What Is And What Should Never Be

Today we've lived in Edinburgh for exactly years. If the first year was about adventure/adjustment, and the second was actively settling in, then year three was actually being settled.  For me this was the year I stopped being homesick for DC. Not that I don't still love it there, but I rarely think about or compare the two anymore. The streets here are starting to have so many memories of their own. Each one reminds me of moments from different seasons I've had here and the different people I've been here. Craig says for him its the year he realized he wanted to stay. Not that we know if we can find a way to stay, but still. Its been a significant academic year for him too, and this next year will be more so.  Unfortunately we were not in the most celebratory mood this morning. I don't know about you, but five months of relative isolation is where I hit a wall. I'm very much wired for the aloneness, but the lack of activity, adventure, and direction is wearing ...

On March 16th I cancelled all my appointments for the rest of the week (because the government wasn't doing it yet so I had to take matters into my own hands) and caught the bus home from Queensferry. Now its 139 days later if I counted right and I haven't been back to Queensferry or even on a bus since then. The furthest I've been is Corstorphine Hill which we walked the five miles to and then back.  Stuff started to get cancelled pretty immediately after I got home that day in March the UK went into lockdown. At first it was like you can go out for groceries once/week and for exercise once/day. Now we're in Phase 3 of easing restrictions which means shops and restaurants and museums can open with safety measures in place. You can sit outside and be out of your house for any amount of time and even meet up to 15 other people from five different households (physically distanced) and travel too. We sort of all know the phases of lockdown we collectively went through--the...

In year three we have *mostly* kept up the tradition of setting aside one Saturday a month for a fun adventure/Edi bucket list item. This tradition keeps me from the overwhelming feeling that I am wasting my life away doing work and chores and stuff and the inevitable consequence of jumping off a cliff to escape the mundanity. aNyWay.... this September we visited Aberdeen, mostly to re-experience the best breakfast we ever ate. We did that and otherwise ate exclusively Brewdog an enjoyed leisurely strolls around the city and campus. We added on the Stonehaven walk because it is one of those classic postcard places. I love it when a plan on paper becomes reality. This October we hosted Craig's parents for two weeks and toured the Highlands which is a whole other post. This November we finally checked Stewart Brewery off the Edinburgh Bucket List. It pairs nicely with a trip to Ikea. Sort of. Sorry about this picture Craig but yeah this supposedly short walk from point A ...

To celebrate two full years of living in Edinburgh we went to visit Edinburgh's first working distillery in almost 100 years. Holyrood Distillery is in our neighborhood. If you are visiting Scotland but have to miss the Highlands/Islands, you can now get a whisky tour in anyway! They had just opened when we toured, are in the gin phase now, but whisky coming in what... three years? I think it was our 9th ever distillery tour (counting whiskey and gin) and 7th in Scotland. We liked this one because of the flavor profile room, where you guess the different notes you are smelling in a fun interactive way. I also liked that because it is a short walk from our place it was a very chill visit and low-key activity to mark the end of another year here and the beginning of our... wow... third! In our 2nd year here we went some new places, tried some new things, and made some new friends. But mostly we settled in. We cozied up our house, found a haircutter we both like, and institute...

This spring we got overwhelmed, as if we were casually splashing and bobbing in the ocean and an unsuspecting giant wave came up and took us under. This spring I worked so much overtime and took on so much more at my jobs while my bosses/seniors had to step back. This spring I lost my voice and turns out that was a virus that lasted like a month. This spring Craig got sick again. This spring I had to quit volunteering at New Leaf which I'm still not happy about but I needed the margin in my week. This spring I watched the first three seasons of Queer Eye twice because it was just the right medicine. This spring also came with flowers, which was nice, and a birthday hike and an Easter walk, a visit from friends, a completed/passed board review, a quick lead in to a very good summer.

This Winter We  - careened through the Christmas season  - spent Christmas Day on a plane (it was great, actually)  - cried during the Mr Rogers documentary  - enjoyed two weeks in Arkansas  - got our fix of cheese dip and Whole Foods  - finally tired of chili (we ate this every Saturday and Sunday for months)  - got hooked on steak pies  - finally went to Crombies for our meat (and they let us use our glass containers! and they're so nice and fun like friends! why didn't we do this sooner?)  - attended our 2nd annual Burn's Supper  - (Jill) applied for, was offered, and turned down a job at a local business I love  - (Jill) went to the dentist (they tell me my teeth are great! they say come back in one year! they charge me £11)  - cheered on Scotland at our first time at a rugby match  - went on a Valentine's walk and donut date  - took more late afternoon walks because the sun stays out later n...

In May I posted about "Scottish Summer" as if I knew what I was talking about. Actually, I still stand by the idea that there are two seasons here--a long, dark winter and a summer filled with late, perfect evenings. But I've since learned two more summer terms: This is the haar . (You know it's serious fog when it blurs out giant metal bridges.) And even though I witnessed several crystal-clear, Goldilocks-temperature days in Queensferry this May, I brought my brother and sister-in-law out on the water in the weather pictured above. There have been days when I've needed jeans, socks, and a jacket, and days when I'm positively roasting in shorts and a t-shirt. Those days probably came right after another or were the same day. Today it's been roasting. We're in the middle of a seriously long heat wave . Temperatures are only in the 70s but it feels hella hot. Are we somehow closer to the sun? Is it the lack of air conditioning? Is it because al...

There are two seasons here--summer and winter. I get that now. The season we are currently experiencing is referred to as summer. That dark moody spell that began around 30 October and lasted 'til Easter--they call that winter. As a person whose favourite seasons have always been fall and spring (me along with everyone, right?), I kept looking for signs of these seasons, confused to find no clear markers for either. Fortunately, the best part of those seasons--mild weather--is a year-round feature in Scotland. (The average low for the year is 33 F and the average high is 66 F.) The big difference in the seasons it not so much temperature or weather as it is daylight. Light is the absolute key. In December the sun didn't rise 'til nearly 9:00 and was a memory by 4:00. Today, the sun woke me up at 5:00 and won't let me think about sleep 'til half nine. (And it keeps getting lighter through June!) In winter I wore a sweater every day and socks all the time. In...

I did not do a good job of making friends when I moved to DC. Actually, I tried at first, going on tons of friend dates, but most people either moved after the summer or lived in Virginia which is a bridge too far to cross. (All of a sudden I understood all those Seinfeld references about having to take two trains to get to a boyfriends house or dating someone with a different area code--its too much to ask!) Eventually I met the right people--friends who tried harder than I did to make and stay friends with me, and full groups of friends who graciously let Craig and me into their circle. We also made some amazing friends during Craig's years at Pittsburgh Seminary who we've stood by at weddings, ordinations, and graduations. So things worked out friend-wise. Still, I was determined to do better this move, and prioritized reaching out and getting connected early on. I found running buddies through the GirlCrewEdinburgh Facebook, and we've met up with friends of friends, s...

I've mentioned that this fall I was disoriented without college football on Saturdays. (I've since decided I'm over it completely and didn't even watch a bowl game.) And yeah, it's been a struggle to find markers of fall, and now winter, in Scotland. The weather got cooler faster (and summer was never really hot) and the leaves changed colors. Fall is a really beautiful season to visit anywhere I think. Now that winter is here, the rain is too. And there are the short days. But nothing has felt like anything. Not Halloween or Thanksgiving or Christmas. Mostly because those aren't holidays here. Still, it has been fun to holidays and seasons in new ways. Halloween  The American version of Halloween is just beginning to catch on here. When kids start saying things like "candy" and "jack-o-lantern" parents know they've been watching American Youtubers. Jack-o-lanterns aren't really a thing, and candy is called "sweets." (Sid...

My parents came to visit the week before Christmas--our first real visitors since moving. I love putting together travel itineraries when I travel somewhere or when someone travels to see me. Even though my dad was unknowingly suffering from strep throat during this trip, (he was taking allergy pills for a "runny nose") we managed to pack in a bunch of fun stuff. The highlight was probably just laughing a lot together mostly as we tried our "best" Scottish accents, and watching my dad run around like a kid, enjoying his first non-US vacation. We did a walking tour of Old Town where we live, a full day in Queensferry and Dalmeny where I work, and a day trip to St. Andrews. We went inside the Castle, hiked up Arthur's Seat, poked around museums and Christmas markets, and saw about every square inch of St. Giles, and some of New College. We ate haggis, fish & chips, sticky toffee pudding, & so much more. We drank whiskey that was apparently strong enoug...