I met the Queen! ...is what I wish could be the title

Today was promised to be a good day. The Queen was coming to Cork and my husband and I were planning on seeing her. We tried to get a good night's sleep and even resorted to an instructional relaxation audio in order to get to sleep sooner. At one point in the audio, the instructor's voice informed us to relax, breathe in and smell the sweetness of calm. This was easy to do since I had chocolate chip cookies and a dark chocolate bar on my nightstand but soon enough, we were relaxed and went to bed at a decent hour.

Unfortunately this didn't mean that my husband's body was going to be waking up at a decent hour and he was wide away and ready for the day...at 8am. Now I know this may not seem like an ungodly hour to some people but I am a non-working woman with no children yet so I am savoring these sleep-in days! With my sleep horribly disturbed by a peppy and smiling husband, I replied with a not so nice 'good morning'. I couldn't remember what I said so I asked Branden at lunch and he informed me that I growled, "don't think your smile will save your sorry a$$ if you wake me up this early". No wonder he let me sleep till 10:30! Although there was one further disruption...

If you have read my 'Oh the joys of womanhood' blog then you would know that the #1 annoyance on that list was listening to my husband eat (specifically breakfast). So about an hour after he woke up, my husband got his breakfast and was eating it in bed which of course woke me up again...how could I possibly sleep through that noise!? I wasn't facing him but I was thinking, "Goodness! He must think I'm asleep because he is eating it so obnoxiously loud and annoying!" Instead of shooting another remark at him, I put the pillow over my head and fell back asleep. Later in the same conversation at lunch, I informed him that I indeed was not asleep when he had breakfast and that he couldn't have consumed his breakfast in a more irritating way. I also let him know that by putting the pillow over my head, I was trying to spare him from another verbal assault to which he laughed and said that he wouldn't have cared because he had been listening to something on the computer and had his headphones on! That insight then caused both of us to laugh...although at the time, I would have been extra peeved if he didn't answer my scolding!

So morning survived, we managed our way into the city which was actually more packed with people than we imagined. Apparently 30,000 turned up for the event! We found a place along the road that the Queen and Prince Phillip would be driving down after her trip to the English Market and then back again after her visit to the Tyndall Institute. An English woman who had been living in Cork for the last 35 years was standing next to me and a couple of Irish girls were standing next to Branden. Everyone was excited and the protesters were very respectful and kept to a specific area that wouldn't interfere with the Queen's visit or the crowd of onlookers. At one point while we were waiting, a man with RTE (which is like the Irish version of BBC) came by and interviewed me, Branden and the English woman. It was audio only but he said that it was for a documentary that will be coming out in July so to watch out for it. He was very interested in our thoughts on the Queen's visit, how we liked Ireland and then was particularly fascinated in my husband's PhD study into mediaeval Irish female saints...I know, I'm even surprised that I'm married to such a brilliant man.

The Queen eventually drove by but I was so concerned with getting a good shot with my camera that I didn't see her and still got a horrible shot. When she came back though, I did get a good shot but I still didn't see her since I was fiddling with the camera. Branden got video of both times she drove by. We found it ironic how we didn't go to see the Pope when he came to Edinburgh last year when we lived there, but we made an effort to see the Queen in Ireland. I guess we just figured that we'd have more chances to see the Pope in Ireland than the Queen. It was a great state visit and the news reports have been nothing but praise and welcome.

Next big visitor: Obama...but we aren't going to see him. He's going to be up in Dublin which is too far away and I kind of could care less. Although I have found it hilarious that the news has been labeling this whole affair "Obama's coming home!" just because his great great great great great great grandfather happened to live in Ireland making him 3.5% Irish. Unless he helps make things easier for American immigrants living in Ireland, I am not going to be giving much of a hoot.