Inishowen-a time to unwind

We are currently taking some time away as a family. I am so excited to have this time together. I don't think we have ever ran so fast and so hard as a family, individually and together! We really need this time away together. I will be posting blogs on our time together just so I can remember the details, and will add pictures later when we get home. We are staying at a friends house in Buncrana. It is where we stayed when we first came to Ireland in 2005, when I told Ludie I would never live here. My how things change!


Today we went to Malin Head. It is the most northern part of the Republic of Ireland. It is actually farther north than Northern Ireland. We walked out towards the cliffs that go down into the Atlantic Ocean. We were the furthest of anyone out towards the ocean so we got to play, "I am the person furthest north in Ireland". It was a surreal moment to take our kids where we had visited when we first came here (when we only had one child, and now we have three, one of whom was born in Ireland!). We also got to drive through the countryside with mountains on each side and sheep in the middle of the road. My favorite sight through the mountains was the wild heather growing everywhere! When we came to Ireland I was so disappointed that there was not wild heather growing everywhere as I imagined it, and instead there was yellow gorse! Since then I have come to love the smell and color of gorse (thanks to my friend Tina), and almost two years later, have found my countryside laden with purple heather.


The best part of the day however was finding a deserted beach where we had a wonderful picnic and then went on a walk. Ludie, Griffin and Emily went to walk around the edge of the water where the tide had gone out. They were trying to walk to the other side of the shore on the inlet where we had stopped. Ruthie and I decided to walk towards the Atlantic Ocean. Our feet were read and turning numb from the cold water, but to see the joy Ruthie had in splashing in the water was priceless. We found the coolest rocks. The ocean here is so different from the SE USA! The water is so blue! The water is clear in the shallow parts. The rocks in this part of Ireland are black (which explains all the black tombstones in the cemeteries). There are more rocks instead of shells and all the small rocks on the shore are all different sorts of colors but all beautiful and rounded by the water. The huge rocks go up above your head and jut up into the sky. The seaweed is attached to some of them and there are huge pools of water where the tide has come out.


It turns out where we had our pic nic was in the bay that leads up to Malin Head. We did not know we were so close. We were on the Donagh Isle part that on the other side of the bay is Malin and Five Finger Strand Beach. Here you can view Doagh Isle where we were. To view Malin Head click on: Malin Head


On the way home we stopped to see St. Patrick's Cross/Donagh Cross. It is from the 7th century and is one of the oldest Christian crosses outside mainland Europe. You can see it and learn more at: Donagh Cross.

By the way: I love living in Ireland. About the never living here, I could not imagine not living here. I do miss my family, my best friend, Jenny and Chick-fil-A however, but I know I would be missing out tremendously if I lived outside of God's will for our lives, which is currently in Ireland. ...and would miss out on beautiful blessings such as this! I can't wait to see what tomorrow holds!

I am so glad to be getting away, as this last Christmas, the kids were sick so that did not really seem like time off. Then we were blessed to go to the US in March but that was 10 speaking engagements in 14 days so now is the real family time.