Tiffany Trent's Traditions in Tennessee

We have some rather unusual Christmas traditions as I am sure all families do.  Here are a few of mine:

First Tradition - Puzzles

We seem to always do a puzzle, it always takes up 1/2 the kitchen table.  This year Mom found a puzzle that we hadn't finished. I guess when we didn't have time to finish it a couple of years ago, we folded it up.  When we unfolded it this year about 3/4 of it was finished. So we did that one in about 10 minutes, but we still haven't had our full fix, so we're going to either open a Christmas present up early or go buy another one.  

Second Tradition - Chex Mix

I am the designated Chex Mix maker.  In fact, I have a sister, Emily, who does not live close to TN, so she is rarely home for Christmas.  She says that she misses my Chex Mix, but she never makes it for herself or her family.  If I am not there, it does not get made.  Go figure.  We used to be traditionalists and make it in the oven with the original recipe.  Now we have moved on to the microwave and make several varieties, but we also have to have the original.  All the recipes are found on http://www.chex.com/Recipes/Default.aspx - we have yet to find a bad recipe!  Although, we are happily going through the recipes to see if one is better than another!

Traditional

Puppy Chow

Third Tradition - Games

We always play games during Christmas and I am very likely to get at least one game for Christmas.

This is not Christmas or TN, but whenever family gets together, the games come out! 

Personal Tradition - Animoto Christmas Cards

I am horrible at sending cards in the mail.  So, I decided to play on my strength as a technology geek and create Animoto Christmas cards.  I get to show what I've done with friends and get to play on the computer.  Here are the two I've done so far:

December 2012

December 2011

Winter Time Blues and Healthy Goals

I just finished talking with my health coach - it's pretty cool actually, it's free and she calls me and asks me how I'm doing and we set goals and then she asks me about my goals.   It's a part of my state health plan.

I told her that I was a complete bum last weekend and didn't do anything or go anywhere even though fun things were happening.  I work and come home and work again and then I don't want to do anything.  I even turned down free dinner and game night!  My coach reminded me that it is getting darker sooner and maybe it's just the winter time blues because I'm not getting enough sun.

My goal for this month:  Do something social every other weekend and exercise 3 times a week.

Ideas

1. Dinner at Hibernian Grill - in the library with the fireplace.  (A winter tradition.)



2.  Movies with friends - when is Les Miserables coming out?



3.  The Apex Nativity display and the Messiah sing along - on my birthday - Dec. 8th.



4.  I want to see a musical - I'm not sure what is playing or where it is playing, but surely something good must be playing during the Christmas season.




5. Travel - I have a 3 day weekend - where should I go?

Windows, Money, and Traveling in Ireland

A few thoughts: 
1.  My "10 minute" walk to the hospital is actually 30 minutes.  I finally timed it today door to door.  The Irish walk fast, but not THAT fast!

2.  Why in heaven's name do people here want the window open when it's freezing outside?  Irish people say to get "fresh air".  They said the same thing in New Zealand and I say let them go outside for fresh air and keep the heat on inside with the window closed!  I finally told the B&B lady that I have allergies and I'm allergic to nature - which is true, but very handy to use this time!

3.  Spencer is doing much better!  I took him out for an hour or two today to tour a little of Galway, with the doctor's okay.  He must be feeling much better because my pocketbook is feeling it!  He wanted to tip everyone he bought something from - he tried to tip the grocer, the shop clerk, the vendor, and everyone else!  He did it all with my money!  Finally I started paying for things myself instead of just giving him the money!  I think he knows how hard people work and wanted to show them how much he appreciated their work.

4.  Note to self:  Always assume you will be somewhere for longer than you think you will be there.  I assumed I would be in Ireland 2 days and I've been here a week and 2 days.  ALWAYS bring a blow dryer.  ALWAYS bring fingernail clippers.  ALWAYS bring laundry detergent and a clothes line. I don't care if it's an overnight trip, I'm bringing them!  Lesson learned (twice).  This summer I was in Utah and got an e-mail from Pueblo Ingles and they invited me to do a last minute program in Spain.  So I went from hot hot Utah to cold North West Galicia, Spain.  I also stayed for 3 weeks.  No blow dryer, not enough laundry detergent, no clothes line, and no fingernail clippers.  Now I have fingernail clippers that say "Porto, Portugal" and "I love Ireland".  

Miracles Do Come True, Either That or I Found a Pot of Gold at the End of the Irish Rainbow

Miracle # 1 - Rainbows

When I walked out of my B&B, I was excited because I had booked a tour to see the Cliffs of Moher - A wonder of the world. I was waiting in the rain and suddenly I saw the beginning of a rainbow and it grew and grew until it was a full rainbow.  I saw 6 rainbows today.  The last one was with Spencer at the hospital and it was the biggest, brightest and if you look closely, you can see it was a double rainbow.

The last rainbow of the day at the hospital.

An earlier rainbow.

Miracle #2 - Rain and No Rain

We started off going to a family farm and the rain had not come to the farm, so we climbed the mountain, had great views, and dry ground.  It was pretty steep, so thank goodness it was dry!

Farm Stop - Sunny and Bright

The farm was on the side of a mountain so we went on a hike and saw some of the beautiful sights - that is the Atlantic Ocean in the far background of the first picture.

A typical stone wall.

A literal grass roof.

At this family farm they offered
cakes, pies, tea, and coffee.  Read the sign carefully!

Notice Rain while we are the bus. :) 

The Cliffs of Moher

The observation deck to see
the Cliffs of Moher

Please notice that it is
bright and sunny after
raining hard while we
were on the bus.

 

 

So sunny I need shades!

This is a shop built into the mountainside.

Another Sunny Stop

Miracle # 3 - Friends

I am a person who needs people around me.  On the first tour - to Kylemore Abby, I found 2 single girls around my age who I got to know pretty well.  On this tour, on the first bus, I met a Mom and daughter from England and they were so nice!  At the farm I found a Brazilian girl who was also traveling alone, so we became immediate friends.  Then, when we stopped for lunch we found a guy from Poland who was also on his own and we included him.  (3 friends from 3 different continents.)  Although this was nice to have friends, it was not a miracle.  The miracle came after the tour was done and I was finished visiting Spencer in the hospital.  I was tired and it was dark, so I decided to take a cab home.  The cab stopped in front of my B&B and literally when I got out I saw the Mom and daughter walking on the sidewalk.  They invited me to dinner, but I had already eaten, so they told me that they were going on a walking tour of Galway at 12:30 tomorrow and invited me to go with them!  They said that they had decided to take a shortcut and their shortcut took them in front of my B&B at the exact moment my cab pulled up.  The daughter, Charlotte, had just said, "I wonder if we'll see Tiffany in town."  And there I was in front of them!  It was surreal!

Thank you Heavenly Father for looking after me and loving me so much!!!!

Following the Doctor's Orders - On a Tour in Ireland

First of all, I have to say that Spencer is recovering nicely and I have a meeting with the doctors tomorrow morning.  Hopefully, I will going home soon.

Spencer's doctor said that I needed to take care of myself so I could keep taking care of Spencer.  She said that I needed to go out and enjoy Ireland.  She said that I MUST go to Connemara.  It is one of the most beautiful places on earth!  So, I asked my B&B people - Nora and Joe, to book a tour for me and the tour bus picked me up in front of my B&B house!!!  Lally Tours  www.lallytours.com  for those wondering.  It was only 20 Euro and if you buy 2 tours it's another discount.  This is my first trip to Connemara and my second trip will be on Friday to the Cliffs of Moher.  (You pay in cash, so be prepared!)  Our Tour Guide was AMAZING!  He knew a lot of history, was subtly funny, and also had the traditional Irish kindness!

This is Kylemore Castle in the distance. I don't think you can see it, but there is a Statue of Christ on the mountain.  This used to be a private residence, then it was a school, now it is an Abbey.

Angelina Jolie went to school here. The school closed down in 2010.  Nuns used to be the teachers.

Check out the Apple symbol
in this cloud!

This is the small church on the
 grounds of Kylemore Abby.  

Is it weird that I loved

the doors and the window?

Inside the church at Kylemore Abby.

This is the anti-climatic mausoleum.  We were told that Mitchell Henry created this mausoleum for his beloved wife and it was as small as a tool shed and not very pretty - just sayin'.  

This is one of the many fun benches they had on the grounds. I had to take this picture because it has a butterfly and my friend Suzanne Tilton is the butterfly lady!  (She raises butterflies.)

This picture was taken on the way from
Kylemore Castle to the grounds.

Here is the beautiful, but somewhat anti-climatic gardens.
The really cool thing about them is that there were
cool shapes around where the plants were.

Another part of the garden at Kylemore. I wonder if I were here in spring instead of fall what it would look like.

Here is my new friend Korena I met on the tour reaching for the grapes. She's on a year-long trek around the world.
I would LOVE to do that!

I love the natural beauty that
was all around us!

This is my tour friend Kris
playing music for us!

This is a sign and a map of
Kylemore Abby and Gardens.

There are bogs all over Connemara. Our driver said that if you fall in, it's like a sponge and won't let you go, so your mates have to dig you out.  He said that he has been stuck in them 4 times.  They take your shoes and pants, so it's embarrassing  but at least you didn't die of hypothermia! 

There are people who speak Irish in these small towns. During the summer, some of these people house teens from 12 - 16 for a few weeks during the summer for an Irish immersion program.  In order for the locals to make their houses bigger they made the attic into a room and add skylights.

 

There is marble rock everywhere.
They can't move it because it's too heavy and too hard to move.
They try to build their roads so they can avoid this granite.
They also build their roads with the granite that is here.

Sheep are everywhere. They roam freely with everyone else's sheep and they are marked with colored paint to show who they belong to.  The land is all government land and sheep are welcome to roam where they please.  When the Shepard needs the sheep, they send the sheep dogs to go round them up. 

This is a beautiful country with water everywhere.

What should I do next?
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractions-g186609-Activities-Galway_County_Galway.html