Lately, according to my iPhone.

groceries.

bible study sleepover.

sigur ros tickets. happening so soon!

the macrae kids' impressive fort.

love cozy mornings.

took the train over the glenfinnan viaduct. aka harry potter bridge.

spent a day with a wonderful family who has this view from their window.

spring is coming!

to glasgow for the lumineers.

this was the weirdest and coolest thing ever. it was really frosty, and the sun was so bright and beautiful but there were frost particles flying through the air. it made a ring/rainbow kind of thing around the sun. i've never seen anything like it before. it was amazing.

one part of ministry I didn't know about.

As I was explaining exactly how many cookies I had baked in a 24 hour period, Anna smiled at me and said, "I bet this is one part of ministry you didn't know about!"

I baked over one hundred cookies to be eaten at youth club on Friday night and the church café on Saturday. The idea was to have kids decorate them in celebration of Valentine's Day. Friday night, for youth club, cookie decorating was the plan for their craft time. The Army cadets were coming that evening to do some drill stuff with the kids, and when they got there they told us they could do it for the entire two hours. We leaders happily let them, and enjoyed decorating cookies with some of the girls who didn't want to participate. Everyone came in hungry and exhausted, and we had their snack ready. So fun!

I was on the rotation for working the following day in the church café. It's only open on Saturdays for now, and it gets busier every week. The idea was for the kids to decorate cookies while their parents enjoyed tea and scones. I'm pretty sure most of them ended up being used for tea and coffee after church the next day. 

Point of this story: There are so many ways to participate in ministry. The kids at the youth club were so excited that someone had actually baked cookies for them. This little way of showing that the leaders care about them could work wonders in showing them that Jesus is the one who cares about them most. Please pray that God is glorified, even in the baking.

bake and hike.

The Little Things, Number Fifteen.

192. Fresh food.
193. Walking through the church to put a vacuum away and having to catch my breath because I looked out of the window and saw this:

194. Learning to use my fiancé's fancy camera.

195. Making home-made granola.

196. Being a part of this church family.

197. I have officially begun to need a cup of tea. About five times per day.

198. Walks on the canal and feeding ducks.

199. Knowing that I am missed and loved by my sweet friends. This looks like 2 am FaceTime calls to include me on making life decisions. They are simply the best.

200. Serving a living, moving and working God.

A little video.

Josiah and I filmed some of our adventures during his time here. I put together a little video. It's pretty rough, but I'm learning. He left his camera (which has become OUR camera) here with me so I can take advantage of capturing the beauty I see here every day. Hopefully there will be more videos to come!

Scotland from Josiah + Emily on Vimeo.

A visit from my fave.

Josiah came to Scotland and spent a couple of weeks here. It was so fun having him! He was here long enough to get to do some touristy stuff and live every day life. Here are a few of our favorite photos from the trip! 

   

Worlds collide. Hanging out at the MacRae's.

A stunning sunrise over Ben Nevis.

So thankful for help with the dishes for those two weeks! 

Us and a highland cow. Of course.

Staying warm in the wind.

My man and my Bible study girls.

Ben Nevis.

Josiah with his "family" during his time here. So thankful for the MacRae's hospitality!

Starbucks in Glasgow for a phone and camera charging break.

We found our wedding attire!

The Royal Mile.

Starbucks in Edinburgh.

(The closest Starbucks is in Inverness, about an hour from Fort William. I take advantage when I can.)

Edinburgh.

The Royal Mile.

It started snowing as we got to the airport!

It was such an amazing time, and so wonderful to have my love with me for a while. He left excited to go back to school, and I came back up to Fort William not wanting to be anywhere else. It was such a blessing to have a tear-less goodbye. We know we are each where God wants us, and nothing could be better.

Here's to the next three months of living life in Scotland!

Cheers.

2012.

It was pretty big.

I fell in love.
Raised thousands of dollars to participate in God's work in Scotland.
Solidified deeper friendships.
Learned how to actually be a part of my family again.
Got engaged.
Moved to Scotland.

And here I sit. Drinking my cup of tea in my little house in Caol.

Instead of reflecting on the past year, I'll go for reflecting on today.

Today, we had a New Year's Day church service.
I got to stand next to my fiancé and sing Be Thou My Vision on the first day of the year we will be married. It's the only piece of music we have nailed down for our wedding. Perfect.
The sun was out and it was glorious. Kiki told Josiah and I to go for a walk along Loch Linnhe to Corpach Basin and up the Canal. We took pictures and talked and learned more about each other and about the necessity of God being a part of who we are.
We hung out at the Manse for a bit and FaceTimed with my future in-laws. It was such a wonderful conversation that made me even more excited to become a Meneghini.
After a few conversations and a phone call, we changed Josiah's return plane ticket. He's staying for six extra days. This makes my heart want to burst.
We had dinner with the MacRae's. For New Year's Day, Scots have steak pie. Probably one of my favorite things. We had mashed tatties, black pudding, corn, and peas. So good.
A bunch of people went to Chris and Alison's for game night tonight. We played Articulate!, and my team lost miserably. It was the most fun I've ever had losing a game.
Now, I'm about to skype with Caroline and AC.

Today was lovely. My heart is so full. Best New Year's Day ever.
Cheers to 2012. 2013, I'm loving you already.