A Little Reminiscing -- Part 1....

I realize I've left you all hanging for the finale of our vacation a month ago....But, as a woman, I multi-task. I have MANY things going on in my mind at once.

So, I haven't forgotten about finishing up our vacation, BUT I need to do something else first.

I actually meant to post about reminiscing a month ago. But, you know, times gets away from us all.

10 years ago in August (So....August, 2000), three of my good friends and I took a little trip to Ireland (yep, the country).

I was 24 years old at the time -- had been out of college two years; had a great job with International Dairy Queen, was VERY single (no prospects at the time).....Perfect time to take a trip like this.

I don't exactly completely remember why we chose Ireland -- I'm guessing that it had something to do with us liking the accents (remember -- we were 24 and single at the time).

Soooo, with a little planning compliments of Budget Travel Magazine....we were off.

Before I show a few photos, here are a few things to remember.

1) This trip was, by far, the BEST trip I took before I was married. Though I LOVED this girl trip, I do also LOVE traveling with my husband.

2) Ireland is a beautiful country, and I personally found the people to be extremely hospitable. We always felt safe (four single women traveling alone). We were able to get directions and such when needed. The food was good. None of us got sick. I highly recommend it. Marc and I definitely plan on getting there someday together.

3) Tonight's photos aren't probably the best, BUT I'll show morein future posts. I have quite a few I could show, but I won't show all of them to you.

4) And, the friends I traveled to Ireland with include Tammy (my very close friend who lives all too far from us in Manitoba), Alissa (the friend who ultimately fixed Marc and me up), and Libby (a friend I don't see real often though she does live in the same town as us).

5) We did rent a car there. Yep, it was a stick shift, and the Irish do drive on the left side of the road. Because my stick shift driving is definitely NOTHING to brag about, I didn't think it was smart to drive a stick shift in all of the hills on the left side of the road. Alissa did most of the driving, and both Libby and Tammy also drove some. They all three did a great job, and none of them beat me up for being such a "backseat driver" even though I never once drove the car.

6) As I've already stated, we were all single at the time, though Alissa was dating the man she married a year later. Since that time, we've all gotten married (I was the last to do so)....Tammy and Libby have two children each, and Alissa and I both have one child each.

So, here goes....at least for now.

We saw LOTS of sheep....They were just what you might possibly picture in Ireland -- grazing on hillsides and sometimes in the road. There were several occasions we had to stop to let the sheep get off of the road.



We stayed at all Bed and Breakfasts -- Nope, we didn't do one hotel in Ireland. They were all pretty awesome, and I would say we had great experiences with them.

This pic is of me -- 10 years younger and about 20-25 pounds lighter. This photo was taken right after we arrived (thus, jet-lag) and had showers. Yes, we were tired, but that first night, we did the smart thing and got our bodies on the right time schedule immediately. By the next day, we were all good to go.



That next day (after arriving), we actually took a rather bumpy fairy ride (nobody puked, but one of us came close -- and that person was NOT me) to the Aran Islands -- just west of the main part of the country. These islands are really known for their authentic Irish woolen sweaters.

We ended up renting bicycles and cycling around the islands nearly the entire day. The bike seats WERE NOT comfortable at all (you know what I mean), and we were fairly windblown by the end of the day thanks to the cool, but strong, breezes off of the Atlantic Ocean.



We had to climb up a VERY STEEP hill with our bicycles to get this pose with the ocean behind us. Yep, we were slightly fatigued at this point. I can personally see it in our faces.

This photo is of Libby, Alissa, and myself (your's truly).



I LOVE this photo. It was also taken on the Aran Islands. I managed to snap this photo of this Irish gentleman who was waiting to take folks around to various sections of the island with his horse and cart.



And, when you have 4 squirly girls in their mid-20s traveling together for over a week, you do get some stupidity, some lovely made-up songs, and into some deep, personal conversations....

And, I truly can't believe I'm showing this, BUT one of these travel companions (I actually don't know which one did this) took this very LOVELY photo of me walking out of the bathroom. I guess I left my camera in too close proximity to one of them in the car.

Lovely, isn't it? Does my face show any disgust at all?



And, stay tuned for more Irish scenery and reminiscing.