Road Trip Extraordinaire!

Well, Rick finally told Sarah where we're going for as her graduation gift so I'm free to talk about it - we're going to IRELAND!!

The way he told her was actually kind of cute. He got her an iPad (for xmas) and put this picture on the desktop (I added the date in photoshop):

Sarah had given us a list of places within our budget that she'd be interested in visiting so the hunt began. France was not on her list but I don't really think she'd mind if we chose to go there, it was actually right there in ticket prices, pretty equal to Ireland. Sweden was quite a bit less but when I looked to see what there was to see in Sweden I didn't find much, it almost seems like a better place to visit in winter. England and Scotland were a little more expensive and Rick was just not interested in the Czech Republic. So Ireland it is!

I bought the tickets 2 weeks ago and the research ensued. It turns out there are hundreds (if not thousands) of castles in various states from a hubble of rocks to grand, reconditioned and refurnished, probably even more splendid than originally! I chose a variety, some ruins that still have some structure, some even still have stairways and walkways and we'll also visit a few reconstructed ones. The refurbished ones involve an admission fee and often a guided tour so those have to be limited for both finances and time. Churches, cemeteries, abbeys, and "houses" that could have been "castellated" back in the day are all on the list as well.


I was unsure as to what we'd be able to fit in a day and if I was just trying to do/see too much. My plans are for between 150 and 200 miles a day with lots of stops along the way. I have many sights planned and mapped and we'll be sure to stop at anything interesting we discover as well. I finally got some input from Sarah so was able to add her findings to our "must see" list.

Our hope is to be able to peruse colorful villages and hopefully also find some open air markets where we can enjoy the local fare. Some pubs (which children may frequent), thrift stores and Bed & Breakfasts are in the workings. We'll also spend an occasional night at a hostel, to save some bucks, wash some clothes and be able to know what it's like to stay in a hostel. Many of them now have private rooms for 4, some even have their own bathrooms!

We also have a special tour planned that is a surprise for the time being. That one excites me too - you'll have to find out about it after the fact...

This will definitely be an adventure - talk about a road trip!

The Blog Void

Yeah, I haven't blogged in a while... What can I say?

I was working full time, as I mentioned in a previous blog. I didn't know just how badly I didn't want to work full time. It actually put me in a depression. When I was single and working full time I had weekends and evenings to do as I pleased in social and spiritual pursuits. Then I flip-flopped and had my weekdays for those same pursuits. But when I became employed full-time and married my weekends were spent with THAT GUY. You know, Rick? He's not causing the problem, it's just the whole "being married" thing.

So now the job is done and I have the time to get back to all these other things I spend my part-time employment free time doing. Working on photography things, family things, I can get back to spiritual things, etc.

While it wasn't what I wanted to do I'm glad I had that time working. I was able to earn some of the money we needed for what Rick wanted to give his daughter as a college graduation gift - a trip to Europe!

So since ending my job at the Auburn bus barn office I've done a little babysitting, gathered some materials for my next family photo session involving 2 little grand-daughters, put together a 2013 calendar and bought the tickets for our upcoming trip. Once the tickets were purchased and finding out that the country we're visiting is having a huge tourism year planned (no doubt to boost their economy) I've been busy looking up places to visit and sights to see so I can plan out a route (we'll be doing a ROAD TRIP!!!) so I can reserve rooms and special tours or dinners or whatnot. Our trip is planned for June and some of these things are already selling out, believe it or not!

As yet we've not told Sarah where we're going so I'm not free to share that in any vaguely public forum. But Rick will be spilling the beans soon so I'll be able to share. Stay tuned!

December 15 was a big day that deserves mention. There were 3 events. 2 were both of our parents' anniversaries. My parents celebrated their 50th and as much as I wanted to be there with some of my family I just couldn't handle the huge price tag on the December trip-to-Hawaii tickets! So we couldn't be there... Bummer. Well, we did help them get here for Dane's wedding in February so we shoulda just celebrated then!

For Rick's parents' anniversary we decided to buy them a new goof-proof computer that, as yet, hasn't become everything we've wished it to be. His mom would like to be able to use the computer and internet. But there were various factors in the way of that happening and we didn't know about all of them. We knew that his dad has a tendency to mess up the computer by accident, by doing simple things like not realizing he's holding the mouse button down and dragging things around. So the new computer fixed those issues. But it turns out that they also have a DSL modem that's about 45 years old. Try as we might we just can't get the internet to work properly. So today Rick ordered them a new modem as well. Hopefully all will be well ...

And last but certainly not least is that Shirley got baptized as a JW! I know that doesn't mean a lot to many of you but for Shirley that's a huge step! Those of us who are now her spiritual brothers and sisters are thrilled for her! Good going Shirley!


About Me

My photo
After 2 unsuccessful marriages I spent 12 years as a divorcee, only to fall prey to another man's wiles. We had a fun 5 years together and then he decided he wanted more freedom so once again I'm single.

So I'm freshly divorced at 57 and have 5 great kids and now 7 grandkids. My kids are still a major part of my life but I'm busy helping my aging parents on Kauai.

I've lived in California, Hawaii and Oklahoma before finally settling here in Washington. I love Washington and come back to visit family, friends and take care of my garden often but will be temporarily a resident of Kauai.

I've moved 30 times in my life (no, my parents weren't in the service, at least not since I was about 2) and finally planted roots when I got my little house that I've owned since '91.

My family are Jehovah's Witnesses, I've been one since '72.