Bagpipe Fever

We've Moved!

2010-03-23T23:04:00.004-04:00

Since the Murphy family will be moving on Saturday (hallelujah, Praise Jesus, our days as River City Real Estate tenants are almost over!) I thought this blog might like a new home as well.

Here's where you can find us.

Please excuse the dust as I spruce up the new place.

Month 3

2010-03-01T22:53:00.000-05:00

Jack, you've reached a milestone in your sleeping in your third month of life: you're establishing your nap schedule. Up until a few weeks ago, your naps were 45 minutes each, but now they are getting longer and longer, typically 1.5-2 hours. We owe this development to a couple of things: from what I've read, you are just now becoming biologically able to nap for longer periods, and...YOU FOUND YOUR THUMB!!! You've been working on this since you were born, but you finally are able to get your thumb in your mouth and keep it there.

I can't tell you how excited your Daddy and I are for this new feat. Now, when you wake up at the end of your first sleep cycle (about 45 minutes into a nap), you get fussy for a few moments, and then you start sucking away on your thumb and drift blissfully back to sleep again. No more searching for that pacifier, no more going into your room to try to get you to take the pacifier and get a few more minutes of sleep. You're growing in your ability to soothe yourself, and we're so proud of you, since it's such an important part of your development. If you read this when you're older, you'll no doubt think we're crazy for being so excited about thumb-sucking, but you'll understand when you've got kids and you're losing sleep.

As a result of this we've changed how we wrap you up to sleep. We've swaddled you from the beginning, but didn't do that great of a job until we started using a Miracle Blanket thanks to two of our friends who graciously let us borrow their blankets. That thing is true to it's name. From day one of using it, you fell asleep faster and slept longer. You loved it, and would start to relax as soon as we started wrapping your arms up. We liked to call you, "our little burrito."

But since finding your thumb, we started swaddling you with your hands free; not quite a burrito anymore, but still pretty cute:

As far as nighttime sleep, you've slept for 12 hours on two occasions, but you aren't ready to let go of that last middle of the night feeding for good yet. I'm okay with that for now.

Speaking of feedings, nursing you has gone amazingly well. You like to eat. A lot. Thankfully, the good Lord has blessed me with lots and lots of milk. We're a good pair. It took about 6 weeks for us to really find our rhythm, we were both new at it, but now it feels like I've been doing this for years. I'm so grateful because I know it can be a really difficult process, and it's great to know you're getting the best food you can get. And hello, it's free!

I think it's safe to say from your weight (16 pounds) and your fabulous chubby belly, you're getting plenty to eat:

You continue to melt our hearts with your smiling, squealing, and "laughing." I don't think we've heard an official laugh yet, but you're getting there. Your temperament is starting to emerge, and we love it. I keep hearing people describe you as, "content." It's helpful for me to hear this, because taking care of your every need sometimes keeps me from taking a step back and enjoying the big picture. It's true, you are a content baby; the only times you get upset are when you're hungry or tired (or when you get a shot, like today; you had two and your sad cry broke my heart, poor guy). Though recently, you've become more sensitive to things that surprise you. A couple of times you've been startled by people and your lower lip pouts out and you let out the most pitiful little cry. But, it's just a part of you becoming more aware of your surroundings, which is fun to watch.

Another new thing you're experimenting with is grabbing. You've grabbed your feet once or twice, and you're starting to grab some of your toys. One day you were in your swing (which you still love) and as you started to drift off to sleep, you held on to a little bear you were playing with. It was pretty stinking adorable.

I could continue to go on and on about all the things you're doing and the way you're soaking in everything about your world, but to be a good mom to you, I need some sleep, so I'll end with this: we're so thankful that you're our son.

Playing Dress-Up

2010-02-28T14:34:00.002-05:00

Before we had Jack, our dog Owen was our pride and joy. We loved taking silly pictures of her and family photos of the three of us.

It's much more fun and a heck of a lot cuter to dress up our little baby Jack.

A Boppy Comparison

2010-02-20T00:06:00.008-05:00

Here's Jack at about a week old:

About a month old:

And here at about 2 months:

Caught mid-sneeze.

And finally, these are from today, he's just shy of 3 months:

We'll probably be forcing the poor guy to carry around the boppy so we can get a photo-op when he's graduating from college.

Meeting the Great-Grandparents

2010-02-17T10:14:00.012-05:00

Jack had the privilege of meeting some of his great-grandparents this past weekend. We drove up to Pittsburgh to spend the weekend with GiGi and Pappy (Jean and Jack), James's mom's parents. It was also Jack's first overnight trip away from home. But the most special part of the trip, was being able to introduce Jack to one of the two great-grandfather's that he's named after.

There was lots of oohing and ahhing over, and cuddling of baby Jack. He also got to meet James's aunt & uncle and some of their kids and spouses. He doesn't remember since he was sleeping, but he also Skyped with his dad's cousin's baby girl (I have no idea what she would be to Jack, fourth cousin by marriage once removed? who knows.) who was born two weeks after he was. You can read all about the adorable Ava Faulhaber here.

We had a great time. Beside the obvious enjoyment of being with family we don't get to see very often, we were so glad to get away from our apartment for a bit (if you've ever been over and experienced the ridiculous noise levels, you'll understand completely), and just get out of town. We've spent so much of the last two and a half years traveling and moving, we were getting a bit stir crazy.

Jack traveled really well, we were so grateful. We made it the 6 our drive with only one stop each way.

Jack, meet Jack.

and meet your great-grandmother Jean, get ready for lots of fun spoiling which you are sure to love.

Second cousin Mae-lin. I guess they're second cousins, I'm not really sure how all those extended family relations work.

There was so much snow there, we were dying to let Jack play in the snow for the first time. James found a snow suit on Craig's List right down the street from his grandparents house. As you can see, Jack was thrilled.

"I can't put my arms down!" A gold star for you if you know that movie quote.

I'm envisioning many adventures ahead for the two of them that will be sure to make my heart stop a few times.

Good times, great hospitality, and wonderful family.

Mr. Chatterbox

2010-02-08T10:12:00.001-05:00

Lately our little man has been chattin' it up. We have little "conversations" and it cracks me up. Everyday he seems to smile and laugh more and more. Here's a taste of it:

Bizarre Produce

2010-02-06T19:53:00.003-05:00

One thing we never lacked during the first two months of Jack's life was delicious food, and not because we were doing any of the cooking. So many people prepared incredible meals for us and even delivered them. We ate so well and we are so grateful for those gifts of service.

I knew having a newborn would be a lot of work, but I didn't anticipate just how much I would dread having to cook a meal when dinnertime crept around. But thanks to our awesome friends and family, we never once had to do anything more complicated than put something in the oven or punch buttons on the microwave.

As a result of these glorious meals given to us, the only food cabinets I opened were the ones containing the cereal and granola bars. These onions are proof of that. We found them the other day; I'm not sure how long they have been there, but they're definitely older than Jack is.

Kinda scary, don't you think?

Month #2

2010-01-30T14:10:00.011-05:00

Dear Mr. Jack,

That is one of the many nicknames we have for you. In your second month of life, you continue to put smiles on people's faces. We hear a lot of, "he's so cute!" and while many babies are cute, you are especially cute. You've started smiling much more and you're finding your voice. You've been cooing some, and doing lots of squealing and making gurgle noises, it's so much fun to have this kind of conversation with you, it seems like you'll have a lot to say when you add words to your repertoire of sounds.

Growing is something you do well. At your 2 month check-up you weighed 14 pounds and were 24 inches long, that means you're in the 95th percentile for your age. You were really brave when it came time for a shot. You made a really sad face, whimpered a bit and then laughed at me a minute later. The worst part was when we had to take the band-aid off later that night. Next time we'll just do without the band-aid

You're noticing your surroundings so much more; a couple of days ago you couldn't tear your eyes away from a tree for 10 minutes. You love watching your mobile, seeing yourself in the mirror, being in your swing, and just yesterday you started splashing around in your bath for the first time. But your favorite thing of all is seeing people stick their tongue out at you, you think that is the funniest thing you've ever seen, and you work really hard at mirroring our actions. We love playing that game with you and don't care at all that it makes us look like fools.

One day as I was putting you to sleep, you were staring up at me, wide awake, with your beautiful blue eyes. Suddenly, you gave me a completely unsolicited smile. You melted my heart, once again.

A song I've been listening to recently sums up how your Daddy and I feel:
You will lose your baby teeth, at times you'll lose your faith in me; you will lose a lot of things, you cannot lose my love.
You may lose your appetite, your guiding sense of wrong and right; you may lose your will to fight, but you cannot lose my love.
You will lose your confidence, in times of trial your common sense; you may lose your innocence, but you cannot lose my love.
Many things can be misplaced, your very memories be erased, no matter what the time or space, you cannot lose my love. -Sarah Groves

It's Been Too Long

2010-01-27T08:00:00.003-05:00

Surely you're dying to see more pictures of Jack. No? Well, you'll have to forgive me, he's by far the most exciting thing going on around here, so pictures of Jack are what you're gonna get.

The way he loves to stick his tongue out is really cute right now, but I imagine there will come a day when his motives change, and we're not going to think it's very cute.

But if he grins at me like this, he might get away with most anything.

See all those chins? I think he grows a new one each day. This kid enjoys his food.

Our Little Man

2010-01-15T12:28:00.004-05:00

His little hands and little feet are just two of the things I want to burn into my memory because he will continue to grow, faster than I'd like, and there will be a day when I will be shocked at how quickly the time has gone and we will be thinking back to the days when he was this little.

But that day hasn't come yet, so I'll attempt to treasure every moment and keep soaking up grins like these:

The Many Faces of Jack

2010-01-06T16:27:00.009-05:00

Though I took these photos, it was Valerie, who is far more creative and witty than I am, who wrote the fabulous commentary to go along with each photo.

"Why am I not eating? What is happening here?"

"That's shocking."

"Go Phillies!!!"

"Again with the not eating."

"Oh Mama, you're so funny."

"How you doooooooin?"

"Well, this is fun!"

"I'm impossibly sweet and worth all of the sleepless nights because, c'mon, look at this face."

Jack's One Month Birthday

2009-12-28T13:59:00.019-05:00

(I've enjoyed Valerie's monthly posts about JR so much that I've decided to shamelessly copy her and do the same for our son Jack. Hope you don't mind Val, thanks for the idea!)

I imagine I'll be saying this a lot throughout the life of our son, but seriously, where did this past month go?! It's hard to believe this beautiful little man has been in our lives for a month. He definitely took his time getting here, he must have been incredibly comfortable since he was almost two weeks late and I was in labor for 32 hours before he made his grand, and miraculous, entrance. Eventually I'm going to write out his birth story and will share that with you here, but right now I'm busy taking care of a newborn.

As many of you know, we lost our first baby to a miscarriage in 2008, so being able to meet our second child was a joyful occasion on so many levels. One of the thoughts I had during Jack's first week was how exciting it is that we will get to tell him about his sibling that he will one day meet in heaven.

So a bit about our little guy. He is named Jack Charles after his two living great-grandfathers: my dad's father and James's mom's father. They are both wise, honorable, caring, godly, family-loving men and we would be so proud if Jack grew up to have traits like them. Of course, we would love him just the same if he didn't, but we liked the idea of honoring family members who have had a huge impact on our lives and having their legacy live on in our family.

So far, Jack does a few things really well, like most newborns, he likes to sleep, eat, and fill his diaper. Let's talk about the eating. We're breastfeeding (I say we because it's definitely a collective effort between me, Jack, and James. I wouldn't be able to get by without James to encourage me and bring me all sorts of stuff when Jack is eating. My husband is amazing.) and though he's a fast eater, he must get lots of food in a short time because he is gaining weight incredibly fast and becoming a little chubster, which I love. He was incredibly adorable when he was born, but chub makes him even cuter. Eighteen days after he was born, he had already packed on two pounds, doubling the average daily weight gain for newborns. See for yourself:

Other than eating, here are some of his other likes and dislikes:

Jack likes:
-Taking baths, as long as it's not a sponge bath, and only if we run the hot water before hand to get the bathroom really steamy.
-Looking at any kind of black and white pattern
-Stretching and yawning. It's so adorable, one day I'll record it and share it with you.
-Sleeping in his car seat when we're out. He's a marathon sleeper in that thing.
-Snuggling. This was clear from the first moment I held him.
-Folding his legs up like a little frog.
-Being swaddled.
-Holding his hands by his face (a reminder of one of the reasons labor was so difficult for me) and rubbing his head and face with his fingers. He's fast asleep in this picture:

-Being in a baby carrier. I think it reminds him of being in the womb.
-Being held like this when his belly hurts:

-Being sung to.
-Getting silly kisses from his dad.

Jack doesn't like:
-Being naked when it's cold. I don't like it either, so it's understandable.
-Having clothing pulled over his head. Any outfit with all buttons or a zipper up the front are our favorite.
-When we don't put him down for his nap when he's ready. When we miss that window of opportunity, he let's us know that he's not happy about it.
-To wait too long to eat. When that belly is empty, he's ready and can't quite understand why he's being made to wait any longer than five minutes. Then we hear what we have dubbed his "angry cry," but it's more like a guttural yell. He's got two parents that really like to eat, I should've seen this coming.

This little man has already brought so much joy into our lives, it's so exciting to look forward to watching him grow and change into the person he will become.

We love you so much Jack, and that will never change.

This kinda blows my mind:

2009-12-09T08:50:00.008-05:00

This was me and my big belly on November 26th, Thanksgiving:

Then, a little more than 3 days later, on November 30th we got to meet Jack, our beautiful baby boy.

I mean seriously, the fact that he was inside my belly is hard to believe. All those kicks, jabs, and hiccups came from him. Amazing. Babies are miracles.

Introducing...

2009-12-09T08:42:00.008-05:00

Jack Charles Murphy!

We are so incredibly grateful for this huge blessing! He came into our lives November 30th at 3:09 am, weighing 8 pounds, 4 ounces and measuring 22 inches long.

It certainly wasn't easy getting him here, but definitely worth every second of the 32 hours I was in labor. One day soon I'll sit down and write out the details before it slips from my sleep-deprived mind.

Hope you enjoy these photos as much as we're enjoying him!

Fashionably Late

2009-11-20T09:09:00.007-05:00

Like most first babies, our little guy has decided to wait a bit longer than his due date to make his grand entrance into our lives. Since I am now 40 weeks and 1 day pregnant, we have officially started the waiting game. But, even as I say "officially," I know it's not actually official. Over the course of the first half of my pregnancy, I was given three different due dates, ranging from November 13th to November 26th, so I could be only 39 weeks pregnant at this point.

My midwives are going by the 19th due date, but have told me that if the 26th comes and goes, and the baby and I both look healthy, they won't be in any big hurry to induce. Which I am very thankful for. I'm of the opinion that the baby will arrive when he knows it's time, and who am I to rush him along just because I'm ready to meet him? Of course, if it looks like the baby is running out of amniotic fluid, my placenta is breaking down, he's not getting the nutrients he needs, or any other issues are going on that are threatening either of our health, then of course, an induction would be necessary and favorable.

I found out at my last appointment that the chemicals that start the labor process are released from my babies brain; not the female parts of my body, but from my baby. He's the one we're waiting on to tell us when the time is right. I think that's a pretty cool process that was designed by our Creator. Doctors and scientists have attempted to duplicate these chemicals but, thankfully, have been unsuccessful. Babies and the birth process are mysterious miracles and we as humans have messed up many aspects of it, hopefully this is one aspect we won't be able to duplicate.

Until we meet our little guy, I'll be attempting to enjoy every second of freedom that comes with not caring for every need another human. While I am so excited to meet him, I realize that our lives are going to be turned upside down, in lots of great ways, but they will never be the same. So I'm going to take long showers, spend too much time on the internet, take a nap when I feel like it, get an almost full night of sleep (minus all the obligatory trips to the bathroom), and lots of other things that won't be as easy with a newborn.

Another thing I'll be doing is trying not to let sarcastic responses slip out when I'm faced with all the, "You're still pregnant?!" and, "You haven't had that baby yet?!" comments that come from people I'm speaking with face-to-face. One of the things I've realized over the last 10 months is, if you're not sure what to say to a pregnant lady, know that, even if you don't mean it this way, many things could come across as hurtful and frustrating. A sincere, "How are you feeling?" or "You look great," are always a safe bet. Even if the latter isn't completely true, she enjoys hearing it because she most likely doesn't actually believe it herself. Coming down off my soap box now.

Stay tuned, we'll keep you posted as things progress!

Déjà Vu

2009-11-13T10:55:00.004-05:00

These last few days of rain, wind, and gray skies have transported me back to Scotland.

Typically, this long of a stretch of weather like we've had this week would have quite the depressing effect on my demeanor, but this time it has a slightly comforting appeal to it. Don't get me wrong, I'm not wishing for weather like this to continue and I definitely am not preferring it over blue sunny skies, but now that we've had the chance to step away from constant dreary weather of Scotland, and have been exposed to a (somewhat) hot Virginia summer and a beautiful fall, I can appreciate it a bit more and not get so annoyed with it.

I think behind my contentment is the knowledge of a stretch of sunny skies and warmer weather that is right around the corner, a luxury we didn't have in Scotland.

I could get deeper about how this is a reflection of my attitude toward life and how if I could learn to appreciate the gray skies as much as the blue skies, and keep the perspective that there are always blue skies around the corner, I might just learn more from the rainy days and see the joy in all the seasons of my life, no matter how gray the sky is or how long the rain sticks around.

But instead, I'll soak in this gray, rainy day and reminisce about the great times we had in Scotland, and more importantly about all the incredible people we met who love us like their own family and who we miss terribly.

38 Weeks, and a Realization

2009-11-07T10:09:00.001-05:00

About a week ago, a funny thing happened. I saw my profile in a mirror and realized that for the first time, my big belly seemed normal to me. Up until then, I would see my reflection and be surprised or just shake my head in disbelief that this ever expanding belly is actually a part of my body.

It only took 9 months to get to that point, but I'm finally here. Having a child grow inside my body is such a bizarre, and incredible, experience, I can't even begin to explain it; and I never would've been able to understand what it's like without experiencing it.

So here we are, 38 weeks pregnant and two weeks to go until D-day. But of course, a due date, as everyone knows, is merely a suggestion, especially for first babies. Our little guy could decide to arrive any day, or it could be another four weeks from now. My hope is he'll arrive on the day that is best for him, he can take as long as he needs to grow and develop...as long as it happens during the month of November.

In the last week, I've been dealing with some pain in the hip/pelvic area. From what I've been told, ligaments are loosening up down there to prepare for this little man's arrival, which is one of the reasons for pain. Another issue I've been having is sciatica; apparently he's camped out on a nerve which is causing random shooting pains through my hip and leg and pain whenever I take a step. But I've talked to ladies who've had this kind of pain for 2/3rds of their pregnancy, so if it's only the last 3-4 weeks that I'm having to deal with this, I'd say that's pretty good and I'm super grateful.

I'm off to pack my hospital bag. I'm a horrible procrastinator when it comes to packing for a trip, I usually do it after midnight the night before a trip. That obviously won't work this time since I imagine the last thing I'll feel like doing in the midst of labor pains is packing a bag with all the necessities.

Here's where I could use your help: any suggestions from you mothers (or fathers) of items I definitely will want or items you took and definitely didn't need?

Almost 37 Weeks, and a Few Random Tidbits

2009-10-26T23:17:00.006-04:00

Even as I type the title, I have trouble believing it. As each day passes, I'm getting more and more excited about meeting our son. And surprisingly, I'm also getting more and more excited about the process I'll have to go through to meet our son. Maybe it's a case of ignorance being bliss, but it might also be that I'm reading a book that is helping me look more at the positive aspects of labor and delivery and not dwell as much on the aspects of it I've been focusing on up until now (those are mainly thoughts that have to do with the size of a baby and the size of my body. yikes!).

Lately he's been jumping around in my belly like he's trying to break out. It's funny because it seems as though the more squished he gets in there, the more he's moving around like a maniac; you'd think he would calm it down a bit.

It is a relief to be so close to 37 weeks, since that's when a baby is considered full term. But I'm definitely not wishing for his little guy to be born now. I'm much more comfortable with the idea of him coming around my due date (November 19th). I want him to have as much time as he needs to fatten up and be fully ready to face this world. Plus I need a bit more time to get organized. But I have this sneaking suspicion that even if I had another 9 months, I'd never be as organized as I'd like to be.

Two of my lovely sisters-in-law (Jenna & Leah) headed up the effort to throw us an incredible baby shower yesterday. Although it was more like a torrential downpour than a shower: the ladies who came to celebrate with me were all incredibly generous, I think I opened gifts for 90 minutes straight!

Last Wednesday, James and I took what was probably our last overnight trip for quite some time. James's sister's former boss gave her an incredible gift of two tickets to the final game of the NLCS. She then generously passed the tickets on to us. James's favorite team, the Philadelphia Phillies were playing the Dodgers in Philly. It was so much fun. One day, little Murph (as nicknamed by Val & Ross) will be excited to see evidence of his first, and surely not last, Phillies game:

That's all for now because sitting upright for too long causes some intense back pain. An inconvenience I'll gladly deal with since it means getting to soon meet Baby Boy Murphy!

The Latest

2009-09-02T23:00:00.001-04:00

I've been hesitant to post anything lately about what life has been like since we moved back, and it could be for one of the following reasons, but I'm going to go with the idea that it's probably a combination of all of them

-I'm 29 weeks pregnant and that seems to consume most of my brain power on most days. Funny how using one's body to grow another person and then the prospect of bringing that person into this world, to then be responsible (thankfully, in conjunction with my husband) for said person, can really sap one's energy.

-Add a sinus infection that's been going strong for a week to the mix and subtract all the medications non-pregnant people can take, you've got one miserable week.

-Then there's the chaos of moving back from living in Scotland, finding a place to live, a job for my husband, health insurance, transportation, and re-connecting with people we've been away from for two years, all while living with my parents and some with my sister and brother-in-law (thank the Lord for their hospitality and generosity because without them our lives would be even more ridiculously chaotic).

-Throw in some traveling around the East Coast and Mid-West. To be exact, 31 days of traveling spread over the space of 63 days.

-Figuring out how to transition back to living in America, after being in the UK for two years, when our future seems so unclear.

Yeah, I'm gonna go with the idea that all of these things together cause me to not even know where to start when it comes to processing and writing out how I'm feeling about all this stuff.

Don't get me wrong, this is not a list of complaints, (ok, well maybe the one about the sinus infection is a complaint, but can you blame me?) these are all wonderful (and when it comes to the baby, miraculous) experiences, exciting adventures, and fabulous times with people we love. But, I'm realizing, especially now after writing it out, that it's a lot to handle all at once, and that realization is helping me do something that my husband has been pleading with me to do for months: cut myself some slack, stop trying to do so much stuff, and ask for/accept help from people.

So as we figure out how to navigate this new form of our lives, I'm hoping to keep everyone updated, but can't make any guarantees to the updates having any sort of consistency.

For now, I'm going to relax and enjoy feeling our little guy start his nightly kick-boxing routine in my belly. He's a feisty fella, and I love it!

Mark the Calendar

2009-09-02T22:43:00.003-04:00

I received my first, "you look like you're ready to pop" comment from a total stranger today. I knew the tactless, random comments from strangers were inevitable, I just didn't expect it quite yet.

Maybe it was the surprised look on my face, or the fact that I obviously had no idea how to reply, that made the lady follow up with, "oh it's just that you're so petite, that's why you look like you're ready to pop."

Goodness, I've still got 11 weeks left, and this baby has lots more to grow; what will they be saying when I'm really and truly ready to pop?

Funny Signs

2009-09-01T20:23:00.003-04:00

I laughed all the way through reading Stacy and Kyle's report on the Funny Signs Exhibition in Edinburgh, Scotland. Hope you enjoy them as much as I did.

At the Beach

2009-08-19T21:39:00.002-04:00

I've had the chance to relearn what the word "relax" means.

We're halfway through our week-long family beach vacation (my first instinct was to write beach holiday, UK English is still prominent in my mind sometimes) and I've realized I haven't truly relaxed, for an extended period of time, in the past two years. Maybe I've had short times of physical relaxation or mental relaxation, but never at the same time. This week I truly feel like my whole being is decompressing.

I really needed it and it feels great, so I'm going to stop writing about it and go relax some more.

The Mystery Solved

2009-08-11T14:37:00.005-04:00

Though it's been less than a month since we've returned to Richmond from our two years in Scotland, it feels like we've crammed 8 weeks of life into the last three.

The most exciting event thus far has to be finding out that we're having a BOY!!! AND, that our little boy looks as though he is perfectly healthy and growing right on schedule.

I'm somewhere between 25 and 27 weeks along, I've been given three different due dates, so this baby will most likely make his appearance somewhere between the middle and end of November. I'm liking the ambiguity though, that way I (hopefully) won't be so anxious if the baby decides to hang out for a bit longer than my original due date of mid-November.

We even got to see our little guy in 4D! We weren't expecting it at all; all of the sudden, the technician flips a switch, and SURPRISE, there's an image on the screen of our baby that makes it seem like we're looking at him face-to-face. Technology blows my mind.

Life's pretty crazy for us for the next couple of months; this whole transitioning thing is harder than expected, and we haven't even officially begun transitioning yet since we're hopping all over the east coast until October. But overall, life is great. We're loving being back in Richmond, though we're missing Dornoch and all our friends there more than words can express. We're already making plans to for our first visit back to Scotland!

And the Ultrasound Results are...We're Having a....

2009-07-03T15:27:00.004-04:00

Sorry for the let down, but we still don't know. Our little one just didn't feel like spreading his legs for us to get a good view of his nether regions. (I know, I know, it's probably confusing that I'm still writing "he," even though we don't know which pronoun we will be using permanently, but I'm sticking with the pronoun I chose in the beginning to make things easier. I'm not into writing "he/she" or "it" for 4 more months so until we know more, "he" it is.)

But really, the opportunity of finding out our baby's sex was the least important bit of information we could've received on Wednesday. I am so incredibly grateful for all the great news we got. During the ultrasound, the technician looked at the baby in even greater detail than she would have at a typical 20 week ultrasound. I take a medication to control epilepsy and with it comes some risk of birth defects, so they wanted to make doubly sure that everything looks ok with our baby, specifically with his heart. She didn't see any cause for alarm, and every measurement showed his growth as being right on, or even a little bit ahead of, schedule.

Still, everyday, I'm struck with how amazing it is that a baby is able to grow inside of me. What a miracle.

Year of the Visitor: Part 11, The Final Chapter

2009-06-29T06:21:00.003-04:00

In keeping with my recent life tendencies, this post is overdue, but I'm getting it done nonetheless.

Six days ago we said goodbye to our last set of visitors (unless of course, we have some surprise visitors sometime in the next 16 days, which we are open to!) in Scotland: my parents and my 11 year old nephew Noah. We had an awesome time with them and got to do some sightseeing things we hadn't done yet.

It was pretty easy to say goodbye since we knew we'd see them in three weeks.

I hadn't spent that much non-stop time with my nephew in years and it was such a blast to see how he's grown and changed. He's developing quite the sense of humor and is very witty. He's also incredibly thoughtful and generous for a boy his age. He kept us laughing which made the entire trip (and especially the car rides to far-away sightseeing places) much more fun!

Pictures soon to come, for now it's back to packing.

Here it comes...

2009-06-11T18:59:00.004-04:00

The end. It's scarily close. I still can't believe we'll be moving away from Dornoch in merely a month and four days. I feel like we were just preparing for goodbyes and taking care of all the details of moving to Scotland a couple of months ago, not the couple of years ago that it was.

We talk about the logistics of moving all the time: the stuff we need to get rid of, what needs to be packed, our schedule once we get home (which is already super busy for the first 2.5 months of being there. oh yeah, and then 1 month after that we'll have a baby, so that will be a bit busy as well. a great kind of busy though!), the growing to-do list, etc. But I don't think it's hit me that we're actually, seriously, really, physically, leaving. I take that back, it started to hit me tonight.

We just got home from being treated to an awesome dinner (at Luigi's, our favorite restaurant in Dornoch which we will miss immensely) with some wonderful friends. Two couples we have had the joy and privilege of meeting and getting to know over the past two years: Valerie & Alister and Fin & Margo. They have been such an encouragement to us, more so than I think they'll ever know or than I could accurately express. Their lives are incredible testaments to God's faithfulness, they reflect his love in such vivid ways.

They showered us with beautiful gifts, handmade gifts that are both very unique and will be great reminders of our time in Dornoch. I tried to express our gratitude for the gifts as well as for their friendship, but of course the words seemed to come out in a blubbering mess that didn't amount to anything close to what I was trying to say. And it was then that I realized a few things: 1. there were some tears looming precariously on the horizon, 2. the hope is that we will visit Dornoch and see all of our friends again, but who knows what the future holds, there will probably be people we might never ever see again in this lifetime, and 3. this whole leaving business is tough work.

All things that I've known previously, but the reality of situations usually hits us slowly; a fact which I am eternally grateful for since it dramatically decreases my rate of freaking out and being overwhelmed by various events.

We are different people than when we were two years ago. Different in a good way. We've had to experience things we never would've wanted to experience, and we've also experienced things we never dreamed we'd be able to experience. We feel like we've grown as a result of those things, which makes each one of them worthwhile.

I'm rambling, but at least it's an accurate reflection of what my brain is like at the moment: a jumbled mess.

Summary: I'm so grateful, for all the people who have graciously and lovingly welcomed us to into their lives. You will all forever hold a place in our hearts.

ps. Alister and Fin are incredibly talented artists. You should definitely see some of their work: Al is a graphic design artist, and Fin is a photographer.

a few pregnancy related items

2009-06-04T18:31:00.003-04:00

*We heard the baby's heartbeat for the first time yesterday! It was even more amazing than I expected.

*We're finding out the sex of the baby on July 1st. I'd like to say I could keep it a secret, but as I've learned in the past, I'm not very good at keeping my own secrets. (I am good at keeping other people's secrets, so fear not, if you've told me a secret, it's locked up safe in the vault.)

*I can't remember the last time I had a pimple. My face is loving pregnancy

*The bouts of nausea are almost completely gone.

*The exhaustion is lessening.

*My love of fruits and vegetables has grown exponentially in the last 16 weeks. I could eat them constantly. Here is a list of fruits and vegetables I ate today: banana on my cereal; a chicken sandwich with yellow pepper, cucumber, tomato, and avacado; broccoli; a salad with romaine, spinach, yellow pepper, tomatoes, cucumbers, and strawberries. And I'd love a kiwi right now.

*There's definitely a bit of a belly, but so far it just looks like a pudgy belly, not a pregnant belly.

*It's still kinda weird to look down and see that belly.

*Since I've realized how incredibly expensive baby things are, I'm becoming an even bigger fan of gently used items. Got anything you want to sell?

*I've decided to see a nurse-midwife instead of my Ob-Gyn when we get home and I'm really excited about it. If you had asked me two years ago to make this switch I would've said "absolutely not, no way, no how."

*I've heard now is the time some people start feeling their babies kick, so I'm paying very close attention. Nothing yet.

*Though it's a ways off, I'm stoked about the idea of going jogging with our baby. Well, I guess I already do go jogging with our baby.

*Sometimes I wonder if the baby hates it when I go jogging. Must be a bumpy ride for him

*If I didn't have such an awesome husband who makes me rest and stops me from doing too much, I'd be way more exhausted than I am.

*I'm experiencing a miracle, right inside my own body.

*OK, so that was more than just a few items, but oh well.

A Newfound Skill

2009-05-25T17:09:00.000-04:00

Yawning.

While James's mom was taking a photo of this lovely bridge, I was caught in the act doing something I seem to spend a lot of time doing lately.

I've heard lots of ladies describe the exhaustion they feel while pregnant, so it was a symptom I expected to experience. But what I didn't realize is that pregnancy exhaustion is an animal unlike any other kind of exhaustion. One thought that continues to pop up in my mind every so often is, "what must it be like to be pregnant and have other kids to take care of?!?" My respect for you ladies has grown exponentially!

Though the last two weeks have seen a marked decrease in my rate of yawn's per day, quite a few still escape each day. But please know, I'm not complaining; I am totally embracing this, and every other pregnancy symptom I've had and will have in the future because it means a miracle is taking place...inside my body of all places!

Catching Up: Holiday Bible Club 2009

2009-05-24T11:16:00.040-04:00

I'm going back in time a bit to review some of the events of the past few months. We've been so busy with said events that I haven't had the chance to share the details with you. So here goes!

The Dornoch Free Church hosted their second annual Holiday Bible Club (known in America as Vacation Bible School) during the school's Easter Holidays from April 6th-10th. A group from our home church in Richmond returned again this year to help us in putting on the event. We made some changes to this years club mainly in the teaching department.

Since we're preparing for our departure, our current focus is on guiding people into positions of leadership to take over for us when we leave. We hope to be able to come back for future Bible Club's, but there's no guarantee we'll be able to, so the plan was to train people from the Dornoch church to take on new roles as teachers and leaders. Bill & Kathy's visit was the integral part of that training.

Here you can read a quick summary of how many came from Stony Point as well as a link to 100's of photos from the week. If you don't feel like sifting through all those photos, here are a bunch to sum up the week. First are photos from the Club itself, second are photos of some of the sightseeing we did with the team from Stony Point.

It was an amazing week!

Today's Photo Shoot

2009-05-22T11:45:00.006-04:00

Mostly I loathe the National Health System in the UK (and I'm not looking forward to the day when there might be one in America. Seriously people it won't work in America. Don't believe me? Live here for a while.) but today I'm okay with it because we got to have another ultrasound and see our beautiful baby again!

Everything's coming along very nicely, he or she (who will be called "he" until we find out the sex in July because I'm not saying "it" or "he/she" for the next six weeks) is developing and growing beautifully. The detail we could see and the amount he's grown in the last two weeks were both astounding. The technician pointed out all sorts of cool things: kidney's, the incredibly straight spinal cord, the cerebellum, all the bones in his legs, the diaphragm, the four chambers of the heart, the umbilical cord; it was incredible! All that and more visible at only 14 weeks! Technology blows my mind sometimes. But what's more mind-blowing are the Hands that created this little miracle!

The funniest part of the appointment was when the nurse kept referring to the baby as "Tootsie." I couldn't get the image of Dustin Hoffman dressed up as a woman out of my head. No worries, Tootsie definitely won't be an option when we start thinking about names.

Year of the Visitor: Part 10

2009-05-08T05:17:00.002-04:00

With all the excitement of the last few days, I've neglected to inform you of our most recent visitors. James's parents, Paul and Janet, have joined us in Dornoch for an exciting two weeks. We picked them up from the airport in Edinburgh on Wednesday morning and drove back to Dornoch, taking the rest of the day easy since that flight is a difficult one to recover from. Thursday we took them on a hike to our favorite local waterfall spot: Big Burn.

We're looking forward to doing some fun sightseeing things, and also including them in our work with the kids. Should be fun times!

Guess what guy's'...

2009-05-07T07:18:00.003-04:00

A Baby!!! Our Baby!!!

Excitement, joy, relief, and overwhelming gratefulness don't even begin to express what we're feeling.

Since we lost our first baby to miscarriage, we were a bit apprehensive this time around. Well, alright, more than a bit. I couldn't let myself think about actually meeting this baby in this life. Planning for the future was out of the question. I almost expected to get the same results as last time.

But on Tuesday, that all changed. We had our first ultrasound and the fears of the last 12 weeks melted away when we got to see that adorable, healthy baby, jumping around. Seeing that heart beating like crazy was so incredible.

What a gift to be entrusted with the life of another human. We are so grateful God has allowed us to see these pictures of the child he has blessed us with. What an amazing miracle.

Our 5 Minutes of Fame

2009-04-30T13:26:00.002-04:00

Actually, our 5 minutes of fame probably won't be a full 5 minutes, but we think it's pretty cool anyway! James and I are gonna be on television!

A family member of mine saw a request on TLC for crazy wedding videos and sent in our video of James's proposal. If you're one of the 5 people in our circle of friends and family who hasn't seen it, I'll sum it up for you: In 2003, I surprised James with a skydiving trip for the two of us for his birthday. He then surprised me by proposing to me while I was in mid-air by displaying a humongous sign on the ground that said, "Marry Me Jenn." The skydiving company got it all on video for us.

And we're pretty sure our friends Jeremiah, Zach, and J.R. who displayed the sign while we were ascending in the plane, will be on the show too!

So if you're near a t.v. tomorrow (May 1st) at 7:00pm or 2:00am and you have TLC, take a look and let us know how it goes. Here's the schedule. We won't be able to see it since there's no such thing as TLC in the UK.

Year of the Visitor: Part Nine

2009-04-07T19:22:00.002-04:00

I know, I know, it seems the only time I post these days is when we have visitors. Other exciting things do happen in our lives (like our FIFTH wedding anniversary! can you believe it's been FIVE YEARS?!), so much so, that I never get around to blogging about it. I won't make any promises, but maybe this is the start of more consistent blogging...as soon as life slows down next week.

The visitors this week are many, 10 to be exact. A group of 9 Americans are here to help us and the Dornoch Free Church run a Holiday Bible Club during one of the two weeks of the kids Easter school holidays. Eight have come from our home church, Stony Point, in Richmond. The ninth member is also from our home church but he had a shorter journey since he's living and working as a teacher in England. The tenth member of the team is a videographer who works for the same mission organization we do. We're so excited about the work he's here to do: document the entire week, so you too can see just how amazing the week has been so far (and will surely continue to be).

Our days are jam-packed with lots of great things and I'm needing some sleep, so for now you can read the daily updates that team members post to Stony Point's website. To the right of the posts, you'll see the photo gallery where you can click on "Dornoch Mission 2009" and check out over 300 photos (and the week isn't even half over, many more pictures to follow).

If there's one word I could use to sum up the Holiday Club so far it would be "joy." To see the joy on the kids, teachers, and helpers faces is so incredible. I hope the photos and reports can communicate some of that so you can catch a glimpse of how great the week has been so far.

Report: Bill & Kathy's Visit.

2009-03-30T19:16:00.008-04:00

It was full of laughter. That's one way to sum up the Anderson's week in Dornoch. Anyone who knows the Anderson's knows that you can't get away from them without smiling or laughing. That's a great thing if you ask me. They kept everyone in stitches while they were here. The funniest conversation had to be when Bill was explaining to a group of Scots what the phrase "Bless his heart..." means when you live in the southern states of America. I wouldn't be surprised if that phrase was adopted in the Highlands of Scotland.

We didn't have them come all the way here just to work, we made sure we did some fun outdoors stuff with them too.

Here we're at the top of Ben Bhraggie (proves my point about the laughing!)

All those little blobs on that first sandbar are seals.

They came to Youth Club with us and joined right in.

Bill and Kathy came up with a great idea to have the Youth Club kids sign banners for Coleman and Spencer and let them know they're thinking of and praying for them. The HBC won't be the same without you this year Coleman and Mel!

These are some of the attendees of one of the training sessions Bill led.

It was awesome having them here, they were a huge help to us!

Year of the Visitor: Part Eight

2009-03-19T14:14:00.000-04:00

First of all, let me say that I think it is awesome that in the past 7 months we have had 8 sets of visitors; all but one of them have come from across the ocean. It's been so fabulous. And we're looking forward to many more before we leave in July!

Next on the list are our friends Bill & Kathy Anderson. They are great friends of both of our families. We've known them for years, ever since they started coming to our home church in Richmond, which was what feels like ages ago. As it typically goes with good friends, they seem like they've been around our entire lives; it's hard to imagine a time when they weren't a part of our lives!

They've both been a huge support to James and me in more ways than I can count. The trend continues as they are coming to train and instruct a large group of people, from the church we work with, to transition into teaching and leadership roles. They are perfect for that role and we're looking forward to seeing how God uses them.

Year of the Visitor: Part Seven

2009-03-12T11:01:00.008-04:00

The exciting saga continued last weekend with another special guest in the Murphy house.

Stacie and her husband Kyle moved to Edinburgh, Scotland last fall for Kyle to start grad school and for Stacie to be a lady of leisure. j/k, j/k, she's working very hard in the HR department of a large accounting firm. James and I have known Stacie for ages from going to the same church when we were younger, but I hadn't seen her for about 4 years and James hadn't seen her since high school.

The Sale's had planned on taking the train up to the Highlands for the weekend, but at the last minute Kyle was informed of some mandatory school meetings he had to attend, so Stacie braved the long train trip on her own. We were sad that Kyle couldn't join in on the fun of the weekend, but his meeting could possibly land him a new job after graduation, so we totally understand why he couldn't come!

I was a slacker and didn't take any photos, but Stacie did, so check out her blog post for photos and the description of our fun weekend.

One thing Stacie was kind enough not to mention was the fact that we had NO HOT WATER OR HEAT the entire time she was here. Geez, why do these things have to happen when guests come!

We're not used to the whole using oil as the main source of heat and hot water, so we forgot to check the tank and see if it was time to refill. Wednesday night I said to myself, "wow, it's kinda chilly in here, and I wonder why the dishwater isn't getting warm." It didn't take too many more thoughts for me to realize that we'd run out of oil.

I had to laugh when we woke up the next morning to SNOW. The oil company estimated that the oil probably wouldn't be delivered until Monday. I didn't explain that we had a visitor coming because I didn't think the lady would care, can you imagine how many stories like that she hears from people hoping to have their oil delivered super fast? Many prayers were said for the oil to come in time so our friend wouldn't have to spend a weekend in the frigid cold.

Prayers were answered when the oil was delivered as we were on the way home from the train station!

But, the celebration was premature. There were more problems, most of which I don't understand, but the short of it is, we didn't have heat or hot water until Monday. Stacie was such a trooper. Thankfully, we have a gas stove and borrowed some space heaters, electric blankets, hot water bottles, and friends shower.

Lesson learned: make sure all utilities are in working order before visitors arrive.

The Cox Brothers

2009-02-25T13:39:00.002-05:00

Coleman and Spencer (ages 11 & 9) are friends of ours from our church Stony Point in Richmond. They've been sick since Thanksgiving of last year with some sort of illness that a mountain of doctors are having a hard time definitively diagnosing. They know it is some sort of toxic mold illness, but they're still fighting a long, hard battle to find the right treatment. Catch up on what they've been through by reading Jeff and Mel's blog (their parents), and if you feel inclined, keep them in your thoughts and prayers.

Year of the Visitor: Part Six

2009-02-21T11:12:00.004-05:00

It's been about a month since our last visitor , but this weekend we were excited to continue with the sixth occurrence of visitors in our home over the past 6 months. Check out installments 1, 2, 3, and 4 if you'd like to catch up.

This amazing nature of our visitors didn't end with this installment. Ralph and Sylvia Hill of Georgia were strangers to us on Thursday, but they are now life-long friends. Unfortunately they were only with us for a mere 36 hours, but it was time enough for us to fall in love with them and want to adopt them and add another set of grandparents to our family tree.

They were in Brussels for the month of January, (on the same training trip James and I attended in 2007) and are now traveling through some parts of Scotland, meeting with people, and doing some research to find out more about what the next season of their life might look like. They're planning on moving to Scotland later in the year and will be working through the same organization that we are (Mission to the World).

The Hill's are an incredible couple. They are loving, thoughtful, encouraging, real, and just all around great people. The only way I know how to really get across their awesomeness is to say that they reflect God's love in an incredibly vivid way.

We were sad to see them, go but we are sure we'll see them again at some point. What a treat it was getting to know them!

This is nice.

2009-02-21T10:41:00.002-05:00

Sitting in the conservatory (a room made up of 95% glass), feeling the bright sun on my face and soaking in how warm it's making the room (so I can pretend it's actually this warm outside and I don't live in a place where summer doesn't exist), listening to someone playing the bagpipes at a wedding down the street, remembering our wedding (we had a bagpiper pipe us in and out of the church...almost FIVE years ago!), procrastinating the long to-do list for the moment, and enjoying a sense of peace.

A dreaded day redeemed.

2009-02-13T06:00:00.002-05:00

(For some background on the topic of this post, you can read this, this, and this, if you are so inclined.)

As time passes, the intensity of the grief from a miscarriage subsides, but the feeling and knowledge of the loss of your child never goes away. It's inevitable, and I know every other mother or father who has lost a child, due to miscarriage or any other tragedy, can verify this. I realize it's hard for people who have not experienced this to understand, and I don't expect them to, but it is a very difficult thing to go through.

I've been reading "A Grief Observed" by C.S. Lewis. It's the journal he kept after the loss of his wife. Lewis has an incredible way of putting into words feelings and experiences.

Here, he explains so eloquently the process of grief:
"Sorrow turns out to be not a state but a process. It needs not a map but a history...There is something new to be chronicled every day. Grief is like a long valley, a winding valley where any bend may reveal a totally new landscape. As I've already noted, not every bend does. Sometimes the surprise is the opposite one; you are presented with exactly the same sort of country you thought you had left behind miles ago. That is when you wonder whether the valley isn't a circular trench. But it isn't. There are partial recurrences, but the sequence doesn't repeat."

While I don't question God's actions in a way that judges them to be right or wrong, (as if a slug could even begin to understand why humans do what they do, how could I expect to understand why God, the creator of the universe, does the things he does) I do wonder why he allows certain things to happen and question in a respectful way. He graciously reveals aspects of Himself to us, but I don't believe that we have the capacity, in this life, to experience the full glory and mind of God.

Here, Lewis does an amazing job of putting into words the question we hear so often of, "Why would a good God permit suffering."
"The more we believe that God hurts only to heal, the less we can believe that there is any use in begging for tenderness. A cruel man might be bribed-might grow tired of his vile sport-might have a temporary fit of mercy, as alcoholics have fits of sobriety. But suppose that what you are up against is a surgeon whose intentions are wholly good. The kinder and more conscientious he is, the more inexorably he will go on cutting. If he yielded to your entreaties, if he stopped before the operation was complete, all the pain up to that point would have been useless. But is it credible that such extremities of torture should be necessary for us? Well, take your choice. The tortures occur. If they are unnecessary, then there is no God or a bad one. If there is a good God, then these tortures are necessary. For no even moderately good Being could possibly inflict or permit them if they weren't."

For the past 6 months I've been dreading yesterday: February 12th. The date has been rolling around in my head, wishing I could somehow just sleep through the day entirely. February 12th was my due date. The possible (though unlikely, I realize, since most people don't deliver on their due date) birthday of our first child.

I had visions of it being a horrible day when nothing else would matter and I'd be on the verge of tears all day. I woke up yesterday, and I had a thought, I know it was placed in my head by my loving and gracious Heavenly Father, because it's not something I would come up with by myself.

I thought, "Why can't today be a celebration?" Most birthdays are days of parties and fun and thankfulness for a person's life. Our child was alive, though for a short time, but he (or she) was still a part of our lives, and for that I am thankful. I'm also thankful for the fact that I know he is in heaven enjoying nothing but pure joy. I'm thankful that he never has to experience any pain or heartache that comes with living life on this earth. I'm thankful for the assured hope we have that we will get to meet our child one day.

So to celebrate we had banana splits. It was the best banana split I had ever had. We shared this celebration with a family here who has become like our own family. It was great.

No longer will I look forward to February 12th with dread, but with the same anticipation as you would look forward to any birthday. And if you'd like to join us for banana splits next year, we'd love to celebrate our child's life with you, the one he had here and the one he is enjoying in heaven!

25 random things

2009-02-05T19:11:00.003-05:00

A cut and paste from my Facebook profile...

1. I absolutely love all fruits and vegetables. Except brussel sprouts and cauliflower. At Christmas I had to eat brussel sprouts twice in two days because it's the traditional thing to eat at Christmas in Scotland, and I couldn't offend the generous host's. They are just as gross as they were the few times I had to eat them as a child.

2. All through my life I've been blessed with amazing girl friends. I could try to expound on how incredible of a gift that is, but I can't really find the words to accurately express my thankfulness for them.

3. When I'm trying to fall asleep, i have an intensely sensitive sense of hearing. Ticking clocks are my enemy. I can't even have ticking watches in the same room. Meanwhile, James can only fall asleep while listening to sports radio, with headphones of course.

4. I've always wanted to learn sign language. I plan to when I retire.

5. Me and two of my best and most long-term friends from childhood have a plan to buy an RV and drive around the country when we retire. It was understood, that if our husbands-to-be didn't agree to this, the wedding was off.

6. I love teeth. I really miss my dental assisting job, and miss talking about teeth and seeing teeth and learning about teeth. I want to go back to school to be a dental hygienist. I know, the teeth obsession thing is really weird, especially since most people's mouths are pretty gross, but somebody's got to love these kinds of things, right?

7. I have a bad habit of not finishing a book before I start another. Right now I'm in the middle of 5. I've resolved to finish all of them before starting a new one; it's been tough because there are so many other ones I want to start reading.

8. The two things about my husband that first caught my attention were his sense of humor (namely his laugh) and how much he loves his sisters.

9. If the rest of the world saw how ridiculously silly I am when it's just me and James, I think most people would pretend they didn't know me.

10. I love kids. I want some of my own. I think twins would be the most amazing gift ever. But of course, I'd be thrilled with just one.

11. I'm not a huge fan of getting flowers as a gift, unless it's every once in a long while or totally unexpected. I'd rather someone pick me some nice wildflowers, or flowers from their garden as opposed to buy them for me. I would like a plant as a gift too, those last longer. I hate red roses, they're so trite. My husband stole my heart when he bought me yellow roses right after we started dating, and I'd never mentioned my dislike of red ones to him.

12. I have a slight fear of falling. Any kind of falling: down stairs, when I'm running, off of a high structure, even falling when I'm going upstairs. The worst part about falling would be if I broke any teeth. Don't talk to me about this, it will just perpetuate the irrational fear.

13. I've never broken any bones. I have sprained my wrist and big toe. The wrist happened as a result of some moshers getting out of hand at a hard core show (I myself wasn't doing any moshing, but isn't that a funny image? )The toe has been sprained for about 2 years; I don't think it will ever heal because won't take a break from running long enough for it to heal.

14. I refuse to buy any item of clothing at full price. I used to spend money like mad without a second thought, but then I got married and the word "budget" was introduced into my vocabulary.

15. The first time James and I went to the grocery store together (before we were married), our opinions of what to buy and how much to spend were so divergent, and a fight was so imminent, we had to abandon the cart and return another day.

16. The older I get, the more grateful I am for the fact that my parents are now my friends.

17. I also have great in-laws.

18. I lived in the same house from birth until I left for college. In the 10 years since I graduated from high school, I've lived in 13 different houses. My incredible parents have helped me move each time.

19. My 10 year old nephew is one of the most amazing people I know.

20. I love the sun and can't stand several gray days in a row. In regard to that aspect of life in Scotland, it's been challenging.

21. I think I've learned more about myself and God's grace in the last 16 months, than I have during the rest of my years combined. I don't think it's a coincidence that during the last 16 months I've experienced some of the most challenging and difficult circumstances of my 28 years.

22. I'm addicted to Burt's Beeswax lip balm and probably always will be.

23. James' marriage proposal to me was the best ever. EVER. I dare you to challenge me on this. I know you *think* yours will be the best because it's your spouse and you're in love and yadda yadda yadda, but it's still not actually better than James' proposal.

24. I love running. It's my form of therapy, it keeps me sane.

25. I wouldn't change for a minute the fact that I grew up in the little ol' city of Hopewell, but I'd never move back there. I love bigger cities too much.

another great sound

2009-01-30T10:08:00.002-05:00

Ages ago, I mentioned this as one of my most fave sounds. I've discovered another, similar one.

James is teaching himself how to play the guitar (with the help of a short tutorial from his sister Jenna when she was here). I like hearing him singing, but the singing combined with the guitar playing is fabulous too!

The Conclusion

2009-01-24T17:05:00.015-05:00

Finally, three weeks after Hannah and Jenna left Scotland, I'm getting around to posting about the last two days they spent here.

Some friends of ours from Dornoch (who happen to be visiting Richmond as I type this) own a small farm and recently added some little piglets to their list of animals. I was excited to see the little oinkers before they grew up to be big and fat and not so cute.

We also got right up close to their cows. I don't think I've ever been so close to cows before. I never realized how huge their noses are.

They've got a pretty horse too. Here she is galloping toward us.

Having not lived in a city for the past 16 months, I thought I could possibly become a "country girl", but amongst all the animals and farm machinery and what not, my "city girl" side came shining through. While it was all very intriguing and beautiful, I just don't think I could live on a farm.

It was freezing, but we took one last walk on the beach.

We took the opportunity to work on our "leaping over old concrete barriers" skills.

The girls flew out of Edinburgh early on a Wednesday, so we left Dornoch Tuesday morning to get in a day of sightseeing in Edinburgh. As per usual, it was cold and windy, but that didn't stop us from taking in the sights from the top of a double decker bus.
In the background is Edinburgh Castle, in the foreground is me with what looks like a small animal on my head. Laugh if you'd like, but hey, at least my ears were warm.

Starbucks always brings a smile, especially on a frigid day like that one.

Jenna treated us to a delicious Italian dinner and a Friendly's-esque dessert.

So that's it, the end of a jam-packed, fun-filled two weeks with two of James's sisters. Thanks for coming girl's, it was so great to have you here!

Harry & Charlie

2009-01-22T18:22:00.005-05:00

One of these days I'll get around to finishing documenting Jenna and Hannah's visit to Scotland, but not today. Today, I will share with you one of my most favorite videos of people I don't know.

I saw this for the first time last summer, and since then I've watched it too many times to count, mostly when I need a laugh and a warmed heart from some adorable brotherly love. With over 76.5 million views on You Tube, you've probably seen it too, but in case you haven't:

I mean seriously, how adorable are they? There are so many things about this that make me laugh and the cuteness makes my heart melt into a puddle on the floor.

If you're hooked on Harry and Charlie like I am, you're in luck, their parents have kindly shared a bunch of other videos of them with the world via You Tube.

Self-taken photos are the best.

2009-01-11T10:12:00.003-05:00

More New Traditions

2009-01-10T18:04:00.003-05:00

As stated in a prior post, the crackers, poppers and confetti cannons will be newly adopted Christmas traditions in the Murphy household.

I've decided on adding two more, these have to do with food. Yum.

1. The night before Christmas I made a sausage and egg casserole , the kind you have to leave in the fridge overnight. So in the morning, all you have to do is throw it in the oven and voila, you've got a delicious Christmas treat! Since it's just the two of us, we don't have a super busy morning with tons of crazy present opening going on, but I'm sure we will appreciate this plan even more if, down the road, any little one's come along.

2. James picked out a super huge ham to cook for our Christmas/New Year's meal, so there was tons of leftover meat. I used the bone and extra ham to make a potato soup. So delicious. And there's nothing like a hot soup on a Scottish day like today: windy, rainy, and cold.

Yay for traditions.

Now fill me in on some of your holiday traditions...Go!

Christmas slash New Year's Day

2009-01-03T17:24:00.026-05:00

After a long lie (Scottish way of saying sleeping in) on New Year's Day, we got up and got to work. Jenna and Hannah hadn't had a true Christmas Meal, and James and I hadn't had one at our house so we decided to have a Christmas/New Year's meal. It was absolutely delicious; there was tons so we'll be eating leftovers for days.

The working

The eating

We also adopted some new traditions (thanks goes to our Scottish friends for introducing them to us) that will be a part of James and Jennifer Christmas's from now on.

First we had about 100 of those little confetti poppers; they created a wonderful mess.

Then we introduced Jenna and Hannah to crackers. We don't understand why Americans don't have this tradition. We're definitely introducing them to our families when we get home. You and a friend pull them apart and whoever gets the bigger half gets the prize inside. The prizes vary, some of our prizes were a bottle opener, miniature scissors, a little mirror, a yo-yo, etc. You also get a crown (and of course you must wear it the rest of the night) as well as a really cheesy joke that you take turns telling.

But the best after dinner treats were the Confetti Cannons. So much fun. They contain a CO2 cartridge that's activated when you twist it, and tons of confetti gets shot out, accompanied by a loud popping noise. We all got a huge kick out of Hannah who was the most entertained by these toys, if only we had her reaction on video.

What do you do when you have a huge mess? Might as well make a bigger one!

"Pretend you're bored!" It doesn't take much to amuse us.

After that huge meal, we needed to do something active on Friday, so we went for a hike. In Golspie, the town 10 minutes from Dornoch, there's a mountain called Ben Bhraggie (you'll see it in the background of this photo. It's not quite tall enough to be a mountain, but we'll just call it that for now) and on top of it is a statue of the first Duke of Sutherland (Sutherland is the county we live in). You can read all about what the Duke is known for here.
It was a steep trail but the views were more than worth it.

James was looking up at the statue, it's right in front of us and it's huge.

Check out that blue sky, it's a rare and glorious sight when you live in Scotland.

This picture is for Janet. We used your gift! Christmas/New Years dinner leftovers made it all the way to the top with us and we enjoyed delicious ham sandwiches. It wouldn't have been possible without the handy dandy picnic bag you so generously gave us last year.

The trip down was a slip-slidy mess; it was getting colder and the path was turning into ice.

Poor Hannah had shoes with not much tread and ended up going down on her bum for a bit since it was easier than falling over and over again. But she was a trooper and smiled through it all!

And to catch you up to current events, today was a day of shopping and sightseeing in Inverness

We discovered if you jump up and down enough, the pedestrian bridge shakes a whole bunch. (Remember what I said about it not taking much to amuse us?)

A Great End to the Year

2009-01-02T16:04:00.000-05:00

We woke up to the sun Wednesday morning, it was a glorious sight. I called our favorite pie shop in Lochinver and found out they would be closed for the next two weeks, if we wanted to partake in the goodness, we'd have to go that day.

We drove the same route across Scotland to the west coast as we did with other visitors, so we stopped at the same castle ruins that we've been to before.

More jumping for joy

This scene look familiar?

The most amazing part of the day was the drive along the west coast. We detoured off the main road to stop at a lighthouse. We had no idea what this lighthouse and the land around it was going to be like, but we were all amazed at what we found.

Jenna was the most adventurous of us all.

Don't worry, where I'm standing is not quite as treacherous as it looks

It felt like we were on the edge of the Earth

We made it to the Pie Shop just in time to get our pies and take them to-go; we found a nice spot to sit and watch the sunset and enjoy the deliciousness.

Next, it was home for just a bit, then out again to our friends house for some New Year's Eve hang out time before heading to the town square for the Hogmanay celebration.
Jenna taught everyone how to play spoons, it was a hit.

The lone piper playing at midnight at the top of a building in the square.

There was a fantastic fireworks show.

Could be a North Face ad

I love my mountain man.

Precious.

After the party in the square, some friends met us at our house for some more hang out time, then it was off to bed. Must rest up for future adventures!

Fog and Frost Galore

2009-01-01T18:55:00.000-05:00

Tuesday marked the third day in a row of incredibly thick fog. It was also the third day of frost. When it's as cold as it has been, the frost doesn't ever melt but builds on itself, and eventually it starts to look like snow.

The lack of visibility limits the things we'd choose to do with visitors since much of the activities have to do with seeing the beautiful landscape. So we tried to choose things that don't involve long range views.

This morning we took that hike at Big Burn that we've been on twice before; we see new things each time so we love taking people on it.

Hannah was stoked about the walk

We felt like being dangerous and balancing precariously over a little stream. Yes, it was little, but can you imagine what falling in freezing cold water would feel like? Wouldn't be nice.

There were some close calls.

I have to say, I was kinda nervous one of us would end up with an icicle piercing our tongue.

Tons of icicles!

You might have seen this waterfall in previous posts, but not with these people!

Check out Hannah's photography skills!

Self-taken photo extroadanaire

Here's an example of the fog on the road to Dunrobin Castle, but the photo doesn't capture the true thickness of it.

Next stop was Shin Falls, that's where the frost was the thickest.

The sunset was beautiful at the "Million Dollar View" and a tallest to shortest picture seemed to be a fun idea.

Tuesday ended with a viewing of Napolean Dynamite and a game of Ticket to Ride. My side-ponytail was a tribute to the movie.

Things got a bit heated as they sometimes do during Murphy board games

It was another great day with the Murphy girl's!

Christmas Movies, Lips, and Ice Skating.

2008-12-29T16:44:00.020-05:00

The Murphy adventures continued today, but first, enjoy some more pictures of our beach/golf course walk that Hannah took.

Saturday night the Mackay's had us over for a delicious dinner. We were all so stuffed, so the only solution was to sit on the couch and watch a movie. Christmas is past us, but there's always room for one more viewing of Elf.

Sunday morning we picked up a bunch of kids in the mini-bus and headed to church. Afterward, more naps were in order, but they were put on hold when some of the little neighborhood munchkins came by. More Christmas movie viewing ensued with Pee-Wee's Christmas Special and How the Grinch Stole Christmas.

After church in the evening a bunch of kids came over for Youth Fellowship. Jenna displayed her singing and guitar playing skills by leading us in some songs, all the kids were super amazed. One of the boys brought over his new gaming system (most people would know which one, but I don't know these details) with this karaoke game called Lips. So. much. fun.
Two boys singing Leona Lewis' song was pretty hilarious.

James and I were rockin' out so hard the camera couldn't keep up with us.

After Youth Fellowship, we headed over to the Mackay's for our weekly Sunday night hang outs. The Eagles were playing for a spot in the play-offs, so James and Jenna got their game faces on

Hannah had her first taste of black pudding and actually enjoyed it.

The Eagle's won!

Today, after a lunch in a local Dornoch cafe, we headed to Inverness for a girl's day of ice skating, shopping, and dinner. Some girl's from Dornoch and a couple of friends from church went with us.

There was all kinds of silliness going on.

Yay! I'm not the shortest!

There's still more to come...

Year of the Visitor: Number Five

2008-12-28T11:26:00.019-05:00

Year of the visitor continues with a fabulous visit from two of James' sisters: Jenna and Hannah. We've been stoked about their visit for a while. It's so great to have them here, and even cooler that they can be here during Christmas and the New Year. It seems so normal, like they belong here!

We'll be taking tons of pictures since they'll be here for a total of 12 days, so I'll start sharing now.

This was before Jenna and Hannah got here, but since it is the Christmas season, thought you might like to see James and I getting into the spirit.

A friend of ours made us our very own Christmas cake. Here's what the inside looks like.
Jenna and Hannah in their new Scotland soccer jerseys.

James was given tons of Phillie's and Eagle's gear, he was a bit overwhelmed.

This is the most excitement James has ever shown when it comes to Christmas decorations. My parents gave him a Phillie's world series champs ornament that lights up.

Here he is opening a present from Jenna: a program from the World Series. I think Jenna was just as excited to give as James was to get.

A happy James.

It's never too cold for a walk on the beach.

We miss Leah :( She should be in this photo, right there next to James.

Someone doesn't look too amused.

Chattin' away.

Stay tuned for more documentation of our adventures!

Seeing More Clearly

2008-12-22T08:50:00.006-05:00

With the winter solstice behind us, I woke up with a renewed sense of gratitude, knowing that we're again in a season of each day getting longer and longer, and increasingly bright. But why should that be what gratifies me, and not the knowledge that God designed the changing of the seasons the way he did for a purpose?

I'm not surprised by God's timing in orchestrating that I read the following by John Piper this morning. I realized how, though I often marvel at God's creation on sunny, blue-sky days, I fail to see his hand and purpose in the long dark nights, the wild winds, the rain that waters the earth, and the clouds that bring us shade.

"One of the tragedies of growing up is that we get used to things. It has its good side, of course, since irritations may cease to be irritations. But there is immense loss when we get used to the redness of the rising sun, and the roundness of the moon, and the whiteness of the snow, the wetness of the rain, the blueness of the sky, the buzzing of the bumble bees, the stitching of the crickets, the invisibility of the wind, the unconscious constancy of heart and diaphragm, the weirdness of noses and ears, the number of the grains of sand on a thousand beaches, the never-ceasing crash crash crash of countless waves, and ten million kingly-clad flowers flourishing and withering in woods and mountain valleys where no one sees but God.

I invite you to seek a "freshness of vision," to look, as though it were the first time, not at the empty product of accumulated millennia of aimless evolutionary accidents, but at the personal handiwork of an infinitely strong, creative, and exuberant Artist who made the earth and the sea and everything in them.

O, that we would open our eyes even wider to the glory of God in the world around us!"

Today, I'm opening my eyes to see the beauty of all that God has made, not just the parts I prefer.

the joys of children

2008-12-22T07:33:00.006-05:00

It never fails: hearing the fast, excited, jumbled, chatter of a handful of 8 year old boys coming through our front door brings a smile to my face every time.

Today is the first day of Christmas vacation for the schools, the kid's are completely wild with expectation for Christmas, so we're watching Elf, one of the best Christmas movies ever. If they actually make it through the whole movie, I'll be shocked.

The sequence of events over the last three minutes:

Adam C.: "Don't eat the yellow snow, because you know what that is!"

Adam A.: "Cheese?"

Robbie: "Turkey?"

Adam A.: "Oh, is it pee?"
------
Now they've decided on their own to review the catechism questions we've been learning in Youth Club on Friday's.
------
Now they're moving on to wrestling.
------
Robbie: "After this can we play the Wii?"
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See why I'd be surprised if they make it through the whole movie?

I sure am gonna miss these kids when we leave.

Here comes the Sun!

2008-12-16T10:38:00.002-05:00

Today we woke up to day 5 of absolutely no sign of the sun. It really is quite a drag. Living in Richmond, I knew I loved the sunshine, but I didn't realize how much of an affect the lack of consistent sunshine would have on me, and people in general.

From Friday until this morning, the sun was nowhere to be found, hidden behind thick white and grey clouds. But as the day progressed, tiny bits of blue started to show, and by 1:30 (when the sun was well on it's way down) there were big bits of blue, and we could even see the sun peaking out from behind some clouds! It was like taking in a deep breath of fresh air while sitting on a beach in a tropical climate. Ok, not quite that fabulous, but you can see what I mean.

I would much rather have sunny weather when visitors are here, so if we have to endure the crappy weather when they're not here, I'll take it. Here's hoping we have similar weather for James' sisters (arriving in 10 days!) that we had when Tim and Jenna were here. It was cold and icy, but sunny most of the time.

Currently, it's 4pm, the sun dipped below the horizon about half an hour ago. These early dark nights make it feel like it's so much later than it actually is.

But! Only 5 days until winter solstice! After that (the shortest day of the year) the days will begin to get longer and longer again. Yippee!

Irn-Bru

2008-12-15T06:46:00.005-05:00

Scotland is fiercely proud of their very own fizzy juice (the Scottish way of saying soda): Irn-Bru. Pronounced Iron Brew, the soda originated here in 1901 and is still produced here. It has been the most popular soda in Scotland for many years, outselling even Coca-Cola, until just recently when sales have become almost equal between the rival companies.

Here's an example of just how dedicated Scots are to one of their favorite drink's (my unofficial opinion says the other favorites are coffee, tea, and whiskey): When McDonald's first opened restaurants in Glasgow, Scotland, they didn't serve Irn-Bru. Glaswegians (people from Glasgow) were insulted. McDonald's finally relented and realized the importance of adding Irn-Bru to their menu when the restaurants were picketed.

Wondering why you've never seen Irn-Bru in America? The FDA has banned it because it contains a carcinogenic coloring (as you can see from the photo, Irn-Bru is neon orange). There is a website that sells it in America, but the recipe differs from the original, and they're currently completely out of stock.

James loves the stuff. The smell alone makes me gag. The taste reminds me of cough syrup. But they do have some great advertisments.

If you've been to Scotland you might recognize landmarks in Edinburgh, Glasgow, and the Highlands in this ad. Beware, the tune might get stuck in your head, like it does for me.

The latest campaign is based on Rudyard Kipling's poem "If," and has some references to true Scottish culture.

You can see some of their most popular ads here. They've had some controversial ads over the years, I don't even want to link to those, but if you're interested I'm sure you can find them on your own.

Intrigued and wanting to try Irn-Bru for yourself? If you're truly interested, I might just send you a can of your own to try.

Year of the Visitor: Numero Quatro

2008-11-25T07:25:00.046-05:00

Tim & Jenna! (The spanish is in honor of Jenna who spent some time working with street children in Mexico. What a gem!)

The year of the visitor continued last week with a rejuvenating visit from some very dear friends. The excitement began July 18th when we were in Richmond at Tim & Jenna's wedding. Their photographer managed to catch the moment when they announced that they'd be visiting us in Scotland! I was slightly excited, wouldn't you say?

I'll explain the origins of mine and Jenna's friendship. In the fall of 2005, James received a phone call from a man asking if we could call this girl who was the daughter of his uncle's, friend's, cousin's, father (or something like that) and invite her to church. We had no idea who this girl was, or if she even wanted to be invited to church. So I called and did the inviting. Turned out she sounded super nice and did want to be invited to church, so I set up a time to pick her up. But, she lived in a hotel, which seemed weird at first, but I soon found out it was just because her new apartment building wasn't completed yet.

Now we're the best of friends, and our husbands became friends too. It's so great when both halves of two couples mesh!

We picked up Jenna and Tim from the airport on Thanksgiving, Jenna and I definitely made a scene with some shrieking and jumping up and down.

First stop: Tesco. Saturday would be the big Thanksgiving dinner and since Tim is a professionally trained chef, we needed his help. And boy oh boy, did he ever help.
That's Tim on the right, the blurriness helps to accurately display the speed at which Tim moved around the kitchen, teaching us how to bake a turkey as well as making lots of delicious sides.

We introduced Thanksgiving traditions to some Scots and English families, and had an American family join us as well. There was a ridiculous amount of yummy food consumed. But, it was Thanksgiving. We explained to our UK friends that if you don't feel uncomfortably stuffed and need to take a nap after the meal, you haven't had the full Thanksgiving experience.

After it was all over, Tim needed a nap, understandably.

Friday, they were a huge help at Scripture Union and Youth Club. The kids absolutely loved them, which I totally expected. In between the two events, we took them on the walk to Big Burn. It was just as beautiful as the time James and I went. We took a different route, so we saw some new stuff, like another interesting tree:

Sunday we took a walk over to the Dornoch golf course and along the beach, it was an especially beautiful day.

Tim is a golfer, it's too bad he wasn't able to play here, but at least we got a photo!

At Youth Fellowship, Jenna taught some girls the cup game. They loved it! It took me back to my middle school days.

Monday we took a trip to the west coast. Here we are at some ruins.

Almost a year ago, my dad took pretty much this exact same picture of us at this exact spot. It definitely doesn't feel like a year ago.

A little ways down the road, we got stopped on the main road for about 15 minutes as some shepherds and sheep dogs herded 100's of sheep from one field to the other. It was so cool to see (mom, I'm so sad you weren't there to see it!)

Tuesday we left super early for Glasgow so we could spend the day sightseeing before Tim & Jenna had to head over to their hotel, they were flying out the next morning.
Glasgow has a beautiful cathedral

Whaddya think?

It's hard to tell from the photo, but this bridge is curved. Locals call it the "squinty bridge." Scots use the word squint where Americans would say crooked.

Jenna had the fabulous idea to take one of those "hop-on, hop-off, open top" bus tours. It was an awesome way to get an overview of all the popular spots in the city, since we had a limited amount of time. We saw some beautiful old buildings, as well as some modern ones. James got a great shot of the white building.

That's James's "I'm cold" look. Tim and Jenna were smart and went to the bottom level of the bus.

There was a Christmas festival in George Square

Jenna and I really wanted to go on the swings, but decided against it when we realized how bitterly cold it would be.

I realized we have hardly any pictures of Tim and Jenna and none of the four of us. But that's no reflection on how much fun we had together, we're so grateful they could come. Now we miss them more than ever and are even more excited to be back in Richmond to spend more time with them. Thanks for coming guy's!

Big Burn

2008-11-20T08:10:00.022-05:00

Contrary to what it may seem, this is actually not about fire, but this kind of burn.

James and I took advantage of a recent sunny saturday and went for a hike on a trail called Big Burn to see some waterfalls. It was in a local town called Golspie, about 15 minutes from Dornoch.

Here are pictures of the biggest waterfall from 3 different perspectives, starting with a bird's eye view.

And of course no outing is complete without at least one self-taken portrait.

We met a nice french lady along the way who took this one for us. I felt for her because she didn't speak a word of English; it reminded me of how helpless we felt when we were in France this summer and barely got by with our rudimentary French words.

We saw some great trees too.

It was a fabulous day!

Guy Fawkes, Year Two

2008-11-20T07:42:00.009-05:00

It's crazy to think we've been here long enough to see a holiday twice. Last year was our first experience with Guy Fawkes Night, and I went again this year to the annual Bonfire Night in Inverness with a few of my girls from Dornoch Academy.

I'm still amazed by how huge the bonfires are. Here it is at the beginning.

And as it was dying down at the end, they stoked it a bit more.

On the drive home we stopped by another town when we saw the smoke of their bonfire.

I'm going to miss Bonfire Night next year.

You too will die from the cuteness

2008-11-20T07:06:00.007-05:00

If my godson Jackson continues to increase in adorableness at this rate, I don't think that my heart will ever stop melting into a puddle like it is now.

about to die from the cuteness

2008-11-17T18:33:00.003-05:00

Congratulations Ross and Val!

Jackson is absolutely adorable and he's got a wonderful life ahead of him with parents as amazing as the two of you.

I can't wait to meet him!

Required Reading

2008-11-17T13:21:00.004-05:00

Val and Ross's baby is almost here! And due to the wonder of technology, and the Catrow's generosity, you can be there every step of the way!

You'll want to read the last 27 posts (don't worry, it won't take long they're all really short) to catch up on Val's journey through labor, and Ross's commentary of it.

And guess what! Yours truly is incredibly blessed to be one of the glowingly proud godparent's (along with James) of the soon-to-enter-this-world little Catrow! I can't hardly stand the suspense of whether it will be a girl or a boy!

There are so! many! exclamation! points! in this post! Yes, it's that exciting!

Now get to reading!

Why didn't anyone tell me...

2008-11-15T08:49:00.003-05:00

That if I started watching 24, I wouldn't want to do anything else until I've seen the entire season?

If you don't know the premise, (but you probably do, because apparently I'm the last to know about the wonderfulness of this show) there are 24 episodes in each season, and each episode represents one hour in one of the most intense days of the main character's, Jack Baur, life.

We borrowed the entire first season from a friend a while ago and never had the time to sit down and watch it...until last weekend. Since then we've watched the first 14 episodes. FOURTEEN. IN ONE WEEK. You just can't watch one at a time. Needless to say, we've had some late nights this past week.

I think I'm going to need a break from the intensity before we start watching season 2.

"What's it like living in Scotland?"

2008-11-13T14:30:00.001-05:00

I've tried to answer that question more times than I can remember. It hasn't always been worded exactly that way, there are several variations, all of which are equally difficult to answer succinctly, which is what most people are looking for.

Recently a friend used an analogy that I think might help to explain why it's so difficult to sum up my life here to people who don't live here:

It's like living in an upside down house: everything is exactly the same, but it's so different.

Maybe that doesn't make any sense either. Oh well, I give up.

Just a few of the traits that prove my husband's awesomeness.

2008-11-08T13:40:00.016-05:00

Awesomeness proving reason #5,347
He's passionate about things he loves.

Reason #5,348
He's no fair-weather fan. That kind of commitment shows in all areas of his life: sports, relationships, work, you name it; if he's committed to it, he'll follow through till the end.

Reason #5,349
I have always known that he will be an incredible father, this is just another confirmation of that fact.

Below is something my husband wrote right after his team won the World Series last week. To help you understand his dedication, you need to realize that here in Scotland we are 5 hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time. Starting with the playoffs, he watched every single game (he would've watched more during the regular season, but the games weren't broadcast here)and most of those games didn't start until after midnight. So that meant he was up until anywhere from 3-5am for tons of nights (I would know exactly how many nights if I were a better sports fan).

Due to the timing of my mom's departure, we had to be in Glasgow the night that the Phillies would clench the title of World Series Champions. So while my mom and I were sleeping, he had to spend most of the night alone in a hotel lobby. If that's not dedication, I don't know what is.

Enjoy some of his thoughts that he posted on Facebook, and get a tiny glimpse into my world of being a happy wife.

On Wednesday, October 29, the Philadelphia Phillies won the World Series. This was a monumental occasion in my life. At the age of 10 I began to follow the Phillies. My father is from South Philadelphia, growing up in one of its roughest projects. I can remember him taking us to his childhood home when we were young, and thinking that it looked like a war zone. The projects in Richmond look like paradise compared to this place. We used to go to my Grandmothers in one of the better neighborhoods in south Philly. My parents would let me walk around the neighborhood by myself, and I was just mesmerized by this city. We would walk to the local pretzel vendor on the corner and buy pretzels at 4 for a dollar. We could walk to Modells sports, where all the coolest Phillies and eagles gear would be. My grandmother worked at the local toy store, where she earned very little, but would always have gifts for me and my sisters. I think my love for cities came from these experiences.

In 1993 the Phillies went to the world series. On the night that they were to clinch the pennant, I went around the house, got every television I could lift, and put them all in one room, where my dad and uncle would watch as they made there way to the World Series. The night that they lost the world series, I cried my self to sleep. Now fast forward to 2008, myself sitting in the Holiday Inn lobby in Glasgow, Scotland. Brad Lidge strikes out the last batter. I do a fist pump and shout a big "YES!!!!!!!". I then began to cry like a little baby. As many of you will know, Jennifer and I lost a child this summer to miscarriage. It has been a hard last couple of months to say the least. I started to think about what I would have told our kid about the Phillies winning the world series in 2008, how this team was behind 4 games with a month to play. I would talk about Cole Hammels and how he was almost flawless in 5 starts. I would talk about Ryan Howard and his slump, but then how he broke it with two home runs in one game. I would tell of Brad Lidge and how he was perfect for a whole season. I would talk about being able to see the Phillies that summer, watching them in D.C. with our friends from Dornoch, Scotland, and how amazing it was that the two weeks that we were home from Scotland, the Phillies were playing in D.C. I then began to think that I will be able to say these things to the children that God has yet to give us. How great that will be.

My grandmother gave me a pin in 1999, that says "Lets go Phillies". It was my dads as a kid and Its one of the best presents I have ever received. My grandmother passed in 2000, when I was on a mission trip in West Virgina. Her memorial service was at a parlor on Broad street, where as I write this the Phillies are passing by with their victory parade.

God has used all of these experiences, to draw me closer to him, and most importantly show me of my need for my savior. These have also made me into the man I am today, and for that I am truly thankful.

Year of the Visitor: Part the Third

2008-11-03T12:12:00.038-05:00

The trend of welcoming visitors (versions 1 and 2) into our home during our second year in Scotland continued last week with a surprise visit from my Mom! Well it wasn't a total surprise, but it was planned about two weeks before she came. We had so much fun!

We got to do a lot of sightseeing that James and I haven't done yet.

Here we are at the William Wallace monument in Stirling, where the famous Battle of Stirling Bridge took place. You might remember this battle being depicted in the movie Braveheart, but in the somewhat inaccurate portrayal, they fail to mention the bridge which was key in the Scot's defeat of the English.

There was a substantial uphill hike to get to the monument. Here's the view from the parking lot.

A statue of Sir Wallace

And a somewhat difficult to see view of the Monument. We were standing at Stirling Castle across town.

Showing our support of the World Series champions (that happened to be the day that they would clinch the title)

Whiskey is extremely popular in Scotland (for all my fellow non-whiskey drinkers, Scottish whiskey is referred to as Scotch in America). There are over a hundred distilleries in Scotland which is impressive considering the area of Scotland is slightly less than the state of South Carolina. The Glenmorangie distillery is in a town next to Dornoch and we decided to go on a tour.
These are the stills where the distillation process happens.

Here are some of the casks where the whiskey sits for at least TEN YEARS to mature, sometimes longer.

They have a 14 warehouses full of casks like these. Our tour ended with a little tasting of some of their best whiskey; I still don't like it.

One day my mom and I drove to the West Coast of Scotland, the scenery is different from the east coast. We wanted to go to a local pottery shop and eat at a pie shop that we've heard people rave about (the pies are absolutely delicious. well worth the 1.5 hour drive. if you visit us we will do everything we can to take you there so you also can enjoy the wonderful pies)

We drove by these ruins when my parents visited after Christmas and were able to walk over to them; as you can see we couldn't do that this time, the water was super high and blocked the path. This picture can help to give you a bit of an understanding of how the weather changes so drastically at a moments notice in Scotland. You can see a bit of blue sky in the foreground, grey clouds in the background, lots of raining coming out of some clouds in the middle of the photo, and snow on the mountain peak. the famous phrase here is, "don't like the weather? wait five minutes."

Lochinver: home of the pie shop. I had a venison and cranberry pie for my meal and a peach and apricot for dessert. Mom had potato, leek, and something else for dinner, and strawberry and rhubarb for dessert. We took James a Steak and Guinness pie as well as an apple pie. yum.

The coolest part about the pottery shop were the sculptures they made out of extra or broken pottery.

The roads we were driving on were single carriageway (one lane) with passing places (tiny areas to pull over on) when you meet a car coming from the other direction.

Sometimes the road looked like it should've just been a walking path. Other times the sheep let us know that we were imposing on their land and they have the right of way.

The locals were kind enough to warn us of such a problem

The drive along the coast was breathtaking

We came to a tow truck in the process of removing a caravan(motor home)from being stuck in the middle of the road. Since the driver said it would take at least an hour and there was no way to go around, we figured we should turn around and go back the way we came. Kinda out of the way, but that's how it goes on these roads.

Another day we took a trip north up the east coast to a town called Helmsdale and went to a museum called Timespan. It was insanely windy.

We ate at a popular restaurant in Helmsdale: La Mirage. They had some of the tackiest decorations I've ever seen. Including this lamp that looks like the one in A Christmas Story. But the fish and chips were really tasty!

Another day we took a trip to the Black Isle, which isn't an island but a peninsula located about 30 minutes south of Dornoch. We saw a few funny sights there. (You can't buy Aunt Jemima's pancake syrup in Scotland, but maybe this is where the name came from?)

This has got to be the smallest Post Office in operation

Personally, I prefer to do my bathing indoors.

No trip to Dornoch is complete without a visit to Shin Falls. (Richmonders: For a funny story about the name of this place, find one of the team members from Stony Point who came for the Holiday Bible Club during Easter) In the spring you can see tons of salmon leaping up the falls, but typically not in the winter, but mom spotted one!

So that's it, a sampling of what we did when my mom was visiting. It was awesome having you here mom, thanks for coming!

Back to the Summary of Our Summer

2008-10-17T17:00:00.001-04:00

To finish catching you up on our summer travels, here's a bunch of photos from our trip to Marseille, France.

It wasn't a trip we'd planned on taking at all, it totally came out of nowhere. A family who works with the same mission organization as we do were interested in coming to Scotland for their vacation. They wanted to do a vacation home swap, so we figured it was a pretty great opportunity we should take advantage of. I mean seriously, free accommodations, free use of a car, and really cheap flights through Ryan Air; how could we pass that up?!

Providentially, the timing of the trip was pretty perfect. When we agreed to go on this trip, we had no idea how badly we would need a week to totally relax and have nothing at all to do, no schedule, no one to be responsible for, no plans to make.

This trip was great, but lots of work. This part of our trip to America was awesome too, but it was exhausting. Then there was this, which needless to say, totally wrecked us. The school year for the kids in Dornoch began the day after we returned from France, and with it, began all of the events we lead for kids here. So it was fabulous to have that week in Marseille, before we jumped back into our regular work schedule.

We spent a lot of time on the beach. This was our first experience with French beaches

A view overlooking that same beach

It's hard to tell from this angle, but this is at the edge of an intense cliff (how incredible is that water?!)

Didn't I tell you? That's a cliff!

An area of downtown Marseille called Vieux Port (Old Port)

I don't remember the name of this structure, but it's includes a portion of the original wall around Marseille.

Here's James, looking perplexed, on top of the structure looking out on the port.

Here's me, enjoying the gloriousness of wearing flip flops and tank tops (doesn't happen much in Scotland)

This is the Notre-Dame de la Garde. It sits on top of the highest natural point in Marseille. I can attest to that because we walked up some seriously steep city streets to get to it.

We made it to the top and had a rest.

The inside was really impressive

There were tons of really cool streets like this that were super close together and curvy. I loved them. See that guy in the bottom corner with the fresh baguette in his back pack? You really do see tons of people carrying around their recently purchased fresh baguettes like that. It seemed like a very French thing to do.

There were several nights when we sat on the porch of the condo we stayed in and watched some amazing sunsets.

The second beach we went to had streets that reminded me of Miami

It was so windy that day, sitting on the beach meant getting blasted with sand constantly (it was the kind of sand that is actually just little rocks. ouch.) so we found a spot on the other side of the boardwalk in the grass.

It still felt like the beach though, because we were this close to the ocean

The next day we decided we needed some exercise so we took a hike to the base of some calanques (think "cliffs")

This is the view about half way down to the base of these calanques. See that little island rock formation in the middle? We saw people cliff diving off of those while we were sitting on the smaller rock that is directly to the left of the island

Almost at the bottom!

Self taken photos...my fave.

In the top right of the photo is a close-up of the rock-island you saw in other picture

Further to the right there's a little cove where lots of people were swimming

For all you Richmonders, this is Marseille's Pony Pasture.

You'll have to forgive my horrible video skills, I'm not sure why I thought that the camera angle would magically change if I simply moved the camera vertically.

The last beach we visited is in Cassis, a picturesque town. As you can see, the beach in Cassis is not popular at all. Don't look too close, you might see some topless sunbathers. French beach-goers reserve the right to leave their clothing at home. For those of you who don't know us well enough to know, and are wondering what we did, you can be assured, we chose to remain clothed.

More of those curvy, narrow streets I love.

We sat for a while in a courtyard surrounded by these amazing trees

Another one of my favorite kind of photos

The End!

Sleepover!

2008-10-16T13:54:00.001-04:00

The kids are in the middle of their October Holiday; this is the 2.5 weeks (12 school days!) they get off school that originated in the days when kids had to help on the farm to pick all the "tatties" (potatoes).

We've organized some events for the kids because even though they enjoy the break, they get pretty bored. Monday was a trip to Roller Bowl (Bowling) and Tuesday night was a girl's sleepover at our house. As happens in most girl sleepovers, they stayed up super late; the last to retire finally gave in to their exhaustion at 7am. I was in bed by 4:30am.

The 12 girls who came all brought some snacks to share, here's the pile:

And here's what was left. These girls can really put away some candy:

This in addition to what I provided: pizza, cookies, jello from America, (which, by their estimation, tastes better than UK jello), M&M's and Maltesers (like Malt Balls) and pancakes in the morning.

We played some fun games. In one, the girls had to use straws to move Maltesers from the bowl to their cup. But the funniest game was one that involved James' clothes. They had to put on a t-shirt, hoodie, socks, and shorts that belonged to James over their own clothes before another one of the girls rolled a pair on a set of dice. I wasn't sure how much the girls would get into the game, but they absolutely loved it. They played for over an hour. I was in hysterics for about the same amount of time.

It was a great night, we'll have one again. But not for at least a few months, I need some recovery time.

My Most Fave Sport Ever

2008-10-15T19:14:00.009-04:00

Field Hockey!

I discovered my love for the sport in the 8th grade when I first played for my high school's J.V. team. I've got so many fond memories of all my years playing field hockey and being with my team. Oh how I miss those days!

Last Saturday we took a group of kids to a youth event in Inverness. I was thrilled to find out that the retreat center we were at had a ton of plastic field hockey sticks and a wiffle ball. The equipment was a far cry from the real deal, but it would suffice for a pick-up game. I was shocked to see how many people were stoked to play.

It ended up being a boys vs. girls game. Had we not been forced to quit when dinner was served, the girls would've definitely scored twice to come from behind and emerge the victors.

The game brought back so many memories. I think I laughed the entire game, we had such a blast.

He got tired of playing by the rules and decided to throw the ball into the goal.

If only I could find a league to play in! I've been living vicariously by supporting the high school girl's field hockey team in Dornoch, but nothing replaces getting to play!

Riding a Wave

2008-10-06T10:06:00.003-04:00

Grief comes in waves. Today I'm experiencing one of those waves.

At times I try to just hang on till I make it through, hoping and waiting for it to end so I can get on with my day. Today I'm trying to let go, let myself fully experience the intensity of it all. I realize I can't grow if I don't let myself process it all, even though it means walking"through the valley of the shadow of death". The deep ache, the fears, the pain, the anger, the tears, the longing for our child; as much as I hate to face all of that, they're all a part of the process.

This week would've marked 5 months. We would have been excitedly anticipating finding out whether we would be welcoming our baby boy or girl into this world.

But I will ride this wave because I have hope.

Year of the Visitor. Part Deux

2008-10-01T09:58:00.002-04:00

Here I mentioned how we're really looking forward to all the visitors we expect to have this year.

We just said farewell to visitor number two, of year number two, in Scotland. His name is Vince and he stayed with us for a couple of nights.

I'll have to give you a little background before I tell you who he is. We are here as a result of a great God and the extremely loving and incredibly generous friends and family we have, who have committed to support us financially, prayerfully, emotionally, and mentally during our time here. We wouldn't be able to be here without the support we receive from all of you who have played a vital role in our survival and ability to thrive. Thank you. A million times over, thank you.

So anyway, we work through an organization called Mission to the World. MTW helps to coordinate where in the world workers go, who they work with, etc. Usually, a country will have a mission team made up of several MTW workers that includes a team leader. In Scotland there hasn't been a team leader for the past year, until about a month ago. There are several difficulties that have come about for us as a result of not having a team leader, but I won't bore you with anymore of those details.

So the new team leader is a guy named Vince Wood. He and his family are in the process of raising funds to be able to move to Scotland by January of 2010. The current plan is we will be back in Richmond by the time they get here, but it's great to have his support for the rest of the time we're here.

It was super encouraging to meet him, hear about his vision for Scotland, and share our work with him.

Cereal

2008-09-25T08:15:00.003-04:00

We love cereal. I'm pretty particular about it, and it was trial and error finding kinds that we like here. I think we've pretty much narrowed it down to our favorites.

I got the idea to share them with you from my friend Andrea.

We're only two people, but currently we have 4 different kinds in our cabinet. That's down from 5 kinds a couple of days ago before I finished off the box of Whole Grain Cheerios, I've been hooked on them this month.

On the left is a very tasty strawberry and granola cereal. It has big chunky granola and lots of strawberry pieces. Next is one that's not very good in milk, much better to eat dry. That box has been around for a while, not our favorite. It was on special and we thought we'd give it a try. Next is a staple in our house. Contrary to the sound of the name, it's actually very good, it has lots and lots of dried fruit in it. Finally, our unhealthy splurge. I usually don't like chocolate cereals, but this one is surprisingly good. It's James' favorite. I can't bring myself to eat it in the morning, just doesn't feel right to wake up to a bowl of chocolate. But it's a great nighttime snack. (I love how they try to justify it by saying, "Helps you get 3-a-day whole grain)

What kind of cereal do you eat?

the little things in life

2008-09-15T18:00:00.007-04:00

Fellow Americans, I'd like to introduce you to a heated towel rack. Flip the switch, and hot water flows through the rack, which in turn dries your towel. In a wet climate, like Scotland, it can take days for a towel to dry. But with one of these, it doesn't take long at all; and when you reach for a towel after your shower, it's warm!

It's one of those things we never knew about before, but now it's a part of everyday life. We'll be spoiled when we return to America and wonder why our towels are wet and cold.

What's there to do on a Saturday in Dornoch?

2008-09-15T17:59:00.005-04:00

Well, from May to September you can go to the town square at 8:00 and watch the Pipe and Drum band march up and down the square and play a few tunes. Here's a short video to give you a taste of Scottish culture. Sorry it's kinda dark, but you get the idea.

After that some cute little girls do some highland dancing on a stage in the square. I was going to get a video of them to share with you, but it was kinda chilly and we got tired of waiting, so here's a clip of some random highland dancing. The show we get in Dornoch is similar to this, but with fewer girls.

Happy 1st Anniversary!

2008-09-13T15:58:00.003-04:00

Nope, it's not our wedding anniversary that we're celebrating(we're half way into year number 5 of wedded bliss), but the one year anniversary of living in Scotland!

Time is such a crazy thing. In a way, it feels like we've been here for 5 years, but on the other hand it feels like it's only been 6 months. We feel so settled, and have made such great friends that it seems we've been here for much longer than a year. But other days it's hard to believe it's already been a year, where have the months gone?

The scariest thing about looking forward to the upcoming year, is realizing that it will fly by even faster than this past year. As of now, the plan is to leave Scotland when our visa's expire in September '09. But, we realize there's always a possibility of things changing. Four years ago I never would've believed you if you told me I'd be living in Scotland for two years, so it's impossible to know what's ahead for the next chapter of our lives.

I'm not even going to begin to do any sort of summary of the past year, that'd take forever, not to mention more emotional energy than I've got at the moment. But I will share a great compliment I received yesterday that sums up why I'm so grateful for the ways this community has welcomed us. A man here told me that James and I are now, "part of the fabric of Dornoch." I think that's pretty great.

So, how did we celebrate? We didn't really do anything specific, but I did get to run in a 10K and that was fun. The best part about it was when the finish line was in sight, I suddenly spotted a group of about 10 kids from Dornoch cheering me on with all their might. It was fabulous. I love these kids.

great timing

2008-09-12T07:17:00.003-04:00

I went to bed last night right after writing my last post and woke up this morning to a package that had been delivered. My mom had sent me this book (thanks mom!). I know that things like the timing of the arrival of this book are not coincidences.

I'm so grateful for God's plans; it assures me that he's got all this under control and is orchestrating things in a way that can only be beneficial for my heart and well-being.

A difficult emotion.

2008-09-11T23:12:00.000-04:00

Grief.

It has absolutely no predictability. One minute, all is right with the world, then all of the sudden I'm a total wreck and there's nothing I can do but be completely overwhelmed with feelings of remorse.

At a moment's notice I can go from feeling completely normal, to being unable to breathe normally or think a complete thought. Here's why.

Sometimes I feel like I should just go ahead and get over it already. I guess it's mostly because I feel slightly alone in this mourning process. No one was able to hold our baby, smell his or her wonderful baby smell, say his or her name, or change his or her diapers, so it's understandable that no one feels the affects of this loss as deeply as we do. But, I don't feel completely alone because there are so many people who have gone above and beyond and helped me feel so loved and cared for.

Then there are times when I remember how deep of a loss this is and wonder how I'm still functioning. We lost our child. Our baby died. Yes, the baby was very young when he died, but that doesn't change the fact that it was our child and that he was loved an inexplicable amount.

This experience has increased my empathy for others who've lost children. I can't even begin to imagine the even deeper pain of losing a child later on in pregnancy, at birth, or at any other point in a child's life. The thought of it leaves me speechless. My heart is especially hurting for some friends of ours who have recently lost their 26 year old son to cancer. The heartache they are going through is unimaginable.

Here's one thing I am grateful for: even though each time I see another pregnant women the intensity of my loss feels like a knife to my stomach, it has not decreased my ability to share in their joy of experiencing the miracle of pregnancy and babies. I can't talk about it much, but I still feel so much joy for them.

So what's the point of this rambling? I don't really have one. I do know that the peace that comes from knowing I'm loved by a God who is all-knowing and understands completely, is enough to get me through this.

One of these days, baby #2 will come along; and it's going to be a glorious day.

More on the America Trip

2008-09-10T22:36:00.000-04:00

When we took some Scottish friends to the mission trip in West Virginia, we figured they'd enjoy a week of relaxing and sightseeing after a week of working in the mountains.

We arrived in Richmond on July 26th and let them rest for at least 8 hours before we showed them a jam-packed rockin' time in The Commonwealth.

The 7 Scots were hosted by 5 different families; friends of ours from our church in Richmond. They had a great time hanging out with kids their ages and seeing how we crazy Americans live. Here's some photos from several of the events we planned for them.

Kings Dominion had to be on the list of places to go, especially since there's nothing like it in Scotland. Here we are waiting in line, the usual at any theme park

Believe it or not, Krispy Kreme is legendary in Scotland. The closest place you can get them is in London, and that's about a 9 hour drive from Dornoch.

Our friend Melanie organized the Krispy Kreme event. It was a blast; a rediculous amount of donuts were consumed. We made sure to be there while they were making them so we could have some "Hot, Fresh, Now." Okay, okay, I know the sign just says "Hot, Now" but I really think they need to add the "Fresh" to their signs, it's a nice touch, don't you think?

Here's Cameron at the beginning of the night.

This was taken about two minutes later.

Yum.

You can't come to Virginia from all the way across the ocean and not go to Washington D.C. Unfortunately we chose the hottest day of the summer to walk around the Mall and see all the monuments and memorials.

We finished off the day in D.C. with a Washington Nationals baseball game. They were playing the Phillies, (James's most fave team ever) so he was happy.

This is the Mackay family, they're from Dornoch (actually they'd prefer that I make the distinction and tell you that they're from Embo, a village two miles from Dornoch). They're fabulous. We love them.

That boy in the front in the green shirt is Sean; he's from Dornoch. If you know him, you won't be surprised one bit to know that he managed to get himself on the jumbotron within minutes of arriving at the stadium.

Can you see where we're sitting? All the way at the very tippy top. But, oh the glory of it, we had a nice breeze all night. Those poor people with "good" seats, how hot they must've been.

This was the picture we had taken to prove to our Phillie's loving husbands that, "see we did watch the game! I promise we did more than just chat the whole night!"

These girls are definitely on my most favorite people list. Nikki on the left lives in D.C., Jenna on the right lives in Richmond, they came up for the game. Jenna and her hubs Tim are coming to visit during Thanksgiving! There will be squeals of delight when we see them. (See that person giving us bunny ears? wait, wasn't that funny about 20 years ago?)

One evening we had a nice relaxing cookout in Powhatan.

There were even some fish caught. (yay dad!)

So there ends my photos. We did tons of other stuff that week like go to the beach, a pool party, did tons of shopping, but I don't have any photos to prove it, you'll just have to take my word for it.

All Boy

2008-09-08T19:42:00.002-04:00

You know that expression, "he's all boy"? These boys are definitely that. We've had the privilege to get to know them over the last year. I have so much respect for their mothers because these guy's are full of energy and wild antics. They love to come over and play Guitar Hero, then try to start a wrestling match with James. These boys make me want a whole gaggle of my own boys.

Jennifer needs...

2008-09-01T17:23:00.004-04:00

I've decided to participate in an "on-line experiment" after reading the results Anna had during the experiment she conducted. It made me curious about what I "need."

Here's what you do: go to Google, search for "(insert your name) needs," and then laugh at the hilarious things that come up. Read below to enjoy some of the things that I apparently need:

Jennifer needs...
-to be in a mental health facility right now
-a smack daddy
-a mortician
-a shave
-help!
-heavy visual depiction of her subject
-passion
-too much attention
-2 1/2 cups of sugar to make cookies for 15 people
-your prayers and best wishes
-to get out of sight for awhile, I mean really out of sight
-EXPLANATION!!!!!!
-to loose some weight!
-a size negative zero
-a high profile
-to develop age-appropriate language for social situations
-some time to herself
-to take her time and stop trying to find a man better looking than Brad
-a mattress
-fashion help
-a better make-up artist
-to soar in some way
-financial guidance for the $920000 State Farm award
-to leave some mystery in her life
-to quit falling for these entertainment and Hollywood types
-to wear a bra
-to chill

Can you guess which ones are about a famous Jennifer (Lopez, Love-Hewitt, Aniston, Garner)? Some of them are actually very true of me, particularly the last one! And some of them I wish were true, like the one about $920,000.

Now it's your turn, google your name and tell me in the comments what you need.

The Year of the Visitor: Part I

2008-09-01T07:37:00.003-04:00

It's super easy to communicate with friends and fam from home, and friends all over the world for that matter. I'm so grateful for email, internet phone, instant messaging, etc, it all helps us feel more connected with people we can't see regularly. And actually, being in Scotland has helped to strengthen a lot of our relationships with people from home which is pretty awesome and something I didn't expect.

But nothing replaces being in the same room with someone, face-to-face. We're about to reach the one year mark of our time in Scotland, and so we're doing a lot of looking back and looking forward. Figuring out what has worked in our work with kids here, what hasn't, what needs to change, and what needs to be done before we leave in a year.

We sat down to plan out the next year and realized we've got lots of big events going on, most of them include visitors from America! We're absolutely stoked. Last year my parents came right after Christmas, and then a group of 12 from our home church came at Easter to help us with a Holiday Bible Club for the kids here. Both visits were fabulous.

The part about people visiting that we love the most, is getting to share with them what our lives are like here. We want them to meet the people who are such a big part of our lives who've been an incredible support to us. We want them to see the town that we spend our days in. We want them to get to know the kids of Dornoch who we love so much.

We've already had our first visit of the year. A lady from Florida came to Scotland on a holiday and wanted to meet and encourage people like us who do volunteer work. We had the privilege of hosting her for a few days and getting to know her and all about the work she does (she's a counselor). It was very encouraging for us, and a great way to kick off the new school year, when lots of the events we lead start up again.

If you're coming to visit, we can't wait to see you, get excited because we're stoked! We can't wait to share our life in Dornoch with you and show you how fabulous of a place it is.

I Heart Tesco

2008-08-27T17:55:00.002-04:00

As foreign as the word "Tesco" sounds to most Americans, it's a household word here in the UK.

Tesco is a grocery store that we love and buy most of our groceries from. If I had to compare it to American stores, I'd say it's a mix between Wal-Mart, Ukrop's (for you Richmond readers), Kroger, and Target.

It's the closest thing the UK has to Wal-Mart, but a far cry from the real deal, since it only has one aisle each of auto parts, kitchen items, computer items, toys, office supplies, and sports equipment. Tesco has a nice bakery and some prepared food, but nothing like Ukrop's Chicken Salad, White House Rolls, or their Macaroni and Cheese. They sell clothes that are about the same quality as Target's, but unfortunately not as cheap since the dollar is so weak. The grocery section is closest to a Kroger in Richmond, but with larger all-natural, free range, and organic foods sections.

But, the absolute best quality of Tesco is...they deliver!

The closest Tesco is 45 minutes from us; there are a couple of little markets and one small grocery store in between here and there, but the prices, and quality of the produce, don't compare to Tesco.

With gas costing $12 a gallon (yeah you read that right, no typo, $12 a gallon. To us $3-4 per gallon gas is an awesome deal. all of our fellow Americans don't know how good they've got it in the States so if you complain to us, you won't find a sympathetic ear) we try to curb our driving as much as possible. Not to mention the amount of time it takes to drive to Inverness, (the city where a Tesco resides) pick out the groceries, put them in the cart, put them on the conveyor belt, put them in the bags, (because they keep prices down by having customers bag their own groceries) put them back in the cart, put them in the car, drive back to Dornoch, take them from the car to the house, and finally put them in their temporary resting place in the kitchen cabinets.

Sheesh, that's a lot of moving groceries.

So, we go to Tesco's website, pick out our groceries (they even save what we've bought before under "My Favorites" so it's easy to re-buy what we buy often), pick out a delivery slot on a specific day, and for a mere few pounds, Mr. Tesco delivery man brings our groceries straight to our front door. He'll even put them on the kitchen table if I ask.

Here's our delivery guy, he's so nice and pretty funny. And check out his Yankees hat! Not that we're Yankees fans (definitely not since James has us praying for his team), but how funny that he owns an MLB hat!?

If you come to visit us I have no doubt that you will get to have your own Tesco experience. Get excited!

West Virginia, Mountain Momma

2008-08-26T19:10:00.003-04:00

That John Denver song always conjures up a warm spot in my heart. It reminds me of the trip to little Fairmont, WV that I've been a part of for 7 of the past 9 years. My church in Richmond joins churches from around the country for a week of helping out widows and elderly by doing various construction jobs on their homes.

Fairmont is a poor, old coal mining town and lots of women have lost their husbands in mining accidents. Many of them don't have the physical or financial means to keep their homes from getting into the state of disrepair that most of them end up being in. The construction jobs are the vehicle that allow us to do what we feel is the most important work: loving these forgotten and sometimes lonely people.

Scotland is a long way from West Virginia, so we didn't think we'd be able to make the trip this year. But we talked up the trip to our friends here and they showed an interest in going, so miraculously, we went this year! We led a group of 7; 5 teenagers and 2 adults. July 16th was our departure date from Scotland, July 19th-26th were the dates we spent in Fairmont, and the July 27th-August 4th we spent in and around Richmond enjoying the sites and the fabulous weather.

Here's a taste of what traveling to America, and the week in Fairmont was like:

Waiting to leave Edinburgh, Scotland with our "Dornoch Crew"

Lounging in Paris on our layover

It's a long flight

The team (Richmond+Scotland), preparing to depart Richmond for Fairmont

This is part of the camp where we sleep and eat

We had 3 worksites, so our team of 50 was subdivided.
One of the jobs this team had was tearing down an already falling apart porch and rebuilding it

James led another team. They had lots of work to keep them busy
That's the homeowner in the middle

A before and after of a portion of the basement they made water tight and more usable

Do what James says...or else!

The porch roof: before

The porch roof: during

The porch roof: after

I was on the third team led by my dad. That's our hostess next to me

At her house we did some roofing, landscaping, painting and put in a handrail for her.

There was a fourth team who specialized in visiting with families who've hosted us and allowed us to work on their homes during the last 8 years. They also visited with some folks in local nursing homes

Mid-week we have a block party at the home of a previous hostess, Doris. Her neighbors are all invited. It's a good time, yummy food, lots of singing.

In past trips to Fairmont, we painted Doris' house for her

An example of some of the singing and silly dancing

Saying goodbye to some of our hostesses

One last group shot before the end of another week in Fairmont, WV.

Hello Again

2008-08-22T10:13:00.013-04:00

Yikes, it's almost been a month. Though to be honest, I probably wouldn't be posting today if it weren't for the kind encouragement of a great friend expressing her "kilt withdrawal."

I've been avoiding posting because I knew I'd be sharing some sad news: James and I lost our first baby to a miscarriage. Not that it's news I want to keep hidden, quite the opposite, being able to openly grieve the loss of our precious child has helped the healing process, but it's not so much a fun event to write about.

Not many people knew I was pregnant, we were waiting for the first ultrasound to spread the word. But it was at the first ultrasound on July 16th that we got the news that every parent dreads the most: no heartbeat. Our little one died at 7 weeks, we found out at my tenth week of pregnancy.

I know that each of you who have experienced this understands the immense grief that accompanies it. I never could have even begun to grasp how much this loss would rock my world. I don't think I could accurately express the ways in which my heart has ached so I won't even try.

As with any death, there are various stages of the healing process. I'm very grateful to be able to say that I am actually in the healing process; it took a while to begin. At this point I'm still unable to concentrate on anything having to do with babies or pregnancy for any period of time. I just can't let my mind go there. Not yet.

The positives. Because even with difficulties such as these, there are positives.

1. I know we will see this baby one day in heaven. That is a hope I know I can hold onto because I believe in a God who provides that hope. He has also provided incredible peace and comfort during the last month.

2. My husband. Oh, my amazing husband. Seeing him grow into a father during those first few weeks was priceless. I've been blessed to see that, what I always knew I could expect, actually did happen: James will be a wonderful father to our children.
And then after we got that horrible news, he has been an unceasing source of comfort and encouragement. Even through his own grieving, he has helped to sustain me. This struggle has brought us even closer together and strengthened our marriage.

3. Our family and friends have been incredible. I didn't realize how helpful it would be to know that people are grieving with us, and that there are many who've experienced this loss and totally understand. Not that "misery loves company" but, realizing that there are many people who love us so much that they feel this pain along with us, helps us get through it.

4. Knowing the depths of this loss makes me so much more grateful for the miracle of babies. I know that if we are given the gift of another baby, I will be even more appreciative for the wonderful gift that they are than I was the first time around.

So that brings us up to speed. More to come on the tons of other things that have been going on over the past month...

Where in the world are the Murphy's?

2008-07-31T23:46:00.003-04:00

Not Scotland, America. Virginia to be exact. We flew in July 16th and are flying back to Scotland August 4th. It's amazing to be here, we're having a fabulous time. One of the coolest things about this trip home is we brought 7 Scottish friends with us! They're having a blast

We're running around like chickens without heads doing tons of stuff. It's lots of fun, but really tiring and busy. Unfortunately we won't have time to visit all of our friends and family while we're here, which is a huge bummer, but this trip is actually more of a work trip as opposed to the last trip which was totally personal and completely determined by us.

So if we don't get a chance to hang out with you, our good friend or family member, know that we are so incredibly sad and have thought about you while we've been here, wishing we could hang out for hours.

There isn't much time to add stuff to the already full itinerary, but if you'd like to come to an already scheduled event, we'd love to have you at a cookout tomorrow! It's on a pond in Powhatan at 6:00. Send me an email (it's in the sidebar on the left) if you'd like directions.

Not that camping trip again

2008-07-11T15:57:00.036-04:00

Yup, I decided to dwell on that week I spent in the wild just a bit more. In case you missed it the first time around, you can read about it here, here, here, and here. I took so many photos, it'd be a shame if I didn't share them with the world!

We saw a bunch of wildlife during the week. How cute are these highland cows; especially the little babies!

This little guy's mom died during childbirth so he's being cared for by the people who work on the Alladale Reserve. I just wanted to cuddle him and bury my face in his furry coat. But then I realized he probably had a bunch of ticks that would jump on me and suck my blood. (But don't worry, some ticks decided to attach themselves to me another time during the week. yuck.)

One morning we woke up to a heard of highland cows taking over our camp and trying to get into our food.

We fed some horses,

And got really stinkin' close to some stags

The whole time I was thinking, "My dad would so love this." Meanwhile, the kids are like, "Stag, schmag. What's next, I'm bored"

One day, the kids learned about teamwork while scaling a pretty intense rock face (that big patch of boulders in the middle of the photo). We all warned the climbers behind us of "wobbly rocks" about a bajillion times.

The rocks, post climb.

Replacing the trees that used to cover Scotland's landscape before the devastation that happened to the people of Scotland during the Highland Clearances is a focus of the people who run the reserve we camped on. In the span of about 4 hours, the 22 kids planted 300 trees. My co-chaperone and I were sure to do our part: we planted a whopping 6 trees and made sure to get it on film.

There was also fly fishing that day, but no one in my group was successful so I'll just omit those photos of failure.
There was much hiking, and a few times we carried all of our earthly possessions (that we had during the week) on our backs. Those were the days I was grateful for the mild Scottish climate.

The view across a Loch at our campsite (those blue tents on the right) and the summit we were about to hike up (the highest point on the left side of the photo).

At the summit

Looking down from the summit at our itty bitty tents. Can you barely make them out? Look to the left of the Loch about 1/3 of the way from the bottom edge of the water.

On the last night, some person who must have been an angel let me borrow their midge net, it was a lifesaver.

We agreed to remove them for just enough time to get a photo of our faces, but not a second longer!

One final photo of the beautiful landscape. I promise, no more references to the camping trip, at least for a few months.

Bright Nights

2008-07-11T15:33:00.006-04:00

That's how Scots refer to the glorious summer days when the sun hangs out in the sky all day and most of the night. The super long summer days almost make the 3:30 pm sunsets during the middle of winter worth it. Almost; but the thought of all that darkness coming in a few months makes me cringe.

But the long days, oh, they're so fabulous. You never get sleepy; suddenly you realize it's after 11 and it feels like 6. What would make those nights near to perfection is consistently warm weather so you could actually spend time outdoors without wearing a jacket. Oh well, can't have everything.

I took these pictures right around summer solstice at 12:30 am, without a flash. The camera didn't do a great job of recording the true color of the sky; it was actually an even lighter and brighter blue than what it looks like in the photo, but you get the idea. During the longest days, it doesn't ever get completely dark, just hovers around twilight for a few hours until the sun starts coming up again around 2:30. It's pretty amazing.

Come visit us next summer and see it for yourself!

You know what's kinda awkward?

2008-07-05T11:44:00.003-04:00

Celebrating American Independence Day in the country we celebrate independence from, and with people who are from that country.

But, we have some awesome friends here, because a few families threw a BBQ in honor of July 4th. Granted, no one had the day off work, we didn't see any fireworks, there was no reference to the "Fourth", (except for my one, inappropriately timed, very awkward comment)and no one wore red, white, and blue, but it was still a great time with good friends and lots of delicious food.

It was my birthday...

2008-06-30T13:47:00.003-04:00

..and I rode on a cow.

I wish I had a photo to share with you, but it was a totally spontaneous event that I wasn't expecting at all, and definitely couldn't have planned for.

Before you get too excited, it wasn't a real cow, but two people in costume. The poor guy who was the back half of the cow unexpectedly had to bear the weight of the two other birthday girls at a birthday party for a friend of ours.

Overall, it was a good day. It was, after all, my golden birthday: 28 years on the 28th of June. There was lots of lying around, doing not much of anything, movie watching, present receiving, basically whatever I felt like doing. It was very nice.

James made reservations for us to have dinner at a place in Dornoch called Luigi's. It's not Italian, as you would expect from the name, but just a mix of different types of dishes. James had a steak, I had some fish. Delicious.

We got home and two of our girls (high school aged) came by with a cake they had made for me. It was a chocolate double layer cake with homemade chocolate icing. YUM. We ate some and hung out with them for a bit.

Then we attended the above mentioned 18th birthday party of a friend. That's where the cow riding happened.

It's kinda bizarre to be getting closer to 30, because, wow that seems a lot older than how I feel. Seriously, I feel like I'm 22. Maybe it's partly because our job includes hanging out with high school kids all the time? But I don't so much mind getting older because I really am enjoying my life.

Ask me again at 30, I might have something different to say about getting older when I hit that milestone.

Hil.lar.i.ous.

2008-06-24T17:56:00.002-04:00

This won't mean a thing to most of you, but my friend Anna has posted some memories from high school in light of our upcoming TEN year reunion. Yup. I'm getting that old. Old enough to be out of high school for a decade. She's listed some ridiculously funny memories from those 4 years. Just in case there are some other HHS Class of '98 friends out there, I wanted you to join in the reminiscing too.

*Disclaimer: In case you read Anna's list, and are wondering, I really didn't seriously think we should steal the bus. Moving it to the other side of the parking lot might have been funny though. But all you kids should never consider doing anything like that. Never ever.

Weekend Review: It's Back!

2008-06-22T18:57:00.006-04:00

I used to do this a while back (I copied the idea from Val) and stopped after we moved to Scotland. We're in more of a rhythm now, so I'll attempt to get back in the habit. Here goes...

Friday
-Up at 8:00
-Prepared for Scripture Union(SU)
-Cycled around town with James to run a couple of errands
-Intended to cycle to the Secondary School (middle and high school) for SU, but decided to ride home and get the car since it started raining.
-Hung out with the kids at SU, taught a lesson
-Home, did some other stuff, can't remember what
-Left for a farewell ceilidh (pronounced kay-lee. I know. Looks nothing like it.) for some American friends who are moving back to America. It was in a place called Nairn, about 1.5 hours from Dornoch. Guess who lives there.
-Did some Scottish country dancing, socialized, heard some gaelic singing (fyi, in Scotland, it's pronounced like garlic without the r.)
-Home around midnight.

Saturday
-Up around 10:00
-Cleaned the house
-Made dinner, had James' and our young friend Alisha's help.
-Had two couple's over for dinner, had a great time.
-Cleaned up, to bed.

Sunday
-Up at 8
-Left for Nairn again to be at our previously mentioned American friend's church for their last Sunday before they move.
-Attended the lunch afterward.
-Home around 3
-Was exhausted for some reason, rested, watched Grey's Anatomy via the internets.
-Kids came over at 7 for Youth Fellowship. James taught a lesson, had pizza, played some games
-Left the house at 9:30 to take some kids home and hang out at a friends house for the ritual Sunday night hang out with these friends.
-Was too exhausted, got James take me home so I could rest and so he could go back, eat Chinese, and hang out for a while without me needing to go home early.
-Resting, preparing for Scripture Union at the Primary (Elementary) School tomorrow.
-To sleep soon.