Kathleen Smith's Blog, page 9
October 28, 2019
When I Grow Up
When I grow up I want to be a doctor! When I grow up I want to be a firefighter! When I grow up I want to be a teacher! These are only a few of so many careers that kid say they want to have when they grow up. I am no exception. When I was little I remember telling my mom often that I wanted to becoming a firefighter, a pilot, a lawyer and a cashier. Yeah, I know that last one, eh!
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Anyway I remember when I was little, when I would be walking with my mom and we saw a firetruck driving past us, I would always wave to them. One of the men would always wave back at me. I would get so excited and would say “Mommy, he waved back at me!” At the age of, oh I don’t know maybe six, I thought it would be cool to drive in a fire truck and never thought about the extent of what a fire fighter really does.
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When I was nine I went on my first plane ride to Disney World. Riding on a plane to and from Disney was great. I thought how cool would it be to be a pilot and be able to go where ever I wanted to in the world. It wasn’t until I started having problems understanding math that I realizing it was my absolute worst subject in school. That’s when I knew becoming a pilot was not happening. Not with all that math that I would need to know!
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As I got older I thought becoming a lawyer would be nice. I thought trying to help people would be a nice thing to do. And the fact that I wouldn’t back down in a conversation or argument when I knew I was right about something probably prompted me to want to be a lawyer as well. Even my mom once told me I would make a great lawyer because I wouldn’t back down. At one point in my life I was actually willing to go through all those years of being in school, college and law school. That is until I realized I would be lucky to graduate from High School. Which I eventually did.
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Oddly enough while I was in High School I knew I had to get a job. At least a part time job. Yep, I ended up getting a job as a cashier! I worked at a place called RockBottom on 86th Street in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. When I started working there I couldn’t help but laugh. Out of all the dream jobs I had growing up the one I did get was the cashier. On the bright side I did make some nice friends over the years because of that place.
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There is one last career I did want. This one was the most important one. This career I had decided I wanted more than anything else when I was in High School. I wanted to get married and have a family. I didn’t care about becoming a fire fighter, a pilot or a lawyer anymore. All I wanted was to become a wife and a mom. The cashier job was just a temporary thing and I knew that. I did have to wait a bit for God to bring that right guy into my life, but he did. And he gave us 3 wonderful children. I’ve been married for 25 years now and still love my husband. Funny thing is, now I can add author to my extremely small career list. I’m okay with that.
Kathleen Smith is an indie Author, blogger and she has her own podcast Kathleen’s Korner. You can read or listen about her life in Brooklyn and Upstate NY . You can also either read or listen to her personal story of how she and her husband kept their marriage together through 3 miscarriages in Miscarriages My Story
October 21, 2019
AirBnB’s in Ireland the Good and Bad
Over the last four years my family and I have stayed at many AirBnBs in Ireland. Some were nice. Some not so nice. Some had beautiful views. Some not so beautiful views. Some were comfortable. And some were not so comfortable. And some of them met the needs they needed to meet and that was the end of that. So without any further delay from worst to best here are the airbnb’s we stayed at.
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1. The worst airBnB we ever stayed at in Ireland was in Tipperary. I like to call it the famine house because it looked that old and it was that run down. We only stayed in this place for a weekend, but that was enough. Or should I say that was to long. It was poorly ventilated. So much that the fire place when lit it would fill the place up with smoke. That was bad for me and my asthma. We ended up not using the fireplace and turned on the electric heater. The floors had a bad slant in them. There was a tiny kitchen. There was a bathroom with toilet, sink and shower stall. That was one weird shower stall. Not sure how they put that thing in, but it leaked at the bottom and the water would go from hot to cold, hot to cold…. I think you get the point.
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2. There was an apartment we stayed in over night in Killarney. There wasn’t anything “wrong” with this place per-say. This place was white all over and it felt more like a dorm room then an apartment. It had a living room, dining room, kitchen combo. Bedrooms were nice sized and it even had a washing machine. However this place had no food. It did have some tea and instant coffee, but that was it. Normally most airbnb’s have food for the guests. This place had nothing. The shower was luke warm to cold. Thankfully we only stayed at this place for one night.
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3. Another apartment we stayed in for only one night was in Dublin. This was okay. Again it had all the essentials. Living room, dining area combo. Kitchen with a washing machine. I would have to say that the bed in this place, if I remember correctly, was surprising comfortable and the shower was nice and hot. This place was also in walking distance of a Lidl which was nice so we could get some water. Other then that it was an ok place, but not a section of Dublin I would like to stay in for a long period of time.
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4. There was a house we stayed in for two weeks in Trim, Ireland. This place was okay. It had everything we look for in an AirBnB. Sadly the shower stall in the upstairs bedroom wasn’t working properly and we didn’t find out until we got there and saw the note. There was a bigger bathroom downstairs with a shower tub combo. Sadly for me this tub was very wide and rather high up. That made it difficult to get in and out of. I actually ended up hurting myself getting into that tub. I banged my leg on the inside of it pretty hard and split my skin open and got a bad bruise. That made for a bad experience for me in that place. It did have a big kitchen, but a very small living room, dining room combo. This house was in walking distance to Lidl and SuperValue. That was nice and convenient, but over all this house was eh, so I wouldn’t stay there again.
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5. There was an apartment we stayed in, near Dublin I think for a weekend. It was okay. It met our needs. You know beds, washing machine and a shower. It wasn’t anything to write home about. It did what it needed to do. So I can’t say this place was bad, but I won’t say it was good either.
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6. There was an apartment we stayed in Longford. It was surprisingly big for an apartment. Again there was a living room, dining room combo, but this was actually on the spacious side. The kitchen was nice with some food and a washer/dryer combo. Bathroom was nice with a hot shower. Bedrooms were nice size. The down falls with this places was, the mattress was to hard for my back, trying to get a breeze at night wasn’t easy and the the street lights shined into our bedroom window. Other then that I think over all this wasn’t a horrible place, but it isn’t one of my favorites either. Definitely easy to walk to stores, but not sure that I would want to stay there again.
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7. Ah, Dingle. We stayed in a very small apartment over a store called Kathleen’s in Dingle for a week. When I say small I do mean small. However it was a cute little place. We slept well. There was a washing machine and a dryer in the bathroom. The shower stall was nice and it had plenty of hot water. Dingle was a cute town to spend a week in. And I think I would be willing to stay at this place again. Tiny, but cute and had everything we look for in AirBnBs.
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8. Bundoran, an area in Ireland by the ocean, is another place that I never heard of until we decided to stay there for a week or two. I can’t remember. We stayed in an apartment, in an apartment building not to far from the water. This place was surprising comfortable. Again a living room, dining room combo. Kitchen had a washer dryer combo as well. Two bedrooms and one hand a half baths. The bedroom my husband and I used had the bathroom with toilet, sink and shower stall. That was a nice shower stall. Over all this place was nice. Great view of the beach. The apartment was surprising comfortable. The mattress was comfy. And we could walk to the beach and other places. If I needed to I would consider staying here again.
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9. There was a house we stayed in for one night in Northern Ireland. It was a nice ranch style house. It had a nice cozy feel to it. The mattress in the master bedroom was so nice and comfortable. That was one of the best night sleeps I ever had. The shower stall in that house was just as nice. Over all that place was comfortable, cozy and I would go back there again.
There are three more places we stayed in. These three are my absolute favorite places we stayed in. I can’t chose one over the other two because I love them all.
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1 The very first place we ever stayed in when we went to Ireland for the first time was on Rathgillan Farms. We stayed in a three bedroom house. It was simple, yet comfortable. It had everything we needed. Kitchen, living room, dining room combo and a nice sized bathroom with a shower stall. They even had a washing machine we could use. The owner of this place, Peter always makes fresh scones and tea for his guests. And he sits with them and chats with them when they first arrive. We like his places and him so much that we have stayed on his farm four times. He is a nice man and fun to talk with.
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2 There is a row of colorful homes in Trim, Ireland right across from Trim Castle. One of those homes is purple with a yellow door and it is one of the cutest homes I have ever stayed in. We stayed in this house for a couple of weeks. It was a cozy home and had everything we needed and wanted. And I do mean everything. The view of Trim Castle never got old. It was altogether a great place to stay.
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3 Gosford Forest Park. This park has an old Castle in it that has been converted into apartments. Well the stables have been converted anyway. We had the pleasure of staying in one of these apartments for one week in August. This place was absolutely beautiful and beyond comfortable. It had everything. This place felt like home. The couch was so snuggly, comfortable. The kitchen was so cute. The colors in this place were so nice and welcoming. This place made me miss my home and at the same time I wanted to stay longer.
The one thing all of these places seemed to have in common with each other was the living room, dining room combo or the living room, dining room, kitchen combo. Didn’t matter the size of the house or apartment it was always one of the two that you would get. I’m not sure why these places are made like that. Maybe it’s a European thing?
Kathleen Smith is an indie Author, blogger and she has her own podcast Kathleen’s Korner. You can read or listen about her life in Brooklyn and Upstate NY . You can also either read or listen to her personal story of how she and her husband kept their marriage together through 3 miscarriages in Miscarriages My Story
October 4, 2019
Learning How To Drive in Brooklyn
When I was growing up learning how to drive was something I always wanted to do. From the age of maybe eight until I was about seventeen driving was something I looked forward to. When I was little I took every chance I could to sit behind the steering wheel. It didn’t matter if I was just sitting there, if I was pretending to drive or if I was helping my dad, I took that opportunity. When I was a teenager I found myself watching how my dad steered the car, how and when he signaled. I watched how he parked the car. I did all this to try to prepare myself for driving.
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When I was finally old enough to learn how to drive I thought “great I can finally learn”. Unfortunately I also found out it wasn’t happening until my dad was ready to teach me. It took some time, but he finally came around and one day all of sudden he put me behind the wheel of our rather big station wagon and said “okay let’s see you drive in a straight line”. Well the first thing we learned was that I needed a little help seeing over that steering wheel so we took care of that problem fast.
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I can remember my dad teaching me how to drive that station wagon as best as he could and as much as he could. When that part was over my parents sent me to driving school. That man was a good teacher and very patient. I learned when and how to turn. I learned how to parallel park. Everything you needed to learn about driving this man taught me. I have to say that I did find learning how to drive in Brooklyn to be rather easy. Especially since the majority of the streets were numbers like 5th avenue and the numbers went either up or down depending on which way you were heading. So to maneuver a car in Brooklyn for the most part was pretty easy.
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When I was ready I took my drivers test and passed it on the first try. I took it in an area of Brooklyn called Red Hook. For the most part it was easy, but I do remember being extremely nervous. After I got my license I saved up my money and bought my first car, a Pontiac 6000. Not the car of my dreams, but it was what I could afford. It did well for me too. These days I still enjoy driving however I do most of my driving on the roads in Upstate New York. I even drove a convertible Jaguar in Scotland of all places!
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What about you. Who taught you how to drive? And what was your first car? I would love to hear from you!
Kathleen Smith is an indie Author, blogger and she has her own podcast Kathleen’s Korner. You can read or listen about her life in Brooklyn and Upstate NY . You can also either read or listen to her personal story of how she and her husband kept their marriage together through 3 miscarriages in Miscarriages My Story
September 29, 2019
Miss Baxter: The Best Teacher Ever
I think it’s pretty safe to say that everyone has or had a favorite teacher. Whether it be from elementary, junior high, high school or even college. We all have that one teacher that went the extra mile for us. That one teacher that completely believed in us and our abilities to go above and beyond what we think we can do.
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I can definitely include myself in this. Growing up I went to two different schools. From kindergarten to I believe fifth grade I went to my local public school, P.S. 230. In each grade I had a different teacher. I don’t have a favorite teacher from this school. Some of those teachers I can remember fondly, but others not so much. I think that was mainly because after a certain grade I started getting my sisters teachers who remembered her being a straight A student. Me not so much. I would have been happy with a B. We won’t go there though.
The second school I went to was from sixth grade up to 12th grade. This was a private school with a principal, one main teacher and a couple of supervisors. When I first starting going to this school things were great. I did have to wear a red, white and blue uniform, but I was okay with that. Anyway the supervisors in this school were nice. There was one particular supervisor, Miss. Baxter who was always so, so sweet to me. Well to all the students really. She always had a kind word to say to me. She always had a smile on her face. She loved to make the students laugh. She was the one supervisor who always told me I was doing a good job. If I wasn’t understanding a subject she would always talk me through it with a calming voice until I got it.
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And then one day I remember she got engaged to her fiance. I thought that was great until I found out she wouldn’t be working in our school anymore, after she got married. That made me so incredibly sad. I didn’t like the fact that her soon to be husband was going to take her away from us, from me. She was without a doubt my absolute FAVORITE supervisor/teacher. Here’s the good news! A couple of years ago I found her on FaceBook! I found Miss Baxter, now Mrs. Cline. It took me by surprise honestly. I was scrolling through my FB and she popped up as people I might know. I quickly sent her a friend request and to my delight she remembered me and accept the friend request.
So now here I am all these years later no longer missing my favorite teacher. Now we are friends on FB of all places. What a joy it’s been to be able to get back in touch with her after all these years!
Kathleen Smith is an indie Author, blogger and she has her own podcast Kathleen’s Korner. You can read or listen about her life in Brooklyn and Upstate NY . You can also either read or listen to her personal story of how she and her husband kept their marriage together through 3 miscarriages in Miscarriages My Story
September 19, 2019
The Wicklow Mountains
About a 25 minute drive south of the city of Dublin, Ireland are the Wicklow Mountains. These mountains in a word are beautiful. I can go even further to say they are gorgeous. Doesn’t matter the weather. It can be cold, warm, sunny, windy, drizzling or raining those mountains still look gorgeous.
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Driving through those mountains is also fun. The scenery is absolutely breathe taking. You do need to be careful sometimes while driving on these mountain roads because you share it with bicyclists, other than that it’s a fun drive. One of the fun parts about driving on these roads is watching all the sheep. Most of them are usually grazing up on a hill. Then there are some that you will find casually walking along the side of the road in groups of maybe 6 sheep. Every single one of these sheep are marked with either a blue or a pink mark on their back. It’s fun stopping for a few minutes to watch these sheep. Sometimes you can even have a staring contest with them. That is until they run from your car.
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There are many spots to stop at to look at the mountains. I have to say some of the views are so picturesque that it looks like it could be a backdrop for a movie or a TV show. And in fact they are. There is this one spot in the Wicklow mountains where it can be super windy. This spot looks down onto a beach and the view is spectacular. It also happens to be in one of the scenes in Ella Enchanted. I kid you not! There are also shows like The Vikings that have scenes from this part of the mountains. I believe there are other parts of the Wicklow Mountains that are used for other movies as well. May I suggest the next time you watch Ella Enchanted you watch closely for this mountain scenery and the beach scene.
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If you are planning a trip to Dublin, Ireland I would highly recommend you rent a car and do the drive up to the Wicklow Mountains and drive through it. You won’t be sorry you took this journey up and through these mountains. When you see those sheep. When you take one look at those mountains. When you see that beach. YOU WILL BE WOWED!
Kathleen Smith is an indie Author, blogger and she has her own podcast Kathleen’s Korner. You can read or listen about her life in Brooklyn and Upstate NY . You can also either read or listen to her personal story of how she and her husband kept their marriage together through 3 miscarriages in Miscarriages My Story
August 25, 2019
The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo
Last Tuesday, August 20th I went to my first Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo! It was a birthday present from my husband. To say that this was good to watch would be a complete understatement. It was beyond that! However I need to go back a little over a year ago before I can continue with this blog.
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You see last June when my husband and I were visiting Edinburgh for the first time, they were getting the stadium seats put together to get ready for the Tattoo in August. Up until that point I have never heard of the Royal Tattoo. So I asked my husband what it was about and he explained it to me. When we got back home he showed me some YouTube videos of it and I knew I wanted to go see it some day. So knowing we were going to be in Ireland for the month of August I asked my husband IF it was possible if we could go to the Tattoo for my birthday. Guess what? We ended up being able to!
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Like I said above my husband took me and our daughter to the Tattoo for my birthday and what a present it was! People from all over the world come to see this show and Military Bands from all over the world come to be in the show. Watching these men and women perform in their uniforms is cool to see! Listening to them play their instruments and sing is incredible. Watching them dance is just as cool. Each Country has their own unique colors in their uniforms which makes it all the more enjoyable to watch.
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Before the show starts the announcer welcomes all the different Countries who are represented at the show. He also asks the entire audience to sing Happy Birthday to those who happen to have their birthdays that day. Luckily for me I happen to be one of those people on the 20th of August. He also asks all those who can stand to stand for their National Anthem. At the end of the show all the Militaries from each Country come out to play their instruments and dance while one guy sings as they show fireworks. It truly is a grand finale to a wonderful event. A show that I highly recommend to one and all!
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Kathleen Smith is an indie Author, blogger and she has her own podcast Kathleen’s Korner. You can read or listen about her life in Brooklyn and Upstate NY . You can also either read or listen to her personal story of how she and her husband kept their marriage together through 3 miscarriages in Miscarriages My Story
August 8, 2019
The Heart of Naples Italy
At the end of our stay in Italy, My family and I spent one night in an apartment in the heart of Naples. It was a nice place for the most part. However that is not what this blog is about. Today’s blog is about what I noticed in the heart of Naples. The streets, the clothes and everything in between.
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So after we got settled into that apartment with all our stuff we went and wandered the streets of Naples. As we walked along those streets I was noticing how narrow each and every street is. We were in Naples last year, but I hadn’t noticed how narrow those streets were until that day. As narrow as they are I can now understand why most people use scooters to get around or drive mostly if not all in Fiats. I’m not sure what other small car can get through those streets!
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As I looked up I also noticed clothes drying on lines. The majority of them would go from window to window. That would be one window on one side of the road to another window on the opposite side of the road. Then there were some clothes drying around railings outside of a window.
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I didn’t think much about all the big doors that I was looking at until one of them was open and as we walked by I could see the inside of a persons home. I don’t know why, but I never realized that those doors lead to peoples homes. I mean literally they either go into a persons kitchen where you can see them cooking or a persons living room where you can see them watching TV. There is also the occasional door that will lead into a court yard where there are many apartments that people live in. I have to say I found all this fascinating as we walk up and down those streets.
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And walking up and down those streets isn’t easy either since they are still made of bricks. Some of which are rather uneven and if you aren’t watching where you’re walking it could hurt your ankle.
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All in all I would have to say that walking around the heart of Naples, Italy is an interesting experience. My husband and I were trying to figure out what we were feeling during our walk and then it occurred to us, there is this nitty gritty kind of a feeling while walking in Naples. That isn’t meant as an insult either. We liked it. We liked the nitty gritty, we liked all the different shops along Naples main street and we liked all the stores and pizza places on it’s narrow streets. Oh, the one thing the city of Naples could do better with is taking care of their garbage! It’s amazing how much they let it pile up.
Kathleen Smith is an indie Author, blogger and she has her own podcast Kathleen’s Korner. You can read or listen about her life in Brooklyn and Upstate NY . You can also either read or listen to her personal story of how she and her husband kept their marriage together through 3 miscarriages in Miscarriages My Story
August 3, 2019
I Still Do After 25 Years
Months ago my husband and I were trying to figure out how we wanted to celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary. I mean 25 years is a big deal and we wanted to do something BIG. It wasn’t until we were at an Irish Important store where I saw Irish Celtic Wedding bands that I came up with the idea to exchange new rings. My husband thought that was a good idea, but we wanted to do more than that.
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That’s when he came up with the idea of going to Italy and asking a Pastor that we know who lives in Italy if he would be willing to help us renew our vows and exchange rings. I thought that was a great idea! So we spent months preparing for our trip. My husband made all the arrangements that needed to be made including getting our favorite tour guide Raffaele who took us around Sorrento, Positano and the Amalfi Coast.
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The night before our anniversary we had a delicious dinner at the hotel where we were staying at, The Villa Pane. This was a beautiful place in the mountains of Sorrento where the owners cooked with the vegetables from their own garden. And the view from our room was beautiful!
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The morning of our Anniversary Raffaele picked us all up and started the tour. He stopped at different places where we could take in the scenery and buy some fresh squeezed juice to drink. He gave us some time to look around some shops in Positano and the Amalfi Coast. After all that he took us to a quiet little place called Minuta way up in the mountains where there were no other tourists.
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That’s where my husband and I all dressed up (him in his suit. Me in my black & white dress) renewed our vows, said what was on our hearts and exchanged our new Celtic Wedding bands. It was a quiet little “ceremony” with the two of us, our youngest daughter, Raffaele and The Pastor and his wife. Short and sweet with an amazing view.
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After that Raffaele took us to a wonder restaurant that had another amazing view where he left us for a bit so we could have a delicious lunch while we talked, laughed and looked out at the Mediterranean see and the mountains of the Amalfi Coast. It was a beautiful, hot day and I am thankful for the 25 years I’ve had with my husband. I love him beyond words and look forward to the next 25 plus years with him and all the adventures we will go on together.
Kathleen Smith is an indie Author, blogger and she has her own podcast Kathleen’s Korner. You can read or listen about her life in Brooklyn and Upstate NY . You can also either read or listen to her personal story of how she and her husband kept their marriage together through 3 miscarriages in Miscarriages My Story
July 28, 2019
Milan, Parma and Florence Italy, 2019
This weeks blog is a video blog! Please enjoy some highlights from my recent trip to Italy.
Kathleen Smith is an indie Author, blogger and she has her own podcast Kathleen’s Korner. You can read or listen about her life in Brooklyn and Upstate NY . You can also either read or listen to her personal story of how she and her husband kept their marriage together through 3 miscarriages in Miscarriages My Story
July 12, 2019
Where Did The Time Go?
It feels like only yesterday the nurse gently laid you in my arms while I sat in that hospital bed. When she told me I had a baby girl the joy that filled my heart that day is greater than words can say. You were what I considered my miracle baby and now here we are years later celebrating your 15th birthday.
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I can’t even begin to explain how much I love you. As I think back to all your growing up years. How much I loved holding you when you were a baby and a toddler. I loved reading books to you and watching TV with you. I loved the big bear hugs you gave me. I miss those days. I miss holding you in my arms while you fell asleep. I miss putting bandaids on your cuts, Kissing them bye and letting you know it would be ok.
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Watching you grow up has been a joy. Watching you go from a cute little baby to an adorable toddler and then a funny kid to the beautiful teen you have become. I gotta be honest the more I think about it the more I want to cry. The time being your mom has gone by so fast. I love every minute of it (even the moments that we are annoyed with each other), but I wish time could slow down. In case you haven’t noticed I’m struggling with words right now. It isn’t because I don’t have anything to say about you. It’s because coming up with the right words to say about how much you mean to me and how much I love you isn’t easy. I’m beyond proud to have you as my daughter.
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It truly has been an amazing journey being your mom. I am so thankful for you. I’ve enjoyed our trips with dad to Ireland, Italy, England and other Countries. I’m looking forward to our adventures in the future. And I look forward to seeing what God does for you this year and in the years to come. I LOVE YOU MY SWEET, AWESOME, BEAUTIFUL DAUGHTER!
Kathleen Smith is an indie Author, blogger and she has her own podcast Kathleen’s Korner. You can read or listen about her life in Brooklyn and Upstate NY . You can also either read or listen to her personal story of how she and her husband kept their marriage together through 3 miscarriages in Miscarriages My Story
