Friends in Edinburgh

Another trip, another incredible day in Scotland. Today we went to Edinburgh with good friends from afar. Mike Barbee (in the orange fleece), Pete (Ashley's friend who lives in Glasgow), and the family had a great time admiring the castle of Edinburgh. Truly a city on a hill cannot be hidden. It is an incredible city and town to visit. Just don't drive in it! Jake loved the play area in the park and we all enjoyed a little pipes. This fountain was amazing - it was purchased in France in the mid 19th century and sent to Edinburgh in 100 pieces to be reformed.

Mike has been staying with us for five days and each day we are blown away by the presence of Jesus in him. The psalmist is right when he says like honey to the lips is good news from afar. He has only been in 37 different countries and will be finally returning to the US after 2 and a half years in Uganda bringing clean water to the indigenious people. Jakey has loved having him here and loves his Uncle Mike!

Other than Edinburgh, we have seen amazing castles here and have enjoyed the clear days and the beach! Please leave any thoughts and let us know how you are doing.

Here are some pictures

These are all from St. Andrews. The first one is the back wall at the Cathedral. The second one is a picture of the tunnel under the wall and moat at the castle site. The third one is the front wall and portico of the castle. Pretty neat.

St. Andrews

Hello to all! We had an incredible opportunity to visit one of the great Eccliastical sites in all of Scotland. St. Andrews was the center of Christianity for over 500 years as it held the main bishopric in Scotland. At the site of the Cathedral (which is ruins now) is a large tower that you can walk up - a twisting narrow stone stairway. You are able to view all of St. Andrews from on top and parts of other villages as well. It is pretty cool. Also, the castle that is located near it has a tunnel where in the 17th century a besieging army tried to tunnel under the wall to take the castle. You can go down into the tunnel and see what it was like - pretty cool. Other than that, it was simply a transportation back into time. If it wasn't for the cars driving around you would really think you went back into time. They really don't have any industry there except for agriculture and learning. Therefore, they don't really have any manufacturing plants or anything. That is why it has been able to withstand the progress of time! If any of you come over here, make St. Andrews a definite stop.

I am having trouble getting pictures posted...but hopefully I can figure it out so that I can show some pictures.

Finally here and on-line

Well, a big thanks for all of you who have been praying. We are finally here in Aberdeen after a six day ship ride on the QM2. Everyone is doing well, but Jake has decided that he has had enough. Changing an hour everyday was a killer. Can't decide which is worse, a 12 hour flight with a layover or a six day boat ride with an ever-changing schedule. But we are here, it is 21:26 o'clock and our flat is looking good. I haven't been able to find my connector chord to my camera, so no pictures as of yet. All I know is is that we are in a decidedly different culture here, both interpersonally and climatically. Everyone here is nice, all cab drivers are regular Joes who are lifetime Aberdonians, and they all expect you to say hello to them. As for the weather, we landed on a sunny day (the first one that they had in about 11 days) and it is a wee bit chilly - about 15 degrees celcius. Not too bad though. It is nice to hear the gulls overhead, but we have been warned that you will get pooped on.

The ship was AMAZING! We ate incredible food everyday, my father-in-law killed me in shuffle board (104-61 and 104 - 38), I got to see both France and England at the same time (by going to either side of the ship), and got a great chance to relax. If you ever get a chance to take a trans-atlantic cruise, this is the ship to do it in. You really never felt like you were out on the ocean. The only tough thing is that they didn't make really good Margs. Oh Rios and my beloved Patron, where for art thou?

Ashley is doing great. We met a Londoner who will be moving to Castle Rock, CO of all things and Ash got her information. It looks like Ashley is already on her way to making Arbonne a household name here in the UK!

I will try to post pictures as soon as possible. As for tomorrow, it is about going to the local store for flat items, getting out bank account set up at the Royal Bank of Scotland, and visiting the campus. Oh by the way, our flat is incredible. We actually have a washer and a dryer! The dryer part is the big deal.

Love you all and post any of your thoughts!