We Have Arrived!

We actually arrived in Belfast September 7th.  It took us a couple of weeks to get things up and running.  Our first few days were spent combing the city for a place to live and looking for wi-fi.  The first Saturday here we found a cozy little place that suits us very well.  It is close to the river, a large park, and of course for Casey's sake, a golf course.  We also have a grocery store, Dunnes, just down the street, and we've found a butcher and fruit stands we like to visit.

As soon as we moved in that Saturday, I was sick the entire following week with tonsillitis.  Luckily I was able to see a doctor and get some medicine and am back on my feet.  We also had the remnants of Hurricane Katia hit that Sunday, Monday and even into Tuesday, so we were more than blessed to have found a place to live when we did.

We got the internet this past Friday and enjoyed chatting with family this weekend.  We even got to watch my niece at her first birthday party! :)

The country is beautiful here and the people are very nice.  We found a nice church we like this past Sunday as well.  We are looking forward to taking some trips to see the countryside and some of the castles, so we will have some better pictures coming.  For now, this is a picture of the first gate at our apartment.  The second door you see enters into a patio-like area before the door to our actual place.  Notice our pretty maple tree just behind the green bushes :)  The second picture is what we see down the street towards the grocery store.  You might notice the mountain in the distance (it looks better in person.)

We know that God has been so gracious in bringing us here and providing for our needs.  We have already learned to depend on Him so much more.  We are also so thankful for those of you back home that have been lifting us up.  It means so much!

We will leave you with a few fun facts about Belfast/Northern Ireland:

• C.S. Lewis was born in Belfast (Thanks Kathy Markham!).
• The Titanic was built in Belfast.
• The actor Liam Neeson is from Northern Ireland and attended Queens University Belfast.
• US Open Winner Rory McIlroy and British Open Winner Darren Clarke are both from Northern Ireland.
• Cave Hill, one of the mountains seen from Belfast, has a craggy part called "Napoleon's Nose" that is said to have inspired the novel Gulliver's Travels.
• It is illegal to hail a cab on the street and also for a taxi driver to stop for you on the street without an appointment. You must call in advance to get a taxi.
• "Wee" is a widely used adjective here. For example: Have a wee bit of tea...or I have a wee favor to ask.

Cheers!  More updates soon!