Happy St. Patrick's Day!

In honor of St. Patrick's Day, I am actually going to post the blog entry I wrote of our visit to Ireland. It is long, I know, but we had a lot of fun there!

When I was a little girl on trips to my Grandpa Hess’s house, I always knew we were getting close when my dad started speeding up. He did this because as we neared grandpa’s house, there was a small hill in the road that we called “Tickle Tummy Hill,” the kind of hill that if you went fast enough over it, it made your stomach drop a little, like a small roller coaster. Driving in Ireland, especially Northern Ireland, is like driving on a road made of Tickle Tummy Hills. This was enough to make Campbelle squeal in delight as we drove over a long stretch full of them, “I…LOVE…THIS…COUNTRY!!!!” Later Campbelle asked if we could live in Ireland. Her reasoning was based on two factors: 1) She finally learned what a roller coaster might feel like, and she wants to drive those roads everyday; 2) There are no earthquakes in Ireland. Earthquakes are one of a long list of things Campbelle fears, right there along with toilets, hairbrushes, and buttons. Number three on her list of reasons to live here would have to be the Whaley family.

The Whaleys—David, Karen, Joe (18), Oscar (14) who was away at a school retreat, Grace (10), and their dog Ziggy—live in Irvinestown, Northern Ireland and are the kind of relaxed, open people, who make you feel like part of the family as soon as you walk in their home. Their house used to be a shop; the previous owner sold fishing tackle and supplies and displayed them in the front window, and ran a photography studio in the back. It has been converted into a lovely home with one of the best ovens I have seen. It was an oil oven that ran off a drum and slow drip oil system. The basic idea of it is that it is always on. Although they say it can make things too hot in the summer, it kept things nice and cozy in the kitchen while we were there. We made crepes for them our second night with them, and finally learned the difference between their pudding and our pudding. Puddings here in general tend to refer to a sweet treat—cake, muffin, tarte, etc. We had fun discussions around the table comparing the processes of getting driver’s licenses, how our school systems differ, listening to David tell stories of living on Fair Isle island off the coast of Scotland, the history of Northern Ireland, and a thousand other things. When Steve asked Karen if she spoke Gaelic, she said, “Oh, no. We’re Protestant. We’re the invaders!” We introduced them to the game Wackee Six, and watched Grace transform from a sweet girl to a fierce competitor with a bit of a sailor’s tongue! She had us laughing! 

From Drop Box

Grace was so sweet with Campbelle, and by the time we left, Campbelle was in tears saying she wanted to live not just in Ireland, but in that house with the Whaley's.

Of course, it wouldn’t be a true Schill visit if we didn’t also spend a few hours every day driving in the car. We drove to Donegal and checked out the castle. Then Steve happened to see a picture of some nearby cliffs in one of the many guide books the Whaley’s loaned us, so we drove to check them out. They aren’t as touristy as The Cliffs of Moher (i.e. less protection in the way of guard rails), but the Slieve League Cliffs are probably at the top of our list of impressive sights we have seen on this trip. To be fair, we first got out a good ways before the official lookout point, which did have guard rails and such. Where we were was just a hilly mountain side and we were probably just following a sheep path (the sheep were even out grazing). Brinnan got a ridiculous picture with her feet on the edge of the cliff, which means she now needs to be kept on a leash at dangerous sights. I think she is developing a need for adrenaline rushes which this poor mother’s heart can’t handle!

The next day we drove to Londonderry (or Derry, depending on which side of "the Troubles" you are on). We enjoyed walking around the city wall, and catching a glimpse of some of the murals which are part of the city’s political culture. As Rick Steve’s described it in one of our many guidebooks, they “blur the line between art and propaganda.” From there we headed to the Giants Causeway, a natural formation of thousands of rock columns. As we started out on the path—not believing Aubree at first that there was a shuttle stop for a ride to the site, we thought it would be a nice short walk. Then we rounded the corner and realized that the walk was probably at least a mile, which was fine except I didn’t know if Campbelle would make it. She starts dramatically bending over, and splaying her feet and legs in odd angles, saying she is stuck and her legs are too tired at any hint of extended walking. Miraculously, though, when we said it was a race, she teamed up with Brinnan and ran the whole way without any problem. She has a pretty strong competitive streak and possible potential in running! We had fun climbing over the formations and watching the waves splash up against them, but it wasn’t until we got back and were looking around the gift shop that I realized that it was another mile up the path where some of the most spectacular sights were. By then it was pouring rain and would have taken too long to go back. Which reminds me—we have had the amazing experience of having it rain mostly while we are driving, then when we arrive at a site where we are getting out, it seems to stop for a while. Then, when we get back in the car, it will start raining again! Maybe some of the “luck o’ the Irish” has rubbed off on us!

We drove a little further up the road to the town of Ballintoy, where Steve’s great-great grandfather Isaac Wilson was from and looked around the cemetery to see if we could find his gravestone. We didn’t have any luck, but decided it was a beautiful place for a final resting place looking out over the ocean, and headed back. We accidentally got on a road that took us on an amazingly beautiful drive back through the Sperrin Mountains. We kept spotting what can only be described as the quintessential old Irish farmer, wearing an Irish cap and wool sweater with plaid shirt underneath, weathered face with silvery stubble, standing randomly on the side of the road or at a gate. It was all truly spectacular scenery. At the end of the day, I think we had all decided that the true luck of the Irish is just to live Ireland.

Evil Smarts/A Valentine Sterilization

I have smart kids. In the words of Mr. Monk (from the t.v. show Monk), this is a gift--and a curse. It has been helpful in school situations, but my girls are what I would describe as “evil smart.” The evil has come out at different times. Aubree and Campbelle are twins born 12 years apart, and their evil seems to have emerged at similar times—between the ages of 2-4 for Aubree, and starting at 2 for Campbelle and still going strong at age 5. Brinnan’s evil emerged as a teenager, so, as it is more current, I will have to keep it under wraps for another twenty years, but I do have stories to tell!

Campbelle’s latest manifestation has been in the form of choosing to not understand any response that isn’t what she wants to hear. Here is an example: I give her a drink of water at bedtime. One night she said, “I want something else to drink.” I said, “You don’t get anything else at bedtime.” She said, “I don’t understand what you mean.” I’m pretty sure she drove her friend Morgan into a rage doing this the other night. She has nearly driven me into a rage with it on several occasions. Variations on the phrase are, “That doesn’t make any sense,” or, “I don’t understand you,” or “I don’t know what you are talking about.”

I guess I can share one small incidence of Brinnan’s evil—she enjoys teasing Campbelle into a rage (which really isn’t that hard to do). Last night, Campbelle was complaining about wanting to be the boss and do whatever she wanted to do, and Brinnan looked at her and said, “Well, I get to do whatever I want.” Campbelle glared at her and said, “Uh-uh!!! You don’t get to write on the walls! Throw dishes on the floor and break them! Go potty on the floor!” Brinn was a little taken aback, and had to admit Campbelle was right. Score one for Campbelle!

In other news, I had a hysterectomy (plus ovaries removed) on Valentine’s Day. How romantic. It was especially special when I had to sign forms that showed I understood I was about to be sterilized. I spent two days the weekend before gathering supplies and then making a special Valentine’s dinner on Sunday—a meal Steve had been asking for for months. I was having the procedure on Valentine’s Day due to a combination of Steve’s being able to schedule three weeks being home, and the doctor’s schedule being surgeries on Tuesdays at that hospital. We had dinner on Sunday because I had to do a liquid diet on Monday.

Here's a picture of dessert: Chocolate Bavarian Cream and Brownie Bites, topped with a homemade truffle!

From Drop Box

After dinner, Steve said, “So, should I bring you flowers after your surgery?” Stupid question on many levels, but because he had to ask, I said no. Then he went on to say how he actually kind of liked buying flowers because it made him look so good! All the girls would smile at him and think how sweet he was. On our way to the hospital, he said he would get me a really good present to make up for me having to do this on Valentine’s Day (mostly because his co-workers were giving him a hard time about it), and I thought, "Great!" and started imagining a Kindle Fire to watch shows on and read books while I recuperated. Guess what he got me!!! Flowers!! I think he still owes me big time now!

Here we are after surgery but just before some whole body swelling set in:

From Drop Box

In the meantime, I have learned that removing my parts has not interfered at all with my love affair with chocolate, and I have passed this love onto my children. We can go through a bag of chocolate chips or a pan of brownies with the greatest of ease and skill! Steve has begun suggesting that if I didn’t keep so much chocolate in the house, I might have an easier time losing the weight I’ve been complaining about. I just look at him and say, “I don’t understand what you are talking about. That doesn’t make any sense!”

Back to School Already?

I can't believe school has already started! I have so much to catch up on, because there is so much of this summer to remember! I didn't get even a third of our Most Excellent Adventure recorded--there is still Ireland, Paris and Grenoble in France, Switzerland (quote from Steve driving through the Alps: "It's so beautiful I'm going to pee my pants!", Italy, Austria, Germany, and Holland! That is a lot of adventure! Then there is the fact that we moved almost all our stuff to our new old house right before we moved and came home to boxes to unpack. Then left a couple of weeks later to Newport Beach, CA for the Schill Family Reunion. We also FINALLY had a Kangaroo Zoo birthday party for Campbelle, which she has been talking about having for over a year! She also convinced me to make the Dora birthday cake that is demonstrated on Nick Jr. and nickjr.com (curse them). I tried to talk her out of it, but it is also something she has been asking to do for forever. Things had been crazy and I was exhausted, but I reluctantly started. She joined in the decorating and the level of her bliss at finally getting this cake and knowing that her long-awaited party was the next day made it all worth it. And now, to top all of that off, we also have the first day of Kindergarten! I thought I would be all smiles--but it is actually a little bittersweet and I realized how glad I am that we don't have full-day Kindergarten here. Hopefully, though, those few hours she is gone will motivate me to get these memories recorded. Time goes so fast and so much happens--how does anyone keep up?!

Loch Ness

We had just one more day in Scotland, and couldn’t leave without going on a monster hunt at Loch Ness. It happened to be pouring rain, so when we got there, we opted for dinner while looking out at the lake rather than a hunt (walk around the lake). That’s when we got surprised by ordering a “kid’s meal” for Campbelle, and having it turn out to be the biggest meal on the table! I don’t think I’ve ever seen one bigger! We got too late of a start that morning to do much sightseeing other than that, but it seemed hard to find a place in Scotland that wasn’t picturesque or that didn’t make us want to come back to spend more time.

We headed for our hotel, where Campbelle insisted we turn on the t.v. She saw a show with some kids playing and wanted to watch it. It turned out to be a sobering documentary on children and poverty in the U.K. We all watched the whole thing and on that note, climbed into our beds. I think the hotel is when it really struck me how nice and personal couch surfing has been. Our hosts have been wonderful, and just being in a home is such a nice glimpse into a country. It made the hotel seem cramped and cold, but we were heading off to Ireland the next day for more adventures!

Leprechaun Land

Edinburgh

From Scotland

A few hours is not enough time to see Edinburgh, but we did our best. Hindsight always provides a little wisdom, and I think we could have done things a little better, but we had a fun time. Steve wanted to do a ghostwalk, because Edinburgh is “the most haunted city” in Scotland, or the U.K., or Europe (I can’t remember which one). Aubree isn’t very keen on creepy, and suggested she take Campbelle to the Museum of Childhood, which is what she was more interested in seeing. We were happy to accommodate her.

We walked Aubree and Campbelle to the museum and headed for our scary tour of the underground haunted vaults of the city. The tour started out with a description and demonstration of the public torture criminals would have endured in the 1600s. The two men in the group got to be the volunteer demonstratees, so Steve and a man named Mark got to be whipped, salted, and otherwise maimed. One was left unable to ever speak again, and the other unable to hear. The vile criminal act that had been committed was toasting the King, which at that time period, was treason to the present leadership. The one who toasted would be left unable to speak, and the one who heard the toast, unable to hear again.

From Scotland

So, the pleasant scene was set for us to go underground. The story is that the vaults seemed to be a fine setting for ghost walks, so the tours started with made up stories, but soon, patrons were reporting bizarre incidents and sightings/feelings while on the tours, and even turning in photos of strange images turning up in pictures. Other than enjoying the stories, though, our tour was pretty uneventful, although I saw the lady next to me studying a strange gray image that showed up in a picture she took. I hoped to hear if anything interesting turned up, but she left quite quickly after the tour. Another lady lost her balance on the uneven cobblestone floors during one story, and the guide was genuinely concerned as to whether she had been pushed. I guess that is a common incident with one of the ghosts. Apparently another ghost was a cobbler who tended to mess with peoples shoes—especially “trainers,” unusual shoes, or anything with Velcro, which he finds particularly fascinating. I should have worn my Five Fingers—unusual AND Velcro! He would have loved them!

From Scotland

We did a quick stop at Edinburgh Castle and then headed down the Royal Mile—the stretch of street between Edinburgh Castle and Holyrood Palace. Being the Harry Potter fans that we are, we couldn’t resist a visit to the Elephant House café, which now proudly proclaims itself as the “birthplace of Harry Potter.” It is the café that J.K. Rowling sat in while writing Harry Potter on napkins and scraps of paper while trying to get a cup of coffee to last as long as possible. It really was fun to sit in a booth looking out the window right at Edinburgh Castle, and imagining it to be the original inspiration for Hogwarts. The bathrooms seem to have become a bit of a shrine, with the doors to the stalls covered in notes to Rowling and quotes from the books.

From Scotland

From Scotland

From Scotland

From Scotland

From Scotland

That was pretty much the extent of what we were able to do, as most of the shops, museums, and sites close at 5:00 p.m. The sun did come out when we got to the café, so we enjoyed just walking around and seeing the buildings lit by the late afternoon sun, until it was time to catch our train back to Dunbar.

From Scotland

From Scotland

It was time to say goodbye to the Pilbeams. They were an amazing host family. Steve and I have commented to each other how everything was run like clockwork. Things were efficient and orderly, and extremely friendly-- something I have always aimed for, but never seem to achieve. The most amazing thing of all to me, is that when they told their children to get ready for bed, Rory and Roonyah actually did--every night we were there! I would love to know their secret. Many thanks to them for their kindness and amazing hospitality! We hope they will be able to visit us in the future.

Updates to Come!

With the limited amount of down time we have had, and most of that time spent visiting with host families, and what is left spent trying to fight over precious computer time with Steve and Brinnan, getting things updated seems to be a monumental task. I'm hoping to attempt it in the car tomorrow without getting sick. To sum up--we did get a quick tour of Edinburgh, drove to see LochNess and try to find the monster, flew to Ireland, drove up to Northern Ireland, drove all over Northern Ireland, then down to the Southeastern coast, now headed to the south and then back to Dublin to start the European portion of our tour. Details and pictures to follow, but we are alive and well!

Campbelle turns 5 in Scotland!!!

We spent most of a day driving to Scotland, where we are staying with the Pilbeam family. We took a few little sidetrips, checking out areas of Steve's ancestry, and arrived in Dunbar, Scotland around 7:30 p.m. Aubree and Campbelle both commented that they wished they could stay in Wales forever, but now I think they would say that about Scotland as well.

We arrived to a beautiful couscous salad and falafel dinner--I am starting to feel a little spoiled. Our beds (I should say at both houses) were all made up and every detail seemed thought of. If anything, I am learning how to be a better host.

The Pilbeams are a wonderful family--Ian, Anne, son Rory (13), and daughter Roonayh (11) are fun, kind, and gracious. They spent a year traveling around the world--just asked their kids one day what their top countries to see were, looked at the list, thought they would like to see them, too. Checked into a family around-the-world pass, and six weeks later, Ian had quit his job and they were on their way! Their house is full of amazing pictures from their adventures--it makes our life look tame.

Sunday morning was Campbelle's 5th birthday, and she woke to birthday banners and balloons downstairs with a present of markers, and a coloring book with stickers--exactly what she loves, and all thanks to the Pilbeams! I was so touched by their thoughtfulness. Campbelle has really wanted to see a castle, and it just worked out that the Alnwick (pronounced ann-ick) Castle was an hours drive away, and happens to be Hogwarts in the Harry Potter movies! Now that is something we can't pass up! We first attended church in a nearby ward, which was really fun, then headed home to change, grab a peanut butter sandwich, and head to the castle. Instead, we got home and found a cheese platter, a bowl of warmed bread slices, olives, tomatoes, cheesesticks, and crackers! Delicious! So after a small feast, we headed to the castle. Campbelle was initially scared by the dungeon and steep narrow stairwells in the castle, but by the end she was thoroughly satisfied with her castle visit. We returned "home" and had pizza and couscous salad (have I mentioned I feel spoiled?) and sang Happy Birthday to Campbelle and let her blow out candles on the cake we bought at the store. Yum!

I haven't mentioned that Brinnan has been sick this whole time. She had gotten sick about a week and a half before we left, but seemed to be on the mend. She wasn't. She has gotten pink eye, which is clearing up, but still has ear and throat problems, and has developed a bad cough. Steve has taken her to the doctor. We were going to be spending the day in Edinburgh, and probably still will (at least most of us), but will have a shorter day there. On the positive side, it allowed some time for me to finally get started on this blog. Think a good thought for her!