Reunited in the United Kingdom, Part I: Aberdeen, Scotland

Back to Ukraine from a bit of a whirlwind trip up to the United Kingdom for the wedding of my greatest of Scottish friends! Rachel was an exchange student at our high school in Kansas during our senior year and became friends with our wild group of girls. Twelve years, 4 or 5 American weddings, a lot of keeping in touch (even before Facebook!), and a few international road trips later, and we all (including a few extras--7 in total) made it back for a quick reunion and one heck of a wedding in her homeland of Aberdeen, Scotland!

Here we are: a nice little Scot-side representation of the Buhler High School class of 1999:

Now, new and improved with two extremely sweet additions: Trudy and Molly (such troopers...at 8 and 6 months they've already experienced their first international trip across the waters!):

I was in Aberdeen 10 years ago to visit Rachel and got some snaps of the place then, but I still tried to get in a few tastes of the city (and the babies!) in between catching-up, prepping for the wedding, shopping, and fully enjoying our short reunion:

After a grand time getting our nails done at the spa, we headed to Ma Cameron's, a cozy little place which is, incidentally, Aberdeen's oldest pub (which, I'm guessing, makes it pretty darn old!):

Aberdeen is actually nicknamed Granite City, due to the locally-mined grey granite that makes up most of the old city center's buildings. Due to high mica content, the buildings often sparkle like silver, making them appear a lot newer than they really are:

A final dinner before the big day with Rachel's family, the Kansas folk, and some Scottish out-of-town guests...

...and then it was time to get hitched! Rachel and Graham were married at King's College Chapel on the campus of Aberdeen University (one of the oldest universities in the U.K.). The chapel itself dates to 1498 (!!) and is particularly known for it's gorgeous crown tower, which is now a symbol of the university:

The Kansas Crew:

Best part about weddings in the U.K.? The hats and fascinators:

Best part about weddings in Scotland? The kilts, of course!

Afterwards, the reception was held at the beautiful Norwood Hall, a former private mansion that now serves as a hotel. As you can see, the weather defied all stereotypes about February in the U.K.:

Traditional Scottish Kaylee dancing:

Brilliant time indeed!

A groggy morning-after breakfast and packing, and it was off to London for some time with my friend, Gretchen, and her dad...still keeping the Kansas vibe going for a few more days:

So long, Scotland:

Up next, part II in London...