Anniversary Getaway

Last Tuesday, March 20th, was our second anniversary.  It's hard to believe it's been two years!
We have loved the adventure it has been so far and are so thankful that God brought us together.  We like to celebrate good things like this, so we try to take a trip each year and reminisce about the last three years we've known each other and look forward to the many years to come.  For our first anniversary we went to Washington, DC and loved it.  This year, we took a trip down to Ireland to Dublin and the Wicklow Mountains.  We figured since we were so close to Ireland, but not actually in Ireland (even though most people think we are), we thought we should at least make a trip down while we're here.

We rented a car and thank goodness my dear husband knows how to drive a stick shift and manage himself well on the opposite side of the road, because I wasn't having any of that!

We spent the first two days taking in the sights of Dublin...

Trinity College Founded 1592.  It was located in the middle of the busy city, but was so tranquil!  We walked through an archway in a building and it was like entering another world.

This is the Spire.  We don't know what in the world it is for except that it's really tall and pointy and fun to look at...

Temple Bar....one of the famous areas in Dublin.  I liked it because it looked Irish.

This is the cool design in front of castle-like buildings that we couldn't go inside.  But, we did go to a really cool museum called the Chester Beatty Library.  They had some of the oldest biblical manuscripts in the world!!!!

This is Dublin Castle.  This part is supposedly from about the year 1228.  Again, we didn't go inside or anything, just pretty to look at...Those are cherry blossoms in the foreground...love Spring!

Saint Patrick's Cathedral....there are a lot of old churches in Dublin, but I wanted to see this one most.

After seeing a bit of Dublin, we spent our last day driving a few minutes south to see the Wicklow Mountains.  By far, this was our favorite part of the trip!

This is Great Sugarloaf Mountain.  It's easy to see, but hard to find the road that takes you to it.  However, we did find it and enjoyed our little hike.

On our way up!

We made it to the top!  Or at least I did....just kidding....Casey was there too.  We enjoyed eating our lunch up there and taking in the view....

Speaking of the view....it was gorgeous!!  We could see in every direction!  These pictures don't do it justice....

 

These yellow flowers were everywhere in Ireland!  They were actually yellow thorny bushes, but really pretty!

 This is our little car that got us around.  We had a fun time and are glad for life's little adventures....

Beautiful Irish countryside....

Thanks for all the well wishes for our anniversary.  We are blessed.

Four Reasons I Like March....

 Here are four reasons that I like March and sorta an update on how life is going...

1.  Daffodils....tulips....or really anything to do with Spring.  Even though Fall is my favorite, Spring has always been a very close second.  I love to see the buds on the trees, hear birds chirping, smell fresh air...the newness of life is beautiful...

Here are a few shots of flowers in the Ormeau Park (pronounced Ormo) across the street from us.

2.  Our Anniversary!!!!  We got married on the first day of Spring (yet another reason why I like the season) two years ago this Tuesday and it's been such a fun adventure!  It's hard to believe it has been two years since that day, but we are excited for all that we've shared and all that is to come.  We're taking an anniversary trip this week to see the south of Ireland.  We promise to put up lots of pictures when we return!!!

3.  March Madness!!!!  Ever since I was a little girl I have loved to watch college basketball, particularly the Tarheels.  My dad and I always cut the NCAA bracket out of the newspaper and put it on our fridge, updating it as the games were won.  It's a fond memory of mine.  Now my husband and I are filling out brackets and trying to catch games from here if we can.  It's been fun so far....GO HEELS! :)

4.  St. Patrick's Day!  Maybe it's just the fact that I love green, but I've always enjoyed St. Patrick's Day.  I should've been an elementary school teacher because obscure holidays tickle my fancy.  I don't go all out for St. Patrick's Day mind you, but I wear my green and treat the day a little special.  This year we've been here in Northern Ireland and decided to go to the city to see what was happening.  It wasn't too festive, but there was a parade, some concerts, and they handed out shamrock flags to everyone.  We also heard traditional Irish music and saw Irish dancing at the market.  So, that was fun for the day, but other than the people attending the events, there wasn't much green around.  They say that NYC celebrates the holiday more than they do here.  Go figure!

"May your thoughts be glad as the shamrocks,
May your heart be as light as a song,
May each day bring you bright, happy hours,
That stay with you all the year long." 

Cheers!

Some things we've been up to lately....

In an effort to update more, I thought I would fill you in on a few things we've been doing recently....

Casey spends a lot of time in the library.....sometimes I go to the library to spend time with Casey :)

Casey has 6 papers due this semester (3,000 words each)...and then his thesis (20,000 words).

Pachisi!  Sometimes Casey and I squeeze in an exciting game of Pachisi (thanks to my sister and bro-in-law for this cloth fold-up playing board...so convenient!) 

Casey and I frequent the Botanic Gardens and even visited the Ulster Musuem (located in the gardens) for Valentine's Day. 

We actually have yet to walk through this area of the gardens, although it looks quite lovely.  I'm sure we'll take a stroll when it's warmer.

Speaking of warmer.......

Daffodils and crocuses are popping up everywhere!!  I took a trip to the Palm House in the Botanic Gardens today to catch a few snapshots of Spring!!!  Here are daffodils, hyacinth, cyclamen, and others I am not totally sure about....

I just love how the Palm House changes flowers based on the seasons.  It's fabulous.....

I've been dabbling with Instagram (i.e above photos).  Not sure what I think about it yet.....however, it is convenient.

Casey gave me these potted daffodils for Valentine's...along with some individually wrapped cheeses.....the man knows me well.  :)

 I'm so excited Spring is just around the corner!!

Day to Day...and Birthday...

Sorry it's been almost a month since our last post.  We quickly settled back in to life here in Belfast and have just been doing some pretty ordinary stuff.  Casey has been studying and writing A LOT and Autumn has been getting to know people/volunteering/looking for jobs.  Please pray for a job for Autumn.

Although it hasn't been as cold here as before Christmas, we have become quite accustomed to an old (but new to us) contraption called the hot water bottle.

 

It has made a HUGE difference as we put it in our bed every night about an hour before going to sleep and Autumn also likes to hug it in the afternoons for warmth :)  We have heat in our house...it just doesn't seem to warm the house very well, so the hot water bottle is nice to have.

We have also met so many friendly people here in Northern Ireland, especially at our church.  So many sweet people have invited us into their homes for lunch and to visit.  The hot water bottle was even given to us by a church friend! We are so grateful for these new friends and for their fellowship in the body. 

I (Autumn) love to paint just for fun and I received some new canvases for Christmas from Casey's brother, sister-in-law and niece.  (Thanks guys!)  So, I bought a paint kit here and set out to use my free time wisely.  I painted the above picture for a dear friend here that helped us out and recently moved away.

And last, but most definitely not least, tomorrow is Casey's birthday!!  Casey doesn't make a big deal out of his birthday, but since I'm the one blogging I will take a moment to say that I am so thankful for my husband and glad we get to celebrate another year of his life!



Here's a piece of Casey's carrot with cream cheese icing birthday cake :)  It's become a bit of a tradition for his special day (or day before).

Here, There, and Everywhere...

The last month has been quite busy and full of traveling for us.  We had the privilege of going back home for Christmas to visit family.  We were able to spend a week in SC with Casey's family and a week in NC with Autumn's family. 

Our nieces playing with their new toys

A photo of us in front of Casey's mom's tree and a shot of the Joyner tree before presents were opened (there were too many presents under that tree!)

We had very special visits with our families and were sad to see the time with them end.

On our way back to Belfast, we had a bit of an adventure.  After our flight from Raleigh was delayed, we missed our flight from Newark to London and, as a result, spent the night in the airport.  When we found out that our flight to Belfast wouldn't be until 9:30 the next night, we decided to forego another day sitting around the airport and took the short train ride over to NYC!

Casey had never been to New York City and Autumn had only been briefly and saw it mostly at night, so it was fun to walk around (even though it was between 9 and 14 degrees while we were there and we had our carry-on luggage).  It was a fun way to start the new year.  Times Square was decked out in 2012 stuff and we saw the infamous ball that was dropped.

Broadway

Near Central Park

The Empire State Building

After a couple of long days with no sleep, we went to board our flight back to Belfast and they had bumped us to first class!  We were spoiled by the service and the seats that convert into beds.  We seriously don't know how we got so lucky to be moved to first class but we loved it!  Never again will we have the privilege of steaks, ice cream sundaes, and hot towels on the airplane.

New year, new experiences, excited to be back in Belfast....home to us for now....

JOY...

"I bring you good news of a great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord."  Luke 2:10-11

Joy...this word keeps coming to my mind this Christmas season.  Casey and I have the privilege of going back home to see our families this year, so our only Christmas decorations are this nativity I bought here and a Peanuts Advent calendar that Casey gave me (yes, he knows the way to my heart).

I have looked up all our favorite Christmas tunes on Spotify and have them playing everyday, but the ones we keep coming back to are the songs that truly reflect on the joy of Christ's birth.  At church we have been studying not the story of Christ's birth, but of Christ's second coming in Revelation.  This has made my joy even greater, knowing that he was, he is, and he is to come.  Unfathomable.  He is coming for us.  The tiny baby we celebrate reigns on the throne and is returning for his people.  This is Christmas....the joy of Jesus...which lasts forever.

As I mentioned above, we are going home to see our families, but we have had a taste of Christmas here in Belfast.  Last week Casey and I did our shopping in the city centre and it was a lot of fun!  There is a huge mall here (that we just discovered) with a spiral staircase and dome that overlooks the city. 

We also got to see Albert Clock, which I have been wanting to see since before coming here.  The moon adds a nice touch.

As for shopping, though it was freezing cold and windy, we had an enjoyable time visiting shops and stores picking out Irish gifts for our families.  We don't have a car so no fighting for parking spaces...just a bus ride with all our bags :)



It helps that the city has pretty lights.  Here's the city hall lit up with "Happy Christmas Belfast!"

Also to get us into the Christmas spirit, we have had a few snow showers in the last couple of weeks.  Nothing major, but for those missing the big white flakes, here ya go...

Merry Christmas everyone from the Croys :)

Feast Prepared. Faces Stuffed. Mission Accomplished.

This year was our first Thanksgiving on our own, and we decided to go all out.  I (Autumn) am a listmaker, hence the above list in preparation for the big day.  Notice pumpkin pie is already checked off as I made it the night before.

These little guys were made from the extra pumpkin filling and pie pastry.  It was also in an effort to keep Casey from cutting into the pie the night before ;)

Behold our tiny Northern Ireland oven.  It cooks better than any oven we've had before, but this picture doesn't do justice to the size of this thing.  I have to admit I was a bit nervous about the timing of cooking everything.

First thing on the list was to make the Sweet Potato Souffle.

Then.... the bird....

We bought a frozen turkey and decided we would do all the gross turkey things ourselves.  Casey volunteered to be the gut scooper, however, there was no sign of the infamous baggie of innards we were supposed to find.  So, assuming they did it differently here in Northern Ireland, Casey proceeded to violate the turkey until we thought everything was out.  Then as I went to clean the bird, out fell the baggie from the other end.  We didn't know what a "clean" turkey looked like since we hadn't done it before.

Then we got said turkey situated in the pan and in our tiny Easy Bake Oven.  Here's the done bird....

Notice anything odd about him?  After looking at a gajillion turkey cooking websites and watching a video, you'd think we would've figured out we had our turkey upside down! It still tasted good :)

Casey did an excellent job carving turkey lurkey and arranging him on the plate.

 Our finished feast!

Yum!

Oh, by the way,  we have a patio area that we have been waiting for our landlords to come close in since September.  They decided to come do it on our Thanksgiving, so we had workers outside our kitchen all day.  In this picture, there is a guy on a ladder just outside the window.  Just another joy of Thanksgiving abroad.  They had no clue why we were making so much food.

This is a happy me after making a successful meal!

We finished it all off with our afternoon snack of coffee and pumpkin pie.  

What a great Thanksgiving!  We even got to Skype with our families and I got to see my Grandma get tickled.  Priceless.

Yes, we are thankful :)