Homesick

It all started this morning as I risked being late to work by finishing Shannon, by Frank Delaney. Irish friends are not fond of him as an author - he "talks too much." But in this book and one of his other books, Ireland, he manages to give words to the feelings I have about Ireland. There is a scent in the breeze and a sound of soft wind and rain that makes me feel more at home there every time I visit. Anyway, in many ways I was reluctant to finish the book because it felt like I was closing the door on a special place in my heart.

And then on the ride to work I listened to a CD that only made the feeling stronger. It was the first Celtic Woman CD, not one that I usually warm too. But there's a whistle/fiddle piece near the end that lightened my heart and made me yearn for dark pubs and good music.

And that's why you get a picture of the Brazen Head, reportedly the oldest pub in Dublin. We never expected it to be anything but touristy, and it is that, but still with the feeling that it's a local. The music was wonderful and the atmosphere magical. Wish we could all be there together.

Is It Fall Yet?

The Halloween decorations are up. There are pumpkins everywhere. We're watching baseball playoffs. This all says it must be fall.

So why is it still so hot? I want to wear cardigans and clothes with sleeves to work. I want it to be cold at night. I guess at the moment I just want to live in Washington or Ohio!!

Family Dinner

Tonight was one of those nights that will be a watershed night for us - we had a family dinner. No filling plates at the counter and sitting down piecemeal to eat. The table was set. The food was placed on the table. Everyone was served and we all finished at the same time. Not a big deal, you say? Well, it is in this house. We've been hoping for it. We've been working toward it. We've had to argue with Rosanne who thinks the whole thing is too much trouble. We did it. And we had a nice dinner. And the kids ate; Christian even had seconds. I had to make sure I would remember this moment in years to come. Just in case it was because of the food, I'll include the link (Denny will want it). So celebrate with us; we're almost a normal family!

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2007/06/the_best_lasagn/

P.S. I don't know that this is the world's best lasagna; it's not Mom's. But it's easy and it's good.

Controlled Chaos

It was so nice to get away, and so nice to be home again. But right now it feels like we're in a state of chaos - controlled chaos, but chaos nonetheless. Nothing awful, just needed to put the words down somewhere. The biggest challenge is setting up household "routines," which we've pretty much managed without, I guess. AGHHH! It will be fine; it will be fine. (Laughing here, honest!)

Memories of Washington

What a wonderful trip, and thank you to all of those in Washington who made us welcome. Only when I got home did I realize that I didn't have the camera out for some of the best moments (I got at least one of them, as you can see). Not one single picture of my brothers or Denny. Don't count on me to be the family chronicler!

More than many of our other trips to Seattle, this one was about connecting and reconnecting in a big way. Among the things I'll remember are:

• James playing soccer
• Allie making me feel like she wanted to spend time with me, even though she's 13
• Meeting Denny again and spending a lot of time just chatting
• Shedding some tears and then some laughter with my brothers over days gone by
• Listening to Mike and Scott play guitar, even if it was for only one evening
• Riding the ferry with Gil, Jenny and James
• Listening to James complain that he wanted to go home, until we reached Fort Casey and he decided he couldn't possibly leave yet
• Lunch with Mike and Scott in the Pike Place Market, looking out over the Sound
• Getting to know more about Denny and finding out we really are kindred spirits
• "Theme Day Meals" - Mexican day, Hamburger day, Grease day (my innards are still protesting)

I'm sure there are many more memories that will pop up as the days go by, but the sense I came home with is that my family's pretty special. I hope we can do it all again soon. Hope the rest of you loved it too.