Ireland 2013: Malahide

The Lewis Family with the exception of Shannon, who decided not to join us in favor of work, arrived in Ireland on the morning of July 5th 2013.  At that time the apartment (18 Adelaide Road, Dublin) was not ready for us.  So from the airport we took a bus that brought us to the coastal village of Malahide to kill time. On the bus we got to talk to an Irish woman who was wondering what we are going to see in Malahide.  She recommended other places for us to visit. She was nice and friend (like what they say about Irish people) but I was distracted by the view of the villages that we were passing by.

When we arrived  there we went to get some breakfast at a bagel place called itsa... It was a nice cozy place for tired travelers.

We visited the old and once-upon-a-time-grand Malahide Castle and its lush gardens.  The grounds are very well maintained and expansive.  By the time we were done with the tour of the castle and a self-guided stroll of the gardens we were truly ready to settle into our quarters.

This was the first day of our trip.

Summer Trip: Uncertain Beginning

Sometime in April we knew that Tim was scheduled to attend a conference in Ireland during the first week of July.  Since it coincided with summer break for the kids, we planned to tag-along and have a family vacation around it.  It was not till the early parts of May that I found out that my passport had two weeks before it expires.  We thought it wasn't so bad since I can always go to San Francisco and have it renewed on the same day.  So when I finally had the time to go to the Philippine Embassy, I found out that the process has changed.  All passport applications and renewals are all processed in the Philippines and that it would take eight weeks.  Now that took all my hopes away.  My passport was scheduled to arrive on the 28th of June - one week before we would have to leave for Ireland.  That would leave me no time for me to get my visa - a problem that I have to deal with being a non-US citizen.  So after filing my application I prayed that God would show me a miracle in this.  Even then I was not serious about making the plans.  Instead I kept myself busy working, keeping my garden organized (a little bit), and canning plums and grapes from our garden.  But Tim continued with the planning process, made accommodation and even airline tickets.  Then one day, I got a package in the mail!  I got my passport a week earlier than expected!  My visa application went in the mail and it was processed in two days - miraculously!

Twenty-two Years Today

Thank God for another year in our marriage!  Every year is different and unique - adding depth to our relationship with each passing year.   So far we are enjoying the simple life we live and the circumstance we are in.  May the Lord God continue to guide and bless Tim and I -along with our children - as we face the next two decades ahead of us.  May we find peace and contentment in God so that we can share with others what we already have.

Celebrating this year was different from those of the previous years. Upon my request, we did not travel.  Instead Tim and I spent two days (he took a day off) doing little fun things together (antique shopping, dining, jewelry shopping, talking, and admiring each other).  I liked it because it allowed us more time to focus on each other and think about our marriage.  Since Shannon was not here with us, we talked to her on the phone right before we had breakfast and it was a good thing because we got to pray with her on speaker.

Stanyan Park Hotel

Sitting room with Miriam under the blanket.

Here we are in San Francisco at the Stanyan Park Hotel which is very close to the Golden Gate Bridge. We have a suite which is like a big apartment.  It has two bedrooms (a queen bed in one and two twin beds in the other).  The living room is equipped with a hide-a-bed and very nice seating.  It has a separate dining room and a full kitchen area.  This is much bigger than the apartment we rented in London England few years ago or the one we stayed in Perth, Scotland. The hotel is a historic building and the furnishings and decor remind me of some old British homes as seen iides a lot of places to n movies such as those of Jane Austen - not the kind of Mr. Darcy's or Bingley's but that of the less opulent families.   The heating is old fashioned but they work perfectly.  The kitchen is furnished but there is not a dishwasher.  Who'd expect a dishwasher in an old house anyway?  We have two televisions, old fashioned telephones and WiFi.  There is no parking space directly adjacent to the building but there is a parking area across the street.  A little bit inconvenient especially that we came with an ice chest full of food.  And yet it is more economical than having to have valet parking where we would pay at least fifty dollars daily.  The place is very close to the Golden Gate Park where we strolled this morning.

Close to the hotel is a McDonald's restaurant where some homeless folks and hippies like to hang out.  It's nice to be in the city and see how the other people live. Being here reminds me that we live a very protected life in El Dorado Hills.

Special Day

Bay Bridge - January 25, 2013

So it happens that I now join the other side of life - senior citizenship.  I guess it is like passing through the Bay Bridge hicks town of El Dorado Hills to the modern and sophisticated city of San Francisco.  Right now I feel like I am on the bridge and excited to see the beautiful sky scrapers...and at the same time reflecting about the simplicity of the rural foothills where I just came from.  

Right now there is only gratitude and contentment in my heart.  God has been keeping me all these years - putting me in the right places and with the right people.  I know that He will hold me the same as I tread the next phase of this life - no doubt about that.

Well, Tim jokes about the fact that soon he will be able to go to restaurants with someone who gets discounts.  And I think I will soon change my shopping days to coincide with the days when the stores give discounts to senior citizens.  :)

So I spent this special day with my dear husband along with Brahms and Miriam.  Shannon may be away but she seems to be very close.  I got to talk to her earlier which is always a good thing.  The only regret that I have is that she was not able to share dinner with us - I know she loves falling-apart-pork ribs and very soft beef brisket (from Back Forty BBQ).  :(

Miriam's Drawings

Drawing 1.   Miriam's self portrait.  (Notice Lexy the bunny.)

One of the things that I always tell my children is to attempt to "produce" not just "consume".  Watching TV, movies, reading, and video games are all considered "consuming" activities because you are just using something that was produced by someone else.  It is not at all bad to consume but there should be a balance between that and being the one in charge.    Writing, drawing, planning, creating, analyzing a book or a movie, journaling, and cooking are examples of activities that produce. Producing is when you initiate something to happen - you are the boss.

Drawing 2.  The crow and the wizard.  (Notice the cattails in the background.)

Miriam has been "producing" these beautiful pictures.  She seems to have improved a lot since the last time she showed me her drawings.  She has been using the digital drawing tablet that was a handed down to her from Shannon.  I think that her big sister encouraged her to draw more

Shannon has been drawing for a long time and she has become very good at it.  I wished I also had collected her old drawings.  But I think she has a new blog where she posts her creations.    

There will be more of these drawings in the future...I'm glad that technology now allows me to store them digitally. :)

Suddenly...Doors!

Buying a door is like buying a car.  You never pay attention to the make of cars until you are shopping for one.  Since we started looking for a door-style, doors suddenly became the most interesting feature of any home that I see.  Tim and I have been walking around our neighborhood for our morning exercises for years and I hardly ever paid attention to the doors of homes around.

After looking at so many different brochures, I think we have decided on a door to replace our broken one.  We have a quote from Home Depot, but until the contractor comes to make the final measurements then our options remain open.  The door is single with two wings (I think that's what they call the vertical glass panels on each side of the door).  We are planning to  replace it with a double door without wings but I am vacillating between that and the former style.  With a double door, bringing in and out furniture and appliances will be a lot easier but I also like the light coming in through the glass panels on the wings of a single door.  One thing is final at this time - we are getting a wood door (with a glass) instead of a fiber glass door.

In the meantime, our insurance company already informed us of the check that they wrote for us.  Although it is not sufficient to cover all the replacement cost of what we lost, it is substantial enough that we can afford to upgrade without breaking the bank.  God is good!

Things are moving forward but we were told that the door we are going to purchase will still have to be shipped from Panama.

We are learning...