On Monday, a wonderful friend, Dick Yax, invited us for dinner!  He postponed putting his Christmas decorations away until after we were there.  He had this incredible tree with decorations that his wife had hand made before she was promoted to be with Jesus in 2004.  The meal was incredible and Dick cooked it all, even though he couldn't even scramble an egg a few short years ago. . .  he has come a long way.

We thoroughly enjoyed the evening and learning more about what God has done in the lives of Dick and his wonderful wife Joyce, both in the past and the present.  The loss of a spouse or close family member is always painful, even devestating; but Dick is an incredible example of what looking at things from God's perspective instead of ours can do.

We are now in Northern Kentucky and having a great time re-connecting with friends and family.  We will be here until the end of April, before heading to the west coast for May & June, then returning for July and half of August.  To our Irish friends, it has been in the 16 degree range (61F) the past couple of days . . . can't help but think 'this can't last', but for now it's GREAT! 

We are back in Kentucky, USA . . . landing in Louisville on Sunday night (Jan 15th) our youngest son Matt picked us up at the airport and we spent the entire week reconnecting.  In the image above, from L to R is two year old Lillie and her beautiful Mom Christie, next is 10+ month old Riece, Matt and 4 year old Isaiah.  This reunion was my (Tim) first time meeting Riece, and what a joy she is.

Any grandparent can tell you that grandkids are lots of fun, and these three are no exceptions.  Last week was the first time in 3 years that we have had extended time with Matt & Christie and we were thrilled for the memories we now have of our kids . . . and their kids!  We look forward to many more get togethers over the next three months before we take off for the west coast, and visiting our son Mark and his sweet wife Aubrey - as their family is expecting another addition in May!

Now, take a look at Tessa - Christie's 'other child'!  She's an unbelievable little dog and perfect for a family with young kids!

1:00 pm on Sunday, 15th January our Aer Lingus flight is scheduled to take-off heading for Louisville, KY via Chicago.  We have such mixed emotions.  We love living in Ireland.  We love our friends.  We love Ballycullen Community Church.  We love raising Guide Dog Pups, and I (Tim) love Irish breakfast rolls at The Bread Shop!  But . . . we also want to be with our kids, grandkids and friends from our 'old home' in America.

1st up - we will see Matt & Christie, our 3rd son and his wonderful wife and three of our grandkids around 11:00pm EST Sunday night.  We can't wait - I have never met our youngest grand daughter, Riece, and look forward to ending that 10 month drought by 11:01!

We will be in the states, we think, for 7 months and have a scheduled return flight to Dublin on August 15th. During our time back, we will be travelling from the greater Cincinnati area for 3 months, then fly out to the West Coast for May and June, traveling in CA, OR & WA.  If you are in the area, but sure to let us know so we can meet up, if at all possible!  Our next blog post will be from somewhere in Kentucky . . .  stay tuned!