The Exciting Life Of Friel

The Fast's

2010-03-24T15:44:00.000-07:00

Ok - So, I've been meaning to do this for AGES and haven't ever got around to it, so a couple of days ago I finally bit the bullet and did it.
It was well overdue, it's been almost a year since I was Mary Friel... so, now you can catch up with us over at "The Fast's". I know, really original, but I couldn't really come up with anything. I had things going round my head like "life in the Fast lane"... "life the Fast way" but it all seemed to cheesy... I will probably change it at a later date anyway.
So, click here to visit the new blog... it's not very exciting yet, but I will work on it this Spring!

Hope you're all keeping well...

(if the hyperlink doesn't work the URL is http://lifethefastway.blogspot.com/ You can copy and paste that into the address bar on your internet browser)

A Tribute to Paula Ann Fast

2010-03-16T14:22:00.000-07:00

Here is a photographic tribute to Paula Fast, Cory's Grandmother. We showed this video at her funeral on Monday 15th March 2010.
She was a wonderful lady and had such an impact on her family, her friends and the whole community.

Irish Blessing

2010-03-12T13:45:00.000-08:00

I wish you not a path devoid of clouds,
Nor a life on a bed of roses,
Not that you might never need regret,
Nor that you should never feel pain.

No, that is not my wish for you.

My wish for you is this:

That you might be brave in times of trial,
When others lay crosses upon your shoulders.
When mountains must be climbed and chasms are to be crossed;
When hope scarce can shine through.

That every gift God gave you might grow along with you.
And let you give the gift of joy to all who care for you.

That you may always have a friend who is worthy of that name.
Whom you can trust, and who helps you in times of sadness.
Who will defy the storms of daily life at your side.

One more wish I have for you.

That in every hour of joy and pain you may feel God close to you.

This is my wish for you and for all who care for you.

This is my hope for you now and forever.

RIP Paula

2010-03-11T08:39:00.000-08:00

This past week has been hard as we watched Cory's grandmother struggle with her health and become more weak as the days and hours passed by.

Yesterday she passed away at 5pm (exactly) peacefully with loved ones surrounding her. Her husband of more than 61 years was holding her hand. He leant down and kissed her and she gave a big smile before taking her final breath.

She was a strong and much loved woman by so many people, she will be sorely missed.

Rest in Peace dear Paula.

(This photo is of Paula with her husband Marvin and her three sons, Danny, Doug and Denis)

Still struggling

2010-03-03T10:53:00.000-08:00

So, it seems like we are not as far down 'regulation road' as perhaps we thought. I am still not feeling right and we are rapidly getting to the point where we are becoming more and more nervous about exactly how long it is going to take before we settle on the right medication.

The Doctor tested my bloods for FT4 and for TSH. My FT4 was still registering in the 'normal' range at 1.4, but for my age the goal is to be closer to the higher end of that range (which is 1.85). My TSH still showed as suppressed. WEIRD.

I knew something was wrong, I could feel it, and I have read so many books and studies about thyroid disease recently and I just had a feeling that what I was feeling seemed to fit with my FT3 levels being low. I mentioned this to the doctor, and I'm not really sure if he agreed, but since I'm the one who knows my body the best he ordered the bloods again - FT3, FT4 and TSH.

I didn't realize he'd put a rush on them, and yesterday afternoon the office called to say that my FT3 levels were indeed low and that they would like me to start taking the cytomel medication as soon as possible.

It was good news and bad, but mostly good. Good because I now knew I wasn't going crazy - I knew my body well enough to know what felt wrong and was knowledgeable about the different thyroid processed and hormones to be able to work out that it was the T3 causing my problems.
Bad because it meant some more trial & error on a new medication and we really don't know how it's going to effect my body, or if it's going to mean starting back on trying to work out dosage and changing pills every couple weeks again.

I guess we'll see.

We are also being referred to see a specialist, a different one this time. They have referred me to OSHU which is one of the very best hospitals in the area and they have a very good reputation with Endocrine disorders. I'm not sure how long that will take, and perhaps before I get the appointment I will already be feeling better with the new meds... we can but hope?!?!

A very special man

2010-02-22T14:32:00.000-08:00

So, as I was planning on getting ready to go for my blood test this morning I checked my email. It was probably a bad idea, but since I use an iPhone I guess it's better that I saw the message before I left the house rather than all the way there with a 40 minute drive to get home.

It's a message I've been dreading receiving for some time now. It was the news of the death of a man that was so dear to me, and a person who was such an instrumental part of me becoming a Christian in my mid-teens.

My good friend had emailed to let me know the sad news. I was inconsolable.

As I thought of Ron, and memories of him came running through my head I looked down at my hand. His name was written there as a reminder from yesterday - a note I'd written myself as I sat in church listening to Charlie's talk.

Yesterday as I was at church our pastor was talking about people who went before us in our journey with Christ and saw something in us that we didn't see ourselves. They were the people who had laid the foundation for our Christian life, and they would always be a part of something special. It conjured up images and thoughts of Ron for me. He was a wonderful man, and he was such an encouragement to me always, even when I didn't believe in myself. He could always see the potential underneath and always encouraged me to be the woman God wanted me to be. I often think of him and am so glad I got to visit with him last March when he was in hospital.

As I was there at church I had the feeling that I wanted to make sure that Ron knew that he was such a big part of my Christian life and who I am today, and I wanted to write a letter to tell him all of this and thank him for everything.

It's ironic (and sad) to me that this morning I would hear the terrible news of his passing, and so that letter will remain unsent. This dear man meant so much to me and to so many people.

He touched the lives of everyone he met. He was a great encourager, a wonderful Christian example and he also gave the biggest biggest hugs!

Rest in peace dear Ron. You will be sorely missed.

Such a productive & fun weekend!

2010-02-22T06:43:00.000-08:00

So - This weekend we had grand plans... Usually when we have grand plans for a weekend I'm disappointed on Sunday night when I realise I didn't get as much done as I'd hoped. This weekend was the exception!

On Friday we went to visit Cory's Grandmother at the rest home. It was her birthday, so we wanted to spend some time with her. We went for dinner with Cory's parents after and came back to see Paula before heading home. Right before we left I asked her if she's had a terrible birthday and she replied "It could have been worse!". Her response sparked in me - she was going through so much and times were very hard for her but she still managed to give me a positive response.

We headed home & hit the hay early - we had a big day planned.

First thing Saturday morning we went to the farm to pick up the 'little tractor'. It would save us (well, mainly Cory) a lot of backache rotertilling the garden with the little tiller, and our neighbours John & Janet had a truck load of compost delivered so we'd promised to help them distribute it around their garden. It would save their backs from having to move it all by wheelbarrow - and would save them a ton of time too!

So, we got busy, rotertilling the 'lawn' and moving compost... we were busy all day - even the tractor was tired by the time we were done.

We got together with J&J for dinner and by 8.15pm all of us were yawning and aching. It was time for us to get an early night.

Sunday morning came quickly, and I was on 'duty' for the projection. We headed out the door, stopped at Dutch Bros for a much needed morning kick and got started at Church. The service was really good - the music was sounding great and the choice of songs was fab. The sermon as always was clear and hit home...

After we got wrapped up at church we needed to go grab a few bits & bobs around town, and we grabbed a quick bite to eat too. We couldn't find the fescue seed we had wanted to plant the lawn. Bummer... we'd have to think this one through a little better.

We worked on the garden for a couple more hours, planted a whole new flower bed and Cory smoothed out the area he had rotertilled the day before. It was still looking like we had mud for a yard, but it was a step closer!

We dropped the tractor back home and went to the farm to help Cory's Mom with a few computer and iPhone things. We had dinner there and about 8.30pm hit the road for home. Another night getting home later than we'd hoped... Oh well!

This morning I'm meant to head to Dallas for a blood test to check my thyroid levels. I didn't sleep well and feel drained... I should drink a ton of water before I hit the road, hopefully that will help them get some blood this time... Ewwww

Here's some pics of the garden progress:

Hummm.... What's for dinner?

2010-02-18T11:13:00.001-08:00

So, with the kitchen freshly organised and looking great, yesterday I cooked a kick-ass dinner. Yes, I know that seems pretty big headed or over confident or whatever, but hey, it was great.

It took me most of the day to cook it too...

I started by making hubbies favourite cookies and then put the baby back ribs in the oven about 11/11.30am ish. I cooked those babies alllllll day.

With the last hour to go I got together a tray prepped for "Mary's roasties" and added them to the oven! YUM - It smelled delish! I served it with beans and it was good. It was Cory's choice of dinner, since it was his 'special evening'. I was happy with his choice for din-dins....

But...

Now I'm trying to figure out what to make for dinner tonight. The trouble with having a delicious dinner like that last night is how to follow it up the next day. Hummm....

I'm thinking chicken, perhaps the chicken pasta bake I throw together that comes out pretty good....

Fat Tuesday... Shrove Tuesday... Pancake Day!

2010-02-16T10:16:00.001-08:00

YAY - So, it seems that today is definitely a day to celebrate! :) When I was a child I used to absolutely love Pancake Day. Mum would make us pancakes after dinner and we would be able to have whatever toppings we wanted. It was always fun to try and toss the pancake in the pan too!
Hey, who am I kidding... I still love pancake day as an adult. I don't think I ever let one pass without honouring it with the perfectly thin & delicious discs of goodness. I even hosted a pancake party or two in my day, I'll have you know. Tossing dozens upon dozens of the things in various colours and sizes for whoever wanted to show up!

So, today will be no different. I am about to go and make the batter so it can sit in the fridge for the rest of the day to 'settle'. It always makes them taste so much better.

The rest of my day is dedicated to trying to get finished on the organisation I started in the kitchen. I will say, it looks really good. We added some shelving beside the cooker for food storage, and then also added some more shelving above the (new) dishwasher. The one thing this kitchen never really had was ample storage, and it got even worse last spring when we took out the pantry closet to put the fridge in there. I love that the fridge is away and not taking up all the room in the kitchen, but that deep floor to ceiling storage was very handy!

Anyway... What else can I tell you?

Hummmm - This weekend was awesome. It started when Cory got off work early on Friday and we headed up to Portland for an early Valentines date. We did some shopping (craft shopping for me) and hit IKEA too for some storage jars and such... I had a plan for the kitchen!

After that we went out for a yummy dinner and we had a great evening. It was so nice to just have a chilled relaxed evening.

On Saturday we did a quick clean up around the house and cut Cory's hair, and then we headed to Dallas to visit Cory's Grandmother in the residential home. She's been there a few weeks now and we try and see her as much as possible, but it's hard since it's such a long drive from here.
We hadn't intended being gone all day, but it happened anyway. We ended up going to the farm to cut a quick load of wood and had dinner with Cory's parents and niece Julia. After that we headed home, via Cory's Grampa's place to pick up some old family photo albums.

We headed over to our neighbours for a glass of wine when we got home and ended up being there til after midnight... we're not used to staying up late these days, so we dragged ourselves home and hit the hay!

After Church on Sunday we decided to get cracking on the house... That plan of mine was still bubbling away and I was excited to see if it would work. Cory started putting up the shelving brackets and I started spring cleaning - OH BOY! What a task!

After lunch we heard a little knock on the door, it was John and Andy... they needed some help (and a big truck) to relocate their Japanese Maple tree.

What a task - it took three men and a truck a total of about 2.5 hours to move that thing. Not to mention the 3 hours John had put into digging around it the weekend before. At least it's moved now and it's in the most perfect spot. I just hope it survives after the boys cut quite a bit off the tap roots... it's so pretty.

Anyway, that's our weekend in a nutshell... after moving the tree we got back to the spring clean on our kitchen and dining room.... I was a tired girl by the time I was done!

4 things I'm glad for...

2010-02-10T15:24:00.001-08:00

So, today I had an appointment with my regular (and the most wonderful in all the world) dentist, Dr Brian just so they could check on how the 'flipper' fits and see how I'm doing.

He said that the doctor who performed the surgery on me last week called him right after my surgery to tell him exactly what he had done and how it had gone. He explained that he was really shocked at the size of the void up in my face that had bone loss, and that amazingly there was an area between my nose and mouth that had 'absorbed' through which basically meant my nose and mouth were interconnected. They shouldn't be. That's wrong, it's bad, it's weird and it's a pain in the neck to fix - literally!

So, he explained that the area where he packed the bone into went down past the second knuckle on his pointer finger. He had only expected it to go as far as the first knuckle. He also said that he'd taken some pictures and x-rays of me while I was 'open', so I'm kind of interested to see those. He said there was 'light' through there when you look up into the skull of my face... there shouldn't be light!

So basically, I did end up having plastic surgery / a face lift - it's the same procedure of having a 'nose job' except that they went in through my mouth instead of cutting the skin outside my mouth...
ewwwww. I prefer to call it maxillofacial surgery, I'm not really ready to join the face lift brigade just yet! ;)

YIKES!!!!

I am glad for a few things.
1 - I am glad that this surgery is behind me, and hopefully it is successfull & the bone heals awesomely and I can continue with the rest of my treatment plan.
2 - I am glad I didn't know exactly what the surgery would involve beforehand. I think I would have completely freaked out if I would have known I was having my face peeled open that far.
3 - I am so very glad that I have an awesome team of dental professionals looking after me. I couldn't find a better group. They are wonderful!
4 - I am thankful for my wonderful husband, Cory who has taken great care of me and supported me through all of this - I LOVE YOU!

Why the surgery?

2010-02-05T15:19:00.000-08:00

A couple of you have wondered and asked "why" I had this surgery and I guess I haven't really explained it too well to some of you before now. I'll quickly try to explain the general gist.

It isn't related to the Graves Disease that we have been dealing with - thankfully. It is a completely separate issue. The graves disease finally "tested" in the required range the last blood test I had about two or three weeks ago. The Doctor dealing with that side of my health said it shows that my thyroid was completely obliterated by the radiation instead of the desired 1/4 of it being destroyed. He suggests on that side of things I should start getting to feeling better in the summer or late spring now... We are sure hoping he's right!

The surgery and all the dental stuff was only affected by the graves disease in the sense that the local anesthesia wouldn't work while I was hyperthyroid because I had the metabolism of a hummingbird, so I could feel all the procedures we did in the earlier stages. The other problem was that I wasn't physically healthy enough to withstand the surgery they needed to do for a while, so we had to wait a little longer than would have been ideal.

The cracked roots to three of my upper frontal teeth actually happened last summer, completely by accident. I was playing with our niece and she headbutted me full on in the face. It's not her fault at all, it could have been anyone... Anyway, long story short - it caused the roots of those teeth to completely shatter (Fast's have hard heads apparently and I'd definitely have to agree). There was a huge CRACK noise and it hurt like I can't explain but the teeth didn't fall out so we didn't realise the extent of the problem. A few weeks later when it still hurt and a bump was forming over the teeth I went to the dentist to have it checked, and with the x-ray he could see a little of what we were facing.

After several opinions from and visits to different specialists we came up with a plan that would be a long term solution which we have been working on now for a few months, little steps (and sometimes bigger steps) at a time.

Anyway, I hope that helps explain it a little better.... And no, I didn't have a face lift or a nose job (although if you saw me today, you'd probably have to wonder) and since it wasn't a side effect on the Graves Disease we don't have to worry about it causing further random problems to my body. The GD is getting under control and yesterday we have taken a very large step in getting on track with the dental/facial situation too!

Thanks to all of you for your friendship, support and prayers, it means a lot to both of us!

Is it a bird? A plane? A face lift?

2010-02-04T15:12:00.000-08:00

Well, the time came for my maxillofacial surgery... I am now so glad that Cory and I had a wonderful time in Hawaii before my surgery. We had originally planned to have the surgery 4 days before we travelled. I would have been miserable.

Hawaii was exactly what we needed. Some time to relax & recuperate and to just get away from everything. The warm weather felt great too!

So, my surgery was scheduled for Monday morning (passed). I felt just a little nervous on Sunday evening as I went to bed, but I hardly slept. My mind was spinning. On Monday morning I woke feeling quite scared. Deep down I knew everything would be OK, and had a lot of confidence in the surgeon, but it was such a big step for me and it represented something so huge it was honestly quite daunting. I knew there was a lot of people out there thinking and praying for me, so that gave me real comfort as I got ready to face the day.

I took my prophylactic antibiotics (4 of them and they were huge) an hour before surgery and just tried to keep busy so I wouldn't be thinking and mulling everything over in my mind. Cory took me to the appointment and he was so good at keeping me from turning into a complete mess.

The nurses were great - they could tell I was nervous (my guess was by the involuntarily stream of tears running down my face that I couldn't get to stop) and they made arrangements that the doctor would put the IV in himself! The IV was a big concern to me after the last experience I had getting blood drawn for my routine thyroid test - the Dr couldn't get any blood.
Thankfully, I have to tell you that he was great. Yes, getting the IV in still hurt, but he was in the vein with no problem and he drew the 6 vials of blood without jiggling it around too much. I remember saying to him as he taped it down to my arm "humm, I'll have to come here for all the IV's I ever need in the future". (Yes, I have a warped sense of humour!)

After a little more prep work and after I'd asked him to promise he'd be able to wake me up after (again, weird humour) and after kissing Cory bye they put the anesthesia through my IV (which I don't even remember) and got to work. The next thing I remember I was waking up and Cory was there to take me home. Someone had put an ice pack on my face and I was completely busting for the 'loo'. So after some bizarre sign language to Cory (since I was so swollen I couldn't talk) he finally realised what I wanted and asked the nurse if it would be OK.

Cory had also talked to Dr Johnson before I came round. He told Cory that they had extracted the two final teeth (I had already had two taken out a few weeks ago) but also that the amount of the bone loss in the area was significantly more than they had expected. It was to the full extent of what "bottle bone" could do, and they would have probably taken a graft from my leg if they'd have known, but since they'd planned and prepared the bottle bone with my blood they went ahead.

I slept for an hour or so at home after the surgery and had a fairly relaxed afternoon and evening. I even managed to eat a little soup and Jell-O last night, so we're getting there.

There is quite a fair bit of swelling and bruising which we hadn't anticipated. I thought I'd have a little swelling around the mouth area for an hour or so, but instead my whole face is yucky - It looks like I had a face lift or went a round or two with Mike Tyson!

They didn't do the soft bone graft because the procedure was already extensive enough. They did have to put in a titanium membrane to hold the bone in place and protect it if I accidentally rubbed my nose/face a little too hard so the bone has time to settle. This will be removed in 4 weeks.

Congrats!

2010-01-30T18:00:00.000-08:00

Huge Congratulations are in order to my brother-in-law Erik and his new fiancé Krista!

They got engaged this morning and are planning towards a wedding in April!

(The photo is one I took back in December... it's the most recent one I have.)

Up close and personal with turtles...

2010-01-30T16:37:00.000-08:00

We just love the beaches close by to where our apartment was located - they are stunning!

Cory with 'flat island' behind him.

Cory checking out the coral at Lanakai.

A short drive from our apartment was a 'secret' little beach, and I'm not going to spill it's location here either. It was told to us by a 'local' after I asked him where the best spot to see turtles would be. He said that spot wouldn't disappoint us. Well, it didn't.
It was amazing.
The experience of a lifetime.

We went to the little beach, and the tide was about half way out. We had our snorkeling gear with us, but we wanted to see what was there before we kitted up. Cory waded out into the shallow water first, and after just a few moments he came quickly back to me and said he'd seen a turtle. He brought me back out to where he had seen it, and we were only up to mid-calf in water. After a short moment I saw one, then another, and another... and so they kept coming along. We must have seen about 20-30 turtles in that short amount of time. It was amazing. At one point there was three turtles about a foot (at most 1.5 feet) from us. Just chillin, eating some lunch. They clearly knew we were there, and at one point I exclaimed too loudly "Cory, look!" and the big guy backed off for a few minutes. But they weren't too nervous about us if we kept quiet and still and didn't advance on them.

I will never forget that moment.

I think turtles are wonderful and amazing creatures and I am excited for the opportunity to see them again sometime.

I will definitely return to our 'secret' beach to watch them again if the opportunity comes up.

There's three turtles together in this last photo - I wish you could see them better.

I only had my little point & shoot camera with me at the time and it didn't do as good a job of capturing the turtles in the shallow water as my other camera would have.

USS Arizona

2010-01-30T16:30:00.000-08:00

One of the many memorable things we did while we were there (and probably the most 'tourist' thing also) was to go to the Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor. It was quite the experience...

We arrived in the morning, hoping to avoid the long queues that are apparently fairly common - since it's Hawaii's 'most visited' tourist attraction.

We got tickets for the first session and we had a little time to spare before hand. We walked around a little bit seeing the sights and walking through the museum. It was crazy to read about all the battleships that were lost in action, and it really hit home as I saw the list of names of people "ON ETERNAL PATROL".

On one of the information boards it told of a captain who was above deck on a submarine when they started to take fire. If the sub didn't 'dive' the whole crew would die and the submarine would be destroyed, but there was not enough time for him and a couple of others to get below deck. Regardless, he gave the order to dive. The crew followed his order and took the sub below the surface, to the loss of the captain and the crew above deck. The rest of the crew and the submarine were saved, because of the bravery of that man. I kept reading similar stories of bravery and it was apparent to me that so many of those 'lost at sea' were brave, brave men and it is only right that there should be such a memorial to them.

We listened to a short talk from a survivor of the attack on Pearl Harbor and also watched a video made up of original footage of the attack. It was quite sobering to watch and realise the scale of the attack.

After that, we took a little boat ride out to the Arizona Memorial which is directly above where the USS ARIZONA lays.

The shipwreck is considered an active military cemetery and is a National Historic Landmark. 1,177 of her crewmembers went down with her, and they rest there still.

It's amazing to see the 3rd gun turret still there, and the bouys that mark the size of the Arizona. You can also see and smell the oil that still seeps out of the battleship - often the oil is referred to as the "tears of the Arizona".

Inside the 'shrine' room each name is engraved on the marble wall. As you look up at the list and start reading the names, you start to realise that each and every one of those names represents a life. A life cut short by war. It also represents a void that was left in the life of others that can never be replaced.

No matter what your nationality or background might be, the Arizona memorial pulls at your heartstrings and makes you wonder about the 'price' of war.All the names engraved on the marble wall in the shrine room.

The 3rd gun turret

The Arizona Memorial with the marker to it's right. There is a similar marker for each of the battleships that was destroyed that day.

A taste of paradise...

2010-01-30T16:00:00.001-08:00

Cory and I had the most amazing trip to Hawaii. We both totally needed a break from 'everything' and it was wonderful to get away... To take time to relax and recuperate.

We really lucked out with the location too. We stayed in a beautiful little town that not frequented by too many tourists and we really enjoyed that. We got a good feel of what we called 'real Hawaii'. Our apartment was just a short walk to the beach and we were spoilt. It is ranked as one of the top 10 beaches in the world year after year - and with good reason. It's beautiful.

The next beach down was just amazing too - again, another one that is ranked as the top 10 beaches of the world repeatedly.

We travelled around the whole island of O'ahu and every time we came back to Kailua we said to each other "I like our beach better".

The first morning we were there we both were still on Oregon time and woke up before sunrise. So we quickly got ready and walked down to the beach. It was beautiful.

We walked the length of the beach as we watched the sunrise. I think it might be on my list for the most stunning mornings I've seen.

Short hair again...

2010-01-30T15:34:00.000-08:00

So, it seems that I really had no choice... my hair was getting so scraggly from the Graves Disease and the radiation treatment, and it's still falling out in what I call "mousefulls". Basically, every time I have a shower there's a ball of hair the size of a mouse (a big one) or more that falls out.

So, I decided that I was tired of my hair looking like a mess and I would have to get it cut up short.

I went just below the ear lobe, fairly plain and simple, just a little bob. It looks ok, but it's hard for me to get used to. Probably because I didn't really 'want' it cut, but I felt like I had to.

I don't have any pics as yet - but I'm sure there will be some soon...

Umm, yeah.... that's about it...

Over and out!

{Edit}
OK, so I thought I'd come back and add a photo of the shorter hair. Here it is... This was taken in Hawaii....

Yep - it's Monday again...

2010-01-18T14:24:00.000-08:00

Yep, another Monday.
I can hardly believe it.
It's crazy!
It's the 18th January already...
Time is slipping away from me quicker than I'd like to admit. It's already way into 2010 and I feel like time is flying past and sometimes life is leaving me behind...

NO!

COME BACK!

Hummmm...

Breathe...

Anyway, last week I was scheduled to have the maxillofacial surgery on Thursday, but due to a big mix-up with scheduling we ended up changing the appointment. It seems like all these things worked out for a reason, and even if we don't really know what the full reason is, I'm sure there is a purpose for it. It's only a 2 week delay, so hopefully that shouldn't have too big of an impact on the great scheme of things.

This past weekend we had great plans to get the house in order and get everything ready for our trip... well, that didn't quite happen. Cory came home from work with a head cold, and that really made him feel just sluggish and lethargic. We did a little bit of shopping on Saturday afternoon and then went over to a friends house in the evening for din dins and a birthday party. Sunday we just chilled after church and went to our neighbours house for a little bit in the afternoon.

Of course, since we share everything in this house, I got the cold too... except, I'm a couple of days behind. Today I feel like crap - I really don't have the energy to do all that much, my head feels foggy and my sinuses and nose are having a right royal party to themselves.

I'm trying to both take it easy and relax and I'm also trying to get enough stuff done so we're not having a last minute panic getting ready to leave.

Hummm.... I'm going to nip downstairs, change laundry over and then take a nap while the next load washes and drys...

Ooooh, and I should add that we're totally into the TV show called Dexter right now too. It's a little weird (OK, it's really weird), but once you get past that it's really a good show! If you haven't seen it, give it a try... it might take a few episodes before you can really 'get into it'. It took me about 3-4 before I knew if I liked it or not.

Anyway, laundry and napping awaits!

Over & out...

Update from Dr's visit

2010-01-14T14:37:00.000-08:00

Last week I went to the Doctors to have a blood test... OMG it was a chore. They couldn't get blood... Firstly, they went into the left arm, as usual... it 'sprayed' into the syringe, but nothing... and as he moved the needle around in my arm he punctured through the other side of the vein. Whoops!

So, then he moved over to the right arm. I'm not the biggest fan of having blood drawn from my right arm, and I don't know why, but I have good veins there and so he gave a try there. So, he put the needle in, and completely missed the vein this time... I don't know what happened, but as he poked around and tried to find it he couldn't get a thing! OUCH!

To be completely honest, I don't think he knew what to do. He said this has never happened to him before, and he has taken my bloods before without any trouble...

He put me into the little room where I had my ECG taken before and asked me to drink some water and wait there. He would have the other guy, Dr John, do my bloods... I was getting nervous by now. I had gotten over my fear of needles back in the summer when I started having all the blood tests and stuff. I found the lab at DFM was great and I hadn't had any problems there... until now.

I sat there and drank as much water as I possibly could (to keep me from worrying, and also to hydrate me, in case that was the problem) and I hoped they wouldn't have to use a butterfly needle.

After about a half hour, maybe more Mike came and got me and said Dr John was going to take my bloods. He had a feel of my veins and said there shouldn't have been a problem - I still had good veins!

As I'm sitting there he gets the butterfly needle out - OH NO! My heart flipped, I hated those. They were sore and made me bruise badly... and regardless of what "they" say, they are not the easiest or least painful way to take blood...

I told him I didn't like the butterfly needles because I always had trouble with them, and so he used the smallest needle possible. He had Mike hold the receiver tube end and he felt around my right arm. I could tell he was going to insert lower down the arm from usual, in the forearm!

OUCH! The needle went in, and yes, it bloody hurt! It went deep and it was sharp as heck. He drew the blood slowly... a deep dark red blood. He said it looked a good healthy colour and that there shouldn't have been a problem.

He put some cotton on my arm, told me my results would be back by Friday and let me leave!

Man, I was hurting. I felt like a pin cushion... before I'd even gone round to the lab guys I'd had my HepA booster by Michelle too... I wanted something to eat and I wanted to be home.

My arm hurt to move it, it hurt to drive... so I clicked into cruise control and headed back to Mac.

Within about an hour the bruise was horrific. By the evening it had gotten worse again, and was getting bigger by the morning! I will never believe anyone who tells me the butterfly needle doesn't hurt and doesn't bruise! It does both!

Anyway, a couple of days later we went to get the results... we were hoping for something good. I'd been having a LOT of hair loss over the last couple of weeks and my energy levels were falling in the afternoon again.

Surprise, surprise, my T4 levels tested in the 'normal' range for the first time ever. I was super shocked, esp since I wasn't feeling "back to normal" (whatever normal is). My Dr is really good, he knows he's not treating the numbers, but this was the first hurdle. To get me back in the range, and then we could start aiming for feeling better.

Over the last few months my levels have looked like this on paper:
Up til now I'd been told that I should be feeling better by Easter... now he reckons it might be the 'summer'... I just hope it's soon... I could really do with a break on this Graves Disease. This is the first time I wouldn't be increasing my Synthroid after a blood test.

The Doctor also told me that considering the level of Synthroid it has taken to drag me back into the 'normal' range it is expected that my thyroid has been completely obliterated. Not a partial like expected, but that the whole thing is dust now! Nice thought to leave you with eh?!?!?!

Mark's whirlwind trip to Oregon! (with pics)

2010-01-14T13:37:00.001-08:00

I was extremely excited to have Mark visiting with us. Cory hadn't met Mark yet, so I was excited for that too... I was determined that he would have a fun trip and that we would cram as much into the few days he was here as possible... Oh boy! We sure crammed in a lot!

I didn't really know if I was going to be able to cope with being "on the go" all the time, but I was sure going to give it my best shot!

On Thursday, after the big ordeal getting here we decided to have an easy night. Cory went to work when we got back to Mac and Mark and I just took it easy. In the evening we had dinner a few drinks and chilled out.

On Friday we had a birthday party to go to at a friends house, so we didn't do too much during the day. I showed Mark around McMinnville and we went to a few shops. We dragged him along to my Dr's appointment too (I'll post about that separately) and then came home and got ready for the party. As I was waxing and scraping my snowboard the "boys" started on the drinks... Oh boy! Then we headed to Dave & Heathers place... Heather was turning the BIG 30!

We had a really fun evening, and although we bailed before 10.15pm and before bowling we were beat. Even Mark was ready to hit the hay (even though he didn't want to admit it). He'd had at least 11 shots of varying sizes and concoctions, plus about 6 beers... Ewwwww. No wonder he fell asleep on the sofa! Cory tried to wake him, but there was no budging him... So, we left the light on to his room and hoped he would find his way there when he got cold or uncomfortable.

He did!

In the morning we got up and started getting things ready for the trip to Mt Hood! Mark was a little dizzy, so was trying to get re-hydrated, and Cory cooked a yummy breakfast to keep us going til our late lunch in Sandy.

With the truck loaded, we hit the road!

Snowboarding was such a lot of fun! I didn't really have enough energy or stamina to do as much as I had wanted to, but I still had a blast. At the end I had to sit out in the café and let the boys do the last few runs by themselves. They were having fun, and I didn't want to overdo it and turn to mush for the rest of Mark's vacation. Mark did really well on the snowboard for it only being his second time ever... I realised that I am not as much of a daredevil as I used to be and that I would much rather take things in my stride!

When the "boys" came back to me after their last run they were both laughing so hard. It took a few mins and a few attempts to get the story out of them Apparently Mark had gotten tired and the last run had really stretched him. He did several awesome wipe-outs, including one really hard face plant, and one somersault come cartwheel where he landed hard and his board was upright in the snow! Mark was a little sore, but they'd had fun... and best of all, there was no serious injuries!

We left the mountain at 8pm and were home a little after 10 - that was good going!

On Sunday we got up and going again - this time we headed west to the beach! We started at Pacific City, one of my very favourite beaches. On the road to PC we stopped at Irish Road... We always give a little chuckle as we pass by, but this time we jumped out so Mark & I could have our photo taken!

At PC we climbed up to the punchbowl and then the boys decided to climb up to the top of the sand dune! There was no way I would be able to do that, esp after snowboarding the day before... I decided to walk back down and let them do it themselves! They had fun, and ran the whole way down the dune!

We walked back to the Pelican and grabbed some drinks and onion rings to warm us up... then we headed to Lincoln City, and to the outlet malls!

Man, there was some good deals at the outlet malls... GAP had some crazy sales, and then on top of that there was an additional 40% off the lowest ticketed price! I grabbed a few tank tops... each for less than $2! Cory and Mark both grabbed some awesome deals on jeans, and Mark got some shirts too ... with the exchange rate he got a superb bargain!

After that we were starting to slow down and get tired, so we headed back to Mac. We grabbed some pizza's on the way and went round to Dave & Heather's for a few, then back home and hit the sack again!

Monday and Tuesday in the daytime were fairly quiet. Mark and I just chilled around here, did some shopping and took it easy. On Monday afternoon we packed our warm rain gear into the truck and went and grabbed Cory from work to head up to the farm! Cory gave Mark a quick lesson on shooting a shotgun - he did really well! We threw some skeets (video below) and once all the shells were done we jumped on the four-wheelers and headed up into the trails around the farm!

I was on the back of Cory's and Mark had his own four-wheeler, and we went through the grounds and area where Cory grew up. It was such a lot of fun, and it was a nice relaxing evening! I'm pretty sure Mark had a lot of fun too, there was a big smile on his face as he was revving the four-wheeler through little streams and racing across fields! We had some dinner with Cory's parents and then headed back home... it seemed like we had spend the whole time on the go, and a lot of time in the truck!

On Mark's last evening we took it easy... I made spaghetti for dinner and we had that, a few drinks and watched a couple of episodes of Dexter. By 8.30pm we were all considering going to bed, but we managed to wait til 9.30pm... The alarm would be going off soon... real soon!

At 4am the alarm made it's terrible noise and I knew it was time to get up! Ugh!

We got the truck packed and on the road on time and with just a quick stop at Dutch Brothers for a caffeine fix we headed directly to the airport! I was so sad to see Mark go. We thoroughly enjoyed having him here, and the week had gone so quickly.

Thankfully, his flight left Portland without delay, and the connecting flight also left Newark on time... the flight home had no glitches! I was glad for that!

Here's the video of Mark skeet shooting...

Déjà vu

2010-01-14T13:23:00.000-08:00

With January firmly under our belts I thought it was about time I took a few minutes to blog... I am really going to try and be more consistent this year about blogging, but I can't make any guarantees...

My nephew Mark arrived from Ireland last week to visit with us and we had a GREAT time together. His flights were on Wednesday from Dublin, via London and then Vancouver BC before getting here to Portland. Well, he didn't really get off to a good start. The UK received a right royal dumping of snow the night before his flights and all that morning, and London Heathrow were not prepared (shock horror!)! They had all the passengers strapped into their seats before they realised that they didn't have a deicing machine available... so, they went and found one of those (it took them hours) and then once they got it they realised they didn't have any deicer! WHAT!?!?!? So, about FIVE hours late, while everyone is still strapped into their seats they finally managed to get ready for take off.

Needless to say, Mark missed his connecting flight in Vancouver. They had transferred him to the last flight out of there that evening, but he missed that one too... it was to take off at 8.30pm and his flight didn't land until 8.20pm.... He had to spend the night in a hotel - but at least it wasn't a night at the airport...

We had gone up to Portland to pick him up, and had heard of the delay, but we still thought he would be able to make the connecting flight in Vancouver. So, we did some shopping and had a bite to eat while we waited... At 9.15pm once Mark had gotten through security and found out what was happening he called to say he wouldn't be arriving til the morning... Boooo

We were going to go and stay at Cory's brothers in Tualatin which would have meant a lot less driving and a lot more sleep, but it wasn't to be. I didn't have the pills I needed to take that evening or first thing in the morning... so we headed home and went straight to bed.

The following morning we got up and headed to Portland. His flight was due at 9.50am, so in order to miss the rush hour traffic we left a 7.45am. A little early, yes, but it would be miles better than sitting in traffic. I had the weird sensation of Déjà vu...

As we were driving I received a text message from Mark saying there was a delay. A sensor on the plane wasn't functioning correctly so they were going to try and fix it! Oh boy!

Well, they couldn't get it fixed, so instead they got a new plane.... a little, bitty twin-prop! Yikes!

We parked in the cell phone waiting zone at the airport and waited... and waited! Finally his flight had landed... 90 mins late, but it was here.

So we headed over to the airport and met him, grabbed his bags and got back on the road... headed for Mac... after 36 hours of travelling he was here... finally!

So far a quiet start to the New Year!

2010-01-03T16:42:00.000-08:00

We celebrated New Years Eve with our friends Dave & Heather. It was fairly quiet and low key, we started at their house, and then went to Third Street to catch some live music. Unfortunately, the music wasn't really all that good so we decided to move on to the Cabana Club. Oh boy, that's a strange place... A very varied and 'interesting' crowd... if you've ever been there you will know EXACTLY what I mean!

So far this year so far has been fairly quiet for us. On Friday we went to see Avatar at the theatre with John & Janet! It was a really good movie, and I'm glad we spent the couple extra bucks to watch it in 3D. The SFX were brilliant and well worth it! The movie is 2 hours 4o mins long though, so if you're going to go see it, I'd recommend getting a small size drink!!!

Yesterday and today have been fairly low key too. We had lunch with Cory's brother Erik yesterday, and his girlfriend and her two kids. We hadn't seen them around Christmas time so we still had Christmas gifts for them, so that was nice. They're cute kids!

After that Cory and I worked on the house a little bit. I'd bought some rubbermaid storage boxes on sale to organise my craft stuff, so I worked on that for a fair chunk of the afternoon. Cory was mostly trying to get the plumbing done for the basement. It turned out to be a MUCH bigger job than we had expected. The old plumbing line was weak and when Cory connected the new line it gave way! Oh Crap! So, we put a temporary fix on it to see us through the evening and today after Church went to Lowes to get the rest of the copper pipe and fixtures we needed.

Today was my first solo as the visual projection person at Church. I am pretty pleased with how it went and I think it went ok. Thankfully we had gone to the music practice on Tuesday so I could type up the two new songs. Otherwise it could have been a little more hectic this morning, especially since the service times were changing to earlier today too!

So, right now Cory & Andrew are working on getting the last bits done on the plumbing and hopefully they shouldn't have much more to do. It'll be awesome when it's done and we can do the first load of dishes in the dishwasher!

I guess I had better get going and make the working men some dinner too... I'm going to make Shepherds pie tonight and it will be nice to have a relaxing evening before the working week starts!

Here are some pics of Cory & Andrew plumbing in and installing the dishwasher... Please try to look beyond our messy house ;)I almost didn't add this one, because of the state of the kitchen in the background... but if you understand what was going on you'll be able to see pass the bomb site. I had just got water back and was in the middle of cooking a yummy Shepherds pie for the working men. They had just pulled the dishwasher out again for the millionth time and I almost spilled the pie on Andrew while transferring it from the counter to the oven. What a disaster that would have been, we were ALL VERY HUNGRY! Right before Cory snapped this shot I'd grabbed the instruction manual to double check they'd done everything right! hehehehe

Within about half hour of this photo being taken our kitchen was transformed! The dishwasher was in place, running a cycle and the kitchen was tidy. I guess I should have taken an 'after' shot so you'd believe me ;)

Goodbye 2009 - Hello 2010

2009-12-31T11:02:00.000-08:00

Well, it's really hard to believe, but it's New Years Eve already. Yes, December 31st 2009.

I can't quite believe the year has been and gone and we are now dawning a new year! I haven't even gotten caught up from the summer yet! Whoopsie!

2009 has been quite the year for Cory and I. It's been busy and hectic at times, it's been crazy and fast-paced. It's been emotional, it's been scary, it's had lots of highs & lows and it's had lots of really fun and wonderfully memorable times. One thing I know for sure is that 2009 will be forever etched on my memory!

We started the year excited about what it might hold, but completely unsure what the year was going to throw at us. It threw a LOT in our direction. Sometimes we ducked, sometimes we just braced for impact and other times it feels like I fell apart. But even with all those things, I'd still have to say that 2009 was a wonderful year in the "Book of Me".

My wonderful boyfriend asked me to marry him and we had the most wonderful wedding imaginable. We had a lot of friends visit us from far and wide, and my Mum, Alfie & Morgan came all the way from London to see us. That was one of the real highlights!

The Summer was really fun, but with the Graves Disease we had our own fair share of struggles. I had my thyroid radiation and started on the "regulation road" as we call it... where we try and balance the synthetic thyroid supplements perfectly so I have enough thyroid hormones to make it through each day.

Autumn was a LOT of fun! We tried to do as much fun stuff as I had energy for, and we even went to my first real football game, the OSU homecoming game. To be completely honest, I don't really get "American Football", it's all a bit weird to me. The rules don't seem 'natural' and the whistle blowing every 30 seconds is frustrating to me... oh well, perhaps I'll learn the rules enough to understand a game sometimes!

Winter has been fun, but has gone by so quickly and the weather has been mild. Oh, and I celebrated my first Thanksgiving this year too! Again, it's not something I 'totally' understand, but it was fun and the food was great! ;)

I absolutely love Christmas, and always have since I was a child, so I was very pleased to work on all the Christmas stuff and get the house decorated. I loved our Christmas tree too, it was just beautiful! I just wish my family could have been here to celebrate with us, or somehow we could have orchestrated it that we could have been in several places at once...

So, with 2010 on our doorstep Cory and I are excited for all the things the New Year will bring our way. We know for sure that there are some struggles coming our way, and challenges that we will have to face together, but we also know that it will be a good year. We will have some fun times, make some wonderful memories and best of all, we'll do all these things together!

Christmas in the Fast Household

2009-12-28T10:09:00.000-08:00

When I was a child I was always allowed to choose a gift to open on Christmas Eve. So, Cory and I have decided that we will continue this same tradition in our house too.

On Christmas Eve we went to visit with some good friends of ours. It was really a fun time, talking with them and laughing about silly things. They're really special people and fun to be around.

When we came home we opened our Christmas Eve gifts and it was late (and we're old, I guess) so we went to bed!

This year we decided that we would have a relaxing Christmas morning, instead of rushing round trying to get here, there and everywhere on time.

We hadn't set an alarm for the morning, and when I first woke it was still really dark outside, so I looked at my watch - it was only 6.15am! Too early to wake up Cory. So, I tried to go back to sleep, but I couldn't. At 7.15 I nudged Cory to test how sleepy he was and said "Merry Christmas!" He replied, "Merry Christmas" but he was still sleepy.... At 7.45 I couldn't wait any longer. I nudged him and said "It's Christmas, we have to get up!"

I have always loved Christmas, and the magic feeling it brings. It isn't about the presents but it's just a really special time of year... Don't get me wrong, the presents and the food are nice, but they're more a bonus... the cherry on top!

So, we settled into the couch and started opening our stocking gifts and it was really a fun and relaxing way to start the day!

Then we opened our gifts from each other. We had set a budget this year, and I'd spent it all on his main gift so I was excited to see if I'd chosen the right gift for Cory. I had, and he was really excited... and I was glad! I'd got him a North Face jacket, and not only did I not really know if it was the right style, but the sizing was a little weird too. I bought the size he usually gets in NF stuff but it looked huge when it arrived... It was perfect though and I was happy!
It would have been terrible if he only had one main gift to open and it wasn't the right thing! *Phew!

Cory did really good on my gifts too. He got me an awesome Brown Betty teapot which I adore and use all the time, and he also got me a beautifully framed photo from our wedding. It's a 20x30 and we put it up on the huge blank space in our bedroom, and it's more than perfect! He also got me some craft stuff and things from home. He's a real diamond geezer!

After opening gifts we called my Mum and Dad back home. It was great to talk to them and the boys too. Alfie said it "was the best Christmas ever, he got everything he had ever wanted". He's a sweet, sentimental little boy and even though he was sick with the swine flu he was having a fun time. Morgan was just so excited about everything, and it was great to hear the excitement in his voice as he explained about the gifts he'd got and asked if Santa had made it to our place.

Morgan was a little worried that Santa might not remember where we were, so he left a note out with the cookies and milk telling him not to forget about Me, Cory & Tittr here in Oregon. He's a real fun little guy, and looks out for his Auntie Mary!

After talking to them and calling some other family back home we made a yummy breakfast and got ready! It was nice to not be rushing around like a headless chicken!

Once we were ready we loaded the gifts up into the truck and headed to Cory's parents place. We were going to exchange gifts there and have dinner with them.

The afternoon was lovely. Genie did a great job with dinner and it was a really fun time had by all. It was also Cory's Grampa's 80th birthday on Christmas Day, so we sang "Happy Birthday" to him and Jesus and we had birthday cake from his party!

It had been a long but very fun and memorable day... we headed home and put our feet up for the rest of the evening!

Here's a few photos for ya:

Cory helping his Grandmother open her gifts

Last year I introduced the Christmas Crackers tradition and this year we even got everyone to wear their crowns! ;)

Yep - it's a crazy person infront of a pretty Christmas tree!

Our first Christmas as Mr & Mrs Cory Fast

Merry Christmas & update from The Fast’s

2009-12-15T12:53:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas & Update from the Fast's

So, I guess I should firstly say that I am not a ‘regular’ at writing these update letters… So I am hoping to keep it short and sweet (a bit like me I guess – hahahaha)!

Anyway, 2009 has been quite the year for us. For those of you who live on the moon and don’t yet know - I have immigrated to the USA! Yes, I am now living in beautiful Oregon! The process was fairly stressful and very lengthy, but it was very worth it, and I am now the proud holder of a Green Card.

I’ve been here for 12 months now, and will say that all-in-all, it’s one of the most wonderful places to live. It is beautiful all year round and we are excited for the snowing to start here in a couple of weeks (or days from the forecast I heard this morning) – the snow is hard work, but it’s such fun!

I do miss my family & friends from home though, and am trying to be good at keeping in touch… and we are VERY excited for our trip in the spring and will try and see as many of you as possible!

The other big news from us is that we got married! Yes, that’s the reason I am no longer little Friel – I’m ‘Fast’ now!

Our wedding was just about as perfect as it could be. My Mum & two nephews came from the UK, we had friends travel from the UK, Finland and all over the US to be with us. We have so many special memories from that day – a big thanks to all of you who made it SO special – and yes, that includes those of you who were in on the ‘Bandit’ plan to kidnap me from the wedding reception!

Other than immigrating and getting married, the main thing going on with us is unfortunately my health. A few days before the wedding after several tests and Doctors visits I was diagnosed with Graves Disease. GD is an auto immune illness and basically, it causes my immune system to attack the thyroid. I was having fairly intense symptoms and was put on medication to help with those while I waited to see the Endocrinologist. Back then, I don’t think we really knew what an uphill struggle we were in for.

A few weeks after my diagnosis, Cory and I went to the hospital to receive my radiation treatment. It was a scary time, but for us it was a step in the right direction. A step to getting better and we were in the struggle together. Once my thyroid started to die off it went very quickly… It seems like it should have been on a gentle downward slope, but instead it took a sky dive and that is not fun to experience. I quickly fell into being hypothyroid (under active thyroid function) as well as having Graves Disease. Oh what fun!

We hadn’t been warned what a journey it would be (I think my Dr was surprised that I crashed so hard & fast too), so every day we were learning. In fact, I’d say we are still learning. I am now taking synthetic thyroid replacement medication, but we still have a few months of my thyroid dying and getting regulated to deal with before I’ll be standing on my own two feet.

Anyway, I know it’s easy to moan about being ill, and to say what a horrible time it’s been, and it really has, but I’d also like to say that it’s been quite an incredible journey too. Cory and I as newlyweds have had to really be strong together, and he has been just wonderful. He has taken care of me when all I was able to do was be a grump and stay on the couch. He has seen me through the good days and bad, and has helped me keep pushing on, keep fighting, and keep looking forward to the day when I have my energy back, and have this illness firmly under my thumb. I am so thankful for a husband that is my best friend, my soul mate and my life partner. That is more than I could have ever wished or hoped for.

We also attend a great church here in McMinnville, and that has been such a blessing to us. The pastor, Charlie, has such a gift as a speaker and is captivating to listen to. This whole summer every single sermon that he has preached has felt like it was specifically focused on us and our situation. God knew what we needed to hear, when we needed encouragement, when we needed direction and when we just needed to rest in His awesome power. He has carried us both through this hard time, and is still doing so today.

We are looking forward to the New Year, and all the new challenges it will bring along. We’re also looking forward to our trip ‘back home’, to seeing dear family and friends, and to hopefully having restored health. Wishing you all a wonderful 2010, filled with joy, happiness and laughter!

Love & hugs to you all, from

Cory & Mary xoxoxoxox

YAY for Andrew & Adie

2009-12-15T11:22:00.000-08:00

So, Cory and I are excited, bcause tonight we get to go pick up Andrew and Adison from the airport. They're arriving from NC for three weeks over the holiday season.

We just heard a couple of hours ago that one of their connecting flights was cancelled, so they had to switch to a different flight, but the good thing (I think) is that their flight now arrives at 7pm instead of 11.30pm - at least we'll get back here to Mac at a reasonable time!

It'll be good to see them both, we don't get to see them often enough :)

That's all for now, time to go and bake some yummy cookies....

Catch ya later :)

It's begining to feel a lot like Christmas

2009-12-15T10:43:00.000-08:00

This will have to be a quick post, I have a ton of stuff to do today, but I don't know if I will get to write for a few days, so thought I'd make a quick post and update.

I still have tons from the summer to update, I promise I'll get round to those soon... My goal is before the New Year! Yikes!

Anyway, with December firmly here and Christmas rapidly approaching we finally managed to get our tree.
We went up this weekend and picked out the most perfect tree. Cory cut it about half way up which looked like it would be about right. We went to help Doug (Cory's Dad) cut down the one for him and Genie, and we carted them back to the four wheelers. I was getting excited.

Cory climbed a tree for some mistletoe too. No Christmas decorations would be complete without that! I know you're supposed to "shoot" it out of the tree, but we didn't have a gun and it was getting dark!

While Doug brought the trees back to the Farm on the trailer Cory took me on a one of the trails on the other four-wheeler. It was a lot of fun. The trails are so pretty!

We visited a while with Cory's parents, and niece Julia. Everyone was excited about the news they'd just heard, that Cory's sister in law, Katie was six weeks pregnant.

So, on Sunday after church and lunch we decided that we were going to put the tree up... Cory had to cut about two and a half feet off the bottom of it, and about another six inches off the top to make it fit, but it looked perfect!

We had a lot of fun decorating the tree, some new ornaments, some old, and John & Janet brought us some ornaments that they used to have on their tree back in California too.

I added a few other decorations around the living and dining rooms and we were just about done. The house smelled so Christmassy, and it sure looked it! I love my tree - I think it's just perfect, and I'm excited for this Christmas...

... Our first as Mr & Mrs Cory Fast!

(Here are some pics from the Christmas tree hunt)

Newest addition to the family.

2009-12-14T11:10:00.000-08:00

This past weekend my brother had a little baby girl. She was born healthy in the early hours of Saturday morning
12th December 2009.

They have named her Charlotte Ann.

The Big Day!

2009-11-18T15:40:00.006-08:00

The big day was a lot of fun, and I have so many special memories that it's hard to narrow it down to blog post... but I'll try! ;)

The tables, chairs, linen, china and silverware all arrived in the morning of the big day, and we had our close friends here on hand to help get the last few bits & pieces done... we were expecting perhaps a little sprinkle of rain, so we set up everything except the linens, and a friend of ours was going to put them out right at the last minute before we arrived back from the ceremony.

Mum & I headed to the salon to get our hair done leaving everyone buzzing around getting things done. Once we got back Mum and a good friend Tara got working on the flowers for Anna and I, and I went round to have a quick squizz and make sure everything was right and in place.

As soon as everything was finished Cory & Andrew headed to the farm - they needed to double check a few things up there and were also getting suited and booted up there!

Excitement had started to set in... I could feel the butterflies in my stomach!

Once they left I started to get ready. Anna was already dressed and looking gorgeous, and I hadn't even tried my dress on yet from the last amendments the dress maker had made! So, as I did my make up I hoped the dress would be ok...

With make up done, I enlisted the help of Anna and my Mum to do up the lacing at the back of my dress... It fit... we were in luck! (There was one small flaw on the dress, right under the zip at the back, but my Mum decided that it was best to not point it out until much later in the day, in fact, I think she told me about 9pm or 10pm that evening when I said I thought I'd ripped it!

Right on time John & Janet came and knocked on the door for us. John had decorated the 41 Chevy beautifully, and they were ready for Anna and I.

Dave took my Mum and the boys in our truck and drove behind us to the farm! Oooooh, I was getting excited (and I was very glad that the weather wasn't too hot yet).

We arrived at the farm, just a few minutes late and everything was perfectly laid out there. The boys had done a good job on all the last minute arrangements. I was so glad I wouldn't have to worry or run around changing things right before the guests arrived.

I went into the house and Cory's Mammaw was there. She gave me an Irish linen handkerchief and a sixpence. She had bought the Irish linen years before when she was on a trip to Ireland with the plan to give it to Cory's bride on her wedding day, and the same with the sixpence. It was very sweet. I promptly put the sixpence in my shoe (it's not the most comfortable place, but it's traditional) and I hid the handkerchief in a flower arrangement next to where we would stand during the ceremony (just in case I needed it).

With the sixpence in place I realised that I had all the traditional items except for "something blue".... As I was wondering what I should do I rummaged through my handbag.... nothing!
hummm.... but then I had an idea.

I grabbed the blue ball point pen from my purse and thought for a brief second... I knew exactly what I would be my "something blue". I wrote on the outside of my right calf "Cory's Mary". It was what Cory's niece called me and subsequently had turned into my nickname. It was perfect!

A few moments later Mike told Anna to come get me - He was done taking the photos of the men getting ready and he wanted me up there next.

YIKES!

So, I went up there, asked Mike if he would usher everyone else downstairs and I was ready to see my groom! I was excited to see him! This was our special moment.

I remember that moment clearly. Mike gave me the sign and I opened the door. Cory was standing with his back to me, looking out the window at the garden below that was set up for our ceremony. As I started walking towards him he turned around and I could see in his face right there at that moment that he was filled with pride to have me there as his wife.We checked out each others outfits and Mike snapped shots. I almost didn't want to go back downstairs where I suspected it might be a little frantic... If not frantic, it certainly wouldn't be as calm and peaceful as it was right there where we were!

The next while was dedicated to photos... lots of them... then our guests started arriving and I knew it was almost time!The ceremony was just beautiful. Danny and Doug (Cory's Dad) did the readings for us, and Andrew played a song while Cory and I poured the unity sand. We did have a little sprinkle of rain right as Gerald was giving his talk, but it was just a sprinkle and we survived without having to retreat to the house or send people in search of umbrellas - phew!

After the ceremony we had a cookie and punch reception there at the house. It was a good time for guests to visit with each other, and it also meant they didn't have to just stand around 'watching' as the rest of the photos were being taken.

Then it was time to head to the reception...

Rehersal Dinner (now with pics)

2009-11-18T15:40:00.005-08:00

The rehearsal dinner was planned for the Friday evening, at the farm, and we were having Wallerys pizza - our favourite!

After spending the day working on stuff for the reception and trying to get everything done, and run all the errands we headed to the farm. We had three in the front of the truck and three in the back but I still needed to make a quick stop... I needed to pick up my dress from the dress maker!
I sure hoped it was perfect, because I didn't have time to try it on again. I dashed into the house, leaving everyone in the truck, picked up the dress, thanked Judy and ran back out again. I just "hoped" it would be OK when the time came to out it on!

Pastor Gerald arrived just after us and we had a quick run through of how things would go, and where everyone would be situated throughout the ceremony. Julia was our flower girl, but they hadn't arrived so instead, Danny Roe stepped in for her! I must say, he did a wonderful job as a "flower girl"! hahaha

Thankfully everything went smoothly, everything seemed very straight forward enough... so, we headed inside to grab a bite to eat.

It was a lot of fun having everyone together, and I loved how relaxed the evening was. Whoever said rehearsal dinners had to be stuffy!?!?! :)

After dinner and visiting with everyone for a while we headed back to our place to do the absolute last minute things for the next day... I hadn't gotten used to one of the medications my Dr had prescribed me on the Monday, and it made me so sleepy that instead of taking one every 4-6 hours I was taking one half of a pill, once a day in the evening. I made the mistake of taking my pill not long after we got back from the farm, and within about a half hour I was out cold. I had fallen asleep on the couch and would not go to bed. I guess in the back of my mind I knew I had a ton of stuff I still wanted to do, but my body wouldn't co-operate, it wouldn't play ball...

Cory & Andrew worked hard getting the garden ready. They worked til about 11.30pm, and they had Dave, Danny, Steve, Anna, Mikko & my Mum helping too. I was so proud of the work everyone had put in, but I felt a little hint of guilt that I hadn't been able to do my part. Why on earth did I have to be sick now, why couldn't it just wait til after the wedding, and after everyone had gone back home... I was more than frustrated with myself.

As promised, here are the photos...

Danny made a wonderful "flowergirl"
Umm yeah, I don't know what we were doing with our arms...

"Mary, do you take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband?"
Hummmmmm - Let me think.... Aren't we already married?!?!?!

I added this one because I think the face Erik is pulling is hilarious!

Hen & Stag night...

2009-11-18T15:40:00.003-08:00

So, Thursday was to be our Hen & Stag night. The plan was for the 'boys' were to head to Salem and party it up there, and for us girls to have a "girls night" with wine, dinner and whatever...

Well, late afternoon that plan kind of hit the fan.

Everyone was in our garden getting the dance floor and lighting situated and I was inside with Mum. I was working on the programs that I was supposed to send the files to print that afternoon. I just couldn't seem to be able to concentrate (a classic GD symptom) enough to get them done, and my pulse was high and I felt light headed. I kept thinking it was just to do with the heat and the stress of the wedding being in 2 days....

I decided to go for a walk. Not the smartest thing I had ever done, but in my head at that moment it seemed like a good idea. My pulse was 143 bpm and I thought if I could just get away and relax for a few mins it would all feel better... little did I know.

After just a few minutes into the walk my breathing became a struggle and I started to get very light headed... Thankfully, my Mum knew me better than I knew myself and she had gone and told Cory that I'd headed for a walk and that he should go with me... he caught up to me and realised I wasn't doing very well at all.

So he made me sit down in the shade in the park and try to rest and get my breath back. He was worried and wanted to call Andrew to come get us to take us to the dr/hospital, but I didn't want a fuss, I didn't want everyone to know I was having any issues so I made him promise he wouldn't do that.

Eventually, after much persuasion he got me to head home with him. That walk home was the longest ever, and I was worried that people would see me and start to panic. I didn't want people to panic, and I certainly didn't want people to see me in that state.

After struggling to get home, I headed to the basement to lay down. Cory gave me some of the pills the dr's had prescribed and they helped me to sleep, and slowly my pulse started to ease off a little and my breathing became more regulated. I felt bad for him and my Mum who were worried about what was happening, but I couldn't control what my body was doing and all I wanted to do was hide it from everyone else.

So, with that still going on as the 'boys' were supposed to be getting ready to leave it kind of messed with their plans. I still really wanted them to go, but I couldn't persuade them. Cory was adamant that he wasn't leaving my side.

So, after a LONG nap and with the medicine doing it's job I was feeling better... The only way Cory was going to get his stag night was if we went too... So, Anna and I made ready and went with them. We had a joint Hen/Stag night.

It was actually a lot of fun! We went to a few clubs and pubs in Salem, and all had a really good evening. I was one of the DD's since I couldn't drink anything harder than diet Pepsi with the meds I was taking. Andrew was the other DD.

We got home around 2am, everyone grabbed a beer and about 3am I took Danny, Steve and Dave to where they were staying... I was a tired girlie and had a big day ahead of me! :)

Guests start arriving....

2009-11-18T15:38:00.003-08:00

So,with Anna & Mikko having been here for a week already, they decided to nip up to Seattle on the Monday before the wedding so they could stay there for a day or two and still be back in time to help with the last minute wedding preparations.

My Mum, Morgan & Alfie arrived on the Tuesday, and that was great. It was wonderful to see them walking through the arrivals hall. The boys looked so excited and nervous all at once,but within a few minutes they were their usual selves! We grabbed something to eat and then headed back to McMinnville to show them the sights!

Andrew arrived on Wednesday afternoon, and we were very glad to see him. After my diagnosis of GD I wasn't really up to much, and the meds I was taking were making me very sluggish. I was trying to hang out with my Mum and the boys as much as possible, so it was nice to have Andrew there to help Cory with getting the last few things done.

Anna & Mikko headed back on Wednesday evening from Seattle, and we had already made plans to have a few friends over for drinks. It ended up being a bigger night than we thought...
Danny called about 10pm to say that he had decided to not stop overnight in a hotel and would just be coming straight to us. He'd be arriving between 11pm and midnight and would be happy to sleep on our couch! That was fine with us... We had made arrangements for him and Steve to stay with Dan, but we thought it would be too late for him to show up there at Dan's.

So, he arrived, we all had a few beers and then hit the sack.... we had a lot on the "TO DO" list for the following day.

Dave arrived the next day, so Cory & Andrew headed to PDX to pick him up from there. I dropped Mum and the boys off to the park and headed to the salon! I didn't really feel like getting my nails done, but I really needed to since the wedding was just a few days away and there was no time between now and then.... At least it gave me a few minutes to relax and think about nothing else... or at least that's what I thought. The moment the manicurist looked at my nails she asked if I had any illness or thyroid related condition... I was like "What? How do you know?"
Well, she had been diagnosed with Graves Disease about 8 years before and just recognised how bad my nails looked as being similar to hers... I remember wondering why my Doctors in the UK couldn't diagnose me after 4 years of going to them with complaint after complaint, but a nail technician could spot I had something wrong with me after just looking at my nails!

Cory, Andrew & Dave were making a couple of stops on the way back from the airport. Getting some last minute items and picking up the wine too...

Steve was also on his way and was due to arrive for the Hen and Stag night on Thursday, so it seemed like everyone who was supposed to be there would.
He pulled in mid-afternoon on the bike, and he looked like he could really do with stretching his legs. He'd ridden all the way from San Fran on that bike. YIKES

So, everyone who was supposed to be here was here...

Alex & Tara would be arriving from SLC on the Friday afternoon!

Graves Disease... WTF is Graves Disease?!?!?!

2009-11-18T15:38:00.001-08:00

OK, so I'm really trying hard to catch up on this blog before the new year starts, so I'll be posting a few times a day over the next week or so, and hopefully my memory will be kind to me!

So, the week before the big June wedding I went to the Dr's for some routine vaccinations and a quick check up. While I was there he also listened to my heart and was not happy to see that my pulse was going crazy at 134 bpm. He asked some questions and felt my neck and glands and did a general once over. He said that he was pretty sure that I had something wrong with my thyroid and would like to do some blood tests. "OK" I thought, "that's not too bad, I can deal with that" and as he left the room I asked him "so, if it is the thyroid, then I just take a little pill every day, right?". He looked at me and just said "lets find out what the problem is first, then we'll talk about treatment".

Right there and then I had a gut feeling something was wrong. I'd been dealing with the high pulse for a long time, and more recently there seemed to be some other things that seemed "odd" but we just couldn't put our finger on it.

My Doctor had also ordered an ECG, so the lovely nurse (Michelle) came and got me and took me to the lab. She did my ECG first which was an interesting experience. Being hooked up to the machine with all those wires stuck to you, while someone takes a reading is kind of weird.

After that I went to get the bloods taken... they took lots. It seemed like my Doctor was going to check every single option so he knew what exactly was wrong with me. While I didn't really like having my blood drawn I was glad that they were so thorough and were going to find out if something was wrong with me. Ruth at the lab was wonderful too, she didn't hurt a pinch and while I was sitting there she could tell that I'd been crying and she was just so caring and sweet. I'll never forget that.

Then, after all the bloods were done Michelle came and got me again and took me back to her room so she could give me the shots I'd originally had the appointment for. I had 5 in total, and was starting to feel like a pin cushion / lab rat. I just wanted to go home!

The next morning was to be my bridal shower at the farm, so I tried my best to forget about what was going on.... my arms were hurting though, I was bruised from all the needles!

A week after that very first appointment Michelle called. She called to say my results were back and that my thyroid levels were extremely elevated and they needed to see me right away, could I come that afternoon? Well, we were just about ready to leave for the beach with Anna & Mikko (our Finnish friends), so I said I couldn't be there til Monday. She gave me the first appointment for Monday morning.

I didn't realise how long a weekend it would be.

I hung up from her and called Cory. He could tell I had been crying and didn't know what was wrong. He'd been at work that morning, but was about to leave to come home and head to the beach... The only words I could manage were "please come home now, I need you"...

I filled him in on what the Dr's had said, and he finally managed to calm me down enough that we were able to grab a bite to eat and head to the beach. It was a fun afternoon, but I kept finding myself drifting into thought about what they could have found, and what I was going to have to go through.

The next morning we were to head to Sisters as a little surprise for Anna & Mikko. We had booked tickets for the Sisters Rodeo and were planning to camp on Saturday night and return Sunday afternoon. It would give them a real taste of the USA! So, after a later start than we had hoped we hit the road. We grabbed breakfast on the way and soon enough we were entering Sisters. They had already guessed a couple of times that we were taking them to the Rodeo, but it was still fun to keep them guessing til the last minute.

The Monday before our wedding
So, on Monday morning I was diagnosed with an illness, one I'd never heard of until my Dr uttered the words "You've got Graves Disease"...
A few short moments after he said that sentence my brain stopped listening to what he was saying. I could hear the words he was saying, and I was some how able to utter an appropriate reply, or nod my head at the right time, but I'd blanked out, I was no longer understanding any of it. All I kept saying over and over in my head was "Graves Disease? WTF is Graves Disease?"

Thankfully, my Dr knew that I probably wouldn't remember any of what he had told me, and before I left his office he gave me an information booklet and my prescription and reassured me that he would be there with us every step of the way. He told me to go home and make sure I told my husband and family/friends that we were in for a long battle, and it would be 9-12 months before I was back to my 'old self'.

So... Me being me, I went home and after talking to Cory, my Mum and some friends I started my research. Boy am I glad I did. We realised a short way into the struggle with GD that knowledge would be our friend and it would see us through. We needed to learn as much as we could about the condition and treatment before we would see the Endocrinologist, because we would have some decisions to make.

The most ironic thing, and also the first thing I learned about GD is that it was discovered by an Irish Doctor - Robert James Graves. Thankfully, this is also where the illness got it's name!

Graves is an autoimmune disease that most commonly affects the thyroid, frequently causing it to enlarge to twice its size or more (goiter), become overactive, with related hyperthyroid symptoms such as increased heartbeat, muscle weakness, disturbed sleep, and irritability. It can also affect the eyes, causing bulging eyes and it affects other systems of the body, including the skin, heart, circulation and nervous system.

When Cory and I read through the list of symptoms I had all but one - I was a textbook case - how on earth had a Dr not diagnosed me before now. It seems like I'd probably had the illness for 3-4 years, although because it takes hold so gradually it's hard to know for sure.

A selection of our wedding photos...

2009-11-05T16:03:00.000-08:00

Because this is what love is...

2009-11-05T15:56:00.000-08:00

This is one of the readings we had at our wedding. It was so special to both Cory and I, and it seemed just perfect.

"Love is a temporary madness; it erupts like volcanoes and then subsides.
And when it subsides you have to make a decision.
You have to work out whether your roots have so entwined together that it is inconceivable that you should ever part.
Because this is what love is.
Love is not breathlessness, it is not excitement, it is not the promulgation of eternal passion.
That is just being in love, which any fool can do.
Love itself is what is left over when being in love has burned away, and this is both an art and a fortunate accident.
Those that truly love have roots that grow towards each other underground, and when all the pretty blossoms have fallen from their branches, they find that they are one tree and not two."

Excerpt from Captain Corelli’s Mandolin - by Louis Bernieres

They find that they are one tree and not two...

2009-11-05T14:40:00.000-08:00

Our wedding day arrives... I am so excited I can hardly contain myself, but I had to go to Salem to get a few things done first so I hop in the truck first thing and head into town.

The first stop is for breakfast, if I was to make it through the day I would need something to eat and some coffee to keep me going. A quick stop at Auntie Annies for a pretzel and a stop for coffee and I'm ready to face the day.

First stop, the nail bar! I am not usually one to take the time needed to go and have my nails done, but this was my special day, so I wanted to take the extra effort to look as best as I could. After abut 45 mins later, I leave there with pretty acrylic nails... I'm not used to having these, and she did them a fair bit longer than I would have liked, but I knew I'd get used to them in a few mins.

After that I headed to the salon for my hair appointment. Again, I am not used to spending time pampering myself, but thankfully the girls there are awesome, and we had a fun morning chatting, and I was getting excited!

So, with my hair and nails done I'm about ready to get heading home. I turn the radio up, and sing along as the excitement sets in the pit of my stomach.

Cory made my beautiful bouquet and I started to get ready... It was a beautiful May afternoon and in just a few hours I would be Mrs Fast! I was overjoyed. As I got ready I went over the vows I had written in my head. I knew that there was a slim (to no) chance that I would remember them from heart when the time came, but at that moment I did, and they will forever be imprinted on my heart. I had a printed copy as a back up with me, I knew I'd be needing it.

So, it seemed like we had everything... Janet & John came over and took a couple photos of us before we left the house... The drive over to the farm was relaxed and excited at the same time. We were just talking about anything and everything... I remember that I kept looking at Cory and thinking - in an hour or so, he's going to be my Husband... Forever! I know it's cheesy, but it's what was going through my mind.

We pulled into the driveway at the farm and "whack!" Cory remembered that we had forgotten our Marriage Licence. I don't know why I didn't think about it. I had put it on the coffee table in a huge envelope so we wouldn't forget it, but in the excitement of everything we just left the house... Crap, Crap, Crap!

Cory dropped me off, and all the other stuff we needed and he headed back to our house to get it. I guess we could have just had it signed on another date or whatever, but that wouldn't have been the same. That was supposed to be our wedding day, that was when we wanted to exchange our rings and vows, and when we wanted to sign our papers.

I tried to keep busy, doing all the things I needed to, but I couldn't help but feel a little stressed. I felt like I should have gone with him to the house, but I knew he would drive safe and would be back before long. I remember at one point Cory's Dad, Doug said something to me, he was trying to be sweet, and I don't even remember what it was that he said, but that was it for me, the dam burst and I started to cry. I was mad with myself, I didn't want to cry, and I didn't want to ruin my make up either. I just wanted Cory to be back, and for him to tell me it was all going to be ok.

Well, a moment later, Mike came and found me. I guess he could tell I was feeling a little stressed, and so he decided it would be a good time to take some pictures and get me to feel a little relaxed. It worked... We started shooting a few shots, some with me and the cake, some with Cory's Mum, and then some with just me... With each click I was feeling less stressed about the whole thing, which for me is very strange - I don't usually like to have my photograph taken!

After a few sets of photos I heard Cory's truck pull in... It was right then that I realised I'd been tense and holding my breath the whole time. I was relieved that he was here, and all that weight lifted off me when he walked in the room. We gave him a few minutes to get himself together before we took a few photos together and then we were ready to start... we were ready to get married! My heart skipped another beat!

We were standing there ready to go into the room, and the music we had chosen started. I could hardly believe it. We catch a glimpse of each other, then start walking... I will never forget that moment. My heart was beating so hard, it felt like everyone could probably see it pounding in my chest. I catch a glimpse of Dan, looking at us and smiling... and I squeeze Cory's hand so hard as we walk the few extra steps to our spots.

Doug and Frank read the passages that we had chosen, and then Cory and I exchange rings and vows. Yep, I needed the paper with my vows. There was no way I would have wanted to stumble them. Cory's vows were so special and from the heart, and will always be a true treasure to me. I am glad that we decided to write our own vows, and am also really glad that we had managed to keep them a secret from each other and everyone else until that moment. It was perfect!

So, after a wonderful "last first kiss" and our hearts still going crazy, we were announced as
Mr & Mrs Cory Fast!

Our birthday weekend...

2009-11-05T11:19:00.000-08:00

Our birthday weekend was just a week before the wedding ceremony, so we decided it would be nice to get away... We both wanted to head to the beach, it was our most favourite place, and it seemed like the perfect get away.

It would also be a perfect opportunity to visit Yaquina Head lighthouse and cobble beach, where we'd gotten engaged earlier in the year...

That place is just so awesome to me, and every time I visit there I am reminded of that cold, wet March afternoon when Cory asked me for "Forever" and I weakly, overwhelmed with emotions let out a whimper of a "yes" as I nodded...

The rock pools were just wonderful that day, and the mussle beds were pretty amazing too. We spent ages just enjoying that wonderful, and very special place.

After that we had planned to meet some friends at the Rogue festival they were having, so we grabbed a bite to eat and headed down there. It was a really fun afternoon, and the beach was so pretty that day too!

We headed to our friends campsite with them and shared dinner and a couple of drinks. After that we went the beach for a walk before heading back to our hotel. We had an amazing view from our balcony that night - the sunset and night sky were just beautiful. I could have stayed there and watched the reflections on the calm waters forever.

Sunday was a really chilled day for us, we grabbed breakfast at a cafe not far from our hotel and we stopped at several beaches on our way back home. It was exactly the weekend we needed to have...

I will say though, that turning 29 was a lot harder than turning 28 in many ways. I had a great birthday, and I loved sharing it with Cory too, so that made it super special... but being 29, that was scary. That was almost 30, that meant I was getting on in years, I was not going to be a "twenty-something" for long...

I did promise myself that I would have a great year being 29 though... no matter what happened.... with the way this Summer panned out, that might be a harder promise to fulfil than I realised!

Slight change of plans...

2009-11-05T11:00:00.001-08:00

So, with Cory and I engaged and our wedding planned for June 20th, we were pretty much set.
We had also decided that we would have a smaller, intimate legal ceremony before the June wedding with just family and a couple close friends with us, and we had made plans with a good family friend to perform this wedding for us on the last Friday in May.

Well... that's what we thought, until we found out that the pastor who was planned to perform it had taken ill with a stroke. We felt so bad for him and his family, and felt a bit lost as to who would now perform our wedding at late notice...

We waited a while to see if he showed any signs of being well enough to still do the wedding for us, and we had considered changing the date. But instead, we decided that he didn't need the stress of feeling like he let us down, and we started to talk to some others. It seems like we'd picked a popular weekend, the people we had shortlisted were busy.

A very dear friend and ex-teacher of Cory's was high up on the list for us, we had really wanted him to do the wedding for us, but he was going to be out of town that weekend. So, we decided that we would switch it. There was no reason we picked that date, and the weekend before was Memorial weekend, so it seemed perfect. We jumped into changing the plans we needed to, and met with Frank a few times. Our special day was going to be perfect, no matter what.

LA to NC Road Trip... Uggggggh

2009-11-05T09:34:00.001-08:00

So, I'll try and be as brief as I can... but those of you who know me will already know that doesn't happen often!

Cory and I flew down there into Ontario, Andrew picked us up for the airport and briefly showed me around town, where his wife Brandi used to work, the town and such, and then we headed back to their place to grab a bite to eat and load up the car. Andrew's wife and daughter were going to fly over there after a couple days, so it was going to be us three adults and their little dog Elsie... in the Suburban and towing the Mazda - Hummmmm, interesting times ahead!

That road trip was both awesome, and a nightmare all at the same time... It was good times for "The Three Amigos" but I tell ya, it was one helluva drive... We were very thankful that we'd put the blow up mattress in the back of the suburban for a 'sleeping' area, and had just crammed everything into the Mazda so we didn't have a crap ton of stuff in the suburban with us... I would be more thankful for that later on than I realised.

As soon as we hit the desert I started to just feel ill... really ill. I knew that since I was a true Irish girl and wasn't too fond of the heat it probably wouldn't be my ideal environment, but I didn't ever really think it would be so terrible... I was nauseous all the time, and the only thing I could do to not have to pull over every 10 minutes was try to sleep, so Elsie and I snuggled up in the back seat of the suburban and tried to sleep as much as possible... The poor boys had to do all the driving, and I was about as much help to them as a chocolate teapot.

Anyway, long story short, we drove as far as we could in one foul swoop but decided that we would need to spend at least one night in a hotel, so we could all get a decent sleep in a bed, and could have a nice hot shower too, so we planned our stop for Amarillo...

As we got near, the sun was setting and we all wanted to see Car Henge before dark... it was close, but we managed it. Right as we pulled in the sun was fading fast, but it was so worth it, and it was really nice to just stretch our legs. After that we headed to the hotel, got washed up and went in search of dinner. So, being in Texas, we wanted to eat at a Texas Steak House... and we found the closest one... they closed just a few minutes before we got there... just our luck... So, needing food we decided that TGI Friday's would do it and headed there... So much for us being able to see a bit of the town that evening. We were all SO exhausted that we ate dinner and went back to the hotel to sleep as much as we could, since we had planned an early start in the morning.

It was so nice to sleep in a real bed, and to have a nice hot shower... I could have easily stayed another night, but we had a lot of miles still ahead of us, so we wanted to get cracking on those.

We got a quick bite to eat, filled up with petrol, got coffee's and headed out of town... it was a foggy cold morning.... We got a few miles out of town and the bonnet started smoking... Uh Oh! That's not a good sign. We pull up on the side of the road, and for sure, we're overheating... Crap!

So, we add as much water as we had on with us, and let it cool down, then get back in the car(s) and drive to the next exit in search of water or services... nothing. Just a farm house. So, we get water from there, and are told by a service guy nearby that there's a "LOVES" not too far... we head there. They don't have the parts we need, and now we're just getting frustrated because we're wasting time.... We find out there's a parts store in Claude. Where the heck is Claude? What the heck is Claude? Well, we call ahead, and they have the part, so we make our way there.... there is NOTHING ELSE in Claude! We grab the part, the boys do a makeshift repair and we get back on the road... I'm pretty sure, even though it was unsaid, we were all just hoping we wouldn't have to make any further stops or repairs...

The makeshift repair worked perfectly, and so long as we kept the water topped up we were able to keep plodding along at 60 MPH... If we were lucky we got up to 65 ish... no kidding!

I continued to sleep as much as I could, since I was still feeling pretty crappy, and we still has another 1200 miles (ish) left to go... we were thinking about the possibility of making one more overnight stop, possibly in Tennessee... but we'd see how things were going at that point. We were all very eager to just get there already, and I was kind of bummed about being ill already for the whole trip...

The further we drove, the funnier everything got... and I mean EVERYTHING... We kept finding ourselves laughing hard about things that probably wouldn't usually even make us crack a smile... Yep, we were going crazy!

We kept driving... I-40 is one LONG ASS road, and while I am kind of fond of it after spending all that time there, I don't think I'd be too sad if I never had to drive on it again... At some point, and I can't quite remember clearly when the "aha!" moment was, but we realised that since we were not going at the max speed the whole time, our journey would actually take us a lot longer than we had estimated... Drat!

So, we decided to keep driving, so we could just get there as quickly as possible... Cory and Andrew took turns switching out driving/sleeping... Elsie and I tried to sleep as much as we could to pass the time (and keep me from being ill), and we tried to stop as little as possible... Not as easy as you might think. It didn't matter if I took a bathroom break when we stopped for petrol, I still needed to stop half way in between every other stop... I guess I was drinking all those fluids to try and avoid becoming dehydrated or something, anyway, I felt bad for everyone else, but I couldn't help it! When you gotta go, you've gotta go!

We keep passing State lines, which was awesome, it meant we were getting somewhere... Some states seemed misproportionally (is that even a word) longer than others, but we kept passing state lines and eventually the scenery started to look more green, more alive, fresher and much less desert like! YAY - I was not a fan of the desert (and it was not a fan of me either)....

I think my heart actually skipped a beat when we passed from Tennessee into North Carolina... I was so excited! The end was now in sight... The road sign said we had just 52 more miles to go... They turned out to be a LONG 52 miles!

We were all on the lookout for exit 46... and exit 46 was signposted... LOTS... it seemed like it was posted forever, and we were starting to think this exit wasn't real and we would never actually find it! Grrrrrrr

... and then, like a building rising out of the fog, it was there... Exit 46 was the next exit... we were very excited to get off I-40 and into town!!!

We follow the map and pull into Andrew's new street, and as we drive down the little road the mood lifts - we had made it, we were there... the Three Amigos had survived!We all jump out, stretch, let Elsie have a drink and then we have to unload the Mazda from the trailer...

Well, what should have been an easy task, well, wasn't... it was fairly funny to watch though! Andrew jumped into the Mazda, started her up, straightened up and tried to back off the trailer... nothing.... tried again... nothing!

Whoops, then Cory realised that they chain was still attached... so he hops under there, unhooks the chain and we try again... Andrew lines up the ramps and backs off there - Fantastico!

Here's a summary of our trip in photos, and a little video at the end too... Enjoy!

So, that's pretty much the end of our road trip... It certainly had some good times and some hard times, and I guess, now looking back I should have really realised that I was more unwell than we thought at the time. But like they say, hindsight's 20/20.

It would be less than a month before I was diagnosed, and life for us would be turned upside down...

Spring...

2009-11-03T07:56:00.000-08:00

So, to catch everyone up, I'll go back and sum up the earlier parts of this year - it might be vague since my memory is patchy at times... but I'll do the best I can.

So, I was back in beautiful Oregon, after three weeks back home, and now I was engaged to the most amazing man in the world, my Soulmate, my Cory. I was floating on cloud nine.

Fairly soon after the engagement we set a date, so we could give people who needed to travel as much time as possible to make plans... We didn't want to catch people on the hop and make it super spendy for them to get flights booked... So, we settled on the 20th June 2009, and within no time at all we had the back bone of our wedding planned... it was going to be beautiful.

Cory and I had decided we would like to have it up at the Farm where he grew up. It seemed perfect to us, since it was such a sentimental place to us, and it is just beautiful up there too, and June would be a pretty time of year for a farm wedding... Anyway, more about the wedding coming right up... Stay in your seats boys and girls.

The begining of May, we had 'offered' to help our good friends move house (been roped in, had arms twisted... umm, I don't know which is more accurate)... It wasn't like we were moving them a couple blocks, or even to the next town, we were moving them all the way clear to the other side of the country - they were going from LA to North Carolina!

Yeah, it was going to be quite the journey... but we were up for the challenge... But I'll tell that story in another post, I have have a feeling it might be a long one...

Our 'official' engagement photos

2009-11-03T07:37:00.001-08:00

On the news of our engagement, a good photographer friend and neighbour of ours offered to shoot our Engagement Session... So, we went over to Linfield and took our photos there on a beautiful Spring afternoon!

Here are some of our photos:

We also made a little video with all the photos on it...

Cory's proposal...

2009-08-20T13:17:00.013-07:00

28th March 2009

Here are some excerpts of what I wrote a few days after Cory proposed to me. I never wanted to forget the feeling and emotions of that day. It's our special day, and our very special place.

I got back to the US on Wednesday March 25th, and what a nightmare that was... The flight from London to Texas was 2.5 hours late, and then I got to immigration, and the battle axe there gave me a hard time, and took me to an interview room, where I was quizzed solidly for 42 minutes... somehow, by the grace of God they decided to let me in....

Then on Friday evening, Cory left work and came home at lunchtime, saying that he just wanted to hang out with me, my first weekend back and all that...

We planned to go to the beach on Saturday which wasn't unusual for us so I thought nothing of it...

So, we go to the beach, and it's tipping down a storm.... but it's amazing, the waves are high and it's just beautiful....

Cory brings me to Yaquina Head lighthouse saying that he wants to show me a little cobble beach there, that has these black stones (it's a very cool beach)...

So, we wrap up and just before we get out of the truck Cory took our photo saying he wanted a "before photo"... I still didn't think anything was odd about that.... I thought he meant before we were looking like drowned rats!!!!
We get out and start walking down the steps to the beach... but he runs back to the truck saying he needs his camera... Stupid me, I still don't cop on (he was going to get the ring)!
We get to the beach, and we're walking, there is no one else there...and he tells me that he wants this to be forever, that he wants me to be his wife and he wants to spend all the tomorrows with me.....

He gets out the ring, and I can't even think of the ring, all I can think about are the words he just said and that he wants me to be his wife.... and for once in my life, the only time ever, I am unable to form any words... I am completely speechless...... A few moments later he asks me if that's a "yes" and with tears running down my face,I do all I can to just make a little nod to say yes.... He had taken me completely by surprise!

We were standing there on the beach, in the wind and the rain for a fair while before we decided that it was cold and we started walking back to the truck... I was walking on clouds, I didn't care that I was cold and soaked through to the core... I was the happiest woman alive.

When we got back to the truck Cory got out his camera and took an 'after' photo, and then finally everything started to fit into place, I finally realised that he had planned it carefully...

Well, that's the story! He was so sweet, so romantic and I was in shock for the longest time that we're actually going to get married....

Elk Cove & Kramer

2009-08-20T10:27:00.013-07:00

The weekend before I left to go back to London we decided to do some more wine tasting, this time, just the two of us.

I had wanted to go to Elk Cove for a while, so it was a perfect time... We had to go up near there to drop some things off, so we decided to have some fun up there too...

We went to Elk Cove and Kramer, I would highly recommend them both, their wine was wonderful, and EC had stunning grounds!

Here's some pics...

More pics from Meade's weekend...

2009-08-20T10:20:00.008-07:00

Wine tasting...

It's a Friel Sandwich... ;)

Playing bocce ball...

Lange Winery
Lincoln City Cape Meares

Alex & Tara visit...

2009-08-20T09:43:00.022-07:00

We were so excited to have Alex and Tara come up from Salt Lake for a long weekend...

They arrived on the Thursday, so we decided to go to the Horse Brass English Pub in Portland on the way back from the airport for some dinner and drinks! I was so excited to see English beers... Weird I know, but it's crazy how different things here are... I ordered a glass of Blackthorn Cider... Classy I know! ;)

Jeff came and meet up with us for a drink... it was nice to finally meet him, and to see everyone together again.

Since it was Tara's first time here in Oregon, Alex wanted to show her Linfield college, and we had also planned to go on some cool wine tastings... The rest of the day we chilled, and played board games in the evening...

We headed to the beach on Saturday morning - Jeff and Janelle joined us too..... Firstly and importantly we had to make a stop at Kiyllos for Alex... He loves that place, so we timed it right for lunch! ;)

After that we headed to PC to the beach house we had rented... It was awesome, and perfectly located just slightly north of the dune with private beach access!

After settling in, someone (I don't remember who) had the bright idea of climbing the dune! Well, it sounded like a good idea to all of us, so we headed out (leaving Janelle behind to study).

Very shortly I realised that there was no way in the world I was going to make it up the dune... But, instead of being a spoilt sport, I kept trying... chugging along at the back over the first two little dunes.

As I approached the main dune I was feeling light headed and out of breath, my thighs were burning and I just didn't know what was going on. I had never had a problem doing things like this before. Cory came and tried to help me get all the way to the top, but there was no way, and I eventually had to stop and sit down while the rest of the group carried on to the top! I was defeated and extremely annoyed with myself.

Even on the way back to the house I was struggling to climb back over the two little dunes and I felt embarrassed. Little did I know, but it should have been a sign that something was going on with my health... Again the graves disease tried to get our attention, but we ignored it!

Saturday evening we had a great night, playing board games, chillin' in the hot tub and enjoying the group of friends... oh, and Jeff made meatball grinders... they were really good, but I had never been served such a lot of meat (and only meat) in one meal!

Well, the weekend had flown by and Alex & Tara were to leave on Sunday afternoon... We decided to drive up the coast and see some sights before their flight... it was a great afternoon, we saw Cape Meares and the light house.... Then we headed to the grand lodge for lunch before saying goodbye!It was a great weekend... It was nice to meet Alex, who had been one of Cory's closest friends since college. Tara is awesome too - they're great friends to have and fun people to hang out with!

Little did we know we'd see them in Oregon again in a couple months... ;)

Bachelor weekend... Valentines Day

2009-08-20T08:23:00.026-07:00

We waited for what seemed like ages for our Bachelor weekend to come around... it was a great weekend...

We loaded up the truck on Friday morning, first thing and got on the road... we wanted to cram as much into the weekend as possible...

On Saturday while making breakfast I decided I was going to take a refresher lesson, it had been years and years since I had strapped into a board, I wanted to take it easy that first day... I ended up being the only person in my lesson, so it was basically a private lesson for 2.5 hours... Awesome!

By lunch time I had popped my knee and wanted to be done... I went to find Cory and the others for food and a rest! Now as I look back, this was the first time I really realised my health wasn't as it should be... I should have been able to spend all day up there on my board, but instead I was tired, my pulse was racing and I needed to take it easy!

Thankfully, everyone else decided they wanted to take it easy that day too... It was Valentines Day and we were going out for a nice dinner, so we decided to head back to our cabins and have a relaxing afternoon. I felt so guilty, even though everyone said they wanted to call it good early, I still felt like they were leaving early because of me... :( That night we went out for an awesome 'American tapas' dinner...

Feeling a little refreshed but still fairly aching and stiff Sunday was upon us, and another day on the slopes... I hoped it would be better, I didn't know why I was struggling so bad...

I decided to rent a board and boots for the day... Since I tore my ankle last fall, the set-up I had really wasn't helping, and it hurt both my knee and ankle to be strapped in...

It was much better! The board was awesome, I had more movement in my ankle and I didn't feel like I was going to damage my knee a million times over... I headed to the bunny slope to give it a try while the others did a quick run!

Yes!!! It did still feel better... So I headed up the ski lift with Cory and the others... YIKES!!!!!

I did ok, and after a couple of runs I was feeling more at ease with the board... As the runs progressed I was feeling more and more exhausted though, and my thighs burned like crazy!

The next run, as I was getting off the ski lift I don't even know what really happened, I hit some slick ice and I went down... Smacked the back of my head hard on the ice...

Right there and then I wanted to be done, I wanted to be at the bottom of the slopes, checking in my gear and heading to the truck..... but no! I was at the top of the run and still had to make it down!

Cory was awesome, he encouraged me down the slope and even though I felt bad that he wasn't able to just fly down the hill, he made me feel like he didn't mind... Like I was his priority and that we would get down there together!

Needless to say, that was my last run for the day... I decided to sit out the last run that Cory was going to make...

We checked in our things and headed back to the cabins... I was ready for a long, hot shower! I didn't know what was up with me, I wasn't that unfit... I shouldn't have had such a hard time...

As I look back now I should have realised that something was up... Graves was nagging away at me and I didn't even know it!

Fabulous weekend though and I am SO excited to snowboard a ton this winter!

Here's some pics:

Cory giving Travis some pointers...

Strapping up for the first run of the day...OUCH! My thighs burn!!!!

Too much turn in my left shoulder...

About to leave for our Valentines dinner...

Early 2009 - January beach trips

2009-08-19T23:51:00.006-07:00

It looked so pretty, we decided to explore...Not the smartest thing we've ever done... I stepped on quick sand and found myself up to the knees and unable to get out. The more I struggled, the further I sunkCory struggled to pull me out - thankfully we both didn't end up stuck!

HAHAHA - I guess there is a valid reason for them to put these signs up! ;)

There was sand everywhere!!!! What a job it was to clean off our shoes!

We see this sign every time we go to Pacific City! It always makes me chuckle ;)

Another Pacific City beach trip...

The view from the Cape Lookout trail

Half way up the trail

beautiful views

The view from the end of the trail

At Seaside beach watching the sunset

Goofing off..

Christmas 2008

2009-08-19T18:32:00.012-07:00

Our truck was the truck that saved Winter... we had to pull so many people out of the snow, and cars out of the road it was unreal... Christmas Eve was no different... Santa (AKA Dan) called us to see if our truck would save his Christmas too... he needed to get to his family, but his truck wasn't fit to take him across town...

So, we went and picked up Dan (* I mean Santa) and we took him to Sam's place where his family were waiting for him to arrive with the rest of the dinner supplies!

We shared a great Christmas Eve with Santa and co! ;)

Christmas Morning was great too... Cory and I exchanged gifts and opened our stockings at home before going to Kirk & Katie's for breakfast!

Julia was so excited, she had gotten a bike for Christmas and was riding it round the dining table when we arrived.

Cory's parents, Doug and Genie, and his brother Erik all arrived for breakfast and afterwards we opened and exchanged Christmas presents.

In the afternoon we all went to Cory's parents house for lunch/dinner... Cory's grandparents were there too. I had brought some Christmas crackers with me from London (luxury M&S ones) so I placed them at each place setting and wondered what everyone would make of it! They didn't have Christmas crackers here, and I think some people were expecting crackers that you eat... Either way, we pulled them, shared our jokes and ate dinner.... I will definitely have to make sure that wherever I am next year, we have crackers as well! :)

All in all, Christmas was a lot of fun, and I am so thrilled Cory and I spent it together. I missed my family though, and missed seeing the boys open their presents... But they had a good time too, and who knows where we'll all be next year!

Winter 2008

2009-08-19T18:11:00.023-07:00

I arrived in Oregon just in time for winter to set in.... I loved seeing the snow!

Here are a few pics from our winter...

Long awaited update...

2009-08-19T07:46:00.001-07:00

Ok, firstly I am so sorry that I haven't updated this in what seems like forever...

I've tried to keep in touch with most of you, but those who I haven't spoken to in a while there is a lot of news in the life of Friel... please be patient with me, it might take me a little while to update all this.

Ok, so, I've been here in Oregon since December, and it's been awesome! I absolutely love living here and I have made some great friends.

Umm, so... to sum up...

We have been keeping busy... We had a good Christmas with Cory's family and we had so much snow this winter it was beautiful (it was hard work too though). I'll post some photos here in a min so you can see for yourself...

We've spent a lot of time this year at the beach too, which is awesome. The beach is one of our most favourite places to be, it's so powerful and calming, and beautiful too. It is now a special place for us too... I'll tell the story of that here in the next post.

I went back home in March, to Ireland and the UK. I only had three weeks and it feels like I crammed so much into that time. I managed to catch up with the people I miss and enjoyed seeing the familiar sights of Inishowen. I nipped to Laois on my way back to London for the flight to, and it was nice to see my brother and his lot, even if only for a night.

Since I've been back it seems like it's been 'go, go, go'...

Donegal - Galway - Dublin

2008-11-22T18:45:00.025-08:00

Ok, so before this gets boring I'll tell the long story short (yes, yes, I can hear the sigh of relief already!).

We decided to go on a little road trip of Ireland, and see as much as we could in four days. Now, if we would have had an extra couple of days, we would have been able to go down to Clare, Kerry & Cork area and see that beautiful part of the world, but we had four days, so had to make the best of it!

We hit the road early in the morning heading West... I had a little detour I wanted to make over in Derrylaconnell, and after that, and while enjoying the beautiful scenery of West Donegal we headed south towards Galway!

Some people have commented that doing a quick road trip like this isn't good, because you don't get to spend enough time anywhere... but I would have to say that it's a good way to see a lot of the country, and to take a broad view of Ireland. I would agree that you don't get to see much in detail, but that's the sacrifice to be made!

We did make a little stop at the ruins of Claregalway Abbey, which I thought were just amazing! It was a beautiful clear blue sky, and we just stumbled upon this abbey!

We reached Galway mid afternoon and had gorgeous weather, so took a walk around the Spanish Arch and the bay, and up into the shopping streets! I really liked Galway, there was something magnetic about it!

That evening we visited the little town of Claddagh, where I had expected to see some mention of Richard Joyce, and the origins of the Claddagh ring and legend. However, there was nothing. The little fishing of Claddagh had been completely torn down, and all that now remains is the name and the legend... I still really enjoyed walking through it, and as we got to the bay at Claddagh we were greeted with a beautiful night sky.We had dinner in a lovely local pub and met my cousin and her fiance for a few drinks. We were hoping to catch some live Trad music, but we had arrived in between sessions, and with all the driving planned the next day, thought it was best to not stay out partying into the wee hours.

The next morning we took a walk again, and saw some sights we had wanted to look at again from the afternoon before, then late morning jumped into the car and headed for Dublin!

By now Cory was a pro at driving on the left, so after driving about half way while he slept it was my turn to chill in the passenger seat & catch 40 winks... thing I know we're at the Dublin toll road!!!

Dublin was great! We were again surprised by the weather! The sky was blue and the air was warm... it was perfect! So, we grabbed lunch and hit Temple Bar!

We saw the Guinness Storehouse the next morning and the Old Jamesons Distillery in the afternoon... we hadn't really planned to make our road trip a hop-on-hop-off brewery trip, but we were both interested, and thought 'feck it'! We got some tour bus passes and saw the city that way... It was nice to just be able to stroll the streets of Dublin, taking in the history and culture... the buildings were amazing too! Oh, and we managed to pop in and see my brother too for a few minutes. He was working at St. Pats Cathedral one of the days, so we stopped by and annoyed him for a bit... it was good to see him!

We were also in Dublin for the US Presidential Election results... so we chilled out watching the news channel, and the next day everyone was asking Cory what he thought of the news etc etc! Everyone seemed impressed to meet a 'real live American' person on the day of the results!

The next day we did a little more sightseeing, and then mid-afternoon hit the road again for Donegal :)(But we did have to make a stop in Derry for dinner, neither of us could wait any longer, and we were both craving fajitas!)

Ireland...

2008-11-22T18:06:00.015-08:00

So, after Amsterdam we came back to Ireland and were spending the whole week here before toodling off to London... we had a list as long as my arm of things to do, so there was no time for being idle...

After spending Halloween in Culdaff and waking up a little later than planned, off we head on the Causeway coastal route! Bushmills were offering tours til 2.30pm, and we really wanted to do that, so we had lunch and hit the road! Bushmills was great, I loved the whole experience, and am SO glad we got to do the tour and the tasting. The Old Bushmills Distillery is the oldest distillery in Ireland, and was officially licensed in 1608, although it is believed that troops of King Henry II drank Bushmills some 400 years before.
I liked that we got to tour the fully functional distillery and see (and smell that sweeeeet smell) the product in the making!

As we left Bushmills the daylight was fading, and we had really wanted to see the Giants Causeway, so we hot-footed it over there to make the most of the light left in the day!

I was amazed at the Causeway!
It was completely awe inspiring to be standing at the tip of the causeway, contemplating life and thinking about all those who have stood in that same spot before you...

It was also a beautiful evening, the sky was clear and becoming pink, and the ocean stretched as far as the eye could see... I kept thinking about the legend of Finn McCool... and while I know it's not true, I love the legend that says he built the causeway as a walkway to bring his one true love safely to him from across the sea!

Amsterdam

2008-11-22T12:13:00.011-08:00

Cory came over for a visit, and we decided that we'd try and cram as much into the two weeks as possible... so, we start with a couple days in Amsterdam!

It was fantastic!

I am so glad we went... we had perfect weather and I just loved the city! I would highly recommend it to anyone, and will jump at the chance to go back again in the future - maybe when it's a little warmer would be nice!

There were a lot of hi-lights of Amsterdam, but one of the things that tugs at the heart strings was our visit to Anne Frank's house. To see where and how they lived during that terrible time, and to just listen to the story of the Frank family is a real eye opener. To just think that this was not all that long ago, and it's not the kind of thing that could never happen again... it makes you realise that we have to be very careful in this world to not fall into the same situation again...

Here are some pics from Amsterdam :)

Back in town... back to rennovations...

2008-11-22T11:44:00.006-08:00

So, when I got back from hols I decided that I really needed to get motivated with the house again, but the weather was so crappy and the garden needed to be left to settle for a while, so I started on the inside...

I didn't realise, and maybe I should of, that everything in old houses takes much longer than anticipated... even little jobs take longer than they should.

I started with stripping the paper in the living room... a simple task really, and it shouldn't have taken long... BUT... there was 30 years of wallpaper on the walls that needed to come off... and it turned out that the wallpaper and adhesive were holding the chimney breast together... at one point I pulled a tiny piece of paper and a HUGE chunk of wall came away with it.... holy crap!

So, I stopped and panicked for a little while... then made a few calls and got a friend and neighbour to come up and have a look at it... he confirmed that it would need to be replastered... but said in order to do that I would need to take the whole top layer off the wall.... ok, no problem (I think) and I start with a hammer and chisel...

It was tiring work and made slow progress... I had to go carefully so I didn't damage the wall underneath... and even with being super careful still a piece of sand/cement came away revealing the brick work underneath! Panic again!

So, with the drama of the living room still going on, I decided to get a tiler in to work on the bathroom... just a little job, no major hassles or anything... take off the old tiles and retile the rest of the room, floor to ceiling...

Well, I should have guessed that nothing in the Friel house could go to plan, and it turned out that some "bleeping bleep" (who I won't name right now) had put the tiles up with cement... YES! Cement! grrrrr, even I know that they shouldn't be cemented to the walls!!! So, with the tiles, off came a huge part of the wall... NOT GOOD!

But, the tilers carried on, and after only a couple more little hitches the bathroom was done and dusted... unfortunately, I couldn't say the same for the living room!

With the wall still being a problem, I decided that I had to get cracking on the rest of the room, or I'd be waiting forever to even start... So, a good friend volunteered to come over and help...

We pulled up the carpet, getting ready for painting... and the floor came away with it... it turns out that the floor had been skimmed... (yes, under supervision of the same bleeping bleep) and that the dampness had come up and just caused it to crumble and bubble!

Thankfully we notice this, but unfortunately it was a Bank Holiday... no shops open!

So, again, I made a few calls, and a family friend said they would open the shop so we could get some materials... After spending all day putting the self levelling stuff on the floor, we started to paint the walls and ceiling!

The next day the floor was almost dry, so another coat of paint was slapped on the walls, and we hot footed it over to the North to get some laminate flooring and underlay...

After a sneaky lunch on the run we got to laying the floor... thankfully the floor was dry enough to put the weight on, and although the flooring itself was a pain in the neck to lay, it was all done and we could move furniture back in and think about getting some dinner!

My new tattoo - 26th August 2008

2008-11-22T11:36:00.010-08:00

The Claddagh symbol has a lot of meaning to me, and I have always worn a claddagh ring since I was a child. I had wanted to get this tattoo for years and years, and the timing seemed perfect! There is a significance of me getting this tattoo at this time, but I'm not wanting to share that with you all just now.
I will tell you that the placement was extremely painful though!

The hands are there for friendship.
The heart is there for love.
For loyalty, forevermore the crown is raised above.

More summer hols pics!

2008-11-22T10:39:00.009-08:00

Cory and I on the sling shot ride at the state fair
Cory, Bekah and I on the Ferris Wheel
Bekah and the two Mary's
Sabrina, Bekah, Mary and IErm....

Summer holiday!

2008-11-22T10:05:00.016-08:00

Well, the last post I was getting ready to go on my summer hols, and it was fab! The weather was a little on the 'hot' side for little Friel, but apart from that it was a great opportunity to catch up with old friends, and to make some new ones at the same time.

This summer seems like so long ago, it feels like so much has happened since then... but here are a few pics, better late than never... right?!?! :)

These 2 pics were taken at Kells Irish Pub, Portland.

Cory came and got us girlies the morning after I arrived and took us to Portland for the day... it was 109 F that day, but it was really good fun! He is just a wonderful person, and I am excited to see where this road leads us. I know that no matter what, he will be in my life for always...

These other pics are from our camping trip up at Detroit Lake. Bekah, Sabrina and I went up there for the weekend... it was just beautiful and the weather was perfect! Sabrina loved her first camping trip!

Starting the Reovations

2008-08-04T08:55:00.007-07:00

Well, with the summer pretending to be here, without the nice weather, I decided that it was now or never to get the back garden started....

So, I got a guy in with a digger for the day to dig out all the plants and bushes, and to cart it all down to the back of the garden (or should I say field).

I thought this was the first step, so I could then see what I was starting with, but instead it just made me realise that there is WAY too much land there for me to start with myself, so I need some help :p

I walked down to the back of the garden and realised that there is SO much more land there than I could imagine with all the bushes and shrubs there. I also realised that the soil was pretty poor, so would need to haul in tons and tons of topsoil.

I did find these large rocks which I think are just fantastic. I asked mum about them and she said that they used to have them into a bit of a rockery and they would have little picnics out there when she was little. I thought that was just fab, so I am hoping that I'll be able to use them in my garden.

So, I've had the landscapers out to have a look at it and am waiting for them to come back to me with an idea on designs so I can have a look through and get a better feel for it... Fingers crossed!

Besides that, there isn't much else I've started on the house... I really need to start painting, but it's just hard getting started... I need some kind of kick up the ass!!!

I'm in holiday mode now, so I doubt anything will be done til after I'm back... Ah well, where's the hurry eh! ;)

Beach pics

2008-08-04T05:09:00.006-07:00

Here are some of the pics I've taken the past couple of weeks at the beach....

June & July

2008-08-04T04:55:00.005-07:00

My mum had to return again at the begining of June for a family funeral, it was so sad, but in the same way it was nice to have her and the boys here for a while. I managed to take some extra time of work at short notice, and spent a few days with them. My brother and his wife came up for the funeral too, it was good to see them, even under sad circumstances.

The boys had a great time here, they were wanting to go to the beach, but the weather wasn't all that good, so instead I got them a football and football net for the back garden which kept them amused, they thought it was great!

June flew through... all was quiet in the Friel house. I popped down to Laois for a weekend, which was great fun. I bumped into friends I hadn't seen in years, some of them more than 14 years ago! After that I nipped to Dublin to catch up with a friend from the UK, we spent a couple nights there which was great fun... then I hit the roads again, heading home.

I managed to get to London for a weekend as well... I had to go for a meeting for work in Aldershot on the Thursday evening, so I asked if they could book my flight home for the Sunday and I took the train to Olympia and surprised the family! Alfie and Morgan didn't quite know what to do, their little faces when they saw me were all confused... but quickly changed to smiles, and it was as if I'd never been away!

July itself was pretty quiet, I started spending quite a lot of time at the beach, taking photos and going for walks at least every other night... it's gorgeous there, so quiet and so few people... it's great to just unwind and think... even if there's nohing on your mind (pics in following post)!

Oh, and I also started a new job! I'm still pretty excited about the new job. I started at the end of July as Account Manager for the Inish Times, the local leading newspaper!!!! The team are great, they're a fab bunch and it works really well... Been there a couple weeks now already, and am looking forward to being there for some time!!!

Getting Settled, visits & goodbye Mr Tom

2008-08-04T04:01:00.011-07:00

Before I started the job up in the call centre, I was starting to get very homesick, my day had no routine, no real drive... so one day, I just thought "I either get a job and settle down, or I go home right now"... So, I got up of my butt and got a job.

It was the best thing I could have done. Ok, the job wasn't exactly the greatest, but it was a regular time every day, and I got out to mingle with people - the thing I love to do!

I also joined a Martial Arts club here, it's great! The class I go to is run by a family friend and the people there are great! It's not a big crowd, which is even better.... we have a laugh and learn Jiu Jitsu, you can't beat it!

My mum, brother and the boys came to visit back in April, it was great fun... The boys loved it, we had some good weather too, so spent some time at the beach! I was able to take the time off work and just spend with them... mum was here for her birthday too!!!!

My first birthday here was a little strange... usually I would go round to my mums and just chill out, and then maybe go out with friends in the evening or the weekend following... This year it was just me, and little Tom.

I didn't really have anyone to celebrate it with, so I went to work and just tried to forget about it... that was easier said than done, with all my UK friends and family texting and calling to wish me a happy one, I ended up more homesick than I had been, and just wanted to go home.... The tears filled my eyes, and I just wished I was anywhere than here...

That evening I went to watch the kids play football in Rasheeney, it was good to stay outta the house, so I didn't get all down in the dumps, it was even better that the boys won!!!!

Some friends of mine from the UK paid a visit at the end of May, the 4 of them came on their motor bikes and did a littl tour of Ireland before ending up at my house...

Thankfully while they were here we had some great weather and were able to go out and see the sights, play at the beach for a bit, and enjoy chillin in the pub....

We found ourselves taking part in the pub quiz one night, we named ourselves "Smelly cheeses in the corner"!!!! :)

Sadly, on their last night, we were in the taxi coming home... as I got to the house I could see something in the road ahead, and my gut lurched... I knew it was Tom.

My buddy was amazing, he jumped outta the car and went to see Tom, there was nothing we could do, he'd died instantly... so he wrapped him in a towel and carried him back to the house. It was 3am, and that sobered us up instantly!!!

I was really taken heartbroken about poor little Tom, he and I had been through some tough times, and he was always there for me. He'd listen to me rambling on, and would just comfort me when I needed it. He was a good little friend, I would (and still do) miss him dearly.

Sometimes I think he came for a purpose, to get me through a tough patch and he did that... then it was time to leave? Sometimes I wonder if he had a happy little life with me, I sure hope so... we weren't friends for long, but it was a great friendship when I needed it most!

My biker buddies did Tom proud, they burried him in the garden for me, a nice quiet spot under the tree... I was glad that we found him, and were able to put him to rest... my buddies will never really know how much that meant to me.

Back up & running again

2008-08-04T03:58:00.002-07:00

Hey!

Well, I have finally managed to reactivate the account to go with this blog, I'm not quite sure what the problem was, but hey, it's fixed now, that's what counts!

It's been quite some time since my last post, so I'll try and update this in as short a post as possible.

Have been here in the Emerald Isle since February - I had a great holiday in the USA over Christmas and New Year, and that left me refreshed for my new start!

At 4am on the 17th Feb, after quite a lot of fighting to get Tom into his box, Mr Tom and I packed ourselves into the car and headed for our new lives, not knowing what was ahead of us, but knowing that behind we had left a very loving and slightly heart broken family.

About 15 minutes into the drive I finally managed to stop the flow of tears and concentrate on the road ahead, my heart was aching having to leave my family behind, but I knew I had to give this a go, so I swallowed the lump in my throat, turned the music up and started to sing along.

We arrived here that evening and it was absolutely freezing, there was no heating on in the house for us when we arrived, so I made a start with a fire and snuggled up with Tom on the chair... It was -7 that night and similar temps the whole week... what on earth had I let myself in for?

Mr Tom wouldn't even go outside the door for weeks, it was just too cold... he spent most of his time as close to the fire as possible, or snuggled up with me if I sat for a moment.

We started unpacking our things and getting settled, and soon enough this old cottage began to feel like home.

We had quite bad weather for quite some time, lots of hail and snow, the wind at night was fierce, it's a good job I wasn't the kind to get scared easily at new noises.

I bought whatever furniture we needed, and got myself a little job out in the call centre, things were starting to form a routine, things were starting to look up!

Mr Tom finally decided that he was brave enough to go out.... so, off he went.... the first walk didn't last all that long, he had a quick ramble through the bushes out back, a quick scout round inside the garage and was back inside snuggled up infront of the fire again!

10th Dec 07

2008-08-04T03:24:00.001-07:00

10th December 2007

Today was the first day I really felt like a stranger at my old flat. I’d not been out there since the day my stuff was collected, and I’ve been away setting everything up at my new home all of last week… so it was a bit of a shock when I felt such a stranger when I was driving out there this afternoon…

I came to town, and everything was familiar and the same as I remember, but also very different… I didn’t have the usual feeling of ‘being home’ when I got to town and turned into my road…

I pottered around and did the things I needed to, then locked up and headed back to my parents place…

I suppose it’s a bit like being on holiday, except there’s no pool, no beach, and no water sports…. There’s also no room service or mini-bar but hey-ho, it’s my ‘in between’ stage, and I’m content with that…

Oh, but I’d be happy if at least there was decent internet access… the internet here is dial up, which I could cope with, but the pc is not very happy at the moment, so most of the pages won’t open up… so it’s better to not even try – or else I end up getting very frustrated with it!

I hope you’re all getting your Christmas shopping done… and looking forward to seeing friends and family over the holiday period…

I’m looking forward to my holidays… only 7 more sleeps…

4th December

2007-12-05T17:04:00.001-08:00

It seems that I arrived ages ago, but it’s actually only been a few days… I spent today down at the cottage trying to get things sorted… it’s now clean and ready inside for the removal men to arrive. Hopefully that’ll be tonight, but it’s late already so I’m thinking tomorrow is probably more likely.

I still haven’t been able to get the phone and internet lines connected… I should have known everything couldn’t possibly go smoothly…

Not much else really to report… I’m kind of at some stage in between my new home and the old one… but not quite homeless, and not quite on holiday… It’s a little unsettling, a bit like waiting at the platform for the train to arrive… but I know I’ll soon be settled… and I’ll no longer call it ‘the Cottage’ instead it’ll be plain and simply ‘home’!

As I knelt today lighting a fire, I felt very welcome there, like it would soon be my home… I would soon have my photos and stuff all over the place, and Mr Tom would soon be snuggled up in on a rug in front of the roaring fire… I liked that feeling… I have a strong connection to the cottage; I guess I always have… And now I feel like my life gone past has been leading me to this point… it feels so right, and that gives me comfort.

I always have very strong ‘gut feelings’ about things, and I tend to trust those instincts… I’d like to think that if I’d made the biggest mistake of my life, I’d know it… and today, deep down in my gut I felt content and confident… so I’m thinking that’s a pretty good sign!

With my internet not yet set up, I’m only able to get online at my brothers house… it’s great that I can still get online, but his wireless has gone haywire, so I’m only on once a day (he and 4 kids share the PC)…

I hope you’re all keeping well, and will catch up with you all soon… x

2007-12-02T13:33:00.000-08:00

The bad weather has put a slight delay on delivery of my stuff... but I'm not really all that surprised considering how rough the weather has been here this weekend.

The weekend has flown past, and all my good intentions have also flown by.... (oops!). I was planning to have done some cleaning and painting already, but have instead been taking it easy.... (slapped wrists, I know). I did BUY the paint though, so have everything I need to get started... I just need the motivation now.

I went and had a good look round the cottage... it looks OK, needs a bit more work than I'd imagined (and more than I'd been told), but even so, it's still OK to move in, and nothing is urgent.... it can all be done in time...

Today we went to the Bazaar in town, and it was strange to walk round thinking that this is my home now... I felt completely unconnected from the whole thing... I knew nobody outside my family, and felt completely overwhelmed that I'm here for good... Maybe the problem is that I'm going away on holidays now soon, so I'm not here permanently, and I'm not even living down in the cottage yet... I'm sure it'll sink in after spending a week there, just myself and Mr Tom...

Home...

2007-11-30T18:37:00.000-08:00

Just a quick post to say I have arrived safe and well... Traffic was a nightmare getting to the airport (I wish I'd taken the express train instead), and the flight was very rough, and it would seem that we're to expect up to 45 ft waves tomorrow... It's a good job we have a great view from here in the warm, as I think it'll be pretty rough at the beach... am glad I've got my camera charged up and ready to go...

Mr Tom is staying with my parents, and has settled in OK... I hope he'll be OK... he's not used to a house with so much going on, and so many people around... at first it was too much for him to handle, but he seems to be getting used to the boys, and it having snuggles with them too... which they love as much as he does... I know I shouldn't worry, but I can't help it... :)

I'm staying with my brother and his family this week while I unpack, get services installed and get some cleaning & painting done...

It was already late when I got in, so I haven't been down to the cottage yet, I'm expecting my things early in the week so will go down there tomorrow and have a look round to see what needs doing...

It feels kinda weird now... it's been years since I've been in there, and even longer since anyone I knew or cared about lived there... and now I will make it my home... it already holds so many memories for me, from childhood, and of my grandparents... and I am looking forward to making many more happy memories there in the months and years to come...

It all feels a bit surreal, like I'm just here visiting... I'm still waiting for it to hit me!

I will say goodnight for now and sign off, as I'm still exhausted from the past few weeks, and I have a busy week ahead to look forward to...

Good night and God bless xxx

29th November 2007

2007-11-30T17:59:00.000-08:00

Well, yesterday came and went without much fuss… I was finished on time but the Removal men turned up a little later than expected, so I was able to have a little bit of peace and quiet and put my feet up before they arrived. I am genuinely impressed with them so far. They came in, figured out what was and wasn’t going, asked if they could bring their van closer to the front door, asked if I had any requests or questions then they just got on with it… They were a little gutted there was no trolley in the back of their van (apparently it should NEVER be taken out), but they didn’t complain… Instead they lugged the boxes and furniture manually and 40 minutes later they were done, and getting ready to go.

Mr Tom clearly wasn’t as impressed as I was with the removal men, so as soon as they started moving boxes around off he went for a little walk until the coast was clear again…

Little did he know that things for him, were going to get worse ;)

Mum came out to collect Tom and I, and she arrived to find us in an empty flat having pizza leftovers for breakfast. He was already pretty stressed about the situation, so I figured getting him into the front loading cat carrier was going to be hard… I didn’t think it would be near to impossible.

I only got Mr Tom last Christmas, and until the day I collected him, he’d never been in a pet carrier… and has never really liked them… So, after an hour of trying to get him in the carrier, and considering I was WAY overtired and very emotional I started crying… How could I have gone through everything else and been OK, but to have started crying about a cat not wanting to get in his carrier – boy, this was getting crazy…

So, in sheer desperation I decided that I didn’t want to fight with him over it, and so off we went to the Vet to try and buy a top loading carrier (which I always wished I’d bought in the first place). Surprise, surprise… they didn’t have one big enough, so we found ourselves at the pet supermarket shopping instead…. We bought the biggest one available, and although it looked a little smaller than my other one I thought it would be alright (how wrong was I?)…

After getting a cheeseburger each, mum and I headed back to see if we’d be any more successful this time… Mr Tom was a little curious about the new carrier, so came over to see what this was all about…. I just lifted him and put him in, he was NOT impressed… it was a little too small for him… the pet store said they would take it back if it was too small, so I decided that he was in, so we’d go… and I could change it another time…

We loaded Tom in the car, packed everything else in, and headed back to my parents place… I’d already almost nodded off in the car a couple of times (which isn’t great as I was the one giving driving directions – tut, tut) and as soon as we got in, I let Tom out of the carrier, sat on the bed, and was asleep in what seemed like seconds.. I only slept for about 90 minutes off and on, but it felt like the past couple of weeks had taken their toll, and I could have slept for a hundred years (OK, slight exaggeration, but that’s what it felt like).

Originally I’d planned on returning to the flat to clean and spend the night, but the boys were so happy to see me and Tom was pretty unsettled and nervous, so I decided it was best to stay the night with them. He hadn’t left the bedroom at all since we’d arrived, but at about 4.30am he decided he wanted to explore, so kept walking on me til I finally got up and did a walk round with him… Then he was content and let me get back to bed and curled up too…

I treated myself today, and had a lay in, til about 9.30am… Although I still don’t feel caught up on sleep, it felt really good to sleep for more than 3 consecutive hours…

Calm before the storm.....?

2007-11-28T00:09:00.001-08:00

Hey, Just to let you know that I got everything packed!!!!!

With a total of less than 2 hours sleep last night, and a mad panic at the end, it's done, and I even have a few moments of peace and quiet before the removal guys show up... They should have been here about 10 minutes ago, so any second now I should hear the truck pull up...

Yesterday mum came over to help, and I'm so glad she did.... Firstly, I wouldn't have gotten finished if she didn't, and secondly, we had such a laugh! We were like two teenagers giggling and taking the pi$$ out of each other... a memory I know I will cherish.

I will deeply miss my family here, my mum is one of my closest friends... one I can tell anything to, and know she won't judge me - she just accepts and loves me as I am.... I hope my efforts to get them to move out soon will work... they deserve a change and a better life too...

I have two days here to rest before I fly over to unpack all the stuff I'm thrown into boxes... and I'm guessing I'll look at all the same photo albums, and try on the same clothes while unpacking too... but there you go... us girlies, we're crazy creatures...

Poor little Tom is not a happy bunny (in every sense of the word)... he's been pretty stressed out the last two days, because of all the fuss and moving around, and he can't even find a quiet corner to curl up in...

I hope he settles at my parents quickly, as he'll be staying there til I come back from holidays in the New Year (It was going to be too much effort to find someone there who would do it after such a short space of time, plus he kinda knows my mum and the boys already)!

PS - They're still not here, I could have had another half hour sleep... although, I probably wouldn't feel any better for it ;)

PPS - another hour later and they're still not here... could have now doubled my qantity of sleep if I'd have known!

1 day left....

2007-11-26T17:21:00.000-08:00

I will keep this post short, as I need to try and get another bit done tonight, and get to bed, so I can sleep and be fresh for an early start in the morning...

With just one day left til the removal men arrive, things round here are getting pretty crazy... there are boxes lined up against pretty much every wall, and even though I have kept Mr Tom his fav box empty, I have found him trying to snuggle up in a box that was WAY to small for him... I think he's feeling the stress... and perhaps he's not getting enough cuddles either :(

Goodness knows how on Earth I have managed to gather all this stuff over time.... I just hope the next move I do won't be for a while, and will just be a local one...

I've made a pledge to be less of a hoarder... I don't want to be stumbling on stuff in days to come, wondering why I kept things... and I've also promised myself that I won't buy stuff just because I 'like' it, or it's 'cool'.... unless I actually need it.... I have found so many things tucked away that have never been used and a lot of them still in their original packaging!

So, tomorrow the last bits will be thrown frantically into boxes, the bed and dining table will need to be dismantled.... Oh, and I also need to try and take my bike down the high street to get the chain guide readjusted....

Thanks to all those who have supported me through this.... you really don't know how much it has helped me get through the past while... I promise to buy you all a beer someday soon ;)

Goodnight my loves... xxx

2 days left til the move....

2007-11-25T17:33:00.000-08:00

Well, this weekend flew past, and being the last weekend before the move, I should have really been home getting ready.... but typical me, I didn't... Instead, I was out pretty much from Friday afternoon til early evening Sunday ;)

On Friday afternoon we went into London City to see Santa, and while it was fun for the kids, it was pretty stressful for the adults... it was super busy, and I could feel already my high pulse, was thinking about hitting the roof...

Driving home I was like a woman on the edge... it took me the best apart of 2 hours to drive the whole 14 miles... when traffic get like that, people forget how to drive, and the roads turn to one huge battle ground!

On Saturday I was still showing signs of stress, but I had a lay in, and decided that I wasn't going to let it ruin my night out... so I got ready for the day, and hit the roads again... thankfully the traffic had returned to normal overnight, and I was able to make mental lists while driving that same 14 mile journey in only 40 minutes...

The evening of ice-skating was a great laugh, and I would strongly recommend to anyone that is moving to have a laugh with friends now and again, and to throw in a beer or two... it makes you feel 'normal' again...

I did take a nice wipe out tho (my own fault for trying to go backwards) and as a trophy, found I had a lovely swollen and purple knee this morning... :(

Today at my parents place I was going through some old things of mine, that I wanted to take with me, and I was just walking from box to box, not really able to do anything... it had finally hit me that this is it... the time has come, and I am really moving out of the country... I felt completely overwhelmed, and unable to understand the roller coaster of emotions that started soaring through my body...

So I taped up the boxes, decided I would ship them now and sort them on the other side (a bad idea, I know, but I just couldn't go through all those letters and photos, and drawings without looking at everything, and that could have taken a quite a few hours...)

So, mum put the kettle on for a cuppa, and we got dad to load everything into my car...

On the way home, one minute I was fine, but then the next a switch flicked and the water works started... it was like the great floods had started again... Once I stopped I felt refreshed... I realised that I still had 2 days... it was like the tears had cleared away some of the stress, and lifted some of the weight off my shoulders.

So, with my red and very puffy eyes, I stopped off at tesco to get some cat food for Mr Tom, and a LARGE bar of chocolate for me ;) (the staff there must think I'm a complete fruit loop!)

So, now I have 2 days left til the removal men knock at my door, and start carting all my worldly possessions to the van... I still seem to have quite a bit to pack, but I'm a 'woman on a mission' now, and it'll get done...

Come rain or hail I'll be ready by the time they arrive on Wednesday....

Starting to say goodbyes.... :'(

2007-11-22T16:05:00.000-08:00

Well, with the moving day looming, I've found that today I had to say my first real goodbye... I've said bye to others before now, but that was ages ago and before it really hit me that I was leaving the country... and I know they'll visit... so it was ok....

Tonight I said goodbye to a friend I've known for what seems like a lifetime... he knows me better than most, has seen me in the good times and the bad...

In my heart I have a feeling that our paths will cross again... somewhere, at sometime, for some reason... so even though I shed a couple of tears, I should remind myself it's not goodbye forever... more like a "see you soon"...

Moving is supposed to be a happy and exciting time, so why then, do I feel sad, and why am I wondering if it's the right decision??? Maybe it's going from the known to the unknown...?

Whatever it is, I can feel the sadness of saying goodbye settling in the pit of my stomach...

If I put my thinking head on, it's probably to do with the fact that the UK has been my home since I was born...
I've got so many memories tied up in London, I can't go anywhere without something from the past springing to mind...

If I put my emotional head on, I think I'm just like everyone else... I'm scared... It's a big thing digging up my roots and trying to lay them down somewhere else... There's always the risk that it doesn't work...

I hope to be able to keep in touch with my friends, and have all the best of intentions, but will it really happen??? There are some people I know, will be friends for my entire lifetime... I know that no matter how often I see or speak to them, there will always be a link...

I wonder how many of my other friendships will stand this test of time and distance...

Only time will tell...

For those of you wondering, Mr Tom has been in his favourite box for most of today... yep, that's right he now has a favourite - so I'm thinking I'll leave that one just for him... I have plenty others for packing... and I'm thinking, at least if I know he's in that box, it means he can't get packed away into one of the others by mistake... ;)

Thanks to you all for your feedback, emails and kind words... you're all too sweet... I will reply, I promise :-)

Oh, and thanks for the idea to write down the reasons why I'm leaving etc - great idea, and I'm definitely going to do that...

panic = productivity (at least it does in the life of Friel)

2007-11-21T16:57:00.000-08:00

OK, so, panic set in good and proper today when I realised that this weekend is pretty much dedicated to non-moving activities... But I must say, that being a creature that works best under pressure and in stressful situations, it was exactly what I needed....

I managed to get loads done, and am feeling pretty chuffed... Mr Tom was even being helpful.... he packed himself in a box, curled up and went sleep... I'm not sure if he just likes boxes or if it was because of the mess around here, or perhaps it was the thought of the 500+ mile car journey with me....

So while England lost at the footy, and while someone else claimed the '10,000 th post mark' I was still finding stuff I completely forgot I had... thankfully this time I didn't have to try it all on ;)

I had stumbled upon another box of goodies.... inside I found a photo frame that I bought way back in April 06... At the time, I totally HAD to buy it, but considering it's been in its box since then, clearly it wasn't a 'must have' item.... it was a lovely surprise tho, like a little crimbo pressie from the flat to me.... Ahhh, gee thanks Flat, hmmmm, how to return the favour.... hmmm, how does new owners sound? Good? OK, done! You can have new owners as a special Christmas pressie to you from me!

OK, I MUST be going insane... not only do I often talk to Mr Tom, but now I'm also talking to myself and the flat..... I really do need to get a job lined up for the new year methinks ;-)

So, to any of you out there who are moving house or will be in the near future... I know you will have probably read this a million times already, but these are a few things I've found helpful, and some I wish I'd done ;)

1. BEFORE you start packing, get a lidded plastic box... inside put all essential documents/items that you will need... - driving licence, passport, council tax bill, leasehold information, deeds for the house etc etc - everything you will need to lay your grubby hands upon....
1a. ALSO, if you take them out remember to put these VIP items BACK inside the box when you finish... or else you'll do like me, and loose something (has anyone seen my driving licence?).

2. When counting up how much packing material and how many boxes you need, add a bit for good measure.... it's very easy to underestimate how many you'll need - and again, like me, you'll end up scrambling round at the last minute trying to find more... (PS, freecycle is GREAT for things like these)..... When I'd gotten down to my last box, mum and I were like a pair of mad women.... if we saw a box we jumped out of our skin to get it!

3. When you've got the removal date planned... block out the weekend (or perhaps even 2) before the move.... don't do like me and plan a jam packed weekend of activities right before the move.... you will probably be behind schedule with the packing towards the end and those weekends will be precious!

OK, that's enough packing tips for now... it's getting late and I still need to go bake Snickerdoodles.... ;-)

Moving day approaches

2007-11-21T04:51:00.000-08:00

It has just dawned on me that this time next week, the removal company will be just about to shut the door of their van and head off for my new home.... Oh My Goodness!!!!

Yes, panic has set in good and proper.... yesterday it felt like I still had quite a bit of time, but today it feels like I'll never be ready... why does it feel like that :(

I've offered to bake cookies for a friend who's coming round tomorrow evening, have planned to take the kids to see Santa on Friday, have booked a night out on Saturday and am taking the boys swimming on Sunday.... so now, all of a sudden 'MOVE DAY' is an awful lot closer than it seems.....

Oh, and I still need to bring my bike down to get the chain guard moved slightly....

OMG, OMG, OMG...... breathe.... you won't be able to pack if you're hyperventilating....

I really must dash, while trying to keep the fridge and freezer stocked as low as possible I've also managed to run out of eggs and milk , so have to nip to the grocery store!!!

Can I be your sweetheart?

2007-11-20T14:15:00.000-08:00

I spoke to Alfie on the phone tonight (he should have been in bed)...

He asked if he "could be my sweetheart"... how sweet is that.... Of course I said yes, and with that he said "wuv you, goodnight" and hung up...

Aren't 4 year olds great!

Brain dead...

2007-11-20T04:48:00.000-08:00

Well, being the kind of person that enjoys work (I know, I know, must be crazy) because of the mental stimulation and daily challenges it provides, it's been quite a challenge being off work for such a long time.

Knowing that I would be away for almost 4 weeks over Christmas and New Year was great, it meant I had 3 months left to pack and sort everything out...

Having time off was pretty good to start with... I enjoyed having time to do all the things I never had time to get round to doing, and I got to see friends, visit family, go away for a little break etc...

But very quickly my mind started to get bored, and I felt like I was going insane and it was getting harder to sleep at night because my mind was too active...

Legal paperwork for the flat sale, ringing round removal companies and packing occupied my time but did nothing to relieve the boredom... I was just going to have to do something about it ;)

So I've been reading loads of books again which is good... not only did it help me with food for my brain, but it also helped me get to sleep in the evenings....

I also stumbled across some old friends on facebook, so it's been good to catch up with them... and I found some new ones there too (hi guys, and yeah, I'm claiming the winnage from all the way over here :p) ...it's been great getting to know people over the last few weeks...

I also feel very lucky that I've has this opportunity to spend more time with my twin nephews because they are just soooo funny....

They are like chalk and cheese, and being the delightful age of 4, I think they'd even manage to keep supernanny on her toes.... They've just started school, so are coming home with some new saying pretty much every day, but, I know I will miss the little monkeys, and I will probably now have an oversized carbon footprint from all the weekend visits I'm hoping to make thanks to Ryanair having such good deals at the moment... ;)

Well, with just a week to go before moving day, I'm off to spend this afternoon packing what I wont need between now and then.... Oh what fun, I'll put he radio on, and boogie the afternoon away at the same time ;)

Where to start....

2007-11-19T17:44:00.001-08:00

Well, while moving home is fun and exciting (and also a little scary too)... I must also say that packing is just so mind numbingly boring...

I started the moving process by trying to find a removal company that didn't cost the earth... This was harder than it might seem. Before I decided I was moving back to Ireland, I had planned to move within the UK, and removal companies were relatively cheap, but I also planned that I would probably rent a van and do the move myself after bribing some friends and siblings in to help....

With the destination now considered International it became a little more hassle, so I searched around and eventually, after contacting 47 companies found one who would do it for a reasonable rate, would offer insurance for the goods in transit, and would be able to do the move when I needed it.... GREAT!

Once I'd got the removal company booked up, I started the packing with all the non-essential items... then I had to stop as I was using everything else all the time....

So, with packing on pause I started sorting everything out for the move and doing the paperwork for the flat sale....

But now as time ticks on the moving date has changed from 'soon' to NEXT WEEK and as panic begins to set in there still seems to be quite a bit to do.

So, I spent all last week sorting through stuff... I really don't want to pay to ship stuff that I will only throw away when I unpack, and I also kinda figure it's a good excuse to have a good clear out... after all, I'm starting a new life, so why bring all the old baggage with me.... ;)

I didn't count on it taking twice as long doing this, because you stumble upon that photo album you haven't seen in forever and spend an hour flicking through the pages.... and you have to try on all the items in your closet, just to make sure you want to throw them away....

hmmm, but I might wear it sometime...... (I don't think so)....

I've made a little rule for myself, that if it doesn't fit me (I've gone down 3 dress sizes in the past 18 mts) or if I haven't worn it in the past 12 months, then it's going in the charity shop.... being a hoarder it's painful to do, but it works...

Mr Tom (my cat) has been pretty unsettled since I started this whole thing... At first he thought it was fun, he could snuggle up and sleep most of the time.... but now he hates all the disruption, and all the boxes around the place... and when he does bring in a mouse and let it loose, the little thing has a million more places to hide and takes forever to catch....

It's funny how my tolerance levels for mice have changed since getting Tom... the first time he brought in a mouse I almost had heart failure... He brought it in and let it go in my bedroom while I was fast asleep, and then chased it round the room for an hour before I finally got out of bed to see what the noise was about.... I freaked out when I realised it was a mouse and it had hidden from him behind the radiator. Tom was sat there trying to get it out...

Well, I couldn't think of any other way to get it out, and I know it sounds mean, but it was 4am, I was tired and I had to be up for work at 6am!!! So, I turned the heating on..... yep, the little mouse was desperate to get out once it got a little hot in there!!!

Now a few months on, I've realised that Mr Tom doesn't kill the mice he catches... he brings them home and lets them go.... they play games, and it's weird... but I couldn't really expect anything less in the Friel house....

I've even gotten up in the morning to find Tom and a 'friend' snuggled up in the hallway..... I've become a pro at catching them without hurting or touching them, and I've learned to keep Tom's claws clipped, otherwise they get hurt and it's a mess to clean up in the morning...

I still don't like it when he brings mice in, but it doesn't freak me out anymore, and some of them are so tiny, and really, really cute.... ;)

So....

2007-11-19T09:31:00.000-08:00

So... Why the blog?

Well, partly to get some of you (you know who you are) off my back, and partly to blog the story of moving home, moving country and starting my life again at the ripe old age of 27...

As I have already mentioned 2007 for me has been a year of great change... I've heard it said that the life cycle changes every 7 years, but have never really believed it... UNTIL NOW. At the beginning of this year I realised that it was going to be a tough one, and that there would be some big changes, but I never realised that my life would be bundled up into a ball, thrown into the washing machine and put on a full spin.... after the cycle finished my life would be better, fresher, and like new.... I'd been given a second chance...

Not all the decisions I made this year came to me in a flash of inspiration... some of them felt like they were forced upon me, and some of them came so gradually I hardly realised they were happening til I looked back.... but I have learned that sometimes life has to shout to really get your attention... Life was shouting at me.... and now I could hear it loud and clear...

I really needed a holiday... I'd already gone through 12 months (+) of crap, so off I went, to the one place I felt completely at home, where I could be me... no pretending, no fronts, no nothing... just me...

I can remember this was the time I knew my life was about to do a complete backflip... it was back in June, and I was at the home of my very best friend... I remember the moment as if it had just happened... the three of us were playing cards, drinking beer & eating poppers (peppers filled with cream cheese, covered with breadcrumbs and deep fried... soooo good, and perfect with a beer).... the CD was playing in the background but this time I actually heard the chorus of the song "Now she's got 27 candles on her cake, and she means to make her life her own before there's 28"
I could feel the tears stinging at the back of my eyelids... I said nothing but realised that was what I had to do... I had to make sure that by the time I was blowing out the candles on my next birthday cake I'd taken my life back...

As things happened, just 8 weeks later I ended up leaving my job and about a month after that I came to the decision that I would move back to Ireland... after all that had taken place this year, it seemed like the most logical decision... and in my heart it felt right...

I remember being on the phone to my mum, ranting about something that had happened that day which had upset me, and for the first time I said outloud that I'd been thinking of moving to Ireland... it sounded ok when I said it, but I wasn't sure what her reaction would be.... well, she was a little shocked, but she thought it was a good decision... so, and hour after I'd first said it aloud I had come to the decision... I would now seriously look into it.

I spoke to my close friends, to see what they thought - they knew the year I'd had, and all that had gone on, and they too agreed that it seemed like the best decision for me... and if I didn't try it now, that I might regret it in future.... I hate the thought of living with regrets, so I started making plans.... quietly at first... I didn't want to hear everyone's 2 pence worth...

Hello and welcome... ;-)

2007-11-19T09:01:00.000-08:00

Well, thanks for logging onto my blog... After a few of you suggested (and nagged a little too) that I start a blog I decided that it was probably the best way to stop you from moaning, and it also might not be such a pain in the butt afterall... so here goes...

Well, not much really to write on my first post, except perhaps a little introduction.

I am the youngest of 7 children, and grew up in London in a very Irish family.... you might think that being the 'baby' of the family, this means I'm spoilt rotten... well, you'd be wrong... a little spoilt yeah, but not rotten - far from it!

I will also say that 2007 has been a year of great change for me... I've pretty much been through it all this year.... but I don't want to get boring and send you all to sleep, so I'll just say that 2007 is the year my life begins again... a clean slate and a perfect opportunity to start again...

... SO, I take this 'once in a lifetime' second chance, and I hope to make the very best of it...