Remember what Bilbo used to say...

"It's a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don't keep your feet, there's no knowing where you might be swept off to.”

T-minus 8 hours till my flight to Dublin. I am packed, finally! I'm bringing a big ole hiking backpack, and two checked bags. I tried, I really did, to make all my stuff magically fit into one 50lb bag, however 100 lbs does not fit into a 50lbs bag no matter how tightly you roll your shirts.

I'm getting into Dublin tomorrow morning at 8am sightseeing and then heading to our house in Galway for the week. We are staying in a house that sleeps 12 people, and we are using all the beds and more. It will be a great group of people to travel with, and keeping with the Franciscan spirit we will have 3:11 male-female ratio.

The exchange rate is a happy 1.23 this morning which is absolutely wonderful.

So here begins my adventure. I'm going abroad without my parents to keep me safe, or keep their wallets with me. I'm just the right amount of nervous to travel, but I am more excited than anything

Bon Voyage!