Letter the 11th: A Calendar of Our Very Own

Today we received one of the most incredibly thoughtful gifts I think we are likely to ever receive.  Since my earliest recollection the Cook Felt Christmas Tree Advent Calendar has been one of my most looked forward too Christmas traditions.  Not only did I get to help put ornaments on Grandma Cook's tree, but the Bean household was also a proud owner of a felt Evergreen beauty and it was a treasured joy to beat the other members of the family to hanging up the ornament of the day.  Jessica was always permitted to hang the ornament on the 4th as it was her birthday. Unfortunately, with a rotation of four children and Jessica's ownership of the 4th it always ended up that Jessica got to put up the ornaments on the 24th.  I remember distinctly the arguments that would ensue over the monopolization of the 24th... truly cherished memories.  I knew it was Christmas time if the calendar was hanging in our home.

I never thought, in all of my wildest dreams, that I would be so honored to continue such a noble and glorious tradition.

WOW!!! So many thank yous to the Diamond Family! We are now the proud owners of a shimmering felt delight.  Today we pinned up 13 ornaments and  look forward to the rest.  This calendar is rather special, it did come with just ornaments for the pinning, but treats for the eating and suggestions to keep up the Christmas cheer.  I quote, "Sing Frosty the Snowman two times," "Turn Alan's soccer ball into a giant ornament," " Kiss Alan five times today," "Tie a Christmas bow on Baxter's collar," "Wear read and green today" and "Write Jessica and email for her Birthday."  Naturally the last was placed in the pocket for the 4th, Jessica's ownership of the 4th has spread to all advent calendars, though with this calendar belonging to me the old arguments seem obsolete now.  Our calendar is beautiful and I cannot help, but to just stare at it every five minutes or so.  I love my family and our fun Christmas traditions! Thank you again to the Diamond clan!  

Much love,

Alyson

Letter 10: sho-booties and Aly's first Scottish snow

So, from the pictures, we have Alyson and Baxter in front of the apartment. Then we also have Alyson and Baxter in the car park on Baxter's evening outing to take care of "business". This is officially Alyson's first Scottish snow. It appears that we're on course to have a white Christmas, although it's still late November. I doubt that this batch of snow will last more than a few days. I would be surprised if we didn't have more between now and December 25th though. As I'm sure Alyson has mentioned, our snow storms are less dramatic, and it's only a couple of inches max out there just now. The most I have seen is a foot I think. Anyway, it was exciting, especially for Alyson who is now almost hyper-ventilating just at the thought of Christmas being so soon. We are almost finished our Christmas shopping, which is a good thing since I start finals in a week and a half. We're looking forward to seeing you all in less than a month now.

The last picture here is especially for Jessica's benefit. I wasn't even allowed to take a picture of her other new pair since she's looking forward to showing those off personally in 4 weeks time. Yes, that's right, 4 weeks time until we arrive. I hope you're prepared for "But David can't sleep in my room...! He's a boy! Boys smell!" etc.. And Brody should probably be wearing padding for the kind of attention he'll be getting from her.

Our recent movies have included "RED" which was quite good. A relatively laid back comedy punctuated by mild action scenes. It was an interesting plot. I saw "The Social Network" a couple of weeks ago, and it was quite fascinating. It is, of course, about the rise of Facebook and all that entails. The part that really caught my attention was where they recreate a scene where the co-founder says to Mark Zuckerberg (or whatever his name is) "I just spoke to a girl, and she said she'd facebook me"(or something to that effect). At this moment they realise that facebook is now a household name; a noun, adjective, and verb all at the same time. It is quite interesting to think that I use that in regular day-to-day speech, but never would have done so 5 years ago.

On a last movie note, the big blockbuster of the month has of course been HP7. Harry Potter mania has descended upon the Adam household. I have finally caved, and we are reading the books together. I had already seen all the previous movies, but its interesting to read them now to catch up. The 1st part of the Deathly Hallows is definitely worth watching, but I had SO many questions afterwards. Alyson has placed an embargo on me knowing too much before I read the 7th book. I am now half way through the 5th book, but this may have to take a bit of a back seat until I get exams out of the way. Luckily I have several long flights in the very near future which will require reading material. We were both very enthused to see HP7 though, and have already seen it twice (thank you unlimited cinema cards).

Letter 9: Tom's Month to Shine

Movember (http://uk.movember.com) is a foundation designed to raise awareness for men's health issues.  The Mo, slang for moustache, and November come together each year for Movember. Movember challenges men to change their appearance and the face of men’s health by growing a moustache. The rules are simple, start Movember 1st  clean shaven and then grow a moustache for the entire month.  The moustache becomes the ribbon for men’s health, the means by which awareness and funds are raised for cancers that affect men.  Much like the commitment to run or walk for charity, the men of Movember commit to growing a moustache for 30 days.  

The male MSP Staff on  my floor at the Parliament are all taking part in the charity event and raising money for the Prostate Cancer Charity.  I appreciate their involvement and their fundraising efforts, but lets face it... Tom is really the only guy who can pull off the moustache. Every time one of the guys on the floor asks me how he is looking with the moustache, I have to fight back the response, "you look like a pedophile and I am getting the urge to hide all the children in a five mile radius."  Instead I opt for the slightly less offensive 70s police officer reference. I cannot wait for December to come and clean shaven faces to return.  

Really we all know that Tom should have been the spokesperson for this month:

Just SOOOOOOO Good Looking!

(For you Mom)

Much love,

Alyson

Letter 8: Cannot Teach an Old Dog New Tricks...But You Can Bribe Him with Treats

Because of this, that is my happy and healthy marriage... I got this....

Meet Baxter, Alan's 15 year old mutt (please take this opportunity to notice our vintage couch coverings. I say vintage, because lets be honest... it sounds better).  Having never had a dog it was difficult for me to commit to having Baxter live with us in Edinburgh. Baxter came to visit for a week while Alan's Parents, Sarah and the kidlettes were off on a trip.  It became painfully obvious that Baxter would be a happier dog and Alan would be a happier boy, if  Baxter stayed in Edinburgh with Alan and me.  So while not originally planned we now have a pooch.  There are some new rules for Baxter learn. No sleeping on Alyson's side of the bed. I had to compromise on that because no matter how many times I told Baxter he was not wanted on the bed at all, he just would not listen. Now, I put boxes on my side of the bed and he can't lay down, HA!  He has to stand still for me while he gets brushes which happen at least twice a week and the vacuuming three times a week, I do the vacuuming Baxter just has to stay out of the way.  It is nice to get the exercise walking through the park with the dog, but totally creepy when I have to walk him at night, past the haunted/squatter's nest/ uber scary abandoned house.   There are a lot of things I could say about how difficult it has been adjusting to having Baxter, but I know that our dog will not change.  You simply cannot teach an old dog new tricks... He does respond well to treats though.

Letter 7: Dogs, Driving, and Dining...

This picture is actually taken in Aberdeen, but it was a good one of Alyson with Baxter (my dog). Baxter is our latest house guest in Edinburgh, and is certainly keeping me on my toes. His body clock is very regimented, and so every morning without fail we're up pretty early so that he can take care of business outside.

We have recently been to Aberdeen twice (so that I can follow my favourite football/soccer team). On our first trip we picked up Baxter as my parents were away on holiday with Sarah and her 2 kids. Alyson is coping relatively well with her allergies. Her allergies just seem to be lighter over here than when I've seen her in the US. That could be for a whole variety of reasons though, especially climate and humidity. She does really miss Angus though, and Baxter is the wrong species to provide a good substitute.

It has been a pretty busy time for me. I'm doing Company Law, Tax Law, and Family Law this semester. I have had 1 assignment for each course in the space of 2 weeks (each counting for roughly 50% of my overall mark). I'm currently working on assignment 2, with 1 more to go after that. The first 2 weeks of December will be finals for me - I can't say I'm looking forward to those much.

We are slowly but surely gearing up for our visit stateside this winter, plotting the various restaurants we want to get to. Safe to say Carls' Jr. is on my list! I'm also a sucker for Chicken Alfredo at Olive Garden. (Other places to visit will have to include Chick-fil-A, Alyson also wants to pay a trip to Cafe Rio, Yogurt Stop, the Cheesecake Factory, and Wingers). I suppose I should really start dieting now for all the weight I'm likely to put on visiting those places..! Oh, add Five Guys (in Bountiful) to that list too! They have some really good burgers. I might have to try a new steak house as well. I think I had better start saving too...We're looking forward to the big Cook gathering on the 28th, we have made sure to get flights in time to be there.

Alyson is continuing to learn how to drive a manual car, although we haven't quite gotten to the challenge of driving on the other side of the road. Our practices have been in car parks for now. The job hunt continues, although there are one or two prospects on the horizon which might work out quite well for us.

No movie reviews from me today, although Alyson went to see 2 films with my mum in the last couple of weeks (Life as We Know It, and RED - both of which were supposed to be quite good). We're looking forward to a couple more which have come out in the last week or so - especially "Despicable ME!"

That's all for now,

A bientot America!

Letter 6 - Money Never Sleeps

Well folks,

do we have a movie to recommend to you! Wall Street 2: Money Never Sleeps was our weekly watch from last night. It almost rivaled "Inception", in fact I personally think they are on par with each other. I would highly recommend it, and if you are only going to see a handful of movies this year, I would definitely make it a priority on your list.

Wednesdays are a busy day at the movie theaters in the UK. One of our cell phone companies (Orange - a French company now merged with the Germans T-mobile I believe) has a deal with most theaters, where you text the word "Film" to the number 241 and they send you a code. With this code (as the number suggests) you get 2 cinema tickets for the price of one. Now if you've been paying attention, you will remember that we have those unlimited cinema cards. The thing about the cards, is that you don't just wave them and then go in. You still have to go to the cashier and get them swiped (like a credit card) and then they print off your ticket for you. Now here's the really cool thing... Our friend Jon (in the previous blog letter) has a cell phone plan with orange. He gets the code, comes to the cashier with us, and gets his ticket, as a 2-for-1 on our cards. No-one pays a penny. Sweet deal huh? (Technically we could have 2 people come with us for free if we had 2 people with the same code).

Anyway, I thought I would give a brief intro to that. So Wednesdays are quite busy, and it's the first week Wall Street has been out - so the place was packed. I was a little apprehensive about seeing the movie having never watched the original Wall Street. (It has since been added to my "Must watch" list). Michael Douglas, Shia LeBeouf, and the rest of the cast give pretty convincing performances. The plot itself - for me- is genius, based on the true events that have taken us into today's "credit crunch". Alyson found the plot quite infuriating, but solely because she gets quite mad most times when listening to things about the bail outs etc... Whilst the movie doesn't have any intense scenes that necessarily require the big screen to make them what they are - it was cool to see it in the theater. Unlike "Inception" - where I think if you watch it on a regular TV, you might possibly do it a bit of injustice. The only unfortunate part is that I now want a power suit like Gordon Gekko. In my opinion there are quite a few good vs. evil undertones.

Anyway, I thought that film deserved a blog entry, it was quite immense!

Letter 5.1: A Christening event

Dear America,

Today was a landmark for Alyson as she finally climbed Arthur's Seat (the extinct volcano overlooking Edinburgh. As it would happen, Scotland has quite a few extinct peaks, including the hills that Edinburgh and Stirling Castles are built on). We also have a friend - Jon - who was here at the same time as Alyson's internship, who came with us. Jon has returned to Edinburgh to do a masters. It's a very prestigious university for any budding students thinking of postgraduate or even undergraduate degrees... we'd love some familiar faces... Hint hint!

Letter 5: My Husband's Boots

Dear America,  

After having read someone's blog about being a mother and what a good person she is because of her two yr old son,  I feel a little shallow writing about boots.  However, the wonderful thing about this particular pair, was I did not do any of the work to get them.  

I have another pair of stunning boots, but having not worn them since March, my feet were quite blistered and sore walking to Parliament in them.  After several moments of wincing and whining, Alan suggested some walking boots.  I was not wanting to have anything to do with those kinds of shoes at that moment in time and sort of shrugged off the idea of more boots.  Alan did not let the idea go and kept questioning me on the kind on style and color and the like.  Finally, tired of my procrastination, Alan got on on his deal finding hat (which looks something like the Indiana Jones hat, but invisible).  Voila! five days later these arrived at our flat.  Over the knee, gray walking boots.  They need some time to be worked in, blister problem not quite gone, but they are wonderful.  I love my husband!

Much love,

Al

Letter 4: Papal Correspondence

Dear America,

Indeed, Thursday was the day the Pope came to town. Flying in from the Vatican direct to Edinburgh, the pope started a state visit to the UK. He wanted to visit us, but we have a busy schedule... As it turns out we pass by the cardinal's house (who did have time to meet with the pope) on an almost daily basis. We only realised that was the residence when we saw police outside for 3 days straight prior to and during the visit. Apparently it's the first time the pope has been in Scotland (or the UK) for almost 28 years. We were disappointed when we went to Princes Street to watch the motorcade go past that the popemobile was 15 mins ahead of schedule so we only saw the back of it (hence Alyson's disappointment in the picture). Shame... But oh well! The queen was also in town as it happens, so it was quite a busy day at Holyrood palace (just across the road from the Parliament). To commemorate the papal visit we decided to watch "Angels & Demons" (Tom Hanks).

This week is also the first week for this semester's interns. Alyson and I have been given the charge to make sure they're getting on ok etc... Interesting of course since Alyson was in their shoes only 18 months ago. It has been quite enjoyable so far, and nice for Alyson I think to have some more familiar accents. We have also been continuing our unlimited joy, and the movie tally is up to 6. Our latest additions are "Cyrus" and "The Expendables". Cyrus wasn't quite what we expected, and in the end was quite an artsy movie in some ways. We were hoping for more of a light hearted comedy. The Expendables was the most pro-forma action movie I have ever seen. Based on pure entertainment value (special effects and so on) it was fine, but if you're looking for storyline, look elsewhere. There is another movie coming out soon with Bruce Willis, Morgan Freeman, and Helen Mirren called "Red" which looks to be a hoot.

On a parting note... we recently discovered a website called freecycle.org - check it out!

Crispie 2

Pre-letter 1: Crispie

Joy Unlimited 2: explanations...

Dear America,

so in the UK we have a different movie rating system. I can honestly say I have never felt guilty for watching an R-rated movie since "R-rated" does not exist here. We start with "U" (Universal, for anyone), PG (parental guidance... you know that one, just minus the 13!). Then we have 12A (viewers must be 12 yrs old or accompanied by an adult). Then we have 15, and 18. 15's are normally the equivalent of R-rated, although not always. Most horror shows are 18's, and then the occasional other show will make it in there for excessive violence, swearing, or sexual scenes. (The only other things that might come in as 18's are movies that we won't concern ourselves with).

I imagine there will be future explanatory notes on the sometimes overlooked differences on this side of the Atlantic

Letter 3: Cineworld: Joy UNLIMITED!!!

Dear America,

Those whom I love in the US, WE NEED UNLIMITED CARDS!!!  I got my unlimited card this week, yippy!  This gives me access to any Cineworld (UK Movie Theater) in the UK except for a few in London where all of the big movie premiers are held.  Anytime I feel like going to the movies, I head down to my local theater, show them my unlimited card and BAM! I am in.  I pay a small fee for this service, but as long as I go to two movies a month the card is paid for and then some.  Alan and I broke my card in by going to a double feature,  Dinner for Schmucks and the Switch.   I loved it.  I got to go to Nando's in between films.  It was completely delightful.  However, I did not have enough snacks.  

The next day, I was prepared.  After finishing our Saturday jobs, we went to Morrison's and picked up some of my favorite candies ( candies will be a future blog, don't you worry).  We then went to our second set of double features in two days.  This time Inception and Scott Pilgram vs the World.  Inception was mind blowing.  I walked out of the theater not believing the my reality was real!!! Incredible movie, but with that come a confession.  

I have no doubt that movie reviews will be included in future letters. 

With love,

Alyson 

Letter 2 - memoirs of the highland laddie

Dear America,

Alyson and I are starting to settle into married life. This week school began for me which signaled our entry into a more normal routine. It was strange to be back on campus after 3 months of great summer absence! I'm not sure that absence made the heart grow fonder on this one... Still, I'm excited to start 3 new courses this semester (Taxation Law, Company/Corporate Law, and Family Law). Hopefully by Christmas Joe and I will be able to discuss and compare family law here and in Utah. Fingers crossed.

Alyson and I were recently called as "Faith in God" leaders at church (basically mutual/youth group for primary age children, 8-11yrs old). I guess basically it's supposed to be somewhat spiritually motivated fun activities. I'm a little foggy on the details. Apparently they would have just called Alyson, but most of the attendees are rowdy boys, so they felt an adult male presence might help keep things a little more contained.

We were excited last Sunday to meet some of the new people moving into the Edinburgh ward. The congregation in the city is very transient with such a high number of church members moving in from abroad to study at the 3 Edinburgh universities. Unfortunately people only usually stay for a year or 6 months. It is fun getting to meet so many different people with such different backgrounds, but it can be difficult to let go of good friends when their courses end.

Last week we had a "holiday" (vacation... I'll get you guys using Scottish jargon eventually!) with my family on the west coast of Scotland. The scenery was ideally picturesque, and we both had a great time. Unfortunately Alyson wasn't on top form at the start of the week, but she seems to be on the mend now. Whilst she has used several tactics to avoid learning to drive stick/manual transmission - she did take her first test drive of our car on holiday. She did pretty well, although the drive was cut a little short when we ran into some highland cows on the road (this place was out in the sticks). Eden & Dean should get some highland cows for the farm! Hopefully it won't take too long for Alyson to get her confidence up though, soon she'll be driving through the streets of Edinburgh on the LEFT side of the road! I will try to post some pictures soon enough.

Letter Number 1: Why Blog? Why Now?

So here is the story, Alyson married Alan.  Alan is Scottish and Alyson moved to Scotland to be with her husband while he continued to pursue his legal degree.  While I (Alyson) am normally not willing to publish too much about myself or my family on the internet, I find I am facing an impasse.  Alan and I must try to stay in contact with our family back in the States as much as possible. So there it is short and sweet.

ANNOUNCING!!!!  LETTERS TO AMERICA: The Adventures of Al and Al

"Letter from America," is a popular song by Scottish singers The Proclaimers.  The guys who sang "I'm on my Way," from the first Shrek movie and sing, "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)."  Youtube any of the above if you have no idea what I am talking about.  So with our love of  The Proclaimers and the fact that this will facilitate communications with family in America we have opted for our title. Seriously, Alan came up with the title and I came up with the subtitle so it was a combined effort.  I don't know who is more excited about this blog Alan or me.

Love,

Alyson