Dream Getaway

Those of you who follow me on Instagram (cheerupoldbean) will know that I've already announced a little trip the husband and I are taking in the new year. Okay it's not so little- we are leaving the country, packing it up and renting a cottage, shutting out the world of technology and roadtrippin' it all over one of my favorite places in the world!  Where, why, how?- you might ask? Well, we're jet-setting off to the country of Ireland, not only the Republic of Ireland but also Northern Ireland- we're trying to cover as much as the enchanted little island has to offer. Why? There are a couple of answers to that question. Many years ago I had the incredible fortune to go to Ireland for 15 days with a dear family friend. We rented a car and just explored as much as we possibly could of the whole bottom half of the Republic of Ireland.  It was amazing! It's going to sound dramatic but that was honestly a life altering trip for me for lots of different reasons. It was exactly what I needed at just the right time. I needed healing inside and Ireland gave me just that. Fast forward all of these years later and I find myself in need of healing again. I've been debating about how personal to get in this post- I've decided that for now all I will say is that I've had some health related issues that have popped up in the last five months that have weighed heavily on me and my family,  I'm not quite ready to talk about it and for now I'd like to keep the details to myself, but it has put me in a position again in life where I need to get away from it all and really allow myself to renew and find my happy place.

Enter my darling husband who has been the best support possible in our situation. He knows me better than myself sometimes and knows that I won't take the initiative to take care of myself and actually put myself first. He took it upon himself to book this trip for my birthday because he knows it's the place that I love and that I associate with happiness and emotional healing. What's a girl to do when gifted with something this amazing? Say heck yes, and get the time off of work without a single guilty feeling! I have never looked so forward to my birthday!

The weather is going to be dreary, we're going to freeze our batooties off, risk road hazards and share our space with some cows, but man are we going to have an adventure! I can't wait to get back to the Emerald Isle in rain, sleet, snow or (hopefully) shine. We'll have no internet access, or phones, only each other and the adventures we're going to have.

Yes, I'm happily hugging a chunk of rock. It's not just any old chunk of rock, it's St. Patrick's Cross. 

The adventure begins January 20th and doesn't stop until Feb 4th! I'll be diligently taking notes, photos and keeping a travel journal, so never fear my dear readers, I'll be sharing it with you all.