Back to Scotland

On March 4th we made our way down to the Stena docks and boarded the ferry to Scotland. It was quite effecient, driving our car on and then enjoying the lounge, gift shop etc. We met Elder and Sister Card and Elder and Sister Neely on the same ferry and enjoyed their company.

It was overcast, but we enjoyed the ride anyway.

Pulling into Scotland, we passed another ferry or two.

Once in Scotland, we made our way up the coast to the McDowell's home in Ayr.

View of Ayr from the McDowell's third story window. They have a cute home and we enjoyed staying with them.

On Monday we ventured to the Dumbarton Castle. I actually have ancestors that lived and are buried in Dumbarton. It was fun to know we were walking the same streets.

The castle was built on the river Clyde.

Entrance to the castle.

Fireplace where the guards kept warm.

Old chest in the governor's room.

There were lots of stairs and since they are renovating the castle, there were places we couldn't go.

Excalibur....

Elder Holt peeping....

The weapons room...

Cannons and view from the castle.

The Dumbarton castle was built on a large rock. I'm sure it was quite something in it's day!

We then passed this sheep herder training his dog how to herd sheep.

It was pretty fascinating to watch.

Our next stop was Loch Lomond.

Loch Lomond with Ben Lomond, the mountain in the background.

Path leading to Loch Lomond....

On the bonnie, bonnie banks of Loch Lomond!!!!!

We went to the little village of Lusk. Very quaint, fun village.

Loved this home.

Another fun home.

Streets of Scotland.....

Village church....

Gate house.

We also went to the Robert Burns visitors centre....This is Katie, a YSA that was with us for a few days.

Poet's Corner restaurant.

Robert Burns cottage.

This is Brig O' Doon....

Bridge over the Doon River....

A field of Snowdrops....

Another castle,

The grounds were beautiful...

Oops...this is acutally Dumbarton Castle again!

Beautiful Scotland countryside.

Time to go home.

Haste ye back!

We are so glad we were able to go to Scotland again. It is a beautiful country, but it was nice to be back on the Emerald Isle!!!!

First Trip to Scotland

This week we went to Edinburgh, Scotland for a YSA Round table discussion. We were pretty excited since this was our first trip to Scotland and the Mission Home. Elder Graham picked us up around 5:30 and took us straight to The Royal Ettrick Hotel. We quickly checked in and then headed to the Mission Home for dinner. We had a delightful evening with seven other senior couples, also assigned to Centres for Young Adults in the mission.

The Gielmans, Neelys, Cards and us stayed at the hotel. The others stayed at the mission home.

The Royal Ettrick Hotel is over 100 years old and was a fun place to stay.

The carpet was all tartan plaid and since there were no "lifts", we headed up three flights of stairs to the very top.

Our room was nice and quaint....we had one of the larger rooms. I enjoyed the view from the cute round window... and the gable ceilings.....the floor was slanted so it was a challenge to stay in the bed without rolling out!

The next morning we enjoyed a traditional Scottish breakfast, which is just like the traditional Irish breakfast....we passed on the haggis......

President Griffiths picked us up and we went back to the mission home for a day of great training and discussion.

It was a beautiful day.

This is the mission home. Wow......it is beautiful! Inside and out!!!!! It was fun to be there and enjoy the association with our new found friends.

We took a little break and enjoyed the sunshine for a few minutes on the front lawn.

We love these wonderful people who have left their homes and families to serve a mission with us! Each one has a wonderful story of faith and sacrifice. Each one is so grateful to be here doing what they can to strengthen the church and share the gospel. We love being missionaries!!!

This is the garden statue. Quite appropriate in the peaceful setting of the mission home. We were especially excited to see the crocus and daffodils starting to peak through the ground. Spring is just around the corner!

Although we didn't get to see a lot, we had a great time and look forward to our next trip to Scotland in a few weeks.

January....

Last week we had a fun activity at the Centre for Young Adults. It was Back to School Quiz Night! Everyone was supposed to wear their school uniforms. The girls did a great job and most of them dressed up.....the boys, that was a different story! One did wear a tie........It was fun to hear everyone talk about their school days and their adventures in uniforms!

Before the quiz everyone ate their sack lunch....sandwiches with the choice of tuna and sweet corn, chicken tikka, egg and onion or ham and cheese. Apples, oranges, bananas, a bag of crisps, juice, and lots of sweeties. (some were pretty interesting, like the little fried egg jellies!) Of course there was a Cadbury Fredo the frog!

Everyone enjoyed the quiz. There were three teams. Two teams tied and to Elder Holt's dismay, his team came in third......

Jordan and David announced their engagement this week. We are so happy for them! They are a great couple!!Here we are in front of our new flat. No garden, just a car-park!
The McDowell's stayed with us one night on their way to Scotland. We sure enjoyed having them here and hate to see them go across the Irish Sea.....but it does give us a place to stay when we head to Scotland in March for the YSA Convention!
We have become good friends since our days in the MTC. We feel blessed to know such great people.
Saturday was a special day as we were able to attend Jon's baptism. What a wonderful thing to see the Gospel change lives and bring people so much joy! It's great to be able to share this message with so many people.