Warmest greetings to all of our patient friends who have been awaiting this post for quite some time… a month to be exact. I’d love to tell you all that I had very serious reasons for my negligence- like we had to enter the witness protection program or something. Well, not that I would like to be in the witness protection program, but I’d like to have a better reason for not keeping you up to date than just post-graduation/vacation laziness. But knowing that we have THE most gracious, understanding and merciful friends on the face of the earth (*wink, wink*) I know that you have already forgiven me. With that, let me tell you about our adventures abroad and what we are up to now. Please be advised, this may be quite lengthy. Prepare yourself with the necessary provisions. Also be advised that I have not figured out how to successfully attach pictures to this post since we updated to the latest version of Word Press. So, it will just be a long, boring string of words. Sorry boys and girls, no pictures yet. I will hopefully remedy that soon.
The first several days of our trip were spent in the great university towns of Cambridge and Oxford. We couldn’t check into our place in Devon right away and Nate had no interest in London so it was a good opportunity to visit my old stomping grounds. (I spent a summer term at Cambridge 10 years ago). It was a glorious as I remember, but also as crowded and bustling. Navigating about the town came quickly and naturally to me, as though I had never left. Lots of memories came alive. It was a joy to me to introduce Nate to this impressive place. There is a strong, almost tangible spirit of reverence for learning and academia which is the very life of Cambridge, and which you cannot help but be inspired by; it’s nearly religious. Anyway, I was able to show him Selwyn College, where I had stayed, and we also had the wonderful opportunity to attend an evensong at King’s College Chapel. Sadly, I cannot say as much for our visit to Oxford, simply because our time there was very brief. We pulled into our hotel late enough in the afternoon that we only had time to walk into town for dinner at The Eagle and Child. It is a pub (older than the U.S., though most things there are) which is famous for the past patronage of a group of Oxford professors who called themselves the Inklings. Most notable among their members were our beloved C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien.
Our next destination was Devon, where we stayed for a week. The countryside landscape and more rural pace were welcome after the crowded, rushed atmosphere of the cities. We were staying close to Cornwall and so were able to visit another site of great interest to me, Tintagel- the legendary birthplace of King Arthur. It was a beautiful day, which allowed us spectacular views of the ocean below and beyond us and the surrounding rugged coastline. We had fun exploring the remains of the medieval castle which once stood on the small outcrop, and imagining what it would have been like to actually live there. It must have been an austere, solitary existence. Another site of interest was the small town of Clovelly, also located on the coast. It is a popular tourist destination in Devon because it is rather peculiar. The town was built on a steep descent running toward a small harbour. The cobblestone streets are so steep, in fact, that for many years deliveries in and out of town were made on the backs of donkeys. Now the residents use sledges of some sort to move things up and down the streets. It is not accessible to cars at all, and believe me, you would be crazy to try. I’m not sure how people manage to live there, but I believe the views it affords soften the hardship. It was, at any rate, a lovely and unique village.
The next week was spent in the Lake District. We stayed right on Lake Windermere. The Lake District was much more crowded, being a purely tourist/ recreation destination (imagine Yellowstone or another busy National Park) but we were able to do a lot of hiking and managed somehow to rarely see another person along the way. And it was beautiful! It also afforded me the opportunity to take several hundred pictures of sheep. I don’t know what it was about them, but I was obsessed. We visited a stone circle, walked through woods and valleys and trekked up hillsides and across peaks. It was truly romantic in the idyllic sense. One of my favorite expeditions was to Beacon Tarn, near Coniston. The hike started out amidst sheep pasture which stretched out into moors and mountains beyond. Then, it ascended up into a narrow valley which then opened up to a small lake (tarn). A walk around the tarn led to a path leading up (through more sheep pasture) to the peak above. The view was absolutely stunning. My heart still leaps to remember it.
Our final destination took us to Scotland. We only had a few days there, and now wish we had reserved more time for it. Our fabulous friends, Paul and Amber, who are currently student residents of St. Andrews were kind enough to put us up, and in return we were happy to whisk them away to the nearby highlands. The weather was very friendly in the highlands and of course the scenery was amazing. We stayed one night in the town of Pitlochry, hiked up to the Edradour Whiskey Distillery (the smallest in Scotland) and tried haggis at dinner, which tasted horrible but at least I can say I’ve tried it. The following day we saw the famous Loch Lomond, Queen’s View and walked a bit about The Trossachs. We returned to St. Andrews to endure for another night what is apparently usual May weather… cold and windy. In fact, as I recall, that evening we were bundled in wool, huddled over a coal fire AND space heaters, sipping whiskey and we were STILL cold. Poor Paul and Amber. We felt almost guilty leaving them behind. But all in all it was a very scenic visit and we were deeply blessed by the fun and fellowship shared with our friends there.
So there you have it- some of the highlights of our holiday in the UK, with probably more detail in some respects than you might like, and not enough in others. But you get the idea. We had a wonderful time and I need only close my eyes to go back… for now. Though I am sure my memory will need refreshing with another visit before too long. 
As to our status now, we are doing well but still adjusting to life post-graduation. Nate continues his work with New Song in the pastoral internship program. He also just picked up a side job fixing and selling bikes here in town. It is something he enjoys doing and has a lot of freedom and flexibility with as well. AND, he has taken up training for a triathlon! He has been diligent to work at improving his swimming, running and cycling and each week he gets better. I tag along and do the workouts with him, though I don’t plan on competing. Besides that I have been searching for a job. I trust God is waiting to give me the right one.
I promise the next post will not be so tardy. And as I said, I will try my best to post pictures as soon as possible. Stay tuned…
