Home....and the Baltics

Dave recently returned home from touring Finland, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania with the choirs from the University of Richmond -- a trip that has been a year in the making.  No - I did not get to go (everyone asks).  Yes - I was at home with the boys by myself for 11 days and now have an even greater appreciation for families that deal with spouses who travel a lot for work or deployed spouses.    We survived (obviously) and the week went FAR better than I had even hoped for....though the wheels did start to fall off 2 nights before Dave's return where it concerned listening and talking back and typical toddler stuff.  I had things planned for us with friends almost every day and we skyped with my parents twice as they wanted to check in on us and make sure we were doing okay and keep the boys' spirits (and mine) up.  :)  I was thankful and appreciative of their concern.  

Before I get to that week though, I realize that I haven't posted since February so here are a couple pictures before Dave left.

The Bear with a bear at Maymont Park

Ash Wednesday Mass

Two weeks or so before Dave left, we dealt with some really stormy weather.  So stormy, in fact, that  while the boys napped that afternoon and I kept my ears tuned to the local weather channel on TV, I started clearing out our hall closet; the only place in our house where we could take shelter.  Which was smart....because in the end, I had to get the boys up early from their naps and we had to take shelter in the closet for about 45 minutes.  Tornado warnings were going up all around us.  When all was said and done, we had 7 tornadoes throughout the state that day: an F1 in Waverly (just an hour to the east of us) that sadly took 3 lives, an F3 in Tappahanock (just an hour to the north of us), and an F3 in Appomattox (just an hour to the south-west of us).  We went to the closet when my phone started alerting us that we needed to take shelter immediately.  Dave was at UR with his girls' choir....they all took shelter in the basement of the building where they continued to practice their acapella pieces.  :) I made sure that the boys had their favorite toys and animals...and we all had our shoes on (thanks, mom, for that tip!)  It was an exciting afternoon/evening to say the least!

"Camping out" in the hall closet

And then, Dave left.  We went to see him off at UR where Jeffery got to see the HUGE buses and tell the bus drivers that his Papa used to drive tour buses.  (He was very proud of that!)  :)  

A bus just like Papa used to drive!

And they're off!

Like I said earlier, I made sure that we were all kept busy during Dave's absence.  I planned things for almost every day to get us out of the house and surround ourselves with friends/friends who have become like family.  During nap times, I busied myself....by painting Jeffery's room.  I have never been happy with the colors in his room (we didn't do anything to the room when we bought the house....as I was 7 months pregnant with Jakob at the time).  But....we're hoping to bunk the boys in this room come the summer and I wanted to get it painted prior to that transition.  So....Jeffery slept on a cot in the office (again, he thought he was camping out!) for the whole week and I tackled his room bit by bit every day.

The ceiling first, which I painted white.....

......then the upper portion of the wall (above the molding), which I painted a navy blue.....

.....and finally, the lower portion of the wall, which I painted a grey (but looks more like a grey-blue).

I am beyond thrilled at how it turned out!!!  And Jeffery is so proud of his room.  :)  My friend, Theresa, helped me move some furniture around (God bless you, T) and voila!  It is like a brand new room!  Wooo-hooo!!!

So, with being surrounded by friends almost every day and projects around the house, we survived.  We were terribly thankful when Dave returned home (as it meant that I could now get some sleep....I didn't go to bed until after 1am the whole time he was gone...just too antsy.  Yawn!) but we had a lot of fun just the three of us!  I think we were pretty successful at keeping the home fires burning and whatnot.  :)

Enjoying a rare breakfast treat that would make Oma and Papa smile!  :)

As for Dave's trip....well, like I said earlier, I was unable to accompany him and he went to an area that I know nothing about so if you want the story and to see the pictures, you'll have to get with him.  BUT....I will share just a few pictures and tidbits that I learned to whet your interest.  :)

Finland
The whole time he was over there, he was 8 hours ahead of us....which made for an interesting transition back when he came home!  :)  Helsinki, Finland was the first stop.  He found Finland to be the strangest of the four countries.  Helsinki is a fairly recent city....having been founded in the 1500's but not built up (because of plagues and wars) until the 1800's.  There isn't any medieval architecture or historic center....which is odd for a European city. And it was terribly cold....but what does one expect in Finland the first of March?!?!?!  Here is Dave standing in front of the Helsinki harbor....and yes, those are ice flows behind him.  They have to have ice-breaker ships free the harbor on a routine basis throughout the winter so that major ships can come into the port.  Unbelievable!

And here is a good portion of the group (Schola Choir and Women's Choir) in front of the Sibelius Monument...where Dave and Dr. Riehl proceeded to sing "Finlandia" (by Sibelius) and the kids just looked at them confused.  HA!

Estonia

The group boarded an enormous ferry which took them across the Baltic Sea to Tallin, Estonia...their next destination.  Estonia is considered to be the most irreligious country...in the world....but also has the largest folk music catalogue of all European countries.  Singing and music is in the Estonians' blood.  As is evidenced by the "Singing Revolution"....which spurred their independence from the USSR.  If you've never seen the documentary on the Singing Revolution...I highly highly highly suggest you get it as quickly as possible.  We watched it prior to Dave leaving.  It was....humbling...and completely inspiring...and brought both of us to tears.    (I challenge you to not be moved by even the trailer)

On a side note, the woman who was the group's tour coordinator for the whole trip, was 9 years old at the time of the Singing Revolution.  Her family is Latvian and she pointed out to the buses, the very spot on the road where she stood with her family in 1989, hand in hand, helping create a human chain that stretched the length of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania and included over 2 million people (something that is highlighted in the documentary)....all in protest of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact between the USSR and NAZI Germany.  Read here to learn more about the Baltic Way.  Dave said it was very moving for the students to hear first hand testimony about such an unforgettable experience.  

One of the things I am most jealous about is the fact that Dave got to go to the grounds of the Singing Festival.  Under that half dome you see in the picture, can fit up to 30,000 singers.  30,000!!!!!  Can you imagine?!  The entire grounds can hold about 300,000.  Remarkable when you consider that the entire population of Estonia is the same size as Richmond Metro -- 1.2 million people.  I kid you not.  He also got to see the TV tower that was so bravely defended by two men against USSR tanks.  

Latvia

On then to Riga, Latvia.  Dave says that both he and Dr. Riehl were so pleased that the choirs seemed to get better and better the more the trip went.  Sometimes, after late night partying and burning the candles at both ends, there can be a drop off in performance quality on tours...but not so on this trip.  In Latvia, the groups sang to a packed audience in a church from the 1200's.  And they were treated as celebrities...even being filmed for the national news program.  

Lithuania

Dave says that, while he enjoyed the entire tour, if there was one country he would definitely go back to...it would be Lithuania.  He said he felt at home in Lithuania...it being over 85% Catholic.  They were able to make a surprise stop at the Hill of Crosses...a pilgrimage site that even Pope John Paul II visited.  Dave says it was one of the most moving parts of the trip.  

He said everywhere you turned in Vilnius, Lithuania....was evidence that the people there let their faith influence every part of their life.  He said that in the middle of shops and bars, there appeared an all day/all night adoration chapel that was filled with people when he stopped by in the evening.  The trip left the very day of St. Casimir's feast day....a very important Saint to the Lithuanian/Polish people and a week later, Dave was able to stand in front of his tomb.  

And then, just like that, the trip was done and the group traveled safely home.  Dave says he is just so thankful and grateful that he got to experience this amazing trip with such wonderful and dear students and co-workers.  The pictures and stories and gifts that he brought home have filled me with such wonder and a desire to visit these places.

I am thankful that he got to do this.....but even more thankful to have him home!!!