The Trip... Part 3! (pic heavy... apparently!)

Ok, I last ended on day 4. So on to Day 5!

We enjoyed lots of gorgeous Highlands scenery. We drove along the shores of Loch Lomond. Absolutely stunning!!

We made a stop in Alloway at the Burns National Heritage Park. (Alloway is the birthplace of the famous poet Robert Burns.) I admit, I didn't really remember the poet. So I wasn't overly excited about the stop. But! It was nice anyways. We went into the Alloway Parish and it was beautiful!

 

 

 After that, we rode along the coast, making a stop along the way. It was windy but beautiful!

 

We got to see the Creag Ealasaid (which is Gaelic for Elizabeth's Rock) also. It was neato! It's an island that looks like it's moving. Very cool!

And hey, the Island is for sale if anyone wants to buy it for me for my birthday! (or Christmas!) ;o)

Ok, moving along now!
We traveled along the coast to Cairnryan for a ferry ride to Larne! Looooved riding the ferry!

Again, very windy! But this was awesome!! Great memories!!!

 

 

So after the ferry ride, we arrived in Larne. We picked up our new driver, Patrick! I was sad to lose Peter but Patrick turned out to be another awesome Irishman!

 

We drove on into Belfast to the Europa Hotel! This was probably one of my favorite stops! The hotel was beautiful, the tour of Belfast was interesting, AND one of my favorite things... We went to see the show, Celtic Dream! That show is a definite "must see" if you ever get the chance!

This is the view from the room! The famous Crown Bar was across the road from our hotel.

 

 

Anyways, I'm getting ahead of myself! This was the end of day 5. We had a nice dinner at the hotel and got to relax for the evening! Super nice! :o)

 

Day 6! Tour of Belfast!

Extremely interesting but it seemed we didn't get enough time to see and hear everything! We went to Titanic Belfast where the RMS Titanic was built. It was ok, but not as interesting as I had built it up in my mind to be!

 

Then we went to Mount Stewart House and Gardens. This place was nice, but the gardens were amazing! (I'm running low on adjectives to describe it all! LOL)

It was simply spectacular! Such vibrant colors.. There are not enough words to describe all the beauty!!

 

So after this, we went back to Belfast for another night. (This is the night we went to see Celtic Dream!) Fantastic show! Loved Belfast!!

 

Day 7... The Giant's Causeway and Derry!

This ended our time in Belfast. We drove the scenic route of the "Nine Glens of Antrim" and it was some more breathtaking views! I can only say that pictures do NOT do this place justice!

 

This was the view while riding along the coast. Can you imagine what it would be like to see this out your window every day? Lucky people!!!

 

It was also along this gorgeous stretch of road that we had the awesome luck of driving right into a rainbow! It was so incredibly cool, especially to someone like me that loves rainbows! :o)

Sorry for the glare from the window but all I can say is wow! I believe I took at least 10 photos of this rainbow! I believe even the rainbows are more vibrant in Ireland!!

 

After this, we stopped at the Giant's Causeway. Awesome!!! If you don't know what that is, google it! It is fascinating, both the myth and the scientific reasoning! It's another place that I highly recommend seeing if you are ever in Ireland!

 

 

After this stop, we went on to Derry where we enjoyed a very interesting walking tour of Derry! Our guide did a great job and I learned quite a bit!

 

We then left Derry and drove on to Letterkenny, which was our stopping point for day 7...

And this is also my stopping point for part 3! Lots of pictures and I know I missed several highlights! (Like, the swinging bridge we saw... And the castle that sits on a cliff edge.. The kitchen actually fell off into the water -with the staff inside!) I just can't fit all the awesome details in!! It's definitely one of those tours that if you ever have the opportunity to go on, you should!!





The Trip... Part 2!

Now to part 2!
(For the record, I am omitting LOTS of great details! There's just so much to tell and I don't want to get too overly boring!)

Day 2-
We started the day off with breakfast. It was quite tasty (especially to me since my normal breakfast is 1 cup of rice chex and 1/2 cup of milk)! We took the bus and toured Edinburgh. We went to the Royal Mile. (I just like saying that. LOL) We then went to see the Royal Yacht Britannia. While the yacht itself was nice, I wasn't overly fond of the "tour" which included carrying around what looked like a huge phone and having to push in numbers for the area you were at. (Plus it told lots of info I wasn't overly interested in.) But! The fudge was tasty! ;o) So it wasn't a wasted stop!

After the Yacht, we were given free roam of Edinburgh. (Of course it rained!) The buildings were beautiful and impressive. We stopped at lots of shops. We had lunch and roamed and shopped some more. Eventually making our way back to where Peter would pick us up.

Overall, Edinburgh was impressive but not entirely my cup of tea!

Day 3-
This was a really awesome day! LOVED this day! Definitely my favorite day in Scotland. We went to Pitlochry to visit the Blair Athol Distillery (to see how whiskey is made). That was extremely interesting and the "wee dram" we got at the end wasn't bad either! ;o) I really did enjoy hearing how it was made!
After the Distillery, we sobered up (bwahahaha!) and drove through some absolutely gorgeous Highland scenery to see the sheep herding dogs! The dogs were absolutely amazing!! They each respond to different whistles, know what each whistle means, and they are very awesome to watch in action! The sheep were so beautiful too! And just the scenery itself was breathtaking! This was absolutely one of my favorite parts of the whole trip!

This was the trainer, Mr. Ross.

This is the absolutely gorgeous scenery at Leault Farm. I'm not sure there is a word to accurately describe the scenery!!!

 

 

After we left there (so sad because I loved it there!) we went to our hotel which was beside River Ness. Lovely view from the hotel! And that evening we went to dinner and enjoyed a ceilidh (musical evening). There was a lovely show with Scottish bagpipes and dancers! Very neat!

 

Day 4-

Ah, this was a disappointing day. We drove alongside Loch Ness. I was so sure I would see Nessie that day! Apparently Nessie had the day off however. So no Loch Ness Monster photos for me. *sigh* But the views were stunning so I wasn't TOO sad... ;o)

We also went to the Clan Donald Centre at Armadale Castle. It was beautiful. The gardens were amazing! Another amazing place in Scotland!

I thought the castle was stunning! I can only imagine what it looked like when it was first built. I'm certain it was nothing short of amazing!

Oh yes... Did I mention is rained practically the whole time we toured there? ;o)



 

Now after we toured the castle, we took the ferry back to the mainland. We went through more gorgeous scenery (and I swear, it never got old!).

Another one of my most memorable moments was seeing the "Hogwarts Express"... Woot woot! I admit, I'm a geek. I also admit that my photos of it didn't turn out amazing but hey, I know what it is! ;o) And I was quite pleased no matter what! (Plus I bought a couple of postcards that show it much more clearly!)

 



 

Ok, this is enough for part 2! Forgive my randomness! (You were warned!) ;o)

 

 

Ramblings... to be continued... :o)



The Trip! (This post is long overdue!) Part 1

Ok, I have procrastinated long enough!
I have to say, it's not that I've forgotten my trip or that it wasn't epically amazing and there's nothing to tell. In fact, I think I have too much to tell! My plans had been to keep a journal while I was there so I could tell you all everything! I started out pretty good. I wrote all about everything from getting to the hotel on Friday night to when we were waiting for a hotel room in Edinburgh. But it started to go downhill from there. So I decided to just take notes... Write down the highlights from each adventure... And that lasted until we got to Ireland. But looking back, my notes just kind of... suck.

So now I've decided this will just be random and weird ramblings from my trip! Warning: This could possibly get long. Maybe even boring at times. But hey! It's my blog and I can say what I want to! ;o) I'll break it up so it's not TOO overwhelmingly long.

First of all, I want to say that my first flight was not bad at all. Ok, the poor screaming baby and crying 5 year old I could have lived without. But hey, my ears hurt too so I could understand. I also wasn't quite anticipating flying in a diet coke can. ;o) (The plane was a tad small and a bit overly warm.) But hey, I was adding new experiences to my life! Overall, the flight from Memphis to Newark wasn't so bad. Security was easy. And I was well on my way to Scotland!

Flight #2 was much better as far as not having screaming infants in my ear. We also flew in a much bigger plane so that was nice. I even pulled out the blanket a time or 2! But, security was a bit different. I had my first official "pat down"... I suppose I looked suspicious. Maybe it was the bags under my eyes? I have no idea. But of course I was safe and we moved right along.

I will say that flying across the ocean takes time. And I am not really used to just... sitting. I read. I watched the flight map. I played Bejeweled (as best I could with the little screen not registering that I was actually touching it. Grrr!) I tried to sleep. I ate the plane food. (Really not too bad! I lived through it!) I read more. Played more. Watched the screen of the guy in front of me. (Very weird show- surely less weird with sound!) So yeah, it was a long flight! But I didn't panic and actually flying was nice and I hope to fly somewhere again sometime!

So after hours and hours of flying, we landed in Edinburgh, Scotland for the first leg of our journey!! All I could think about was a nice hot shower and a change of clothes before we began the tour of Stirling Castle. We were picked up by Peter, our first bus driver. (Peter was very funny and very Irish! I loved Peter!) We arrived at the hotel and... no rooms. There had been a wedding there the day before and the wedding guests were still there. So... we waited. And waited. And waited. Finally, it was getting close to time to leave for our tour. Still no rooms. Still no shower. So I took my change of clothes (from my carry-on bag!) and went to the hotel restroom and changed. Put in my contacts. Splashed my face with water. Tried to look human... (Seriously, how human can you look with no sleep, a 6 hour time difference, no shower, and wrinkled clothes from a carry-on bag?!)

Yep, this was Day 1: sleep deprived, shower deprived... But very happy at Stirling Castle!

 



Stirling Castle itself was pretty amazing! It was the first castle I had ever seen and I was impressed. I only wish I had been more awake to hear what our tour guide had to say! ;o)

After touring Stirling Castle, we made our way back to the hotel where we were given our room keys (oh thank heavens!). Unfortunately, not enough time for a shower so we just freshened up as best we could and headed out for dinner at the pub and then an incredibly cool (yet again, hard to enjoy being so exhausted) ghost walking tour of Edinburgh! And might I add, I believe it rained on us. ;o)

We learned a lot. The tour was quite fascinating. I took tons of pictures. Went to the hotel... and fell asleep (after that hot shower... finally!). By 2am, I was wide awake and ready to face the day! Unfortunately, I had to wait until 6am to actually face it!... But at least I got in lots of thinking time! And I learned my lesson... Keep the iPod by my bed so I could at least read when I woke up! ;o)

Ok, enough for part 1!
To be continued.... ;o)

Epic Trip With My Bestie: It's HERE!!!

   Ok, I was exhausted last night so didn't get to update. So I'm going to type fast this morning...

   Yesterday is a blur! I was so incredibly wired! I found all the things I had left to pack. (At least I hope I did!)

   I started off cleaning out all unidentifiable objects from the fridge. Since I'll be gone, I thought it would be nice to give the guys some extra space to store the take-out. Haha! Actually, I cleaned it out so I could actually have room to grocery shop for them. Which was the next stop!

   I admit, I zoomed around the grocery store like a mad-woman. I have no earthly idea what all I got but I'm sure it wasn't vegetables. *sigh* I'll have to double up on healthy stuff when I get back!

   Anyways, I came home and packed some more. Ate candy. (Got a major sugar rush!) Talked to a friend while balancing the check book while writing down addresses.... There is no telling what I said! (Hopefully I didn't disclose the tiny number left in the bank account!) ;o)

   Up next, BACK to town for the stupid batteries that my mind kept blocking out! Plus a few other random things (gallon bags! I ran out!) It seemed that everyone there was in slow motion... and wanted to talk. Finally made it out of there! Came home.... did a few more things (showered, shaved, soaked my exhausted feet, tucked my sweeties if for the last time for over 2 weeks....)

   This brings you up to speed! Lots of random insanity!

   I can't believe TODAY is the day! (Well, sort of!)
   This afternoon I'll be loaded up and taken to Memphis. I am a mixture of emotions right now. Happy. Excited. Nervous. Thrilled. Scared. Hungry. (Wait, hungry isn't an emotion. haha!) I feel a bit sappy thinking of leaving today. But I am so thrilled to have such an awesome opportunity to travel overseas with my Bestie! (Don't worry Amy! I'll try to have my emotions all worked out before I get there tonight! LOL)

   So this is it! I would like to say I'll keep this updated while I'm gone. But who knows? I'm taking my journal so I can write down all the things I'll want to share when I get home. So even if I can't update, you'll still get the details. (Just have to wait for them!)

  Ok, I'm off to wake up my sweet Nic so I can spend this time with him and Nate!

If you hear any random loud noises... yes, that's me. Squealing with excitement! Just like a 2 year old! ;o)

Did I mention I'm going to SCOTLAND and IRELAND???? WAHOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!

Epic Trip With My Bestie: The Last Days!

   Oh. My. GOSH!!! Only 2 (yes, TWO!) more sleeps in my own bed... And then I'm off for the most epic trip I've ever dreamed of!

   Today, I had to hit Wal-Mart for a few last minute things. (Memory card for my camera! I can't believe I almost forgot that!) When I came home, I was in packing mode! Aside from my not quite knowing what I needed to pack where, it went quite well! Thanks to my awesome friends, I believe I am all squared away! Now all I have left is my dress, pajama's, and the few things I can't pack until Friday! And the best news is.... IT ALL FITS!!! ;o)

   When my Bestie called me earlier, I was SO excited! (I swear Amy will think she's taking a 2 year old along with her!) Just saying Edinburgh makes me do a happy dance! I am certain that everyone in my house (or within a 10 mile radius) is sick of hearing me talk about this trip. But I can't help it!!! So Amy and I chatted about the trip and what to pack. This is going to be so flippin EPIC!

   I can't decide what is more exciting. Flying for the first time.... Awesome!! Going to Scotland and Ireland.... Amazing!!! 15 days with my Bestie- laughing, talking, sight-seeing, and all that good stuff... PRICELESS! (Yes, I should get out more. Then maybe I could act more like an adult when I do get to do fun things!) Amy and I are both certain that we are going to have a great time!

   I admit, I am REALLY going to miss my boys. Nic gave me a rock yesterday. He had drawn a picture of himself on one side and a smile and heart on the other. He said I should take it with me so I don't forget him. Awww!!! As if I could forget him! Nate keeps looking at me and telling me how much he will miss seeing my smile while I'm gone! Now if that doesn't melt my heart, nothing will! I will really miss seeing my babies!! (haha, ok. So they aren't babies but they ARE my babies!)

   Nate is going to do the cooking while I'm gone. I feel a tad nervous as he still forgets minor details (like starting the oven... or turning it off!). I have been working with him since I found out I was going. Surely he'll be fine. If not, the guys may eat lots of ramen noodles and McDonald's! LOL

   Well, time to relax and play some games... and unwind! Hopefully I'll sleep tonight. My excitement is making it hard for me to sleep well. Yikes!
   Tomorrow I'll go over my list once more. I also have to go pick up some groceries so the guys don't starve while I'm gone! ;o) I also plan to do some pampering!

   This is going to be EPIC! ;o)

Epic Trip With My Bestie: The Packing!

Today was... relatively uneventful.

   I did learn a few things. Number 1. Cucumbers, tomatoes, and a couple of York peppermint patties are NOT substantial food. (Which is why I feel like crap tonight!)

   Number 2. I am a horrible packer. I have no earthly idea how to pack! What do I need? What is unnecessary? What am I forgetting? And most importantly.. How can I possibly fit it all in my suitcase??

   And Number 3. I am still the Queen of Procrastination! I was packing away and sorting clothes and doing really well. Then, I had to stop to wash the last few shirts I need (want) to take. Bye bye motivation! I then sat at the computer and chatted with some great people (for a bit too long!). I also managed to flip through a magazine. I also searched through my books for what I want to take to read. The next thing I knew, it was way past late and so the suitcase got moved back to the floor and things are once again scattered from here to yon!

  The good thing is, I have all but a few shirts and my dress ready to go. I don't have my odds and ends (make-up, tooth-paste, etc.) quite ready but I do know what I have to take and where it is. I just have to get it to the luggage.

   So tonight, my blog is short and sweet (and dull!) but this was the day. Sorry it's not so exciting. I'm tired and I admit, a bit (HUGE bit) grouchy.

   Tomorrow's plans? My suitcase will be packed up and ready to go. I have to make a last run into town for a couple of things. Then, Tomorrow night and Thursday I fully intend to pamper myself and do all of my primping. Nice long bubble bath (including shaving)! Nails shaped and polished! And Friday, I will spend the morning kissing and hugging my kids until they can't take any more! ;o)

   I can not believe how fast time is flying by for me! I hope Scotland and Ireland are ready for me and my Bestie!

Epic Trip With My Bestie: Last Minute Shopping (Part II)

   When I last left off, I mentioned that I had spent the entire day (Saturday) shopping and came home with only one thing from my list...

   So Sunday afternoon, I was back at it. Shopping with the 3 males of my household. It was much less eventful and included a trip to Game Stop. (If you know my guys, that is not much of a surprise. They are all 3 game geeks.)

   So we started off in the grand old Wal-Mart store. I picked up my socks. (Finally!) Got a new brush (my old one keeps falling apart so I figured I should invest in one before my trip!). Got most of the other random things I needed. But I still needed a sweater to wear with my dress and a jacket just in case! (Plus my luggage tag that I wanted.) So Target was the next stop.

  Enter target. I knew for a fact I could get a sweater (short sleeved sweater) to wear with my dress that I'm taking with me. I had tried it on when I was there Saturday but ended up not buying it. Also, Target had the luggage tag I wanted. (It's a kid's luggage tag. I know this. But it was cute, pink, and Lego so I wanted it!) I went straight to the sweater and picked up my size. Score! Shopping was going so smoothly! Then I found a jacket I liked. The price was a little more than I wanted to pay ($25) so I decided to browse a little before I settled on it. Walked around and found an almost identical jacket for $10! Woot woot!

   Next on the list, make-up. I sent the guys to find my luggage tag while I shopped for beautification products! Found everything I needed in one small section (after waiting for 3 college girls to catch up on old times taking up the isle for what felt like an eternity). I was very impressed with my extreme focused shopping skills! I even had time to browse the jewelry department before the guys showed visible signs of boredom and anxiety!

   As they say, all good things must come to an end. They guys were done. They needed the Game store fix and needed it right then. But! As I checked my list, I realized I had managed to get everything I had gone there for! So we spent the next forever in game stores where no one could make up their mind. If only the guys could have been as focused as I was! ;o)

 So now, I've caught up on my shopping adventures. I admit, I had a great time shopping with Mom (even though I DID sort of neglect my list). I have gotten much better at shopping than I was when I went with my bestie. (Not great, but better than before.) Heck, one of these days I may be one of those people that needs a shop-aholics anonymous! ;o)

   The best thing? I have all the basics and I am ready to get my stuff packed for my epic adventure with my BESTIE!! I'm sure I'll forget something but I'm not stressing it! I plan to have the adventure of a lifetime! I am totally looking forward to 15 days of talking, laughing, and sight-seeing with one of the most epic people on the planet!!

   I'm taking today to rest and relax with the guys. Doing lazy things like play games and eat a York or two. I'm going to work on that list. (Paper and pen are ready to roll!) And tomorrow will I will be in serious packing mode!!!

  

Epic Trip With My Bestie: Last Minute Shopping! (Part I)

   Ok, time to catch up once again.

   On Saturday, my sweet MIL and I went shopping. The GOAL was to get the last few things I needed. We set out at 9:30am (which was VERY good for us both and I was quite pleased that we actually made it out the door that early!). After making a few random stops for non-shopping related errands, we made it to our first shopping destination!

   First stop, Kohl's. I haven't been inside Kohl's in years. Wow! There's a reason why! Lots and lots and lots of gorgeous clothes!!! We browsed and looked and then MIL (who I shall just refer to as Mom from this point on) says "This would look perfect on you. You HAVE to try this on!" The item was a dress. I mentally reviewed my 'list' at this point and did not find "dress" listed... But it WAS on sale and it WAS gorgeous... So... The dress was the first of MANY "must try on" items. I found a gorgeous shirt. And another. And another. Finally, I came to my senses and realized that I had an armload of items that weren't on my list! Yikes. Time to narrow this down. So off to the dressing room I went.

   Item number one. Black shirt. Ick! Looked MUCH better on the hanger. Next. A gorgeous shirt that someone had traded the under shirt (excuse my lack of proper fashion terms!) out with... leaving me with extra small! Haha!!! Next! A gorgeous orange beaded shirt that once on me, resembled a gorgeous beaded tent! Next!! A really pretty flowy shirt. And it FIT. And looked pretty! Ok, I could use another shirt. A few more random items and finally THE dress. Now I have to say, I fell in love with the dress on the hanger. It was something I would never have picked out for myself before I lost weight. I slipped that gorgeous thing on and I knew then that the dress and I were meant to me. I opened the dressing room door and a lady going to the next room backed up and commented on how lovely that dress looked on me. I showed Mom and she informed me it was a definite must. The rest of my time in Kohl's was a blur. I was just thrilled with my beautiful dress so anything else wouldn't compare... All in all, I ended up walking out of the store with 2 gorgeous dresses, 2 lovely shirts, and a nice black sweater (to wear with my dresses).

 Wait! What? Ok, shirts were on my list. But where did this other stuff come from? In my shopping haze, I let my list slip through my mind. I didn't even look for pajamas, socks, a belt, or a jacket. Mom is quite the influential shopping partner! Well, I would do better at the next place!

   Next stop? Lunch! Whoops. I had a chocolate milkshake and fries. Can we say healthy choices? Hahaha!! Ok. I had shopped a long time and I needed a junky refill. (At least my shake was sugar and fat free! That says something for me doesn't it?)

   So after refueling, it was time to shop til we dropped! Time to hit the mall!!!

   Mom says "Ok, where do you want to start? Where is your favorite store?" Uhm... Was that crickets I heard? I very rarely go to the mall and when I do go, it's to Target, Game Stop, and Hot Topic. I told her I really had no idea where to start and she led the way. We hit store after store after store. Some we simply walked in and out of. Others we took time and searched every corner. I did quite well. I refrained from making impulse choices. (I totally could have but I had that list more firmly planted in my mind this round.) And I did really well until Versona. Never had I stepped foot in that store before Saturday. Ahhhh.... It was awesome! Lots of gorgeous clothes with beautiful jewelry to match! I tried on yet another ton of clothes. (I also managed to get myself locked out of my dressing room which I admit was quite embarrassing... but the lady that unlocked it said it happens multiple times every day. Hmm.. so I'm just one of many I guess.) In the end, I came out with a too beautiful to pass up pink top. Oh, and some gorgeous bracelets to match it. I didn't even realize when I paid for it but the top was on sale and while it was already a good price, with the sale it was a great price! Score!

   Mom looked at her watch at this point and it was after 5pm! What?!?!? Where did the time go? It didn't feel like it was that late! Wow. So we shopped a bit longer not really finding much. I'm thinking that once we realized how late it was, we also realized how tired we were. So we dragged ourselves back to the car.

   I hopped in and started reviewing that list. Uhm... uh oh. I didn't get to mark anything except shirts off the list. Which meant... I had to go shopping again!

Bwahahahahaha!!!!!

Epic Trip With my Bestie: 1 WEEK!!!!

   One week (Yes, 1 WEEK!!!!) away!!!

   One week from today, at this time I will be frantically shoving things in my bag! I'm sure I'll have packed and unpacked and repacked multiple times. (That's how I roll.) Mentally, I am so organized. But the reality is... I am disorganized, crazy, and extremely scatterbrained. So I'll make a list. Check it twice. Pack. Forget what's where. Change my mind about what I want to take. Unpack. Make a new list. Repack.... And repeat. Fast-forward to Friday afternoon at 3:35 where I will be frantically tossing everything but the kitchen sink into an overstuffed and disorganized bag. (Wait! Maybe I should also pack the kitchen sink!) Oh boy, my sweet Bestie is in for a treat! ;o)

   As you may be able to guess, I am SO beyond excited! I am worse than a kid in a candy store!!! (You know, the overwhelmed kid that has no idea which candy to go for first... stands there with that "look" on her face... and the candy store closes before she ever decides what she wants.... Yep, that's me! Wait, what? Am I saying that with all my excitement, I'll end up missing my trip?? Hmm.. Maybe I should rethink my description.)

   So today, I set out to make my "official" check-list. I know I'll forget something... But hopefully nothing important (like my undies!!!) ;o) So I went to get out the pen and paper. And then I started a load of laundry. Then I needed a drink. Then I had to make a doctor's appointment. Then I had to turn on some music.... And still no paper and pen!!! All I can think of is "Dang, I need a York peppermint patty."

   How can I possibly procrastinate at this point?! ...Pretty easily it seems. Because now I'm here blogging about my procrastination... Which is yet another procrastination tactic.

   I did talk to my Bestie on the phone earlier. That always jazzes me up even more!!! I just hope poor Amy doesn't regret taking me! I mean, 15 days with this crazy (recovering peanut butter addict) chick... She may feed me to the Loch Ness monster or something!!!

   Anyways, I should be making a list. I love making lists! But since I've never gone on such an epic vacation in my life, I feel like this list making thing should be a grand ordeal. I need special paper! And my glitter pen! (I mean, such an epic trip deserves more than the back of a Wal-Mart receipt and a half-dried up pen!) So maybe I should go buy special paper? Well, maybe that's going a bit far. ;o)

   So tomorrow, I am going shopping with my mother-in-law. I'm excited about that! I still need to get some new socks! And a jacket. And pajamas! And a sweater of some sort to wear with my dress. And make-up. OMGosh! I need a shopping list too!

   I can not believe that in 1 long, short week I will be heading off to spend over 2 weeks with my Bestie!! Having a ton of "firsts"!!!

   All I can say is WAHOOOO!!!! Now I'm off to get that paper and pen (and a York peppermint patty)! I have a list (or 2!!!) to make!!!

  

Epic Trip with my Bestie: The (Brief) Background Story

  I decided it would be fun to blog about my journey... I should have started this back when it began (from the invitation!) but... I didn't. So we'll play "catch up" now.

   I admit, when she first invited me, I was certain it was a joke. I mean, Ireland?! Come on! I barely leave my own state. After a phone conversation and confirmation that the invitation was real, my brain immediately started making excuses as to why I should say no. (Kids! Money! My house! Flying! Leaving! You name it, that thought crossed my mind.) What a lame brain!

   I said no. I said yes. I said maybe. I said I dunno. I said all sorts of things. "I have kids! How can I fly off into the sunset and leave my kids? (And my husband!!)" "How can I pass up this once in a lifetime trip??"  How can I even think of saying yes?" "How can I possibly say no?" You see my problem? I had excuses for every angle.

    After much discussing and debating... I finally realized how insane I would have to be to pass up such an amazing trip with my BESTIE! Epic trip with an epic person? Was I crazy?? So I finally got my brain on right and said I would love to go!

   Now don't get me wrong, I STILL have moments where I flip out and think "What the heck was I thinking, agreeing to this???" But thankfully, my sanity returns and I get all giddy and excited and it's all good again. ;o)

   So that brings me to the preparations!
   Once things were set in motion, I realized I had enough clothes for ... well, a 2 day journey at the most! I had 1 pair of jeans and a few shirts. Losing 77 pounds does have some drawbacks apparently! LOL

   So Bestie says "Don't worry! We'll get you clothes." Hahaha... I forgot to tell her I am a horrible shopper. Really. So I should probably skip over the whole shopping experience. Let's just say I think Amy would rather get a root canal than take me shopping again. (Sorry Amy! I really AM working on my shopping skills! If you ever shop with me again, you'll see!) I did pick out some really cute capris and a few shirts that day. But I admit, I didn't make it easy for Amy.

   Since that day, I have picked up some more jeans at various places (some really cute ones!) and a few more shirts. A dress (or two!) that may or may not get packed. And shoes! (And yes, I did more than pick them up. I actually purchased them as well!) I'm pretty well all set for the trip now, as far as clothes go. I just need a few random things (like socks! and a pair of pj's!)

  So with all of this rambling, I just want to say how EXCITED I am to be going on a 15 day trip to Scotland and Ireland with my BESTIE!! I know we're going to have one heck of an amazing time!!

   Now I know I left out LOTS of great details but... I really need to get on to the current leg of my journey!... Packing!