Beautiful Ireland

As we were driving home one evening and crested a hill, this was our view and it took my breath away. My photography skills are lacking and I could have been doing with a tripod in such low light, but you can get a bit of an idea anyway.

See that flat-topped mountain? That is Muckish. We climbed that together last year and one of those peaky mountains is Errigal which David and I climbed as our first outing together back in 2007!

SNOW!!!

My wish came true! We got loads of snow yesterday and last night...it is sooooo WONDERFUL!! And it couldn't have come on a more perfect week. I couldn't resist taking some pictures of it since it IS, after all, an answer to my secret prayer for snow on Christmas. :)

It started as a frosty coating of ice on all surfaces, even the spider webs!

Then it started to snow and transformed Bready and Sollus hill into a winter wonderland.

We had to take Mariah out on a walk to experience her first snow. Not sure she was really able to appreciate it under all those layers!

It was beautiful and this morning there is even more snow! I am loving it. Thank you Lord! Such a heavenly Christmas present!

I think this picture sums up what Mariah thinks of it all!

Wide-eyed wonder...

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! :)

Playing in the Orchestra

I had the amazing opportunity to play with the New Irish Orchestra as they played behind Keith and Krysten Getty in Derry last weekend. This talented couple has been writing modern hymns for several years and one of their most popular is "In Christ Alone". I was a little over my head with only four days to practice the 15+ songs, but it was very good for me. I haven't practiced my violin that much in I don't know how long! 

Can you see me? I am in the back row of the orchestra (on the floor), second violin from the right. My friend, Ramona, is sitting right in front of me. David took a short little video clip so you could get a taste of the atmosphere. Too bad there was a tall guy sitting right in front of him!

An Irish Traffic Jam

We had quite a baaaad hold-up on the road the other day (sorry, I know that was lamb, I mean lame!). Okay, enough with the "humor"....I thought you all might enjoy a little peek into a typical Irish traffic jam out in the country side! (Sorry the video is so blurry. I had it set on a weird setting.)

Wild Horses

One of the things that my father-in-law enjoys doing is buying, training, and selling horses. They are usually pretty wild and he does just the preliminary training. Things like, getting them used to the bit and bridle, having a saddle on their back, and responding to the reins. 

A few days ago, he called us asking if we could help him drive some wild horses from a field, down a road, and into a corral so he could load them in his trailer. Our job was to block off all the side roads and keep them running in the right direction. It was quite exciting! Here's a short video of them getting in the trailer. They are such beautiful animals!

Motor Bike racing in Ireland

The big North West bike race was on a few weekends ago in the north of Northern Ireland and David said that it was something I just 'had' to experience :). I have to admit that it was impressive to watch them fly by at the crazy speeds that they get! SCARY!! It is an extremely dangerous sport because they are racing on regular roads (imagine pot holes, twisty corners, and unpredictable surfaces) at speeds of well over 100 mph! People are big lovers of racing here and they can be found lining many of the fields and yards all along the route (which is a circle between three towns). The famous racer, Joey Dunlop, was from around these parts as well.

We stopped by Paul and Karen's caravan for a visit as well. It was a rainy day and the kids were extremely impressed with Sarah's gigantic 'brolly'. 

Here is a shot of some of the race!

Despite the rain, it was a super day!

Camping trip

We are enjoying a little Easter break this week and next and so decided to try some camping! We headed out to the northern most tip of Ireland, a little town called Ballycastle. It was so beautiful that I think David probably got tired of me constantly telling him that it was. I just couldn't get over the gorgeous scenery all around me though! I took two video shots to give you a bit of an idea so you know what I am talking about. 

Here is our cozy campsite! 

One of my favorite parts of camping is how food seems to taste SOOOoooo good! David even brought his French press coffee maker...no sacrifices in that department! At the time of this picture, it was storming like crazy outside and raining cats and dogs. It just made it all the more exciting!

At the top of this picture, you can see an island in the distance...that is actually Scotland! It seemed so close. Someday David says he will take me there.  The first video is a shot from the top of this hill (it was very windy so the sound is pretty bad!).

Isn't God's creation spectacular?! Wow!

Beautiful days!

The days had turned cold again for a spell but now it almost seems as if summer has come! It was so warm yesterday (60 degrees F!) that I took a walk without my coat on for the very first time this year! It felt glorious!! However, they all warn me that in Ireland, it is extremely unpredictable and it could feel like the dead of winter again next week! So I am enjoying these days while they are here. 

I have had some pictures compiling up that are somewhat random but will give you a good idea of what we have been up to the past few weeks. So here we go...

Last Sunday we took a walk on the beach in County Donegal after worshiping with the Killult Christian Fellowship (wonderful people!). It was so windy that the sand was blowing in my eyes and ears! But what a gorgeous place!

More signs of spring are found in the hedges lining every field as they clothe themselves in brilliant yellow. 

I meet some wonderfully friendly creatures on my walks up our lane. 

This is Molly and she is my buddy and faithfully follows me on most of my walks. 

And the chickens! They give us yummy fresh eggs every week, bless their souls! (Wait, chickens don't have souls, do they?) Anyway, we are grateful to my wonderful in-laws for so generously sharing in their weekly harvest!

And last of all, a tribute to THE BIKE. (*moment of silence*)

A few weeks ago, David decided that it was time to sell his Honda Fireblade sports bike. So now it's gone and the shed looks very empty...sort of sad and lonely actually. He was very brave about it, even though he still can't help his gaze from following any and every bike that we pass on the road. It was an amazing bike and served him well for seven years. 

DISCLAIMER: I had nothing to do with him choosing to sell this bike! I even encouraged him to really think about whether he should sell it. (Although, deep down I am thankful that he did because of all the horror stories you hear about bike accidents.) Anyway, just felt the need to make that clear! :)

Signs of Spring!

I feel a little bad posting these green pictures of Spring when I know that there are drifts of snow and ice back home in Minnesota! But they are just too fun not to post! Maybe this will give all you Minnesotans a little hope of what's to come...and it will come. Don't despair!

I am dedicating this post to my dear mother, who asked me to go out and take some pictures of the flowers. So here they are Mom!

My mother-in-law's flower garden

"Snow drops"...these grow wild everywhere!

Crocus, also growing wild (behind the chicken coup)

Daffodils!..

...nodding their pretty yellow heads in tune to the fresh breeze. 

I love Spring!

An Irish Christmas

Many people have been asking me what it is like to celebrate Christmas over here in Ireland, so I thought I would do a few posts to actually show you. This is what Ireland looks like at Christmas time...green, green, GREEN!!!

Our house is down there among all those other white ones. This hill that I have climbed is called Sollus, which means "light" and overlooks our valley.

On the road up, I felt as if I were walking in a beautiful green fairy land...

They say that you can see Scotland from the top. Can't say that I did but I guess I wouldn't really know if I had. Anyway, it certainly is a breathtaking view! 

AND!! you know that song..."the holly and the ivy, when they are both full grown..."? Well on Sollus, they grow together, intertwining themselves together. So lovely! 

So Merry Christmas everyone! 

From David and Melanie in Ireland

More Christmas posts to come!

Thanksgiving

I know Thanksgiving has come and gone, but I just wanted to show you a few highlights from our Irish Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is NOT a holiday here, of course, but we celebrated anyway with me making my very first Thanksgiving meal. I was scared out of my wits and was praying that it would be edible. God is good and it turned out pretty good. 

Here is a picture of David's plate before the gravy was applied...

So...what am I most thankful for you ask? Well, I know it is hard for you to believe this, but I am so SO thankful for my wonderful handsome husband who I love more and more every day! So maybe that isn't a surprise to some of you but here is a slightly more random thing I am thankful for...

It has been frosty and cold in Ireland quite a bit this winter so far and most people are saying that it is the worst winter they have had in a long time. 

But secretly, deep in my heart, I am so very thankful for every bit of frosty whiteness that appears. It makes me feel more at home when everything is white during winter. It just seems right!

Having the clothes freeze to the clothesline was a bit weird though!

I seriously could have let the jeans stand up by themselves! It was so cool! (The neighbor's probably thought I was coo-coo parading through my backyard taking pictures of my clothes on the line but oh well.)

Climbing Muckish

David had a whole week of holiday from teaching at the end of October, so we made the most of it and went mountain climbing on Muckish! We took the "Miner's Path" and found it to be a wonderfully challenging adventure. It was a beautiful clear day too, so that made it even better! 

My fearless and handsome guide, who also carried the pack the whole way. What a man!

There is some fascinating history on this mountain. I guess back during World War II, this area was mined for the quartz sand, which they used to make binocular lenses.

See the sand! It is pure white and seems so out of place on the mountain.

Finally we reached the summit! Ahhhh....Look at that view!

So then we hunkered down in the rocks, away from the wind and cooked ourselves up some grub! Why is it that food tastes SO good when you first climb a mountain and then cook it over an open fire before eating it? Yum!

From the top of Muckish, we could see Errigal which is where David and I first climbed together on my first trip over to Ireland, one year and 4 months ago! Such beautiful memories!

Hiking in Ness Woods

I would like you to meet one of my new friends here in Ireland, Ramona. She also teaches violin and has the most wonderful personality. I so enjoying being with her and experiencing her joy for life! A few days after my birthday, she picked me up and we went for a lovely hike in Ness Woods, just outside of Derry. It was an enchanting walk through a stunning patch of Ireland!

She was trying to get her son, Xander, to look at me but he was far more interested in the stunning flora.

 

It was gorgeous!

Here is Xander, ignoring me again. I think he is really cute--like a model baby! 

It is hauntingly beautiful in there. All along the paths as you walk, you can hear water rushing, but you can't see it because the trees and plants grow so thick!

And it was...a very nice day! Thank you Ramona!