First, we had to say goodbye to Mama & Daddy for 5 months :(
We left Wes and Laurie together with Mom & Dad: Rule #1 - no telling stories about Darbi as a child...!
Wes & Laurie drove us to the Livingstone Airport.
In line and ready to go!
An hour to wait = 2 games of Cribbage!
Our first of 3 flights! And I get to sit beside this handsome man for all of them!
All of the planes were SO full this time of year!
We had one goal for our Johannesburg layover - a pedicure & a massage!
Strangely, this is the only pic I took during our 3 hour London layover, but we enjoyed breakfast at The Giraffe before boarding our last flight to Dublin!
We made it! (1 hour in the air only!)
We decided to rent a car since we are driving to Belfast, Northern Ireland. We love the red spitfire!
First stop = a taste of local Irish cuisine! (It was SOOOO nasty - disgusting processed food! But Blu loved it! ;)
We are staying at the Bracken Court Hotel in the quaint seaside town of Balbriggan, Ireland!
Blu took a shower and was ready to explore Ireland...or not..!!
Sometimes you just see strange things...
The street view of Balbriggan town outside our hotel.
We decided to take a walk around town and the harbor to check out Balbriggan! First stop = Illy!
There are flowers everywhere! Here is a sample of someone's yard!
We then headed down to the beach - about a 5 minute walk from our hotel! Balbriggan used to be a big fishing town, and it was also the town known for making linen. Many of Queen Elizabeth's outfits came from Balbriggan, but a local told us Fruit of the Loom eventually was shut down and moved to Portugal, leaving Balbriggan as a big of a ghost town.
Speaking of locals, a lady saw us walking around and asked if we needed help. When she heard we had a car, she encouraged us to drive 6km (10 min) up the road to the seaside town of Skerries. She said it is a bustling harbor town with great food and that we would love it, so we took her advice and headed that way1 We took a side road, however, when we saw a sign for Ardgillan Castle!
All that soft grass....
We couldn't really go in the castle, but my favorite part was the rose garden outside! It made me think of all the novels I have read where the girls take escorted walks in the rose garden with their suitors!
We continued on to the town of Skerries, and we decided we should try the Blue Bar for supper!
Blu got lobster & shrimp tagliatelle!
Right behind me is where our supper was caught - in the Irish Sea!
Fresh lobster, poached salmon, shrimp, and crab salad for me..!!
We started talking to an Irish couple over supper, and they talked (and talked and talked) about different places in Ireland the entire time! They were SO friendly (as was the first lady) and eager for us to get to see their country! They were so excited we weren't just seeing the city center of Dublin but were taking the time to see the "real Ireland" - seaside towns!
After supper, we walked about 25 steps to another restaurant called Brasco's for dessert...
This scone with homemade jam and fresh cream was TO DIE FOR.
And then Blu had to climb a pole to end our day.. ;)
It was a great first day and we felt that we made the most of our time to do quite a bit of exploring! Tomorrow we head to Northern Ireland to visit St. George's Market and the Titanic exhibit!
Meanwhile...back in Texas...
The kids have been getting up and going running at 6am!! They came back one morning and cooked supper for Paw & Bmaw!
Caedmon has spent a lot of time in the shop learning the family business! Here he is with his first 1x1s!
Paw says Cason is a natural!
Cambree has been swimming, working out, laying out, and relaxing...
Cambree and Bmaw!
And meanwhile..back at New Day...194 kids at Kids Club today!
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