Yesterday, I finally did something I've been waiting for over two months to do:


I bought a plane ticket to Latvia.¹


Granted, it's not until October twentieth. And that's still a lot later than I thought - or hoped - that I'd be back. But, it's a ticket. And a date. Two things I've waited a long time for.


The real irony is that I also booked another ticket back to England only two weeks after I return to Riga. Two very good friends of mine are getting married in Southampton the first weekend of November, and I'd be hard pressed to miss an event of that caliber. 

So it's back to Riga. Then back to Southampton. Then back to Riga again. And then - hopefully - I get to stay there for a while.²



In other news, I'm still on pace - for the moment - to hit my "run across Latvia" target before I return. This is the end of day nine, and I've got ninety-one miles under my belt. So far, so good. No major aches or pains outside of what one would normally expect. Enjoying it for the most part, although some classic British weather has dampened my enthusiasm slightly the past couple of outings. Nothing like a cold, dark rainy morning to make you think twice before you head out the door.



Tomorrow evening marks the first event of the school year for the student ministry here in Southampton, with a start-of-term barbecue to kick things off.  As the sole American around, I've been pressed into duties as grillmaster. Couldn't be more pleased. I love this time of year in student ministry; so much excitement, new opportunities and initiatives, reconnecting with old friends, and seeing familiar rhythms and routines begin again. Glad I get to experience all of that - at least in part - yet again while I'm here, and hopefully help out in some small way.



Looking forward to the same experience back in Riga someday as well...



¹Which is in itself no small task. Trying to compare airfares from different carriers - all with different fees, baggage allowances, and "credit card processing charges" that don't pop up until the transaction is almost complete - is like trying to compare apples with things that aren't apples. In other words, it's a pain. Not to mention the fact that many European air carrier's websites don't take kindly to American debit/credit cards. Ugh. #firstworldproblems, yeah, I know, I know...
²At least with all of this travel I'll be able to rack up some extra frequent flier miles! And thankfully intra-European flights are typically much more affordable than flights of equivalent distances in the U.S., so this will hardly break the bank.

Comment