Good for the Soul

Hello blog readers! So we've been having a great time with Jesse and Leigh Ann in town... They've loved being able to relax child-free; we've loved having family here. We've enjoyed homecooked dinners and wine by candlelight, delicious chocolates, loads of shopping, a bit of sight seeing by car (more of that this weekend), more shopping, new beers and new foods. They've also done a couple of my dog walks with me, which was great to have the company and show them some of the gorgeous scenery. Here's some pictures of the foliage and fall leaves:

Right now, as I type, we're holding our own beer tasting at the house. Jesse and I both picked out some beers reccomended to us along the way...

Yesterday we spent several hours on Union Street, we are all completely addicted to Primark (pronounced Pry-Mark), primark.co.uk. The prices are amazing and the clothes are so cute! Jesse got a whole new outfit for £16. Leigh Ann and I also browsed at H&M, trying on hats and scarves. It was great weather to be out and about, it had been raining and cloudy since they arrived. We bundled up in jackets and scarves to keep warm and decided after our miles of walking and shopping that we'd stop at the Filling Station for dinner, yummy! I got a calzone absolutely stuffed with chicken, cheese, pepperoni and sauce.

 

Today, after Jesse went on my morning dog walks with me, we hit the beach. It was soooo cold because the wind was really blowing, but we manned up long enough to get a couple great pictures by the water.

Then we headed inside a little beachside cafe for some hot drinks--coffee for Jesse, hot chocolate for Leigh Ann and a tea latte for me (Mike's a dedicated water drinker). It was a really cute place and we enjoyed warming up and talking for awhile before we hit up the ARCADE! J & LA tried their hand at some mini-bowling while Mike and I did some racing and shoot 'em up action. Then we had a big air hockey tournament! So much fun.

I got some great news today! I am no longer "redundant" and have a new job!!!! I am the new marketing coordinator for H Marketing... it's a part-time position with flexible hours, great work and just a few blocks from my flat. I couldn't be more excited! So to celebrate, we went for dinner and drinks at Soul, one of our absolute favorite places in Aberdeen. It was the best food to date I've had here, it's been hard to find honest-to-good food on a consistent basis but Soul delivered.

Leigh Ann's been reading our "Welcome to Scotland" packet provided by Mike's company. She'd like to share some of the American-to-British translation with y'all:

DIAPER = NAPPY

EXHAUSTED = KNACKERED

GARAGE SALE = JUMBLE SALE

HUNGRY = PECKISH

LADYBUG = LADYBIRD

THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE = BACK OF BEYOND

NERD = WALLY

Tomorrow we're headed to Crathes castle and to see some of the country scenery, and I'm due up to make my now-famous Guinness Stew. We couldn't be happier to have J & LA with us, and they're enjoying every minute. More updates to come later, cheers!