Tiffany's Birthday

In This Irish Home

May these walls be filed with laughter

May it reach from floor to rafter.

May the roof keep out the rain,

May sunshine warm each windowpane.

And may the door open wide

To let the Good Lord's love inside.

~ an old  Irish blessing

We were able to go down to St. George for a few days - and the highlight of the trip was getting to see Tiffany and Brett and spending the day with them, celebrating Tiffany's birthday.  She has always liked Corned Beef and Cabbage, so I put some in the crockpot while we were out playing.  Since she was born in March and we have Irish heritage, I think that is where the fondness for this dish must come from.  I learned that it is not truly an Irish dish - but that Irish-Americans used Corned Beef and Cabbage to replace the meat in a traditional Irish dish of Bacon and Cabbage.

The plans were to go hiking, but wouldn't you know, it would snow, sleet and hail . . . so we went to see the movie, "Blindside" instead. We also planned to go bowling, but the lanes were crowded with a league tournament and the wait was too long.  Ray loaded us up with a gallon of popcorn and the largest drinks he could find . . . and we enjoyed every minute of it.  I highly recommend the movie as well.  We came back home, had our Corned Beef and Cabbage dinner, with Turtle Cheesecake for dessert . . . then Tiffany opened her presents.  Brett themed his gifts . . . all golf . . . a new putter, balls and a pass to the course!

The weather cleared on Sunday and after church we went on a drive out toward Apple Valley.  It was a beautiful day with a brisk, cold wind. . . but we did see some gorgeous scenery!

In between some spring cleaning and getting the carpets all cleaned - we did get out to do some shopping, and see some amazing scenery.  I enjoy the St.George area, because the scenery is so varied - and their are so many great places to go, lots of fun shopping close by and great places to hike, golf, bike . . . whatever you like!
We also discovered a lovely place to ride bikes just West of the condo . . . the Red Cliffs Desert Reserve.  It goes for miles and has quite a few hiking trails off the road as well.  It would be a fun place to explore a little more thoroughly next time.


This is one of our favorite homes down in the St. George area - the architecture and landscape are so well suited to the desert and red rock that surrounds it.