Randomness at the Smith household:
I asked Nolan what he thought he might like to get for his dad for Christmas - to which he responded promptly, "A Golf Course!"
Okay, right....we'll get right on that. That is exactly the budget I had in mind. :-)
What a thoughtful son.
City of Dublin. Smaller than I expected - mostly 4-5 story buildings through the entire city. Very walkable and nice city. I think we only saw one vagrant our entire trip.
My next front door....Do you think it will work for my house?
Driving on the left side of the road from the right side of the car was adventurous. You'll notice the posted speed limit 100 km/hr (~62 mph) on this crazy winding road, with narrow lanes and less than one foot of shoulder, next to a stone wall! Our car was about the size of a VW golf, and it even felt too big on a few occasions with cars zooming past the opposite direction. I think I only yelled out loud once, though!
Then the road suddenly ends at a "T" like this. Advice for next time - pay for the GPS unit.
Seriously, the pictures don't do this incredible place justice. This was one of my absolute favorite stops.
The wind blows like crazy here. It was supporting almost my entire body weight leaning into it. Hence the layered hoods. Reality check comes when you see the sign posted for potential suiciders to call the Samaritans to talk. Ugh.
And this was his reaction to being the first one to find out he is going to be an uncle again. It was fun to tell him our news in person and see him a couple months early. Can't wait for him to come home in December!!!
With no offense intended to all those wonderful wives in the "blogosphere" I must state for the record that I have the best wife of all time. This is Jeremy for those of you who can't tell and I thought I would just tell you a little about why I have the best wife. She is a great mother, even though sometimes she wouldn't agree with me. She always goes out of her way to help others even if it may be a bit of a hassle. She keeps me on the straight and narrow. The caketaker though is the fact that she has put up with me for 12 years! Thanks honey, I love you, happy anniversary!
Well, folks, it is time for me to face my ultimate travel anxiety (anxieties, let's be honest. I really wish it were singular! Once again, those of you who know me best, know exactly what I mean here). Jeremy and I are planning a trip to Paris! Eeeeek!
Macy didn't want any help climbing to the top
and had a blast on the way down!
Did I mention this was a canyon stream and f r e e z i n g cold!!! 
We love you, Macy!
Seems that Macy had an abundance of sunscreen today....Yep I found it painted all over her bedroom wall and door. You know, the waterproof spray-mist 50 spf kind. Hmmm. Not the easiest thing to clean off - oh, and did I mention, with all that scrubbing it started dissolving the paint? Well, on the bright side, at least it's on the back side of her door! I suppose it could be worse!
And besides, she was pretty darn cute apologizing during my cleaning rant, "Me weel-wee (really) weel-wee, weel-wee sorry!" over and over again. Definitely a girl through and through. Can't you just hear the drama!?
Nolan started kindergarten in July, and although I'm a bit late getting these posted, I'm patting myself on the back that I actually posted them before he starts first grade! So, if you'll forgive me for a moment of self congratulatoriness - Good job, Karla! (BTW, if that word isn't in the dictionary, I think it certainly should be!)
To tell you the truth, I was quite sick to my stomach that first day!....Probably more than Nolan! But we all made it! And school has been a great adventure so far!
Life - in the eyes of a five-year-old:
Babies turn into kids.
Kids turn into teenagers.
Teenagers turn into adults.
Adults turn into old people.
And old people turn into dead people!
Nolan filled me in on all the shcoop about "revenge". You're gonna love this one.
Nolan:
