hello
I guess the address I put in for the new pictures has changed slightly...
here is the correction:

http://faegrove.angelcities.com/irelandpics.htm

Sorry about the strip in most of them, I guess our scanner was dirty or needed realigning or something....
I think most of the pictures are self-explanatory, but if anyone has a question on why in the world we would put a picture in that seems only to be a wall in a pub, its mostly for the "basic slag" sign that shows a woman trying to milk a cow. She's yelling "More Milk!!!" and the cow is yelling back "More Grass!!!". I know its not that funnyby itself, but it is in respects to how much people make fun of (or slag) eachother here, just so they have something to do. I feel like I need lessons. Did I mention that Matt got made fun of in a pub restroom for washing his hands? LikeI said, people tease heere for lack of somthing better to do :)

Nothing new on the work front today, but the day is young :)

Thanks again Leanna :)

And Matt's adding more pictures for all to see of our Shannon/Limerick/Bunratty trip last week. The address is different, its:

http://www.angelcities.com/members/faegrove/irelandpics.html

Cheers

This morning Matt had three interviews all rolled up in one!

He had an interview scheduled with one recruiter (turns out she’s the manager of the IT dept.) who interviewed him, then at the end of it, said: “Hang, on a minute, I want you to meet with one other person here.” So, he went on to interview with a second person who had a whole other job set to fill, and yet again at the termination of that interview: “ Do you have time to talk with one more person?”

So, I guess they were keeping their bases covered. All good for us. That means that Matt will get three people at the same company (all of whom recruit for separate companies) working to place him. So, we are STILL hanging on. Our passport stampy expires on the 4th on June. Then, if we still have relatively hopeful contacts, it’s on to whatever body (I think it’s the Defence Department) to have it extended. Who knows what happens then….

Tonight a brother who is newer to the congregation than us but has moved in from the “country” as a special pioneer (with his wife) into the Russian group, grabbed us as we were leaving our bookstudy (they were coming in for the Russian bookstudy) and asked us to do a demonstration on next Tuesdays service meeting.

This is me being extremely nervous…fjsdjwe;oitg/;wohggkl;sdanf/’weijgwe

And as someone would have it, last Sunday Matt and I already asked one of our friends here that does the sound to record next weeks service meeting; partly we wanted to send home a tape of how funny these brothers are, but mostly to get a clip of the Russian group doing demonstrations too, (not thinking at all we may join them so soon…scared). This brother’s wife went scarlet when she realized that she is a householder on the same meeting. Now she’s not alone I guess…

Last Wednesday there was a wedding that we decided not to attend, since we’ve never really met the Bride and Groom, and then a separate congregation get together for the ones not invited to the reception, basically, that we also skipped (why have one without the other?). Not to mention that we live really far away from where it was held, and didn’t want to make anyone come and pick us up for it :)

We opted to watch the Arsenal v. Manchester United soccer game instead :) Arsenal won. Matt’s not happy about that…. Its World Cup season over here. I don’t think I ever want to go to an actual soccer match…too many mad drunk people.

But that would be another tale to tell :)

Excerpt: there is a horse carriage riding by outside the window. I can’t see it, but the echo of the hooves on the cobblestones outside is clear. They do romantic tours around the parks and sights of Dublin castle and all that in buggies. Actually I’ve seen a rickshaw or two as well. We haven’t spent the unnecessary money on that (yet), but it makes me miss having horses.

Today Matt and I went for a hike in the Wicklow Mountains…. I think.

Actually it was a place called Glendolac…. and I don’t know at the moment how you spell that…. We drove for an hour and a half from our home, through a place called the Sally Gap, across to what is basically an old monastic settlement in the middle of nowhere. A couple (the Brennan’s) in our congregation called us up last night and, since it was a “bank holiday” to day, offered to drive us there and take a hike. Not really much of a hike, though; mostly just nice comfortable walking on good paved paths that wind through a valley next to and in-between a river that connects two lakes. In the middle of this valley is a settlement that includes a round tower (St. Kevin’s) of unknown date, a huge graveyard from the beginning of time, and a few other ruins of houses and clerical dwellings that seemed to date from the 10th century on. I think they said the last additions to the buildings seemed to be in the 1200’s. It was really beautiful, but quite crowded. We followed around a tour for a bit, but they were only talking about the style of monk’s hair, so we moved on….

Then we walked from one lake to the far edge of the other through an old mossy forest along the edge of the water, up to an abandoned miners town (again, don’t know the time period). It was one of the loneliest quiet places I’ve ever seen, regardless of the other visitors hopping from rock to rock around us. It was at the end of the river’s valley, surrounded on three sides by tall rocky cliffs and mountainsides. One slope was by far the most liveable, and still home to sheep in a grazing pasture, kept green by the streamlet that feed into the lake, from a waterfall at the close of the gap. Some of the dwellings there were so reclaimed by the wild that some of the streams many fingers actually flowed through their broken-down walls, not around them. By the time we walked the 2 kilometres back to the car park, we were debating how much extra Domino’s Pizza would charge for delivery there….it was way past lunch time. Instead, we had questionable food at a stand there at the car park, and drove the windy bumpy close-quartered road back home. Let me just say thank you again to Leonard for driving. It was scary nonetheless :). I don’t think I would have made it in half the time he did. And he was flying around the pass too; knowing it like I once knew high was 50. My stomach fell to my feet more than once, even though I trusted his skill. And it gave us an excuse to finally whip out the piles of CDs we packed along. I love music swapping :)

They dropped us off back home just a little while ago, and were off to the “hen/stag” nights of a local couple that are getting hitched this Wednesday afternoon (I know, strange timing). We don’t know them well enough to tag along, even though the Brennan’s kindly asked us. And we were again blessed by a beautiful sunny day, (although not quite as bright as the last two previous) warm enough to walk more than comfortable (most of the time in shirtsleeves. Standing still in the shade demanded your coat, or at least a close huddle. Now, we are off to drop off another C.V. at a pub down the street where one of the barmen says he knows a guy who he wants to pass it along to (what harm could it do?).

So off we go!

Side note on Bank Holidays: we asked Lisa (Brennan) what holiday it was that gave them this day off of work, yet again. I had thought that it had something to do with May Day. Nope. Not even Cinco de Mayo. It seems that Bank Holidays are just that: Days when the banks are closed, for whatever reason. Lisa said, its not a Saints Day or anything like that, otherwise we’d be at work. There’s only one more, in August and maybe one in October, then there won’t be anymore until this time next year, the next “holiday season”. So, I still don’t fully understand. I thought Bank Holidays were synonymous with any holiday. I guess not :).