1st year

I have been in Scotland for 1 year now! sometimes it seems much longer than that, and other times it feels like i just arrived yesterday. so much has been packed into this past year that i can't imagine how we did it all....

No i don' t have an accent, people still now that i am from the States, and are always curious as to where i am from where i either reply "all over" or "NY, Florida and Oregon". They can never place the accent and it must be due to my hodge-podge of pronunciations. And to top it off, now i have to learn to pronounce things more Scottish!

I think Scotland is now officially my home. i still have the heart of a gypsy and dream of other vistas and other homes. but for now this is it, and i wouldn't dream of going anywhere new without david by my side. Like i told him today, i could be happy to live in Baghdad or even Texas if we were there together....

work

i began the life of a substitute teacher last week.... all i can say is that it is quite interesting, and different than subbing in the US (not that i ever subbed in the US mind you, but the subs here are more like baby sitters than i remember). Right now this is the perfect job for me: stress-free, low responsibility, flexible, no grading or planning, and good hours. If i can get 2-3 days each week i would be very happy; it would keep me busy and give us some play money!

big news!

although not new info to some of you, here is the 14 week ultrasound image of our first baby! yep, there he/she is lounging in the uterus without a care in the world! We won't know the gender until about mid-March(we have been calling the baby 'bean' since it looked a whole lot like a lima bean in the first ultrsound that was done at 8 weeks).
The first trimester was pretty tough, i had really bad morning sickness, have had a cough since mid-December, and i have been exhausted. Now that i am at the beginning of the second trimester things are beginning to look up! About 98% of my nausea is gone, and i am finding it easier to eat things other than carbs. I do crave food that is unavailable here or hard to find, and maybe that has been the hardest part of all.... Can someone please open up a Jack-in-the Box in Scotland????
If all continues to go well, look for bean's first appearance sometime in early August!

Back home

we arrived on friday morning, after a decent flight from atlanta to edinburgh. i say decent because we were lucky enough to get the exit row seats, but it still is not 100% comfortable....

david and i had a great time in Florida! the weather was great (mostly in the 70s and sunny), we got to see most of my florida family, and many of my friends that live on the east coast! it was great to get to see everyone and catch up in person for a change. i hope that everyone who has promised to visit does, and soon!
our party on saturday night was very laid back and we hope everyone that came had a good time. my mom out did herself with the amount of food, but there were some of my favorite things to eat there (cannolis, deviled eggs, swedish meatballs!). some people couldn't make it at the last minute, which was a let down, but things happen and hopefully we will see them soon.
we spent new years relaxing. david went fishing with ed (and he got to pet a manatee!) while i got to sit around and chit chat with my buds husband-free! at night we went to kim and ed's new house (very nice!) for some food and fireworks. i think we are all getting too old to party too hard, and it was nice to have all my different friends meet each other (finally). I have some of the best friends a person could want and i LOVE it when they hit it off!

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!!!