Strolling down Morningside, Aug. 8th

Here is the front door to their 3rd floor apartment. (That is significant because Bobby lifted our three, 50 lbs. bags, 1 x 1, and carried them up 3 flights of stairs. No lift (or elevator as we call them). Boy, those muscles came in quite handy on this day.

Though the picture may be a bit dark, I hope you can see this shot of the street outside their apartment. It was a lovely street, calm, and quiet. 

So you could see what the tags on a car in Scotland looked like.

Since we arrived in Edinburgh in early morning, we had the whole day to get to do fun things.  We had brought a suitcase full of goodies from back home. Dorie, Kathy, & Rachel, Maridith's mom, plus ourselves had gathered lots of stuff for Bobby & Maridith and the boys. One of the most important things were warm clothing. Living in the heat like they do, they didn't have much to wear in Scotland where the temps were in the high 50"s and low 60's. It was like Christmas as I opened the suitcase and handed out the things we had brought them from home. 

Soon thereafter, Bobby, Shep, and myself took a stroll along Morningside.

As we strolled down Morningside, I kept wanting to pinch myself. Even though my feet were stepping on a sidewalk in Edinburgh, Scotland the reality of it was still very hard to grasp. Nevertheless, there we were!

We decided to stop at a quaint little coffee shop named Karine. Bobby ordered a plum tart, a quiche, a cappuccino for me, and a flat white for himself. But here is a little coffee lore for those of you who like me had not heard of a flat white before:

my cappuccino; not the
flatwhite.

A flat white is a coffee beverage that originated first in Australia, and later in New Zealand.It is prepared by pouring microfoam (steamed milk consisting of small, fine bubbles with a glossy or velvety consistency) over a single or double shot of espresso. It is somewhat similar to the traditional 5 oz cappuccino or the lattealthough smaller in volume, therefore having a higher proportion of coffee to milk, and milk that is more velvety in consistency – allowing the espresso to dominate the flavour, while being supported by the milk.

   Sorry for the dark picture again, but here I am sitting in Karine's, (the fact this I am in Scotland doing this still blows me away), making memories with my son and grandson. 

   I can tell you that Scottish people are a warm and friendly lot. No matter where we went, their warmth and kindness remained constant. 

Shep can be quite contemplative at times, and I find that quite unusual for a 2 year old. I wonder what is going through that sweet little head of his!

Bobby is at home no matter where he goes. While we were out Bobby bought a walking cane for his dad to add to Bob's collection. Bob has several now because whenever we go following after Bobby, he commemorates the moment by buying a walking cane. Therefore, getting a cane was at the top of our to do list.

LOVING–IN PERSON

   I was a little concerned about how our 2 1/2 Shep might react to seeing us in person for the first time (according to him. He wouldn't remember us seeing him when he was 3 months old.)  Was prepared to take it kinda slow and allow him time to warm up to us. HOWEVER, when he saw us he came right over and gave us a hug. He knew who we were!

   This was totally unexpected. Yes, we had talked to him on the phone, so he knew our voices. We had video chatted with him so he knew what we looked like! But I figured seeing us in person, being able to touch us, well, I expected a little shyness at the first moments.

   I am beyond happy to say that it was like we had been around him during those 2 1/2 years of his growing. God overwhelmed me!

   It a wonderful feeling to be greeted by such a smile. Maridith was happy in her little nest and it showed all over her beautiful face. I was beyond thrilled to be there and have the chance to love on her, my grandsons, and my son.

   I discovered in our conversations together why it was Shep appeared to be so comfortable around us. While we had spent many fun moments talking to him on the phone and video chatting, there was something beyond that that contributed to his being familiar with us.

   Maridith told me that she and Bobby, in preparation for this trip would often talk about seeing us soon, as well as mentioning our names in prayer. Additionally, they would show him the picture they have of us setting on the bookshelf. I believe this deliberate effort to familiarize Shep with his family back home, accounts for Shep's knowing who we were and warming up to us so quickly.

   As soon as Bobby finished carrying the 3rd & final piece of heavy luggage up the 3 flights of stairs to their apartment (yep, no elevator folks), we proceeded to their bedroom to take a look at Roscoe who was fast asleep.

   For a quick moment (because Grandaddy woke him up when he pulled back the covers. Roscoe opened his sleepy little eyes and guess what he did? He looked up at us and smiled!) I gazed upon this little person, with a developed little personality, who had suddenly appeared before me. It wasn't so easy to wrap my mind around the fact that this beautiful sleeping baby was my grandson. Especially, when I wasn't around to experience his mother's pregnancy and he was almost 5 months old when I saw him in person for the very first time! 

   But as soon as I laid eyes on him, the love I had stored up for him as I viewed pictures and videos of him online prior to this moment, came flowing out of me and happily fixed itself onto this newest member of our family. 

TOGETHER AGAIN, FINALLY!

Together finally! Almost two hours after landing we finally found each other!

   Anxiously anticipating the sight of our son, we made our way to the baggage pick up area. I had no way of communicating with Robert other than facebook messaging. We had the whole crew keeping up with our adventure there. I noticed that I could get 2 hours of free wifi so figuring that would give us more than enough time to join up with Robert, I signed up. There was a message waiting for me from Maridith saying that Bobby would be a little late due to the fact that his clothes were locked in the dryer. Assuming that meant he needed those clothes to wear when picking us up, we pushed the luggage carts (one for each of us) towards the exit doors to wait for Robert outside the terminal. I sent a facebook message that we were at the bus (coach in Scotland) pick up area. That was about 20 minutes into the 2 hour free wifi I had and then no more. I had no way of letting Robert know where we were!

   A couple of very nice Scotsmen (one at the information desk, another a taxi driver) used their phones to call the number I had for Robert but could only leave a message, as he did not answer. Fortunately, there was a taxi shelter area for those waiting on a taxi. We pulled our luggage carts  inside the shelter trying to escape the cold wind of a typical Scottish August morning. Fortunately, we had jackets being forewarned that we would need them for the high  50's low 60's temperatures typical of August weather in Scotland. We sat there shivering a bit while we wondered where in the world was our son!

   Finally, I agreed for Bob to walk back into the terminal to see if Bobby was waiting for us there. I was a bit uncomfortable that all 3 of us were now separated from each other but it seemed the logical thing to do. As my feet were freezing, I put on Bob's socks that he had in his backpack. However, flip flops with socks (especially oversized socks) would draw unwanted attention my way so I attempted to locate my tennis shoes. All I had to do was pull them out of the suitcase, which would have been a simple solution except that my suitcase was on the bottom with a heavy suitcase stacked on top of it.  

   Well, I was able to find my tennis shoes and put them on asap.  But the real challenge was to get those suitcases restacked.  Try as I might, I could not manage it. The taxi driver who had let me use his phone earlier had been standing nearby and seeing my dilemma came to my rescue. Thank God for that man!

   I resumed my vigil of waiting and added a prayer that wherever Robert was, God would bring us together. That was the Truth thought I was focusing on when I heard a very familiar laugh.  Sure enough it was Robert and his dad.  Bob had indeed found Robert in the terminal where he had been waiting on us all along. It was a happy reunion, somewhat frustrating but humorous all the same, because with our son, nothing every develops normally!

Our plane descends!

                   

   I took this picture obviously from the window of the plane. I wanted to be ready to take pictures of my first sight of Scotland. However, as we continued to fly over water and land masses, I began to suspect this was not Scotland. Depending upon the flight path, this could be a picture of northern Ireland. Do you see those cliffs in the lower right side of the picture? Looks like Ireland to me!

   

Looking more like Scotland, for the ocean is giving way to land. An emotional moment for me. I wrote the following in my journal, "I have gazed upon Scotland with my own eyes for the very first time, from way up in the air, from the window of the plane!"

   

   As we descended, the patchwork pattern of the fields below came into sight. It surprised me to see so much more farmland than urban. I mean Scotland has been around for a very long time and it just seemed to me that as the population grew they might eventually run out of land for they are only an island country after all! Most of the population of Scotland is in the central belt where Glasgow, Edinburgh, Dundee, and Perth. But over the years due to The Clearances during the 18th & 19th century and also due to the Potato famine thousands of Scots were displaced. So much so that there are now more Scots living outside Scotland than inside. 

   Notice the wind farms scattered below! Kind of interesting to look at really. Some people don't like them for they seem to think that Scotland's countryside is being ruined by these gigantic windmills. However, some don't seem to mind considering the renewable energy source they provide. But around 50% of the wind farms of the UK are located in Scotland. Guess they feel that's a bit much and the beauty of Scotland is being sacrificed for the whole of the UK. 

 

   Again from the window of my plane, I am getting my first glimpses of Scotland. Just over the wing you can see the famous Firth of Forth bridge. I understand this bridge is considered an iconic structure and symbol of Scotland. The building of this bridge began in 1882 and was completed in 1890 (whew, that means that it's 125 years old and it is still in operating condition). But to the Scots, I bet they don't consider that bridge to be so old. After all, there are castles still standing in Scotland that are around 500 years old and some in ruins dating back to the 1100's!

This is Barnbougle Castle near Edinburgh.
Built in the 13th century & rebuilt in 1881. 

   We haven't even landed yet and already I was seeing castles! I took this picture from the window of the plane as it flew over what looked to be a castle there on jutting out into the Firth of Forth. I did some research after I got home and I think it was highly likely that I was looking down upon Barnbougle Castle. I have inserted a picture I found on the internet!

   

We have touched Scottish soil, or at least my plane has! I keep having to remind myself to breath for the wonder of a dream becoming a reality takes my breath. In just a few minutes, I will see my son, in person for the first time in 2 years. Just breathe, Janet, just breathe!

And so the fulfillment of a dream begins!

                                      

 My daughter, Rachel, with her two daughters, 

Addie and Ainsley, took us to the airport and 

our journey to Scotland began.

With our bags checked in and
not being overweight, it
was time to sit and relax
before the long plane rides
ahead!

I wore this shirt even though even
I would admit it was pretty cheesy! But
when a dream is coming true, cheesy
doesn't matter! Can you believe
not one person asked me about
my shirt!

IN HONOR OF BAGPIPE CELEBRATION DAY, ENJOY!

The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards pipes and drums perform Scotland The Brave, The Black Bear and Highland Laddie on the esplanade of Edinburgh Castle. In typically inclement Scottish weather, the Pipes and Drums were performing to mark the release of their second album Spirit of the Glen: Journey. Part of this album was recorded when the regiment was on active service in Iraq

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   The items that we are to pack into our suitcases to take to our son and his family are arriving on a regular basis. They live in a hot weather climate and so do we at the moment. Therefore, they have had to send warm weather clothing to us so that we could bring it to them. Temperatures will be in the low 60's and high 50's while we are there. I am borrowing big suitcases to pack all this extra stuff and to have room to bring home souvenirs. The countdown in on:  11 MORE DAYS TILL WE GET ON THE PLANE!

Happy Birthday via bagpipes!

  Yesterday was my 67th birthday and while there wasn't a celebration (yet, it will come later) my day was filled with blessings. I got phone calls and happy birthday comments from many facebook friends. I was especially delighted with this video of Happy Birthday being played on the bagpipes one of my friends sent me.

*     *     *     *

   

   August 7th is only 26 days away. Packages are coming in the mail of items I am to take to my son, daughter in law, and 2 grandsons. It is getting harder and harder to keep calm. 

   The temps are to be in the high 50's and low 60's in Scotland. Now that is going to create some adjustments in my choices of clothes I will pack. Should I take summer type clothes in the hope that I will get to wear them? We could have a warm day here and there! Probably not! (Warm pjs for sure though)

   The anticipation of knowing a dream is about to come true intensifies with every passing day. And to be experiencing it with my son and his precious family? Wow, that blows my happiness meter off the chart!