Journal: 24 April 2012

As I walk around these now (somewhat) familiar streets I get the feeling that this city and I have unfinished business.  I'm not sure what it is, but I don't feel ready to leave.  By my last month in South Africa, I was devastated to be leaving, but I felt ready.  It felt right.  It seems like I'm just learning how to be here.  The time has flown in the most painfully, inching sort of way, and I need more.  There is magic in this land.  I lost track of it for a few months in there and I'm just now starting to remember.  I'm not ready to leave.  There is no 'but I'm so ready to go home.'  I'm just not ready to leave.  So maybe I won't.

Just one more...

The face that said 'goodbye' to us on Skye...

Isle of Skye

For the last week I've been traveling with these two...

I don't know what hour this is of the approximate fourteen that it took us to get from Edinburgh to Skye and back (its not supposed to take that long), but you can bet that we were having a good time, and probably singing, telling jokes or teasing Grace :)

On the way up we stopped at the oft photographed Eilean Donan castle to take an obligatory picture.  It is beautiful!

The Isle of Skye was incredible.  I loved every minute of it.  After we had slept and been fed breakfast we set out for the Fairy Glen.

We left shiny coins with wishes for the fairies.

 And (respectfully) clambered all over.

It was definitely magical.
That afternoon we adventured up to visit The Old Man of Storr.  We got a little lost, so we ended up climbing up incredibly steep hills that we had to stay super close to in order to avoid being thrown off by the wind, but we made it!  We were cold and tired, but we definitely made it, and touched it.

The next morning I woke up early and marched into Portree.

And found a beautiful place to sit in awe.

And sing a little Badasht.

On our way back to Edinburgh we stopped by the Fairy Pools for more magic and wishing.

And were treated to a little snow.

 And sun.

Such an amazingly magical and exquisite island.  I know I'll be back in the future.

We spend a few days on either end of the trip in Edinburgh doing all the touristy (read princessey) things and are now in Paris eating like kings.  It has been a pretty fantastic week :)

Love.

Beautiful City, Part II

When I wrote this post back in January, I had no idea what I was getting into with this city.  Back then our relationship was in the one-sided crush phase, now I'm fully head over heals in love and I'm just hoping that the city loves me back.  Things are going well so I'm inclined to believe it does :)

(the pictures look much better if you click on them)

I've been waking up obscenely early, which I don't particularly mind, but I find myself with a lot of daylight hours to fill.

This morning I marched out of the house, bright and early, and walked all over Marchmont.  It's simply beautiful.

I stopped by The Chocolate Tree for some pretty amazing hot chocolate and continued to explore in search of awesome houses and flowers.

I was definitely not disappointed.

One of the best things about moving away from Hawaii is experiencing seasons.  I love love love Spring.  Autumn is amazing too, but there is something so special about everything coming alive again.

Also, if I ever move back to Edinburgh, please let me live here...

My time here has been so many things, good and challenging, but right now, when I think back on the last three months, it feels so precious.  I'm moving into a different phase of living here; the visitors start tomorrow, and I'll be traveling, taking exams, visiting friends and family and playing tour guide for the next two months.  It will be lovely, I'm sure, but I've really cherished being alone with this city.

The quieter, the more patient and open we are in our sadness, the deeper and more unerringly the new will penetrate into us, the better we shall acquire it, the more it will be our fate, and when one day in the future it 'takes place' (that is, steps out of us towards others) we shall feel related and close to it in our inmost hearts.  And that is necessary.
                        --Ranier Maria Rilke


Now, don't worry, I haven't been living in the depths of sadness, but I do feel that this has been an introspective time, and that something big and new is going to manifest itself soon in my life. I hope I can love the changes.

Much love.

Something in the Water

Loving this song right now...  Also, her outfits are perfect.

Oh you know, just the last two weeks...

I'm back!

It's my last week of school, which is absolutely insane...

Last weekend I went down to Cambridge and Bury St. Edmunds to visit my oldest friends.  We've known the Lupton/Raes since I was three months old, so basically for all of eternity.  They moved from Hawaii when I was ten and I've seen them about every four years since.  So the last time we saw each other I was almost seventeen.  My how things have changed.  Craziness.  We had a lovely time.  I took the train down, which was awesome and beautiful.  The first afternoon we went punting on the Cam and I was given a very official tour of fantastic facts.  All incredibly true, of course...  The next morning we played croquet, which I don't have much talent for, and then headed over to Bury.

The rest of the weekend was filled with lots of catching up, tea, walks, shock (on my part) at Timothy's size, games and gardening.  It was lovely.
Just for fun, here is a few pictures of us through the years!  I don't have any of us when we were really little, but this is Oliver, Rick and I four years ago:

And this is us now:

This is the whole group in 2000ish:

(Back l-r: Hannah, Zac, Baki, Ashley and Basket Lady.  Front l-r: Me, Luke, Mariah, Oliver)

And then all of us in 2006:

It's crazy how long I've known these people.  I love it.

Lots happened in the weeks before this trip, but since this is already loooooong, here are ten highlights :)

1. Naw Ruz Ceilidh.  Simply fantastic.  Unfortunately unphotographed.
2. Sun.  Soso much.  Warmth too.
3. Snow.  Yes, that happened as well.
4. Beach.  Not in the snow.
5. Afternoon at the National Museum with my cousin.
6. Kitchen scrubbing.
7. Chasing Owls concert.
8. Completely successful preenroll.  Hellooooooo senior year!
9. Spring!  Flowers!  Love!
10. Highland Cow sightings, forest stomping, rope structure climbing and freckles.

Good times.

Much missing and heaps of love.