Giving Thanks

I'm one day late on this post but I have a good reason. Yesterday, I helped organize the AWA's annual Thanksgiving Potluck Dinner.  I was expecting over 100 people, so I was a bit overwhelmed. It was weird how a major holiday is not celebrated here. School was in session, everyone had to go to work, and there was no fall decor to be found! I definitely had my work cut out for me since all the Christmas stuff has been out since October. But we managed to pull stuff together and here's a snapshot of our Thanksgiving in Scotland: 

I made Pilgrim Cookies:) 

I was so happy to be part of bringing the Americans together to celebrate Thanksgiving. The International School was nice enough to let us use their gym to accommodate all the families. We had a feast! Too bad I didn't get any pictures of the food but it was yummy! A

This year I'm thankful for so many things, it's hard to select just a few, but here goes: 

1. I'm thankful for the opportunity to travel and learn about different cultures over the 8 months we've lived in the UK;

2. I'm thankful for my husband, who still asks me about my day and encourages my new found hobbies, even if they get in the way of my housewife duties;

3. I'm thankful for the wonderful friends we made in Aberdeen that have made this experience even better that I ever imagined and I know that they will always be part of our lives; and

4. I'm thankful for the continued support from family and friends as we venture into our next assignment.

What are you thankful for? 

Loch Muick

Yesterday we hiked Loch Muick (pronounced "Mick") which is near the Balmoral Estate (the Royal family's summer home).  Unfortunately there were no royal sightings. The circuit was mostly flat and only 7.75 miles.  After Clachna-never-ending, 7.75 miles was a piece of cake! After several days of non-stop rain, we lucked out but it was still cold and windy.  So cold that I was hoping to see snow caps, like this from when Jill went earlier in the year:

I was slightly disappointed since I'm now counting down the number of hikes before I move and I really wanted to see some snow! Ah well, I'll settle for some cute ponies, stag, and girl talk.

New Year, New Beginnings...

Happy Diwali! I felt so removed from Diwali and the traditions this year being in Scotland. I felt like I was just going through the motions as my mom gave me daily reminders to: turn the lights on, light candles, and say a prayer.  And I was a tad homesick when my brother emailed me their Rangoli creations that I missed out on:

Today, the start of the new year, I got another reality check. The moving company came to our house this morning to survey how much "stuff" we are transporting to Dubai. As we showed him each room, closet, nook and cranny, it finally sank in: I'm moving AGAIN. These international moves are quite stressful, especially when you have to set up bank accounts, figure out housing/utilities, residency visas, alcohol licenses (more on that some other time), and driving license requirements.  Didn't I just do this 8 months ago?!?! I know I shouldn't complain, and I'm not, but it's just overwhelming since according to the calendar, we are moving in 6 WEEKS! Between now and then I have 3 more AWA events to plan and a 12 day trip to Texas and Vegas. So 6 weeks just became 4. Stress central, population ME!

Scolty Hill and Falls of Feugh

There are 3 popular mountains hills in Aberdeen.  Bennachie, Clachnaben, and Scolty Hill.  Last week I conquered Clachnaben and today I hiked Scolty.  Not sure I'll be able to hike Bennachie before we move, but 2 out of 3 is not bad in my book.

And today's hike was extra special because I was able to steal Ram away from work for a few hours. It was a pretty winter day and I'm not sure how many of those we have left, so there was no time to waste.  This is definitely the shortest hike of all the Hills, only 2 miles, but it was still a workout since the ascent was pretty much a vertical climb. And the panoramic views were quite rewarding:

Falene and Jillian

Taking a break on the way up to snap a few pics

Approaching the top of the Hill which has a 20m  Tower built in 1840 as a memorial to General Burnett

Hill top with panoramic views. It was SUPER windy

Afterwards, Ram and I stopped off at the Falls of Feugh to see salmon leaping.  What is that you say? Apparently September - November is spawning season so Salmon are often sighted leaping over these natural falls.  Within a few minutes of us being there I saw one leap! It all happened so fast and so I was not prepared with the camera to capture it:( We waited another 10-15 minutes but didn't see any more.  But it was pretty cool to see! Knocked two things off my list today! I'd say it was a good day...

Golfing Sunday

Yesterday we drove to Stonehaven to golf (finally).  This was our third attempt and this time we weren't going to let anything get in our way.  This was Ram's first time golfing. I on the other hand am an old pro (this being my 4th time and all).  The backdrop for the course was just simply beautiful (I'm running out of adjectives for this beautiful country!) Across the coast line we could see Dunnotar Castle. Amazing.

 When we first started golfing it was pretty cold but then the sun came out and warmed us up, but we still needed a little help from Black. Johnny Black.

 It felt good to golf again and I think Ram is hooked now.  Hopefully we find time to go to the driving range and play in Dubai.

My Everest

It's been getting colder and darker here by the day. So many people are talking about purchasing sad lamps to brighten your mood.  Seriously, this is a thing.  I don't think I'm there yet but I do already hate that it gets dark by 4:30pm and pretty soon it will be 3:30pm.  By 5pm I feel pressure to make dinner and by 7:30pm I feel like it's time for bed. Even Luca's internal clock is off.  But I'm still excited to actually experience a proper autumn and winter.  The leaves are changing and the colors are gorgeous.

They say this time of year is when you really need to start making the most of your days, and motivate yourself to get out of your pajamas.  So on Thursday I went on another hike with my ex-pat friends. We went to Clachnaben (or as we coined it, 'Clachna-never-ending').  It's 16 km (10 miles) and a 3 boot, which in hiking lingo is pretty f* hard.  If you recall, the longest hike I had done up to this point was 7.5 miles and that one had 3-4 gradual rolling rises.  This hike was the steepest, rockiest, iciest, and most challenging one I've ever done.  This was my Everest.  The first phase of the walk was through a forest, which was beautiful because all around us, the effects of autumn were apparent. The leaves were  changing color.

Nary, Jillian, Laine 

Over the bridge and through the woods, we started to see the path to Clachnaben. 

Clachnaben is that tiny structure on the far right

The ascent was steep and rocky.  If I claimed the other hikes had rocky paths, nothing came close to this one.  As I neared the top of Clachnaben, the temperatures continued to drop.  After what felt like an eternity, I made it to the top and got my breath back.  

Ta-Da!

At this point I figured we were half-way done. Nope. What turned out to be the last 2.5 grueling hours amounted to 5km.  My body ached at the thought of having another 11km to go. But we just kept on trekking. Going downhill when it's steep and icy is NOT easy. I found it harder to keep myself from tumbling forward while going down these rocky, steep, icy paths. Thankfully Nary had an extra walking stick, which I quickly made use of. Those walking sticks are genius! 

17.5 km (we did some back tracking) and 5 hours later, every muscle in my body was screaming.  But I managed to have a smile on my face (while trying not to puke). I was proud of myself for pushing through and going the distance.  Special shout out to Nary who kept me going, especially in the last 30 minutes when I really needed the push. Thanks girl!