My Max

This past weekend was pretty somber for me, as my family dog, who has been a huge part of my family's life for the past decade, moved on to a bigger and better dog park in the heavens.  (Cause as we know, all dogs go to heaven!)  

Max was a wonderful dog.  He was a nurse, an athlete, a cheerleader, a greeter, a wiggler, a barker, a guardian, a cuddler, a sleeper, an eater, a squirel-chaser, a confidant, a sweetheart and a friend.  I know it's a bit strange to say, but he was a really great friend of mine.  He was supportive and caring when I literally felt like I didn't have a friend in the world and he helped me overcome several difficult times in my life...I will always be grateful to him for that.

But he was also important to my whole family.  He was a vital cog in the McGreevey household and was the source of so much frustration and joy for my parents.  I know we are all really going to miss him.

I wasn't going to blog about this, but I had recently taken these pictures when the boy and I last dog sat for Max two weeks ago.   It was the last time I saw him.  I am so glad we spent that weekend with him.  We had fun together and it's a good way to remember him.  

I really miss Max already.  I feel a bit heartbroken knowing that he's gone, but I also know that he lived a happy life, enriched the lives of my entire family and his sweet legacy will live on. 

TV Teas and Walton's Reunions

There have been a few goings on around here lately that highlight one of Los Angeles' most lucrative industries - Television.  And while I suppose there's no question that the television medium is changing significantly, with Netflix and online sharing, from my perspective it's still going strong...And some shows from the past are still resonating with audiences, which is pretty remarkable.  

Firstly, the day before the Emmy's the boy and I attended BAFTA LA's TV Tea Party.  A star-studded annual event, this year's tea was held on the rooftop of the London hotel in West Hollywood.  The view was lovely and the guest list impressive, with the likes of Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Aaron Paul (Jesse Pinkman himself bi***es!) in attendance.  It would have been perfect if not for the blazing sun and killer heat, but that's LA for you, even in September! Here are a few little snaps from the day...And later in the evening after quite a few glasses of champagne....

Then this past weekend, the boy and I attended the Walton's 40th Anniversary event with my parents.  It's kind of amazing to think that a television show can be on the air for 40 years straight and still be garnering praise and new fans.  But indeed the Walton's has done just that.  My dad was one of the presenters of the event, as my grandfather was a regular writer on the show, and even wrote the very first episode.  It was nice to see people my grandfather worked with over the years and hear how incredibly important he was to so many of them.  I was very proud!  Here are just a couple snaps of the event taken with my iphone...My parents on the red carpet and some of my grandfather's scripts....

The boy and I don't actually have cable in our little flat, we are dedicated netflixers and youtube masters!  But that's not to say we don't have certain tv shows we love to watch (Portlandia, Breaking Bad, Switched at Birth and QI to name a few.)  

What shows are you excited about seeing this season?     

Kauai Continued...

Our recent trip to Kauai was a family affair...Here are some pics from our first day there...

The view from our room!

my parents out to dinner on the first night

my younger brother

my sister in law and older brother

our hotel on the coast of Poipu Beach!

Mothers Day!

Happy Mother's Day, to all the sweet mommies out there!  I'm not a mom, but I'm getting to an age where I am being asked about it...Do I want to have kids and when are we going to get on with it.  And honestly, I don't really have a strong desire to be a mom, just yet.  But I do have a strong desire to build a family (so I guess that makes me mom by default.)  So one day, yes, Mom-dom would be nice.  But for now, let me just salute all the lovely Mom's out there who do so much and make it all look so easy! 

Here's a list I helped compile for the Jigsaw blog, of my favorite bloggers who also happen to be mothers.  And here's Alycia's list of ways to tell if you're a "dog-mom," which I think is about the cutest thing ever!  And on that note, I am totally up for being a dog mom.  I want a dog so much it's sometimes painful.  But our place is so tiny, and we have no yard, or porch or patio to speak of, so it doesn't seem likely that we can pull that off.  Maybe one day soon. 

Lastly, I just want to salute my own lovely mother (that's her above) for being so wonderful, so kind, patient and generous.  She means the world to me.    

Happy Mother's Day! 

Happy British Mother's Day!

To all the Mum's across the pond and especially to my very own Mummo-in-law

source

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy St. Patrick's Day! Irish Rover's Part 3: Carrick-a-Rede

Top o' the morning to ye all!  And yes it's St. Patrick's Day, huzzah!  It is raining like crazy in Los Angeles this morning so I feel like we could imagine we're back in Ireland!  But in honor of the day I thought I'd share with you some more photos from our Irish Roadtrip!  

Here's a look at the beautiful Irish coast line as we went on a little hike to the Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge.  We weren't able to cross the bridge as it was too windy, but just roaming the cliffs around it was exciting enough.  I felt like it was one of the most beautiful places I'd ever seen.  

Those last two photos were actually taken the day after as we were leaving the coast.  The Sea was angry that day my friends!  And it was so cold and windy.  I just love how disgruntled we all look!

And finally, here is a little joke my brother-in-law sent me this morning.  It makes him proud to be Irish and I am awfully proud to be Irish too!  (Well, partially and then by marriage...It totally still counts!  And besides, I am way more Irish than most of the people who will be sporting a "kiss me I'm Irish" button today!) 

Sláinte!

The Irish Rovers #2 - Giant's Causeway

Welcome to March my lovelies!  Here's a bit more from my trip to Ireland earlier this year.

After Belfast, the boy's family and I drove up to the northern coast of Ireland to spend a night in the seaside town of Port Rush.  Along the way we made a few choice tourism stops, among them, the Giants Causeway.  This section of coastline is made up of thousands of interlocking basalt columns that formed due to an ancient volcanic eruption.  The result is both beautiful and somewhat bizarre, as the perfect hexagonal stones just seem utterly unreal when you see them in person.  

Sis in Law Katie and Me before walking down to the Causeway

siblings in law Anna and Neil...He got stuck in that crevice...

the sea

the boy

my Mum-in Law and Me

We all had a lot of fun roaming around the rocks, despite the fact that they were very slippery and it was really cold!  It really was a beautiful place full of wonder. 

The Irish Rovers #1 - Belfast

It's crazy how time flies and to think it's nearly been a month since we were in England and Ireland.  And I still haven't even begun to share all our adventures!  I got to get on this, I know.

The first stop on our Northern Ireland Road Trip was Belfast.  It was an interesting city, whose history is pretty much dominated by tragedy and hardship.  We really only had one afternoon there, so we hopped on a double decker bus and got a quick overview of Belfast in a quick 2 hours.  We saw the shipyards where the Titanic was built, the mountain that inspired Gulliver's Travels, the Capital Building, the Opera House, and the wall that served to divide the Catholics from the Protestants, along with a dozen murals painted around the city, in response to the troubles.  

As a city, it's clearly taken the brunt of a lot of hardship, having been a very dangerous place during the troubles and having been the 3rd most bombed city during World War II, after London and Coventry.  The city looks like it's still just beginning to recover.  But the people were all so friendly and funny and we went to some amazing pubs and a delicious restaurant....I ate pigeon, venison and a bit of pigs cheek.  I realize that probably sounds disgusting to most you Yankees, but trust me, it was incredibly tasty.  Though not the pigeon so much, I think I'd be content to never eat pigeon again.  Still it was great to try it.   

In The Crown Pub

the wall

Irish Stew

Jack, my sisters in law Anna and Katie, and my mother in law Breige signing the wall

Oh, there is so much more to tell you about Belfast, but it would take all day, and I am sure you have better things to do.  So I'll just let the pictures tell the story.