Meet My New BFF

Since last Christmas, my family has anxiously awaited the arrival of the first grandbaby!  Obviously we were so excited to meet this little bundle of joy, but I had absolutely NO idea just how stinking adorable she would be.  I mean seriously people--is this not the most perfect little nugget of cuteness you have ever seen in your life? Yeah, that's my niece (aka my new BFF even though she has no idea who I am yet).  

Emily Grace Newsome, born July 15th, 2013

Jesse had a conference in Houston a few weeks after she was born, so we made a trip to Houston to see my sister and brother-in-law and take in as much quality Emily time as possible.  It was a wonderful few weeks filled with friends, family, and eating out :-)  Needless to say we returned to Yuzhno with all sorts of goodies from the US--like Chex Mix and other holiday treats not sold in Russia. 

Okay enough about us. Let's get real--you would rather just see more pictures like this:

I love her too!

 And this:

Summer in Sakhalin...Yeah, Who Knew???

"Summer" here in Yuzhno exceeded my expectations.  I knew it would be warmer, but I did not know that the days would be so long. The sun comes up at 5am and sets at 10:30pm during June and July leaving us plenty of time to take advantage of the amazing scenery here. 

Jesse loves mountain biking, so we went on a few weekend rides (despite my hesitation and lack of navigating skills).  The mountains here are great for hiking and biking when ski season is over.  We also were able to take advantage of sunny afternoons in some of the parks downtown.  

Some of the ladies went hiking to Frog Mountain where there is an awesome view of the mountains and lush green foliage. Another day we took a train to the dachas--these are little cottages where Russians grow vegetables and flowers and all sorts of fun things. The grass is a bright shade of green this time of year, and we even had some strawberries in the front garden!  The fishing and crabbing are also popular during the summer months.

Spring, Summer, Fall...(yes, I am really 6 months behind on the blog)

The last six months have had their ups and downs, but seeing as it is already October, I figure I should fill you in on some of the highlights.  This way I will be caught up by the time it snows here (sooner than later I should add) and will have something to keep me busy inside.

One of the most exciting happenings last spring was when we finally got off this island! When Jesse and I moved here, I knew that it snowed 6 months out of the year, but that reality hit pretty hard in April as a thick layer of white remained on the ground.  After spending a few weeks in Houston, I returned to Yuzhno where Jesse and I embarked on a two week vacation--to the Maldives!

Not going to lie, this was definitely a dream vacation. It took about 4 planes to get us there, but totally worth the jetlag to arrive in one of the most beautiful destinations I have ever seen. We relaxed on the beach, snorkeled among the gorgeous reefs and took advantage of the very accommodating amenities. It is best described in pictures as I cannot do it justice with mere words :-)