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We arrived into Dublin, Ireland this morning and immediately got acquainted with our rental car being the driver’s seat was on the right side of the car. It is strange as the passenger to get into the left side and not have a steering wheel! And for the driver the rear view mirror is on the left side of the wheel and the stick shift is also on the left side! We drove about two hours south of Dublin and arrived in a town called Kilkenny.
We checked into our B&B (Abbey Lodge, http://www.abbeylodge.ie) first which was a great location…within walking distance of all the sites and village area. We were given a warm welcome and the host immediately took us to our room and turned our television onto a sports channel. The main sport in Ireland is hurling and the Kilkenny team was currently playing. As we looked closer at the screen, we saw that the teams had sticks similar to field hockey, no protective gear except a helmet and the sticks were being used high in the air to hit the ball or low and the object was to get the ball either over the goal bar or under the goal bar into the net where a goal keeper defended his area. We quickly changed and freshened up so we could find a pub playing the game.
As we walked through the adorable town of Kilkenny…it was like taking a step back in time. The building signs were old-fashioned but it wasn’t a sign made to look antiqueish…it actually was the real sign. You could tell these buildings and shops had a long history, dating back to years like 1324. The colors of the buildings were bright and the little signs that hung from each building were classic.
We found the bar the host had recommended and sat at the bar just in time to catch the end of the game. We ordered the prime rib with mashed potatoes and a cup of homemade soup with brown bread. We also ordered a Kilkenny beer and a Guinness to wash it down. After watching Kilkenny win and finishing our food we continued walking through the main area admiring the old town feel. We found another pub that was recommended, Kytelers Inn. We ordered more food (lamb stew and a salad that was more meat than lettuce), a couple of pints of Guinness and sat in the bar area taking in the scene. We noticed all the restaurants and pubs made their own soda bread and/or brown bread. It was very tasty…more dense than airy being they don’t use yeast but baking soda as a substitute. We also noticed the food was very home cooking style…pot roasts, stews etc. Salads weren’t exactly a main dish. Before leaving we peaked in downstairs and saw a live band was playing music and the place was packed with people, so much so that moving was a challenge but the music was great.
It was raining and late so we walked back to our B&B to get some R&R.
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Published by Brandey Kabat
What I like: Dark chocolate, yoga, fresh squeezed juice, laughing, hiking, wine, travel, food, lush products, being warm, having long hair, the ritual of drinking something hot first thing in the morning…
What I don’t like: When people smell their fingers, pushing elevator buttons, confrontational situations, not being able to fall asleep quickly at bedtime…
Most random job ever: Plastic surgery consultant
As for my love life: I met my husband mid way through my junior year in college, as soon as I laid my eyes on him I was attracted to him. In fact, I made the first move which was a bit out of character but there was something about him…probably the fact that he was smokin’ hot!!
Where from and where to: I grew up in NY, went to college at The Ohio State University and then headed to CA after graduation. My boyfriend (Giff) and I had a map, a borrowed van and used stuff from his mom’s basement aka a vacuum, silverware, old Christmas ornaments etc., and about $1000 each. We thought it would be a good idea to head straight to CA since neither of us had been. Being we didn’t know anyone there nor did we have a job or job interviews set up or a place to live…I would say we did it the hard way! However with a bit of help from Giff’s mom who flew out to put us up in a hotel, bought me a suit for interviewing and co-signed a lease to get us a place to live we eventually found jobs and an apartment and have been in CA for 10 years.
Our story: After moving out to CA and living together for about 3 years we got engaged. He popped the question while down on one knee on the beach at sunset after we finished our picnic he had packed of bread, cheese, shrimp cocktail and wine. He even had the ring in a box that had a light shining down on it when opened so as it was getting dark, this amazing man was asking me to be his wife as he handed me a huge rock…Yes! Yes! Yes!
In 2005 we were married (I am biased but our wedding was absolutely amazing). By the end of 2005 we were new home owners. 2006-2009- we were both happily married, attached to our 3 cats and were focused on building our careers.
Giff and I got pregnant mid year 2009 with our first baby but what should have been one of the highlights of our life was soon distracted by the news I received at the doctor’s office.
The lump in my breast that had been dismissed the year before as nothing was now being diagnosed by a different doctor as breast cancer. Thankfully Giff is a persistent person and when we went in for our ultrasound (to hear our baby’s heartbeat) he brought up the request for testing to be done on the lump rather than dismissing it based on feeling it.
The going gets rough: Things began to move so quickly at that point, it was hard to breathe. I was 30, pregnant with my first child and going into surgery to remove breast cancer. I was about to go through what would be the worst year of my life. The plan had been discussed, we were going with the most aggressive regimen possible- double mastectomy, port surgically placed in my chest, chemotherapy, drug therapy and radiation. We also had to terminate the pregnancy. This cancer was estrogen positive and the hormones were actually feeding the cancer. That little angel whom was the cause of our going into the doctor saved my life.
Giff was my rock through every step…interviewing a team of the best doctors, memorizing which medicines I needed to take and when, driving me to chemotherapy and sitting next to me while I was so scared, telling me I was beautiful when I was bald, and so many other things…words cannot express. When you say your vows, in sickness and in health…you would never guess sickness of this magnitude at this age would be in the near future. In addition to this hardship, Giff’s dad died of a complicated prostate cancer the day we came home from my surgery. I could not hold my husband as he mourned for his dad because of the pain I was in from the mastectomy. How did Giff handle all of this pain at one time? How was he so strong for me? He is amazing. Giff’s dad was one of those people whom you naturally wanted to be around…his smile was contagious, his love for life was invigorating and he listened so intently when you talked in a conversation with him. He made you feel special. We think about him often and will miss him so much.
My family and friends were also by my side…my mom flying out from NY several times to help us with cooking and cleaning and holding my hand. It must be one of the most awful things in the world to watch your baby girl be diagnosed with breast cancer. My girlfriends also flew out to take care of me and help with anything they could. Other friends living closer would come by just to sit and talk or watch movies. There were so many cards, letters, flowers, cookies, and other gifts that came from all over the country. It’s amazing to have such great people in my life. In addition to my amazing circle of friends and family, there were the strangers with whom crossed our path. Whether it was a letter in the mail from a breast cancer survivor, the anesthesiologist who called Giff during my surgery crying happy tears that the cancer had not spread to my lymph nodes, or our fertility doctor who promised to watch over our frozen embryos as if they were her own. There were so many small gestures that made such a big impact on our lives.
Looking at the bright side: Thankfully this was caught in stage 1, had it been caught a year prior by the first doctor I had gone into about the lump, it may have been caught at stage 0. Please learn from my lesson…insist the lump be tested – a lump cannot be diagnosed by touch. They were able to cut all the cancer out and after I finish the entire regimen including a pill I take over the next 5 years, they said there is a 95% chance the cancer will never come back.
Our exciting future: We’ve decided to re-prioritize, we are taking 400 days starting February 7th of 2011 to travel the world! We will travel to new places, eat new foods, taste new wines and meet new people. We will focus on healing ourselves both physically and mentally. This will be one of the best years of our lives.
View all posts by Brandey Kabat
Spinning Around The World 
B – I love watching your hair grow!!!!
Dublin and all of Ireland are my absolute favorite spots to explore. Enjoy!!!!!! If you can make it waaaaay North, head up to Belfast and the Giant’s Causeway. So powerful. xo Sommer