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Starting the Irish adventure

The Irish adventure was born in July 2016 as we sweltered through an Arizona summer and saw gorgeous videos of Ireland. It gelled during our two-week trip to Ireland in August. We decided that IF we could sell our house for the right price (we did) and IF I could get Irish citizenship (I did), we would move to Ireland for at least several months. So the journey has begun and here we are in New York City. 
We flew out of Phoenix at 8:00 a.m. via Minneapolis. Something usually goes wrong when we travel to New York and this time was no exception. One of our bags is missing. I left my iPad at LaGuardia (at the Baggage Claim office when I was filing my claim on my lost bag thank goodness.)
But we are here, we have a whole day before we board the Queen Mary so there is plenty of time (I hope!) for my bag to arrive (it's on a plane to LaGuardia as I type) and for me to trek back out to LaGuardia to claim my iPad. Things could have been much worse.
I am feeling tired but not sleepy. We are now well on our way on our adventure. And there are still plenty of tender mercies happening. Just the fact that I am in a comfortable room actually IN New York City is great.
Leaving Scottsdale, packing and unpacking, weighing, unpacking, throwing out or heading over to Goodwill with donations (good-bye extra jacket, good-bye nightgown, my extra pair of boots....), that's all behind us. Ahead of us is a day in New York and on Thursday the ship.
So those are the things I am grateful for tonight--a safe drive to Phoenix Airport in the rental car. No problems checking in, flights on time, enough money to buy food at the airports. A safe (if rather long and hairy) cab ride from LaGuardia. Golly is there a LOT of traffic! It didn't help that we arrived at rush hour and it was pouring rain. I was glad I wasn't the one driving!! The hotel--Hotel Le Bleu--is very comfortable. We are in central Brooklyn, great location.
All in all, a very good day!

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