6 months!

It's hard to believe, but we have been in Edinburgh for 6 months now. Time is flying by and I am a bit amazed to think about all that has happened in 6 short months.

We arrived in Edinburgh jetlagged and a bit uncertain of what to expect. Six months later, we are feeling settled and immersed in life here, enjoying all that Edinburgh has to offer. We feel incredibly fortunate that things have fallen into place so quickly and, honestly, so easily. We've already made--and continue to make--some great friends, have seen some incredible sights, and are both plugging away at our work/jobs.

Maybe it is thinking back on all that the past 6 months have brought, but I am feeling a little overwhelmed. Not homesick for what we've left behind but really in awe and grateful for what we have gained. This move--while hard to leave good friends, family, a great church, and a great job behind--has been so good for us. We are enjoying the time together, enjoying this opportunity to see a new part of the world, and enjoying the community that we have been so warmly welcomed in to. It's been fun to make new friends together and to see those friendships blossom, fun to make our way in a new place and to see our own friendship with each other growing, and really fun to take in a new culture and be immersed in it. There have been hard times, to be sure, but I am really glad we did this and am looking forward to what the next 2.5 years have in store. It's been fun to look back over the blog and through our pictures to see what we've been up to....here's a look back at some of my favorites:

We've enjoyed the beautiful architecture and historic sights on Edinburgh:

View of the city, from Arthur's Seat

New College

Edinburgh Castle

Holyrood Palace

Fettes

We've seen Edinburgh in two seasons: Fall and Winter

Edinburgh in September

Edinburgh in December

We found a flat and got settled in our new home:

We live in a village--Dean Village, to be exact

Setting up house

We've celebrated several holidays with friends, adding new traditions and carrying on older family traditions too.

Halloween Pumpking Carving

Christmas Market

HogmanayFriends

We've even had a few chances to explore Edinburgh and other parts of Scotland:

Park in Morningside

East Nuek Fishing Villages

The Beach at St. Andrews

A day trip to Portobello

A day trip to Stirling

Our first excursion, to the Falkirk Wheel

All that, and so many other, un-photographed (even, gasp, un-blogged) experiences and memories. Thanks for taking the time to read the blog and to be a part of our time here. It really does make it that much more special to be able to share it with those that we love (and even a few that we don't even know!). Hopefully the next 2.5 years will bring many more great memories that we can share with you!