Our Last Day in Scotland

Tuesday, September 25th, was our last full day in Scotland. We had such a great time, it really was hard to go home. Usually on trips I am ready to come home, but this time I really wanted to stay just a bit longer. I know Aaron felt the same way. For me though, it was not only just being there in Scotland, it was also the feeling of closeness I felt with Aaron while we were there. There was such a great feeling of, well, togetherness. Not that we were even together all the time; but we loved, supported & cared for each other & Riley in everything we did. We also , just had fun. We had no expectations for this trip other than that God led us over here to be with Jason & Megan. To see their ministry. To reunite & bond with family. To grow stronger within our family. We did just that.

Aaron, Riley & I had the morning to ourselves. We took one last stroll through the city streets of Glasgow, down to the church Jason & Megan helped plant. I had never seen it before. Aaron tricked me into walking the harder way, which includes a mega steep hill which was not fun. It is kind of strange actually being able to attend church in an historic old church or cathedral. It is so surreal. I did not get to go inside Re: Hope, but it was beautiful on the outside.

After our morning "Good-bye Glasgow" walk, we split up & I joined Megan & Rebecca for our Ladies' Day Out. Megan's friend JJ was with us for a brief moment, just long enough for us to say our good-byes. It was tough seeing Megan & JJ say good-bye to each other. They are such great friends.

Rebecca had always wanted to go to "High Tea," so Megan & I took her to the Willow Tea Room. This was one of the strangest & funniest experiences I have ever had. We had no clue what to do or what to order. They were out of all ofthe desserts we wanted & ended up giving us some surprise dessert that we did not care for. They also gave us proper tea serving utensils that we did not fully understand. We ended up spying on other tables to figure out how to work the different apparatuses. We looked like 3 bumbling Americans. Because we were all in the same boat though, it was actually pretty fun.

After Tea, we were going to pamper ourselves with manicures, but do you know what they cost in Scotland? The first piece of advice Jason gave us when we arrived, was to not convert the pounds into dollars with everything we buy - it will just depress us. We did not even need to do the conversion to know that their prices were crazy! A buff & polish at a table set up in the middle of the second floor of the mall (not even a kiosk mind you, but a table with a couple of chairs), was 28lbs! 28lbs! A simple, mostly accurate conversion would be to just double the number & change it to dollars. So that buff & polish would cost approximately $56!!! Needless to say, we passed on the "manicure" & went shopping instead.

It was fun shopping with Rebecca & Megan. Megan & I joked that we looked like 2 little girls following their "mommy" around; but we had a blast. Neither of us shop much, so it was a lot a fun shopping with Rebecca, who loves to shop. We tried on various, fun clothes. Megan tried on a very colorful dress that she did not like, but had so much fun in, we had to take a picture. (She referred to it on her blog as well.) This was great bonding time for us as sisters & for our Mom #2.

That night, Jason & Megan got a babysitter for Christian & the rest of us went out for a great Chinese dinner.

We had fun ordering & sampling all sorts of things from the menu. It was a fun night full of yummy food, great conversation & of course...dessert.

On our first day in Scotland, Jason & Megan had told us about this amazing dessert that their friends make. It is a copy of a dessert on the menu at TGIFriday's. For our last hurrah, we headed over to TGIFriday's for dessert. Each couple shared on of these amazing creations - hot brownie, ice cream, whipped cream, chocolate fudge & fresh carmel corn. Oh my gosh - it is delicious!

After dessert, we took one last walk as a family down through the streets of Glasgow to the Underground to head home to our flat. The night was beautiful. The weather was perfect. Being surrounded by family was a wonderful feeling. I think we were all very happy that night. (Although, 2 blond ladies flirted with my husband while he was carrying Riley, but they gave Riley 1lb 20p. There is a tradition in Scotland to give a baby silver, so Riley made some money that night by just being cute!)

I had very little to no expectations for this trip. I thought, well we have a seven month old baby. I have so much stuff I am going to have to remember to bring, do, pack in the appropriate carry-on, clean, organize, etc., I will go crazy. However, I was pleasantly surprised. God blessed us with the Angel Baby for those 2 weeks. Riley was perfect! All smiles all the time. Aaron & I were so ready to be attentive & caring that we were there for Riley & each other everyday. Not that we are not at home; but of course, things can sometimes get complacent, so this change, this adventure, was fun & absolutely amazing! I enjoyed my time with my family so much. Thank you Lord for the family you have given me; I feel very honored & blessed.