Home Sweet Home

This past week has been an emotional roller coaster. I will wake up in the morning completely fine but have a mental breakdown by breakfast. It is an indescribable feeling knowing I have to leave two kids that won’t ever understand why I’m leaving them.

In the midst of one breakdown, Eoghan walks up to me looking totally confused ‘Wha wha what’s wrong? Where’s Taylor?’ I tell him that I’m just a little bit sad because I have to leave him and go back to America, but he of course doesn’t understand that. His quasi-ADD kicks in and he tells me to look at the cows out the window… ADD or he’s learned my distraction-when-crying technique! He was precious to say ‘I will never have another friend like Page.’ Way to make a girl’s heart melt.

On Tuesday Eoghan went to bed for the first time without his ‘doe doe’ (pacifier). As he had been promised, he woke up the next morning to find a present from the ‘doe doe fairy’ under ‘his’ tree out front. In his pride that morning, he also convinced himself that he had grown taller. What a night that must have been!

Wednesday night the Fordes invited their extended families down for a goodbye dinner. They went so far out of their way to make a massive amount of food and dessert. It was great being able to see everyone one last time together. I held it together pretty well until Eoghan and Gillian brought me out a birthday cake. Guess this will be one of those years Mom hates when we end up having about 18 different birthday parties! Towards the end of the party I gave Gillian and Kieran their thank you gift from me- a DVD of pictures and videos from the past year. I don’t think they had realized how much their children had grown in my time here until they saw the pictures. I still can’t really believe it myself.

Its been such a blessing to have been a part of their lives for the past eleven months. Watching the kids grow and learn new things is one of the most rewarding things I’ve ever done. I can’t take credit for any of their major accomplishments, but just being able to watch it has been payment enough. Saying goodnight to them last night for the last time was unbearable. Knowing that I won’t be able to see their next big landmarks is the hardest thing for me to accept—Katie forming full sentences, Eoghan going to his first day of playschool, Katie being able to ACTUALLY jump, Eoghan writing his name on his own… I could go on and on. I know they say you can’t ever really love someone elses kids and I would never claim to love them as much as their parents love them, but I feel like I’m pretty close.

Needless to say I’ve been a basketcase over the past two days. I don’t know if Eoghan really understands whats happening but mine and Taylor’s crying did set him off a few times yesterday. I just pray that it won’t be long before I make it back to Killavullen. Those two little monkeys may not remember much of our time together, but the impact they’ve had on my life makes it all worth it.

Obviously I am devastated leaving Ireland and the life I’ve lived for the past year. Who doesn’t hate change? But after such a good experience there, I can only imagine whats in store for me next. I have a lot to look forward to and even more to be thankful about.

Thanks for staying up to date with my life across the globe. I honestly could not have made it without the love and support I knew I had at home. From the care packages and letters to the emails and actual visitors, I never felt like I was far from the people I love. Wish I could add more Eoghan and Katie stories, but I guess it will be a little while before that can happen again! Thanks yall. All the best.

Galway Girls

Last weekend, Emily, Taylor, and I woke up early and headed off to Doolin to catch the ferry to the Aran Islands. Apparently Ridie Otey is notorious on the Aran Islands ferry for getting sick. This go-around Taylor Otey wins the getting sick prize, but she probably would have preferred to have been sea sick than have gotten strep throat! She was hesitant about leaving Killavullen at all, but was a trooper and stuck it out.

Coastal shot

Once we arrived in Inis Moor- the largest of the Aran Islands- we got off the ferry and found a place to silence our rumbling stomachs (literally). When we asked for tap water, the waiter told us Inis Moor is in the middle of a drought and is not able to get water, so we settled for soda instead. We had a very nice meal and then set off to tour the island in the sunny weather.

Renting bikes is a popular way to tour the island but we figured Taylor would faceplant if she tried getting on a bike, so we haggled with the van drivers instead and got our own private van tour of the island for the same price as renting a bike. In all honesty it was much better riding in the van. Even though the weather would have been perfect for biking, we wouldn’t have been able to ask a local questions about the economy, history, etc. of Inis Moor. Apparently numerous movies have been filmed on the island- including ‘The Matchmaker’ and ‘Leap Year’. The island operates mainly off tourism and a small bit of farming. And tourists there were! I don’t think I was even surrounded by so many Americans when I went back home for David’s graduation. Even ran into some Wahoos!

Em and I before walking to Dun Aengus Fort

A little leprechaun house

Our van driver said the number of stone walls on the island could stretch from Ireland to America

Cliffs on the edge of the island- outside Dun Aengus fort

Thatched cottage on the island

After grabbing some ice cream, we caught the 4 PM ferry back to Doolin. The weather was darkening at this stage so it was a ROUGH ride back. Although I was lucky not to have witnessed it, there were people getting sick all around us. I have never been on a boat with such big waves surrounding me. Luckily years of being on the water prepared my stomach well- Emily felt very nauseous afterwards, but Tay and I were ‘grand’.

The 'fix-er-upper' that I'm going to buy on the island..

At first the boat ride back was calm enough to put these two to sleep

We jumped in ‘Ruby’ (Emily’s red car) and headed onto Galway. At this stage Taylor’s strep was undiagnosed and feeling pretty miserable. We opted to splurge on a hotel room (thanks, Mom and Dad!) instead of stay the night in a 12 person hostel room. That way Taylor would be able to get a much better sleep.

…Tay didn’t end up sleeping at all because she was feeling so rotten… So Emily looked up the nearest doctors office and booked her an appointment. The doctor was a very nice Cork man so we talked about our love for County Cork- he claims that he and his wife are just ‘bringing civilization’ to the west coast. Inter-county rivalries are intriguing in Ireland! Anyway, he diagnosed Taylor as having strep throat and prescribed her some medicine.

After stopping at a pharmacy to get her some meds, we set off to drive around Connemara National Park (at Taylor’s orders). Tay and I had visited Connemara when they were over in December, but it looks completely different in the summer- equally incredible though.

All three of us were exhausted so we made the three and a half hour drive back to Emily’s house and made dinner. That night we were able to meet up with some Irish friends for one last night out at our favorite spot in Mallow. Knowing it was my last night there made it quite the emotional night, but at the same time it was the perfect way to end my time in Ireland. After all the tears I showed that night though I doubt they would invite me back!