Home Sweet Home!

It was with heavy hearts that we arrived in Austin this evening after our wonderful journey to Ireland. Saying goodbye is the worst part of any trip to see family, but particularly in our case. The distance between us is so great that saying goodbye hurts even more.

We flew from Shannon to Newark (7 hours), then Newark to Austin (3.5 hours). Grace slept quite a bit on both flights, but not enough to please those sitting around us. She had moments on both flights when she cried uncontrollably. We think it may have been the change in altitude affecting her ears. Regardless of what made her unhappy, the journey home was rough on all three of us. Nineteen hours of traveling with an almost 15-month old isn't easy. In fact, it's downright exhausting. Martin and I agreed, though, that it was worth it. Our time in Ireland was so special, and we wouldn't trade it for anything, not even a carefree international flight!

The two highlights of the trip home both happened in the Newark airport. First, Grace had her first Happy Meal. She enjoyed her first taste of fast food, although we warned her that we'll be keeping the Happy Meals to a minimum, even though McD's has come out with healthier options (including milk instead of soda...YAY)! The second highlight was Grace's discovery of the moving walkway. She thoroughly enjoyed it, under our very close supervision :-)

Grace's Nana and Pop-Pop picked us up at the airport, and she was thrilled to see them and her Uncle Billy! Even though she was worn out, she still had plenty of energy to play and reacquaint herself with all her toys at home. We're all winding down now and looking forward to (hopefully) a good night's sleep. But then I'm up at 4:30 AM to take Mom, Dad, and Billy to the airport for their trip to Philly. Good night, one and all!