Up North

And I mean really far north!

Last weekend Malcolm and I took a trip to Inverness and Aberdeen. For those of you who don't feel like looking at a map I'll just tell you that Inverness is at a similar latitude to Anchorage Alaska. So this trip officially pushed my borders, and I have a new record for the farthest north I've ever been in the world. Now I've almost conquered the Northern Hemisphere. Years ago when I was on a cruise with my family I achieved my southernmost point, the island chain of Kiribati (pronounced Kirabas) which is only a few hundred miles north of the equator. Maybe one day I'll make it to the Southern Hemisphere...

But I digress. Our first stop was at Urquhart Castle, some beautiful ruins on the banks of Loch Ness. I can't tell which I enjoyed more... looking at the castle or searching for Nessie. A few times I would say 'There's the monster! Disguised as a swan!' or some other foolishness. People started looking at me funny after awhile, but I was enjoying myself and have long grown accustomed to people's weird looks.



After the castle Malcolm and I continued to drive up the shores of Loch Ness. We stopped at one touristy place that had a 'monster exhibition', but we found it a bit overpriced, so we just bought a souvenir and left.

Next stop was Culloden. Any one familiar with Diana Gabaldon's 'Outlander' series or Scottish history in general will know the significance of Culloden. Here's an explanation for the rest of you: There once was a guy who thought he should be the king of Scotland, and he did have a direct bloodline to royalty, but the evil English king didn't want to give up half of his island to someone else. The 'pretender' (called Bonnie Prince Charlie) decided to round up some Scottish Highlanders and try and recapture the Scottish throne. After many years of struggle and a few battles here and there the final conflict between the Pretender and the English Regimentals took place at Culloden. It was a landslide victory for the English, and most of Bonnie Prince Charlies forces were slaughtered either on the battle field or as they lay wounded after the battle. There are some pretty horrific stories of the English setting fires to barns where the wounded Scottish hid, or killing women and children indiscriminately. The battle field was very somber to wander through, and very very cold. Anyone who loved the Outlander books as much as I did will appreciate this picture:



After Culloden we went to Clava Cairns. This place also figured prominently in the book series above. Yes, I feel like a dork, but I also found it pretty cool to go to these places that I had read about.

Clava Cairns are 4000 year old stone circles. They are similar to Stonehenge in feeling, but different in construction.


Below: I imitate a character in the book who 'falls' through the rock here and goes back in time...




Our day concluded with driving to Aberdeen and meeting up with one of Malcolm's old friends. We had a very pleasant evening in the pub.

The next day we continued our tour of the area's historical sites. We saw more old stones and a really cool stone circle:



We also drove past Balmoral, the Queens' Scottish castle. It was closed so we only got to see the gate. It was quite pretty.

Overall our trip was fun, informative, geeky (for me), and beautiful. The trees had all turned fall colors, and it was a treat just to look out the window at the world passing by...

Here is a picture of Malcolm and I at Clava Cairns, just to prove that he was there too:

Not like 'environmental', but like the 'color'...

That's right.... green.

Recently I got a new car. Yea! And a new winter coat. Yea! And they are both green.

Coincidence? Maybe... Do I just like the color green? Yeah. Is Malcolm going to tell me that I spelt the word 'color' wrong? You bet.

Here is a picture of me enjoying my new green stuff....

It's official...

Found this on a blog... I felt compelled to fill it out, as I am now officially a Stay-At-Home Wife.

Enjoy.....

Aprons- Y/N? No, but I do wash my hands a lot while cooking

Baking- Favorite thing to bake? Cake from a box... easy and delicious.

Clothesline- Y/N? No, but I do dry things on a clothes-horse type dryer.

Donuts- Ever made them? No, I don't really eat donuts.

Everyday- One homemaking thing you do everyday? Dishes, or clean the cats box.... yuck.

Freezer- Do you have a separate deep freezer? Technically, yes. The fridge is separate from the freezer, but we want to get ANOTHER freezer (to hold all of the frozen meat for Malcolm)

Garbage Disposal- Y/N? No, never had one, so I don't know what it would even be like.


Ironing- Love it or hate it? Since I don't have a job I don't really iron anything. I'm a bad housewife because I make Malcolm iron all of his own shirts.

Junk Drawer- Where is it? We mostly have junk 'piles', at least one in every room.

Kitchen- Design and decorating? Well, since we're renting and Malcolm is paranoid about me just putting ONE nail in the wall for a picture, I daren't touch anything in the kitchen. Except the horrid light fixture that was in there when we moved in. It made this weird dim red glow, not the kind of lighting that is practical in the kitchen. That thing is gone gone gone.

Love- What is your favorite part of homemaking? Eating bon bons while drinking champagne and petting the cat. Oh, I crack myself up... Probably sleeping in.

Mop- Y/N? Yes, we own a mop. No we've never used it.

Nylons- Wash them by hand or in the washer? Well, lets see... I live in a country that's freezing even in the middle of summer, and I try to avoid showing my legs, so lets say N/A.

Oven- Do you use the window or open it to check? Both, Opening the oven to check makes my contacts dry out...


Pizza- What do you put on yours? Pepperoni and black olive.

Quiet- What do you do during the day when you get a quiet moment? They're pretty much all quiet since the only pittier patter of little feet comes from the cat, and he likes to sleep more than I do. I mostly tidy the house so Malcolm can come home and mess it up again.

Recipe card box- Y/N? I have acquired several books since I've gotten married. My fav is one that my aunt made with all of the family recipes.

Style of house- Converted house... it's a typical flat.

Tablecloths and napkins- Y/N? Umm, no

Under the kitchen sink- Cleaning stuff, and not surprisingly, pipes

Vacuum- How many times a week? We have hardwood floors, so I don't vacuum. But I do dust bust on our one rug. It only takes getting down on my knees and scraping out all of the cat hair with my fingers to get it clean. That cat is lucky that he's so cute...

Wash- How many loads do you do a week? 4? Maybe more?

X’s- Do you keep a list of things to do and cross them off? Yes, of course the last thing on the list is 'Throw this list away'

Yard- Who does what? Our 'yard' consists of a parking lot and paving stones.

ZZZ’s- What is your last homemaking task of the day? Cooking dinner, after that I'm done for the day. All of the dishes and whatever can be done the next day, ensuring a never ending cycle....

That's it. Maybe one day I'll actually find a job and I can fill out a survey about that side of my life... here's hoping!

Home again...

Here I am, back in Scotland. Actually I've been here for a few weeks, but it takes me about that long to get jet lag totally out of my system...

Since I've been back I've been to IKEA twice, spent a lot of money buying furniture, and have just generally enjoyed setting up house. My parents have sent us FIVE boxes of wedding presents, so I'm hoping that everything will arrive safely.

When I first arrived in Scotland I was really depressed. I guess it all came down to wedding let down. I've spent the last million months planning for this thing, then it comes, and it only last less than a day! Think about it... half a day is really really short in the grand scheme of things. I wish that the party could have lasted a few days more.




So I come back here and I'm feel like 'that's it? that's what I've been looking forward to and planning for so long? It was great, awesome, but now it's over'. I'm over it now, but it was hard for a few days.

But, like I said, I'm feeling better. I've applied for a few jobs, one that I really really really want, and Malcolm and I picked out a new car for me today! Woo Hoo! Take that Matt! I finally have my own car. And it's green!

So, keep your fingers crossed that I get a job, make some friends, and generally find 'normal' life again soon. I can't wait!

Mrs. Fowles, but still Ms. Carlson

So I'm married. It all happened last Sunday afternoon, on a beautiful day, about 30 miles from Chicago. The rehearsal was Thursday, with dinner following. After a great dinner almost everyone came back to my parents house and proceeded to drink a lot (or maybe it was just me). My maid of honour and myself were pushed on the worlds tallest swing for a good half an hour, then we got to return the favor. Good times.

Friday Malcolm and I decided to go out in Chicago with some of our good friends. We proceeded to drink a lot. Good times.

Saturday my bridesmaids and I got our nails done and spent the night at the Hilton. No drinking, thank god!

Sunday we all got ready at the Hilton, then headed to Danada house for the wedding and reception. I was so glad to finally be able to put on my wedding dress and have it mean something. The ceremony was sweet; my Aunt, his Father, and my Father all did readings. After the ceremony the bridal party took formal and informal photos, and I got so irritated because I just wanted to get it over with but people kept walking away!! After pictures we finally got to start dinner. The best part of dinner was when Malcolm ate half of his vegetables (usually he avoids them like the plague!). We danced and drank the rest of the night away. Some Jamaican Dancehall was enjoyed by all (my Mom is now in love with "Stookie", a song that involves a lot of dropping and hopping). After the reception was over a select few went back to the Hilton for some more drinking and card playing. Malcolm and I finally kicked everyone out around 3am. Good times.

Overall I have had such a great time. Although there have been a fair few hangovers, and some wedding hook-ups gone bad I think everyone enjoyed themselves.

Pictures will be posted as soon as I get back to Scotland, in a few days time.

But wait! Tomorrow is Monday, November 28th!!

No, of course it isn't. But that famous line was uttered by my good friend Brian way back in 2002. We were parking semi-illegaly in Chicago and Brian noticed a sign. We eagerly scaned the paper to see if it said anything about our parking space. It told us that as of Monday, November 28th it was illegal to park where Brian's car was located, and that offenders would be towed. Brian, after reading the sign, cried out "Oh, no! Tomorrow is Monday, November 28th!" worried that he would get toed (for the millionth time). I also fretted, but then realized that it was only June.

After a good laugh, we left the car where it was and continued on our merry way. But that quote reminds me of the transience of time and date. When Malcolm and I got engaged in January I felt that our wedding date was miles in the future. Now, though, the wedding is only a WEEK (!) away. I feel like saying "(I can't believe) Tomorrow is Sunday, September 23rd!".

I arrived back in Chicago on September 3rd. After a very very long flight and a very very annoying screaming child I was glad to be back in the USA. From the moment I set foot in Naperville to this very second I have been either: running errands, making calls, planning wedding details, thinking about wedding details, watching wedding shows, or dreaming about the wedding. I know, I'm going wedding crazy. I don't think this is understandable to anyone but other brides. I'm very excited and not nervous at all (although I think I will be when the day arrives), but slightly anxious that all goes smoothly.

The castle in my backyard

Yesterday Malcolm and I went to our new apartment to take measurments of all the rooms. We are planning on slowly furnishing the rooms, but want to make sure our dream couches fit before we buy them.

I also wanted to spend some time exploring the area around our new home. We started by having lunch at a pub near our apartment. After lunch we went to the park half a block from our new place. Although it wasn't a very nice day (typical Scottish weather: cold rain) I could tell that the park was very nice... it had a very large green space, a spaceous playground, some pretty flowers, and paths throughout. It also had a path to Ravenscraig castle, which Malcolm and I decided to walk to. As we were walking to the castle I was suprised that we were actually walking behind our apartments parking lot. When we reached the Castle I realized that it's only about 100 feet from where we'll be living! The castle is open to the public and free to enter, there is no one there 'operating' it.

Malcolm and I walked into the castle. It was basically ruins of a smallish stone building. Once we were walking through the castle we realized that it was sitting on a cliff over looking the ocean. There were a set of stairs leading down to a lower cliff, and Malcom and I wanted to get down to the big sandy beach. We saw a very steep grassy hill that would lead us all the way down. Malcolm started to walk down, but I hesitated. It was still raining and I wasn't wearing shoes with a lot of traction. Despite my better judgement, I started down... and down and down and down. My third step downhill turned into a tumble, then a wet, muddy slide. Malcolm tried to get uphill and help me back to the top, but then HE fell, and I fell again! After a few tries we both got to the top, and were covered in mud. It was gross, and we still had our appointment with the realtor to view our apartment.

The good news, though, is that we live very close to a beautiful castle and a sandy beach. I can't wait to move in and explore further!