It's that time of year again….

Ryan's Birthday! Yesterday, March 21st he turned the big 28! I went back through our photos from last year, and I would say 27 was a great year/age for Ryan. Many experiences, adventures, and memories. I especially love this picture, and all the memories from this trip.

Maldives, November 2013

Yesterday, we celebrated with some of his favorite things.

Thai pizza, BBQ bacon crab cakes, mac 'n' cheese.
And Macy. :)

I had to throw some veggies into the mix. Paired with his favorite, ranch dressing.
And my favorite, champagne cocktail. 

A tradition was started last year. The birthday cake ice cream cake.
This year I went for a young at heart, fun cake.
Funfetti cookie.

The colors of each layer did not turn out as vivid as I would have liked.
Suppose to be blue, green, and orange.
Cream cheese icing between each ice cream layer, covered in white chocolate buttercream frosting, and cookie dough pieces. Yummy!

Someone was checking out Ryan's gifts while we were slicing the cake.
All gifts were imported from the States. I had to keep them small, light, easily packable.
A few more of his favorite things, Oreos (found cookie dough flavor), M&Ms (birthday cake flavor), and a snowboard frame from Jackson Hole with a picture of him from his backcountry day.

Ryan's first comment about his gifts, "look at all the crazy food stuff they think of in America." Soon we will be able to experience all the latest, greatest food creations in America. Though, when we are able to easily go to the store and buy them anytime we want, we will end up not buying them at all.

Happy Birthday, Love. 

May your next year be filled with many more adventures and memories. 

Photo Upload

My last post announced our upcoming move. We are patiently waiting for the official offer letter, and the remaining information detailing our moving process. After the official notification we can finally start pursuing houses!

I no longer find myself browsing handbag selections on Kate Spade's website, or visiting some of my favorite travel blogs and websites. Instead, I find myself spending (wasting, losing track of) hours online stalking possible houses. Ask me a question about Covington and the surrounding area real estate and I can pretty much tell you anything you need to know. My daily routine consists of viewing my favorite Covington real estate websites, checking if any new listings have surfaced. I have the list of houses narrowed down to about 12 (it was 13, but Ryan felt that was a bad number). This morning, I discovered 1 of the 12 is now pending, so that leaves us with 11. Ryan comes home from work to his "daily house report" my Mother gets her "house report" each time with FaceTime. The last couple days have thrown a wrench into my daily routine, no new houses have been listed. No need to worry, I then spend the time browsing various blogs and websites for house decorating ideas. To say I am excited would be a major understatement.

So what have I been doing when I am not in front of the computer? Well, the list of possible activities in Novorossiysk  leaves me with too many options to choose (major sarcasm). I go to the grocery store, clean, cook, go to the gym. All the time, thinking about moving, and having a normal life back in the States.

The best way to "see" what I have been up to is to upload the photos off my camera.

We decided to give the Sling Box a try shortly after we learned we were moving to Covington. Swamp People was on. It always makes me wonder when they have to use subtitles when people are speaking English. 

Clean window on left, dirty window on right. The pictures do no justice for how disgusting our windows were. I spent one afternoon tackling their nastiest, something I will not miss when we move. Glad the air is so clean here. 

You could scrap the dirt build up off with your finger. 

My trusty supervisor during my window washing. 

We celebrated our newest addition to our Chevron family, Miya. 

Mom and Miya

Love this picture, and Rose's face.
Miya had grabbed a handful of Rose's hair and was pulling while I was taking the picture. 

Who needs presents when you have wrapping paper?
Miya's laughs were adorable as people crumpled the paper. 

The last picture on my camera, and proof I have possibly taken our vegetarian meals too far.
St. Patrick's Day dinner. Broccoli cheese soup, and spinach artichoke cakes.
I think I owe Ryan a meal of bacon and cheese after this super green dinner. 

We are moving!

I intended to post about our Russian anniversary, give a hint that we were moving, and then the following day, post about where we were moving, but one problem developed. I found myself unable to close real estate websites long enough to open the blog page. I now find myself stalker of Louisiana real estate. We are moving to Covington, LA! Ryan and I are both very excited. My excitement is much more vocal than Ryan's and involves more cheers, giggles, and random dance moves.

Covington was the one location that was not in Ryan's original Top 5. The job/location was brought to Ryan's attention while we were back in the States. When he developed his Top 3, Covington found itself into his first choice location, we are so happy, thankful that he was given his first choice! I must be completely honest here, if you would have asked me a few months ago my thoughts about moving to Louisiana, I would have responded with, "I would never move to Louisiana." Thanks to a visit, a couple weeks ago, to our good friends Tim and Kate, that are currently (and fingers crossed remain) living in Covington, I now have a better understanding. I really like the area. During our drive to Tim and Kate's, I learned that Covington is located about 30 minutes north of New Orleans. Lake Pontchartrain separates the two areas. Chevron's office is located in Covington.

My initial excitement included having a house with a backyard for Macy. I am excited that she will no longer be an apartment dog. I am excited to be surrounded by English. I am going to talk to everyone! I have numerous domestic items that I am very excited to buy.

Ryan is looking forward to his new job. While he's excited for the high possibility he will be able to travel offshore by helicopter, his true excitement surfaced yesterday when he found YouTube videos about Nutria hunting in Louisiana. I greatly enjoyed listening to him laugh, and then later discussing the hunting with my Father during a FaceTime chat, and to read everyone's comment to his Facebook post yesterday. I thought it would be fun to ride along in the airboat until I saw the video, no thank you, he can do the hunting with the guys.

We are both looking forward to a definite change from our current location. We think our time in Covington will be a great opportunity to enjoy a bit of normalcy in our lives, enjoy not having to fly endless hours on planes, and rejuvenate before the next job assignment. AND, this is where you come in, I am looking at houses with GUEST BEDROOMS, so I am looking forward to guests, COME VISIT US IN LOUISIANA!

Third and final...

Today, March 7, 2014 marks our third anniversary of moving to Russia.  I say final because very late last night, we received THE email, notifying us of Ryan's next job assignment.  We are very excited, but I will wait to share the details until later.  For now, it is our third Russian anniversary.

I took a moment to look back on my blog post for the first and second anniversary of our move.  The first year I talked about the language challenges, reflecting on the my growth over the first year.  Second anniversary post was much shorter. I can tell I was just "not in the mood." I focused mostly on the idea that it would most likely be our last anniversary.  HA! Should have known, I jinxed myself.  It is our third anniversary, but this time I can officially say it is our last.

I cannot say the past three years have been the easiest.  At times I found myself struggling with myself, with our location, with any random thing.  But, it was through the struggles that I have grown. I realized this during our last trip to Houston. I used to live inside this bubble.  I used to think that my world inside the bubble was so large. I pushed myself to do well in school, get a job, and I was happy, but did not push myself too much.  My bubble sprung a leak when I moved to Houston, and it popped when I moved to Russia.  There is so much more out there if only we are willing to take a chance, experience something new, and push ourselves a little bit farther.

Now that I know our time in Russia is dwindling, looking back our on move day, I would board the plane again on March 7, 2011, knowing everything that was in store for us. I could not possibly give up the incredibly memories Ryan and I have made during our time in Russia, our travels together, and our growth together. But, if I must be honest, I would change one thing. I would have purchased, and put a proper kitchen trash can in our shipment. :)

I have grown to love our kitchen hamper. 

In case you are confused, read my blog from March 15, 2011. :)

The Oil Draft

Over the past few years I have learned quite a bit about the oil industry, but there is one thing I still have not completely figured out (maybe it's my inexperience with the process), it's what I like to refer to as the Oil Draft. When it comes to professional sports, football in particular, I know next to nothing, so when I compare the oil industry to the professional sports industry, have patience with me sports fans.

The Oil Draft, kind of like the NFL, NBA, etc. draft.  A time comes when a player (employee) is available to move to a different team (project).  For Chevron, this happens twice a year, once in the Spring (March), and again in the Fall (October).  During this process employees that are moving to a new job assignment are entered into what I refer to as the Oil Draft. Ryan is currently taking part in this process.

We have known for months Ryan would take part in the Spring PDC (Chevron's actual term, I believe it stands for Project Determination Committee).  Since the start of the New Year, Ryan has been checking the database as jobs were posted.  He was receiving daily emails notifying him when jobs posted.  He spoke frequently with his Sponsor and colleagues about various projects, and it all came down to the week before we left for Jackson, he narrowed down his choices to his Top 5.

During this process I went back and forth with my emotions.  I have a problem, I think too much.  I plan too much.  I organize too much.  This process was much harder than I expected.  One moment I would tell Ryan I did not want to know anything about what jobs were posting, the next, I wanted to know everything.  As locations were brought up, I would ignore them, then, I would research everything possible detail.

Our week in Jackson was spent not discussing anything job related.  But, once we landed in Houston, everything started up again, and in full force.  It was daily meetings, phone calls, emails with various people.  One minute his Top 5 were not an option, the next minute they were the only option.  One email said he should post for this job, and the next email would come from someone else, saying he should go with a different job.  Each email, phone call, and meeting left us with a different option.  My mind was on overload.  Too much to think about.

Last week, a Top 3 was determined.  Two locations that were on the original Top 5 and one new location.  My problem surfaced again, I had to plan, organize, think, and then think some more.  One location in particular was causing me much concern, we would not be able to take Macy.  It would require very lengthy veterinary process that is impossible to accomplish in Russia, or a very lengthy quarantine.  Thanks to my parent's and their willingness to always help out, they were fine with taking their grand pup back in.  Knowing that they would care for Macy, put my mind at ease.

Just when I became accustomed to all the changes, and daily notifications about jobs, it stopped.  We have not heard anything since last Friday.  As I type this, as you read this, the meetings are currently taking place in Houston!  I have no idea what is being discussed or decided on in the meetings.  Ryan was told that we he would receive an email, once all meetings were completed, informing him of his next job assignment.

I have thought through all the possible assignments, and I am honestly excited for each possibility.  They all have their pros and cons.  I will not go into detail about the possibilities, I do not want to jinx us.  For now, we sit, we wait, and we will let everyone know when the time comes.

While Ryan and I are thinking about a million and one things, there is one resident that remains relaxed.  She does not let anything stress her out.  As long as there are yum yums on time, a place to snooze, and someone to snuggle with, she is relaxed.

Precious.
Love them so much! 

P.S. Thanks for reading until this point.  It eases my stress when I put my thoughts into words. :)

P.P.S I am sure Ryan would also like to thank you for reading to this point.  The fact I just typed a novel, means he will have to hear less of my ramblings about my "thoughts of the day" in regards to this new job assignment waiting game. :)

Trying something new...

For those that prefer picture books more than novels.  This post will consist of few words, but many pictures.  With a place like Jackson Hole, the pictures speak for themselves.

Wildlife Safari and Elk Sleigh Ride Day.

Snowshoeing Day

Dogsledding.  Puppies bring me lots of joy.

Very appropriately named Blue Eyes.

Thanks for the puppy back massage.

Dinner Dates:

Hot chocolate and Kahlua to sip during our gondola ride to the top of the mountain.

And to end, the obligatory Jackson Hole picture:

Want to continue this picture journey?  Check out our photo albums for the various adventures.

Wildlife Safari and Elk Sleigh Ride Photo Album  Chasing Moose, searching for big horn sheep, and enjoying the company of 1000s of elks.

Snowshoeing Photo Album  Proof that I ventured out into the snow, and enjoyed it.

Dogsledding Photo Album  Pure joy!

We're Back

It seems I have gone far too long since my last blog post.  It also seems this trend has been more common in the past few months, but no need to lose patience, we're back, and I have returned to the blog.  Every time we return to our apartment, my days are full restocking the refrigerator, cleaning, and laundry.  Those in a modern city may find all these tasks trivial, and easily accomplished, but to me, it takes almost a week.  It is Monday, we returned last Tuesday, and today, I have finally finished almost all our dirty laundry from our trip, I have one more load to wash.  With the laundry caught up, my mind is a bit more at ease, and I am able to share with everyone what we have been up to.  

Jackson Hole and the surrounding area, is an incredibly beautiful portion of the United States.  I spoke previously about my fear of surviving the bitter cold, but I was very fortunate.  The weather was in the low 30s.  As much as the weather was on my side, it was not on Ryan's.  He was not able to participate in his heliskiing trip.  Too much snowfall, low clouds, and the elevated risks of avalanches caused the company to cancel the trip.  It may not have happened this trip, but it will happen.  I like to think it was not cancelled, just postponed until a later date.  Now, Ryan will have to plan another snowboarding trip, whether it is in Jackson or somewhere else, is up for him to decide.  I do not foresee him having a problem with planning another snowboarding trip.

I speak for Ryan, but I believe I am correct to say his day spent in the backcountry was his most favorite experience of the trip.  Our Monday in Jackson brought perfect weather with beautiful blue skies.  Ryan spent the day hiking to a peak, and then snowboarding down.  Backcountry is a much different experience than resorts.  No other people are around and your tracks are the only ones.  Ryan did go with a guide, and the guide did an excellent job capturing photographs.  

I love this picture!

View more pictures of Ryan's backcountry day in the Backcountry Photo Album.

While Ryan was busy hiking to the top of mountains and snowboarding down, I spent the day touring Yellowstone National Park.  I have finally witnessed Old Faithful.  I was also able to spot some bison.  I thought the bison would be more prevalent in the area, but they were being extra sneaky.  As much as I do not like the cold, and snow, but it was the massive amounts of snow that made the park seem magical. To have every inch of the park I explored to be covered by feet of untouched, unpolluted snow, was beautiful.  If I had to find myself surrounded by snow, this would be the exact surrounding I would want to find myself in.  Also, it was a very unique feeling to view boiling hot springs while having snow fall around you.  I was in love with all the snow, but my day was made much better thanks to two couples from a very small town in Georgia.  I have never had a more fun tour experience, than this one.  My new friends from Georgia were very entertaining.  You will find a picture of my four new friends in the photo album.

A few pictures from my tour are below, but if you wish to view the entire album, you can reach the album from this link: Yellowstone Photo Album.  If you are viewing the pictures, and some seem out of place, they are.  My pictures did not upload correctly, again.  I tried my best to put them in correct order.

One of my new friends had a lot of fun using my "fancy camera" (his words).
Notice the man behind me shoveling the snow off the roof. 

Stay tuned for part two of our time in Jackson.  We were busy searching for moose, mingling with elk, snowshoeing, and cheating on Macy, during a day of dogsledding (awesome experience!).