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!