2-0

For the last month I have been playing “The Grocery Game,” which is a guide to buying groceries at rock bottom prices, and the general idea is to buy what’s on sale while also using coupons. Since I love organization, I put myself in charge of keeping the coupons in order and making the grocery list then my roommate and I split the cost. It's so much cheaper to buy stuff together. Anyway, I have been averaging a savings of $30 a week but yesterday was different. I could just feel it. I went into Kroger with my crazy long list, a pile of coupons, and I’m not going to lie…I was nervous. If I didn’t shop correctly, I would end up spending way too much money.

My total bill came to $188.11 after my 50+ items were rung up. I started to stress out a little when that number popped up on the screen because our entire monthly budget is $200. I just had to remember that my Kroger card and coupons hadn’t been scanned, and once they were, the final cost came to $78.46!!! That’s right. I saved $109.65 for this week’s worth of groceries. I think I secretly expected the cashier to congratulate me on what a great job I did and for confetti to fall on my head, but instead she just handed me my receipt.

Well I get really excited about saving money, so before I knew it, I had walked out of the store, raised my arm in the air and yelled, “I beat Kroger!” Yes, my roommate made fun of me. Yes, I probably got some strange looks. No, I didn't care. It felt great saving almost 60% on my groceries, and the people in the parking lot needed to celebrate with me.

After grocery shopping and my annual Monday night dinner with friends, I had a softball game to play. My team (who loses more often than not) ended up winning 16-1. It was like having batting practice without the hassle of having to field your teammate’s balls and was a fabulous way to end my day.

I’m 2-0 and loving it!

Find the Time

"An international art dealer and a modern-day slave from Louisiana become friends after the art dealer is roped into volunteering at a homeless shelter by his saintly wife." - Marcia Z. Nelson, Publishers Weekly

I wish everyone would take a couple of days and read this book. It really draws the reader into the lives of these two men and sends you on a (sometimes emotional) journey through their friendship. I started reading this at the airport on my way to visit Alyssa and Michael in Arizona, and sitting on the runway coming back to Texas, I couldn't stop crying in order to finish the last chapter. I would read a little bit, put the book down, hold back tears, read again, and finally decided I couldn't continue without causing a scene. People around me probably thought I was scared of flying, and I half expected a stewardess to walk by and offer me some comforting words before takeoff.

The chapters alternate between Ron and Denver sharing about their childhood, adult life, and eventually their lives after crossing paths. I appreciate the honesty and openess of the authors in telling about their struggles, thoughts, and responses to situations and to each other. Our thoughts are not always pleasant, but they refuse to make themsleves look good and instead just tell the truth. Same Kind of Different as Me is highly entertaining yet challenging. It made me consider my priorities and left me in awe of how God orchestrates people's lives, always knowing what's best for us even when we don't see it.

No Worries, I'm Fine

Ever since I got back from England, my teeth have been bothering me. I convinced myself I had cavities because I drank so much tea while I was there, adding two scoops of sugar to each cup can’t be beneficial. Since I just don’t do cavities, I started flossing, listerining, drinking more water and less Dr. Pepper, and have really cut back on sweets. (If you know me, that’s usually my preferred choice of food.)

So yesterday I went in for my dentist appointment and was horrified to be told that it had been 22 months since I came in last. WHAT?! I honestly had no idea that much time had slipped away, and I’m usually very dedicated about checking in every six months. Well here’s what happened:

Good news: I am cavity free!

Bad news: My younger brother who went with me came out with one cavity and an appointment for 9 a.m. this morning to have his wisdom teeth pulled. Ouch.

He’s doing great and apparently kept waking up during the surgery asking the dentist if he needed any help. I wish I had that on video, but since I don’t, I thought this one would be entertaining enough. I can’t find the one without ads, sorry!

God's Pharmacy

I received this in an email my dad forwarded to me. I think it's pretty amazing how creative God is, and we don't even realize it sometimes.

1. A sliced Carrot resembles the human eye including the pupil, iris, and radiating lines. Science indicates that carrots help protect the vision, especially night vision.

2. A sliced Tomato can have four chambers and is commonly red. Tomatoes are rich in lycopene and help prevent heart disease, prostate cancer, breast cancer and more. Tomato juice can also reduce the tendency toward blood clotting.

3. Grapes hang in clusters that resemble the shape of the heart. The stronger the color the grape is, the higher the concentration of phytonutrients. Grapes prevent heart disease and reduce platelet clumping and harmful blood clots.

4. Walnuts resemble the brain, mimicking the wrinkles and folds of the neocortex. Research suggests that walnuts may reduce the risk or delay the onset of Alzheimer's disease. The high concentration of omega-3 fats in walnuts promotes healthy brain function.

5. Kidney Beans, true to their name are kidney shaped. They provide nutrients that are helpful to the human kidneys. Kidney beans contain molybdenum, which is responsible for detoxifying sulfates.

6. Celery has a bone like appearance and is rich in silicon and Vitamin K, which are needed for healthy joints and bones.

7. Avocados, Eggplant and Pears target the health and function of the womb and cervix of the female. Today's research shows that when a woman eats one avocado a week, it balances hormones, sheds unwanted birth weight, and prevents cervical cancers.

8. Figs are loaded with seeds and increase the mobility of male sperm and increase the numbers of Sperm as well to overcome male sterility.

9. Oranges, Grapefruits and other Citrus fruits have been compared to the appearance of female mammary glands. These fruits contain nutrients that are helpful in the fight against breast cancer.

10. Sliced Onions resemble skin cells and contain quercetin. Studies have shown when treated with a combination of quercetin and ultrasound at 20 kHz for 1-minute duration, skin and prostate cancers show a 90% mortality within 48 hours with no visible mortality of normal cells.

11. Sweet Potatoes resemble the pancreas and have a low glycemic index count, which is beneficial for diabetics.

12. Olives assist the health and function of the ovaries.

Things I've Enjoyed Since Being Home

1) Thunderstorms
Yes, it rains plenty in England, but it's not the same because there is no thunder. I was never wakened by loud claps of thunder in the middle of the night causing me to schooch deeper under the covers and enjoy the fact that I was in my comfy bed.

2) Weddings
Two days after landing in Texas Danielle and I headed off to see our friends say their vows. I'll admit I was extremely tired (when the ceremony started it was past midnight in England, and I was ready to sleep) but it's always exciting to see people get married. My childhood friend got married last weekend and my college roommate ties the knot in five days. I love seeing what each bride does differently and the unique touches every wedding has.

3) Swimming
It's hot enough here that I actually want to get in the water.

4) Friends
My friends from growing up took me out to dinner when I came home and let me talk all I wanted about my trip. I loved it! I've also loved the phone calls and emails from everyone else wanting to catch up.

5) Driving
The other night I rolled my windows down and turned up my country music not caring who saw me singing. Driving at night is one of my most favorite things to do in the summertime. It relaxes me.

6) Refrigerators
They're huge here! You can actually fit a gallon of milk AND a gallon of orange juice in it along with a whole lotta food...which takes me to my next point.

7) Waffles
Because all freezers lack space in the UK, we had to reserve room for meat and dinner type food. As a result, I was cruelly denied the pleasure of eating waffles with peanut butter for breakfast, but that has all changed since being back :)

8) Family
I simply love them.

9) Shoes
This sounds so superficial, but I love having all of my shoes at my fingertips. Stilettos, pumps, peep toes, flats, sandals, flip flops, tennis shoes, red, black, brown, blue, pink, whatever I want it's here, and I have options when getting ready for the day.

10) Organizing
I've unpacked, put away, cleaned out, and made sure everything has a rightful place. There is always great satisfaction in organizing, and I do it whenever I can. Sometimes when I'm at someone else's house, I'll organize their mess or rearrange their furniture in my head. I can't help it. It's a disease. For my birthday when I was seven, my grandma took me to Walmart and let me pick out anything I wanted. I walked through the whole store and chose two pink storage containers with matching lids. My grandma tried to talk me out of them, but I insisted that's what I wanted. We compromised. She made me pick out a board game, and I still got to get my storage bins.

It's Coming To a Close

As things here in Sheffield wind down, I'm seeing the fruit of investing in relationships even when they didn't always feel like they were going anywhere.


This has been one of the most encouraging days I've had in Sheffield, and it's from saying goodbyes. It's funny to me how you sometimes don't realize how you've impacted someone or they've impacted you until you're leaving.


It's weird to say goodbye, knowing that some of these people I will never see again. I talk of coming back to visit and others talk of coming to Texas, and I hope that really will happen. In the meantime, I have to deal with the possibility of that not coming true.



I leave Sheffield on Tuesday, and it's bittersweet.


I'm excited.


I'm nervous.


I'm ready.


I'm not ready.


I faced a lot of change to come here, and now I feel as if I'm facing just as much change coming home. I have to find a job, a place to live, and will have new roommates. This sounds familair....maybe because I did this back in January? In a foreign country?


I'm feeling comfortable here, and now I have to go.


I've changed.


I've grown.


I need to process.

God's Faithfulness

These are a couple of stories from treasure hunting a few weeks ago that I really wanted to share because they show just how amazing God truly is.

There were only five people that came out for treasure hunting, but we made the best of it and split into two groups.  Danielle and I were together for the first time along with our friend Dustin.  We went to one of the locations on our list and spotted our first clue (a man with a cane). I talked to Harry for a few minutes and asked if he needed prayer.  His daughter said he has health problems, and Danielle jumped in and asked what kind?  He said "everything but aids" and Dustin asked him if that included low blood sugar and lung disease (two health problems on our list).  They were kind of surprised and said yes he had both of those things wrong with him. Wow!  God had led us to right where we needed to be!  Harry didn't let us pray for him right then, but our group was really encouraged that we had found our treasure and that we had worked so well together as a team.  Where one of us left off in the conversation the other one picked up.  We felt very unified as a group which doesn't always necessarily happen.

Next we saw a guy from a distance wearing a 'grey hat' that was on Danielle's clue list.  We walked a ways to try and catch up to him, and as it turned out, he had stopped to lean on a 'light post', which just so happened to be Dustin's clue!  We thought this was cool, and as we were approaching him, we noticed he was wearing 'converse shoes' which was one of my clues!  We had a good conversation with him and were pretty pleased with the clues we had found that day.

We met back at the church office, and some people expressed that they're wanting to see more happen while we're out treasure hunting.  I understand what they're saying, but I'm also so thankful for God's faithfulness in all of this.  Every week we pray for clues, and He gives them to us.  Not only that, we find them!  Of course I want to see people saved and of course I want to see lives changed.  I know that will happen, but until then, I'm thankful to rest in knowing a little bit more of God's character.

Danielle and I agreed in this and were talking about things on the way to our friends Pip and Hannah's house after treasure hunting, when I saw a lady struggling to hold her child and push a stroller up the hill.  I offered to push the stroller, and she actually said I could.  (Numerous times Danielle and I have offered to help people with groceries etc. up the hills around here and no one will let us.)  We began talking to her, and she seemed so tired that Danielle offered to hold her baby.  The lady handed the little girl right over!  We found out that her name is Metumo, she's from South Africa, she just recently moved here and has no friends.  Perfect! 

Danielle told her about our friend Ira and how she just moved here and has a little girl as well. We said that we should introduce the two of them and Metumo said, "Do you think she would want to?"  In my head I'm screaming 'Of course! She moved to England to do outreach!' but instead just settled for "Yes, I think she would love to."

Metumo got excited and ended up inviting us in for a cup of tea.  We weren't able to stay since we had dinner plans, but we exchanged contact information with her and made plans to meet up in four weeks.  She was leaving for South Africa in two days for a month long trip, so we couldn't do anything until she got back.  As we were leaving, I realized that Metumo was wearing a black shirt and grey pants...two clues on our list from treasure hunting that we hadn't found earlier.  Danielle and I got so excited about this!  Once again, God is faithful.

Well it's almost been four weeks since we met Metumo, and I just sent her an email about meeting up for tea.  Our hope is to connect her with Ira, so that after we leave, she still has someone pursuing a friendship with her.  Please pray that Metumo emails me back, and that she has time to hang out with us before we leave.   I have no doubt that we were supposed to meet her that day, so I'm pretty sure God wants to do something in her life!

I'm Proud to be a Texan and an Aggie!

A few of my friends here have pretty bad injuries and therefore can't run or do much physically, so I've decided to take advantage of being healthy and have started running every so often, ha. Yesterday I was running through the park wearing my maroon Texas A&M t-shirt when I heard someone shout "Go Aggies!"  Whoop!  Who knew that people in Sheffield have heard of A&M?  

Along the same lines, last time Danielle and I were in London, some students asked us if we were from A&M while we were chowing down on our Cinnibon.  Confused, Danielle said yes...why?  They had recognized her Aggie ring!

Tonight after church, Danielle, Ira, and I walked around Hillsborough looking for somewhere to eat.  While I was waiting for my kebab, the guy at the counter asked us where we were from. I answered "Texas", not thinking anything of it.  He responds "Oh yeah you're from America then," and he goes on to say that he had thought that we were Irish.  (That's twice people have thought we were from Ireland.)  Anyway, back to the point of this post.

I realized at that point that I always say I'm from Texas not 'America' or 'The States.'  I just automatically assume everyone knows of Texas, and they do.  I love it!  Danielle and I then had our own conversation about how great Texas is, and how we would feel if it became it's own country.  

I know this is random, but I love that I can say Texas without having to explain that it's a state in America....I bet Ohio doesn't have this luxury.

A British Haircut

What an experience!  

I seriously think Brits speak a different language.  I walked into Le Coup to have my hair trimmed yesterday, and when I met James who would be cutting my hair, he said something to me which I didn't understand.  I said "Excuse me?"  He said it again and I heard the word "perm" in there somewhere, and I got a nervous look on my face.  He started laughing and said that Americans just don't get British humor.  I laughed but was really thinking that I just don't get their accents.

I was a little nervous about doing this, but James ended up being really cool and made me feel better.  He asked me where my family was from, and I said Texas.  He asked me where else?  I said Florida and then explained that my ancestors were from Germany.  He said, "Are you sure you're not Scottish?"  I told him yes, but he insisted I had to be Scottish because of the "warmth" in my hair.  (I have patches of red in my hair that show through every now and then) Then he comments on my freckles and says that freckles are a Scottish trait as well.  I just shook my head and said I wasn't Scottish.

Not believing me, he then asks me what my surname (last name) is, and I told him Huffman. He stops cutting my hair, stares at me, and with a confused look on his face exclaims, "That's German!"

I laughed and said I told you so!

He continues cutting for a few minutes thinking about something and then looks up at me and says very seriously, "Here's what happened.  A Scottish girl married into your family, so her name wasn't carried down!  Look up your family tree online and you'll see."

Apparently James knows more about my heritage than I do....or at least he thinks so.

I Feel Stuck

I have been treasure hunting numerous times since I've been in Sheffield, but I often get put in a position of not knowing where to go next in a conversation.  I'm growing in my boldness to approach people and start conversations, and I'm so thankful for the Lord's grace in feeling more comfortable doing this; however, I don't know how to continue a conversation with people if they say things like "Well, I'm an atheist" after I explain to them how we found them, and why we believe God highlighted them to us.  I usually find myself telling them God loves them and then walking away wondering what I could have said to keep talking.

This week my group talked to an atheist, a muslim, and a hindu.

I'm not here to debate people.  I don't want to get into theological arguments or a battle of smarts, but I would like some help.  I need people to brainstorm on ways to keep the conversation going if someone seems to be putting up a barrier by using their religion as a reason that they don't or can't believe what we're saying.

A lot of people our groups approach are nice and don't mind talking, but if they tell me they're (insert religion) my brain for some reason goes blank.  How do I go from there without just saying, "Well you're wrong" and then turning them off to speaking to us completely.  

Thoughts?

Ideas?

Anything you have to say would be helpful!

Chatsworth House

Our train back from Scotland was uneventful, and we made it into Sheffield safely on Friday night.  The next morning we got to eat at my favorite pub here and show my mom where Danielle and I used to spend too much of our money buying the hot cocoa special.  We then headed for the bus that would take us to Bakewell...but we never quite made it there.  If you know me at all, you know that I don't have the best sense of direction, and I tend to get lost even if signs are posted all over the highway.  It's as if I have an inner GPS that does the complete opposite of what it's supposed to do and there is no way to fix it.  

Instead of getting off at our stop in Bakewell, I made a last minute decision to jump off the bus at the stop in Baslow, except I didn't know it was Baslow.  I thought it was Bakewell.  The bus driver was about to take off when I got out of my seat and made Danielle and my mom follow. I'm convinced that the driver knew all along that I wanted to go to Bakewell (I mean I did buy our tickets from him) but decided not to tell me.  He had a cheeky grin as I rushed off the bus which makes me think he was laughing at my mistake.

Anyway, we read a sign that said you could walk to Chatsworth House (our final destination) so we opted to do this instead of wait for the next bus.  BIG MISTAKE!  We walked for a little while and then saw a sign that said we had 3 miles to go, and we had just run out of sidewalk. Did we turn around? Nope.  We walked on the "side" of the road which consisted of bushes that we literally had to hug each time a car passed us.  Pedestrians are not welcome to walk along those kinds of roads, but we had no where else to go at this point.  Every time a car rounded the corner, we huddled against the bushes and prayed no one got hurt.

We walked a mile and realized something had to be done because there was no way we could keep gong on like this.  We were miserable, and I was mortified by all the buses that kept passing us.  I know everyone in them was making fun of "those Americans."  Well Danielle had fallen a ways behind my mom and I, and at one point when I turned around, she was talking to someone in a car.  Yup.  She had done what I was too chicken to do.  She flagged down a car and asked for help.  The next thing I know, the three of us are getting into the car with Barbara and her husband, and they're driving us to Chatsworth House.  Danielle saves the day!  The couple were from Wales and were actually going to the house as well, so it worked out perfectly.

So why all the trouble to go see this house?  Well the Chatsworth Estate consists of 12,000 acres and is Mr. Darcy's home (Pemberly) in the Hollywood version of Pride and Prejudice. I've been wanting to visit here ever since I arrived in Sheffield, but I have been waiting so my mom could see it too.

Later that weekend, we went and saw a new take on the classic novel Emma by Jane Austen. This isn't necessarily my favorite novel written by Austen (Pride and Prejudice is just too good) but it is definitely my favorite movie.  The play was very unique in that it had present day people discussing the play between the acts but the same people were also acting out the play set in the 1700's.  Five people acted all the parts (some of them playing 2 and 3 characters), and they did an amazing job.  There was also interaction with the audience before and after the play and these are pictures of Danielle, Jeannie, my mom and I sketching our own portraits of the actress who played Emma.  The play wasn't at all what I expected, but I loved it!

Edinburgh, Scotland

My mom came to visit me on her spring break in March and took Danielle and I on a 10 day journey through Scotland and around England.  Before picking her up at the airport, we retrieved most of our train tickets and to give you an idea of just how many we had, I stacked them next to a deck of cards.

This was taken at the airport around 6:30a.m.  Her flight ended up landing early which made us late meeting her, but she was a good sport and patiently waited for us.

We left the airport on a train headed to Scotland, and the trip should've have taken four hours with no changes.  Here's how things ended up going:

Train from the airport to Salford

New Train from Salford to Bolton

Bus from Bolton to Preston

New bus from Preston to Lancaster

Train from Lancaster to Edinburgh

Twenty minutes into our train ride from the airport, we were told everyone had to exit the train because of a power outage at the Preston train station caused by a fire.  We were dropped off in a random city and had to play the rest of the journey by ear.  It was very draining and ended up taking nine hours!  This is a picture of us on one of the station platforms waiting to hear what we were supposed to do.  When we finally made it to Edinburgh, we only had time to eat dinner and relax before we went to bed at our cool bed and breakfast.  We stayed in walking distance from Edinburgh Castle, and that's my mom and I on the front steps of the B&B.

On Friday morning, we headed to the castle and on the way there Danielle and I saw a sign in front of a fountain that said 'no bathing' and realized our plans for the morning had been thwarted.  

As you can see, the castle is on a very steep hill (those men in orange suits are attached to ropes and are working on stuff) and is more of a fortress.  There is everything you can imagine in that castle: a hospital, barracks, a place to store weapons, a dungeon, church, etc.  It's a small town inside!

The one o'clock cannon has been going off everyday at 1:00p.m. since 1861 and used to be for alerting the ships in the North Sea.  While at the castle, I was pretty much forced by Danielle and my mom to volunteer to be Mary Queen of Scots while the lady playing the part of Queen Mary's maid did her reenactment.  All I had to do was pretty much sit there and at one point dance...next time I'm going to make Danielle volunteer no matter what it is!  The carving is an American flag on an actual door from the castle's dungeon.  It makes me wonder who the guy was who carved it, how he ended up there and if he ever made it back to America.

We did a little shopping at the woolen mill after leaving the castle and saw some fabric being woven while we were there.  There were so many patterns to look at!  After that we headed to a cafe for lunch where a bagpiper was playing on our way in, which made the fact that we were in Scotland even more real to me.

This was our last look at Edinburgh before we had to get our luggage and head to the train station.  We were there less than 24 hours which only makes me want to go back and spend more time exploring.  I guess I'll just have to add it back on my list of places to see!

British Friends

I didn't really know what I expected when coming over here in terms of friendships, but I guess I didn't realize it would take as long as it did for people to warm up to Danielle and I.  Don't get me wrong, British people are nice, but they can seem a little standoffish at first.  For example, our first time at the student lifegroup, no one introduced themselves to us.  I felt a little bit awkward in a room full of people I didn't know but who all knew each other and me being the one who had to initiate conversations and introduce myself.  That's just not how it's done in Texas.  If someone is new at church or wherever, I welcome them in!

After meeting the university students though, they became more friendly and would talk to us at church.  Danielle and I initiated hanging out with some of the girls and made plans for tea, etc.  However, this week there has been a breakthrough!

Drumroll please....

People have asked us to hang out!

Yes, the tables have turned.

We went over to our friend Noel's house for dinner on Wednesday night and played games.  I even learned how to play poker, but I don't have much of a game face.  When I had a royal flush in my hand I got really excited and squealed...then Noel and Danielle folded immediately.  We had fun though, despite not being aloud to put sugar in our tea.  Noel insisted that British people don't do that, but I know that they do because I have seen them do it!

Thursday morning our friend Emma picked us up, and we drove out to The Peaks, a famous National Park in England.  We only saw a sliver of it, but we hiked six miles!  There were some ugly parts, only because nothing is green yet, but once we got to the top it was well worth the journey.   There was a beautiful view of the reservoir down below, so I'll post some pictures of it here soon.

After our hike, I took a really long nap because I was worn out and then got ready for girl's night.  Our friend Pip from lifegroup (we go to the 'YoPros' group now which stands for Young Professionals) invited Danielle and I over for dinner, along with our friend Rosie.  Pip and her housemate Hannah made us homemade pizza, and we just hung out and watched a chick flick. I love being around British people because I always learn a new word for something or learn what a phrase I keep hearing means....always enlightening let me tell ya. 

Did you know that 'torch' is the word used for flashlight?  I also kept hearing the phrase 'taking the mick' but had no clue what it meant.  Apparently that is slang for when you are mocking someone...which I might do on occasion.  :)

Ireland

Well, in true Danielle and Janelle fashion, we only had rough ideas of what we wanted to do when we arrived in Dublin.  When we landed at the airport, we bought a map and jumped on a bus headed for the city.  We started out walking through St. Stephen's Green, a beautiful park right in the middle of the city.

We walked through the Trinity College campus while imaging what it would be like to go to school in Dublin.

We went and saw the Book of Kells, an illustrated manuscript of the four gospels written circa 800 A.D., at the library there.  This is a picture of "The Long Room" at the college which holds a ridiculous amount of first editions and other really old books.  The shelves were stuffed!

We took a self-guided tour of the Bank of Ireland and luckily we got out of there when we did... it was robbed the next day, and the thieves took 7.5 million euros!

We went to the Dublin Castle but didn't want to pay for the tour.  Instead, we walked around the courtyard, and this is us trying to pose like one of the statues in the garden area.  Thank goodness for the self-timer button on the camera.

After the castle, we decided to make an appearance at the Guinness Factory.  The stuff is disgusting, which I expected, so we stuck to drinking our free cokes.  

This is a picture of a little town outside of Dublin called Howth.  We had to take a short train to get there, but it was worth it.  They had the best fish and chips I've eaten so far and a really pretty lighthouse.  

After touring Howth, we took a train to Malahide.  This gothic castle was part of the Talbot family and was taken over by Oliver Cromwell for awhile.

On our last day in Dublin, we walked around Merrion Square and stopped by a statue of Oscar Wilde, a famous Irish author.

Next on our list of things to do was find The Harlequin, a vintage shop I had seen in a magazine back in November.  It's famous for its celebrity shoppers, such as Brad Pitt and Bono, and on the way there, I spotted a pink door.  Dublin is famous for its Georgian architecture, and I became obsessed with all the different colored doors.  I had been hoping to find a pink one and couldn't believe I did on my last day there!

This is a random sculpture we saw, but I thought it was so funny.  It's a ball made out of metal chains....get it?  Ball and chain?  Haha...

Well that's my trip to Ireland summarized into a few pictures.  I have loads more but don't want to bore anyone...until I get back home ;)