The family

We are always thrilled to have our kids come home. Matthew & Kirsten came for Andy & Shanon's wedding and stayed a few extra days. I was able to take a morning off to spend with Kirsten, and we had a wonderful time. They reserved last night to take me out to dinner (and my birthday is still a long way away!) and it was wonderful.

Kirsten played her flute at the wedding and in church on Sunday and shared as well in church about the work in the North End. A few people told me this weekend that I must be very proud of my kids, and I sure am. What really makes me happy though, is to see them happy in their marriages, and to know they are loving & serving God.

They left this morning, and this afternoon Einar will be back from Des Moines, Iowa. So life will get back to 'normal' around here.

Today Paul & Rachel are heading to Thompson, MB, for a new job for Paul. He'll finally be able to fly! They are excited about this move, and although it will be sometimes be hard to be in a new place without any friends or family, at least it's not as far away as India! I'm looking forward to hearing about their new life there.

This blog is supposed to be about my life, not my kids, but sometimes it's hard to separate the two.

Travels

So far this year I've spent a few days in Akron, Pennsylvania (work-related meetings), a week in Mississippi with Mennonite Disaster Service, and a weekend in BC. Einar will go to meetings in Des Moines, Iowa this month, but then the REAL travel begins.

From May 23 to June 5, I'll be on a Mennonite Central Committee Material Resources Learning Tour to Ukraine. There will be several other Material Resource Coordinators on this trip as well as 1 or 2 others. I am looking forward to seeing the country of my anscestors and learning much about MCC's work there.

Less than a week after I get back Einar & I will be going to Washington, DC for the Interstate Convention. These conventions have been highlights for me in the past: we stay in hotels I would never pay for from my own pocket, and the food and company is top-notch. I am looking forward to it again, but this year there are other trips occupying my mind!

Like our trip to Norway in August. Einar's cousins are planning a cousin-gathering, and we decided to go for that. Einar's sister, Liv, is coming with us, and it will be wonderful to be out there in summer, see the family there, and experience a bit more of Norway. It is such a beautiful country. This time seeing a fjord is at the top of my list (after family, of course!)

My own family gathering is in Manitoba in July, and we are heading there as well. I'm thinking I might actually get tired of traveling yet this year! No, probably not. Not as long as there's good scenery and people to shoot with my camera!