Retreat in the Borders

This weekend, I joined 20 women from our church, Cornerstone, on a retreat at Kippilaw House in the Scottish Borders. We left in the evening on Friday and arrived in time for a brief session and small groups, followed by supper and socializing. I roomed with my lovely friend Liana in the White Room. It was very spacious and of course, white.

The retreat structure included sessions led by guest speaker, Dot, small groups, and free time. Saturday afternoon, I walked around the estate, painted my nails, napped, read "Harry Potter", and enjoyed conversation with friends. Meals were delicious and prepared by Becky and Abby, pictured below in their stylish aprons. I formed deeper relationships with many women from our church, and I'm thankful I had this time to rest and reflect. I hope to go back again to explore more of the Borders, including Melrose. Take a look!

 

Easter Sunday

Easter weekend began with the stomach flu in the Allen abode. Because of this, we didn't feel our best for Easter Sunday, but still participated in the day the best we could. And it was a wonderful day!

 

Every year, there is a 7am sunrise service at St Mary on the Rock overlooking the North Sea, just a few steps from our flat. All churches in St Andrews gather together to celebrate the resurrection. Hymns are sung, a sermon is preached, and communion is served. Truly, this service is something we will miss when we leave.

 



 

After resting a bit at home, we attended All Saints Church at 10:30 to watch John and Sam Brewer's baptism. It was special to be present for this significant day in their lives. I felt a bit awkward making my way through the liturgy, but enjoyed experiencing the Easter Eucharist. 

 

After eating nothing but crackers and juice all weekend, it was decided that Taste lattes and croissants were in order. The day was sunny and still and the temperature was perfect! We sat on a bench overlooking the sea and our view looked like this:

Easter dinner was hosted by Jesse and Liana. I say this at every holiday, but friends become family when you live away from home. And we are grateful for our family in St Andrews. Dinner included lamb with tahini sauce, mint peas, roasted potatoes, salad, Paska donuts, and a cake for Raymond's birthday!

 

 

Happy Easter Week!

 

And we are raised with Him,
Death is dead, love has won, Christ has conquered;
And we shall reign with Him,
For He lives: Christ is risen from the dead!

Lade Braes

When we walked in the door at 5 o'clock, the sun shone brightly through our kitchen windows. So, instead of crashing on the couch, we put on our trainers and headed for the Lade Braes. It's a new season and we are happy to adjust to longer days. This trail is a popular place for walkers, runners, cyclists, and dogs in St Andrews. A stream runs alongside the path and birds nest in the trees above. It's peaceful and scenic: a perfect place to spend time with the one I love. Along the way, we passed the Hopkins' flat and spotted little Keira Buchanan playing in her back garden. Small town living definitely has its perks.

a spring update

The first day of spring began with sideways rain and wind. Scotland. We are excited for longer days and slightly warmer temps. Each winter we hibernate in our flat spending our time drinking tea and watching movies in our slippers, so we're pretty happy that spring is here. Daffodils and crocuses bloom and already we've been more energized in the morning with the sunlight pouring through our bedroom window.

I'd like to interrupt my normal posts of photos or events and get back to the basics. So, how are we doing? What's new with that PhD student? Do we have accents now? Here's a spring update:

This year has been a difficult one so far. In short, we've had some hopes and plans not work out. Whether is be personally or professionally, life doesn't always listen to what we want. Already, I'm seeing wisdom and growth come out of these hard few months. Every once in a while I look back over our time in Scotland and am quickly reminded of God's continued faithfulness. Regardless of our circumstances, He gives us peace.

Garrick works long hours and pursues every avenue he can, so with every "yes" comes many "no's". It's the life of academia, but it doesn't ease the sting of rejection. I think everyone has felt it at one time or another. I'm very thankful and proud of the hard work he puts into his PhD, book reviews, conference papers, grants, and much more. He was made to do this, and it shows.

I'm enjoying my new post in Admissions and have found it to be a wonderful department with room for personal development. My office view over the West Sands and Old Course never gets old. My list of hobbies continues to grow. I feel mediocre at all of them, but I think that's the nature of a hobby. For the past four weeks I've eliminated gluten, dairy, sugar, red meat, and caffeine from my diet. Despite cravings for chocolate chip cookies, I've never felt better and this motivates me to keep going!

Life after St Andrews is no longer a distant idea, but an impending reality. It's equally exciting and scary. Garrick is happy living anywhere in the world, and I'd like to stick to the English-speaking countries. Surprise. Our community here is still awesome. Last night I hosted a Buy & Sell event with women from the St Mary's community and it was a success. My wee flat was turned into a charity shop for the evening!

Spain is on the horizon in May. We'll spend 10 days in Barcelona and the Costa Brava area. Garrick has planned a conference taking place in June, and he will travel to Vienna in July for ISBL (International Society of Biblical Literature). In November he'll visit San Diego for SBL, and I'm hoping to jump to pond as well to meet my new nephew due in July!

Tonight we're having roast chicken with vegetables, wine and cheese, and then relaxing with a movie. Life is good because God is good. Anything else? Just ask.