A Perfectly Scottish Day

I can’t quite put into words just how awesome yesterday was, so instead I’ll try to describe it through pictures.  

Haggis

Castle

 Fairy Pools

Whisky Tasting

Highland Coos

Sticky toffee pudding.

It was all just so quintessentially Scottish, I can hardly stand it. Now it's off to Edinburgh which I expect to be the crown jewel of our voyage. I think it's safe to say: Best road trip EVER!

Super Short Loch Ness Post

So after visiting Loch Ness twice, I still have zero proof that the fabled monster exists. I did, however, rack up some more evidence that the good Lord does. Check this out:

Seriously!

Next stop: The Isle of Skye where I’m looking forward to seeing much more of God’s unique creations. I’ll keep you posted.

Road Trip!

Well I'm off on the road again. April and I are on a mission to find the Loch Ness Monster, and therefore I might be missing from the blogosphere the next few days. I'll try to post pictures along the way, especially if we get a shot of the elusive sea creature. If not, have a great week and I'll see you here next Monday.

P.S. I'm super excited about April and I's road trip since Debbie made us a "mix tape". Bone Thugs in Harmony? Boys II Men? Ace of Base? It's all there. Nothing sets the tone for driving down the small winding roads of Scotland quite like Coolio's "Gangster's Paradise". Too bad it's too cold to jam out with the windows rolled down. Thanks Debbie. I owe you so big!

Happy Birthday to Me!

Happy Birthday to me! Happy Birthday to me! Happy Birthday, dear Laine-Michelle! Happy Birthday to me! Yes, today begins the last 365 days of my twenties and I am celebrating in style. Here’s a list of the four best birthday presents EVER. 

1. My BFF April is here in Scotland to celebrate with me.

I’ll post a whole lot more about that later, but suffice to say, I’m having a great time showing her all of the reasons I love this country. And so far, the weather has been cooperating with her visit so I’m praying that the sunny skies and mild temperatures continue.

2. My husband surprised me on Friday night when he plopped this little bag down in front of me.

Apparently, he does listen, and he got me that classic Burberry trench that I have been wanting since I was about 3 years old.

Great Job, honey!

3. After bestowing the beautiful rain coat on me, he whisked me away to a romantic dinner which turned out to be a surprise get-together with some great friends. I was honored and blessed to have this crew get together after a long week to celebrate the slow and agonizing death of my twenties.

They made the night extra special by ensuring that the restaurant, Granite Gate (HIGHLY recommend!), could supply Sticky Toffee Pudding, despite it not being offered on the dinner menu.

AND they got me a new camera strap, just in time for my cross country road trip with April.

This will make lugging around a 400 ton camera so much easier. AND they got me an amazing fancy-schmancy candle which is awesome since our moving company wouldn't pack our candles so I'm starting all over in that department. And I have two dogs, so good smelling candles are always a must.

Thanks a million guys! You are the absolute best and I thank God for each one of you every single day.

4. This last one was a gift from Scotland itself. When I woke up at the crack of dawn to walk my hubby to work and take Bailey for a forest run, this sunrise was waiting to greet me.

Bailey’s run quickly turned into more of a photography stroll, but she cooperated and we were both in awe of this amazing view. 

Yep, the Scottish sky was really showing off this morning and I feel blessed to witness the beauty of this country on a daily basis.

Now, I’ll need your participation for gift number 5.

5. My blog reader’s supply me with great suggestions for a road trip playlist! I need your help guys. I’m trying to put together the perfect “mix tape” for our cross country road trip and would love your input. What are your favorite sing-alongs for long trips in the car? I'd super duper appreciate any suggestions you could give me. And you sort of have to comply, because it's sort of my birthday which makes me sort of more important than the Queen of England.  

I hope you have a happy my birthday!

Highs, Lows, and Phone Photos

I’m super busy getting the house ready for our first house guest, so I will keep this short and sweet.

Lows:
-Feeling like I really ruined an opportunity to see Austria. Had I known how easy the train system would be, I would have felt more comfortable relocating to Vienna, Innsbruck, or one of the resort towns once Jonathan’s conference ended. You live, you learn, and I’ll make sure to do more research regarding our upcoming Krakow trip.
-Also, walking so much in Salzburg that I ended up with massive blisters on the back of my feet. They still hurt so much that I can’t even wear my Ugg moccasin slippers. What’s a housewife to do?
-And in general, just feeling overwhelmed with all of our upcoming travel. I feel like I don’t have time to recover between one trip to the next which leaves me feeling frazzled and super unorganized.  And then feeling incredibly bratty that I’m complaining about all of our travel opportunities. Sometimes I just need to take a step back and look at the big picture: My “problems” are awesome! I just need to put on my big girl panties, go on a caffeine binge and deal with it.

Highs:
-Spending quality time with my husband, enjoying beautiful weather, and incredible scenery in the Alps.

-Also, getting mega excited for April’s arrival in Scotland *tomorrow*.
-And in general, just feeling incredibly blessed in so many areas of my life.

What about you? Highs and Lows?

Since this post was so short I decided to pair it with some phone photos.  Bailey and Samson have such a great time romping around at their boarding kennels, that when they come home they practically pass out for hours. They honestly stayed in these exact positions for about 6 hours on Monday.

This next one is probably the most beautiful scene I have seen yet in Scotland, and that is saying something. This was the view on my morning run:

Oh my goodness, this just fills my heart up with joy! The sweetness is just too much to bear. And just to prove that she listens to her momma as well, I asked Jon to capture this evidence on film:

Pure joyJ Have a great weekend and I’ll see you next week!

These are a few of my favorite things...

For all of its faults, Salzburg is still a lovely city with plenty of qualities that make it worth a (short) visit. In keeping with the Sound of Music theme, these are a few of my favorite things:
1. The Weather.

Apparently Salzburg is one of the rainiest cities in Europe. I figure this statistic can only be right if the entire UK is taken out of the running. While we were there, we had some of the prettiest days I’ve ever experienced. We went 3 whole days without seeing a single cloud in the sky. There were several times when we just layed out on a park bench and soaked in the pleasure of a shady spot on a hot afternoon.

You don’t get many of those opportunities in Scotland, so we tried to take full advantage of the warm sunshine on our faces.

2. Fraulen Maria’s Sound of Music Bike tour.

It was fun, educational, and active which is just how I like my European vacations.

3. Coffee Ice Cream at Café Tomaselli.

I’m not saying that the waiters were pleasant or the bathrooms were free, but their coffee ice cream was good enough to keep me coming back for more.

Yep, three total stops for coffee ice cream during our trip. If nothing else this is a must do in Salzburg, and you can justify your indulgence by this cultural fact: Mozart used to eat ice cream here back in the day.

4. St. Peter’s church and catacombs.

Lately I’ve been having a heavy heart about a few things.  I won’t go into detail, but for the first two days of our Salzburg trip, I was pretty grumpy. I stumbled upon St. Peter’s church while wandering the streets by myself, and decided to have a look inside.  

A sign indoors said ‘No talking’ because it was a house of prayer, and suddenly a light went off in my head: “Duh! Prayer!”. I realized it had been about a week since I had humbly bowed my head, and so I helped myself to a pew.

I had a serious heart to heart with God, and before realizing it, I was having a big ole ugly cry…in public. But it was so cathartic. Afterwards I felt as light as a feather, and my bad attitude was wiped away. It’s so nice to realize that I don’t have to carry the weight of the world on my shoulders, because I can just hand my worries, fears, and grief over to God and he will carry them for me. Hallelujah! And to have such an intimate moment with the Lord in a lovely historic church made this simple experience one of the most memorable of my Austrian vacation. Who cares if I had mascara running down my face for the rest of the day?  

After lifting my spirits in the chapel, I headed next door to the Catacombs.

The price of admission was 1.50 Euros, and admission granted me access into a few of the tombs and stunning views of the Salzburg skyline.

5. Drinking beer on patios.

Yes, many of the restaurants and beer gardens close around 8 PM, but we still basked in the pleasure of drinking brewskis outdoors. It was perfect weather for it, and it’s something we've profoundly missed while living in the UK.

Something about drinking beer outside just makes it taste better. Kind of like candy bars when they come from vending machines.  

6. Mirabell Gardens.

One of my best friends Jill is pregnant with a baby girl. Before becoming pregnant, her favorite name for a girl was Lydia, so when she made the gender announcement, I thought I knew what to expect from her name reveal. Wrong. Her sweet husband had a different name on his mind: Mirabell.

I spotted a Mirabell Hotel in Bad Gastein.

The couple took a trip to Germany and Austria for their anniversary and when they visited Mirabell Gardens he started thinking about what a great name it would be for a future daughter. And well, I just  think that’s the sweetest story I have ever heard. I love when daddy’s help to name their little girls. I know it makes me love my own name that much more to know that it was one my one dad chose. And I’m sure little Mirabell will feel the same.

I just loved the experience of visiting these gardens and thinking of my dear friend and the inspiration behind her sweet baby’s name. And plus, the gardens are simply beautiful. I visited early in the morning so they weren’t yet crowded. I learned later that it is one of the most photographed places in Salzburg and gets quite busy, so I recommend an early visit if it’s on your Salzburg itinerary.

7. Hiking.

From my Bike tour I learned of two walks, the Monchsburg and Kapuzinerburg Hills, that offer incredible views of the city and the surrounding Alps.

We spent our Sunday morning walking these paths before heading home to Scotland.

8. Mozart Balls (or Mozartkugel).

Chocolatey, pistachio, nugget goodness. The perfect treat after long days of walking, hiking, biking, and bench napping.

9. Churchbells.

The city of Salzburg has a long Christian history, and within the Old Town alone there are 84 churches. When the bells go off, it's quite magical. It's hard to capture this beautiful sound in pictures, so instead I took some video. You're welcome.

And of course...

10. Raindrops on Roses and Whiskers on Kittens.
Because when the dog bites, when the bee stings, when I'm feeling sad: I think of a few of my favorite things and then I don't feel so bad......