Ireland - The beginning

Well, it seems like this is the best place I can think of to really preserve the memory and tell the story...IG stories is a snapshot, IG posts are a short story...but those limit you in volume of pics and words. I just have too much to say, and took too many pics, and I know one day we're going to forget the details and want to look them up - well, this is the best place for all of that, so here we go. Blogging like it's 2010 or something;-)

So, in the very beginning, I decided that for our 20th anniversary, I wanted to travel. And then, we just literally didn't have any time to do it. We had other things we needed our "days off" for, and it just kept getting pushed back. Last year (21st anni), I decided that this year (22nd anni) would be the one! Our schedules were relatively clear/flexible. 

So comes the decision of WHERE? When you want to go somewhere, but no where in particular, where do you pick? The list included a variety of tropical islands, Italy, England, Scotland, Ireland, Greece...I thought about doing a "UK/British Isles" combo and seeing it all - but as I started planning it, I felt like it was a little much - it was going to be logistically easier to stay in one country, of course. But it also meant we could explore a little more - see "everything" instead of just a few things in each place. If we had to pick just one of those places, it seemed like Ireland would be a logical first place to start, given Brian's family history (and that he got his citizenship there in 2024). 

I found a bunch of info online, I found 1 travel blog that was especially helpful and used it as the basis for our itinerary. Deciding on 10 days of travel, so we had 8 days "on the ground".

We decided on dates in late May/early June, and bought airline tickets in early Feb - so we'd have plenty of time to make our schedules work. I chose to go after college ended, giving Kenna and Brooks more flexibility to help with Vale - they both work, but it was fewer "stuff" to work around.

I began to schedule our time, the kids time, etc. I tracked everything in Word docs. I had Vale organized to go to someones house for a playday each day, so she'd only be home on the weekends with the kids. She can get bored easily and then just wind up watching tv all day (which results in a sour mood), so in an effort to avoid that, having a full schedule with other kids and moms around was our best bet. She can be a lot to keep up with, but in the end, they did really great. 

This is the site I found that really seemed to have everything in one place, so I leaned on it heavily while planning: https://www.theirishroadtrip.com/

Stuff I used or purchased for this trip that were super helpful

I already had these, but they are great for travel and bringing some of your perfume scents without having to bring the whole glass bottle 

The coffee in room availability was a little unknown with our bookings, so I just decided to bring my own pour over stuff. I add protein powder to my coffee every morning and rely on it pretty heavily as part of my breakfast. I wasn't sure I could get on without it! I found this stuff on Amazon to add for creamer. Worked so great! Low in sugar, easy to pack and use (consistency of sweetened condensed milk). Was perfect for travel!

Had a hot tip from a local friend who happened to be traveling to Ireland the week before we did with her family. She said there is no AC, and sometimes the windows don't open, and it's hot inside at night. I ordered this SO FAST. Worked like a charm, holds a charge for a long time, very powerful. In our particular case we only *needed* it for 1 night, when our windows only opened a crack and there wasn't a good breeze. Most nights/places we stayed we were able to open the windows. 

Brought this for the aforementioned coffee requirements, and also brought steel cut oats (add chocolate protein powder for a good and tasty breakfast). It's adorable, works like a charm, and has dual voltage thing on the bottom so you can switch it for what country you're in. We did have a few rooms with no kettle inside, so this was just what the doctor ordered.

Surprise, it rains a lot in Ireland. I bought a raincoat awhile back from Walmart with a little warmth to it, and got more of a windbreaker style for Brian from Amazon

I added all our travel apps to one folder on my home screen for easy access. Very helpful. Our travel insurance, Expedia for flights and car, Booking & Hotels . com for all the places we stayed, and then quick links to that travel site I mentioned - easier to look up stuff on the fly than to try and remember everything. We covered a lot of ground.

I guess I would say, I liked planning this trip. I was dreading it a little bit, but once I got in my groove, it was really fun. And in the end, it was lovely. We got to see a LOT of cool and different things, and it was quite perfect for us.