Archive for October 2014
Ireland Trip Part 4…
Posted on: October 31, 2014
Next up on our Ireland trip was the four castle stays…. I am going to break them down into different posts just to give myself a break, as I need to homeschool early and get ready for Halloween…
That time was everything we dreamed and more, if you ever get a chance to go to Ireland I hope you stay in at least one Castle and experience the incredible hospitality of the staff!!!!
Tom, driving on the opposite side of the car… And boy was that hard to get use to…not so much once in the seat, but going to the car and both of us getting in the wrong seats… Even after a week and taking me into the airport to check the bags before returning the car, he got in the passenger seat in front of the airport Guards who noticed and Tom and them made eye contact and all chuckled….
The roads in Ireland were all tight and Tom said , you definitely can’t relax driving , but have to remain on high alert….
A completely different story on the Motorway were the posted speed was 120km with the flow of traffic going 160km…When I Googled how to convert that to miles… I got that 150km is 93mph…. so imagine my feeling of going faster than that in a tiny rented car…. We saw not one Guard on the Motorway and we crossed the country going between those castles…
First up was Cabra Castle, I loved the red ivy on this one....
We loved the stone walls and authentic feel of this right down to the skeleton key… There is a claw tub and window off to the left side near the red chaise that added to the feeling of the room…
This Castle ranks #1 on our tour for the food…. We had a four course meal that was incredible from start to finish…This meal was also the best deal for the price as well with a special package of just $39 euros… of course our wine bottle nixed the bargain meal..
The bottle of sparkling wine was wonderful as well,,,, We can’t forget that meal and are determined to try our hand at making some potato soups soon to see if we can come close to the one we had there…. Note, I am not a big soup eater, but this one was incredible! And don’t get me started on the salad which said it was Caesar, but did not have anchovy in the dressing, but was more a creamy Parmesan version with chicken and bacon it was enough for a meal for me….I however did not stop there….
Every Princess in a Castle is in search of her knight in Shining Armor….
We took our final glasses of sparkling wine on our castle tour…
Tom, having fun hamming it up…
The wedding at the Castle added a lot of fun as we saw the wedding party coming in and getting ready,
it really added to the fun atmosphere..
The wedding delighted us with this view out of our window late night….
Dear Readers, I forgot to mention one of my favorite moments of the trip was at the reunion… The night before they were asking members of each family to do a reading at the church service and everyone was balking about it… They wanted them to write their own prayers… Once one of the cousins said she would pick something for them to read… the tension was not lifted as some members wanted something very short… I went in the kitchen and told them not to worry that Tom did public speaking for a living for a few years and they could give him something longer to read… Fast forward to the next evening and 5 minutes before the service when they handed him two sheets full to read that was in tiny print that he couldn’t see… Being a quick thinker he asked his Cousin for her reading glasses… He winged it and got up there and did a brilliant job… Not lost on this woman who lives a life of gratitude was how surreal it was that Tom was standing in a Catholic Church in Ireland doing a wonderful job…. In that moment I wish his parents had been there to witness that with pride…
Gratitude
I am grateful to my hairstylists as I’ve had so many compliments on my hair since returning from Ireland… Just walking to the store yesterday, my neighbor called out to to compliment my hair… I joked DH that I have to get these highlights again next time…
I am grateful that my husband told his job. no working tonight to spend the time with our youngest for Halloween..It’s so nice to see my workaholic husband relax and feel comfortable enough to take time off work…
I am grateful that my husband has had such great success since returning from Ireland that he had the peace to take time off…
I am grateful for the wonderful stage of having adult children who call me for advice when making decisions… this is such a wonderful stage in parenting where they seek my counsel instead of me telling children what to do…. I love it!!!!
Ireland Trip, Part 3…
Posted on: October 30, 2014
Next up is our 4 days in Galway….
Prior to going a third cousin warned us about Galway’s reputation….
It is called , “The City of Lost Ambition” because people go and stay there , never leaving to see other parts of Ireland…
On our last day, I asked my husband if he really wanted to leave to start our castle tours… He got a good laugh at how real the cousin’s warning was…
I however want to redeem myself by saying that Tom’s uncle had joined us in Galway and I wanted more time with him….
DH, got the biggest kick out of the funny signs all about town…
This one was an outside patio for a very frilly tea shop…
St Nicholas Church in Galway where Christopher Columbus is rumored to have worshiped…
We lit candles in memory of my husband’s brother who miss terribly and our friend who was in the hospital with stage 4 cancer..
Tom also wrote in the book for the church to say prayers for our friend as well…
The only person in the church was on organist playing, it really added to the atmosphere…
I love the red doors on the church…
Galway is also referred to as a walking city and that is very true… This is shop Avenue with cobblestones and stores as well as restaurants…
Galway isn’t just shops and pubs, yes, there were a lot of pubs….
It also on the water and has a beautiful walkway around the water…
When on vacation I highly recommend doing non tourist things like just taking the time to walk and enjoy the natural elements that the people living there see every day…. The walks we took were part of my favorite times in Ireland…. But then again I may have mentioned my entire family has a very strong love language for Quality Time….
A huge cultural difference was the lists of alcohol prices listed on the outside of pubs….
The drink specials were all over the hotel elevator as well…
I loved the floral window on this building, which we assume was a college
as the street was nothing but young adults with back packs, hustling to and from the building…
We had fun finding things off the beaten path for tourists like this back walkway and bridge where only locals seemed to be…
I was glad to fit right in with my houndstooth pants as I saw that pattern everywhere in Ireland, on the streets, at the reunion, in shops and even in home decor items… On days when I wore my trench it was warmer in the high 50’s or 60’s… I loved that I brought two hats and wore them often… This style hat was popular in Ireland and I was asked quite often if I’d bought them i country…
A note on street fashion…. I fit right in with my choice of black greys and burgundy…
I did notice quite a few elements like this with layering and some even more flowing bohemian skirts….Everyone in that style was over the top and very artistic in their parings of color… I wish I’d done a better job of picturing this element as it delighted my boho side, which wasn’t present in the pieces I brought with me…
Claddagh Rings were everywhere in Galway and it makes sense because at the end of the city is a neighborhood called “The Claddagh” , which is where my father-in-law grew up…
DH got a kick out of the term Chemist we saw all over Ireland…. I however love the purple color of the building..
There was a lot of rudimentary art around town that related to the business name like this pig for the butcher..
DH was standing across the street on this busy corner waiting for a clearing to take my photo in my new Aran Poncho, when a local man told Tom to join me and he would take our picture… He joked about trust since Tom had to leave his phone and cross a busy intersection to get to me… Nice for someone to do for us as Tom and I always ask couples if we can help by taking them together…
Tom at the JFK Memorial in Galway…
I love his new tan jeans and the lighter shoes….
And don’t get me started on that H&M jacket…
I loved the color and the window boxes,,, DH like the American and Irish Flags….
The best thing about going on an extended vacation and not bogging yourself down trying to fit in every tourist attraction is just fun time together being silly and laughing…. I had fun with a lot of signs in one store… This one says, If at First You Don’t Succeed, Try Doing it The Way YOUR Wife told you…
Dear Readers, It’s a lot of work sorting through pics and I don’t think I can ever do this wonderful country justice…Everything was a feast for the eyes and full of natural and man made artistic beauty….
Gratitude
I am grateful the funeral went so well and was truly a testament to a life well lived and an amazing guy who walked the path of following his religious beliefs.
I am grateful that my husband and I felt comfortable and were welcomed by former coworkers..
I am grateful for the opportunity when we lose someone to connect, but wish we did so for more joyful reasons…
I am grateful that when someone passes so young, it is an opportunity for us to reevaluate our lives and what we want when that time comes for ourselves… By the way DH waants no tears and the alcohol to flow along with the stories…
Ireland Trip Part 2
Posted on: October 28, 2014
I have to dedicate a post to the catalyst for the trip, the Family Reunion…
We actually had more of a four day event than just the actual reunion night…
It all began with the night before meeting at a Cousins house…
When we arrived the room was full and all the twenty somethings and under automatically moved out of the living room to the adjoining kitchen…
This was where we met the two women in the photo, sisters and second cousins to my DH who were amazing and so giving….
They instantly put drinks in our hands and offered us snacks..
My husband chose beer and was handed two bottles at a time… I was given the glass of red wine in the photo and sipped it slowly…
The twenty somethings were refreshing drinks and upon finally waiting to refill mine, told me,
“You are obviously not Irish, but you better get over that by tomorrow night!”
Truth be told I am not much of a drinker except socially and those two full glasses of wine were more than enough…
The sisters drove a few of us home that night….. and didn’t drink at all, but were instigating others…
The next night was the reunion, that’s Tom’s uncle in the left corner
at the bar and I am actually in the right corner standing up….
The meal was delicious, Turkey, Ham, mashed potatoes and veggies… It began with potato soup and salads..
The wine refills kept coming….
We sat with his uncle and aunt and met a cousin across the table who was exactly like my husband’s favorite cousin in Boston…
She was horrified when she learned my age, as she was just a few years older… I hated that for for her as she was beautiful!
This night began my husband’s new like for Bulmers Irish Cider
Still tasted too much like beer for my liking….neither of us liked Guiness..
We did however get introduced to a “Baby Guiness” which was a shot of Kahlua and Baileys….
Our housemates from England had the best seats in the house in the window seat right off the dance floor..
I hung out there most of the night, which ended up resulting in all of getting dragged onto the dance floor for dances we knew nothing about..
Once they had four of us in a line and I told them that none of us knew what we were doing, instead of switching us, they told us it was easy…
We tried and failed miserably….Since we were on the end of the dance floor we didn’t care and just kept messing up and laughing hysterically, we did exit the floor when the rest of the floor noticed us messing up and gave us a look…
Most of the dances, however really were easy and we did participate…
This hat got passed around and their are photos out there with most people at the event..
I however did not pose with the hat, as it belonged to a man who spent the night hitting on me and I wasn’t encouraging that!
This is the end of the night and Tom is with his Aunt who moved to Florida, so we hadn’t seen her in 15 years…
It was fabulous for us to catch up and she couldn’t stop looking at Tom and how much he resembled her brothers…
The other man is the owner of the hat and the brother of Martin our host for the week, those men are exact opposites…
This might just be my favorite photo of the night , as this is Tom’s uncle and aunt who hadn’t seen each other in years…
The brother and sister hung out together a lot over the next few days… As did Tom and I as well, cause we were all that showed for the Jennings family…
There was a professional photographer at the reunion who will be putting together pictures and we will all get a disc of them when they are done…
The following night we ended up back at the cousins house for a wonderful buffet dinner…
Some in the group went out on the fishing boat with the husband of the house…
My husband and I joined a mother-daughter duo to take a daring climb up the hill.
The onlookers down below were making bets on who fell first….
We actually made it without falling and none of us even spilled a drink…
I did that in 2 1/2 inch heeled boots…which I ended up giving to a charity shop after I bought two new pairs and needed luggage space…
For some reason my hand was unsteady every time DH asked me to take a photo and he got this…
This is actually how we ended the night at Plunketts , a pub at the bottom of the hill where his cousin hosted our night.
My DH and his 70 something uncle where in a prime spot to check out the 20 something young women on the dance floor…
My DH and I danced a lot, but I did dance more with other women in the group, as I was the instigator of dragging them out there…
My favorite moment was when a twenty something cousin dragged DH out to do a jig when he was trying to go to the bar to get more drinks, he thought he was going to do a few steps and move on, but she dumped his drinks at the table and dragged him back out there.. It was fun to watch and I loved her spunk… She even messed up his perfect hair and I high fived her for that…
Earlier that night one of the wives of a cousin noticed Tom and his uncle and told them if they could bottle that Jennings hair, they’d be millionaires…it was so funny to me as it had been a butt of a lot of joking at DH ‘s previous company….
The fourth day, we went back to the cousin Cathy’s house and she had done the most amazing thing for my husband…
She had found an woman who could point out to us where Tom’s mother had lived as a young girl…
This is the home she’s lived in her entire life…
She is 86 and doesn’t get out much anymore, but had a peat fire going and her house was impeccable..
She also goes out weekly to have her hair done…
Her tea cup collection sits across from the fireplace…
This is the inside of the roofless structure that remained of his mother’s home…
Behind the fireplace is another area about the same as this one and completed the house
DH stood in there alone for a very long time trying to imagine how a family of 7 could possibly live there…
Tom was standing up on the walls taking this photo when a angry guy in a blue van pulled up and yelled at me that that was private property…
He had bought the land and it was now a quarry mining for Connemara marble..
When I explained that he was taking photos of the home his mother lived in as a child, he said,
“As long as I know that you are OK!”
This is another view of the roofless structure and also shows the house in front that had been occupied by his mother’s cousins…
There was also another home behind them, all clustered so close together…
It was obvious there wasn’t even much of a yard for the children who lived here…
DH walked away from this visibly shaken and saying that house was no bigger than our oldest’s bedroom…
It fully explains why his mother’s family left and spent a lot of time in England…
A short distance from his mother’s old house stands this home in Connemara….
It was built by Angelica Huston’s father and they use to come often and play card games that went all night long.
Dear Readers, I don’t think I can adequately explain how this Irish Family welcomed us with open arms and went above and beyond for us..We will truly treasure this part of our trip and it will be the thing that draws us back to Ireland again soon… I realize this part might not be as interesting to others, but this truly was an amazing part of the trip..
Gratitude
I am grateful that I went back to sleep after the dog woke me up at 5 am…
I am grateful that my son and I agreed to go back to the program we had used for three years for homeschooling Math, as the new program was a lot of info put no applying it by doing problems….
I am grateful that my husband had another sale last night and only worked for a short time.
I am grateful that I am halfway through the pics and writing about Ireland and also grateful for this opportunity to remember it in vivid detail..
I am grateful for a phone call yesterday from a dear friend who called just to share her joy at how well my trip went…
Ireland Trip Part 1…
Posted on: October 27, 2014
- In: Gratitude
- 4 Comments
Dear Readers, there is so much to say and over 300 photos to go through….
I can not talk about this trip without first beginning with my husband, Tom’s second cousin Martin and his hospitality…
This man was amazing and welcomed us with open arms and we felt right at home immediately…
He cooked for us , even hung our laundry out on the line one day while we were out picking up a GPS …
This is my husband standing in front of his cousin’s 6 bedroom 2 bath house in the west of Ireland in a small tight knit community…
It is on several acres and is farmland… he has two horses that just roam the property, geese and chickens (we had fresh eggs daily) and sheep, not to mention two dogs and a cat…
He talked about living a solitary life , and not going out much….He doesn’t have to, every morning beginning at 7am his friends start to arrive for a cup of tea and a chat… This went on all day long into the evening…. We must have met 10 of his friends, but he told us the day we left that so many didn’t come knowing we were there and not wanting to intrude…. I wish my life was so solitary…LOL>>.
This was one night at the kitchen table, where all the socializing happens with cousins in from England who stayed there with us…
Tom’s uncle and Godfather , the one responsible for us going on this trip, is the one with his head down laughing…
He met the cousin John in the pink shirt a few years ago and they’ve been fast friends ever since…In fact John has been coming to this house a few times a year to visit ever since meeting his cousin Martin…. I think we have to go back as well…
DH didn’t get any good photos of our Host , but he is in the back ground…
This is the view out of the bedroom we stayed in, and that house belonged to our host’s mother who passed away a few years ago…
It is now owned by his brother who lives in England and has just finished remodeling it….
That rainbow was one of many we saw on our trip..and that is the Atlantic Ocean…. funny since I live in Virginia Beach off the Atlantic as well…
These are the two horses and I am standing in the driveway right outside the kitchen window…
Can you picture seeing this out your kitchen window daily?
They are coming for treats of apples…
This is more of his cousins property .
The rock walls are such a part of this country and it’s history to pen in the farm animals…
In other parts of the country the rock walls disappear and were replaced with hedges and trees that blocked off the livestock…
This is the beach area in the neighborhood where my husband and I had a ball climbing on rocks and discovering a waterfall…
We went on a four hour walk around the neighborhood that day… The roads are very thin and we had to get out of the ways of cars as they passed..
Every single car that passed waved to us… it was quite endearing…
This is the ruin of the old church in the neighborhood that sits atop a hill, a very prominent landmark…
This is the only thatch house left in the neighborhood….
And where we encountered this character…
His first question to DH was “Are you Irsih?”
And it was the first time we realized that Tom’s cousin who introduced himself as Martin had an Irish version that other’s called him by..
which sounded like… Marsheen…
We saw this guy every time we went out walking in his fields…
This is a shrine on the property originally put up by Martin’s mother after losing her daughter to Leukemia at the tender age of 5…
We actually went through the property climbing over a rock wall to get there…
We left via the path and the road and discovered a brown sign (the color they use for tourist info) with the words, “Holy Well” and an arrow pointing in to it’s direction…
People come and leave statues, rosary beads and saint metals..they were all over the area including hanging off bushes…
It was a beautiful area with water on three sides and so peaceful with just the sound of the ocean..
I didn’t want to leave…
We said prayers here and all over Ireland for a friend my husband saw in the hospital right before leaving on our trip…
He’d been diagnosed with stage four cancer and begun chemo… We got word on our trip that the chemo was killing him and he opted to stop treatment and go home… Within one hour of returning home we got the news that he had passed away… His funeral should be in the next day or so…
Here he is, Mike ,with the iconic smile….
I worked with him and he was amazing in giving me training info and teaching me about marketing terminology for the industry…
He greatly admired my husband and appreciated his management style, giving DH credit for helping him to earn a trip for himself and girlfriend…
I think my husband was merely a mirror, reflecting and reminding him of his strengths and encouraging him… (an admirable trait indeed for a manager)
I loved listening to him with his team before they went out everyday… I loved how he would be hard when he had to, calling them on their mistakes, but never let them walk out the door until he had built them back up, making them believe they would be successful.
He really was a very special , giving and kind person whose left an incredible legacy in the hearts of all who knew him and will be greatly missed…
Dear Readers, I had to start my trip with this part and just say everything you hear about the Irish and their hosptitality is so true…
From the minute we landed and asked for directions we were so impressed with how detailed they were and how everyone stepped outside or even the bus driver who took us through the bus station to point us in the right direction…. We spent 3 nights in Galway and arrived at our hotel at 10:30 am fully expecting to drop our bags and get our room at the 3pm mark stated on the website as check in time… Nope, we were not only given our room, but asked if we had breakfast and invited to at least have tea and a scone…. I will cherish this trip and can’t wait to return to Ireland again….There will be more to come about the trip… just had to stop here for now…
Gratitude
I am grateful to have known Mike and that my husband had at least seen him prior to our trip (he had plans to see him the day after we got home)
I am grateful that our trip was perfect in every way and that my husband and I has such amazing quality time together.
I am grateful for the new family that my husband met and how they embraced us both..
I am grateful that my daughter came into town for a wedding and got to visit for awhile. ( she really loves home and with her being in Boston didn’t get her normal home visit every 6 weeks that she so cherished with her Bachelor’s program)
I am grateful for skype and how we were able to keep in touch with all our children while away…
I am grateful that my oldest was so gracious in moving home to care for our youngest and even cleaned the bathrooms and kitchen before I returned…
I am grateful that my husband went back to work and sold on his first day back and that he did so well before leaving that we are still relaxed and not worried about money… That peace during the trip allowed him the luxury of really relaxing, more so than I’ve seen him in years!!!!!
Ireland Trip of A Lifetime!
Posted on: October 3, 2014
As I leave for my trip of a lifetime to Ireland, I thought I would show you my Dear Readers,
the Castles we will be staying in during the last half of our 3 week journey…
I can’t imagine taking 3 week vacations very often, but who knows what the future holds…
These are the locations of the 3 of the four castles, the last one is just south of Dublin, like 25 miles away…
perfect for going to the airport to return home.
The first half of our trip will be spent in a family home in Galway, my husband’s father’s cousin…
Dear Readers, I will miss you all terribly and if you want updates along the way, please like my Facebook page, where I will be posting pictures and updates…
And don’t forget to take over for me with your own daily gratitude… It would warm my heart if you left something you are grateful for during these three weeks for me to read upon my return and for others to see to spice up their days as well!
So Chime in my dear readers, as much and as often as you like…
What are YOU Grateful FOR????
Lace & Striped Neutrals
Posted on: October 2, 2014
This outfit would be a good candidate for adding the pop of color in a pump
that I showed earlier in the week…
I , however give you a peek and my real life,
Of Mom on the Go…
Tomorrow will be my last post before heading off on my three week Ireland Vacation.
If you haven’t already liked my Facebook page and want to see pictures and updates while I am gone,
Please do so now…
The leaves are beginning to Fall…
I am wondering if they will all be gone by the time I come home from my trip….
An outfit of neutrals doesn’t have to be boring…
Adding a pattern with both the lace and the stripes takes this up a notch.
In addition to pattern the lace also adds the element of texture. a great way to
infuse interest when wearing neutrals.
Adding shine with a trio of gold bracelets and metallic flats also adds interest…
Forgoing a necklace was intentional as to not be too busy..
I am rather pleased with the serenity this outfit brought to me day..
Don’t like how stiff I look in this photo, but wasn’t a good day for pics, so using what I have…
I am beyond over tired and quite frankly over this dumb 6:30 wake up, which I can only surmise is menopause related…
Tonight, I am taking Melatonin in hopes of breaking this cycle and getting more than 5-6 hours of sleep…
Wish me Luck , cause by afternoon I am not functioning well…
Gratitude
I am grateful for a great group of homeschooling families and the camaraderie in our bowling group.
I am grateful that one of the mom’s is going to help with transportation , so my son doesn’t miss three weeks of bowling while I am gone.
I am grateful that my oldest stopped by today and we went over what he needed to know before leaving him in charge.
I am grateful that I paid all the bills today despite my exhaustion.
I am grateful that I thought to get bungee cords to strap our carry-ons onto our checked bags for easier maneuvering.
I am grateful my husband was able to visit a sick friend in the hospital and that his job allows for this during the day…
- In: Black & White | Boots | Dresses and Skirts | fall | Gratitude | Grey | My Lucky Finds | Neutrals | shooties with a dress | Trends
- 2 Comments
When I first received this dress in the mail,
I styled it in a sporty way and my husband wasn’t impressed..
Not to be deterred I decide to try a second go round…
Note: I wanted to do this now as going bare legged in November
when I return from Ireland may not be an option..
Speaking of Ireland If you wish to join me on my three week trip,
then by all means like my Facebook page to see my updates….
Peep toe booties from Payless and my newest Just Fab Purse, which is going to be accompanying me to Ireland…
There are Links to Payless, Just FAb and Old Navy, if you click on the words…
I had a lot of fun wearing these booties and test driving them for comfort, which they passed with flying colors!
They are also making it to Ireland as Pub wear… You have to love a chunky heel….
Not the best photo, but my new bifocal glasses , which I love!
No more taking my glasses off to read and no more leaning forward to see the computer and hurting my back.
I bought this necklace from Ebay as a more edgy piece for when I’m in that mood…
I really had fun with this look today and had compliments and comments regarding
shoe comfort and noticed quite a few sideways looks from men..
Who knew shoes could change an outfit so dramatically..
My husband changed his opinion on the dress and even sent me a text to make sure I knew…
Here’s the first look that didn’t impress my husband….
A perfectly acceptable Mom on the Go Look, which I stand behind…
And last of all, my new bifocal prescription sunglasses…
Gratitude
I am only going to describe one gratitude today instead of my normal list because this one brings me such strong emotions and is absolutely priceless…
I am grateful that my husband changed careers and chose what was best for our family and his health , even though it was so tough to leave a company he loved and felt like family. I am grateful that he so wisely chose to resign from the management position when his hands were tied and he wasn’t permitted to do the hiring and firing necessary to make an effective team. I am grateful that these past two months he has generated incredible sales which allowed him to pay for tuition for our son, for October bills before leaving for Ireland, for plenty of cash for our Ireland trip and will have a check awaiting our return to cover November bills… This is an incredible feat that will give him the best time of his life… You see, working commission sales can be tough, never knowing each week what will happen and what income will be around the corner… His consistency in this position and new product line will give him Peace Of Mind on this trip… This is something that anyone on 100% commission never takes for granted. We are pinching ourselves that our two middle children are doing well in college and graduate school , while our oldest and youngest will have an incredible three weeks to bond.
And most importantly this is the most relaxed and longest vacation my dear husband has ever had, being the sole provider for our family and struggling through the years of a tough economy has been hugely stressful and no one deserves this time and this peace more than he does…
Lastly I would just like to take this moment to say, Thank you to my dear husband for all his hard work and for the ability for me to stay home and parent our children and give them the tools they need to live successful and happy lives. I’ve never taken that for granted and I am forever grateful!
Please Pardon me If you already read this news on Facebook or Forum,
I really am over the moon and want to shout from a mountain top!
Versatile Style by Tracey 