It should have happened on Wednesday but I was sooo hungry...

On Wednesday Andrew hurried me down to Santa Monica Pier on one of his 'surprise dates'. It was a perfect evening with a beautiful sunset over the sea. We planned on heading to the ferris wheel as we had gone on it a few years before and had really enjoyed it. There's a beautiful view of Santa Monica and the beach from it and I really love big wheels :) Unfortunately though I was very hungry and I convinced Andrew that he wouldn't want to take me up on ferris wheel on an empty stomach cos I'd get grumpy :) So poor Andrew had to wait for me to eat my scallops as the sun went down. Still determined to go on the big wheel, we headed in that direction only to find that it was closed for the evening. I was disappointed but didn't mind so much-at least my stomach was full -Andrew, however had to wander around for the rest of evening with the ring in his pocket.

We decided to give the ferris wheel another go on Friday -this time we were equally determined to make it, food or no food. I had no idea that Andrew was going to propose because he gave me the distinct impression that he had no ring yet. When the ferris wheel slowed near the top Andrew said 'I have something for you'. I said 'no you don't!'. He reached into his pocket and something fell-he looked around in a panic as though he had dropped the ring-I was confused at this point because as far as I was concerned there should be no ring let alone a ring that had just fallen off the ferris wheel into the pacific ocean. He was just messing with me (it was a coin that he dropped) Then he got down on one knee and asked me to marry him.

The ring is so beautiful. I asked Andrew for a Marquise diamond with yellow gold. He went to the jewelry district in downtown LA and picked out a magnificent diamond with the slightest touch of yellow. Then he chose a setting online and had one of the jewelry shops custom make it. It has a trinity knot on either side of the stone. I really love it and I can't stop looking at it. Andrew says I'm obsessed :P
We're hoping to get married next June here in LA. I hope many Irish friends and family will be able to make it!

Back in LA

I'm back...that's right...back...
So I got in last night at 10pm. My flight from Shannon to Boston was great-nice and smooth and a really nice plane with half decent movies. Boston airport and the flight from Boston to LA was another story altogether. They say that the Irish built Boston, well I think they also must have built the airport because there are no signs anywhere for anything important. I would not advise it as an airport to fly through-especially if it's one of your first times doing a connecting flight.
The flight from Boston to LA was one of the worst I've been on. The plane shook almost the whole way there, and even though I know in my heart of hearts that it's okay, I just can't convince myself that's okay to be rattling around thousands of miles above ground...
Anyway I did get to LA safe and sound and when I got home Andrew had left a lovely surprise in my room:Oh yea, he also bought my favourite food for me to have when I got back- he takes good care of me :)

Sharon in Cork

I haven't been updating this blog for a while, mainly because I'm not in LA right now and it just seems wrong to be updating my sharoninla blog when I'm not there :D
I've been in Ireland for the past 5 weeks waiting to get my visa processed. Finally it has been and I'm set to head back on the 20th or 21st of September-I'm excited and I can't wait to get back!
Here's some pictures of a trip to Fota Wildlife Park here in Cork with my gorgeous niece and nephew.

One Word

Clayton Erb!



Congratulations on 30 years of ministry!

Guitar Hero!

John, Andrew, Addison and the rest of my apartment had fun....

Bits 'n Bobs

So here are a couple of the things I've been up to recently...

Calvin and Tiffany's wedding with Andrew and Amy



Me with the state bird



Andrew amusing himself



Dim Sum with John



Angels of Anaheim with John



The three of us went to the Hollywood Bowl to watch a Henry Mancini memorial concert

Summer School Prep

This week I'm in school all week getting ready for summer school. There's no children and very few staff here-it's weird. Better get down to business.

Anansi the Spider and the Middle Passage

I have stories I have stories I have stories!!
On Thursday our classes performed Anansi the Spider and the Middle Passage.
I've never worked with a bunch of kids with fewer inhibitions and greater improvisation skills!
The play was a lot of hard work but much fun was had and it was a great success. Next stop- Broadway!!

Anansi the Spider being SQUEEZED by Python

St. Patrick's Day

At last I'm posting some pictures from St. Patrick's Day. I went crazy just because I wasn't home and I went around dressed like this all day-I love my socks :)

Me and my colleague Khendyl

Laguna Beach Pictures

back row, from left: Me, Ricky, Tim, Jon
front row: Sabrina, Patti, Mr. and Mrs. Harris


Natalie, Me, Tammy, Sabrina


Erick and Andrew - two handsome guys

Memorial Day Weekend - Laguna Beach

I had such an enjoyable long weekend this past weekend. Andrew and I went with our bible study "310". We stayed in self catering apartments which, surrounded by mountainous landscape that could be seen from our windows-such a change from LA!

The greatest thing about this weekend though was the Word of God. Greg Harris, who wrote the book 'The Darkness and the Glory' was the speaker.
All weekend we heard about the cross. I was convicted by a deeper understanding of what Christ did as He set His face as a flint and went to the cross for me. It was so lovely to spend each day hearing more about the Lord Jesus and that full and perfect work that He wrought on the cross and then to spend time reading the book (which Dr. Harris gave us)and talk with others about the heights and depths of what God has done for us. It was one of the best 'camps' I've been to.

Now I'm back to the grindstone for three more weeks. Next week the elementary section of SMMS is performing "Anansi the Spider and the Middle Passage". Khendyl (my colleague) and I are pretty much doing everything including making costumes so we're up the walls at the moment. I'm looking forward to our performance though. Hopefully I'll be able to post some photos (I really need a point and shoot camera of my own).
The week after that is the final week of school before the summer program. That week will probably be a week of fun events and little to no school work. I can't believe another school year has passed by again!
No long holidays for me anymore though! This year will be summer school!! I'm kind of looking forward to it though because there's time to help children catch up if they need that and a lot more extra curricular activities can be done.
Anyway that's the latest update, I will try to get some photos...

Sorry!

My apologies that I have neglected to update this blog for a while! My main excuse is that I never take out my camera anymore to take photos so I'm depending on other people to give me theirs. So really my lack of updates is all due to Andrew and Khendyl (my colleague) :)

So the news so far is that we're finishing off our school year here Santa Monica. Then we'll be launching into summer school! My visa expires the middle of July so right now I'm trying to get it renewed. Still don't know how we'll work all of that out but I'll try to keep you updated. Visa renewal is not a certainty so I really need to trust the Lord that it will all work together.

John is coming to visit the end of June hopefully and Mum and Dad are planning on visiting in August (hope I'll still be here :P ) I don't think I'll be able to come home over the summer, I will need to come at some point though to get my visa processed.

That's it really. The weather is lovely as always. Andrew and I are spending the weekend at Laguna beach with our bible study group, so maybe I should use my own camera and post some pictures of that here :P

Planet RAW!!

So one of my apartment mates is a really healthy eater and recently she’s started trying out this latest LA diet called the ‘Raw Food Diet’ where everything you eat is well raw! I like trying out new and very weird things-it’s my idea of fun :P So over my spring break me and my apartment mate dragged the rest of the apartment out to “Planet Raw” in Santa Monica, a raw food restaurant which had been pointed out to me y one of my students who said that his dad frequented the place. The food was surprisingly good! They even had raw cheesecake. It was also guilt free cos it was so healthy J Dunno whether we’ll ever get Tiff back or whether Andrew will ever darken the door :P but it was a very interesting experience :)
















Amanda, Debbie, me, Evelyn, Vivian, Tiff

Elaine in LA

I don't like macs....
















Conferring with my coworker Khendyl (alliteration)
















Dim Sum!!









































Huntington Gardens

Lunch Time Ramblings

On my lunch break in SMMS. I'm feeling a bit bored and tired so I'm going to do a blog entry. Mum was here for 2 weeks and left on Monday. I have some pictures which I hope to upload soon.
This weekend I have to go for a training day on Saturday morning at 8:30am then church is at 8:15, we also have daylight saving on Sunday evening where I hope to lose one hour of precious sleep time...next week's not looking so good...
I'm beginning to miss home a bit more-mainly people, like friends that I've known for a long time and things like that...
My eye is better though :)

Pink Eye

I have conjunctivitis - it's horrible and I feel awful. I went to a clinic yesterday and they prescribed an antibiotic-I still feel horrible, but at least I discovered a doctor I can go to without health insurance who doesn't cost the earth and my antibiotic also cost less that $20. Anyway it's no fun having conjunctivitis and I feel very sorry for myself.
Poor mother is still nursing a bad back. The two of us are like crocks but Andrew's being very patient :P

Snowing in Mammoth!

We had a really lovely weekend out of LA and in the snow. Just 2 hours from the sunny city of LA it snows. We traveled about 5 hours north of LA to Mammoth which is pretty close to Yosemite National Park. There was a fresh fall of 5 feet of snow the day before we arrived and it was like a whole world away from LA.




I snowboarded for the very first time. I tried going down the slope on my own the first time and I met a guy on the way down who was an instructor and he gave me a free lesson :) He told me that I had lots of 'athletic energy' and that it was kind of surprising that I hadn't snowboarded before cos I was already doing S's. I kept thinking he was talking to someone else :P Anyway I loved the snowboarding and I even think I may prefer it to skiing :)



















On our way back from skiing we got to enjoy the amazing scenery of this part of California. We stopped in one town called 'Lone Pine Tree'. It was like a scene out of a wild west movie. It was so nice. I could have spent a lot more time there. As we drove through the countryside I kept thinking what it must have been like for the first Californian settlers as they traveled through this wilderness in their covered wagons to set up homes and and start communities. When you live in the West of America the 'Wild West' takes on a whole new significance.




















It seems like California has everything one could want in the recreational realm-from beaches to ski slopes! Life is tough! :)

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