Pre-Assignment Trip

January 7th, I flew to Russia for my pre-assignment trip.  I was able to spend a couple days in Moscow and a few days in our future home of Novorossiysk, Russia.  Moscow was a bit too cold for me, but it was amazing to see The Kremlin and St. Basil's Cathedral.

I did enjoy our time in Novorossiysk.  I think that is why I am having such a hard time with the waiting process.  I am ready to move and get settled in.  Hopefully Macy enjoys Russia!

Here are a few pictures from our trip.  I did not take any pictures of our apartment because they were still finishing things.  Once we are moved in and have received our shipments, then I will post pictures.

This is not real fur on my Columbia coat, but Ryan did buy me a real fur hat.
I will need to post future pictures.  :)

Black Sea

Promenade along the Black Sea

Get excited, I know I am!!  Also, keep your fingers crossed our move comes quickly.  :)  Hopefully my next post comes from Russia!!

Macy

We have added to our little family with a furry, four legged, friend.  Her name is Macy and she is quite the mischievous little doll.

We adopted her in December.  Ryan convinced me to go to Pup Squad, a pet adoption group in Houston.  We saw Macy and quickly fell in love. :)

As I type this, and upload these pictures, I am looking at her playing with some of her toys and realize how much she has grown in such a short time.  We will definitely need to keep everyone updated of her growth with future posts.  

New Years....New Orleans

Dinner before hitting Bourbon St.

I had never been to New Orleans, so what better way to celebrate the New Year and spend time with friends, than in New Orleans.  :)  Tim and Kate were great guides of the city.  I do not know if I conquered New Orleans, or if New Orleans conquered me, either way it was a memorable experience.  We were happy to spend time with Tim and Kate during their last weekend in New Orleans before their move to Corpus Christi, Texas.  It figures, they would move to Texas just before we move to Russia.

Christmas Cruise 2010

Ryan and I celebrated Christmas 2010 on a cruise with my parents.  We travelled to Cozumel, Costa Rica and Panama.  I do not know if it was Ryan's goal, but he did a phenomenal job of testing my "outdoor" skills.
Cozumel: Secret River Excursion.  We zipped up our wetsuits, strapped on our hardhats with spotlight and climbed underground.  We spent a couple hours exploring an underground cave and swimming through an underground river.  It was actually a very exciting and beautiful adventure.

Costa Rica: Peddle and Paddle Excursion.  Again, strapped on a helmet, but this time we needed a life vest and paddle.  We started our excursion with a bike ride through Costa Rican country to the river where we would be white water rafting.  After this experience, I decided I will go white water rafting again, but it will only be after I have forgotten what it felt like to fear falling out of the raft.  :)

Panama:  The Grand Tour.  This was a much less intense excursion.  We did a boat ride tour of Gatun Lake.  Gatun Lake leads into the Panama Canal.  We also visited the Panama Canal.  A monkey chose to "join" our boat tour, adding a bit more excitement.

Yes, he stole a box of Cinnamon Toast Crunch.

It was a great week, and a nice way to spend time with my parents before our move.

Mama and Papa Pagels

Welcome!

Ryan and I will use this blog as a way to stay in touch with friends and family around the world!  We are looking forward to our close (yet far away) move to Novorossiysk, Russia.  Ryan and I will be living there for approximately four years while he works on a pipeline expansion project for Chevron.
We are currently in a state of waiting, our move date has been postponed due to a new Visa/Work Permit process for Russia.  For the time being, we are still in Houston, awaiting the "all clear" to move.

Feel free to leave comments on this blog.  It will be very nice to hear from friends and family!