sarah and katya have a birthday!

sarah and katya celebrated their birthdays together this year. we had the big celebration at katya's home, and it was SO fun! i wish that i had a pic of the wonderful and AMAZING eclairs that her Baba Lela made, but unfortunately, i don't... i probably ate the pic... in hopes that it would TASTE like the wonderful, light, puffy, eclairs... mmmmm.... our good friend, Zhenya (in the pic with me and sarah) was able to attend. she moved to moscow... and we miss her :( ... i am pretending to eat the kabob, known in russia as 'shashlik'... it was quite tasty! :) then, the cute, sassy girl with the coffee cup is our precious kat... what will i do without her? great celebration girls!

summer came... eventually.

Summer eventually came this year. We thought that it wouldn't, but, it did! Several days, we headed to our favorite park, which is almost right next door. It has a lake/river/creek/ocean (well, not really an ocean!). We love to grab our ipods, towels, and head down there... and pick up some ice-cream on the way. And, usually, our best Russian galpal, Katya... she and I love to take funny pics together!

a somewhat normal pic... minus my mile-long arms!

and now, of course, a funny one... SEE, i DID get somewhat of a tan this summer! :)

it's been a while...

wow, i didn't realize how long it had been since i updated my blog! it has been crazy busy here! after the student group left here in july, i felt as if my whole team and i were on a roller coaster! so much happened, from illnesses to emotional breakdowns and then the sad news of the death of a fellow colleague. we had our yearly meeting at a campground place south of moscow. it was a great time of renewal and rejuvenation with close friends! we were able to worship in our heart language and be encouraged by the Word and by each other. 

i returned from that meeting feeling refreshed and rejuvenated! i was ready for university to start so that we could meet new students! i even began a jogging routine, which i am still remaining faithful to! ask my family... THAT is an accomplishment! :)

so grab a cup of coffee... or juice... maybe some water, or even a coke... enjoy the next several posts b/c i have got some fun pics to show! and maybe a fun story or two :)  

A Day in Moscow...

The last day in country, I traveled with the students to visit Moscow. They were tired, but I am very thankful for their great attitudes through the walking and the heat! :)


On the way there... these guys were tired! And a bit delirious! ;)

A few of my pics from this beautiful city!

WORK DAY!!!

One day, the team took time to help clean the school where we held many of our meetings. The students painted, cleaned, and broke down some old desks. The school was very thankful to them for volunteering their time! Good job, guys! :)

Suzdal

While the team was here, we took a trip to the religious center of our region: Suzdal. It was a rainy and cloudy day, but I am pretty sure that it is IMPOSSIBLE for this place to look anything but beautiful! There are MANY, MANY churches located here, maybe several hundred! They are of all different colors and styles... really a wonderful place to visit!

YOU GO TO THE EAST, YOU GO TO THE WEST; ORANGE SOK IS THE BEST!!!!!

We had a group here doing a cultural exchange project. I was a member of the Orange Sok team (Sok means 'juice' in Russian... so we were Orange juice!)... We had a scavenger hunt, and here are a few things on our list....

Picture with stature of a woman...

Kvas vendor. Kvas is THE summer drink here in Russia, though I don't care too much for it! It tastes like malt vinegar... It is a little like beer, but it isn't alcoholic... we all tasted it, but we didn't enjoy it very much.

Tram station.

All in all, we did well! It was fun... we didn't win... who cares? We were still the best! ;)