What's in My Bag?

Today, marks 3 years of us living in Aberdeen! Looking back on the past three years, there was a lot of traveling going on. I think we've been on something like 40 trips and that's not counting Scotland adventures. Anyhow, I've learned a thing or two while navigating the airports and getting through security and I like to think I'm pretty good at it now. It all starts with your travel clothes: easy to take off shoes + no belt, jewellery or watch until after you pass security. 

The next thing is organising what's in your bag. I like to put little bags in a big bag so I can easily pull out what I need without rummaging through everything. iPad and carry on liquids need to be easily accessible to pull out while going through security. 

I've also learned what things I need while in flight or waiting at the airport; everything else I stick in my check in bag. It's nice to have these things in case you get delayed somewhere. You don't ever want to be stuck without a cell phone charger! 

Oh and how can I forget good headphones! I don't know what I would do without these babies! They're my best friend on a flight.

Last but not least, we can't leave our traveling bears behind. Gerald normally puts them in his backpack, hence why they are not in my bag. But here they are chilling in the lounge. These little dudes have been everywhere! 

We currently have a 4 hour layover in AMS on our way to Portugal so this was a perfect way of killing some time. Hope you enjoyed it! Have a great weekend and...

HAPPY TRAVELS!!

Opera in the Park {Tosca}

We've been having some amazing warm weather lately in the 'Deen and we're all taking advantage of it by spending as much time outdoors as possible. Last week, we played mah-jongg in the garden of a friends house and that same evening, we enjoyed an opera in the park. Tosca was playing at the Royal Opera House in London and they showed it at Duthie Park here in Aberdeen. We mainly went to enjoy the beautiful weather and also to have an excuse for  a picnic outdoors. I've been wanting to use my old, but new picnic basket and I finally got to do so. There's something about a picnic that just puts you in a summer mood! We enjoyed Italian theme nibbles and some Sangiovese boxed wine! All in all, it was a great evening under the beautiful open skies with fun company :)

The Royal Baby {Prince of Cambridge}

I've been following Wills and Kate since I moved here so I can not NOT post about the exciting news!

It's a piece of history and it's exciting to live in the UK at this time:) Supposedly this is the first time in 120 years that there will be three heirs in line to the throne. 

First comes love...

Second comes marriage...

Then comes baby in a {Royal} baby carriage! Kate gave birth at St. Mary's hospital in the private Lindo wing on the hottest day in the UK since 2006! I hope the hospital had a/c.  The baby's name has yet to be announced but I'm sure it will be something Royal!

I LOVE them as a couple and can't wait to see their little family grow:)

Photo of Wills and Kate courtesy of Oli Scarff/Getty Image

Photo of Baby Cambridge courtesy of PA Photos/Landoff

Edinburgh Day Out

Since The Open was only 30 minutes away from Edinburgh, we decided to spend that Saturday in the city, relaxing and hanging out. It was nice to come here and do nothing but eat, drink, and shop a bit. 

We started off with some yummy roasted pork from Oink.

Chocolate Ice Cream Sundae from Harvey Nicols.

Beers and RockDog from BrewDog.

Sushi from Kanpai.

Stroll in Princess Street Gardens.

And a beautiful sunset from out Hotel room to end our relaxing day:)

Until next time, Edinburgh.

The Open {Muirfield 2013}

Gerald and I spent an awesome day at Muirfield to watch The Open. 

We got there around 9am, walked around a bit to check out all the various things going on and then camped out at the 10th hole bleachers. The 10th hole bleachers was the perfect spot to see 3 holes in action and watch all the golfers go by. Weather was overcast and windy but overall, it was a pleasant day. 

Gerald was pulling for Tiger...

 I was pulling for Adam...

and we were both happy that Phil won! 

If you ever get a chance to watch The Open, GO! The crowd is smaller than any of the other championship tournaments and you can get up close and personal with the players. Thanks for a great day out, Muirfield!

P.S. all pics courtesy of "A Beautiful Mess" app {thanks Vicki for introducing me to it}.

Warm Apple Pie!

With all the things I've baked over the years, can you believe this was my first time baking a PIE!! I've never ever wanted to make pie, not even with the pre-made pie crust. I don't even have a pie dish so even if i wanted to make pie, I couldn't. I've also determined that I like to make cute little goodies, such as mini cupcakes, cookies, donuts, macarons, etc. I like the "cuteness" of things, and although pies are yummy, they're not very cute. However, while making this apple pie with some girlfriends, I thought about making mini pies! Now that would be cute....

Anyhow, Liz provided us with the yummy Paula Deen recipe and off we went. Speaking of Paula Deen, it's sad about what happened recently but that doesn't mean I'm going to stop using her recipe; woman has some great ones.

We started off by peeling and cutting up the apples

Jessica was making the dough for the pie crust

And Liz was mixing up the sauce

We realized the dough needed to be refrigerated for up to 2 hours so to speed up the process, we thought we could put it in the freezer for maybe 30 minutes. After gossiping away, we decided it was time to assemble the pie, but the dough was frozen! So we had to wait another 30 minutes for it to thaw out. Anyhow, Laine and Liz assembled the pie with a crunch top {brown sugar and butter} and popped it in the oven...It's not cute, but it's still pretty, latticed and all. 

After about an hour or so of baking, the house smelled amazing and we couldn't wait to dig in. 

So we let it cool for about 15 minutes before we took a bite. Thanks for showing me how to make pie! All that was missing was some vanilla ice cream. YUMMY!

Family Adventures in Scotland

My family {brother + brother's gf + niece + mom + 2 of brother's gf friends} came to visit us a couple of weeks ago and I'm finally recovered from their trip, so now I can blog about it.  We wanted them to see and do as much as they could while in Scotland so everyday was pretty busy but very enjoyable. P.S. They loved Scotland more than Paris and I don't blame them. Plus, Paris didn't have this guy to admire!

They arrived on a Friday afternoon and we started off the adventure with the UK's #1 Fish & Chips at The Bay Fish & Chips.





Followed by a visit to Dunnottar



And then off to Fowlsheugh for some puffin watching.





By this time, they were pretty tired and ready for bed, but I forced them to stay up by preparing an amazing seafood feast. I got everything from the local fishmonger so it was nice and fresh.







The next morning, we woke up early to hit the road to Fort William, where we would be spending the next two nights. You can't come all the way to Scotland without seeing the West Coast. They wanted to go somewhere we haven't been so that we could experience it together so that was fun. On the way to Fort William we stopped by...

Glenfiddich Distillery





Loch Ness



Urquhart Castle







We arrived to the Morvich B&B just in time to get changed and out for dinner at the Crannog Seafood. I made reservations for all of our eating adventures a couple of weeks before they got here so we wouldn't be scrambling to find a place to eat, considering we were rolling 8 deep! Dinner was delicious.







The next morning was pouring down rain but we didn't come out all this way to miss out on "The Hogwart's Express" going over the Glenfinnan Viaduct.  After breakfast, we geared up and did a short 20 minute walk to secure a location to see the train pass by around 10:40 am. I loved hearing the engines turning and the whistle blowing as the train passed us. Just wish the weather could have been a bit more decent as the views are suppose to be amazing.





By this time, we were soaked and just headed back to the B&B to get ready for our afternoon tea at the Inverlochy Castle Hotel. This was the BEST afternoon tea I've ever been to. The room was so pretty and I really just felt like I was on the set of Downton Abbey. Everything was so proper; they changed out our plates in between sandwiches and cakes, and also our teacups after switching the teas to accomodate the food we were having {Afternoon tea with sandwiches and English Breakfast for cakes}. They really overdid it though because after we were finished, we still had enough food to feed another 8 people. I highly recommend this place if you're in the area and want to experience a proper afternoon tea.







The weather was clearing up a bit, so after tea we went to visit the Railway Museum at Glenfinnan Station. Not much at the museum but the station was pretty cute.



After a couple of hours of rest at the B&B, we were on to yet another eating adventure at Loch Leven Seafood Cafe. They're known for their seafood platters and you better believe that's what we went for. It was a large amount of steamed shellfish, cooked to perfection, with the freshest taste of the sea. Six of us shared a platter for four, and we were still struggling to finish it. By far the BEST seafood meal I've ever had. They also had amazing seafood soup in a creamy saffron broth, delish. As you've probably noticed by now, my family likes to eat! A big part of traveling for me is getting to experience the different cuisine each place has to offer. When you think about it, food is what defines most people's cultures, so you also learn a lot while eating.  Plus, it tastes so good! haha.





Our two nights in Fort William was coming to an end and we were up early the next morning to head back to the 'Deen via the Cairngorms. On the way back, we made a visit to Blair's Castle in Blair Atholl. It was Gerald's and my first time inside the castle so that was neat to see. My mom loves to take pictures, so we went around the gardens for a photo op.







The girls were obsessed with petting a sheep so every chance we got on the way back home to stop and get close to a sheep, we did. Plus the scenery was just too beautiful to not step outside and take it all in.



An hour out from home, we stopped by the Burn 'o Vat for more photo ops, and then for a drink at the Potarch hotel. We also stopped by the Falls of Feugh to see the salmon leaping. We finally made it back home around 9 pm just in time for Gerald to have some dinner and head to work the next day. Thanks for driving us, Gerald. Also, well done to Monique for driving on other side of the road and doing a pretty good job at it. Who wouldn't love driving with a painting as your backdrop?

We spent the next two days exploring Aberdeenshire, walking around Union Street and visiting nearby sites. My niece loves One Direction and mentioned she had to eat at Nando's because one of the guys from the band loves it there, so we went and did that. And of course, Gerald had to bring my brother to BrewDog.







We visited the Bullers of Buchan and Slain's Castle on their last day and was lucky enough to see more puffins! I think they were my puffin good luck charms because we saw loads of them, up close and personal. I love those birds.













Well, that was it for our adventures in Scotland. We had some funny moments, scary moments and most importantly, family moments. I loved having them here and showing them what life is like in Scotland.