International Lampoon’s North American Vacation

It is decided, booked, done and dusted! This morning, as you can see in the previous entry, Ethan got his passport, and this afternoon we got/found an offer we couldn't refuse and booked our tickets to Canada. It was a bit last minute, a quick decision making process, and very much the way we roll.

In the beginning of November we’ll be heading out from Glasgow and fly direct to Toronto where we will be spending a few days with friends and family. Really something I am looking forward to as: 1) So far, I have only met Jean Noel from the Fortin side of Shaena's family and am very keen on meeting a few more family members. 2) Our friends from the Dublin-years live in the area around Toronto, and they have all visited us here in Scotland, and now it is our turn to meet up with them on their own turf!

Our tour of North America continues to Winnipeg a couple of days later where more family and friends are eagerly waiting. Keith has promised to take us sightseeing outside the city of Winnipeg, which I am really looking forward to as I haven’t really seen much of Canada besides Winnipeg in my last two visits. I have also never met Danika, our friends Jess & Bain’s gorgeous little daughter, so I am very much looking forward to that as well! Last but definitely least - the KISS-concert! Still working on the tickets for this, but that would really be the icing on the cake for this trip!

We will also be paying Aunty Nini in Grand Forks, North Dakota a visit and possibly even Minneapolis, Minnesota for some world class shopping! Nini has promised to front the $6 it costs for us Swedes to cross the US border in Pembina. Obviously, that sum of money would otherwise be a complete deal-breaker, so who can resist such a generous offer? :) Can’t wait to see what Nini has done with the house since last time we were there!

I am going to commence work on a very ambitious list with 'tourist attractions of interest' which I will then post here on the blog for everyone's review and comments, but mostly to help Keith with his budgeting on how many jerry cans he'll need to keep in the back of his truck for our drive.

I am not sure if Keith is fully grasping the extent of what he is getting himself into by offering to take us out driving. We can be quite very ambitious tourists when we need to! Over the years we have become quite good at blitzing many tourist attractions in a short period of time. For those of you who followed our old blog; remember that time in Italy when we did 4 Italian cities in 5 days?

Needless to say, we are very very excited right now and we are so much looking forward to a couple weeks of holidays and meeting family and friends! Thank you very much to everyone of you who are helping us out with this trip, every offer of a place to stay in your homes, every offer to take us out for a drink, borrow cars, strollers, car seats, and more.

International Family

Well it took long enough and lots of red tape to cut through but we have Master Ethan's passport!! WOOOOOOO!
Now it's time to book a trip but where to? We will spin the wheel of fate to see where we end up for Ethan's first ride on a zoom zoom!

Ethan did have his first ride on a chew chew this week. Glasgow was brilliant! He has his Halloween outfit all sorted...now time for Mom and Dad!

This weekend will also be a visit from Mr. & Mrs. Betker! Brad and Cara decided to come to Scotland for their Honeymoon and are spending a few days in luxurious Edinburgh.

Oh, and for those of you following the X-Factor, tonight is the first of the live shows!

Trip #1 to Sweden - Booked!

Today I've booked the first of my two remaining work trips for the rest of the year, trip #1 to Sweden and our Stockholm office. I have a feeling this will be a good, valuable and rewarding trip. One of the sales reps I am working with a lot is very excited that I am coming out there to meet her clients, as she has been talking to the clients about the work I do for them for so long, and finally we'll get an opportunity to meet.

Just to give you a taste of some of the work I do, as I have been accused of being a real-life 'Chandler Bing from Friends' when it comes to explaining what I work with, here is what the trip agenda will look like:

On the first day, the Wednesday, we are delivering a training workshop on 'job advert optimization for the internet' together for a well known recruitment company in Sweden, and for the rest of the day we'll be swishing around from meeting to meeting with clients, discussing stats, areas of improvement, and returns on investment. Kind of like talking a person through a Google Analytics report, but with an added online-recruitment-advertising-twist. On the Thursday, I will spend the day in the office to further build relations and introduce one of my team members to the sales team, and the Friday will be a mix of meetings and office time. Exciting stuff, eh! Pfft!

Most exciting though: I get to hang with my brother John! I opted not to stay in a hotel during this visit, as I normally do in Sweden, so that John can make me his famous Swedish breakfast with Hono-kaka (or possibly his flavor-of-the-month-bread), Kalles kaviar, Swedish cheese (which is much, much better than our bland British cheeses, by the way), Butter with sea salt, maybe some chocolate milk and a drop of O.J. Sure beats the crap out of continental breakfast!

Goes without saying that I'll be missing my little family a lot, but luckily we have two weeks of holiday time coming up soon, so lots of time to hang and chill out. Still to be decided what we are going to do, but whatever we decide on, it will be awesome!

Edinburghers, Glaswegians and visiting Canucks

Intriguing title, eh? What is up for the rest of this week then? Well, for me, working is a given. Shaena and Ethan on the other hand decided to tag along with Orlaith on an ad-hoc shopping trip to Glasgow tomorrow morning. Should be good times, and Ethan will get to go on the chew-chew for the first time!

Glasgow is very different from Edinburgh in every aspect; it is bigger, more densely populated, people have a different attitude, the accent is very different, the architecture is more modern - and not the good kind of modern, the city is more dangerous supposedly (ever heard of 'The Glasgow Smile'?), and some say that Glasgow is generally less friendly than Edinburgh. There has always been a kind of love-hate relationship between the 'Edinburghers' and the 'Glaswegians' and the Glaswegians are claiming that Edinburghers are stuck up and snobbish (I can agree with that to some extent) and that they definitely are the friendliest of the two cities, and the other way round. The fact of the matter is; some of the worst parts of Glasgow city currently has the lowest live expectancy in Europe due to poverty, drug abuse and violence among other things. That is a scary notion!

Who knows, but my personal opinion is definitely that Edinburgh is the place to be. It seems to me like Edinburgh is generally cleaner, better organised, safer, and less run down. Basically, the difference between a blue-collar city and a white-collar city, to use very broad (and harsh) strokes.

I am guessing this mindset will be completely different if you are born and raised in one of the two cities. For us as expats, it is easy enough to make up our minds based only on what we see on the surface, but as a native Scot it probably goes deeper than that.

To sum up: If you are looking to relocate to a Scottish city, my suggestion is that you set up your camp here in Edinburgh where it is nice, clean and safe, and visit Glasgow only in broad daylight. :)

On another note: On Sunday we will hopefully meet up with Shaena's friend Cara and her husband Brad. Cara and Brad just got married and are driving around Scotland on their honeymoon. They have booked a package deal complete with a rental car, B&B's etc. Sounds like a good time, and I am sure we'll get the whole scoop on Sunday. Will be great to meet Cara again, and I have never met Brad, so another acquaintance to befriend on Facebook! :)

Spoilo McPresentson scores again!

Tonight we had a visit from our two resident Godmothers, Orlaith and Jen. Orlaith had kindly bought Ethan a gift from Ireland and presented it to him tonight. It was a really nice Irish rugby jersey. Thank you Orlaith!

Orlaith is clearly trying to influence Ethan's national sports loyalty in a way that of course worries me a bit, but as we don't have any noteworthy rugby teams in Sweden or Canada, I guess that's ok. For now. However, if Ireland would ever try to break new ground and venture into the breakneck world of winter sports such as ice hockey or curling, loyalty discussions would have to be held in order to avoid confusion and clashes. This is of course not very likely at this present moment or in any foreseeable future, so no cause for alarm as of now.

The Na!

The weekend started off as planned... Me, Orlaith, Maeghan and Jen were all set to board our flights to Dublin for our weekend in Ballina. Unfortunately for Maeghan and Jen, Ryanair have a policy that foreigners must have their passports re-checked after online check in to ensure they have a valid visa to re-enter the UK. This was something that we overlooked on the Ryanair website as it is not custom for airlines to do this!

It should have been okay but the Servisair people were complete knobs and so rude! They wouldn't re-print the boarding passes after the girls bolted down to the check in desk (with time to spare!) so they were unable to join us on the weekend! I am currently in the process of writing a letter of complaint to Servisair for their lack of customer service!

Not to start a posting with a negative but the weekend went on from there and improved greatly!

Orlaith and I arrived in Dublin city to be met by Henry Travellers (a large blow up doll from the movie "I love you man") and Cormac (my very good friend from when I lived in Dublin!) We headed into town to 'Copperface Jack's' and met up with Orlaith's best friend in the world Tracey O'Hora (...yes Swedish people, that is a real last name!) and her boyfriend Graeme. Let me tell you; I had forgotten how expensive Dublin was. €23 Euro and 3 drinks later we were cutting it on the dance floor.

Tracey and Graeme graciously hosted us on my first sleep away from Ethan, sharing a bed with Orlaith. Not the way I pictured my first full night's sleep. Orlaith is a cover hog!

The next day we started our trek to the west. The Na is everything Orlaith said it would be and more! A quaint little village with Orlaith's mom's flower shop on the main drag. Orlaith has been telling us about her Grannie all this time, and this was my chance to put a face to the name, and she was on form. For a lady that is 91 years of age, she is sharp as a tack. Orlaith has also promised that she will appear on here on our blog with a guest-entry about Grannie's new camel coloured coat, so keep your eyes peeled for that story. It is a belter! (Bit of Scottish slang there for ya!)

That night we went clubbing and danced the night away. Can't forget the 3am after-club stop at 'Super Mac's' for greasy burgers. No need to go into details, the pictures will speak for themselves!

The following day was like home away from home. Marie, Orlaith's mom, nursed our hangovers and made us endless supplies of tea. Thanks for the tea, Marie! :)

Finally, our last stop was to see Grannie again before we hit the road back to Dub. I hope I am half the woman she is when I am that age. Cormac collected us once back in Dublin and whisked us to the airport for our flight home. T'was a great weekend and I can't wait to do it again, next time with Ethan and Peter.

Ethan's groovy dance video

Relaxing Sunday

It is a beautiful autumn day here in Edinburgh with a clear blue sky and the sun is shining. Yesterday was really windy, so we didn’t go out at all. Ethan and I have had a good night’s sleep and a nice relaxed morning and are about to head out for a walk, as soon as Ethan wakes up from his beauty sleep. Think we’ll head down to Princes street garden or Dean Village so that he can get a bit of fresh air and look at ducks and birds and puppies.

Shaena is reporting that she is having a great time in Ballina with Orlaith! I am happy they were able to get away for their girls weekend, and I know that Shaena has been eager to see the legendary 'Na'. It is definitely well deserved! Shaena has handled the whole pregnancy, birth, and taking care of Ethan every day fantastically, I am very proud of her, and I can't wait until we get to go on our first family holiday together!

What a wonderful day!

Ethan and I are having a fabulous day today! We woke up around 8am after a good night's sleep, Ethan only woke up once at 4.30am for a quick snack, and then he was out again.

We had breakfast together, then we cleaned the kitchen for a while before Ethan decided to go back to sleep instead - and who can blame him? Cleaning the kitchen stinks!

When he woke up again, he had a bath whilst listening to music like Israel Kamakawiwo'ole and Aerosmith (again), and then a some singing and a Skype call. All that and it is only noon!

I see skies of blue..... clouds of white
Bright blessed days....dark sacred nights
And I think to myself .....what a wonderful world!

T.G.I.F!

It has been a long and intense week, and we are pleased it is finally the weekend! Shaena and the girls took off for Ireland this evening – or so they thought at least - and Ethan and I are just hanging out, watching music videos. Or I should say watched music videos, because Ethan fell asleep mid-playlist! Typical!

Shaena just called from the airport and Jen and Maeghan were not allowed to board their Ryanair-flight and won't be coming with them to Ireland, because they got hassled by crazy-airport-service-desk-guy-with-nothing-better-to-do-on-a-Friday-evening. Incredible that one person can just take policy in his own hands and decide if he is in the mood to be helpful or not. This guy did not feel like being helpful. At all.

Anyway, enough moaning. I am sure the remaining girl-troop, Shaena and Orlaith, will have a smashing time in Dublin and the Na!

Update on pressies: Did Ethan get even more pressies? Yes he did!

Aunty Nini sent us a parcel with a very nice winter coat and matching winter hat for Ethan, along with a Halloween-pumpkin-bib! Thank you very much Nini for the lovely gifts!

Speaking of Halloween by the way; we need to figure out what to dress Mr. Ethan up as for his trick or treating. All suggestions are welcome (except for 'Casper the friendly ghost', that is way to easy and Casper is a bit creepy!)

The Good, The Bad, and The Awesome!

The Good:
Ethan had his first real giggles yesterday! It is the cutest thing and so contagious! You just can’t keep a straight face when you hear it. Mommy and Ethan were laughing and giggling when I came home from work, what a joy!

Another thing to add to the ‘Good column’: We had a really nice visit from Piers and Lesley on Wednesday evening. They are a couple and Shaena’s acquaintances from work. Such nice people, and we are definitely going to head over to theirs in Dean Village to introduce Ethan to their dog. He is a mix between a German shepherd and a Doberman, so a giant dog, but apparently the most baby friendly dog one can imagine.

The Bad:
Yesterday Ethan afternoon was due for his second round of shots, which is of course a very good thing in itself, but poor Ethan’s legs were tender after the shots and he was really tired and cranky last night. Today he is so much better though, and he woke up with a giggle. He is such an amazing little person!

The Awesome:
Passport Canada phoned us yesterday to let us know that Ethan’s passport application has now been processed and approved! Our little man will get his passport by next week, so we are no longer hostages in the United Kingdom! :)

Another Swede turning 30!

Weekend in the Na!

So Peter kindly suggested the idea that us girls finally take our trip in Balina (Orlaith's hometown) this up coming weekend. I booked a flight for Orlaith and I and we are all set to arrive in Dublin on Friday night, drive to the Na on Saturday and back to Dublin on Sunday. Funny enough, Ryanair had a seat sale a few days after I booked our flights through Aerlingus (Damn Ryanair!!) But I had an epiphany! I decided to book a flight for Maeghan and Jen so the 4 of us could rock it like a hurricane in the emerald isle!

I figure when we arrive we'll head into Temple Bar for a few cold ones and then off to bed for Saturdays 3 1/2 journey to the West Coast. We will get to meet Grannie whom is famous over here as told by the many stories from the Brogan ladies and see Marie (Orlaith's mom) and go to her flower shop! It will be nice to see where this crazy Irish chick has sprouted from!

Of course there will be shopping. Finally I think I will have a passion to shop as I have Ethan to shop for. Going to get him some good green gear!

Peter and Ethan will be having their first weekend just the two of them. A Boy's Weekend.

Note to family: Skype may be down this weekend so don't fret if you can't get a hold of us!

You know, it will be interesting to head back to where this all started! I haven't been to Ireland since we moved to Edinburgh! That is almost 2 1/2 years ago!!

Happy Birthday big brother!

Today is my big brother John’s birthday; he is turning 30!
The big 3-0! Definitely a milestone in life and definitely worthy of a decent present. We’ll have to find him something really nice and typically Scottish. John is probably thinking: "Oh no, not whiskey…again!" right about now. So instead, we were thinking about a year's consumption of shortbread or haggis? How does that sound?

There is a shortbread factory right next to my work where you can buy a 2 pound bag of rejected shortbread or mint chocolate cookies for £1. So 50 of those suckers would probably do the trick. The best pressie ever! :)

Hope you will have a fantastic day dear brother, and we’ll catch up next time we meet!