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!

40 Years!

It all began in sixty-nine

In Hawaiian flowers and sunshine

They said “I do” and tied the knot

And started an adventurous plot!

 

Although sometimes the road was rough

They found they always had enough

And learned to lean on God above

And rest in His abiding love

 

Before too long they had a brood

Of three wee lasses and a dude

And these four children grew to find

That they had parents so good and kind

 

The time and energy they gave

To teach their children to behave

Would tire out the stoutest brute

They are the best, there’s no dispute!

 

And soon the children, bit by bit

Moved on to start their own outfits

The house was still, but not for long

For grandkids number 15 strong!

 

And when they all return, it’s true

Such noise and bustle does ensue!

But if you think that it will cease

I tell you, it shall more increase!

 

For generations shall be born

And like a garland, they are worn

Who knows what great potential lies

Within these infant baby cries

 

And just to think, it all began

With just one woman and one man

We’re oh-so-thankful for the way

They love each other, come what may

 

So why the poem? Have you guessed?

We want to tell them how we’re blessed

And how their lives lived day by day

Bring joy to others along the way!

Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad! 

We love you!!

25 weeks

The only time in life when a person can be actually excited to see their stomach expanding at such an alarming rate is when they're pregnant. And so, in order to take advantage of this amazing pregnancy privilege, here is an updated picture of our little baby.

He/she is so busy and wild in there! It's great fun watching all the bumps and movement. I had a midwife appointment today and all is looking spot-on she said. I am measuring exactly 25 weeks so that looks good for September 13th (or whenever this baby decided to come)! What an amazing journey!

BIG birthday party!

This weekend we celebrated David's birthday with a BIG party! There were around 35 people here at our house (a record for us so far) and we had so much fun! We ate fajitas, had lots of yummy desserts, played outside (it wasn't raining...can you believe it?!), and did a lot of visiting. It was nice for me to have the chance to get to know some of David's friends a little better. They are all wonderful families. We are blessed to have such great friends like these! Here are a few pictures from the evening...

Check out that fire! There were a LOT of candles on that tiny cake! :)

You know how when you get married, there is a lot of blending that takes place with traditions and such? Well, come to find out, blowing out candles was never a tradition in David's family. So he told me later that this is the first time he has ever blown out candles on a birthday cake! I couldn't believe it! 

The kids had a great time weeding out the grass around our oil tank and having grass wars! It's funny how kids can find things to do no matter what. Plus, now our oil tank looks nice and tidy! Thanks kids!

Aren't they little cutie pies?!

It was a wild, busy house but such fun! 

David's B-day!

Happy Birthday David!

May 27th

I am so grateful for this man! He is a gift from God to me and I feel so honored to be his wife. Everyday I am amazed at his strengths and gifts. He prays with me and for me everyday. He loves God's Word and I love how sometimes he just can't wait to tell me something new he has read or learned. He is a WAY better communicator than I am and he is extremely faithful and loyal. These are just a few (a very few) of the things I admire about David. 

He is my best friend and I love him so much!

And this is the look he will give me when he finds out that I did a post about him! 

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!

Ahoy Mateys!

Operation Mobilization (OM) is a missions organization that I have become acquainted with since meeting David. He spent two years ministering on the Doulos ship as music coordinator. The ships travel all over the world stopping at port after port, spreading the Gospel through music, drama, practical skills, and its large on-board book fair. Recently we got word that their brand new ship, the Logos Hope, would be stopping in Belfast for a few weeks! So off we went, to tour this beautiful vessel of Hope. 

Our day on the ship...

After touring the large book fair for several hours, we relaxed in the cafe and had a nice "cuppa". It was quite spacious and very nicely laid out.

My sister-in-law, Sarah, has decided that she is going on the ship as well for a year or two. I am very excited for her. It is going to be an awesome experience although quite challenging I am sure!

In the evening, we enjoyed a night of praise and I caught a bit of video from the Korean dance that was shared...so beautiful! There are many, many nationalities represented in the volunteers on board. It's a cultural experience like none other!

Virtual Shower of Blessing!

A few Saturdays ago, I got the biggest surprise of my life! I was calmly sitting at my computer, working on a few things, when Skype suddenly rang. I was excited to see that it was Mindy and answered it. She started calmly asking me about what I was up to and we chatted for a bit and then she said, "We have something for you!" and turned the camera to show a huge crowd of people (about 50 or so) off to the side all saying "Surprise!!" I was stunned and it took me a while to realize that they were having a baby shower...for ME!! It was the most creative and wonderful thing ever!

To see how they pulled it off, read about all the behind the scenes genius HERE, at Mindy's blog. I am still in a state of shocked blessing at what they all did for me. It was incredible! Thank you everyone!!...from the bottom of my heart. 

Here are some of the gifts that they sent (to my in-laws house, where they were hidden for weeks!). Things that I never thought we would be able to afford, generously given to us by our wonderful friends and family.

In addition to what you see on the table, we were also given several LARGE items that we haven't assembled yet (although I can hardly wait!!). We were given a crib and matching changing table in a gorgeous dark wood that I love. Plus, a beautiful Graco portable crib from my parents. 

I will post pictures of the nursery once we get everything set up. I am so inspired now that I have stuff to actually put into it! Thank you again to all of you who took part in this amazing event. My sister, Mindy, especially, for doing all the arranging of this. What a blessed sister I am! 

My blessings have been... 

"pressed down, shaken together, and are running over..."!

(loosely quoted from Luke 6:38)

Yay for saving money!!

We had overnight visitors!! I love having company stay at our house and making them breakfast and all that fun stuff. Our friends came for one night and they were so much fun to have! The next day, they talked us into coming with them to an auction and a round of golf by the ocean. It was a little chilly but great fun!

(Above) All our balls are lined up to tee off! (I tried to remember everything that my friend Annette taught me during our golf lesson and was glad she couldn't see me! I had my "moments")

(Below) David shows us how it's done on the putting green.

Laura was so cute when she golfed! Her brother (in the white jacket) was visiting them from his home in South Africa. He was great fun to have as well.

So, after that we went to the auction and had a marvelous time! I now LOVE auctions! I could hardly believe the prices that things were going for! Unbelievable! 

So....are you ready for this!? Here are our lovely bargains that I am so excited about (well, mostly the last one, I guess).

First, David got this set of golf clubs for £10 ($14)! These are especially for when my dad comes to visit. :)  

Second, we bid on this wide screen, Panasonic TV and got it for £20 ($29)! This is for watching movies on. It's kind of weird, but over here you have to buy a TV license in order to watch television! I think that's dumb. Anyway, we don't miss it and I think my time is spent far wiser with us NOT having it in the house. (sorry about my little TV rant there! Back to the auction!..)

And last, but not least, we found this adorable pram (baby stroller) that was in great condition. The brand is Mamas & Papas and I was curious. So I looked up their website and was SHOCKED to find that their prams sell for up to £600!!! 

We got it for...*drumroll*....£5 ($7)!!!! 

It can interchange between the older kid seat (above) and the Moses basket (below). Can't you just imagine a cute little baby all snuggled down inside! 

Anyway, I feel so blessed by the Lord. He provides for all our needs and even for a few of our unnecessary wants too! And He even picked out a great color for the pram! I love it!

Praise the Lord!

Baking (or attempting to!)

Okay! I love reading all these beautiful blogs about food, like my cousin Erica's cooking blog! So I thought I would attempt to do a lovely post about making bread! It didn't exactly go like I hoped but the end product was good, so that is really what matters.

So, first you mix up your ingredients according to the recipe. I was just waiting for the yeast to activate in the water so I thought I would take some pictures of the ingredients, all artsy and posed (like a cooking show). However, I only have two ingredients clearly showing...not so clever!

Meanwhile, the yeast was really going to town! Okay, need to focus a little more I guess.

Here is the messy (but fun!) part...kneading the dough! Notice my rings carefully set aside in the background! I thought that dough plastered to the side of my wedding diamond might not be so cool.

Then, you let it rise and carefully cover it with a beautiful towel that your mother embroidered for your hope chest (or any towel that you might happen to have...but I am sure it won't work as well). 

Okay...I thought I learned this lesson already!

After punching it down twice, form the dough into loaves and let it rise again. Notice how my loaves are all lopsided and one side is bigger than the other? I am happy to say that it doesn't affect the taste.

And THEN!!!...bake it in the oven and fill the house with THE MOST glorious smell ever! Yum!

Okay...here is the recipe:

(from Elaine Nissley's kitchen in Lancaster, PA)

4 cups  milk

4 tsp.  salt

4 T   butter

4 T   honey

1 T   yeast

1/4 cup   warm water

9-10 cups   flour 

(I use 3 cups whole wheat and the rest white)

Mix together and let rise twice before forming into loaves. Bake at 350-375 for 30 minutes. Enjoy!!

Newspaper picture

I hesitate to post this because I think it is a terrible picture of me but since both Matt and Mindy requested it, here you go. This was taken at the Bake Sale booth that I had.

That is Judith standing beside me. She is a sweet girl who sings in the choir that David directs at the church. 

My first craft sale!

Since I am not working yet, I thought it would be fun to take up some crafty projects. I joined the library in Derry and found some really fun books on sewing and crocheting and so the crafting began. 

I wasn't too serious about it all until I found out that Fahan Presbyterian Church was having a bake sale the Saturday before Easter and were offering me a booth if I wanted to sell some craft items. It was two weeks before the sale when I found out, so I went into "crazy mode" with making stuff! 

I stuck a few of my hats on and actually sold a couple! (I was completely shocked and had to hold myself back from apologizing for them since I am such a beginner!)

I really fell in love with the hot pink set though! 

I also tried my hand at dish cloths, which is pretty hard to make any profit from, mostly because I am still so slow at making them! I think I figured that I ended up making around 50 pence per hour! Not so great but I had fun, so that counts as something I suppose. 

And last, but not least, I tried making these "Easter Blessing Baskets" which I filled with scones and chocolate chip cookies. They ended up selling the best of all, which I was very happy about. 

So that was my first craft fair and I really enjoyed it. I even found out that my picture was on the front of the Health section of the paper the next day! A HUGE full page picture. (kinda scary!) 

Camping trip: Part 2

After hiking up to the top of the ridge (see previous post) we hiked down to the bottom and did a little exploring. We found this cozy little cottage that looked so inviting! I think it is either for fishermen or sheep herders to stay in when they are there. 

As we were hiking along, we suddenly spotted this mysterious-looking cave that seemed to say, "EXPLORE ME!!" I thought that there must be treasure in there! 

Sure enough! Look at that...the man I love! Now that's a treasure! :)

David brought along his coffee making paraphernalia and made a first-class cup of coffee, while I munched on chips and salsa. It was the most unique picnic spot I have ever experienced! 

These next two pictures are especially for my dad. He requested some shots of David with his new fishing rod, so here they are! It was a nice fishing spot, even if he didn't catch anything. 

Oh well! It's hard to be bummed out when it is so lovely everywhere you look.

So that was the end of that camping trip! 

We praise the Lord for the gifts that He gives us and these beautiful days to enjoy! 

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!