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I am not great about updating like Brad, and this is going to be quick because I am making coffee.

On Wednesday, our group had a fantastic breakfast at the hotel – a buffet that included all the components of a real Irish breakfast – eggs, toast, tomatoes, baked beans, and various kinds of sausage. Lloyd was in heaven.

After that, some of our group went to Trinity College to look at the old library and the Book of Kells. Jane and I wandered around the city. I got a little mixed up, so it was more of a walk than we intended, but we saw a lot of Dublin.

After that we went to the Jeanie Johnston ship. It was a great replica that showed how thr Irish immigrant boats were so crowded and dangerous. Sometime I’ll need to post more photos.

We visited the Epic Irish Museum after that and learned a lot of history. It was nice. Then we met up at our next home – an air bnb that is set up in an awesome way. Brad has some photos on his site to check out. Dad, I sent you a Marco Polo. I also visited some shops in the afternoon.

Thursday was spent taking a bus ride to Northern Ireland. Our driver was great and very knowledgeable. We went to the Giant’s Causeway to see the big rock formations and the ocean. I took medicine so I wouldn’t be constantly screaming, but it turns out that I’m actually doing ok with it.

We did more th8ngs – Sam and Rachel’s family did a rope bridge and we saw the Dark Hedges, but my coffee is ready. See you next post!

The Expedition Group arrived in Ireland on Tuesday, and it’s been grand. Our flight was a little late taking off, but it was good arriving later because we could check into our hotel directly instead of just dropping off bags.

hmmmmm… typing this on my phone is troublesome. Let me jus dump some photos of Tuesday. We went to three cathedrals and a couple of places to eat. We are all jus going to have to be ok with typos.

That’s Lloyd’s Mom, Jane, and our friend Curt. There are seven of us in this first group.

This is the day of the Big Trip. Many, many thanks go to Beth for inviting us along. I don’t get away from work very often, so this is quite a treat. When people ask if I am excited, I tell them, “I’ll believe that I’m going when I’m actually on the plane.” So, writing this several hours before we take off is kind of playing with fate.

When I was a pre-teen, my sister introduced me to the sister band of the Roches. This was one of their songs, and has been running through my head since this trip was proposed. (Except the part about the guns. The song is called The Troubles, which I understand we’re never supposed to mention.) The rest of it? Bring it on, sisters.

We’re going away to Ireland soon
We’re going away to Ireland Ireland
Ireland soon
Ireland soon
We’ll try not to get in the way of the guns
As we always do
Try not to get in the way of the guns
Soon

We’re flying across the ocean soon
We’re flying across the ocean ocean

Ocean soon
I dreamed I saw my guitar
Topple off onto the runway
Please be careful with my guitar
Whoever you are

We’re leaving behind our boyfriends soon
We’re leaving behind our boyfriends boyfriends
Boyfriends soon
Boyfriends soon
I hope they have health food in Dublin
And strawberry apricot pie
If they don’t have those things in Dublin
We’ll probably die

We’re going away to Ireland ocean boyfriend

This is one of those ‘you kind of had to be there’ stories, but I’ll do my best to tell it.

Backstory 1) There are video games that look like they are supposed to appeal to little kids, but they are actually garbage. The genre is ‘mascot horror’, and the cartoony characters are actually in a pretty scary situation. The game that a couple of kids were talking about was Garten of Banban. (I actually thought one of them was saying ‘Bam Bam’ – the little kid from the Flintstones, but I Google everything suspicious and sure enough, it’s rated for children 9 years or older.) I sent out a message to parents regarding this.

Backstory 2) I often have children telling me that they have watched movies that are rated PG-13. Actually, that is annoying to me, especially when they are superhero movies. Little kids love superheroes, so why don’t the production companies double their cash cow and make one version for adults – with all the gratuitous violence – and one for the little kids – with just flying, zooming and being strong? They are missing out on a whole market. Anyway, in that same message to parents, I reiterated something I said at the start of the summer – “As adults, we are supposed to be the filter between little children and the Big Bad World. We’re not supposed to introduce them to it.”

Backstory 3) I have a little boy who lives with his Dad. I was aware before he came to my class that he has watched things that are for older people. He is very sweet and very affectionate. He often comes up to me and rubs my back or arm softly and says, “I love you” with his sweet voice. This little boy’s dad also got a kindly-written, specific message this week when he kept talking about Banban.

Ok, current story: Friday, this boy came up to me and rubbed my arm softly, looked me in the eye and sweetly said, “You’re evil.”

I did not laugh. I said, “Tell me why you think I’m evil.”

“Dad took my phone away.”

(Inwardly cheering) “Was it the phone that had those videos that aren’t for little kids?”

“Yes.”

“I think your Dad loves you and is trying to keep your heart and brain safe. I’m glad he loves you so much. Do you need a hug?”

“Yes.”

Then he was back to playing. So there you have it. I don’t even care if his Dad threw me under the bus and blamed me for the phone going away. I consider it a win.

Signed, Evil Lauren

We were at the Sommerer Family reunion this weekend. We have a new system, now. Lloyd drives down with Sam and Rachel (and Gracen) early on Friday, and I ride down with Anna after we both get off work. (We stopped by Kansas City to pick up her fiancé – you heard that right – so we got there around 11/11:30.)

It was a good weekend. Lots of food and visiting, church with Cousin Pastor Steve on Sunday, and I presume some people spent time in the lake. I took along my fire can and had morning fires (I got stung by a wasp), but the big news was that there was a HUGE storm Saturday night that knocked out the power. Fortunately everybody was sheltered under the pavilion and they could shuttle people to the Spitz Center, which had a generator running. Most people stayed and used their phone flashlights, and after the rain calmed down they went back to card games by lantern light and singing along with the guitar/mandolin/violin. The funny part about the singing is that they used to have 3-ring-binders with song lyrics, but as time has gone on, fewer and fewer people sing. Well, it would have come in handy this time, because people were trying to 1) think of songs, then 2) remember the words. They were mostly old country songs, and they would mumble through the first verse, then everyone would sing the chorus loudly…… they they were done. It was fine.

We got home in the evening. I spent about 13 hours over the past 48 hours in a vehicle, and today is the Day Before The Fourth. Wish me luck at work.

Emme is a chicken. When people are over that she doesn’t know – she scatters. When there is thunder far away that we cannot hear but she can sense, she hightails it for a tiny, dusty space under the basement stairs. Same with fireworks. If you’ll remember, she was once stuck in a drawer, never meowing as we searched for her.

Well, the plumbers really freaked her out on Friday. I came home before 5 because I needed to make something for a dinner we were invited to at 6:30. I haven’t been sleeping well and really needed to take a nap before we went. I threw the ingredients together and then Lloyd gave me the tour of all the things the plumbers did, then he said, “I haven’t seen Emme in a while. She must have been really scared.” We laughed and then I got their wet food ready – they always come running for that.

Well, Wally did, but not Emme. We did a generalized look-around, but no dice. We did a more thorough look-around, but no. Umm…… (At this point in the story you should know that our screen door is broken and doesn’t shut all the way if you don’t pull it and latch it. Wally escaped to the front steps because of this.) “Could she have run outside?” That is soooo unlike her, but took turns going out and calling while the other went through the entire house – opening all drawers and cabinets, moving stuff around and calling. We took all the boxes out from her basement hiding space and even looked in the ceiling holes, calling her name – nothing. No meows, no cat.

By this time, it was 6:30 and we were supposed to be at the dinner. We let them know we weren’t going to make it. Lloyd went outside to look again and I did my third check of the basement walls. The joists go out a little bit over the walls, and I had checked all of those spaces visually, but was it possible to fall down inside the wall? I moved things away, felt along the top, and sure enough -there was a between some studs that had a space. I got my phone to take a flash photo and……

Seriously, Emme?

I thought she was at the bottom, but there’s actually a bricked-up window space there and she was sitting in the frame.

Good grief. We had been in the basement SEVERAL TIMES and she didn’t make a peep. I don’t think she could climb out because that ‘wall’ is just thin paneling and she is fat and weak. Gotta give her credit, though, if plumbers are stomping over your basement stairs hiding spot, it’s time to find a new place.

We took off the paneling, rescued the idiot, and were only half an hour late to the dinner.