merry christmas!

Merry Christmas to everyone!!!

jobless

i went for the interview, and although i rocked it like a new jersey girl at a Ratt concert, they didn't give it to me. It was me vs. the woman who has been substituting in the position for the past 2 months, and well why wouldn't they give it to her??? When the head teacher (Principal to the people from the US) called to let me down gently, i told him that i agreed with his decision because it was the best choice for the kids. We spoke for about 15 minutes, he told me how great a job I did and also told me that in order to get a job in Scotland i really need to be in the classroom here and see how it differs from the US. I couldn't agree more, and that is why i think substituting is the best step forward for me. When i get back from Florida i will go introduce myself to the business managers at the high schools near here (they are the ones who call the subs here in scotland), and i will also be able to go into the school i interviewed at to observe classes and volunteer my services as guest speaker to the US history class! pretty sweet!!!!
5 more days and we are USA bound! this is a week of doing laundry, packing and cleaning up the house. Grandpa Gordon (my scottish dad) will be house/dog sitting for us when we are away. Gratch loves his Gordon, (they go on extremely long walks together) and although Gordon tries to act all tough, i really think he spoils Gratch when we are away.
We also get to pick up our new car on Saturday!!! Can't wait!!!

christmas countdown

I couldn't wait, I made david help me put up the tree on Dec. 1st.... i did most of the decorating, in my control freak way, while he sat back and put the hooks on the ornaments and handed them to me. He was pretty happy with that responsibility, he has been working non-stop lately, and really just wants to relax when he is actually at home. The tree is a fakey with white lights and red balls, and a smattering of my classic pooh ornaments that my mom posted to me last month from the states.
We leave for Florida in 13 days! i am looking forward to the warmer weather, since i have been freezing my butt off the past week. It has been in the 30s (F) with gale force winds off the north sea, and rain most days. It hasn't been Oregon rain (that constant drizzle), more like Florida rain (coming in short bursts that could easily drown you if you don't watch out). And for some reason, the rain always comes when i am just about to walk out the door.... figures!
In other news, i actually have a job interview next Monday! It is at a high school about 20 minutes away, and it is for a history job that will last for the remainder of the school year (till june). I might be able to handle that! It is totally insane that i haven't worked in 11 months! I am looking forward to some type of job, whether i get this one or i begin to substitute. It has taken miles of paperwork and red tape to get me to the position where i can actually apply for a job, so whether i get it or not i am just stoked that i actually have a real live interview!!!

Turkey day!

Obviously there is no Thanksgiving here in Scotland, so life goes on today like nothing is happening. I sit here knowing that all my friends and family will be eating the BEST meal of the year, while I attempt to make some type of meager excuse for a Thanksgiving here. I will cook some turkey breast fillets, maybe a baked potato and some pumpkin pie... I will await a phone call from my parents wishing me a nice day, and passing me around to everyone who happens to be there while I am 4000 miles away feeling completely un-American.
Thing is, I have always been opposed to Thanksgiving for all the leftist political reasons (that we all know, so I won't go into it here), and it is ironic that I am missing something that I always detested. But is Thanksgiving really about the Pilgrims anymore? It is more about family and realizing what you have than the slow decimation of an entire race....
Earlier this week I had to go to the American Consulate in Edinburgh to get my SS card changed. As I walked up the hill, with Edinburgh behind me and Arthur's Seat in front, I saw the American flag wavering in the wind up ahead, Great Seal of the US above the door, surveillance cameras all around... I started to laugh hard, because all I could think of is that scene at the end of Not Without My Daughter where Sally Field says to her daughter after escaping post revolutionary Iran,"Mahmoub we're home!" Here it was, a little bit of the ol' USA in the midst of Scotland.... Of course the minute I walked in I was bombarded with pictures of the 2 things I detest about the US right now, Condi and George ..... but it felt like home: the metal detector, the "We will never forget" of 9-11, and best of all, GREAT customer service (something the Scots are not good at no matter how nice they are).
Do I miss the US?? Not really, just certain things- my friends and family, Sundays full of football games, good donuts, buffalo wings.... I mean who wouldn't?

Got it!

so i am officially a resident alien! woo hoo!!! it took about 3 hours of sitting on our butts in a very clinical waiting room, with absolutely no grilling, just copies made of passports, wedding certificate and bank statements, and there you have it, another visa to add to my passport! the crazy thing was that the cabby who drove us from the train station to the Home Office in Glasgow complained to us the WHOLE time about immigrants of the non-white variety and how they are horrible to him and how they are mucking up the country. david squeezed my hand so that i kept silent (it was pouring and he was afraid i would get us kicked out of the cab in the middle of some estate where a bunch of yobs would cut us up with machetes, which seems to happen quite regularly in glasgow), so the only real thing i did day is that "i really appreciate a multi-ethnic culture"... i know lame....
when he dropped us off in front of the gates (complete with razor wire on top), he said "you will be the only white people in there, i guarantee you that!" before he put the peddle to the metal and got the hell out of there.... well, he wasn't far off, there were 2 other white women in there, both with their foreign husbands (one indian, and one arab), which we laughed about, thinking that the cabbie would not be too happy about those statistics! but the next thing was how NICE they were to us because we were both english speaking white people, and how rude all the people -from security, all the way to hijab wearing cashier- were to the non-white people. amazing.... you would think that the glaswegians would take a big clue from how messed up the southern US is and be more open minded, ESPECIALLY after how the scots were (and still are at times) treated by the english.... go figure..... I had hoped that I had left that type of mentality behind when i left the states! i guess teaching (and opening the minds) of the Scottish youth won't be so boring after all!

cold!

this will be my first full winter here in Scotland, and i am hoping i deal better than i did last year. leaving a balmy Florida in February is not conducive to being warm in Dunbar, no matter what new sweaters or down jackets you bought before you left! The gradual shift from warm to cool to chilly is helping though, and if only the arctic blast off the sea would calm down a little, it might not be too bad at all. on an extremely positive note, the leaves are changing colors! that is something i really missed living in Florida the past 4 years.
This should be an interesting month. I should be getting my Work permit and Visa, and that means I will also be (cross our fingers) substituting before the month is out! I miss being in a classroom mainly because of the interaction with the students... I don't miss the parents freaking out or grading papers or the horrible meetings and agendas. I am extremely curious to see if I will like being around Scottish kids, how they will measure up to the kids that I miss. I guess I am close to finding out!
We have our tickets for Christmas. We will be in the states from Dec. 25 until Jan. 4th. I am looking forward to eating all the food that I miss... Chipotle, Panera, Mugs n' Jugs, Krispy Kreme. I better not gain any weight while I am there!!! best bring my running shoes with me....

pooch's 3rd birthday

Gratch is 3 years old! He has had an eventful year,

moving from the US to Scotland, getting a new last name, and making lots of new friends. He had a hard time with the accent at first, but he is very happy to be living in Dunbar. Here he doesn't have to go around on his leash all the time and he doesn't have to wait to go to dog parks or dog beaches. Every place is a dog park!!!!

He does miss some of his american friends, like Sugar, Monster, Bricka and Sigs. But slowly he is meeting some new pals like Chip, Jake and Bracken.

For his birthday, Gratch will be getting some great toys and treats! He will even be getting home made doggy icecream!!!!

Happy Birthday Gratch! We love our puppy!!!!!

wedding day

David and I tied the knot on Saturday the 14th of October. It was a small gathering of family and friends here in Scotland. The ceremony took place at the registrar's in Haddington, while the reception was at the New Bayswell Hotel in Dunbar. We had to keep the party to 30 guests, which made the affair very cozy.

My parents, my Uncle Dan and my good friend Hallie all came for the shindig from the states. It was nice not to be the only crazy american there!

Nothing beats a man in a kilt, and lucky for me David decided to wear one! I think his outfit was much better than mine. I wish traditional Scottish clothing was better for us chicks, because maybe I would have donned a tartan too! Of course, only after the ceremony, because only then could I rightfully wear it....

I was really afraid the the October weather would not be up to much, but it was a gorgeous and sunny day. We rode from the ceremony to the reception in a convertible, with the top DOWN! Who would have thought it?!? In October!!!! We got to ride the long way round, and see the autumn countryside before we commenced the partying with the guests.

beginnings....

i had been planning on starting a blog for sometime, but haven't really gotten there. I have so many other places that i post to on the internet, it just seemed ridiculous to start somewhere else again.

The haven will be a place where both David and I can keep people up to date on what is going on over here in Scotland, and to share a picture or two for those friends and family members who rather not search through all my flickr images!