“She who blames others has a long way to go, she who blames herself is nearly there, she who blames no one has arrived!” -Chinese Proverb

After my parents got a divorce when I was 5 years old I searched for someone to blame. My Step Mom made for an easy target. She was young (immature), extroverted (abrasive), beautiful (vixen), assertive (domineering), came into the picture soon after their breakup (home wrecker), loved my dad (competitive) and loved her daughter more than anything in the world (didn’t love me).

I put my labels of BLAME in parentheses, so you can see how easily we can be in a state of blame when really the people we are blaming are just in a state of being.

Walking around with that blame made me angry, resentful, sad, hurt, and those labels of blame began to shape who I became in my following years as a child and a teen.

It wasn’t until my late teens/early adulthood that I realized there was always one common denominator in these relationships of BLAME.... ME! And I no longer wanted to be angry, resentful, hurt or sad. I no longer wanted to be a victim of blame.

I began shifting my blame. I began having ownership for the way I decided to label people, view people or claim my victimization over all the years. Realizing blame had only made me angrier or sadder, so I began rewriting (not rereading) the story.

It was easier now as a young adult because I had done enough fucking up and hurting others to see people as "human". It was much simpler because I too had made many mistakes at other people’s expense.

Then came the Self-blame. I felt guilty for what I had done to others. The grief and the hurt I had caused them. I understood, first hand, how hurt people hurt people but the Self-Blame was bigger than that. I believe the true guilt I felt was towards myself, the innocent child I allowed to grow up in a constant state of anger, pain and sadness. The guilt I felt for not telling her that people are human, and no one is to blame. The guilt I felt for all the happy years she lost by allowing her to be sad. I was so sorry but wondered if I could ever make it up to her.
 
Years have passed, and I continue to make it up to her by no longer blaming myself. I do my best to except myself and people for who they are and not what they have done or the labels created for them. I continue to improve my gifts of knowledge & wisdom by seeing the bigger picture in each person’s lives, viewing them as a complete story not just moments of failures or short comings. I accept that our view of others and the world will have a direct impact on how we feel and our quality of life. I accept that what has and will be done to me doesn't have to become a part of me by solely understanding that we are all human and there is no blame only growth and the opportunity to change and be better. I forgive others because I have forgiven myself.
 
I use my experiences to better the lives of the people around me. So, in the spirit of that, what you see as anger can become understanding, what you once saw as resentment can become compassion, what you see as sadness can become peace, and what you see as hurt can become healing and from difficult relationships of blame and pain can come growth and unconditional love!
 

Welcome to our Wedding "Myths" Series.

As past brides well know and future brides will soon find out there is a laundry list of wedding related falsities that we are fed regarding our big day that often leave us feeling mislead, slightly underwhelmed & rear on the post wedding blues (real thing).

So with a lot of sarcasm and a dash of cynicism, our wedding myths series is blasting through all that cinderella bullshit so we can see the humor in these unrealistic expectations leaving us feeling well informed and excited for a more realistic wedding vision.

Believe me if someone had only crushed my pre wedding expectations I could have saved a lot of money and suffered a lot less wedding postpartum.     

Wedding Myth #1
 
“The proposal will knock you off your feet.”
 
Let me paint my proposal for you.....

We flew to Paris, France, where we spent 3 blissful days gallivanting around the worlds most romantic city together. We enjoyed a beautiful candlelight dinner at the elegant Michelin Star Le Jules Verne inside the Eifel Tower, as I eagerly waited for a proposal that never comes as that would be far too cliché. 

Have you ever experienced the freedom of the open road? Seeing everything by car is the only true way to explore gorgeous Ireland.

Let me start by saying though, if you are not familiar with UK driving i.e. tiny cars, abnormally small winding roads, sometimes inclement weather, on the opposite side of the street while on the opposite side of the vehicle, then you need to be prepared because it is not for the faint of heart.

​But if you are an adventurer and experience seeker like myself who loves to live a little bit dangerously and by your own rules then there is indeed no other way!

So, join me in where to go and what to see as you drive around Ireland in only 6 Days! 


ROAD TRIP ITINERARY
Day 1 DUBLIN
DAY 2 CLIFFS OF MOHER
DAY 3 KILLARNEY
DAY 4 THE RING OF KERRY
DAY 5 BLARNEY CASTLE
DAY 6 DUBLIN