Blueviolet @ A Nut In A Nutshell can write some funny posts that crack me up, and who couldn't use a good laugh! Go check out her post about how when we 'hit the brakes' and things come out from under the seat...
She sparked a memory, and it involves rich and dark chocolate covered cookies, alcohol and Ireland, me behind the wheel on the wrong side of the road, and on a mission...
I would have to calculate the exact year, but I was in my early thirties and ready to hop the party train when ever I got the chance (late bloomer). My friend at the time, Joyce said lets go somewhere one weekend while we were sitting at our usual spot off lower Greenville Avenue in Dallas. I had just taken my first drink of whiskey, and anything sounded good when you have one or two of those in you. "Sure" I said, "but where"? She pointed out that I was Irish, so why not go to Ireland. We made plans, saved our money, and off we went. So many things happened in the preparation, boarding, arrival, and at the airport; that I cannot even begin to say what a freaking great trip this all was.
No kids (dad and grandparents), some much needed time from my chronically ill daughter, and an ex-husband who drove me batty! I hopped in that rental car on the right side and took off like I had been driving on the left side of the road all my life. Joyce just wanted nothing to do with driving, because I think she had other ideas ahead. We spent the first week and half driving down south from Dublin, around Kerry, and back up to Galway. Met a few bloks on the way *wink*, and then I discovered Cadbury's. I know they are over here, but they are expensive, and I was a single mom with two thirteen month old apart kids.
Eventually our rental car was broken into (not a happy moment either). They took everything! I mean even my extra large maxi pads (TMI, and some extra money hidden inside)! Desperate those thieves were, but they left all of our U2 tapes. That made us laugh! Bono and Edge must be upset at this point in my story.
Oh well, we set off to go up north to met some bloks we made friends with in Listonvarna. A town not to far from the Cliffs of Mohere. Whiskey, good Irish music and two not such bad looking American girls helped that one out. Still upset over the break-in and our Coca-Cola t-shirts being stolen (gifts for each new friend we made); that we forgot about a few things. You know when you are trying to remember in a police report what you had at the time; a few brain cells just do not work. On the road to Caven I began to follow a Cadbury truck, and was it moving rather fast on the open highway. I had learned in my younger driving years to follow trucks, because they are a good disguise from any coppers, and the possibility of a ticket.
After what seemed like twenty minutes when you drank till wee hours in the mornin', and you are tanked up on liquid energy (Pots of Earl Grey) to keep you going the next day; the truck in front of me suddenly hit the brakes and we just stop short of a horrible accident that included us and the truck. As quickly as the car came to a halt, a box of those dark chocolate Cadbury fingers came flying out from their hiding place and ended up crushed into bits all over me, the windshield, and the dash board. The truck driver got out and came back to see if we were alright, but before he could utter a word... What did he see? Me covered in melted chocolate and cookie crumbs from head to toe. Him and Joyce could not stop laughing while I began to clean up the car. Well they did not steal the cookies I had forgotten...and he did not offer to replace them either...I am sure passer bys might have already thought I raided his goods...
Many years later at a wine tasting my catering company gave in Dallas, well, the host discovered I loved scotch. He pulls out a bottle of Johnny Walker Blue Label. The creme de le creme of blends in the US of A. After a few glasses on top of wine you could say I was in tip top tippsy argument mode. I began to tell my story of enjoying my beloved whiskey, and once I got to the 'twenty minutes across Ireland' part of the story, the group went nuts. Since it was really at least an hour and half or more in real time. Now they should have known better than to argue with anyone who has had a few too many right? No, my friend Susan even pulled out a map of Ireland to prove her point...like I was going to give in...that was my story and I am sticking to it...the cookies too...I never even got to finish telling the whole story, because hubby (boyfriend at the time) took my drink away and lead me out the door...
DISCLAIMER: Sometimes we remember things in a way that it is funnier to us than the other person, a kind of 'you had to be there' to appreciate what happened...my dad called this a 'Joke-Joke'; which annoyed many relatives, because he was telling them it was not that funny...I think I hear him up there say 'Joke-Joke' to me right now...
