All about weddings!

Two of David's friends have gotten married in the last month and thus I have found out that Irish weddings are lots of fun, but VERY long! The actual ceremony is pretty short and sweet, but then there is the picture taking and that usually takes several hours. (It's no big deal if you are close enough to go home, but if you have to wait around...it gets a bit long.) Then there is the meal which is usually very welcomed by that point.

It's all very Biblical really. Remember the story of the 10 virgins that fell asleep waiting for the bridal party to arrive? I can totally relate now!

Here are some photos of the first wedding we went to in May:

The Bride and Groom

Paul and Karen.

Paul was best man and did an excellent job on his speech!

My beautiful sister-in-law!

This was the menu! Yummy!

Trying to get Mariah to look at the camera!

Success at last!

Mariah is wearing the dress that my Mom made her. She got loads of comments on it! Thank you Mom!!

Here is Maryann with Mariah

Our friends, Brian and Tracie, also recently got married. Their wedding was beautiful and so much fun. They had a caleigh dance at their reception and I managed to capture a bit of it on video for you.

So that's a wee taste of an Irish wedding or two for you! Celebrating marriage is always wonderful.

Angus Buchan

What a privilege it was to hear this mighty man of God speaking to a full house last night at the Fintona Horse Arena. It was an encouraging message and I managed to catch a little bit of it for you. Just so you can get a small taste of his great accent and wonderful sense of humor!

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 4

Look what came in the mail today!!!

Mariah's first passport.

I think she looks like a little Mafia baby in this picture. She wasn't really in the smiling mood in spite of my many efforts. This was the best one in the end, but I guess a person has to take these things seriously. After all, she is an official citizen of the USA now!

(Photo taken at 2:30 pm)

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!