Dreaming of Ireland

I've always had a dream honeymoon destination in mind, even when I didn't have a dream guy in mind. I always told my friends "the man I marry will appreciate my sense of humor, will like dark beer, and will want to go to Ireland for our honeymoon." See, I'm Irish Catholic, and since we've already gone into my love of Guinness and dark beer, it just seems like a natural fit that I would want to go to Ireland. Sure, a warm beach somewhere would be nice, and don't get me wrong, I'm sure cruises are really relaxing but I can't stand the idea of being trapped on a boat for a week, no matter how large the boat is. I would much rather explore the streets of Dublin and hole up in a pub somewhere sipping Guinness with the one I love and listening to a good Irish band. Of course, I never actually thought I would find that perfect person. Drowning in a see of Mr. Not-So-Perfects or Mr. I'll-Settle-For-This-One's, I couldn't picture myself meeting a guy who would be my perfect match, who would appreciate and want many of the same things I want.

Until I met T. He, too, is a cradle Irish Catholic. (Just looking at him, he screams "Irish!") He appreciates my self-deprecating and sarcastic sense of humor. (Of course, for the first few months we were dating, I sometimes wondered if he was just laughing at my jokes because he knew they were supposed to be funny or whether he actually got them, but I digress...) He likes many of the same things I do including a nice, cold dark beer, and one of those things we shared was a dream to go to Ireland someday. Before I even told him that's my dream destination, he told me that's where he has always wanted to go. We knew it was inevitable that we someday would get there, and after we were engaged, there was never a question of where we'd go. Ireland.

We've picked the hotel - the Shelbourne Dublin, and this place is nice. Really nice. The way we figure it is that this is a once and a lifetime opportunity, so we should go all out. I often find myself looking at the hotel's Web site during the day (and I know T does this too because I often catch him looking at it) just dreaming of when we'll be there. It's just so beautiful. Through all the stress and the hecticness that comes with wedding planning, we just keep telling ourselves...."think of Ireland."

While we don't have any specific things planned out on what we want to do, we do know that one day will be dedicated to touring the Guinness Brewery. This place is so cool. You get to tour the museum, the brewery and even be educated on the proper way to pour a pint. (T's just so excited you get a certificate on this, which he will proudly display in his Man Cave.) And, when you're done with the tour, you get a free pint of Guinness. Too much fun and pretty much my idea of heaven.
More importantly, I'm so looking forward to getting away with T and going off the grid for a week. No work email, no cell phone, no constant connection to the outside world. I've already been instructed to leave my work computer at work and not check work email once my vacation officially starts a few days before the wedding, but I think we all get so tied up in the constant connection to everything that technology provides us that it becomes almost like an addiction. I can't wait to just get on that plain with T, look over at my new husband and think "we have a whole week just to have fun, be with each other and celebrate our marriage and not worry about anything else." We'll have the time of our lives.

But enough about that...I suppose I should get back to work :-) But for right now, I'm just dreaming of Ireland...