I’m not sure I was ready to come home, but I’m glad to be here. The plane trip (7 hours), plus getting through customs (another 7 hours…well…not exactly, but it felt like it), going through security for a second time before catching our flight to Indy, was difficult at times, but mostly smooth.

It was good to finally pull into the driveway with wonderful memories of Scotland adventures. We were able to see castles, Puffins, hike mountains, see a fantastic waterfall, eat local meals such as Haggis, Black Pudding, Fish and Chips, Steak and Ale Pie, and wonderful desserts. We met people who gave us insights into Scottish and English culture, talked with a couple from North Carolina studying at St. Andrew’s while traveling on a bus through Mull, and heard how the pandemic affected Scotland. We spent time exploring God’s wonderful creation sensing God’s presence. We walked…a lot and traveled in planes, taxis, buses, cars, and boats.

I’m not sure what my best memory will be. Perhaps recognizing that God was with us every step of the way. There were some pleasant surprises that I could have not planned. Even though I tried to make great plans, God had even better ones! I shouldn’t be surprised. God always has a better plan than we do!

The image for this article is the last picture I took while in Scotland. For our last day in Scotland, we decided to get an all-day bus pass, so we could explore Edinburgh one last time. This meant we had to figure out how the buses worked! After figuring out the schedule, we discovered that all buses didn’t stop at all bus stops. We had to figure out which stop the bus stopped at and be there at the right time to catch it.

We headed to the bus stop…but it was closed. Not sure what to do, we wandered around, not realizing the temporary bus stop was about 100 yards away. Of course, we headed in the opposite direction, so we didn’t see the temporary stop. We did finally find the temporary bus stop and headed to the Royal Botanical Gardens.

The image above is from one of the beautiful trees in the Garden. Here are a few others: