oh, by the way, we moved to Scotland!

Yes, it's true. Daniel and I relocated to Edinburgh [ed-in-bur-uh], Scotland on 4 September 2014. If you're reading my blog (anybody?) you probably already know this. Because I post (as both the French AND South-Louisianians say) "beaucoup" pictures. 

We really like love living in Edinburgh. We think it has the best of everything you could want in a city... the greenest parks, the cutest cafes, the cosiest pubs, the friendliest people, and the list goes on and on. We love being able to walk everywhere. We love our "wee" flat, our friends, and everything about this beautiful country. *except for maybe the weather* I strongly urge you to come visit while we are living here. We'd be happy to host, and you would not be disappointed! 

About 8 months into our Edinburgh life D and I visited the US for about a month. It. Was. Great! We loved seeing friends and family while home. It was comfortable being in the culture we were raised in. We travelled so much, visiting north and south Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Kansas. I was thankful for that refreshing trip, seeing loved ones and eating too much Chick-fil-a. While we were home I spoke to several people about my #todayinedinburgh photos. It was amazing to see how many people were following our journey via social media. Helps me feel like my loved ones are less far away. People had nothing but nice things to say: "your pictures are so beautiful," "Edinburgh looks like an amazing place," "it's so neat to follow you guys in the UK." And also things like: "you guys are really living the dream," "how lucky you are to live in Scotland," "your life is like a movie." 

So, I'm writing this blog post to address the latter series of comments.

We feel so thankful that God chose to bring us to Scotland, because we really do love it here. We also trust that, no matter where we are, God will provide for our needs. And He most certainly has! Sometimes we'll say to each other (almost a year later) "Wow... we actually LIVE here!" because it's not something either of us would have ever expected. But, as the saying goes, the grass is always greener on the other side. And in this case, while the grass LITERALLY is greener, I want to tell you that we have faced our share of hardships, but we are thankful for the hope we have that God will walk us through and provide for our needs. Take this, for instance...

When I post pictures of bright sun shining beautifully into our back bedroom it's because I've been inside all day and that was the ONLY 5 SECONDS OF THE DAY that the sun came out. What. The. Heck. Scotland?!?!

When I post pictures of tea and biscuits in bed, it's because I'm having hot tea under the covers in the middle of the day because it's FREEZING in our flat and we're too cheap to start using the heat in early October.

When I post pictures of romantic early-morning adventures with my sweet boo-thang, it's because the forecast for THE NEXT 36 HOURS is RAIN!!!!! So we better get out at 8am and enjoy the clear skies before it starts raining by lunch. 

When I post pictures of our roast chicken for #thanksgivinginedinburgh, I'm roasting a chicken because the only fresh turkey I could find was nearly $100. Heck to the no. 

When I post picturesque twilight silhouettes of church spires, just keep in mind that twilight in December was at 4pm. NOT. COOL.

Also 3:30pm sunsets in January..

When I post pictures of snowy fields, just remember that I usually WALK to work. about 2 miles, and yes, uphill. 

When I post pictures of gorgeous flower gardens, please know that it's the only 10 minutes of the day that the grey skies briefly shared with the sun.

When I post pictures of ancient castle ruins, bear in mind that the only reason we went there was because we won free train tickets and were able to enter at no cost. We packed a lunch. I don't even like packing my lunch.

The list goes on and on. Like, for example..
- Scottish Power is the UK equivalent of Comcast.

- I work 3 jobs, that, inconveniently, aren't close to one another. 

- Exciting things happen in the lives of our family members and friends back home, but we miss out. 

SO, what?

Here's the bottom line: most people nobody has a perfect/dreamy/movie-like life. We all have difficulties and hard times in life, regardless of what we post on social media for the world to see. And I've realized that, without meaning to, I've made my life seem like it's full of adventures and excitement. But in all actuality, it's probably a lot like yours! 

Love where you live, because God has put you there for a reason. Enjoy the little things, like sunshine, free day trips, bright colored flowers, delicious CHICKEN at Thanksgiving, etc., because they are so often the biggest blessings. And don't be too discouraged from the hard things in life [I'm preaching to the choir, here], but have hope and see it at work all around you.

peace & love