My bags are packed.....

And I'm ready to go.

It's finally that time! 

In the morning I'm headed to Chicago for two days and then on to CHINA!!!

I don't know what my internet situation will be over the next few months so we will see how the blog does. 

Wish me luck.....here goes nothing!

As Far As The Eye Can See

We saw the absolutely most amazing views while in Ireland! 

They were gorgeous and every one of them looked like a postcard!

View from the top of The Rock of Cashel

 Found along the Ring of Kerry

 Ladies' View - on the Ring of Kerry

 Also along the Ring of Kerry

 The Cliffs of Moher......the most breathtaking of them all!

 Along the Sky Road in The Connemara

I found some of the best views of any place I have ever traveled, in Ireland. They definitely have a monopoly on scenic views!

You scream, I scream, We all scream for ruins!

Ruins are everywhere in Ireland!

Every city has at least one and they dot the countryside everywhere you go. We saw them along the country roads, along the motorway, and in farmers' fields. Most of the time they were just hanging out in a pasture surrounded by sheep and cows. 

I find them so fascinating! 

These are some of the best!

Hore Abbey

Just gorgeous! 

 The Rock of Cashel.....just up the hill from Hore Abbey

 Absolutely stunning!

 The view was amazing!

 Most of the ruins had cemeteries attached. There were gravestone in this one from the 1600's....amazing!

 Found this along the Ring of Kerry

 Aughnanure Castle

Clanmacnoise Monastery 

 The cathedral.....beautiful!

The thing that I loved the most about Ireland was that history was all around you! 

For me the ruins were one of the best parts of the trip!

Come back tomorrow for the beautiful views we found along our travels!

The Emerald Isle

I'm blogging from here this week!

Well not exactly from that exact spot. I doubt there was a wi-fi signal at the Cliffs of Moher. 

As we speak (type? read?) I am relaxing in our B&B just outside of Galway.

Full recap when I'm back from Ireland!

Gosh I love typing that....back from IRELAND! 

No Sleep Till Ireland

On Monday I will be getting on a plane and heading to the wonderful country of Ireland for the week!

My parents and I will be renting a car in Dublin and immediately heading out on our 7 day road trip! 

When my mom asked where I wanted to go on our last family vacation before China she was expecting me to say Disney World or Universal or maybe a cruise. She was not expecting Ireland!

Ever since I spent a semester in London during undergrad I've wanted to go back! And as soon as possible! Well it's only taken me 4 years but it's finally happening!

When my mom gave me a budget to stay within she didn't realize she was giving me a challenge. I was determined to prove that we could spend a week in Ireland on the budget she gave me. I have spent hours planning, researching, and pricing flights, B&Bs, and hotels. I made an excel spreadsheet and even went as far as including the projected gas costs for the week plus 25% to account for rising gas prices. 

Yeah, I'm just a little OCD!

We are planning on going to Kilkenny, Killarney, Galway, and ending in Dublin. Of course we are going to see all the sites: Rock of Cashel, pubs, Cliffs of Moher, pubs, Guinness Storehouse, pubs, etc. You get the picture.....maybe a little less pubs....maybe :)

So, if any of you out there have any suggestions or things we absolutely cannot miss I want to hear it!

Now I just have to get through the last few days of work and move out of my house in Tallahassee and I'll be on my way!

Tough Decision

In one corner the Nook Color.....

And in the other, the Kindle.

I have succumbed to the e-reader trend.

As much as I love real books I have decided that I need an e-reader for China. Packing two years worth of books is not plausible and after reading some blogs it looks like English books are pretty hard to come by in the PRC. 

So....I need your help internets!

Which one would you choose?

Which one do you have?