Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall...

Just a quick recap...

View from our balcony when I arrived in January...

...with Spring came a bit more green on the trees.

Summer was lovely; everything was in bloom and this photo was taken at about 9 pm!  The days were so long.

... Autumn has arrived and all the leaves are changing colors.

Only one more season to go and then we're homeward bound.  :)

Hi everyone...

Just a little update to say hello and check in with you all.  It's a Sunday evening and we just had our daylight savings-- so even though it's only a quarter past 6, it feels like it's almost bedtime!  It's been completely dark outside for about an hour now.  Winter is definitely upon us-- the last couple of days have been SO chilly!  Niall keeps warning me that it's not even November yet, which makes me a bit nervous...

Life here is going well.  Our Sundays are typically very relaxing which is always nice!  With our summer softball season over (our games were on Sundays), and neither of us ever having to work, we've gotten into our own little routine whenever we're home in Belfast on a Sunday.  It's starts with church at CFC which both of us are still really enjoying.  Then we usually go to:

I persuade Niall to take me here every weekend.  It's a big indoor market that is on every Friday, Saturday and Sunday mornings.  I enjoy looking at all the artsy fartsy booths while Niall is lured in by the good food!  Today he got a crepe filled with bacon and maple syrup.  He also recently discovered that the best hot chocolate ever is sold here (I can attest, it's pretty amazing!).  There's live music too, so it's nice to just get a coffee and sit and relax for awhile.

Volleyball is going really well for Niall and myself.  We're both undefeated after the first week of league play.  :)  Here's a photo of my team after winning our first match:

There's only 12 of us players in the photo, but there's a lot more at practice.  It was a bit difficult at first because at our first training session, there were FIFTY FIVE girls there!  And we only had one court to play on... it was a bit crazy to say the least.  Since a few weeks have gone by now, the numbers have decreased so it's a bit more managable for our coach Sarah (who is also from the States).  We have 2 training sessions a week-- Monday nights is for more advanced players only, so it's nice playing with other girls who have some prior volleyball experience.  I'm just so grateful that I get to touch a ball every now and then!  I love it and can't wait to play some beach with Heather (who apparently is a local studmuffin down at East now) when I get home.  :)

Anyway, what else?  It's been the usual business here on Ormeau Road.  Work is great for both of us and Niall is still plugging along with his Master's program.  Oh, some exciting news!  Marie and the kids are coming up from Bruff this weekend for a wee visit... so Niall and I are really looking forward to that.  Speaking of Bruff, Niall and I were there for a couple of days after we went to Tony's wedding in Cork about a month ago.  It was so wonderful!  I hadn't been able to get down for a visit since I was there in February, so it had been awhile.  I never got a chance to put up the photos, so here are a few shots from our time with them...

Playing games with the cousins.

:) 

my three little Irish kids are all grown up!

Lucy... always photogenic :D

Lucy and I had a good laugh over this... they put up a sign on the Noonan's passage!  So it has a name now... Lane 51602  :)

Okay... to finish off this post here's a video that I took in front of the Noonan's house before Niall and I headed back up to Belfast.  Thought it was pretty funny :)

Bye for now!