The Journey Ends

I started my journey home on Sunday and just arrived a few minutes ago. It was long and agonzing, but I made it!

When I got off the plane my darling sister and all five kids were waiting with a sign. I was so happy when I saw them that I cried.

These last few days have been filled with lots of planes, lots of money, lots of letters sent to Delta airlines asking them why they were such an impossible pain to deal with. Oh the good times!

The summer is over and tomorrow the fun begins again!

Boston

I wish I had a great story of adventure and intrigue to tell about my stay in Boston, but I'm so tired that I felt adventurous eating alone in the restaurant and finding the computers and reading about my new eHarmony matches. I had quite a few. Maybe the Lord was rewarding me for being a good girl on my trip! We'll see! :>

I'm most excited about sleeping in a big girl bed, taking a nice long shower.... and someday in the near future wearing something other than the clothes I have worn for the last three weeks!!!

If you didn't hear the fun news, my flight from Dublin was late so I missed my connection to SLC. Missing my SCL flight means I missed the chance to sleep in my own bed tonight! When the lady at the counter told me she couldn't book me a flight until tomorrow she asked if I wanted a 9 AM flight. I told her, "Heck no! If I have to stay over, at least let my last day of vacation being a day I can sleep in!" I'm staying at one of Brother Marriot's houses. So I leave here to fly to Atlanta at 12:15 and then on to Phoenix arriving at 5:05 to be picked up by my sister and wisked off to Someburros! Wa hoooo!

Last, but not least

This last blog is probably more for me than any of the others. I only have 8 minutes left on this computer and I am all out of Euros, so I will make this quick.

If you read my Facebook this morning I told about the perfect ending! This morning as I was on the shuttle from downtown Dublin to the airport the song, Gallaway Girl from the movie PS, I Love You (That takes place partly in Ireland) was blaring on the radio and the very attractive Irish bus driver was singing along. It was perfect irony!

What a night. I had a great dinner at a very Irish restaurant, did a little sight seeing around Dublin and ended the night by going to a really cool theater to see the movie, The Proposal. The theater was huge and had very comfortable seats. In true UK fashion I had to walk up four sets of stairs to get the actual theatre, but it was cool. When I came out it was raining so I had to practically run the mile back to my hostel.

The people across from me were quite loud and kept coming in and out all night, but thanks to my iPod and a little Chloe Agnew (An Irish singer) I slept pretty good.

The shuttle driver said, "You're sure cheerful this morning!" I told him I have been gone for a month and I am ready to go home!

What a month it has been! As crazy as this trip was at times I honestly don't think I have ever needed anything more. The healing and family time I experienced this past summer well made up for the craziness of this past six months. I would almost venture to say that this was the perfect summer. Spending time with Joyce's family helping her and then spending a week with my whole family at Aspen Grove was exactly what the doctor ordered! Plus being away and totally engrossed in another life for three weeks helped out as well.

Only 1 minute and 14 seconds left. I will go back and post pictures to go with each entry when I get home.

Good times!
I'm a little vaclempt (sp?) today as I get ready to leave

WOW!

Wow! It's been a whole week since I have been able to write. Let's see.

So, Tuesday we rented a car and drove from Aberdeen to Banchory. Banchory is the quintessential Scottish town. It was sooooo cute with cute European houses and a really fun main street that had some fun shops. The people were so friendly, too.

Our hotel was on the main street, which made it fun. So the questions of the day....what is the difference between a B&B and a hotel. I'm going to say the size of the bathroom and the times for breakfast. Our bathroom at the Burnett Arms (Best Western) was the same size as our whole room at our first hostel! I kid you not. I could have invited a few friends over for a dance! Why I didn't, I kick myself every day, but I could have! :>

We traveled around on very narrow roads and saw cute villages and castles. Wednesday night was the first night of the Burnett Family Gathering 2009. (Burnett is my grandmother's maiden name.) I would say that 99% of the people that came were from the United States. Sir James Burnett and his family were the hosts and for being as high up in status as they are, they were the kindest people I have ever met!

So Wednesday night we had a dinner in big tents on their front lawn. It was quite a house! We got there early and stood outside the tent talking to people as they would come. Within minutes my head started to itch horribly! I was mortified, because as nonchalant as I tried to be, I wanted to start going crazy scratching my scalp! I thought, oh no! I'm having some sort of a reaction to being outside! Then the woman next to me quietly asked me, does your scalp itch? It was these little bugs called, midges, that were attracted to our hairspray! It was crazy!!! Thank goodness as soon as we went into the tent for dinner it stopped! We had freshly shot pheasant and rice and a lovely chocolate pie for dessert. For entertainment they had a Scottish fiddle player who accompanied us while we sang a few ditties! It was fun and I met some really nice people.

Thursday was a tour of Crathes Castle, which is the castle that Sir James Barnett grew up in until he moved out to give the castle over the the Trust of Scotland. It was beautiful and the gardens that were adjoining were the most incredible things I have ever seen! Then we took a bus to a house that was lived in by some of our Burnett relatives. A family still lives there and they were very kind to show us around.

Friday was a bus tour of the town of Aberdeen. We had stayed there for a few days prior to coming to Banchory and had actually been to some of the places we visited. Again I met some really nice nice people. My new BFF is a woman named Terry Wood from Texas. She is 71 and was traveling with her aunt and cousin. She was a kick in the pants and we had a great time together the rest of the trip!

That night we went to a dinner and Scottish dance that was sooooooooooooo much fun! After we ate they moved the tables away and their was a great live Scottish band that played all sorts of fun music. The Scottish men would come around and ask you to dance and then the leader of the band would try to explain the steps. It was a hoot, but also confirmed that no matter that culture... this girl can't dance! But wow, was it fun!

Saturday we went to the Aboyne Highland Games. The weather was so cold and rainy but the games must go on! There wereplenty of bag pipe bands, (which in Scotland aren't nearly as annoying) and different events where they throw things! I wish I could be more educated and tell you what they were called, but I saw a few strong hotties that I wouldn't have minded taking home! I didn't see their teeth, though, so I'm not sure! :> Some of the different clans, ie The Burnett Clans, etc... had tents that had food and snacks in them that you could hang out in and eat to get out of the cold.

That afternoon after shopping at a great store across the street and buying two VERY cute skirts! I promise you all will love them! We got ready to go to Castle Fraser for a Mystery Theater dinner. It was SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO fun! The castle was amazing and we actually ate in one of the upper rooms. All the food we had for the reunion was First Class with beautiful presentation!

The people from the reunion were so great, so it was the perfect way to end this memorable trip!

This morning I boarded a plane from Aberdeen to Dublin and now I am sitting in an Internet Cafe typing my blog! I'm so cultured! Oh, and I checked back into Paddy's Palace Hostel. My aunt is a saint and booked me a private room with my own bathroom! Mind you it's on the 5 floor and the stairs are very very narrow, but I was very happy about it.

I fly tomorrow from Dublin to Boston, Boston to Salt Lake, Salt Lake to Phoenix and arrive home at 10:15 PM, never to board a plane again! My parents left town, (big surprise :>) so my sister is coming to pick me up. I can't wait to see my family!

Well, it's almost 6 and I am starving so off I will go to find food. I CAN'T WAIT TO GET HOME AND EAT DIFFERENT KINDS OF FOOD!

I must tell you that the girl next to me is talking on the phone through Skype about what she will order to eat the next time she goes the movies. Really, honey?!?! I know I'm back in Dublin because the F word is used more than the word 'the' and I smell smoke wherever I go!

TTFN!

Monday, Monday, la la, la la la

I think my heading came from a song by the Mamas and the Papas. But I digress....

It's Monday morning and I am back at the library using the internet for a minute. I am suppose to be on my way to the General Records Office to meet Aunt Joyce, so I will make this fast.

Yesterday we went to church. The people there were very nice. There was this short Middle Eastern looking man that just happened to by coming to Mesa of all places in the next few weeks. He really creeped me out! He would ask me a question and then after I answered him as nicely as I could, he would just stand there and stare at me all intense and creepy. I don't know if he was waiting for me to invite him to hang out or what... but I think I'll stick to my new match on eHarmony. His name is Jamie and he's from Ohio. He's 36, 6 feet tall and works in Insurance...I think. I'm sure we'll be married by Christmas, so be sure to save the date. (I'm kidding Mom and Dad.....we'll wait until at least Spring Break!)

In the morning we ate breakfast with our same friends from Saturday. Ryan, the teacher from Wisconsin, and Paul the Lounge Singer from Dublin. There was also another guy that showed up both days, but he was anti social so he doesn't count. It was fun to just sit around and shoot the bull for a little bit with friendly people. I won't be going to France anytime soon. Not lovin' the French these days!

After church we had the cab driver drop us off downtown so we could eat lunch. We ate at a Chinese Buffet. Those of you that know me know that I don't usually allow those two words to be said together in my presense, but it wasn't bad. After lunch we headed back to the B&B for a long day of relaxation. You gotta love those Sunday afternoon naps! (CF8)

I will have to share a funny thing I saw on Saturday night. First off, everything here in Scotland in the towns I have been so far closes at 5, minus a few pubs. So night light is almost non existant unless you're a big drinker...which I have considered taking up, but have refrained. I think I would hate to drink alone. But anyway.....

So, Saturday night we're walking along and I saw this fairly tough looking bloke walking towards us. He had on a black ski type hat. A black wife beater, a chain around his waiste holding his wallet and keys, black socks and black boots. BUT.... was he wearing black pants, you ask? No. That would be a black kilt! You don't ever want to mess with a man wearing a black kilt!!!! I laughed out loud, but refrained from taking a picture.

Tomorrow we rent a car and head to Banchory. That is the place where I will spend 5 nights in a hotel. I will surely let you know how a hote differs from a Hostel or a B&B. I can't believe that one week from today I will be on a plane coming home. I take that back....I can't believe that a week from today I will be on three different planes coming home. Uggghhhhh! Just the thought of that many hours on a plane makes me airsick!

Ok. I am late for the records office! There is a phrase I don't ever want to use again! TTFN!

Aberdeen, Scotland

Saturday is a fabulous day! It's the day before I go to church. Now for those of you who know me, you are saying, "What? Sharon is excited to go to church?" Yes my friends, I am. It will be familiar. Oh, how I miss the familiar.

We are now in town called Aberdeen, Scotland. We took a train to get here. I love the train system here! They are nice, clean, quiet and pretty reasonably priced. I much prefer them to the airports. You don't have to be there so early.

The B&B we are staying at is so cute and quaint. It's called, Merkland House. At breakfast this morning we sat with a guy from Madison, Wisconsin who is here touring around. It was nice to talk about things familiar.

I will have to say that I find Ireland a little more enchanting than Scotland, but Scotland is beautiful as well. The city we are in is big (for a Scotish city) but all the buildings are quite gray. We ate lunch in a Bar called, Five. The music was super annoying, but the food was good. I just had a lovely Tomato Soup. (That was for you, Missy.) Then we walked quite a ways until we found the library so we could use the internet.

I am so proud of myself. I can tell the difference between an Irish and a Scotish accent. Don't ever ask an Irish man if he's Scotish. NOT GOOD! Old feelings die hard I guess.

Aunt Joyce took a little spill last night when we were walking to find dinner. She hit hard. It was really horrible. Her face is quite swollen today, but she says she feels ok. After we leave here we are going to go back to the B&B and take a nap and relax. I'm reading the book, Three Cups of Tea, right now, so I don't mind the down time. Yesterday we were at a library in Arbroath and I picked up a sappy romance book to read to kill time. I got into it and now I am really wondering, Do Hillary and Ab get together in the end? Can they overcome the differences in their back grounds? Will she be able to use his kitchen to make the cake for her friend Kates wedding? It was a page turner. I won't lie to you!

Well, we are ready to go, so I must be off! I am hoping that on Tuesday when we head to Banchory to the Family Reunion they will have internet in the hotel. Yes, you read that correctly my friends....hotel. They may even have pay phones. It's a small town, so I'm not banking on it, but a girl can dream.

Arbroath, Scotland

Wow! I just looked and it has been since Tuesday that I have written.

So Wednesday we flew to Glasgow, Scotland. The funny thing was that it only took us 25 minutes to get there. We flew on RyanAir. It's that new airline that boasts of such low prices. Then the minute you get on everyone from the pilot to the attendants try to sell you things. You can buy anything from food and drink to phone cards and toys! It's pretty funny.

We hoped on a train from Glasgow and are now in a town called Arbroath. (Actually we leave today to go to Aberdeen for four days.) It is like stepping back in time 100 years. It's such a quaint town with old building and modern merchants. It's funny to see a 200 year (or so) old building that houses a Subway. We took a Taxi to our B&B and it was so cute. We were on the third floor so we had to haul our luggage up these narrow winding stairs that seemed to go on forever. But when we got to the top, WE HAD OUR OWN ROOMS! WE HAD OUR OWN CUTE BATHROOMS! WE DIDN'T HAVE TO WEAR SHOES IN THE SHOWER! I thought I had died and gone to heaven. Then I opened the curtains, and what to my wondering eyes should appear, but the most beautiful view of a 15th Century Abbey. It was amazing! But wait! There's more. Not only did I have a shower, and great views.... there in the corner hanging ever so delicately was.... a TV! Now, don't get too excited because their shows are not fabulous, but it was nice to just lay on my bed and watch crap. I opened my window to let in the cool breezes and I because we are literally a stones throw from the North Sea, I could hear cute little seagulls talking to each other. Oh, they were so cute..... until 11:00 when I was trying to sleep and they wouldn't SHUT UP! The next day I glared at them as I saw them flying by!

In the morning, did we have Bran Flakes and PB&J? Nay Nay! We sat down in a little dining room and were asked what we wanted. I told her I would like what the woman at the table next to me was having. At the time it looked like a lovely Scottish breakfast. I have now come to rename it, Heart Attack On A Plate! It was fried toast, a fried egg, some kind of sausage, a piece of ham size bacon, BEANS, a mushroom and tomato sauteed, and the address to the nearest Emergency Room. I was a good girl and ate the whole thing....but I was sick the rest of the morning.

From there we were able to take a bus to a town about 45 minutes away called Forfar. We were able to spend 5 hours or so looking up family records of our relatives from that area. We were able to look in record books and scan micofilm. (CF11)

It was cool to be able to ride a bus on the back roads and really see the people and the way they live. This was not your normal tourist route.

Well, the train to Aberdeen leaves soon, so I'm off! (Excuse any mistakes, I was on a time limit.)

What a day! We went back to the Records Library this morning because some how we misplaced the folder that had the geneology names that we'd found. Thank goodness we were able to quickly find which book we had retrieved them from, so it only took a few hours to redo. We then caught a bus to Londonderry, a historical town here in Northern Ireland. I find all the political unrest here so interesting. There was a lot of fighting that took place in Londonderry even up to recently. The bus ride was relaxing! I sat at the top of a double decker bus and looked out the window. The only problem was, it was pouring and the window was fogged up. But, due the fact that I'm brilliant, it only took me about 10 miles to remember that when the windows steam up, it's from the inside and you can wipe it off! (I have a college degree!)

I have learned to speak, Smile, Nod, and Laugh. It's an ancient form of communication! When the guy next to you says something in such a thick accent that you can't understand him and then laughs, you Smile, Nod, and Laugh. Everyone goes away feeling good about themselves. :> I'm quite good at it. It's also nice if you throw in a "Yes" while you're nodding for affect.

Tonight is my last night in a Hostel! I am soooooooo excited, I just can't hide it, I'm about to lose control and I.... sorry I got caught up in the lyrics. I have great hopes in taking a shower without....SHOES on! It's such a faint memory of the past that I can't even remember doing it. I will miss all the foreigners who don't speak English swearing very clearly. The teacher in me wants to say, "I don't think that word is a verb." Or better yet, "Use your words."

Did you know that if you want a towel, you must hire one. I hired a towel in my last hostel for 2 Euros. In this hostel I made friends with the head guy, so we didn't have to hire it. Due to the bad economy over here, there are To Let (For Rent) signs everywhere. If you look at that those signs quickly it looks like TOILET. I have walked around reading the word toilet since I got here.

Tomorrow we are off to Scotland. We will fly into Glasgow and then take a train to Edenborogh. My Aunt is not sure about the internet availability over there, so I'll just have to see.

Harry Potter or bust!

Today we were able to finish all the research we wanted to do at the Records Office. But not before having a lovely lunch in the Records Office cafeteria! You gotta love a government building that serves scones and tea and a lovely lunch each day.

After, Aunt Joyce wanted to go to Harry Potter. I actually enjoyed it. Anyone that knows me, knows what a huge Harry Potter reader I am! (Not!) Then we headed on over for a burger at the local TGI Friday! Diet Pepsi - WITH ICE!

Since we are finished doing research we are going to play tomorrow. I will tell you how it goes!

Only two more nights in this lovely place we have learned to call home. My head itches, my sheets are scary, and quite frankly I am starting to find anyone who is under the age of 30 from another country, ANNOYING! Aunt Joyce promises me that at our next stops we stay at B&B's and they even serve your breakfast on real plates! I'm so excited! Also, we will have our own bathroom. Not that I haven't enjoyed sharing a bathroom with my brothers and sisters from all over the world.

I wish you could all be here to smell the lovely... smoke wafting in from just outside the door. SHUT THE DAMN DOOR IF YOU'RE GOING TO SMOKE! (Sorry, you may need to edit that one for younger audiences.)

Amazing weather today! Keeping my fingers crossed it will continue!

Bathroom

Oh, and remember on Friday when I got here I said that I was thankful that our room was right next to the bathroom.... yeah. I don't care what country you're from, everyone sounds the same when they pee. I should know. (Do you think I should have Tshirts with that printed on it for the next Peace Summit?)

Sunday

I will have to say that though I was a wee bit unexcited about going to church today it turned out to be a nice experience. (I know mom, I need to be more positive! :>) We got there plenty early, go figure, so my Aunt was able to talk to the church Historian. He apparently gave her a few things to look for when doing our search in the Records Office.

When we walked in, Roy, the grounds keeper we had met a few days earlier greeted us and introduced us around. When people meet you they say, "You're very welcome." It threw me off at first because I kept thinking, but I didn't say thank you. It was cute.

The Pastor (I think he was a pastor) gave us a shout out from the Podium to start the meeting. "We understand we have two Americans in the audience today. Wow did they have to get up early to get the church on time. Go ahead and give us a wave so we know who you are." It was a good time. People were so friendly. I loved church, too! It was only 1 hour and 15 minutes and we got to stand up a lot and sing. The great thing is that if we didn't know the words we could just look up on the jumbo trans in the front of the church. That was probably a pain for our ancestors having to stand on a ladder and write and erase the words to each song as it came up. (Ha! Even in another country, I'm still funny!)

My dad always told me that in England if you don't like the weather, wait a minute and it will change. He wasn't kidding. We came out of church to a beautiful sunny day. The views of the green hillsides were breath taking and I was sad that I didn't have my camera. We have one little conversation and all of a sudden you can't see the hills, it's totally clouded over and it's starting to rain a cold wet rain! Needless to say I looked so lovely as we sat there waiting for our cab.

We went on a "Black Cab Tour" of Belfast. The driver took us to a few of the different sites where there has been a lot of political unrest between the Catholics and the Prodestants that has gone on for centuries. They even have a Peace Wall that divides the two groups. My aunt asked if the lines were enforced and the driver said, Not enforced....respected. About nine months ago they had a vote to see if the two sides wanted to take the wall down....they voted 60/40 to keep it up. Very interesting.

It's ten to 5 and we are home for the night. Only five hours to kill until bedtime. Hmmmmm what shall I do? I loved talking to my parents the other day! I am so jealous when I see everyone talking on their cell phones. Oh how I miss my little cell phone. In Dublin they have these World Link Call shops that you can go in and call anywhere in the world for a small price.... they don't have them here, and supposedly the only place to get calling cards is at the Post office. I'm keeping my eyes peeled.

I had better go rest up now. Maybe I'll just go lay down on one of the couches. I'll take a picture so you can all see why that isn't a good idea.

Hostel Life

I am starting to get Hostile about Hostels. So today I am going to share a bit I will call, YOU KNOW YOU'RE IN A HOSTEL IF...
You know you're living in a Hostel if everytime you enter a room you keep checking to make sure it's not you that smells.
...if the hair ball in the shower drain grosses you out more than it normally would, because you know it's not yours!
...if you would really enjoy washing your feet, but the shower is a 20 inch cubicle that barely gives you room to turn around.
...if the one plug in the room is on the opposite side of the room as the one mirror so you play a game I like to call, "What will my hair look like today."
...if there are no electric outlets in the bathrooms.
...if the thought of taking off your shoes even in your room makes your stomach turn.
...if you plan at least an hour to check your email because you know there will be a "cue" of people waiting to check their Facebook.
...if when you sit down on the lovely furniture in the common room you start to itch.
...if your favorite peanut butter and jelly sandwich loses it's charm after 5 days in a row.
...if even though you're not a germaphobe, after watching all the "kids" in the hostel do dishes, the thought of eating, let alone eating on a plate or drinking from a cup in the kitchen makes you squeemish.
...if NO SMOKING IN THE HOSTEL means you can stand just outside the doors while the wind blows the smoke in.
...and for that matter, if you're the only one who isn't smoking.
...the plaque on the wall that reads, Cleanliness Rating from the Northern Ireland Housing Inspector - GOOD, makes you wonder if the person checking had ties to Stevie Wonder.
...if your bed linens consist of a full size sheet that you fold over to make a top and a bottom sheet.

Ok, that is all for right now. I am sure I will think of others later. My head has been itching like crazy every since I started writing this. I sure hope it's all in my head... not on my head!

Read on for the happenings of today.

The Giant's Causeway

What a cool day today turned out to be. The tour we were suppose to get on had over booked, so we had to wait for another one from another company. Aunt Joyce wasn't all too happy, but it worked out just fine. We met a very nice couple from Chicago that ended up getting booted off too. She was a school teacher. Aunt Joyce was able to share with them all about our trip and the reason we are here. She even gave them a whole family history lesson while we were waiting for our bus. (Read between the lines, Dad.)

We went to two different castles, walked across a rope bridge that was VERY VERY VERY far off the Sea of Ireland, and then ended by going to the Giant's Causeway. Look up Giant's Causeway on the internet, that is the only way to understand what it is. It was cool.

The place that had the rope bridge... I can't remember the name, was amazing. There were sheer cliffs and the bluest water you have ever seen. The landscape here is the most beautiful thing you have ever seen. I keep taking pictures, but there is no way it will do it justice. We saw the coolest Scottish cows today. They are all black except for a large white stripe around their middle. I'd never seen that before! Tonight we walked all over Egypt looking for a laundry mat. Thank goodness we finally found one. Too bad it was closed! Good times. Tomorrow we are going back to the Presbatyrian Church for services that is in the same spot as my great great great great someone. We are also, hopefully, going to go on a thing called, "The Black Cab Tour." It takes you all over Belfast and talks about the political unrest. It sounds interesting.

7:45 on Friday night

Today we are in Belfast. We got up at 5:15 this morning so we could make a 7:35 train. The train was so quiet that as much as I tried to stay awake and enjoy the countryside, I was lulled into a deep sleep. That also may have had something to do with the fact that our Hostel window faced a very busy street with a lovely traffic light within arms length. So what does that have to do with me not sleeping, you ask? Well, in Dublin the street lights ding slowly when you can't cross and quickly when you can. Yes, that's right. Nine hours of dinging!

When we arrived in Belfast, we took a cab to our Hostel. This one is twice as big as my bathroom growing up, AND I don't have to sleep on the top bunk. It has a queen and a single. Hostel living is interesting and I am learning to adapt. Thankfully, the Toilet (they use that word everywhere) and shower are right outside our door. I'm hoping that's a plus.

We met the friendliest cab driver today. He talked our ears off and told some great stories. He was so thankful for our business because times are really slow here, too. He took us to the Presbatyrian Church that my great great great (I have no idea how great) went to.

We then took a cab to the Northern Ireland Records Office to do research. I am now the proud owner of a NIRO Records Office badge WITH my picture on it. Don't be jealous... the picture's not that good. We had fish and chips in the Records Office Cafeteria (not kidding, they have their own cafeteria) and then settled in for some serious baptismal and marriage record finding. Luckily, we were able to find a lot of information about the Ireland Camerons.

Tonight, after my nap we walked to the store and then went to KFC. Not the same, but a tasty treat none the less. Tomorrow we are going on a tour of the Causeway. It has to do with geology and land forms.... I've heard it's very cool! I'll let you know.

The Tour

This morning we had our breakfast in the communal kitchen. It was.... interesting. There are cupboards full of cheap dishes that you help yourself to, then you had a choice of toast with Nutella or jam, and Rice Krispies. I just had toast. We were the only English speakers in there at that time, so if was fun to listen to their conversations.

Wow! Today we went on an all day tour of the countryside. It was magnificent! Our tour guide, Paul was a great story teller so every place we went had a great story to hear. As we traveled through out of the city it was everything you see in the movies... plus way more. It is soooooo beautiful here. Cows, sheep, houses with colored doors, colorful flowers everywhere! I am sure my pictures won't do it justice. The houses that lined the road were gorgeous and each one of them had a different colored door, which I loved.

We had lunch in the most amazing Pub. It was voted best Pub food in Ireland. Wow, was it good! There was a French speaking couple from Switzerland that.... neeeded to get a room! Thankfully they were at the front of the van in full eye shot so I could watch them make out the whole day. Then, even better, they had a few beers for lunch... and there was no stopping them! Good times!

Last night, after taking a FOUR HOUR nap, we did laundry and then headed to a Pub near our Hostel. The food was great and the guy that served us was so nice! The hostel is still interesting. Due to the fact that we don't have a mirror in our room, I tried to put my make up on by memory this morning. It's a good thing I natually gorgeous! (JK)

We leave bright and early tomorrow morning to board a train for Belfast. Good times. We will be spending the next few days doing geneology at some record offices there. My Aunt Joyce promises me that the next Hostel we stay in is a lot nicer.

Dublin

Hey all. I am going to make this short because this computer is SLOW and there is a line.

We are staying in downtown Dublin and it is busier than New York City! It's crazy! The bus ride from the airport was an adventure. Our bus was huge and I just knew we were going to take out a few cars!

Did you know that Dr. Pepper doesn't taste the same in other countries? Sorry, Joyce. I won't be bringing you home any. If I had time I would download the picture of my dinner last night on the plane. It was awesome. If you ever have a chance or need to fly Aer Lingus, do it! A lovely chicken and sauteed vegetables, salad, roll, cheese and crackers, and a lovely cheese cake.

We went to Trinity College this morning for a tour. We saw the exibit that houses the Book of Kells. For those of you who are saying, "What is that?" No worries. I went on the tour and I'm still not totally sure. But our tour guide was funny and made it interesting.

We were picked up this morning by a HUGE green bus that said, Paddy Wagon on it. You have to love it. Who knew I would ever be picked up by a Paddy Wagon. The hostel we are staying in is an adventure. Our room is smaller than most bathrooms with a bunkbed in it. But.... when I took my nap this afternoon, it did the job! The shower on our floor doesn't work, so we have to share with the people on the floor above us. ONE SHOWER, TWO FLOORS.

It was cold this morning, but the sun finally came out, so it was nice. Mom! They have a 2 Euro store! We are going to go there later tonight for a good time. Too bad I don't have any room to bring back worthless things to share!

Ok, the guy behind me is tapping his foot. Tomorrow is an all day tour of the countryside. I am very excited to get out of the city and see the green! (Ignore any typos....I had to go fast!)

Boston

We flew into Boston last night and arrived at our hotel around 1 am. The crazy thing is that as we were walking through the terminal, since we were the last ones off the plane, (CF) the airport was a Ghost Town! It was kind of freaky. The only person we saw was the guy sweeping the floors and we walked for a long time to get to Ground Transportation!

The rooms in our hotel were numbered really weird, so Aunt Joyce and I wandered around the hotel, up and down stairs with our luggage (no elevators) trying to find our room for fifteen minutes! When we finally did, it was worth it. The hotel was....ok. The beds....FABULOUS!

I made the mistake of taking a Advil PM before bed. Really, Sharon! I didn't wake up until almost 10! I am sure that Aunt Joyce had been awake for hours. Our plane leaves here at 6 PM so we are just hanging out until we have to check out at noon.
Breakfast was interesting. Aunt Joyce had already eaten, so I ate alone. I was the only one in the cafe that spoke English....EXCEPT for these four old women that sat behind me convetzing about all the things wrong in the world. "I want bacon, I sure hope they have bacon. I need to have bacon today!" "There was nothing on TV this morning. All I wanted was a little entertainment!" "The weather is suppose to change by this weekend, I sure hope it doesn't." "I couldn't find Lincoln Park Zoo on my map last time I looked. I hope they didn't close it down!"

I sat eating my omlette with too much cheese (not good for me) thinking, please help me if I get old and act like that!

Well I'm off! I am so excited for my first flight across the ocean!

Aspen Grove Photos

Aspen Grove

Wow! Has this been the best week or not. Aspen Grove in Utah is AMAZING! I keep taking pictures everywhere I look, but I am sure when I get them home that won't do it justice. I have been having the best time. A whole week just hanging out with my brothers and sisters (and families) has been a hoot. Tuesday, Chuck and Erin convinced me to go on a little hike to Stuart Falls. SHUT UP! That was not a little hike! And to top it off we are at over 7,000 feet. Chuck was awesome and stayed behind with me. Kerry (Mr. Marathon) was the leader, and he didn't even break a sweat. No more hikes with him!
We all took a water color class together yesterday. That was pretty funny. Glen, who beats everyone in everything out painted us all. We Crandalls excel at things like water color, horse shoe, and Scrabble tournaments. We're not so much the athletic types.
The food is actually really good. (Sorry Kade, nothing to peak your interest yet!) It's quite the site to try to get all 33 of us fed and sitting together, especially with nine kids under the age of 5. Two of the days we wore our bright red Crandall Reunion shirts. You can spot us from a mile away. Oh, and kids can drink soda for every meal. Is this the greatest week of their lives or what!?
We have played ping pong, shuffle board, pool, horse shoe, basketball, paintball, swam... and that's just the adults! All the kids are in "groups" all day playing so we can have adult time.
I was cool Aunt Sharon before we came, but now that I have my own cabin and all the candy you can eat....I ROCK!
It's been a week to remember! Only three more days until I leave for Ireland....

For those of you that have children, I am sorry that your family vacations take to long to reach. In the past I could drive from Mesa to Salt Lake in under 12 hours. When you have five kids under the age of 9, it's a whole different story. Only one story. So we pull into Panguitch last night around 11 to the Color Country Motel (wahoo!) There in the parking lot of 20 Harleys! I turned to my dad and said, "Good choice, dad!" We shared our motel with 20 Norwegian bikers and a bus load of Jr. High baseball players! Good times.
Tomorrow the reunion begins!

July 2009

Thursday I leave for the longest trip of my short life, 34 days! I will be spending a little over a week with my family in Utah at Aspen Grove and then on to Ireland and Scotland with my Aunt Joyce! We fly out on the 13th and I return on the 3rd of August! Wow, is that a long time to be away from my life! I am so excited for the fun people I'll meet and the things I will experience!