on monday i had lunch here:

my favorite things...

Anthropologie is my favorite store in the whole, wide world. I took this from their facebook page. It's just one of the reasons why.

"When’s the last time you handwrote a note or a letter to a loved one? No form of instant communication can truly replace such a warm, intimate gesture – essentially, it’s confirming to someone that he or she is worth your time.

This is one of the reasons why we adore the “Message in a Bottle." It’s the perfect little something for a friend or loved one who is celebrating a milestone, throwing a dinner party or just special in your life. The best part about it is that it’s 100% interactive – think of it as an old-fashioned form of texting!

To whom do you envision giving Message in a Bottle? And what type of sentiment would you write? Is it your sister? Your spouse? Your children? Would you be inclined to write a riddle? A reminder? Or perhaps a simple “I love you”? You tell us."

PS, you should see their catalogs... things of beauty!

a weekend in wicklow

Over the weekend I went down to Wicklow with some of my housemates and some friends. We had a wonderful time climbing mountains, scaling boulders and rivers, eating around campfires, building sweat lodges, etc. (You know, all the things you normally do on the weekend. Here's a few of my pictures. Also, you can see Dennis' pictures here.

Walking through the ferns.

The valley

That's the waterfall we climbed.

The fire!

Apparently I over exerted myself just a bit, because I found myself in bed all day Monday with a fever and a nasty cough. Feeling much better now thank Goodness!

Finally got all my smoke soaked clothes in the wash today. Here's a picture of the blue, green, and brown load:

And this is a picture of things that make me happy! First is the copy of To Kill a Mockingbird I got out of the Ormeau Road Library for my book club next week. (Happy about the book, happy about the Library, happy about the book club!) Then you'll see a copy of InStyle Magazine. This is one thing I love about the UK, you get free gifts when you buy magazines. Buy InStyle and get free L'Occitane hand cream? Yes, thank you!

And here is a video of the valley which we climbed down into, hiked through, and then climbed back out of. If you listen very closely you can hear the eerie call of Stags who had returned to the area for mating season. It haunted us all weekend.

i'm gonna be an auntie

Here is the very first picture of my beautiful new niece/nephew. So now we know it's not twins and that all is well! I love him so much already! Can't wait to meet her! He's arriving sometime around April 29th.

I AMsterdam

The 2nd 24-7 Euro Gathering was held in Amsterdam this past weekend. Such an amazing time! Got to reconnect with old friends and to meet new ones. Had lots of time for wandering around the city which is beautiful! The Gathering itself was full of inspiring and challenging teaching and great times of worship and prayer. I felt like I had come home. Here are a few pictures from the weekend:

As far as sessions/teaching goes my highlight was an afternoon seminar on mission and culture in Europe. It was taught by Gerard Kelly (at least I think that's his last name) and I really appreciated what he had to say. He pulled a lot of stuff out about history and how important it is doing mission in Europe today to have an understanding of the past and the role that the church and Christianity has played in Europe's history. Vital questions: If the paganism in Europe today stems not from an ignorance but a rejection of Christianity, how do we make Jesus beautiful again? And, if the heart cry of Europe for generations has been for Freedom, Justice, and Truth, how can we expect to successfully share the gospel without answering this cry? Like I said, really challenging!

I stayed an extra day in Amsterdam to do a bit of touristy things. I went to the Rijksmuseum which was recommended in a couple guide books I flipped through. I'm wondering if they were displaying at full capacity because I was thoroughly disappointed. I was in and out in an hour and it cost 11 Euro! I tried to go to the Van Gogh Museum to make up for the disappointment, but was unable to. So I got to wander around the city and pop into a few used bookstores and some funny souvenir shops and fun things like that.

Since I flew through Dublin on my way here I officially entered the UK on my way home from Amsterdam. So my tourist entry will end on April 5th. A lot can happen between now and then and I'm excited to see what the Lord has in store!

Just to give you an idea of how great and intense the weekend was, I spent 5 hours on Tuesday journalling about it!

i just can't help it...

Ok, I know it's kinda boring to read quotes other people loved from books. And I know that I share quotes that I've enjoyed way too much. But I can't help it... This is another bit from "Notes From a Small Island" which I loved all the way through. When a book consistently makes you laugh out loud at almost every page it's something worth sharing. But I promise this will be the last that I share from it.

"Among the city's many treasures, none shines brighter, in my view, than the incomparable Burrell Collection, and after checking into my hotel, I hastened there now by taxi, for it is a long way out. 'D'ye nae a lang roon?' said the driver as we sped along a motorway toward Pollock Park. 'I'm sorry,' I said for I don't speak Glaswegian. 'D'ye dack ma fanny?' I hate it when this happens - when a person from Glasgow speaks to me. 'I'm sorry,' I said and floundered for an excuse. 'My ears are very bad.' 'Aye, ye nae hae doon a lang roon,' he said, which I gathered meant, 'I'm going to take you a very long way around and look at you frequently in the mirror with these menacing eyes so that you'll begin to wonder if perhaps I'm taking you to a disused wharf where I will beat you up and take your money,' but he said nothing further and delivered me at the Burrell without incident."

I found this especially funny because I myself have been in a very similar situation, except it involved two jolly Glaswegian men searching my bags at the airport and not a menacing taxi driver. I usually have little problems understanding people who are from other countries. There are two notable exceptions for this, Jamaicans and Glaswegians.