days like today....

picture this....since i can't physically take a picture to show you, i will describe what i am so desperatly wanting to take a picture of!! It's the most beautiful day in Glasgow today. I fell asleep last night to rain, thunder and lightning and knew that could not be a good sign of what the next day would bring but i was wrong! As i sit in a coffee shop looking out over the River Clyde and the Kelvingrove Park, the sun is shining brightly (where are those sunglasses when i need them?) and the air is crisp and clear. No need for an umbrella or wellies today, it's just a scarf and some uggs and I'm comfortably walking around this city in awe. I love days like these. It's why I suffer through the long winters of rain and dark skies. When you get to days like these, it makes you appreciate them THAT much more.

Although I am working tonight (5 till 11pm!!), I'm glad to have the day to myself to wander and be lazy. I swear, if i would have been stuck inside the cafe working today, I would have curled up and cried. Our big store front windows that look out onto Byres Road usually show us how lucky we are to be inside a warm, dry cafe and most days we're standing there making fun of people and their "run-away" umbrellas and we take bets on how long it will take for the Glasgow winds to take over and turn that umbrella inside out (about 8.6 seconds we've averaged) but today would have been torture!

Speaking of the cafe, my hands are really dry. haha. that only has to do with the cafe because al this manual labor (who needs it!?) and dish-washing has gotten my hands to the point where they closely resemble crocodile skin. I've invested good money into moisturizing hand creams and all that, but nothing seems to work! Has anyone got a rememdy? HELP!

merry christmas...glasgow style!

Merry Christmas everyone!!

I'll try to sum up what's been going on in my life over the past few weeks since I haven't had time (ok, i just havn't felt like it) to blog. As the christmas season neared, work got busier and busier. With that, i got more tired and more tired, wishing that everyone would just chose to stay home and not come to a cozy cofee shop all day long. But what can ya do? I didn't even try to brave going into town to search for presents this year which was a good choice I think. My sisters and I decieded to just spend our money on a big trip somewhere when i return to the states...whenever that may be. Many of you have been asking when I will return, but to be truthfully honest, I'm not ready to face the fact that I may have to leave after my 6 months is up, which would send me home about the end of April. I've enjoyed my time here MORE than i thought I would. I've made Glasgow my own home away from home and made so many great friends in and outside of my job, it will be a hard place to eventually leave. But I do feel like my journey has just begun. It feels like i've been here alot longer than 2 months, but that's really all it's been. Probally because for so long I've felt settled and at home here that my "adjustment period" only took me a couple weeks.

So let me think of whats been going on with me the last couple weeks.....

The week before christmas my plans got switched around from going up to the Isle of Lewis with kevin and his family, to staying in Glasgow and working over the holidays. Not the happiest change of plans, but I made due. My new friend Erica, a fellow American and north-westerner is living in Glasgow now and even though we'd just met up once before, she was kind enough to invite me over for christmas. I went over there on Christmas eve, with all my presents in tow, ready to spend the night with a few other foreigners. We stayed up late and ate lots of junk food (courtesy of the best cook under the ago of 40 that I know- ERICA!) talked about holiday traditions, and then curled up into bed and fell asleep. Everyone besides Erica slept in till 11 (that never happens in my house on christmas morning so I welcomed it gladly!) and we woke up with yummy coffee and muffins before we started opening all our presents. To my surprise, Erica had stockings laid out for us girls filled with bath bombs, socks, and toothbrushes(her dad's a dentist) Then the girls also bought me lovely presents! Bath products and picture frames! It was the sweetest thing ever! After we had torn open everything under the tree, we started making food and eating food, and making more food and then eating more food. That went on for the rest of the day, until I dragged my full tummy home late christmas night. What I thought would be a sad christmas where i would sit around feeling sorry for myself that i couldn't go home and missing my family terribly (although i do miss them!), my christmas in Glasgow was nothing short of amazing and unforgettable. This christmas was not about the presents, because there were far less this year than years before, but it was about the people around me and adapting to a new way to look at christmas. It's made me appreciate the little things that much more!

The day after Christmas is also a holiday in the UK. It's called Boxing Day, and basically it's just another reason for everyone to stay home from work and everywhere to close up, except for the shops and the coffee shop I work at! Go figure! :P I worked all day, and what looked like a quiet day, the familes and kids came pouring in around lunch time and it didn't stop until I went home at 5:30. Don't these people have left-overs to eat i wondered!? Aren't they too tired and full to leave their homes and come drink coffee and cakes?! I guess not!

All in all, it was a great christmas! Thanks to everyone who sent me presents and cards( especially Whitney who made the best calendar ever- filled with pictures of my family over the last year!) and who surprised me with phone calls on christmas! Those are the best presents ever! I'm looking forward to a few restful days and then gearing up for New Years!! Don't know what I'm doing yet...i have a few options...I'll let you know.

new flat and new friends

i'm soo sorry. I've been a bad blogger. shame on me! The last week here has been busy and inconvienant for blogging - as my new flat doesn't have internet. :( why did I think that would be ok? Well, it has other amenities that make up for it, but more on that later.

I'll start with last weekend. One of my supervisiors at work, Becs is from South Africa and she's lived in Glasgow for 4 years. Within that 4 years she's been home twice! She hasn't been home in 2 years, so in a few days she leaves to go home for Christmas for 3 weeks. Because we all love her and are going to miss her, we got all our friends from work together for a night out on Friday. A true Glasgow night out!! We went to a really swanky, trendy bar for drinks and then to a club to dance. It was all so new to me because even though I've been dancing before, I didn't know any of the music they play over here since it's mostly British singers (except for J.Lo...that was a big hit!) It was nice to go out with a group of girls (and a few guys) for a change. It made me feel a bit more at home and reminded me of a night out with friends in Seattle. At the end of the night, on the way home we got chips and cheese ( thick cut french fries with cheese on top), which is a necessity for a Glasgow night out. Everyone was asking me what Americans eat after a night out and I think either we make a stop by Jack and the Box or we go to someones house and make nachos!! You gotta have some greasy food after a night out drinking, right?

Sunday was moving day! It was the easiest, least expensive and stressful move I've EVER had, and probally will ever have. Since I moved here with 2 peices of luggage and I haven't accumulated much more than that in my couple months here, thats about all i had to move into my new flat with. But with the lack of things to move in, came having to go out and buy all the home necessities that I left in seattle, such as towels, groceries, clothes hamper and all that other stuff. Thankfully my flatmate Linda and her brother Paul (who owns the flat ) have given me loads of sheets to use so I don't have to go out and buy that. I'll tell you a little about my flatmate now. Her name is Linda and she's a 33 year old Irish girl whose a physical therapist. My first impressions are that she's shy and a bit reserved. She loves to cook, is clean and tidy and quite close to her family, as her brother has been over a few times since I moved in. We even have alot of the same music, film and tv taste! As i was looking through the dvds and came across all 6 seasons of sex and the city, friends and films like Chocolat, Love Actually, and The Godfather trilogy. Even though I don't think I'd hang out with her much outside the flat, she's a great flatmate thus far. The flat is 2 bedroom, one bath with beautiful views of the city. It has a huge kitchen, with everything I need to make fancy dinners, and a cozy living room with cable tv. Even though i don't have internet, it's given me time to read, relax, and find some British shows to get addicted to! All in all, I couldn't be happier with the place I picked and I can't wait for someone to come visit me so I can show them what I mean!

Last night, Linda and I took a trip to Ikea. Every Ikea looks the same. Once you enter into the store, you don't have a clue what country or city you're in. I didn't over-spend, as I usually would in an Ikea, but I bought the necessities. As most flats in Britain don't have clothes dryers, everyone hangs their clothes up on a line. I bought the biggest clothes dryer rack I've ever seen. Its the big-daddy of drying racks. I think it could hold about 3 loads of laundry on it, and it looks like a spaceship. After our Ikea adventure, we came back home and decorated our Christmas tree! Its one of those fake, bendy-branch ones, but the ornaments on it are red, gold and burnt-orange round bulbs and tiny boxes of wrapped presents. With the sparkly lights on, I'd say it's the best tree in all of Britain! :) I'll take pictures soon to show you all.

Something I've grown to love and appreciate about the British is that they are extremely conscious of their health and our enviornment. For starters, everywhere makes you pay for plastic bags, which encourages people to reuse the bags they are given or put your groceries in those canvas bags. You know, the ones they sell at PCC in seattle, but i never got around to buying one, but i'm sure that once PCC and whole foods starts charging for thier bags, they'll sell alot more canvas re-usable bags, and really begin to save the enviornment. Even last night at Ikea I asked for a plastic bag, she told me they were 10 pence( about 20 cents) and instead of me paying that small sum, I realized it's not about them charging more money, but encouraging people to use less plastic and make due with what they have. So i carried the clothes drying rack i bought and shoved the candle and cookie jar in my purse. :) Also, at every electrical outlet in the flats here there are on/off switches. So when you're not using the lamps, cell phone charger, or computer, you can switch off the outlet, instead of wasting energy as, even though your lamp is not in use, energy is still flowing from the wall through the lamp, in case you do want to use it. It's simple, but saves soo much energy. Even at night, we turn off the switch with all the plugs for the tv, dvd, cable box, etc. because having that on would use up as much energy as if the t.v. was left on all night. Along with energy saving, the organic health food stores are in abundance here. In Britain, it's cool and trendy to eat organic and fair trade, which is an independent guarantee that disadvantaged producers in the developing world are getting a better deal for their products.

Today is a lazy day. I don't work until 3pm, so I rested in the flat this morning, as I'm trying to kick this cold that came on a couple days ago and then I came out to a cafe to read, use the internet and journal. As my camera broke soon after I arrived, I've been carrying a notepad around with me everywhere (that's nothing new, if you know me! ) and writing down images I see and beautiful things to remind me of this time, so I've been journaling quite a bit.

I'm looking forward to this weekend, as I have saturday off and I'm hoping to get to the cinema to see that new film "Holiday" starring Cameron Diaz and Kate Winslet. Looks like a girly, rom-com with a Christmas twist - just what I need!

.

i got a flat! YEA! YEA!

after almost 2 months here (woahhh!) I finally found the most beautiful, lovely, practically perfect in every way flat! The flat has been completely gutted by the my new flatmate Linda's brother (more on Linda later) and remodeled with all modern appliances, and a modern Ikea feel. But he's kept the old world charm of this old flat and i love it! It's my dream flat! A bit more money than I was hoping to spend, but when it's all said and done, you only live once (maybe ;) ) in Scotland and I want to go all out! About my flatmate, she's a 33 year old physical therapist from N.Ireland. Really sweet girl (who might be a Christian, haven't figured it out yet) who likes to cook (we have a huge kitchen, so YEAAA!) but obviously isin't an internet junkie like me because the flat doesn't have a internet connection. There's a internet cafe around the corner, so perhaps I'll go there.

Anyways...as you can tell I'm quite excited. Can't wait to move in. This will be the best move ever - all i have are 2 suitcases! I should be moving in a few days so keep checking back as I will definatly post pictures for all to see!

translation?

you would have thought by me coming to an "english speaking" country (quotes are meant loosely) that it would be easier to understand everyone, but at times it gets a bit difficult. Here's a small Scottish to American dictionary....just a few words that mean completely different things!

"tea" - it's not the kind you drink, its what you eat after dinner and before bed. A little, almost midnight snack. I tend to have either an ice cream bar from the shop downstairs or tea (the kind your drink) and toast or bisquits. Also, bisquits over here are small cookies.

"pants" - it's what we'd call underwear. I got confused and slightly embarrassed the other day when i was talking to a girl at work who said she needed to go shopping for new pants, and i said, "oh, i just bought these (pointing to my new jeans) the other day! You should get them!" She looked at me a bit confused, and then made fun of that difference.

"jumper" - it has nothing to do with skydiving, but everything to do with a cozy, warm, sweater.

"skint" - it's a word I'll soon come to know full and well if i continue shopping as much as i do, but it means you're out of money, poor, broke, bust, got no dough, and all those other ways of saying we have NO MONEY!

"cheers" - this one's a bit confusing, because although it is said when you're out with your mates (friends), clinking your pints together with enthusiasm and glee, it also means "thank you". And what's even more confusing is that most of the time people say "Cheers! Thanks!" together, at the same time! We, back in the states, would never say "Thanks! Thanks!" It's just odd...but don't think i haven't caught on and begun to say it. ;)

"fag" - known to us as a derogatory term for someone who's gay, but over here, it's a cigarette. It's soo weird to hear someone say "I'm going outside for a fag." It takes a second to register.

and for fun...or just to make me sound like a real idiot when i say them over here, here's some words that mean the same, but are pronounced completely differently!

herbs - there's no silent "h" here people. Everyone on this side of the pond says HERbs. Why do we say it with a silent "h" anyways?
vanilla - vanilller
tomato - we say "toe-may-toe", you say toe-mah-toe"
caramel - we prounce it Car-mull, they say Car-a-mell. Their way is probally right.

Hope that gives you all something to laugh about. :)

What I'm thankful for...

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone....

As all of you are stuffing your faces with turkey, sweet cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie and mash-potatoes, I'm laying in bed, feeling at bit hungry myself, wishing I was at home getting a nice home cooked meal. It was odd going through my day today without a word of the Thanksgiving holiday being spoken - except for when Kevin said Happy Thanksgiving to me! Even though I'm in a country that doesn't celebrate thanksgiving, I found myself wanting to remind my co-workers of the holiday, and went around asking them what they were thankful for. It puts things into perspective though when you have to remind your co-workers what today is -it really makes you realize that it is just a day. It's one day out of a year where everyone is giving the time out of our hectic holiday schedules to sit back and relax with family and friends and reminisce on what we're thankful for. We also get to eat A-LOT!...which is the tradition I'm missing out on. I'm sure we all say this every year, but for me, it rings so true that not just today, but everyday we should be thankful for the blessings God has given us. As i'm over here living and working in Scotland, making it all on my own with much less than was "normal" living in Seattle, I find myself humbled and thankful for the things we so easily take for granted in life. When a clothes dryer, dishwasher, constant hot water, vehicle to drive around in, having your family a 30 minute drive away, your own bed, and more becomes your normal life and your "necessities" and then they are taken away from you, you being to look at life a bit differently. I've seen that many of the things I had before are not needed. I can be much more thankful for the simple things now such as washing my face at night with warm water, or being happy my clothes dry on the line in under 48 hours instead of the normal 3 or 4 days, and getting daily exercise by walking everywhere instead of driving. And I'm also soo thankful for modern technology, without it I would be missing each one of you who call, email, and leave me wonderful comments through this blog so much more. I'm so thankful for each one of you in my life. Being far from home has made me value your friendships and the impact each of you have made on my life. I'm thankful that I have been given the chance to move to a different country and change my outlook on life and be even more thankful than I was before. As some material things have gone, love, friendship and gratitude has filled my days and I thank God and each one of you for that.

Now, back to talking about food! :P As I mentioned before, I had to work today, and Kevin also works late on Thursdays, so my big Thanksgiving dinner for him and his friends was canceled. And since I can't just let this holiday go by without some sort of traditional food to remind myself of home, tomorrow after work I'm going to come home and bake a pumpkin pie! I found a shop yesterday that sells all sorts of American food imports such as Hershey's syrup, Skippy peanut butter and Pumpkin Pie mix!! I'll let you all know how it goes.

Enjoy your feasts, family's and friends. May God bless each and every one of you on this day and every other day to come!

Now Eat Up!

i've been a busy bee

whew....i'm so tired after a long, hard days work! Yesterday I was up at 6am to work at the coffee shop from 7 till 3 and then today it was 9 to 5 and fortunately, I switched shifts with someone tomorrow and I get another 9 to 5, instead of 7 till 3. All that being said, I've been a seriously tired girl. I wish I could come home after work, take a cat nap and then be good to go for the rest of the night, but it hasn't been like that! I go to bed around 11 and I'm out like a light all night. Which is why I have been a horrible friend and haven't talked to anyone in AGES! Now maybe everyone see's a glimpse of how crappy long-distance relationships are. ;) I have enjoyed coming home from a long day and NOT having homework though. I'm not one of those people who hate their day job and want to go back to school. OH NO! Not me! I quite enjoy a long hard day and then coming home and putting it all behind you. And I also love my job! Everyone I work with is great and we all get along quite well. I'm not known as the "new girl" anymore and since they've been hiring on a lot of people at once, I actually told someone what to do today! I was quite proud of myself! I've learn the art of the perfect espresso shot and soon I will learn how to pour milk into the cup and make neat shapes like leaves and hearts. Ohhh...the joys of coffee making. :) My boss quite likes me as well, which is NEVER a bad thing. We "wind each other up" (British way of saying they're being sarcastic) quite easily and then he makes me go clean out something meaningless. He's got the upper hand i guess. :)

A little update on my flat situation...I still haven't found a permanent residence but I'm close. I was so close the first week I got here because I met a Canadian girl who was a part of the program I'm in as well and by fate we met and then decided to be flatmates....well, a week or so ago she came down with a bad case of tonsillitis or strep-throat and basically was unable to look for flats or work during that time and i think the stress and money-loss took over and she has decided to go back home to Canada and try this again in the spring or summer. So, unfortunately I am one friend down, and one flatmate down. There are other prospects though and I'm waiting and hoping things will fall into place as they are meant to. I have faith that they will.

So basically besides working at the coffee shop, I spend my days off sipping peppermint tea at the Starbucks (shhhh...don't tell my boss I go to Starbucks) in Borders and read British gossip mags. They're basically the same as the American ones, but I don't know who anyone is, but I'm learning. I've also been shopping a lot, but only bought a pair of Chuck Taylors to wear for work. Shopping is soooo much more fashionable and affordable over here. Top Shop, H&M, and even Urban Outfitters are some of the places I go to religiously and wish I had loads of money to buy all these cute things. But when I think about it, i wear jeans, chuck taylors, and a black t-shirt that says "STAFF" on the back to work 5 days a week, so it doesn't make much sense to buy a whole lot of cute clothes that I'll barely wear.

Oh...another thing that's been on my mind - Thanksgiving!! Obviously they don't celebrate that over here, so most likely I will be working on that day and even Kevin has to work late that day, so it looks like my big, thanksgiving feast that I was going to cook for everyone over here will not be happening. I could defiantly go for some pumpkin pie and mash potatoes right now! No one understands!!

Well... I need to go and cook some dinner and enjoy my night in....or maybe it will be a night out? Who knows.

capturing priceless moments is key!

i'm soo sad. I've just realized that I have hardly taken any photos the last couple weeks i've been in Scotland!! I know it's to do with my crappy camera where the screen is all messed up and you can't even tell what you're taken a picture of! I can't let that stop me from capturing all these unfortable moments while I'm living abroad...bums talking on their mobile phones, fireworks displays everynight, speedy crammed subways, fluorescent skies at dusk and dawn, and so many others. Once I start earning a fair share of money, I will save up and buy myself a brand, spanking, new camera! I deserve it...if only to document this trip!

she works hard for the money

well folks! No need to worry..I have found a job. I'd say I've been pretty lucky here so far. I've been in Glasgow only 12 days, it was the first place I gave my CV (resume) to 2 days ago and they called me back that night and I started work today. I'm working at a coffee shop/cafe called Tinderbox. It's a very modern, trendy coffee shop that almost has a bar feel to it. My very first trip out to Glasgow a year and a half ago I discovered this great spot and fell in love with their milkshakes and vanilla steamers. YUMMM!!




So i started today and first off I got my black t-shirt that says "STAFF" in big bold letters on the back. Cool huh? Then they put me to work, doing exactly what I thought I would do as my first day as a "newbie" (that's what they called me) which was bussing tables and sorting dishes! I am proud to say that I have earned a college degree and now I am bussing tables! haha! But seriously, I should explain why I've gone for this job and not a straight 9 to 5'er in an office.... Yesterday I went into the city centre to track down a hospitality and events planning firm for a job. I was told they hired a lot of people from my work abroad program, so i thought I was a shoe-in. Well, i walked into the office (if that's what you could call it) and it was just one guy sitting at a desk with about 5 chairs in front of him and he handed me a thick application to fill out. I sat down and flipped through the application and the first page was puzzling. It had about 30 questions on it about how to set a table, clear a table, which side do you serve from, take-away from, and so on. I sat there thinking, "I shouldn't need to know this for an office job, should I?" I went up and asked the man if they offered office jobs and he looked at me, rolled his eyes and pointed for me to go across the hall. Across the hall was just a temp agency, and the more I thought about these "office" jobs I was applying for, the more it sounded like a bad idea. I didn't move 7,000 miles away to sit in an office and make photocopes all day, and I also didn't want to hop from one job to the next, so the coffee job was starting to sound a lot better to me. Working in a coffee shop, especially the Tinderbox which is on the main road in the coolest part of town would put me right in with the culture and the Glaswegians. :)

So i started work today (I swear being from Seattle got me the job because everyone was asking me about the coffee from over there, like i'm an expert or something) and after an hour or so of bussing tables, I moved on to working the till and that was really exciting. Took me a while to get the hang of it and press all the right buttons. There's a slight problem with their system though. In cafes here, we're supposed to ask if you're "sitting in" or "taking out". That's the first button you need to press before you can enter any drinks or food, but it's the last question you ask them after they've ordered. So I'll have to become really good at memorizing and re-calling their whole order after they've said it. Lots of nice customers though, all of which were really kind to me, seeing that it was my first day and i was asking them to repeat their order a few times. My favorite customer of all asked if I was German or French. He was very surprised when i said American. My fake Scottish accent must be worse than I thought.

"Best band in Britain"..says me!

this is the first night I've really stayed in and had time to do whatever I wanted...like catch up on the US Weekly gossip (Reese Witherspoon and Ryan Phillipe split! SHOCKER!), listen to all my fashion podcasts that I've downloaded, and go next door to the shop for a Magnum bar (British version of a Haagen Daaz). I quite like nights in...so peaceful and calming. I thought I would share with you some new music that I hope you'll all enjoy. Kevin's band, The Moth and the Mirror played a gig last Thursday night at a bar called Brel. Brel is located on one of the cutest streets I've ever seen called "Ashton Lane". It's a cobblestone street located in the west end of Glasgow (basically the Notting Hill to its London). Anyways, really great location! There was a beer festival going on in Ashton Lane so the bar was packed. TMATM (abbreviations are simpler) were the head-lining band and I'd say they didn't let the fans down! Even though their sound was coming through an amplifier and they were told to "keep it down" by the Brel management, their beautiful sounds drifted sweetly throughout the lane. Also...a warm welcome was given to me by Stacey (lead singer) and the band when they dedicated their song "Everyone I Know " to me because it is about "someone being far away". Fortunately I am not far away from any of them anymore and I can attend every one of their gigs from here on out!


hope you enjoy!!

adjusting to the rain?

I've been waiting until I was able to post something out of the ordinary, ya know, something more than just "walked around looking for a job today, blah blah blah" and then finally tonight, something happen!! I got stuck in a rain storm!! Ok...so maybe that's not as unusual, but it was for me, due to the fact that I'm living in a city without a car. You don't think about how much the rain effects you until you have to walk a mile in it...literally.

I was on my way to Scott's flat (Kevin's brother) to print off my CV (resume to all you non-British speakers) and I got about half way there and ducked under a bus stop covering and waiting about 10 minutes to see if the rain would let up. It didn't. So, I began to run the rest of the way, and that seemed to get me there faster, but also I was getting wetter. There were huge puddles, or more like rivers running across the sidewalk, that were starting to soak my feet and my jeans and jacket were no longer used as a barrier for the wind and rain, but large sponges that were soaking up every splash of rain. At this point, there was nothing else to do but laugh outloud at the new changes happening in my life. I walked about 1 more block and then decided to turn back around because even though I didn't have that much more to walk and I probally could have gotten Scott to drive me home, it wasn't worth it.

I dragged my self back to Kevin's flat and of course, the rain let up and now I was just wet and cranky. I felt like I had gained about 20 pounds of water as well. As I hung my clothes on the drying line, I immediately put the kettle on and will be enjoying the rest of my night IN! Tomorrow I will begin to invest in my new future here in Glasgow - an umbrella!

Sleepless nights

I'm here! After a long long long day of traveling I made it to Glasgow! Usually the flights aren't so bad for me because I can sleep anywhere, including cramped airplane seats...But this trip was different. Even with the empty seat beside me I was awake for most of the 7 hour flight from Chicago to Dublin, which I blame on the in flight movie service showing "The Lake House" (I just had to watch it!) and I forgot to pack my sleeping pills. It's always a kick flying over to Glasgow with the amount of elderly people going on vacations. My plane was full of them!! They're sooo chatty and the funniest thing was when they all synchronized their watches. so cute! So back to my lack of sleep....because I didn't sleep on the plane, I slept most of the day when I arrived in Glasgow and after 2 days here, I've had 2 almost sleepless nights!! NOT FUN!! Especially when I have to get up in a couple hours and traveled to Edinburgh for my orientation. I just hope I don't fall asleep during that. My Starbucks card from jenna might just come in handy tomorrow.

all in all, I am here safely, with both my bags (not filled to the brim, I might add) and eager to find a job and meet some new people. I should write more but as I look at the clock and it reads 6:48 am and I have to be up at 8 am and I am having an internal war with myself. There's so much to do and I tend to lie awake and think of it all and can never push it to the side and relax. I'm going to try and do that right now. Maybe this blog has helped me pour a bit out and even though all of you can't communicate with me right now, I feel like I've communicated with you and I like that. Now my eyes need to close and my brain needs to shut down. goodnight!

Piles and piles!

The packing has begun! I was beginning to get a bit worried as I rifled through my closet yesterday and tossed out everything I thought I wanted to bring to Scotland. As the pile became bigger and bigger, I just kept thinking to myself, "two suitcases Bethany, just two suitcases." The only downside about going to Scotland in the fall and winter (beside the nasty rain) is that I have to pack all my jackets and sweaters! Oh, and don't forget the Uggs! They all take up so much room in a suitcase. Is it possible to vacuum pack a whole suitcase? hmmm....


At least I'm not going to a third world country. Whatever I forget, I can buy over there, but being a girl on a budget I want to save as much expenses on items I already have, instead of buying another there. Also, I'm not bringing a hair-dryer, curling iron, or anything that needs to be plugged in. Since the outlets are different in Britain, I don't want to bring over all my American appliances and then have to buy 10 converters!! That would be a mess!

The rest of the week before I leave will be pretty low-key. I'm all done with work and most of the errands I have to do won't take too long. I'm looking forward to a relaxing week before the big move!

11 days and counting!

so this is the beginning of what hopefully will be a great way for all my friends and family to hear about my upcoming trip....err, i mean MOVE to scotland! I keep saying "trip", as if I'm going on vacation for a couple weeks and then coming home. I've never moved anywhere. The furthest I've moved in the last 13 years is across the 5-20 bridge and back! Instead of sending out a mass email to people, I thought it would be easier to have a place where I can write about all the exciting things going on while I'm living in Scotland. This should be interesting....

things are starting to get a bit hectic as i prepare to leave for Scotland! I just returned from a wonderful weekend in Napa for my mom's 50th birthday! It was full of great food, good wine and lots of our family friends. I was in a drunken/happy haze all week long!

Since I've flown back, i've had lots of odds and ends to tie up: cell phone, job search, flat search, purchase a incredibly large suitcase to fit all my stuff, and see each and every one of my friends!! I'm trying to maintain a balance so I don't get too overwhelmed and spend the next week or so having a breakdown. I want to seize every opportunity I can before i leave because I know once I am gone, I will miss everything and everyone!