Hawaii Family Fun

After a shower and a good night's sleep, we spent our final full day on the Big Island at Volcano National Park and sightseeing around the island.  Such breathtaking scenery.

After a little fun and sightseeing, it was time to check out of the Orchid and head over to Maui.  Our ride awaits us!

Is it just me or does this look really small?! They had to weigh us and our bags...

Kinsale, Ireland - A Great Little Coastal Town

While wandering the Irish countryside, we stumbled upon the most amazing little coastal town of Kinsale, Ireland.  We had been traveling for several hours from our little adventure at the Blarney Castle.  It was pouring rain and we were tired, exhausted, wet and hungry.  Greg had read somewhere that Kinsale was known as a foodie kind of town so we were set of finding it.  And so glad we did!

We arrived late and caught a nice dinner.  Meg offered to watch B so Greg and I could join his parents in a local bar known for not being touristy and having locals gather for spontaneous music. Our B&B owner recommended Dalton's Bar and what a wonderful place this was!  Maybe later I'll upload the song I recorded - it just makes me smile from ear to ear thinking about how much we enjoyed this little pub - the atmosphere, the people, pints and, most of all, the music.

The next morning, we joined up with Greg's parents and took a one hour tour of the town. Our guide had the best blend of sarcasm spun with history.  The town is ruch in stories and beautiful to see.  Might have been one of my favorite moments on this trip.

On our walking tour of Kinsale - such a quaint, coastal town.

I loved how the houses looked like they were stacked on top of each other from a distance, yet up close they were spacious. Beautiful pastel, seaside colors.

How could you not fall in love with this country - the warmth and love that one feels makes you want to come back and visit again and again. The bar was maybe 30 feet long by 10-15 feet wide.  So small and cozy that you could stay all evening and feel like you were visiting family.

Greg snapped this colorful picture of Bridget and I think it's one of my favorite pictures from this trip.  She loves pink and it shows!

Kissing the Blarney Stone

Greg, Megan and I had previously visited the Blarney Castle in 2003.  On that trip, Meg was a little too frightened to kiss the Blarney Stone.  Since this was Bridget's first trip to the Blarney Castle, Meg decided to join her and together they would kiss the stone.

We were able to snag some incredible pictures during our day trip to Blarney, thanks to Greg's good camera skills.

On our walk along the castle grounds.

Such a brave little 6-year-old as she kissed the Blarney Stone!

Redemption 10 years later as Meg kissed the Blarney Stone!

Absolutely love the spiraling of the stairs and the way Greg captured the girls in this picture.  Just look at those beautiful smiles!

Me and my guy :)

Kindergarten Graduation

On June 4, 2013, my little girl graduated from Kindergarten.  As you can see, we were all super proud of her!

Family Visit and Fun at the Zoo

Thanks to my brother and sister-in-law for making the trek from Virginia to Ohio so we could all spend a wonderful weekend together and meet the newest addition to the their family, Sloane.  Friday consisted of dinner at Easton with what seemed like the world's longest table to fit all of us. Even better, Meg drove up from Miami to join us and I got to squeeze in more time with her. Saturday brought an enjoyable day visiting the Columbus zoo (thank you, Jack Hanna).  I swear I think I have a love affair with flamingoes and simply can't snap enough pictures of these beautiful creatures.  Before heading back to Cleveland, we dined sans kids with my brother, sister-in-law, her sister and brother-in-law, my brother's best friend from college and his new wife (Thank you, Aunt Angie, for entertaining the kids!).  What a fun evening!

Happy St. Patrick's Day

What a fun afternoon at one of the biggest parades in the U.S.! We enjoyed large crowds, a good pint, fun stories and were treated to the Cleveland Firefighters' Bagpipers.  Happy St. Patrick's day!

Merry Christmas From Our Family to Yours

Cutouts - It's Our Thing

My family can't pass these up! Every time we see one of these face cutouts, we are sucked in. What crazy thing does your family do?

At a farmer's market a couple weeks ago.

At Pink's Hotdog Stand at Cedar Point last week.

At Ben & Jerry's in Vermont in 2010.

On another racing trip in 2010.

In Alaska in June 2011.

At the Connecticut Aquarium in July 2011.

When I grow up, I want to be a fire fighter - December 2011.

Greg at the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY in March 2012.

Such great family fun!