Hello from Snowy Minnesota

It is so wonderful to finally be here! After leaving our apartment on Saturday, driving across Germany on Sunday and Monday, and hopping in the moving truck one last time to head to the airport on Tuesday, it’s SOOO nice to be able to unpack for more than a night. And especially at such a great place with family! But it's still so weird to think that we have actually MOVED here now and aren't going back to Dresden in a few weeks. I'm sure that will take awhile to get used to.

A blanket of snow is covering the ground outside but the dry, crisp climate feels much warmer to me than the “warmer” temperatures we left in humid Dresden. I am such a northern, dry-climate type of girl!

Thank you for every last prayer said on behalf of our move and flight—everything couldn’t have gone better. We were even pleasantly surprised a couple of times by the amazing cooperation of different people on our way—when does that happen?! And Caitlin could not have been a more flexible and easy-going traveler, not to mention us the unexpected blessing of being able to put her carseat on an empty seat next to us on the plane, which made things sooo much easier. The last of my US visa processing also went smoothly upon arriving in Chicago. Nine of our ten pieces of luggage came all the way through and the last one arrived this afternoon, and because we had so many extra pieces we ended up getting a kind of "VIP" treatment, with porters and airline workers helping us breeze through check in, security and what other would have been otherwise loooong lines. What blessings from the Lord!

We fell into bed last night around 11 pm Rochester time and slept wonderfully through till the morning, despite a brief interuption from the jet-lagged and hungry Caitlinbug. She has warmed up to everyone already, smiling and joyfully playing, soaking in every ounce of love that is being showered on her. Grady's sister Molly and I have even already made a quick trip to the nearby mall to check out the holiday sales. Fun!

Anyway, just a quick update and a few highlights of the last few days here with us. Wishing you all a delightful holiday season with your loved ones!