things i will miss the most

Adios, Edinburgh.

All good things must come to an end.
So what better way to end this journey, than a list?

The top ten things I will miss the most about Edinburgh:

1. The three-flush toilet technique. Those of you who visited know what I'm talking about.
2. The kettle. Hot water in about 10.2 seconds.
3. Saying "Cheers!" to the bus drivers. And then realizing it doesn't sound as cool as when the Scots say it.
4. Sticking "u" in the middle of all my words. What's your favourite colour?
5. Green grass year round.
6. The Treehouse Coffee Shop.
7. The Europeans' genius use of space, or the lack there of.
8. Thinking a 20 minute walk to the grocery store in 30 degree weather is a good day.
9. Scottish dairy products. It tastes like dessert all day long.
10. Ordering a drink in a pub. Or just pubs, period.

You know I can't stop at ten...

11. Eikon church and everyone there who made me feel at home.
12. Haggis, neeps, tatties, bangers, mash, and a good shot of whiskey ;)
13. Running from the bedroom to the kitchen trying not to set off the motion detector light in the hallway.
14. Celebrating Scottish holidays with the locals.
15. Walking down Princes Street and glancing to my right to see a 500+ year-old castle. A freaking castle!
16. Stepping onto the street and looking right FIRST for cars coming.
17. Not worrying about tips :)
18. Irn Bru. Enough said.
19. That 45 minute ride on Bus 35 to the airport.
20. Tesco, ScotMid, TopShop, Woolworths, and BP candy bar runs.

Edinburgh will always be one of the greatest cities in the world in my book.
Until next time...cheers, mate.

Thanks to everyone who read this and kept me in their thoughts and prayers while I was away on my little adventure of a life time. Couldn't have survived without your support.

And I'd like to thank the Academy...and my fans...

click here to see pictures from Mom's visit to Edinburgh during my last week and from our trip together to Stockholm, Sweden:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2024847&l=85070&id=177501993

back to reality

So it's January 13, only 11 days until I fly back to reality.
I realized today that I've already begun reprogramming my brain to go back to the real world.
I'm paying bills, budgeting, searching for more design gigs, registering for classes, etc.
This four month hiatus has been exactly what I expected it to be, yet completely different.

I knew it would change me, I just didn't know how.
I knew it would stretch me, I just didn't know where.
I knew it would suck at times, I just didn't know how much!
I knew I would meet incredible people, I just didn't know how hard it would be to leave them.
I knew I would learn things about myself I never knew before, I just didn't know how they would be brought to the surface.

The night before I left the States, I wrote in my journal an encouragement to myself for when I questioned why I had come all the way to Scotland to find myself: Rediscover the beautiful woman you are. Be you. True, authentic, raw, natural. You.

I knew I would accomplish that, I just didn't realize how much it would stick with me.

Ok, I'm done, que the stupid comments from the brothers :)

so little time

so much to do, so little time.

Taylor and I had 3 days in Paris and 1 day in London, but I think we crammed in about a year of activities! Too tired to write now, so get the story visually:

Paris:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2024530&l=ec253&id=177501993

London:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2024528&l=0008a&id=177501993

Love and miss you all...home in 15 days!!

oh dear...

oh dear, it's been FAR too long since I last wrote.
terribly sorry, really.

and again, i can't stay long because it's WAY past my bedtime, and i leave bright and early tomorrow for Glasgow and then on the Paris with Taylor!!

to keep you occupied until I get back late Monday night, look at these pics from the past couple weeks...

Caroline comes to Edinburgh to visit for Christmas:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2024332&l=90223&id=177501993

Taylor's first few days in Edinburgh, including New Year's Eve:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2024334&l=5d31f&id=177501993

the lone ranger

I went on a Highland tour today to the south of Scotland, an area called the Borders.
It was only a few hours, and we had about half as many stops as the first one I went on.
But this was by far, one of my favorite "adventures" so far.
The weather was pretty crappy...cold, rainy, windy, sleet/snow at times, but the sights I saw made up for it.

But I figured out today that I LOVE LOVE LOVE traveling alone.
I can do whatever the heck I want without worrying about stepping on anyone's toes.
And I especially enjoyed a day away from the city, school, flatmates, and everything else about this Scottish life. I NEED my alone time :)

Sometimes I just have to keep pinching myself.
Look around you! You're walking where freakin kings and queens lived out history!

here's a link to my pictures from today:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2024030&l=9b137&id=177501993

if you can't fight 'em, join 'em

all of my flatmates, including myself, have come down with something this weekend.
a combination of congestion, sneezing, coughing, and just plain crumby-feeling.
so tonight, instead of having pity on ourselves, we made the most of our collective illness.
we shared a jar of vanilla frosting using our fingers as spoons :)

Two of them are leaving to go back to America in only 6 days, and we can't stop talking about how weird it will be on both ends: to go home to a completely different life or to stay in the new one minus the ones that helped form it. To think that we have all come from completely (let me emphasize completely!) different parts of the world, yet all of our lives somehow crossed for just a few short months. And after the term is over, we continue on in our separate ways, probably never to see each other again...as emo as that sounds, it's true :) We may never cross paths again (and some I wouldn't care to!), but for awhile there, we were vital to each other's survival.

I'm not sure why, but this has been fascinating me lately.

apologies apologies

sorry for the wait.
sometimes I forget people actually read this :)
so what's new...

Dad was just here last weekend and we had SOOOO much fun. I think I wore us both out pretty bad, but it was worth it, right Dad? We went to have lunch at the Edinburgh Castle, then flew to Ireland, drove on the other side of the rode (and the car!), almost blew off the Cliffs of Moher, made some new Irish friends in a pub, had a drink at the infamous Durty Nellies, flew home just in time to climb Arthur's Seat (almost!), then laid low the rest of the weekend just wandering the city eating fish and chips.

you can see pictures here:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2023797&l=40c8f&id=177501993

Most of my classes end next week, so what am I going to do for the next month, you ask? Well...

Caroline is coming to see me Dec 23-30. No big trips planned, probably just some little day trips around Scotland. Then she overlaps with Taylor who gets into Edinburgh on Dec 29. We'll celebrate New Year's at Edinburgh's Hogmanay, one of the largest New Year's celebrations in the world - literally! Then go to Paris for a few days on Jan 2-5. Then possibly spend a day or so in London before Taylor goes back to the homeland on Jan 8. Then a week of much needed rest before my final guest arrives :) Mom flies into Edinburgh on Jan 15. We'll be taking a short detour over to Sweden for a couple days before flying home together (finally!) on Jan 24.

Wow, I think I'm going to go take a nap. I have a long 6 weeks ahead of me!

views of the Edinburgh Castle around dusk

looking towards the Scott Monument on Princes Street through a canon opening in the Castle wall

Castle walls inside

view of Princes Street, Princes Street Gardens, and the German Market

I forgot I had these pictures from the castle, so I'll try and get some more up on Facebook soon from that afternoon.