Our trip home was a mixed bag of curse and blessing. Our plane left 3 hours late from Mpls. I bided the time with the boys riding back and forth on the shuttle train that runs between the terminals - a blessing! Our flight to NYC was uneventful. Aaron had to sit across the aisle from me as it was a tiny plane - he sat next to a young girl coming home from a mission trip in Montana (she pulled out her Bible and was looking up references from little notes that I presume were given to her by kids she met on the trip). She was nice to Aaron and let him crawl onto her lap to see out the window - a blessing. We got to JFK and Daniel ran ahead of me and all three kids to try to make the connection wait if he could. He and the 11 other passengers from our flight on the same connection got to the gate (a long way away) in time to be told that the plane was still at the gate, but the doors were closed, 'sorry.' Then they watched it pull away...so close and yet...! There was a flight going to Dublin that was scheduled to leave a few minutes after that, and the ticket agent who was in the process of booking Daniel on a flight the next night, seeing me join him with all the kids crying (it was 10:30pm), called the Dublin flight ticket agent and used urgent persuasion to get us the last seats on that flight - despite the fact that they were in First Class in which children are strictly forbidden. I wasn't sure then if that was going to be a curse or a blessing as she instructed us more than once to keep the kids quiet since we weren't supposed to have them in First Class. We boarded, got seated tucked away best we could in the last row and took the boys to the bathroom, shoveled a snack in them, and tucked them in to sleep. They were asleep before we left the gate - blessing! Moriah, on the other hand, thought she should climb and yell and squirm and fuss in my lap as we anxiously waited to take off...see, they take the car seats away until reaching cruising altitude. As soon as we were up there, we asked for her seat back, strapped her in, and covered the whole thing with the big posh blanket, and she fell asleep. How relieved was I! Thereafter, 1st Class was a blessing. ... We had to wake the kids 5 hours later for descent so they could suck on bottle/thumb/sucker for their ears. Now we were in Dublin - across the country from home. We didn't have any luggage to pick up since it wasn't headed for Dublin, so we weren't bogged down with 4 suitcases and a golf bag, at least. We went straight to the bus stop and caught a bus that was just about to leave for the train station. We got to the train station (having been told that the next train to Galway was at 2:13) at 11:15 and I saw right away that there was a train to Galway leaving at 11:30...we bought tickets and jumped on the train with 30 seconds to spare before the doors closed and it chugged away - huge blessing! The first half hour was going fine...then Aaron started crying of pain in his ear. He was yelling out in pain, so I brought him into the area between the coaches where the little glass doors could at least block some of the noise. We sat out there for the next hour and a half on the dirty floor. I tried to teach him the plug nose/mouth and blow trick, which he tried a few times between sobs. We tried lots of things. Nothing helped, poor thing. He has never in his life cried so hard for so long! Then, a nice Irish woman came out, sat down on the floor with us, and told Aaron of her ear problems with flying. She had a little bottle of vinegar just for this purpose that she carries with her. She have me her bottle to put some in his ear and keep it for him. After a few minuts and a second dose, he was much better - blessing - wherever you are, Niamh (pronounced Neeve), THANK YOU! We returned to our seats with the family and were soon in Galway. We got a taxi home. SO GLAD TO BE THERE AFTER THAT TRIP! Daniel biked to work the next morning then took a bus to Shannon where our car would have been waiting for us at the airport. Our bags hadn't come on the next flight though. Late that night, Daniel was able to pick up all our luggage from Galway airport where it had been flown after ending up in Dublin after all.
Daniel took a picture of the impressive pile of grass clippings after he mowed. The drought ended while we were gone, and all is back to lush and green.
My "garden" is blooming!
It is raining - welcome back to Ireland!!
The hydrangeas are blooming and they're everywhere!
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It's RACE WEEK!The Galway Races are going on this week and the evidence is all around! These huge statues are right on the quay in the City Center.
There are historical records of organized horse racing in County Galway dating from the mid 13th century. Racing at this plot of land in Ballybrit, donated by a member of the Lynch family, started in 1869.
Daniel got a ticket from work and a ticket from a co-worker who wasn't going.We had a date - off to the races!
This one needed a little persuasion.
And they're off!
For the second race, we stood right at the fence. Daniel and I placed our bets (with each other, the prize being the satisfaction of winning). We each picked a horse. I guess I won since my horse, 'If per chance', finished ahead of his horse, 'Extraterrestrial'. 
It was a fun time. (Click here if you'd like to watch)
This amusement park runs through the summer and is right next to Galway Bay Hotel where our church, Calvary Galway, meets. So the boys have been asking since June when we can go.
Aaron and I went on the big roller coaster. Not a chance in the world a kid his size would have been let on this in the US. I used to LOVE roller coasters. Apparently, I have grown cautious and concerned with age. At every turn, I prayed silently, "LORD, please don't let the nuts and bolts come apart!" My thrill-ride days are apparently over. :(
The train was their favorite...
...with the trampoline a close second!
Aaron's art. "It's a dead snake. He died 'cause he ate too many eggs."
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