Love O' Ireland

I've always had a bit of a love affair with Ireland. Although not merely for its sweeping landscapes and what I consider to be the best accent on the planet. My romance started about 12 years ago when I visited my then-boyfriend/now-husband, who like many American college kids was studying abroad in Dublin.

Welcome to the family

Tomorrow I'll be posting a review of the Marriott's Canyon Villas property in Phoenix, Arizona. So I've been spending some time reflecting on our trip (you can read a full report here). One of the highlights was spending some quality time with my brother-in-law and his then-girlfriend. I say "then" because she became his fiance this weekend, and we couldn't be happier about that. They live in Iowa and we don't get to see them as much as we'd like, but we're thrilled to be gaining a sister and aunt!

This Monday I'm dreaming of more adventures with the two beautiful people you see standing with us in the picture above. It's always nice to find travel companions that don't seem to mind (or at least pretend not to) when your son wakes them up at 4 a.m. demanding breakfast.

And, on a much less important note, Arrows Sent Forth has a new look!  Thanks to the design gurus at Logo Nerds (who I heard about from Jennifer at Two Kids and a Map), plus some design work that I bartered copy-editing work for with Senthil at DeafandHoH.com, I feel like my little space on the web is looking a lot better. Let me know what you think! (If you're reading this post through a feed, please click over to check it out.)

This post is a part of Mondays are for Dreaming at The Mother of All Trips.

'Tis the season



My nephew and the arrow getting ready for bed last year on Christmas Eve.

 We started decorating for the holidays this weekend and it has me thinking of all the fun outings I want to do with the arrow during the next month. I'm not sure we'll get to it all given the other fun commitments we have scheduled, but a few highlights that I'm dreaming about this Monday include:

Christmas at the Zoo: I've mentioned before that Indy has a wonderful zoo. A true highlight of the holiday season for many families around here is this event. The zoo is all decked out for the season, including thousands upon thousands of lights. Plus, the cold weather animals like the polar bear, who is usually pretty comatose when we visit in the summer, springs to life.

Monument Circle: I love the circle in the heart of downtown Indy, and it's at its finest right now. The monument itself becomes the world's largest Christmas tree. It's so fun to wander around with a cup of hot chocolate. This is actually where my husband proposed to me back in the day.

Santa Claus, Indiana: Indiana has a town called Santa Claus. How fun is that? And they take full advantage of the name this time of year. I'd love to get there arrow down there for some holiday cheer. A drive through Santa's Land of Lights, a visit to the Candy Castle, maybe even his first photo with Santa. The best part is I've never been either so it will be new to all of us.

That's what I'm dreaming of this Monday. What are your favorite holiday adventures or destinations?

This post is a part of Mondays are for Dreaming at The Mother of All Trips.

Inspiration.

I've mentioned before that I enjoy participating in I Should Be Folding Laundry's weekly photography linkup (called You Capture) because it encourages me to focus on taking some interesting photos each week. Photography is definitely an area that I want to learn more about and hopefully improve. (Sounds like a 2011 resolution in the making!)

This week's theme is "What Inspires You?" Such an intriguing question. I decided to focus on what inspires this blog.

This statue marks the exact spot along the Ohio River where Lewis met Clark and the two began their journey.

My husband. My son. Travel. Discovery. Exploration. Nature.

I took this picture on Saturday at Falls of the Ohio State Park in southern Indiana. (We spent most of our time there exploring the amazing fossil beds). We stopped to admire this statue and reflect on its historical significance. I'll be writing more about our adventures there soon.

Before there was the arrow, there was... us.

Today is my 7th wedding anniversary, and my husband and I have naturally spent the weekend reflecting on highs and lows throughout the past seven years (and truthfully, the seven years before that... we're high school sweethearts, so our memories include things like, dare I say it... prom).
So many of our highs revolve around our travels together (first as a couple, then as a family). A few highlights?

• an amazing meal on the Piazza Navona in Rome during college
• wine tasting along the Rhine in Germany
• admiring artistic masterpieces in Paris
• long walks in Killarney when I visited him while he spent a semester in Ireland
• horseback riding in Jamaica on our honeymoon
• watching my sister get married on Cumberland Island, Georgia
• admiring the New York City skyline from the Statue of Liberty
• sitting under the stars while camping in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin
• discovering amazing towns like Ribadeo during our three weeks in Spain
• learning we were pregnant with the arrow in Boston
• snuggling with the arrow in South Haven, Michigan
• reaching new heights with the arrow in Red River Gorge, Kentucky
• splashing in the waves of Lake Michigan at Warren Dunes State Park

Wow, I'm one lucky girl.  That's what I'm dreaming of today.  Here's to many more (years of marriage and wonderful travel memories)!

This post is a part of Mondays are for Dreaming at The Mother of All Trips.

Photo courtesy of Photography by Leslie Ann.