So this is our trip to celebrate ;)
Also Mrs. Shelia, the sitter that usually keeps Ali, had planned her vacation around spring break since the other kids she keeps are teachers kids. We had planned for Eddie's mom to come watch Ali for that week while 
we were at work. Then, Eddie's business trip fell right on top of spring break, so it worked out perfectly for me to tag along with him. Nana was already planning to be here, so we had 24 hour coverage... and I would only be 24 weeks along and could still travel easily with little risk for the new baby. And to top it all off, Aunt Carrie decided to come down and spend some quality time with Ali and her mom... so great ;)This is the first time that Eddie & I had gone on a trip without our girl! We were very comfortable and knew that Ali was in good hands. We explained to her that "Mommy & Daddy were going on a BIG Adventure and were going to fly on a BIG Airplane..." I had told her this before, but previously, it was just Daddy that was going... this is his 4th international trip since January! Ali did great, had lots of fun, and made lots of great memories with Nana & Carrie!
Orlando -- Atlanta -- Amsterdam -- Aberdeen
We left Orlando at 2:30pm on Tuesday headed to Aberdeen Scotland!
1/2 Day #1 - Wednesday March 30th, 2011
We arrived in Aberdeen at 5:30am on Wed (EST)... 10:30am on Wed (local time)... about 18hrs later, but after being awake for well over 24hrs. We were not quite ready to start the day on less than 3hrs of sleep (which was sitting up on the plane), so we managed to get our rental car, and drive (on the wrong side of the road) to the hotel, got we checked in and took a little nap!
2/2 Day #1 - Wednesday March 30th, 2011
A few hours later we were re-charged and ready to adventure out into the gray, misty, 50degree weather. We walked around downtown Aberdeen along Market Street and Union Street, had diner at an Italian restaurant, La Lombarda, then decided to get tickets to the musical Hairspray that was playing at the local theater. The timing was perfect. Very relaxing, not rushed or on a schedule...
Day #2 - Thursday, March 31st, 2011Eddie had to do some things for work, then we were able to venture out to the north shore of Scotland. I took the opportunity to try out my Scottish driving skills for the 1st time... that was an adventure in and of itself. I just had to brainwash myself to stay left... stay left... i think i did fine.
The drive was absolutely beautiful through the windy country roads and rolling hills with pastures as far as you could see and LOTS of sheep with cute little babies... shaggy cattle, horses, and more sheep!
Built for William Duff (1697-1763).
look closely... the view straight ahead is the North Sea!
Day #3 - Friday, April 1st, 2011
Eddie went into the office for the day and I decided to take the car and venture westward into the Highlands to check out the scenery and visit some castles.
This was one of my favorite castles... from the late 16th century!
King Robert the Bruce granted the lands of Leys to the Burnett family in 1323: the ancient Horn of Leys, which can be seen today in the Great Hall, marks his gift. The castle was built in the second half of the 16th century, is a superb example of a tower house of the period.
Balmoral Castle, Crathie
Scottish home to the Royal Family - Prince William and Kate will likely visit later this year.
The combination of a 13th-century square tower, a Jacobean mansion house and the additions of the Victorian lairds make Drum Castle unique among Scottish castle.
Eddie and I loved getting the updates and pictures from Nana & Carrie... we were 6 hours ahead of Florida time, so we were usually headed to bed when the cutest pictures would come across our phone!
Eddie & I drove south towards Edinburgh. We stopped along the way to check out a castle or two and to visit the golf Meca of St. Andrews... we saw several windmill farms and acres after acres of daffodils... absolutely amazing beauty, especially since the sun was peaking out from behind the clouds!
Dunnottar Castle, Stonehaven
This was our favorite castle! Quite a fixer upper, but the views were remarkable!
St. Andrews
The Old Course at St. Andrews is the most famous golf course in world golf and the Mecca to which every golfer aspires to make pilgrimage at least once in a golfing lifetime. The Old Course is the classic seaside links although the sea is seldom in view other than at the first and last holes.
The Old Course at St. Andrews is the most famous golf course in world golf and the Mecca to which every golfer aspires to make pilgrimage at least once in a golfing lifetime. The Old Course is the classic seaside links although the sea is seldom in view other than at the first and last holes.
Edinburgh Castle
This most famous of Scottish castles... The oldest part of the castle, St. Margaret's Chapel, dates from the 12th century; the Great Hall was erected by James IV around 1510; the Half Moon Battery by the Regent Morton in the late 16th century; and the Scottish National War Memorial after the First World War.
The Royal Mile
Update from Florida...
I think Carrie and Ali were having fun playing dress up ;)
It's the greatest feeling to get a precious picture like this and to hear a cheerful little voice on the phone say..."I love you Mommy!" "I love you Daddy!"
Day #5 - Sunday, April 3rd, 2011
Mother's Day in the UK!
Sunday, we enjoyed our KFC picnic outside the Queens Gardens, drove through the residential row houses around Moray Circle, and were excited to need our sunglasses because we could see blue sky! (not just the standard gray overcast weather Scotland is known for...)
We hiked up to the summit of Arthurs Seat in Edinburgh and enjoyed the beautiful views at the top! Quite a bit of nature in the middle of such a big city.
Arthurs Seat, Edinburgh
almost at the top...
We made it to the sumit of Arthur's Seat...
The views from the top were very impressive...
you could see the North Sea line, the castle, and a great view of the city!
We took a little different trail down the ridgeline on other side to get back...
you could see the North Sea line, the castle, and a great view of the city!
We took a little different trail down the ridgeline on other side to get back...
Glamis Castle, Angus (just North of Dundee)
On the way back to Aberdeen from Edinburgh, we decided to stop by one more castle... Glamis Castle is the family home to Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne since 1372. We enjoyed a nice tour and walk around the grounds and pastures...
I loved the daffadills!
Baby #2 has been to Scotland (@ 24 wks)!
They have "Shaggy Cows" in Scotland... do these say "Moo" too?
(I'm pretty sure these are Angus Cows... we had to ask though ;-)
Day #6 - Monday, April 4th, 2011
Eddie went into the office, I packed up my bags, walked around the Union Square Mall for about an hour, then drove to meet him for lunch before going to the airport at noon.
Aberdeen -- Amsterdam -- Atlanta -- Orlando
My trip home was pretty good, but I was ready to crawl into bed when I finally made it home about 1AM... again after about 18 hours of traveling and being awake for over 24 hours straight! My connections were pretty tight, but made for an exciting trip back through Customs, Immigration, Security, getting my bag, and checking it again, and getting to the opposite end of the Atlanta airport all in 1 hr 20 min... it was close, but I made it!
What I'll remember most about Scotland...
Daffodils, Castles, Sheep & Shaggy Cows, driving on the wrong side of the road.
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