just a couple of galway girls...

Everything fell into place yesterday and we scored a sweet room just ten minutes from downtown AND Beth got a grand job at an upscale bar and restaurant. We get to move in to our new digs tomorrow and are quite pleased to be leaving hostel life behind. We're sharing a house with another girl and possibly more in the future, as our landlord rents to students during the school year and to families on vacation during the summer months. Beth has already worked two days at Kirby's, a really nice place downtown, and is having a great time working out her serving skills. Thank God for a lovely place to live and an income to afford it!
We hope to take weekend journeys on her days off and plan to go to Achill Island sometime next week. It is reputed to have stunning cliffs and gorgeous beaches, although I'm sure we will not be doing any sun bathing! The weather has been perfect considering we heard we'd have nothing but rain in the weeks leading up to our visit. We've had a few rain and hail showers but they are almost immediately followed by beautiful blue skies and sunshine. Please pray I will find constructive ways to spend the time Beth is at work, as well as for safety as we walk to and from our place near Salt Hill into the heart of Galway.

as Irish as the day is long...

We made it safely to Galway and immediately fell in love with the city! It is right on a huge bay and filled with parks and interesting shops. There is a university here and many artists so it gives the streets a youthful, vibrant feel. The Irish are so friendly and fun to talk to that you can't help but feel right at home. We've spent our days exploring the city, walking along the quays, and adventuring out to the surrounding area of Connemara. We've seen massive hills (that Beth likes to call mountains), the Kylemore Abbey and hundreds of free range sheep! At nights we like to head down to one of the MANY pubs to listen to some traditional Irish music (called Trad). It doesn't take long for a friendly Irishman to buy us an extremely tasty round of Guinness. On one particular night a nice gent named Sean proclaimed to me, "You look as Irish as the day is long!" He said it nearly every time he looked at me so we heard it said approximately 147 times that night. I took it as a compliment as I absolutely adore the Irish. Pale skin and red hair was never so stylish as it is here!
We found out I won't be able to get a job without a work permit but we kind of expected that to happen. We're still hoping Beth will be able to secure some form of employment and I will look into volunteering somewhere. We are looking for a place to live for at least two months so that we will be able to travel some before we head back to the states.

welcome to europe...

I am currently sleepless in Dublin. The past few days have been a whirlwind of new experiences. We arrived in London after several hours of traveling from Seattle and wasted no time on dumping our backpacks and exploring the city. It was a short walk from our hostel to the Tower Bridge, River Thames and the London Tower. We jumped on and off the tube for the next two days and soaked up the beauty, noise and vast culture London has to offer. You could spend months in the museums alone! We spent quite a bit of time in the National Gallery looking at paintings by too many amazing artists to list. I was especially moved by the Impressionist Gallery, featuring Monet and Picasso. Not to mention masterpieces by Rembrandt, Renoir and da Vinci! We also admired artwork at the Tate Modern, where I was blown away by Jackson Pollock and Salvador Dali. We definitely needed more time to appreciate all there was too see at the Tate. Probably the highlight of my time in London was taking communion in St. Paul's Cathedral. To experience the Eucharist in a stunning three hundred year old church made me want to weep. I thought about all the people who had been there before me, remarkable or not, and I was in awe of the transcending power of the Lord. We made the trek to the Golden Gallery to see sweeping views of the city just before we caught a train to the airport to fly to Ireland. We arrived at our hostel in Dublin around ten last night and celebrated our arrival with a pint at a pub near Temple Bar.

I have been quite amazed at the ease by which Beth and I travel together. We have been on the go nonstop since we left SeaTac and I couldn't love her more than I do right now. Her knowledge of the UK and art history in general has been invaluable! We look forward to moving west to Ballinasloe today and on to Galway on Saturday. Please pray for our physical bodies as we operate on little sleep, little food and even less water. Also pray for doors to open in Galway. We will be looking for jobs this next week and securing a place to live, a stressful feat even in the US.

leaving on a jet plane...

I leave for Ireland on March 19. I honestly have no idea what to expect, since I’ve never really traveled out of the States. I don’t exactly consider Canada or the Bahamas a foreign country. When my friend Beth suggested we live in Ireland for three months, I jumped at the opportunity to see a different part of the world. She proposed we get jobs and tour the lush, green hillsides of the Emerald Isle on our days off. I am forever looking for a new adventure and getting to have one with a good friend is icing on the cake. We don’t yet have jobs or even a place to live, but I have complete confidence that the Lord will open doors for us in the weeks to come. I know this is an unbelievable trip for most people, and I am truly grateful for the chance to experience a different culture with an amazing history. It is especially a blessing as I have been unemployed since last November, and the past four months have been extremely difficult as I search for purpose and meaning in my life. I want to use the time I spend overseas to gain perspective on my life here in Washington. I will be out of my comfort zone, unsure of my future, and completely dependent on the Lord for my needs. Please keep Beth and I in your prayers, specifically for a quality place to live and an adequate income. Also pray that I will take advantage of every opportunity I have and won’t be terribly homesick for my family and friends.