Julie Helen: 'That day was unexpectedly special'

We headed away to the beautiful Fota Island Resort for a night over the weekend. 11 years ago this very weekend we were in the same spot, escaping the mayhem of the West Cork Rally that had closed the road we were renting a bungalow on.

In the hotel that time, David told me to ask about weddings while we were surveying the opulent foyer with cosy couches and, more importantly for me, the reception desks at seated height with chairs in front of them. This made things very comfortable for me while walking on two walking sticks but knowing chairs were readily available. I took off across an expanse of space, delighted in my mission but barely taking it in.

About midway through my journey, I spun around to look at David. I said, “Wait!”Are we engaged?” Laughing, he reminded me how we had discussed getting married the previous weekend, but in my head it was just one of our many conversations rather than a concrete agreement.

When I made it to the kind girl at reception I relayed my story and she told me she could see David almost bent in two with laughter.

That day was unexpectedly special, the day I realised we were engaged.

There was no elaborate proposal but Dave’s certainty in our plan and assumption that I would marry him felt magical.

In 2022 we returned to Fota Island Resort for my brother Colm and sister-in-law Elaine’s wedding celebrations.

It was a glorious weekend with marvellous memories. Ricky was two and a half years old at the time and he had an absolute ball.

He did give us a fright when he got his first-ever bout of croup the night of the wedding and coughed like a seal for hours on end. I remember being exhausted and a little frightened but Dave had croup as a child so stayed in a steaming bathroom with our son.

The following day he was in flying form and went swimming with most of our family.

It’s the memories of swimming that keep Ricky asking if we could return to Fota Island Resort.

In the same foyer this weekend, he found another little boy, introduced himself and they started playing Lego and superheroes together. I was so proud of him in his confidence to meet other kids. He is so comfortable in his own skin and making connections with others is important to him.

Being back in a spot where we were full of joy and excitement for our future together, without having a clue what it might actually look like just highlighted to me how far we have come and what we have achieved.

Ricky, the brightest little spark at 5 years of age is more than we could ever have wished for. Watching him and Dave strike off together for a swim made me smile. Their bond is strong and it’s the simple things in life that make our little boy light up, like a swim with Dad or his own fold-up bed in the room or having a mini box of cereal and a chocolate croissant for breakfast. He was delighted that every drink came with a straw and ice cubes and I’m so grateful to David for all his hard work that we can afford to have such lovely experiences.

With the passing of the years, our time together just gets more special and I feel very lucky to be spending such lovely times celebrating a milestone birthday.

Of course we made a stop at the wildlife park on the way home and even met Granny there too.