Jen came to visit!!

Three days after we returned from the States, my dear friend Jennifer Swanborough came to visit and we had a FABULOUS time!! Jen is our first friend who came to Lithuania for the sole purpose of visiting us here, and I'm sure she would recommend it to any of the rest of you! (hint, hint!)

We packed a lot into the 10 days she was here. Since Andrew was managing a basketball camp at LCC for the bulk of the time she was here, Jen, Ieva & I got a lot of fun girl time together! Since the weather was so nice, we took Jen to two of our different beaches on the Baltic Sea. Those were Ieva's first Baltic beach trips & she loved it!

We also rented a car & drove to Vilnius for two days. After Andrew & I spent over two weeks there waiting for Ieva, I got to know the city pretty well and enjoyed giving Jen a walking tour of much of it. We went in an Amber museum, looked in linen shops, and did lots of perusing at the outdoor market vendors that are always set up on Pilies street. It was especially fun for me to walk past the apartment we lived in during our pre-Ieva Vilnius stay & look down at my beautiful 9 month old baby who I was longing to meet while staying there! We also frequented my favorite restaurant -- Double Coffee -- since Jen & I have similar tastes in cafes. On the way home we stopped at the famous Trakai Castle - a must-see for all tourists!

Jen wanted to experience another country, so we drove north to the border town of Liepaja, Latvia and were hosted by Agata (the LCC student who stayed in our place while we were in the States) and her family! Being in Agata's home & meeting her family was such a fantastic experience, as it helped us understand who she is so much more. She gave us a walking tour of the city, then after a delicious dinner in her home, we all went walking on the beach of the Latvian coast of the Baltic Sea. It was an honor to be hosted by such gracious people, and fun for Jen to leave with another stamp in her passport!

We also spent a full day in Palanga - the coastal resort town just north of us - picking up some new LCC colleagues from the airport and then seeing the local sights. We braved the crowds and walked downtown, popping into a couple shops and checking out street vendors, then out onto the pier that stretches out onto the Baltic Sea.

All in all, it was a tremendous gift to have Jen here! Sharing our lives with our friends & family is so important to us, and there's no better way to understand how we live than to come experience it for yourself.

If you would ever consider coming to Lithuania to visit, let us know! We'd LOVE to have you!