The Friendly Skies

We're back from our long weekend. All of my airport security anxiety, seating assignment anxiety, screaming baby on the airplane anxiety a distant memory. We had terrific visits with my Illinois family and our Minneapolis friends, and we're glad to be back so we can transition smoothly into escrow anxiety, loan anxiety, and home inspection anxiety.

Unseasonably high temperatures in Chicago meant a nice afternoon trip to the park with my many little cousins, and included Samson's fist ride in a baby swing. Which. He. Loved. Yes, video will be posted soon enough. Unseasonably low temperatures in Minneapolis meant Samson's first glimpse of snow through the living room window, and it also meant that we spent the afternoon at the Mall of America instead of walking around one of the lakes because it was too damn cold for any outdoor shenanigans.



Samson did very well on all three planes, making friends and influencing people wherever he went. I won't say I'm in any sort of rush to fly with him again, but I'm much less scared of flying to Israel now. It may not be fun, but it certainly isn't as bad as it could be. It helps to be organized, prepared, and extremely flexible. Also prozac is helpful.

Dublin Days

Max's sister is in town for a few days, and we love having her around. For the bank holiday, we went to the Jameson Distillery (effectively completing the holy trifecta of Irish Whiskey distilleries--Bushmill's, Old Midleton, and Jameson) and the Guinness Storehouse, and topped the day off with some festive teppan-yaki, a traditional Irish favorite.

More pictures later, and maybe a little gem or two from my recent soundtrack of life. (Until then, Liz has your musical needs covered.)

Don't You Forget About Me

Boy, have I ever been MIA. Incommunicado. Fallen off the face of the earth. And what's worse, I've left that clip from the Sarah Silverman Program as my last post for people to see when they check in on the blog. Not my finest bit of blogging. Oh well.

I've been in San Francisco since Friday (technically, Foster City and Palo Alto), and the weather alone has made me consider skipping out on my flight back to Dublin on Sunday. 70's and 80's, clear blue skies--flip flop weather. It's been great being back in the office this week, actually seeing and talking to people during the day. It's a big change from my life as a Dublin hermit, and a very healthy addition to my daily routine. As much as I'll miss Ireland and Europe, I'm looking forward to coming back to a place where I can interact with friends and family on a level other than email and long-distance, time-zone impaired phone calls.

Lots of extra super fantastic things have happened since I got here. Beli Deli sandwiches. An A+ grade on my checkup at the dentist. More Nanna belly than you can shake a stick at. Alaskan King Crab legs. Pie day. Sharks hockey. Hugs from my local nearest and dearest. And even though my peeps in Oregon, Texas, Colorado and Minnesota aren't represented, I feel a little closer to them than normal.

Greetings from the Holy Land

Howdy from Israel, y'all! We're having a terrific time visiting Max's family, eating hummous and generally lazing about. And get this--I've worn my sunglasses for 5 straight days in a row. Can't say that in Dublin.

I promise I'll get some pictures up here soon--Max's mom's roof garden is truly something to behold. Like a little desert oasis, high in the sky.

Next week we'll spend a night at a B&B in the Galilee, and we'll also spend a few days in Jerusalem with some of Max's childhood friends. It's a lovely country, and it's great to have a good chunk of time to spend here. There is much talk of the wedding, especially when it comes to dresses and shoes, and a fair amount discussion involving our plans for the future. This is one place where everyone has an opinion and they consider it their duty to share it with you. Not that I'm complaining--I love it when the conversation is focused on me. Or my dogs and how cute and cuddly they are. On that note, check out LDB's new blog, and scroll down to the last picture in the sidebar. Ultimate cute on all fronts!