Last week, Ellie and I came home after 10 days in Ireland. We were there for Matt’s niece’s wedding.
When the invitation first came through I dismissed it immediately. Then I started to think. Why couldn’t we go to Ireland?
Matt’s parents and I talked, and we decided to go together. When Matt’s Mom was dying, she wanted to make sure that Ellie and I would still go on the trip. After she died, Matt’s Dad wasn’t going to go but then he decided to. So the three of us went off to Ireland.
Two summers ago (shortly after the wedding invitation first arrived), I adopted a philosophy of say yes. If something was happening or we were invited to do something, I was going to say yes and figure it out. This pushed me out of my comfort zone a bit but it opened us up to so many amazing experiences. Ireland was part of that.
Ellie, Matt’s Dad and I had 10 days to travel around, see new things, share some incredible experiences and be together in a different way. It was a special trip that I will not forget. I’m grateful to Matt’s Dad for making this trip happen, and I’m grateful that I said yes when the opportunity came along.
Here are some Ireland links for this month.
Our trip started with a hawk walk at the National Bird of Prey Centre. An amazing experience to learn about birds of prey, see them up close and have a hawk fly to our hands.
We spent the night in a castle!
Watching a little dog herd sheep with the Atlantic Ocean in front of us and Benbulbin mountain behind us was a unique morning.
Derry was a surprise. When I was planning our route it was simply a place to sleep and break up a long drive. We had an amazing afternoon walking the ancient wall all around the old city. An incredible journey into history.
The Titanic museum in Belfast was another incredible journey. Belfast’s evolution, the construction of the ship, the sinking, the wreckage discovery were all presented in a way that truly took us on a journey and created so many emotions.
Helpful tips for traveling with kids. Plus, our favourite book to prepare for the plane.
We’re settling back into our regular routine this week, though with a little celebration for Hallowe’en. More opportunities for fun, love and joy.
Home on 129 Acres 
Good morning Julia,
I’m so glad you, Ellie and Steve decided to go to Ireland. Audrey would be so very pleased you did. I had a nice chat with Steve last night. It sounds like quite the adventure you all had with many wonderful memories having been made. Jaro and I went to Ireland last September with a couple we’ve become good friends with that we first met on a bus trip to California about 7 years ago. We thoroughly enjoyed the diversity in Ireland from Dublin, Belfast and the beautiful countryside that stretches throughout the country. I would have enjoyed visiting the Bird of Prey Centre you went to. I love birds of all kinds and that looked so interesting. What a wonderful holiday for Ellie to take in at her young age.
Jaro and I have been blessed in travelling quite a lot over the years. We were out of our comfort zone while vacationing in Costa Rica where we mounted horses riding up a rugged mountainside into the jungle. From there we zip lined 25 stations, repelled over 2 sheer cliffs before taking a welcome refreshing swim at the base of a high waterfall. The scenery was like that out of a National Geographic magazine. Our fear in doing something daring was diminished by the extraordinary experience in having gone out of our comfort zone. In South Africa we walked alongside 9 month old lion cubs while the cubs were on the alert in hunting for prey. Fortunately we didn’t witness a “kill”, instead enjoyed an entirely unique experience being out of our comfort zone.
Keep your blogs coming. You have a wonderful gift in sharing your stories.
Have a nice weekend.
Pam
PS I came across this picture of Audrey 8 years ago at my daughter Julie’s bridal shower.
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What amazing experiences for you, Pam. Matt and I honeymooned in Costa Rica and loved it. We did a tour similar to yours. Costa Rica is on Ellie’s list because of sloths, so you may hear more about it someday. Thank you for your warmth and support.
This sounds like an amazing trip! So many rich experiences.
It was very special. The experiences have stayed with us, which is also special.