Vacation to NY and Ireland!

My three favorite items to take on a traveling adventure: a moneybelt--so those pesky pickpockets won't get your credit cards; spacebags!--so all your stuff can be smushed down in your bag; and a journal!  A journal is so important because it's so hard to remember everything that happened!  

Here's a few highlights from my journal this trip.

My friend Becky got her passport recently and was itching to get it stamped!  Of course, as a good friend I had to oblige her and go with her somewhere!  We found a great deal to Ireland..just couldn't pass it up. So we booked it!  It was going to be a different kind of trip than I had taken before.  Usually, I go with a friend and we research what all we want to see, research the subway system, take Rick Steve's book and off we go! When we land-we hit the ground running and take in all the sights, museums and history and love it all!

This trip was going to be different because we booked with a tour company.  We didn't have to plan anything.. all we had to do was be where they told us and prop up our feet on the bus :) Nice!

We decided to take 2 extra days at the beginning in NYC.  No tour company here..just crammed everything in!  The weather was absolutely beautiful!  The first day we saw Rockefeller Center, St. Patrick's Cathedral, ate at Lombardi's pizza and saw Mary Poppins on Broadway!  There's a great place in Times Square that sells 1/2 price Broadway tickets for that day.  You are limited to what they are selling but we walked up at 7:30 and bought $67 tickets to Mary Poppins on the 9th row center.  The show started at 8:00!  It was a great show!  Loved all the songs! I'm counting my steps on my pedometer too...this day 12, 055 steps!

Day 2 NYC-Got on one of those hop on/off bus tours and went to the WTC site, rode Staten Island Ferry, walked across the Brooklyn bridge, saw St. Paul's church, and went to another Broadway show--Shrek the Musical.. really funny!   18, 170 steps!

The next day was the day we left for Ireland so we didn't do as much. Went to Central Park, walked around alot, people watched, ate and ate! Our plane left at 6:30 pm--it was a 6 hr flight.  14,000 steps

We basically lost a whole night's sleep because the flight was about 6 hrs and Ireland is 6 hrs ahead.  So we landed at 6:30 am!  I think I slept about 30 minutes on the plane---not near enough!

We found our tour group and off we went to the hotel.  I was so impressed at the quality of hotels and food.  All 4 star hotels!  I would have never been able to stay in such great places if we hadn't gotten a great deal on the package.  Remember, I've been to Europe with my niece before and stayed in hostels and a tent in Venice! Quite the experience!

Anyway... Our tour group arranged for us a bus tour around Dublin.  Really interesting with lots of facts and sights...my brain was trying to process --no sleep does a number on ya!--Took lots of pictures though.  I wish we would have come up to Dublin a day early though because we would have been able to see a lot more...oh well, maybe next time!

Some things I learned on the tour: Mr. & Mrs. Guinness had 21 children!  --no wonder he invented the great beer!; the harp is the national symbol of Ireland-not the shamrock; police officers are unarmed in Ireland...

We went to a great pub that night and were thoroughly fed and entertained by Irish singers and step dancers!  Had some Guinness and Irish coffee too!  It was still light at 10:30 and the sun came up at 4:30!  Short nights there!

The next day we started our drive south toward the Rock of Cashel, Cork and Tipperary --and yes it was a long way there :)

I'll post a few more stories soon.....

God's Word

A few Bible verses that have encouraged me and been a blessing to me lately:

Job 29:3 "..and by HIS light I walked through darkness."

2 Corinthians 12:7-10 "⁷ And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. ⁸ Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. ⁹ And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. ¹⁰ Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong."

2 Corinthians 6:4-10 "But in all things we commend ourselves as ministers of God: in much patience, in tribulations, in needs, in distresses, ⁵ in stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labors, in sleeplessness, in fastings; ⁶ by purity, by knowledge, by longsuffering, by kindness, by the Holy Spirit, by sincere love, ⁷ by the word of truth, by the power of God, by the armor of righteousness on the right hand and on the left, ⁸ by honor and dishonor, by evil report and good report; as deceivers, and yet true; ⁹ as unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and behold we live; as chastened, and yet not killed; ¹⁰ as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things."

I have read the Bible all the way through a few times in my lifetime. (I should do it more!) And it's amazing to me how I can read something and I think "Wow! where was this verse?? It's speaking right to me!" I'm a big reader and have read many books.  If I pick a book up and read it again..it says the same thing it did last time.  It doesn't "speak" to me.  It's the same story, the same plot etc.  But the Bible is living and active.  God uses it to pierce to my soul.  I'm thankful I serve a God that cares about my life.  He uses His word to help me through tough situations.  I just need to read it!

Hebrews 4:12 "¹² For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart."