Check this out

Ok...short but important blog here.

1st- Be sure to go to this site and ensure that your driver's license is not being made available for internet viewing. Protect yourself and make sure to opt out of the database!!

National Driver's License Database

2nd- Find out which Disney Character you're most like :-)


I'm most like:


Mickey Mouse


Which DISNEY character are you most like?
brought to you by Quizilla

Down Scares and Brand New Hairs...Our October so far

October has been a much simpler month in many ways, albeit much busier. There have been a couple of eventful moments amidst all of the routine, two of which inspired the title to this post. The first is courtesy of Noah, who always refers to our stairs as "da scares." Before recently it was just a cute phrase. Now it's taken on a slightly more literal meaning since he has managed to fall down them twice while trying to sneak out of bed at night. Thankfully he was completely uninjured both times. So far the door alarm his grandma in Minnesota sent seems to be doing the trick of scaring him back into bed so that he isn't scaring us as he plummets down those "scares."

The second event is much less exciting, except to me (and Elizabeth of course). That is the regrowth of my hair. I've started shaving again and now have a sufficient amount of hair that I look like I have a buzz cut. The weird thing is how soft it is since it's never been cut and how it actually lays down flat for me. Before chemo my hair would have never been this kind to me at such a short length. Now that we have a webcam those of you who know us will have to reach us on MSN Messenger and you can get a live view. :-)

It seems like our weeks since the beginning of my school term have been a whirlwind of schoolwork, classes, social functions for Elizabeth and the boys, and frequent walks down our beloved Lade Braes.

The trees are well into their autumn display and the leaves have begun falling in earnest. Rain has also become a rather common companion for us. Despite the soggy weather however, our spirits have not at all been dampened. We have gained a deep appreciation for the simplicity and relative innocence of life here. We have no television to distract us and no car to keep us away from home, but we have a phenomenal community. Here are a few examples of what I mean:

We've been able to get caught up on doctor's appointments at no cost.
We've had a child development professional visit our home and give us encouragement on potty training and the fact that our children are indeed relatively normal toddlers.
We have a front and back yard (or garden as they call them here) for our boys to play in.
Elizabeth and the kids get to go to a toddler play group, a ladies Bible study, and special events at the public library and other churches very frequently.
Gabriel gets to start nursery school next week so that he can be in the best position possible when he actually starts primary school.
Cars stop for us and willingly hold up traffic to let us cross the road.
We've had wonderful conversations with a variety of strangers we've passed on our way to and from town.
Terrific townsfolk constantly stop by our stroller (aka pram, buggy, or push-chair) to admire our "wee ones."

There are tons more things I could tell you, but I wouldn't want to make you too jealous. ;-)

I'm currently working on my PhD application for the James Wilson Programme (yep, that's how they spell it here). The great thing is that if I'm accepted then my studies will be fully paid for!! Right now I'm trying to write a good research proposal that tells the school what my study plans would be so that they can decide whether or not they want to admit me into the programme. If anyone has been through this process before and can give me some pointers I would greatly appreciate them. (Just post a comment at the end of this blog.) This is definitely new ground for me.

God has certainly blessed us generously (as have many of you), and we are so grateful for this time of refreshing. Now that we are all up to speed I'll try to post more often so you can get a real taste of Scotland and our life here (don't worry, it doesn't all taste like haggis).

Time to give my mind a rest so that I can gear up to begin my 15-page paper on the role of religion in the political philosophies of St. Augustine, Thomas Hobbes, and Jean-Jacques Rousseau. I still need to come up with the topic for my other 15-pager on the methodology of studying international relations, philosophy, and history (obviously some prayer for divine inspiration would come in handy for this puppy).

As they say here in Scotland....Cheers mates!

Getting up to speed aka "Scotland or Bust"

Hello everyone! Before I get into all of the current happenings here in Scotland, I thought I should pass along some updates and news to get you up to speed since my last post:

August--

I finished up my chemo treatments in the middle of August and no longer had to spend 6 hours per day in the vinyl armchair I had come to call my own at the Massey Cancer Center in Richmond, VA. No more of that odd, sickening smell of cold plastic, the prick of the needle entering my port-a-cath, the nauseating feeling of cool poison entering my body through my chest cavity and dutifully being pumped directly from my heart into the rest of my body. Of course, I had the opportunity to have some great chats with the hospital staff and on occasion fellow patients, but the main positives in my treatment were all things I was looking forward to no longer experiencing.

Within a week of completing my treatments, I could properly taste food and smell it without feeling sick, my nausea subsided, my strength and energy began to return. I could make it up a flight of stairs without stopping. I could hold my boys and carry them around instead of just sitting near them and having them on my lap. One of the last reminders of my illness was my port, which remained embedded in my chest. Thankfully, just 1 week before our move, it too was removed during a brief, but truly appalling surgery that I had the misfortune of being entirely awake for. That said though, life got much more pleasant in a hurry.

It was a good thing too, because we had packing to do, and lots of it. With our move to Scotland just days away, Elizabeth and I spent many a late night sorting, re-sorting, and re-re-sorting through our things to whittle away our entire stock of earthly possessions into a collection that would fit into 8 suitcases. Passports arrived, student visas were paid for and approved, and packing was completed. As August came to a close, we couldn't help but be constantly aware that the Lord was opening a new chapter in our lives, which brings us to...

September

September 2nd dawned early, but we were up even earlier. At the stroke of 4 we dragged our weary bodies from bed and began shuttling our luggage from my parents' beautiful house to their Honda Odyssey Minivan. It didn't strike me at the time, but how fitting that we begin our trek in an Odyssey. Here's the definition from www.dictionary.com:

od·ys·sey n. pl. od·ys·seys
An extended adventurous voyage or trip.
An intellectual or spiritual quest: an odyssey of discovery.

Can you think of a more perfect mode of transport for us to use on our way to live in a new country, a new home, a new career?? Moving to Scotland was not only "an extended adventurous" undertaking, but it was certainly also an "intellectual and spiritual quest." After a roughly seven hour drive, with my dad kindly playing the role of chauffeur, we reached New York City, and like so many people entering the United States, we saw the Statue of Liberty as we prepared to leave it.

Arriving at JFK Airport we said goodbye to my parents, my mom cried, and we tried hard not to. Then before I knew it we were immersed in a game of hurry up and wait. Our porter brought our enormous mound of luggage to the counter for us, we got our bags checked, got through security, and then tried to figure out what on earth we should do with two toddlers in an airport waiting lounge for seven hours. To make a long story short, the boys were terrific. Elizabeth and I played with them, took turns strolling them around, and eventually managed to get properly settled for our flight across the Atlantic. They slept and we ate a very nice (seriously) dinner and watched Herbie- Fully Loaded. We arrived late in London, missed our connection as a result and had to walk 30 minutes through one terminal, wait 15 minutes for a bus, ride 10 minutes on that, and walk another 20 minutes in the next terminal to confirm seats on a later flight to Edinburgh. I'm sure the walk wasn't really that bad, but somehow with no sleep, 8 carry-ons, and 2 little ones in strollers, it seemed torturous. A 45-minute flight in a little puddle jumper and we were officially in Scotland. A 45-minute drive from the airport in Edinburgh and we were officially at our new home in St. Andrews. (Here it is.)



We spent most of the rest of the month adjusting to life in our new home at 50 Doocot Road. Within a couple days we had most of the major appliances figured out and had found our way into town on the Lade Braes. The Lade Braes is a truly gorgeous walking path that winds its way along a clear stream (or lade) and through some small hills (or braes). We managed to see some of the tourist type highlights in town like the 800 year-old ruined castle and the equally old and beautiful cathedral ruins. Gabriel and Noah had the chance to meet some of their heroes from the Thomas the Tank Engine series at "A Day Out with Thomas" in Bo'ness. That little outing required us to rent a car to make the 90-minute drive to the Bo'ness and Kinnell Railway. I fared quite well all things considered. I've never driven in a foreign country, especially not in one where people all drive on the left-hand side of the road while sitting on the right-hand side of the car and shifting left-handed (no wimpy automatics transmissions here). What really made it interesting (as if the other factors weren't enough) was that there are virtually no traffic lights and no stop signs in Scotland. Instead they have round-a-bouts, which are large circles at which several roads all intersect. You yield to the right and then jump into the circle and try to remember which off-shoot is the road you need. If you miss it, you can keep going in circles forever, which is better than choosing the wrong one, because there is often no way of turning around for several miles. Anyway, our little Peugot got us there no problem, the boys met Thomas, Percy, and rode on Douglas. They really loved the train ride itself the most. It was great having our own dining table to sit around and just enjoy the scenery passing by while we had some snacks.

After that adventure I began classes and had one week to ease into my new school routine. My course in International Political Thought only has 7 people, so I knew right away there would be a high level of personal attention and accountability. Thankfully, the workload was light enough that first week that we were able to use the car for one more great outing to Stirling Castle.

Stirling is where William Wallace defeated the English and where monarchs like King James and Mary Queen of Scots lived. The castle is perched atop a hill overlooking the Scottish lowlands to the south and the Highlands to the north, with the William Wallace Monument just across the valley. It is truly stunning and I would say it's a must-see if you ever make it to Scotland. Here are some pictures of William Wallace's sword, his monument, and Stirling Castle... and some links if you're interested in seeing and finding out more about them:

http://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/stirling/stirlingcastle/
http://www.historic-scotland.gov.uk/index/properties_sites_detail?propertyID=PL_275
http://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/stirling/wallace/


Of course, this is really just a subtle trick to get you to want to come visit Scotland.
Elizabeth and I also made some friends during September (not to mention that we already had dear friends Chris, Lisa, and Ellie Chandler living here) and found a good church home called Eden.

All in all it was an eventful, wonderful beginning to our time here in Scotland. I'll update you on more recent events in my next post, but this will have to do for now. Until then, God Bless!! Numbers 6:24-26