Catching up...again.

Sooo....another week is just about over, and I'm playing catch up again.

Monday was mostly spent getting ready for Gundar and Kathy's arrival.
Tuesday Elizabeth and I went to the market in Riga, then to the airport to wait
for Gundar and Kathy's arrival. They had a long, difficult trip as they had some
difficulty with a delayed flight, then missed their next plane. They had to wait for
another plane that would bring them to Riga. Originally scheduled to arrive at
11:00 in the morning, they didn't arrive until after 4:00. Elizabeth and I did lunch,
browsed magazines, had coffee, and visited all in the airport while we waited. It
was truly a pleasure to see Gundar and Kathy arrive safely!
Wednesday Kathy, Elizabeth, Rachel, Ariana and I did some more serious
shopping at some malls in Riga. I was worn out. I actually tired of shopping
that day!
Thursday the family and I went out to eat for Gundar and Kathy's 39th
wedding anniversary.
Friday (today) I wandered into Ogre with Rachel to a coupla large shopping centers,
came back and chilled here at the house.
Tomorrow looks like we're going to have some family cousins come to visit, then
*may* head back to Riga for some last-minute souvenir shopping.

Have a good day everyone!

To the Cave

Whee!

One of the several extremely long sets of stairs that I have encountered in Latvia.

Neat little bridge leading to the cave.

Just a sample of the many engravings that we saw.

A memorial, perhaps???

Rachel getting a close-up.

Matthew found his wading experience delightful.

Turaida Castle Pt. 2

I could be wrong, but I think this was an outdoor oven.

Ta-da!

Turaida Castle Pt. 1

Elizabeth and I were the ones to trek into this castle after Matthew, Rachel, and I had done the rope course.
Sorry, I don't have any pictures of that particular venture at the moment...but let's just say that those who
know Rachel can see pictures on her Facebook. You'll see just what a daredevil I was.:p Matthew and
Rachel were the most daring and conquered the 3rd level while I backed down. The first 2 levels were
enough for me. I had a blast and would actually dare to at least do the first 2 levels over again.

Anyway...here're pictures of the castle, me, and Elizabeth.:)

I'm wonder woman! Wait...it's attached to the wall.

The original in-floor heating.

I thought of my dad when I observed all of this.

Cesis Castle Pt.2

This part looks like the remains of a fortress outside of the castle...either that or a courtyard.



This is from the same room as that awesome ceiling, I believe. I love how soft and glowy it looks.



I took this picture looking out of a window.

Matthew said that these stairs look like they need to be swept. I have to agree with him. For some reason this tickled my funny bone.:)

Cesis Castle Pt. 1

Matthew and I were given the go-ahead as Rachel and Elizabeth had already seen the castle.

Matthew brandishing our lantern.

Front view.

According to all appearance and pictures, I assume that this is an outdoor oven. Pretty sweet. I wouldn't mind having some smoked meat from there, or a loaf of bread for that matter.:)

A place to vent. :p

I thought this swing was cool.

More castle ruins.

A tent with a spread of chairs. Looks to me like someone is ready either for a concert, a speech, or a reception.

Matthew looking epic as he dares to traverse the unknown.

Me looking not-so-epic...but I still think all of this is cool!

I found it interesting that this had wood and stone combined.

So interesting...a glowing passage. This looks like something you would imagine from a novel.

This ceiling made me exclaim in awe.

More soon!

Cars in Latvia Pt. 2

Here're the pictures as promised.:)

In Latvia pt. 3

So...I'm playing catch-up again. I'm so sorry...I keep forgetting my camera when I go
to these epic places! Thankfully Rachel and Matthew are usually very handy with theirs.
That shouldn't be an excuse, though. I will try to be better about it this weekend.

To go over what this week has been like, I will start with Monday. We went shopping
in Ogre, then after lunch I went back to the little art store with Elizabeth. That
evening we had Artis, Ieva, and their son Adrian for supper. That was nice.:) Ieva is
very interesting. She knows several languages, and she and Artis have done some
travelling. That usually intrigues me. Ieva (pronounced Yeh-va, I believe) taught
me how to say "It was nothing" in Latvian. My Latvian knowledge is consistently
growing. A word here, a phrase there. It's fascinating.

Tuesday we went to see a palace. That was very grand. I felt like I had stepped into
a Jane Austen movie. The ballroom made me want to dress up in period clothing
and get a ball together. I wanted to fill the room with couples and beautiful music.
Another stunning thing about this place was the garden. (Pictures later.)

Yesterday we mainly hung around the house and worked on taking it easy before the
next round of activities kicks in. I took a walk by myself for the very first time which
seemed to be very shocking to Elizabeth, Matthew, and Rachel. :p The evening was
spent helping take care of the children. Daniel and Amelija wanted Matthew the most,
though, until it was time to go to bed. Elizabeth was at church most of the evening.

Today is another day for relaxation.

Have a blessed day, everyone!

Thoughts on Cars in Latvia

I've been observing the cars here in Latvia. It's very interesting to me to see that the colors are very
neutral, and never seem really to be flashy at all. I've seen a lot of gray, white, black, brick red, forest
green, and the random calm blue. The only kind of trucks you'll see are ones that carry cargo. I don't
think I've seen a pickup truck at all. The reason for this is economy.

I've seen a lot of Volkswagons, Hondas, Lexus, and the occasional Ford (that surprised me). I'm
not exactly sure what all else they have here, yet. No matter what, though, they have a distinctive shape.

Perhaps I'll try and get a picture for you on here sometime.

Random Thoughts on Latvian Courtesy and Hair

I was just musing on the manners of the Latvian people. They are so interesting! They are some of
the most polite people I have ever encountered. They are warm, kind hearted people who, for the
most part, go out of their way to help others.

For example: people here are always supposed to be mindful of pedestrians. They are actually
required to stop for you if you are in what is called a "zebra walk". They have lights for this sort of
thing...but even when they don't they are required to let the pedestrians walk across the street
first.

People are astoundingly hospitable here. They are very open with their homes, very generous
with their food, and extremely amiable.

They always love to be involved helping with some kind of work.

If you are struggling with a baby buggy on a ramp or up the train steps they rush to your aid. When
you get on the train and you need a seat, they move over for you!

I have only had a few encounters with rudeness. They are few and far-between.

People are very casual for the most part and move over for you whenever you are in their path.
Either that or they calmly work their way around you.

They are more reserved, but very polite. They keep to themselves a good deal more than Iowans...
but that's completely understandable. Big cities are a good place to be cautious. In smaller groups
they are very friendly!

Now for the hair. Hair on men is like a regular short length combed over in the front, a crew cut,
a buzz, or a ponytail, give or take. I've also seen a few rattails on little boys. Interesting how that
comes back into fashion.

For the women I've seen a lot of "Roger Rabbit Red", if you know what I'm saying. I've not seen
that whole movie, mind you, but it is that kind of red hair. I've seen some layered medium length cuts,
and some random shorter cuts. The most prominent of all, though, is the amazing amount of women
whose hair is longer than mid-back length. It is so common here to just look down the sidewalk and
see one to a handful of women with stunning long hair! It's breathtaking! Not only that but they leave
it down most of the time! :D:D:D It's long hair lovers heaven over here.

My Flower from Elina & Flowers from the Market

Here're some flowers for your viewing pleasure! :)

Elizabeth has taught me the Latvian tradition of bestowing a flower on a guest. She gave me a rose when
I first got here, then Elina gave me this flower when she came to visit. It touched my heart. I thought it was
so sweet of her.

Aren't they scrumptious?

I ended up giving a couple of these lovely dahlias to some other guests of ours, Liga and Leanora.

I was pleased I could do it for them.:)

Girls' Night

A bunch of young ladies came over last night. We made p'zones and chocolate dunkers (without the
sauce to dunk them in, but that's all I know to call them). I felt rather out of place for awhile. Elizabeth
said that I looked skeptical. I have to agree with her, as that is exactly how I felt.

We had a lovely picnic outside, followed by a game and testimonies. Rachel gave a very detailed testimony that had me on the verge of tears. I had no idea just how much she's gone through, so it was very eye-opening to me. After hers the girls wanted to know about me, so I gave a very brief summary of a testimony. After that we went around the table, and the girls gave me an idea of what they enjoy doing, and where they are in their lives. I came away blessed. At the end of the evening one of the girls impulsively gave me a hug. This touched my heart. Praise the Lord for his hand in this evening! I'm so glad I could be a part of it.