Last Thursday, the ISS (International Summer School) team took us to Edinburgh for the day and we were free to do whatever we wanted. Wow, I fell in love with this beautiful, old city in a matter of minutes. My friends and I were able to squeeze in many adventures within just one day. Edinburgh is unlike any other city I've been to before.

In the morning we walked around and got drinks at a little coffee shop. The hot sandwiches there were called "toasties," and I think that is the most adorable word. I am no longer calling them panini's anymore. They are toasties. We then made our way to Edinburgh castle -- that place was huge! It was pretty pricey to get inside the walls, but I figured I might as well make the most of my trip. We spent two hours exploring the castle and it blew my mind that royalty once lived there. Who on earth needs that much space?! It was also neat walking along the top of the wall, looking through the same exact openings that guards looked through centuries ago. This place was over 1,100 years old! That is absolutely crazy to wrap my mind around. America hasn't even been established for 300 years yet.







Next we walked along the famous shopping street, the Royal Mile, and I bought some postcards and magnets. We met up with our ISS group for a mini Harry Potter tour. We were taken to some places that inspired J. K. Rowling's books, since she lived in Edinburgh years ago. At the Elephant Cafe, I ate the most delicious ham and cheese toastie I've ever had and drank hot chocolate art in a mug. I loved this quaint cafe and it was actually the very place that J. K. Rowling wrote Harry Potter! The bathroom walls were completely graffiti covered with messages to the author.




We then were taken to a peaceful cemetery that J. K. used to enjoy walking through. It was lovely getting away from the loud, busy streets of Edinburgh and finding some quiet and stillness. This was a super cool part of the tour for me because we got to see grave stones with the names of characters from the books! J. K. is clever -- what better way to get name inspiration than from a graveyard? I may have freaked out a little when I saw Tom Riddle's headstone.

Once the tour ended, a group of friends and I took yet another tour but this one was very different. It was called the Edinburgh Underground Ghost Tour. We had a sensational, charismatic tour guide named James who never got out of character and who made us laugh the whole time. As we walked the streets, he shared old murder stories from the past. It wasn't until we actually went underground, into vaults under the city, that I began feeling a little creeped out. Ghost tours never faze me at all but this one did give me some goosebumps. He told us the vault we were in was only accidentally discovered a year ago. It was entirely dark so we used the flashlights on our phones to see. James said that this was currently a big hot spot for paranormal investigators, who were constantly experiencing bizarre incidents when they came late at night. He said that many people on his tour claim to see a sad, old woman in the corner... and pointed directly behind me. I quickly found a new corner to stand in. He then shared a few more ghost stories before taking us back up into the world of the living.

I arrived in Scotland on Saturday after the longest, most stressful, and frustrating day I've ever had. My flight ended up getting cancelled at the last minute, I got put on an entirely different airline, I came so close to missing my new flight because the agent told me the wrong gate, and the cherry on top is that my luggage got lost. It's funny how every single thing I was scared about happening ended up coming true. BUT the Lord is good and blessed me with an extremely sweet, thoughtful, and caring family that was on the same flight to Edinburgh. I ended up tagging along with them through the airports and felt like their adopted daughter for the day. I probably wouldn't have arrived in Scotland if it wasn't for them!

On my first night here I was completely jet lagged and felt like a zombie. We had a little welcome ceremony in the Airthrey Castle on campus (no big deal, there's just a small castle on campus) complete with wine and small talk. It was awful. For those of you who know me well, you know that I despise small talk and large groups of strangers. But I ended up meeting Anna, a sweet soul from China, and the only international student who is not from America! I have had the best time getting to know her this week and her constant smile always puts me in a good mood.

It has been almost exactly five months since I posted on this blog. Spring semester kicked my butt and I had zero free time -- which explains my disappearance. I really hope to get back into blogging though.

In fifteen hours I will be boarding a plane by myself on my way to Scotland. I've been preparing to study abroad this summer for months and months and yet it wasn't until tonight, while I was packing up my toothbrush and travel size shampoo, that it finally hit me. I am doing this. All alone. I almost couldn't breathe for a minute because I was panicking so much.

I am so beyond excited that I am finally fulfilling one of my life dreams: to visit Scotland. I will be there for a month and I know it's going to go by so fast. I really do hope to make the most of every day while I'm abroad -- by meeting interesting people, seeing beautiful sights, and immersing myself in a new culture. I've traveled out of the country twice before but it was with a large group of people (my church youth group) and everything was already planned out for us so I simply followed the bread crumb trail. It is so different now being completely on my own for this! I've saved up my money for three years, have done a lot of research and planning, and haven't had a single person hold my hand during this process. I am absolutely terrified of navigating the huge airports and making my way to the correct flight on time. I get anxious thinking about sitting on a plane with no one I know around me. I just wish I could fall asleep tonight and wake up already in Scotland. This experience is going to help me grow a lot though and hopefully become even more confident and independent. I am overwhelmed with a mixture of emotions. I CANNOT WAIT.

If you are interested in following along with my European adventures, I plan to blog about them here (with many pictures of course!) every week or so. We'll see once I'm actually in Europe how much down time I will really have to blog. Peace out America.

Also, this past month of being home for summer break has been absolutely amazing. I've had so many gloriously fun-filled days with my best friends. They truly understand me on a level I don't think anyone else in this world will ever compare to. Here are just a few photos that wrap up the past month of summer and what I unfortunately have to leave behind in North Carolina:

Is it crazy to wear shorts in winter?! I recently bought these adorable shorts at Forever 21 on clearance though and just had to wear them immediately. Anything with floral or lace I fall in love with -- so these are my new favorite shorts. I love how feminine they are! I paired them with a coral shirt of the same color and my fun mint oxfords. Unfortunately it was a rainy day so I had to take my pictures inside, awful lighting and all.

Shirt: Thrifted // Cardigan: Kohl's // Shorts: Forever 21 // Tights: Target // Shoes: Target // Necklace: Gift

It's the Great Falls Mill Ruins -- originally built in 1869 and used up until the Great Depression. Then the mill caught fire in 1972, and all that's left now is some of the frame and scraps of old machinery. It can be found just off the highway at 307 W Broad Avenue in Rockingham, NC. Be warned: the surrounding area is completely overgrown with itchy weeds that are waist-deep, so dress appropriately. But you can't miss it; it's directly beside the highway.




Walking around this serene area, it was very peaceful and pretty. I adored the huge brick wall that was left standing, reaching up to the sky. It was also neat finding old rusty bits of machinery half hidden in the grass. Beyond the ruins is a little waterfall and creek. It was a really pretty place! When I visited this site, it was a super hot day in May, but I would love to see it again sometime in the cooler months.

These yummy cinnamon roll cookies taste just like a regular cinnamon roll, but are a much smaller portion! The icing is my favorite part of it all and really brings the cookie together as a whole.


Ingredients:

VANILLA COOKIE DOUGH:
1/2 cup powdered sugar
2/4 cup unsalted butter
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

CINNAMON MIDDLE TOPPING:
1 large egg white
1 Tablespoon water
1/4 cup granulated white sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

ICING:
1/2 cup powdered sugar
2 Tablespoons heavy whipping cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Instructions:

1. In a medium-sized bowl, cream together the sugar, butter, salt, and vanilla. Add the flour, stirring until the dough stays together.
2. Lightly flour a piece of parchment paper and transfer the dough to it. Flatten the dough into a 9 x 12 inch thin rectangle.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together the egg white and water until foamy. Brush onto rolled out dough.
4. In another small bowl, whisk together the sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle it evenly over the entire dough.
5. Starting with a long edge, carefully roll the dough into a log, sealing the edge. Wrap in plastic wrap and freeze until firm.
6. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Lightly grease two cookie sheets.
7. Remove dough from the freezer and unwrap it. Using a sharp knife, cut the log into 1/2-inch slices.
8. Transfer them to the prepared baking sheets. Bake the cookies for 12-14 minutes, until they are a light golden brown. Remove from oven and transfer to a rack to cool.
9. In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, cream, vanilla, and cinnamon to make a smooth icing. Drizzle icing onto cookies. (I put my icing in a bag, and then cut a hole in the corner). Enjoy!
*Makes 2 dozen cookies.