I'm having a tough time putting this one down...

"... I was born for a very specific purpose. I wasn't the result of a cheap bottle of wine or a full moon or the heat of the moment. I was born because a scientist managed to hook up my mother's eggs and my father's sperm to create a specific combination of precious genetic material. In fact, when Jesse told me how babies get made and I, the great disbeliever, decided to ask my parents the truth, I got more than I bargained for. They sat me down and told me all the usual stuff, of course - but they also explained that they chose little embryonic me, specifically, because I could save my sister, Kate. 'We loved you even more,' my mother made sure to say, 'because we knew what exactly we were getting.' ... See unlike the rest of the free world, I didn't get here by accident. And if your parents have you for a reason, then that reason better exist. Because once it's gone, so are you."

The book is My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult and it is a story about a girl named Anna that has undergone surgeries all of her life to help her sister, Kate, fight leukemia. Now Kate's kidneys are failing and it is assumed that Anna will donate, so she sues her parents for the right to her own body.

I am only a hundred pages in to it, but it's a great read so far!

Ireland

I have posted a few pictures below from Ireland. The past week has been amazing. Ireland is a spectacular island full of beautiful scenery, wonderful people and a difficult history. I had no real understanding of it all until I saw it for myself. For our first two days we were in Northern Ireland, staying in both Belfast and Derry. We had guided tours of both cities, and tried to gain an understanding of the conflict felt in both areas. For the rest of the six days we toured the Republic of Ireland, staying in Galway, Annascaul and Killarney. The Republic has some pretty fabulous landscapes. The tour consisted mainly of Aussies and Kiwis, I was the only American on the bus. Most nights, we found 'the crack' including two pubs with kick-ass live music. One in Galway (cover band, but they put on a great show) and the second in Killarney (a rockin' Irish band that gave covers their own Irish twist and jammed-out on stage - they were great!). I drank Guiness like it was going out of season as well as enjoying a few Harps, Smithwicks (be careful how you pronounce it, they will correct you if you use the 'h'!), Belfast Ales, Car Bombs and many vodka/cranberry combinations. I am already trying to figure out when I can go back to Ireland, there's so much more I want to see and explore.

Blarney Castle Yes I hung upside-down and kissed the stone.

County Kerry and the Atlantic Ocean 

The Cliffs of Moher 

Derry

The Giant's Causeway 

Belfast - 'Peace' Wall with burn marks (green wall in background), Catholic Memorial (foreground - we were on the Catholic side of the wall) and the back of someone's house (notice the black protective fencing over their back garden). Can you imagine living here?