Though it was hard to leave Africa, it was more hard to travel for as long as we did. It was nice to finally arrive in the states and was more of a surprise to get picked up by my dad. It was nice he did not have to work that day. I have been looking forward to coming home for some time to spend a nice Christmas holiday. I also looked forward to spending some time with family. I will admit this past week has a been a little bit hard adjusting to the American culture and also the craziness of shopping before Christmas. The stores and the people seem a little out of control, but we have been just taking it one day at a time.

One thing that has been nice though is the all of the Christmas lights and decorations. Liina has really enjoyed driving around looking at all the lights in the neighborhood. She has been busy taking pictures. Our city zoo also puts up a bunch of lights and it was nice to go and walk around with family.

Lucky for us it has not been that cold yet. We did enjoy some first snow, but it was soon gone. It has felt a little more like Estonian spring than it has winter. We know that our friends and family in Estonia enjoyed a nice white Christmas. It has been nice looking at their photos.

We look forward to spending more time with family and friends over the next few months. It has also been nice having internet all the time again to connect with family, friends, and students back in Estonia. We will see wait and see what lies ahead in the next few weeks. Thank you again for all of your prayers and your support this last year. 2009 was a tough year for both of us and we look forward to what 2010 will bring.

More pictures: here

Merry Christmas!!!!

Chris & Liina