November + December 2016

November was quite a quiet month for us both. We were generally just pushing through to the end of term as both of us had pretty busy workloads that month. Beckie has been working hard on fine-tuning her PhD applications and has found someone who seems to be a good match to be her supervisor. She should know the outcome of her applications early next spring.

December started out on a high when Chris discovered he had been awarded a Scholarship by the IET (the accreditation body for his degree) which will not only help financially but also provide networking opportunities. In February Chris will get to attend an awards ceremony in London to receive his award.

At Stake Conference we both got new callings. Beckie is now 2nd Counsellor on the stake primary presidency and Chris has been called as a stake young mens advisor. We are both excited and a little nervous about the new challenge.

After term finished to celebrate Chris' birthday we went to Belgium for a few days. We caught the Eurostar to Brussels spending two nights there exploring the city. We found these awesome free walking tours that take you around the city's main historian sites.

We then caught a train to Brugge where we had the opportunity to try even more traditional food (rabbit for Chris and beef stewed in beer for Beckie). The following morning we did a walking tour of the 'legends of Brugge' which provided some interesting and some what comical insights to the major sites within Brugge.

We then caught the train back to Brussels for our final night. As a treat for Chris' birthday Beckie surprised Chris with a stay at a gorgeous traditional Belgian hotel (which looked like something out of a Poirot film) and we had dinner there for Chris' birthday. We then went to the main square where in the evening they play waltz music and people dance around the christmas tree.

The next day we went and got waffles for breakfast (we though it wrong to not have had any at all during the trip). We then went to the Cathedral for a tour around there as it was the last key site we wanted to go to. They had nativity sets from all around the world displayed but there was one that we particularly liked. On the display it said "come closer to the pond and see the temple where I wish to build my crib'. The pond was a mirror which when you came close showed your own reflection.

A couple of days after getting back from Belgium we then headed up to Blackpool to pick up Beckie's granny to bring her to Beckie's parents house for christmas. We spent the Christmas and New Years period with Beckie's family having celebrated with Chris' at a family meal the week before our holiday. We are now spending the rest of the christmas holidays revising (Chris has 3 exams in January) and writing papers (Beckie has one essay and PhD applications to finalise). 

Overall December has felt like a very busy month (especially when compared to November) but we are looking forward to the new year. 

Merry christmas and a happy new year from the Scotts.