What a week!

This week has been full of one fabulous adventure after another, so I figured I should update our blog before it gets too crazy as everyone starts heading into the holiday season. Lots of random stuff has been going on here in Edinburgh, so I'll do a day-by-day recap.

MONDAY: Mud madness! Steve and I decided to spend our afternoon playing soccer with the missionaries for their preparation day activity. You may think this a bit strange, but there's a good explanation, I promise. Sister Corca, from Romania, is currently staying at the mission home for a little while and is assigned to work with the senior sister missionaries in the office. They wanted to put together a puzzle of the Sistine Chapel while a bunch of elders in the zone were getting together to play soccer. Right. Someone called Steve up and asked if I would come along so that Sister Corca could come and play too, rather than being stuck in the mission home. I was very happy to help even I am completely inept when it comes to soccer. The field we played on was super muddy, and as the picture attests, not all of it stayed on the ground. Overall, despite having serious hip issues the next day from slipping in the mud, it was a lot of fun getting to know the missionaries better - it reminded me of all the good times I had in the TSAM.

TUESDAY: The Caspers arrived in Edinburgh, but sadly we couldn't give them much of a warm welcome that evening. Steve had a training meeting for work, so jumped off the bus on a whim to make it there on time. And I had a meeting for Art in Healthcare later that night, so luckily I was able to give the Caspers a tour of the flat before I had to take off myself. The tour only lasted 20 seconds.....if that. =)

WEDNESDAY: Such a great day, despite the HORRENDOUS weather. Wow. I don't think I've ever seen (or felt) so much wind and rain at once! You have to remember that we live around a lot of old churches that have the crazy gargoyle rain spouts, which drench you with water as you round the corner right as the wind picks up. I had a blast at my internship that day because I was hanging up artwork in a local business office, as well as spending time discussing the 2010 exclusive print project AiH does with a local contemporary artist. The artist chosen for 2010 is John Brown. We met him at Edinburgh Printmakers to discuss the project, and I'm so excited to see it through from beginning to end. This internship is getting better and better by the week! While I was having fun with art, the Caspers and Steve toured Holyrood Palace and took refuge from the weather in the shops on the Royal Mile.

THURSDAY: Happy Thanksgiving! Even though the British ignore this holiday, we still had some fun. It was a little strange having class on Thanksgiving, but it only lasted for a couple hours in the morning, and then the fun began. The Caspers treated us to a lovely Thanksgiving lunch at Deacon Brodie's Tavern before Steve had to take off for work at 4pm. I met up with the Caspers after they explored the castle in time to see the annual lighting of the Norwegian Christmas tree on the Mound, which overlooks downtown Edinburgh. Gorgeous! The countdown was fun, but the fireworks that came right after were even better. It was quite the display to kick off the Christmas season in Edinburgh. We were freezing from standing around in the cold and decided to visit the Elephant House for hot chocolate. After thawing out, the three of us meandered back to St. Giles Cathedral on the Royal Mile to attend the Norwegian Advent concert. The acoustics were amazing!!! The music was beautiful and it got me really excited for Christmas. And what is Thanksgiving without pumpkin pie? I managed somewhere in this crazy week to bake two pumpkin pies, which we cut into late Thursday night before finally calling it a day around 1:00am.

FRIDAY: the KILT!!!! Steve's kilt arrived Friday morning - just in the nick of time! He was really happy that he got to wear it to the stake Ceilidh last night, and I must say, he looked handsome! He really likes to shake his hips from side to side to make the folds in the fabric flare. Ha! Girls outgrow that at the age of five, but it's still a new experience for Steve. =) We danced the night away and had a grand time with friends from church. We also decided to spruce up our flat for Christmas. I went crazy, as usual, and did it all in one fell swoop - but it looks great, and it feels like Christmas now.

So there's the update for you. We'll be sure to post pictures from the holiday festivities as they come to give you a taste of Christmas in Scotland. We're thankful for so many things this year - especially our families and friends - and look forward to sharing the holidays with you even if it is via the internet!