Just a quick hello! I am currently snuggled up in Avril's bed while she is getting ready for bed/packing for the weekend. We are both able to sleep in her comfy double bed tonight because Niall is in Cork with the boys, enjoying Tony's last night before he gets hitched! I am driving down with the Maddens tomorrow for the wedding... we are all very excited. I always say this, but it feels great to be in Naas in the Madden home. Just spent the evening talking to Mum, Da, and Avril, drinking tea, and of course Avril made her famous coffee and walnut cake which was just heavenly!
Well, the last few posts have all been from Mr. Madden, so I felt obliged to say a few words-- for those who have been asking, my finger is feeling a lot better now! I did the damage on Saturday night... went straight to the doctor's office Monday morning because the pain was still pretty bad and it was bleeding a bit. The nurse was less than impressed when she saw the cotton ball and duct tape job on my finger... and when I said Niall also gave me some Captain Morgan to help ease the pain, she said "next time, just go straight to emergency!" :) (don't worry sweetie-- I thought the rum was a great idea). I had another check up today and she said it's healing very nicely... no infection, so that is a relief. Should have my wee cast off by Monday.
Apart from the knife episode, Niall and I have both been a bit under the weather. I haven't done any phsyical activity in over a week (mom, you'd be proud of me!) and I have to say I think my body really just needed a rest. The weather is rapidly getting cooler and the days are getting shorter, which also contributes to the longing to just come home from work, snuggle up on the couch, and enjoy a book with a nice cuppa tea! I have to admit I've been pretty lazy of late, but hopefully next week I'll be even closer to feeling like my usual self again. Work's going well for me, it's kind of cozy being in Soul Food while it's gray and cold outside. I really love the girls I work with-- it's great getting to know one another and being able to have a good laugh in between the hustle and bustle of serving the locals. Before I nearly chopped my finger off, we were planning on having a crochet day at my apartment this week... a couple of us want to learn so my co-worker Jude was going to show us how. So I was a bit bummed about that! Oh well, I am sure we'll reschedule.
Anyway, Avril is nearly done packing her bag now so I'm going to keep this short (plus it's a bit awkward typing with this thing on my finger!). Cork tomorrow for the wedding, Kerry for the reception, then Limerick on Saturday to stay the night with the Noonans! Can't wait. Will take lots of photos so that the next post is more exciting than this one. :) Nighty night!
Love to all,
xox
erin
Thursday, 27 September 2012
Monday, 24 September 2012
I have failed in my duty of care
You pretty much all come to this one tiny internet page on the massive world wide web for one reason - Erin Madden. I can understand that. I don't pity myself for not being the centre of attention. Alls I did was marry the girl. Erin is your daughter, sister, cousin, aunt, niece, friend, and all round treasure. I'm so blessed I get a piece of the family action.
[Not to discredit my herd of 'followers' - hi mum]
4.5 years ago I popped up on your radars as an unknown Eddie Haskell pursuing your dear Erin. You didn't consider me enough of a threat back then to eliminate me. If only you had known. Your lack of foresight and crisis management has led to this lovely girl now residing in a far off land.
The writing is on the wall however. This Northern Ireland fling - the embers glow no more. Ireland is cute for a while. There is a novelty in having family here. Let's face it - everyone wants to be associated with Ireland in some way. But its appeals to foreign folk are shallow and fleeting. Erin is outstaying her welcome and the land knows this.
I apologise to you. Erin is in a state of disrepair. The tale of her misfortune mimicking that of Oisin in Tír na nÓg. The emerald isle is robbing her of her youth.
This may seem like a rambling blog post. But there is a point to it. Erin's most recent bout of misfortune came when flesh met steel in the kitchen of 304. While slicing sourdough bread the following happened (Warning to the squemish):
I feel so sorry for her. I was meant to take care of her and look at what has happened. She has no finger left :(
Erin, I'm sorry. I can't make it up to you. But I have bought us 2 tickets to:
It's an old Irish play. Quite famous and very funny. It's on in the Lyric Theatre tomorrow at 7.45pm. Will you be my date?
Of course I know this will never bring your finger back. Would you like a holiday too? You name the place (except USA).
Eventually your ultimate reward (compensation) will be our one-way tickets to California :)
[Not to discredit my herd of 'followers' - hi mum]
4.5 years ago I popped up on your radars as an unknown Eddie Haskell pursuing your dear Erin. You didn't consider me enough of a threat back then to eliminate me. If only you had known. Your lack of foresight and crisis management has led to this lovely girl now residing in a far off land.
The writing is on the wall however. This Northern Ireland fling - the embers glow no more. Ireland is cute for a while. There is a novelty in having family here. Let's face it - everyone wants to be associated with Ireland in some way. But its appeals to foreign folk are shallow and fleeting. Erin is outstaying her welcome and the land knows this.
I apologise to you. Erin is in a state of disrepair. The tale of her misfortune mimicking that of Oisin in Tír na nÓg. The emerald isle is robbing her of her youth.
This may seem like a rambling blog post. But there is a point to it. Erin's most recent bout of misfortune came when flesh met steel in the kitchen of 304. While slicing sourdough bread the following happened (Warning to the squemish):
I feel so sorry for her. I was meant to take care of her and look at what has happened. She has no finger left :(
Erin, I'm sorry. I can't make it up to you. But I have bought us 2 tickets to:
It's an old Irish play. Quite famous and very funny. It's on in the Lyric Theatre tomorrow at 7.45pm. Will you be my date?
Of course I know this will never bring your finger back. Would you like a holiday too? You name the place (except USA).
Eventually your ultimate reward (compensation) will be our one-way tickets to California :)
Friday, 21 September 2012
On hold to the UK Border Agency...
Bored and waiting for them to answer my call so I can get Erin's passport back! She needs it to go to Paris in 2 weeks. I'm not so lucky. I just hang around and do all the clerical tasks associated with sending my wife on holidays :) Joke. But this is costing me 20p a minute so they better pick up soon! I'm sick of getting thanked for holding the line. Darn right you're going to thank me. I'm paying your wages through this while you sit on facebook on the other end.
Rant over.
I need to right some wrongs on the blog here. It's not nice to speak poorly of my wife in a public forum. I should never have questioned her archery skills or those of her forefathers. So, want to hear some of her recent achievements?
Our softball league recently came to an intense end. We were first timers to the league - barely knew how to catch a ball never mind know the rules. Jon Dohm can attest to that. I'm sure he got a good laugh that one time he came to our practice and saw us not knowing which way to run after we hit the ball. Is 1st base the one to the left or right???!! We languished in 4/5th place in the league all year - not bad for rookies. However, last day of the season - double-header for us at home. Playing 2 teams back to back. The last one - the no.1 team in the league and 1 game (ours) away from a perfect 12-0 season. Win both and we would finish second!
We won the first game 14-3. Fielding we were solid - not always a trait associated with us. We had garnered a reputation of just being a big hitting athletic team. You can score as many as you want. We'll just score more. But at 15-6 up against the Sliders (no.1 team) in the second game we started to choke. Bottom of 5th they took it to 15-9. We were panicking. Struck out in the next inning. Sliders had a couple of big hitters up for the bottom of the 7th to finish the game. We went into the top of the 7th needing something. A lift. We had managed to load the bases somehow. No runs though. One of our best batsmen, Sean, a hurling player, stepped up surely to save the day. Grand slam time. He got thrown out in a tight play to 1st. The pitcher was whooping and hollerin' as if it was game over. This guy had bugged us all season. Now it looked like he'd be dancing on our grave.
And to his delight, with 1 out, a girl steps up to the plate. He beckons to the fielders to come in. Hold your horses there son. This ain't no ordinary girl. Erin Madden, with the body of a Munter, and the strength of a Dohm, by her own admission had not batted well recently. Greater men could've wilted under this pressure. But while the swedes probably couldn't hit the broadside of a barn with a bow and arrow, they are famed for their nerve. The original iceman, Bjorn Borg, a fitting testament to this.
The Ulster Elks, season and pride hanging in the balance, held their breath on the sidelines. First pitch - strike. She didn't even swing. An embarrassed smile flashed across her face. I wish I could sit here and write that I was thinking I would have done anything to take her place on home plate. Not a chance. I was cowering in the dug-out barely able to watch. I knew what the Sliders were thinking. Their cocky pitcher had probably heard about Erin's style before. In a previous match, after winning a bet I had made with Erin I made her wear a pink tennis skirt. I also forbade her from explaining the skirt. So when others asked or joked she had to pretend it was her desire to wear this flamboyant skirt. The other team had their giggle too. What harm could a blonde so-cal ditz who liked pink do?! Judge at your peril, Sliders.
1 strike, 0 balls. 1 away, bases loaded. Second pitch.
It was good. She wanted it. Quick step into it with her left foot. Powerful drive through her left elbow. Full extension. CRACK! Sweet spot. The runners on base gingerly began their trek home in disbelief before being hurried by the enclave on the sidelines. No girl had ever hit a home run. Never mind a GRAND SLAM! The ball hadn't cleared the fence. 3 runs in. One to go. Erin sprinted at the same time the ball was being riffled back to home. Catcher caught it, Erin slid....
Inches, milliseconds didn't afford us the right to say we witnessed history that day. Erin did not become the first girl to hit a home run in Ulster Softball history. Nor did she get an even more coveted or historic grand slam. But for one play, she put the hopes of 12 clueless, hopeless softball rookies on her shoulders and carried them to their moment of glory. The Ulster Elks finished their inaugural season in a lofty 2nd, Erin's 3 RBIs bringing the score to 18-9 but more importantly restoring confidence to enable us to close out the bottom of the 7th with the Sliders going scoreless. Three up, three down.
The Elks broke 4 regular season records that year:
Rant over.
I need to right some wrongs on the blog here. It's not nice to speak poorly of my wife in a public forum. I should never have questioned her archery skills or those of her forefathers. So, want to hear some of her recent achievements?
Our softball league recently came to an intense end. We were first timers to the league - barely knew how to catch a ball never mind know the rules. Jon Dohm can attest to that. I'm sure he got a good laugh that one time he came to our practice and saw us not knowing which way to run after we hit the ball. Is 1st base the one to the left or right???!! We languished in 4/5th place in the league all year - not bad for rookies. However, last day of the season - double-header for us at home. Playing 2 teams back to back. The last one - the no.1 team in the league and 1 game (ours) away from a perfect 12-0 season. Win both and we would finish second!
We won the first game 14-3. Fielding we were solid - not always a trait associated with us. We had garnered a reputation of just being a big hitting athletic team. You can score as many as you want. We'll just score more. But at 15-6 up against the Sliders (no.1 team) in the second game we started to choke. Bottom of 5th they took it to 15-9. We were panicking. Struck out in the next inning. Sliders had a couple of big hitters up for the bottom of the 7th to finish the game. We went into the top of the 7th needing something. A lift. We had managed to load the bases somehow. No runs though. One of our best batsmen, Sean, a hurling player, stepped up surely to save the day. Grand slam time. He got thrown out in a tight play to 1st. The pitcher was whooping and hollerin' as if it was game over. This guy had bugged us all season. Now it looked like he'd be dancing on our grave.
And to his delight, with 1 out, a girl steps up to the plate. He beckons to the fielders to come in. Hold your horses there son. This ain't no ordinary girl. Erin Madden, with the body of a Munter, and the strength of a Dohm, by her own admission had not batted well recently. Greater men could've wilted under this pressure. But while the swedes probably couldn't hit the broadside of a barn with a bow and arrow, they are famed for their nerve. The original iceman, Bjorn Borg, a fitting testament to this.
The Ulster Elks, season and pride hanging in the balance, held their breath on the sidelines. First pitch - strike. She didn't even swing. An embarrassed smile flashed across her face. I wish I could sit here and write that I was thinking I would have done anything to take her place on home plate. Not a chance. I was cowering in the dug-out barely able to watch. I knew what the Sliders were thinking. Their cocky pitcher had probably heard about Erin's style before. In a previous match, after winning a bet I had made with Erin I made her wear a pink tennis skirt. I also forbade her from explaining the skirt. So when others asked or joked she had to pretend it was her desire to wear this flamboyant skirt. The other team had their giggle too. What harm could a blonde so-cal ditz who liked pink do?! Judge at your peril, Sliders.
1 strike, 0 balls. 1 away, bases loaded. Second pitch.
It was good. She wanted it. Quick step into it with her left foot. Powerful drive through her left elbow. Full extension. CRACK! Sweet spot. The runners on base gingerly began their trek home in disbelief before being hurried by the enclave on the sidelines. No girl had ever hit a home run. Never mind a GRAND SLAM! The ball hadn't cleared the fence. 3 runs in. One to go. Erin sprinted at the same time the ball was being riffled back to home. Catcher caught it, Erin slid....
Inches, milliseconds didn't afford us the right to say we witnessed history that day. Erin did not become the first girl to hit a home run in Ulster Softball history. Nor did she get an even more coveted or historic grand slam. But for one play, she put the hopes of 12 clueless, hopeless softball rookies on her shoulders and carried them to their moment of glory. The Ulster Elks finished their inaugural season in a lofty 2nd, Erin's 3 RBIs bringing the score to 18-9 but more importantly restoring confidence to enable us to close out the bottom of the 7th with the Sliders going scoreless. Three up, three down.
The Elks broke 4 regular season records that year:
- Most runs in an inning (13)
- Most runs in a game (47)
- Highest margin of victory (47-5)
- Most runs in a season (213)
Somebody get a Hollywood agent on the phone!
I'll never understand how my wife never made it to professional sports in some way. She seems born for it. But she has accepted a much more humble calling. One that makes me very happy :)
UKBA answered. Time to let off some steam.
Ciao for now!
Sunday, 16 September 2012
Much better
First off, someone give me some love! That fireplace app? Such a good idea. I've managed to convert a cold, evil, under-used flat screen into a warm, fitting centrepiece of the living room. And doesn't it look good on the wall? Only now the fireplace doesn't really make sense.
Muchos gracias to my da on that one. Mum, dad, and Avril joined us in Belfast this weekend. Da is a better handy man than I'll ever be so I got him to help me hang it. Along with a few other DIY tidbits. Our home is pretty much where we want it to be right now. No more to-do or to-buy lists. We've nestled in nicely to what will be our home for the next 7 years at least :)
On Friday night Erin served up a smashing meal for us all and we drank and were merry. We ate a lot of desserts too as is customary with any Madden family gathering. *Side note: Avril made the greatest cake of all time 2 weeks ago!!!!! ALL TIME!! It deserves a special mention on our blog. Coffee and Walnut. I've offered her free room and board in return for her skills as a dessert chef.
On Saturday we travelled to Newcastle, Co. Down. This is an area famed for outstanding natural beauty. Ask the Dohms. They've been. This was my first time here. I took the gang on a surprise trip to an Archery range. This was fun! Marie Madden, out of nowhere, absolutely kills it. Dead-eye aim! I'm telling you, Celtic heritage - defending your land from the Brits for so many years, and even further back the Vikings - gives you an edge. It must be in our blood as Irishmen. Conversely, the Swedes don't seem to have ever touched a bow and arrow in their lives. While mum was taking aim smack-bam in the middle of the target Erin was taking chunks out of the roof! That's right. She punctured the roof. A once water-tight barn (a very important ability of any structure in a climate like ours) is now going to provide an added dimension to future archers.
 |
| She may look the part! But don't let that fool you. This warrior princess won't be saving any Scandanavians from invasion. Mum on the other hand? Fit to defend a nation! (500 years ago) |
 |
| Don't mess with the Maddens! |
We capped off Saturday with a nice meal out in town.....
Sorry guys. Blog post on ice. I love my wife and we want to watch Netflix and snuggle. Bounce is on. PEACE!
P.S. Ben Affleck is a jerk!
P.P.S. When Erin doesn't want to cook, I'm cool with that!
Wednesday, 12 September 2012
Just for Fun...
I just had to come back on (two posts in one week, this is a record!) to share this photo. I took it with my phone this morning because I couldn't resist!
First off, our TV is on the floor. I can honestly say that so far, it probably wasn't worth buying! We don't use it much as we are out most week nights but oh well.
Niall knows that I love fireplaces-- I just think they are so cozy and if we had one, I'd always have it lit. He found an app that displays a real live fire on our TV screen... with flames blazing, firewood crackling and all! He turned it on this morning and I had to laugh. Pretty good right?! :)
First off, our TV is on the floor. I can honestly say that so far, it probably wasn't worth buying! We don't use it much as we are out most week nights but oh well.
Niall knows that I love fireplaces-- I just think they are so cozy and if we had one, I'd always have it lit. He found an app that displays a real live fire on our TV screen... with flames blazing, firewood crackling and all! He turned it on this morning and I had to laugh. Pretty good right?! :)
Saturday, 8 September 2012
In response to a recent comment from "anonymous" ...
Well it’s Saturday afternoon, just got home from work, and I
figure this is a good time to finally catch up on this thing! Sorry for the wait :/ I feel like things have been so
busy lately… so different from January/February when I had absolutely nothing
on my plate.
Well, let’s see.
Life is good! It’s really
starting to feel like summer is coming to a close (although since the start of
September the weather here has been fantastic). I say that because volleyball is starting up again, the days
are getting shorter, and all the schools are back in session. Work has actually been much busier—I
think now that all the moms don’t have their kids home during the day, they get
out for their coffee/lunch dates!
A week ago, we got to travel to Wexford (Southeast Ireland)
for a long weekend. It was a great
little domestic holiday. We
were lucky to redeem a wedding gift that allowed us to stay in a beautiful hotel
and spa from Niall’s best man Enda.
It was a treat! Then we
went to Oran’s parents’ house (he grew up in Wexford) by the sea. It was so nice to be out in the
country, go out for a nice dinner for Oran’s birthday, and take a long walk on
the beach the next morning. We are
really looking forward to traveling to Cork in a few weekends for Tony’s
wedding. It will be my first Irish
wedding! And mom, you’d be proud
to hear that I found a really pretty dress for it in the thrift store next to
Soul Food. :)
I borrowed Avril’s camera for our Wexford trip so I don’t
have those photos on my computer at the moment. :( Here is one we took on Niall's phone of me with my fancy dinner at the hotel. The video is from our long beach walk near Oran's house.
Some other big news we have is that Niall will be a student again
come the end of September. He is
going to go for his Master’s of Science in Advanced Mechanical Engineering
(whew! Let’s just say I hope our
kids get his brains :) I am really
excited for him, but nervous at the same time.
At the moment, our evenings seem full with extracurricular activities…
and when we do have a free night, it’s great to just relax after work. I’m hoping that the homework situation
isn’t too unbearable and that he still has time to hang out with me! His program is 2 years long and part-time,
so he will still be working at Bombardier while having class on Fridays. His company is sponsoring him to do
this, so it’s a pretty sweet opportunity for Niall.
I always feel like there’s a lot to say on here, but then
once I finally sit down and begin to type, the weeks all blur together and it’s
hard to pick things out! I must
say, it’s hard to believe that in just over 3 months Niall and I will be back
in Santa Barbara. It’s been a great
adventure so far, both happy and sad at times. It’s always nice to have little trips to look forward to… I
am going to France in October for 8 days to visit Taylor and I can’t wait! My mom is meeting us there too with her
wonderful friends Katie and Janine, so it will be nice to have some girl time
and see some familiar faces. I must say, a whole year feels like a long time to be away from home... I'm hoping that's the last time I'll have to wait so long!
* side note *
Right it’s a bit later now,
I took a break from writing because Niall and I wanted to catch the last couple
of hours of sunlight and play some tennis in the park...
We had a late dinner and we're just watching some of the U.S. Open tennis now. Looking forward to being here for church tomorrow and then we have a double-header in softball! If we win both games, we'll come 2nd in our league. Next week we have the usual stuff... work, volleyball, life... the Maddens are taking the train up Friday evening so I'm looking forward to having them for the weekend!
That's all I can think of for now. Thanks for being patient with us-- I'll try and not wait too long before the next post. Also, apologies for the lack of photos on this one! I know that's usually the fun part... I'll try and get better at that. :)
Love you guys,
xox
erin
Oh! Just realized I have a few photos from our last beach tournament so here's a few.
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