The Adventures of Studying Abroad: Reunited

Hey Everyone, (If I remember correctly I'm supposed to dedicate this blog to Darrel, Chad, and Swanny?)

My family is finally here and I'm loving the time I get to spend with them. They arrived on Wednesday bright and early at approximately 7:30 a.m. Jacob and I picked them up from the airport and it was great to see their smiling faces. We got them to their hotel and then Jacob and I had to head to school because we had a presentation that morning. After class we went back into to town to chat with them and trade souveniers/gifts. We gave them our gifts and in return Jacob and I recieved ranch dressing (man have I missed it), Dupont cheese, cookies, brownies, Miracle Whip, new slippers, Jacob's tennis shoes, and many other little things. Gotta love getting things from home. We found a place to eat dinner that night which was very delicious. My mom, sister and I all had fish and chips and my dad and Jacob both got haggis, neeps and tatties. Haggis is actually pretty good to my surprise and they seemed to enjoy it as well. Since the flight for them was so long and Jacob and I had an early morning as well, they headed back to their hotel and Jacob and I headed back to the Palace to call it a night.

The next day Jacob and I had class all day so my family decided to go on a Highlands tour called the Hairy Coo. They said it was fabulous and that they learned so much about Scotland through this tour. Other than that I can't say much since I didn't attend the tour but I'm sure they'll tell stories when they get back.

My dad by the famous bridge on the Old Course

Today was an amazing day. The 5 of us went to St. Andrews (birthplace of golf) for a day trip. Jacob and I ended up being late to the bus station so we missed the bus we intended to take so we had to wait for the next one. Little did we know that this one took the "scenic route" which in turn meant an extra hour to get there. It took us 2 hours and 45 minutes to get to St. Andrews which was a little lengthy seeming that Jacob and I had just taken an hour bus ride just to get into Edinburgh. Anyways, we finally arrived and everything was perfect. My dad was pretty excited to see the courses of course and I was glad to be back there as well since I loved St. Andrews the first time. The sun shined all day which in Scotland is a miracle and it made it that much more beautiful than that last time I was there. My dad purchased some things as the club house and then we went to find some lunch. We ate at the same place that Jacob and I went last time we were there. Again it was delicious and everyone seemed to enjoy their meal. We walked around and went into some gift shops and then watched some people play a round of golf on the Old Course. Since it was such a beautiful day we wanted to sit down and enjoy the sun. We ended up leaving around 5:30ish and arrived in Edinburgh 1.5 hours later. We took a much shorter route this time and picked a different bus which stopped a lot less often than the bus on the way there. We grabbed some dinner in Edinburgh and then Jacob and I made our way home and my family went back to their hotel. In the afternoon Jacob and I are going back into town and we are all going to climb Arthur's Seat. It should be a great time and hopefully my camera doesn't die like it did today in St. Andrews.

I am so greatful that my family is here and I'm glad that my dad got to see St. Andrews. I love seeing my family and spending quality time with them because they are some of the best people in the world. I really don't want them to leave but I know they'll be waiting for me in good 'ol Wisconsin when I get home and just thinking about that makes me smile. Plus, I get to spend the entire summer with them. I will also add that I miss Jacob's families as well. I kind of claim them as my own :) Can't wait to see his families when I get home too!