New year, new findings

Although we're a third of the way into the new year, I have finally determined what my new year's resolutions are.  One of them is to update my blog at least once a month!  Hopefully my new super fast computer (pending delivery) will push me to publish more times, especially with upcoming trips and events that are on the schedule for the next couple of months.

American & Lithuanian snowman says hello!

When I last posted several months ago, I had just found out the wonderful news that I was a new aunt!  My younger brother beat me to the punch once again - this time it was with the baby train.  He and his parter had a beautiful and chunky little girl with a complete full head of hair, which I attribute to his Romanian and her Mexican roots.  Now, I'm sure that there are many aunts in the world who think that their nieces are the cutest and loveliest, but I must say that my niece most definitely came off the assembly line from the adorable factory.  She has so much personality and her smiles and laughs just make my heart melt.  Last fall, I was incredibly lucky that I got the chance to go back to the States to attend my annual trip with my college girlfriends and at the same time, I got to meet the newest addition to the Comsa family.  Now, I've held many babies in my time, but for whatever reason, when I held my not yet 2 month old niece, it was as if I had never even held a potato sack before!  My back was arched so far back when I was holding her, that I probably looked like I was trying to perform a back bend.  In my effort to not make her uncomfortable, I nearly took out my back!  Luckily, after the fifth or sixth hold (along with the help of a martini), I was doing just fine.  Now, months later, all of us get to talk to and see each other over skype quite often.  I constantly find myself cooing and awwing to her, just like those crazy family relatives!  But, she needs to know that she has a loving, albeit sometimes strange, aunt and an uncle who live far, far away.

Love at first cry

Lovely Theta ladies

Shortly after my return from the States, I began to notice an unattractive and common habit among people in Vilnius once the weather reached the sub-freezing temperatures.  Time and time again when I walked around town bundled up in my thick marshmallow jacket, I would look around and notice that people openly and without shame, blew snot rockets in public!  This new habit took my repulsion of spitting in public to a whole new level.  Men and women alike, old and young, seemingly of middle class background stopped in their tracks, removed their gloves and squeezed each nostril to blow their noses, sans tissue or hankerchief.  Yuck!  In all fairness, I may be able to understand this habit if people were to perform it in private, but in front of everyone walking along the street, I mean come on!  Is it so difficult to pre-pack a hanky or tissue in a pocket or purse, or even hidden in a glove?  The other day I went for a run outside and about half way through my run, I began to sniffle and could not stop.  Due to my aversion to snot rockets in public, I waited until I was able to run along a path without any person in sight, and then let it loose all natural style, without tissue or hanky.  Immediately after, I still turned my head in every direction to make sure no one saw.  

 

Yuck

To finish off this quick blog, I would just briefly like to touch on our once in a lifetime adventure throughout southeast Asia.  I say 'briefly' only because I feel like I can devote pages and pages to the experiences and sights and tastes that we encountered.  In January, we embarked on our vacation from Thailand to Laos to Vietnam to Cambodia, all in a three week time period.  Lots of flights, lots of hotels, no upset stomachs, and so many memories.  It was great to get away, not only because we always wanted to go to these places, but because we got a brief break from the bitter cold winter in Vilnius.

The beautiful Halong Bay