September 18^th, Saturday:

Today is my dads wedding. It is really hard for me not to be there. He understands though, and is proud of me—just as I am proud of him.

Today we start off our morning going to the Causey Farm. It is raining. When we arrive to the farm, some lovely Irish folks, who welcomed us in a friendly fashion, greet us.

Our agenda for the day consisted of milking a cow, learn the game of hurling, baking bread, having scones for breakfast, and eating a very nice meal.

We started our day with some Irish dancing, which was fun to learn. Later in the day, we learned how to play some Irish drums. Fun stuff. I really felt as if I was a part of this culture. The whole farm aspect in general, made me appreciate this culture. The quietness of this life actually made me jealous. Was I yearning for this type of life? In order to really step away from the world, is this the kind of life that I may need? Living on a farm offers a special vision of life—where I think the face of God is seen in new ways.

The farm amazed me. We saw lambs, pigs, baby pigs, dogs, and puppies. You name it, we saw it. I am not typically an animal lover, but after this trip, I am.

I was partners with Bridget when we made bread. When I went to crack the egg to put it in the bowl, I accidentally missed the bowl. No comment. Just imagine the laughter.

For lunch we had soup with our bread that we made. The soup was so fresh.  I met two little girls---the most adorable kids that I have seen in my life.

The day was filled with so much love and bondage. I felt like that our group got closer.

The highlight of the day on the farm was talking with the woman who showed us around and spent the day with us. I was sharing my various thoughts on the peace and happiness that I felt because of this slow pace of life. The farm life, in the country is a completely slow life. The woman told me, “We do not worry about time. We just enjoy the moment.” Her words captured my attention. I felt the presence and grace of God’s love throughout this day. The Irish people that I met were entirely friendly and happy. They lived a life that was really unknown to me. They loved each other, loved nature and loved the feeling of community.

That night, Annie, Rose, and I went out to celebrate for my dad’s wedding. We eventually ran into a lot of familiar faces. We started off at the Roost and then went to Brady’s, another local pub in town. I had fun dancing to the music, and enjoying people that were around me. Evelien (Rose’s roommate) and John (a friend), met us later in the evening.

One thing that I have noticed when being in Ireland, is that the people here are very nice. It is amazing to me. The people around me are good people, with big and glorious hearts. I have started to find myself  “learning” their accents.