Scotland

A stunningly beautiful country.

I so enjoyed going back to my husband's roots to see the land of his birth. It was a GREAT trip and made all the better since both sets of parents were with us.

If you are a mother to young children, you will understand how difficult it is to get out of the house sometimes without forgetting anything. Well, I was so proud of myself on this trip because I had really remembered pretty much everything important...even BOTH cameras! I was patting myself on the back until the second day or so when one of the batteries died, followed quickly by the second camera's batteries dying. Way to go, mommy brain! So anyway, these are the pictures that I managed to capture before the battery catastrophe.

There were several rides on ferries as we traveled to the Outer Hebrides...

And LOTS of time in the car. Mariah and Micah were little troopers though, and traveled very well (thank goodness!).

And thanks to entertainment from Grandma!

Once we reached the Isle of Lewis, David was invited to preach in the same pulpit that belonged to his grandfather years ago. The beautiful Gaelic singing made me feel like I was being transported into a different time, long ago (that link is great and also has lots of pictures of places that we were at...check it out). It made me understand how much my mother-in-law must miss her country and helped me understand the tears in her eyes as she joined in with the singing. I still get a lump in my throat when I think about it...



Sometimes I think that little corners of the charming country must have hardly changed at all over the past century or so.

What a blessing it was to take in all of the breathtaking sights of God's beautiful creation.

Loved it!

Photo challenge: day 7

Going to church in Derry.

The photo above is technically my "photo-of-the-day" but I couldn't resist posting this next one too. One of the things I love about Ireland is the ancient history that is all around. Hundred year old buildings, multi-generational farms, and old graveyards with gravestone from the 1700s.

It's not too hard to image a horse and carriage parking down there a hundred years ago or so. It's a pretty tight fit for some cars these days!

(taken at 12:10 pm)

Photo challenge: day 6

It's a perfect window-washing day!

(3:20 pm)

Photo challenge: day 5

"The nappies, my friend, are blowing in the wind.

The nappies are blowing in the wind."

(or something like that)

Mariah crawled about while I hung up her nappies to dry (at about 1:30 this afternoon). If you look closely you will see that Mariah has dirt on her mouth...yes, she was eating it. She seems happy enough, although I was not. I lectured her on the germs and bugs that she could have ingested but she just looked at me with those big blue eyes and smiled. I don't think my lecture made much impact.

Photo Challenge: day 3

Rejoicing in this amazing day that God has made!

"This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it."

~Psalm 118:24

(Photo taken at 5:07 pm)

Photo Challenge: day 2

Nothing says "Summer" like

juicy red strawberries!

(taken at 3:25 pm)

A few days ago, the very first strawberry was perfectly ripe and ready to eat. So I brought it into the house and David and I split it! We savored each teensy bite with happy summertime bliss.

*This Photo Challenge is the brain child of the Tingelstad girls! Check out their blog here!

Summer Kick-off Camping Trip

I was kind of wondering how great it would be to go camping while 7 months pregnant. I think people thought I was a tad crazy to consider it (and I was beginning to wonder myself), but it was actually really great. We have a nice little air mattress that makes sleeping comfortable and our tent is so cozy. Plus, I just LOVE camping so much. I am so happy that David loves it too. To me, it beats an expensive room in a classy hotel any day (as long as it's okay that I look like a homeless person for a while. I probably wouldn't be so keen on it if I had to go to a wedding the next day, but you get my drift!). 

So here are some of the reasons why I love camping...

Historical sights

(this is a memorial to the hungry poor who died during the famine)

Amazing camp sites on rocky ledges...

...with incredible views!

Encountering wild life! 

(This is a jellyfish that was stranded by low tide)

Stunning backgrounds for my 30 weeks pregnant picture!

Watching the sunset get increasingly more beautiful.

And best of all...bringing home some fish for supper! 

I was so excited when David came back to our tent with fish in the bucket that he had caught right off the rocks in the ocean! That's my man! And the mackerel were delicious. 

Marble Arch Cave

I love how our Heavenly Father provides for us in surprising ways. 

David and I LOVE to explore new places and find adventurous things to do in Ireland, but with the high petrol prices and us going to the States this summer, we have been trying to be really careful about spending. WELL, a few weeks ago, David had half a dozen or more music students going for exams near a town we had never been to before, called Fermanagh. This is where God stepped in and surprised us with a little unexpected holiday! One of the student's parents were unable to bring him to the exam so they paid David petrol money, money for a nice meal (for three of us), plus money to go and visit the Marble Arch Caves! It was an amazing day out and we enjoyed it so much (and didn't have to spend a dime...or rather a pence!)

Here are a few pictures from our adventure...

Descending into the cave. 

It was very warm outside, but started to get pretty chilly at about this point.

There were stalacmites and stalactites in abundance!

We took a boat ride down the underground river and then walked quite a way back into the cave. It was beautiful and the pictures don't do it justice. This video is really funny because you can hardly see a thing...very cavelike! Enjoy! :)

Summer Update: Mom & Dad's visit

One thing that greatly eased the pain of saying goodbye to everyone back home was knowing that my parents were going to come over soon after settling into our new home. There was an Irish wedding reception held for David and I at the beginning of September for all his family and friends to attend. My parents were able to fly over and be here for that! I was so happy that they could come! (I don't have any pictures of the actual reception though...so sorry!)

I love you Dad and Mom!

We also had this couple, Graham & Cassie from Wales, come over and stay with us for the reception as well. We had some great time playing music together!

Caldwell and Maryanne took us all to see the Giant's Causeway. Dad and I climbed up on the fascinating rock formations.

(Classic Dad pose! We have pictures of him doing this over many a cliff and precarious point!)

Then we went to the Glenveagh Castle and boy, was it beautiful there. Mom and I explored some of the gardens and I just couldn't take enough pictures! It was such an enchanting place.

And THEN, we celebrated two very milestone birthdays! Dad and Maryanne were both celebrating their 60th birthdays! (By the way, we had a much nicer desert than those dinky little cream puffs...! That was just for the candles.) :) 

All too soon it was time for them to head back home. I was so happy that they were here though and could see were we live and meet the people that are so much a part of my life now. I am looking forward to the next visit!

Summer Update: Holland!

After our week of VBS, it was time to say goodbye to my family and friends. It was a bitter-sweet time. I was so excited to be married and going to live in a new and beautiful country with my husband and yet, I was sad to have to leave behind so many that I love dearly. It is good to know that you are in Gods will though, over wise it would be unbearable! So we packed our bags and headed for our new home....

We had a short one-day stay over in Ireland before heading off once again. This time we went to Holland for two weeks. David was playing with the worship team for the big Operation Mobilization conference. There were many new missionary families and individuals there getting training before heading off into their field of service for the next two years or so. It was a very exciting atmosphere. Holland was beautiful!

David and I were recruited as mock airport personal during a training day. 

There were so many different cultures represented. I was fascinated by it all!

I spent most of my days working in the "creche" (nursery). Most of the kids spoke two or three languages. I was completely impressed and felt a little bad that I have barely mastered one. It was good fun though, trying to communicate with each other! 

We were able to do a bit of exploring and found some friendly cows.

Everyone in Holland rides bikes it seems so we just had to find some ourselves and try to look as "native" as possible. Only problem was, our bikes were ancient and make squeaky sounds as we went along. Oh well, it was still fun.

We biked to this little town and rested near a lovely canal. The sun was shining and there was a group of old men near us chattering away in Dutch. Then the bells went off and started playing a hymn!...I was charmed and completely amazed by the beauty of God's diverse creation. Gorgeous! 

Summer Update: VBS

My last week as Children's Ministry Coordinator at the Covenant Church found me deep into VBS. Our theme was Jerusalem Marketplace and it was so much fun! Thankfully, I had a TON of help since I was on my honeymoon the week before it. Here is a little taste of our week...

Everyone dressed in Bible days costume. Here we are...the VERY newly married Mr. and Mrs.!

David was the rabbi! And the kids LOVED him! I think they thought that all rabbis must have Irish accents!

Here is adorable little Elijah, enjoying the marketplace!

Whole families took part in this VBS which made it very unique. Moms, dads, grandpas, and grandmas were all there taking part. Here is Alisa with her boys.

Paying good attention in school with Rabbi David!

Elianna is practicing her Hebrew letters on her clay tablet!

We even had real animals! It was the most fun I have ever had at a VBS! Thanks to everyone who helped out and pitched in to make it possible. I don't think any of us will soon be forgetting what it may have been like when Jesus walked this earth.

Summer Update: Our Honeymoon

After our beautiful wedding, we headed off into the darkness in this old car that David had managed to secure for our get-away car. It was beautiful (there is a picture of it in the wedding slideshow in the previous post) and it even matched the color of our wedding! However, it didn't really like driving down the road so we barely made it back to the owner's place where our real car was parked! Phew! The owners of the car also worked with the newspaper so they took some pictures of us and we found ourselves in the paper a few days later! So that was our first adventure as a married couple. Now...on with the honeymoon!

Our first honeymoon destination was the beautiful city of Duluth, Minnesota, on the shores of Lake Superior--one of the Great Lakes. What a stunning city!

We enjoyed time on the beach, leisurely strolls on the boardwalks around the lake,...

A boat ride tour of Duluth harbor (very interesting!)...

...Spotting a pirates ship! Ahoy matey!

Enjoying the gorgeous view out our hotel window, 

Basking in God's breath-taking creation, 

meeting a few challenges...can you say "ouchy thigh muscles"?

But it was worth it! 

Split Rock Lighthouse

More to come!...