Coming to Ireland was a relatively late addition to our itinerary. The trip has been planned for about 5 years but we only decided to add Ireland in January. We figured out that it wasn’t part of the Schengen zone (we hope). Therefore we can visit Ireland without starting the 90 day clock on Europe […]

We were driving down the Wild Atlantic Way, a windy narrow road with water threaded around it. All three kids were moaning in the backseat. It was the tail end of a 3 hour drive and they were all car sick. The oldest was truly not feeling well and was worried about throwing up, the […]

I was vaguely aware of Gaelic sports from my first trip to Ireland in 1994 (before I was old enough to appreciate the Guinness). In fact I bought a hurley (a hurling stick) on that trip and it has been leaning against my bedside table for most of the past 29 years. I had all […]

By Alex (age 10) Mass in Ireland On Sunday, in addition to doing the daily things we do, we went to Mass (as usual).  When we entered the church, I noticed a few things: Later when we did communion the priest gave the Eucharist to me from the chalice (that was cool). After Mass we […]

It is morning. I lay in bed in a stone house built in the 1800s. Outside pink flowers spill over stone walls. My window is open and the cool breeze filters in. I can hear the faint sounds of chicken and song birds. My body is sore in a pleasant way from days with lots […]

As we’re quickly nearing the start of the trip, one of our biggest focuses lately has been packing. There is truly an art and science to packing, although people have different views on the best way to pack. We have a fair amount of experience in this area and so are going to share some […]

We rushed and hurried and did all the things to prepare to sell our house.  The overwhelming to do list of repairs mostly got done. After A LOT of work, we got our house on the market.  40+ boxes were packed.  Furniture was donated and sold.  Much of the interior of the house was painted.   […]

By: Angie Lately I’ve been feeling pulled in many directions. There are so many things to do that it feels overwhelming to know what to prioritize and what to take action on. Should I work? Should I clean? Should I pack boxes for storage? Should I paint? Should I scrape paint off the things that […]

By: Angie We are prepping to sell our house and it was recommended that we freshen up the paint. By freshen up, I mean, paint the vast majority of the house. We geared ourselves up. We washed the walls with TSP. We picked out a paint color. Chris dove into painting. He got at least […]

by: Angie Well, we are on a countdown of about 5 months left until the trip.  The itinerary is loosely formed, very little supplies have been purchased and we are just realizing how much work it will be to sell our house.  Trip preparations could be further along then they are… You’d think this trip […]