The Emerald Isle

We arrived at Belfast International Airport on the afternoon of Friday April 19. We departed from Belfast City Airport on the afternoon of Monday April 22. Two full days and two "bits" was not enough time, but I'm so grateful for what time I had. I look forward to, and plan to go back.

The flight from Leeds-Bradford to Belfast International was the shortest of our entire trip. It was a beautiful day and the flight was perfect. I sat between Caitlin and a business woman who I shared a friendly conversation with . Caitlin sat by the window and I leaned over frequently in anticipation of my first view of the land of my birth. Just as we reached our cruising altitude we began to descend. I couldn't stop looking now, knowing that at any moment I was going to see Ireland. Suddenly there it was. Beautiful. Green. The Emerald Isle.

This is me and my cousin Barbara in 1975... the last time we saw each other. And here we are nearly 38 years later. I had messaged Barbara shortly before the trip and asked her if she thought we would recognize each other at the airport or if I needed to send a photo. She said of course we would recognize each other. We did. Barbara and her husband Fred were very kind hosts to Caitlin and I for the entire weekend. Caitlin LOVES Barbara! She has a big soft spot in her heart dedicated just to her. 

After taking us to our B&B to check in and freshen up, Barbara and Fred took us to Carrick Fergus Castle and to dinner. You can barely see Belfast Lough (pronounced Lock) near the bottom right corner of the castle.

After dinner we went to visit my Mother's cousin Marilyn. This was an especially tender moment for me. You see, Marilyn remembers me as a little four-year-old girl (see the picture on my sidebar). As she greeted me with an outstretched hand and the words, "it's nice to meet you", I could see the emotion in her eyes. I felt very aware of the love she must have had for me when I was a child. I put my arms around her and said, "we have met before." 

I was also very excited to discover that Marilyn's younger brother Bill and his wife Mina were visiting from Canada. Mina's mother has passed away and her funeral was the next day. Now the reason I was so excited to meet Bill and Mina was because they live in Canada where Jeremy served his mission. Jeremy became acquainted with them during his mission and saw them again when he returned to visit Toronto a few years ago. The first thing they said to me was, "are you Jeremy's mom?" We enjoyed our evening visiting with them and some of Marilyn's children.

I've promised to write a post about a B&B where I stayed in England in 1997 (which I will when I finish writing about this trip), but on this trip Beechgrove Farm, where we stayed for 3 nights, was my favorite B&B. This is a beautiful view of Belfast Lough from my bedroom window. In fact, this picture doesn't even do it justice. Every time I looked out of my window and took in the full view of the length and breadth of the lough, I imagined what a sight it must have been to see the Titanic sail away from this very lough over 100 years ago. And since the B&B is much, much older than the Titanic, I also imagined that someone must have been standing at that very window more than 100 years ago watching that magnificent scene unfold.

I loved our cozy room, with the beautiful view of the lough from the window. Our room had a keyhole with an old-fashioned key which we had to use to open and close the door. The doorknob and keyhole were lower than the knobs on my doors at home... more than once I had to get down on my knees with key in hand, and peer into that keyhole to find the location of the mechanism to get that key to work.

I loved the breakfast room where we dined every morning. The same place settings were prepared for us each day. The white tea/coffee pot was filled with hot chocolate just for the two of us. It was delicious. Every evening, Mrs. Barron the elderly lady who owned the farm asked us what time we wanted our breakfast served the following morning. Usually it was just Caitlin and I, and sometimes one or two other guests who sat at a different table. On our last morning Caitlin didn't come down to breakfast, so I went alone and visited with a young couple from America who were road tripping through Ireland. I loved our stay at Beechgrove Farms.

Yorkshire Family

On our way home from Whitby we stopped at Castle Howard. Castle Howard is not a true castle, but is a stately home 15 miles north of York. This is where "Brideshead Revisted" was filmed. I have never seen that series but I was familiar with the title. The home and grounds were absolutely beautiful. There were very few people around which was a perk of going in the "off season"; we didn't have to deal with huge crowds (of course we hadn't been to London yet). The Howard family are not "titled", it is not the Duke and Duchess or the Earl and Countess...  just Mr. and Mrs. Howard. Many upper-class people open their homes to paying tourists. This is a good way to support the maintenance of the vast grounds and enormous houses. But... enough of Castle Howard and the Howard family... I want to write about my family.

This is my Uncle Derek's castle. Unlike the Howards, I am welcome at this castle anytime and at no charge. You may be surprised to know that there are seven residences within this one building. Derek and Dorothy live at one end of the house. As we approached the house Derek turned into a driveway that seemed to appear out of nowhere. It was a dirt drive that led right along the front of the homes and came out again at the end of the row. One way in... the other way out. The pictures show the back of the houses which face the road. Derek has a beautiful garden which he maintains himself. In England they use the word garden like we use the word yard. Don't you think garden is a lovely word? Much nicer than the word yard. Even the word lovely... is a lovely word. Fortunately for some of the other residents, Derek's garden allotment is larger than just the front of his house. As you can see by the photos, he maintains about half of the property. I mentioned to Uncle Derek that he could come visit us in America and I'd be happy to let him spend some time in my yard, I mean... my garden.
In the close-up picture you get a better view of Derek and Dorothy's house which is on the right. The chimney is the dividing point. The bay window is in the living room. It is actually quite large. At the back of the house is a small kitchen. The window above the bay is the master bedroom. Derek and Dorothy generously gave their room to me and Caitlin. They slept in the spare bedroom (you can see the window to that room and the bathroom in the photo above). The little lean-to-ish part of the house that you can see is where we enter. The entire home is spotlessly immaculate and so cozy. I was impressed that Dorothy dusts and vacuums every day and Derek cleans the church every other Thursday all by himself. The church is spotless as well. Even though they are retired and could sleep in as long as they wanted to, Derek and Dorothy are up and about their day by 6:00 every morning. Derek, who is a tease, renamed Caitlin. Instead of Caitlin Rose Leger, he now called her Caitlin Rose Eventually, as she was the last one up every morning. Dorothy has a small washing machine in the kitchen. When we returned from York on Tuesday Dorothy washed all of mine and Caitlin's dirty clothes. We hung them on a drying rack and when we returned from Whitby on Thursday they were ready to pack.

I love these stone walls that you often see lining the roads in England. That is a farm exactly across the street from Derek and Dorothy's. This is one of the cows that you see at that farm. Very different from the cows we see in America.

My Auntie Mavis and cousin Yvonne came to visit us. Through the years I have only seen Yvonne four times (I'm really grateful for facebook where we can connect with our distant family). Yvonne is a lovely person and I enjoyed our visit. Auntie Mavis has been to visit us in America a few times. Caitlin was so excited that she got to see her in England. When Caitlin was a little girl Auntie Mavis visited our home one day. Caitlin invited her into her bedroom to see her dolls and toys. When Auntie Mavis was ready to leave Caitlin barricaded the door and wouldn't let her out. Although Caitlin doesn't remember that story... Auntie Mavis and I do.

Amid the joy of coming to visit Yorkshire and seeing our loved ones, there comes a time when we have to say goodbye. I am not fond of goodbyes. In the picture at the top of this post we are getting ready to leave for the airport. My eyes were filling with tears, although no one knew it. Saying goodbye to loved ones that we rarely see... or, wonder when we will ever see again is painful. I am so grateful to Uncle Derek and Auntie Dorothy for their goodness. They are great examples to me. I'm grateful that all of my children know them. All three of my boys and now Caitlin have been in their home. They treat us so well and we all love them. They have visited us a few times over the years (you can read about their last visit here). I hope they will come again (after all... my garden awaits). If not, I plan to go back to beautiful.... beautiful, Yorkshire.

We Wish You A Merry Christmas!!

I'm Proud To Be An American

Two weeks ago our family commemorated our 50th anniversary of coming to America. To celebrate this important milestone, about two-thirds of the family gathered at my home and we listened to/recorded Granpa and Granma as they shared their story with us. Although the younger children don't yet understand, I don't think that there is an adult in the family who doesn't realize that each and every member of our families lives have been affected because of our parents/grandparents decision to come here. I am so grateful for my parents faith and obedience.

We had been in the country just less than seven years when my parents became United States citizens. This was another wonderful thing that they did for me and my two brothers. We became citizens automatically as our parents received their citizenship. I can remember going to the courthouse in Ogden and watching this solemn ceremony take place. Again, I am grateful to my parents.

Today is an important day for our country. As citizens we have the responsibility and the privilege of voting for a President. I voted last week, and as I returned to my car after casting my ballot I was overcome with emotion as I contemplated what I had just taken the opportunity to do. I hope that I never take that for granted. I will never forget the election of 1980. We had a young family then and were living in a rural community. Mike and I drove several miles to a different town where we were to vote; it was late in the evening and the line was long, by the time I actually voted I knew that Ronald Reagan had already won the election, but I was so proud and excited to cast my vote for him. I also remember the election of 1968 when I was in the 5th grade. Our teacher held an election in our class. I remember proudly voting for Richard M. Nixon. He won in a landslide in Mr. Christensen's class that year... as he did in the real election.

As citizens we have the right to vote for the person of our choice. Some people are very private about their choice while others seem to be campaigning for theirs. I feel that I have paid close attention to the issues during this election, and I felt prepared to cast my vote. After voting last week I proudly wore my 'I Voted' sticker all day. I was surprised when a customer at the deli asked me who I voted for. There were a few people in the vicinity whose attention immediately turned to me and to see what my reaction was. I can proudly say that I spoke without hesitation, and with kindness, as I answered... "hopefully the winner."

Vacation: Caitlin's Happiest Place on Earth Part 2 of 3

Three weeks ago the three of us spent three days with our three Leger families in Disneyland. It was hot, and day three was crowded, but it was great!! Some of my highlights were: being there with my four kids, seeing the grandkids excitement as they saw their favorite characters and rode on their favorite rides, yummy Disney treats, finding a bench to sit on, going on splash mountain with Mike and our four kids, buying a Mickey jack-o-lantern, the Halloween decor at the park... but my best moment was when I went on my favorite ride, Pirates of the Caribbean, with our entire Leger family (18 of us) in one boat. Mike and I sat on the last row with William in between us, and as I looked at my entire posterity in front of me I couldn't help but reflect back 28 years ago when we brought our three little boys to Disneyland for their very first time. Our family has sure grown in 28 years, and seeing all of those I love in front of me at that moment, well... it brought a little tear (or two) to my eye. Here are just a "few" pictorial highlights.