5 weeks and counting...

Rachel got her new passport in the mail last week (yay!) so we can officially leave the country!  I found my electricity current converter and plug adapters so we can use the electricity in Ireland without blowing anything up.  Now, I am on a quest to buy a laptop to take along.  If I don't, I'll be the only one in the hotel room at night without a way to update my blog without begging to use Rachel's or Tiffany's :)

Anyway, I need to start with the packing plan -- I have a coat, but I'm thinking I need new walking shoes (buy early and break in!!!) and pants.  I was thinking of just wearing skirts because they'd be easier, but who knows what the wind will be like?  Hate to pull a "Marilyn Monroe" in the Connemara or something.

I went to Half Price Books last week and bought Ireland For Dummies after about a 2-hour review of nearly every Ireland travel guide book in the place.  It has history and current culture and some good tips...not as many pretty pictures and no fold-out maps...but since I am not planning the itinerary on this trip, I am forgoing the "gotta see this" list and just trying to absorb as much about the country as possible before we leave.  Pronouncing the Irish language is still elusive for me...gotta work on that!

I'm scared of how fast September is going to go.  I just know that tomorrow I'll wake up and look at the calendar and find it's actually October 1st instead of September 1st!!! 

Rick Steves' help

Went to Edmonds yesterday to hear Pat O'Connell (one of the Rick Steves tour guides) do a presentation on Ireland.  He clearly loves his job.  Got some fascinating history on common phrases ("by Hook or by Crook" - 2 towns- was how Cromwell was planning to invade Ireland; "hillbillies" were the Irish immigrants who settled in the Appalachians - they were loyal to King William, or King Billy as they called him), but mostly enjoyed his info and pictures.  I have several pages of notes (no big surprise there!).  We talked to him afterwards, especially about the pubs.  He said there should be no problem with Rachel being allowed to stay in the pubs after 9pm - only a few are very strict with the age requirement and mostly only if the minor is drinking.  He said many have signs suggesting that children under 12 leave by 8pm.  So, it looks like she will get to see & hear the local music as long as she isn't drinking the Guiness.  Yay!

Had a dream last night that it was 2 days before the trip and I still needed to pack.  I must be getting more excited than I thought.

2 months and counting...

Okay, so the trip has been paid off for Rachel & me, we have applied for her new passport (can I just say I love the lady at the Federal Way City Hall who handles passport applications? She rocks!), and are now less than 2 months from getting on the plane and flying across the Atlantic! We are officially committed. I'm starting to get excited!!!

I bought 2 travel journals for us to use -- they have space for notes, pictures, postcards, do-dads. This time I want to make sure I document my trip. I hate that I didn't do it previously (except on my initial trip to France in 1985 - I did keep a journal for the first 4 weeks). I know I've lost a lot of cool tid-bits by not journalling, so this time I'm going to do it right :) Rachel & I are going to go up to Edmonds on 8/14 to Rick Steves' talk on Ireland to see what the "must sees" and "must dos" are. I hope we will have enough free time on the trip to do at least some of the things we'll learn about.

The organizer in me is starting to kick in, too. I want to start making packing lists, make sure I have the current converter and outlet adapter, restock my "emergency kit" that I always carry in my suitcase (most of the meds have expired), and start figuring out what clothes to pack and what I'll need to get.

I've also been spending time online reading the Irish Independent newspaper so that I can get up to speed on current events, culture, and especially language. Even though it's written in English, so many words are either Irish or unfamiliar English terms that I need to have a translation tab open when I read. I'm making progress, though. I at least am recognizing oireachtas as the legislature, dail as the equivalent of the house of representatives, and the seanad as the senate -- I can even pronounce them (I think). I also learned that mna is the Irish word for "woman" -- I'm pretty sure that will be very handy to know :)