Ireland

On May 2, the Sperling's arrived in Dublin Ireland.  Our trip to Ireland was pretty uneventful and not much to tell.  Getting through immigration and customs in Dublin was one of our fastest and easiest experiences ever which is a great way to end travel time. In Dublin, we picked up our rental car and immediately headed for Waterford.

Along the way to Waterford we stopped at Powerscourt Gardens.  We really didn't have enough time there to fully enjoy the gardens as we probably should have.  Instead we had a quick lunch, a brief walk around and then headed on to Waterford. After some altercations and getting a little lost, we finally found the Waterford factory and just barely made it in time for the factory tour. The tour was all about how they make their glass and their products.  It was pretty fascinating.

Our night in Waterford led to one of the scariest nights I've had with Jacob.  He woke up in the middle of the night SCREAMING and there seemed to be nothing I could do to calm him down.  I finally went down to the lobby to try to keep him from waking up the entire hotel and talked to the front desk guy about where the nearest hospital was.  All I could think was that he was in pain and couldn't shake it so maybe an ear infection.  At last he finally stopped screaming and we were able to calm him down. Of course after this I couldn't put him back in his bed so for the first time in Jacob's life he slept in the bed with Mom and Dad.  I was just so grateful that everything seemed to be ok.  The next morning he acted just fine.  Who knows what happened?!

The next morning we started driving towards Dingle Peninsula.  Our first stop was at the Rock of Cashel.  The Rock was the original seat of the kings of munster.  Eventually it was donated to the church.  I think we missed out on some of the most impressive aspects due to restoration but it was still a worthwhile stop.

From the Rock we drove on to Muckross House farms.  We got there in the middle of a major downpour so we ended up not touring the farm but we did tour the inside of the house.  They didn't allow pictures inside which is one of my pet-peves on vacation but ohh well.  After our inside tour the rain had let up some so we walked around the beautiful grounds.

Finally we drove on to Dingle and checked in to our lovely B&B and had a nice dinner at a pub.  The next morning we went on a self guided driving tour of Dingle Peninsula. This was possibly one of my most favorite days.  We had decent weather and some fantastic views.  It was a lot of driving with quick picturesque stops.  Jacob spent most of the day in the car but he did a great job and was mostly a very happy boy.

We spent another night in Dingle before heading on to Galway.  On the way to Galway we stopped at the iconic Cliffs of Moher.  Once again it was slightly rainy and very windy. The Cliffs were pretty spectacular.  All of us walked the main pathway created by the official visitors center but because of Jacob's stroller we weren't all able to continue on so Marvetta and I stayed with Jake while Micah and Shelly ventured our farther.  They came back with some slightly scary pictures.

Another stop before Galway was this strange tomb sight.  I have to admit, I was very underwhelmed. 

For our final stop of the day, we had dinner in Dunguaire Castle.  It was a fun and fascinating evening. They had a few performers who told us about how dinners were done back in the day of old time King and Queens.  Shelly, Marvetta, and I really enjoyed it!  Even Jake enjoyed watching the performances. 

Jacob watching the performers

We spent a brief night in Galway and didn't do anything touristy so I have no idea what Galway is like for touring.  The next morning we headed straight for Dublin.  The trip from Galway to Dublin was a very easy highway drive which is unusual for Ireland.  Micah actually found it a bit "boring" to drive. Once we made it to Dublin, we checked into our hotel and headed off to do some sightseeing.  The first thing we did was find Trinity College and do a brief tour.  The college is a beautiful little campus in the middle of Dublin. 

 After the Trinity College tour we attempted to go see the Dublin Castle but it was closed until July or something like that.  What a bummer. So instead we walked around the castle and went and hung out in the castle park.

This beautiful church, Chirstchurch, was right across from our hotel. 

While in Ireland, you must try as many Irish beers as possible :)

Our second day in Dublin we bought tickets for the "hop-on-hop-off" bus tour.  These buses took us to every sight in Dublin we wanted to see.  Honestly, we didn't have enough time in Dublin to do everything we wanted to do but we got most of the important stuff.  The first stop of the day was St. Patricks Cathedral.  The gardens and flowers around it were amazing. Inside was pretty too but after you've seen many many old churches they start to run together.

From the cathedral we headed on to Guinness Storehouse.  The self guided tour was pretty fascinating with all the steps of brewing the "perfect" beer.  At the end we each got a pint to sit and enjoy with a nice view of Dublin.

Jacob enjoyed riding the open top bus from stop to stop.  Occasionally he even took a nap on the bus!

After Guinness, we headed on to the Kilmainham Gaol- prison.  The history of this prison is very fascinating and our tour guide did a great job of making it all come to life.  There were many political prisoners held in this prison during the years and years of Irish revolution.  This prison is also used for many movie sets.

We also hopped off at the top of O'Connelly street and did a little stroll.  

An entire day of being in a carrier gets old for the little boy so we occasionally took time out to play in a park and let him crawl around.

When our touring day was finished, Grandma and Grandpa were very generous and let Micah and I head out on a date.  We spent the evening in a little pub listening to a guy play guitar.  It was very nice to have an evening to not have to worry about feeding a baby and keeping him happy through dinner. Thanks Grandma and Grandpa!

Ireland was extremely beautiful with dramatic scenery.  It was a great start to our trip! Next up, Northern Ireland.

We're Moving!

I have so many things to blog about, our trip to Ireland and Scotland, Jake turning 11 months, Jake having a birthday party, but I feel like I have this big announcement hanging over my head. So here it is:

Our little family is moving to Doha, Qatar.  That's right, a few more years of the Middle East for us.  We really wanted to move back to the USA sometime this year but Micah's job offer was too good to pass up so we agreed to make the move from Saudi Arabia to Qatar.

In many ways, life in Qatar will be much easier than life in Saudi. It is a much more "westernized" country where I will be able to drive and won't have to wear an abaya.  Stores don't close for prayer times and they even have movie theaters.  Certain restaurants serve alcohol and pork can be found in certain stores.  Doha is only 1 short (14-16 hour) plane ride from Houston.  I'm very excited to be able to get on ONE plane and be in Houston.  I know that sounds crazy but after years of 1.5 hour drive to the airport and extra flights with layovers, this sounds amazing.

For our family this move has a positive impact.  It means more normal type outings, normal dates for me and Micah, and even some fun activities to do together. Also, Micah will be working a more normal work week which Jacob and I are really happy about! We will be able to travel some more and see more of the world and get some more life experiences.

We will dearly miss our friends we've made here in Saudi and I don't look forward to living in the middle east without them. We will continue to miss our family and friends in the USA and miss getting to be there for special occasions but our time will come to be back and I'm sure the next few years will fly by. Wish us luck!

* Here are a few pictures from our trip to Doha for the interview

11 Months

11 months!

Jacob’s Stats:

Age: 11 months

Weight: 19 lbs 14 oz

Length: 29”

Eye Color: deep blue

Hair color: blonde

Eating Schedule: 5 oz 3 times/day, 6-8 oz morning and night. Solids at lunch and dinner

Sleeping: Jacob naps two times a day.  His first nap is in the morning and his long nap is from around 3:30pm-5:30pm. 

Clothing: Jake is in all 12 month

Teeth: Jake has 4 on bottom 1 on top and 1 on the way

New Activities: Jacob still loves the beach, the dishwasher, and playing with his toys.  He is getting very good at walking behind his walking toys and squeals when he needs someone to help turn him around. He also loves walking with people holding his hands. Jake is able to guide us like he has ahold of reigns. This month, Grandma and Grandpa came to visit before whisking me off to Ireland and Scotland.  I spent much of this month not at home.  Grandma and Grandpa were able to teach Jake how to say “uh oh” and work on “A-E-I-O-U” which has now appropriately been changed to “A-E-I-O-S-U- Cowboys”.  Jacob can say the first part and then just laughs when we finish. He loves his solid foods and eats quite a bit.  He also learned how to clap! This kid loves to eat. With how much food Jacob eats, I’m surprised he stays so slender.  Month 10 was such a fun month, now it's time for 11!