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I was really won over by tonight's summer mix which was submitted by Donna on Skye. Donna is an American who came here on holiday and met the love of her life. The mix tape tells the story of their romance. I hope you are as charmed as we were....

"My summer playlist is not exactly about my favorite summer songs although there are a few that fit the bill; but my list is more about songs that illustrate my favorite summer. That summer just happens to be last summer when I first visited this wonderful country and of which I'm now a permanent resident."

Beautiful Day - U2 -Last summer I arrived in Glasgow excited to visit a country I've always wanted to explore. The day I arrived was gorgeous and now the first hard part - driving on the other side of the road. To make sure I didn't turn into wrong lanes, I decided to follow the car in front of me and simply to do what he did. I followed the poor fellow for miles and miles ending up somewhere in Paisley but more confident. After a long look at the map, I headed up to Fort William.

Top of The World - Carpenters -The theme for my holiday was whiskey and health. I started with health since if I started with whiskey I may not have gotten to the second part. Not wanting to be a wimp, I chose Ben Nevis for some exercise. I should mention that this was my first outdoor adventure in 20 years. Donning my new boots, new fleece, new rain pants, new rucksack, new everything, I set out up the hill. Here are a few tips for those who have never done this type of thing before:
Start out fast - It will be the fastest you walk that day without wincing with every step
When you see others, stop soon enough to stop huffing and puffing to be able to say Hiya without sounding like you need medical attention
Sing a theme song - Mine was from the Sound of Music "Climb Every Mountain" Though after a little while I realized the lyrics were a metaphor (how can anyone climb every mountain and ford every stream -yeah right)
Never tell yourself that "No Matter What, EVEN IF IT KILLS ME, I'll get to the top." This gets old when you're only half way up.
Whatever you do, don't look back at the car
Despite all the pain and suffering (and snow), I made it to the top

American Woman - Lenny Kravitz -The feeling of accomplishment was almost enough compensation for the pain my knees were feeling on the way back down Ben Nevis. With no place booked for the night I headed north. Along the route I saw a hitchhiker and since I was traveling solo and had no one to celebrate with I didn't hesitate to stop. He was on his way to Inverness. Turns out he was American too and couldn't hide his disappointed in being picked up by another American thus not having an "authentic" experience. He was equally unimpressed with my Ben Nevis achievement (he was an outdoorsy type) and at that moment I knew that I wasn't going to Inverness and dropped him at Invergarry and headed toward Skye.

Do You Believe In Magic - Lovin' Spoonful - Little did I know that I would be driving along the road from Glasgow to Skye at least once or twice a month for the next year and a half. If I hadn't been jet lagged and exhausted from my walk I may have been able to hear the siren song that was calling me. Shunning the Bed and Breakfasts that I passed along the road I fully embraced the "outdoorsy" culture and decided to sleep in a hostel for the first time in my life. I drove to the end of the Isle and found myself being checked into Dun Flodigarry Hostel by my future husband, Bryan.

Always Take The Weather With You - Crowded House - My fellow hostellers included Jack and Bob from near Aberdeen who are both over 70 and had walking stories to share all night. It was time to start on the second theme of my holiday, whiskey. Truth be told, I could hardly understand a word Jack said, who has never ventured out of Scotland, but Bob translated. It was these two men, whose company and bothy music were magic, that kept me another night in the hostel. The next afternoon I was studying for my upcoming transition to Captain for the airline I work for and Bryan came by my table. I was studying weather and Bryan just so happened to work for the Met office for 20 years and he sat down to chat.

Fooled Around and Fell in Love - Elvin Bishop -Our conversation lasted the entire length of my holiday and continues to this day. Bryan swept me off my feet and my whirlwind tour of Scotland stopped at Dun Flodigarry. Neither of us could imagine such an unlikely meeting nor the lasting power it had over us. We both knew that the week had been special. It wasn't your ordinary summer fling.

Who Needs Sleep - Barenaked Ladies - I was living in Cleveland Ohio and Bryan lived in Dun Flodigarry. That is one huge commute. Luckily, my job allows for a flexible schedule and I will work ten days and then have 5-7 days off. During the first part of our relationship I would fly into Glasgow and hire a car to come up to Skye. Those journeys were filled with obstacles. All the massive lorries trying to run me off the road up through Loch Lomond, the deer that would come out of nowhere and not to mention tourists in caravans. Despite all that I would still get sleepy behind the wheel so I would put together mix tapes and one song was my favorite - Who Needs Sleep.

Life With You - The Proclaimers -Bryan and I took our first holiday together to Mexico last September. We stayed at a gorgeous bay with very few tourists called Akumal South. The beachfront was populated by sea turtles that came during the night to lay eggs in the sand. Each morning there were special monitors who would mark each of the nests along the beach so the tourists wouldn't stumble over them. It was on this beach that Bryan asked me to marry him. The Proclaimers song was played at our wedding and just by chance they were in Cleveland the last night of our honeymoon before Bryan flew back to Skye without me. The venue was small and we were able to request "our" song and they were generous to give us a special dedication. By the way, lest you think Cleveland was our honeymoon choice, our honeymoon was not in Cleveland but in Kauai. Nothing against Cleveland, we do have the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum!

Things We Do For Love - 10cc -ÌýThe winter proved difficult for the long distance commute. The flights out of New York were often postponed due to snowstorms. At times I found myself running for a flight to Manchester because the other flights were full. By this point, we had abandoned the hire car, not because of my driving but because of a lack of sleep, and the bus to Portree became my mode of transportation. This was less conducive sight-seeing. Once I got on the bus it was rare to still be awake by Loch Lomond. The next day Bryan, keen to have an afternoon out in the hills, would have a new hill for us to walk up. I must say that jet lag is best cured by a good hill walk only if your partner can stand the moaning for the first hour or so. At times, after only two days with Bryan, I would be taking the return journey back to Glasgow-Newark-Cleveland.

Doobie Brothers - 'Listen To The Music' -Bryan loves the pop music of the 60's; 70's and some early 80's. There have been many times that we've not been able to get out of the car until the presenter finishes the countdown of the top 10 songs of whatever particular year it is. Bryan will invariably guess the song before announced. Then he proceeds to tell me exactly where he was when he heard the song. Many of his first emails to me had lyrics hidden in them to see if I would notice. I'm a tune girl myself unfortunately Bryan has no ear and when asked to hum a few bars he refers me to youtube. We often listen to "Get It On" at the same time with me in whatever city I happen to be in and Bryan back in Skye. The program themes are much discussed and we keep secret our separate requests until after the show. Listening together provides a little thread that feels like we're sharing time together although the distance is great.

³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖward Bound - Simon and Garfunkel - Bryan and I were married in April in my hometown of Chehalis (pronounced Sha-Hey-Lis), Washington in the Pacific Northwest. The time I spend with Bryan in Skye is precious time and the hills are getting a little easier. The views from the top of the Cullins never fail to take my breath away. Embracing the new country has not been a hardship. The landscape and people are fantastic. Unfortunately, I still commute from Cleveland until I find a flying job in Scotland. But these days when landing in Glasgow I no longer feel like I'm coming for a visit, I'm now coming home..

Wild Thing - Troggs - Life has more twists and turns than a Scottish single track road! Life with Bryan has been a fantastic adventure and although we are still in the newlywed blush, the skies are CAVOK (aviation term for Ceiling and Visibility Okay). This song is for my husband who after my long journeys home has the wine open, shower running and fresh flowers on the counter. If it's true that absence makes the heart grow fonder, we're destined for long term happiness. I'm looking forward to growing old - let's make the older - with the man that makes me smile throughout my day. You are my local hero.