Well, it's Sunday, and our trip is winding down. We've had such a nice time and aren't looking forward to saying goodbye. The week flew by, and it's hard to believe it's nearly time to return to the States. We really wish we could've stayed longer...maybe someday the U.S. will come around and give employees more time off every year. Here's to hoping!
Friday was a very chill day for us...we did a tour of the graveyards where various family members are buried and paid our respects. We had a delicious lunch with Mam and Dad while we were out and about and were so pleased to have that quality time with them. Grace is lucky to have fantastic grandparents in Ireland and in the U.S. Every child should be so lucky :-)
We returned to Caroline and Willie's for "bun burgers and homemade chips," a.k.a. hamburgers and fries. I realize that much of my blogging is about eating -- we did a lot of that on this trip, and all the food was awesome! We had an evening of family time with cider and beers. Grace was in bed by 10 PM for the first time on our trip, which gave Martin and I more time with Mam and Dad at home. The moments with the family have been the most cherished times of our trip. Everyday we've been blessed with moments to remember.
On Saturday, we went to the wedding of Martin's cousin, Sean. It was my first time to experience an Irish wedding, although I missed most of it since Grace was in no mood for sitting quietly. Luckily, there was a side chapel in the church, and we spent the majority of the ceremony in there. Martin got a lot of pics so I feel like I was there.
The wedding started around 2 PM, and we were at the reception until 1:45 AM...just imagine the day we had with Grace! After the wedding ceremony, everyone hung out in the bar at the hotel until the meal was served at 6 PM. The band started playing around 9:00ish and that went on until around midnight. Then the disco started, and the dancing continued. I've never seen anything like it. It was unreal! Apparently, it was a typical Irish wedding. I was impressed!
I'll admit it was a very long day. Grace wasn't very cooperative, not that I blame her. After all, she's a one year old little girl who was surrounded by loads of people, loud music, and disco lights for the first time in her life. She had her shining moments though, particularly when she got out on the dance floor and showed us her moves!
My other Grace highlights for the day included her tight squeeze hugs and kisses and watching her dance with her Daddy. During the last week, Grace has started to hug you back when you're holding her, and it is the sweetest thing. The first time she did it, it brought tears to my eyes. She's such an affectionate little girl. Sometimes, she'll just walk over and give me or Martin a kiss out of the blue. I'm so proud of her I could just burst!
Today is our last day here, and it's been low-key so far. We took Grace on a walk and hung out with the family. This evening we'll be having dinner together and enjoying our last evening with the fam. So that's all for now, and my next post will be from our home base in Austin, Texas.
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