Hummina-Hummina...

I dare you to tell me this sight does not make your mouth instantly water:

I have been in-depth checking out this website during the past few days, putting the yummiest recipes into my computer so that in the event that we lose internet, I can still have access to recipes on my computer.

This picture shows an amazing combination of my two favorite sweet items: chocolate and peanut butter. I don't crave sweet things too often, but usually when I do, it involves these two trouble-makers.

Also, I try to stay away from nuts, now that I'm married to a nut-allergic. How did that happen? I love nuts! And because I love them so, I have found that I can have them, but just have to be careful that we don't make out right afterwards and I brush my teeth.

Oh, too much information? Sorry about that.

If the above picture piques your interest, click here for the recipe. And let me know how they are. I won't be making them anytime soon, mainly due to my lack of access to baking materials.

Huh?

Stephen and I have noticed some interesting marketing techniques here. One of them being silly sort of mottos to promote their companies. We're not sure if it's just a matter of things getting lost in translation, or if they really think it sounds good.

Here is one, just across the street from our apartment right now.
If you're thinking, "Huh?" you'd be right with us. But don't you just love Stephen posing, with the peace sign? It makes me laugh.

Alaskan Cruise: June 08

Yes, I am still blogging about June...it was a busy month! After our time in Colorado, we headed to Seattle, where we met up with Stephen's parents and his brother, Erik, and his wife, Julie. Remember them from Seattle in March? Well, we all met up there to go on an Alaskan cruise to celebrate Mom and Dad Bruce's 35th wedding anniversary and Mom's birthday -- a monumental one. :)

Here is my really cute husband and I on the boat, watching Seattle go by.

Here is the rest of the crew: Paula, Scott, Julie, Erik

We left on Saturday afternoon and sailed through the night and all of the next day and night. We first arrived in Juneau.

Here is the beautiful town of Juneau. It sits nestled between the gorgeous mountains and the peaceful water.

Stephen and I had signed up to go ziplining in Juneau. So, we headed to the excursion bus. The bus took us to a boat, which took us across the waterway and to this cabin, where we got all our gear on.

Stephen is excited!!!

I am also excited. I get a little giddy when I get to wear repelling gear and ropes. It is so much fun!

Here is a video of Stephen zipping one of the longest zips on the tour. This one was over 500 feet long! There were a total of 9 zips and two skywalks. This was our favorite excursion we went on. And it was treasured time, since we had planned on ziplining in Costa Rica on our honeymoon, but couldn't go, due to all the rain.

This is Stephen, repelling down from the final platform.

We went to one of the specialty restaurants one night to celebrate Mom's birthday. It was an Italian restaurant and the waitstaff sang with Italian accents and a lovely mustache. Erik and Julie, singing Happy Birthday
Our second stop on the cruise was Skagway. The whole family went on a train ride up into the mountains. We saw amazing scenery and marveled at His creation.

Erik and Julie on the train

Check this out!

You can see the back of the train - we were in the first car

I loved this beautiful valley

Another day, we stayed on the cruise boat, but it took us into Tracy Arm Fjord, where we saw this huge glacier! Look how blue it is! The cliffs and water and fog reminded us of Lord of the Rings.

We saw many of these waterfalls, dropping into the water. See all of the ice chunks? There were some bigger chunks (icebergs) that had a beautiful blue hue to them.

We also had a couple of other excursions. We also stopped in Ketchikan, where us and Erik and Julie went canoeing and 4-wheeling in Jeeps. That was a blast! We all had a chance to drive and the trails were more bumpy than we had expected!

Our final stop was in Victoria. We were there, just long enough to go on a Pub Tour of 3 different pubs. That was just a fun and relaxing excursion. We arrived back on the boat late at night and the next morning, arrived back in Seattle.

We had so much fun with our family! We are so glad we were able to go on this trip before we left.

A Tribute to My Mom

Today is my mama's birthday. Everyone wish her a wonderful day! I am not going to tell you how old she is. However, she has no reason to be embarrassed by it because she is only twenty years older than me. If you are so inclined, you can do the math.

You would think that the feelings I have for my mom are feelings that everyone has. But, they aren't. Because moms like mine are one in a million-infinity.

My beautiful mom is pretty much the most generous person I know. She has always been ready and willing to drop anything and everything for us kids. She is proving this above and beyond by picking up and moving to Maryland to care for my niece while her mommy and daddy are at work. I joked with her about this recently, asking if when we have a baby one day, if she will move to wherever we are living. She promptly replied, "Yes." So, just watch and see: maybe she'll have to move to the big K in a couple of years! Haha -- just kidding, Mom.

I have great memories with my mom. I remember the first time I baked. I was about 8 years old. I wanted to make brownies. So, my mom gave me the recipe and told me to ask her for help if I needed it. No, she didn't stand there and just have me pour the ingredients in the mixing bowl. Knowing me, I told her it would be a piece of cake and I didn't need her help! Well, this is a predictable story. My brownies didn't turn out at all. I think they were amazingly hard, to the point we couldn't cut them. I cried and got all upset. But my mom patiently consoled me and we made another batch together. Of course, they turned out because my mom was in charge and is quite a little baker.

Mom recounts a time when I was younger and I told her that I was going to work when I grow up because I wanted to do something with my life, unlike her. I know -- I apparently was a very mean child! However, irony never fails, as all I really want to do is have some Bruce babies and stay home with them, raising them. My mom is the reason for that.

My mom became my best friend in high school, I think. I remember getting my homework done late at night and tip-toeing upstairs to my parents' bedroom. They would be watching Letterman and I'd sprawl across the foot of the bed and recount my day. Knowing me, I ran my mouth like crazy and didn't do much listening. My mom always listened.

When I looked at going to college on the East Coast, I couldn't bear the thought of being that far away from my mom, so I went 2 1/2 hours away so I could come home a couple of times a month. Sometimes, I just needed a hug from mom. And each time I headed back to school, I always cried! It could be considered silly, but it wasn't. I am a mama's girl. I think I always will be.

Even though I am so close to my mom, she has never tried to hold me back, just to be near her. When I decided to move to DC, it was hard on her, but she was always supportive. She was so excited when Stephen became a serious part of my life! And then, our move to the big K, I think has and will continue to be the hardest on my mom. We are used to talking to each other every day. That won't really be a reality still. But, because we have such a communicative, strong relationship, I know she misses me and loves me no matter what.

When we said good-bye in New York just a few weeks ago, my mom whispered in my ear that she is proud of me. ME! I have been reminding myself of that repeatedly during these changes we've been experiencing.

Mom, I love you so much. And I hope you have an unforgettable 39th year! Hehe.

I look forward to so many more years of memories with you, Mama. I am blessed to have you in my life.

June #3

I know it's not June anymore. In fact, it is almost August. And yes, I am going backwards in time to tell you a little bit about June. This is what happens when in transition for a couple of months.

We were able to go back home to Colorado for about 5 days, before leaving the US. It was not the most relaxing time, but we were very glad to be able to see some of our friends and family before taking off on our adventure.

One night, we drove up to Denver and met up with a bunch of Stephen's (and now mine!) friends at Maggiano's for some family style Italian. It was a lot of fun to catch up with the bunch, although I don't have any pictures of that. Man, I am really bad about whipping the camera out! My husband doesn't help, either.

We spent a lot of time in Colorado, trying to track down our belongings that were being shipped from NY and needed to be put into a storage unit in the Springs. This was all the stuff that didn't come to the big K with us. Thankfully, it all fit into a 10 x 10 unit!

I also had the treasured time with my dog, Riley. I miss her so much, it hurts. She hasn't been able to live with me since November 2006, but I still feel like she is mine. I can guarantee that one of the first things I will be doing when we are done here in K, will be going and getting my dog to live with us. I don't care where we'll be living - if it's in the States, she's all mine! How I wish she was here with us now. She is such good, comfy company. Well, Riley was in need of a new bed again...she needs a new one about every 1 1/2-2 years. We picked up one of those beds that sits up off the ground so air can circulate underneath, which is great because Riley gets hot in her bed at night! Here she is, trying it out. She doesn't look happy because I told her to stay and she wasn't sure about the bed, itself.

Then, one night, my parents hosted a small gathering of our closest Springs friends. It was a wonderful time of fellowship and prayer and delicious desserts.
Ali, me, and Margarita ~ Such good friends from my teaching days at Grace Best.
Angie and Me ~ Angie is one of those people who you become instant friends with. I have only known her for about two years, but she knows me. She gets me. And we have great talks! And she is the inspiring mommy of two adorable twins, Caleb & Carissa.
And here is me and Kari ~ my treasured friend and mentor. Kari is another one who gets me. She did our premarital counseling with us. Kari is mommy to Sarah Grace, Hannah, and Samuel. I have cared for the girls since the day they were born and I treasure them in my life so much!
Here is me and Eli, Ali & Tom's little guy. Well, he's not so much little as he is stinkin' adorable.

It was great to see you all, even if for a few hours. You all are such treasured friends of ours and we look forward to seeing you at Christmas, when we come home to visit.

Ta-Da!

Some of you have been requesting some pictures. Well, I have a small confession to make: I haven't taken many. I will get better at this, I promise. But, we'll start with our temporary apartment. A tour, if you will.

This is the living room, home of the most uncomfortable couches we have ever sat on. They make my buns fall asleep.

Oh, and they are ugly. That brings to mind that old "cheer" from high school: Ahem... U - G - L - Y! You ain't got no alibi, you UGLY!!!

So, apparently, I am in a sassy mood.

Here is another view of the living room - the large windows, which are nice. Notice the drying rack with our laundry on it. See? I am kind of keeping busy. I do laundry for fun now.

Here is our bathroom. Oh, it looks nice. However, we are lucky if the water stays hot in the shower. And the water sort of smells weird...like ramen water. I am hoping that my citrus scented bodywash masks it. You guys would tell me if I smell weird, right? Here is the kitchen. My favorite part is the beautiful curtain with the fake sunflower.
And here is our bedroom. Please pardon the horrific mess. Remember all of those Space Bags I packed in NYC? Well, they all made it here and have managed to spew themselves all over the place. This is what happens when before getting to your destination, you have lived out of your suitcase for 5 weeks and then are supposed to do it for another 5 weeks, but you don't want to.
I need to start going through them and re-organizing things again. We are waiting to hear from our landlord if we can rent this place for an additional week. Our permanent apartment's move-in date has been moved to the 8th. If the landlord says no, we will need to move ALL THIS STUFF to the Hotel Kazakhstan for a week. Not the most convenient of situations, but what are you gonna do?

I am heading out in a few minutes to this place called Palladium, where I have been invited by my boss, Andrew. Some American guy is having a whisky tasting tonight there with other food and drinks. I'm not a whisky drinker, but it'll get me out of the house.

By the way, I woke up at about 5:00 this morning and the power had been out for at least an hour. It stayed off until 4:00 this afternoon. Then, it went out again for about an hour. It's back up again and I'm hoping it stays on for the rest of the night, as I'm not a fan of climbing up and down the 12 flights of unevenly constructed stairs.

Internet Launched

By my title, you must be thinking to yourself, "Beth must be so happy!"

You would be more than correct.

I had an interesting day yesterday (Tuesday) here at the apartment. The first thing that happened was at around 11 am, I was just stepping out of the shower and I heard the doorbell ringing...continuously. Stephen was at work. I was not expecting anyone. I am dripping wet.

Well, I went towards the door and (thank goodness) we have a neat contraption of which uses a video camera to show who is outside. I know this can be accomplished with a simple peephole, but we live in a technological world these days. The peephole has graduated to a tiny video camera.

There were a couple of ladies' faces on the screen, of which I did not recognize.

Now, let me interject my own thought process on this little scenario: 1) I am alone. 2) I am in a foreign country. 3) I have read that if you don't know who is at your door, don't answer it. 4) I shouldn't open the door.

But I did. In my towel.

The younger chick said she was here to show the apartment and the landlord said she could. Fury rose inside me like you wouldn't believe. I just couldn't believe the audacity of the landlord to A: assume I'm home, B: assume I'd open the door, C: assume that it's alright with me to let complete strangers in. That's a lot of assuming. And you know what happens when you ASSUME.

Anyway, I made them stand in the hallway while I threw some clothes on. Now, I had big plans of taking my time getting ready. I was going to put lotion on, pluck my eyebrows, do all that girly stuff that seems to take time, so you don't do it every day. You gals know what I mean. But, I threw on some clothes and chucked my 4 pairs of shoes that were in the middle of the bedroom floor into one of the suitcases. I let the people in.

The couple looking at the place were very nice and she was very apologetic to me. The realtor was not. I was very honest with the lady about the fact that the internet hadn't worked for the last 3 weeks and the bedroom A/C unit doesn't work. So, they left. It just threw my day off.

Then, at about noon, the landlord called, and I was able to make out enough of her Russian to believe she was telling me the "Master" was coming over soon. Four hours later, he did show up.

And yes, there was Russian yelling at me.

After about 1/2 hour, he called the landlord and figured out that she had given me the wrong user name and password a couple of weeks ago. So, he felt the need to yell and scream and tear up the old password and throw it on the table and tell me I wasted his time. I told him to get out. "Das Vadanya!" I yelled back, and pointed to the door. By the way, there is no swearing in Das Vadanya...just means good-bye!

Can you believe I kicked him out? Sometimes, I surprise even myself!

However, the moral of the story is this: the internet now works at the apartment. I am once again connected to the rest of the world. At least, it works now. If you lose track of me, it will mean that I lost all connectivity again and you can bet that I'm sad.

Igor, our driver, is coming to get me at 2:30 this afternoon and I am going shopping at Pamctop by myself, for the first time! I'm a little scared, but I should be fine.

It is good to be back.

I'm Sorry!

Okay, I know we've been in the Big K for over two weeks and I haven't updated the blog. I'm sorry. However, it has been out of my control.

You know my last post, when I mentioned that we would have internet in our apartment?

We don't.

It did work the first night we got into town. We had it, just long enough to call my mom really quick on Skype to tell them we had made it. When we woke up the next morning, no internet. And we haven't had it since.

The landlord came over to see if it would work, made some phone calls that involved angry-sounding Russian. Still no internet.

They came over every day, with a "Master" (of computers?) and still no internet. This went on for several days. Oh, it also involved them yelling at me, as if I was purposefully willing it not to work, in Russian. And no matter how much I informed them that I don't speak Russian (yet), they continued to think that if they said whatever they were saying LOUDER, I would magically start to understand. I really didn't like the "Master."

The last time I saw the Master, he finally figured out that the landlord hadn't paid the bill for the internet, so it had been cut off. Ha! Supposedly, they paid it.

Still, no internet. And we haven't heard from them since. We are not banking on having internet at this apartment...ever.

So, my exposure to this lovely, amazing thing that we all take for granted, the Internet, has been limited to weekend-only usage at Stephen's office. And today has been my only chance to really spend more time on here than just checking my email real quick, once we talk to Moms and Dads on Skype.

Okay, enough griping about the lack of internet. Well, one more thought on that. While laying in bed for several nights of crying myself to sleep (due to exponential amounts of boredom during the day, loneliness, and isolation -- all because of no internet, of course), I am convinced that He is trying to get me to learn the all too valued fruit of the spirit: patience. I am learning I don't have much of this and I am going to have to learn to get it while we live here. So, my current prayer, for myself, is that I get me some of that.

Anyway, now I will talk about what Stephen and I have been up to since we got here 17 days ago. We have actually been busy, mostly on the weekends, since Stephen has been working, pretty much since we got here.

We met one of my future co-workers, John, and his wife, Vanera. We like hanging out with them. They are very interesting and fun. You'll learn more about them, as I blog what we're up to. But, last weekend, they took us hiking in the mountains that are so close! We went to an area called "Madeo." I'm not sure on that spelling, but I'm sure it's close. It was really fun, except that it reminded me that I am far from being in shape. Although, I wasn't as sore the next day as I expected to be. It was the first time, for me, of hiking with cows. Yes, there were cows wandering the trails with us. Oh! And, I recognized this plant that we learned about when we were on our Alaskan cruise, called Skunk Cabbage. It grows like crazy here! In case you didn't know, some animals use Skunk Cabbage like we use Tums or Pepto Bismol when we are feeling "not quite right." I saw some cows eating it. Must've had some stale grass.

We also met up last weekend with some new friends, Matt & Jonna. They are neat people, teaching English here. Jonna grew up in Woodland Park (just outside of Colorado Springs)! Isn't that crazy? They have an adorable baby, Caleb. You will also learn more about them later. They took us to a local restaurant and we had an Uzbek dish, called Logmon. It had homemade, thick, spaghetti-type noodles, lamb, and veggies with a kicky sauce. Loved it. Stephen liked it, too, but we are starting to question if he has a slight allergy to cabbage, as his lips got a little puffy and he felt weird for the rest of the night. Apparently, this has happened before with him. I'm thinking that as his wife, I need to know these things.

Sidenote, Stephen has only had one bout with accidentally eating nuts, so far. Those crazy sauces with their ground up nuts. It's a little difficult here, when you can't speak the language and you're eating unfamiliar foods.

We have been going to the Ramstore a lot. In Russian, it's spelled Pamctop. Neat, huh? Pamctop is where we have been doing our grocery shopping because we can get a lot of American products. Plus, it's only a couple of blocks from our place right now, so it's convenient. Once we get into our permanent home, I hope to do more serious shopping at the local level.

Our apartment will now be ready on 8 August. [That is me, attempting to write the date the way they write it, outside of the US.] I will start work on 3 August, with teacher orientation. I am very excited for this to start, as I am quite bored during the day. Did I mention that? I have some pictures of our apartment to show you, but my computer won't connect to the internet at the office. You'll have to wait. However, in all my boredom, I managed to open all 10 boxes that we brought and basically have strewn their contents all about the flat. [That's me, attempting to speak British, whilst I type.] Anyway, I came across my collection of knitting needles, my knitting books, and one skein of pink yarn. I chose the most challenging baby sweater to knit and I'm already halfway done! However, I don't think the one skein will be enough, of course. I am hoping I can find some neat yarn at the Market, one day, when I'm not scared of it. The yarn, not the Market.

I am happiest when I get out of the apartment, even if it's just for a meal, but mostly when I get to use the internet and talk to our parents. Stephen has been so supportive and understanding of all my crying. And trust me, there has been crying. Mostly of frustration, so nothing a little crying can't handle. Although, if you think of it, I can use some healing prayer. I am experiencing shooting pains in my stomach, about 30 minutes after I eat, every time I eat. We bought that Dannon Activia yogurt and a bunch of green vegetables at the store yesterday and I'm hoping I just need to get regulated. I know it's also partly due to stress, as when I am even a little stressed, my stomach usually bothers me. We have noticed that they don't serve vegetables a whole lot with their meals here. I am a person who will crave a nice bowl of peas, broccoli, or green beans every few days.

We hired a driver this week. His name is Igor. He is very nice and his English is better than our Russian, so I think we'll survive.

I know that we are supposed to be here and He will carry us through our difficulties. Sometimes, it is hard to remember that when the power goes out, right when you've reached your parents on Skype. Or when you wake up in the middle of the night with stomach pains. Or when you just want to call your sister and tell her you love her because you know she needs to hear it, but you can't.

We are doing great. We are taken care of. We are learning about ourselves and this world we live in. We are growing closer together and closer to our Father each day. Although I'm sure that is partly why we are here, I know that there is so much more to come that cannot be expected or assumed. I am grateful for all that we have and I am learning that He is enough for me.

Until who knows when...

Love,
Me

Kazakhstan...here we come!

So, the day is finally here! We are leaving on a jet plane from JFK tonight. Yikes!

Just kidding.

Sort of.

But really, we are excited to start our adventure. Although, I think the adventure started a few months ago, trying to get ready to go.

Good news! Stephen got an email this morning from his office, saying our boxes already were delivered! And they offered to have them taken to our apartment that is all ready for us. Aren't they so nice?

More good news! Internet is already set up for us at our new apartment, so we will be able to let you all know that we got there alright.

We were also reassured by a woman who works in Stephen's office, that getting cell phones there is very easy, so it will be no problem. Everything will be fine!

It is crazy to think that today is our last day in New York City. And, it is our last day in the U.S.

We are going to be living in Kazakhstan for the next three years! Wow.

Stay tuned on here, for I will be showing off pictures and stories like crazy.

I will also get caught up with posts that I've been meaning to do, but have run out of time before we leave. We have been busy! I am exhausted.

We love you all. We will miss you all. But, we live in a small world. (Cue "It's a Small, Small World" music)

Please pray for us.