weighing in!

I am down a half pound this week. Slowly but surely I am making progress toward this goal... I hate the slowly part. I like instant gratification!

Happy 21st Birthday!!

Nathan,
It is so hard to believe that you are 21 already... it seems like we were just blessed by your birth yesterday. We pray that this year is a great year for you and that God blesses each step you take toward your goals for this year!

Here is a birthday video that Spencer made to celebrate your special day!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AR_aqxOLtYI

We are proud of you and we wish we could be with you today!!

Happy Birthday buddy!

We love you bunches and bunches and oodles and oodles,

Mama, Daddy and Spencer

Thought for Today

My thought for today comes from my daily Al-Anon meditation book that I use. And this is my first attempt at publishing my thought in English and in Russian!!


I will not look for perfection in another person until I have attained perfection myself.

Я не буду искать совершентва в других, пока не достигну совершентва сама.

One Day at A time in Al-Anon
День за Днём в Ал-Аноне
Pg 225

Before I got involved in Al-Anon I thought that all of the problems I had in life were because of being raised in family of people that struggled with a life affected by the ravages of alcohol. I have come to realize that my problems began with me and that rising above those problems begins with me as well.

Перед тем как я стала членом Ал-Анона я думала что все мои проблемы начинаются из-за того что я выросла в семье людей которые бороться с жизнью побеспокоившись опустошение алкоголизма. Теперь я сознаю что все мои проблемы начинаются со мной и что выход который я должна выйти является сама в себе.

6 Quirks I have

OK, so I've been tagged by Shasher and I have to do this before I forget... otherwise I am terrible at these things!

The Rules!
1. Link the person(s) who tagged me
2. Mention the rules on my blog
3. Tell about six unspectacular quirks of mine
4. Tag six fellow blogger's by linking them
5. Leave a comment on each of the tagged blogger’s blogs letting them know they’ve been tagged

OK, now onto important information that I know you can't live without... 6 quirky things about me:

1. I have to stand and face the direction I am speaking of when I give someone directions... this is especially funny when I am on the phone and my husband notices what I am doing!

2. I don't like the sight of bugs whether they are real or just a picture. Tom has a pair of pajamas with ants on them that I can't stand to look at!!

3. I don't like blood... even when it is fake movie blood. My guys all tell me when I can open my eyes again!

4. I hate repetitive noises... it just drives me nuts!

5. I cannot study listening to music but I can study and watch TV!!!

6. If someone hands me money I arrange it by denomination in descending order... I was a bank teller and then a manager long ago!

Those my top six quirks... Tom had more about me to list here but I won't bore you anymore!! And here are the friends I am choosing to bless with this task!!

Cyndi

Michele

Heartsong

Blythe

Liza

Rebecca

Tom at Work

Tom worked on sheet rocking the sound booth at church a few weeks back... the very next day we were at the Diagnostic Center beginning Tom's treatment that helped him pass his kidney stone. Working in the heat seemed to help get things moving!

weighing in!

I think my scale is broken... it has not moved all week. Oh well, in the past I would have used my disappointment as an excuse to eat chocolate. Today I chose a fresh strawberry juice instead. And am resigned to keep plugging away!

dinner with friends from Uzbekistan!

Lily set a beautiful table!
















Ruslan preparing the plov!






















Lily getting the meat and garlic ready to add in...
the garlic was cooked whole with the skin on and
she is showing me how it is removed.

















We had a great time with Lily, Ruslan, Artur and Bagdan! They are preparing to move back to Uzbekistan and wanted to have us over before their departure. They will be doing work with people in Recovery.

Lily had asked me about getting her a toe ring when I was in America... she thought that maybe I had forgotten. But I didn't! She was so thrilled to receive it. She let out a loud scream when she open the box. I think most of my friends in California wear one so I don't always think about how unique it is. She put it on and wore it for the rest of the night!

We gave the boys the Dr Seuss book and they loved it... Lily tells me that they have read it many times over the past two days. I knew it would be a hit. When Nathan and Spencer were younger they loved Dr Seuss too!

Ruslan cooked all day to make us authentic Uzbekistan plov (pilaf). He says that there are 18 different varieties of plov! We were very happy to be sent home with the leftovers... Ruslan made plov for the church's Easter dinner and Tom has been a fan ever since!

We have enjoyed working with them and watching them grow and we will miss them a lot when they leave! They both have incredible hearts, are very gracious,are generous in sharing all that they have and all that they have experienced with those around them.

PS... I did not show Lily and Ruslan's faces on purpose. They are going to be working in a dangerous area and they told us that Christians are currently being persecuted there. One of his friends was arrested just for having Christian literature.

Thought for Today

We go to our homes in hopes of finding physically many of the same qualities God offers us spiritually—a restful place, safe from the storms and stresses of the world, filled with love, comfort, and absolute acceptance… Home is to be the refuge we run to after doing battle in the world. It should be where we are reminded of who we are, to whom we belong, and what really matters in life.

Terry Willits, from her book Creating a SenseSational Home



I was thinking about how we as a family use our home... when we lived in America there were times when our home was just a "pit stop" a place to sleep, eat and use the facilities. Here in Russia we have made our home more of a restful place. A safe place for us to come after the stresses of the day. A place where we are all accepted for who we are and not stared at or watched as we go about our business. I pray that our home will always be a safe place to run to... no matter where in the world it is located!

Solzhenitsyn lies in state in Moscow

Russians queue up to mourn dissident Solzhenitsyn

By James Kilner and Conor Sweeney

Russia paid tribute to former Soviet dissident Alexander Solzhenitsyn on Tuesday with all the hallmarks of an official lying-in-state.

While Muscovites lined up to honor the Nobel Laureate, four Russian soldiers in dress uniform stood at attention at the open coffin in the Russian Academy of Sciences -- a telling symbol of recognition for the former exile.

A large portrait of Solzhenitsyn and a Russian flag completed the backdrop.
After tributes from world leaders following Solzhenitsyn's death from heart failure at 89 on Sunday, Russians paid respects to the survivor of Stalin's Gulag prison camps who documented their tyranny and challenged Soviet rule at home and in exile.

Solzhenitsyn's widow Natalia and his sons looked on as people, many of them elderly, brought small bouquets of white or red flowers to lay before his coffin.

In keeping with Russian tradition, mourners brought an even number of flowers, usually two or four.

"Solzhenitsyn was one of the most important people in the history of Russia, he wrote exactly what he thought and needed to be remembered," said maths professor Alexander Romanov, 60.

"It's a shame that not all young people understand how important he is. The young people of Russia today understand less and less," he said.

Solzhenitsyn came to international attention after the publication in 1962 of "One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich," which chronicled the appalling life of a labor camp prisoner.

He went on to win the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1970 and later produced his most famous work, "Gulag Archipelago," a chronicle of his own and thousands of other prison camp experiences.

GREAT DEFERENCE
Solzhenitsyn was stripped of his citizenship in 1974. He moved to the United States, where he lived until after the fall of the Soviet Union. He spent his final years living quietly in a Moscow suburb.

Solzhenitsyn was treated with great deference by subsequent Russian leaders, including current Russian prime minister and former president Vladimir Putin, though he became increasingly critical of corruption in modern Russia.

"The young know he wrote important books about the camps and that he received the Nobel prize, but that's all we really know. he's more important for the older generations," said football trainer Alexander Selemenev, 27, on his way to work.

He said he respected Solzhenitsyn because he wasn't afraid to tell the truth. "But recently in politics, for Russia, it's not clear what he has done," he said.

Russia's main television channels ran lengthy reports on their evening news programs and unscheduled documentaries on Solzhenitsyn's life.

But not all media reports remembered Solzhenitsyn kindly. The Communist party newspaper Pravda called him a radical critic who produced one-sided accounts of Stalin's rule.

"He became one of the main battering rams in destroying both the state and nation ... that is why he is being applauded so rapturously by both Russian President Medvedev and U.S. President Bush!" it wrote in a commentary on Tuesday.

A funeral service will take place on Wednesday at the medieval Donskoi monastery, where Solzhenitsyn will be buried.

(Reporting by James Kilner, writing by Conor Sweeney; editing by Robert Hart)

how long has it been?

We have been using the same water company for the three years that we have lived here. I have been talking to the same girl for most of the that time when I place an order. Last Friday I called to place an order and this is what happened:

Me: I would like to order water
Her: ok, you live on ------
Me: yes, apartment number----
Her: Why haven't you ordered in the last three weeks?
Me: we were in America
Her: oh, a little vacation, huh? Did you get some rest?
Me: yes, thank you we enjoyed our time there!
Her: wonderful! As usual your order will be delivered before lunch tomorrow... that is two bottles right?
Me: yes, thank you!


Tom and I believe that we must be the only foreigners on their route. She knows me by voice! For those of you thinking that she is using a computer for all her information guess again... if someone else happens to answer the phone, they have to ask for all of our info. This gal is truly on the ball and has mastered the art of customer service!

weighing in!

Finally movement in the right direction!! I am down two pounds... walking and sweating in the hot Krasnodar sun is truly the best diet around :-)

a few more shots of the family!

Thought for Today

That insatiable longing for more that you feel, the emptiness you want those closest to you to fill, is put there by God so that He can fill it.
Stormie Omartian, from The Power of a Praying Woman


Instead of demanding more from your spouse, siblings, children or your friends... look to God. Only He can fill the emptiness in your heart of hearts.

Tanya’s Homemade Ranch Dressing

My friend Tanya made this dressing for those of us who were able to attend the PWF retreat in California… I gave it a try and it was a hit!

I made the dressing in the morning and was able to serve it with salad at dinner. Like Tanya said you can experiment with the herbs. I was out of fresh parsley but I had cilantro… and I liked the kick it added! I did go out to the market today and bought parsley so I can make another batch and compare them.


Tanya’s Homemade Ranch Dressing
1 c. mayo
1/2 c. buttermilk
1 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
1 Tbsp chopped fresh chives
1 Tbsp chopped garlic
Freshly ground black pepper

Combine all ingredients and let them sit for awhile (overnight is great, several hours is good), the garlic and herbs will infuse the mayo & milk and make it really good.

Tanya's Notes:
1. Garlic is the KEY to this recipe.

2. Fresh garlic is MUCH stronger than the chopped in a jar, and can be harsh, which is why I usually use the jar garlic -- I can serve it much sooner.

3. If you make this and it's too strong, either with garlic or the herbs,
just add a little more mayo and buttermilk to dilute, and let it set.
The ratio is 2 to 1 for mayo and buttermilk.

4. If this is too weak, just add more garlic or herbs.

5. Experiment with the herbs. I have fresh dill in the garden right now,
and I added it recently, and my family loved it. One recipe I have calls for oregano, another mentions marjoram (!?)

A tale of two brothers

It starts with Spencer looking over Nathan's shoulder
as he plays a video game!
















Then I get them to pose for a picture...

















Nathan is not ready to let
go of his brother!
















brotherly love?

















yep... brotherly love!!

weighing in!

I didn't want to post this today... according the the scale I was using in California I had lost weight while we were in America. But, my scale here in our apartment is telling me otherwise. I have to accept this as fact and move on... I am up four pounds and need to get outside and walk it off!!

we made it!

We are tired, hot and glad to be back in our own home!

Tom, Spencer and I slept quite a bit yesterday but we still have some catching up to do. We left California on the 22nd not knowing how we were going to get from Moscow to Krasnodar. But, we were all flexible on the how and the when so after we arrived at the Moscow Airport I went to the travel agency and asked about flights to Krasnodar... we were able to get tickets that day and were home four hours later!

We were picked up at the airport by Vladimir, the father of Spencer's friend Vlad. He drove us home and helped us carry our bags up four flights of stairs. We had to knock on our own door because someone had placed the slider on and our key wouldn't work. We were greeted by Lena P. who was making our dinner! It feels so good to have friends who are thoughtful enough to take care of small details like that. She cleaned the apartment after fixing dinner and left us with plenty of water and clean sheets.

Our internet was down yesterday so we are all taking turns catching up on email and current news... so if you are waiting for an email from one of us please be patient and we will answer as soon as we can!

Thanks for praying for us and may God richly bless you!!

back to Russia...

Our flight leaves early in the morning and we still need to run a few errands, do some laundry clean the condo and then finish packing! Please pray for us as we travel!!

weighing in!

Despite enjoying ice cream sandwiches with Nathan I managed to lose another pound this week!

Nathan is leaving tomorrow and it will be very hard to say goodbye to him... we have really enjoyed our family time this week. Remember to cherish your loved ones and show them how much you love them!!

Nathan is here!!!

We picked up Nathan on Sunday and we all just keep taking turns hugging him!!! I don't know if I will be posting much this week... I don't want to miss a minute of fun with my three favorite men, Tom, Nathan and Spencer!!

and for those who are wondering how the retreat went you can check out Christie's blog!
http://cricklsnest.blogspot.com/2008/07/pw-retreat-2008.html

weighing in

Normally I weigh in on Friday... but since I am at Joann's I weighed in yesterday. I am down a half pound but I will have to update my ticker when I get more time. My goal while here in America is not to gain weight!!

We are off to Solvang today, then on to the beach and then out to Magic Castle for dinner. It is just awesome to be here with my online buddies!

chillin with the girls!

I am at Joann's now using her computer while we wait for the other gals to arrive! This is the first Pastor's Wives Forum Retreat and I feel so privileged to be here. I met Joann and Christie last year and this year I am looking forward to meeting Tanya and Alena too!


Gotta go... Alena just got here!

Thought for today

"God's power is too precious and too powerful to be let loose in an unsubmitted soul".
Stormie Omartian author of The Power of a Praying Woman

If the power of God is not evident in our lives it is possibly due to our attitudes, our thought lives or our choices. Our restless souls can be likened to children wiggling in their seats waiting for the sound of the last bell for the school day.

My personal desire and the prayer of my heart is to be fully submitted to God so that He can fill me and use me for His purposes!

congrats to Spencer!!

Yesterday Spencer was able to log on and check his email.... he just found out that he has been accepted into YWAM's Discipleship Training School in Kiev, Ukraine!

He will be studying the Bible with students from various countries and the lessons are taught in both English and Russian.

We are very proud of him! He set this goal to attend the program two years ago when Tom taught a class there in Kiev and he finally realised his dream!

Of course Alida is lamenting the fact that Nathan will be in America and Spencer will be in Ukraine while she and Tom are in Russia. Our family of four will be spread out over three countries.

Spencer lovingly reminded Alida yesterday he "is not leaving the planet!"

we made it!

yeah, we have been missing in action for a bit but we did arrive here safely. We traveled for over 27 hours to get here and we have been sleeping, getting used to the time difference and trying to recover from the 30 hour train ride and the 27 hours on the airplane!

We have heard that it takes as many days to adjust to the new time zone as the hours of time difference from the place you traveled. We have an 11 hour time difference to recover from!!

I was able to pick up the van that was loaned to us today and now Spencer and I are at the library to check email and for me to post here!

Thanks for all the prayers!

big city grief!

Spencer and I went out by ourselves today to find a FedEx office and run a few other errands. It took us three hours including time spent on the subway, purchasing a map, reading the map, asking several people for directions as the loud roaring subway went by, and then finally deciding to go straight to the American Embassy and ask there for directions. The police officer guarding the gate for American citizens sent us straight there!!

There is a Russian proverb that says "your tongue can take you all the way to Kiev". We put that to the test today and it truly was amazing the number of people who were willing to stop and help us figure out where we were going... I think most of them were just relieved that I was asking in Russian!

After our morning adventure Spencer and I treated ourselves to lunch at TGI Fridays, one of the benefits of a big city, and just as we finished our meal Tom sent me a text message letting me know that he was awake and ready to see some sights! We met him at Red Square and went to the GUM (goom) to see all the exclusive shops... for those of you in Southern California it is somewhat like South Coast Plaza Mall, the high end side.

Outside in the square Tom pointed out the stone circle where Ivan the Terrible had people beheaded. It gave me an eerie feeling to walk up the stairs to look at it.

We just loved seeing the beautiful colors on the roofs of St Basil's and it trulywas an awesome feeling to stand in Red Square and admire the architecture and the grandeur of the Kremlin!

Please keep us in your prayers as we leave here in the morning for our flight to America. We will be flying through New York to LA!!

And "thank you" to all who prayed for our highschool friend with cancer... her surgery went well and they believe they got it all!

We are in Moscow!

We arrived here in Moscow late last night after a 27 hour ride on the train! It was an interesting cultural experience... most people just changed their clothes right out in the open. And there was a pregnant woman who sat in her underwear and t shirt for most of the first day. It was very hot so it was understandable! The train was very clean and they came through and mopped the floors, offered tea and took away the trash. Aside from the air-conditioning not working it was a a nice train!

Today we were able to make our way to the American Embassy and Spencer applied for his adult passport. The man who waited on him congratulated him on turning 18 and kept calling him Mr. Sharp!

Tom and I decided to have extra pages put into our passports. It was a free service and it took about a half hour to get it done. Our passports are good until 2014... but we were concerned about running out of space for the stamps they need to put in when you cross a border. If there is no room in your passport you can be denied entry!

weighing in!

It has been hot this week and I think all the ice cream I have been eating has caught up with me... I am only down a 1/2 pound!

We will be on a train to Moscow Saturday and Sunday so I will check in again here on Monday as soon as we find an internet cafe in Moscow. Sasha called to remind me that there will not be food or toilet paper on the train... oh joy! Now I have to make another trip to the market to get food for the trip and I need to pack some toilet paper!

to do list

Today we are trying to get as much as possible checked off of our to do lists! We have to get new passport photos taken and get all of our forms filled out for new visas, get all the laundry done, pack our bags, clean the apartment and get our place ready for our friends to live in while we are gone... all before we leave on Saturday!

We will go to Moscow first to apply for Spencer's adult passport and then we fly out of Moscow to LA on the 2nd of July!

Pray that all goes smoothly for us. Actually, writing that made me remember that I have a more serious issue that needs prayer. A friend of ours from high school wrote to tell me that she has uterine cancer. She will be having surgery soon. Please pray for her!

Thought for Today

If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart.

Nelson Mandela


When I read this quote this morning it brought tears to my eyes. I know that God is speaking very clearly to me about the importance of further study. Tom and I talked about me being his translator many years ago... I will continue working towards that goal. I will keep on trusting that God will honor my efforts so that Tom and I can work together to bring Healing and Recovery to the hearts of those caught up in addictions and life dominating hurts.

for reals...

I know that I said I was done last week after we gave our talks in class. But, I had one last thing to do today and that was my assessment. It was a long and grueling test, followed by an interview with the director of the school. I survived... and I am so glad that is over!

Arina told me that the two year course that my class just completed is like a Christmas tree and the Advanced Course would be the ornaments to decorate it! So in August I will start putting the trimmings my language tree!

Russia beat Netherlands 3-1!

It was a fantastic game!!

Russia beat the favored team to win a spot in the semi finals... our neighbors were up cheering, honking car horns, shooting off fireworks and even the police were in on the celebration using their sirens to cheer the victory as well!

It was not a restful night but we were excited to have watched the game and looking forward to see if Russia can go all the way!!! Russia's coach is also Dutch and he is known for taking teams further than they have gone in the past. He helped South Korea in 2oo2 and he helped Australia in 2006... so Russia knew what they were doing when they hired him!

Movie Quotes

Tom, Dima and I were out walking together the other day. Dima asked Tom if he was sure of the direction we were going. Tom looks my direction and says "yes, I'm positive"! And just that line is enough to make Nathan, Tom, Spencer or I laugh!

I realise that it might not mean anything to you but it comes from the movie Ferngully that Nathan enjoyed watching when he was little. The dialogue goes like this:

Are you sure?
I'm positive.
Only fools are positive.
Are you sure?
I'm positive!

weighing in!

Down 2 more pounds!!

My personal trainer, Spencer, has helped me with walking longer distances so I am getting more exercise which is a good thing. I used to believe that the words exercise and sweat were four letter words... and my mama taught me better than to use four letter words!

We made it!!!

Spencer and I did our sermons today and it went very well!

For Spencer it was his first time speaking in public, his first time doing a sermon and he had to do it in front of our classmates who have all graduated from seminary and he just finished high school last month! Tom and I are so proud of him!

I am grateful to be at the end of this phase of language learning. Two weeks ago I was ready to quit school... I was the oldest person in my class and I was feeling it. I felt like my memory was not as good as my classmates and that I was never going to remember which cases went with which verbs and what ending to use for nouns or adjectives even after studying for two years!

I am grateful to Tom, for not letting me give up, to Joyce, Stephanie and Sveta who prayed me through this year of school, and above all to God for bringing me to a place of acceptance about my capabilities. Our teacher told us today that since she has been at the school we are the second class to make it all the way to lesson 125!! I am so glad to have stuck it out to the very end!

I am grateful for the lessons I have learned along the way... not just about the language and the culture but also about myself. One lesson that I can share is that I had been shying away from talking to certain women here out of fear. Last fall I invited this person over and we talked about the fact that she had not been in my house the entire time we have lived here. I realised that my fear was affecting our ability to bond with the very people we came here to help. After that I made it a point to speak to her every week at church, and then we attended a 5 week Bible study together and even a concert! I found out later that she thought I didn't talk to her because I couldn't speak Russian. Not true! I was just afraid to make a mistake or look stupid!

Our church family is so patient and loving with us... I don't even understand why I was afraid in the first place!

Anyway, Spencer and I are done with the first level of our Russian language learning. I am chilling here in the apartment with my wonderful, supportive, incredible husband, and Spencer is out painting the town with his friend Vlad!

Thought for Today

So do not fear, for I am with you;
do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you;
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
Isaiah 41:10

This is the verse I meditated on when I had my gallbladder surgery years ago... today it has been on my mind for my mother as she is experiencing some medical problems. I am waiting to hear the outcome of her procedure. Knowing that she is in God's righteous right hand is comforting.

Update:

I just received an email from my sister in law letting me know that my mother is doing well and does not need to have surgery... we are praising God for this wonderful news!

Pork Shashlik

Nathan called on Father's Day and we all got to spend time talking to him on the phone... it was wonderful and hard all at the same time!

Shashlik is one of Nathan's favorite Russian meals so when I saw this recipe I immediately thought of him!

This is one of the most classic Russian versions of shashlik (shish kabobs) and it is one of simplest and easiest recipes I have seen.

The meat is marinated in kefir... (kefir is like buttermilk)

Kefir is a fermented milk drink that originated in the Caucasus region of Russia and we are located not far from the Caucasus mountains.

Pork Shashlik in Kefir
1 kg lean pork (2.2 lbs)
6 onions
2 liters kefir (2 pints Buttermilk)
Salt
Pepper
Green parsley

Cut pork into cubes (5-6 cm). Slice onions. Place a layer of pork in a saucepan, follow with a layer of onion slices. Repeat layer by layer. Season each layer with salt, pepper and other spices. Pour in kefir and refrigerate overnight. Thread pork cubes onto skewers alternating with onions slices. Grill until light brown but still juicy.

You can find more Russian Recipes at: RusCuisine.com

give her five!

Congratulations to Sasha!!!

Sasha defended her thesis today and received the highest score possible! Grades here are given on a 1-5 scale with 5 being the best. We are so proud of this young woman... she is an amazing person, a great language helper, and an incredible friend! She fits in very well with our family and if we could adopt her as our own own daughter we would!!