Raasay – Our summer vacation to the edge of civilization

And now daylight savings time has ended and the world is dark by 4pm, and I have pulled out the gloves, hats, and can’t leave my flat without two pairs of socks. November has set in. It has been awhile since I have posted, but as the winter comes i can’t help but think of our lovely summer vacation. There were beaches, but instead of bathing costumes, we wore raincoats, jumpers and wellies. We traveled to the farthest, most remote place I have ever been – the Isle of Raasay. My son’s best friend since moving to Cambridge three years ago is the daughter of some of our favorite neighbors. Those neighbors happen to have a family home on this romantic and far-flung island, with scanty cell service, variable weather, loads of sheep, challenging trails and breath-taking scenery. We were delighted and grateful to be invited along for their yearly Scottish adventure.

Sheep, Skye, and Sea who could ask for a lovelier summer holiday?

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Greasy tarts, mermaids and pickled herring for breakfast

Have y’all heard of this amazing new thing called a momcation? I recently embarked on one and it was…amazing. Experts say that moms are too stressed, are constantly engaged in some form of child-care, managing households on top of career responsibilities, or emotional labour, and basically underpaid for all of the things that we do for our families. Balancing everything and keeping everyone happy and healthy can be overwhelming! Which is why I was delighted when one of my fellow mom-friends in my neighborhood suggested the moms of our small community indulged in a weekend away.

One of the other moms in our group just so happened to have in-laws with a beautiful, spacious summer home about an hour north of Copenhagen, and we planned enough in advance to score some cheap tickets on RyanAir and just like that the eight of us were off to one of the most happiest places on the planet – Denmark!

Hard to imagine why she’s so sad when she’s living in the land of happiness

I have two pro-tips incase you want to embark on a brilliant relaxation quest like we did in Denmark. First, the Danish word for hello is “hej.” Luckily, I discovered this with Google translate, so I quickly learned that it is not actually pronounced “hedge” or “heg.” It sounds like “hi” or “high.” Luckily, I discovered this important distinction before actually speaking to any Danes.

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Embrace being a Millennial already.

Before we continue, let’s define what a millennial actually is:

A person who was born between 1981 and 1996, who came of age during the beginning of the new millennium. –Pew Research Center.

Sorry for those of you who are sad about that, but let’s face it, if you were born between those years, you are a millennial. If you graduated high school around the same time I did (2001) you are a millennial. Welcome to the club. Essentially, if you remember the hopeful sounds of the dial-up modem and waiting in anticipation of the AOL announcement “You’ve Got Mail!” as a preteen, you are a millennial. We are defined kindly as the first generation to grow up using technology such as personal computers, the internet, and smart phones. We are defined less kindly as a generation of selfish “snowflakes,” a generation of soft, over-sensitive, overly offended, arrested development non-property owners who would prefer to eat avocados, live with their parents, and put off marriage and family as long as possible.

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