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!

Of Forests, Pomp, and Circumstance

Soooo...here are the pictures as I promised. These ones will be from my outings on Wednesday.

Elizabeth

Daniel

Rachel and Ariana.

Amazing trees!

Smile! Oops...sorry. I pressed the button a little late, Matthew.

I love this butterfly! So gorgeous.

Matthew and I filled this bowl with blueberries.



From left to right: Me, Rachel and Matthew all dressed up for the ballet. Matthew's in his "Nutcracker" stance.