Your Place Or Mine? ;)

It's hard to believe that I've been back in NC for less than a month because the summer I spent in Scotland feels like several lifetimes away! I keep thinking of the Chinese idiom "One day, three autumns" which basically means that when you miss someone, one day can feel like a very long time. Which these past few weeks have, but I can't really be upset.. in just 90 days we fit in everything under the sun (and rain!): five birthday parties, concerts, road-trips, a theme park, museums, a week in Greece, sea glass hunting, castles, The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo (search YouTube for videos, it was insane!), haggis, berry picking, a ghost tour of Glasgow and so much more! I'm still catching up with my blogs and photos!

Our most important task this summer though, aside from holding hands every waking second, was to finally decide where we'll move once we close the distance. I've always thought that we'd end up living in Scotland, but this summer we really looked at both countries and tried to weigh important factors such as support systems, job opportunities, the environment and school system we'll raise our children in, how hard it is to become a citizen, and how far away the nearest Taco Bell is. Neither country hit all the marks (why are UK visas so much harder to get than US? And why are all the TBells in England??) but in the end, Scotland won. I'm glad that I had the opportunity to really scope out my future home as well as meeting practically everyone Stuart's ever known! :P It was a blessing to spend so much time with such a loving family, to laugh and cry together, celebrate our engagement, and hold fast to each other through loss. So what's the next step for us? Just a little December wedding next year. :)))

How Has It Been A Month?

It literally blows my mind that I've been in Scotland for a month now! I feel like so much has happened and yet our to-do list hasn't gotten any smaller. Since last I posted, my biggest news would have to be that Stuart proposed! No one has really asked for the story - and I'm glad because that saves me from fabricating it. Anyone who knows him, knows that he's an awkward guy. I didn't fall in love with him for his sense of timing and his eloquent manner of speaking -thank god for him!- so naturally our proposal story is a little awkward. Let's suffice to say that a minute beforehand I slipped on a rock and submerged my foot into the icy waters of Loch Ness and a few minutes after we were running for the car as the sky opened up. Never a dull moment in Scotland, that's for sure! :D

We're just about to head off on our next big adventure - a week's vacation in Greece! We haven't planned anything and we've barely packed, but I am so excited-!! The only thing I'm worried about is my poor furnace of a man who is hot even here - if I come back alone it's probably because he melted. :P I'm thinking that sometime after we come back I'll do a big photo post and another one just talking about our trip and my birthday and maybe one that just talks about how cute my sweetie is but you can feel free to skip that one. ;)

Now I'm off to get in some quality time with my ring as Stuart has requested that I not bring it on our trip even though I promised not to take my eyes off it! :(

Fun Fact: It's National Doughnut Day!

Well it's been three weeks so I should probably write a blog post.. oops! We started off kind of slow just relaxing and wandering around Stuart's village. I didn't think there was much to write about, we were just visiting with family and friends and enjoying being in the same country for the first time in nearly a year.

But then we got busy.

We went out to two birthday parties on the same night, the next day was Radio One's Big Weekend concert, we've been sea glass hunting twice, cooked dinner for the family, gone to a museum, and then were off on our first road trip (across Scotland, stopped on the edge of Edinburgh for donuts and fried chicken, down to England to go to Lindisfarne/Holy Island for a walk around and taste of mead, down to Stone for the worst Mexican food I've ever had, then to Stafford where we spent most of Wednesday at a theme park in the pouring rain and drove 5 hours home the same day!), yesterday we enjoyed fried pizza (I love this country) and Seona and I went to see The Great Tapestry of Scotland which was amazing! For better or worse though, it doesn't look like things will really slow down. Tomorrow we're going to an agricultural show, Sunday we're going to a charity "fun show", Monday we're heading out to Loch Ness and so on and so forth.

Today, however, we're just sitting at home. I've got my feet propped up, and a bar of crème brûlée chocolate at my side. I'm finally sorting through pictures and will be posting them throughout the day. Here's one for starters. :)

Somebody doesn't like being a tourist in his own city, but how could I resist?? :P

This Time Last Year...

As the saying goes, this time last year everything was so different.

This time last year, Stuart and I decided to try and make this long distance thing work and on May 10 2013, he left to go back to Scotland. I remember us not talking about it much beforehand (big mistake!), I remember Stuart being in denial right up until he actually got in his cab, and I remember not breaking down like I thought I would. This should be impressive to anyone who knows me because I literally cry over everything, but this time I didn't. I guess subconsciously I found strength in the knowledge that though I am an emotional wreck at the best of times, I am also fiercely loyal and determined to see through anything I set my mind to. It's also helped to know that this nerd is head over heels for me!

This year has been the most insane roller-coaster - I was lucky enough to have a whirlwind visit to the UK in September (thanks Mom!) where we toured London, our parents met, and I got instantly hooked on clotted cream and the Scottish countryside - and now after being separated for eight impossible months, we're just a few days away from our summer together!

I hope to use this blog again (semi-regularly) to document all of the exciting (and not so exciting) plans we have! Loch Ness, Greece, and Newbiggin-by-the-Sea are just some of the places we plan on visiting!

So while Stuart wraps up his life in Northern Ireland with his leaving party tonight, I too will be wrapping up my life (for now at least) in the US with a leaving party of my own! And next week, the adventure begins.. :)

For now, here are some awkward photos of us from last May. :)