I'm Baaaaaaaack!!!!

Last year I started a blog to keep my friends and family informed about my life overseas. It recently came to me mid-treadmill misery (these are where my greatest ideas are born) that because I will not be living in Lithuania forever, my blog title should be more universal.. therefore mccALL Around The World Was born... see what I did there..? By February of last year, wedding planning took over every ounce of my existence and my desire to blog went out the window. At the end of the month, Deividas got loaned out to a team in Riga, Latvia so within a day's notice, we were packing up our life in Vilnius and moving to a new country. I'll fill you in on what you missed....

Riga was an amazing experience for us. I got to live in the same city as one of my good friends (another basketball wife) and be there for the birth of her second child. It was so nice having her there and she really eased the pain of leaving my life and comfortability behind in Vilnius. It was also really great for Deividas' and my relationship. Previously we lived in his home country, where he knew the language and had friends/family, so although he was always sympathetic, I think it was hard for him to totally understand what I would go through on a daily basis living somewhere so unfamiliar. They speak Latvian and Russian in Riga so I was excited for D to experience firsthand the game of charades necessary to ask a grocery store employee what aisle something was located on. Unfortunately, D's Russian was better than he let me believe all of these years and as soon as we pulled into a gas station on our drive over to Riga he had a full-blown Russian conversation with the gas station attendant.... "I'm sorry...you speak Russian now??" I asked.... It took a few days of convincing before I was completely sure he wasn't some sort of spy (I mean who whips Russian out of their back pocket...) 

Riga is such a beautiful city and we had a blast living there. It was tough leaving behind new friends and our family in Vilnius but we struggled together, adapted quickly, made new friends and can now add Latvia onto our list of countries we've taken on and conquered together :)

Towards the end of the season, I left early to head home and get to work on tying up loose ends for our wedding. I had an incredible bachelorette party in Las Vegas and the weeks leading up to the wedding with friends and family flying in from all over the world (8 countries to be exact) were some of the happiest moments of my life. 

Today marks the three month mark since that amazing day and I'm happy to say we have outlasted the marriage of Kim Kardashian & Kris Humphries (I hope no one reading this is surprised). It was the most perfect day of my life and I feel so grateful for everyone who contributed.  Here are a few pictures from our wedding day:

It was really hard leaving my friends and family behind to head back to Europe after such an unforgettable summer but in actuality, I was ready to go back. It's hard for me to explain but you get so used to this lifestyle and the constant challenges you face everyday, that a life back home in Florida seems to easy for me at this point. Of course I miss my friends and family when I'm here but I love living alongside people totally different from me, learning their culture and realizing how very small minded I can be. If anyone ever asks me advice (doesn't happen often), I urge them to travel. I feel like I have grown so much as a person by being constantly put in uncomfortable situations, eating foods I wouldn't normally eat, attempting to learn one of the hardest languages on Earth, practicing different countries' traditions and customs.. I wouldn't trade it for the world. If you don't trust me, at least trust Pinterest:

As of now we are back in Vilnius, settled into an apartment in Old Town and re-adjusting to life back overseas. For all the perks that come with this lifestyle, there are equally as many downfalls. It definitely isn't for everyone. To start with, it's been tough for me to adjust to the "stay at home wife" lifestyle and trust me, this won't last forever. I always did very well in school and had dreams and aspirations to be a career woman but over here living in a country where I don't speak the language, (FYI- I've upgraded to Lithu-English now.... I'm big time thanks to my wonderful Lithuanian teacher and our daily Skype sessions) it is impossible for me to get a job. It's easy to feel inadequate as I watch my friends all in the beginning stages of their careers, but I know my time will come. You do crazy things for love, and I'm willing to be here to support Deividas achieve his dream while I try to figure out what mine is. I've thrown some ideas around about some possible online business ventures so we will see where this year takes me. For now I'm grateful for a loving husband and being able to watch him live out his dream every day, the ability to travel the world and make amazing memories, and having time for myself to figure out my own passion. As all my time last year was spent wedding planning, I vow to devote this year to bettering myself.. continuing my Lithuanian languages in hopes of becoming fluent as soon as possible, continuing to workout and eat healthy, volunteer my time around Vilnius to charities who may need help, and figure out God's plan for the rest of my life. Please keep reading to be a part of my journey :)