One of our new friends at church today noted I hadn't blogged in a wee while, so whilst I'm sitting here watching Pearl Harbor (after having been to the actual sight, it seems appropriate!) with Kiki, who is also computing, here we go!
We arrived in Portstewart on the 17th of July. We spent our first week here unpacking boxes etc...I now have lots of sympathy for anyone moving house!! Our stuff was a day late, which was a blessing in disguise as it meant we were able to get the furniture that was here already set up, and spend the next few days unpacking. The house is beautiful, it is such a dream house for us, and we are totally not used to having so much space! The ground floor is the kitchen (that has an island and loads of room for cooking!) and dining area, a little bathroom and the garage which has become our very handy storage room :) The 1st floor is Ralph and Macy's bedroom (avec ensuite) and the big lounge, where I am now. We even have a fireplace!! The next floor up is the girly floor, with Kiki's bedroom (and....get this...walk-in wardrobe!!!), a bathroom (the shower of which unfortunately has begun to leak through to the lounge light fittings, soon to be fixed though), my bedroom (the walls were already painted pink, how perfect is that?!) and a wee lounge/study/guestroom. I will try to post pics of the house up soon. The people here have been lovely in welcoming us, we were met on our first day here by an army of people with cloths and shopping ready to do whatever needed to be done, and this river of kindness hasn't stopped flowing since then. It's been wonderful in making us feel at home and cared for, everyone has gone way beyond the call of duty and way past any hope we had!
Then came New Horizon, a Christian gathering that lasts a week and takes place on the Coleraine Uni campus. Kiki and I worked at the Getty/Townend CD table, which was nice as it gave us somewhat of a distraction from the daunting newness of life here, as well as letting us meet lots of people. Stuart and Kristyn led the worship, and it was a great thing to see/hear them as it definitely brought a sense of familiarity to our first few days here. It was lovely to get to spend time with them and other friends during that week.
And then came Hawaii!!! We were so lucky to have been given the chance to go there, it is one of the places you keep locked up in your dream-drawer in your mind with a picture of what heaven-on-earth must look like, and our time there did nothing to change this idea! The beaches are white and soft and blue and hot, with millions of palm trees everywhere you look, exotic birds and flowers in every corner, it is a historical hot-spot with the likes of mission houses and Pearl Harbor to visit, fresh pineapple and mangos and guava anywhere you go, sweet lullaby-like music and 'aloha' and 'mahalo' in the background of every scene you are in, sunrise and sunset creating such picturesque sights you can't believe it, surfers splashing religiously in the waves, quirky little eating places from all over the world, all with the sun beaming down and made even more pleasant with the wind blowing constantly on your face. I would recommend a trip to Hawaii to absolutely everyone! Have a wee look at the pictures linked in my last post - there are lots of them, so feel free to skim through the boring ones! :)
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