Views of a family packing

Well, travelling. We leave on the 9:30 ferry, for a 2:30 flight, then a 7:30 flight. Phew. We have our limit of baggage, that's for sure!!



See that on top of the car? That's two more duffel bags.




My stepfather, who lives up the road, has a habit of stripping our place clean of any sweets once we leave. So Atreus left this message on the board of the kitchen...about 2 steps from the cookie jar.

Quiet now

It's quiet here now (well, aside from the baby babbling and the 5 year old asking me questions about everything under the sun). It's the first time the house hasn't had a visitor here since we left, basically. It's a different feeling in the house, like it's a bit empty. Odd that.

3 weeks, and we're off back home ourselves. MW had two massive bags (I swear, her kids are going to think it's Christmas early!), and we're going to be having that much ourselves: two massive bags per passenger (so 8 big bags total!). I still have some bits that need to come home with me that will be ordered online...we're on an island, it's hard to get this stuff sometimes! We also have to get our new driver's licences here (sssshhhh, don't tell the Gardai! We still drive on our US lic, need to get our tests this year-ish). That's the one big thing that *has* to happen. All other stuff can fall behind. I'm going to start to pack boxes/bags this week, so that we know what we have to deal with, and if we have to leave anything behind.

So our efforts are going to ramp up now, finishing things, as well as trying to hit the local county fair in a week or two. Phew. Oh no! I forgot to do Christmas presents!!!! AArgh! Must run!

Too old for t-shirts?

I've got a crazy assembly of t-shirts. Some are for work conferences, other for booze. But there's a collection of them which I seem to never tire wearing. Peruse through the other work of Jeff Pert, the clever cartoonist who thought up these gems, and you'll be happy the Internet was invented. :-)

She's here

Just so you all know, MW has arrived safely.

Now, to crack open the tequila.......

The next day or so

I'm shopping.  Why is this blog-worthy?  Cause of the lengths I have to go to!

I'm leaving the house at about 1:45, hoping to make the 2:30 ferry.  It's Sunday, so people will be heading back to their jobs, etc, from a bit of a weekend away, so it's busy on Sunday afternoons on the ferry.  More than likely, I'll be on the 3:30 or 4:30 (that's the last ferry for the day, so I hope I'm on it!).

I'll then drive for about an hour and a half, depending on traffic.  Get to "The Big City".  Check into motel.  Hop over to the favorite stores, and do what I can tonight.  Back to motel, and cheapo dinner from chain restaurant next to it.  While I'm asleep, our friend and her mother will arrive at the motel as well, and fall asleep (after spending the weekend in NYC).  

Tomorrow morning...more shopping! Grab the friend and her mom,  hit up the other stores that I will miss tonight, as well as get groceries for the next week or so.  Leave The Big City by 1:30 (that guarantees that we'll be on the 5p ferry, which we were lucky enough to get a reservation for).  

Not a huge amount of time, considering what I'm shopping for!  But it shall be done.  Oh, did I mention that the 7 month old will be with me (since he's still nursing, he's attached to my hip)?  That lends an air of danger and fun to the party!  

If you live on an island with ferry service, you learn how to shop, that's for sure.  There are people here who have bumper stickers (it's the States!  Everyone has one!  We have two, one of which is this one!) that say "I'm Ferry Stressed".  Sums it up right there.

Hubs and Little Boy will stay at the house, having a boy's night in with a bit of junk food and video games.

So, if any of you want to text me, my Irish mobile will be working while I'm down there (WHOO HOO!).  The phone doesn't work on the island cause there's just no coverage here, unless you're on the beach.  Which, let's face it, is a bad place for a mobile.

America the Sparkly

Tomorrow is Fourth of July. We all know what that means in the US....beer, bbq, and fireworks.

Last night was the fireworks for where we are (2 nights early, it's rarely on the actual day). The town collects money all year, and then the fireworks are bought or organized. The fire chief is in charge of all of it, which must be a rush for him! Little Boy went with two of his friends who he has been dying to see (who arrived on Sunday night), and enjoyed himself muchly. We're going down to the beach tomorrow to see if any of the towns around us might have some on the night.

We were just going to do a small bbq, but apparently my mother has decided that we should be together on the 4th (really, I've never seen it as a family holiday...). And then our neighbor should be there too. And then two other people who mom would like to invite. So right now, we have 11 people (including the baby) coming tomorrow for a bbq.

I don't think I have enough wine to make this all okay. Forget sharing the wine, I don't think there's enough for ME.

On a happy note, Little Boy tonight caught his first fireflies in the front garden. :-)

Furthering a thought

Frank's post reminded me of a comment made on the flight to the US. Well, it was after we had landed, and everyone was standing, awkwardly, waiting for the doors to open (which took inordinately long). Now, remember that we flew Aer Lingus, direct from Dublin to Boston.

Discussion in the row behind us (and we're all standing up now...)

Woman 1: "I wanted to exercise more, but there was just no time."

Woman 2: "Oh I know what you mean. And the food! Irish women just don't care about how they look, do they? They eat all this fatty food!"

W1: "I can't wait to get back and have some salads, you know?"

W2: "And the drinking! I mean, Irish women just drink like crazy, don't they. They drink so much! They eat tons of food and drink a huge amount."

I was, literally gobsmacked. I wanted to turn to her, put on my thickest (Southside) accent and say something like "You really should watch what you say on an IRISH airline, especially when you're returning to the fattest country in the world."

And the second woman? Who the heck forced the fish and chips down her gob?! If I remember right, every freaking menu has a salad on it! And the salads in Ireland are much better than the ones here, let me tell you...

No, I was a chicken, I didn't want to start anything, but jjjjjjjjjjeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeezzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

Road Trip: A Few Side Glances

On the road for a bit ... at the airport, waiting outside, there's a group of two girls in their mid-20s, both gorgeous...until they pulled out their packs of smokes and lit up. Ten years ago I wouldn't have come close to thinking this.

In the same scene, a guy stands there talking to his friend while taking a drag. He then talks after exhaling in a puff, but somehow there's still more. He does two long, full sentences and wafts of smoke come out from between his lips.

Guy gets onto the plane and reaches down, massages his genitals for more than a moment, and then does a weird cycle of unzipping and rezipping his trousers. While walking down the aisle to his seat. shudder don't wanna sit too far back near him...

Kids behind us are the worst little shits, kicking seats, whining, fighting, the works. And their New York-accent parents could give a shit.

The plane lands and a group of four or five, each about 20 years of age, applaud when the first cries out, "Hooray, we're back in America!" "Whoop, whoop!" joins the clapping which actually spreads over other parts of the plane. What the fuck, were these people held hostage? I didn't realize Ireland was such a downer of a place to use for a trip...cough...

Doors at the airport open, and we're hit by the sweltering heat (30 Celsius?) and humidity enough to make us stop moving for a moment, convinced we'll not be getting enough oxygen. But then we all grin at the warmth we've been longing for at home in Ireland for the last month or longer. The people walking next to us are convinced we're all fucking nuts.

Quickly adjusting to the time difference. Yay!

Phew

Up at dawn to finish packing.

Get to the airport 2 hours early.

6 hour flight (with a 5 year old and a 6 month old).

5 hour (total, stopped for food on the way) drive.

25 minute water taxi.

10 minute drive (again).

Waking up in the house, instead of a hotel, priceless.

Now, if the rain would stop.....

(location, Maine)