Sunday, September 16, 2007

It's a windy day today. I'm not sure when it started howling, but it was already going strong when I woke up at 8:30am. It's been an interesting phenomenon. First it blows in what seems to be storm clouds. 15 minutes later it's bright blue. The clouds literally are RACING across the sky. I can't remember the last time I saw clouds move that fast. It certainly doesn't happen much in Los Angeles.
We got our first rain today. Complete with a few cracks of thunder. Up till today we hadn't had a drop of rain since we got here. The evenings are mostly cool, but barely sweater weather. The locals are all ecstatic, as they had to suffer through about 45 days of rain before we got here. It lasted about 5 minutes before stopping. Maybe it will happen again!
We're very cosily settling into our new home. It already feels like home. Although we are directly over the most crowded square of Temple Bar, with the doors and windows closed tight, we hear almost nothing. We've been watching a little tv, and organizing. Everything is all sorted and put away and in the right spot for us. We had to re-organize the kitchen a bit (but isn't that always the case? Kitchens are peculiarly personal) and learning how to fit all of the suitcases and various other things stashed away was an adventure.
Our one wardrobe is all the storage space that we have. No lie. 2 rungs of hanging poles and about 7 shelves. But we made do. Thank goodness we decided not to ship anything! We'd really be in a pickle then!
We did laundry and learned why there is an iron. The washer/dryer combo unit does *not* dry in the same way that big ol' tumble dryers back home do. It pretty much heats things up, and spins em around, but they're either damp or dreadfully wrinkled upon removal. Blech. So I have had to re-learn to iron. I had thought that buying mostly wrinkle-free clothes was good enough, but alas! No. And we are using the clothes drying rack for the things that are still damp.
Still no internet access. It's becoming rather trying, actually. Both Aaron & I feel as if something was amputated. But it's supposed to get worked out rather quickly. The landlord is supposed to contact us in the next couple days with the name of the provider that can provide us with service.
We've had a few bumps, but hey! We're doing well.
Aaron's computer took a nose dive on Friday, and we're hoping that it was a one-time only deal. We're going in tomorrow morning to meet with Yahoo, so maybe they'll take a look at it. Who knows, they may even be able to help us cut through some bureaucratic red tape to get the internet access thing taken care of.
I still have another 10 days or so before I register, so I'm pretty much just hanging out. I still need to get a windbreaker/jacket of some sort. My pea coat is alright for super cold times, but the combination of wind/wet probably will cause me to need something a little dryer.
Some things I miss from back home:
Ranch Dressing - I tried doing the Irish "malt vinegar" on fries thing, but it's not the same. We went to Hard Rock Cafe the other day and I had a salad with ranch, and boyo did it taste good! Because no single store in this city (that we've seen so far) sells ranch dressing, we're convinced that they order the Hidden Valley Ranch dried packages (you know the little powder ones?) and make it in the restaurant.
Garlic - it's definitely a gourmet/specialty item here. I miss the whole Californian - I'll take 5 heads for $1. I know, I was spoiled.
Our kitten - although I guess he's a cat now. It's so funny how your heart gets so quickly attached.
Kraft Macaroni and Cheese (the blue box) - Don't get me wrong, the stuff here is fabulous. Fresh cheese, yummy goodness. But every now and then you just get a craving for that ridiculously fake cheese flavor.
3-M removable hanging hooks. Haven't been able to find em, can't hang anything without them. There are 3 screws in the wall in our apartment. And they are all different sizes.
Workouts at the gym - Although the last few really prepared me for the flights of stairs Aaron & I do every day. It's 2 stories up, no elevator. Stairs only, people! Wowie! I swear the glutes and quads and calves are not getting a breather. That combined with walking between 2 and 5 miles a day... i guess I'm not really missing out on the cardio, but I still miss the gym.
Blockbuster Video/Netflix - Have found a few here, but they're all in suburbia. Guess they figure that those of us in City Centre have enough to do and don't need movie rentals. We did find the nearby movie theater, though, and are so excited because all the blockbuster movies that we wanted to see haven't been released yet here! Woohoo!
Costco - I miss having all that access to copious quantities of things. Trust me, I wouldn't be able to use it at this point...we don't have anywhere to put it! But just seeing rows of paper towels.
Charmin Ultra (less is more!) - There's a lot of scenting and coloring going on here in the TP industry. I can only quote Legally Blonde on this one... "All those opposed to chafing say 'aye'!"
Freezer space - I have a feeling that I'll be buying things like meat and frozen veggies/fruits on a daily or 'as-needed' basis. Think mini/bar fridge with the little tiny freezer up top that has a little plastic cover. Yup. That's it. That's the freezer space. Have yet to see if an ice cream container will fit.
Target-type stores - The closest thing we've found is Arnott's Bargain Basement. I don't really want it for anything other than things like cheap hangers and silverware. It took us days to find anything even remotely low-priced. I'm sure there's something like that somewhere around here, but it sure isn't popping out of the woodwork to the naked eye!
But really, the thing we miss most is our friends and family. We have each other -- good thing we like us! - but we do miss all of you. We hope you're doing well, and that maybe you'll send us a note or email to let us know how you're doing and what's going on back home.
So that's our update for this lovely Sunday afternoon.
We're still looking for a church home, so if you think of it and feel inclined, drop a prayer on that note.
Hugs and love - k & a

Thursday, September 13, 2007

We started moving into our new home today!!!
We're definitely praising God for getting us into this place, as it's beautiful! 1 large bedroom in the back of the building (so that it doesn't get street noise), a full bathroom (although no tub, just a shower), full kitchen with new appliances, a dining room set and a balcony overlooking Temple Bar. It also has a full-size sleeper-sofa, so the invitation to visit is extended to all of you. :) It's definitely quite a change from our current situation -- although the upstairs neighbors have left the "uuntz" from previous nights in exchange for elephants falling down stairs and stomping on trampolines. We are so ready for a QUIET night!!!
Our next big hurdle is finding our own internet access. I can't even tell you what a fiasco that is turning out to be. Nothing like the states in terms of competing kinds and companies. It's pretty bizarre, actually. In our area, it is exclusively based on a phone line, but the phone line has to be established by the government telecom company, but that can take up to 3 months! Wowie!
But of course, you can't even start applying for the line until you have an address.
There seems to be a lot of running around in circles in the bureaucracy here. It's almost impossible to get an address without an active bank account and PPS number (think SSN). BUT, you can't get a PPS number without a Garda card (like a driver's licence, but impossible to get) which you can't get without an address. Not to mention the fact that after running around in circles all day, you still have to wait in these ridiculous lines. BUT if you don't get the PPS number to your current address, then you have to wait for a utility bill, which only come every 2 months...that's IF you manage to get it switched over without the bank account or the pps number.
I feel like my brain has been shaken, not stirred.
In other news, I sadly did not make the singing group, but found out after the audition that there was only 1 spot open, and there was a waiting list before auditions! So I'm really not offended. Plus... if I really want to sing, I can always hit up the karaoke joints or go on the musical pub crawl again and sing Irish folk music :)
But we're happy otherwise. Life suits us here. We're enjoying the culture, the walking, the pace of life, and pretty much everything. We're looking forward to this weekend as it is Dublin Culture Night on Friday and you can learn more about that here:
http://www.culturenight.ie
Sadly, for those of you who know how much we were looking forward to some rainy, gloomy weather, we've brought the sun with us. Not a drop of rain since we've arrived. It's been sunny but delightful - not too hot, thank goodness! Supposedly we're supposed to have rain soon... I'm not too worried. After all, there's still autumn and winter! :)
We've included our "snail mail" address. Feel free to send postcards or letters.
As soon as we've figured out what would constitute a good care package, we'll try to let you know. Unfortunately, "internet access for free in a box" probably won't work to well, huh? As of right now, the only thing I miss occasionally is ranch dressing (they serve fries - aka "chips" - with EVERYthing here) but don't worry about sending that. I probably shouldn't be eating french fries anyway.
We're very much looking forward to enjoying settling in and getting used to our new lives. Aaron meets with Yahoo Dublin HR on Monday and I register in 2 weeks.

Tuesday, September 11, 2007

Hi friends and family,
We've found a home and posted the rest of the pictures from our days here:
http://new.photos.yahoo.com/javagirl58

Sunday we woke up to church bells from both Christ Church Cathedral and Saint Patrick's Cathedral. It was haunting and lovely. We then decided to head off to see a few things at the Museum. The Museum at Collins Barracks focuses on history and fine arts. Up till the 70's or so, it was the oldest military barracks still in use by the military.
This is where we saw the Viking replica ship and the High Cross Replica exhibit. I really, truly, fully intend now to go see the High Crosses... The fact that they have an exhibit at the History museum about the 200 year old REPLICAS of these Crosses that have been around for a millennium or so points to their importance. They are also BEAUTIFUL. Most High Crosses have a circle around the center point of the cross. The circle doesn't just support the arms of the cross, but also represents the sun - a symbol of new life and growth for the ancient Celts.
You can read more about the exhibit here:
http://www.museum.ie/exhibitionsandcollections/details.asp?id=183&subsection=collections&site_id=1
We avoided the exhibit on Soldiers and War because I was a little burnt out after Kilmainham Gaol. We're really at this point looking forward to some weekend day trips out to the outlying Counties to explore the ridiculously beautiful creation that God has made here.
Now that we've found a home, that should be easier.
I also audition tonight for a singing group at Trinity.
We'll be having a very mellow next few days until we get the keys to our new place.
We miss you all very much and send our love and greetings. :)
K & A

Sunday, September 09, 2007

Why I'm up at 6:07am
We have upstairs neighbors. They have been moderately loud all week, but tonight... SUNDAY night, they decided to have a raging party at 5:00am. Woke both me and Aaron up at 5:00am.
We're both exhausted and I have an Ipod plugged into my heard, trying to keep the "uuntz uuntz" of their trance out of my head. The lights in the hallway going on and off, thumps, yelling, etc. I went up to see if they could quiet down and I got a twitch on the volume switch.
I don't even know who to call for noise disturbances here! ARGH!
Not to mention the fact that when I went upstairs, I'm quite convinced that at least 1 of them was on more serious substances than simple "beer." That and the leering and drooling and falling down the stairs and over things in their attempts to come over to apologize.
If they were truly sorry, perhaps they could be quiet at 5am.

Oh well. Even more reason to pray for an apartment. Might I add, even at my worst, and in the worst neighborhoods, there was always quiet after 2am with the knowledge that people might be sleeping. True, for "normal" people as I've become 2 is pretty late, but STILL. 5 freaking am? That's like, hey, wake up for work with a beer and some substances that more than likely are illegal!

Oh well, sorry for the crankfest... I'm tired!

Saturday, September 08, 2007

It has definitely been an interesting few days. What with internet going wonky, we literally have been UNABLE to look for apartments. Which means that Aaron and I (heavens forbid) have been forced to truly let go and enjoy ourselves. So we've had a fantastic last couple days after being denied on the apartment we desired.
Yesterday, we spent toodling around the city on an open air bus (see photos from yesterday's post). We mainly wanted to get a sense for the city so that we could decide what we wanted to do. When we were here in March, we already saw Guinness, Book of Kells, and Jamesons (the 3 that all the taxi drivers recommended) so we didn't need (or want) to repeat them. So we had a blast figuring out what we wanted to do today.
We've also been eating a lot of Italian food... strange, the best food we've found here isn't "pub grub" but pasta and chicken and yummy Italian. Oh well!
So we wandered yesterday and all last night. It was fantastic! We finally feel like we're getting a sense of "home" and comfort in knowing where things are.
And last night, we had a phenomenal time. If anyone comes to visit, this is the one "non-negotiable" activity on everyone's roster. The Musical Pub Crawl. As we explained to another couple from the States (Washington, D.C.) at the bus stop today, it's so much more music and so little crawl. You start out at a pub called Oliver St. John Gogarty's at 7:00pm to buy your ticket. Then you wait around a bit until 7:30 or so, and the musicians meet you down in the cobblestone streets outside. They introduce themselves, and these are the real deal... Larry & Joe are world-playing, phenomenally talented musicians. And they come home to Ireland occasionally to do these pub crawls and play with other Irish musicians.
The evening really consists of about 50% music and 50% history lesson, explaining the context, tradition and history of Irish traditional music and the ways in which it developed. and is still developing. You start at one pub, stay for about an hour, then move onto the next and stay there for an hour, and then about 10pm you're done.
So our favorite song was actually a Scottish folk song called Caledonia.
You can hear it on You-Tube here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KMpSg78s684
Later in the night, they had something called the "Noble Call" which is apparently a part of every musical "session" (they're not performances at the real ones, because they should be open to anyone who happens by). And the Noble Call is a chance for anyone who is there to "say a song" that comes from their heart. The only catch is that it has to be from where you came from and you have to know all the words.
And so I said a song.
It was a truly amazing experience, sitting upstairs in a room in Dublin, having had an evening of incredible music and humour and fun... and to just let a song pour forth was awesome.
And if you're wondering, I sang Etta James' At Last because it means something to me and Aaron and it reminds me of good times back home, including Karaoke, my wedding, and good times with people I love.
I could have chosen others, but I let the crowd choose (they were mostly American).
What an awesome night.

Today... Heads up... some morbidity and deep thoughts here. So feel free to skim or skip to the bottom... I won't be offended, promise.
We woke up to some pounding... demolition team next door. And viewed a studio apartment that was quite cute. It was already let out, but the owner/manager has one opening up in another area that we love. So we're keeping our hopes up.
Then, we walked back home, and hopped back on the hop-on bus and went to a place called Kilmainham Gaol (pronounced "jail").
This was a serious historical place.
I'm not even sure that I can explain the history in a way that would remotely do it justice. Suffice it to say, that it held political prisoners throughout all of Ireland's tumultuous rebellions, it was the site of a number of executions both public and private, and you can almost feel the history seeping through the stones. This place puts Alcatraz to shame, people.
We stood in the courtyard where 14 men had been shot through the heart for "high treason." For wanting a republic and freedom from British rule. (for the introspective reflection see the other blog.)
It was over 200 years old, and there were times that when walking through, you could almost feel the souls that had passed through.
After that, we saw a movie... and walked home.
We've crossed the "Ha'Penny Bridge" (pronounced hape-knee) about 20 times in the last two days. I'll have more pictures soon. It's called the "Ha'Penny" because it used to be a pedestrian toll bridge, where the toll was... you guessed it, a half penny.
Going to call about another apartment tomorrow. And if we can figure out when it is, we are going to try to goto church at ChristChurch Cathedral, one of the oldest churches in Europe!
Hugs and love, friends!

Friday, September 07, 2007

This is the Wellington Monument. It's also the 2nd tallest obelisk in the world. The 1st tallest obelisk is the Washington Monument in Washington, D.C. (that's in the States ;) ) This tower is located in the scenic Phoenix Park, which is immensely larger than Central Park in New York, some ridiculous number of acres and with pretty flowers. I'll have to get pictures of the flowers next time, though, cuz that bus sure drives fast!
This is the door that we enter to get into our studio apartment. Right above a coffee shop.
A beautiful old church...turned into "Lighting World." Seriously, no joke.
This is the soaring front of St. Patrick's cathedral. This foundation was laid in the 400's!!! That's seriously old, folks.


The tour started here, at St. Andrews Church -- now known as the Dublin Tourist Offices. This next one is of Christ church and traffic. Christ Church's foundations were laid in 1035ad! Wow. that's a long time ago. Almost 1000 years!

Man. This town in OLD. It's awesome though. Hopefully more pictures tomorrow.
But just note... they drive on the "other" side of the street here. :)
hugs and love.

Thursday, September 06, 2007

Just as an FYI. Katie will be posting some more introspective-type spiritual journey stuff here:
http://graceforward.blogspot.com
This is less update and more reflection... But for those of you interested, it's there.
blessings

Hopefully we'll find a home soon! We're eating well, and having a ball. More updates as they come. Here are a couple of photos of St. Patrick's cathedral, which is around the corner from the apartment where we are staying.

Well, another 5-6 miles today and we saw two apartments that we could live with, and one that we fell in love with! My feet will never be the same after all this walking, but I now understand why Irish food is so hearty! I swear I get hungry after every 2 miles. :)
#1: This was the 1br that I had been drooling over online. It was very pretty, but I must admit that the layout was a trifle strange. First, the shower was a closet in the bedroom. I'm really not kidding you. In the bedroom, in the wall, there was a shower door where the closets would be in an apartment in the States. The toilet was in a closet by the front door. It was spacious and clean, but the whole shower thing was a little weird. So we decided... well, as long as we're here, why don't we look at the studio? So we did.
#2: This is the studio that we absolutely fell in love with. All new kitchen, beautiful, comfortable furniture, very spacious, and the bed is lofted up above the living area. The bathroom in this place was a little more "normal." Shower in the bathroom, with a curtain, a door, and the toilet and sink separate. Just the right size... The only downer is that it looks like both of these are now "Let Agreed" which means the agents have now taken the apartment off the market following the viewing. Ack!
#3: This is the other 1br with a lofted bedroom. It had a great bathroom as well, and the rent is well within what we can afford. It didn't sing out "home" to us the way the studio did, though.

Posted by Katie at 11:12 AM

Wednesday, September 05, 2007

We walked 6 miles today looking for an apartment. My trainers would be so stinking proud!
Well, here's the update on the 3 we saw today.
#1: Located in a very quiet, "older" neighborhood known as Rathgar. It was moderately spacious, but the kitchen had a mini-fridge and a stove older than I am. The bathroom was neon-teal, the laundry was in the garden, and the shower stall was about 5'11", which is about 2" shorter than Aaron. So, sadly, it was a no.
#2: Located in a quiet area of Rathmines (the student area, very bustling). Literally the size of a large shoebox. I think the 1br was the size of a queen size bed. There wasn't even any room to walk around the bed. No closet. Again, super old kitchen. The bathroom was the size of a shower stall. As if to prove its point, there was no curtain for the showerhead, just a drain in the floor next to the toilet and sink. I felt as though the toilet was in the shower. But then again, as my friend Ria pointed out "You could save so much time in the morning! You can do your buzness and get showered all at the same time!" So although it was a great location, it was just far too little for our needs.
#3: Located in another quiet area of Rathmines (but the other side of the main drag). This one actually wasn't bad. It had decent space and relatively newer appliances. It also had
closet space and a decent sized bathroom. It didn't sing "home" to either of us, however. We're waiting on the one I've been drooling over for the last 2 weeks.
We go to see that one at 1pm tomorrow. So if you're an early riser, be praying for us!
We know that there is a perfect home for us!
hugs and love y'all!

Tuesday, September 04, 2007

Hey friends. Well, it's 5am here, and I'm already awake after having gone to bed at 8:30pm last night! So here's how the story goes. :)
The weekend was a little crazy, packing and sorting and arranging and last-minute-seeing everyone under the sun. It was good, but at the same time emotionally draining. After all, while we have confidence that our friends aren't going anywhere, it's still hard to say farewell for a year. Hope for Christmas sustains us, though, so we're hanging in there.
Aaron & I have been in and out of shock - is this really happening? Oh. My. Gosh. yeah, it's really happening. - and just trying to prepare. After all, this is the first time that we've ever just up and moved to a place where we didn't know anyone. Well, as a couple. I've done it once or twice, but it's different when there's two of you!
So Monday arrived. My dad made a lovely bruch, and my mom came over. It was the first time in a long time that I can remember having such a low-stress, good whole family time. Fabulous food, conversation and company. What more can you ask for?
When my mom left, I almost lost it. We both had the cracky voices, but we put her in the car and somehow went back into the house to stand in complete shock realizing that this was it. No turning back now.
So we got into the S.U.V. and headed to LAX. We were trying to arrive at least 3 hours before the flight and 30 minutes before the ticket counter opened, in the hopes that we would be early in the line and thus able to request the precious emergency exit seats. On a trans-atlantic flight, those extra inches are solid gold. Sadly, when we arrived, the line was already ridiculously long, so we prayed, and stood there. We made a few friends in the line. One gentleman and his wife were waiting in line and you could almost smell the newlywed on them. He was off to Scotland for a week and she was staying home, but couldn't bear the thought of being away from him for a second more than she had to. It was very sweet. Then, we met a guy from Dublin, name of Joe, who got a kick out of the fact that I was a graduate student at Trinity and that Aaron worked for Yahoo!. When we arrived at the front of the line, we presented our massive quantities of luggage (although it was only 2 pieces per person, they were stinking heavy pieces - I think the lightest was 40lbs) and they didn't charge us the extra charges we had been expecting. WooHoo! That was super-duper event number one. Next, we asked on the offchance that there were emergency exit seats, and lo & behold! Yes, there were.
So we were very set.
We waited (or queued as they say here) in yet another long line to dump our luggage at the x-ray machine. Then we headed to security. Another ridiculous line. Oh, and by the way - they didn't make me do the baggie thing. You know, the whole 3-1-1 thing. 3oz, 1qt, 1 bag or something like that? You know, the task where you spend time moving all of your beauty products into small enough containers and hoping that they all squish into the bag? Yeah. didn't do that. But they did make you throw out water!
So we cleared security. It was now 3:30. We had begun the process at 1pm.
Sheesh. I now understand the whole "please arrive at the airport 2 hours before your flight" thing. When we got through security, of course there was water for sale :)
There really weren't very many food options, however, and the only one near our gate only took cash - American cash - which, of course, I had already exchanged for Euro because I assumed that everywhere in the terminals accepted plastic.
Just a quick side note - wow. the Euro is ridiculous. I got 20euro for 32 dollars. Yeouch.
So now we waited. Aaron caught up on Harry Potter book 6, and I caught up on my reading. Laurie R. King's The Beekeeper's Apprentice. Fun stuff.
We boarded, and got ready to go.
Our flight was relatively uneventful. The legroom was blissful. We did have a few problems with the people behind us. Mid nap, I'm trying to push my seat back, and I keep getting kicked. Finally, I just get shoved violently into an upright position. So I turn around and ask in my most patient and sweet coffee-shop customer service voice... "Is the seat hitting your legs?" Knowing full well that it's not, but gosh that was irritating. She says with pure venom in her voice "I'm just really claustrophobic back here." Now, even though the seat-belt light is off, and she could have sat on the aisle instead of her husband, I figure she's just having a bad day, so I try to shrug it off. So I say, "Well, next time, please just ask me to move my seat up. I am normally pretty reasonable about that." She managed to look embarassed, Aaron & I switched (since he was still reading). And I passed out.
I think Aaron & I only slept and read. No movie, some passable food, and in general, just rest. Eventually Aaron tried to sleep upright, until 6 hours later I told him "she's gotten 6 hrs of uninterrupted, claustrophobia-free time. You're entitled to a little space, and she can get up and move around if she has to. Either that or next time she can request these seats." So he moved back and we both went back to sleep. Here is a shout out to the recommendation from Rick! Melatonin rocks our world. :)
We arrived in one piece, as did all of our luggage, but we got a few stares from people. I guess they were thinking that we were crazy Americans with all this stuff. Which I guess we are, but at least one entire suitcase is things that I wanted to have for a home. Not necessarily the fancy expensive stuff, but my little hanging cross collection, and a few framed photos that remind me of those I love. That and the down pillows, bath sheets, and aspirin (did you know that aspirin is a prescription here?)
Customs was a breeze. We got a delightful lady who accepted our paperwork, took pictures of us for the Garda, and gave us each 30days to register. Yippee! We're officially beginning our residency here!
We arrived at our apartment, met our neighbor, and took a nap.
Then, I did some apartment hunting -- oh, by the way, if you've been hearing the apartment search struggle, a similar apartment in the same building as before, with the same awesome stuff is up for rent. Thursday afternoon we're viewing. Pray! -- and we decided to go eat.
Italian food here is awesome. I just can't explain it. Maybe it's all the Italians who cook it. :)
Fabulous dinner with gelato for dessert.
Then capped off with some grocery shopping at a store called Spar which resembles a fancy 7-11. Hopefully we'll find a real food store soon, but for now, Spar will do.
We finished our big evening out with a pint at a pub across the street. Pubs here are like Starbucks at home. There's at least one every corner, sometimes more. I was thinking about it the other day and realized that since our inception as a country, Americans were prone to Starbucks more than pubs. Combine the puritanical drive of many of our forefathers with the dumping of all the tea in the harbor, and what do you have left except coffee, really? Milk? Juice?
I will update all later on the quality of Irish lattes... promise :)
All that being said, it's 5:38am, and I'm awake, partly because my time-clock is off, and partly because I was so stinking tired last night that I went to bed super-early.
We are somewhat lucky, because someone has left an unlocked wifi broadcast open. Yay for me not having to pay for internet! :)
Here's my theological thought for the day.

24Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 25For whoever wants to save his life^[h] will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it. 26What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? 27For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father's glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what he has done. (Matthew 16:24-27)

I wouldn't say that we've denied ourselves at this point, but we've definitely felt a huge sense of loss. Moving out of our home into someone else's (no matter how wonderful) and putting almost all of our belongings aside is hard. Especially for two people raised to be faithful consumers. To arrive here in Ireland with 2 large suitcases, a carryon, and a backpack each is a little daunting. We're simplifying, which is amazing and awesome and freakishly strange for our mentality. But we have each other, and we have Jesus. I always loved this passage because it comes right after Peter's confession and Jesus' rebuke of him. I love Peter because he only ever removes one foot from his mouth in order to insert the other one. And I can relate to that. Peter needed to trust that perhaps his own understanding of Messiah was not the same as what Jesus described, and that maybe he didn't have all the answers. After all, we all know that fishermen were the absolute authorities on scripture at the time, right? :)
But I am no better than Peter unless I trust that while I may not understand everything that Jesus says, that it is true. And we have left our life behind, following what seems to be God's miraculous will in all of this. To be honest, Jesus couldn't have been more clear that this is where we're supposed to be. So while, I must admit that Dublin is not a "cross" for us (I mean, seriously folks), we'll bear the burden of being halfway around the world and pray that the whole thing transforms us and helps us to do the good works that God has planned for us to do.
So we will be living out Philippians 2:12-16.
Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose. Do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, "children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation." Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky as you hold firmly to the word of life. And then I will be able to boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor in vain.
Peace and blessings, friends :)
Katie & Aaron

Thursday, August 30, 2007

Hey friends,
I'm guessing if you are reading this, then you probably read my email.
Well, I already gave you the brief heads up, and I might write more in the next 2 days depending on how crazy life gets, but YOU FOUND US!
Hugs, y'all!