what we're doing these days.

Hello friends,

The last week has been filled with....everything!

The first few days of last week were spent sleeping and being awake at rather strange times, but we adjusted within 3 or 4 days and got in some good movies during our hours of sleeplessness (including Sleepless in Seattle, ironically enough). We stay up later here than we do at home for the most part because the sun doesn't really go completely down till around 10pm, so our bodies are still a little deceived. Fortunately, we get to sleep a tad later than we did while we were working in College Station :).

A large motivation behind this trip (specifically for Jared and me) has been a desire to see what the life of a missionary in a European, specifically Irish, context really looks like. So far, we've discovered quite a bit! Since we've been here, a young missionary couple has had a baby, a friend's grandmother has passed away, we've helped conduct interviews for a radio station position, made thousands (literally) of lecture note copies for Summer Bible Week, read some wonderful books, ate some great food, missed our friends and family, watched rain fall out the window every day, experienced an average of 60 degree weather, and a good bit more.

Most days we wake up with a vague idea of what the following hours will bring, which is a stark contrast to the 8-5 lives we were living before we came here. It has been an adjustment and continues to be (not to mention that we'll be jumping into an entirely new schedule different from either of the two previous when we move to Dallas), but we are grateful that God (and our hosts) are patient, and that we have the opportunity to see that an American schedule is not the only way of life and that what is done here is not wrong, it is simply different. And if we're talking preference...I think we may fit in a bit more with the mentality here than we do in the States :). We'll see what happens!

Love you all and would love to hear from you. Let me know if you'd like to be added to our prayer email list!

We're in Youghal, y'all!

We've arrived my friends! The title of my post is intended to be funny though most people probably don't get it, my apologies. The town we are living in is called "Youghal" - which is pronounced exactly how we say "y'all" in Texas. Crazy isn't it?

We arrived in Ireland around 4pm yesterday, so 10am in Texas. After a crazy amount of sleep, we are filling a bit out of it but great. Today, a group called "The Barnabas Players" from Prairie Bible College left so we had dinner (which is called "tea") with them - they have been here for the past three weeks doing sketches about creation, the gospel, and topics such as peer pressure, in the schools here - which is a really big deal. Praise God for open doors, we know that the team had great impact on the children and youth that watched them perform.

At the moment we're waiting to leave for a prayer meeting with some members of the recent church plant the Tromsness (our hosts) are involved with. It'll be fun to meet some more folks (one of them is a family who recently moved here from Hungary!) One of the new additions to the missionary team here in Ireland is a young family, Seth and Jessica, who have a little boy named Daniel and are expecting their second son, David, any day! Pray for them as they've recently moved, are in a totally new culture, and about to incur another huge change. They are incredibly well adjusted and seem to trust the Lord very deeply, pray for their continued trust and an easy birth :).

We'll do our best to post as often as we can. Much love!

over the mountains and the sea.

48 hours from now we'll be on our way to the airport after squeezing in about 18 hours to celebrate our first anniversary! too bad a raccoon ate the top layer of our cake after the wedding....although i can't really imagine one year old frozen cake is as heavenly as the tradition makes it sound.

we are SO excited. today is our last day of errands, packing, and last minute-ness. its amazing to think back on the way the Lord has been preparing our hearts and minds for this trip in the years past - we believe with full hearts that He will continue to prove Himself faithful, can't wait to see how!

off to finish up laundry and figure out which 50 pounds of my life will be joining us for the next few months. if any of you didn't receive our first prayer request email and want to please let me know!

its official!

Houston (IAH)Depart 1:53 pm Terminal A to Philadelphia (PHL)Arrive 6:20 pm Terminal C
1,329 mi(2,139 km)Duration: 3hr 27mn Philadelphia (PHL)Depart 10:40 pm Terminal A
to London (LHR)Arrive 11:05 am +1 day Terminal 1 3,546 mi(5,707 km)Duration: 7hr 25mn
US US AirwaysFlight: 728

The day after our one year anniversary, we're headed out across the seas :). We'll be back July 31st...what a lovely summer it will be!

hippie.

i've decided to become a coupon clipper. my inspiration is coming from a few things - constant disappointment at the HEB check out counter, a recognition that our budget will likely be shrinking in august, and this blog - written by a lady here in CS who i've never met but stalk a little obsessively. her wisdom on everything from marriage to modesty to mama-ing is full of humor, freedom, scripture, and love. so, if she clips coupons, i guess i'll try too!

i signed up for something called "the grocery game" today which gives me access to a lot of coupons and a list of everything already on sale or buy this get this free deals at HEB or whatever store i choose. that way, i can look at the list and menu plan from it. brilliant! the trial is only $1 for 4 weeks and jared's boss swears by this program (so i have someone to get help from, its a little confusing)! you might try it out...

you may be wondering why i titled this post "hippie." partially its because i am listening to priscilla ahn at the moment who is a tad hippie-ish (and a bigger tad wonderful). but mostly because i've realized that the little hippie inside me is so pleased when i find something to start pursuing that's beneficial, helps me feel free, and i can share with others. so, with the coupon thing, i can save money, recognize my budget as a help and not a threat, and hopefully help some others save money once i kinda get things figured out. i can pass thriftiness (without obsession) to my kids someday and help them become a blessing to their spouse in that way. and maybe with my leftover sheckels i can buy one of those cute, hippielike summer scarves at target i've been salivating over and/or buy some art supplies. yes, me, art supplies. the little hippie keeps telling me to try some artsy things out....we'll see...

what do you do that helps you feel free...beneficial....helpful?