Edinburgh

We've heard a lot of great things about this city we are moving to. Joe has personally been there once before and says that it is a really beautiful city, which seems to be the consensus of everyone we've spoken to. Since many of our family and friends have never been to Edinburgh (though we hope you will change that in the next three years!), here are some interesting facts about this city:

• The population of Edinburgh (city) is about 450,000

• Edinburgh is home to Edinburgh Castle. Although this isn't a castle in use anymore, it did once serve as a royal home. Now, it is a major tourist attraction and a centerpointe of the city.

• The city is known for being a cultural center in the UK and hosts numerous festivals throughout the year. These include a month long art festival, international festival, film and book festivals, and many others.

• Each year, Edinburgh hosts the biggest New Year street party in the world--Edinburgh's Hogmanay.

• The climate is supposed to be pretty temperate. According to the official Edinburgh website it rarely gets colder than 40F and usually tops out just below 70F.

• In the height of the summer, it is daylight for over 17.5 hours (surise at 4:27am, sunset at 10:03pm). In the dead of winter, it is daylight for just under 7 hours (sunrise at 8:43am and sunset at 3:41pm).

Those a few facts that we have learned over the last few weeks (click here to find out more) and the things people seem most interested in knowing. Obviously there is so much more that we don't know but we are looking forward to getting there and experiencing Scottish life. And, hopefully through this blog (and your visit to see us!) you will get a taste of Scotland too.

11 Weeks Notice

I know it's unusual, but I gave my job 11 weeks notice of my impending resignation. It was the moment that I have been dreading, ever since we started talking about Edinburgh as an option. I love my job and saying goodbye to the people I work with, the clients I see, and a job I have enjoyed so much is going to be hard. Not surprisingly, everyone in my office was extremely supportive when I broke the news.

Indulge me, if you will, so that I can tell you a little about this place at which I have spent so much of the past four years--Children's Advocacy Services of Greater St. Louis (CASGSL). This is an organization that is dedicated to serving abused and traumatized children in our area. We provide forensic services to kiddos who are in the midst of the investigation and clinical services to kiddos who are on the road to recovery. I think our forensic team is top-notch, but it is the clinical services that I have been a part of these years and that I could not say enough good things about. This is a hard job, walking through the pain of trauma with kids and teenagers and their families. Sometimes it is just heart-breaking. But, more often than not, it is pretty rewarding to get to see these kids and their families through their recovery. I can't tell you about each family, but I can tell you this: there are a lot of amazing kids and families out there in St. Louis. I can also tell you that there are some amazing therapists (Natalie, Kate, Megan, Dorothy, Jerry, Dolores, and Matt) working with these kiddos to help them heal. More than coworkers, these folks have been mentors and friends as I have begun my career and lived life over the past 4 years. I am so fortunate to have been a part of this team and I will miss them a lot!

One Year

For our first anniversary, Joe and I spent the evening enjoying the Opera Theater of St. Louis. They have a beautiful garden area where theater goers can picnic before the show and then go right into the theater at show time. We enjoyed a lovely picnic dinner with some of our favorite treats (like Trader Joe’s olive tapenade!) and some delicious pieces of our wedding cake (we were able to pick up a couple of fresh slices from our baker).

We really enjoyed the opera, La Boheme, which was beautifully done, but quite sad (neither of us knew the story before). The evening was a great celebration of our first wedding anniversary and are looking forward to many more. (Joe already has the celebration for year 2 planned!)