Team Update: Post Holiday/ Life Lately in Aberdeen

January 15th??! MID-JANUARY?! Can we please just pump the brakes?

It's been a solid 13 days since we've been back in Aberdeen, and let me just say, IT'S FREAKING COLD. And speaking of cold(s)— I left with a cold, held said cold at bay while in the States, returned with a cold (same cold or different, I do not know), and I am still battling cold symptoms all while living in the cold. Oh, and throw in a week of jet lag for good measure!

It's been quite the process.

It doesn't help that the days are short, dark and rainy, and there is a constant chill in our new BIG house. (Big by our standards!) More times than not I find myself soaking in a hot bath, or under the covers in our bed—ie: one flat sheet, two full comforters and one down duvet, I shit you not—just trying to warm my bones. Socks, gloves, sweatshirt, leggings, long-johns—there is no place for laying around in your underwear and a t-shirt in Aberdeen, Scotland.

This hurts my heart.

The constant cold is debilitating. Yes, I just used the word debilitating because I am a pansy. But Why? WHYY?! I just want to be comfortable in my home! In London, we had much less space, so our flat was always nice and toasty. I guess this is the price we pay moving from a modest five-room flat to a 10-ish room HOUSE.

Seriously y'all, we are living in a mansion. I mean, it's totally not, but with all the extra space, I do now feel that way sometimes... #firstworldproblems.

Alright, enough of me being a TOTAL brat.

When we got back to Aberdeen, we arrived at a house filled with boxes. If you remember back to my last update, I told you that the movers dropped off our boxes and we split for the States like ten hours later... Well, I guess you can say that we are pretty well "moved in" now... Unpacked—yes; but definitely not organized.

Coming back to Aberdeen, we were dreading the whole no TV/Internet thing because, well, isn't it obvious? THE INTERNET IS A DRUG, PEOPLE! And we I need my fix!

Unfortunately, the customer service we Americans are used to hasn't made its way across the Atlantic, so getting anything installed takes forever, but luckily Scotland has some pretty good channels on free TV, so we were able to watch some TV in the downstairs reception rooms.

In order to get my crack the Internet, I would go to a local hotel and order a cappuccino and connect to their Wi-Fi, but that got old, so I caved and purchased some public Wi-Fi so I could access from home. Thanks to our granite walls, it only works in one room of our house, so yeah, it's been barely getting me by...

The good news is our TV got installed late last week, and our Internet and telephone are supposed to get connected today. (Fingers crossed!) James is so FREAKING PUMPED to finally have Sky Sports. After a year of missing almost every televised match with Virgin Media, he can finally watch his footy at home. 

Me, not so pumped. He's so damn loud.

Overall, things are coming along, and we are feeling more and more settled in our new home. We have a shipment of our stateside belongings getting packed in NC tomorrow, so hopefully we will receive them late next week or early the following week. Now THAT will truly make this rental property feel like a home! OUR HOME! Having our plates, our wine glasses, our this-n-that—it will be a REALLY exciting day when it all arrives.

PLUSSSS, While J and I were home we went on a shopping spree with all of our wedding registry money that we weren't able to use after the wedding—THANK GOD! We splurged on things like a heavy down duvet, a three-inch foam mattress topper, new bedding and a nice set of knives. Oh—and a marble mortar and pestle! You can obviously tell where our priorities lie.

We basically just want a nice, warm bed and good food to eat.

Our time in the States was low-key and relaxing. We spent lots of quality time with our nearest and dearest, and it was lovely.

We got to love on our BIG BABY BOY a bunch! That was exactly what we needed. We are currently in the process of figuring out whether or not Sir Winston can/will make the voyage overseas to live with us in Aberdeen. It all depends on us getting clarity on our term in Scotland (and the UK in general) and if Winston is healthy enough to make the journey. Transporting a dog of Winston's size is extremely expensive and traumatic, so we want to make sure it is the right decision for all of us.

After all, we do have a Sir Winston-approved house, so all we need is a Sir Winston! Hopefully, we will have more information in the next coming weeks.

Right now, James is just adjusting to his new role and industry, and I am adjusting to my new role as the Lady of the Manor... LOL. For so long I have wanted to create a home for us, but, as always, life happens, and I haven't really had the chance to nest like I want to. I just want to make this house a home for us, so I have been doing a lot of brainstorming on affordable ways to design the space.

It's been nice having James around more. I'm pretty sure he went from an 80-hour work week (+/-) to a 37.5 hour work week. (Even though he still works way more than that!)  That means dinner every night between 6-7 PM, which is a HUGGEEEEEE difference from... I don't know—10:00 PM?

We are in the process of planning a few holidays over the next few months... Hopefully a ski holiday in France or Austria, a weekend trip down to London to see our friends, a weekend in Edinburgh to visit and attend the Scotland vs. Wales rugby match, and maybe, just maybe, a solo trip for me to Paris? We will see... All very exciting!

This year we are focusing on getting back to basics. Saving money. Getting healthy. Organizing and simplifying our life, so we have more time, energy and money to do the things that we absolutely want to do. No more making excuses! 

Eh, we will see how all that goes in a couple of months after the novelty of the New Year fades away...

Anywayzzzzz, I can say, without a doubt, the one main thing, that J and I missed while being away from the UK, was walking. Yes. Walking. You should try it sometime!

It's crazy how something so mindless can affect you so much! While we were in the States our friends graciously lent us their extra car to drive, but even with a vehicle to get us around, I still felt so trapped! Like I was dependent on this machine to help me take care of MY business! Plus the fact that I had to sync my schedule with J's any time I wanted to go somewhere was so irritating!

I love being able to walk out my door and go do whatever I want. The fact that I am a 30-minute walk to anything I want. It's so liberating! And let's not even talk about the actual stretching of the legs! Back in NC, I walked a mile from my hair appointment to a restaurant where J was meeting a friend, and it was the nicest, most satisfying walk. Just to get outside into fresh air and move my joints... Weird, I know. But that was a huge eye-opener for me and how life in the UK has changed me.

Whew! That was a long one! I hope everyone is having a wonderful beginning of the year, and I hope to bring some new Scotland adventures in the following weeks!

Cheers! xx