Happy October!

The weather has finally changed and the heat has become a thing of the past. WHOOHOO!!! Yes, I am VERY happy to say goodbye to the 100+ degree weather. It's been simply gorgeous here the past 2 weeks or so - varying from being in the 70's to 80's. How perfect is that?!

Life has settled into a more predictable routine as well. That is also something that I look forward to. The months of August and September are so crazy so October is a welcome blessing.

Next week, however, will bring about some new changes for our family. Ashish's parents will be moving here from India!!! :) For now they plan to stay in one of the dorms on campus. This will make life much easier for them as they adjust to a new culture and won't have to worry as much about transportation. They will be helping to watch Priya while Ashish and I are working so it will be a wonderful blessing to have them so close. How lucky is Priya to have the opportunity to have both sets of grandparents nearby (at least part of the time). I'm so excited about what it will mean to Ashish's parents and to Priya to have this time together. It'll also be an amazing opportunity for her to learn more about her heritage - learning to speak Gujarati, eating more Indian dishes, learning songs and games from India, etc. We are so thankful that everything has worked out to make it possible for them. Of course it will hold its share of challenges but overall I think it'll be a blessing.

We are thinking a lot about the big transition that it will be for them - moving to a new culture, learning a new language, looking for work, and not having the support system & comfort of being known that they are used to having back home. It will be all "wine and roses" for a while but eventually the challenges of culture shock will kick in for them and they will deeply miss their life back in India. I know that they would really appreciate your prayers as they prepare for this huge transition. I can't imagine doing what they are doing at the age of retirement! It takes a lot of courage in my opinion!

On a totally different note and as a little bonus, I've included 2 cute videos of our very social and expressive little girl. To give you some background, one of our students came out of her room. Priya kept calling "I love you!" to her again and again and again (I caught just the tail end of this in the 1st vide0). The student eventually left the dorm and Priya ran after her continuing to call out to her trying to get her attention. It melted my heart and had me cracking up all at the same time. I just love the sound of her voice as she calls out in the 2nd video. Could she be any cuter?! :) (yes, I'm a proud mommy, I can't help it!)