Today I’m spending the day not thinking about this.
Not thinking about the fact that we are supposed to be boarding an airplane later this afternoon and flying to Ireland.
Not thinking of my boys experiencing their first overseas trip, flying on an airplane all night long!
Not thinking about my little nieces and nephew waiting for us to pull up to the house, gleefully racing out to meet us.
Not thinking of settling in at my sister’s kitchen island in front of the wood burning stove to have a cup of tea, with my entire family (me, sister, mom, dad) ALL present- so rare.
Not thinking about my niece grabbing my hand and leading me down the hall to show us all her room, and maybe her new kindergarten school uniform!
Not thinking of heading out to explore the beautiful sights of Ireland with Ivan and the boys- so different from anywhere they’ve ever been.
Not thinking of cherishing watching my boys’ wondrous reactions to so many new things- Driving on the other side of the road! Sheep everywhere! Rolling hills! Stone bridges! Tiny cars! 😉 Green! So much green!
Not thinking about my boys and her kids playing outside, running up and down the lane, probably jumping in some puddles and mud. 🙂
Not thinking about family dinners around the table, or a night out at a cozy, dim lit pub with my sister and brother-in-law, hopefully listening to some Irish music!
Not thinking about smiling while watching my niece’s eyes grow wide and huge as she views the Eiffel Tower for the first time (and my boys’…..and Ivan’s, probably… 😊)
Not thinking about heading out in the warm summer mornings to wander the quaint streets of Paris, maybe a croissant in hand.
Not thinking about my hours and hours of meticulous planning (wasted, at least for now…) to make sure we would have just the right balance of busy sightseeing + leisurely enjoyment.
Not thinking about how excited I was to see the canals of Amsterdam, experiencing a totally new place for me.
Not thinking of my forfeited ticket to the Anne Frank House, a museum I was so looking forward to visiting.
Not thinking about the fact that our kids are only this age once…never again will they be just these perfect ages when we can visit again someday.
Not thinking about the reality that at this point we have no idea when we will EVER be able to go.
GRATEFUL KAE 
😭😭😭😭I had forgotten that it was today that you would have been coming. I got a notice on my phone a couple days ago reminding me of my flight from Chicago back to Ireland after our six wonderful weeks with you all in Wisconsin and Minnesota. 🙄😩If it’s any consolation the weather doesn’t look super great here the next several days. Let’s hope that next year WHEN you come we get beautiful blue skies the whole time. We will certainly deserve it!
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fully agree with your gratitude quote. this pandemic really taught me to appreciate every day as it comes and nothing but nothing is granted. I just cancelled my solo trip with hubby to Europe too. bummer.
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That's so disappointing! I'm sorry you can't make the trip this year, and I hope you get to spend such special time with your family next year.
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I am so sorry this trip didn't work out but as I think you know my day didn't go quite to plan either. My closing took 8 hrs longer than expected and by the end of the day I just wanted to "walk out of the contract" all together. Fortunately I didn't walk out and I am now a home owner but I am sad to think that my grandad (from England) may never see my new house! 😦 Do we have any idea of when international travel might be possible again?
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It's so hard to let go of a dream vacation that you had all planned out. I can't imagine having that happen! I always put so much work into my vacation plans. Hopefully you can take this trip next year at some point. It's hard to know when that can happen as so many countries don't want Americans visiting right now – and I can't blame them since the virus has been handled so poorly here! 😦 But I really hope you can do this at some point in the near future!
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