Belly Thoughts

As of today we have 4 weeks and 4 days until our due date... what that means as far as us having the little one in our arms is nothing really. A lady at our church just had her baby 3 weeks early and another was 2 weeks late... so who really knows when she will come... I hope it's March 27th at night bc then my parents will be here and the baby will be born on the 27th, me on the 28th and patrick on the 29th... different months but still that would be cool.

I have had an increase in tiredness and have been over all uncomfortable. Some of this is due to the fact that I have a low iron count. I'm going to see a hematologist on Tuesday and hope to get on some medicine to raise those levels which will give me more energy and steer me away from a labor that will force me to not be able to have an epidural. A few good things are that Patrick is doing a fantastic job around the house, especially bc he does not have to work this semester, keeping it clean and keeping me as comfortable as possible. Also, the baby is healthy and moving around like crazy. And my mom is coming out on Tuesday for a conference. She will be in meetings everyday but it will be very nice having her around in the evenings.

We took a birth class last weekend... it was long 9-5 on Sat and 9-12 on Sun but it was good and I'm glad we did it.

Here are a couple of pictures for you. The first is of the tummy at 30 weeks and the second is of the tummy at 35... so exciting... well kind of... : )

30 Weeks

Not sure what's up with my eyes but here is a shot at 35 weeks

Patrick clearly isn't as far along as I am.

This is a Pottery Barn frame. I made a collage using a bunch of letters that Patrick and I wrote to each other while we were dating as the back ground. Once the baby is born we will take a picture of her little feet in the shape of a heart and put our wedding rings on her big toes and put that in the center of the frame. I think it will be cute in her room.

Here is my second project. I took a few of the cards we received from the showers that were thrown for me and made a little collage so the baby will see how much she is loved even though we are far from everyone. This too will go in her room.

The last framed project I have that is not yet completed is the same Pottery Barn frame with 4 holes in it and each one will be filled with a picture of the baby's grandparents as children. This too will go in her room, which she will have in May when Patrick is graduated.

Our Year 2009

Here's a video that I made with pictures from this past year. I hope you enjoy it.

Snow Day. Wait, 3 Days! A Week?

As many of you know, it snowed recently here. The snow started last Friday as a few friendly flakes leisurely made their way to the ground. On Saturday it kept up and by Sunday we were buried in 2 ½ feet of snow. Like other husbands on the East Coast I used all of Sunday morning to dig my way from our porch, across the yard, all the way around the car and then out to the street that had been recently plowed. On our street, they only plowed one lane down the middle of the road. And with 30 inches of snow you can imagine the piles that accumulate on each side of the plow as it works its way down the road. So in order to get our car out onto said plowed road, I had to cut a huge swath through a veritable mountain of snow created by the plow. The beauty is that after you finally get a path cleared the plow comes through a few hours later and traps your car behind another mountain of snow.

So Kim and I had an indoor weekend. And then classes and work were cancelled on Monday. Kim did a half day of work before coming home on Tuesday (my classes were cancelled) and then both of us sat back wishing we had something to do on Wednesday and Thursday as everything shut down again due to another foot of snow showing up Tuesday night. Only this time it came with a lot of wind in legitimate blizzard conditions. So I dug the car out again on Thursday morning.

At some point in there (Monday?) Kim and I walked to the grocery store along with the rest of the entire population of Arlington. You’ll be glad to know that Kim did not accidentally give birth on an abandoned snowy street in between our house and the grocery store although it was a concern.

What did we do while going crazy inside you might ask. The house is organized better than it has been in a long time and is all ready for a baby. Beforehand there was a lot of ‘Zelda: Twilight Princess’ going unplayed- a situation we were able to remedy. I got some schoolwork done, but let’s be honest, a snow day means no school.

Last Friday we were finally back in action. Kim was at work with Jack and I was at school. More snow came Monday night but it was light and we laughed at its pitiful attempts to stop us. Now we have no snow until the Saturday… So if you’re thinking of coming to visit us (which you should be) maybe don’t come until August which is the earliest I can guarantee that these piles will be gone.

Thanks for all your calls and emails. We love hearing from you guys.

Adios for now.

A few shots of the car from the week. The first two are from the first storm and the second is after/during the second storm.

Patrick digging us out, literally.

Our car is behind that huge pile of snow on the right side of the street next to the telephone pole. You can't even see it.

Pictures of our walk after the first storm.

Patrick digging us out after the second storm. The cove our car is in will be there for the next 100 years probably.

I don't think these pictures do justist to the crazy amount of snow and huge piles of ice we have here.

Here is a picture from this week (Feb. 20th). Jack was doing a great job helping Patrick shovel away all the snow. A good Jack quote, "The snow LOVES the water!" with a delighted squeal as he puts the snow in the gutter that was like a little river taking the snow away. Another good Jack quote from the week, "I think I'm going to be in heaven before this snow is gone!" said with a sarcastic voice he could have only learned from me. Funny.

January 27, 2009: A Day that Will Live in Gloriousness

If I’ve already called and told you all this then feel free to skip to the 10% off dry cleaning coupon at the bottom of the page, but on January 27^th I passed the final stage of the Foreign Service Officer selection process.

It’s a multi-stage process that I started years ago when I took the written exam, right after graduating from Western. Over the next couple of years I took the written part two more times before finally passing it in June of 2009. The next stage was to submit several short essays which I passed as well.

The oral section of the exam is the last and supposedly most difficult section. About 20% of people pass the first time with many taking it numerous times before passing. The thing that’s so frustrating is that if you fail you have to start the process over from the beginning.

When Kim and I got home from Christmas break I started studying and preparing. The State Department provides fairly comprehensive study and introductory materials. There are also several independently organized study groups in the area so I had no shortage of papers, files, personal accounts of the exam, etc. to get me started. The oral exam has three parts- a group exercise where six applicants are given several projects and limited resources and have to decide on which projects to fund, a memo writing section, and a 2-on-1 interview. For the group exercise I found a couple sample files on line and practiced with the study groups that meet around here. I also made Kim listen to me give my little presentations that each person has to give during the exercise. For the interview section I wrote up every question I could imagine them asking and then had Kim interview me. They didn’t ask me any of those questions but it was helpful practice.

The day of the exam I felt pretty confident. There were only six of us testing that day and we all got along and worked together well. After each of the exercises I felt I had performed well, but only at the end of the day do they tell you how you’ve done. After completing the final exercise we had to wait for more than an hour before receiving our results. I hadn’t been nervous all day but during this time I started to worry. Knowing that so few pass I was ready to get bad news and take the exam again. But as I sat there looking back on the day I felt strongly that I’d done well at everything. I was worried that if I didn’t pass I really wouldn’t know how to come back and improve a second time. Each stage had gone as well as I had hoped.

Finally they called each of our names one at a time. After everyone else had been called, a professor and I were called in together and told we had passed the oral exam. The examiners were very congratulatory and seemed genuinely excited that we had passed. It was a great day and texting Kim to tell her I’d passed was obviously fantastic.

Now we’re on to the next stage, medical and security clearances. I got my medical clearance on Friday and Kim will finish hers once the baby comes. The security clearance will take a lot longer. I’m supposed to expect a call in a month or so and then an investigator will start working with me to go through my background, contact all kinds of people, and basically make sure I’m not a threat to national security. We’ll keep you guys update but if it all goes smoothly I should be able to start training this summer and then be posted at an embassy by this time next year or even earlier.

Thanks for all your prayers and thanks for reading!

Here's Patrick the morning of the big test. Looking so handsome and confidant with his new suit and nice green tie he got for Christmas from my parents.

That Which I Hope to Never Experience Again

Kim and I just returned from spending Christmas in Washington. The time there was worth it's own post but for now I'd like to focus on the debacle bookending our visit- the travel.

The week before we were scheduled to leave reports began to trickle in that a snow storm was headed our way. As our Saturday departure drew closer the storm grew in anticipated magnitude. Our flight was officially cancelled at 3 pm on Friday, about 4 hours before any snow fell. On what was supposed to be a celebratory final night in DC, I spent 2 hours on the phone rescheduling our flight. We were put on a 1:30 pm flight. I asked the customer service rep why our original flight at 8:30 had been cancelled but a 1:30 flight hadn't when the snow was predicted to get worse all day. After being on hold for two hours I was in no mood to get back on the phone if our new flight was cancelled. Sure enough, one hour after being assigned to the 1:30 flight it was cancelled. I got back on the phone and waited on hold for 3 hours. The only bright spot was that all 3 of those hours were spent playing Wii tennis. Eventually we were placed on a Sunday afternoon flight out of Baltimore.

The next day (Saturday) we sat inside and watched the snow pile up. In the afternoon I dug the car out in case we needed it on Sunday and was openly mocked by a neighbor for doing so. She informed me she would have left earlier in the week rather than traveling during a snow storm. Next time I buy a plane ticket 4 months out I'll be sure to check with her on what the weather will be.

Sunday morning I got up and dug the car out a second time. After weighing different options we decided to try to drive to the metro, which we did successfully thanks to plowed roads. The metro ride to Union Station was uneventful but slow. Arriving at Union Station we found that all trains had been cancelled for almost two days, turning the station into a refugee camp. People and luggage were crammed into every corner and there seemed to be no chance that a train would leave in time for us to catch our plane. Kim and I ran back down to the metro hoping to get back to our car in time for us to drive (slowly and cautiously) to Baltimore (an hour drive in normal conditions). We jumped on the first car and... sat there for 15 minutes. The metro was running slowly and the next car wasn't scheduled to leave for another 15 minutes. We grudgingly disembarked and trudged back up to the trains hoping some would leave soon.

By the time trains started leaving a general announcement was made that amounted to "if you have a ticket for any train, you may shove you way, caged animal-like, onto any departing train you choose." Kim and I managed to battle our way past a ticket lady intent on not letting us board and get seats on a train headed to Boston. It stopped at Baltimore airport allowing us to try and catch our plane which had been delayed enough to give us hope.

When we got into the airport we hopped in a long line hoping to check our luggage. The line did not move. It took several scouting expeditions to ascertain why not. Untied Airlines, in their unrivaled wisdom, had all four of their ticketing counters open to help any customer with any problem. The problem (obvious to all of us in the line) was that many people in the line were trying to reschedule cancelled flights. About an hour before our flight was to leave, Kim interrupted one of the agents to explain that unless a specific line was devoted to people wanting to check luggage, we would all miss our flights and then need to be rebooked as well. She told Kim there was nothing she could do. Really? No one there had the authority to redo the line plan? We finally found a lady willing to let us sneak to the front of one the lines and check our bags. I don't know what happened to the suckers in line behind us also waiting to check bags. Thankfully our flight was delayed even more, allowing us to make the flight.

After flying through Charlotte and Denver, we were relieved to find our last flight to Pasco delayed enough to let us catch it. As we sat waiting, assuming our troubles were behind us, a chipper young lady informed everyone that due to weather conditions in Pasco we might be dropped in Redmond and provided "alternate transportation". Redmond? Near Seattle? The chipper lady didn't know. Turned out to be Redmond, Oregon. In my politest voice I asked the desk lady why Redmond had been chosen when other airports were much closer. Walla Walla? Yakima? Spokane? She didn't know but later informed all of us that Spokane was the new alternate airport. So there we were at close to midnight, calling my uncle in Spokane, waking him up, and asking if he could pick us up at the Spokane airport in two hours. Ridiculous. Finally, minutes away from landing in Pasco, the captain came on and informed us that visibility was good enough for him to drop down close to the runway and determine whether or not he could land safely. For someone with a mild fear of flying I thought Kim remained remarkably calm at that announcement. We eventually did land in Pasco and stayed with my uncle, arriving at his house around 1 am Pacific Coast Time, that's 4 am our time, after over 18 hours of total travel time.

The trip home was less eventful but still frustrating. We arrived at Seatac to find that our flight to Dallas was delayed enough that we would miss our connection to DC. We were rebooked on a later flight out of Dallas. After enduring the standard screening we headed to our gate only to be told that our Seatac-Dallas flight was delayed even more, thus causing us to miss our rebooked connection. After another hour on the phone, we were put on a flight to Chicago with an immediate connection through to DC. We arrived in Chicago, hurried to our gate... and obviously found out that our connection was delayed due to mechanical problems. At this point our spirits, as well as any trust in airlines, were so crushed we could do nothing but slink to our seats and accept our fate like Thanksgiving turkeys. When we finally boarded, Kim and I were in the front row of the small airplane and thus perfectly able to hear the crew discuss the problems the plane was experiencing. We were also the first on board to hear the captain tell the stewardesses that we'd have to deboard the plane and wait still longer. So we did. And we waited again. For a long time. We got a call from our ride in DC telling us they'd be unable to pick us up as we were getting in so late. We eventually survived an extremely shaky landing, caught a cab home and climbed into bed at 2 am- more than 5 hours after we were originally supposed to get home.

For those of you still reading, I'll run down the final numbers.

Total time lost: about 39 hours

Total number of flights flown: 5

Total number of flights delayed or cancelled: 9

Price paid for direct flights we never got: $500

Hoping your travel went better than ours, Happy New Year!

Done with school, snowed in

This week I (Patrick) finished my classes as well as my internship, leaving me free as a bird for two days. I spent the majority of those two days looking forward to being in Washington and was thus crushed when Kim called on Friday to say our Saturday morning flight had been cancelled due to an expected snow storm. Usually I love snow and callously disregard the people who might be inconvenienced by it.

After calling to rebook our flight I spent two hours on the phone with several customer service agents. We were eventually booked on a flight at 1:30 pm Saturday. I asked the agent why a 9 am flight would be cancelled but a 1:30 flight wouldn't when the storm was supposed to get worse throughout the day. We ended up booked on the 1:30 flight feeling certain that flight would be cancelled as well. It was. I then called to rebook again, only to be put on hold for (no exaggeration) 3 hours. We're currently booked on a 1:55 pm flight out of Baltimore that stops at most airports in the continental United States before getting to Pasco sometime just before the next presidential election. I'm not sure how we'll get to Baltimore if the flight should actually take off.

Oh, one bright spot is that the Shins (the family Kim nannies for) gave us a Wii for Christmas so our unexpected snow day can be spent bowling and playing tennis.

Apologies to all Eastern Washington family and hopefully we'll see you soon. Adios!

Nashville Skyline

For Thanksgiving Kim and I went to Nashville to visit the Verner family, recently ranked the #7 family in the country for "Good times with Amy Grant relatives". It was a fantastic trip and a reminder how good it is to be surrounded by good friends. We stayed in Brentwood with Pace and Brandon Verner (great hosts) and their too-cute-to-be-true sons Afton and Sims. Afton is 3 years old and can say his ABC's in a killer country accent. Sims is 5 months old and does a lot of smiling.

We left on Wednesday and drove more than 10 hours to Nashville. Deep in rural Virginia we hit a bizarre traffic jam. Who goes out there? We hit the same thing on the way back, so apparently more people than I would've thought. We got in late, reunited with Hunter and Laura and crashed.

On Thanksgiving day we joined Hunter's extended family at his uncle's cabin. It's a beautiful log cabin sandwiched between a river and small hay fields. Seriously an amazing place. It was like summer camp: we went on a bike ride, played kickball, went on a hike, ate amazing food, and then played around on hay bales.

The next day was a work day. I won't try to explain to you what we did as i could spend pages and I'm not sure I'd really convey what happened. Basically it took 8 dudes 4 hours to get a 350 lb. roof to sit precariously on top of a vertical 18 foot log. For lunch that day several people suggested we have a "meat n' three". As the name suggests, one chooses a meat and three accompanying vegetables. Example: "Hey, I'm getting hungry. Wanna grab a meat n' three?" That night some cousins came over and we had a game night. Kim's sculpterade of a saddle could also have passed for Jabba the Hut. We also attended a performance of "The First Thanksgiving" as interpreted by a 3 and 6 year old which was one of the funniest shows I've ever seen.

On Saturday we slept in, took a walk around a nearby lake, and spent the afternoon hanging out with the relatives across the street brewing beer in the garage and watching football. That night we went to Jane and Glenn's house for a delicious Verner family dinner. What did they put on their cornbread you may be asking? Butter? Honey? No no. Yogurt and cayenne pepper obviously. Basically a perfect day.

On Sunday we got up and headed home. Unfortunately we ran into traffic again on the way back and spent 12 HOURS in the car. That is basically an intolerable amount of time. But it didn't ruin the amazing Thanksgiving weekend we'd just had.

Thanks Pace, Brandon, Afton, Sims, Hunter, Laura, Stuart, Erin, Katherine, Jane and Glenn! Hopefully we'll see you again soon

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Baby Connally

By now you all know we have a little girl on the way. I am almost 25 weeks along. She will be coming around the end of March or begain of April. Patrick and I are very excited as are our parents, family and friends. There has not been a girl in the Connally family for 82 years!! So, yes, we are all very very excited. Here are some common questions people have had and my answers:

• How were/are you feeling?

The first trimester was very hard, I was extremely tired. Everyone tells you that pregnancy makes you tired but I had no idea... Patrick has been working and then going to school from 7:30-10 four nights a week, so life was pretty hard for the first 20 or so weeks. He will be done in two weeks and won't be working next semester so life will slow down a lot.

I was never really sick until like 16 weeks when everything I smelled or put in my mouth made me throw up, even some sounds make me throw up... weird. During this time I didn't have any real cravings it was more like there were only a few things I could eat with out throwing up.

For the last month or so I've been feeling really really good. I've had way more energy and have been able to go on longer walks and eat almost anything. Which makes me and the baby and Patrick very happy. Patrick was great during those first weeks, he helped out a lot around the house and made dinner most mornings for us to eat that night. Amazing.

• Do you have any names picked out?

We have been having a very hard time coming up with girl names, so no, we don't have any names... not even a list of names we like...

Patrick has said that once we've decided on a name we will not tell anyone. But at this rate you will find out when we do, a day or so after she is born. : )

• Do you have a room for her?

We will have her in a little bassinet with us for the first few months until Patrick gets done with school in mid May. Then we will move our guest room down to where his office is now and we will make a nursery of the what is now a guest room. So, there will be a room for all of you when you come to visit, even after baby.

Well, I think that about does it for questions. If you have any others then please post them and I will get back to you. : )

A few quick fun stories:

The Sunday morning after we found out the baby was a girl, we were woken by a knock on the door, it was Jack, the little guy I nanny. He had a little outfit in his hand with his arm extended toward us. The outfit has little panda heads on the feet, and when we asked Jack where the baby's feet went he said, "In the panda slippers." Too cute!

Last Tuesday night we were packing for Nashville and I laid down to rest and the baby was kicking like crazy. It was really cool because it was the first time we could actually see her kicking. My belly was dancing around like Frosty when he has his hat on (ok I'm listening to that song right now). So Patrick and I obviously sat there for like 30 mins just watching her getting it done.

I was going to have Patrick edit this and write in his own thoughts but he has a final paper due tomorrow and a huge final next week so he won't have time to do look it over, so forgive the poor grammar and ramblings. I will say for him though that he is very excited to be a daddy. He is going to be great! I would say the best dad but then that would make him better than my dad and his dad so maybe just a tie for the best with both of them. : )

Here are some pictures of her first sonogram at 11 weeks:

Here's the belly at 16 Weeks

Belly at 20 Weeks

This is the sonogram from Nov. 6th when we found out she was a girl. She had been waving to us right before we turned the camera on. It's not the best video but it's still pretty cool.

Our Summer

Ok so the summer has been here and gone for a long time now. So I will quickly give you a recap of what we did and who we got to see...as I remember it anyway. We have been busy busy busy this summer. On Aug. 29th we were here for one full year. During that year we had 52 visitors from WA, amazing.

My summer visitors started when Patrick left to Europe. I had two friends come and visit during that time, Pami and Anna. Pami came the first week Patrick was gone and Anna came the last. It was great timing. Pami and I went to a Carbon Leaf concert and other fun excursions around Washington. Anna, Jack and I hung out a lot. We played, explored and painted our living room and dining room. It was really nice.

Patrick returned home on a Wed. and we left to Bellingham for Hunter and Laura's wedding that Friday. But before we left some family friends, the Kageys, came to town on vacation and had dinner with us one night. It was nice to catch up with them. The wedding weekend was a great 4 days, we got to see all of our college friends and both our parents. We had one last breakfast with the whole Connally family before Brendan and Erin left for Peru for the next chapter of their lives. It was a beautiful, fun and refreshing weekend.

Us with the happy couple

Patrick with four of his best friends

12 of the 14 guys from their college house... oh the stories these guys have from that house

Me, Carlee and Lily Lim

The brothers together for the last time before Brendan and Erin head to Peru

We flew back to DC and that weekend my grandparents, aunt, her two kids and my mom came to visit. They all stayed at the house and it was one of the best weeks ever. They visited a lot of what Washington has to offer and came home so tired they didn't even fight at night : ) They were here over the 4th of July so we left grandma and grandpa at home and the rest of us plus another cousin that lives here, Chris, braved the metro and ppl to see the awesome fireworks over the Potomac with the Lincoln Memorial and Washington Monument in the background. It was really an awe inspiring sight. The week was great and went by too quickly. Everyone went back the next Sunday but my mom stayed for an extra week. It was really nice to have her here. Jack really loves having her here too because he gets special crafts and cookie making time, which is a great thing when you're 3 : ) That week also went by very quickly too soon we were saying good bye to mom.

EmmaLee lost her first tooth while she was here. Good thing the Tooth Fairy found her here.

Kobe, EmmaLee and Jack in his soccer outfit Patrick brought back for him

Me and Kobe on the metro on the way home from the 4th of July fireworks

Brendan and Erin with Jack

Then Patrick and I had about three weeks to ourselves before more visitors arrived. During those weeks we celebrated our 3rd anniversary and three days later found out I was pregnant. You all know the story behind this but I'm going to write another blog about that and how it's going after this one. It was a great time for us and we were very happy and excited for our baby to come.

The next set of visitors arrived in early August. The Clare family is a great family who have three kids, two in highschool and one in middle school. Lorraine taught 4th grade my last year at First Pres. and now has my job as the 5th/4th grade teacher. They were really fun to have visit us. The whole family ran around like crazy seeing everything all day long then came home and hung out with us. We really enjoyed having them and seeing how much they loved and appreciated this amazing city.

Patrick and the boys playing football while waiting to go to the top of the Washington Monument

The day after the Clares left three more friends came into town, Andy, Anna and Lucy. We had them for a week of playing and hanging out. We visited Philadelphia while they were here and basically just hung out bc I was too tired to do much of anything. It was great time though.

Anna and Jack swinging

Andy and Jack at McDonald's Play Land

Philadelphia

In September Paul and Sybil from Tacoma came into town for business and came over for dinner one night and spent an afternoon at Mt. Vernon with us and Jack. Paul climbed Mt. Adams and Mt. Ranier with Patrick the past two summers and this year they conquered Mt. Vernon together.... : ) It was really nice to see them and show them around a bit.

Mid October the Connallys came out for a visit. They were here for about 10 days two of which were spent in Baltimore at an insurance conference for BCRA (super exciting I'm sure). It was really nice to have them here. Rory did little projects around the house and Connie made dinner and lunch most days. Excellent! They are both very excited about the baby coming and did their fair share of practicing one day when we took Jack to the zoo. Patrick was really busy that week but did manage to spend some time home and with his parents.

When the Connallys left we had about 4 days until our next visitors. Our friends from Walla Walla, Mell and Riley Gribnau. Riley is 9 and was so excited to be visiting the Capital and Mell is a teacher in Walla Walla so she too was very excited to be here to learn and also to see us. They were here for 10 days as well. They were very fun to have around. Riley is hilarious and both are adventurous.

Now we're taking a quick breather before we head to Nashville to spend Thanksgiving with Hunter's family. After that it's only a few weeks before we take another trip back to the homeland.

Thanks for reading and we hope to see all you soon!

Time in Europe

Before I start this, I just want to apologize for the lack of postings to this point. We promised regular updates and have clearly disappointed both loyal readers of this blog.
That said, it’s been an eventful summer to say the least. I finished classes in early May and on May 19th I took off for a month in Europe. Kim was amazingly supportive of me making the trip. Thanks babe.

I visited a friend in London and then spent 5 days in Prague and 3 in Bratislava for a class on central European politics. There were only six of us in the class and we met politicians, academics, social scientists, and the like. It was an eventful time to be there as the Czech Republic held the EU’s rotating presidency and elections to the European Parliament were a few weeks away. I loved Prague but there’s something lost when the people you most want to share it with are on another continent. Bratislava felt like a real working class town. Much of it looked shabby but was quite active and upbeat. The old town was beautiful, but you get the feeling that real life is lived elsewhere. We didn’t get out of the cities much so I guess I’ll have to make another trip to see the countryside.

After Bratislava I took the train up to Krakow, Poland. I was hoping it would go through the mountains of northern Slovakia, but it took the wussy way out and went through eastern Czech Republic. Krakow is a fantastic city with more history than can be consumed in one sitting. Or ten. I guess if a city hasn’t been repeatedly invaded by Asian hordes, it hasn’t really lived. I visited a salt mine outside of town- very touristy, but still very cool. The miners carved statues, chandeliers, and whole chapels out of the salt. Good work Poles.

After Krakow I headed north to Warsaw, but not after purchasing a ticket to the wrong city. That’s what I get for trying to pronounce ‘Warsaw’ correctly to the ticket lady. Apparently I butchered it enough that it was mistaken for ‘Wroclaw’. In Warsaw I stayed with a friend from school whose family is Polish and owns a flat in the center of town. It was great to be shown around and learn a couple things: 1. The city of Warsaw was almost 100% destroyed during WWII. 2. The Polish underground resistance during the war was 68 times more effective than the French resistance as they actually succeeded in resisting. 3. The Warsaw subway is fairly easy to navigate as there’s only one line.

After three days in Warsaw I took an overnight bus to Lithuania (and slept surprisingly well). The forests are beautiful, but the towns we passed looked tired and worn out. The capital city of Vilnius is a compact architectural jewel with beautiful streets and churches. An old tower on a steep hill overlooks the main cathedral square and the whole city. In fact, the entire old town is surrounded by gorgeous hills in which I thought it might be exciting to take a stroll. I was lulled into a false sense of outdoor perfection by their wooded beauty and then blindsided by hills that were completely covered in trash. There was seriously trash everywhere. And tons of it. I was so distraught that I started making plans in my head to lead a clean up team the next day made up of people from the hostel. I really couldn’t believe that the people of Vilnius would allow the hills that surround their city to become the de facto town trash pit. Oh, and it rained on me a lot. And it was cold. I had mistakenly assumed that as it was summer I’d be ok with just a light jacket. Oh no, it was 45 degrees out and raining most of the time I was there. Maybe they didn’t get the “it’s summer now” memo.

A short plane ride brought me to Tallinn, the capital of Estonia which quickly became one of my favorite cities. Despite the fact that it was freezing and raining there as well I would have stayed a lot longer if I could. The medieval city walls and towers are almost all intact as are many of the old churches and merchant houses. There's also a smattering of interesting museums about how the city has developed over the centuries as different powers controlled it. Outside of the old town there are new apartment and office buildings that don’t feel as offensively dreary as many in Eastern Europe. The second day I was there I took a bus an hour east of the city and walked to a hotel I had heard about that rented bikes. The bikes they had were super old school swoop handle-barred girl bikes. But I took it and did a 45km ride that took me up to the coast and past all kinds of houses tucked into the woods each looking more bucolic than the last. The section of coast that I explored was strewn with huge boulders left over from retreating glaciers. Good work glaciers, I love what you’ve done with the place. The guide books promised me endless moose sightings but I was let down on that account.
After Tallinn I took a bus down to Riga, the Latvian capital. By this time I was pretty tired of being cold and wet but I gave Riga a good effort even though I was only there for 24 hours. The market was one of the most expansive I’ve ever seen with row after row of meat, fish, cheese, spices, clothes, shoes, fruits, vegetables, and really anything you could ever want to eat or wear.
The next morning I caught a flight to Brussels followed by a train to The Hague so I could take my Foreign Service Officer test at the embassy. My brief stay at the Hague convinced me that Kim and I need to spend a lot more time in the Netherlands in the future. After my test I went back to Brussels and spent a day exploring the city. Despite bad reports of a stifling city full of bad coffee and ugly people I had a great time. I loved the strange mix of buildings, the beer, and the different people from all over Europe. But my time there was all-too-short and I headed to Nurlu, France to spend a few days with the Baughmans.

Time with the Baughmans was great- besides their exceptionally large family there were some people from the US, so quite a large contingent altogether. I had a lot of time with the family, enjoyed some large family meals, distributed flyers for their church in St. Quentin with Morgan, saw a bit of Andy's soccer practice and had a very relaxing time.
Next I took the TGV to Paris, flew to Birmingham, and spent a couple days with a Jon and Valin Wells and their son JJ. Jon and I met in France 10 years ago when I was studying there and have stayed in good contact since. It was nice to get a weekend with Jon to catch up and see some beautiful countryside.

I finally got home on June 15 after almost a month. Thanks for encouraging me to go Kim; I promise not to do it again any time soon.