A Follow Up Pic

Here is a picture of my amazing wife...








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Behind the Camera...

This is another little entry in a series of posts that I write from time to time called - 'Behind the Camera'. There is a saying that a photo is worth 1,000 words. Unfortunately, however, a photo never really tells the full story. You never see what else is going on around me when I take the picture.



What you see: Cute little ducks...





What you don't see: Dee behind me reading... She gets comfortable because she knows that I am going to be a while...






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My cute wife!

Here is a quick pic of my cute wife on her birthday...








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10!

It is hard to believe... but this week Dee and I are celebrating our 10th wedding anniversary! Wow... where did a decade go? We are usually very busy with work during our anniversary (and Dee's birthday), but this year we declared that it was going to be different! We marked out some time that we were going to get away and celebrate... stay tuned for some pics from The Netherlands!


Us on June 19, 1999





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Today's Random Pics...

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A willing model....

Our friends were tied up for most of the day, so Dee and I spent most of the day out on our own. We explored a great chunk of the old city.... but I'll tell you more about that later. Right now... let me post some pics of my beautiful wife. I still can't believe that we have been married for almost 10 years...



















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Today's Random Pic...

My crazy wife...

Happy B'day

While we were in Dublin we celebrated two big occasions. Our 9th wedding anniversary (wow... I can't believe it has been that long) and Dee's birthday (I don't think that I am allowed to tell you how old she is). It was nice to go somewhere different for these two occasions and to have some time to ourselves even if it was just for a couple of days. Dee enjoyed having extra time to shop in Dublin and we enjoyed getting to try some new restaurants (although our favorite one was closed down!).


Here is a picture of us on O'Connell street on Dee's birthday.





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Today's Random Pic...

Behind the camera...

It is a funny thing to be on this side of the camera. What you see really never tells the whole story. You guys see the peaceful mountain lake, but you never see the 18wheeler nearly blow me off the road while I snapped the picture. You guys get to see the beautiful old building but never see the grafiti on the building next door. So.... I have decided for once to pull back the curtain and let you see what is going on behind the camera.


What you see:

Beautiful and sleepy harbor after a long day of work:







What you don't see:

Stinky (wet) neighborhood dog that has been pestering me for the past hour... wanting me to throw sticks and a plastic bottle for him to fetch.







What you see:

Beautiful 14th century Norman castle reflecting in a perfectly still lake.







What you don't see:

Neighborhood dog spraying me with the stinky lake water as he shook it off.






There is always something going on on the other side of the camera. I enjoyed the peace of the day... and I did enjoy my new little doggie friend. Here is the catch. What was the first thing Dee said to me when I picked her up after my little adventure? "Whew! What did you step in?"


Yes.......yes......... I did!


Now my friends, you know the rest of the story.

Wales...

Sorry that things have been quiet around the ol' website. Dee and I have been over in Wales for a friend's wedding. B - our friend- got married last week in northern Wales. The wedding was beautiful. The small Welsh chapel was filed to capacity with friends and family, and the service was sweet and beautiful. The Welsh are known for their singing... and the hymns we sung were belted out with gusto (I love to hear people actually sing with all they've got!). Weddings in Wales (and in Ireland) are very different to wedding in the USA. The service began at 11:30 and was an actual service with sermon and all. After the service, the happy couple held a reception that everyone was invited to. After this first reception, a second reception for close friends and family was held at a local hotel. Dee and I were so touched that we were invited to the second reception. It was lovely. The hotel was closed down for everyone on the guest list. We had the evening to sit and talk, mix and celebrate the couple's marriage. The evening ended with a very nice dinner. After the dinner toasts were made. I think the highlight was when the bride's father came in dressed as a cowboy (to make all of us yanks feel more at home). He dramatically reenacted B's asking permission to marry is daughter in his best American accent. The whole event was very classy and elegant, but most importantly, a lot of fun. The evening did not end till around ten thirty. We had a great, quick trip! Congratulations to B and S!

Paste

D’s random thoughts about Paste……
(the magazine, not the glue)

So, sit back, relax, and find your favourite snack, you may be here awhile…(I am eating leftover Papa John’s pizza and drinking a Pepsi)..First of all, I am a huge fan of Paste magazine. Paste is a magazine that follows signs of life in music, film, and culture. I have been reading it for several years and had a subscription several years ago. (I stopped, well, b/c international rates are expensive, AND it is now available in Ireland!- of course not at my local bookstore, figures) If you are a frequent flyer with American Airlines, you will be happy to know that Paste now occupies a whole channel on your in-flight audio! So, while I was back in the states a few weeks ago, I found myself at a Barnes and Nobles on one of my last days and grabbed the new Paste. Don’t be alarmed. The cover picture and main interview is with Kanye West. Don’t let that deter you. I almost didn’t buy it, but then realized that it also included interviews with KT Tunstall, Rilo Kiley, and the sampler includes Over the Rhine and the Frames. So in my book, a must have. Paste does a great job of keeping up with music in the worldwide scene. They also spend way too much time in the country music genre, but hey ……they get points for introducing America to great Irish music with the Frames, Fionn Regan, and Damien Rice. I hadn’t had the chance to read the September issue yet until I picked it up this week. I didn’t get very far when I realize that I know one of the folks who have written to the editor! I don’t know about you, but that doesn’t happen to me every week. So a huge hello to Mr. Kubina, my high school math teacher, and Mrs. Kubina, middle school math teacher! Mr. Kubina’s letter was chosen to be published in this issue of the magazine. Well, how about that……..If you are interested, Paste is also on the web at pastemagazine.com and www.PasteBeat.com

Update from the states...

Dee and I would like to thank all of you that have been praying for us. This past week has been a roller coaster of emotions. There have been moments filled with hope and anticipation followed by loss and grief. Dee’s aunt passed away early on Sunday morning… she was surrounded by her husband, father, and brothers and sisters. We will be in the states the rest of the week…. And we appreciate your continued prayers. I’ll update again soon.

A Big Day...

Today is my beautiful wife's birthday!


Happy Birthday Dee!

I love you!!!

Is it really number 8?

I can't believe it... Dee has stuck with me for eight years now, and it looks like she is going to keep sticking around (Said with a smirk and a sigh of relief). It was eight years ago today that she became my bride. I look back at all of our old wedding photos, and I can't believe that those kids are really us. Were we really that young? Man....! A lot has happened over the past eight years. We have moved four times... Lived in two states and two countries... Changed jobs twice... Earned two master's degrees... We have traveled more than I would have ever dreamed... and in the process I have fallen deeper in love with Dee. I am grateful that she puts up with me more than she should... that she has a sense of humor... that she loves the same things that I love... and that she loves me unconditionally. I don't know what the future holds, but I am excited to be moving into it with my best friend.

I love you, Dee!

Guess what we got in the mail?

Our tickets to see Damien Rice came in the mail today!!! Wahoo!! If you have not heard of Damien Rice yet, get on his website, myspace, or itunes. He is an Irish singer/songwriter. I am not sure quite how to describe his music, folk/hard folk maybe? He is an amazing musician/artist. He is touring Europe at the moment, but will be back in the states this spring. If you see that he is coming your way, don’t think, go! go! go! You will not be disappointed. My sister and brother-in-law saw him play in Boston just before Christmas, and they absolutely loved the concert. I believe their words were “phenomenal”, “amazing”. We have to wait until August for the concert, but you can see him sooner. Check out his website at www.damienrice.com for details.