Sunny Day

Ireland does get sunshine. See? I have proof. Mackenzie Grace, Harris and I enjoyed a lovely afternoon in Palmerston Gardens Wednesday. It was a warm 70 degrees. Makes me think I'm not going to be able to handle the 100+ temps in Texas. I will miss my Irish summers.

Look how hot Mackenzie thinks it is. Goodness is she in for a shock in October. I'm guessing it will still be in the 80s in Austin.

What should I do with my last 100 days in Ireland?

We're moving back to Texas. It's official. We planned it perfect in my opinion. We'll be back in October, just as the awful heat will hopefully subside. Don't worry Texas, I promise I'll bring the rain back with me and the drought will end. But that is 100 days from today. And with that realisation, I suddenly feel panicked. Only 100 days left in Ireland?! I thought I had pretty much covered Ireland. Ring of Kerry - check. Connemara - love it, check. Blarney - check. Cliffs of Moher - check. Giants Causeway - amazing, check. Guinness Brewery - are you kidding, check 22 times. Okay, I've done just about everything a tourist could hope for in Ireland and definitely some of the less-touristy awesome things as well. But, there must be more. We tell ourselves we'll come back to visit. This isn't goodbye forever we say. But who knows when that will be. There's so much more of the world to see and there's that new travel-complicating addition to our life, Harris. So, the reality is, this might be goodbye for a very long time. So, what is my "Last 100 Days in Ireland Bucket List"? I think I want to hit my favorites one more time before I go and there's still a few things on my wish list that we never got around to. So here's my list in no particular order:

1. Howth on a sunny Sunday for the market and a pint at the Bloody Stream
2. Drive through Connemara with moody skies
3. Eat lots and lots of delicious salmon, smoked and otherwise
4. Ditto on the Irish mature cheddar
5. Have a bad-80s music dance session late night at the Barge (with no dance floor)
6. Watch some Irish rugby, football or Gaelic football at a non-Dublin pub
7. See a rugby match live
8. Visit Cavan again to see my Irish family
9. Spend a weekend eating the best seafood in Kinsale
10. Eat a Sloppy Joe at Honest to Goodness cafe
11. See a play at the Abbey or Gaeity theaters
12. See the new baby gorilla at the Dublin Zoo
13. Eat Murphy's Ice Cream on a hot day (hot for Dublin so 70F)
14. Stroll along the canal
15. National Botanical Gardens
16. Sally Gap in County Wicklow
17. Play golf
18. Giants Causeway at sunset
19. Go to the horse races
20. Stay in Ashford Castle

Now, who thinks there will be enough sunny days in Ireland in the next 100 days in order for me to fulfill my wish list? Hmmm, I'd better get started.

Poppys and Tulips

Poppy just left after a long eight days of golf in Northern Ireland. And lucky for us, he stayed a couple of days to visit with Harris and unwind. We got to enjoy one of our favorite Sunday in Dublin activities, market day at Howth. This is also the best time of year in the squares of Dublin with the beautiful tulips blooming. Harris also got to visit Temple Bar with his Poppy to share a Guinness and their love of fine headwear.

An International Draw

Harris got to meet two of his grandparents on his first day home. They flew all the way from Texas to see our new arrival. And he was quite the hit.

Snow! Dublin during the White Out

Dublin's snow from the last week is finally starting to melt. We had a good 8 inches or so over a week which is very unusual for Dublin. So, of course, the city practically shut down. Mackenzie is a regular snowbunny. But TJ could definitely live without it. We're hoping for a White Christmas now. But you can never predict Irish weather!

Cousin time again

Another cousin came for a visit. This time my cousin, Kevin, was studying abroad in The Netherlands and stopped by Ireland on his way home. We got to hang out for a few day in Dublin. He was very patient with my exhausted preggo-ness.