When we went to Ireland in July we met lots of wonderful people. Two families in particular, Brian and Megan and Tom and April, had become immediate friends and we had all planned to get together for a weekend retreat soon. Well that time came this past weekend! Unfortunately Tom and April had to cancel at the last minute (we missed you guys!!!), but the other four of us met anyway at a house on Smith Mountain lake in Virginia.
Here's an excerpt from an update email we sent out this afternoon:We had been praying specifically that we could find a small apartment (1 bedroom) in the $700/month range ($250 less than we pay now) so that we could have the ability to save some money while we transition from seminary to non-seminary life next year. Well, last weekend, while we were staying with [some friends] in Cary, we were prompted to visit a complex near their home. To make things short, we will be living there in a 2 bedroom apartment for $704/month! This place is actually more square feet than we have here in Charlotte and was actually cheaper than their one bedroom apartments. We weren't nearly as surprised as the leasing agent was, to say the least! Join us in praising the Lord for his awesome provision!
For those who live in the Raleigh/Cary/Apex area, you are heretofore coridally invited to help us unload a moving a truck on December 20! Sure, it seems a long time away, but it will be here before we know it. (Don't worry, Dan will send a reminder email...) Megan promises to have plenty of cookies and hot chocolate available! :-)
Thanks for praying for us and please continue to pray as Megan seeks a job in the area.
So last Saturday, October 4, Megan and I celebrated our 5th anniversary. I planned a relaxing weekend getaway to Blue Ridge, Ga - the very same place we honeymooned - to stay in a cabin up in the mountains. We had a really good time just catching up on The Office and reflecting on all the good memories we have been blessed to enjoy. We also played some pool - I won two games and lost five (don't ask...let's just say Megan didn't win any...) and I managed to slay a scorpion with a butter knife (again...don't ask).
We are blessed by the Lord to have a great marriage! We both look forward to many many many more years.
Wow, it has almost been a whole month since we last posted here...that is really unbelievable. Time is going by way too fast! So, what's been going on with us?
The weekend of September 14 we went to Apex to see our friends and to celebrate my 32nd birthday. Megan asked me what I wanted this year and I told her that I would love to get our friends together for a cookout. Well, it was really hot, but it was a lot of fun. The fellowship was good and the cornhole wasn't bad either (if I could play better it wouldn't have been that bad...). Below is a pic of me in my birthday hat.
Other than the traveling, things have just been pretty busy with Megan's work and my school and work. We've also made some pretty drastic changes in our eating and exercising habits. We are both doing Weight Watchers and are working out at Lifestyle Family Fitness a few days a week. We've both lost some weight and are feeling so much better.
Here is the current radar image for Charlotte...beautiful isn't it? I really enjoy rainy days. They're great days to just be lazy. Too bad I have so much to do. Oh well!
* On this day in 1865, William Shepherd of NYC patented liquid soap. Here's to you Mr. Liquid Soap maker! Now every man can take a shower like a girl...where's my loofah?
* Calling Luke Johson! Luke? Where are you? I miss you...hope Ireland is still treating you well! Are you wearing man capris yet? A picture is included on the left...if you see this man anywhere in the greater Dublin area please let me know - and please point at him and laugh! :-)
Well, folks, this is it. On Wednesday I start my last year of seminary....pretty exciting huh? It is but there is this one thing looming over head:
We know its been a whole week since we got back from New York, but we are just now getting a moment (together) to fill you in all the goodness of the trip. Here is a brief recap of what we did...
o Grand Central Station - right in the middle of everything) and Megan's parents (who flew in from Chicago) stayed there too. They arrived a few hours after we did so we had a chance to orient ourselves a little bit as well as go pick up subway passes for everyone. That evening the four of us took the bus down to the Circle Line Tour dock and enjoyed an evening harbor cruise (half-way) around the island. It lasted two hours and when the sun finally went down the views were excellent.
Friday morning we awoke from our slumber (we slept sooooooo good in our posh hotel!!!!) and navigated our way on the subway up to Central Park and went to the American Museum of Natural History and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The best words to sum up this day are overwhelming and soreness. The History museum 
wasn't all that great for people over the age of 12 so we didn't stay long. The Met (after we walked through the park to get there - we won't mention the hot dogs we ate or the unexpected wrong turn) on the other hand was awesome. We spent about 6 1/2 hours there but we could have been there for a week. It was fun to get Bill's (Megan's step-Dad - who is an Art professor) perspective and instruction on all the stuff we saw there. To top off the day we took the concierege's advice and had sushi at a nearby restaurant. It was yummy! But that wasn't the end of the evening. We spotted a nice pub on the walk back to the hotel and jumped in for a beer and some dessert.
Saturday morning, we took our pain medications and slathered up with Aspercreme and headed out to the Guggenheim Museum and the Modern Museum of Art. The Guggenheim was great from architectural stand point but the galleries were kind of lame. We would have been out of there in about 30 minutes if it had not been for a terrential 
downpour of rain. So after another 45 minutes in the cafe we headed to MoMA. Little did we know it was family day at the MoMA, but that didn't stop us from having a great time looking around and learning lots from Bill. You could tell he really enjoyed being at these museums and his joy was contagious. After all that we made our way to the sea of humanity called Times Square and oogled over all the lights, enjoyed a funnel cake, and eventually, ate at Planet Hollywood (where we were entertained by the worst DJ in New York, ever!).
Sunday we rested. The two of us took a walk down fifth avenue - all the way to the coolest Apple store ever. It was fun to see all the fancy stores (which weren't open yet) and landmarks such as Trump Tower. On our walk back to the hotel we found a really excellent breakfast place which was even better because it was clean and you could eat for under five bucks. Anyway, in the afternoon the four of us went to the Empire State Building and then had lunch at Heartland Brewery where we enjoyed
an interesting, yet good, fried Pu-Pu platter. (It's not as bad as it sounds). We then headed back to the hotel (after Megan had a brief stop at the Loft store and held herself (or Dan) back from buying anything) and got ready for our Broadway show that night - Mamma Mia! Before the show we had a nice dinner at a Thai restaurant. The show itself was fun and entertaining and we had great seats. Dan even won a CD! After the show we found an Irish Pub open and had ourselves another nightcap.
Monday was Megan's favorite day. We went to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. This was Megan's second time in NYC and last time Ellis Island was her favorite stop. Even upon her second visit, it was still just as moving - even if the crowds and lines weren't. Dan really enjoyed it but was growing weary of all the other tourists and found it hard to enjoy as much as he wanted to. We were unable to look up 
Megan's grandma's info although she did come through Ellis Island in 1947. Perhaps we'll have better luck online. After the tours we hopped off the subway for a little bit and walked around Ground Zero. Later that evening we enjoyed some Chinese food for dinner and then headed off to the Gotham City Comedy Club for an all-star show that night. It was fun, although vulgar at times. Welcome to New York, I guess.
Well, folks, we are home from NYC and have been hurled back into the busyness of life. Until we get some time to post about the specifics of our trip we present to you the following picture gallery. Enjoy!
After getting back from Ireland last week, Dan and I have been non-stop busy. Today we spent most of the afternoon running errands and then finally this evening the relaxation began. Dan and I got pedicures at 6:30 (yes Dan did go after I twisted his arm several times...and his feet have never looked so good) which is a tradition we began last year when kicking off vacations. It felt really good to be pampered and it got me relaxed and ready to spend the next five days in New York.
Life has slowly been returning to normal for Megan and I since we got back from Ireland earlier this week. Here's what's currently going on with us:
Come Sunday morning, Megan and I were on our own. We had arranged to stay a couple of extra days after the conference (mainly because the plane tickets were cheaper that way) and to stay with a couple (the Turnbulls) who were at Uptown Church until they moved to Dublin for work last year. It was our intention to go for a day trip on Monday somewhere away from the city but we had underestimated how exhausted we would really be.
h - something we hadn't been able to do in a week - and just sighed a sigh of relief. It felt so good to relax. We did manage to get up for a while and walk around the neighborhood, taking in the sights and enjoying a good brunch. When they returned from their trip we enjoyed a nice dinner together that Lauren made and went for a nice walk with Jon. The Christian hospitality that this dear couple shared with us whom they had never met until this point was truly a demonstration of the love of Christ and a welcome blessing to us.
At the end of the day we were a little tired but yet excited about what God had allowed us to experience and share with other people. Our flights home on Tuesday were uneventful and almost right on time, we were home once again to be greeted by a very very happy cat!
Saturday morning we had the priviledge of hearing from Paudge Mulvihill who heads up a group called Calvary Mission which has a vision to reach the west coast of Ireland. He shared some amazing statistics with us regarding the state of the church on the west coast. For example, there are 11 towns of at least 20,000 people, 11 towns of at least 15,000 people, 45 towns with at least 10,000 and 63 towns with at least 7,00 that have no evangelical church presence. This is absolutely staggering and we were moved to pray for God to send more workers into the harvest there.
churches, and their communities. The men, on the other hand, split up into two groups and I headed with the group led by our good buddy Luke down to Dun Laoghaire Evangelical Church where Al Breen told us about the work there. After a season of prayer with him we packed up and headed back to Greystones.
After dinner with our small groups, we went to the evening worship service. This was a sweet time of singing, communion, and prayer for one another. It was neat to see and hear how God had been working in the hearts of other participants throughout the week and to lift them up in prayer. Following the service, we said our goodbyes to the interns and some of the staff and we all headed down to the pub for one more time of fellowship. What a privilege it was to get to know these folks and we are so thankful that God drew us close to several people to form friendships that we already deeply cherish. It was bittersweet saying all the goodbyes, but just maybe we'll all see one another again soon!
Hey all...Megan and I made it back to Charlotte safe and sound today. We're still processing everything that we learned/experienced last week and we look forward to sharing that with you in the coming days. In the meantime, don't forget to check out our pictures here: http://gallery.me.com/thelaymans.
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