I feel all grown up, and yet terrified, because really, I'm not grown up at all.  I still think of my friends' parents as "so-in-so's mom and dad" and I still coast on shopping carts through the parking lot sometimes.  I am, however, embarking on my first adult vacation and I am going to make an effort to document it.

We're going to Ireland and the Isle of Man!  For me, I'm hoping that it's going to be somewhat of a spiritual journey, a chance to regain energy and heal and try to see God in day-to-day life in a way that I lost during school.  I also want to share with you what I learn about Irish culture and creatures.

Yesterday we drove to Orlando to catch a flight to Toronto and then on to Dublin.  In south Georgia we rescued two turtles from the perils of crossing human migratory paths.  Unfortunately in my eagerness I did not actually press the buttons on my Go Pro  (though I tried) and can't share with you the footage of our daring rescue.  But be assured both turtles are safe!  I think saving turtles is one of the easiest ways to help wildlife.  As long as the traffic volume is low and you can park in a relatively safe place, you can simply put the turtle on the other side of the road in the direction it was heading.  Preserving the lives of individual turtles can really make a difference since they live such long lives (eastern box turtles can live 50 years or more!).

When we got to Orlando, we went to get dinner at Downtown Disney and watched the performers.  And we got Anna a corndog, of course.  Next stop, Toronto, then, IRELAND!!

Spike Jr., our traveling stegosaurus enjoyed his fries and beer from the food trucks at Downtown Disney.