My first blog attempt

The internet here has been very unreliable but I'm hoping this will work. I can't imagine how people in a different era managed without being able to communicate with loved ones like we can now!
This morning we went with Susanne and Richard and Judy James to visit the embassy. (The Jameses have now left for a couple days in Paris before returning to Utah.) It's hard for us to not feel very proud of our relatively "young" son who has a sign on his office door announcing to the world that he is a the consul for this embassy and is in charge of all the other staff in the office complex of this building! Everywhere we go here we are reminded that this feisty little country was recently under the heavy thumb of the former USSR. The American embassy here is in the process of expanding. The buildings they are expanding into are being updated but are the same buildings that were used for the benefit of elite communists only decades ago. It's interesting to consider that communists are so adamant about everyone being "comrades" but there are certainly some that are more equal than others. We feel quite safe here- even in the relatively large capital city of Vilnius. It seems that most of the crime is fairly petty. Most people that have nice cars and park them regularly on the street will eventually "lose" hubcaps or other parts. James and Susanne live in what would here be called a mansion. The doorway is right on the sidewalk and they have only a small backyard so, from the outside, Americans would not recognize it as a "mansion". However, inside it is very nice with huge rooms and very high ceilings. We haven't had the opportunity to go into many other private buildings but from what James tells us (experiences of home teaching and other church-related visits rather than diplomatic related), although most of the apartment and single home buildings are fairly drab if not downright decrepit on the outside, the apartments or rooms inside can be quite pleasant and modern.