Eye of the Storm

I have a feeling that I am not fully processing my dad being gone yet. It's not real until I go home and he's not there. I have an intense sense of dread. I've been going over and over in my mind the simple act of walking into the house. Will I walk through the garage where it happened or will I avoid that space and walk through the front door. We never use the front door. It would be weird, but I don't want to think about where it happened, and being in that space seems like it would be too hard.

Justin has been tying up loose ends here and packing up the rest of the stuff in our apartment. Liam and I have been with K, T and H pretty much non-stop. I honestly have no idea how we'd be getting though all of this without them. I think it comforts my family to know we're being taken care of here.

This is our last full day in Dublin. Our flight to Detroit (with a lay-over in Chicago) leaves tomorrow afternoon. Please pray for a safe and smooth journey for my little family.

Dad, Jude, Kelly, me, Mom & Liam, summer 2010

Hurry up! No, slow down!

With two weeks to go before we make the big move I find myself of two minds. One moment I am saying "Come on, time, go faster!" and the next I think "I'm not ready yet, please slow down, time."

Change is hard, there's no way around it. We have embraced our time here and though we've had our share of struggles, I know I will look back on our time in Ireland fondly, grateful that we had the opportunity to see a bit more of the word. When we first moved here, I found myself enthralled with being in a new and different place. I walked my butt off those first few months, exploring my new city and taking the Dublin culture in stride. Here is a post I wrote upon our arrival in Dublin. This post is so funny to me now. The park I was looking for was none other than Herbert Park! And I leaned more about the legal aspect of living in Ireland and becoming a citizen (when Liam was born) than I care to admit! Reading those posts from two and three years ago makes me realize how much I've grown, It's so funny the silly things I point out as being different.

Moving here was a change. It was hard at first. Then I got a job. Then I made a few wonderful friends (the life-long sort). Then I had a baby and met more wonderful friends. And JDS got his Ph.D. (Not to mention my and Justin's relationship blossomed here back in 2006)! I feel that we've laid roots in this city

But. And this is a big but (trust me, I know big butts, since I have one, myself. Thanks for the genes, mom. Kidding!).  We get to move back to a wonderful, amazing, supportive family. One that can't wait to get their hands on our little boy. And, more than that, they deserve to! They have been so patiently waiting while we've been off gallivanting in Europe. I am excited to be able to attend birthday parties and hockey games and plays. To go on dates with my husband. For big Sunday family dinners. For Thanksgiving! Yes, my friends, we have a lot to look forward to and be thankful for. This period in our lives is a transition, while we look for jobs and decide where to settle. But also, we're going to put our feet up for a while, and enjoy. This is our life and as they say, "It's not about the destination..."

Image from inkstagram.com

Living with Little

All of the stuff was collected yesterday by the moving crew, which means we are living with the bare necessities. The good news is that we are not taking our dishes, Liam's crib, or any of our furniture or bedding so it's not that bad. Actually, it's kind of nice! There are a lot less toys to pick up and our closets have never looked better! The best thing about moving is the weeding out process (well, it's not fun, but the end result is great!) Anything that I haven't worn lately was donated and I only kept Liam's really nice things. 

I think L can sense something is up - and when the movers were here yesterday he was really clingy and kind of hyper. It was hard to direct them and keep him occupied at the same time (J was working). He was obsessed with the big truck and kept wanting to go outside and see it, calling it a "bu" (bus). The movers were  nice guys. My friend, Kim, who recently repatriated as well, told me it was customary to offer anyone who does work in your home to be offered a cup of tea so when they arrived I offered and they said they would love one - one with just milk and one with just sugar. The Irish and their tea! Love it.

JS and I felt bad that we packed up Liam's favorite toys so we improvised (happy, Dad?) and created a castle out of leftover boxes for him to play in. It's a little rough looking but L loves it! 

Liam's Castle

Reading to bunny

Farewell, Friend

Today, one of my very good friends for the past three years, a fellow American residing in Dublin, moves back to her home-town in the USA (Boston). Last night we went over to bid the little family good-bye, but really we all just pretended that it was another get-together and we'd see one another again soon. In reality, it will probably be at least a year before we meet again... thank goodness for Facebook, Skype and blogs!

Liz & I. Not good-bye, see you later!

Liz and I met a few months after J and I moved to Dublin. She was part of the expat community and we became fast friends. From high tea at Harvey Nic's to Cinco de Mayo at Kara's we've had one hell of a time.

You will be missed, Liz. See you on the other side!

A New Begining

After a nearly four month hiatus of blogging, I've been inspired to start up again, and as you can see, with a fresh new face! I suffered from blogger's block for a while, not for lack of inspiration or stuff to write about, but rather too much was going on. Since Our Adventures Abroad are coming to an end, I figured now was a good time to dive into the next chapter in our life. I invite you to join us for the ride as we embark on our new journey, which is bringing us from Dublin back to the Midwest, USA.

Trinity College Dublin

We've been living in Dublin for almost three years, and in those three years we have seen a little more of the world and grown and evolved along the way. We've grown accustom to the many nuances of Irish culture and have gone from "Ugh - that is so Irish" to accepting the differences as our new normal. Repatriating back into an American lifestyle is a little scary, because it really is a completely different way of life. We'll be living in rural Michigan, on a dirt road. We won't be able to just "pop out to the store" by foot to pick up a few items for dinner. We'll most likely go to a super-center to get a week's worth of supplies. And since we won't be walking as much I'll actually have to think about working out! Dining out will be a different experience. Here, there is no "Hi, how are you? My name is Melissa and I'll be taking care of you tonight..." with 50 stops back to the table to see how we're doing. And we like it that way!  We go out to enjoy one another's company, not our server's. And the travel! Even though we're dirt poor we've made a point to see a bit of Europe while we're right on it's doorstep. The main reason we're a little sad to go is the friends second family we've met here. We've kept each other company though holidays away from home and love each other's children like nieces and nephews. You know who you are and I hope you know we're expecting to stay just as close, despite the distance.

The blue door: Our first flat in Dublin

While it will be a huge change for us, it's absolutely not all bad. The primary good that comes out of this is that we will be close to our family for the first time in quite a while, and I am absolutely thrilled to watch Liam get to know his relatives on a day to day basis rather than a visit every 6 months. And I can't tell you how excited I am to shop at TARGET! Oh, how I've missed that store.

Lake Como, Italy

All that said, we are embracing our new adventure and are looking forward to this next step in our lives. Watch out USA... we're coming back!

"The Burrow" Rural Michigan, USA