Baltic Christmas part deux (Vilnus Chapter)

After Christmas we decided to go to Vilnus. On the way Cassie had found this really cool place where you can pay 7 lats and go bobsledding! We had to stop. I was unsure I really wanted to do it because, bobsleds are for pros right? Heck no! We got there and they handed us helmets and told us to hop in this boat looking thing with pads all over it. We didn't even have to sign a waiver... I love foreign countries! So we hopped on in and it was awesome! I couldn't see part of the time because my helmet was askew, but I could feel us go up on the sides and it was sweet! Jamison and I liked it so much that we went again! Nancy opted to sit the second ride out, but it was great. I got to sit in the front and we beat our previous time! Now we can say we have been bobsledding.

The four hour drive to Vilnus was made much more interesting because our headlights didn't work! We had no idea until a cop pulled us over and asked why our lights weren't turned on (I won't say the other reason why we were pulled over because President Dance was driving... :) ). Jamison and I got a little car sick on the drive (I think it is because I read too long and Jamison played video games on the way) and so when we stopped to eat in Vilnus I wasn't at all hungry. We stopped at a place called Chile Kimus. It is a restaurant where they serve traditional Lithuanian dishes. Now when I think traditional I think of homemade noodles or yummy apple pies. I don't think of pancake sausage, greasy mushroom soup, liver and tongue dishes, weird dressing that tasted way too tangy. I took one bit of my salad (I couldn't make myself be adventuresome) and was grossed out. Jamison couldn't stomach his mushroom soup, and poor Nancy. She picked the sausage potatoes. They are mashed potatoes stuck into sausage casing. She was doing okay until Jamison ate it and said it tasted like old gym clothes. I think she lost her appetite after that.

After the unsuccessful dinner we made it to our beautiful hotel in Old Town called the Shakespeare Hotel. Jamison and I were put in the Rousseau room while the others were put in the oh so manly Hemingway room. It was such a neat hotel. Sunday was wonderful. We spent it at the Russian branch there in Vilnus. I had to play the piano... yikes! and Jamison almost had to do a impromptu musical number. It was a fun morning. That night we walked around Old Town looking at some of the churches that were cool.

There was a live nativity in one of them. Oh man. We also found a really good restaurant to eat in. It was delicious (unlike our previous dinner).

The next day we went out adventuring (Jamison was sick in the morning) and saw more churches and also some of the Old Town that doesn't look as cool in the night as the day. We saw a bridge with locks on it and all sorts of cool buildings (if you want to see all the pictures you can go to my facebook page as I will upload them there). We had tea in a tea house. It was delicious. They brought us this fruit tea and some chamomile stepped perfectly. I never

understood why other countries drink so much tea. Now I know, it's because it so dang cold out there that they have to have something to warm them up and it is really nice to take your time just sitting and enjoying a pot of tea.

We climbed to the top of the hill in the middle of the town where part of the old castle still exists. So cool that they have remnants of castles.

Baltic Christmas part deux (arrival to Christmas)

Starting December 18th we had a wonderful trip to Latvia to visit Jamison's parents (his father is a mission president there for the Baltic Mission). The plane ride there was a breeze, only one connection! We went from SLC to Paris and then to Riga. It was weird to get off the plane the same day that we left except we left 19 hours earlier.

The Dances took us home and we began to feel the effects of jet lag. I hate changing days and nights. Yuk! We spent the next few days receiving new missionaries, enjoying nerts games, watching Avatar (sweet movie) and reading (Jamison and I got sucked into the Robert Jordan Wheel of Time series again).

Jamison and I took a little moment to go the Occupation museum (it was really creepy). It is all about the 50 year occupation of the Germans and Russians and all that took place there. I had no idea of the carving up of the Baltics and the propaganda that went with it. It was crazy.

On a happier note, we went with the missionaries and sang Christmas songs in English and Latvian (I just moved my mouth and said watermelon for those).

Christmas Eve there were the senior missionary couples and sisters, the Russian tutor Svletlana?, and the Assistants. It was fun to talk about Christmases past and what different traditions everyone had. I took notes so that I could include some of them when we start having our own family.

We ended the night with singing and wonderful cake (I didn't eat any, but it looked fantastic). We put on our pajamas (can't have Christmas without Christmas PJs) and tucked ourselves in.

Not having any child anxious to see what Santa left him, Jamison and I didn't wake up till about 10 am. It was nice and relaxing. Santa brought us all wonderful things and the gift exchange was nice. The day was spent mostly lounging around in our PJs, doing puzzles and watching Christmas movies. A highlight was talking to Natalie though. She bore her testimony to us in Spanish and it was beautiful. We are very happy that two of our siblings have chosen to serve the Lord by going on full time missions.