Cousin's Birthday in Dublin!

March 2nd is Jackie's birthday! We definitely had a pint for her!

We spent a bit of time lounging and cleaning up in the morning looking forward to some relaxation around the house. Ann Marie and a few of her kids were going to "call" around 2:30 with Johnny's friend Abbie and her bigger sister Chloe (and a friend of hers) to meet Maggie. Ann Marie has four kids (age 14 to 7) and we thought her older girl might get along fine with Maggie!

Josh and Kian stopped by for a little soccer and Wii in the morning.

Then Ann Marie stopped by with the three girls AND.... Their Yorkie puppy, DJ!! (We love the Yorkies... My brother and sister-in-law have two --one who is only about 2 pounds, and my nephew and his wife have a feisty and smart little boy dog!)

The Irish visits are a little like the cafes: stop and take some time, share a coffee and some cookies (the Irish kids LOVED some of the Girl Scout Cookies from home!) and get to know each other a bit. Again, somehow, at home we are just too busy to make this happen enough. Our visits are more formal -- a dinner party, a BBQ. Sometimes moments like this happen, but it is almost as though they can't be planned, so we have to steal the moments. Outside in the alley after taking the garbage out, head inside of a car as someone was driving by on the way to someplace else, or at someone's table at a restaurant that you see on the way to your own table, at the hockey rink over your kid's practice. I'm not sure if I'm explaining this right, or the way it feels. I wonder if we should plan these moments more often, just to make sure they happen.

I love the way the Irish women describe their husbands.

Dervla describes her husband as "all gold, but not shiny".

Ann Marie describes her husband as "rough around the edges."

Last night I wondered aloud how Sheila would describe me and she started listing off a bunch of (mostly good) adjectives. There's something though about the short saying or turn of words that just captures it all and you don't have any sense that the wives aren't happy and satisfied and loving and loved. Just real. And sweet. I love it.

The husbands I talk to have sayings too, but they are usually about politics (and are not to be repeated on a public blog such as this... Let's just say one comment was about having two pairs of dirty underwear and having to resort to the dirtier pair).