Arrival

I'm here!! England and Scotland were amazing...I don't really know how to summarize it in one post. Overall, it was great to spend time with the church family in Scotland, because that is really what it felt like. I now feel like I have brothers and sisters in Glasgow. I also got to have some great conversations with non believers, as did the rest of the team, and I really think God used us. If you want more details, let me know and I can get them to you.
As for Ireland, my first thought on seeing it was that it was so green. The drive from the airport to Galway was just as I imagined: green hills, stone walls, and sheep. I was met at the airport by two women who happen to know a family friend of ours. This was such a blessing and made it very easy to get to the hostel. The hostel is nicer than I expected, though I am still very glad I reserved a private room instead of a dorm. After twelve, blissful hours of sleep (don't judge!) I decided to explore Galway. The city is kind of random, in that there are nice building next to shabby ones, with lots of rambling streets and few road signs. The City Center is really nice and has been made into a big pedestrian area, so there are lots of cobblestone walkways and roads lined with cute stores and pubs. I saw a pub that is going to have Irish dancers tonight, so I think that I will go there tonight. Apparently they are second only to River Dance....but I have a feeling that this could be a small exageration.
I miss you all tons and hope that everything is going well at home...and in Italy (Erika :))!

Goodbyes

Today is my last full day in the US for four months.  Crazy, right?  We are leaving this evening for San Jose, and our flight leaves at 9 tomorrow morning.  This morning I said my goodbyes to Sarah and Erika, which was sad.  How did the summer go by so fast?  Sarah did give me a tip for eating abroad: Avoid the five Bs: Blood, Bladder, Balls, Belly, and Brain.  Thank you Sarah.

So for my last day I am just going to try to soak it all up and not be too nostalgic about everything, which I tend to do.  I am all packed, so the plan for today is to have lunch with my family, watch a few Friends episodes (my drug of choice), and shove the last few items into my already bulging suitcases.  Wish me luck!

Prep Work

120 Days of Galway -  my new, improved, and Irish version of Footnotes.  Although I could pretend that there is a deep reason for this change, I will just admit that I wanted a new name and background for my blogging endeavors in Ireland.  I will try to blog faithfully here while I am abroad so that I am not a stranger when I return (in order for this to be succesful, I will have to step up my blogging considerably).  

Yesterday I was looking through recipes and noticed that many of the cooks noted that the prep work was the most time consuming and exhausting part of the process.  I am beginning to get the feeling that it is the same when you are preparing to go abroad for several months.  I am days away from heading off on my European adventure, yet I can hardly see past all the last minute details.  And, to be completely honest, I'm not sure if this is because of the sheer amount of loose ends left to tie up or because I am too terrified to take my eyes off them and to really consider what I am getting myself into.  Every time I do I either get very excited or ask myself, "What were you thinking?!"  I am sure that if I didn't have the guarantee that God was going to be with me every step of the way, I would be a complete mess by now.  The knowledge that my best friend, Comforter, Lord, Love, and Redeemer is going with me is one of the things that is allowing me to approach my pending departure with a measure of bravery.  Not that I'm not screaming inside as I write this, of course!

On a very different note, I found a wonderful site that my multitude of faithful readers (all 5 of you) should check out.  It is called (in)courage, and you can find it at www.incourage.me.  It is a group of women who blog about their lives, families, and walks with Christ.  I am not usually into sites like these, but this one caught my interest right away.

One final comment -- although I am not in Ireland for 120 days, it sounded much better than 110 or 111 (the real number), so I decided to bend the truth a little!