Masks

(from left to right- Donald Trump, me, George W. Bush, my co-worker Jeff, Simon Cowell)

I am going to Nashville for a work trip today and one of the workshop sessions required some funny mask personalities. We made these at work and thought they were too funny to not take a quick photo.

Friday Night Bulls Game

On Friday night we were lucky enough to be invited to the Bulls Game by Maria & Justin. We had a beautiful night for baseball and Maria & Justin's tickets were in the FRONT ROW! The weather was a bit chilly but the rain held off and made for beautiful sunsets. We had a blast with fun friends -it was a great night.

While we were there we saw two local celebrities, John Edwards and Wool E. Bull (the Durham Bulls mascot). I guess you can see who I waited to get my picture taken with....

Happy Mother's Day

Wishing our moms and all the moms we know a very Happy Mother's Day. It was my first mother's day being Willie's "mom". It's been such a fun nine months. We are so lucky to have Willie as a member of our family.

Ireland - Take 3

Day 5

Killarney, County Kerry

On Wednesday we woke up and left beautiful Cobh to travel to Killarney. On the way, we stopped at the popular desination of Blarney Castle. The castle has been destroyed and rebuilt several times and is currently a partial ruin with some accessible rooms. At the top of the castle lies the Stone of Eloquence, better known as the Blarney Stone. Tourists visiting Blarney Castle may be positioned upside-down and kiss the stone, which is said to give the gift of eloquence. There are many safety precautions, but it is quite high and the positioning definitely made everybody very dizzy. After a long day in the car, we were ready to check into our new B & B and settle in. We walked to dinner in town and enjoyed a great dinner & Irish music at a local pub.

Beautiful Blarney Castle

An outlying building, taken from a window inside the main castle.

Mom asking the "handler" not to drop her :)

My official photo, coming up from kissing the Blarney Stone.

A view from below of the Blarney Stone, you slide all the way down and kiss underneath.

Horse and buggy available for hire in Killarney.

View of the river & bridge from our B&B room in Killarney.

Day 6

Killarney, County Kerry

We took off on Thursday to drive the popular Ring of Kerry. The Ring of Kerry is a tourist trail in County Kerry, south-western Ireland. The route covers the 170 circular road with beautiful scenic views throughout. From breathtaking cliffs & ocean views to gorgeous countryside & quaint towns. We made quite a few "photo opp" stops throughout the day, along with planned stops at Muckross House and Lady's View. We finished the day with a great dinner - one that was voted our most favorite on the trip - The Laurels Pub, Killarney.

One of the many great photo opps.

How cute was this pony carrying the tiny dog?
Shot from the car
Breathtaking view along the Ring of Kerry

Muckross House - this house had 65 rooms! Extensive improvements were undertaken in the 1850s in preparation for the visit of Queen Victoria in 1861. The house and the grounds are now a National Park.

Split tree in the Killarney National Park

Ladies View is a scenic point along the Ring of Kerry. The name apparently stems from the admiration of the view given by Queen Victoria's ladies-in-waiting during their 1861 visit.

Our favorite group dinner - amazing food and authentic pub atmosphere.

Tennis Balls

So, Doug & I try to explain Willie's love of tennis balls. To say he chases them is merely the start. We actually had to ban tennis balls in the house, because he tears through the house to get them. We put them outside in various places and days later he remembers where they are. He dreams about tennis balls. Here is a funny video to show off his obsession. Keep in mind, this was shot after playing fetch for 15 minutes. If you get tired of throwing the ball for him, he just plays by himself. His favorite thing is to drop it on the concrete to see it bounce.

Carolina Jasmine

The Carolina Jasmine that we planted last year really grew up the trellis at our house. Plus, it finally bloomed last week -beautiful!

Family Weekend in KC

Madison & grandma - she is such a monkey.
Madie with her dad.
Madison & Aunt Katie. One of the few times she sat still for a photo op.

This way! Madison with her Great-Grandpa.

My Great-Aunt, Grandma, mom and Madison.
Such a big girl.

We had some quality family time last weekend. My brother Aaron & my niece Madison flew in from California and I flew in from North Carolina. We met in Kansas City for a weekend with Mom because Aaron leaves for a six-month deployment next weekend. It is always great to spend time with family and this was no exception.

Madison is 20 months and getting so big! And it was so much fun to spend some one-on-one time with her. We hung out at home, saw some friends, did some yard work and visited my Grandma, Grandpa and Aunt Evie at the retirement home. As always, weekends so quickly - but I'm so glad I got to spend some time with Aaron before he shipped out.

Madison Singing the ABC's

Aaron, Grandpa John & Madison with a hat trick.