Hi,
For those of you who do not know me, or only as Sam's mom, my name is Tracey. I am a manger of a busy urgent care in Montana.I am the mother of four children, of which Sam is the second oldest. He will be quick to tell you he is my favorite, but I really do not have a favorite. Any of you other mothers can vouch for the fact that each child is different and they all have certain unique qualities that make each child the favorite in different ways.
I do not have as much experience traveling as my son Sam, but I have traveled abroad before. I went on a tour of the Tuscany region in Italy about 7 years ago. That was with a group and only venturing off on your own in the area the group was in. It was a good way to get my feet wet, so to speak, in international travel. This time, we are doing both the tour and the by ourselves part. I'm so excited to be doing this with my son. It is a no pressure adventure of a lifetime!
Sam had approached me a couple of years ago about taking a trip with him. He and I both share the love of an adventure, making new friends, seeing new places, and being laid back enough to enjoy whatever comes our way. We kicked around the idea of taking a group tour ourselves. We had many places in mind, but none of them really got our excitement flowing. Sam called me one day and asked if I would be open to us doing our own tour of Ireland, Wales, and London. As a side note, for those of you who don't know Sam, he has been wanting to see London since he was a young child. He even tries to speak with a London type accent. Being from Montana, I can not judge the quality of it, but will laugh uncontrollably if he attempts it unsuccessfully in London! Sorry Sam, but it is part of our adventure! Now back to the real story. He had a basic plan and and we talked about how we would do this, where we would stay, and what things we might do while there.
The plan has evolved into what we both think is going to be an amazing adventure. What woman wouldn't want to go to Ireland, Wales, and London. Not to mention that this trip has absolutely no pressure for either of to be anything other than ourselves. We had talked of staying in hostels in each of the countries, but Sam decided that for his mother, that wasn't the wisest idea. I would have taken the adventure, but am thankful my son is looking out for my well being. We couldn't have planned all this incredible adventure without the wonderful help of Sam's coworker, DJ. I want to express my undying gratitude for her inexhaustible knowledge of traveling and how to go about it to get the best value and still have the best adventure.
To get ready for the trip, I did some research on the countries to figure out what I would like to see and do. I'm more of a go with the flow type person. I tend to not worry too much of what might happen to me. I figure it will add to the experience. Sam tells me he has all the embassy numbers and lost passport phone numbers, and I think to myself,"Hmmm, good thing I'm traveling with him, cause I seriously would never thought of any of that! Does he think we are going to need them?" I have given Sam a few suggestions on what I want to see and do, and have let him handle all the rest. After all, he is the one in the industry and does this for a living. I want to make it a trip he'll never forget and just be there to experience that. We will be doing just about every mode of transportation and I am excited to open myself up to the ride! We will see new places, try new foods, meet new friends, and just have an extraordinary time doing it!
I have not packed yet, myself. I'm excited to go and if I pack, I will not be able to concentrate at all on my job until I leave. Besides, I have to figure out what I'm going to pack. I am a woman, and as such, need to figure out what shoes I'm bringing. Yes, shoes. We are going to be doing a lot of walking and hiking, but also going to be going out to eat. This is my main concern over the luggage. How to pack the right kind of shoes in as little of space as possible. Clothing is only a minor concern. I will bring what I feel I will need with the idea that we will be doing laundry. For my sister, Nicole, I will make sure I do a small bit on the laundry mats we use. She and I always end up going to a laundry mat when we are vacationing together, so she will appreciate that. I told you, I'm kind of a go with the flow type girl when I go on vacation. Even going to a laundry mat can be an awesome experience if you are open to what you might find.
My vacation starts earlier than Sam's. I'm flying to meet him at his home and to see my family that lives there. We are native to Montana but I'm just the only one left here in Montana. I'm super excited to see them. They have a really neat tradition going of having a family dinner night every other Wednesday. I gave them all a three month warning that since I will be there on a Wednesday, they better have one planned and everyone needs to be there. That way I get to see everyone and share in the fun! I know they are doing burgers and brauts. Yum! For Sam's and my contribution, we decided we would do ice cream sundaes. Let's celebrate the beginning of the warm weather, and who doesn't like ice cream? Then on Thursday Sam and I will begin this phenomenal adventure!We will be flying to Dublin, Ireland by way of Chicago first. I'm a die hard Bears fan and wish we had a little time for me to explore the city and see the stadium. But hey, I'm going to Ireland, so who can complain, right? So sit back, grab a cup of coffee,or a Guinness, and relax, while we take you on the ride of our lifetime!
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