Hassells in the Highlands

I'm home. And it feels wonderful. I slept like a rock last night. I think my body was letting go of all the tension of traveling in foreign countries. I soaked in the quietness and calmness of Inverness when I arrived yesterday and breathed in deeply the fresh, invigorating air. Home. It's good. And to make it even better, Mike surprised me by meeting me at the airport instead of at the train station as planned. Tears flowed. I thoroughly enjoyed the adventures with the girls to England and Europe and am super glad I had the opportunity and the encouragement from Michael to go. It was truly a gift from him and from my good Father, who enjoys lavishing good gifts on His children, sometimes just for His own pleasure and ours. It was not without it's challenges, though. Most of you do not know that I sort of have some travel anxieties.  I think I may share about that in another blog at another time. With that in mind, know that it was a BIG deal for m...

        It is 10:15 am and I am sitting in the Birmingham airport waiting for my flight that leaves at 2:15 pm. I have a cold, frothy coffee drink from Costa, an e-book, the internet, and this blog post to keep me amused.    Katrina, Leah and Carol are on their way back to Scotland, and we should all be arriving at our destinations tonight about the same time.       This has been a fun week. But a week ago, and even 5 days ago, there was no way to know how it would go. Four women, all used to running their own households, together in a car for hours and hours and hours day after day after day and even sharing rooms.  Would we all get along? Would it be fun? And most importantly, would my roommate snore long and loud throughout the night, keeping me awake so that I was tired and dragging and cranky? (my own personal concern)    These were things that remained to be seen.   I...

Our trip to Venice was only the beginning. We then drove to Edinburgh to see the Military Tattoo and the Festival - both run through the month of August. And we took the longer route by driving along the coast through Aberdeen (which also has a Costco - but we didn't stop there) and then on to St. Andrews, which some of you may know is the Birthplace of Golf. That was on Mike's bucket list. So, just as he indulges me at quilt shops - to just look at fabric and projects, and sometimes actually make a wee purchase - I gave him this small gift of time and dollars. Or rather, pounds. He gawked at the course. He gawked at the players. He walked on the path through the middle of a fairway and he breathed it in. He gawked some more. Then he went into a shop to buy a souvenir (or two). And then as we were leaving, he saw another man, whose dream it must also have been to play this course, standing on the bridge while HIS wife took a picture of him. ...