Life Updates: Grandparents, Giving Thanks, and Great Improvements

The last few weeks have been eventful, hectic, and downright busy to say the absolute least! You'd think that as a second year who already knows the ropes- yet doesn't have the workload of a third year- I would have tons of free time on my hands.

But despite my fairly lax class schedule (my flatmates hate the fact that I only start before 2 o'clock twice a week), I've kept myself occupied by joining two new societies in addition to running club and choir. That, on top of running my blog and keeping up with schoolwork, has made me one busy girl. To be honest, though, I'd rather have a substantial to-do list than be sitting in my flat wondering how I should spend my day. 

Now that I'm done thoroughly complaining about my self-imposed busy-ness, I should probably update you all on some fun happenings in my day-to-day life! (because we all know that's what you came here for)

My grandparents came to visit! And their trip really snuck up on me. When I came to uni back in September, I remember thinking "Oh, they're not coming for another month!" And what do you know, that month passed and my grandparents and I were taking on Edinburgh together. I love playing tour guide, so even though having them around took up a lot of my time, I really enjoyed their company! We did everything from exploring the National Museum and Galleries of Scotland, to experiencing a classically British afternoon of high tea. 

One of the best parts of having my grandparents around (other than taking advantage of their complimentary breakfast at the hotel), was that they wanted to see some sights that I never had the time or opportunity to visit before. Over the weekend, the three of us took the bus down to the Royal Botanic Gardens. It was a nice break from the hustle and bustle of the city, and gave us the chance to take a lot of beautiful photos. Despite Edinburgh's lack of tropical weather, there were plenty of towering palm trees and blooming orchids in the glass houses to warm our spirits. 

I celebrated Canadian Thanksgiving for the first time! There's nothing like having some turkey, cranberry sauce, and mashed potatoes a month early, huh? One of my flatmates is Canadian (we're a really diverse bunch), so she whipped up a delicious Thanksgiving dinner for us last week. I was in charge of dessert, as per usual, and what better way to properly celebrate Thanksgiving than with pumpkin pie? 

I was in way over my head given that I had never made pumpkin pie before (or any pie for that matter), and could not for the life of me find any pumpkin puree at any grocery store. Instead of giving up and giving in to my Plan B of making apple pie, I decided to throw caution to the wind and buy an entire pumpkin to roast and puree myself. Luckily, I opted for pre-made frozen pastry to make my workload a little bit lighter, and was able to pull off the dessert with moderate success!

Despite my refusal to admit that Canadian Thanksgiving is any better than the American version (to be fair, they're really no different!), I had a really enjoyable first Canadian Thanksgiving, complete with an incredibly tasty dinner and a lovely group of friends to share it with.     

I finally finished decorating my room! One of the worst parts about renting a flat is that there are so many regulations regarding what you can and cannot do to your space. In my flat, we're not allowed to use blu-tack (a gum-like adhesive) on the walls, because it leaves a greasy mark on the paint when you remove it. But, trust me, nobody wants to live in a room with bare walls! 

My solution? I had my mom send over some Command Strips (which promise to never leave a mark) via my grandparents. Once I received these little life-savers, I could finally finish up a few of my room-improvement projects! The first item on my list was to put up my giant American flag. I'm honestly not the most patriotic person when I'm at home, but putting it up here while I'm living in the UK seems a little bit cheeky in the best way!

I also was able to mount these hooks I bought from Anthropologie over the summer (on sale, of course!). I love how they're white and blue- such a classic combination! Not to mention, I'm always game for anything with my initials on it. 

Please ignore how uneven the hooks are... I cringe!

Another big project that I finished up was sticking up all of my photos! This is probably my favorite part of my room, as it displays all of my favorite people. 

Now that my room is officially done, I think I can finally consider my flat in Marchmont my second home :)