December was a whirlwind of a time! Carsten and I prepared for our first Christmas together as a married couple...
There is our first Christmas tree ready to go home..
Leslie, Jon, and Zach Zegan all came to visit us here in England for Christmas. Plus, Zach's girlfriend Kara and her 5 family members unexpectedly came along as well. It was a Christmas of surprise and we never knew what was going to happen next. To give you a picture without telling the long story, we drove to the airport 9 times in three weeks. WOW!!! It was a blessing to have such an eventful holiday season. We loved having a full house and the company to share our first Christmas with.
We spent our first New Years eve as a married couple with friends here in England. We received a phone call on New Years eve that Zach had proposed in Czech Republic to his girlfriend Kara! Yiiipppppeee!!
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!
Shortly after the New Year began, we jumped on a plane and headed back to the states. We were esctatic to be back on American soil!!!! We went to Kentucky and Indiana to attend the wedding of Carsten's cousin, Rick Post. It was so wonderful to spend time with family and make memories together. We were able to go to Churchill Downs where the Kentucky Derby is run. What a sight to see! We toured the stadium and the museum...
We had such a great time with Carsten's family! Congrats to Rick and Rachel Post!! The wedding was beautiful! Glad we could make it to celebrate with them! We had never been to Kentucky or Indiana so that was fun! Just to eat American food again was well worth the trip. haha!
After the wedding Carsten flew back to England and I (Chary) flew to California. It was an unexpected change of plans, but God gave me the opportunity to specifically go spend time with Sara and the Swenson family in Nevada. I spent a few days in California with family and friends and then drove to Nevada. It was such a blessing to see Sara. If anyone does not know, Sara is my 22 year old friend who has been batteling cancer for almost 2 years now.
She was a bridesmaid in our wedding. She is a dear life long friend. In fact, she is more like a sister to me. The cancer has returned and the doctors have refused any radiation or surgery because the cance is so aggressive. Please keep Sara in your prayers and if you would like to find updates on her you can go to caringbridge.com and type in Swenson as the patient name. There you will find Sara's journal, pictures and medical updates. Any who...God truly blessed me with the opportunity to spend a few days with Sara before I flew back to England. We enjoyed times of laughter and nightly rituals of watching/playing Wheel of Fortune! She is the strongest young woman I know! Love you Sara!!
And now, a week later, here I am back in England! What a bittersweet feeling! It is sweet to be back alongside my wonderful husband. It is sweet to be back to our bible study groups and friends. It is bitter to leave our family and friends back in the states. It is bitter to be so far away and back in this dark/rainy place. With God's strength we take the bitter along with the sweet and we press on because the Lord has placed us here for such a time as this. And for this we thank the Lord for always blessing and providing for us!
God Bless and Bless God!
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