14 Pieces that are Essential to my Survival in Scotland

B a c k p a c k— For every day and off-the-road excursions with the hub.

C a s t   I r o n— Is it just me, or does Scotland just scream cast iron cooking?

P l a i d   B u t t o n - d o w n— Plaid on plaid on plaid on plaid on plaid. Got it?

S t r e e t   B i c y c l e— Because driving is hard.

P a r k a— A staple in every UK wardrobe. The "everyday" jacket: both stylish and functional.

C h e l s e a   R a i n b o o t s— Just because it's raining doesn't mean you get to skimp on fashion.

M i t t e n s— You can NEVER go wrong with shearling mittens or gloves. So, so warm! And the 'pop-off mitten top' makes them i-phone friendly! That's the most important thing, right?

t h a t ' s  M Y  m u g— Please don't touch my things.

U m b r e l l a— Correction! A sturdy umbrella. Obviously for the inevitable and torrential downpours that soon await me.

C a s h m e r e   J u m p e r— Isn't this cashmere poncho to die for?! Everyone should invest in this jumper for survival.

W i n t e r   J a c k e t— For the nights when you need to look like a marshmallow to stay warm.

H i k i n g   B o o t s— Perfect for getting out into the woods and exploring.

T r i p o d— Can be used for walking-stick purposes and selfie purposes.
B e a n i e— To keep my ears warm and also hide my three day old hair. #sorrynotsorry.

linked up with the Daily Diaries

10 Reasons I'm Excited to Move to Scotland

If you've been following along with the blog, you already know that James and I are moving to Scotland. Sooo, it only seems appropriate that when making such a move, I do the necessary research . . . obviouslyyy by scrolling through the most beautiful, edited and over-saturated photographs from my favorite travel inspiration site, Pinterest.

Without further ado, here is the beginning of my bucket list for our time in Scotch Country!

Team Starnes Takes Scotland

By now many of you have heard that we have decided not to return Stateside after our year in London. Instead, we are continuing our stay in the United Kingdom, and we're heading up north.

Animals of Aberdeen

I came across a plethora of animals over the course of our five day stay in Aberdeen. Meet the animals of Aberdeen!

Enjoy! xo

Crathes Castle

We celebrated Thanksgiving on Friday. In Scotland, it was business-as-usual so it was just more convenient this way. We had such a wonderful time eating, drinking and socializing with Ron and Julie's friends; everyone was so nice and welcoming. A few of us ended the night in a "typical AC fashion" with a few renditions of Les Miserables, Rent and Wicked-- the standard of any fun night!

The next morning, we peeled ourselves out of our food coma to head out to Crathes Castle for some family photos that my aunt had scheduled for her family. James and I went along to so some sightseeing and help out with the dogs. Once again, it was great weather and beautiful. Scotland has the freshest air and the purest water. It just revitalizes you!

Dunnottar Castle

We arrived in Scotland Tuesday night. James had the opportunity to work in the Aberdeen office on Wednesday, so I had an entire day of QT with my aunt.

Julie and I started the day off with a long dog-walk in the woods and then headed out to Dunnottar Castle. Walking around Dunnottar was an amazing experience; we had the entire castle to ourselves and it was a beautiful day in Scotland, so double score! It's crazy to think about how young the United States is... we just don't have anything like that back home.

We finished off our excursion eating fresh seafood in the quaint neighboring town of Stonehaven. It was a lovely day, spent with one of my lovely aunts. I couldn't have asked for a better day! Thank you, Julie! xoxo