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 :-)

Boxes of our home...

After size months of being in storage and floating in the middle of the ocean and sitting in customs, our shipment finally arrived a couple of weeks ago!

Our huge sofa pivoting up the stairs

To prepare for this special day (which thankfully came without complications of any kind), we had to move all of the furniture that came with our house.  Most people here coming from the US only bring small furniture and personal items because the house is furnished already, but since our belongings were shipped from the UAE, we were required to bring everything we own here--couch, bedroom set, tables, everything.

 Moving truck unloading in the snow!

This is only about half
the boxes unwrapped!

Some of the sweet workers here helped move most of our living room furniture up into one of the rooms we are now using as storage.  Then the moving truck arrived with 150 boxes that make up our traveling home--only a few minor casualties!  After a week of redecorating, the house is finally feeling like our own--pictures and all. While we have learned to be content without our things for long periods of time, it sure is nice to have our familiar comforts--even if we cannot use that patio furniture for a while.

Jesse taking apart the layers of cardboard to get to
 our media cabinet! The packers did too good
of a job this time.

Here are some before and after pictures of our home (still a work in progress, but you get the idea):

After the movers took out all of
the furniture!

Living room before

Living room after
minus the yellow walls!

Seating area before

Dining area before

The dining area after

The kitchen afterward

Fun and games...

The big "gym" set up high school
dance style!

Elena, our Russian teacher,
sporting a Memorial Mustangs
T-shirt! Made me laugh!

There has been a lot going on here lately, and I am really behind with the updates.  Here are some of the highlights of the most recent events with the exception of our shipment--that is a whole other post in itself!

A few weeks one of the residents moved back to Houston, and we had a huge going away "western" party for her.  There is a huge building here that looks like a bubble where we have parties and gatherings--in this case boot scootin' and burgers!

More friends, Hannan, Azim,
Carrie and Red


                    

Emmie and Matt

Good excuse for boots!

The large busted woman in our parking lot. They burned
a similar one out in the field as part of the festival

Bunco night with the ladies!

Once a month we have ladies' night at Olypmia where we have started playing Bunco--always a fun time!  March is officially spring time in Russia (believe it or not) and they have a festival called the Ма́сленица Festival.  Traditionally the people here eat blinis and burn a huge scarecrow woman signifying the end of winter.  Here is a picture of the large busted woman in our parking lot.  A little creepy if you ask me, but then again I had to explain Easter egg hunting to the Russians...everyone has their customs and holiday traditions!

There is a huge ice arena here where they hold hockey games and other events. A couple of weeks ago a group of us went to see an ice circus. It was interesting to say the least!  I try to explore some of the local culture where I can, but being so remote, there are not always a lot of opportunities.

Last week the ice had all melted, and the snow was gradually going away exposing some green blades of grass! The pavement was all clear, and I only needed a light jacket to walk outside--the 40's here are like the 60's in Houston. However, the snow is back now for a few days, and there is already a new blanket of white covering our sidewalk. Such is life!

I look forward to my trip back to the US next week where I can wear flip flops again!  Excited to see my friends and family and shop for our upcoming vacation--woohoo!

More later,
Allison