Capitol Hill to Scotland & Beyond

the end... sort of

2012-07-25T12:55:00.001+01:00

Friends, family, lurkers: I've decided to start a new blog. Although posting (which I haven't been doing regularly for the past month) on Capitol Hill to Scotland has been fun and all, just seeing the words "Capitol Hill" gives me panic attacks. Before I moved to Scotland, I had every intention of buying an overpriced condo in DC and returning to Hill life. As a matter of fact, a few months ago

u-s-a, u-s-a!

2012-07-17T23:06:00.001+01:00

In roughly four hours, B and I will be making our way to the Aberdeen airport. Malcolm is already in Amsterdam spending the night at a swanky animal hotel and once we're reunited, we'll all be hopping across the pond to Washington, DC. Oh DC, how I've missed you. I must say, moving a dog to a different country really sucks. It's stressful. And it costs a lot. But it'll all be worth it when I

ready for this jelly?

2012-07-05T16:17:00.004+01:00

Hey, remember me? We have had quite the busy week preparing for an upcoming trip to the United States, scheduling emergency vet appointments, and dining with good friends. Over the weekend, we went to one of our favorite Scottish pubs for a quick lunch before Forvie beach. Unfortunately, we had no idea that the entire beach would be covered with odd looking jellyfish. Since we never

travel deals & steals: best western travel card (ends tomorrow!)

2012-06-29T17:40:00.001+01:00

via This giveaway is for all of my family and friends in lovely IOWA! Best Western is holding an Iowa Photo Contest and the winner will win a Best Western travel card worth $500. Unfortunately I caught this contest late and it ends tomorrow but I'm certain everyone who is currently in the state could submit a few beautiful photos. I'm a sucker for sunset corn field images. :) Follow

our time is running out

2012-06-29T13:52:00.001+01:00

We leave Aberdeen on August, 31st for our next adventure in Arizona. Since traveling on discount airlines is cheap, we have been packing the calendar with fun trips - Sweden, Hungary, Austria, Slovakia, etc. I'm attempting to write everything down on our calendar today, but it's already so crowded I'm giving myself heart palpitations. Almost every single weekend is booked. I hope I'm ready for

making yourself sound important when you don't have a job

2012-06-26T07:00:00.000+01:00

I'm always a bit embarrassed when my mom emails or calls me and asks what I've done all day. My answer usually involves doing loads of laundry and dealing with Malcolm. And that's about it. So if you're in my position (practicing housewifery), here's a list of statements I've been using recently to make myself sound important: - I've been swamped applying for grad schools. I find myself

travel hair: french fishtail seashell braid

2012-06-25T15:29:00.002+01:00

Like most things in my life, I found this French Fishtail Seashell Braid by Kouture Kiss on Pinterest. I'm trying to steer clear of boring ponytails when we travel (so far I've failed) and this style is a perfect solution. Something about cute braids just says summer.

ramblings: marriage makes you useless

2012-06-25T11:56:00.000+01:00

via Everyone in my life understands that I'm bad at finding my way; I might even be considered directionally challenged. Marriage hasn't made this weakness better because I've realized that if you're a woman who's married, you don't even need to open your eyes while walking/driving with your spouse (unless you're the one driving). You can act like me and nap in the car (my preferred activity

travel essential?

2012-06-23T17:40:00.002+01:00

via So, are fanny packs back in style? I sure hope so because my shoulders could use a rest. I especially like the gold dollar signs on this one.

photo of the week: london eye

2012-06-22T15:29:00.001+01:00

A view of Parliament from the top of the London Eye.

marrakech, morocco: camel rides, berber market, atlas mountains

2012-06-22T11:51:00.001+01:00

Day 2:We woke up to the sound of birds singing. Outside our door in the courtyard, a table was set up for breakfast. We were served Moroccan bread and pastries along with tea and freshly squeezed orange juice. All were quite tasty, and we're definitely going to try and find something similar to the Moroccan bread in the UK. After finishing our breakfast, we scrambled off to meet our tour

ramblings: eyebrow[y]ness

2012-06-21T15:29:00.000+01:00

If I could have one wish, it would be for perfect eyebrows. And world peace (of course)... Oh, and for the UK's weather not to completely suck so much. I'm not a gambling girl, but every time I go somewhere to get my eyebrows done, I feel like I'm either going to leave pleased, or walk away penniless (it can be expensive), with shitty eyebrows, wishing I would have stayed home. I don't think that

marrakech, morocco: dar jaguar riad, jemaa el-fnaa, monkeys & henna

2012-06-20T16:50:00.002+01:00

Get ready for a guest blogger to tell you all about Marrakech - my husband! Day 1: In the cab on the way to the riad, it became apparent that there is no rhyme or reason to the laws of the road in Morocco. The road had no markings, just a large slab of pavement with cars weaving all over the place, horns a blazing. Good thing we wouldn't be driving here. The cab took us as far as it could go

travel essentials: almay eye makeup remover pads

2012-06-20T08:00:00.000+01:00

I have always been against traveling with too many liquid products because fitting everything you need in a small plastic bag is next to impossible and packing it in checked luggage may result in a mess. That's why I was happy to find Almay Eye Makeup Remover Pads. They're extremely gentle and they don't cause me to breakout. Just throw this container in your suitcase or put a stack of pads in

current obsession: yves rocher mascara

2012-06-19T11:43:00.001+01:00

My Glossybox arrived today and I'm quite excited to say the least (the little things in life). I haven't been able to find my usual orange tube of Cover Girl Lash Blast mascara in the UK so I was pleased to find a sample of Yves Rocher Sexy Pulp mascara in the box. I love Cover Girl because it's cheap and not only does it make my lashes longer, but it makes them thicker without clumps (for

bye bye birdie

2012-06-18T17:00:00.001+01:00

Yesterday as we were taking Malcolm on his afternoon walk, we witnessed a group of crows pecking two little birds to death. Luckily our presence scared them away, but the birds were already in terrible shape. The smallest pigeon -- or dove -- (I don't think there's that much of a difference, but then again, I'm no bird expert) stumbled into the street and began to waddle in front of a stopped

camels in morocco

2012-06-18T11:24:00.002+01:00

After a very eventful week in beautiful and sunny Marrakech, we are back in Aberdeen and back to blogging. My husband will be posting trip details soon enough, but for now, here are some camel photos. I would tell you that I loved the experience, but that would be lying. I was terrified and asked to get off. Then I changed my mind. This was my camel. She had the longest eyelashes. And she

travel hair: inverted side ponytail

2012-06-12T18:05:00.001+01:00

Remember the days of the Topsy Tail? I do because I owned one of these spectacular tools in middle school. Apparently the topsy tail is back in style and you can use just your fingers to achieve this look! You can find the instructions here. Since we have a long day of travel tomorrow, I'll be rocking a side topsy tail - or inverted side ponytail (sounds classy).

an (awkward) american abroad

2012-06-12T16:15:00.001+01:00

Today was a day dedicated to errands. My loving husband came home on his lunch break so we could take Malcolm to get his rabies shot for his big day across the Atlantic in July, and then I took care of other things in the city center. I held up a line at the local post office with my American swipe credit card (everyone else has chips), I couldn't figure out if I should push or pull the door

loch lomond: camping & hiking

2012-06-11T21:12:00.002+01:00

I haven't been posting as much lately so I think I'll blame it on our abundance of dirty laundry. It does take about an hour to wash a small load and over three hours to dry it. That's dedication. Let me catch you up. . . A few weekends ago we camped on Loch Lomond and hiked up Ben Lomond. Although the seven straight hours of hiking caused many blisters and my butt to cramp up, I enjoyed the

travel essentials: urban decay naked palette

2012-06-10T12:55:00.000+01:00

Packing makeup for a trip used to be a challenge for me because I never knew what shade to bring and stowing away a bunch of small eyeshadow containers would always result in a mess. I purchased the Urban Decay Naked Palette on a flight back from Prague in December and I have been using it ever since. The neutral shades compliment every eye color and skin tone, and you have both matte and

ummm...

2012-06-08T14:25:00.001+01:00

At this very moment, crazy neighbor #2 is sprinting from house to house on our street, pulling non-existent weeds from front yards. She is also manipulating the grass around the sidewalk trees with a garden shovel. I'm not sure what she's hoping to accomplish but all I can say is that dogs pee near those trees. A lot of dogs. Malcolm is watching her from our front window and he does not look

travel hair: straw hat

2012-06-07T22:25:00.001+01:00

I'm picking up a similar hat for our trip to Morocco because I've heard that the summer sun is brutal and there's nothing worse than a burnt scalp. Plus, after our camping experience last weekend, I think a hat will protect my scalp from insect bites too (we were swarmed). I found this hat on the ASOS website and here's a cheaper, more colorful version from ALDO.

giveaway time: and the winners are...

2012-06-07T22:04:00.003+01:00

a Rafflecopter giveaway Congratulations to Barbara and Beth! Barbara is the winner of the travel jewelry organizer clutch and Beth has won the passport holder. Enjoy!!

passports spotted!

2012-06-06T12:45:00.001+01:00

After waiting months and months for our passports to return from the UKBA, we will finally have them in our hands tomorrow. We're going to Morocco next week! I'm glad we don't have to cancel another trip, especially this one, because we got a great hotel deal on LivingSocial at the Dar Jaguar -- an ancient riad-- and everything about it looks interesting and beautiful. I also want to ride a