Flying...

Just a quick note to update everyone... Dee's aunt has had a massive heart attack and is not doing well... to make a long story short - we are going to fly back to the states. We will fly out tomorrow morning and will be in the states for a couple of weeks. We will keep you posted. Thanks for your prayers.

Today's Random Pic... Backwards

Pictures...

I wanted to post a few more of my favorite pictures from my parents' visit.

A Sad Day in Mudville..

Well... Friday was a sad day around here. My parents went back to the states. I chose (and I am choosing) to take my mother's advice to count my blessings... and I am so grateful that they both got to come and spend so much time with us. We did a lot of fun things... and we saw a lot of beautiful things... but in the end here are the things that I enjoyed the most:

- Quiet mornings and coffee with my parents

- Afternoon walks with my dad

- A picnic lunch by a mountain lake

- Climbing hills with my dad

- Watching my mom enjoy the wildflowers

- Seeing Ireland through my dad's eyes

- Feeding swans and seagulls with my dad

- Looking through photo albums with my mom

- Hugs

- Having help driving

- Hearing my parents laugh




We had a lot to laugh about while my parents were here... but here are just a couple of funny things that happened:

- Before my parents came I sent out an email to my co-workers to remind them that they would be here with us. I made mention that this was my dad's first overseas trip... the only problem is that instead of saying that this was his first time out of the "country" I said that it was his first time out of the "county". Sorry dad.... but we are still laughing about that one!

- I always enjoy people's reaction to driving on the left side of the road. I always get a laugh out of people trying to get on the driver's side of the car here by accident. My father, however, did a first. I was not sure if he was kidding with me or if he did it on purpose... but when he got into the car for the first time (on the front left side) he automatically adjusted the rear view mirror as if he was going to drive. He did it out of habit.

The Parental Units.... Pt 3.....

A few more pics from our time together in Ireland...

The Parental Units... Pt.2...

We are really enjoying having my parents here! We picked them up from the airport early Tuesday morning and headed on a little excursion. We drove down to a beautiful area of Ireland for a few days... we spent those days exploring the coastline, mountains, and (of course) shopping! The last day that we were there Dad and I climbed up a small mountain to see the most beautiful mountain lake. It really was something out of a dream. We stood there on the side of the mountain looking out over the valley at the rugged and barren mountains that made up the area. I was really thankful to experience this with my dad.

The Parental Units...

The little town we were visiting has a dauphin that lives in the harbor!

Looking for shells....

They Made It....!

My parents made it to Ireland! I really can't tell you how good it is to have them here with us! I'll be posting a few pics over the next couple of days while they are here with us.... stay tuned!

Happy 30!

Happy Birthday W! To celebrate, we went to see the new Simpsons film. Laughed. Ate at W's favourite place. And W spent the rest of the day on the phone with friends and family. Great day!

Hang'n On...

Today.................... today is the last day for me to be in my 20's. Wow... that is strange. Some of you probably know that I have had a bit of a hard time with my current change in age. I don't really know why... but it has kinda freaked me out a bit. I don't fear getting older per-se... I know that it is not the end of the world... it is just the fact that i still feel like I am 16. My whole life I have been 'little wallace'.... the idea of being in my 30's is just hard to believe. In many ways I am excited to be starting a new decade... and it is turning out to be a good thing. Here I am.... married... living in Europe... with a great people... and a great job. For the first time I feel confident about where I am going and that I can take care of myself and my family. I'm excited about the things that the future will bring...! But still.... there is this strange feeling - as if I have woken up out of a coma and people are telling me that I am older than I know that I am.

A while back I made a list of things I want to do before I die... I know that I am a long way away from it (I hope)... but as I have been reflecting on where I have come I keep coming back to this list.... and as I think about it I am excited that I have already done many of the things on it! Here is a part of my list... I won't tell you which of the things I have done! ;)

- Camp at a music festival
- Catch a foul ball at a MLB game
- Shave my head
- Meet the president
- Meet a member of royalty
- Jump from an airplane
- Sing in public
- Dance in public
- Meet up with my old DC group (Ed, James, Matt, Cooper)
- Go on a safari in Africa
- Go to:
Rome
Jerusalem
Paris
Pompeii
Boston
Cairo
Tokyo
Machu picchu
- Live in Europe
- Get my Master's Degree
- Write a book/be published
- Take a road trip across America
- Own a home
- Restore a car
- Own my own dog
- Teach
- Hold an art show
- And the list continues to grow...

Today's Random Pics...

More pictures from the races...

At the Races...

Dee and I had a rather fun outing this weekend. We needed a day away together and decided to do something we have never done before. We dawned our wellies and went to the races. Each year a small set of horse races is held at a beach near where we live. The stretch of sand is only visible during low tide, and the number of races held each year are in direct correlation with the rising and lowering of the water. There were probably a couple of hundred people braving the rain and cold winds to cheer on the young jockeys. The riders ranged in age from 9 to 13, but they all knew exactly what they needed to do in order to win. The bookies all had stands set up along side the hamburger stands and drink vendors, and masses of people made pilgrimages to all three between each race.

I have to admit that at times I was cold and wet, but in the end it was exciting to see the race horses tear by at breakneck speeds all the while kicking up sand and water as they attempted to squeeze out the other riders. I was also amazed at the beauty and strength of each horse. The power and speed that each had was truly awesome.

The races ended as the tides reclaimed the beach. As everyone made for their cars a large group of young guys worked frantically to get their stranded car out of the sand as the waters slowly rose.

Here are a few pictures from the day:

A horse after the race - click to see it larger:

In the News...

It was reported today that the dreaded 'Foot and Mouth' disease has been found on a farm in England. You might remember that back in 2001 the United Kingdom had a major outbreak of the disease which resulted in more than 3.5 million sheep, cows, and pigs being slaughtered in an attempt to contain the disease. The disease does not spread to humans, but means a complete loss for any farm showing traces of the highly contagious disease. Ireland has no history with the disease and has banned all animal/meat imports from the UK. Everyone is waiting to find out if this is an isolated case or if this will be another breakout of the dreaded disease.

A Side Note:

I have updated the side column with a separate page for our posts from Rome. Feel free to check out some of our other old pics on some of the other pages.

My favorite... Rome

We had a lot of great times in Rome. To be honest with you my favorite moments were just the times hanging out with my friends. It amazed me to be able to just sit in the shadow of ancient temples and to be able to laugh together as we ate.

If I were to pick one (or two) places in Rome that were the most amazing I would have to say #2 would be the catacombs. These ancient burial places for early Christians were chilling. Seeing the simple Christian carvings on the walls and seeing the places where some of them were martyred were awe inspiring. My #1 spot would have to be the Mamertine Prison. This ancient prison was a damp, dark, hole in the shadow of the Roman Forum. It was also the site where (according to tradition) both the Apostle Paul and the Apostle Peter were held before they were executed. It was in this dark room that Paul probably wrote many of his letters. He sat here in chains next to other prisoners, guards, and in filth writing about joy and hope. A bronze plaque hangs on the wall recounting how both of the apostles shared their faith with the guards and how they used the simple well to baptize them. This 'death row' prison was almost always empty, and we were able to spend some personal time there reading Paul's letters and reflecting on how passionately he followed Christ. This little prison - a symbol of obedience and simple faith - stood in drastic contrast to the lavish Vatican. I found it refreshing and challenging to be in such an important spot, but I also felt disappointment and heartbreak for the other tourists who popped in and out of the room unaware of its significance.

Reading Paul's Letters

The spot where Peter & Paul were chained & the well used to baptize their guards

Peter & Paul in the prison