Just Another Day

We enjoyed a full day of travel and exploring yesterday as we headed over to the opposite side of the country. I guess my body hasn’t completely accepted the Irish time zone, as I had a tough time sleeping the night before. This left me a wee bit tired for our train ride over to Galway.

We departed from Heuston station just after 7 a.m. I absolutely loved the green hillsides and all of the train stations along the way. The reminded me of a scene from Bed Knobs and Broom Sticks, though it’s been a hundred years since I’ve seen that movie – so I could be mixing it up. At any rate, they are very quaint little stone buildings… very busy though. Ireland has got transportation figured out, I think! People use the public transportation system heavily, and perhaps that’s a big part of why everything here feels so CLEAN!

Upon reaching Galway, we boarded a coach to the airport about 45 minutes away. Our plane took us to the biggest of the three Aran (pronounced like my name) Islands, Inis More (pronounced Inish More).

The island’s population is about 800, and Gaelic is the first language of it’s people. It is made up mostly of limestone rock… there are thousands of miles of stone walls built up all around the island. It is the work of thousands of years – generation after generation of hard work. These folks didn’t have electricity until 1972 when some generators were brought to the island. Later on they ran a power line in under the water. The roads are incredibly narrow, and I found myself cringing as our driver sped around every corner. The tour guides are pro’s, though – and friendly!

At the top of the island sits an old fort, Don Aonghas. Bill and I hiked up to the top to see this incredible structure. It was worth it! The cliffs drop straight down three hundred feet into the ocean, and the coastline is spectacular.

After our hike we stopped in at the local cafe for some of the best soup I’ve ever eaten served with brown bread. The food here has been interesting. Of course there is a McDonald’s around every corner – fighting Starbucks for the space, but we’ve got to some of the local spots, and here’s what I’ve come to conclude: Hotel restaurants seem to like to serve Asian cuisine only. Black and White Pudding is not what you’d expect, and it’s probably going to weird you out. The tea is good. Ketchup is weird. They don’t dip stuff here – a very sad realization for me.

ANYWAY – we had a fantastic day, and we even got a glance at a true Irish rainbow. I didn’t have a chance to look for the gold at it’s end, but I am expecting more rain, thus more rainbows, in the next few days.

We extended our time in Liffey Valley, and it was fantastic to sleep in this morning and visit the sauna, steam room, and hot tub. Bill booked us at a B&B in Cork for tomorrow and the next night, so we’ll jump on a bus heading in that direction tomorrow. After that we are thinking about heading to Killarney (because I’m such a Bing Crosby fan…) to camp.

I know these entries are a little lengthy – this is my journal. So, enjoy the pictures, read what you like, and let me know how you are! 🙂 Take a look at Bill’s Blog for his perspective and more pictures. Leave a comment and let him know you’ve been there!

Love from Ireland!

Ah, we made it. After a pretty easy 7 1/2 hour flight to Shannon, Ireland and then a quick air hop over the country to Dublin we began our first day abroad. Fortunately, it was quite easy to get through customs and out of the airport. Unfortunately, this meant our hotel room was four hours from being ready for us. We took the opportunity to ward off jet lag and hopped a bus to the city center. Dublin is a beautiful city, but it is definitely a CITY! We have spent a few hours on the buses now, and I am anxious to get out into the country to explore.

Staying awake yesterday was definitely a challenge. Neither Bill nor I slept much on the flight over, so we were both exhausted all day. When we were finally able to check into the hotel we took a nice little nap. Knowing that we wouldn’t sleep through the night if we slept too much during the afternoon, I convinced Bill to head over to the restaurant next door. We made it through the meal, but it was an early evening in the end. Happily, I think I’m fully adjusted to the time change.

This morning we took a little walk around the park just across from our hotel. It is true that there are a million shades of green over here… even in a city park. It was a beautiful morning.

We moved hotels today and are now staying in Liffey Valley. We’re in a very nice hotel and just a short walk from a shopping center. It just so happens that the center also had a nice movie theater, so we hit Spider Man 3. Yes, I know, we don’t have to be in Ireland to see movies – but we are just coming off of a stint in Unalakleet. So, movie theaters (anywhere) are much appreciated! 🙂

Tomorrow will be an early morning and a full day. We are heading out on a scenic rail and flight tour across the country. We’ll first rail over to Galway and then take a flight over the Aran Islands. I’m very much looking forward to the day – and will plan to post some wonderful pictures (and stories) of the tour.

Wish you were here with us!

Well, there it is folks. My backpack is packed and ready for eleven days of adventure! I’m a bit nervous about what I’ve packed… is there enough, will I be warm / cool / dry enough? I hope it will impress you to know that I’ve even got a sleeping bag and thermarest mat in my bag! We are considering camping a few of our nights in Ireland. I am anxious to see what we actually do set out and explore. We hope to keep the updated with new posts and pictures as we have internet access along the way.

Today was a beautiful sunny day. April, Kerrisa, and I took advantage and headed out to do a little shopping this afternoon. We found ourselves back at home not long after, and I decided to dive into (finally) unpacking my suitcases. I took the opportunity to sort out the clothes in my closet and even donate / throw quite a few. The moving process has continued to motivate me to let go of a lot of my unnecessary belongings. I love it!

We officially kicked off summer this evening with my first trip of the season to Moosebirds. I enjoyed a very tasty Caramel Collision ice cream cone and look forward to many more! 🙂 Trisha joined us and then ventured out to the house to visit a bit. Unfortunately we scared her off when we started Nacho Libre – ugh. Ape and I shut it off as well… it’s not one of my top 5!

I’ve had a fast few days at home. Mom picked me up at the Hibbing airport on Tuesday afternoon. She and I ran a few errands and then enjoyed a quick lunch. It was nice to have some time together on the ride out to Dad’s. When I did wind up there we took a nice little ride in the “Lief Erickson” (my family names everything with a motor – in this case, a small fishing boat). I love being out on the lake, and that was the first moment that I felt HOME. I had mixed emotions as I left Unalakleet for the last time, but the moment I got out on Vermilion everything felt right. I just can’t wait for Bill to get here!

I’m excited to know that I might have some new stamping buddies. My suitcase full of stampin’ up stuff was calling to me from our storage shed, so I roped April, Tawnya, and Kerissa into trying out card making. They did awesome! I am so happy to have friends that got me interested in and shared in the joy of this hobby the past couple of years.

Bill flew out of Unalakleet tonight. He’s enjoyed his job very much these past couple of years, and I am so happy that he’ll have such fantastic memories of the place. We will both miss the frequent get togethers and look forward to the next. If not before, then perhaps March of next year to cheer on our friend Rick as he runs his first Iditarod!!

As for you Midwestern folks – we’re looking forward to our time with you soon!!!

The fog set in right on top of Unalakleet yesterday, so we decided to ride out the road a ways to look for the sun. Just a couple of miles out of town it was a beautiful, clear day. We drove down one split in the road until we finally hit snow that we didn’t think our little 4-wheeler would make it through. Not ready to head back in, we decided to explore out another road. We ended up at the VOR station. In short, it’s a navigation station which allows airplanes to know where they are.

At any rate, it seemed so very out of place – it reminded me how truly unique fly-in only locations are. There’s this crazy mix of traditional and western culture combining (if not colliding) to form the present. I continue to wonder what life will be like out here in 50 years.

We headed down to Jason’s last night for a summer kick off. The teachers had a work day yesterday and are now officially on summer vacation. So, spirits were up. I was completely absorbed in the late night traffic jam at the airport… plane with broken wheel + plane with replacement parts = great entertainment.

I think that Bill and I will shuffle through our belongings one more time today and make a plan for his departure at the end of the week. I’m betting the skies will clear up and I will get to enjoy one last night of Unalakleet sunlight.

I got a traveling tip from a friend last weekend. She’s done a good bit of traveling on her own and along the way learned to look for the “Best of the Day”. Not only is it a good conversation piece, but it keeps you always looking for and acknowledging the great parts of your travels – day by day. I LOVE this idea and fully intend to use it on our upcoming trip. But why wait??? My BEST OF today was Bill referring someone to ME for a technology question. 🙂 Hands down, that is today’s moment (a bold call to make at only 2:15 in the afternoon). I am learning to embrace my geekhood; of course I owe it all to Bill!

It is a gorgeous day here – 37 degrees the last time I looked, but the wind isn’t near what it usually is, and the sun is cheering up my whole house.[image:187:l]

[image:186:l] Yesterday I emptied out our cupboards. We did fairly well as far as excess food goes. I’ve been trying my hardest not to go down to the AC and instead use what we have to create our dinners. Needless to say, we’re getting our fill of canned green beans.

I’m contemplating packing the remainder of my clothes and just living out of my suitcase these last few days. [image:185:l]

I think it’s more out of boredom and the fact that I don’t know what to do with myself these days than actually being ready to go. We’ve shipped almost all of our packages off. Bill will put together his “tech tub” and ship that last along with one final box of “random”.

I’m still having that “transition” feeling. I can’t shake the idea that I should be doing more…! I guess I just need to relax and enjoy it. I hope that your lives are moving into “summer mode” as well, and that happiness surrounds you!

It’s been a beautiful weekend, though a bit windy and cold. I guess all the sunshine we’ve got makes up for that! We continue to enjoy our extended days… the sun sees us to bed at night and greets us early in the morning. It’s wonderful!

The big sale is over – yahoo! I am not much of a sales person, so I’m quite happy to be done selling many of our belongings. We did pretty well, however we’ve still got STUFF to get rid of. I think we’ll box up the rest of our treasures and bring them to the church.

We’ve been enjoying Josh’s company over the recent days. It’s nice for Bill to have someone to side with him (I now lose ALL debates! 😉 ), and I get the updates on Stacie and the kids. With our house pretty much in shambles and a good buddy over here as often as we can convince him to come, it seems a little more like camp than it does a workplace. That’s been a feeling that’s followed me around over the past 3 years… that unshakeable campfire sing-a-long feeling! I’m convinced that they ought to do a season of The Real World up here – because that’s basically what it’s like. For many teachers, they arrive at their random apartment (believe me, there are some interesting places!), with their brand new roommate (wild card!), in a place where the only way out is by plane (provided the weather’s okay!). It’s a recipe for drama.

Would I do it all again – ?

The weather here was nothing to write home about today… especially after hearing from both April and Dad about the beautiful 85 degree day they were enjoying! I am really looking forward to those hot summer days of lying around the lake, jumping in, and then boating over to Moosebirds for an ice cream cone!

I’m in this funky “I don’t know what I should be doing” phase, as I to get rid of the last of our stuff. It seems there’s just a whole bunch of junk all over the place, but there’s no where to move it to. We’ve mailed a bunch of tubs / bags home to Minnesota – trying to beat the increased post office rates that go into effect on Monday! Ahhh, how sweet it will be to board the plane in under two weeks and have the moving done… for now.

 

Bill’s back pack came in today, and he’s got it packed for Ireland. He’s ready to go… I’m still wondering how I’m going to fit all of my shoes now that Bill’s requiring I pack a sleeping bag. 😉 We’ve got our first 3 nights and our last night booked in Dublin. The rest of our time will be spent pointing on the map and deciding where to go next.

Finally, dinner was pretty tasty tonight. Bill convinced me to put it in this post. (I’m already fighting the betty crocker comments from my family.) 🙂 At any rate, I’ve been told you don’t have to be a great cook… you just have to have a few dishes that you make well. I think I’ve perfected my pizza this past year. Tonight’s version included grilled chicken breast and tomato & basil chicken sausage with mozzarella & cheddar. I expect this recipe to be over used. 🙂

We’re trying our best to “be” in Unalakleet while were here. I mean this in the emotional sense… as it gets so easy to float out into the land of planning our futures and neglecting the 2 weeks left of our time here. Tonight we hopped on the four-wheeler and took a drive up the road. It was nice to get out in the fresh (cold!) air, feel the isolation, and hold on to that sense of adventure. As I wrote a friend this evening… Adventure will come in MANY forms over the next 70 years in our lives. I can’t wait!

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We plowed through some more of our organizing and packing this afternoon. I’m afraid my goal of shipping only five tubs is out the window, but I’m still impressed at how little we actually will be moving. I made my flyer of all of our appliances that we hope to sell and will hang it around town tomorrow. I’ve got high hopes of selling most of those items and holding a small moving sale next Saturday. There is plenty to do before then!

I am a geek by osmosis. Seriously, technological proficiency is a disease and can be quite contagious. Since Bill has Apple running through his veins, the illness worked its way into my system. This explains the new look to the very page you’re reading. (Thanks, all, for the kind words!)

Bill helped me get started, and I created and updated the header with the corner collage. I also wanted some cheery colors, so we jumped into the CODE for that. I can see how this stuff could be addicting, as I spent a good two hours playing around, replacing text I didn’t really understand with more text that I didn’t understand and watching it manipulate the page. I’m happy with the end product, and I hope that you will also enjoy the update! 🙂