Loch Ness

This weekend is a four day holiday for the kids, so we decided to take a little trip.  We drove to up to Inverness on Friday afternoon and spent the night in a hotel.  We woke up the next morning and headed to the famous Loch Ness.

We went to the Loch Ness Exhibit first.  It was a big waste of time and money.  We were expecting something a little different.  The exhibit was basically a movie about the history of the Loch Ness Monster separated into six or seven sections as you move through the building.  It was interesting to learn more of the history behind the legend and the research that has been done to disprove it, but I don’t think it was anything that I couldn’t have read in a book.

Our next stop was a tour of Loch Ness by boat.  We spent about 40 minutes on a small boat with about 12 other people.  The tour guide was an older Scottish gentleman and he was great.  He even let each of the kids take a turn steering the boat.  Devon was convinced that they would see Nessie, but there were no sightings.

After our tour on the boat, we made our way to Urquhart Castle.  We watched a video on the history showing that it burned down a few hundred years ago.  It really is just the ruins that are left.  It was incredible looking around.  There was one particular part that had a winding staircase and it was very narrow.  It was nice once we got to the top but I was nervous that one of the kids would take a tumble.

The castle is right on the water; we could see it from the boat on our tour.  We went down to the water to see what it was like and it was freezing!

We saw a few signs like the one in the photo below.  I'm sure Loch Ness is pretty popular with tourists so I guess they need to be reminded about the driving rules around here.

We purchased a membership to Historic Scotland so now we have free entry to many of the castles around Scotland.  We’ll probably head to Edinburgh next since it is less than an hour drive away.  It was a fun adventure and we’re looking forward to many more.

It's Raining, It's Pouring!

Last week, I think it rained every day.  It didn't just rain for a few minutes, but most of the day.  It's about a six to seven minute walk to the school and we walk everyday, rain or shine.

We each have our umbrellas and coats, and we have managed just fine.  The stroller we bought over here came with a rain cover.  I'm guessing they all do as it's a necessity here.

Alyssa usually falls asleep on the walk to pick up the boys from school.  Luckily she stays asleep in the stroller for a couple of hours when we get home.

This particular day it was raining pretty hard on our way home and she had slid down a bit so her legs were outside of the stroller cover.  She has on her pink kitty raincoat and her "Charlie and Lola" wellies.

New House Part II--Interior

We had a somewhat sunny day!  I took advantage of that and got a few more interior pictures taken.  The pictures aren't perfect but it will give you an idea of what the house is like.

The left photo is the front entry.  It has hooks on the wall for jackets which is perfect!  It has a stained glass window.  It's not something I would pick if I were building the house, but I love that the house has character.  The door to the left is a half bath.

The photo on the right is the window in the half bath.  I couldn't really get a good picture of the bathroom because it's long and skinny.  I also figured no one really needed a picture of a toilet.  Right?

The photo on the left is the hallway off the entry.  The door to the left is to the living room.  I took the photo from the doorway to the family room.

The photo on the right is the opposite direction looking towards the family room.  The entry to the kitchen is on the left.  Directly to the right is the study.  I'll wait to take pictures of that once we have our desk.  Right now it's just random stuff on a folding table.

Speaking of the kitchen.  Below are some photos.  I was pleased with the size of the kitchen.  The fridge is even full size which isn't that common here.  We have double ovens again, which I love!  The spots on the fridge are Dora stickers.  The owner has two daughters and it made me happy to know that my kids aren't the only ones that put stickers where they aren't supposed to.

The entry to the laundry room is directly to the right of the ovens.  I love the laundry room!  There is a sink!  When you're a mom with three kids, you get excited about things like that.

Here is the living room.  The couches are rentals to use while we wait for our sea shipment.  Funny story, our neighbor two doors down is in Devon's class at school.  The first time she came over to play he gave her tour.  As soon as they walked in he said, "Just so you know, it's all rental furniture."  He's six!  That boy cracks me up.  As you can see from the second photo, we bought a TV.  It was one of our first big purchases here.  Jonathan wouldn't survive without it.  It's sitting on a little Ikea table until our real entertainment center comes. 

The living room is pictured below.  It's pretty small, but we're hoping to get a piano to put in there.

Lastly, our dining room.  The table is also rented.  I would never buy a glass dining table.  I hate all of the fingerprints.  It drives me crazy!  The french doors lead out to the garden.  The dining room is right off of the kitchen and shares a wall with the laundry room.

So many pictures!  Sorry about that.  I think I'll wait and post the upstairs pictures once we get our own furniture.  This house is about 1000 square feet smaller than the one we just moved out of but I really love the layout.  The rooms are smaller but I feel like each room is just the right size.  All of the living areas in our previous home had so much wasted space.  I kind of prefer the coziness.  Good thing, since we'll be here for two years!

New House Part I

We finally moved into our house this past Monday.  Sorry I didn't post pictures any earlier.  Our internet is a little sketchy and Jonathan left for Frankfurt first thing Tuesday morning, so it has been a bit crazy.

Here is the view from the front.  We live on a quiet cul-de-sac.  The kitchen window looks out onto the street.  The kids have been enjoying playing outside with some of the neighbor kids so it's nice to be able to keep an eye on them from the kitchen while I make dinner.

Here is the view of the back of the house.  There are two sets of french doors leading out to the garden (backyard to us Americans).  One is from the dining room, and the other from the family room.  The door on the right leads to the laundry room.

Above is the side view of our little garage.  Garages are not very common here and if people have them, they are too small for a car and only used for storage.  I think our car would technically fit, but we wouldn't be able to get out of it.

The back yard is mostly grass and is a pretty decent size with a nice side yard.  The picture on the right is a patch of wood chips where the previous owner had a trampoline.  We've never had a trampoline but since the yard is already prepped, we might have to go ahead and get one.  

I haven't taken many pictures of the inside yet.  I've been waiting for a sunny day so I wouldn't have to use the flash, but sunny times are not so frequent.  I may just have to settle for using the flash.  I'll try to post them in the next couple of days.

It's nice to finally be in our home.  We've been moving around for the past month, and now I finally feel like I can relax.  I love walking the kids to school everyday and it's a less than ten minute walk.  It's rained on a few of those trips to the school but we've made good use of our umbrellas, coats, and stroller cover.

We Have a Car!

We finally got a car this week!  We have had to use a car service to take us everywhere or bum rides off of one of Jonathan's coworkers.  Now we can go around as we please.  

It's a Vauxhall Insignia.  We'll only have this one until our seven-seater is available in November.  To be honest, I was a little annoyed when it turned out to be a station wagon.  Oh well, it's only for a couple of months.

I am so nervous to drive it.  I don't know how long before I will even make the attempt.  With the steering wheel on the right, and driving on the left side of the road, yikes!  I am terrified!

Jonathan has been driving for a couple of weeks and is starting to get used to it.  He says that he still feels like he's going to rip the left side-view mirror off.  The street signs are very confusing.  I'm going to have to study up before I take to the wheel.

Here are some gratuitous pictures of the kids enjoying the car.  I just had to add them because I think they're cute.  I know I'm biased, but I'm their mother and I'm supposed to be.

A Letter to My Washer Dryer

Dear Washer Dryer,

I had never met one of you until I arrived at our temporary housing.  I was a little nervous that you held about one-third of the clothing of our previous washer and dryer.  That would mean more loads of laundry to do, but I was sure because of your size you would be much quicker.

Sadly, this was not so.  I can't figure out why, but you take so incredibly long to dry my clothing.  Why, oh why does it take you 4 to 6 hours to dry such a tiny load.  Even after this lengthy time, they are damp and wrinkly (and I don't like ironing).  I'm looking forward to moving to our new house.  Hopefully your cousin, the separate tumble dryer will be faster.

On a positive note, Devon wants to thank you for the back massage he received courtesy of your vigorous spin cycle.  It shakes the kitchen and living room so much, that I'm reminded of home.  I feel like I'm back in California bracing myself during an earthquake.

Thanks for the laughs, and the leisurely laundering.

Sincerely,
A Frustrated Mom with Laundry Up to Her Eyeballs (because you are so very, very slow)

I Love Technology

So far, our move to Scotland has been wonderful.  The kids enjoy school, we have been able to experience a new place and culture, and even meet some incredible people.  The one drawback to living here is being so far from our family.

I miss big family dinners, and my almost daily phone conversations with my sister. Luckily we are able to keep in touch through Facebook, email, Skype, and blogs.  I love seeing all of the pictures.  It helps me feel like I'm still connected.

Sunday has become our Skype day.  With the time difference, we have a hard time coordinating during the week.  We've enjoyed being able to see and talk with several family members.  We don't have a phone yet so it has been great to hear their voices again.  Keep the pictures coming and skype us.  We'd love to hear from you!