It's been a while...

It has been a long time since I have blogged. Life has just been so busy around here that I am having a hard time keeping up with anything that is not work related, but I need to try harder to do that. So here is a quick update on what we have been up to here at the O'Neil house...
October was filled with my birthday celebrations, conference week at work, a trip to the pumpkin patch, Halloween parties and parades at school, Halloween at home (carving pumpkins and decorating) and time with family home from out of town.
November has flown by thus far, we have celebrated John's birthday, my brother's birthday, Kev sold his truck and is shopping for a new one, Kev finished the bar in the basement, we finally got the basement looking like we live there (with pictures and what not), Kev and his Dad are putting windows in our living room this week, and are getting ready to host our first Thanksgiving at our house.
It is a busy, busy, busy life, but it is one that I would not change for the world. With the holiday season approaching it is a good time to remember all of the things I am thankful for, and here are a few-

My husband- I sometimes have to remind myself how lucky I am to have him because it is something that I just get used to. It is hard to not take your spouse for granted, but it is something I try to remember everyday. I honestly believe that I married THE most amazing man in this universe (and I know everyone says this, but mine is actually true) :) and I feel so incredibly lucky to have found someone who I connect so well with on (almost) every level. He and I share the same visions for our future together, and are both willing to put the work in to get us to where we want to be.

My family- Or should I say OUR families. Kevin and I were blessed with family who are close and involved in each others lives, and we wouldn't want it any other way. Family is our biggest support system, and I truly cherish the two sets we have.

My friends- Even though we may not get to spend much time together, when Kev and I do finally coordinate schedules with our friends we always leave saying "they are so much fun to be around." There aren't a lot of friendships that you leave every single time with a gut ache from laughing, and feeling so positive and revived, but somehow Kev and I ended up with all sets of those kinds of friends!

My job- Well actually I appreciate both Kevin and my jobs. We both get to go to work and do something we love. And we also both get to bring home paychecks that support the lifestyle we want to live. This is a true blessing in these terrible economic times. Plus, we are enjoying getting some things paid off during this time of having "DINK" status. (Double income, no kids)

My dogs- You knew I couldn't complete this without mentioning them right? :) I love these little furry creatures so stinking much. I know they are hairy, smelly, dirty, expensive, and cause us to lose many of hours of sleep, but their unconditional love trumps all of these things.

So, take a minute and think about the things in your life that are going right. Even when you have a terrible day, and things seem dark and gloomy, these things will still be there. We just have to remember to look for them!

Welcome October!

Well tomorrow marks the one month of school mark. I seriously cannot believe that we have gone an entire month! It now just seems like a job, and I actually sleep at night and am not up worrying.
This last month I have learned SO much, and hopefully grown as a person, and as a teacher. I have also fallen in love... with 31 little smiling faces.
Today we were walking down the hall on our way to PE, and my principal walked past us and said "oh my word, this is the best looking second grade line I have EVER seen... Honestly! Who's kids are these?!?! Are these your kids?" And I smiled and said that yes, they were mine and at the same time I was watching every one of those 31 faces turn around and look at me with the biggest, proudest smile... I couldn't help but get a little teary. I am so proud of every accomplishment they make. I have totally turned into a mother goose. At the same time though, I am equally disappointed when they do something they know not to do, or let me down in any way (and this happens often because I have very high expectations for them). I am excited when a child I don't expect to get the answer shares it correctly, and out loud, and when I listen during "think, pair, share" time to the way they are learning from each other, I am truly amazed. They are wise beyond their years, and have no idea how many times a day I learn something from them! I tell them daily how proud they make me, and how the things they do (like today using amazing descriptive words in their writing) makes my heart feel warm and fuzzy.
Not everyday is "warm and fuzzy", by any means. And not every behavior is cute, at all. But I have only had one day in this entire crazy, busy, overwhelming, unknown, stressful month, so I consider that a step in the right direction!
I think it is truly a blessing to enjoy what you do. And I know that I have been given that blessing. I am doing what I was made to do, and that feels good. Plus I have the most amazing support system a girl could ever ask for in my hubby, who has spent hours this past month grading papers and working in my classroom.
Speaking of him... THE YARD IS FINISHED!!!!!!! Yay for Kevin Thomas!!! He spent six long months transforming our yard into an amazing place for kids, dogs, and adults to hang out in! We have a fantastic garden and flat ground with little sprouts of beautiful green grass popping up everywhere! It is so exciting for us! I cannot wait to have a big party next summer in our huge new yard. He is so far beyond words... I can't even explain the way he gets things done for his family. I am a lucky lucky girl.
So this wraps up our last month, and hopefully next month we will have more to talk about than just work and the yard, and I think we will. I see my life getting more back to normal now that I feel like I am getting a handle on stuff in my room. And I think we both need a little much needed get-away, so we are heading to the beach with the doggies on Saturday just to go somewhere for the day. It will be nice to spend some time just the four of us with no papers to grade or seeds to water!  :)
Hope fall finds everyone well and warm. Can I just say... I love October!

Summer Sun is Fading.

It is a weekend full of mixed emotions here at the O'Neil house. Tuesday marks the first day of school, and the first day that I will be working full time in quite some time. As this approaches it feels like a good time to reflect on this now, past summer, and move forward onto some exciting, uncharted territories.

This summer was a whirlwind for us. It began so quickly with us leaving on June 27th for almost three weeks in Europe. Those three weeks were unlike anything I have ever experienced, and made Kevin and I even stronger together than we were before. We have no memory of Europe that does not make us smile. We thank our lucky stars every day that we had the opportunity to experience something like that at this age, and even more importantly, together.

When we got home there was little sleep. We left our home with the backyard in ruins, and various paint colors splatted on our walls. These were all things that we needed to tend to before summer ended. I must say it has been non-stop craziness around here since the day we returned, but due to my amazing husbands work ethic, things got finished. There has been a total remodel inside our house, with turning our living room into a formal living space, moving the tv into the brand new "man cave" in the basement, moving the spare bedroom downstairs, moving the workout room and painting all of these new spaces. And once you step on our amazing deck it feels like you have been placed in an entirely different yard than what used to be here. Here are some before and current pictures...

As you can tell from these pictures we lived on a pretty horrible, steep hill before.

There was really no usable space due to the incline.

NOW it looks like this....

Now this side is flat enough to put in all kinds of fun things to do in a yard... Swing-sets, pools, etc. 

So all we still need is some topsoil and grass seed and we will have a beautiful, FLAT, yard. My husband is every bit amazing! And our girls cannot wait to actually have a yard to play in. 

But besides all the work we have done this summer we have had some of the worst weather I have ever seen during a summer vacation, which has made it not so enjoyable, and we have had to say goodbye to a loved one, and my kitty cat that I got when I was eight. 

Saying goodbye to Grandpa Jim was extremely hard for both Kevin and I. Many of you know he lived right down the hill from us and visiting him was something we did often. When we lived in our little house not a day passed when Grandpa Jim didn't drive by and honk and wave. He was at our house for every party we had, and when Rahja was an only child and needed a good babysitter to watch her while I was at work (she had an injury that had to be watched constantly) there was nowhere she loved more then sitting at Grandpas feet watching tv with him. He was funny, full of life, giving and sweet. He loved my girls and my cookies, so he instantly won a place with me :) I will miss him every time I bake (knowing that I can no longer run it down to him while it is still warm) and every time we pass by his street. He touched so many people and he will never be forgotten. He would, and probably is, so very proud of Kevin's work in the yard. He kept good tabs on how far along Kev had got by doing drive-bys, but complained that it was hard to see everything that had changed from the road... I know now he has the best view of the project.

After that heartache came another small milestone in Kevin and my life together, our three year wedding anniversary. Every year we try and do something that kind of puts us in a spot where we don't feel entirely comfortable and have to trust that the other is going to be there for us (or jump with us). Year one was sky diving, year two was letting Kevin plan a surprise trip with no help or hints from me, and this year we decided to go bungee jumping to celebrate... It must be his looks that are always able to talk me into these horribly scary adventures. It was an absolute blast and, once again, reminded us how lucky we are to have each other.

    

Now things around here have done a 180 and changed from fun and house stuff, to classroom and work stuff. I am nervous, excited, overwhelmed, anxious, inspired, hopeful and terrified about the upcoming task, but know that I have an incredible team of supporters that I will be able to lean on. It's going to be an adjustment in our lives to have me gone so much, but I know that I will enjoy every minute of doing what I love to do. There are so many things for me to be thankful for, and having a job I love, with a family who supports that is something I cherish. 

So, happy end of summer for you all... hope it has been a wonderful one for all of you, and good luck to all my friends who will be returning to work this week for another exciting school year!

A good teacher is like a candle - it consumes itself to light the way for others.  ~Author Unknown

Back to real life...

We have been home for two weeks today and it feels like much, much longer than that! It is so hard to give up vacation life, even when it is summer vacation for me, it's just the whole feeling of traveling with the man I love, seeing things we have never seen and experiencing new things together! Not that I am complaining about the life Kevin and I live, because it could be so so much harder, but vacationing is just amazingly blissful.
So our "real life" has been jam packed these last two weeks! When we got home we both had family from out of town here visiting and although we were exhausted we tried to spend some time with both of those families. Kevin has been trying to catch up on trade shifts that he owed to people due to the traveling, we painted our living room and dinning room, bought new furniture, continue to work in the yard, and are working on planning our next trip. In between all this we have been going to my moms to use her new pool, and hanging out on either ours or our neighbors' deck in the evenings. The neighbor and I also organized the first X Street Block Party and got the word out about that!
So if you have not seen a lot of us, this is why. Because we missed a whole month of summer we have just been attempting to get back to the place where we would normally be at this point in the summer. Now that we are feeling like we have caught back up it's time to start on everything else that will be coming up in life soon, like for me, preparing my classroom that will be filled with 29 six year olds on August 30th and Kevin would like to assure everyone "Do not worry. After a long detour, work on the yard will resume shortly."
Hope everyone else has been enjoying their summers, and we hope to get to see you all very soon!

Our last night...

Just when you think the hype has ended it starts again!!! Today was the welcome home event for the soccer team and it was just as wild and crazy of a day as Sunday was!! 
We could not believe the amounts of people who have returned sporting their orange gear to catch a glimpse if their favorite team. We were going to rent a canal bike to tour some of the 62 miles of canals, but due to the soccer team going to the center via boat in the canal, they were not renting today. Most of the canals were closed down and to be honest it might have been really embarrassing pedaling our boat down canals lined with thousands and thousands of people.
Instead we went to a firestation and visited then walked through the famous square where all the parties have been, and are still, going on! Next we headed to a park to sit and read in the sunshine.
It just so happened we were walking home as the boat with the players was traveling under the bridge we were crossing so I jumped on Kevs shoulders and snapped a couple of quick pictures! Nice timing seeing how most of the people had been standing there for four hours! 
Now we are in our room getting ready to pack for the final time. It's a weird feeling. Some sadness to know that our dream of spending time in Europe has come to an end, some excitement to get home, see everyone, sleep in our own bed, work in our yard and just go back to normal life, and some dread to sit in a tiny little awful airplane seat for another 13 hours :( 
This morning at breakfast we spent time reflecting on all the things this trip has brought us. We had to sit and think (and read the blog) to even remember all of the things we have done and seen these last three weeks and everyone of them brought smiles to our faces. Kevin said he has been reminded what's important in life, and that his truck, without four wheel drive really isn't as life ruining as it felt before :) He said it is so easy to get wrapped up in silly things and make big deals out of things that really don't matter when your home. Once you have the opportunity to remove yourself from the situation you can get a clearer look at what is really important. He also has regained excitement for working on our yard and house with this much needed break that he so deserved. I have been reminded just how great Kevin and I are together. When placed in a situation where its just him and I, with no distractions- no phone calls, barely any Internet or tv, no friends, no family and maybe most impact of all, no dogs, we still have so much fun and laugh and i've remembered how fun it is to just sit and talk to each other. I understand the importance of traveling together, especially once you have kids, more now than ever! There have been many of stressful situations and compromises on this trip and somehow we have made it through them all without ever putting a damper on our trip. Sure, we argue, but as the couple who had been married over 50 years that we met in Ireland told us "People who don't argue have no excitement in their lives. There is no way two people can or should agree all the time!" So among many many other things this trip has done for us, it has reminded me of what a great team Kevin and I make and how lucky I am to have found such an amazing man to spend my life with. We truly feel blessed for this opportunity and amazing experience! 
I appreciate all of you who have followed our journey and shared you excitement and enthusiasm with us! Without all o your support this trip may have been more difficult for us! We cannot wait to share our almost 1,000 pictures (no Patti, I will not be scrapping all of these!) with anyone who dares to ask! And we are so excited to see everyone again! It's been a long time!!! 
Thanks again! See some of you tomorrow!!! Bon-voyage! 

Rainy Monday in Amsterdam

Well today started out a little, actually more like a lot, wet. We went into a store and came out to a monsoon!!! We decided we could go sit in our room, or buy umbrellas and move on. Seeing as how the forecast called for rain the entire day we decided to get ourselves umbrellas and keep moving! 
We walked to the fire station up the road and tried to visit so Kevin could trade a shirt like he did in Dublin, but no one came to the door, so we walked around and looked in the bay doors where we found the all out back laying on floaties in a blow up pool... Looked like typical firefighter business to me. We might try to go buy there again tomorrow.
Next we walked to the Heineken brewery and found some great souvenirs! And right down the road from that was a street market that we walked through and got these delicious little dough ball things covered in powdered sugar and butter. We don't know what they were, but they were yummy! 
We went to dinner and walked around town some more this evening noticing the drastic change in atmosphere compared to yesterday. There is no sign if people in orange anymore, the banners have all been removed and the streets have all been cleaned of beer cans and bottles. Life has returned to normal for these people, and it was a nice welcome change for us today. One day of excitement was plenty.
We have settled down and are beginning to run pretty low on energy. Plus the weather today made us feel like we were home and it made us both think about our little girls all day long. We could not be more ready to smooch those two!! 
Tomorrow is going to be sunny again and we have a few more things on our list to do (that we couldn't do today in the rain), and then we will be packing to come home. We are feeling ready now to be at our house and have life back to normal, but we will enjoy our last day to it's fullest!! 
See you all soon! 

World Cup 2010

I wish I could find the words to describe this city today... All I can think of would be MAYHEM!!!! Holy smokes it has been crazy! I have seen more orange today than my entire life combined. The funny thing is, once you leave the couple of blocks where the big screens are set up, it settles right down. This is nice because if you don't want to be where everyone else is, you really don't have to be (besides the people driving by and honking and yelling). I really have never seen anything like this. Our hotel is right around the corner of one of the squares where the people are gathered (as well as cops, ambulances and riot squads) and while typing this we have had two helicopters fly over head.
Today was another fun one here! With all the excitement there was never a dull moment. We decided to walk around a quiet and beautiful neighborhood of Amsterdam, called Jordaan. Then we decided to move here. It was peaceful and relaxed with quiet canals separating the two sides of the street. We also met a hairless dog who we stopped and pet in this neighborhood... Totally gross!!!
Next we headed to the Anne Frank House. What a truly moving experience. I was in tears numerous times standing in the annex reading her words. There are still things like the lines on the walls where they measured the girls while living there, and the pictures Anne put on her walls to make it look more "cheerful". The feeling in there is one of fear and hope combined. Honestly an experience I will never forget. Read the book and the make the trip, it's worth it.
Next we risked our lives and went to take pictures of one of the places where the game is showing! Unreal!!! Then we decided to eat dinner on the other side of town :) At
dinner we talked to a nice man who informed us that this is not typical life here, and that it should settle down tomorrow, but we really aren't too concerned.
What an experience this has been! By the looks of it tomorrow morning should be pretty quiet, and this town is going to be completely trashed!! 
Gotta go watch the game!!! 

Welcome to Amsterdam

Well here we are in our air conditioned hotel room that has a fluffy bed and extra pillows for Kevin! He is so excited and is calling it the nicest hotel he has ever seen (it's really not, but after where we have been it feels that way). We are feeling relieved and content. Plus our day started off on a great foot when we were in first class on our three hour train ride here! It was awesome!! 
Once we got here we just started off walking. This city is much smaller than where we have been, but believe me, it's busy! We were told when we checked in that they are expecting one million people to be here tomorrow for the game, and then again on Tuesday when the players return and they have a welcome home celebration for them. This should keep us busy and entertained. Even with the ridiculous amounts of people it really doesn't feel that bad! It is however a very very alternative city, with drugs and hookers everywhere! I told Kev I feel like a sweet innocent nun here, because I am truly shocked!
As we walked we ran into the Red Light District where the entire time we walked I found myself with my jaw dropped! It was really something else, with a church in the middle, with a monument outside dedicated to all sex workers. Strange. 
We can both already tell we will really enjoy our time here. It is sunny but not too hot, we are very centrally located, and the atmosphere is just very laid back. This was a perfect city to end our trip in (maybe minus the world cup excitement)! 
So look for us tomorrow in the sea of one million! Kevin will be the one wearing a crisp new orange shirt :) But I might be easier to find as the only one not wearing an orange shirt. Go Netherlands!!!  

Goodbye Pari!

Paris is over and we are, once again, packed and ready to move on tomorrow. The next time we travel (after tomorrow of course) will be to head home!
Today was another ridiculously hot one here in Paris. It's not hot like home it's hot like STICKY hot. It really is miserably humid and without ac in our room we are more than ready for Amsterdam's high seventies. Rain even sounds nice right now. 
Ok enough complaining. Today was nice and relaxed. We slept in, and took our time all morning which was a welcome change. We headed off to the Arc de Triumph which was beautiful, and then walked the Champs Élysées (a famous street for shopping). We realized shortly into walking that this street was a little rich for our blood and so we headed home. 
Home however, was ridiculously hot and we couldn't nap so we went and sat in a park and read and stole wifi. Then we took naps on the park benches in the shade just like the bums sitting across from us (only we didn't have a can of beer). It was nice and breezy and relaxing.
Next we packed up and got all ready to leave tomorrow because tonight we are taking a twilight cruise on the Seine river through town to see all the lights and the Eiffel Tower at night. It does a light show every hour so we hope to catch that as well. 
Paris has been wonderful, truly an amazing city with lots to see and do, and surprisingly the language barrier has only been a problem a few times. People have been helpful and the Metro (subway) has been really easy to use (although it has also been SMOKING hot on those trains).  But so far both of our favorite has been Dublin. There was just something so homey about Ireland, maybe it was the rain :)
Also thanks to all saying prayers for my grandmother. She is recovering amazingly fast and will be headed to a home (hopefully temporarily) tomorrow. I appreciate your support more than you know.
Wish us luck as to getting into and around Amsterdam tomorrow, as the world cup game is on Sunday and we may be two of 50,000 people headed to Amsterdam tomorrow!! 
Lots of love!!! 

Day 3 in Paris

Today started out a little rough due to some bad news about my grandmother... We were on our way to Disneyland (which kevin told me he was like a little kid who couldn't sleep all night because he was so excited) when we quickly stopped to check our stuff online and found out that my grandma had had a stroke but that they expect her to be fine so DO NOT try to come home. Of course I felt like if I went home everything would be fixed, but Kevin assured me that there is really nothing I can do except visit her and we will do that the day we get home. So I sent a message to her through my brother, took a minute to cry and then compose myself and my thoughts and realized that we have both worked too hard to get here to let this ruin our trip and that my grandma (who was going to help me pack for the trip because she was worried I wouldn't have a "fresh" pair of underwear every day unless she helped) would not want me to sit around and try to figure out how to get home. Plus, it isn't fair to Kev for me to take away his day in Disneyland :)
We had fun just walking around and looking at all the details in Disney and we actually didn't ride hardly any rides due to ridiculous lines and REALLY hot weather. It was a great day because it felt like we were home again, seeing familiar sights is something we haven't seen much of in a while, and because it was distracting for me and kept me busy. It was maybe just a little too hot for something like that today though. 
After we got home and cooled down a bit we walked to an ice cream shop on the island in the middle of town and shopped at some little stores around the shop. We also went to watch some street performers but after sitting on the curb watching some dude warm up his act for 30 minutes, Kevin decided he was way too weird to stay and watch him. I believe he said "this guy is way too much of a freak for me to give my money to him. He's actually making me very uncomfortable." So we went grocery shopping for liquids, and went home.
It has been a nice day, although I feel a bit distracted at times, and I'm so thankful my husband is so good at making me feel like things will be ok. Thanks to all who read this and if you could say a little prayer for my Grandma Ola it would really mean a lot. She is an amazing, intelligent, funny, strong woman and she will be on my mind everyday until I can tell her in person what she has always meant to me. Thank you.
 

Paris day two

It is warm!!! Not good when you are walking miles and rewearing clothes! This outfit will be going straight into the "do not wear again" pile that is for sure!!
We are on a train on our way home from Versailles, about 30 minutes out of Paris where Louis XIII famous palace and gardens are. What a magnificent sight to see! This palace is over the top in every way, including a gold gate at the entrance! We spent the entire afternoon walking around the gardens which were beautiful too. 
This morning we went back to the Eiffel Tower and made our journey to the top. It was a lot of waiting (in all about two hours) for about twenty minutes at the top, but was worth it! Plus we met some nice girls from the East Coast and were able to talk with them in each line, which helped us to not realize how long we had been standing in one spot. 
We are now feeling over heated and exhausted and Kevin is dying to get to the grocery store because he has just discovered that he has not ate any meat since our last day in Dublin which was six days ago (maybe this has something to do with how tired and hungry we feel right now).
Tomorrow is going to be 92 degrees and we are headed to Disneyland Paris because we have some extra time and like to get out of the city, so tonight is another early night.
And, just for the record, the people in Paris have been much more friendly and helpful and welcoming than the people we encountered in London. We have been pleasantly surprised by this, seeing how we were repeatedly warned against French people. 
Another amazing day to go into the record books! Miss you all, and REALLY wished we had our girls with us today in that big amazing park! We cannot wait to see those little furry balls of love :) Night night! 

Welcome to Paris

Paris is wonderful!! And the Chunnel ride was awesome!! If we could we would ride it all the way home. There is so much more room and more comfortable seats! And I hardly noticed the 15 minutes we spent under the ocean (except for the sudden temperature change). We were both very impressed and are looking forward to riding it again to Amsterdam.
We found our hotel right away and are also impressed with it! It has room to walk AND a toilet in our room :) We were just glad to get out of that closet of a room we had, and this feels like pure luxury now, which believe me, it's not.
Today we went to Notre Dame, which was breathtaking, and then walked the city going through it's parks and ended about four miles away at THE Eiffel Tower!!! It was just like I had imagined!! Only difference was that the park out front of it was littered with garbage which made us both very sad. We stood in line to go up it but after standing for thirty minutes and not being anywhere near the front of the line, we were warned that the waiting on each level would be that long so we left. We decided to go back tomorrow morning as soon as it opens and hope for slightly less people. 
After being warned about the amounts of people here, we have been pleasantly surprised. There are WAY less people out walking here than there were in London. And we are both very happy about that! It does make you feel pretty vulnerable when everything is in another language though! With that said, we have rode the metro already twice today and never got lost or missed our stop, my pilot is pretty impressive :) Actually this whole trip we haven't once been lost!! Pretty amazing if you could see these streets.
So I ask Kev every night if there is anything he wants me to make sure and talk about and tonight his request was that I tell everyone that we saw beef flavored lays potato chips in the grocery store tonight... We come all the way to freaking Paris and my husband is astonished by potato chips. Boys will be boys. And as worried as we were about spending eighteen days straight together in stressful situations, I still think he is the most amazing hubby ever and couldn't be more happy to be spending this amazing trip with him!
We have lots planned for tomorrow so we are hitting the hay early tonight! Hope you are all enjoying your hot weather!! Au Revoir! 

Goodbye to London

Tonight my blog comes to you while sitting on the sidewalk outside of a launder-mat. Kevin has gone to get dinner while I wait to change our clothes into the dryer. We were both overjoyed to find somewhere to wash all of our dirty clothes, especially now that the weather has been so warm! Underwear in the sink just don't seem to fit as well as when they've gone through a dryer :)
Today was great. We took our time leaving this morning and jumped on a train to the British Museum. We aren't much of museum goers but this one is free to get into so we felt like we should go. It was actually really neat! Some of the artifacts they had dated back to 1500bc! 
Afterward we ate another picnic lunch while sitting on a bench, and headed off to a really great outdoor shopping center called Convent Garden. Here we shopped and watched some amazing street theater performers. 
Then off we headed to a park. Parks here and in Dublin are nothing like home. They span for blocks and blocks and everywhere you look there are people sitting or laying on blankets just relaxing. It is something Kev and I have decided to start at home. There are birds everywhere and they all seem to have some kind of water feature or lakes. They have been the perfect place for us to consume our afternoon coffees for the last eight days. Truly enjoyable. 
Speaking of eight days, we are halfway through our trip after today. We are both very sad, and kind of excited. We miss our families, friends, neighbors, cat, DOGS and mostly... Our bed!!!! This trip however is truly amazing and we try not to think too much about the dogs and such because we have worked so hard to get here!
Although we have both enjoyed our time in London, it is not somewhere we feel like we ever need to visit again. It is a little too big city for our blood. So tomorrow on we move to Paris! We don't have wifi in our room there so hopefully we will be able to find a nice little spot to blog from. Ta ta for now! 

Independence day in London

Happy fourth everyone! Your fireworks haven't even started and we are going to bed. It was a little strange being away where there are no fireworks, bbqs, or neighbors playing patriotic music. However at dinner there were a group of people all in red white and blue with American flags hanging singing the national anthem from their balcony. It was actually a little nice to know others were celebrating. 
We got moving early today and went to the breath taking Westminster Abbey for a service which was really really neat. We could have sat there all day and just looked around and the sounds in there were like something out of a movie (the choir and organs). 
Next we went to the London Eye which is this ferris wheel like thing that takes groups of people up in these windowed capsules for amazing views of the entire city. We met a nice american family on there and sat and talked while watching the views. This family told us that if we think London is busy we will really think Paris is busy, which made us both cringe a bit. 
I have to admit, people are getting harder and harder to be around. There are just SO many different cultures in a place like this, and so many different ideas of what's rude and whats not. For example- pushing in front of people in line- totally not rude here, walking in a row with your friends on the narrow sidewalk and not budging when someone else is coming towards you- not rude at all, and stopping in the middle of a crazy busy sidewalk and collecting your whole group for "peace sign" pictures- completely normal. I feel like I need to sit everyone down and tell them about personal space and manners. Kevin tries to keep me calm, but let's his frustration slip every once in a while. This makes me nervous about what's to come in France. 
We are getting a little wore out, but were able to have a relaxing evening sitting in our room watching our four channels on our 14 inch tv :) We will be ready to rock tomorrow morning and have lots planned for our last day in London!
Ta-ta!

London day two...

Today in London was a "low key" day... We only walked for five hours this time. Yikes!! 
We started off at Buckingham Palace to watch the changing of the guards, which was really cool for the first fifteen minutes but after an hour we took off. Something that is neat to be able to see, but really not all that entertaining to warrant standing with a million other people watching not a whole lot of action for over an hour.
Next we went to Hyde park which is enormous!!! We visited Kinsington gardens and palace and spent the afternoon at Portabello market, which is a whole street of little shops and booths. Really fun! 
On the way home we stopped and got a coffee, sat by the water on a bench and just people watched... Let me tell you, this is VERY entertaining here! And then while enjoying our peaceful sit Snopp Dogg started rapping and cussing. Interesting. I didn't know he still even did shows, but we soon realized why he doesn't... He only does the same songs he did in 1997 (brother you would have loved it!) which actually turned out to be pretty amusing for both of us :) 
So far we have yet to meet any other Americans here and we kind of feel like there are no other ones, which is fine here because they speak English, but it makes me a little nervous about France! This city is still overwhelming and amazing and tomorrow will be even more adventure seeing as how today was our "low key" day here. 

So this is London...?

Wow and we thought Dublin was crazy!!! This place is all sorts of insanity! 
We got here this morning and checked into our closet, literally, we rearranged furniture just so we could put our backpacks down and walk at the same time. Also we have a shower, but the bathroom is down the hall and there is NO privacy there... This is going to be a little bit of an adjustment for me but Kevin assures me we will be just fine :) 
And so, on we go!! We jumped on a double decker bus and took a tour around the city which was delightful. We sat on top, uncovered in the sun and wind and listened to all kinds of interesting things about the city while taking amazing
pictures. We talked afterward about how it still hasn't really sunk in that we are here and what we just saw was the REAL Big Ben or Westminster or Tower Bridge (aka the London Bridge). And everywhere you turn there is another building that we just have to stop and be in awe for a second. It is the most incredibly beautiful architecture we have ever seen! 
We also went to the Tower of London, a castle from 1090, which was another mind blowing thing to think about and see. And had amazing Pasties for dinner (thanks Ronda) and are now sitting back in our closet eating Haagen-Dazs that Kev just surprised me with!! 
Must go before he eats it all! Lots of love!!

Leaving Dublin

Today was a mellow last day in Dublin. We did some shopping,  went to a delicious lunch walked to Saint Patricks cathedral (which was breath taking) and drank coffee in the sun sitting alongside the Liffey river. To finish the day off we went and had a beer at O'Neills.
We are packed up and going to bed early because we have to get up at 5:45 to catch our flight to London and we are feeling a bit torn. We are excited to move on and start exploring a new town, but we are feeling really comfortable around this city now and are able to find things without our trusty map. We have learned how to get all over town, how to drive, and the correct way to order coffee here (the necessities) which will all be new each stop. London's list of things to do is the longest of the four stops so the minute our feet hit the ground we will be off and moving by direction of a brand new map! The weather in London is 75 and sunshine, which means we can pack our coats away and probably leave them packed the rest of the trip! 
Thanks so much for following us through Ireland, we have so many more stories to share with you that there is just not enough time to post, and we have about 300 pictures so far. Yikes. 
Talk to you soon... from England!!!

Day three

Another eventful day here in Dublin! My extremely brave husband wanted to rent a car and drive across Ireland to see the west coast... I, on the other hand thought this was a terrible idea seeing how everything about driving here is opposite what we are used to and they are crazy drivers!!! Of course, the hubby won and off we drove, on the wrong side of the road across Ireland.
We drove to Galway and then to this adorable little town called Kilvarna to eat lunch. After lunch we drove even further south to see the cliffs of Moher. These were incredible  650 foot sheer cliffs into the Atlantic ocean that we were able to stand just feet away from the edge with no barriers! I found this to be a big thrill, kevin however, did not care for me being so close and told me a had to stay on the paths. What a thing to see!! 
Our drive in total was about six hours, with at least two hours of that being completely white knuckled. We were driving down windey roads approx 12 feet wide, a sixty mile an hour speed limit and tour busses coming towards us. Sometimes the branches on the side of the road with scrape across my window and I would hold my breath or scream as Kevin would say "I feel like I'm driving on a go-cart track!" and speed up. Not exactly relaxing, but indeed beautiful!! The scene from PS I Love You where she is walking up the road and it's green hills, silence, little rock walls, farms and sheep... That's where we spent all day today. It truly is an amazing countryside and it was nice to get out of the city for the day.  
Tomorrow we return the death mobile (thank god) and spend our last day roaming around Dublin. Today on our drive however we picked out a beautiful house to buy here in Ireland.... 

Relax Mom, it rains as much here as it does there, we are buying a house somewhere sunnier we decided! 

Until tomorrow... 

Dublin day two...

Today I am blogging sitting next to kev in the grass, in the sun, watching kids play and eating lunch in Phoenix park. Does life get any better than this?
We went this morning and did a tour around trinity college in Dublin. The college was founded in the sixteenth century but the buildings themselves were built in the eighteenth century and were amazingly beautiful! The college also houses the book of kells which is about 3000 years old. There is just unbelievable amounts of history here and it is pretty mind boggling. 
Next we walked to the Jameson distillery and looked around, and then to the park for lunch. We have walked about six miles so far today and it's only 1:30! Now we are off to Kevins highlight of Dublin, THE GUINNESS BREWERY! We walked by it on our way to the park and he was giddy. And we fully intend (after the tour of course) to sit in the gravity bar atop the brewery and toast our pints to the Stumps, Dave and the Strapples! We know you guys are as excited about that place as Kevin is :) 
And now we are off, walking again, just enjoying looking at everything... I wish we could post pictures for you all to see, but I'm sure you will see way too many when we get home! Cheers!!!

We made it!!

After a slightly eventful flight we are in Dublin! Our flight leaving PDX left an hour late and was able to rebook everyone on the flight except the two passengers traveling to Dublin due to their not being anymore flights out of Chicago today. Nice. So we RAN through Ohare had to take a tram, recheck in and go back through security and made it with like five minutes to spare. So much for eating dinner there. But when we opened the shade on the window seven hours later to the most amazing sunrise, it all seemed worth it.
Amazingly enough when we got here it was morning, again, so we have not really slept in 24 hours. I was able to sleep about three hours on the plane but Kevin only slept an hour and is feeling it for sure right now since this is the first time we have sat. We hit the ground running today and have already marked some things off our do to list, like the amazing Dublin Castle. We have also already sat and talked with some uber friendly Irish people ( i make kev ask them questions because I love to hear them talk) and are starting to get our barings in this BUSY city. Our hotel is right in the middle of all the hustle and bustle and is SUPER convient since we are walking everywhere. We haven't actually got in the room yet so I haven't been able to search for bed bugs, although I can't say I would be overly surprised :)
Please excuse any typos and keep mind I am typing all of this on ou iPod so it may not be very detailed or well done, I apologize!
Tonight we will search for a firestation to trade a teeshirt with and shop a little then we will SLEEP. Thanks for following and we'll post again soon!
Side note- one big downfall- we asked for ranch for our frenchfries and the people looked at us like we were crazy! They don't know what it is!! How will we make it without ranch?

It

Getting Close...

Have you heard the Zac Brown Band's new song "Free"? It is a beautiful song!!!! And... every time I hear it I think of Kevin and I on our upcoming trip. If you change some of the lyrics (like "old van" into "backpack"), it doesn't rhyme anymore, but it fits perfectly :) This trip is definitely going to be across this land, just me and you, and we are for sure going to be "just as free as we'll EVER be"!!!

(Violin playing)

So we live out in our old van

Travel all across this land

Me and you

And we'll end up hand in hand

Somewhere down on the sand

Just me and you

Just as free

Free as we'll ever be

Just as free

Free as we'll ever be

We'll drive until the city lights

Dissolve into a country sky

Just me and you

Lay underneath the harvest moon

Do all the things that lovers do

Just me and you

Just as free

Free as we'll ever be

Just as free

Free as we'll ever be

And ever be

No we don't have a lot of money

No we don't have a lot of money

No we don't have a lot of money

No we don't have a lot of money

All we need is love

We're free as we'll ever be

Just as free

Free as we'll ever be

So we live out in our old van

Travel all across this land

Me and you

Busy, Busy, Busy!

With the school year slowing to an end, it feels like our lives are just getting ready to hit fast forward!

Everything is turning into a mad dash of getting things finished and wrapped up "before we leave." Kevin has been madly trying to finish up the garden space, working even in the pouring down rain (because there is no other option if he wants to get it finished), but will be mostly finished with it by this afternoon. He feels like it is a good stopping point for while we are gone, but as soon as we are home the yard work starts again!
I have been working like crazy, and just trying to get my life in order and things organized before we take off. On top of everything we decided to take the girls on a quick trip to Cannon Beach before we leave. Kevin wanted to give them one last hur-rah so that they know how much we love them before we abandon them at the kennel, and there is no place they love more than the beach. So, we will be packing up to spend three days at a beach house with the girls and the fam on June 20th-22nd. Once we get back from there we only have 5 days until we are on the plane headed for Dublin! We have lots to do in those five days and may be sorry that we took a trip so close to a major trip, but I'm sure the girls will think it was worth it!!!
I haven't had a lot of time lately to keep this updated, but hope you will all follow us on our travels around Europe in 16 days! I cannot believe it is this close! We are both starting to get a little nervous because traveling out of a backpack and being gone for this long of period of time are things we have never done, but even more than nervous we are excited!
Keep checking back because I have promised my mom that we will do quick updates (hopefully) every evening while traveling so she knows we are still alive, seeing as how we will not be calling.
Happy end of the school year everyone!!!!!!

Some things never change!

This is just too cute to not share!

Here are my girls one of the first times we caught them actually touching each other! Nala must've creeped in after Rahja was already asleep, but we were so relieved that MAYBE Rahja was giving in and was going to end up loving Nala. We could only hope they would turn out best friends...

And this was just the other night. Two years later. The only thing that has changed is Nala's size, and the fact that now this is so normal we never would think to take a picture of it. They are so lucky to have each other, and we are so lucky to have them!!!!

Almost summer!

Wow, I cannot even believe that May is more than half way over!!! Feels like it just started! This has been another busy month in our lives...
I have been working a ton!!! I know this is good, but just like all the teachers who are taking all these days off, I am feeling burnt out too. I am so ready to be in a place where I know what to expect everyday. Where I know the kids' names, and the procedures for each building. I have enjoyed my time subbing because I knew I wouldn't be doing it forever, and because I have been able to pick up things I liked in each classroom, but I am ready now to have a "home." I am ready for long hours and knowing where everything is. And I am so ready for building relationships with just my 29 kids. (Which yes, is how many 2nd graders I will have next year).
I subbed in the room I will be teaching in yesterday and picked up a whole packet of information that the teacher has been writing for me. It overwhelmed me and excited me all at the same time. I know the beginning of a school year is stressful even for a seasoned teacher, but I also know that I have an amazing support group. It should be a fun ride!

My darling husband has been busy this month as well. He has completed the brick walls... That's correct, COMPLETED! A job that we dreamed up when we bought this house, that at some times I'm sure we both thought "is it really worth all this?" is working it's way to an end. Here is what our ridiculous hillside looks like  now... 

But now, don't be fooled. This yard is FAR from being finished. The garden will be in the middle of these two walls, and that is what Kevin is tackling next. It will have raised beds and a brick "floor". Then we have to pour a concrete retaining wall at the bottom of the yard so that we can attempt to level all the dirt from this hill into our yard. After that wall there is more leveling, topsoiling the entire yard and planting grass. And since we will be gone for a big part of the summer, we are hoping to have it all finished by the time school is back in session. It's closer to being a usable yard than it has ever been, and I can't wait to look out and see nice green grass and a garden full of stuff!!! THANKS to my amazing, hardworking husband our dreams and visions continually come true!

On another note, we leave for Europe in 40 days!!!! I cannot believe it is that close now! We can't wait to be writing on here every evening from our journey through Europe. Please cross your fingers that that horrid volcano calms down and we are able to fly on time to each of our four stops :) 

Thanks for taking the time to stay updated with our lives! We hope the sun finds you and yours happy and well!!!!

 The O'Neils

May Day!

When I was searching the internet one day in early April, I found an annual fundraiser for the SW Wash Humane Society called Walk for the Animals. You pay an entry fee and then go on a 1.5 or 3 mile walk on the Vancouver waterfront with your dogs. Well since Rahja's birthday is in May, (hence the middle name Maye), and because there is nothing else in the world Rahja likes more than other dogs and walking, we figured this would be a perfect event to base her fourth birthday around. Also since both of our dogs are rescue dogs, (one from the humane society and one from a shelter in Gresham), this is something that is very dear to our hearts.  

The weather did not look promising, and as far as we had seen there hadn't been any advertising for the event beside on their website, but we were determined to make this a fun day, so we went thinking we would be three (Kev, my mom and I) of maybe 20 people there. Much to our surprise, when we reached the park where the registration was, there were HUNDREDS of dogs. The look on our dogs faces was of amazement. It was a really heartwarming thing to see, around 1,000 people, most of who had brought their furry sidekicks, were lined up ready to walk for the cause. And although it was a busy and kind of smushed walk along the water, it was a sight to see. Rahja, who knows what birthday parties are, was SO excited that we had done all this just for her. :) The weather held up for us all day, and we were even able to stop along the way and let the dogs swim in the Columbia. 

Needless to say, after we got home and ate birthday cupcakes, the girls were a little tired!

And so was their Daddy.

And their beloved Grammie!!

What a fun way to spend a Saturday! And thanks Mom for always joining in on our crazy dog birthdays! Oh, and notice Nala's collar in her picture... We went shopping at the farmers market that started after the walk and Grammie bought the girls new collars for Rahja's birthday, aren't they cute? 

I feel like May is starting off on the right foot. It feels good to give back. Let's hope the sun hangs around and we will be able to get this yard moving again! Talk to ya'll soon!

April...

I can't believe it is almost over already!!! April is a busy month... We just celebrated Kevin's 25th birthday yesterday, his dads was on the 9th, and my moms is on Friday. I have been trying to improve my cake skills between Zumba classes, Kevin has two new batches of beer brewing. The brick wall is continuing to grow, and job opportunities seem to keep popping up. 
My cakes are gradually getting more presentable, and I am having so much fun learning how to do all of it! It is a fun way to spend a Friday night with my amazing friend Misty! Not bad after only two classes!

Kev has been working every spare second on the backyard and getting more done on the brick wall. He is such a hard worker, and if it weren't for all this rain, he would have all 50,000 pounds done I'm sure!!!

This is where we started a little over a month ago...

This was as of April 15th...
I am so very excited to see our yard changing and am able to stand the dirty dogs without much complaining while all this happens!


Another big thing that has happened in April is that I have gotten an offer to long term sub next school year in the Washougal School District. It would be an amazing opportunity because I would be working September-December alone, full time, and then half-time the rest of the school year. The other teacher is amazing and we would mesh in a classroom really well! If I get this job, we will not be moving to Saipan... But if not, it is still on the table. It's nice to feel like I have a couple of things working for next school year, and I should know about the sub job after May 3rd when the principal of that school comes in to observe me! 
The nice thing about April is that we have gotten to spend lots of time with family with birthdays and such. My beautiful cousin came to visit from Spokane Valley and I got to spend the day with my entire family, but mostly with her and her four little girls who I miss like crazy! And this past weekend I went with my other cousin and his three little boys to Enchanted Forest (their mama was out of town for the weekend), and had a blast with them! They are the sweetest, most well behaved little boys in history. Kevin and I are truly blessed with amazing family that are all so close to where we are, so we are able to see them often and spend lots of time together. We would have a really hard time adjusting to not having this!
Speaking of family... I have an incredible friend, who has been a huge part of my life these last couple of years (seeing how we were stuck into to the same co-hort at City University, I had probably seen her more than I had seen Kevin for over two years), in need of prayer. Her adorable 4 year old son Caleb was diagnosed with Philadelphia-Chromosome Positive, Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia at the beginning of April. This is a scary situation for any family, but especially for hers because of Caleb's health before this was discovered. Please keep them in your thoughts so that her and her husband can remain as strong and positive as they have to this point. I know they would really appreciate it!
“Hope is faith holding out its hand in the dark.”
So... this has been our April thus far. Happy birthday Charlie, Kev and Mom. And I hope everyone is beginning to wake from the winter and smile in the sunshine!

My career...

It is on quiet days like this, when Kevin is at work and I am home, that I realize just how lucky I am to have the career that I do. I knew from the time I was little that I loved teaching (or being in charge), and I loved any kids younger than myself. I am so thankful that I took the (maybe somewhat extra) time to figure out what I truly wanted to be when I grew up. 
There is not a day that goes by at school where I don't smile at their innocence and sweetness, beam with pride at their achievements, or start cracking up at something the kids do or say. And to watch them giggle is honestly the most infectious thing in the world because of the pure joy in their laughs. Don't get me wrong, we have tough days, and there are definitely kids I would not bring home with me, but there are more that I would, and more days that we spend our time laughing together while we learn.


For example on Wednesday the kids wanted to show me a picture of "the fattest priest in the world" out of the Guinness World Record book that they so cherish. This surprised me that it would even be a category, so I agreed to look at it with them. About 12 of them come running over to me with the book and say, "Mrs. O'Neil!!! Look it!!! He weighs like 800 pounds!" Of course all the little girls were making gagging noises at the time. I looked at the picture and saw a man with a only a sheet wrapped around him and read the caption out loud to them. Turns out he was 1,235 pounds and bed ridden, but nothing about being a priest. I said, "Guys, it doesn't say he is a priest, what made you think that?" One boy looks up and says, "Because Mrs. O'Neil, he is wearing those underwear that they wear." All the rest giggle in agreement. It took me a second to realize what they were all in agreement about then I said, "OOOHHHH, no, guys you are thinking of Sumo Wrestlers that wear underwear like this! And he isn't even one of those, that's just all that will fit him!" They all smiled and looked at me when one replied... "yeah, same thing." I just couldn't contain my laughter "yeah, same thing?" A priest and a sumo wrestler, their right, pretty darn close. :)
Another day I was walking around while the kids were working and I heard a faint noise coming from a corner of the room. I looked over and everyone seemed to be working away, so I walked closer to see what exactly it was. When I got over by the two little boys I heard one of them was singing, "Sleep Country USA! Why buy a mattress anywhere else?!?" Without missing a beat, without lifting his head, almost subconsciously, the kid next to him goes, right on cue, "DING!!!" Neither looked up, neither even realized they had done it. They just kept working. I had to walk away so I could laugh without them noticing. 
I have at least one of these stories everyday. That's the joy of working with kids. They don't have to try to be funny, they aren't embarrassed to laugh at themselves, and they truly enjoy life everyday. You have never experienced the excitement Valentines Day, or Halloween until you have visited a school on these days. Spend a day with them in a classroom, you can learn a lot from these little beings. I know I do, and I am truly lucky to get to spend the next 30 years doing it!

One year...

So last year, on Easter weekend, Kev and I were moving our things into our new house (with lots of help from our parents because I was at school, thank-you!). We were so very excited and nervous about all the changes this new house brought to our lives. We woke up the first morning to a horrible noise, that we soon figured out was going to be an annoying problem, a woodpecker. 

                                                  Our little woodpecker friend showed up EVERYDAY at 6:30 on the dot, to give us a nice loud wake-up call. We tried everything we could think of to free ourselves from this new friend of ours who had probably really enjoyed this house for the year that it sat empty. And we finally resorted to borrowing a little boys bee-bee gun to shoot him. Don't worry, this never happened, seeing how Kev has never really shot a gun and would run out in his underwear, half asleep, and lean on the pillars to even hold himself up before shooting. A lot of things got shot that week, like our house, our trees, but not our woodpecker.  Then one day he just left. We woke up on our own, afraid to move for a second and then both smiled ear to ear... We were free!!!!

Our castle rum cake for the housewarming party! It was as good to eat as it was cute!!! 

The flag says "Casa di O'Neil", Thanks Bonnie!

Our beautiful new kitchen and the creator of that cake!

Now, a year later, you would not believe what I was woken up by today... THE WOODPECKER!!!!!!!!!! I almost had to smile about the way he came back on the same weekend we started this journey last year. It brought back all the memories of this house being new, and amazing to us that it was actually ours, now it's just our normal house that we are just used to living in. It also is so hard to believe that was a year ago now! 

Oh how things change in a year. To think I was still taking 18 credits, working, and student teaching last year at this time. This year I get paid to teach, go to Zumba classes twice a week and am starting a cake decorating class next Tuesday. I think I like where I am now just slightly better. :) Kev was just embarking on becoming a landlord, which we were both so nervous about, but we really lucked out there and found amazing renters who love our house and keep it up like it is their own. Kev has only had to go work on something there maybe 4 times in a year. We are SO thankful for Mary and Gina! I guess not all that much else has changed for him in a year though, still at good ol station 25 with a bunch of fun loving guys who he enjoys getting to spend 24 hours with every third day, still working his tail off in his time off either in our yard or with his dad, still spends every extra second he has with Rahja and Nala and sometimes they even invite me to tag along :) He also is a master beer brewer now a days. 

What an amazing year it has been in this place we call home. We are so lucky at our age to have the things we have and I know it is all Kevin's hard work that has gotten us through this scary year where I didn't get paid anything to go to work everyday! Thank you babe for the life you have given the girls and me!!! Oh, and borrow that gun again, we are going to need it ;)

Day of changes- Things came, and something went.

Well the bricks have arrived...

A WHOLE WHOLE lot of bricks. So now, if we could get some sunshine my hubby could get going on these lovely piles that are not even inside of our fence. 

So the bricks are here... but the application to Saipan is gone. I sent it in today to a very nice lady who (finally) answered my email last night! We are excited to see what comes of all this, but we are looking at it like this; if everything falls into place and we go and love it there, and find a wonderful, trustworthy renter for our house, we'll take this opportunity and pack up. If we can't find a renter, or don't hear back after they get my application, we weren't meant to go. We have lots of exciting things to look forward to here at home, and love being able to spend time with our amazing friends and family so it's not like we are trying to get away from anything here. Either way, this next year holds very exciting things for Kevin and I...  :) 

On another note, my dear friend lost their 13 year old lab today. Their first born child and the big sister to their one daughter. Hug your puppies. And enjoy them even in this rain, with their muddy little feet. 

"Until one has loved an animal, a part of one's soul remains unawakened."

(Anatole France)