Adjusting...

I'll get back to finishing the updates on the last several weeks soon. But while I had a free minute I wanted to write about my week.

The first few weeks here in Scotland have been a roller coaster of emotions. I absolutely love being married! My husband is amazing and I feel so blessed at how the Lord orchestrated everything so we could be together. There is nothing sweeter than getting to end my day snuggled up next to my husband, or being able to study God's Word together.

But I think I underestimated how hard this transition would be. There is just so much that I don't know about life here and I am constantly feeling like the only kid in the class who is totally clueless. It is the littlest things that just constantly remind me that I am not from here, and I have moments of wondering if I will ever feel at home again. Couple feeling lost with a total lack of community and you can probably see why some days are hard.

I almost feel a little guilty about relying on Ross for absolutely everything. He keeps telling me that he doesn't mind and to give myself time, but I hate that he has to make all these phone calls on my behalf when he is working and I'm not. I get so frustrated that it took me an hour starring at shelves to pick out proper cleaning supplies and several trips to the grocery store before I found yeast. While I know all this is normal, I still find myself fighting off feelings of incompetence and inadequacy.

This week it finally occurred to me why this time around is SO much harder than the other international moves I've made. In my other moves, I always had a sort of built in buffer- as a student I was surrounded by people just as lost looking for new friends, in Israel I had a team of people who were my built in support. This is the first time I've had to confront the cultural adjustments on my own. Trying to build relationships with people who already have established lives, families and jobs is much harder. Plus, I end up feeling rather alone in the process. Thank God for an understanding and patient husband! His encouragements have seriously kept me going some days.

But actually I started writing this post as an update on how good things are- This week I feel like I am finally starting to make some ground in meeting people. I tend to close myself off in new situations, but I am really trying to put myself out there a bit more. It seems to be working!

Saturday we went to a dinner party with some people from church. I was totally overwhelmed, but it was really sweet to be included and I now have a few more friendly faces in the mix. Yesterday I met a lady from church for tea. Our conversation was such an encouragement and I am looking forward to seeing her again. While we were chatting I met a couple more women who I now have a lunch date with on Thursday!

God is good and I am so thankful He has opened these doors for me. Today I feel confident and energized for the first time in weeks. Now on to conquer the job front!

Honeymoon 1 (aka beach hopping)

Looking through the pictures from our honeymoon I noticed that almost all of our pictures took place on a beach somewhere. And I discovered that I am in like 3 of them! So basically our honeymoon pictures consist of Ross standing on a beach somewhere trying not to look uncomfortable while I snap a picture to commemorate the few days of marital bliss that are a honeymoon.

Example #1:


Example #2 (although I should point out that Ross was actually excited about this one because he got to stand on a big rock... boys...)



After some unexpected setbacks we started our honeymoon in Gualala, where my aunt and uncle own a vacation home they gracious gave us the use of. The area around Gualala is just gorgeous and it was the perfect place for us to just relax and curl up with a book.


A significant portion of our honeymoon was spent in the car, as we drove from Sacramento to Gualala and back a few times, then down to Orange County and back to Sacramento. Ross did all the driving (most of the time with very little complaint). And though road rage and long trips can test any relationship, we managed to maintain our love and have a really great time along the way.


To prove that I was actually with my husband:

The Day After...

Saturday June 13, barely 24 hours after I said my vows, my beautiful big sister tied the knot with her man on my parents property. Her wedding was sweet and wonderfully creative: from the quilt table cloths and button flowers in her bouquet, to the centerpieces made out of flowers planted in logs, to the bale of hay the gifts were set on- it was Jessi's day!



People keep asking me if it was awkward to show up after being married the day before. Not at all! The day was all about my sister and I was so happy to be there. (Of course I did manage to steal a few kisses throughout the day from my sweet husband, who was looking particularly good in his suit.)



I have to say- our first day of marriage was a pretty good one. Ross even got to learn how to drive the ATV (and manage to use it to deliver my sister's 5 wedding cakes unharmed to the cake table.) Plus, I got to be a Matron of Honor at 23!

(Somehow that sounded like more of an accomplishment in my head...)

When I left off...

Since I haven't posted in forever I thought a review of the last several weeks would be a good place to start.

After months of weeding, shoveling and hard labor, we managed to beautify my parents property in preparation for The Weddings. Everyone told us we were crazy to have two weddings in one weekend, but we pulled it off with flying colors!


Friday, June 12 I married my best friend and the love of my life. All those moments of banging my head against the wall were worth it in the end because our wedding was just perfect. It was an intimate simple celebration- no awkward dancing or creepy garter removing. The weather was lovely and the church was quaint. Other than missing a few close friends, I couldn't have asked for more. Thank you to all the friends and family who made our special day possible!

A shock to the system...

Today I signed on to my wedding website and saw the countdown clock: 17 days until the wedding... Seeing that gave me a minor panic attack. I only have 17 days to figure everything out?!! Eeek!

BUT, to make it all better I got the bags for my wedding favors and I LOVE them!! I know it is such a minor part of the day, but they are perfect. After the disappointments and hassles of the whole music situation, it is nice to have something go my way.

Pre-wedded Bliss

Perhaps it is the fact that my wedding is only 31 days away, but lately I am just loving life. I mean there are certainly things that suck, like how complicated it is for me to live in the same country as my man, but all things considered I have a really great life.

I have a wonderful fiance, who is swamped with work and still finds time to pray for me, encourage me, write me sweet mushy letters, and set up a place for us to live. What would I do without him? I have an awesome family, which I was once again reminded of as I watched my mom tear up over the sweet Mother's Day letter my Dad wrote her. After 29 years of marriage and some big changes, they still love being together. I have some great friends, who constantly go that extra mile for me and listen patiently to me in all my crazy moments. I've learned so much from them. On top of it all, I have a great God, who has blessed me, provided for me, and been faithful to me. I don't deserve any of it, yet He gives bountifully.

Aside from the mushiness, I am getting more and more excited about the weddings. Yesterday I finally bought a veil. I gave in and got a long one. It is a bit longer than my dress train, completely impractical and totally beautiful. While we were in the store, my mom bought me the cutest parasol. Technically the parasol is for my sister's outdoor wedding, but I think it will be really cute in my wedding pictures too!

I tend to be a little serious and reserved, and letting loose is hard for me to do. But I am going to do my best to let down my hair in the coming weeks and have some fun for a change. I have my whole life to be serious and having fun doesn't have to mean being irresponsible. I just want to enjoy my friends and family, and not worry so much about silly things. We'll see how it goes...

Mother's Day

Yesterday my mother returned from her annual Mother's Day weekend away. Every year she, her sister and her mother celebrate Mother's Day by leaving their families and holing up in the nearest casino hotel for a few days. They gamble, shop, eat, buy things with their comps, and enjoy each others company. Despite the fact this weekend is supposed to be about her, my mother almost always brings us back goodies. Her generosity continues to astound me after all these years.

While she was gone, I spent almost all weekend planting flowers, weeding and maintaining her garden. I do not share my mother's fascination with flowers. And gardening is one of my least favorite activities, particularly in our yard where every two inches you are pulling out dead roots or rocks, and the whole time you are being eaten alive by mosquitoes. Why do people find that relaxing?! At least Mom was thrilled with the results and that was what it was really about.

I will have to post some pictures of the yard because I am pretty proud of what my hard work accomplished.