2010 Update

It's been too long since we've updated the blog...it seems like facebook is taking over instead! But there have been a few new happenings since we returned from our marvelous time in the States for Christmas.


1. New job for Andrew! (or should we say new addition to his job?) Along with being the Athletic Director with the mission of bringing back LCC's men's basketball team, (and the babysitter coordinator and very part-time stay at home dad) he is also now the new Alumni Relations Director! His primary purpose now is to be the collector of stories from LCC student alum & LCC staff/faculty alum. What a fun job! The stories he's already recieving are fantastic! We love this place & the affect it has on people's lives!


2. We are having the snowiest, coldest winter Klaipeda has seen in DECADES. There was a solid covering of snow everywhere when we returned on January 7...and we haven't seen the ground yet! For a couple weeks there, the temps were bitter cold -- like the kind of cold that's only supposed to happen in Alaska or the U.P. or Minnesota. But now we're at least hovering around freezing, so that's doable. Ieva has loved her first sledding experiences!


3. I'm working like a crazy woman & praying for sanity that God's recently been giving me through my recent walks to work (approx. 1.5 miles). Since we got the car last summer, I've been getting lazy, and not only need the solitude, but also need the exercise! The big things on my plate at LCC this spring: Recruiting half (7 of 14) of the Student Life staff for this coming fall; working with our local architect & our board members in Canada on building plans for a new campus residence hall that we'll break ground for this spring; and chairing a committee for the Presidential Inaguaration we'll be doing for Kyle at the end of March...and all the other day-to-day stuff that always comes up. It's a lot, but God's given me peace to know that this is where I'm supposed to be for this season of life!


4. Despite our gentle nudges, Ieva has decided to quit the ballet class she began last fall & we've all decided she'll try it again when she's a little older. In the meantime, however, the dance class at her preschool that she didn't like last fall has suddenly become fun to her now & she attends & participates with a new-found enthusiasum we've never seen before! She is growing like a weed & the things she'll say amaze us. And, she's a fabulous big sister!


5. Isak is now 8 months old & we can't figure out where the time is going! He's into experimenting with new foods & wrapping his student babysitters around his little finger. He's a total charmer and we're so very thankful for the fantastic group of babysitters God has provided for us this spring!

6. I'll save the biggest news for last...our President Kyle recently invited us to consider making a 2 (more) year committment to LCC, and after talking and praying, we've accepted his offer. For the past few years we've only been committing a year at a time, but with my new role as VP and Andrew's new role with our growing alumni program, he'd like to see us stick around for a bit. So we're now committed through the summer 2012...which will be the 10-year anniversary of when we first came to Lithuania. Unbelievable! But we're here because we know this is where God wants us & we truly, truly love it.

And after all...these two kids know nothing else.