Dallas Trip

I went back to Texas for almost the entire month of March which was great but I missed my hubby and our home. The first thing I did once my mother picked me up from the airport was go pick up my dog Kody. Unfortunately, he was not able to move to Scotland with us so he is staying with my good friends Jodie and Taylor. He loves his new home and seriously went into a depression for the first four days when I got him back. As you can see from the pictures above he is a pretty easy dog to take care of considering he pretty much eats and sleeps.

The first weekend I was back in Texas I drove to Austin to celebrate my niece's 2nd birthday. It was a Dora the Explorer party and there was a bounce house that not only the children had a lot of fun in. I can't believe it has been two years since my niece was born. She is so big now and saying all kinds of words. She is truly hysterical to be around right now. Here is a video of pictures from her birthday party.

After Austin I drove back to Dallas and I saw a bunch of friends and ate entirely too much food in the three weeks I was home. It is amazing how good the food is in Texas. I gained 5 pounds in the first week of my trip. That is not a joke either! :) I spent a lot of time with my mother who I miss a ton but she is coming to visit Clifton and I in July and we can't wait to show her our new home. I miss Texas so much but I truly love Scotland and the new life that Clifton and I have embarked on!

Edinburgh, Scotland February 26-28 2010

Clifton and I went to Edinburgh the last weekend in February and had the most amazing time. It is only a two and a half hour train ride from Aberdeen. We arrived late on Friday night and of course went to a local pub to start the vacation. On Saturday, we set off on foot to go explore this beautiful city. The first thing we saw was St. Giles Cathedral. St. Giles Cathedral is the historic City Church of Edinburgh. It stands on the Royal Mile between Edinburgh Castle and the Palace of Holyroodhouse. We then walked down the Royal Mile to Edinburgh Castle. This castle is perched on an extinct volcano and has so much of Scotland's history within its walls. We then took a tour through Mary Kings Close which was my favorite thing that we did. Beneath the Royal Mile lies Edinburgh's deepest secret: a warren of hidden closes where real people lived, worked and died. It was an amazing tour and showed you what life was really like in 16th century Scotland. Unfortunately, you were not allowed to take pictures so the only picture we have is of the sign telling you where the tour is. We also went by to see the Greyfriar's Bobby. In 1858, a man name John Grey was buried in old Greyfriar's churchyard and his dog kept constant guard and watch over the grave until his own death in 1872. This now famous Skye Terrier laid on his owners grave for fourteen years only leaving for food. Lastly, on Saturday we walked down to the Palace of Holyroodhouse. This is the official residence in Scotland of her majesty the Queen. It is pretty unreal when you get to walk in an actual working palace. On Sunday, we decided we would walk up Holyrood Park. I have to admit it was a major incline for about 10 minutes and I was not in any shape to climb it but it had some beautiful sights and we got back down to the bottom right when it started rain. We had such a great vacation and we can't wait to go back to Edinburgh again considering how close we are. Next vacation is Amsterdam for my birthday. We can't wait!

Aberdeen in February 2010

February in Aberdeen was extremely cold as you can see from the above photos of Clifton and I outside. Tons of snow and we were so ready for it to be over. The pictures of my friends was right before I left to go home to Dallas for three weeks. We had a little too much fun that day. Then the picture with Clifton and the bags is showing how we grocery shop. Everyone recycles here and carries the re-usable bags so we bought three and use them every time we go grocery shopping. We love those bags. It is so much easier to put your groceries in those bags rather than the plastic ones they give you at the stores. I wish I had more to say about February but I took too much time off in writing about it so I don't remember everything. :)