Posted in Celtic Events

So.  We went camping to Tucson for the weekend, for Jigger had an Irish Step Dancing competition to attend (at which Piper also competed in the minor music competition).  Now, we haven't camped in our lovely trailer since we lived in it when we moved here in 2004.  That's 4 YEARS.  For 4 YEARS it has sat in an RV storage facility, with the merciless Arizona summer sun beating down on it.  It was barely a year old when we stored it, but after living in it for three months with two boys, a husband, a dog, and 115 degree temps, silly 'ol me decided that I'd had enough of camping until I could get the *ugh* factor to dissipate.  So there it sat.

Until one day about two months ago, when my mom asked if they could borrow it to house her brother, who was coming to stay for a week.  Sure! we said.  No problem!  And then looked at each other in horror.  Because, c'mon, who were we kidding?  That trailer needed *work!*  In the past four years, it has been vandalized and stolen from, been through countless sand storms and monsoons, and has sat in the blistering sun day in and day out for 1,353 days.  And we had about two weeks to get it shored up and company-ready.  It took about 48 hours.  We were shocked.  We had it cleaned out, fixed up, and almost showroom-ready in 48 hours.  We were the (collective) man. 

So, when it came time to make a decision about lodging in Tucson for the feis, we were feeling pretty good and decided to finally begin camping with the trailer again.  We'd haul it the two hours south on Thursday and begin our leisurely 3 1/2 day weekend by mid-Thursday afternoon.  It would be wonderful.  A piece of cake.  Some much-needed family time.

Right.

We left about 4.30 p.m., with Mo Chroi drying off after a freak rain/wind storm popped up while we he was hooking up the trailer.  Two happy boys, one carsick dog, and two satisfied adults began the two hour drive down the back way to Tucson, because it's the shortcut.  Cuts off about 30-45 minutes.  What irony. 

About 5.45 p.m., my dearest husband and I look at each other in confusion after hearing a soft 'pop' come from outside the truck.  My dad's truck.  You just know this story is going to get better now, don't you? 

Me: "What was that?  Did you hear that?"

Him: "Yeah, I heard that.  It's nothing."

Prophetically, we begin to hear an abnormal sound.  While travelling down the most desolate stretch of highway.  There is nothing around.  N.O.T.H.I.N.G.

Me: "Okay, that's not nothing.  We have to pull over."

Him:  Ignoring me, concentrating on the road.  I secretly think he's in denial.

Me: "Did you hear me? (Because I'm assuming he's missing the panic in my voice, right?)"

Him:  "I heard you.  We'll pull over."

Thankfully, about 1/4 mile later we come around the corner to discover a huge dirt parking lot for an abandoned-looking old junk shop.  We pull in, jump out, and smell the burning.  I'm panicked now, because all I can think is:  we ruined Dad's truck.  We look at each other over the bed, and then silently bend over to look at each other under the truck.  Nothing.  Beginning to breathe a little easier, I straighten, and begin to walk down the trailer, where I see to my immense relief that we've only blown a tire on the trailer.  Blown is such a polite word.  It was shredded.  To tiny strips and threads.  Thankfully, it's a tandem axle (has two tires on each side), so the trailer was kept upright. 

Okay, I need to interject a science lesson here.  Picture four tires sitting in the sun, the hot-as-Hades Arizona sun, for 4 YEARS.  Pressure up, pressure down, extreme heat breaking down rubber.  End of SunDamagedTires101.

We are 30 minutes away from North Tucson, still about 45 minutes from our resort.  It's 6.30 p.m. by the time we have unhooked the trailer, jacked it all the way up to get the tire off, and start off down the road.  Only to find out (by calling ahead) that the tire places close at 7 p.m. 

Here I'll spare you the tension, shortness, and anxiety-ridden silence of the next 35 minutes (you're welcome).  Suffice it to say that we pulled into the tire shop 10 minutes past the time they closed, and the boys and I (and dog, too, I like to think), prayed copiously for kindness as my husband caught the three men exiting the building after closing.  Because you know what the alternative was, right?  Staying in that trailer, all night, in the middle of N.O.W.H.E.R.E. until they opened the next morning.  I actually teared up when one of the men jumped in the back of the truck to get the tire and the other two walked back to the building.  May God bless them always.

Anyway, to cut through the rest of the night, after all was said and done and we crawled into bed (in the resort) at 11.30 that night, 6 hours after our adventure began, my husband looked at me and said, with a half-grin, "three-hour tour."  I fell in love with that man all over again as I laughed so hard the trailer shook. 

All in all, it was a lovely weekend.  Piper took second in the music competition (please excuse the quality of photos; I could give you a thousand excuses, but the truths are: 1- I was lazy when I took them, and 2- I'm not Alyssa.  But I don't feel so bad since she likes my pictures anyway. True story.).  He did great!

Jigger advanced in one of his six dances (you have to advance through 6 levels overall, and you have to do it for each and every dance), kicked butt in a couple of others, and brought home one award and two medals.  Great showing!

We swam, we walked, we talked, we played, we spent time with my parents who pulled their bus motorhome down, we had a lovely time.  And on the way home yesterday, you just know what happened, right?  SDT101.  Yep, another tire blew. 

Posted in Celtic Events

Couple Dance an Irish Jig on the Village Green, a Giclee Print.  Courtesy of www.AllPosters.com

We are off for the weekend (I'm not ignoring you again), as Piper has a competition out of town on Friday night and Jigger has one on Saturday.  I'll check in with you all next week!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Posted in Celtic Events

Well, better late than never, right? :)

 

Here are some pictures of the parade and a performance afterward at the Irish Cultural Center.  Enjoy!

 

Disclaimer:  if you are, as I am, a faithful, or even occassional, reader of Alyssa's over at crazybusy, then you are familiar with what superior quality photography is, and indeed what all photographs should look like.  You won't find that here, lol!   However, I do hope that our photographic abilities improve after I pick Alyssa's brain before we travel to the UK and Ireland next year..... consider yourself warned, Alyssa.... lol!!!

 

Here's Jigger, ready for the parade to begin!

Here's Piper with the band; he's the one to the direct right/behind of the man in shadow.

Here's Piper again; he's a little ahead of his line, but it created a perfect photo op! :)

Here's Jigger and his partner.  They were partners through the whole parade and did a two-hand during the parade as well.

This last one is of Jigger dancing at the Irish Cultural Center with another dancer from his school. 

Well, there you have it!  An extremely abbreviated version of our St. Patrick's Day (week) celebration.  Wow, I actually got it posted.  What other feats shall I perform today??  What other mountains shall I scale??  What else can I cross off my to-do list of gargantuan proportions??  I rather think nothing.  I feel I've peaked for the day.  *sigh* 

 

 

Make it a great one!!!!

Posted in Celtic Events

Posted in Celtic Events

Well, we're back from our long weekend, and what a rousing success it was!!  Our feis, though small, was well-organized and ran extremely efficiently.  The boys came home happy and exhausted!  Today is a day of catch-up.  Laundry, cleaning and sleep are all included in that catch-all phrase! 

The results are as follows:

Piper brought home the first place trophy in his first music competition (who cares that he was the only one to compete; he's got a trophy and he did it!!)

Jigger brought home two four places, two second places, and two first places!!  He medalled in all of his dances, and moved up in three of them, including breaking into the next level. 

Jigger was on cloud nine all day yesterday, and grabbed anyone he recognized to share his good fortune, lol!!  Today, however, he has crashed, and is sorely testing our whine-tolerance levels.  Piper acted nonchalantly about the whole thing, but clutched his trophy and is proudly displaying it in the center of his shelves. 

All in all, it was a wonderful, tiring, exhilerating weekend.  I hope yours was fantastic as well!! 

ps. Not too happy, however, to come home and find HSB completely different, and not in a strikingly improved way, but actually quite the opposite, IMHO.

Posted in Celtic Events

Well, my dear blogger friends, this will be my last blog entry until Monday, at the earliest.  This weekend our Irish Dance School sponsors our annual feis (pronounced 'fesh' and is a competition), and since we are working it all weekend, we're moving into the hotel tomorrow as it's almost two hours away. 

 

It is the anniversary of Jigger's first feis, and thankfully he's not sick this year!!  It is also the first feis that Piper will be competing in in the music competition, so keep a good thought throughout the weekend! 

 

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend, and remember:

"Life's a dance you learn as you go,

Sometimes you lead, sometimes you follow,

Don't worry 'bout what you don't know,

Life's a dance you learn as you go."

 

May the music move you to dance your weekend away!!

 

        

Posted in Celtic Events

 

Good Morning, Dear Reader!  Since I'm sure you were on pins and needles in anticipation of yesterday's feis results, I won't keep you in suspense a moment longer!  Jigger received one 4th place, one 2nd place, and his very First Ever 1st place!!  In the lingo, he medalled in three out of his five dances and moved up in two categories - YEA!!!!!

 

                                

 

He is coming along so well for only having begun lessons a year ago.  We are so proud of you, Jigger!!!!  We love you!!

Dad, Mom and Piper 

Posted in Celtic Events

What a day!!  Piper had his very first performance with the Scottish Pipe Band today in a 4th of July parade upstate.  Due to a 2 1/2 hour drive and a required arrival time of 7 a.m., we were up at 3:30 a.m. and on the road by 4:30 a.m.  We arrived after a relaxing drive and Piper dressed for the first time in his kilt, sporran, and other Scottish uniform doo-dads.  Out came the bagpipes, tuning and practicing began, and so his day commenced.  The line-up took place rather quickly, as they were the 2nd entry of the parade of over 220 entries.  At 9:00 a.m. sharp the marching began!  How exciting for him to begin this new phase of his character, and how thrilling for us, the family, to stand there madly snapping pictures proudly shouting "there goes my boy!!!!" and "WOO-HOO!!!"  If we stood in your way and caused you to miss the band, my sincerest apologies.  We hope to have much more dignified behavior at his next event, LOL!! 

 

Hope your weekend is coming along as wonderfully as ours is!!   

 

CONGRATULATIONS, PIPER!!!  WE ARE SO PROUD OF YOU!!!!

LOVE, DAD, MOM, AND JIGGER