Aunt Nancy

Earlier today my grandpa woke up from an afternoon nap. Sometimes he is disoriented or confused asking where he is or who I am. But on this particular occasion, he remembered all too well.

"We lost our Nancy," he said.

And my heart shattered into a million pieces. I will forever remember that moment and the utter heartbreak that weighted down his whole body and made my father cry. The world has lost a wonderful woman. She was a caring and patient daughter, an amazing big sister to four ornery brothers, a loving wife of 44 years, and an outstanding and dedicated mother who raised two incredible young men that I'm lucky to call my cousins.

I'll always remember Nancy as a storyteller. No one else could retell an event with such charisma. I always looked forward to talking to her at every family gathering for this reason. She had a contagious smile and she laughed all the time. I could even recognize when she was on the phone with my dad because there was always a smile in his voice when she called.

She wasn't ever dominating the conversation either. Each time I saw her she greeted me with a warm hug and asked me about exactly what I was doing in my life. It never felt like small talk but genuine caring. The last time I talked to her, she was so excited about my Scotland trip and my future as a teacher. I am so sad that I won't ever be able to chat with her about those experiences.

She was also a great gift-giver. I know that might sound silly but, as a kid especially, it was so exciting. When others would give you money or gift cards, she always hand-picked something unique like a scarf or a jewelry holder. They always meant so much because I knew she had thought through exactly what I might like.

Of course, these are only a small part of the woman that my aunt Nancy was. We will all miss her and love her and remember her in our own way. But none will miss her more than her husband and sons. Those three were her whole world. My heart goes out to them all at this time.

I love you Nancy.

You Can't Capture Scotland in a Picture

This is going to be my third and final installment of pictures and videos from my Scotland trip. I head back home on Saturday. Although I've tried to capture as much as I could for memory's sake, I know that my experience is too big for any picture. There is a feeling about Scotland that I can't describe in words or images. I will remember this month for the rest of my life. It has been beautiful. 

The restaurant/bar we went to. 

You can kind of see the parade coming down the hill. This was called Pipefest. 

Battle of Bannockburn reenactment.

They had really cool camps set up around the battlefield.

They are making chair legs with string.

This was at the battle memorial. Thought it was sweet. 

We went on a Tree Top Adventure!

Taking pictures of each other I guess haha

I was at the back of the pack so most of my pictures are from behind, sorry.

She was scared to death at this point. Jacky took the easy way out and went across on the net to the left.

She hit her head on the first zip line. 

Enjoying local delicacies after a long day in the trees. (Fish and Chips and Fried Mars bars). You can tell by my face, I wasn't really a fan. 

My first trip on a double decker bus. I sat right up front.

In front of The Elephant House where J.K. Rowling wrote.

An ancient lighthouse top. 

It's Dolly the Sheep.

Telephone booth selfie!

Edinburgh Castle

Edinburgh from above.

In front of the castle.

It's really blurry but this is the guard that marched after the Queen and Prince William. We tried but couldn't actually see the royalty. 

We were like children in the optical illusion buidling. The video a little further down shows a display in the hologram gallery.

We ate at Frankenstein's Pub. 

What's in a Place?

So I'm taking a writing class right now in Scotland (see, it's not all vacation) and we were doing a writing exercise in which you look at a picture of someone and try to write in their "voice." I did two of these and when the professor read over them both, he asked me why one was better than the other. I didn't know. He said because this character had a place. The reader could picture exactly where he was and how he interacted with the place around him.

Place takes on a character of it's own. It makes you feel safe or small or content or scared. Scotland has made me feel all of these in my time here. That's the story of my summer; discovering a new place and interacting with it. Here are some more pictures and videos of that story. Enjoy!

Sleeping Ducks

Our golf group.

Arithrey Castle. The campus is built around this estate.

These are oyster catchers. They make a lot of noise.

Pretty impressive nest on the water.

You can rent a bike in Glasgow. They have bunch of stations.

They were getting ready for Commonwealth Games. 

Glasgow City Chamber. It has a miniature Statue of Liberty on top.

Why is there an NFL clock in Glasgow City Chambers??

I don't watch Doctor Who but this means something to those that do I guess.

Cool mural for Scottish badminton player.

The city has hired artists to paint on building I guess.

Inside cathedral at Glasgow.

Our wonderful tour guide Colin in front of the oldest house in Glasgow, built in 1414 I think.

Colin suggested this place for lunch. It was a four-course meal. This is kangaroo haggis before I ate it.

Wild Boar Dumplings.

Beef Skewers

Seafood mix from the grill.

Cheesecake for dessert...but I couldn't eat it. Too rich.

Museum of Modern Art.

Evidently people kept putting this cone on the statue as a joke and now it's because a local landmark.

Art display in the museum. Churches made out of cardboard. (Approximately 20x25 foot space)

The artist just picked places of worship out of a local phone book.

They had a bunch of cool mirrors in the museum. 

This is a chain of stores in Scotland. Mostly Lucky Charms and M&Ms in the window.

Looking down Buchanen Street in Glasgow.