Matt and I at the top of the Scott Monument! That's Edinburgh Castle behind us!

Hello all!

We have not forgotten about you! Life has been busy recently with classes and now with a job for Bailey. We are still loving living here, but now the fascination with living in a new country is beginning to fade, and we are starting to feel like we belong here and are actually more than just visiting.

It used to be an adventure to wander down the street to the shops nearby and even more exciting to go "in to town" and walk down Princes Street and toward the Royal Mile. While we still enjoy all of those outings, they are becoming more commonplace as I walk down those streets several days a week for classes. I am learning the sites and the shops, even how to be more aggressive when crossing the street (watching out for buses is the biggest challenge!).

We live in a city of almost half a million people, but there are times when it doesn't feel nearly that big. The area we live in has its own rather small town feel, and our street has a sort of isolated, neighborhood feel. Edinburgh is a city of parks, and to get to class I get to walk past, in my opinion, one of the most beautiful parks in the city. I love the views (Arthur's Seat and the Queen's Palace of Holyrood as well as a spectacular view of the city) and I also love the remoteness it gives to Abbeyhill. We are right in the middle of the city, yet we live far enough away to be comfortable. I don't think we could have gotten a better place for what we need.

We have visited most of the touristy sites in the past few weeks, and there are a few pictures of them below. For my birthday a couple weeks ago, we went to the National Gallery of Scotland which was having a wonderful Spanish art exhibit "The Discovery of Spain: From Goya to Picasso". That was wonderful! (I actually got to spend quite a bit of time there over the next couple weeks for classes and a conference). We also went to eat at the Elephant House cafe, which is a quaint, cute cafe that calls itself the "birthplace of Harry Potter" because that is where J. K. Rowling wrote Harry Potter. We went on that initial attraction, and the marvelous view of the castle from the enormous windows, but have gone back a couple times for the great food.

Several other adventures we've had include a trip to the zoo where we saw a penguin parade, a trip to Portobello beach (about 15 minutes away) and dipped our feet in the Firth of Forth, saw a production of Beauty and the Beast at the Edinburgh Playhouse, and climbed 287 steps to the top of the Scott Monument (scary, but super fun).

We have found a great church here that reminds us of home. It's called Holyrood Abbey Church, which is a Presbyterian Church of Scotland. We have only been attending for a few weeks, but the people are very warm and friendly. Each Sunday we have been invited to people's homes for lunch. It is customary here to go to someone's home for Sunday lunch along with several others, and spend all day eating, drinking tea, and visiting until evening service. It is the best way to meet local people! We didn't expect lunch to last until dinner, but it has made us feel so included in the community that we gave up any hope of being productive on Sunday in favor of good fellowship.

There is also a good young adult group at the church and several people our age, several in college, several professionals. We are hoping to get more involved the longer we are here.

So far, everything has been as good as we were hoping. I got a job at Jessops, a camera store in the city, and started last week. That was quite a blessing, and I am enjoying my job. Matt is still searching for employment. He has applied to several places, a few of which sound great. Please pray that he will able to get a job soon that he will enjoy.

Finally, here are some pictures for your enjoyment! We'll be better about posting more often! You can hold us to that!