The Adventure's of the Dicksons

Edinburgh... in case you never get to visit! 10 (last one I promise)

2010-05-30T00:12:00.000-07:00

Princes Street to the right, with the gardens on the left.

One of our many old and kinda scary graveyards!!

The Bank of Scotland (my fav building)

Edinburgh... in case you never get to visit! 9 (bored yet? heh heh)

2010-05-30T00:11:00.001-07:00

Edinburgh... in case you never get to visit! 8

2010-05-30T00:07:00.001-07:00

Edinburgh... in case you never get to visit! 7

2010-05-30T00:04:00.001-07:00

The Castle from The Grassmarket

Down to The Grassmarket from George IV Bridge

The Royal Mile

The Royal Mile

Edinburgh... in case you never get to visit! 6

2010-05-30T00:02:00.000-07:00

Edinburgh... in case you never get to visit! 5

2010-05-29T23:59:00.001-07:00

Fountain in Princes Street Gardens

My Fav building on the left, at the top of the Mound

The Castle and Princes Street Gardens

Edinburgh... in case you never get to visit! 4

2010-05-29T23:56:00.000-07:00

The Mound

The (Walter) Scott Monument

Edinburgh... in case you never get to visit! 3

2010-05-29T23:55:00.001-07:00

Edinburgh... in case you never get to visit! 2

2010-05-29T23:51:00.001-07:00

That, way over there, is where we live in Dalgety Bay!

Below : more from the Portobello beach

Edinburgh... in case you never get to visit! 1

2010-05-29T23:36:00.000-07:00

Hi Folks,

Been a while since I updated this, so I decided to post some cool photos from a friends friends facebook page (Facebook security is not great just so you know heh heh, but I am sure that they would not mind me borrowing them.) So just in case you never get a chance to visit, here you go.

Cheers,

Paul

Why we do not go to the beach very often, shorts and wooly hats 8-)

Portobello beach (Chippie)

Portobello beach

One of the many white stained statues here... and you can now see why!

Buildings on the Royal Mile.

How did I miss this before???? 8-)

2009-12-11T23:39:00.000-08:00

Even though Gail lay unconscious and injured on the floor, knocked out by a stray Wii controller, Matt and Jody would not stop until one of them was victorious!!!!!!! 8-)

Room was tight in the hand luggage for our return trip!! 8-)

2009-11-02T11:30:00.000-08:00

DIY Feeding 8-)

2009-09-06T12:32:00.000-07:00

Smiley Bailey

2009-08-23T03:16:00.000-07:00

Happy 4 week birthday Bailey!

2009-08-09T13:38:00.001-07:00

Bailey and Daddy at the beach... please note the sun is out woo hoo!!

Party girl... Do you like my hat, it is soooo 1937!!!!!

That was a great day ou.....ZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

Some of the best pics of the thousands I have taken so far... I am getting worse than Jody heh heh

2009-07-20T12:29:00.000-07:00

What everyone is really thinking!!!!

Number 2 faces are still sooo cute!

Maverick, really? What were you thinking Daddy!!!

Bailey update!!!

2009-07-17T12:08:00.000-07:00

All clean now

My girls taking a nap together

Bailey not exactly helping me play the PlayStation

Call me

Look at the size of those feet, they are frickin HHHHUUUGGGEEEE!!

Welcome to the world Bailey!!!

2009-07-15T02:21:00.000-07:00

To update those of you who do not have Facebook, please find some pics of Bailey Elizabeth Dickson, born 1722 12 July 2009 at 7lbs 1.5 oz.

Mother and daughter are both doing well and it has been so far so good with feeding and sleeping

We will keep you all updated with many pictures as she grows.

Love from the 3 of us XxX

37 weeks and nearly there!

2009-06-14T11:31:00.000-07:00

Paul just couldn't manage doing a serious photo shoot! At least he let me still be in the photo;)

I know getting pretty big now but fortunately not as big as I thought I would be at this late stage. Things are going fairly well although I am getting really tired now. I think the babies head is starting to go downward which is making it harder to walk, get up and pretty much do anything other than lie in one position! Luckily I only have one more week of work and than hopefully I can be lazy for a bit before the little one comes along. We are starting to get really excited and are nearly prepared...or as prepared as you can be for a newborn.

I can't believe we got this far into the pregnancy and have not taken any photos of us together...so here is our first family photo:)

I do love penguins... they are so adaptable!!!

2009-06-07T10:52:00.000-07:00

http://www.dailymotion.com/swf/x9hy3z

Enjoy!

Pointless fact of the day!!

2009-05-29T06:49:00.000-07:00

A really pointless fact for you, plus you have to watch 'Grey's Anatomy' to know what I am even talking about. However as with Hugh Laurie of 'House' fame, who is the Englishman with a very convincing American accent. Today I have only just discovered that Dr Owen Hunt (Kevin McKidd) was in fact born and raised in Scotland, went to Edinburgh University and was also in the movie 'Trainspotting'. I would never have guessed from his accent, so I am going to watch an episode tonight and see if I can hear any Scottishness in his voice now that I know.

How to instantly fail a breathalyzer test!!!

2009-05-17T01:50:00.000-07:00

DOH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

What we have learned about babies!!

2009-05-15T03:03:00.000-07:00

Hi all Paul here!

Our antenatal classes have been going well, however I felt that I had to share some of the things we have learned, as well as some of the other strange and bizarre questions that have been asked during the classes so far!

What we have learned:

1. If you get a group of Dads to be together, no matter what age range they are, they are all just as immature as each other!

2. It is frowned upon if you carry the baby doll by one leg upside down in the classroom!

3. Maverick did not seem to be a popular name in the group overall!

4. 'Pethidine' the widely used labour pain relief method, is actually a type of Heroin!

5. The oddest thing we have ever seen was the use of a Boglin ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boglin ) to show us how to correctly latch onto a knitted breast! Lets hope none of the children of the class look like that!!

Questions asked : (at least not all the strange or stupid ones were asked by me)

1. Firstly the most impressive question I have ever asked 'What is the best position for optimal latching during breastfeeding?' (I am so proud of myself, can you tell!!).

The world balance was then quickly restored however as this moment of intelligence was followed by me reverting to my childlike state again by asking two of the silliest joke questions ever:

2a. The best way to cook placenta? (It was decided in the group that on the BBQ would not be practical, due to slippage between the bars of the grill! The jury is however still out on where in the scale between rare and well done is most tasty, but you will be glad to hear that you will all be the first to know as soon as we do).

2b. If you bury the placenta in the garden, would a baby tree grow? (this has never been proven, however if successful I claim patent to what surely must be the best labour pain relief method ever discovered).

3. On the subject of what the guy side wanted to learn from the classes, one guy (not me for once) dangerously asked to learn more on DNA paternity testing to prove it was his (amazingly that did not go down too well with his partner!).

4. Is it ok for a pregnant lady to drive herself to the hospital as long as she pulls over for the contractions? (Yes I will be honest, this was me just being silly again... shocking I know!!!).

5. We also asked this question, which to you all may sound very random 'If we can we get a private room after the birth of Mavericka, can the Father stay overnight?'
To explain, over here if we want a private room we have to pay for it, plus it is not guaranteed even if you do pay, as there may be none available. This would mean that Megan would be on a general ward with other mothers, so if our baby is born at night, then I would likely be asked to go home almost immediately after the birth, due to the fact that no men are permitted in the ward at night!! (Our good old National Health Service eh!)

Anyway with one 6 hour class left to do this weekend to go, what revelations and cooking tips will we learn next we wonder!?!?!?

Take care,

Love Us
XxXxXxx

Happy Mothers Day!!!

2009-05-10T02:30:00.000-07:00

Happy USA Mothers Day to all the mothers of America out there!!

Have a great day!

Love,

Paul, Megan & the foetus formerly known as Maverick!!
XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

Safe again at last... the Scottish border is in sight!!

2009-05-09T12:14:00.001-07:00

Shrek and his lovely wife Fiona!

2009-05-09T12:09:00.000-07:00

I'm no sissy!!!!!!!!! You try it, this stuff really hurts when it dries!

Arabian Niiiiiggghtts!!!!!!

2009-05-09T11:53:00.000-07:00

Last weekend I finally gave in to Megan's complaining about our shopping here, taking her to an American style mall in Northern England (ew I feel so dirty just thinking about crossing the border). Megan doubted me as nothing is ever as good as America, but it is the biggest mall in Europe, so she was pleasantly surprised!! We went a bit mad, ok I went a bit mad and spent rather a lot in just a few days..... all on the baby of course (well one of the babies, as most of the stuff was for me... oops!), but it was a great trip and I used my travel agent status and the fact that Megan is pregnant to get us an upgrade at the Marriott we stayed in.
Front desk girl : 'We only have one upgrade available and it is a themed room, do you want it?'
Us : 'Yes please that will be great'.
Note to all : This room was amusing and should have cost 3 times what we paid, but we had the worse nights sleep ever and why a hotel across the road from a mall has Vegas style themed rooms is frankly a mystery!! Below is a picture of me as everyone's hero Aladdin!!

What do you think? It is my Titanic 'Draw me like one of your French girls' pose!!!

What a random thing to find on your doorstep

2009-05-09T11:50:00.000-07:00

We found these on our doorstep this morning.....these are neither of our shoes???????

32 Weeeks and I just keep growing!

2009-05-09T11:41:00.000-07:00

Hi all,

Everything here is going well although I can't see my feet anymore! We had our 6 hour antenatal class today which we were dreading but turned out to be fairly entertaining. At least they didn't try to shove a baby doll through a fake pelvis! We are starting to get excited about the imminent arrival of our little girl. Especially now that I am no longer able to sleep due to her kicking the **** out of me every night! I think this baby may have a bit too much of my personality...ahhhhhhhh.

Sorry it's late!!

2009-04-27T08:09:00.000-07:00

Hi all,

We are all well, sorry for the delay in the update, but here is a quick recap of what has been happening:

Wednesday : 1st antenatal class, pretty much a waste of time as we learned nothing new, especially as the midwife in charge was from the Philippines with a Scottish accent... so not the easiest to understand at times. But met a few people and got to see a baby doll get shoved rather unceremoniously through a model pelvis, all in all well worth the trip just to see Megan's face after that (I am being supportive I promise, but that look of horror was classic)!

Saturday : We planted strawberries, green beans, tomatoes, peppers and chilli's in our poor excuse for a garden (soon to drown in all the rain here no doubt!). Made Paella (non-seafood version) and it was very nice...... Megan then ate an apple in the middle, before continuing to eat the paella again afterwards..... She has some strange tastes!!!

Sunday : Went to Glasgow (yuck!) for the Scottish Baby show (expo), which is basically lots of mad pregnant women and unstable ladies with strollers to use as weapons, running around without a second thought for anyone else! Were both a bit disappointed as it was not as good as we hoped (Megan is most upset that she is missing out on the US shopping right now), with only 1 4d scan place attending so we did not get the scan we hoped we might get for cheap. But somethings are maybe better left as a surprise, plus no doubt our child would have mooned us anyway!!!
Then home to discover that the cat had redecorated the floor, stairs and strangely the bath with its insides from both ends.... nice.... we then went with my family for an Indian (East not Native American) curry meal, which did not look to dissimilar to the aforementioned presents the cat had left us earlier mmmmmm!

Monday : Realised that I am becoming more Americanised by the day, hence stroller instead of buggy above. But today I shocked even myself and said the Z in Zebra as Zee rather than my usual Zeb... the horror! (For example the rapper Jay-Z should really be called Jay-Zed in Britain if we were being completely correct heh heh)!!! It is strange though as often both Megan and I cross over from US to Scottish and back again, although the day I say diaper, trunk or meer instead of Mirror, it has gone too far 8-) .... you are all saying mirror now aren't you... see you don't pronounce the middle r's, just like I leave out my t's at times 8-)

Anyway best get back to work.... what I needed a 5 minute break!?!?!?

Take care!

Love Us
XxXxXxX

For all those who say I laugh at Megan all the time!

2009-04-19T12:10:00.000-07:00

Now you too can laugh at Paul.....

I'm getting too fat and too old for this kinda thing seemingly!!!

XxXxXxXxXxX

There's a moose loose aboot oor hoose!!!

2009-04-19T11:24:00.000-07:00

This week has been filled with tales of injury, as Megan seems to now have lost all control of her limbs, with her lack of co-ordination meaning every second word she says is now OW usually!!

To explain a recent incident of note for you, Megan was trying to set up a play mat for some friends coming over, for their child not them of course, when she had an accident! She just had to put a bendy pole in one side and curve it to the other corner, when she once again lost all control and it pinged back and hit her in her face.... stop smiling it was not funny... well not for her anyway 8-) But that is the example of the what I have to deal with, which I guess is all good training for our child, who will no doubt inherit the Megan Ow gene!

We have decided therefore that she needs to be either wrapped in bubble wrap, or we are going to have to fit some protection for the bump... so after various attempts I think we have one:

Last week we experienced our own episode of Tom and Jerry, as one night without being woken up, the cat had managed to find a mouse that had got into the house. Now cats will be cats and after turning over chairs and everything, the only sign of a mouse being present were two little streaks of blood. We found the poor little fella bleeding in a corner and after a last ditch suicide bid when we tried to pick it up, we let it go outside.... cover the kids eyes.... it only got a few steps before it collapsed and died!! Anyway the very next night I am woken by the cat again making strange noises, well it was half cat and half very high pitched squeal! Megan and I went down to investigate and were treated to the sight.... again kid eye covering time... of an even bigger mouse and a huge pile of blood on the floor and (rather more strangely) the wall!! The mouse was once again rescued, but again like the other, it jumped away too quickly and disappeared without trace.... that was a week and a half ago and it was not until Megan let our a scream just yesterday, that we spotted a tail sticking out from under the dinner table which we had eaten at not long before...... now it really is time to cover the kids eyes... or just say it's sleeping..... as when the table was moved it revealed....

So that was our adventure for the week, with us all being fine other than that. Megan is doing well, a few stretching pains, but she is taking it all in her stride.... or taking it in her waddle I should say!

Well time to go again, but we hope that Jody had a great birthday and that she got our card safely.

Take care all and we will be in touch soon.

Lots of Love Us

XxXxXxXxXxX

And the moral of the story is.......

2009-04-12T06:25:00.000-07:00

Someone will always come to your aid in your time of need!

But beware... that does not mean that they are just there to help, that they will not try to take advantage or that they do not expect something in return!!!

Let that be a lesson to us all!!!!!

28 weeks and Happy Easter!!

2009-04-12T06:09:00.001-07:00

Bump is definately getting bigger! Paul and I went to a 30th birthday party (scottish style) and we only made it until 10:30...we left before the oldies! I definately feel like I am getting old these days.

Week 27!

2009-04-04T09:32:00.000-07:00

Here we are in week 27 of our seemingly never ending adventure, as mother ship Megan takes her regular well earned nap, foolishly leaving Paul alone with access to the laptop to update the blog!!!!

Megan and the bump are good... very much alive and kicking you might say... much to Megan's annoyance when she is woken up yet again when baby Ethel (what I like it!!! heh heh) gets a little too over excited. I think she is just lacking space in there, although it could also be down to the fact that her silly daddy likes to interact by using a hi-tech type of morse code.... poking the belly! I do hope that Megan doesn't get too much bigger though, as although she is even more beautiful than ever right now, if that bump gets any bigger I will eventually have to move permanently from our bed to a tent outside.... not that Megan would notice as she struggles to see what is going on in the world beyond the belly even now!

But really she is doing great and I am very proud of her, I don't know if I would like to have Bruce Lee inside me for months on end. Seemingly according to the books it could be hiccups making junior move so much, which leads me to suspect Megan may have turned to secretly drinking behind my back to help her put up with me and get through the pregnancy... well it's possible as Megan is becoming more Scottish by the day now! That reminds me, I used to think that I was special being married to an American here, but you people are everywhere now, it's like an invasion... LEAVE OUR OIL ALONE 8-) Maybe it is due to 2009 being our homecoming year, you may have seen the advert on TV, but just in case you missed it here it is. Now even I have no idea who half of the Scots even are, but Sir Sean Connery trying to sing always makes me laugh!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pszgxCKz-0s

Anyway I have bored you enough now, I think I will go off and wake up Ethel for a game of lets see who can jab Mummy's tummy the hardest.

Take care,

Love Us.
XxXxXxX

P.S Matt and Jody, very excited that your are getting more serious on the adoption possibilities, I think it is a great idea and I am sure the new baby will be a special addition to your loving family... that is once Jenna the fashion diva finally picks if she would prefer a brother or sister... you never know you may get lucky enough to be blessed with one of each and get twins. Oooohh then you could name them Maverick and Mavericka woo hoo!!!

26 weeks

2009-03-30T05:21:00.001-07:00

Hi all,
We had our 26 week (and last) ultrasound this morning. All was well and the baby is completely normal from what they can tell. Although any baby of Paul and I's can't be completely normal right :) And even better the head seems to be a "normal" size which we all know is a big deal considering it has the McComas jeans! As you all know at the last ultrasound they were leaning towards a boy for the sex and so we have been given loads of boy clothes in preparation. Also we have been calling it a him and it turns out its a GIRL! We are completely shocked! So glad we didn't wait to find out as we would have had a girl dressed completely in blue and green. We are thrilled and I can't stop smiling:) Shopping is so much more fun for girls!

P.S. Now it definitely can't be called Maverick, Paul is very disappointed!

Look what Paul did!

2009-03-22T12:59:00.000-07:00

25 weeks!

2009-03-22T06:57:00.001-07:00

Well I think I am getting bigger! I have started to waddle now and sometimes need a hand to get off the couch. The baby kicks me constantly and you can see it moving when you look at my stomach now, which is slightly freaky. It reminds me of something out of the movie aliens.

This weeks update in rhyme, what do you mean don't give up your day job!

2009-03-20T08:30:00.000-07:00

Megan is my girl with a bump!
You know the one that often falls down with a thump!
This week she's been ill, but now better thanks to a pill!
Much more rested and less of a grump!

Paul is the boy who's a Scot!
Very much looking forward to having a tot!
He still needs more time, no yet ready to face baby slime!
But it is coming if he is ready or not!

I challenge my Bro-in-law to beat that update, come on I dare you buck buck buck buck buck buck buck buck - those are chicken noises by the way, just in case you were unsure 8-)

Love Us
XxXxXxX

The dangers of cheap airlines!!!

2009-03-05T02:06:00.000-08:00

Hi all,

We will give you an update on our anniversary trip this weekend, but I thought would give you a laugh and show you what cheap travel of the future could be is like over here.

To explain this is a joke aimed at Ryanair, who are one of the budget airlines in the UK and Ireland and who insist on charging for every little thing. For example they charge around 5 pound per person per leg to use their check-in desk rather than using online check-in. There have even been rumours that they will allow people to use their cell phones on the plane in flight soon, for large amounts of money of course, as well as the completely silly possibility of even charging people to use the toilets on board!!!

Anyway hope it gives you a smile and we will update you more soon.

Love us

XxXxXxX

20 Weeks!

2009-02-15T09:57:00.000-08:00

We are half way there! Everything is going well and the baby is on the move constantly. Yesterday we were witness to world war III in the form of a nearly new baby sale, that is nearly new toys not babies by the way!!!. It looked as if people had been camping out but surely no one is that desperate for a good deal ;) It is the credit crunch dear!

Well I have to make an admission to you all, Megan finally beat me at mini golf today. Usually I give her a chance to be nice but this time she did not even return the favour, not just beating me but taking me apart! Ha ha I won, ha ha I won!

Apart from that we have not really been up to much. Life basically consists of get up, work, home, I cook dinner and Megan doesn't eat it as she is full after one bite, then it is pretty much bed time (Jenna probably stays up later than we do now), getting 8-9 hours of blissful sleep.... yeah right it is all good until Megan turns over or has to pee again (getting an ever more frequent event nowadays.. just what you wanted to know) and an earthquake measuring 8.5 on the Richter scale has me hanging onto the bedposts for dear life. No I am exaggerating again, I would say it was really maybe 6.5 heh heh. I can't help it if it takes me all night to find a comfortable position and when I finally do its on Paul's side of the bed and he is on the floor! What side? It is me vs the pillows every night. Then at the weekends my long lie is interrupted by the cat who does not understand the concept of sleeping in and wakes me up at 6. I know it is all good training for the baby, but I am going to use one of the aforementioned pillows to silence the snoring furball one of these days (that is the cat not Megan.. although she does seem to be getting hairier by the day, half hormones and half as she is getting so big she can no longer see her legs let alone shave them)! Hey now! What? 8-)

Anyway it is around 6.30pm now, so we need to be getting ready for bed and the next set of quakes. Hope you guys are all well and that we can get a chance to talk to you all soon.

Take care and keep in touch.

Love Us

XxXxXxX

Belly's gettin bigger!

2009-02-01T10:51:00.000-08:00

18 weeks

Hello all! As you can see my belly is growing by the day. It seems as if it has popped this last week and I finally feel like I look pregnant:) We celebrated Paul's 29th birthday on friday and he says he is old now. I also felt the baby move for the first time on friday, good birthday present huh!

Possibly the best complaint letter in the world!!!

2009-01-27T11:06:00.000-08:00

Hi all,

Below is a link that takes you to possibly the best complaint letter in the world, really I was in tears reading it and Megan was in tears watching me reading it!!!!

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/blog/editors_corner/article/11975/

Let me know what you think!!

Enjoy!

Love us XxXxXxX

Baby Dickson 16 weeks

2009-01-24T03:59:00.000-08:00

Sorry this update is a week late but our ever annoying computer died again! Paul has managed to revive it for now but it probably wont last long.

So these are the pictures from our 3rd ultrasound. We were very happy to hear everything is completely normal now! Hurray:) The first picture is obviously its face and tummy, you can see the nose and lips. Everyone at once ahhhhhhh.

The second picture is a bit more tricky. If you look closely you can see 2 legs on either side of the arrow and in the middle right below the arrow is the area in question. The doctor wouldn't tell us the sex because he was not sure enough but seemed to be leaning towards a willy. He was however nice enough to put a question mark and arrow on the scan. He was funny and looked like the dude from "whose line is it anyways" Ryan Stiles. Time will tell. Because everything was normal with the baby we no longer get a 19 week scan and by the time the 26 week scan comes around it will most likely be too squashed to tell what it is. It may be a surprise.

Anyways, Matt I think you will be happy to know that Paul's top 20 names for boys included Bodie! Great minds think alike right.

Always check you kids homework!!!!

2009-01-24T03:39:00.000-08:00

A first grade girl handed in the drawing below for a homework assignment:

After it was graded and the child brought it home, she returned to school the next day with the following note:

Dear Ms. Davis,
I want to be very clear on my child’s illustration. It is NOT of me on a dance pole on a stage in a strip joint. I work at Home Depot and had commented to my daughter how much money we made in the recent snowstorm. This photo is of me selling a shovel.
Mrs. Harrington

Let that be a warning to us all!!!!!

Cammmmiiiiilllllllllaaaaaa visits!!!

2009-01-17T00:39:00.000-08:00

December also brought a very fun visit from Cami, so here are just a few of the 10,000 photos (no joke!!!) that she took while here.

Cami on a bus tour with Edinburgh Castle in the background

Here piggies piggies piggies!!! - Megan and Cami having a chippie.

Freezing in North Berwick (a small fishing village)

Megan and I in front of the forth bridge! I know shocking, the sun is out!!!!

'Not another photo' - Veto was not impressed with Cami's camera addiction!

As you can see, I just have to ruin all good photos somehow!

The (William) Wallace Monument has many stairs to the top - The girls had to stop for a rest!

But they needed it to regain the strength to survive the light breeze at the top that day!!

Cami still smiling after a week of Paul (even more amazing than the sun being out!) You think I am joking Matt and Jody? Just wait you have 2 whole weeks of me to deal with this year!! 8-)

We will update you with more soon, take care, Love us XxXxXxXxX

Happy New Year to you all!

2009-01-17T00:11:00.000-08:00

Megan, bump and I are doing great and had a good Hogmanay (New Years in Scotland). However we have a lot to catch you guys up on, so here are some pics of our quick December London trip to start with.

Megan and I on an open top double decker bus tour!

Tower Bridge

The London Eye

Big Ben

The Houses of Parliament

Ninja Cat

2009-01-03T12:15:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone, we saw this youtube video last night and I couldn't stop laughing... it's great! I am not sure how to actually put the video on this blog so here is the link. Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NbwpgyRUv5g

Cowabunga dude!

2008-12-24T08:51:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas Everyone! Here is our first scan picture and a picture of my bump. Personally I think it looks a bit creepy but I guess that is what they are meant to look like. Paul thinks if you tilt it to the side and squint a bit it looks like an evil Bart Simpson! And no it doesn't have a really big nose it is just its hand. Well I looked in the mirror today and realized I am looking pregnant so should start to take pictures. I am quickly growing out of regular clothes so I seem to be well on my way to enormous! We are really excited for tomorrow (we love christmas)! And even more special this is our last Christmas we are the kids. Well I better get going, I don't seem to be able to write a book like Paul does. By the way he says he is on strike from the blog until people stop spelling his name the english way, Dickson is the correct (scottish) way! :) Love you guys have a great christmas tomorrow!

2008-12-02T09:06:00.000-08:00

A small pic of Edinburgh at this magical time of year!!!

Just to let everyone know we are all very excited for Christmas!!!!!

As Kermit would say in a certain movie I love... after all it's only 23 sleeps till Christmas!!!!

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!

This week we are calling it baked bean!

2008-11-23T05:38:00.000-08:00

Hi all,

Time for my weekly update on Megan, myself and the baked bean. This week although a baked bean is smaller than a kidney bean (its approx size right now), it does sound better than a red bean that I hate, plus it is better than the shriveled grape name that we had been using recently. Also since Megan has a bun in the oven, we figure our bean would also be baked.

This week has been quiet, Megan just seems to be working hard and sleeping hard, which isn't leaving us much time together apart from weekends. But I am not growing anything inside me so who am I to complain.... I also don't need to try and push out what will likely be a world record breaking watermelon (bearing in mind the past McComas head sizes!!) But other than that we are doing well, with the only real news of any note being the weather.

It has still been a reasonable 13 degrees (45ish for you guys) recently, however the end of last week the Arctic winds started to come down and it got suddenly colder. Now as Megan pointed out it is nowhere near as cold as some of the minus temperatures you all get, but it was cold enough to turn the usual rain into ice or worse. So to our shock we opened the curtains this morning to the strange sight of snow on the ground. Now that may not sound too unusual, however remembering that we are a mile or so away from the North Sea and usually the salt stops it getting too frozen, it seems the greenhouse effect is at it again. However it has provided some entertainment, watching our odd cat Veto as he tries to remember what the white cold stuff is again.

Other than that the small time we have awake at home has been spent talking about plans for the baby (babies...? You never know it may yet turn out to be a new tv series of Megan, Paul and them all!!.... much to Megan's disgust when I remind her of that fact), as well as discussing plans for Xmas and New Year (Hogmanay for us) and the December visit of Cami which is now very close (not that Cami has replied to my email of last Monday!!!!!!!!!!!)

Anyway we hope you guys are all good, keep in touch and let us know that you are.

Take care, Love us XxXxXxXxX

Thar she blows!!!!!!

2008-11-16T01:46:00.000-08:00

Pregnancy book : Expect your partner to have a little more wind during pregnancy.
Pregnancy reality : What was that??? It sounded like a fog horn coming from your mouth???

Hi all,

Hope your are well and that your week was good.

Firstly I would like to say a huge congratulations to my beautiful wife Megan, as she passed her driving test here on the 13th. She only got 2 minor faults, which is amazing as you are allowed 15 before you fail, so they are usually easy to come by.... but obviously not for Megan!!! Her driving instructor was even seen to be bragging to his colleagues about her result.

It means that she will be able to continue terrorising other poor road users on roundabouts, as well as driving herself to the hospital when the time comes.... what I offered to drive but lets face it she would be safer doing it herself!! Now before all the comments come in, Megan is not driving herself to the hospital... but she has been amazing in respecting the fact that I hate driving cars and not pressuring me to learn even now. I know that I should learn and I have offered, but she has been great for standing by my decision and I love her so much for it.

Other than that the grain of rice / shriveled grape (it is growing and so we have had to change its name slightly) is causing havoc with Mommy!! The now constant sick feeling is not helping either one of us... Megan as she feels the sickness and me as I feel her pain... sometimes literally!

Seemingly she says she is feeling ok right now, I think it is as she just ate... she seems happiest when she does and so she is happy almost all the time heh heh. Megan just said that I was so funny, I see she has that sarcasm down to a fine art now.

Other than that Cami arrives here a month today, which we are all very excited about. We hope that she realises that it will mean a week of no alcohol, as I am doing well on my 'if Megan can't drink neither can I' plan... 3 weeks down and 8 months to go... for a Scotsman that is like telling Superman he can't fly!! Of course this will be hardest on Cami, I am not sure is she can put up with me for a whole week sober!?

Hi Cami, I hope you have started to pack? Megan has told me you don't travel light, when should we expect the ship with your clothes to arrive? ha ha ha see you can do that sarcasm thing too!! We have lots planned for you, lots of painting and Ikea things to build heh heh... no don't worry that is my job seemingly... our poor child... but we do have lots of plans and maybe we can even find you that Irish guy you wanted... or maybe even a Scot of your own (obviously not as cool as me of course)!?
We will try and call again soon,you were not in when we tried yesterday, what were you doing eh?????? You can try and ignore me but I will not just go away!

Anyway that is all for now (hey what do you mean it is about time too)!

Take care!

Love us!
XxXxXxX

Pregnancy update - week 6-7

2008-11-11T11:04:00.000-08:00

Hi all,

Well Megan has finally awoken from her long grizzly like sleep, so here is our weekly update of the pregancy week 6-7 (we think).

Megan has been suffering with a regular sicky feeling, coupled with a constant tiredness, with a bit of complete forgetfulness thrown in for good measure.

Mother and grain of rice (that is what we are calling it... well until we confirm that it is a boy and we can finally call it Maverick!!!) are doing well otherwise.

What else do we have to tell them honey bunny????

I have nothing to say except... uhhhhhh... my stomach does not like me!
Have a great week everyone.

R.I.P Baxter, the crazy cat loved by many. Sadly Baxter died last week after being hit by a car. He will be very missed.

What did cows every do to you all!?

2008-11-09T00:22:00.000-08:00

Hi all, Paul here.

To explain our question.. if you hadn't guessed already, we were trying to narrow down choices of bedding. Given the strange cow like noises that escape me every now and then, it would not have been hard to work out that I was backing cow. I do hope the unanimous backing of Megan and her turtles does not have an underlying message of backing for Megan over Paul... heh heh just kidding, I mean come on how could you not love this fine specimen of Scottishness.

The turtles... booooooo!!!

The cows.... aren't they cute!!

Anyway you will be very interested to hear that there was a bit of dispute, requiring some of the ballots from Florida to be recounted. Therefore after a long delay, all have now been rechecked and amazingly the winner turning out to be George W. Bush. I have no idea how he won, like before nobody is admitting to voting for him, but I am sure the Bush bedding will go down a treat with our little one.... and if we can't find any then I am sure donkey bedding will be just as good as an ass like substitute!!! Paul being controversial never!!!!!! heh heh.

Happily I think in the end we have actually found bedding that we both like now, which you will be glad to hear has turtles and other wild animals, however there are no cows and farm animals in sight.

Megan and I will update you shortly with the pregnancy news (once she gets up that is, I think I married a bear, the furry legs, the grumpiness and she now appears to be sleeping through winter also!?)

Take care,

Paul

Cows or Turtles?

2008-11-03T11:20:00.000-08:00

Hello to all,
First of all I want to say thank you to everyone for you wonderful comments and well wishes. Paul and I are doing really well and are starting to get excited about the prospect of a mini us. Paul has been really cute and has started to read up on my "condition" and telling me all the crazy things that are going on in my body! I am so lucky...really I am. I have had my first doctors appt. and my due date is anywhere between july 2nd and 5th. Paul thinks the 11th so basically no one really knows!

So everyone needs to tell us if they prefer cows or turtles. Comment and I will tell the reason next time we post. Be honest! (Paul says stuff Obama vote cow)

Paul here... so far pregnancy symptoms are as follows:
I swear Megan's third right toe has doubled in size!!!
Sheer exhaustion.. and that's just me!!!
I have gained several years in the past week!
According to my book the 2nd trimester is when the pregnant female has some mild mood swings.... mmmm does Megan know the meaning of mild?????
Some sick feelings, the craving for pregnancy jeans(Meg: oh man are they good, I don't need them yet but they are fantastic!), and a partridge in a pear tree.
I was reading some of the strange cravings that some girls have... dirt from the garden and a strange story of a girl who liked to suck on a brick... here that means the same as in the US... it was really a brick!!!!
Hopefully Megan will stick with milder wishes.... or at least start with pebbles!!

Anyway we better go, it is 7.42pm and Megan is almost asleep.. woo hoo life is exciting... but for once peaceful.

Have a great week everyone and remember Cows or Turtles?

Guess What?

2008-10-27T14:07:00.000-07:00

Yep it's true, AHHHHHHH!

(we are happy just surprised)

Tried to call you guys but sorry this was the best way to contact you, Love you!

Our Holiday!

2008-10-20T04:35:00.000-07:00

Hi all,

Sorry for the lack of contact recently, life has been busy and we have just come back from a short trip round the west of Scotland. It was very nice to just get away and spend some quality time together relaxing, as we both really needed a break.

Here is a quick recap of what we got up to:

Thursday : We left early to go via Oban to our cottage in Glencoe that we had booked. The weather was nice until we hit the west coast, where it always rains.. I mean always. That was the start of our wet trip, but as you learn to do in Scotland, we made the best of it anyway.

Oban Bay

Next we continued on to our cottage and stopped at the Scottish Sealife Centre - yes that is how we spell center here 8-) Where we met a friendly little Otter.

Then finally we arrived at our cottage home for the next 3 nights.

Friday: We travelled up to Skye as once again it was raining and so we wanted to try and leave any outdoor stuff in the vain hope that it may not rain on Satuday (yeah right). So after what seemed an eternity, taking over an hour to travel the last 30 miles on some interesting roads at times, we arrived in Skye. It was windy and rainy so sadly there are not many pictures here, but it was still an adventure.

Aaahhhh we are all going to die (nice fillings!!)

The Loch enroute that looks like the map of Scotland. (Please note there was a picture of me mooning Megan at the loch but I have decided to spare you that disturbing sight).

Saturday: The weather did not improve, so we just had to accept that we were going to get wet when we went on our trip to Glenfinnan and Mallaig.

Glenfinnan is famous for its great view over its memorial statue:

The other reason it is famous of course is the view the other way, which all you wizard fans may recognise!?

This being the route that Harry Potter and friends take to school on the Hogwarts Express.

We then continued on to Mallaig, which was done on some of the scariest roads we have ever seen, with major roadworks meaning half the time you felt you were driving on the Moon.

Now I know that you are all thinking where are the pictures of Megan, was he really on holiday himself. The truth is that Megan as usual likes to hide behind the camera, but I did manage one pic of her that shows her true side I think.

Can you see the resemblance!!

But really to prove she was there:

Oh goody another roundabout.. yip we are still all going to die!!!

Anyway we then headed for home on Sunday, relaxed but as usual wishing that we could have had more time off to enjoy ourselves.

So off we went homeward bound throught the glens again:

Arriving back after a very good trip, tired (Megan went like 2 days without a nap and was wonderful with all her driving, although I claim to have shared the driving responsibilities as I held the wheel for at least 4 seconds before pleading her to take it back heh heh).

As we said goodnight to our highland hosts for the last time.

We wanted to show you more great pics of our trip, but there simply is not enough time or room on this blog.

Best wishes to all, keep in touch. Love us XxX

The Sun has got his hat on!!!

2008-10-05T03:40:00.000-07:00

Hip hip hip hooray for once it is sunny here today.... Hi all it is Paul here, as Megan is being even more of an amazing wife today and is cleaning (she is my hero as I am just useless when it comes to cleaning, well unless guy clean counts!).
I am feeling slightly under the weather today, a cross between the good old man flu and being caught in a cloud of dust (Megan is either cleaning really fast like Superwoman or maybe it is just that she is not my hero all that often heh heh!).
Either way it means that on these rare occasions that the sun makes a brief appearance in our otherwise wet exisitance, it makes me feel even more alive... even thought every breath is so hard to take when your ill.... sorry that will be that man flu coming out again.

This week in our lives here in Scotland has been fairly uneventful, although my Dad was finally given a followup to his operation done ages ago (the NHS may be free here, but aftercare is not really a priority seemingly). The good news was that they found out that he looks to be recovering well, although in finding this out it means his main issue is that he is occasionally just a grumpy old man (you know it is true Mum and Dad if you are reading this).

Megan and I have been working flat out at the moment, which makes it seem like we do not see much of each other apart from weekends. This is when we like to spend time together, well I say together as Megan spends more time in bed than with me usually. I do not know how anyone can sleep that long, it is like she is in a coma! In fact I have just realised that she may well be the real life Sleeping Beauty, although with less dwarfs of course and also she wishes that she could get birds and other animals to clean for her.

Other than that we seem to be gaining a second cat, as the family that used to own the house were moving to Australia and so gave their cat to the neighbours a few doors up. This means that the poor cat is really confused as it keeps coming back to our house, much to Veto's disgust.
This cat is so cute, however is the loudest cat I have ever heard. We can hear it meow from our bedroom upstairs with the window closed.

Well that is us for this week, I guess I have to go to Ikea now as Megan wants to go and buy a spotangsuhdkdudkdu I think... yet another flat pack mystery as far as I am concerned. Megan does the DIY... come to me and I will bake you a cake or make you look pretty. What I am in touch with my feminine side is that wrong heh heh!?

Lots of love from both of us and of course wish Matt all the best on his birthday this week, the big 30 eh.... I am not too far off that myself as Megan takes great pleasure in reminding me! Anyway we hope you have a great day, did you get our card yet at all?

Take care love us.
XxXxXxXxXxXxX

We have news!

2008-09-27T12:13:00.000-07:00

Ha ha just kidding, but don't we look cute with our friends new baby, Evie.

Anyway not much going on right now, so we thought we would give you guys some interesting info we have discovered.

1. Our cat snores.
2. Megan also snores.
3. No matter how many driving lessons Megan has, she will never figure out roundabouts.
4. Paul's favourite saying in the car is Aaaaaahhhhhh we're all gonna die!
5. Spiders can hang onto your car while driving really fast (they are following us now).
6. Someone has not updated their blog since September 17th....... MATTHEW!!!!!!
7. There is only 88 days till Christmas.
8. Paul's toes look like ET's fingers.
9. Megan does a very good impression of a monkey.
10. Johnny thinks Megan looks more like an elephant than a monkey... Paul disagrees, she is more like a..... he is not that brave or stupid.

Ta ta for now, Love us! XxX

Black and Pretty!

2008-09-21T04:44:00.000-07:00

Megan is back from the dead

2008-09-21T04:11:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone (Matt and Jody because you are the only people who read this!). Well Paul and I have decided to do a joint blog since he will actually update it. So this is our first post together :-)
Pink=Megan, Blue= Paul

Hi all it is me Paul, you know the handsome Scottish one who is full of himself heh heh. Here is a quick recap of the last 4 months since your Sis fell of the planet.

We are settled and happy in our new house, with all our spider friends... believe us you will understand what we mean when you guys get to come and visit! I think our house was built on an ancient mutant spider burial ground.

Megan's job is still going well, she now has more friends than me, that wouldn't be hard, as well as getting paid more (which makes me feel like less of a man, but does mean that I get to stay home and look after the kid, when the time comes don't worry we have no news. He wishes!

I still have a job, that is all I can say about that!

As of yesterday Megan traded in her car with her go faster hole in the bottom, and is now a proud owner of a 2 year old Fiat Punto Grande... it's black and pretty! It is also not grande compaired to your GIANT AMERICAN CARS!!!! But its black and pretty! However you will find it rather amusing to hear that we only paid 5000 pounds for it, it is only 2 years old and done a massive 6000 miles woo hoo!!

Please find picture above.

Other than that it rains a lot here. He is not kidding! I might go crazy! (Well crazier than she already is heh heh) True :(

We promise to keep you guys up to date more often. And it will be LEGENDARY!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Tonsils

2008-05-05T03:36:00.000-07:00

Back story: About 3 years ago I had my tonsils removed because I had strep throat 4 times in 1 year.

Thursday: I had a sore throat for a couple of days so I went to the doctor.
Doctor says "you have tonsilitis"
I say "I don't have tonsils"
Doctor says "Now you do"

Damn Tonsils! Who knew they could grow back?

Stop and smell the flowers!

2008-05-05T03:09:00.000-07:00

This is Johnny the little boy I take care of. The other day we were walking home from the train station (which would take me 5 minutes). I was in a hurry but I don't know why as we had no plans. I kept on saying "hurry up please, quickly now!" When Johnny saw these flowers, stopped and said "Look Megan, these flowers are beautiful." He than went on to smell every one of them. I thought to myself, why am I in such a hurry? Why can't I just slow down, look around and smell the flowers? He predeeded to stop at every flower the whole way home, smell it and say how beautiful it was. It took us 45 minutes to get home! And it was a BEAUTIFUL walk home.

The field of rapeseed at the bottom of our road

field of daffodils below the castle

Two months and no longer counting!

2008-05-05T02:23:00.000-07:00

I finally had enough of the update your blog allready coments so here you go guys a new post! I can't believe that it has been 2 months since the wedding, time flies when you are adjusting to a new life. I love my new job and am loving being married. I am happier than I have ever been before. Plus spring time is here and it is beautiful! Sure it rains a ton but what a beautiful outcome.

Christmas in Scotland

2007-12-18T06:51:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas Everyone! It is almost here and I am so excited. We have a little tree to fit perfectly in our little house and a crazy kitten to destroy all of it. Its a good thing he's cute.

Our trip to Bruges, Belgium

2007-12-18T06:15:00.000-08:00

What a beautiful city! The weather couldn't even mask the old world charm of this lovely little city. I was "forced" to leave the country last weekend so Paul and I decided to go to Belgium which is his favorite place he has visited before. We took a farry accross the north sea in December. What were we thinking! We got gale force winds and no sleep on our 18 hr trip to Belgium and it was worse on the way back! Amazingly neither one of us were sick and managed to laugh and the huge boat being tossed around violently in the freezing waters of the north sea. It rained all but 2 hours of our trip but we still had a great time. I have concluded that this would be a great place to visit if I liked it even in these conditions. Oh and aparently the chocolate is fantastic.

above picture is of many of the cathedrals with one of the canals aswell. Bruges is nicknamed Little Vinice.

Morning Megan

2007-12-18T06:11:00.000-08:00

This could be a photo of a really cool ice sculpture in Belgium or it could be Me in the morning. You decide.

Photo's for thought

2007-06-15T23:26:00.000-07:00

Paul and I in Tampa visiting Cami.

Mom, Paul and I in Tampa.

Teddy is too busy eating to get a new diaper!

Tessa is getting big and finally has some hair. She is showing her rarely seen serious side in this photo.

Life's little twists and turns

2007-06-15T23:08:00.000-07:00

Hello Friends and Family,

Well it is mid June and I am really missing all of you. I have been away for almost a year now and am ready for my visit to Spokane in September. Life sure has changed direction for me in the last year! I thought I should update everyone on my plans for the future. I am working in San Francisco until the end of August, then I get a much needed visit with all of you in Spokane...yay! At the end of September I fly to Scotland for a 5 month visit. In February Paul and I come back to San Diego to get married and have a honeymoon. Here is the part that most people are going to be upset about...I am moving to Edinburgh for at least 2 years. I know everyone will miss me tons, well you better miss me! But look on the bright side, you all can come visit us! Paul and I still plan on relocating to the U.S. but the process will be much smoother if we have been married for 2 years, and let me tell you immigration is not a walk at the beach! We don't have much room but we would love to have visitors. hint hint!

So other than planning for this big move and a wedding, life moves on as usual. Babies everywhere! The kids are doing good although proving to be a handful. I think this may be a lesson in survival more than anything.

Well I gotta get going and get something productive done. I love you guys and am very excited to see everyone!

2007-02-25T13:28:00.000-08:00

Isn't it pretty! Well everyone this is the big news that I have been so slow to reveal. Paul and I are engaged! I am really happy and things are going well with us. It is really hard to be apart but we are making the best of it. We will see eachother in may when we vacation in Florida. Yay!

2007-02-25T13:24:00.000-08:00

This is the king of the household...Teddy! He is growing up really fast and changing everyday. He is an amazing kid and is always either making us laugh histerically or want to cry. He is probably the smartest kid I have ever been around which means that he doesn't miss anything. He is a handful but getting much better now that some boundaries are in place.

2007-02-25T13:20:00.000-08:00

Tessa isn't so little anymore is she! She is 15 1/2 lbs. now and doing great! She is an absolutely wonderful baby to take care of. She loves to smile and laugh. She is a joy to be around.

The Kiddos

2006-11-22T21:43:00.000-08:00

Tessa La Princessa

What you looking at?

This is one of Teddy's perfected looks.

I am soooo lucky!

2006-11-22T21:40:00.000-08:00

Welcome to paradise!

These are views from some of my favorite local places.

Fine I will give you an update!

2006-11-22T21:37:00.000-08:00

So I have gotten so many messages about updating my blog that I figured I better get to it. Things are crazy around here. I have been working about 70 hours a week to pay of some incredibly high cell phone bills! Let me tell you, having a boyfriend in Scotland is really expensive. Other than the cell bills Paul and I are doing great. We of course miss each other but are very excited for him to come visit in December. The kids are getting better at night and hopefully I will get to start working days soon. Tessa slept 10 hours straight last night! Unfortunately it was from 5:30 to 3:30 but we are getting closer. She is also gaining weight really well, she now weighs 11lb 9oz. She is really starting to develop and I am hopeful that she is going to be normal, which is quite impressive. I have succeeded in getting Teddy to sleep through the night, hurray! I am extremely proud of this fact and really hope that it sticks. He is all boy and only wants to play with trucks and build things. He really has the best sense of humor for a 1 year old but has a really, really annoying scream that definitely tests my patience. I am still really loving my job and the family. We are getting along better and better every day and I really feel like I belong here for the moment. We are working hard on getting Thanksgiving organized, which is quite a feat considering we have one infant on oxygen and one kamikaze toddler. Well everyone, there you go.
Have a great Thanksgiving!

2006-10-02T21:59:00.000-07:00

This is the guy everyone wants to know about. His name is Paul and he is absolutely wonderful! I thought you might want to see a picture Jody so are you happy now?

I know what you are thinking...what took you so long Megan?

2006-10-02T21:48:00.000-07:00

Well it has been quite a life changing month. Two days after arriving home from Scotland completely exhausted I packed up my life in my little car and drove to San Francisco. I have now been here a bit over two weeks and am really getting settled in. I love the family that I am working for and the area is soooooo beautiful. However, I don't think I have slept properly in the 2 weeks since I got here. I am supposed to be working nights but for the first time in my life I am having dificulties sleeping during the day! Go figure. Other than that things are great. I have the spectacular wild outdoors literally out the door. The golden gate national recreation park is two houses down the street and has endless trails to explore. The wildlife is also quite impressive. The people and the animals seem to live together fairly peacefully compared to most populated areas I have seen. Although that could just be because they don't have many racoons or skunks around. The other day driving down the mountain I saw a herd of about 10 deer on the side of the road grazing. Even more exciting was yesterday when the car in front of me stopped in the middle of the road to let the giant wild turkey cross the road! That is something I never thought I would see in San Francisco! So this is me sending my love from San Fran (as the locals call it) me and all the crazy turkeys.

2006-09-05T06:58:00.000-07:00

This is me in another part of Glencoe called Glengarry. The loch (lake) below me is famous for looking like the land mass of Scotland. Odd but beautiful.

Here are some other places visited on my highlands tour:

Fort William-famous for whiskey (extremely gross)
Great Glen
Fort Augustus-on Loch Ness
Eialan Donin Castle- where 007, parts of bravehart and highlander were filmed
Isle of Skye
Portree-capital of Skye
Trotternisch
Urquart Castle-most nessie sightings
The clansman hotel's voted 5 star toilets that were broken
Inverness- capital of the highlands
Culloden Moor- great battle that ended the Scotland's independence
Clavacairns- inspiration for a book I read many years ago
Many many more but I can't be bothered with writing all of them down

2006-09-05T06:45:00.000-07:00

My Australian friends and I on a hunt for Nessie. Left: Kath, Jane, Stacie, Me and in the front Zoe. We had a great time together and I may be able to visit Jane and Stacie in Melbourne someday.

This picture does not do justice to the spectacular scenery of Glencoe. My new favorite place on earth. It has a depressing history but somehow manages to amaze everyone who visits. It feels almost magical.

Let's try this again!

2006-09-05T06:39:00.000-07:00

Sorry guys I wasn't able to add my photo's from the highlands so I will try one more time. But first I need to update you on my soon to be ending trip. On Sunday I was able to attend a posh fireworks party on Princes street. I got all dressed up and my date wore a kilt! They were the most fabulous fireworks I have ever seen. They were shot off of the side of the castle and were timed to a live orchastra! It was amazing. Unfortunately I was foolish and left my camera at home, very sad for me! Especially because I wanted to have a photo of me next to a guy in a kilt. I know I am silly but how often do americans get to have that experience?

Cheerio my friends and family

fairies and hairy coo's oh my!

2006-08-28T12:06:00.000-07:00

Well I just returned from my 3 day tour of the Scottish highlands and I must say it was fantabulous! I have to make this a rather short entry because I need to head for bed...tomorrow I am of to York, England for yet another adventure. Take a look at my pictures and my list of some of the places I visited this weekend, it should be somewhat interesting. Until next time!

Pictures of wonderful places and even better company!

2006-08-25T15:00:00.000-07:00

Edinburgh Castle at it's finest, below are the royal gardens and I am taking the picture from the world famous Prince's Street. I just recently found out that it is actually Prince's Street not Princess Street like most people know it as.

Carol, the Bride, on the night of the rehersal in the Delmahoy (hotel the wedding was at).

2006-08-25T14:54:00.000-07:00

This is my new boyfriend Connor he taught me how to dance!

Sick ofcourse!

2006-08-25T14:47:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone,
I am having a grand time in good old Scotland. I am off tomorrow for a tour around the highlands, Isle of Skye and to see Nessie! I am excited despite the fact that I have a horrible case of the flu at the moment. I wont let it keep me down though! The wedding was amazing and everyone is raving about it. I danced the traditional dance pronounced Kaylee but spelled some very odd way. Made a fool of myself which is apparently the thing to do at weddings here. But good news I didn't fall or brake any bones wearing those horrible shoes. I have a few pictures to put up and I will write more when I get back from my trip.
Cheerio my friends and family

Don't worry about me!

2006-08-13T15:29:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone, I am safetly in Edinburgh with my dear friends. I have had many questions about how my trip was because of the terrorist plot in England. To be honest I didn't even know anything was going on until I landed in Edinburgh. So everything went fine, going home may be a different story but I will take it as it comes. The only real problem I encountered was when the customs agent was asking me all sorts of personal questions. For example, he wanted to know why if I only have 6-12 months left of school I would take time off...gosh I got enough of these questions from my dad! Nosy right, well I didn't know that anything was going on yet so I thought he was just being really nosy.

What have I been up to so far??? I have slept at all the wrong times, said all the words that I am not supposed to (because the mean something different here), and been smothered by a 120lb. dog. It's great! Seriously though, I am having a great time. I have met just about all the people in the wedding and I am told there are many more. Everyone has been really nice and offered me a bed or couch when Carol and David are on their honeymoon. Today I saw my friend Lisa and her 2 kids! Tomorrow I am going to be adventurous and take the bus into town...this could be interesting to say the least! I walked along princess street yesterday for about 5 hours and found plenty of gifts to bring back for people. I have all of old town to discover tomorrow, it should be exciting.

Well I will leave you all on this thought...never eat a Swedish hot dog in Scotland!

So tired!

2006-08-10T00:32:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone (A.K.A Matt). I just arrived in Amsterdam about 2 hours ago. It is about 1 am in Spokane and 10 am here. It seems as if I never left Seattle, beautiful but rainy. I have a 8 hour layover before I get to take my 1 hour flight to Edinburgh. So I am trying to figure out how much trouble I can get into in that amount of time. I have decided to scope it out this time and make an adventure out of it on the way back. I am really tired but also very excited. Somehow I know things will be even more exciting after I have had a night of sleep. The best purchase I have ever made was the blanket that was way overpriced! It was like a piece of heaven admist the crying babies and snoring men! Well my friends, I am going to get going and try to find a corner to curl up in for a wee kick...he he he.

Please keep Baxter in your thoughts and prayers

Picture test

2006-08-07T22:13:00.000-07:00

This is my cool brother! He is my favorite person in the whole wide world.

Test post

2006-08-07T22:09:00.000-07:00

Hey my name is Megan