This is a friendly public service announcement to not forget or neglect old books.

They usually date back seventy-five years or so. The pages are yellowed with age, dog-eared and the inside cover is usually lovingly dedicated to so-and-so.

They're well written. Contain wholesome story plots and superb vocabulary. There's an abundance of delightful works of fiction to be found, but the real jewels are those that point you to Christ.

It's safe to say that I have a mild obsession with collecting books that are at least a hundred years older than I...and then reading them.

I've never been disappointed.

Case in point...

{Copyright 1898}

Mr. Moody is taking me through the nitty-gritty of the ten commandments like I've never quite experienced before. :)



Soft, steady rain. Check.

Hot tea. Check.

Cozy corner to curl up in? Not so much.

It's one of those days that I fancy myself tucked away somewhere with the option of reading my Bible, writing in my journal or watching movie (it has to be a movie I've seen a hundred times...pure, mindless entertainment). That somewhere could be a nook at a cafe, my room or even the library. I'm not too picky. Just a place of quiet where the soft, soothing melodies of Adele, Priscilla Ahn and Robert Schumann can work their magic on my tired self.

But, alas! there's no escaping today, nor what it holds. Thus I find myself cleverly fabricating a sense of coziness right here in my dreary little office space. Thankful for my tea, music, rain and a little corner...even if it's not quite the real thing. 

I've heard Ireland boasts cozy little spots.

{I don't look too happy in this picture...but that's probably due to lack of sleep and a nagging cough.}

Soon I'll be leaving in one of these...

For this country...

Two crazy American girls + teeny rental car + 8 days = adventures galore!

We'll be zig-zagging all over Ireland in hopes of experiencing as much of the sights and sounds that Dublin, Galway, Kilkenny, and Kilarney (and who knows what else in between) will afford us.

And the beautiful thing about this trip is that we're going simply because we can. It doesn't get much better than that.

Just twenty-five more days.