It's a bird? It's a plane? No, it's a family of musicians rocking the Emerald Isle!

I've been slacking.  I'll take all the blame.  It's been a while since our last installment but don't judge me just yet.  Wait until you hear what has been keeping me busy and then you can decide.  But first a moment of awe:

Ireland.  All I can say is wow.  We are definitely coming back.  No questions.  Wow.  Oh, and in case you didn't hear it, WOW.

Travel tip #27
(Because writing travel tip #1 isn't quite as impressive.)

The best way to cure jet lag has been found!  Find a place where a lot of people are gathering, grab your instruments and start to play!  Just hours after arriving on solid ground, ShaeLaurel hit the streets determined to rock the Island and defeat the miserable drag of jet lag (rhyme unintentional, but it might have potential).  All I can say is:  Mission Accomplished!

Travel tip #28

Guinness.  If you've had it in the states, whether you've liked it or not, it is entirely different in Ireland and it's amazing.  It will also make you an instant favorite at the bar.  The Irish like nothing more than to see a customer order and enjoy a good Guinness!

Travel tip #29

With every closed door there is another open window.
Due to the language barrier (English and huh?) our show in Tullamore fell through.  Undaunted Dad walked into the nearest pub and asked if they wanted music tonight.  The owner welcomed us in, set us up with a couple of pints, and led us to the stage.  It was a Monday night and the pub was particularly empty, after a few songs though that quickly changed.  People who were enjoying the music called their friends and some even went from pub to pub throughout Tullamore to bring in more people.  A group of recent hurling champions whooped it up to the music (and gave us a very educational view of every level of drunk) while they passed around their huge champion cup filled with whiskey water to everyone.  Which leads us to our next travel tip:

Travel tip #30

Never try to out-drink the Irish.

Travel tip #31

The Cliffs of Moher in Ireland are a famous landmark that you must see.  If you find yourself there after it 'closes' (aka the visitor center is closed.) don't panic and definitely don't pay for parking.  Just pull up to  the entrance and park there.  After 6 you can watch the beautiful sunset from the cliffs.  If you have the chance, wait until sunset.  It's a magical experience.

Travel tip #32

There are 4 pubs in Doolin.  One of these is O'Conner's pub.  With amazing traditional music in a nice cozy setting (fire place included) it's definitely a must see!

Travel tip # 33

Dublin city wall = great place for a photo shoot.  Point, click timer button and run like mad.  The result?  See for yourself!

Travel tip #34

Traveling on your way from Doolin to Galway along the coast road make sure you take the opportunity to pull over near the smaller cliffs on the way out of town.  The raw power of the ocean is a sight to behold!

Travel tip #35

Americans are very good at the 'tourist experience', the Irish on the other hand are very good at pubs.  There are several interesting sights to see in Ireland but the real charm of the Island lives in the people that live there.  In your travels, take an opportunity to walk around the town or village you're staying in, talk to people, hang out at the local pubs and listen to the music alive in every beating heart.  The hills and valleys may be as green as emeralds, but the real gems are the people that make the Emerald Isle their home.

Sláinte!

In the airport and we're flying to Ireland. Are you ready for the adventure of a lifetime?

As I type, the entire ShaeLaurel family is sitting in the airport in Orlando, FL about to embark on one of their most ambitions endeavors yet.  That's right, we are heading to Ireland for 11 days of musical madness!  Are you ready to ride?  

As the official ShaeLaurel loud mouth, I will be filling you in on all the adventures so you can join us in Ireland from the comfort of your very own home...er...computer chair...wherever. 

On this trip we will attempt to answer some age old questions:

Can ShaeLaurel really survive with 3 small bags and their instruments?

Is the emerald Isle really made of Emeralds?

And is there a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow or is it just golden mashed potatoes?

These and other questions will be answered!  

1 mission, 2 stops, 3 bags, 4 teenagers, 5 instruments, and 6 overly excited musicians!  

What does that spell...?  (I'm not thinking disaster.  Really.)

Operation Ireland!

The Lower 48

It was hard to leave Alaska.  We had a long hard trek across Canada pulling several all night drives because we lingered too long in the beautiful mountains of Alaska.  Our first adventure hit us at the border:  we were pulling our RV into customs and the border guard mentioned some form number when he examined our file.

"What does that mean?"  My mom pressed, worried.  She always feels uncomfortable crossing borders.

"Oh, it's not bad."  He assured her, picking up on her worried tone.  "It just means that you've been crossing the border a lot."

And it was true.  Coming in and out of Alaska through the southeastern islands that we had been back and forth nearly 8 times in the last month and to the border guards this means business.

We were waved unceremoniously to the side where we were greeted by 6 big tall guards with their hands on their batons.

"Step out of the vehicle!"  The biggest one called, eyeing us skeptically.

We trouped out of the bus one by one all wishing we had thought to clean.

"How many people do you have in there?"  The guard barked, peering at the door.

"Only 6."  Mom assured him.  The man's look told us that 'only' had been a bad choice in words.

"Do you have any firearms or weapons of any kind on board?"

"No."  We all said in unison in that creepy way that only a family who lives on top of each other can.

The statement was true, unless you counted the bagpipes as a weapon.  Personally I had my doubts.

"Anything sharp?  Knives and the like?"

"No."  Dad said.

"But watch out for your hands on the siding."  Mom warned.  I could have sworn that one of the guards rolled his eyes.

They made us leave while they searched every inch of our RV.  When they were satisfied that we weren't smuggling any Canadians into the country, we were allowed on our way and back on the road...

Our Great Alaskan Adventure!

Alaska is an adventure waiting to happen, there's never enough time to see it all!  We had 4 days to explore Alaska before we had to return to the lower 48 states and the rest of our tour. Tons of Alaskans invited us to visit their homes and ranches and experience Alaska first hand. Our first visit took us to the Kenai River Front where the Salmon run and where the Nelson Family lives.

They taught us how to fish.

Hunt.

And Eat Alaskan Style.

There was music,

and games,

and an adventure our family would never forget.

We stayed as long as we could but time is running short.  Now we'll have a long drive to the lower 48...

Things we lost on the Alaska Highway...

Our front bumper's paint job:

Our tow hitch trying to save our front bumper:

Our bikes, trying to leave the place where our front bumper and tow hitch were mutilated:

Our Sanity:

(Picture omitted to protect what's left of our pride.)