Top O' The Morning To Ya

This morning I awoke early, and my first thought, lying there in a hypnagogic state in my rack was - "I should take a trip with my mom to Ireland". I'm not sure why this thought came to my mind, but it did. I fell back asleep for a little while but on the way to lunch I had the thought again. Every year around this time I entertain the idea, but something always prevents me from following through with it. My mom has been saying for years that she wants to go back to Ireland and this year would seem to be perfect - I'll have the time off, my mom is in a job where she could take the time off, I'm in a great financial place to afford a trip for the two of us and what a perfect idea in lieu of a "Welcome Home Party", which seems to be a bad idea, to spend some quality time with my mom! Still, I wanted some sort of sign that I should move forward with this idea, and then on the walk back from the chow hall - there it was. I saw it from about 100 feet away - an emerald, shining crystal clear, just lying there in the sand! I couldn't believe my eyes and at first I thought I was hallucinating. I mean, I've seen a lot of strange things left in the sand since my arrival here - coins, jewelry, etc, but an emerald, no way! Selling an emerald this size, (walking towards it I saw that it was about the size of a bottle cap, maybe a little larger), would surely pay for an amazing trip. In fact, I thought how it may even pay for most of my Acura - for sure it would pay for loads of Margaritas in Puerto Vallarta. Where would I sell an emerald this size? Did it fall out of a ring? Would someone be looking for it? - No, I'm sorry, finders keepers, I wasn't giving it back, this was fate, THIS WAS DESTINY - this was...... a Green Apple Jolly Rancher that someone had just spit out of their mouth, still glistening and shimmering with spit :( Nevertheless, it was still the sign that I needed.

I called my mom up when I arrived at work. Waiting for 5 hours until an appropriate East Coast time killed me, but I decided to spend the time looking into Ireland Vacation Packages on-line. To my surprise, there were lots, and at reasonable prices! Everything from staying in 5 star castle hotels to staying in cozy Bed & Breakfasts or Cottages in the country. Even Aer Lingus, the Irish airline, offers deals. I started to think about how great it would be to be sitting with my mom in an Irish Pub on my birthday December 19th with a foamy lip from the Guinness I'd be sipping on. That was it, I couldn't wait another moment - I just had to call my mom.

The phone rang and it was 8 am in Bethlehem, PA. My mother was in her own hypnagogic state, but I woke her up and said, "Are you sitting down?" She replied, "I'm still lying in bed, yeah, what's up?" "I had a thought"...Now usually, and Victor can surely verify, whenever I spit out those words, a bomb is about to be dropped. God knows I've dropped lots of bombs on you Victor - my "epiphanies". Anyway, my mom took a deep breath, cracked a little smile that I could feel through the phone and she finally replied, "O.k., go ahead, what?" Then I threw it out there, "What do ya say you...and me...around December 15th through the 22nd or 23rd...take a vacation to Ireland?" Her first response was one of someone that didn't believe me to be serious, but once she knew I meant business, she made plans to go to the AAA on Friday and look for vacation packages - I said I would equally research it on-line and together we would come up with a vacation that we would remember for the rest of our lives!

It's amazing what can become of a single thought. I woke up and because of my thought, in less than 3 months I could be snuggling up to the fireplace in an Irish cottage sipping on some Jameson - yeah mom, I know I'm not the biggest fan of the Jameson, but I promise that on this trip with you in Ireland, I'll have at least one Jameson drink. (Mind you my mother swears that Jameson Irish Whiskey, which she used to rub on our teeth when we were babies and teething, "goes down your throat like water". She'd even say that "nothing gets rid of a cold like a good shot of Jameson". Kathy Sweeney, your whole family is Irish - I know you would probably agree. Anyway, I digress.) So the day is going to end with me lying in my bed thinking about Bailey's and Cornbeef & Cabbage, and Leprechauns dancing. I can't wait to go with you - this Green Apple Jolly Rancher that I'm putting in my mouth right now goes out to you and me mom! Top O' The Morning To Ya! Here's to planning an amazing trip together!