Susie in Lithuania

Sunday, June 2, 2013

REVENGE Breakfast!

The RAs contacted me in April asking for my assistance in pulling off an early morning breakfast for the RDs. The RDs had done one for them and they wanted to get a little bit of fun revenge in before the year was over. I was game! :) So, the RAs arrived at my apartment around 6:00 AM and made breakfast. At 7:00 I called the RDs and told them that they needed to come over to my apartment due to an emergency situation with a student. When they showed up, we yelled "Surprise!" and had breakfast with them. It was a lot of fun to scheme with the RAs on this fun event.

The awesome RA staff..starting at the 12:00 position and going clockwise...Ieva, Ausrius, Sarune, Kiril, Ira, Toms, Natalija, Vadim, Angelina, Sasha, Kristine, and Melisa.

early morning smiles - Sasha, Kristine, Kiril, and Ausrius

Melisa, Sarune, Toms, and Ieva

Ira, Natalija, Angelina, and Vadim

me with the guests of honor

Amanda, me (perky) Alisha, and Josh

Precious Baby Nikole!

My dear friend, Olena, had her first baby during my last month at LCC. Little Nikole Rusu was born on April 5th. We watched her mommy's tummy grow all year and I was so worried that I would leave before she was born. She ended up being born early and I was grateful to get to spend some time with her before I left.

Olena and Nikole in the hospital

Precious baby!

Wednesday, May 29, 2013

A weekend in England!

As my days in Lithuania dwindled I realized that the ability to travel inexpensively in Europe was also dwindling. I decided to take advantage of the cheap airlines and flew to England April 5th - 8th to spend a couple days with my best friend from childhood, Rebecca and her husband, Earl. We had a great time exploring a nearby village, playing games, cooking fun food, going to church, and the grand finale was an afternoon in Windsor where we went to Windsor Castle - where Queen Elizabeth spends much of her time!

Windsor Caslte

Beautiful archways

The flag flying above meant that the Queen was there!

Can you imagine how gorgeous those gardens are in the summer?!

St. George's Chapel on the grounds of Windsor Castle

We went to Sunday evensong there...beautiful service!

I had an EARLY flight out on Monday morning, so here's Rebecca and me saying farewell at the airport. So glad I got to spend some time with her before heading back to America. Being with her is always refreshing and fun. LOVE her!

Happy Birthday to Amy!

Amy's birthday was a few days after mine. Rachel and I took her out for breakfast at Navalis on Saturday morning to celebrate her special day.

Rachel, Amy, and me

A week before our birthday, the gals in our supper club celebrated our March birthdays with cakes in our dessert that night. How sweet! :)

SURPRISE!!!

Amanda and Alisha pulled off the Ultimate Surprise party for me the Friday night after my birthday. We had done brunch at a local restaurant on my actual birthday and I thought that was the extent of my celebration. Little did I know that they had another trick up their sleeves!

They threw me a Lithuanian birthday party...with kepta duona, balandeliai, rice, tinginys, and sakotis to eat and fun Lithuanian flag inspired decorations!

Here's Josh and Amanda as Josh was texting me to come over after I had firmly told Amanda that I was NOT going anywhere that night...I was just too tired. I just LOVE how her arms are blurred from moving so fast. I can just imagine how she was fretting over it and her nervous energy was being expended through her arms! :) Love that girl!

Here is the moment of my surprise! I was TOTALLY in surprised and screeched with delight! And I love how this captures Alisha on the side bellowing out "Surprise!" :)

me laughing with my devious girls! :)

festive decor!

Completing the crossword about me

John, Max, Mark, Jennifer, Bethany, and me

Gretchen, Shari, John, Max, and Mark

My Lithuanian birthdaycake...sakotis. A delicious sweet cake made on a spit.

I was blowing out my candles...not sneezing on the cake as the photo appears

And it wouldn't be a Lithuanian birthday without fresh flowers!

Thanks to Marlene for capturing these moments on her camera!

Sunday, May 26, 2013

The last week of March was the "Spiritual Life Week." There were different events planned each evening of the week. I only made it out to one event. It was a Talk Show where Mark Gingerich was the host and then the "house band" for the show was the three RDs - Amanda, Alisha, and Josh. They called themselves Amanda and the Love Cannons!

Mark interviewing someone from a local social services agency.

Amanda and the Love Cannons

Happy Birthday to ME!

My Birthday began with a lovely brunch with the Community Life women at Navalis.

Amanda, me, Alisha, and Olena

I was met in the hall of DeFehr by one of my FYS gals who had been waiting for me so that she could give me some birthday flowers...beautiful roses from a lovely young lady!