"Mamma Mia, here we go again...

... my, my, how can I resist ya?"

Three peanut butter pies in less than two weeks is acceptable behaviour (oops, i spelled that the wrong way), right?  I mean, nothing's too excessive when you're on vacation.  That's the argument I'm sticking with, anyway.

Merschon made the final pie for our Mamma-Mia-you-can't-help-but-sing-along-party (see Meryl Streep in the background there?).  And she wrote my name on the top.  Even though everyone thought I did that part on my own, and no one would believe me when I tried to defend myself.  Needless to say, all but one teeny-tiny piece got devoured that night.  Our innocent sing-along turned into a raging double-feature when we mixed in a little Moulin Rouge.  Ewan sang to Nicole, I sang to my pie, "In the name of love, one night in the name of love... I can't survive without your sweet love.  Oh baby, don't leave me this way!"

A playground for Big Girls.

Five girls and one Jane doll.  A camera.  And two hours in IKEA, unattended and unashamed.  Dancing through the displays.  Sitting on everything.  Talking loud.  Laughing hard.  Being silly is so much fun!

Bailey and Jane checking out the orange couch.  Because, according to Bailey, if it ain't orange, it ain't cool.

 Hmmm, do you think anyone will recognize me in my flower power mask?  Let's hope not.

 "Juli, put the hat on and take a picture with me PLEASE!  Why will no one take a picture with me?!?!?!?!?!"

 She obliged.  Thanks, Juli.

It started with a vest that was way to small.  Juli added the gloves.  And the neck pillow.  Denise added the nervous warnings that pictures are NOT allowed in IKEA, as indicated by the "No Camera" sign in the lower left hand corner.  Oops.

An Irish nut shell.

This time last week, I was sitting in the airport, waiting on my ride to Dublin, hoping I'd be blessed with my very own in-flight entertainment system in the headrest infront of me... you know, the kind with a remote in the arm rest where you can pick which movie you want to watch and play games and watch TV shows and stuff...  Now, a week later, I'm sitting at the Karnes' dining table, watching Denise quilt and trying to decide how to share all the craziness of these last few days without boring you with all the exhausting details of jet lag, crazy traffic, and so-on-and-so-forth.  How about a nut shell?

Mostly, I've just been hanging out with the team.  Lots of time eating, drinking tea, and enjoying being together.  I even tried playing Super Mario Brothers on the Karnes' wii, then Bailey told me I was the worst player ever, so I quit... 'cuz that's what losers do, you know... 

Last weekend, we went to a farmer's market near the Smith's and Hutson's apartments.  They got lunch.  I milked a cow.  People stared.

That same night, we had dinner at the Hutson's.  Well, I thought it was just dinner.  It ended up being a surprise birthday party for ME!!!!  I was very confused and really excited all at the same time.  It was a good excuse for Denise to make a second peanut butter pie in less than a week.  YUMMY!!!!!!

Today, Merschon and I walked to the coast and along the beach.  The sun was out and it was relatively warm.  The wind was a tad strong, to say the least.  And apparently Davis and Bailey are the only ones willing to smile with me in a photograph... unfortunate.

There's still a lot on the agenda for my remaining week.  A team meeting tomorrow.  A visit with the Irish Bible Institute on Thursday.  Church Sunday.  A Mamma Mia sing-along Monday.  And plenty in between.

Oh, and I had my very own in-flight entertainment.  It's the small things that make trans-atlantic flight awesome.