15 August 2014

one down, four to go

We dropped Dallin off at the airport yesterday and he got on a plane bound for Edinburgh, Scotland. This was the last picture we took before he left. The twins were very sad that he was leaving and were worried that he wouldn't be their daddy anymore. We assured them that he would always be their daddy. And we promised them that it would only be 11 days until we saw him again, and that helped calm their tears. (Well, that and the Chick-Fil-A we drown our sorrows with after we left the airport.)

Dallin arrived safely in Scotland today. He is exhausted, but after a short nap, he went out to the store for a bath towel and some dinner. He came back with dish soap and dinner instead. Ha. Poor guy. Now that he's there and it's too late to change anything, we are both wondering what on earth we were thinking when we sent him there 11 days ahead of us! He is worried about me having to watch the girls without him, and I'm worried that he will just be bored and lonely without us there. But we will manage and we will see him soon!

He says the apartment is small but nice and that Edinburgh is cold but beautiful. He says we will love it here and I believe him. I am anxious to get out there and see it for myself.

But I'm nervous too. Here are a few things that I worry about:
1- Laundry. I've heard from other expats that the clothes drying situation is awful. It sounds like we will be hang drying everything, although how that works indoors, I'm not yet sure...
2- All the rain! And where is the sun hiding? And my glasses! I'll either need to wear a hat or wear my contacts more often if I don't want to be looking through a rain spattered windshield constantly. And will I just walk around soaking wet everytime it rains? I will just have to adjust and teach myself that rain doesn't kill and it's okay to let the kids play outside even when it's wet.
3- What if I can't understand anyone?! What if no one can understand me?!
4- The food. What if I can't find any Mexican food? What if I can, but it's awful? I'm not sure which would be worse. Will they have a good selection of produce? Why does the food have to be so expensive over there?!

5- Friends. I'm pretty introverted until I really get to know people. And talking to strangers is difficult for me, so I worry about the girls and I making new friends. I guess I just need to put on my big girl panties and go talk to that person that I don't know, okay?



Despite these worries, I am SO excited for a lot of things too:

1- The scenery! Castles, rolling hills, lochs, buildings that are hundreds of years old, all that green! I don't know if my eyes will even know what to look at first.
2- We get to experience and learn about a totally new culture. We get to give our children an international experience! (Sure, they probably won't remember it, but I say it still counts.)
3- We have always lived really close to both of our families, and that has been a huge blessing. But now we get to have this experience where we have to really rely on each other for everything and become closer as a family.
4- We have always had great church congregations where we have lived, but I think it will be a new experience living in a country where all our neighbors don't share our beliefs or go to our church. I am excited to experience the LDS church in another place and come to be friends with a new ward family.
5- We are going to be living SO close to so many other countries. The travel options are endless. I don't know how we will ever narrow our travels down to a reasonable amount of places to visit.

The next few weeks have a lot in store for us as I pack up the rest of our belongings to either bring with us or store for the next year, and as the girls and I hop on a plane to "cross the pond!" Wish us luck!

2 comments:

  1. I know of one great place for nachos just off the Royal Mile.
    Clothes can dry indoors but it can take a bit longer due to the humidity.
    It doesn't always rain- just keep layers with you. :)
    The accent in Edinburgh is big city- not the strong dialect you hear in movies.

    I was only there a few weeks but loved the local ward, saw the missionaries everywhere.

    It is seriously my most favorite place I ever visited. Have a blast! Good luck

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    1. Thanks Trisha! Good to hear all of those things! Keep posting on Instagram so I can see what's going on with your cute fam!

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