The Russian Plague

Last week, Ryan and I were hit by what we are calling The Russian Plague.  It began very slowly on Monday (for me), slowly making its presence and on Tuesday morning it attacked, forcefully.  Ryan believed it was food poisoning.  Last year, around this same time we developed similar symptoms, and ultimately determined it was likely food poisoning.  This year, the symptoms started similarly but quickly morphed into something much worse.  Food poisoning was ruled out and The Russian Plague was named.

Ryan dodged the worst of it.  Tuesday I was not able to keep anything in and suffered from really high fevers.  My fear of death (a bit melodramatic, but remember who is writing this) and the lack of any improvement by Wednesday left me only one option.  It was time to call the doctor.

I am thankful Chevron has supplied us with such an excellent company doctor.  We have no other options, the medical facilities here are either nonexistent or lack any kind of modern healthcare.  The Doctor arrived and prescribed a plethora of medication.  One remedy in particular, a hydration drinking solution was incredibly foul, but he was smart and didn't leave until I drank it all.  He feared dehydration and probably had a good idea I would not finish it.

Seven pounds gone (over five percent of my body weight) and a lack of desire to eat anything, it wasn't until about Thursday afternoon that I started to feel I was on the mend.  Ryan and I are still, occasionally suffering some stubborn symptoms, but all in all, we are back to health.  I have successfully found four of the missing pounds.

*Small side note.  Ryan left for Moscow yesterday and is scheduled to be gone the next two weeks.  If you have noticed any correlations between my postings and Ryan's business trips, then you know there will be many postings the next two weeks.  Apologies in advance for any incredibly boring or random ramblings.  If I can't meet my daily spoken word quota, then I am left to fulfill it through writing.  :)  

Two years.....still going strong

Yesterday, Ryan and I celebrated our 2nd anniversary!  I can't believe how quickly the time has flown. In honor of our anniversary, we went to dinner at a restaurant in Gelendzhik (about an hour away from our apartment).

Ha круче  

Ryan was with the fashionably fantastic, Phil when he bought these shoes.  They were quickly named his Bora Bora shoes.  He wore them often on our Honeymoon, but sadly we did not capture any pictures.  Happy, Phil? :)

Yummy food.  

Lovely view. 

Thanks to our driver, Sergei for this post dinner picture.  

I know we just had our wedding on July 14, 2012 but we were married on August 12, 2010 in Houston.  Numerous people have asked what date we plan to celebrate.  August 12th will always be our anniversary, it was the day we were married, and started our married life together.  I believe we will also celebrate July 14th, just maybe on a smaller scale.  Though you would not hear me complaining about large celebrations (trips, vacations) to celebrate both dates.  Maybe an entire month of vacation from July 14th-August 12th.  Haha. :)  No need, for a trip this year since we just got back from our Honeymoon.  Are you following all of this, confused? :)  Normal would not be a good adjective for our marriage.  I prefer exciting.....adventurous........downright awesome!

But on a serious note.  It is frequently said, "you marry your best friend."  I fully believe this, and it is such an important aspect of our marriage.  Considering the life we are living, through every struggle and celebration, I am so thankful to have my best friend next to me every step of the way.  Here's to an amazing two years together, and a lifetime still ahead.  I love you.

Trash the Dress

At the time of my dress fitting, while carefully pinning different areas, the woman asked me, "Are you going to have your dress preserved?"  I honestly had not thought about what I would do.  I knew many women had their dresses preserved, my mother included.  The dress is cleaned, pressed, carefully folded, and placed in a lovely box.  It will forever be a keepsake, and reminder of your special day.  In theory, it sounds quite lovely.

The many women I know, that have preserved their dress, now find their dress sitting on a shelf in a closet, or basement.  Considering our current living situation, I couldn't imagine me bringing my dress back to Russia (I could not afford to lose precious luggage space and weight for a preserved dress) and my dress would most likely take up space on a shelf, joining my mother's dress in the basement.  Maybe, one day, I would move my dress from my parent's house, to a house Ryan and I would buy, but at this point in Ryan's career, I do not know when we will purchase a house.  The idea of preserving my dress was not sounding like such a good plan.

I had a different idea, and personally what I believe to be a better plan for me.  I was going to trash my dress.  Not literally throw it in the trash, but celebrate the dress.  When we decided that French Polynesia would be our Honeymoon destination, I could not imagine a more beautiful location to celebrate, and capture beautiful photographs.  It was decided that my dress would make the trip to Bora Bora, and take a swim.

I know many people may read this, and be shocked by this idea.  How could you ruin such an important piece from your wedding?  What if you were to pass your dress to a future daughter?  Russian coworkers at Ryan's office found the idea of "trashing the dress" to be very odd and unusual.  For me, it is a personal decision that best suits my wishes.  I could not imagine boxing my dress, and placing it on a shelf.  Now my dress is showcased in unbelievable photos that I can share with others, and proudly display.  The photos capture not only the dress, but Ryan and I together, on our Honeymoon.

The photographer gave us many photos.  Here are a few favorites of us together:

Jumping off a dock, and trying to swim in a wedding dress, is the closest I have ever come to feeling like I was going to drown.  Great workout, lots of effort, but in the end, I made it out of the water, and survived to enjoy the amazing photos.

Bora Bora

Our honeymoon continued with 5 nights in Bora Bora.   We thought we were in the most beautiful place in the world in Rangiroa, but were pleasantly surprised with the incredible beauty of Bora Bora.  Where Rangiroa won in the simplicity and relaxation category, Bora Bora takes gold (can you tell I am currently watching the Olympics) in beauty.  We had arrived in paradise.

We arrived after sunset, so we were not able to see how incredibly beautiful everything was, until we woke up the next morning.  I couldn't believe the view from our bungalow, and walking around the resort, I was speechless.  I have never seen water so blue, teal, clear, and all shades in between.  The weather was not as perfect as Rangiroa, a couple mornings we woke to rain, but it quickly moved along, and left sunny skies.

Much of our time was spent working on our tans and playing at the beach,  but we did work in a few activities.  Our resort had a nice snorkeling lagoon, and the fish were very friendly.  People often buy fish food and take it with them, so the fish have become very familiar with snorkelers.  We also booked a hike.  Eric was our guide, and he was a very interesting island man.  It was very high on the adventure scale, but I survived, and was thankful I made it to the top when we saw the view.  When you mix me and outdoor adventure, you also have to mix me and pampering.  Ryan and I enjoyed a very relaxing couples massage, just what was needed.

Click on the link to view our Bora Bora Photo Album:

Bora Bora Photos

Rangiroa

We only stayed one night in Tahiti before hopping on a plane and flying to Rangiroa.  Ryan has wanted to become certified in Scuba diving, and what better place than French Polynesia?  Rangiroa is known as one of the best diving islands in the area.  Originally, I was a bit worried about Rangiroa, I heard there was not much on the island, and since I wasn't planning to dive, I didn't know what I was going to do.  I was completely wrong!  What more do you need when there is beautiful weather, warm sunshine, and multiple areas to lay out?  Rangiroa immediately won our hearts, and we enjoyed all 5 days.

Ryan spent the first few mornings diving, and was certified after 3 days.  He was able to capture some really cool videos and pictures with his GoPro, but I will save that blog post for him.

One afternoon we went to Rangiroa's Pearl Farm, where they have the famous Tahitian Black Pearls!  It was a free tour, until my eyes landed on a beautiful necklace!  I was also able to experience "popping" a pearl out of an oyster.  It was an "interesting" experience, and the guy gave me the pearl, when Ryan bought my necklace!

Another afternoon, we decided to set out on bicycles and explore the island.  With only one road, we figured we couldn't get lost.  Our friend, Willy told us we could ride to town (about 10 kilometers away).  Ryan and I peddled and peddled, until we came to the end of the road.  Ryan turns around and looks at me, I look at Ryan, "Did you see town?  I think we missed it?"

We also spent an entire day at Blue Lagoon.  It is an area about an hour boat ride from our hotel.  We were told by everyone that this was an incredibly beautiful area, and they were not lying.  I walked around the water with sharks.  Ryan was much more brave, and swam with them.  They were black-tip sharks, so nothing great white, but a shark is a shark.

Here is the link to the remaining pictures from Blue Lagoon:

Blue Lagoon Photo Album

Thinking back on our Honeymoon and our different experiences, we decided that Rangiroa was our favorite.  We both really appreciated the simplicity of the island.  I found ample time to read on the beach or by the pool.  Ryan was able to successfully complete his diving certification.  Everything and everyone was very relaxed, laid back, and simple.  In the words of Willy (hotel employee),

"you're on an island, there is no time."   

Here is the link to the remaining Rangiroa photos:

Rangiroa Photo Album

Tahiti

Tahiti was a quick stop at the beginning of our trip, and a quick stop at the end.  We arrived in Tahiti late in the evening, and left the next day for Raniroa.  After leaving Bora Bora, we spent one night in Tahiti, prior to flying to L.A. and beginning our long return to Russia.

The best part about Tahiti was the Tahitian "Mini Heiva" that took place at the Intercontinental.  It was the hotel we were staying at, and we were able to get tickets to the dinner and show on our last night in Tahiti.  Ryan and I wanted to see fire dancing, and we had been to a couple dance shows in Rangiroa and Bora Bora, but neither included fire dancing.  We confirmed that Mini Heiva included fire dancing, and booked our tickets.  It was the perfect way to celebrate our last night in French Polynesia.

 

Enjoy the rest of our photos from Tahiti (click on the link below "Tahiti Photos")!

Tahiti Photos

12 Days in Paradise

Since my last post, nearly a month ago, many things have happened.  Ryan and I returned to Russia July 30th, after a very romantic and fun wedding, followed by a relaxing, breathtaking honeymoon.

July 14th, Ryan and I celebrated with our dearest family and friends at our beautiful wedding.  I could not have asked for a more perfect wedding.  Ryan and I are so thankful for everyone who was able to attend, and the celebration that took place.  I do not have pictures from the wedding yet, but our photographers, Nichole Frank Photography and Lauren Lewallen Photography both have sneak peeks on their Facebook Photography pages!!

July 16th, Ryan and I set off for our Honeymoon, 12 Days in Paradise.  Our destination was beautiful French Polynesia.  The itinerary included the islands of Tahiti, Rangiroa, and Bora Bora.  I will not focus on our nightmarish airline experience in route to Tahiti, you name it, and it went wrong, cancelled flights, lost baggage, and running through airports to make connections.  The memory still makes me furious.  Luckily, we survived the nightmare, and landed in Tahiti.  Really, we could not have picked a more perfect place, we quickly forgot our travel troubles and quickly dove into paradise.

I am still in the process of uploading all the pictures to my online photo albums, but here are a few of my favorite (along with 3 of my least favorite).

Sunset in our "backyard" in Rangiroa.  

Ryan in our "backyard" in Tahiti. 

Our "backyard" in Bora Bora. 

View from breakfast in Bora Bora. 

Hiking in Bora Bora.  

And for the 3 least favorite pictures from the entire trip.

This is what our suitcases looked like once they arrived.  

United (whoops I mentioned the airline) did not lose just one bag, but all 3.  

Our name was chalked all over the bags.  At least our bags arrived as quickly as they possibly could.  Fortunately we were in a destination where not much clothing was required, simply a bikini (swim trunks for Ryan).