Weekend Update!

We got up Saturday morning and straightened the apartment and left at 12:15pm to meet Yuri, Duane & Paula Chaffin's son, they are adopting. We met at McDonald's and ate lunch (he actually just got a caramel sundae & a sprite). Then we headed down the street to the #11 Tram. This particular tram takes you to the North end of town and all the way to the zoo. It was nice to learn "how to" use the tram and Yuri was a great teacher. When we told Yuri that we were nervous to ride the Tram, (meaning we were nervous because we didn't know how to do it or where to get off or how much) Yuri looked at us and laughed and told us, "not to worry or be nervous because it goes slow and we won't get hurt." This of course, made us crack up laughing



We saw all the normal animals at the zoo but many were penned up in warmer enclosures, which was perfectly fine with us. The Giraffes were incredible, and the tigers were beautiful. The most impressive thing for the kids to see were not the lions, tigers or bears (oh my!) but the spiders and snakes, of all things. This Giant Stick Bug was ginormous and we had Leigah put her hand up so everyone could compare it in size.

We hung out next to these lovely furry, creatures! Bleck! I'm not a spider fan but the kids were so... we stood for what seemed like an eternity!



Back to the tram, it was so easy!!! It was so easy, that for fun tomorrow, we are just going to get on a tram and ride it until it comes back to the place we started. It sounds weird but until you're here and you don't speak a lick of Latvian to save your life, will you realize how something like getting on a tram is scary. :)

Today (Sunday) we got up and found a church with an english speaking service. It was less than a ten minute walk from the apartment and went really well. We arrived early and got to visit with a few of the members before the service started and a lady asked if Brenna would like to read one of the scriptures. Public speaking isn't one of her favorite things to do but without hesitation she said, "Oh Joe wouldn't mind." You gotta love it when your spouce volunteers you for things. But I have volunteered her enough that I will never be able to object when she returns the favor. Following the service we stayed around and visited. We met one lady from Canada whose husband is the Canadian Ambassador to Latvia. All the people we met were really great. We were also blessed to hear a Latvian Girls Gospel Choir. They sang 4-5 songs in English and did an amazing job.


After church we went to eat at Lido's and purposely tried things that were Latvian style dishes. They really weren't so bad. After lunch we came home and took a nap. While I wss napping Leigah watched "Alvin and the chipmunks." Leigah worked on her knitting and is almost done with her 3rd scarf. We may start taking orders for our adoption. Maybe that'd be a good project in September/October.

Anyway, for dinner we ate popcorn and "Zupa"(soup); we worked on flashcards and did crafts.

All in all it was a great weekend. Thank you for following our blog and God bless you.