Ireland

Well.... we are back from Ireland and I feel like we've settled and adjusted back to SoCal life.

It was such an amazing trip and I feel so grateful that we have the privilege and opportunity to travel over the pond with our family. I figured I would share a bit about our time traveling and some of the experiences we were able to have!

Why Ireland?
My parents have been a couple of times in the past few years and they wanted to bring the whole family back for an extended trip. My mom reserved the place we stayed in over a year ago! My dad's side of the family is of Irish heritage (remember my maiden name was Curran??) and my mom's side of the family is Scottish/Scot-Irish (MacFarland). It was also a bit of a "return-to-our-roots" type trip. We stayed for two weeks in one spot and did a bunch if day-trips to the surrounding area.

The Travels
Traveling with kids was MUCH better than I expected! They were troopers and both boys adapted super well to strange sleeping arrangements and long hours in the airplane and car.

Both kids slept a bunch on the plane and on the car ride to Clifden since we did a red-eye. The biggest challenge was John learning to drive left-hand STICK SHIFT on the left-hand side of the road (which, by the way, are tiny 2-lane roads with no shoulder). Our car was a weed-wacker several times, so you are welcome road maintenance! He was a pro by the second day. Amazing how the brain works!

The Players
So who came to play in Ireland? Our family of four, my parents, my two sisters, my brother and his brand-new wife Kristen, my grandma, my aunt and my cousin. It was a full house of fun and love. Caleb was in heaven and Mason's cheeks got kisses a plenty!

The Place.
Ok. Where we stayed was a dream. I can't believe my mom found the perfect place for us. The estate is situated outside the tourist town of Clifden, in the beautiful Conamara region on the west coast. The place we rented is a former B&B and restaurant, complete with 6 front bedrooms with en suites, two living rooms, a huge dining room, a chef's kitchen, and a separate wing with a living room and two bedrooms (that's where our family stayed!) And if that doesn't make you drool, imagine the beach and rugged Irish coastline 200 yards away. All in all spectacular.

The food
Believe it or not, we never ate out except in the airport! Some of my family did, but mostly we ate home-cooked meals (that chef's kitchen made is really easy). Thankfully Ireland has tons of gluten-free options in grocery stores, and in my opinion they are better than U.S. products. We ate well! The gluten-free ginger biscuits were serious amazing and I miss them dearly.

The Adventures
We had so many amazing and beautiful adventures. Everything, and I mean absolutely everything, is green and lush. Since we were staying on the coast, we saw so many beautiful rugged places where grass meets beach and sea. Caleb and Mason slept in the car during long outings, and John and I would just wander and get lost driving somewhere beautiful on our way home. We would usually do one long day adventuring, one day at home or staying local.

The weather
It rained a little bit almost every day we stayed in Ireland! Apparently Caleb doesn't care if it's raining or sunny, he played outside rain or shine with Grandpa Danny (aka Bacon Danny). One day we even went swimming in the ocean! We had to pry Caleb out shivering. He kept saying, "Want-t-t-t-t to do-o-o more ---- s-w-w-wimming!". This kid. The weather didn't slow us down and it was a welcome chance to the San Diego summer heat.

The End
I really miss Ireland. More than the country I miss my family. It was so much fun learning new card games, adventuring, laughing, eating good food, and spending time with the people I love most.