An Ode to Being Irish

Happy Saint Patty's Day!

St. Patty's Day inspired me to get more in touch with my Irish roots. My ancestors hail from the Emerald Isle, if you can't already tell by the name: Caitlin Bevin Doherty. This gave me a starting place: The name "Caitlin" means "pure" in Gaelic (Gaelic is "Old Irish," kind of like what "Old English" is to us) and evolved in Ireland from the Ancient Greek name "Aikaterine" or "Catherine" as we know it today. "Bevin" means "melodious one" and "fair lady," but it also means "daughter of Brian," which is my dad's name. In my family, the tradition is to give sons the middle name "son of [dad's name]" which you do in Irish by putting "Fitz" before the father's name. For example, my brother's middle name is "FitzBrian" ("son of Brian") and my dad's middle name is "FitzJohn" ("son of John").  My parents thought it was special to extend the tradition to their daughter as well as their son.

The Doherty Family Crest

The name "Doherty" comes from the Dochartach dynasty, which can be traced back to the 455 AD when the High King of Ireland, Conall Gulban, founded the kingdom now known as Donegal County. The land was fought for by Gulban's relatives, also known as the Dochartaigh clan, who were then given the title "the Princes of Donegal" after the conquest. Conall was the son of King Niall, who began the family's substantial reign that lasted through the 10th century. Through Niall, the Doherty heritage can be traced back even further, making the clan one of Europe’s longest descent lines. So although it may be distant, my family heritage on my dad's side dates back to the royal family of Ireland. How cool!

Campbell Argyle!

I will soon be a Campbell, which is primarily a Scottish name of Gaelic origins. In Scotland, the name itself derives from two Scot-Gaelic words: "Cam" (mouth) and "Béal" (crooked) meaning "wry-mouthed," originally a nickname which over time became used as a surname. The Campbell Clan of Scotland can be traced back as far as the 13th century. They developed into one of the largest and most powerful Highland clans and the chief of the clan later became the Duke of Argyll. The argyle pattern we know today was derived from the tartan of the Campbell Clan!

The Scots would probably not approve of my inclusion of them on a St. Patty's Day post, but I thought it quite interesting! I leave you with one final fun fact about St. Patty's: Saint Patrick was actually a British missionary in Ireland who used the three leaves on the clover to teach the Irish about the Holy Trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. So go forth and drink some green beer and celebrate your Irish heritage even if it's only in spirit.

Happy Saint Patty's Day to All!

Arrival in Paradise

View from the room

Tonight I write to you as I watch the sunset over the ocean and listen to the waves break gently on the shore. Birds in palm trees sing their nightly taps and a light ocean vesper soothes the warm air. I spent the day sea kayaking, snorkeling, and reading in a hammock. It sounds a lot like heaven but I’m actually in Tulum, Mexico, a small coastal town on the Caribbean Sea. Kevin’s brother Michael decided to ring in his new decade (the big three-oh) by taking a vacation with his close friends and family. So here we are, in a 12-person villa, eating family-style dinners filled with stories, banter, and laughter on a long reclaimed-wood table on a patio overlooking the ocean made by our personal chef. Our planned adventures for the week include deep-sea fishing and a visit to the Mayan ruins, but who knows what else the week may bring. I am perfectly content to press repeat on today.

Mikey in all his birthday glory

At breakfast, three of Michael’s friends showed up in Mexican-flag Speedos and proceeded to present him with his own pair. It started the day off with a good dose of laughter and light heartedness. We had made-to-order eggs (huevos ranchos, huevos con jamon, huevos con queso . . .), orange juice, toast, granola and yogurt, and a huge platter of fresh watermelon, pineapple, papaya, and cantaloupe. Afterward, Kevin and I read books on the beach and jumped in the pool. Then we kayaked with the group to the coral reef not more than 100 meters offshore. I swam with schools of neon fish and wove around the dancing coral. Nancy (Kevin’s mom) and I used the paddle boat to come in for a lunch of shrimp tacos with mounds of fresh guacamole and pico de gallo with the whole group. Kevin made delicious margaritas that we drank before an afternoon siesta on the beach.

Paradise does wonders for the human spirit.

CBD

Finding Refuge

Lucky circumstances brought my aunt and uncle to Florida last week from Niagara Falls, Canada. They had long ago planned a winter getaway to a resort near Fort Lauderdale, so once Kevin and I moved down here we figured out that it would only be an hour drive for us to see each other. Aunt Sandy was my mom's sister and she has been married to Uncle Dave for over 40 years, so they both were very close to her and had lots of stories about the three of them. They ordered in pizza at the resort and we sat around, along with their travel buddies Barb and Dave, and caught up on all the family. My cousin Johnny finished med school and is now a practicing chiropractor. He's been married three years and just bought a house. My cousin Nikki is due with her first baby—a boy!—next month. I grew up not only the youngest in my family, but the youngest of the cousins, and Nikki and Johnny introduced me to the Counting Crows, my first cheese fries, and summer days at the lake. Sometimes I really wish my family all lived close together, it's hard to stay in touch and support people from such long distances. Unfortunately, we had so much to talk about we forgot to take a picture! I'm so bummed. I found an old one of her the last time she visited my mom.

My mom with her sister Sandy

Friday night filled me with a sense of nostalgia for family memories, which was still fresh in my mind as we continued our weekend wedding planning adventures. We found a venue called the House of Refuge Museum on Hutchinson Island that has a stunning 360-degree view of the water. The best part is that it has a lot more character and history than a modern resort or hotel. Built in 1876, the House of Refuge was built by the U.S. government to aide shipwrecked sailors. There were about ten built on the east coast of Florida and there were signs posted on the beaches for how far an ocean-torn victim had to walk to find respite. Each house also had a keeper who would patrol the beaches daily to search for such unfortunate souls. The keeper and his family would nurse the sailors back to health and saved many lives. I love that the house has a storied history filled with the adventures of sailors, pirates, and soldiers of years past. The warmth, love, and kindness from a family of modest means toward strangers expresses our family values. And I enjoy the symbolism of how our relationship is a refuge from the storm of life. Kevin and I both felt like this place was really something special and unique.

Painting of the House of Refuge on Hutchinson Island

After the House of Refuge we ate lunch on the water en plein air at a restaurant called The Sailor's Return. It also had a stellar view and a relaxed atmosphere, not to mention excellent beer-battered fish and chips. We came home and took it easy that night by watching college basketball rivalry week. 

Sunday we went to brunch with three other couples at a Worth Avenue/Palm Beach institution called Taboo. It was nice to branch out and meet some other couples, but comfortable friendships take time and it's tough to not have that right away. Other than Lois and Steve, there aren't many people here with whom we can just hang out. 

How could you hate this wittle face?

 On Wednesday, I bid Varsha a safe journey as she set off on her African Adventure in Namibia on Friday. Her first flight was Friday to NYC and then she boarded her transatlantic flight on Saturday. She was very excited but also a little nervous because, apparently, there are a lot of stray cats in Namibia, and Varsha hates cats. The funny thing is when I asked her about bugs, she was utterly fearless. She's a funny one that little V. :o)

Go Phil! (with his wife Amy)

Shout out to my favorite golfer Phil Mickelson for winning Pebble Beach and mercilessly annihilating Tiger Woods. For those of you that don't know, I can't stand Tiger Woods and think he's a self-absorbed, whiny, entitled egomaniac. Whereas, Phil Mickelson is a gentleman golfer who is ultra-talented, humble, and plays with class. Not to mention all of Tiger's character issues off the green... and Phil who took time away from golf to care for his wife when she battled cancer. I prefer being a fan of someone who I actually like as a person and as an athlete, that is what a "role model" is after all.

CBD

A Campbell Christmas

The last of the Campbell clan hit the road on Friday morning and Kevin and I enjoyed putting our feet up and relaxing a bit this weekend. Our first couple months in Florida flew by as we scrambled to unpack and finish home projects before the crew came for the holidays. Hosting the holidays for the first time was a milestone for Kevin and I, and in our true style we jumped into the task head first by hosting eight guests, getting a 9'4" tree that had just enough room for our angel, and decorating the house with all the trimmings. It appears we've become real adults, even if we still feel like kids at heart.

The full house added to the holiday feel of family, cheer, and warmth. We also found out how challenging it can be to wrangle a crew of ten with a 70-year age span to do the many activities we had planned: beach, deep-sea fishing, turtle museum, Christmas dinner, New Year's Eve party, Universal Studios, Hard Rock Casino, the Breakers... needless to say, punctuality was next to impossible. Kidding aside, the packed schedule really got us all together exploring our new state. It was a lot of fun showing them around but so was the down time: hanging around playing games, cooking, and watching movies. It was a special and memorable holiday in our new tropical home (the closest we got to snow were my glass snowmen on the dining room table).

Happy Birthday Mama :)

I really enjoyed establishing new holiday traditions, but I do still get sad about what it would be like if my mom was still here. We used to always bake pies and cookies, shop for gifts, go to church and open one present on Christmas Eve... Yesterday would have been my mom's 64th birthday, so I bought some bright yellow flowers to plant in her honor since she loved to garden. I'm also starting to plan the wedding and I think about how nice it would be to talk to her about everything (even though we'd inevitably fight about a few things, ha). It's all very sad and hard to comprehend that she's gone.

All for now.

CBD

Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes

I took off for a weekend last month

Just to try and recall the whole year
All of the faces and all of the places
Wonderin' where they all disappeared
I didn't ponder the question too long
I was hungry and went out for a bite
Ran into a chum with a bottle of rum
And we wound up drinkin' all night

It's these changes in latitudes, changes in attitudes
Nothing remains quite the same
With all of our running and all of our cunning
If we couldn't laugh we would all go insane

Reading departure signs in some big airport
Reminds me of the places I've been
Visions of good times that brought so much pleasure
Makes me want to go back again
If it suddenly ended tomorrow
I could somehow adjust to the fall
Good times and riches and son of a bitches
I've seen more than I can recall

These changes in latitudes, changes in attitudes
Nothing remains quite the same
Through all of the islands and all of the highlands
If we couldn't laugh we would all go insane

I think about Paris when I'm high on red wine
I wish I could jump on a plane
So many nights I just dream of the ocean
God I wish I was sailin' again
Oh, yesterdays over my shoulder
So I can't look back for too long
There's just too much to see waiting in front of me
And I know that I just can't go wrong

With these changes in latitudes, changes in attitudes
Nothing remains quite the same
With all of my running and all of my cunning
If I couldn't laugh I just would go insane
If we couldn't laugh we just would go insane
If we weren't all crazy we would go insane

 "Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes" by Jimmy Buffett

Kevin and I are settling into our new life in tropical South Florida. The change in latitude has been good to us on many levels, but it's been hard to keep up with our family and friends that are spread around the continent: DC, New York, LA, San Francisco, North Carolina, Chicago, Baltimore, Montreal, Birmingham, Niagara Falls, Ottawa, New Hampshire, Vermont, British Columbia... and a very special friend in Kentucky who inspired me to start this blog. Becky and I ran track together in high school and when we, along with our friend Seshie, all went off to different colleges, we kept blogs to keep up with each other. Over time my blog writing trailed off but Becky has an awesome blog that helps me keep up with her no matter where she is in the world or what she's up to. As much as I love our new life in Florida, there are many people I would be very sad to lose touch with and this seemed like the best way to help with that. So, with Becky as my inspiration and New Year's resolutions as my impetus, welcome to my blog and thanks for reading.

CBD