Pictures from Christmas and Florida

Christmas and New Years 2011

This year we were state states side for Christmas. The original plan was to go to Minnesota and then maybe skiing, but the stars aligned for a McShane family trip to Disney World. So, first we went to Minnesota and celebrated an early Christmas with the McShanes there. Eoin and his cousins are still young enough, so they didn't realize it was only the 24th when they opened their presents. Santa was very good to all the boys and they had a blast opening all of their toys.

Christmas Eve we went to mass at the parish Biz grew up in. It is the family mass and the priest invites all of the children to the front of the mass and he directs the homily to them. Biz said Eoin was too young, but Francis caved and let hEoin go to the front of the church by himself. MISTAKE! Eoin got up on the altar and waved to the crowd and then took a stroll around (behind the priest) before walking right up to the priest and tapping him. In fairness I think he wanted to see the pictures in the book the priest had. The priest looked at Eoin and said hello, then he pulled him on to his lap so he could keep preaching. Eoin sat patiently in front of a packed house. It was rather embarassing for Francis and I when we had to wave him back to us, but the congregation got a good laugh at it.

On Christmas Day the 11 McShanes (Biz's parents, two sisters, two brother-in-laws, two nephews, and us Murphys) boarded a flight to Orlando, FL. We arrived in sunny Orlando and checked into a beautiful condo very close to Disney World. The place was given to us from the Davin's (sister's in laws). It was their 4 bedroom, time share they couldn't use. So, all 11 got settled into adjoining suites and the fun began. We had a great dinner at Ragland Road Irish Pub on Christmas night where Eoin and his cousins were entertained by Irish dancers. It was a great start to the trip.

We spent our first full day at the Magic Kingdom and it was truly magical. All three boys loved Small World, Dumbo, and the carousel. We also took them on Peter Pan's magic flight. Eoin really thought he was flying! He gripped our hands so tight and his face was sheer awe. It was awesome. The boys also loved the Disney Parade. I thought Eoin's arm may fall off he was waving so hard at the characters. We ended the day for the boys with a meet and greet with Mickey and Minnie and a train ride on a real steam engine. Eoin was very excited about the train ride as he is a huge Thomas the steam engine fan. However, within 5 minutes of boarding the train, Eoin crashed. He fell asleep in Francis's arms and didn't wake up until we got back to the car. He missed the monorail ride, which I'm sure he would have loved, but he'll just have to wait for next time.

After some down time and dinner at the condo, Francis, Biz, Molly Sr., Molly Jr., and the Mike's returned to Magic Kingdom to go on the "big kid" rides. A big thanks to expectant Mother Brigid and JQ for watching the boys while we played. The park was much less crowded so we got to hit Splash Mountain, Thunder Mountain, the Haunted House, Pirates of the Caribbean, and Space Mountain. It was really fun. You are never too old for Disney World.

The next day Francis, Mike B and Biz golfed with our good friend Kristin's dad. He is a member of a nice club just a few miles from where we were staying. Francis was playing really well, but the round got cut after 15 holes due to rain. It was a quick shower, but long enough to drench Francis and Mike sufficiently to end the round.

Our third day we went to Animal Kingdom. We all went on the safari which was lots of fun. Eoin loved the giraffes and other animals. Biz, the Mikes and MH braved the Everest rollercoaster. It is an awesome ride. Francis took Eoin on a flying dinosaur. Eoin liked it but after riding on Dumbo, it just wasn't the same. We ended the morning with a show "It's tough to be a bug." The showed warned it may be scary for children and they were right. Eoin was completely freaked out by the noises, water spraying and the giant catepillar that tried to attack us. We exited just before the spiders came down from the ceiling and I'm glad we did. He seems to have recovered, but if he fears bugs, I'll know why. After naps for most people we headed to Epcot. We road a wave with Nemo, which was a bit scary, but Eoin liked the singing fish enough he came out smiling. He really liked the aquarium afterward. We also went on Imagination and Eoin held up well during the ride and loved running around the musical floor afterward. The night ended watching the water fountains jump, which everyone thought was neat.

Everyone really enjoyed our 2 days in Disney. The service is great and place does seem magical. We could have gone to Hollywood Studios, but the boys were getting tired and we figured we could save it for next time. Please let there be a next time!

After Disney we sepent the next 3 days relaxing. We took the boys to a great water park. It was fun and Eoin and I enjoyed realxing in the sun in December. Francis also got another round of golf in, whiche he really enjoyed. It was really nice to go for walks, to the park and eat outside in December. It makes us question why we live in Chicago!

Now we're back in Chicago and in denial about going back to work. Alas, if only every day could be vacation.

Run Run Run

Eoin took part in his first race (20 yard dash) today - he smiled all the way to the finish line!

Trip to Washington DC

We spent the weekend in Washington DC at Mooney Fest 2011 (many thanks to our hosts for a fantastic weekend). Highlights included tours of the White House and Congress, seeing the famous landmarks / monuments around the city and Eoin got to sit in the cockpit of our airplane (after we had landed)!

Irish General Election

I have been watching the results of the Irish general election coming in during the course of today. No real surprises in the outcome - big gains for the opposition parties (Fine Gael, Labour and Sinn Fein) while the outgoing coalition government (Fianna Fail and Green Party) were both decimated reflecting, in particular, Fianna Fail's political mismanagement of Ireland over the past ten years.

I don't have great expectations of the new governments (likely a Fine Gael / Labour coalition) ability to make real changes and right some of the wrong decisions made - partly due to the appalling economic situation that currently exists limiting their options and partly due to my lack of faith in current Irish political leadership generally. But I would like to be surprised.

I do think there may be some theraputic effect for the Irish people in effecting this change in political leadership that may also bring with it some fresh hope that Ireland can turn the corner and once again be a place that we are proud to call home.

Little Men of Aran (Sweaters)

The lastest package from my mum in Ireland included Irish sweaters for Eoin and his two cousins that she hand knit herself. The boys modeled these last weekend in Minnesota (we were all there to celebrate Molly Haydens 30th birthday - it was a fun night).

One of the models was a little high maintenance and quickly became tired of posing upright for the cameras.



We also celebrated Hayden's upcoming first birthday with some cupcakes - he (and we) really enjoyed them!

Blizzard in Chicago

Just experienced my first blizzard in Chicago - almost two feet of snow fell in the last 24 hours and winds reached upwards of 60 miles per hour.

Having my first snow day (office is closed so working from home) since primary school! Less than 3 hours after the snow stopped falling the roads are cleared, pathways and our courtyard area have been opened up enough the walk / drive - impressive response (mechanical as well as man power required).

Eoin gets to hang out with his parents during the week for a change!

Transatlantic flights are exhausting!

Beautiful white Christmas in Ireland

Christmas in Ireland was supposed to be a break from the chill winds of Chicago but alas no - it was bitterly cold also in Eire but beautiful.

All clean!

Eoin has taken to sweeping floors of late - there may be a janitors closet in his future!

The sunny south east - Florida (not Waterford)!

We really enjoyed our time in Naples Florida in October catching some very pleasant fall weather while Eoin discovered that pools are alot of fun. We really dig his full body swimsuit (thanks gran) - it saved alot of messing with sunscreen!

Comedy time in Chicago

Ricky Gervais is currently doing a stand up (comedy) tour in the US and Biz took me to see him for my birthday last week. "Shock and awe" is how I would describe the theme where nothing was off limits and stories / jokes were laced with humurous and unapologetic cruelty - great stuff.

Billy Connolly also happens to be in town this week and we are going - I grew up watching both videotapes of his live stand up shows (my cousin John and I watched them after school) and his TV series where he explored countries while touring around the world. His sense of humor was hilariously crude (with his distinct Scottish accent) and he never failed to make me laugh heartily. I am smiling in anticipation : - )

Autumn is here and so is college football

There was a noticeable chill in the air this weekend just in time for our trip to Notre Dame for their fourth game (football) of the season against Stanford. We arrived at 10:30am (for a 3:30pm kick off) to ensure plenty for pre game tailgating. It's great catching up with friends, having a few beers, following Eoin as he runs around excited by all that is going on and generally taking in the party atmosphere in the car parks hugging the stadium. With a new coach and quarterback this is a rebuilding year for ND and the performance on the field reflected it. We are looking forward to better games ahead including the game against Navy in Dublin, Ireland in 2012!

New York, New York

I got to catch up with my friends Michelle and Rachael in New York for a couple of days - Michelle was on the final leg of her ten week round the world trip. We enjoyed hanging out in one of the great world cities and managed to squeeze in a trip to Ellis Island where we retraced the steps that twelve million immigrants (including many Irish) took between 1892 and 1954. As a modern day immigrant it was a profound experience for me (though I am very thankful that I did not have to go through the same hardships in the process).

Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks

One of the best features of the US is its huge national parks. While Eoin hung out with Molly and John in Minneapolis Biz and I spent fours days at Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks - basing ourselves in JAckson Hole Wyoming.

Established in 1872, Yellowstone National Park was America's first national park. It is home to a large variety of wildlife including grizzly bears, wolves, bison, and elk - we saw bison, elk and moose while we were there.

Within Yellowstone National Park are Old Faithful and a collection of the world's most extraordinary geysers and hot springs while the Grand Teton mountain range and valley are breathtaking - it is truly a spectacular part of the world and bowled us over.

Minnesota State Fair

Every year in late August / early September Minnesota holds its state fair. It reminds me of the agricultural show in my hometime of Charleville, Ireland but super sized! The fair is held in impressive grounds which accomodate the hundreds of thousands that visit during the course of the week. Highlights include the birthing barn (not for the sqeamish), lots of fried food such as cheese curds and deep fried pickles, all you can drink milk for a quarter and many other delictible treats (chocolate covered frozen key lime pie was my favorite) and beer galore to wash it down.

There's a beauty queen competition and butter busts of the queens sculpted from 90 lbs blocks of butter - each county winner gets to take their bust home!

Its quite the experience but not surpising from the state where huge food companies such as Cargill and General Mills are based.

Eoin loves summertime!

Taking a walk on the wet side

In the past couple of weeks Eoin has started to come to grips with walking and he is quickly getting the hang of it. Biz ran the Chicago Rock and Roll half marathon this morning and Eoin and I cycled (Eoin from the comfort of his handlebar seat on my bike) to meet her at the finish. Given how warm it was afterwards both Biz and Eoin took a walk around the fountains in Millenium Park - very refreshing!

My fingers hurt

If I could spell texting would be alot easier!

Niagara Falls

While my parents were visiting from Ireland we went on a road trip from Chicago to Boston. Along the way we stopped off at the fun island of Put in Bay (on Lake Erie) to hang out with the Mooneys and we also visited Niagara Falls. The Falls are impressive.