1 year ago...

One year ago today, Joe and I arrived--jet lagged, excited, and a little bit overwhelmed--in Edinburgh. We didn't know quite what to expect but hoped for good things. We've not been disappointed and have been surprised with how quickly Edinburgh has begun to feel like home. One year has gone by so much faster than I would have expected and has been filled with so much.

I've been thinking about all the ways to measure this past year--trips taken, visitors hosted, friends made, days on the job, conference papers accepted--but really none of that seems to capture quite what this past year has been about. Edinburgh, in many ways, has been our first home together, a place that wasn't mine or Joe's but ours. We've had the chance to build life together from the ground up this past year--finding and settling into a new job, finally being able to delve into study that thrills, making friends together, exploring and experiencing new places together, and creating home. And, all the while learning about and integrating into a new culture and, in many ways, a different approach to living that what we've been used to. I think we've grown a lot in this past year and it's been an exciting journey--though sometimes a little less than fun (there have been some hard days and tears, I'm not going to lie). Does this sound cheesy? I think so. But, it's what I'm thinking and feeling about all this.

We spent our first anniversary having (an absolutely extraordinary) dinner with some friends from our church. It was a perfect evening with friends from various countries, various ages, and various backgrounds. An evening full of laughing and talking. And a picture of what this past year has brought us: a year ago we were, literally, strangers in a foreign land and now we feel settled and happy here in our Edinburgh life.

It's amazing what can happen in a year.

(And it's amazing how cheesy this post turned out to be).