I guess I am too old for this!

I just finished reading this news article. Although I found it very interesting I have realized that most of the blogs I read on a regular basis are written by older women. They are pastor's wives or women who knit and/or crochet. It is not only the young people who are blogging. I think it is gaining in popularity with the older crowd as well. However, when I have a technical problem... it's the 19 year old who comes to my rescue!



Survey: Bloggers are young internet users

Bloggers are a predominantly young group of Internet users who are novice storytellers, enjoy describing their own experiences and have a growing audience in the online world.
A glimpse of this group was put together by the Pew Internet & American Life Project.
The survey found that almost one in 10 Internet users are bloggers and the audience for this group of online diarists is growing. Almost four in 10 of the approximately 147 million adult Internet users in this country say they read blogs.

The people they are reading on the online blogs are a young, ethnically diverse group. They are mostly newcomers to writing — often writing about their own experiences. More than half of bloggers are under age 30. They were most likely to list their life and events as the most popular topic, followed by politics and entertainment.
The poll findings are based on a sample of 4,573 Internet users with a margin of error of plus or minus 2 percentage points and a sample from a separate survey of 233 bloggers with a margin of error of plus or minus 7 percentage points.
___
On the Net:
Pew Internet & American Life Project
http://www.pewinternet.org/pdfs/PIP%20Bloggers%20Report%20July%2019%202006.p

and they're off

Tom and Alexei left this morning. I heard from both Nathan and Spencer and it seems like they miss him already.

It was weird to not say good bye in person. Tom and I said goodbye through text messaging last night.

Pray that they have a safe trip. Pray for Nathan and Spencer as they live together for two weeks without parents. Pray for me as I am still grieving over the loss of my dear Uncle Fred.

Alexei and Tom

Alexei and Tom are leaving for the states tomorrow. Please pray for them as this is Alexei's first time on a plane since he began his sobriety. He is very nervous about the long flight to America.

Tom told me the wieght of Angelina... Valentin and Sveta's daughter. She weighs 3kilograms 600grams. If I calculated that right she weighs 7 lbs. 9ounces. She is a good size baby!

Nathan and Spencer are about to go it alone. Tom leaves tomorrow and I don't return until the 30th of July. Tom says that Lena will be coming by daily to check on them. Maybe they will ask Lena to stay with them since Alexei will be gone too. It is not as if they need her to babysit... maybe just to referee!

It's a girl!

I just heard from Nathan that Valentin and Sveta have had their baby. It is a precious little girl and they have named her Angelina. Mother and baby are fine. Nathan says they spoke with her on the phone this morning... Sveta that is, not the baby!

I guess since Valentin is our "son" that means that Tom and I are grandparents! Where did the time go?

yah don't know what yah got till it's gone!

Worshiping in ones native tongue is not to be taken for granted. We have not been to an English speaking church serivce in over a year. Today I had the priviledge of attending Rome Baptist Church.

http://www.crossspot.net/rbc/aboutrbc.htm

It was a wonderful multi-cultural congregation. I saw all the racial colors of the rainbow around me! It was quite a poignant moment after the children's sermon... as the children were leaving we sang Jesus Loves the Little Children. The young ones truly represented the "red and yellow, black and white" from the song.

Pastor Dave and his wife Kathy are very personable and seem truly happy to see all the visitors. Afterwards I gave my visitor's card to Pastor Dave. I had written my address in Russian. He looked at it and cracked up laughing. He said "I guess if I want to write to you I will have to write your address this way, won't I?" He shook my hand and said "Pocka!" (bye!)as I was leaving.

If you ever get to Rome I hope you are able to attend Rome Baptist Church. The English speaking community of Rome will open up for you!

WorldVenture

I was able to have dinner last night with the Halls. They are such a great couple. Janet gave me a description of Tim so that we could find each other when he picked me up at the metro station. She said he was "very tall". Boy is he ever! He was clearly the tallest man there. I walked straight to him and introduced myself.

They also had John from Senegal over for dinner too. We spent the evening talking about what is going on in Russia, Italy and Africa.

John and his family have been in Senegal since 1994. He is a teacher and his wife is kept quite busy with their five kids! John is studying here for the summer.

Janet is a food science and nutrition major so of course dinner was excellent! We enjoyed a traditional italian 6 course meal! They have been here in Italy since 1987.

Tim and Janet are on the European Leadership Team. So they know our Russian supervisors quite well. We talked about language learning, culture stress, transitions for teens when they go back to the states. They are a wealth of experience and information.

It was good to have an evening of fun and laughter after the news of Fred's death yesterday.

life...

I don't know exactly what to say or how to feel right now. Tom told me that my Uncle Fred has died. I called my Aunt Martha and she doesn't want me to come back.

This is just such a shock to our family. We have become very close with Martha and Fred over the years of living in California. They often took the boys when we needed to travel or for our family emergencies like when I had my gallbladder out. They had Nathan for a week when Spencer had his tonsils out. They acted as surrogate grandparents for the boys. The kids always came home with new toys after being with Martha and Fred!

Nathan is having a hard time. Spencer tells me he is doing better today than yesterday. Tom is still sad. I am numb.

Hoop - Hoop - Hooray!!

Coordinating Tom & Alexei's trip to America has been interesting over the past 5 months. After all, we have dealt with the mechanisms of two governments & other agencies, which all have their specific procedures & policies. At times it's been a learning experience, & at other times little more than what seems to be jumping thru hoops. Today Tom attempted to purchase their airline tickets even though Alexei is in Moscow for training. Along with Alexei is his passport & travel visa, both required for ticket purchase. Tom said a quick prayer & fortunately, the woman at the Aeroflot Airlines office in Krasnodar was extremely helpful & reserved the tickets for next Wednesdays flight!! Tom & Alexei will be wreaking havoc a day earlier in America than planned, however we're certain that they will have fun while visiting with many friends & family in the States!

Alexei gets his traveling papers!

I got a text message from Tom saying that Alexei was granted his visa to travel to America. I hope that all of you who will be seeing Tom and Alexei are ready for them. They are truly "brothers". They share the same sense of humor and it is uncanny how much alike they are. Here is your official warning:

"California, Kansas, New Mexico and Texas, LOOK OUT!!!"

celebrations

Italy celebrated the big World Cup win yesterday. The cars, the horns and the flags were all busy yesterday! All the commotion woke Rhianna up around midnight. Hopefully, they are finished but, who knows how long it will last!

Tom says they are still without hot water.

Valentin and Sveta's baby is due anyday.

Today is Olya's birthday and the guys have been invited over for the party.

Lena and her father stopped by. They had been visiting at her brother Vova's house.

Spencer got the chance to go over to Andrews again for pizza. I got a text message from Judi saying they were throwing caution to the wind and having pizza on a Monday. Normally, Spencer is there for pizza night on Friday!

Italy Wins!

The air horns started in with the first goal. It was a long game and a long night. The streets were packed after the game. Many people had their kids out and were waving flags, singing songs and taking pictures late into the night. No rioting though and that was a blessing.

Tom and I "watched" the game together keeping in touch through text messaging. Zidane's head butt was the talk of the night.



The guys got the electicity back on and were very happy. They went for 32 hours without it. We are grateful that Ervand was able to take care of it! And it was nice that Tom and I could enjoy the game together.

F is for Cold

When making an attempt to turn on the water in Italy just remember that the F is for Cold. Otherwise you will burn your hand and that is no fun.
Let's just say I have some personal experience to draw from!

They guys have been without electricity since yesterday. So if you sent an email to one of the guys they cannot retrieve it yet. As of about an hour ago they were still working on it! There appears to be a short in the wires going into our apartment.

Slavic could not fix it. So Ervand was called. He wanted an electrician but it was a Saturday and no one was available. Tom said that Olya's girlfriend's boyfriend was not available to come over either! The last text message I got from Tom said that Ervand thought he knew what was wrong and was off to the reenock to get the parts he needed.

They went to the store yesterday and stocked up and candles and flashlights.

Tonight is the final game for the World Cup. The landlord for the apartment we are staying in has invited us over to watch the game with his family. Pandemonium will break loose if they win... I am not sure what will happen if they don't. Either way it will be a long night. I have already seen people out on the street with large Italian flags getting ready for the big game!

just hanging around

I have not done any sightseeing here in Rome like I did last year. I spend the time with Rhianna. I am grateful for the chance to bond with her and trying not to think of how long it will be before I see her and Erin again when this trip is over. I am working on "staying in today" like Tom always says.

I received an email from Janet, also with WorldVenture, here in Rome. Hopefully, I will be able to make it to dinner with them on the 14th. There is another WorldVenture person here from Senegal and we are both scheduled for the same evening. It should be an interesting discussion to find out about what WorldVenture is doing in different parts of the world!

Vladimir Putin explains Kiss

Russian president explains kiss
Thu Jul 6, 7:28 PM ET
In between answering questions Thursday about North Korea's missiles, Iran's nuclear program and relations with the United States, Russian President Vladimir Putin answered what was for many observers a more burning question: What compelled him to kiss the bare stomach of a young boy in a Kremlin courtyard?
Footage of the June 28 incident was broadcast on all Russian television stations. It quickly became fodder for Internet chat rooms and topped the Moscow tabloids the day after. The question was one of the most popular among the thousands e-mailed in for a live Kremlin Internet conference carried on the British Broadcasting Corp. Web site and a Russian site.
In the footage, Putin, 53, is shown walking up to a small crowd of tourists in a Kremlin courtyard and crouching down in front of the boy, who appears to be five or six years old. As the Russian president talks with Nikita for several seconds, he tugs at the boy's shirt before finally lifting it up and kissing him on his bare stomach.
"He seemed to me very independent, very serious, but at the same time a boy is always vulnerable. He was very sweet. I'll be honest, I felt an urge to squeeze him like a kitten and that led to the gesture that I made. There was nothing behind it really," Putin said, smiling.

at least ten times

How many times have you read the book Goodnight Moon?

I think after Rhianna's nap I read it at least ten times. I am reminded of when our boys where young and they wanted to be read to over and over again.

I guess as adults we do the same thing. We look for what is familiar and comforting and ask for it over and over again. It doesn't matter how many times I drink peach flavored tea or eat McDonalds french fries... they never fail to satisfy me.

I heard from all my guys by text message today. Tom purchased a fan for our bedroom. He said he thought it was "cool!". Spencer has been writing me in Russian so I don't forget. It is amazing how much it helps to read his text messages.

no sleep last night

Italy beat Germany 2-0 in extra time last night. Erin, James and I were up late talking and all of a sudden we heard stamping on the floor and screams coming from the apartment above us. Then the noise in the street started. Cars with flag bearers went up and down the street. Then a crowd started to gather. Scooters, motocycles, cars and people on foot filled up the street in front of our building and stayed there all night.

I wonder what will happen if they win the World Cup?

happy 4th of July!

We hope that everyone is enjoying their holiday.

Alonna, Vasa and Dionna left today. Vasa is traveling back to Dahgestan. And Alonna went to stay with another woman whose husband is also traveling.

I am sure that Nathan is relieved to have his room back!

Please keep Tom and the Sharp family in your prayers. His nephew Kristopher just recently passed away. This is the first family death since our move and it is difficult to not be there to support everyone.

The subway

The subway is not my favorite place to be. I am cautious since being robbed on it last year. I thought I was giving myself plenty of time to go to the internet point last night and then get back home on the subway. However, the subway closes early on Sunday nights. I got there 15 minutes after the lines had shut down.

I thought "maybe, I will walk home". So off I went. Things were looking familiar so I felt good. When I got to Termini, the main transportation point, I realized I had been walking the wrong direction. But, the good news is I was at the point where I could catch a bus or take a taxi. I asked three different people which bus would take me to Ponte Lungo and finally I found a night bus that stopped at the same points as the subway. I was only four stops from the apartment.

There is a Russian proverb that says your tongue can take you all the way to Kiev. It is a good thing I am not afraid to open my mouth and just ask. My Italian is pitiful. I have to repeat most everything I say. Gratefully, I made it home safe and sound.

Rhianna has grown so much! She is not a little baby. She is a constant source of motion while she is awake. Very inquisitive and very bright. She has quite a voice on her too. She seems to be an opera singer in the making. She can project quite easily!

I hear that Spencer is baking another cake. Tom sold more beads to Lilia. Tomorrow is the fourth but in Russia and here in Italy it is not a holiday. Tom and the boys will most likely chill out at home. Perhaps Tom will make some burgers and do corn on the cob like last year.

This just in...

Today Alida left the quiet villa of Assissi & took the train back into Rome. She will be in the big city for the rest of the month. Friends from the States arrived & all are enjoying their air-conditioned apartment!

Spencer & Tom went to church with our house guests to Marat & Christine's church. (Nathan didn't go to our regular church as he said he was locked inside the apartment & couldn't find any keys!) Marat's church sponsors the work of our house guests in Dagestan. Lena had called Saturday night & asked if we would go with her on Sunday to Marat's church because pictures that Alexei took on the big bike ride to Sochi were shown. Alexei wanted his family at the service! We enjoyed the small church experience, Marat's teaching about Jonah, & viewing the beautiful pictures of the ride thru the mountains down to the Black Sea.
Last year 6 Americans came for the bike trip...this year only 1 American returned. The men were tired & worn out. Alexei was home for a matter of hours before he left on the train for a seminar in Moscow. When he returns in 2 weeks, he & Lena will oinly have a few days together before Alexei & I head to America. (Provided the US Embassy grants him a travel visa.)

From the top down!

Yesterday, I went up to the top of the hill and worked my way down. I went to St. Rufinos, then St. Clare's... now at St. Clare's I was told not to take photos. But, you know me! Just like in the Sistine Chapel last year I was respectfully disobedient. I felt entitled since I had waited outside St. Clare's for two hours. Yes, it was nice to sit there in the cool breeze knitting and people watching but that is not the point! I just sat down in a pew and waited for a good shot. I got two. Downstairs in St. Clare's crypt I got a good one. I also took some photos of the relics. I left St. Clare's and went to Santa Maria Maggiore. I think it does not get visited as much because it is hidden. I found my way down to St. Peter's.

As I was out walking I saw one of the dirtiest men I have ever seen. I thought he was homeless. I had to look a little closer. He was a monk. His feet were filthy and his hair was long and grimy. His face looked dirty. And his robes were worn. He looked peaceful and content. He was dressed like a Franciscan monk. But, he easily could could have been one of those guys on the side of the freeway in CA holding a sign saying "will work for food".

Did you know that nuns wear birkenstocks and carry backpacks! Personally, I prefer my Clark sandals they are wonderful on these cobblestone roads. http://www.clarksusa.com/


Tom says the guys both chose different ways to celebrate the end of school. Spencer baked a cake and Nathan stayed up all night on the computer. We have a break from school for the month of July. Then we start back up in August. No rest for the weary!

oh and I found another blackpurl! http://blackpurlco.blogspot.com/ we seem to have a lot in common.