Favorites Of The Week

Here some of my favorite things from Faye and Donna's week in Ireland/Scotland!

1. Hearing Galway Girl in almost every single pub we went to. These guys did it best. This has been a favorite since the movie PS. I Love You and Faye wanted to hear it so, so bad in an Irish Pub and I'm so glad she did!



 2. Staying in the swanky Waldorf Astoria Caledonia Hotel in Edinburgh. This was such a treat, those beds were so comfy. Thank you again, Donna!

3. Having this view and getting this shot just right outside of our window. Absolutely breathtaking!

4. Celebrating Faye's Birthday! 30 is going to be an AMAZING year for her!!

5. Making memories and inside jokes that we'll laugh about for years.

It really is so much fun hosting visitors and I hope we have as many next year. We often take for granted the scenery in which we live because we see it every single day and having visitors let’s you see it in a new light and appreciate it all over again. And I also feel that Scotland is underestimated! This country has so much to offer and I’ve only been able to cover a fraction of it. So, come see me and we’ll explore this beautiful place together!

And...that's all for now and probably for a few days/weeks (I'll post if/when I can). I'm off to Texas to celebrate my momma being inducted into the Hall of Fame at Texas A&M University-Commerce (formerly known as East Texas State University) where she coached national championship tennis and volleyball teams. I am so proud of her and can't wait to get in some good friend and family time!

F&D's Trip Recap: St. Andrews

Sunday was Faye’s actual birthday and we spent it in the lovely town of St. Andrews. Faye loves golf as do her brothers and fiancé. She also has a girl crush on Princess Kate (those eyebrows;-) so it was fun to see Kate and Wills' old stopping grounds along with the beautiful cathedral. And to me a trip to St. Andrews is not complete with out B. Jannetta ice cream. I think Ryan would agree!

The Doll's House for lunch!

B Jannetta's for dessert. Yummy!!

Beautiful ruins of St. Andrews Cathedral

Kate and Wills coffee spot during Uni

Made a stop at Dunvegan (a hotel owned by an aggie who married a Scot) to see the cool golf memorabilia

 

St. Andrews University couryard

Next stop was the British Golf Museum. It was pretty cool to see the progression of the game throughout the years.

Rolf, the golfing rabbit

Because of the European Tour going on, this was as close as we got to the bridge.

This pretty much wraps up Faye and Donna's trip to Ireland/Scotland. The next morning we enjoyed a scone and coffee before I took them to the airport. Angus and I both moped around for the rest of the day because we missed them already!! Luckily, I will see them both in just two weeks when we go wedding dress shopping for Faye! Yipee! Stayed tuned tomorrow for my favorite things of the week!

F&D's Trip Recap: Birthday Celebration in Edinburgh

Saturday we were off on an early train to Edinburgh to explore and celebrate Faye Donn’s 30th Birthday! We spent the day walking and shopping with a short Underground City of the Dead tour that gave us a wealth of history on the city as well as a ghost story or two. It was a very cool way to learn about and see the city. I would definitely recommend this on your next trip to Edinburgh!

Our great tour guide, Ian! He has the scary laugh down!

Of course we stopped by Edinburgh Castle and Holyrood Palace.  We saw William Wallace while we were at the Castle!

Holyrood Palace, official residence of the Monarchy. Ceremonies and entertaining are done here.

After putting more than a few miles on our boots (and flats) we stopped for a sweet (or 3) at lovecrumbs. I love this place!

After our cake and a few more shopping stops we headed back to our swanky hotel to clean up before dinner.

In the process we were able to catch this amazing shot of the castle from our hotel window. Absolutely stunning!

We enjoyed dinner and a few cocktails at The Living Room. The food was great and the bar had a piano player singing and playing top 40 hits that was the perfect background music for our Mojitos and Strawberry Bliss.

I 'made' Faye wear that big 'ol 30 button ;-)

After enjoying a few drinks and a few tunes we took it 99 Hanover Street, a bar I fell in love with when Kasey, Nary and I were there back in August. It was a little bit crowded this time but the oh so cute couches were still there.

It wasn’t a crazy night but it was a very fun night and I am so happy Faye decided to spend her big birthday celebration visiting me! Happy Birthday, Faye!

F&D's Trip Recap: Shopping, Shortbread and Scotch

Friday was a packed day. We covered a lot of ground and the sunshine guided us the whole day. If I said it once, I probably said a million times how amazing the weather was while Faye and Donna were here. Seven days of PERFECT weather!!

We started the day shopping at Touched by Scotland (a must if you’re a local or a visitor) before enjoying yummy tea and lunch next door at Gadie's. Touched by Scotland has unique hand made gifts from local artists and Gadie's serves up local produce and meat. It’s one of my favorite places and will be on every visitors itinerary!

Next stop was dessert at Dean’s Shortbread Factory in Huntly. I’ve taste tested and Dean’s tastes better than Walker’s (to me) and since the factory is just a short drive from Aberdeen and Donna has a sweet tooth, I knew we had to make a quick stop. They were finished baking for the day but we were able to see the ladies boxing up the delicious treats before we had a taste of our own and stocked up with a few boxes.

Since we were in Huntly and Huntly castle was just down the street and the day was gorgeous, we decided to have a little stroll to the castle and surrounding grounds. Unfortunately, the castle was closed but we were able to get some great shots and enjoy the sunshine nonetheless.

Our last stop was at the Glenfiddich Distillery in Dufftown. We did an hour tour before having a wee dram of the world famous single malt. Faye and Donna loved the tour and the beautiful grounds but weren’t big fans of the actually whiskey (it truly is an acquired taste). Me, on the other hand, probably could have enjoyed a dram of the 21 year old, the most of expensive of course. (Dad, aren't you proud?) This was my third distillery tour so I feel like I am acquiring the taste for a good whiskey...maybe :-) It definitely gives you a warm feeling inside which may be necessary for the winter!

Our day didn’t stop there. Donna graciously made us delicious Chicken and Dumplings and scrumptious rum cake for dinner. I know Ryan was a happy boy, I think he ate 1/2 the pot. Thank you Donna for making us such a yummy meal and bringing a bit of 'home' to Scotland!