From Russia, with Love

Well, my coworker, Kevin, and I arrived safely in Moscow. I have some stories.

Good: My new iPod nano (it's red, 4GB), complete with protective silicon case

Bad: Not finding your awesome travel pillow and running late
Good: Finding a cool one at Target on your way to the airport
Bad: Discovering after you've popped 2 tylenol PM that the little thing you blow air into won't close, so the pillow keeps deflating.
Good: MacGyvering a solution from a piece of paper and spit- creating a seal that works! Yay for inflated inflatable pillows (I'm still taking it back when I get home)

Bad: Getting really really really motion sick on the descent into Atlanta (it always gets me...stupid Dutch roll motion... but never this bad)
Good: Managing to get to the ladies room in the airport before uh...loosing your breakfast (although it meant leaving Kevin slighty baffled by my mad dash to the restroom)

Good: shashlik and hoichipuri (Lisa and Christina- I like the Tractor)
Good: Going to the biggest electronics store I have ever seen (something like Garbushnya- you know which store I mean). I bought a copy of 'Monsters Inc' in Russian!

It was Tremayne and Tony's (two guys from the Visiting Vehicle Group who were here for the Progress undock and dock) last day here, so we had lunch with them and then followed them aroudn for their last minute souvenir shopping.

Good: Finally being in a NASA room for the first time ever. The best things about it: the water cooler and the computer.

Tomorrow we will head to the TsUP (Moscow Mission Control Center) to set up everything. We plan to take Wednesday off, since we will be working the next 14 days. I think I sense a trip to the KGB museum...

Operation: Invitations

Did my last pictures look blurry? They look blurry to me...

Anyways, it's done...after several weeks of designing, and re-designing, comparing, finding the best ever on-line paper products store (www.paperandmore.com), I called in the troops (Lisa and Christina) and together we completed 80 wedding invitations for Jana's wedding. Here is the finished product (invitations and RSVP cards)

Okay so this picture IS blurry (operator issue :) )

Fusion 07!

This weekend, about 400 people from 4 Sovereign Grace Ministries churches, arrived at Baylor University in Waco, TX to Gather.Connect.Change.

The Van Essens let us borrow the mini van so we could all ride together. Thanks David and Desiree!

Chowing down at the Baylor cafeteria

Preparing to worship and learn!

We had two pastors give awesome God-inspired messages: Steve Shank from the Gilbert, AZ church spoke on really recognizing God's love for us, by understanding the sin that He saved us from: "If sin is not seen as great (meaning large), neither is His love" and "the seriousness of the judgement (ie Jesus's death on a cross) reveals the seriousness of the crime (our sin). Steve also spoke about love and the family of God, of how we are to express "agape" or foreign love to our brothers and sisters. I enjoyed the way he delved into the meanings behind the different Greek terms for love and what the Bible uses for love in different books. "We want to be a blessing more than we want to be blessed".

My buddy Victoria and I cheering at the men's 3-on-3 basketball tournament on Sat. afternoon.

Our team came in 2nd place! Very impressive considering that they members were slightly older than the other teams. :) Great job guys!

Craig Cabaniss, the pastor from the Dallas (Frisco) church spoke on "Change". He gave an amazing message with a masterful background on the Jewish Feast of Booths, the origins, and how shocking it would have been when Jesus cried out "...if anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink" (John 7:37). The meat: "sin is seeking to quench our thirst from some place other than God". Craig then spoke of santification, which is the process of growing in our relationship with God after we have accepted Him as our savior. Change is santification. Sometimes we don't experience the change we desire because our repentance isn't for real- it is shallow. We have to deal with our hearts and not just say "Well, if I got to church X times, I'll do better" or "If a read this book that talks about God, I'll be more holy". Once you acknowledge and confess sin, you have to return to God, seek after Him.

My friend, sister, and mentor, Pam.

It was an awesome time and God certainly met His people. I met a lot of cool people from across Texas. I'm so grateful to have been able to attend and learn and was convicted in about 4 million ways. Keep me accountable and ask me how God is helping me to change and grow in Him.

Indoor garden?

So I came home today to find a notice taped to my apartment door stating that they would be power washing the buildings to prepare them for new paint, ASAP. It then listed about 7 buildings who needed to remove all items from their balconies ASAP. Hmm, my balcony is full of plants and vines that have been entwining themselves around the railing and posts for about 3 years.

So I call the office and ask "when is ASAP?" The lady tells me tomorrow as long as the weather is good (although it is my opinion that when you power wash, you get wet anyways so who cares if it is raining...I didn't voice this to her though). I then ask her if they will finish everything up tomorrow and her response was that she didn't know. So then I asked how long I was expected to keep my plants inside my home, without sun. She didn't know. I asked if they would leave notices on our doors telling us when it was safe to move things outdoors again. She didn't know. I then asked her what was I supposed to do with the beautiful mandevilla and jasmine vines growing along my balcony. She told me to cut them (heartless!).

I just can't express to you how much I love my apartment complex right now. Really, the amount of information that is being divulged to the tenants is just overwhelming.

So, here is picture of my indoor garden, bugs, spiders, and all. I've left the vines to fend for themselves, I can't bear to cut them. I just hope that the power washers pity the vines and TRY not to spray them. I feel really sorry for some of the other folks. They have absolutely gorgeous gardens going (apparently, the office had already recevied some calls from concerned gardeners...)

Harry Potter and Showers

No, no, this isn't a Book 7 spoiler...however, I did wake up at 6am to go buy the book and get started on the reading before I went to a baby shower (alas, I was invited to two showers, both at the same time! Molly, I hope you had a wonderful time at yours). Then I came back home and started reading again, taking a short break to go pick up some invitation supplies. But yes I have now finished it, all 759 pages. And all have to say is "Read it" (uh, after you read the other 6, cause otherwise you would be very confused...even if you have seen the movies, which are fair-to-middlin, (the 5th being the best)...they just can't compete with the books).

Some pictures from the shower:

Punch and cake (there were also some other amazing food items, thanks to Desiree and Pam)

Heather and Baby Elijah (yeah this was a post-birth shower)

Sonya, thrilled to hold the baby (with big sister Sarah's help)

I love this picture of Shalini and Asha

Okay, I know Mikaela doesn't looked thrilled in this picture, but I promise that 10 seconds before this was taken, she was ecstatic to have crowned someone else with the pretty ribbon.

And last but not least, 3 more of my girls (Allyson, Adrienne, and Jen). I was reprimanded for not featuring them all on my blog. Ladies, it is not a display of favoritism, but rather my forgetfulness of pulling my camera out to capture your smiling faces. I love you gals!

Indian Dinner

I forgot to post these pictures from last Sunday. As I mentioned in my last blog, my friends, Brian and Colette, are moving to Bangalore, India. We had a going away party for them after church on Sunday at Ed and Asha's house...where Asha made a ton of amazing Indian food. And presented Colette with a gift to help her "fit in" when she arrives. Good food, good times...

Yummy food!

Asha instructing Colette...

Shalini with her daddy, Ed

Dinner with the Girls

Tonight Desiree, Colette and I met for dinner at BJs ( we were there for 4 hours!). Colette, Brian, and their 3 boys are moving to India in just a short time (Brian leaves in two weeks to get everything settled and then will come back for family a month later). I will miss Colette so much; she is like my big sister, but I know I will see them soon when I go visit. We had a great time and I am so blessed to have these women in my life as role models: they are so much fun and also seeking to honor God with their lives.

Desiree, me, Colette, baby Kai, and our pizooki (the greatest culinary invention ever!)

baby time with Kai (catching some zzzzs)