Oh, bummer! I was going to post some pictures, but apparently I can't right now. I'll try to figure it out though. Be patient, as I am sitting outside by a busy street in order to get wi-fi. This means I can only be online when it's not raining :-)
Well, Tuesday was very nice. It started out sunny, but by the time we needed to walk downtown it was pouring. When we got back to the dorms it started to clear up and the band was sweating during practice because it was so nice and sunny. After band practice we went out to eat and then off to Glasgow Cathedral and the Necropolis (think " really big, really, old, really cool cemetery"). I wish I could show you the pictures :-(
Last night the "young people" went to a bagpiping concert at the concert hall while the moms took a walking tour of the shopping district of downtown Glasgow.
I'll post more later, but I'm shivering out here and need to go put mire clothes on.
Oh, here's what I learned this morning- when your electrical convertor stops working and you plug your hair dryer into it it causes the electricity to go out on the whole floor of your dorm. :-(
I'm Here
We made it to Scotland without any delays! We did learn a few things on the way though.
Here's what I learned today:
Icelandair has NO free food or snacks on their flights :-(
The Iceland airport has almost no food in their terminal and the food they have is outrageously priced and quite nasty
Even though your plane is only stopping in Manchester and then continuing on to Glasgow, you must still de-plane and go through security before getting back on the same plane and continuing your flight
University of Strathclyde does NOT have wi-fi, but a nice little restaurant a block away does
It's a long walk from the Buchannen (sp?) Street station to the U of Strathclyde when you are pulling and carrying all your luggage
They have Aldi's in Glasgow! Very good news indeed
You should NOT pack powdered chai tea mix in your suitcase in a Tupperware container whose lid may come off during travel and get chai tea powder over all your clothes
Sixty-two degrees is quite warm when you are in Glasgow and walking everywhere, particularly up four flights of stairs with all your luggage
I can park a car for free in a lot right next to campus
Most places in Glasgow take Visa
There you have it. A few of the things I've learned since leaving Minnesota 18 hours ago. I'm sure tomorrow will bring many more lessons :-)
Here's what I learned today:
Icelandair has NO free food or snacks on their flights :-(
The Iceland airport has almost no food in their terminal and the food they have is outrageously priced and quite nasty
Even though your plane is only stopping in Manchester and then continuing on to Glasgow, you must still de-plane and go through security before getting back on the same plane and continuing your flight
University of Strathclyde does NOT have wi-fi, but a nice little restaurant a block away does
It's a long walk from the Buchannen (sp?) Street station to the U of Strathclyde when you are pulling and carrying all your luggage
They have Aldi's in Glasgow! Very good news indeed
You should NOT pack powdered chai tea mix in your suitcase in a Tupperware container whose lid may come off during travel and get chai tea powder over all your clothes
Sixty-two degrees is quite warm when you are in Glasgow and walking everywhere, particularly up four flights of stairs with all your luggage
I can park a car for free in a lot right next to campus
Most places in Glasgow take Visa
There you have it. A few of the things I've learned since leaving Minnesota 18 hours ago. I'm sure tomorrow will bring many more lessons :-)
I'll Be Leaving Now
Well, not quite yet. Actually, I will be leaving tomorrow evening for Scotland. I hope I will be able to blog and Facebook from there, but you never know. As a friend told me, Scotland IS pretty civilized :-)
While I am excited to go, I am sad to leave the rest of my family at home. How I wish we were independently wealthy and we all could go :-) Since Evan will be practicing with the band everyday and, of course, hanging out with his band friends, I will be doing some touring around by myself. What I am most nervous about is driving. It's not just the left side of the road thing, nor is it the driving on the right side of the car. Its shifting with my left had that has me concerned! I am EXTREMELY right hand dominant, so this should be....interested. If you think of it, pray for safety for me while I drive :-) and safety for all those wonderful Scottish people who will have to share the road with me.
Well, I may, or may not, be able to post again before I go. If not, stay tuned for posts and pictures from beautiful, albeit cool and rainy, Scotland!
While I am excited to go, I am sad to leave the rest of my family at home. How I wish we were independently wealthy and we all could go :-) Since Evan will be practicing with the band everyday and, of course, hanging out with his band friends, I will be doing some touring around by myself. What I am most nervous about is driving. It's not just the left side of the road thing, nor is it the driving on the right side of the car. Its shifting with my left had that has me concerned! I am EXTREMELY right hand dominant, so this should be....interested. If you think of it, pray for safety for me while I drive :-) and safety for all those wonderful Scottish people who will have to share the road with me.
Well, I may, or may not, be able to post again before I go. If not, stay tuned for posts and pictures from beautiful, albeit cool and rainy, Scotland!
Miscellaneous Quotes
I finished reading my Crunchy Cons book (and thoroughly enjoyed it, I might add). I found these two quotes and felt I had to pass them on...
And the second one....
And there you have it. Some food for thought on this cloudy Wednesday.
"People long for God, and more of them than we might think are willing to accept the idea that getting close to him might be painful. The church needs to worry less about coddling our superficial tastes and impulses and more about giving us the whole truth."
-Maclin Horton, as quoted by Rod Dreher in Crunchy Cons
And the second one....
"If you really put yourself in a relationship with God, where you really sincerely are trying to conform to the wisdom of his plan, you have to be open to the fact that you might get answers about your lifestyle that you might not want to hear,"
- Tikva Crolius, as quoted by Rod Dreher in Crunchy Cons
And there you have it. Some food for thought on this cloudy Wednesday.
National Night Out
Once again, we hosted our block's National Night Out party. This year we decided to go all out and have a dinner together. In the past, we have done an ice cream social sort of thing, but the neighbors all wanted to do dinner this year, so that's what we did. It was a great time and, despite the sweltering weather, we had a good turn-out. The kids, as always, thoroughly enjoyed playing in the street and running around after dark. The visit by the city's police dog was a big hit, too.
Now that that event is out of the way, it's time for me to get to packing :-)
Oh, sadly, we also send Rebekah, Daniel, and Isabella on their way back home to PA. We had a great visit with them and will miss them a lot :-(
Oh, sadly, we also send Rebekah, Daniel, and Isabella on their way back home to PA. We had a great visit with them and will miss them a lot :-(
Fall Clothes
I'm sitting here in my house sweating while I get out my fall clothes. Because, it might be gorgeously hot here, BUT in Scotland it is 61 and rainy...EVERY DAY. I kid you not, the weather forecast never seems to change: 61/55 and rainy....EVERY DAY.
SO, I need to find some long-sleeved shirts because, to me, 61 is not short-sleeved weather.
SO, I need to find some long-sleeved shirts because, to me, 61 is not short-sleeved weather.
Whirlwind Weekend
Whew! I'm exhausted! We had more activities this weekend than we've had in a LONG time. The reason for all this fun and excitement is that Nina's birthmom, her husband and most adorable baby (Rebekah, Daniel & Isabella) are all visiting us from Pennsylvania. They arrived on Friday evening and are staying until tomorrow afternoon.
Let's see...here's what we packed into the weekend: Went to Como Zoo, Trader Joes (my first time there), and Famous Dave's on Saturday; church, Green Giant Days Parade in Le Sueur, pizza for dinner and swimming at the hotel on Sunday.
I'm wearing myself out all over again just thinking about it!
Here is the lovely Nina with her lovely first mom.
We went to the Japanese Gardens at Como Zoo.
Raelea got tired of walking around the zoo and hitched a ride on Dad.
Daniel got tired walking around the zoo and took a siesta on the grass :-)
I told you she was the most adorable baby...
She really didn't want water in her bottle, but I was thoroughly enjoying myself nonetheless. I'm not sure it's a good idea for me to spend too much time around this little sweetheart...
My favorite pipe band EVER!
Nina & her little sister watching the parade.
Raelea, waiting in eager anticipation of lots of candy.
There you have it. No pictures from Trader Joe's but I did get some nummy chocolate covered blueberries there :-)
Hope you had a weekend full of fun and good memories as well.
I'm wearing myself out all over again just thinking about it!
Here is the lovely Nina with her lovely first mom.
We went to the Japanese Gardens at Como Zoo.
Raelea got tired of walking around the zoo and hitched a ride on Dad.
Daniel got tired walking around the zoo and took a siesta on the grass :-)
I told you she was the most adorable baby...
She really didn't want water in her bottle, but I was thoroughly enjoying myself nonetheless. I'm not sure it's a good idea for me to spend too much time around this little sweetheart...
My favorite pipe band EVER!
Nina & her little sister watching the parade.
Raelea, waiting in eager anticipation of lots of candy.
There you have it. No pictures from Trader Joe's but I did get some nummy chocolate covered blueberries there :-)
Hope you had a weekend full of fun and good memories as well.
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