Plans Change

We were blessed to attend Shorestreet Presbyterian in Donaghadee where our friend Sonya Anderson was speaking. It was excellent to reconnect and share stories over a coffee. I do believe the kids were pleased as they were able to sample some quality ice cream before lunch as the ice cream parlour was the place with excellent coffee. Although we were going to go the Giant’s Causeway today, as a family we determined that we really wanted to enjoy our cottage and the amazing beaches around it.

After a full day in County Down and an afternoon planning session with Kelly, we have decided to change our plans in Ireland and base out of this area as opposed to moving about from place to place. One of the things we had identified as being important to our family is not feeling as though we have to “see” everything. Given that we only have one week in Ireland (not nearly enough), we had to take some items off the table to ensure we can actually enjoy what we do see. I think it’s important to avoid being a frantic consumer of sights as it can really undermine the underlying purpose of travel and in fact dilute one’s experiences. All that to say, this evening has resulted in  attempting to book lodging last minute and thankfully, were able to secure the last available apartment in a converted church (no pun intended) in the town of Portaferry. All people we have met have been so friendly, most helpful, and truly a joy. If you’re thinking of Ireland – don’t think twice – make it happen.

Countryside in County Down

Initial Days

I’m attempting my post again as my entire post disappeared! Argh. Nonetheless, as my husband just alluded to “we must be diligent” and so here I am rewriting with slightly less colourful descriptions and details. This may in fact be of some benefit in the long run (I think with a wry voice in my head).

We flew Air Transat which was wonderful to travel with and we were thankful for the additional seats available on which to spread out – all of us were definitely showing the signs of wear from the past number of days booking last minute items, sorting out finances and generally unsure of how our great plan would work out. Of course no sleep was to be had on the 8 hour flight and our weariness was starting to show as we waited in customs for Bailey to arrive on her flight from Toronto. Kelly booked our rental through AMA which ended up saving us $500 from any of the other quotes Kelly was able to research on the internet. We are driving a lovely Mitsubishi Outlander which has a ton of space for our family of 5. What it doesn’t have is much space for other vehicles on rather narrow roads. This of course has provided us with some interesting navigation opportunities.

We spent our first three days with our close friend Daryll Plantinga at his house in Leetown located in central Scotland. After righting our brains with some much needed sleep, we took off to our favourite castle in Scotland, Dunnottar Castle. The combination of architecture, seascape, and history makes for an incredible experience and one we all love. I will let the photos do the talking on this one:

The family at Dunnottar Castle

Dunnottar Castle

On Day 3 we travelled to another favourite town of ours, St. Andrew’s. While Daryll and Kelly went to sort out a mobile phone for us to use while in the UK, the kids and I went down to the beautiful white sandy beaches. Ethan and Anderson were mesmerized by the waves and due to the lovely warmth of the North Sea, had a fabulous time getting thoroughly soaked. Bailey and I chuckled as a rather heavy rainstorm passed over us which brought the boys running out of the water worried about “getting wet.” Let’s think about that one for a bit – off they went, back into the sea for some more fun.

Today has been more of a travel day as we left Scotland at 6:30 this morning to head down the west coast and catch the Stena Line ferry over to Belfast. Upon arrival, we promptly headed to Greyabbey, the location of our “Rose Cottage.” I can’t say enough about using HomeAway and Air BnB as sites to book lodgings. Our cottage makes me feel as though I’ve been placed in a page out of “The Secret Garden” or one of my personal favourite authors, Maeve Binchy’s books.  Everyone has enjoyed exploring each room and noticing the details from the clawfoot tub, to the old fashioned locks on the doors (we have really BIG keys). Tomorrow, it’s off to Giant’s Causeway – an amazing place which I can’t wait to post photos of. Speaking of photos – Kelly has been exclaiming over the Nikon 1J3 camera he purchased from London Drugs – it has certainly met our needs for photography thus far. That’s all for now – I don’t think I can handle it if I have to rewrite this post again!

Is it really possible?

After 1420 days of saving (we still have 39 days left on our deferred salary plan), we are driving to Calgary tomorrow morning to start on our travels. The house is packed up and ready for my fabulous brother and sister-in-law to move in for the year. Bags are weighed and thankfully we’re (miracle of all miracles), below the weight restriction. It may have taken Kelly more than a few minutes to select the specific t-shirts to accompany him. It would be appropriate to point out that had we been timed while packing, I would have packed my bag, and each of the boys’ bags, before he had completed his painstaking decision making process. While I poke fun at this trait in the context of packing, I am forever thankful for it as Kelly has done the bulk of planning for our trip. His skills in this area never cease to amaze me!

The boys ready are ready for action tomorrow – excited by everything in front of them, but also enjoying their own beds…

We have had opportunity to say goodbye to many friends and family this past week and I realize how truly blessed we are. While I am anticipating a wonderful year filled with exotic locations, I recognize how important our community is! It isn’t about escaping Grande Prairie; rather, it is a chance to experience something different and challenge ourselves as individuals, a couple, and as a family.

 

Until we’re in the airport…