The first thing that comes to mind after more than a full day of traveling is....my calves hurt.

Actually, overall, things went smoothly. I mean, my sisters brought me to Logan International Airport in Boston on time (despite traffic due to a Boston/Yankees game in town that night), they got home OK (despite my car needing an oil change and new tires), I found the airline I booked with (despite them not being on the Logan website nor on the International Terminal exterior signs), and I made it to Dublin (despite missing my initial connecting flight from London).

Yep....I actually feel pretty accomplished to be sitting in this metal airport chair, using free (illegal) wifi, and charging my laptop and cell phone in one of the few outlets in this arrival hall. Getting to this point took persistence, faith, planning, and a couple fast paced sprints down moving airport walkways - thus the sore calves.

And, did I mention, my friend who was supposed to meet me here was not allowed in the country? He, too, had a flight from the U.S. Thursday and apparently, even though he was allowed to buy his Delta tickets, his U.K visa (long story as to why he has a U.K visa) does not permit him into Ireland.

So, once again, I'm going to have to prove to myself that I can be flexible. Yes, me...the girl who literally cut/pasted every phone number and address of where I would be (even the Giant's Causeway - a natural phenonmenon) while I'm gone and then emailed it to myself, printed off copies, and gave two sets to my roommates and parents. I tend to like to think things through as much as I can and stick to a plan - I think I get that from my dad. (Thanks, dad....)

Now, without a traveling companion, I'm not really feeling up to renting a car, nor driving on the wrong side of the road by myself. It'd be more fun with another person to make fun of how bad I was driving.

My new plan: is to not have a plan. Kinda like what I did with my cross-country trip. I had an outline of what I knew I had to do but no real plans for each location - no motels booked, no activities plotted out. We just kinda went with it and stayed in some places longer than others. It worked out. After 18 days, I got to work that last Monday (despite having to drive through the night that last night to get there and then take a 3 hour nap before work).

Yeah, I'm gonna do something along those lines again. And it starts with staying in this airport tonight and taking the bus to Cavan (which I keep pronouncing incorrectly) in the morning.

My outlined goal is to get to the wedding.

As for whether my bridesmaid dress will remain unwrinkled....um, all bets are off.