I think I want to move to Vienna! It is absolutely gorgeous here! It's really easy to get around and pretty clean. Even with not knowing German, it's pretty easy to communicate with people, and it seems like if I actually lived here and wanted to learn German, it would be pretty easy to pick up. We got a chance to visit a little town in Hungary too, Schopron. I loved it so much! It was so cute and very quaint. We walked around the town and then had lunch at a little restaurant. The lady who took us knew the owner, so that was nice when it came to ordering and such. I had a goulash soup and it was very tasty! Then we walked around some more and stopped in a few shops. There were several stands where they sold hand-made lace and little crafts. The day ended with the "best ice cream in Hungary." It definitely was good!

Yesterday we spent the day in Bratislava, Slovakia. It's been my favorite so far. The city just seemed more "real" than the others. I don't think it's supposed to be as safe as Vienna, but I didn't feel unsafe at all. We (me, Justin, his mom and dad) went to the TWR office first. It was cool to see another office like the one I'll work in soon! Alenka, a print and web journalist for TWR showed us around the city after showing us the office. She knew so much! I enjoyed getting to talk to her about things I might be doing in South Africa. We went to a local Slovakian pub for lunch. I had a helushki-type dish. It was noodles with a sheep cheese sauce with bacon and smoked sheep cheese on top. It was delicious, but really filling. I maybe finished half of it and felt like I was going to explode! I took tons of pictures.. it was so pretty there! We went up to a little castle that you could look out from. You could see the entire city and you could even see a lot of Austria! We had ice cream there too. It was so good! One thing's for sure...I don't know if I'm ever going to like American ice cream again! Ice cream, or gelato, here is more like a frozen custard. And it comes in any kind of flavor you could imagine! Out of all the places we've had ice cream, my favorite is at a little plaza here in Vienna near the Christian school that Justin's siblings go to. My favorite flavor is pistachio. It's delicious!!

Justin is leaving on Monday. He'll go back to Indiana and work for the summer. I still have a week and a half left. I'm glad I don't have to leave yet, but I almost just want to leave with Justin! It's going to be a long summer! 

Two of the girls got to Jo'Burg this week and it's making me really anxious to go! I just want to be there and start working and see what I can do. I want to explore the area I'll be living in and get to know all of my "coworkers." None of that is to say I'm not nervous, because I definitely am. I'm scared that I won't be able to put what I've learned at school to use or that I won't know what I'm doing. I'm not very good at asking for help. 

That's all for now. I'll try and update again soon. Be sure to check out some pictures on my facebook page!

So Justin and I are in Vienna now! I wanted to update yesterday from the airport, but we couldn't get internet. It was a long day yesterday; we got to the airport at just a little bit after 8 a.m. Our flight left at around 2:30 p.m. When we got into Frankfurt, there was a slight delay when it came to customs..it was shift change and so we had to wait in line for about 20 minutes or more! It was pretty frustrating, but we got through with enough time to make our flight to Vienna, so that's good!

When we got here this morning, Justin's parents greeted us with flowers and a balloon. They seemed pretty happy to see us! It was really good seeing them. It was also really good getting to stretch my legs a bit :P

Justin went to sleep as soon as we got to the apartment. I showered, and then me and my future monther-in-law went for a little walk and visited the TWR office here in Vienna. Vienna is such a cute city; and it's so easy to get around! I could definitely live here!

After that, we came back and Justin got up and showered and got ready. We got gelato at a little shop and then went to pick up the kids from school. I think I've decided that if I ever have kids, that's the type of environment I want them used to. I'm not sure if I'm going to want to live in Europe, but a diverse culture is very important to me; and from what I've seen of Vienna, it's very diverse! After we went to the kids' school, we went to Kerith's volleyball game and then to Micah's baseball game. It was a lot of fun! We came back and ate dinner, and now here I am! Just blogging away!

On Thursday we are going to Hungary! I cannot even wait! There has also been talk about a small trip to Slovakia or Italy too! Can't wait!! We'll see what happens!! For now, I am finally going to bed! I've pretty much been up (aside from sleeping a bit here and there on the plane) since about five on Monday morning!! Don't forget to keep praying! Thanks!

One week! In one week Justin and I will be on our way to Vienna! Actually, we'll just be sitting at the airport at this time, but anxiously awaiting our flight! I can't believe it's come so soon. All that stands in my way now is editing a paper, a few finals and packing. How crazy is that? This year absolutely flew! And after Vienna, it's off to South Africa for me! I'm so nervous, but extremely excited. It's definitely going to be a once-in-a-lifetime experience! I'm excited about everything I'll learn, and about all of the people I'll meet. I just need to get through this week! Keep praying! Here are some things you could be praying for:

• That I use my time wisely (studying for finals and such)
• Concentration and motivation
• Safe travels
• Relationships

Okay, so I promise to try and be better at keeping this blog updated once I'm in Africa. Hopefully then I will have more exciting things to say anyway! I've been working on homework for everything all weekend, but mostly just my senior seminar paper. Taking this class has really made me wish I was already graduating! But in 2 weeks I can officially be categorized as a senior! Also in 2 weeks, Justin and I will be almost on our way to Vienna! I can't believe it's so soon! I have no idea where this semester went at all! I do know though, that it will be really nice to have a little break before next school year starts! It seems like every year just gets busier and goes by faster. Next year is going to fly!

I am so grateful for all of the blessings right now. I've made it to be a junior (almost senior!) in college, I am going to Africa for a once-in-a-lifetime experience and I'm getting married to my best friend! And that's just a few of the highlights! Life is awesome!

As South Africa is creeping up faster, I'm having mixed feelings. More than anything, I'm excited. I've been dreaming of doing a trip like this since I can remember, and it's finally happening! But at the same time, it's scary. I'm going to be in a new country with people I don't know. It's scary, but I have a sense of peace about it at the same time. Just continue to pray, please. Until next time!