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"I'd Love a Trip to Ireland..." Happy 60th Mom!
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"I'd Love a Trip to Ireland..." Happy 60th Mom!

  • Feb 02, 2017
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"I'd Love a Trip to Ireland..." Happy 60th Mom!

While sitting in my mom's kitchen one evening, almost 2 years ago, our conversation began to shift focus from education, family, health, cooking tips, new jobs and new partners to the fact that my mom was turning 60 soon. As the conversation continued to flow, I soon asked her what she wanted for her birthday, and thinking that I would hear something along the lines of, "Oh nothing really. Just you kids all here"...in case any of you are wondering, this was not the response I heard. What I heard was, "I would love a trip to Ireland". Thoughts of hope and excitement were soon dashed with thoughts of, "Of course it was a joke, a faraway fantasy that she had been dreaming of since she was a little girl"...and then my heart took over, wanting so badly to do something as special as this for my mom..."Could I? I don't think so. Wait...I can and I will, but I won't tell her just yet!" I knew that night, sitting in my mom's kitchen, that I was going to take her to Ireland.As far back as I can remember, I have never seen or heard my mom ask for help or anything. So, when I heard my mom ask for a trip, it took me back a bit. I thought to myself, "She must really mean it, because she doesn't ask for anything ever". She doesn't ask for bday presents (Just a visit and dinner), nor does she ask for help in the kitchen, she doesn't need help with car maintenance (not like I could help anyway), and she certainly doesn't need help with anything that has to do with technology. She is a whiz. A wee bit of history... At 36, my mom had a 13, 12 and a 9 year old to support, on her own. She continued to rarely, if ever, ask for help. I'm sure it was difficult. She left what she thought was going to be her life, and ours...and never looked back. She probably cried herself to sleep sometimes, like we did, missing what once was, or what would be of our new life. She might have even stayed up late, wondering how on earth she was going to pay the electric bill, rent, or even small things for us...like soccer cleats and baseball gloves. My mom never faltered, and even if she did, the three of us never knew it. As the years passed, I continued to watch my mom continue to make it on her own, without help, and without fail. Looking back, I now see a mom who was incredibly resourceful and undeniably selfless. I only saw a small piece of this as a child by watching her sew my clothes for school, or neuter a cat herself on the kitchen table, and now as an adult only knowing a small piece, I am so grateful for all that she did for our family...to keep it together, to continue to give of herself.As resourceful as my mom had to be, she continued to put us first...even on a tight budget, she was able to create home cooked meals with frozen vegetables (fresh was too expensive and canned was not an option!), made leftovers taste delicious, held the line on discipline with phrases like, "As long as you live under my roof...and keep off the rug while I am cooking". I'm not sure how she did it, but through it all my mom still found the time to get to my softball games, volunteer in our band program at school and set strict curfews so that we could maintain structure in a world, that I am sure felt like absolute chaos to my mom most days. Mom, cheers to you. Thank you for your commitment to maintaining structure, setting expectations and loving us, on even what seemed like the most unloveable of days.  When I heard you say that you wanted a trip to Ireland, my heart sank and soared simultaneously. I knew that I could do it for you, if I set my heart in the right place, like you did for us for those long years when you were on your own, cheering for us in some of your most darkest days. So, my gift to you, a trip to Ireland is my way of saying happy birthday to you, but also to show you that you, too, deserve to feel the gift of giving. With gratitude for your tireless commitment to me. A trip to Ireland will never express my fullest gratitude I feel for you, but I hope that for those 11 days spent together, you felt the commitment, love and warmth that I felt from you all those years. 

Feb 02, 2017
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"I'd Love a Trip to Ireland..." Happy 60th Mom!

This post has 10 photos Feb 02, 2017Comments (0)534 views
While sitting in my mom's kitchen one evening, almost 2 years ago, our conversation began to shift focus from education, family, health, cooking tips, new jobs and new partners to the fact that my mom was turning 60 soon. As the conversation continued to flow, I soon asked her what she wanted for her birthday, and thinking that I would hear something along the lines of, "Oh nothing really. Just you kids all here"...in case any of you are wondering, this was not the response I heard. What I heard was, "I would love a trip to Ireland". Thoughts of hope and excitement were soon dashed with thoughts of, "Of course it was a joke, a faraway fantasy that she had been dreaming of since she was a little girl"...and then my heart took over, wanting so badly to do something as special as this for my mom..."Could I? I don't think so. Wait...I can and I will, but I won't tell her just yet!" I knew that night, sitting in my mom's kitchen, that I was going to take her to Ireland.

As far back as I can remember, I have never seen or heard my mom ask for help or anything. So, when I heard my mom ask for a trip, it took me back a bit. I thought to myself, "She must really mean it, because she doesn't ask for anything ever". She doesn't ask for bday presents (Just a visit and dinner), nor does she ask for help in the kitchen, she doesn't need help with car maintenance (not like I could help anyway), and she certainly doesn't need help with anything that has to do with technology. She is a whiz. 

A wee bit of history... At 36, my mom had a 13, 12 and a 9 year old to support, on her own. She continued to rarely, if ever, ask for help. I'm sure it was difficult. She left what she thought was going to be her life, and ours...and never looked back. She probably cried herself to sleep sometimes, like we did, missing what once was, or what would be of our new life. She might have even stayed up late, wondering how on earth she was going to pay the electric bill, rent, or even small things for us...like soccer cleats and baseball gloves. My mom never faltered, and even if she did, the three of us never knew it. 

As the years passed, I continued to watch my mom continue to make it on her own, without help, and without fail. Looking back, I now see a mom who was incredibly resourceful and undeniably selfless. I only saw a small piece of this as a child by watching her sew my clothes for school, or neuter a cat herself on the kitchen table, and now as an adult only knowing a small piece, I am so grateful for all that she did for our family...to keep it together, to continue to give of herself.

As resourceful as my mom had to be, she continued to put us first...even on a tight budget, she was able to create home cooked meals with frozen vegetables (fresh was too expensive and canned was not an option!), made leftovers taste delicious, held the line on discipline with phrases like, "As long as you live under my roof...and keep off the rug while I am cooking". I'm not sure how she did it, but through it all my mom still found the time to get to my softball games, volunteer in our band program at school and set strict curfews so that we could maintain structure in a world, that I am sure felt like absolute chaos to my mom most days. 

Mom, cheers to you. Thank you for your commitment to maintaining structure, setting expectations and loving us, on even what seemed like the most unloveable of days.  When I heard you say that you wanted a trip to Ireland, my heart sank and soared simultaneously. I knew that I could do it for you, if I set my heart in the right place, like you did for us for those long years when you were on your own, cheering for us in some of your most darkest days. So, my gift to you, a trip to Ireland is my way of saying happy birthday to you, but also to show you that you, too, deserve to feel the gift of giving. With gratitude for your tireless commitment to me. A trip to Ireland will never express my fullest gratitude I feel for you, but I hope that for those 11 days spent together, you felt the commitment, love and warmth that I felt from you all those years. 
I believe this picture explains itself...but what you don't see...is 2 little lambs off to the right side of the car staring at us. My mom feverishly trying to grab her phone to take photos, me trying to change my lenses from my camera to capture this perfect moment. Laughter ensued for quite sometime between my mom and I...something that was new for me. It felt so warm and loving to share such a beautiful moment with my mom, away from the stress of life, and everyday routine. We knew that we had arrived in Ireland after this...
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I believe this picture explains itself...but what you don't see...is 2 little lambs off to the right side of the car staring at us. My mom feverishly trying to grab her phone to take photos, me trying to change my lenses from my camera to capture this perfect moment. Laughter ensued for quite sometime between my mom and I...something that was new for me. It felt so warm and loving to share such a beautiful moment with my mom, away from the stress of life, and everyday routine. We knew that we had arrived in Ireland after this...

Feb 02, 2017
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DSC05866 Capture Date: Jan 4, 2017 02:39 PM
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Oh Mom, I can't remember what town this was in. I believe it was Galway. Just lovely place. We decided that we would leave the hotel and check out downtown. Neither my mom or I are big shoppers, but we both enjoy window shopping and a good cup of coffee, which is exactly what we did this day. The rain came in, as it always does in Ireland and it whisked us into this cute little coffee shop, where as it continued to poor, we decided we could probably eat something as well. Can't ask for more than that...good coffee, good rainstorm, good company and good food. 
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Oh Mom, I can't remember what town this was in. I believe it was Galway. Just lovely place. We decided that we would leave the hotel and check out downtown. Neither my mom or I are big shoppers, but we both enjoy window shopping and a good cup of coffee, which is exactly what we did this day. The rain came in, as it always does in Ireland and it whisked us into this cute little coffee shop, where as it continued to poor, we decided we could probably eat something as well. Can't ask for more than that...good coffee, good rainstorm, good company and good food. 

Feb 02, 2017
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DSC06065 Capture Date: Jan 4, 2017 02:37 PM
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I took pride in the 6months planning for this birthday extravaganza for my mom. I wanted it to be extra special. I wanted her to have a unique and very "Irish" experience. I think, from the look on her face in this picture, that she was enjoying her time. We arrived in this thatched roof cottage toward the middle of our trip. By this time, we had already stayed in a castle, a bed and breakfast and a really old and unique hotel...we were ready for a place of "our own". This place was the cutest little place I had ever seen. The flowers you see were from my brother and his girlfriend, a surprise delivered to the castle just the night before. I thought to myself, "Oh what to do! I think we will hang out in the cottage, and just enjoy our time together."
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I took pride in the 6months planning for this birthday extravaganza for my mom. I wanted it to be extra special. I wanted her to have a unique and very "Irish" experience. I think, from the look on her face in this picture, that she was enjoying her time. We arrived in this thatched roof cottage toward the middle of our trip. By this time, we had already stayed in a castle, a bed and breakfast and a really old and unique hotel...we were ready for a place of "our own". This place was the cutest little place I had ever seen. The flowers you see were from my brother and his girlfriend, a surprise delivered to the castle just the night before. I thought to myself, "Oh what to do! I think we will hang out in the cottage, and just enjoy our time together."

Feb 02, 2017
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DSC05928 Capture Date: Jan 4, 2017 02:38 PM
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My mom is very talented. She personalizes most things, and is incredibly thoughtful with the gifts that she makes and sends to extended family and us. There is always a thought behind every gift...most of her gifts are hand-made, so they are extra special. I thought it would be nice for mom to see a wool factory that made blankets, sweaters, scarves, booties, etc...we had no idea what we would find when we entered, and were pleasantly surprised when we were offered to go and actually see the looms in action! "What? Really? How cool?" we both thought. We walked up these back stairs, passing a multitude of colored wool that was waiting it's turn to be made into something lovely. We opened these doors and found 3 men sitting at the oldest looking looms. I can't remember now how old the men, or the looms, were but they were old (the looms, if you were wondering... ;)). We took turns sitting on the bench pretending like we were workin' it, but really it was an amature photoshoot!  My mom was chatting away and was completely in her element, which made my heart swell. It was lovely and hard to leave.
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My mom is very talented. She personalizes most things, and is incredibly thoughtful with the gifts that she makes and sends to extended family and us. There is always a thought behind every gift...most of her gifts are hand-made, so they are extra special. I thought it would be nice for mom to see a wool factory that made blankets, sweaters, scarves, booties, etc...we had no idea what we would find when we entered, and were pleasantly surprised when we were offered to go and actually see the looms in action! "What? Really? How cool?" we both thought. We walked up these back stairs, passing a multitude of colored wool that was waiting it's turn to be made into something lovely. We opened these doors and found 3 men sitting at the oldest looking looms. I can't remember now how old the men, or the looms, were but they were old (the looms, if you were wondering... ;)). We took turns sitting on the bench pretending like we were workin' it, but really it was an amature photoshoot!  My mom was chatting away and was completely in her element, which made my heart swell. It was lovely and hard to leave.

Feb 02, 2017
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Another cup of coffee you say? Where's the "Irish" in that coffee of yours...
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Another cup of coffee you say? Where's the "Irish" in that coffee of yours...

Feb 02, 2017
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Donegal, Castle! This was a beautiful castle we spent time in one afternoon while exploring the town of Donegal. This castle was built in the 15th century! WHOA!
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Donegal, Castle! This was a beautiful castle we spent time in one afternoon while exploring the town of Donegal. This castle was built in the 15th century! WHOA!

Feb 02, 2017
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Of course, a trip to the Ireland, is not complete, unless an academic, like my mom, visits Trinity College. What a trip it was. It was a great day, a wee bit dreary, but lovely. This was, I think, one of the last sights of the trip, and we had such a nice time! 
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Of course, a trip to the Ireland, is not complete, unless an academic, like my mom, visits Trinity College. What a trip it was. It was a great day, a wee bit dreary, but lovely. This was, I think, one of the last sights of the trip, and we had such a nice time! 

Feb 02, 2017
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DSC06086 Capture Date: Jan 4, 2017 02:35 PM
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A personalized menu, "on the house" desert,  our first dinner in Ireland. Happy Birthday Mom. 
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A personalized menu, "on the house" desert,  our first dinner in Ireland. Happy Birthday Mom. 

Feb 02, 2017
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Bushmills' Distillery...very cool place.  Had one sip at the end and that was enough for both of us!
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Bushmills' Distillery...very cool place.  Had one sip at the end and that was enough for both of us!

Feb 02, 2017
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Giant's Causeway...I think my mom and I enjoyed the animated video of the story of the Giant and how he created the Causeway, rather than the Causeway itself! I think we left our lungs at the bottom of the massive hill. 
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Giant's Causeway...I think my mom and I enjoyed the animated video of the story of the Giant and how he created the Causeway, rather than the Causeway itself! I think we left our lungs at the bottom of the massive hill. 

Feb 02, 2017
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