A Long Overdue Update II
Summer 2022
And we’re back with the second instalment of what the Kirkpatricks have been up to since February of 2022! While Spring was full of new life, new and deepening friendships, and heartbreak, Summer was full of sunshine and laughter and its own share of difficulties.
As with schools in the US, the last couple of weeks of school for the boys were full of field days, field trips, special lunches, and various other events. I’m still impressed we managed to get the boys to all their appropriate activities and in the correct clothes for their events.
Though the many different temporary structures necessary for hosting the 150th Open Championship began going up in early Spring, the Open itself didn’t start until mid-July. Because Scott was now working for the Links Trust, he was able to volunteer to work the tournament, which, if you know him, you know he did with great excitement and enthusiasm. He worked some of the longest days I’ve seen him work thus far (with maybe the exception of those weeks we had triple digits in June of 2021). Though exhausted during and after the tournament, he had a great time and got to watch some of his favourite golfers practice and play throughout the week. Hollis, Thomas, and I each got to go for a day of the tournament, and there was even one day where all three of us got to go together (as a result of Hollis getting tickets through SALJGA, a friend gifting us a ticket, and Scott’s extra pass). David did not get to enjoy the Open this time around, but he did have a lovely time with a very kind babysitter. Scott was also able to take part in the Staff Golf Society at the Links meaning he started playing golf more regularly—something that he’s been wanting—and which ended with a day at Carnoustie!
A view from the grandstand behind 18 green and 1 tee on the Old Course. 
Waiting with Scott before he and the rest of the Open greenskeepers got to take a picture with the Champion Golfer of the Year, Cameron Smith. Hollis turned six in July! I’m not quite sure where the time has gone, but he really did turn six. For his birthday party he and Scott designed a putt putt golf course (or as it’s known over here: crazy golf). He and his friends had a blast, and I managed to determine what he meant by ‘danger beetle cupcakes’ in time to make them for his party. He loved his time at the Open with just Daddy. He also got to attend a sports camp with a friend from school which ended with an afternoon in Dundee and doughnuts! At the start of the Summer hols Hollis set three goals: ride a bike without stabilisers (training wheels), learn to tie his own shoes, and complete the library’s summer reading challenge. He was so proud (and so were Scott and I) when he accomplished all three! The Summer holidays are short here, and in mid-August Hollis started P2.
Hollis on his bicycle at the end of summer, proudly demonstrating he accomplished one of his summer goals. Thomas finished out his penultimate year of nursery doing lots of processing with friends and his key worker about the loss of Poa and missing family. He inherited his mama’s big feelings and began to work on how to share those with us when they got overwhelming. Thomas got his own day at the Open with just Dada, and had an amazing time! Thomas’s love of water grew from swimming lessons to time in the tidal pool with Mama whenever he could get it. He also was incredibly excited when we made a long paper chain to count down the days until Mimi and Papom would come to visit. He did lots of scooter riding over the summer and, after seeing Hollis complete his summer goals, decided he wanted to set his own summer goals for Summer 2023. Thomas started his last year of nursery in mid-August, and it was amazing to see his confidence grow as he stepped into his role as one of the big kids in class.
David got his first haircut over the summer (and pictures of his shoulder length blonde locks from before his haircut still have Scott and me trying to convince him to grow it back out while still affirming that he has agency over his own body and appearance). He continued to work on his scooter riding skills, and loved having his brothers home during the Summer hols. Shortly after school started back up, David learned to use the toilet making our family officially and 100% diaper free for the first time since July of 2016!
The summer months were a bit rough for me. Being away from the boys in the evenings without a concrete research goal like I’d had whilst writing my probationary review was difficult. On top of that my anxiety continued to make work difficult, and my time in the office was often interrupted by financial worries. Those financial worries were eased a bit after receiving a one off grant from the university for international students who aren’t eligible for other financial help. But what really helped was, after a dear friend sat with me through an anxiety attack, seeing my GP and getting on some anti-anxiety medicine. Simultaneous to the SSRIs I was now taking, I continued my swims in the North Sea. The combination of the SSRIs, regular wild swims with a dear pal, the chats that inevitably take place during a wild swim, a generous financial gift, and an unexpected care package from a friend all somehow (thanks God) managed to happen relatively close together, helping to significantly lift the weight of my anxiety.
A late night swim in the Castle Sands tidal pool with with my swim pal (and photographer). Lastly, though chronologically it was more like first, our first Summer in St Andrews was marked by LIGHT! So much light. It was beautiful and glorious and sometimes annoying (like when the boys would wake at 4:30 because the sun was up and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky!). We learned to love sleep masks, black out shades, and the sun that shares its light and warmth after a long, cold, dark winter.
Scott and I celebrated our eighth anniversary with a bike ride for ice cream and a chat overlooking the North Sea.
