Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Catching up...Today it was Trams!

Maybe you've noticed there hasn't been a post in a few days...SORRY!  And maybe you haven't, and that's ok too ;-)

Honestly, our days have been so long, at some point I had to decide to either go to bed at midnight or go to bed at 3am...and I've been so tired I chose midnight!  And that is why there've been no posts.  To share with you a little from Saturday...

Saturday began the first of our past four days of really just "being a family."  There wasn't any big sightseeing or trip planned and no souvenir shopping.  We were all wiped out from walking who knows how many miles (or kilometers!) at the castle on Friday and so we just slept.  Late!  As usual. 

We talked about all that we needed to do or had to do over the next few days and started mapping out how we would get it all done.  One of the things we did definitely want to do was see our friend Inese here and her two foster children.  She has been wonderful in arranging the apartment for us and we wanted to thank her and deliver some things that were sent by folks for her and the kids to use. 

We had to meet the lady here at the apartment at 3pm to pay for the rest of our stay and then as soon as she left we struck out to figure out the trams.  Inese lives in Mezaparks and none of us, even J!, were familiar with how to get there.  She had shared to use the Number 11 and it would be very easy. 

You buy the tickets for these at the Narvesson which are the 7 Eleven stores I was telling you about before.  We started out on our walk because the stop for the tram is located behind the opera house.  We stopped at the Narvesson, bought our tickets and continued on our way.  Remember I told you about the flower stands all around?  Well, I still love these things!  And so we thought (Gary and I separately and at the same time!) that it would be nice to take her some flowers. 

I asked the kids what they liked and they picked the red and white gladiolus.  They were gorgeous...I said two of each please!  J then quickly said, no mom...you need to buy five.  You can't get even numbers...it has to be odd!  OK, I'll entertain this for now...give me five. 

Glads in hand we head on to the tram station.  It takes some figuring out but as we work our way around, ask several questions, we figure out where it picks up and that we have about 7 minutes wait.  Finally it comes and we board...and it's nice.  Cheap way to travel around the city and in about 30 minutes we are there.

Mezaparks is a lovely area with some beautiful homes and streets.  It's definitely one area I would like to spend more time in...but for ths day, only a quick visit.  We see the entrance to the zoo...but don't get to go.  And instead after a quick call to Inese, walk down the street to where she is.  Her apartment place is really lovely...a gorgeous house that has been outfitted into apartments.  Or maybe it was apartments all along, but really pretty. 

Her little angels are sitting on the couch and are there for a visit.  She gets them full time on Monday and it is so nice to see them being loved on!  They are beautiful!  Check out my facebook for photos of them.  Absolutely precious!  They don't know English but quickly seem to understand hello and smile! 

We visit in the other room while the kids watch AirBuddies in Latvian and Stuart Little in English.  Over a cup of tea we chat...about Latvia, about the children, about our children, about ministries.  She is a wonderful woman who loves God and has ministered to so many.  Such a privilege to be able to just sit and chat! 

Our kids are starving (sleeping til noon will cause this when you have breakfast of cereal at 12:30pm)...ugh, this will not continue in America!  ;-)  So we ask if we can go find something to eat nearby and we all go for a walk.  It really is a lovely area and we enjoy the walk to the restaurant.  It isn't very big and as soon as we walk in the girl tells Inese that she only has one cook so it will take at least 50 minutes for food.  We feel so welcome!  LOL

After some debate we decide it's getting late so we'll meet again later and have dinner some other day.  The little ones most likely can't take the wait.  We part ways and we head back into downtown Riga to find dinner.  We reboard the tram and ride back and get off at a stop closer to the apartment.  Double Coffee sounds like a good solution to dinner so we head there...they have the best Caramel Coffee!  My only wish is that these yummy beverages came in a venti size!

Here we encountered some "no one's ever told me this was not ok" behaviour.  Nothing major but the cell phone became a dinner guest and Mama and Daddy weren't happy.  One quick look across the table though silenced it and we finished dinner and headed home. 

We got home and I grabbed my grocery list and without having to ask had three volunteers to go to the store with me.  We got our groceries...some begging ensued for ice cream for which I relented (funny, it was the same kind we bought in the park the other day and it was cheaper in the park!) and then started the walk home. 

Finally, in for the night, another load of clothes, unpacking groceries and another "kitchen conversation."  I love the way these just pop up...many times instigated by our children.  Meaningful talks just out of the blue...some of them are better than others at starting them...but it's nice to know they WANT to talk. 

Parenting kids, teenagers, is never easy.  They are figuring out themselves and we are trying to walk them through it all.  And really this is what today became (well Saturday since I'm writing this way late)...it became the day we started figuring out our family.  No castles, historical places or shopping to distract.  Just a day where Gary and I and our five children went to visit friends...nothing fancy about it.  And it was good.  Mind you I said it was good...not perfect, not the way I want every day to be, not without challenges...but it was good, in ALL of it's imperfections.  ;-)

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