic car wreck on Sunday. His death has really affected me.............. and I find my self heartbroken and grieving for him.

Joel had been in the U.S. Air Force as a crew chief for F-15 fighter jets and had served a six year tour in Saudi Arabia (starting after 9-11). He was married with a little girl, and they had just had a second child five weeks ago. This, however, is not the Joel that I knew.

The Joel I knew:
Joel was cool even before I really knew what cool was. He was the first kid that I knew to get a TrapperKeeper, a wristwatch that beeped on the hour, and the first guy our age to have a real girlfriend. He taught me to cuss and how to wrestle, and he was with me both times that I broke my arm. Joel introduced me to Boom-boxes, skateboarding, spitting for distance, the Beastie Boys, and DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince. We learned to build forts in the woods together and how to use mud clumps as grenades against my neighbor. We had a daily ritual of turning our fifteen minute walk to school into a forty-five minute adventure. We learned all the trails in the woods together and how to get someone unstuck from a drain pipe. We learned that crab apples make an amazing mess when run over by a car. Joel covered the top of my hand with miniature band aids after I scraped all the skin off while skateboarding (I still have the scar on the top of my hand). Joel even helped me come up with the excuse for how it had happened. The poster of Jose Conseco he gave me for my birthday still hangs in my old room. Adventure always seemed to follow Joel. I was lucky to be his friend.

We eventually lost touch. Our high school was big enough to loose friends in... I have not seen him in at least eleven years.

I miss Joel.
I really do.
I hate that I will not get to see him at some reunion or that I won't get to run into him when I am home visiting....
I do miss him........

Spring of 1989 in one of our forts.
This is the only picture that I have with my friend.

Springtime in Ireland 4

Springtime in Ireland 3

Today...

Today is our anniversey of being in Ireland. Tomorrow we start our fifh year of life in the Emerald Isle....

Springtime in Ireland 2

Springtime in Ireland 1

Happy Mother's Day!

We wanted to post a special post here to wish both of our mothers a 'Happy Mum's Day'!!! We hate that we can't be with you on this special day, but please know that you are in our thoughts and our prayers. We miss you terribly, and we can't wait to see both of you when you visit later this summer and fall!!!! We are already coming up with lists of things we want to do with you when you come!! We love you!

Dee & Wallace



(In honor of Mum's Day we are going to have post some special pics over the next week...)

Today's Random Pic...

Making History...

As you know, Northern Ireland has had some major problems over the years. The deep divides between Catholics and Protestants goes back centuries but the wounds are extremely fresh. You have to remember that many areas in Northern Ireland are still deeply divided and hatred can been seen in large murals painted on the sides of homes and in the large wall that divides Catholic and Protestant neighborhoods in Belfast. Today, however, was a major step forward for a lasting peace in Northern Ireland. As Tony Blair put it, today was a day to "escape the heavy chains of history" and to "make history anew". Today the Northern Assembly (or Parliament) was restarted. This "devolved government" is still under the watchful eye of England, still a part of the United Kingdom (The rest of Ireland is a free republic), but is made up of a power sharing coalition. Representatives of the Protestant party (the DUP) and the Catholic party (Sinn Féin) who once swore never to sit down together have now entered into a partnership that promises peace and equal treatment under the law. This latest step is just one of many over the past few years. In recent times militia groups on both sides (including the IRA) have destroyed or laid down their weapons in the hopes of peace.

Will this peace last? Only time will tell... but as long as these parties can work together the people of Northern Ireland will have a government of their own.

Slan - Uncle Tom...

I finally finished 'Uncle Tom's Cabin'. This little book was surprising in many ways. First of all, it was a lot longer than I had originally thought. The 460 page book took a lot longer to finish than I would have ever guessed! It seemed to drag on and on and give so much detail that I felt like I was never making any progress. Secondly I was surprised by how well the book was written. I had always heard that the book was greatly exaggerated and was used as propaganda for the North. I, however, found it to be very believable. The characters had real substance and stories that I could believe, and I found myself genuinely interested in it. The other thing that surprised me was the faith of many of the characters. Uncle Tom was a gentle and kind man that was able to withstand much abuse because of his Christian faith. He continuously found hope in the midst of despair and kindness in the midst of extreme cruelty. I found myself convicted by his example and admiring a faith that was real and working in his life. Over all I really enjoyed this book that played such an important role in the abolition debate. I am very glad that I was able to investigate it on my own. Who would have thought that it would take me moving to Ireland to find a copy of it....


I finished 'Uncle Tom's Cabin' some time ago... I just have not had time to write about it. I am currently half-way through my next little book, 'Dubliners' by James Joyce. I had been warned that Joyce was notoriously hard to read, but I am finding it very easy and enjoyable. I think that it is his other work, "Ulysses", that has given him such a reputation. 'Dubliners' is a collection of several short stories that give momentary glimpses into the lives of ordinary people living in Dublin before the Revolution. I chose the book because one of my best friends here is reading it and studying it in a university class here. He kept talking about it so much that I decided to pick it up and have a go at it. We have since had countless discussions about the book in our local coffee shop, and I have enjoyed reading it with someone else who is more knowledgeable about the culture and history of the work. I am about half-way finished with the book, but I hope to finish soon and pick up something new before my upcoming business trip. Stay tuned....

Where in the World????

Do we have any "Today Show" fans reading the blog today? If so you might have seen me today! Dee and I took a little field trip this afternoon to visit a friend that is in the hospital. Dee had to run a few errands and I wanted a quiet place to read for a little while (that is another post). I never would have guessed that I would end up in the middle of a Today Show live broadcast! Matt Lauer has a segment each summer where he travels around the world to interesting and random places. Today was day two of his trip... and he was in Ireland. I came upon the broadcast as I investigated the sounds of traditional music and dancing echoing off of buildings. At first I didn't know what was going on, but I saw several TV cameras, and one of them had the NBC peacock..... I turned around and to my surprise I was standing right next to Matt!!! I grabbed my camera and started to take pics.... I then grabbed my phone and called Dee... and then called my parents in the states (they were already watching the show)! I don't know if you saw me... but I was the crazy Amercian waving at the camera! I'm such a tourist on some days! Today was definitely one of those days where I just have to sit back and count my blessings to live in such an amazing place among such amazing people!

Me and My friend Matt!