Glamis Castle et al.

Hello again...just to let you all know that we totally love it here. And as you can see, so does the little guy. He really loves leaves!

So, a few weeks ago we went to Glamis Castle where the late Queen Mother (Elizabeth's mum) grew up. It is still owned and lived in by an Earl or a Lord or something like that- hey, I am an American, I am not supposed to know about all of the noble stuff! Anyways, it is a beautiful castle as it has retained much of its history throughout the centuries. It started out as a hunting lodge and over time it has become a gorgeous manor house/castle. Since we couldn't take pictures in the castle, I will try to describe it to you. The ceilings and walls are covered in frescoes and paintings some dating back about 600 years or more. You can actually rent out the dining hall area for formal dinners and the like. Each room has a decided theme and I believe each Lord or Earl has a picture of himself or herself represented. They also have a private chapel attached to the house that has services on Sundays- but you have to be invited to them personally by the family. Also, I believe that it is a service conducted by the church of Scotland - so it is protestant.

The gardens and lawns are just as spectacular. They have an Italian style garden that if full of paths and fountains. Also, their lawns are well maintained as well as used by the cattle and sheep of the estate. They have a river that runs through the area and it is privately owned by the family. I hear they have great brown trout! Here are some pictures plus a video of Jakey - he sure loves being outside here:






As for my own personal studies are concerned, things are looking good. Latin is coming along as well as my Scottish Reformation class. I believe that I might have found a topic that I can write on: The reformation of Dundee. Basically, it was here that the reformation really found a hold. Dundee is located in between Aberdeen and Edinburgh. So I am really excited about the possibilities there. I have been thinking about the motivations that must have to grab a person and a community to totally change the way they think about the church. It seems like as the church becomes more and more separate from the community, the more the community demands a new way of thinking. During the scottish reformation, the common person and the middle class were estranged from the church and its practices. The church was too concerned about politics and not concerned enough about the state of their communities. Is this a warning sign for us in the US?

As for Ash, she is rockin' here. Her Arbonne business is getting ready to really rock and roll. She already has her first few people signed up and is hoping that one in particular sees what the business can do for her (she is a nursing student with a heart for medical missions). Other than this, she has about one party every other week. Right now the business model is mass exposure with a follow-up of personal contact. People seemed really excited about the products - now it is just a matter of them seeing the business as something that they can do! So you can be praying that way for us here.

We love you all and can't wait to see you again soon. We will be back in the US on Dec. 17th and it can't come soon enough. We will be having about 15 people over for Thanksgiving - a few Americans but also some Scottish and Nigerian people as well. The Scots can't get enough of the Thanksgiving deal!

Love the Reslers