My Apologies....

Sorry friends, I realized that I only made Istanbul Day 1 public for viewing.  I have corrected the settings and now all albums are available for viewing.

Since I am already posting, I will share with you a challenge I am facing.  I have the biggest challenge walking Macy.  I miss Kim, my walking buddy.  She has raised dogs her entire life and is incredible with not only Macy, but me.  Novorossiysk has many stray dogs, or just dogs that their owners do not keep on a leash.  Macy is not the best with other dogs, she is a chicken.  I am also a chicken when it comes to other dogs.  I never know how they are going to react.

The reason this is so fresh in my mind is because I just returned from walking Miss Macy.  Overall, we did fairly well.  We encountered our first stray about 5 minutes into the walk.  The dog barked and followed us for a bit, but as usual, a few NOs and SHOOs made it go away.  Our next encounter was just a few short minutes later.  This one actually made me giggle, a huge, drenched (must have been swimming in the sea) black lab came up to Macy.  I think he may have been more scared of Macy.  He was such a sweet fella.

As you can see, I do not have any concrete reasons for fearing the other dogs, and I just need to get over it.  It may also be the lack of language to communicate to other dog owners that Macy is not bad, she is just skittish, or if something were to happen, how would I communicate that I need help.    I guess I am writing this so in the future, when I look back at my previous posts, I will laugh at myself for such a silly fear.

Ok that is all, again, sorry if you couldn't see the pictures. :)

Trip to Istanbul

As you may have read in the previous post, Ryan and I spent a long weekend in Istanbul, May 4-9.  It is a trip I absolutely loved and am so thankful we decided to go.  Istanbul is a city filled with elaborate architecture, rich in history, intricate mosques, pleasant people, beautiful water, this list could go on forever.  The first couple days were not the greatest weather, but that did not stop us from enjoying the sights and taking in all the history Istanbul had to offer.  We took a plethora of pictures and I decided to separate the albums based on the day.

It took a large amount of time to upload photos and create albums, so I will not apologize for not typing a caption for each photo.  Hopefully the organization and few comments help to guide you  through the albums.  The pictures do no justice for what it was like to be inside such amazing buildings and to hear the history and stories behind each place.

Day 1:  We arrived in Istanbul early afternoon and decided to walk along the water to stretch our legs after a very long travel.  We later took the shuttle to downtown Istanbul, Taxim square.

Istanbul Day 1

Day 2:  We had an awesome tour guide and ended up having a private tour.  Places on the agenda were Hagia Sophia Museum, The Basilica Cistern, and Grand Bazaar.  Pictures go in order.  After the tour, we stopped in Old Istanbul for dinner at a restaurant, Metropolis.  Delicious food, fabulous wine. 

Istanbul Day 2

Day 3: The weather was cold and rainy but we did not let that stop us.  First on the tour was the Blue Mosque, third largest in the world.  The name is given for all the blue tiles.  Remarkably, everyone had (and did) take off their shoes before entering.  From the Blue Mosque, we pass through the Hippodrome on our way to the Topkapi Palace Museum and Harem.  

After the tour we grabbed lunch in one of the malls, warmed our toes and returned to the hotel to get ready for dinner.  We had a dinner cruise on the Bosporus Canal. 

Istanbul Day 3

Day 4: Ryan booked a day long cruise along the Bosporus.  We woke to sunny skies and the weather could not have been more perfect.  We had various stops along the way.  Most interesting was the Fortress.  Again, the pictures go in order from start to finish of the cruise.  

Istanbul Day 4

Day 5: Final day in Istanbul.  Ryan saw the Dolmabahce Palace during our cruise and decided we should check it out.  Again, the intricacy of the building and articles inside are remarkable.  Not too many pictures from this day, pictures were forbidden inside.  Yes, they do not use the words "not allowed" but rather find it more demanding to use the word "forbidden."

Istanbul Day 5

Well friends, now you have seen the much anticipated photos from our trip. Well, I don't know if they were much anticipated, but I am sure there are a few people out there that are excited to see them. :)  

Luckily for everyone, I was not able to procrastinate with posting.  Ryan already left for St. Petersburg today, I will be joining him on Thursday for another weekend away.  Thursday - Sunday in St. Petersburg Russia.  Are you excited for more pictures on the blog?!?!  

If Istanbul is on your list of places to see in the world, keep it on the list, move it to the top, it is definitely worth a trip.  

This post took much longer than anticipated, good night everyone! :)

Currently in Istanbul...

Ryan and I safely arrived in Istanbul.  It was a long travel.  Vitaley picked us up at our apartment at 2:30 a.m. we arrived at Krasnodar airport at 5:00 a.m. We flew from Krasnodar to Moscow, Moscow to Istanbul and arrived in Istanbul at 12:00 local time. 

We took the shuttle our hotel provides to downtown Istanbul and spent a few hours exploring the city.  I decided I wanted to go "local" for dinner and we chose a small shop that offered sandwich wraps.  They carved the meat for the sandwich off a large piece hanging near the front window.  There were numerous shops that offered similar items, but we decided on the place that had the meat hanging inside rather than outside.  The sandwich was delicious.  We also stopped at a street vendor and purchased some sort of roasted food.  Ryan thought they were brains, but I thought they were chestnuts, "chestnuts roasted on an open fire!"  I google imaged chestnuts and I was correct.  It is a good thing we walked so much because we also stopped to taste "Turkish Delights" they are tiny little gel candy squares.

The weather started decently, but as the night progressed it became chilly and drizzly.  Ryan bought me a pretty scarf at a local shop.  I took a good amount of pictures today, during our walk along the water, and during our adventures downtown.  We have a tour schedule for Thursday afternoon and Friday morning.  Friday night we have a Bosphorus River dinner cruise scheduled.  I will be sure to take lots of pictures and will post once we return to Novorossiysk Monday.

Oh, I forgot to mention this!!!  I took my first city bus, and it was in Istanbul!!!  Pretty cool?!?!  We took a city bus from downtown, back to our hotel.  I think I may have had a bit too much fun on the ride, but it was something new and I was excited. 

A First of Many...

Yesterday was my first and ultimately successful adventure of haircut and highlights.  I went to the salon that does my nails and a lovely lady, Anna, highlighted and cut my hair.  I wasn't as nervous as I thought I would be, Ryan and I decided that if it turned out horribly it would give us a good laugh.  :)  Fears aside, my hair turned out well.

On a completely separate note, I would like to wish a very special person, a very happy birthday.

Happy 60th Birthday Dad!!!!!

Love you lots!!!!!

Finally, I bring up the slack....

Hello Everyone! I know you have all been anxiously awaiting a post from me! ha, actually I am sure most of you were quite content reading what Virginia had to say...she is pretty awesome huh?!

Virginia and I just got back from dinner, ice cream, and walking the promenade. It was a beautiful day here in Novorossiysk, sunny with low winds (beginning to think that wasn't possible). It's interesting to think less than two years ago we were in Indianapolis either attending university or having just finished up. And now we are living in Russia, just goofy and very exciting. Here is a little update on what I have been up to this year....

After our pre-assignment trip, which Virginia filled you in on, I went to Abu Dhabi for a week with a short jaunt over to Dubai. Here are a couple pics from that trip...

 Single Point Mooring Buoy. This is the reason Ed (my colleague to the right) and I went to the UAE We were attending the fabrication kick-off meetings with the Buoy Contractor and CPC.  

The Sail Hotel, Dubai. 

Ed and I had to conduct some trickery to get this close. We were able to piggy back a group of vehicles going through the security gate. I tried to get him to valet our rental so  we could go into the hotel, but Ed decided a Nissan Sunny (rental, similar to GEO Metro) didn't really fit next to the Rolls Royce's and Italian supercars parked out front. 

I have a week training at the end of May in Dubai, so Virginia and I will be going back there at the end of this month. She is looking forward to the sun and beaches. I am looking forward to amazing Indian food, I know random, but it is amazing there. 

And we can't forget the amazing cake we had for my mom's birthday!  Happy birthday again! 

I have also made a trip to Aberdeen, Scotland this year but didn't take any pictures. I really enjoyed this trip b/c the training was very effective and I could read all the signs and restaurant menus! What a luxury being able to read the menus at a restaurant, hard to understand until you live somewhere you have no idea what it is your ordered day in and day out. 

Last week I was in Moscow where I was able to see the Russian military practice for the May Day (May 9th). May Day is the most significant Russian holiday as it is celebrating World War II ("The Great Patriotic War" in Russia). 

Russian Missile Launcher (Picture taken on the main boulevard in Moscow)

When I returned from Moscow, I came home to a dog slightly confused as to what species she actually belongs..."am I a cat or dog?" 

Last but not least, I saw quite an interesting site on my ride home from the airport in Krasnodar. I saw this out of the corner of my eye and it absolutely blew me away....look at the water faucet

Driving by this you don't register what's happening at first glance.

Well that's about all for me now. Virginia needs to order another book for our trip to Istanbul this week. She is starting her globe trotting this week and will continue with St. Petersburg, Dubai, Scotland, and London all in the next 6 weeks. 

Ryan

A Day In the Life.....

So, I woke up this morning and realized it was April 29th, I wondered where the month of April had gone. I also realized that I was going to try and do "A Day in the Life.." once a month.  Well, seeing as there is only one more day left in this month I should probably get started.  So friends, happy reading, this is what I did today; April 29, 2011.

7:00: Woke up, realized it was raining outside. :(  I don’t enjoy taking Macy outside to go potty when it is raining.  She met a fat cocker spaniel this morning, he was friendly and she didn’t go spastic.  

7:30: Macy had some yum yums.  We bought her new food and it seems to be working well, she is much less gassy. :)  I had a bowl of cereal.  I signed up for Delta Skymiles.  Ryan suggested I do this since I will be flying so much this month.  He called yesterday and asked what I was doing May 12th-15th, of course my answer was, “nothing, why?” He booked a flight for me to fly to St. Petersburg.  Ryan will be there on a business trip and he decided to fly me up for a long weekend.  I have been researching different things to do in St. Petersburg.  

8:00 Ryan called.  He was walking to work in Moscow.  Now that I think about it, the last time I did a “day in the life” he was gone.  Luckily, when he travels in May, I am going with.  

8:30 Went to the gym.  I love the new gym!!  It is modeled after gyms in the United States.  The owner is a previous pro bodybuilder that moved to the States for a few years, but (making a long story short) moved back to Russia.  He has extremely nice work out equipment and they even have a spin class!!  The spin instructor speaks only Russian, but I know enough about spinning that I can easily follow along.  

10:30 Left the gym.  Stopped at the big Magnit (supermarket) to pick up some more chew bones for my little punkin butt (Macy). :)  Of course, I can’t just go for one thing, I picked up some yogurt and muesli for me.  Vitaley (one of our drivers) was waiting outside the door for me, he carried my bag to the car and was acting like it was super heavy.  It made me laugh.  Ryan and I are very fortunate to have two awesome drivers, Vitaley and Sergey.  

11:00 Gave Macy her new bone.  She is currently chewing like a mad woman, better on a bone than the furniture.  Luckily, she has never chewed on anything.  I think it may be because we have always kept plenty of chew things around.  Her one major obsession is dryer sheets.  Look out, if she gets ahold of one, you will have remnants all over the apartment.  Oh, that and cotton balls.  :)

*Update still raining, and I still hate taking Macy outside in the rain.  Good thing I didn’t give her a bath yesterday, I will wait until the rain ends.  

11:30 Shower and lunch.  Studying my Russian while eating, I have class later today.  My instructor is determined to teach me how to roll my Rs.  She gave me a tongue twister to practice saying and an exercise in making the sound like a machine gun..da.da.da.da.da to strength my tongue muscles.  Weird, I know, but I think I am getting better. 

1:00 Went to Margie’s with some of the other ladies to have tea and watch the Royal Wedding.  I was able to stay for just the arrival of Kate.  I remember when I used to think Prince William was so handsome, he really has not aged well.  On the other hand, I thought Kate looked very pretty and her choice of dress was very nice.

2:00 Russian lesson.  I was not very focused today.  Macy was going crazy and there were a lot of difficult to pronounce words.  I am pretty tired today, maybe because of the cloudy, rainy weather, so that may have had an effect on my concentration.

4:00 Started making stuffed potato skins.  We are having a party/get together for Kevin’s birthday.  Kevin is the project manager and he celebrated his birthday this week.  Everyone from the team (those that are in Novorossiysk) are going to Kevin and Monica’s.  They asked us to bring finger foods to share, and I thought stuffed potato skins would be good.  Kevin is gluten intolerant, so I wanted to make something that he could also enjoy.  

*Sidenote: I threw a load of laundry in while making the potato skins.  It is not a day in Novorossiysk without a load of laundry.  :)  Oh, tiny washing machines, you keep me busy.  

6:00 Left for Kevin and Monica’s.  The stuffed potatoes looked good.  I wrapped one separately to give to Vitaley.  :)  We did a very good job of communicating how to get to Kevin and Monica’s apartment.  There was a small celebration when we arrived.  :)

10:30  Well friends.  I am adding in my last entry for the day.  I arrived home a little after 10.  The get together was great.  I wish Ryan were there, but all in all, it is so very nice to be surrounded by such a great group of people.  It’s great to see how such a various group, coming from different countries, various age groups (myself being the youngest person), varying levels of work experiences can all come together and have such a relaxing, fun environment.  We are very fortunate to have such a strong network.  

Well, I have put the trash outside the door for tomorrow’s pickup, washed the pan from the potato skins (they were a success!), and made myself a cup of tea.  It’s now time to call Ryan, see what he’s been up to, then snuggling on the couch with Macy, enjoying my tea and reading before bedtime.  Love (Ryan) comes home tomorrow!  

Good night everyone!  

Battling with Nancy...

Negative Nancy is doing her best to get to me.

I think I have finally exceeded my comfort zone involving the wait for our sea shipment.  I don't know why today is the day, or why I am thinking about it so much, but I am really ready to have our things here.  It was great to get our air shipment and all the comforts from home that came with that, but I personally, am ready for more "comforts."   This is going to be very materialistic of me, but the things I want most are my clothes, shoes, purses, etc.  The weather has been beautiful here and I want to "break out" my spring clothes.  I am also thinking about what to pack for our trip next week to Istanbul.  All this thinking (which is my first problem) is making me want our sea shipment to arrive.  I know I am not the only one here that is having these same thoughts, there are many families waiting for their shipments.

The last I had heard, our sea shipment left Rotterdam and is scheduled to arrive for customs in Moscow next week.  They are predicting delivery in Novorossiysk the 3rd week of May.

Ok, in order to stuff a sock in Nancy, I will end this post with things I am thankful for.

I am incredibly thankful for the opportunity Ryan and I have.  We have an amazing adventure ahead of us.  The opportunity to say we have lived in Russia is going to be exciting for years to come.  To be able to travel around the world and see so many different countries and cultures is going to be memorable.

I am very happy with the way life is progressing.  I can't believe how much life has changed for me in the past year.  A year ago today, I was in the process of finishing my last month of teaching 1st grade in Indiana.  I moved to Texas, and now I am living in Russia.  I truly enjoy living here, it provides a challenge (a good one) and challenges are what I need to keep me on my toes.

Well, I believe Nancy is definitely out of the picture.   I feel so much better. :)

I thought I would end this post with one of my favorite pictures.  Ryan stopped to take this picture during a walk earlier this month.  I am wearing the white coat in the middle of the picture, definitely not the woman pushing the stroller hahaha. :)
 I really enjoy living near water, it is so relaxing.