What a weekend! All my great plans for getting a lot accomplished here at home didn't quite come to fruition but have to say it's been an eventful one! Visits with best friends (Avery, your hamburgers were wonderful as always), picking out a new camera (and hoping it's not too much smarter than me; thanks for the advice, Cameron), changing the itinerary yet again for new adventures (Wexford has now been added) and best of all, my nephew and his wife with two of their friends are in Ireland as I speak having arrived this morning!! Actually as I write this they are probably getting ready to start their second day. From Sue's email it seems they have already been bitten by the Irish bug. She's saying they are loving it (was there ever any doubt?) and that I will as well. So anxious to hear every detail. It's hard to believe it was last Christmas that we all started the discussions and now here we are.
My organization is not what I'd like it to be at this point but at least I really do have everything I need so no more shopping. Just a few things to fine tune...stretching a pair of shoes in one spot just to keep them comfortable, learning how to use the camera, making final decisions regarding what to wear (and choosing what weighs the least) and alterations on a couple of pairs of pants. Having to take an extra pair of boots so we can go riding in Donegal was something I hadn't planned on but no boots/no ride are their rules and I'm not going to miss out on that part of the dream because of a pair of shoes. My goal is still to be packed by the week before we leave. Finished giving the airlines the passport information they require and made my reservations for the SuperShuttle pickup (do I really need to be up at 2:30 a.m.? Oh well, it's not like I'll be sleeping anyway!).
Lots of emotional times these three days as well. Just thinking of those who so long ago boarded ships for the treacherous journey here, family members who were able to make the trip back to "Paddy's Green Shamrock Shore" and those who wanted to so much but weren't able. And now Mike and Sue returning to where their ancestors came from and myself not too far behind. It still seems very dreamlike. Yes, I'm very excited but at the same time it seems unreal. I wonder how I will really react when we finally set down in Dublin. No matter what, it's going to be an adventure and one that I hope to fully appreciate.
As I finish we are now at 20 days!
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Friday, May 6, 2011
Reality
OMG! Where has the time gone? All of a sudden we're down to 45 days! What happened to the other three months? It seemed like we had all the time in the world and the days were crawling by. Now we're a week into May and I'm wondering how everything will come together.
A couple more planning weekends and hundreds of emails have gone by. Itineraries have been changed over and over and new things we hadn't heard of added. B&Bs rearranged and reviewed. The first day is now one of the last but horseback riding on the beach and an afternoon at the races have been added. Lots of gardens, castles and other adventures. It's so hard to eliminate places and things that sound so interesting but even when it stays light until 11:00 p.m. we're still not going to have enough hours in the day. If only we didn't need to sleep.
I'm also noticing that as we get closer to reality I'm getting a little more emotional and melancholy. Maybe it's because of the Mother's Day weekend and wondering what my mother would be saying. I know she'd be thrilled for me but I also know it was her dream to go someday as well. She was so disappointed when her sister went and she wasn't able to join her. So part of the journey is dedicated to her. After all that's the Irish side of the family! Here's hoping I can find out something about our family that no one else has been able to discover.
We're also getting ready for my nephew and niece to head over the end of this month. Mike and Sue (also my Great Grandparents' names) will be flying to Dublin on May 29th with another couple to see what they can discover about the Easons and Gypsy Horses. Now that's a combination. Sue has the most beautiful Gypsy, Shamrock, that she has been training and is now, after months of work, able to ride. One of the driving forces for her was to see the Gypsies in their "natural environment" lol! They'll even be visiting a farm while they're there. Unfortunately they only have about 9 days and they'll be home before we leave. I guess it's also a good thing for them to have returned before we leave.....lots of feedback. I know they're going to have a wonderful time. Maybe next time we can all do it together.
I'm pretty much rambling here but my mind is so full of so many things that need to be done at home, work and for the trip I'm feeling more than a little overwhelmed. I know it's all going to come together but I wish I were just a little more organized.
A couple more planning weekends and hundreds of emails have gone by. Itineraries have been changed over and over and new things we hadn't heard of added. B&Bs rearranged and reviewed. The first day is now one of the last but horseback riding on the beach and an afternoon at the races have been added. Lots of gardens, castles and other adventures. It's so hard to eliminate places and things that sound so interesting but even when it stays light until 11:00 p.m. we're still not going to have enough hours in the day. If only we didn't need to sleep.
I'm also noticing that as we get closer to reality I'm getting a little more emotional and melancholy. Maybe it's because of the Mother's Day weekend and wondering what my mother would be saying. I know she'd be thrilled for me but I also know it was her dream to go someday as well. She was so disappointed when her sister went and she wasn't able to join her. So part of the journey is dedicated to her. After all that's the Irish side of the family! Here's hoping I can find out something about our family that no one else has been able to discover.
We're also getting ready for my nephew and niece to head over the end of this month. Mike and Sue (also my Great Grandparents' names) will be flying to Dublin on May 29th with another couple to see what they can discover about the Easons and Gypsy Horses. Now that's a combination. Sue has the most beautiful Gypsy, Shamrock, that she has been training and is now, after months of work, able to ride. One of the driving forces for her was to see the Gypsies in their "natural environment" lol! They'll even be visiting a farm while they're there. Unfortunately they only have about 9 days and they'll be home before we leave. I guess it's also a good thing for them to have returned before we leave.....lots of feedback. I know they're going to have a wonderful time. Maybe next time we can all do it together.
I'm pretty much rambling here but my mind is so full of so many things that need to be done at home, work and for the trip I'm feeling more than a little overwhelmed. I know it's all going to come together but I wish I were just a little more organized.
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