Ireland: 2010

Ok, Zack and I are officially going to Ireland next August!! It's on. Zack doesn't believe that we'll really go but we are. Our bookkeeper at work is going to put $75 of every paycheck into a savings for me, and then I'll put $100 of Zack's money every month into the savings account so we'll have a total of $250/month going in. So, if prices stay the same(ish) for the next 5 months, we can buy our tickets then. But we might just have to wait until the prices go back down if the rocket up. Right now they're $600-$700 per person but I heard that last fall they were $1700 per person! Yikes!! So if they go way up, I'll just wait until they go down, even if it means we end up in Ireland late September early October... we're going.

I'll be super excited to FINALLY meet my penpal (she lives in Dublin). She said we could stay at her place, but I'd feel like we're intruding. We'll definitely take her up on the offer for some of the time, but I know from experience that company can get old fast. So I'd hate to outstay our welcome. We'll be in Ireland for like 2 weeks and that's a long time for company to squat.

Anyway, we'll definitely be pubbing, eating, exploring, driving, and staying in crappy, little, experience-building motels/hostels a lot, but there are a few things I definitely want to do:

First thing - visit Leap Castle. Ghost Hunters on the SciFi channel investigated it. It's supposed to be on of the most haunted castles in Ireland with a gruesome past. Of course I'll probably visit it during the day because while yes, I find it interesting, I'm still a big fat chicken. http://www.hauntedcastlesandhotels.com/Ireland/leap.htm

Second thing - Visit Lisheen Ruins/House. Ghost Hunters also investigated this site on the same episode as Leap Castle. It wans't so much haunted as it was supernatural. There were like little teeny bodies appearing out of nowhere on the thermal video camera, and then the caught a face of a wrath or something also. It's my favorite episode. It was the most eventful. This site I will also visit during the day. I don't need to be kidnapped by wraths.... ;)


Third thing - buy a real, genuine, gold claddagh ring. You just can't go to Ireland and not get one of the most iconic Irish things ever made.

Fourth thing - maybe get a tattoo? Something to remind of our time spent there? Not a shamrock, that's too typical. Maybe a.... small Leap Castle portrait? Like a 3''x2'' portrait? I don't know. I've got time to think about it.

Fifth thing - bring back some Irish tea. Hazel (my penpal) sent me some and it was awesome.

Well, I'm sure I could go on and on and on about all the different things I want to do, but I won't... well maybe I will. But in a later post. Anyway, I'm super psyched, motivated and we're definitely going.