Glorious Branson, Mo

David and I got back from Ireland safe and sound, hung with the Carpenter clan and headed straight to Siloam Springs, and then promptly to Silver Dollar City in Branson. It was amazingly awesome. We all got one of those old timey tin-type pictures made; the kids were adorable, and I got to ride all of the roller coasters with my dad. Also, my dad totally screamed "I loooooove thiiiiiis!" on Wildfire when it went upside down. It was pretty spectacular, until I got off of it the second time and wanted to throw up. It was wonderful to be with the whole family, and to visit a place that reminds me so much of my childhood. I haven't been there in probably 15 years. Here are some pictures!

P.S. We just got to the Smoky Mountains a few hours ago with David's folks. I know, quit hating on us for our ridiculous summer-vacation-amazingness.

pictures from David, Allison, and Allie's masks

Cliffs of Moher

For David's birthday we headed out to the Burren and the Cliffs of Moher. Here are the pictures.

Dublin, publin, clublin

It was a beautiful day in Dublin. I got a new passport and walked around town. Here are some pictures.

So far so good

We've been having a wonderful time. Allison's mom, Norah, is the sweetest host we could ask for. She keeps feeding us and checking on everything. Like a complete dope, I've lost my passport. It must have fallen out of our carryon on the last plane, but the airline and the airport haven't found it. I get to spend the day in Dublin on Tuesday getting a new one. It's not so bad; I needed to change my name on it anyway. Galway is really nice. David's been busy collecting materials for the exhibition, and I've been helping so far. Today I'm going to spend the day in the cute little shops in the city. The Aran Islands are close, so we're going to take a trip out there soon. The weather is absolutely perfect. It's about 60-70 degrees with a cool breeze. Here are some pictures for your enjoyment.

Top of the mornin' to ya

We made it. Allison's family is fabulous for putting all of us up. We're one big happy family. Kit, Cody, Allison, her sister, Lydia, David and I are all staying at her house. It's really lovely. The weather has been perfect. So far we've walked around Galway, eaten and slept. We've also hit up the Irish pubs. We woke up at 12:30 Irish time and 6:30 home time. I'll post pictures and stuff later.