I am going to do a tirade here.
I have bronchitis and a sinus infection.
It is kinda humiliating.
I'm leaking, need I sat anymore?
Leaking from my eyes, nose, even my mouth. I won't go any further south than that out of decency, but the list goes on.
On top of everything else now I have leprosy. The kind that attacks your lips and causes massive amounts of cold sores. I didn't even get to kiss anyone to get these sores. I was cheated! Now, no one would kiss me anyways. Sigh. As my Grandpa Ramplin would say, "You can't even win for losing."
My doctor made me laugh (which was more like the beginning of a laugh with a hacking cough and some mucus at the end). During the exam he asked about my ears if I had any problems in relation to my current illness. I told him they feel kinda full and it is hard to hear sometimes then he started moving his mouth like he was talking and purposefully there was no sound coming out. You have to love a doctor with that great a bed side manner. His name is Ed and he is a P.A. I would recommend him to anyone at any time.
I'm on a plethora of medications. The cough syrup being the best of the bunch, but even the fun of that is wearing off. I'm done taking the horse pills (super-antibiotics). I'm starting the third week. I'm supposed to go back if I don't improve. I'm feeling improved. I am a step above, "Please kill me and get it over with."
Thanks for hearing me out.
I don't update my post enough - bad Shauna.
Monday, April 6, 2009
Saturday, February 14, 2009
Not My Last Day
I had a very important event scheduled at work on Friday, February 13th. An event we have worked on for months. I was excited to see our hard work come to fruition. I went to the salon Thursday night and had my hair cut and colored. I bought new clothes. I was going to look good. I set my alarm clock for the unholy hour of 5:15 AM- two hours ealier than any other day of the year. I had even scheduled a massage for that evening because I knew I was going to up and on my feet all day. A treat for work well done.
I woke up and played "alarm clock tag" for about 15-20 minutes, then dragged my rear end into the shower. Got out, put on my robe, put cream on my face, then dried and styled my hair. As I sat on the toilet (on the lid -not 'using it') brushing my hair when I heard the front door open. My first thought was that my Dad had gotten 30 miles on his way to work, had forgotten something, and had to drive home again to get it. I knew this was going to make him seriously late for work and my Dad is a super punctual person. He was going to be way ticked off at the way his day had started. However, when my Dad comes in the front door you can hear and feel the vibrations from his heavy footfalls, more like stomping. Then when he "closes" the front door it is really more a huge slam. I heard the door open but no stomping. I heard the front door close but no slam.
I knew I was not alone in my house.
I froze. Fear and terror froze me. Then something zinged through my mind. An article in Newsweek magazine that I just read on Wednesday this week was entitled, "What It Takes To Survive." The main quote was, "The blunt reality of survival is this: too many people perish when they shouldn't. They morph into marble instead of taking decisive action. The key is to recover quickly from brain lock or analysis paralysis, shake off the shock and figure out what to do." So, often those who froze died and those who did something - anything- survived. I took a second and asked myself, "What could I do to survive this?"
I assessed the small bathroom that I was currently in. As slowly and quietly as I thought I could, I reached over and turned the lock on the bathroom door handle. I was even trying to breath as quietly as possible and listen to the house creak and groan with someone's footfalls.
I examined my situation again. What if they meant me harm? Not just a thief, but something worse? What if they knew I was home alone? Intended that I be here alone? This is every woman's most dreaded nightmare. There is an interesting caveate to the events here. On this day I was awake and alert at a time when I would normally be asleep and I sleep like the dead. I would have been completely vulnerable and unaware.
After Elizabeth Smart (the Utah girl taken from her parents home - from her own bed) I vowed no one would ever get me out of my house. In my new circumstance, I vowed no one would get me out of my bathroom. I quickly, but quietly, pushed all of the bath towels onto the floor against the bottom crack in the door both to prevent my motion or sound from being detected and as another obstacle if the door is forced.
Then I heard the first step creak. I slid off of the toilet to the floor. Another step and then another up the stairs that person came. I sat with my back to the door, bent my legs, and planted my feet on the cabinets to the sink in front of me. If they wanted me I was not going to I was not going to go without a fight. Don't get me wrong, I was beside myself terrorized. I heard the footsteps in the upstairs hallway. Fear was immense and sitting in my stomach. I listened so quietly. In what feels like three lifetimes the steps stopped at the bathroom door. The door knob started to turn. I tightened all my muscles. I braced myself. The door wasn't forced further and the steps went down the hall away from the door, but not down the stairs.
I didn't realize it yet, but tears streamed down my face. Silent crying. The worst kind. Then something unexpected happened. The upstairs heat turned on. It was a curse in disguise. Yes, heat in the winter is good, but our heater is so loud in the tiny bathroom that it sounds like an airplane is landing. It covered any other sounds. I didn't know what else was going on outside the bathroom.
I stayed firmly in place. I have no idea how long I stayed in that position in front of the door. It felt like years. I stayed in the bathroom a long time. Hours. I know that sounds silly, but I did not want to open that door for anything but a familiar voice. I felt it all the way to my bones that the locked door kept me safe. I didn't want to be the cliche idiot who opens the door and gets hurt because they thought the coast was clear. In those few hours I did learn some things about myself though. At several points in my experience I contemplated that this was possibly my last day. I didn't want it to be my last day.
I have several friends and family who are less interested in beliefs in God. So, I decided to share the remainder of my story on my blog that is more a spiritual blog rather than just a "journaling" blog. To read about the rest of my story please go to my other blog: http://sacredmatterstome.blogspot.com/
I woke up and played "alarm clock tag" for about 15-20 minutes, then dragged my rear end into the shower. Got out, put on my robe, put cream on my face, then dried and styled my hair. As I sat on the toilet (on the lid -not 'using it') brushing my hair when I heard the front door open. My first thought was that my Dad had gotten 30 miles on his way to work, had forgotten something, and had to drive home again to get it. I knew this was going to make him seriously late for work and my Dad is a super punctual person. He was going to be way ticked off at the way his day had started. However, when my Dad comes in the front door you can hear and feel the vibrations from his heavy footfalls, more like stomping. Then when he "closes" the front door it is really more a huge slam. I heard the door open but no stomping. I heard the front door close but no slam.
I knew I was not alone in my house.
I froze. Fear and terror froze me. Then something zinged through my mind. An article in Newsweek magazine that I just read on Wednesday this week was entitled, "What It Takes To Survive." The main quote was, "The blunt reality of survival is this: too many people perish when they shouldn't. They morph into marble instead of taking decisive action. The key is to recover quickly from brain lock or analysis paralysis, shake off the shock and figure out what to do." So, often those who froze died and those who did something - anything- survived. I took a second and asked myself, "What could I do to survive this?"
I assessed the small bathroom that I was currently in. As slowly and quietly as I thought I could, I reached over and turned the lock on the bathroom door handle. I was even trying to breath as quietly as possible and listen to the house creak and groan with someone's footfalls.
I examined my situation again. What if they meant me harm? Not just a thief, but something worse? What if they knew I was home alone? Intended that I be here alone? This is every woman's most dreaded nightmare. There is an interesting caveate to the events here. On this day I was awake and alert at a time when I would normally be asleep and I sleep like the dead. I would have been completely vulnerable and unaware.
After Elizabeth Smart (the Utah girl taken from her parents home - from her own bed) I vowed no one would ever get me out of my house. In my new circumstance, I vowed no one would get me out of my bathroom. I quickly, but quietly, pushed all of the bath towels onto the floor against the bottom crack in the door both to prevent my motion or sound from being detected and as another obstacle if the door is forced.
Then I heard the first step creak. I slid off of the toilet to the floor. Another step and then another up the stairs that person came. I sat with my back to the door, bent my legs, and planted my feet on the cabinets to the sink in front of me. If they wanted me I was not going to I was not going to go without a fight. Don't get me wrong, I was beside myself terrorized. I heard the footsteps in the upstairs hallway. Fear was immense and sitting in my stomach. I listened so quietly. In what feels like three lifetimes the steps stopped at the bathroom door. The door knob started to turn. I tightened all my muscles. I braced myself. The door wasn't forced further and the steps went down the hall away from the door, but not down the stairs.
I didn't realize it yet, but tears streamed down my face. Silent crying. The worst kind. Then something unexpected happened. The upstairs heat turned on. It was a curse in disguise. Yes, heat in the winter is good, but our heater is so loud in the tiny bathroom that it sounds like an airplane is landing. It covered any other sounds. I didn't know what else was going on outside the bathroom.
I stayed firmly in place. I have no idea how long I stayed in that position in front of the door. It felt like years. I stayed in the bathroom a long time. Hours. I know that sounds silly, but I did not want to open that door for anything but a familiar voice. I felt it all the way to my bones that the locked door kept me safe. I didn't want to be the cliche idiot who opens the door and gets hurt because they thought the coast was clear. In those few hours I did learn some things about myself though. At several points in my experience I contemplated that this was possibly my last day. I didn't want it to be my last day.
I have several friends and family who are less interested in beliefs in God. So, I decided to share the remainder of my story on my blog that is more a spiritual blog rather than just a "journaling" blog. To read about the rest of my story please go to my other blog: http://sacredmatterstome.blogspot.com/
Thursday, October 2, 2008
Excellent Trip to Ocean City, MD
We had planned to go to Ocean City, Maryland (as opposed to the city of the same name in New Jersey) the weekend that my grandmother passed away. Luckily, the hotel worked with us and we were able to reschedule our trip to the weekend of September 26th. Unluckily September is Atlantic hurricane season and a storm was gathering out in the ocean slated to hit the East coast of Maryland the first evening we arrived. Tropical Storm Kyle - the 11th of such storms to hit thus far this season - was expected to cause winds as bad as 60 mph and severe rain.
Wednesday night as we packed and prepped for our Thursday afternoon departure, we talked about what activities we could enjoy indoors. We went to the library and checked out lots of books and magazines, and packed some pants and long sleeve shirts, and put the umbrella and coats in the car. We were ready! Basically, resigned to a fate of a weekend in the hotel. I made the comment that I would rather be bored in Ocean City (OC) than not bored in Taneytown.
As we made the 3.5 hour drive to Ocean City, the weather was overcast and a little drizzle here and there. When we got about 5 miles away we made a snack run at the local Wal-Mart. Dad also had to pick up some pants and shirts as he left his at home :-) When we got out of the car THE WIND HIT! The kind of wind you had to LEAN into to stay upright! We made our way to Ocean City in the wild wind.
We wanted to see what the ocean looked like under such extreme circumstances. It was unfeakingbelievable. The wind was whipping the sound with such force. The waves crashing against the beach were as loud as thunder. We have never seen or heard the like before. It was amazing and awe inspiring. It is a constant reminder that nature should always be respected as humans can do little to change it. It should keep us humble.
We checked in at the hotel, went out for dinner, and then went back to our room to relax the evening away. When we woke in the morning, there was a little bit of gray skies, but the temperature was significantly warmer than we expected. We all wore pants and long sleeve shirts to breakfast. We enjoyed a fantastic breakfast at Layton's Family Restaurant a staple in OC for many a decade. When we left Layton's and were walking along the boardwalk we were simply sweating in our overprotective garb. We agreed that the weather was conducive to a stint in bathing suits, sitting beside the crashing waves. And crash those waves did.
The undertow was significant. I had never felt such a stronf one as I waded into the water cautiously. Like I said, respect. I love the water and respect its power. I did not go any further in than about my knees. One wave and the undertow would sink my feet competely in sand. Plus, it was also extremely COLD. But we did enjoy the warmer than expected weather, the unexpected sun peeking through the clouds, the sights and sounds of the waves crashing along the shore, and the quiet. We were pleasantly and happily surprised by the way the weekend was turning out.
We spent time later in the weekend visiting Assateague Island National Seashore. It is located close to Ocean City and contains miles of pristine beach. More than 300 wild ponies wander the beaches, inland pine forest, and salt marshes. We were able to see several different ponies on our visit including a youngster with his mom and dad.
It was a lovely and surprisingly fun weekend. Not boring at all. Click here to find the photos from our trip http://picasaweb.google.com/shauna.bere/OceanWeekend2008?feat=directlink
Wednesday night as we packed and prepped for our Thursday afternoon departure, we talked about what activities we could enjoy indoors. We went to the library and checked out lots of books and magazines, and packed some pants and long sleeve shirts, and put the umbrella and coats in the car. We were ready! Basically, resigned to a fate of a weekend in the hotel. I made the comment that I would rather be bored in Ocean City (OC) than not bored in Taneytown.
As we made the 3.5 hour drive to Ocean City, the weather was overcast and a little drizzle here and there. When we got about 5 miles away we made a snack run at the local Wal-Mart. Dad also had to pick up some pants and shirts as he left his at home :-) When we got out of the car THE WIND HIT! The kind of wind you had to LEAN into to stay upright! We made our way to Ocean City in the wild wind.
We wanted to see what the ocean looked like under such extreme circumstances. It was unfeakingbelievable. The wind was whipping the sound with such force. The waves crashing against the beach were as loud as thunder. We have never seen or heard the like before. It was amazing and awe inspiring. It is a constant reminder that nature should always be respected as humans can do little to change it. It should keep us humble.
We checked in at the hotel, went out for dinner, and then went back to our room to relax the evening away. When we woke in the morning, there was a little bit of gray skies, but the temperature was significantly warmer than we expected. We all wore pants and long sleeve shirts to breakfast. We enjoyed a fantastic breakfast at Layton's Family Restaurant a staple in OC for many a decade. When we left Layton's and were walking along the boardwalk we were simply sweating in our overprotective garb. We agreed that the weather was conducive to a stint in bathing suits, sitting beside the crashing waves. And crash those waves did.
The undertow was significant. I had never felt such a stronf one as I waded into the water cautiously. Like I said, respect. I love the water and respect its power. I did not go any further in than about my knees. One wave and the undertow would sink my feet competely in sand. Plus, it was also extremely COLD. But we did enjoy the warmer than expected weather, the unexpected sun peeking through the clouds, the sights and sounds of the waves crashing along the shore, and the quiet. We were pleasantly and happily surprised by the way the weekend was turning out.
We spent time later in the weekend visiting Assateague Island National Seashore. It is located close to Ocean City and contains miles of pristine beach. More than 300 wild ponies wander the beaches, inland pine forest, and salt marshes. We were able to see several different ponies on our visit including a youngster with his mom and dad.
It was a lovely and surprisingly fun weekend. Not boring at all. Click here to find the photos from our trip http://picasaweb.google.com/shauna.bere/OceanWeekend2008?feat=directlink
Saturday, September 6, 2008
Grandma Bere Passed Away
Mom, Dad, and I were enjoying our annual ward (congregation) picnic on Labor Day this past Monday when my Dad got a phone call from my Grandpa Bere. He said that my Grandma Bere had fallen down and gotten hurt. We gathered everything up and rushed to Northwest Hospital in Randallstown, Maryland - about an hour drive from our house.
When we got there we met my Grandpa and he said that she had broken her ankle. My Dad and I went into her room to visit with her. The nurse explained that she had broken her ankle in two places and would need orthopaedic surgery to repair it. As the various general ER tests started coming back the emergency room nurses and doctors became increasingly concerned and freaked out about her oxygen levels and blood pressure. I was confused by this. She was diagnosed over two years ago with advanced stage COPD Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease. It is a lung disease in which the lungs are damaged, making it hard to breathe. In COPD, the airways—the tubes that carry air in and out of your lungs—are partly obstructed, making it difficult to get air in and out. Cigarette smoking is the most common cause of COPD. Most people with COPD are smokers or former smokers. My Grandmother Bere smoked 3 packs of cigarettes a day for over 50 years and up until the minute she broke her ankle. She refused to use her oxygen and nebulizer machines and the accompanying medications.
Later we found out that when she came into the ER and they had asked her if she had any other conditions she responded, "No, everything else is just fine." When the panic set in the nurse moved her to an ER room equipped for someone with her unique health concerns. Very quickly her other health concerns started to become the major problems. She became increasingly agitated and lost understanding of what was going on and why. Her blood pressure dropped to 60/40 which is deathly low. They were concerned that she had a blood clot and rushed her for an emergency CAT scan. While in radiology she coded - stopped breathing. At that point they bagged and intubated her. She was now on life support to keep her alive.
They moved her to the Intensive Care Unit. They felt very strongly that she would not pull through this. Each afternoon we would all go to visit her. At the 72 hour mark it is recommended that it be decided if the patient will be removed from life support or have a tracheotomy put in. My Grandma Bere did not have any type of advanced directives, living will, or power of attorney. We were having to make decisions without knowing exactly what she would want done. This is an emotionally grueling thing to do. A horrible burden to leave for your family. I suggest that anyone reading this take the time to make these arrangements regardless of your age! It was so painful to make these life or death decisions without knowing exactly what she would have wanted. Grandpa felt very strongly that she would not want to be living off of tubes and machines.
Grandpa asked that she be removed the life support on Thursday afternoon. We all gathered at the hospital. The nurses and doctors were so absolutely certain that she would pass away immediately. I will try to explain how bad her situation was. She was getting 75% of her oxygen from the machines. Technically, they do not attempt to wean patients off of a machine until that number is at 50 or less. We waited for them to remove the life support (a somewhat gruesome procedure) then they came and got us. A very uncommon thing happened. Actually, an unprecedented thing occurred. In less than 8 minutes from extubation Grandma Bere was smiling, laughing, and talking to us. She was happy and even chatty. She had a significant presence of mind. We do not think that she understood that she was dying and Dad and Grandpa were reluctant to ruin such nice moments with such sorrowful news. We spent about 90 minutes with her in this happy state. The nursing staff recommended that we all go get some rest as the week had been grueling and sapped our strength.
Friday we went back to the hospital and she was in the condition that everyone had expected the previous night. That span of time the night before was a special gift that no one can possibly have expected and we were very lucky to have had it. The staff at the hospital called us and asked that we come in to sign paperwork to move her from ICU to the Hospice. We went in and we stayed all day. Later in the afternoon my Mom had to leave for an appointment, Dad had gone to work, and Grandpa was home resting. I stayed with Grandma. I spoke to her. I told her how much I appreciate her son and the joy he has brought into my life. The way he has taken care of our family. That he is a strong and honorable man. I promised I would help Mom take care of him. I let her know that it was okay to relax and let go. That everything would be okay.
Around 5 PM I had the distinct feeling that my father and grandfather needed to get to the hospital. So, I called and left a voice mail for him on his cell phone. Apparently while I was leaving the voice mail he was on the phone with my Mom telling her that he had the strongest feeling that he needed to leave work and come to the hospital. When he hung up with my Mom he got my message. Dad went to pick up Grandpa. The social worker came into the room and told me that grandma was doing very badly. They were going to move Grandma, but they are so concerned that she would pass away when they moved her they decided to wait until Dad and Grandpa arrived.
They moved her and we all gathered in her new room. We waited several hours together. Grandpa got very tired. Dad went and drove Grandpa home. My Mom and I sat with Grandma. When Dad came back he told Mom and I that we needed to go home. That grandma was waiting for it to be just the two of them together like it always was. Sure enough, Mom and I left and less than 90 minutes later at 11:23 PM she passed away.
Dad and Grandpa are going to go on Sunday to make the arrangements at the funeral home. She will be buried at St. John's Cemetery in Ellicott City, Maryland. We knew with all of her health issues that she would get sick, but we did not expect it so soon and for it to happen so suddenly.
When we got there we met my Grandpa and he said that she had broken her ankle. My Dad and I went into her room to visit with her. The nurse explained that she had broken her ankle in two places and would need orthopaedic surgery to repair it. As the various general ER tests started coming back the emergency room nurses and doctors became increasingly concerned and freaked out about her oxygen levels and blood pressure. I was confused by this. She was diagnosed over two years ago with advanced stage COPD Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease. It is a lung disease in which the lungs are damaged, making it hard to breathe. In COPD, the airways—the tubes that carry air in and out of your lungs—are partly obstructed, making it difficult to get air in and out. Cigarette smoking is the most common cause of COPD. Most people with COPD are smokers or former smokers. My Grandmother Bere smoked 3 packs of cigarettes a day for over 50 years and up until the minute she broke her ankle. She refused to use her oxygen and nebulizer machines and the accompanying medications.
Later we found out that when she came into the ER and they had asked her if she had any other conditions she responded, "No, everything else is just fine." When the panic set in the nurse moved her to an ER room equipped for someone with her unique health concerns. Very quickly her other health concerns started to become the major problems. She became increasingly agitated and lost understanding of what was going on and why. Her blood pressure dropped to 60/40 which is deathly low. They were concerned that she had a blood clot and rushed her for an emergency CAT scan. While in radiology she coded - stopped breathing. At that point they bagged and intubated her. She was now on life support to keep her alive.
They moved her to the Intensive Care Unit. They felt very strongly that she would not pull through this. Each afternoon we would all go to visit her. At the 72 hour mark it is recommended that it be decided if the patient will be removed from life support or have a tracheotomy put in. My Grandma Bere did not have any type of advanced directives, living will, or power of attorney. We were having to make decisions without knowing exactly what she would want done. This is an emotionally grueling thing to do. A horrible burden to leave for your family. I suggest that anyone reading this take the time to make these arrangements regardless of your age! It was so painful to make these life or death decisions without knowing exactly what she would have wanted. Grandpa felt very strongly that she would not want to be living off of tubes and machines.
Grandpa asked that she be removed the life support on Thursday afternoon. We all gathered at the hospital. The nurses and doctors were so absolutely certain that she would pass away immediately. I will try to explain how bad her situation was. She was getting 75% of her oxygen from the machines. Technically, they do not attempt to wean patients off of a machine until that number is at 50 or less. We waited for them to remove the life support (a somewhat gruesome procedure) then they came and got us. A very uncommon thing happened. Actually, an unprecedented thing occurred. In less than 8 minutes from extubation Grandma Bere was smiling, laughing, and talking to us. She was happy and even chatty. She had a significant presence of mind. We do not think that she understood that she was dying and Dad and Grandpa were reluctant to ruin such nice moments with such sorrowful news. We spent about 90 minutes with her in this happy state. The nursing staff recommended that we all go get some rest as the week had been grueling and sapped our strength.
Friday we went back to the hospital and she was in the condition that everyone had expected the previous night. That span of time the night before was a special gift that no one can possibly have expected and we were very lucky to have had it. The staff at the hospital called us and asked that we come in to sign paperwork to move her from ICU to the Hospice. We went in and we stayed all day. Later in the afternoon my Mom had to leave for an appointment, Dad had gone to work, and Grandpa was home resting. I stayed with Grandma. I spoke to her. I told her how much I appreciate her son and the joy he has brought into my life. The way he has taken care of our family. That he is a strong and honorable man. I promised I would help Mom take care of him. I let her know that it was okay to relax and let go. That everything would be okay.
Around 5 PM I had the distinct feeling that my father and grandfather needed to get to the hospital. So, I called and left a voice mail for him on his cell phone. Apparently while I was leaving the voice mail he was on the phone with my Mom telling her that he had the strongest feeling that he needed to leave work and come to the hospital. When he hung up with my Mom he got my message. Dad went to pick up Grandpa. The social worker came into the room and told me that grandma was doing very badly. They were going to move Grandma, but they are so concerned that she would pass away when they moved her they decided to wait until Dad and Grandpa arrived.
They moved her and we all gathered in her new room. We waited several hours together. Grandpa got very tired. Dad went and drove Grandpa home. My Mom and I sat with Grandma. When Dad came back he told Mom and I that we needed to go home. That grandma was waiting for it to be just the two of them together like it always was. Sure enough, Mom and I left and less than 90 minutes later at 11:23 PM she passed away.
Dad and Grandpa are going to go on Sunday to make the arrangements at the funeral home. She will be buried at St. John's Cemetery in Ellicott City, Maryland. We knew with all of her health issues that she would get sick, but we did not expect it so soon and for it to happen so suddenly.
Saturday, August 30, 2008
Working Summer and Our Story
My apologies for not updating the blog recently. I wanted everyone to see the entry on Ireland. I have spent the majority of the Summer working both of my jobs at the hospital. I have my full-time job as the administrative assistant to the newly promoted Assistant Vice President of Support Services, Robert White.
On some evenings and Saturdays I am a patient care observer in the Emergency Room Psychiatric area. There are four rooms in the Emergency Department designed for people who come in with the express reason of mental illness, alcohol and drug abuse. These patients are a high risk population for hurting themselves and possibly others. For this reason, these designated rooms have video cameras in them. My job is to observe the patients and write down in their medical records what they are doing every 15 minutes and to alert the nurses and doctors of any issues that these patients may be having as the nurses and doctors are not able to be in all rooms at all times. Often times there are many interesting happenings. At the hospital behavioral issues are called "Code Green". I have a panic button for when patients become seriously problematic. When a patient's alcohol level is .53 (when the legal limit is .08) they do not always behave nicely. I looked up alcohol levels and anything over .40 can result in death. I have only had to push the button twice, and it was on the same guy. Our psych patients are usually females and our drug and alcohol patients male. So, just working the Summer away.
Recently, I have found several friends from my time out West that I have not been in contact with for years. The way that I have found them is through a site called Facebook. Many of my newly found friends have asked me about how I met Paul and we ended up engaged.
So, here is our story...
I spent some time on a website called LDSPals.com meeting other Latter-Day Saint singles. One day I found the profile of a man named Paul who was Irish and a professional photographer. Both intrigued me. One, because I am of Irish ancestry and my family is quite proud of it. Two, because I have a degree in Photography and love it. We shared email through the website for a few months, then exchanged personal email addresses. After almost a year of basic emails back and forth, I took the chance and in a quite pushy manner asked Paul more personal questions. Although a bit uncomfortable, Paul answered and I felt like we had gotten to another level in our communication. We started to exchange letters and gifts via the mail (or post as they say in Ireland). He sent me the loveliest gold earrings for Christmas. No man outside of my family had ever purchased something so lovely for me. It made me feel quite special.
We decided to speak to one another on the phone on New Year's Eve. Paul gave me his phone number and I agreed to be the one to call him. I attempted to call seven times. I always got a busy signal. I called the international operator five times and got the same results, "The lines are quite busy, call back another time." I frantically sent an email to Paul explaining what was wrong. I cried my eyes out I felt so bad thinking of him waiting beside the phone wondering if I had mislead him. My heart still hurts to think about it. After many attempts on my part to reach him, he decided to call me on January 1st. He called me and we talked for hours. It was amazing. I had a hard time understanding everything he was saying, but his accent was so attractive! I loved just listening to it.
We found out the myriads of things that we had in common. Our love of our faith. We both made a similar commitment to our religion by serving missions, a very important facet for me. Something that I felt strongly - no couple can be truly yoked without that same level of commitment to religion and faith. A person cannot serve an honorable mission without being forever changed for the good. I wanted, even needed, someone who would understand what I went through, how it affected me, and who would glory in the experience with me. It was the best thing I ever did in my life. I wanted someone who knew that and felt the same way about their experience. We share our love of our missions. We shared the same 'lost' feeling after returning home to 'real' life.
We share other things as well. A love of movies, music, literature, and art/art history. We are movie super-freaks. He loves different facets of movies than I do, but we can talk for hours about them too. He is easy with enjoying movies too. We are not cruel, demanding critics. We don't attend movies to change our lives, we attend for entertainment. I like the visual aspects, the language, the humor, the music. Paul loves the visual aspects too, but focuses on the technical pieces, the history of the movie maker, his talents. We both love the musical group U2. We agree completely that they are one of the best in the world hands down. Paul's knowledge of art and art history impresses and humbles me. I never thought I would find a man who knew and appreciated art in the way that I did. He could stand in an art gallery for hours. I never thought I would find someone who understood why a person would stop and take photos at the oddest moments.
I had never had a serious love relationship before and was terrified of relationships in general. We were speaking to each other upwards of 20-30 hours per week. Thus began a courtship by phone. I think that I may have never ventured into a relationship without this type of stage to become comfortable. My feelings were becoming quite strong. To my relief Paul expressed that he had similar feelings. By March we agreed that we needed to meet one another in person to see if there was any chemistry. You can talk to someone until you are blue in the face, but if you are not attracted to each other anything else would fizzle out. We made the arrangements for him to come to America so we could meet each other and find out.
Paul was worried about our age difference. He is 13 years older than I am. I told him that it didn't matter one whit to me. I told him that men are five years less mature than their age and women are five years more mature than their age, so we really had only three years age difference. I didn't want someone younger. I wanted someone exactly like Paul.
On May 18th I went to the airport to pick him up. I was so nervous I wanted to vomit. I was terrified to my bones. That I would be a disappointment or an ugly ogre that repulsed him. It obviously didn't turn out that way. He came through the security gate and I knew him immediately. We walked towards each other and just held one another. I didn't want to let him go. A cheesy saying, but true, it felt like I was home when I was in his arms. I never felt that way before.
His trip was slated to last three weeks. I took him everywhere. Baltimore, Washington D.C., New York City, Gettysburg, and Ocean City, MD. During our trip to the beach, I was not careful and did not notice when he did not put any sunblock on his legs. He got burned worse than anyone I had ever seen. Second degree burns, sun poisoning, and huge welts full of liquid. I had to take him to the hospital emergency room. He was not able to walk, so his trip was extended another two weeks. As he healed we had more time to spend together, reading, watching TV, and just hanging out together. At the end of the two weeks and it came time for him to leave we were both in tears and really freaked out. We extended his trip one more month. We were able to spend time going to more exciting locales. We enjoyed the King Tut exhibit on an all day jaunt to Philadelphia. Our relationship became more serious as the days passed. We went and bought an engagement ring of Emerald and diamonds. I chose Emerald because Ireland is the Emerald Isle and I wanted something that really represented both of us. On July 1st we went to the Baltimore Inner Harbor. Sitting on a wooden bench where the lights were sparkling on the water he asked me to marry him. It was quite magical. Here is a photo he took right after he asked me.
Paul's three week trip turned into a three month trip. It was amazing.
So, that is the beginning of our story.
On some evenings and Saturdays I am a patient care observer in the Emergency Room Psychiatric area. There are four rooms in the Emergency Department designed for people who come in with the express reason of mental illness, alcohol and drug abuse. These patients are a high risk population for hurting themselves and possibly others. For this reason, these designated rooms have video cameras in them. My job is to observe the patients and write down in their medical records what they are doing every 15 minutes and to alert the nurses and doctors of any issues that these patients may be having as the nurses and doctors are not able to be in all rooms at all times. Often times there are many interesting happenings. At the hospital behavioral issues are called "Code Green". I have a panic button for when patients become seriously problematic. When a patient's alcohol level is .53 (when the legal limit is .08) they do not always behave nicely. I looked up alcohol levels and anything over .40 can result in death. I have only had to push the button twice, and it was on the same guy. Our psych patients are usually females and our drug and alcohol patients male. So, just working the Summer away.
Recently, I have found several friends from my time out West that I have not been in contact with for years. The way that I have found them is through a site called Facebook. Many of my newly found friends have asked me about how I met Paul and we ended up engaged.
So, here is our story...
I spent some time on a website called LDSPals.com meeting other Latter-Day Saint singles. One day I found the profile of a man named Paul who was Irish and a professional photographer. Both intrigued me. One, because I am of Irish ancestry and my family is quite proud of it. Two, because I have a degree in Photography and love it. We shared email through the website for a few months, then exchanged personal email addresses. After almost a year of basic emails back and forth, I took the chance and in a quite pushy manner asked Paul more personal questions. Although a bit uncomfortable, Paul answered and I felt like we had gotten to another level in our communication. We started to exchange letters and gifts via the mail (or post as they say in Ireland). He sent me the loveliest gold earrings for Christmas. No man outside of my family had ever purchased something so lovely for me. It made me feel quite special.
We decided to speak to one another on the phone on New Year's Eve. Paul gave me his phone number and I agreed to be the one to call him. I attempted to call seven times. I always got a busy signal. I called the international operator five times and got the same results, "The lines are quite busy, call back another time." I frantically sent an email to Paul explaining what was wrong. I cried my eyes out I felt so bad thinking of him waiting beside the phone wondering if I had mislead him. My heart still hurts to think about it. After many attempts on my part to reach him, he decided to call me on January 1st. He called me and we talked for hours. It was amazing. I had a hard time understanding everything he was saying, but his accent was so attractive! I loved just listening to it.
We found out the myriads of things that we had in common. Our love of our faith. We both made a similar commitment to our religion by serving missions, a very important facet for me. Something that I felt strongly - no couple can be truly yoked without that same level of commitment to religion and faith. A person cannot serve an honorable mission without being forever changed for the good. I wanted, even needed, someone who would understand what I went through, how it affected me, and who would glory in the experience with me. It was the best thing I ever did in my life. I wanted someone who knew that and felt the same way about their experience. We share our love of our missions. We shared the same 'lost' feeling after returning home to 'real' life.
We share other things as well. A love of movies, music, literature, and art/art history. We are movie super-freaks. He loves different facets of movies than I do, but we can talk for hours about them too. He is easy with enjoying movies too. We are not cruel, demanding critics. We don't attend movies to change our lives, we attend for entertainment. I like the visual aspects, the language, the humor, the music. Paul loves the visual aspects too, but focuses on the technical pieces, the history of the movie maker, his talents. We both love the musical group U2. We agree completely that they are one of the best in the world hands down. Paul's knowledge of art and art history impresses and humbles me. I never thought I would find a man who knew and appreciated art in the way that I did. He could stand in an art gallery for hours. I never thought I would find someone who understood why a person would stop and take photos at the oddest moments.
I had never had a serious love relationship before and was terrified of relationships in general. We were speaking to each other upwards of 20-30 hours per week. Thus began a courtship by phone. I think that I may have never ventured into a relationship without this type of stage to become comfortable. My feelings were becoming quite strong. To my relief Paul expressed that he had similar feelings. By March we agreed that we needed to meet one another in person to see if there was any chemistry. You can talk to someone until you are blue in the face, but if you are not attracted to each other anything else would fizzle out. We made the arrangements for him to come to America so we could meet each other and find out.
Paul was worried about our age difference. He is 13 years older than I am. I told him that it didn't matter one whit to me. I told him that men are five years less mature than their age and women are five years more mature than their age, so we really had only three years age difference. I didn't want someone younger. I wanted someone exactly like Paul.
On May 18th I went to the airport to pick him up. I was so nervous I wanted to vomit. I was terrified to my bones. That I would be a disappointment or an ugly ogre that repulsed him. It obviously didn't turn out that way. He came through the security gate and I knew him immediately. We walked towards each other and just held one another. I didn't want to let him go. A cheesy saying, but true, it felt like I was home when I was in his arms. I never felt that way before.
His trip was slated to last three weeks. I took him everywhere. Baltimore, Washington D.C., New York City, Gettysburg, and Ocean City, MD. During our trip to the beach, I was not careful and did not notice when he did not put any sunblock on his legs. He got burned worse than anyone I had ever seen. Second degree burns, sun poisoning, and huge welts full of liquid. I had to take him to the hospital emergency room. He was not able to walk, so his trip was extended another two weeks. As he healed we had more time to spend together, reading, watching TV, and just hanging out together. At the end of the two weeks and it came time for him to leave we were both in tears and really freaked out. We extended his trip one more month. We were able to spend time going to more exciting locales. We enjoyed the King Tut exhibit on an all day jaunt to Philadelphia. Our relationship became more serious as the days passed. We went and bought an engagement ring of Emerald and diamonds. I chose Emerald because Ireland is the Emerald Isle and I wanted something that really represented both of us. On July 1st we went to the Baltimore Inner Harbor. Sitting on a wooden bench where the lights were sparkling on the water he asked me to marry him. It was quite magical. Here is a photo he took right after he asked me.
Paul's three week trip turned into a three month trip. It was amazing.
So, that is the beginning of our story.
Saturday, May 3, 2008
The Emerald Isle: All I dreamed of
This week I returned from my amazing visit to Ireland. I saw so many things, met my future in-laws, and spent valuable time with my fiancé Paul.
In light of my recent plane sickness episodes I met with my physician and he prescribed a motion sickness patch for behind my ear. It worked magically and I was especially grateful during the bumpy ride on a tin can with wings from Washington D.C. to Newark. The plane ride from Newark to Belfast, Northern Ireland was on a big comfy plane and turned out just fine. I took my evening medicines and drifted off to la-la land for the majority of the ride. It was lovely to come off of the plane, collect my luggage, and walk into my honey's arms. Sappy to say, I know, but absolutely true. We had been apart for exactly 8 months to the day!
Paul drove me to his sister's home in Coleraine and I crashed for several hours. Paul's sister Patricia was my hostess in Northern Ireland. I stayed in the guestroom at her lovely home. We went to the grocery store Tescos for snacks and food. While in Tescos I found a brand of cookies (they call them biscuits) called Maryland cookies. I never thought to go to Northern Ireland to find Maryland cookies. I even brought them back with me for everyone to try. Yep, they tasted like regular chocolate chip cookies.
That afternoon and evening Paul took me to Port Stewart Strand to enjoy the Irish wind and a dramatic sunset. There were many other photographers there taking advantage of this natural work of art. Port Stewart Strand is a sandy beach in Port Stewart, Northern Ireland and is situated on the northern coast of the island of Ireland. It consists of two miles of magnificent sandy beach facing the Atlantic Ocean. It was quite windy and chilly, but it was wonderful to be there with Paul.
Sunday morning we attended church at Paul's ward (congregation) of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Everyone was so kind and I enjoyed my time with them. It is one of our most important commonalities - our shared religion. And it is reassuring and amazing to note that the things that we did and learned every Sunday in Westminster, Maryland USA were happening in exactly the same in Colraine, Northern Ireland. We relaxed most of the rest of the day Sunday.
Paul took me to a park and gardens with the Phoenix Peace Fountain. It is a gift from the communities of the United States to the communities of Northern Ireland. The public display of The Phoenix Peace Fountain is a lasting reminder to the people of Northern Ireland of America's support in the Northern Ireland peace process. Metal from thousands of American firearms that had been court-ordered for meltdown was used in the recreation of the monument. This international gift from the communities of the United States to the 26 communities of Northern Ireland is permanently displayed in Coleraine that were a gift to Northern Ireland from the United Stated of America in honor of the peace accord ending what Irish call "The Troubles". The Troubles consisted of about thirty years of recurring acts of intense violence between elements of Northern Ireland's Nationalist community (principally Roman Catholic) and Unionist community (principally Protestant). The conflict was caused by the disputed status of Northern Ireland within the United Kingdom and the domination of the minority Nationalist community, and discrimination against them, by the Unionist majority. The United States and President Bill Clinton played a roll in the peace process that my fiancé Paul has stated made a difference. An excellent article that I found is at http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/northern_ireland/1065913.stm .
Monday we made our way to 'Southern Ireland'. Patricia's boyfriend Davie obtained a holiday home for us to enjoy for the week in the quaint town of Gweedore. The home was in a wonderful location practically on the coast. Gweedore (official name: Gaoth Dobhair) is an Irish-speaking district located on the Atlantic coast of County Donegal, Ireland. Gweedore is also the home of the northwest regional studios of the Irish language radio service Raidió na Gaeltachta, and it is officially the largest Irish-speaking parish in Ireland with a population of around 4,065. It sits in the shade of Donegal's tallest peak Mount Errigal.
Gweedore is renowned for its distinct physical features. Probably the most recognizable is Errigal, the tallest mountain in County Donegal, which overshadows the picturesque Dunlewey Lough. It is surrounded by the deep glens and misty lakes of the Poisoned Glen, and further on, Glenveagh national park and castle, the largest national park in Ireland. Another landmark is 'Bád Eddie' (Eddie's Boat), a shipwreck which has been situated on Magherclogher beach since the early 70s where it had run ashore due to rough seas. The Gweedore coastline consists of long sandy beaches and rugged cliffs. Also, off the Gweedore coastlines are many beautiful islands. There are a series of spectacular mountains, glens and bogs combined with the bracing weather to keep this part of the world relatively secluded.
As the photographs will illustrate - Paul and I enjoyed seeing all of this! It was a busy week! Each day we ventured out to see something magical. All of the things that my imagination had sewn together to create an idea of Ireland. Reading the street signs and hearing people speak in the Gaelic tongue (which the inhabitants of Ireland call the Irish language) was enlightening. At one point we thought we were a little lost and Paul in a panic asked what the next sign said. I replied, "Uhhh, bla-bla-gul-gul? I have no clue! It is all in Irish!"
We toured the nooks and crannies of the Bloody Foreland. It gets its name from the reddish tinge which the rocky coast takes on at sunset. The sea is then bathed in the same hue, and Tory Island, lying a few miles offshore, becomes a glowing dream island in the dusk. We happened upon Magheroarty (or Machaire Rabhartaigh) a village with a small port for fishing vessels and the Tory island ferry operates from the local pier. I took several photos of the clean blue waters. We also found Bunbeg (or An Bun Beag which means The Small River Mouth). It has a small port with one of Ireland's newest coast guard stations.
Every night we visited Teac Jack pub, restaurant, and hotel just down the street from our little holiday bungalow for our evening meal. They have a special called "Roast of the Day" which is characterized as traditional dishes. It included one of the home cooked meats like roast beef, chicken, or ham accompanied by some of the loveliest potatoes and vegetables the Irish can make. It was a generous amount of food for a very reasonable price. We had the same waitress each evening. The Northern Irish refer to excellent food as 'gorgeous'. Amazingly they have a website - http://www.teacjack.com. After dinner would go back to our place and watch DVDs. It is another of those important things that we have in common - a distinct love of the movies.
On our last sunny afternoon on Donegal's coast we were heading south and passed an intriguing sign for Leo's Tavern (or Tábhairne Leo) . This tavern is owned by Leo Brennan, the patriarch of Ireland's most successful musical family. The band Clannad was formed in 1972, and has since gone on to sell over 15 million records. Also there is the musician Enya, Enya Brennan (or Eithne Ní Bhraonáin). Enya first appeared on stage in Amharclann Ghaoth Dobhair as a member of Clannad, before going on to become one of the world's biggest-selling artists, with sales exceeding 70 million. To learn more and hear some of this great Irish music check out these two websites - http://www.clannad.ie/ and http://www.enya.com/ .
The drive back to Northern Ireland took us through the city of Letterkenny where Paul and I did some shopping using the last of our Euros. Letterkenny (Irish: Leitir Ceanainn) is the largest town in County Donegal. It has been said that the town's Main Street is one of the longest in Ireland. It takes its name from the Irish "Leitirceanainn" – meaning the "Hillside of the O'Cannons". Once back in Northern Ireland we rested for the remainder of the day.
My last day of sight-seeing was around the Coleraine area including a visit to Dunluce Castle and the Giant's Causeway. These two sights are just minutes from Paul's home. Dunluce Castle is one of the most extensive ruins of a medieval castle in Northern Ireland. It is located on the edge of basalt outcropping in County Antrim, Northern Ireland and is accessible via a bridge connecting it to the mainland. The castle is dramatically surrounded by terrifyingly steep drops on either side. It is in the townland of Dunluce, in the Coleraine Borough Council area. At one point, part of the kitchen next to the cliff face collapsed into the sea, after which the wife of the owner refused to live in the castle any longer. According to a legend, when the kitchen fell into the sea only a kitchen boy survived as he was sitting in the corner of the kitchen which did not collapse. Dunluce Castle served as the seat for the Earl of Antrim until the impoverishment of the MacDonnells in 1690, following the Battle of the Boyne. Since that time, the castle has deteriorated and parts were scavenged to serve as materials for nearby buildings.
After visiting Dunluce we went to the town of Bushmills for traditional Fish and Chips. One of the most interesting things about the variances between the U.S. and Ireland is the use of the English language. In Ireland 'chips' are a variation of french fries that Marylanders refer to often as steak fries. Not the long skinny kind, but the larger softer version. In Ireland crisps are the American equivalent of Potato Chips - they love Pringles. The town of Bushmills is known world over for its famous Irish whiskey distillery. After our dinner we made our way to the Giant's Causeway.
The Giant's Causeway (or Irish: Clochán na bhFómharach) is an area of about 40,000 interlocking basalt columns, the result of an ancient volcanic eruption. It is located on the northeast coast of Northern Ireland, about two miles north of the town of Bushmills. In a 2005 poll the Giant's Causeway was named as the fourth greatest natural wonder in the United Kingdom. The tops of the columns form stepping stones that lead from the cliff foot and disappear under the sea. Most of the columns are hexagonal, although there are also some with four, five, seven and eight sides. The tallest are about 36 ft high, and the solidified lava in the cliffs is 92 ft thick in places. It is the most popular tourist attraction in Northern Ireland.
When the news of the "discovery" of an amazing natural phenomenon broke on an unsuspecting world in 1693 it was by the presentation of a paper to the Royal Society from Sir Richard Bulkeley, a fellow of Trinity College, Dublin. The news caused quite a stir in 'the polite society' of the time and in 1697 a draughtsman was sent to make drawings of the Natural Curiosity on the North East tip of the island of Ireland.
What seems remarkable to us now, in the 21st century, is that there was much argument as to whether the Causeway had been created by men with picks and chisels, by nature, or by the efforts of a giant. In the 17th century nothing like it had been seen before. It was not until 1771 it was announced the origin of the causeway to be the result of volcanic action.
The dramatic cliff like edge of the plateau forms the Causeway coastline. The larger fissures, through which the lava flowed, can be clearly seen as bands of dark rock which cut down the cliff faces and jut out to sea. It is the middle basalts rocks which forms the columns of the Giants Causeway. The rapidly cooling lava contracted and variations in the cooling rate resulted in the world famous columnar structure. The columns are mainly hexagonal though there are some with up to eight sides. Weathering of the top of the lower basalts formed the Inter Basaltic Bed - the band of reddish rock which is a feature of the area.
The legend (as there always is in magical places) says that in Ireland, lived a gentle giant called Finn MacCool. At fifty two feet six inches, he was a relatively small giant, but across the sea in Scotland there was a rival giant called Benandonner. The two Giants hollered across the sea of Moyle, each demanding a trial of strength. This was agreed, and hospitable Finn offered to make the contest possible by building a rocky causeway between the two countries. Finn built a path across the sea from County Antrim to Benandonner's lair - Fingal's cave on the island of Staffa, but the work was so laborious that Finn fell asleep with exhaustion. Oonagh was Finn's wife, a giantess, she woke up early the next morning to find Finn sound asleep. Then she heard the sound of thunderous footsteps and saw the mighty Benandonner approaching. He was truly gigantic. Finn would be no match against this Scottish giant. Quick thinking Oonagh covered the sleeping Finn with a nightgown and bonnet. "Where's Finn?" bellowed Benandonner, "Where is the coward hiding?" He peered at the sleeping Finn. "Be quiet," Oonagh warned Benandonner, "or you'll waken the bairn!" Benandonner panicked. If the child was this big, how much bigger might Finn be? He did not stay to find out. He hastily retreated across the causeway, destroying it in his wake The "causeway" legend corresponds with geological history inasmuch as there are similar basalt formations (a part of the same ancient lava flow) at the site of Fingal's Cave on the isle of Staffa in Scotland.
We stayed for hours and watched the sun set there. To access the causeway one has to walk a ways down the cliff side. What goes down, must come up and the pain of the visit was making it back to the car. Towards the end Paul was practically dragging me up the cliff side, but it was worth the trip. We stopped back in Port Stewart to enjoy one of the famous local food places - the famous Morelli's ice-cream parlor. We enjoyed triple scoop waffle cones of true creamy, delicious, Italian ice cream.
We went to church again and then I spent the day getting to know his family. I had dinner with Paul's family and we sat and talked for hours. His family is wonderful and I got along with them wonderfully. In the end I took almost 500 photographs with both my Mom's digital and my own film cameras.
It was a teary good-bye at Belfast airport. I was trussed by security twice and then they accidentally put me in First Class. I never dreamed that the 'other half' flies in such luxury. A five course meal, a generous leather seat that practically turns into a bed with a real pillow and blankets, and a personal television screen with gratis movies, tv shows, music, and games. It was a nice way to end the trip.
My 2 web albums are at: http://picasaweb.google.com/shauna.bere/Ireland2008Trip and http://picasaweb.google.com/shauna.bere/UniquePhotosIreland2008
In light of my recent plane sickness episodes I met with my physician and he prescribed a motion sickness patch for behind my ear. It worked magically and I was especially grateful during the bumpy ride on a tin can with wings from Washington D.C. to Newark. The plane ride from Newark to Belfast, Northern Ireland was on a big comfy plane and turned out just fine. I took my evening medicines and drifted off to la-la land for the majority of the ride. It was lovely to come off of the plane, collect my luggage, and walk into my honey's arms. Sappy to say, I know, but absolutely true. We had been apart for exactly 8 months to the day!
Paul drove me to his sister's home in Coleraine and I crashed for several hours. Paul's sister Patricia was my hostess in Northern Ireland. I stayed in the guestroom at her lovely home. We went to the grocery store Tescos for snacks and food. While in Tescos I found a brand of cookies (they call them biscuits) called Maryland cookies. I never thought to go to Northern Ireland to find Maryland cookies. I even brought them back with me for everyone to try. Yep, they tasted like regular chocolate chip cookies.
That afternoon and evening Paul took me to Port Stewart Strand to enjoy the Irish wind and a dramatic sunset. There were many other photographers there taking advantage of this natural work of art. Port Stewart Strand is a sandy beach in Port Stewart, Northern Ireland and is situated on the northern coast of the island of Ireland. It consists of two miles of magnificent sandy beach facing the Atlantic Ocean. It was quite windy and chilly, but it was wonderful to be there with Paul.
Sunday morning we attended church at Paul's ward (congregation) of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Everyone was so kind and I enjoyed my time with them. It is one of our most important commonalities - our shared religion. And it is reassuring and amazing to note that the things that we did and learned every Sunday in Westminster, Maryland USA were happening in exactly the same in Colraine, Northern Ireland. We relaxed most of the rest of the day Sunday.
Paul took me to a park and gardens with the Phoenix Peace Fountain. It is a gift from the communities of the United States to the communities of Northern Ireland. The public display of The Phoenix Peace Fountain is a lasting reminder to the people of Northern Ireland of America's support in the Northern Ireland peace process. Metal from thousands of American firearms that had been court-ordered for meltdown was used in the recreation of the monument. This international gift from the communities of the United States to the 26 communities of Northern Ireland is permanently displayed in Coleraine that were a gift to Northern Ireland from the United Stated of America in honor of the peace accord ending what Irish call "The Troubles". The Troubles consisted of about thirty years of recurring acts of intense violence between elements of Northern Ireland's Nationalist community (principally Roman Catholic) and Unionist community (principally Protestant). The conflict was caused by the disputed status of Northern Ireland within the United Kingdom and the domination of the minority Nationalist community, and discrimination against them, by the Unionist majority. The United States and President Bill Clinton played a roll in the peace process that my fiancé Paul has stated made a difference. An excellent article that I found is at http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/northern_ireland/1065913.stm .
Monday we made our way to 'Southern Ireland'. Patricia's boyfriend Davie obtained a holiday home for us to enjoy for the week in the quaint town of Gweedore. The home was in a wonderful location practically on the coast. Gweedore (official name: Gaoth Dobhair) is an Irish-speaking district located on the Atlantic coast of County Donegal, Ireland. Gweedore is also the home of the northwest regional studios of the Irish language radio service Raidió na Gaeltachta, and it is officially the largest Irish-speaking parish in Ireland with a population of around 4,065. It sits in the shade of Donegal's tallest peak Mount Errigal.
Gweedore is renowned for its distinct physical features. Probably the most recognizable is Errigal, the tallest mountain in County Donegal, which overshadows the picturesque Dunlewey Lough. It is surrounded by the deep glens and misty lakes of the Poisoned Glen, and further on, Glenveagh national park and castle, the largest national park in Ireland. Another landmark is 'Bád Eddie' (Eddie's Boat), a shipwreck which has been situated on Magherclogher beach since the early 70s where it had run ashore due to rough seas. The Gweedore coastline consists of long sandy beaches and rugged cliffs. Also, off the Gweedore coastlines are many beautiful islands. There are a series of spectacular mountains, glens and bogs combined with the bracing weather to keep this part of the world relatively secluded.
As the photographs will illustrate - Paul and I enjoyed seeing all of this! It was a busy week! Each day we ventured out to see something magical. All of the things that my imagination had sewn together to create an idea of Ireland. Reading the street signs and hearing people speak in the Gaelic tongue (which the inhabitants of Ireland call the Irish language) was enlightening. At one point we thought we were a little lost and Paul in a panic asked what the next sign said. I replied, "Uhhh, bla-bla-gul-gul? I have no clue! It is all in Irish!"
We toured the nooks and crannies of the Bloody Foreland. It gets its name from the reddish tinge which the rocky coast takes on at sunset. The sea is then bathed in the same hue, and Tory Island, lying a few miles offshore, becomes a glowing dream island in the dusk. We happened upon Magheroarty (or Machaire Rabhartaigh) a village with a small port for fishing vessels and the Tory island ferry operates from the local pier. I took several photos of the clean blue waters. We also found Bunbeg (or An Bun Beag which means The Small River Mouth). It has a small port with one of Ireland's newest coast guard stations.
Every night we visited Teac Jack pub, restaurant, and hotel just down the street from our little holiday bungalow for our evening meal. They have a special called "Roast of the Day" which is characterized as traditional dishes. It included one of the home cooked meats like roast beef, chicken, or ham accompanied by some of the loveliest potatoes and vegetables the Irish can make. It was a generous amount of food for a very reasonable price. We had the same waitress each evening. The Northern Irish refer to excellent food as 'gorgeous'. Amazingly they have a website - http://www.teacjack.com. After dinner would go back to our place and watch DVDs. It is another of those important things that we have in common - a distinct love of the movies.
On our last sunny afternoon on Donegal's coast we were heading south and passed an intriguing sign for Leo's Tavern (or Tábhairne Leo) . This tavern is owned by Leo Brennan, the patriarch of Ireland's most successful musical family. The band Clannad was formed in 1972, and has since gone on to sell over 15 million records. Also there is the musician Enya, Enya Brennan (or Eithne Ní Bhraonáin). Enya first appeared on stage in Amharclann Ghaoth Dobhair as a member of Clannad, before going on to become one of the world's biggest-selling artists, with sales exceeding 70 million. To learn more and hear some of this great Irish music check out these two websites - http://www.clannad.ie/ and http://www.enya.com/ .
The drive back to Northern Ireland took us through the city of Letterkenny where Paul and I did some shopping using the last of our Euros. Letterkenny (Irish: Leitir Ceanainn) is the largest town in County Donegal. It has been said that the town's Main Street is one of the longest in Ireland. It takes its name from the Irish "Leitirceanainn" – meaning the "Hillside of the O'Cannons". Once back in Northern Ireland we rested for the remainder of the day.
My last day of sight-seeing was around the Coleraine area including a visit to Dunluce Castle and the Giant's Causeway. These two sights are just minutes from Paul's home. Dunluce Castle is one of the most extensive ruins of a medieval castle in Northern Ireland. It is located on the edge of basalt outcropping in County Antrim, Northern Ireland and is accessible via a bridge connecting it to the mainland. The castle is dramatically surrounded by terrifyingly steep drops on either side. It is in the townland of Dunluce, in the Coleraine Borough Council area. At one point, part of the kitchen next to the cliff face collapsed into the sea, after which the wife of the owner refused to live in the castle any longer. According to a legend, when the kitchen fell into the sea only a kitchen boy survived as he was sitting in the corner of the kitchen which did not collapse. Dunluce Castle served as the seat for the Earl of Antrim until the impoverishment of the MacDonnells in 1690, following the Battle of the Boyne. Since that time, the castle has deteriorated and parts were scavenged to serve as materials for nearby buildings.
After visiting Dunluce we went to the town of Bushmills for traditional Fish and Chips. One of the most interesting things about the variances between the U.S. and Ireland is the use of the English language. In Ireland 'chips' are a variation of french fries that Marylanders refer to often as steak fries. Not the long skinny kind, but the larger softer version. In Ireland crisps are the American equivalent of Potato Chips - they love Pringles. The town of Bushmills is known world over for its famous Irish whiskey distillery. After our dinner we made our way to the Giant's Causeway.
The Giant's Causeway (or Irish: Clochán na bhFómharach) is an area of about 40,000 interlocking basalt columns, the result of an ancient volcanic eruption. It is located on the northeast coast of Northern Ireland, about two miles north of the town of Bushmills. In a 2005 poll the Giant's Causeway was named as the fourth greatest natural wonder in the United Kingdom. The tops of the columns form stepping stones that lead from the cliff foot and disappear under the sea. Most of the columns are hexagonal, although there are also some with four, five, seven and eight sides. The tallest are about 36 ft high, and the solidified lava in the cliffs is 92 ft thick in places. It is the most popular tourist attraction in Northern Ireland.
When the news of the "discovery" of an amazing natural phenomenon broke on an unsuspecting world in 1693 it was by the presentation of a paper to the Royal Society from Sir Richard Bulkeley, a fellow of Trinity College, Dublin. The news caused quite a stir in 'the polite society' of the time and in 1697 a draughtsman was sent to make drawings of the Natural Curiosity on the North East tip of the island of Ireland.
What seems remarkable to us now, in the 21st century, is that there was much argument as to whether the Causeway had been created by men with picks and chisels, by nature, or by the efforts of a giant. In the 17th century nothing like it had been seen before. It was not until 1771 it was announced the origin of the causeway to be the result of volcanic action.
The dramatic cliff like edge of the plateau forms the Causeway coastline. The larger fissures, through which the lava flowed, can be clearly seen as bands of dark rock which cut down the cliff faces and jut out to sea. It is the middle basalts rocks which forms the columns of the Giants Causeway. The rapidly cooling lava contracted and variations in the cooling rate resulted in the world famous columnar structure. The columns are mainly hexagonal though there are some with up to eight sides. Weathering of the top of the lower basalts formed the Inter Basaltic Bed - the band of reddish rock which is a feature of the area.
The legend (as there always is in magical places) says that in Ireland, lived a gentle giant called Finn MacCool. At fifty two feet six inches, he was a relatively small giant, but across the sea in Scotland there was a rival giant called Benandonner. The two Giants hollered across the sea of Moyle, each demanding a trial of strength. This was agreed, and hospitable Finn offered to make the contest possible by building a rocky causeway between the two countries. Finn built a path across the sea from County Antrim to Benandonner's lair - Fingal's cave on the island of Staffa, but the work was so laborious that Finn fell asleep with exhaustion. Oonagh was Finn's wife, a giantess, she woke up early the next morning to find Finn sound asleep. Then she heard the sound of thunderous footsteps and saw the mighty Benandonner approaching. He was truly gigantic. Finn would be no match against this Scottish giant. Quick thinking Oonagh covered the sleeping Finn with a nightgown and bonnet. "Where's Finn?" bellowed Benandonner, "Where is the coward hiding?" He peered at the sleeping Finn. "Be quiet," Oonagh warned Benandonner, "or you'll waken the bairn!" Benandonner panicked. If the child was this big, how much bigger might Finn be? He did not stay to find out. He hastily retreated across the causeway, destroying it in his wake The "causeway" legend corresponds with geological history inasmuch as there are similar basalt formations (a part of the same ancient lava flow) at the site of Fingal's Cave on the isle of Staffa in Scotland.
We stayed for hours and watched the sun set there. To access the causeway one has to walk a ways down the cliff side. What goes down, must come up and the pain of the visit was making it back to the car. Towards the end Paul was practically dragging me up the cliff side, but it was worth the trip. We stopped back in Port Stewart to enjoy one of the famous local food places - the famous Morelli's ice-cream parlor. We enjoyed triple scoop waffle cones of true creamy, delicious, Italian ice cream.
We went to church again and then I spent the day getting to know his family. I had dinner with Paul's family and we sat and talked for hours. His family is wonderful and I got along with them wonderfully. In the end I took almost 500 photographs with both my Mom's digital and my own film cameras.
It was a teary good-bye at Belfast airport. I was trussed by security twice and then they accidentally put me in First Class. I never dreamed that the 'other half' flies in such luxury. A five course meal, a generous leather seat that practically turns into a bed with a real pillow and blankets, and a personal television screen with gratis movies, tv shows, music, and games. It was a nice way to end the trip.
My 2 web albums are at: http://picasaweb.google.com/shauna.bere/Ireland2008Trip and http://picasaweb.google.com/shauna.bere/UniquePhotosIreland2008
Friday, April 4, 2008
Countdown to Ireland
I am very excited that I am in the countdown to Ireland. Two weeks from today -come hell or high water as my grandmother used to say- I am going to Northern Ireland for ten days. I leave Friday, April 18, 2008 at 5 PM. Then I have a 3 hour lay-over in New York. I arrive in Belfast Saturday, April 19, 2008 at 9 AM. Both Paul and I are very excited to see one another. We have not seen one another in eight long months. A stressful eight months as he was so terribly sick that he almost died. He is still trying to adapt after being sick for so very long, but he is doing well considering everything.
I have left the plans of what is best to see up to Paul and surprise. I know that he is going to take me to see the Giant's Causeway. Paul lives on the northeast coast of Ireland. There are several lovely beaches he is excited to show to me. Not beaches where one would relax in the warm, blue water, but beaches to walk along holding hands, trying not to get your feet wet because it is so cold. It looks lovely in the photos that I have seen though. Excellent photo ops.
I will most certainly return and report my varied travels and experiences. I hope maybe to send out a blog from my trip too. I have included a preview photo here of Dunluce Castle in Northern Ireland so that everyone can be sufficiently envious.
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