hello goodbyes

goodbyes can be a tough thing, but very important, i believe.

we are in the midst of a season of a lot of goodbyes.

and they are sweet, even if they are hard, because that hard part means you've shared life together and that matters the most.

its strange to say goodbye to someone who you've formed a relationship with and know you really probably will never see them again...{"here, there, or in the air" as my mom says...}

so in this season with a lot of goodbyes happening, lets focus on the time we did have together and celebrate that!!! {and with goodbyes comes new hellos!}

{and in the www/skype/facebook/blog/myspace/twitter/email world we live in, we're really just a click away, right? :o)}

and because this is really just too good not to post...

{i don't know if you can tell from this still picture, sans the sound of hysterical laughter, but both silas and kai were immensely enjoying themselves here!}

if you have ever wondered why we are in moscow...

if you ever get the opportunity to meet becca, katie, katherine, tina or rachel, {the beautiful ladies pictured above} you'll be better for it.

these girls are so special to me. we have a lot of history and experiences together {packed in the last 3 years}, and we've walked through a lot of different seasons together. i'm so honored they let me in and let me walk with them for these years.

they graduate from high school this friday.

a few days after that, they will each be flying to the states to start a new chapter in their life. they are american, and they are going to america, but they are the ones caught in that unique place where their home country is not their own, and their own country is not their home.

they have taught me more than they will ever know.

and last night they surprised me with an experience i'm finding very hard to put words to. they sneakily organized with tim to get a key to our apartment, so when i was out at my friend's son's birthday party, they came over here, set up the apartment for the most lovely evening, including the most delicious dinner and dessert, fresh tulips, homemade cards, my favorite music and an evening with them...

{we said the things we should all say more often, we cried and laughed, we asked questions and answered questions, we reminisced and all talked excitedly about the next steps just around the corner}



that is why we are here.

ground rush

we move back to the US one month from yesterday...i think tim explained this really well the other day...

in skydiving there is a term called ground rush, where it feels like suddenly the ground is coming toward you {or the other way around} really fast. an adrenaline rush, for sure.

when you are skydiving {or getting ready to move from russia to the US}, you know that you will land {be back in the US} eventually, but in the meantime you have time to just freefall or coast under the parachute and look around, take deep breaths, etc...

but then at some point, it looks like the ground is coming really fast...

we are in the 'ground rush' phase of getting ready to move back.

so creative, isn't he?

{tim surprised me for my 27th birthday and we went skydiving, something i have always wanted to do! we highly recommend skydive airtight and jumpmaster steve phelps for your skydiving adventures!}

{the day we jumped...i just landed for the first time, tim is getting ready to go up}

what we'll miss about moscow {and take with us always}, part 2

{note amended series title}

7: our sweet concierge{s} downstairs, habiba, almera {habibas sister}, and abdula {almera's husband - he's actually a street sweeper, but he is always downstairs and he is wonderful and kind}...and the way they all love silas and take great pride in having watched him grow

8: {from tim} the feeling of the sun on your face when you haven't seen it for months... {and then he quoted vanilla sky..."without the bitter, baby, the sweet ain't so sweet"}

9: the built in workout of life

10: moscow has grown an even deeper compassion in me and tim for people living in a culture {and trying to speak a language} that isn't their own...this is one we'll take with us for sure.

11: the challenge and opportunity to be creative in my cooking! when you can't find the ingredients you want, you get creative...i've been cooking-ly inspired...i want to keep this one up.

12: our friends...{did i mention that one yet?}

5K in moskva

this morning we ran the 5K for the wounded warrior project sponsored by the marines at the US embassy here in moscow. it was chilly and so much fun!

this is a great cause and we were so glad to be a part, and get to do a 5K in moscow!


before the run, strolling along the moscow river...

dan and rachel {pictured above} are moving here in august to work with campus crusade, but are just visiting this time around...and rachel came in SECOND in the race!!!!!


silas pre-race, waiting patiently at the start...


the race runners...tim, me, rachel, dan and justin {justin is our new friend staying with us for a few days as he travels back to the US after being in krasnodar for 10 days...he may be moving there to do sports ministry!}


silas post-race, totally worn out. he did a 2K when he was 12 days old, but this was his first 5K. we're proud of you buddy.


it was so cool to be apart of this, and we had so much fun! we chatted with the marines from the US embassy, met lots of americans and got a great workout...doesn't get much better than that!

barefoot on red square

on thursday night, tim and i had the honor of attending the senior banquet, to honor the seniors graduating from hinkson. it was such a wonderful and sweet time.

it was held at the spaso house, which is beautiful and such a perfect place for an event like this one!


sarah, russell, tim and me

we are so excited that russell will be taking over the chaplaincy at hinkson! tim has poured his whole self into the creation and development of this role at the school, and so as we move on, i can't even put words to how thrilled we both are that someone as amazing as russell will be stepping in. and sarah, {his girlfriend who has been working at hinkson the last 3 years and graduated from there!} is such a blessing and sweet spirit and i am so excited to see how their heart for ministry and the students at hinkson develops.


marcus {senior}, tim {little older than a senior}, jay {senior}


hors d'oeuvres...yum! {cam, tim, drew}


me and tina {senior}...tina will be attending jbu, {go golden eagles!} so we are so excited that we'll still get to see each other often!



so after the reception and ceremony to honor the seniors, it is tradition that the seniors head out on the town in a stretch limo...red square, victory park, etc...

and tim and i were so honored and excited that they asked us to join them! it was truly truly a beautiful evening, {a little chilly, but the rain held off!} and tim and i loved being a part of it.

{after several hours in the most beautiful heels {thank you opehlia!} i had to give my feet a break, thus...barefoot on red square}

what we'll miss about moscow, part 1

i've often thought about making this list, and i've made it so many times in my head. but i think it would be good to actually write it out - i will love looking at this and reminiscing sometime in the future...

1: our dear, dear friends. nothing can replace them or the life we've walked through together here

2: the way spring comes suddenly...and there is nothing like it when you've been in so many months of dark

3: how this is much more of a task oriented culture rather than a time oriented one {they'll be late, but it was because they stopped and talked to a friend for 2 hours and didn't watch the time because that relationship was the most important thing right then} {{this can obviously be wonderful and not so great}}

4: the fact that my son has gotten exposure to this culture for the first 2 years of his life and that will forever be part of his story

5: the way we've figured out what we can do {or want to do} without

6: hinkson, our students, our life within that building...

this is a start...more to come.

and just for fun...

here is the picture that tim and silas made for me for mother's day. tim took this pic the other day, printed it, cut us out, and placed us on some hilly road somewhere with a tulip and the bright sun shining...

{notice silas is looking at the tulip...}

i love it!

dear mom...

happy mother's day {yesterday}!!! i love you and i am so grateful for you!

and happy mother's day charlene ~ i couldn't ask for a better mother in law! i love you!

and happy mother's day to all moms {and soon to be's!} out there...

tim and silas took me to my favorite cafe, il pittore, and we got to sit on the patio in the sun!

{the reason i get celebrated on this day}

...that was a great weekend.

victory day!

yesterday, may 9, was victory day throughout russia. victory day is russia's most important secular holiday, and marks the defeat of nazi germany. and russians love this day!!! the huge parade starts at red square and and travels a route through the city, and we had prime standing positions on the street to see the...

over 100 combat vehicles
over 9000 marching troops
69 combat planes
and
huge missiles

it was really quite spectacular.

pictures will show this day better than my words, and even then they won't quite do it justice...



you could feel the rumble of these tanks in your whole body as they came down the street.


my love





"they were young"

i thought this was a powerful message.


me and liz over the moscow river


silas sharing pretzels with a girl he met

after the parade on arbat street, we headed over to gorky park...

a significant part of this holiday is honoring the veterans who served. veterans fill the streets, wearing all their medals with pride, and people come up to them and give them flowers and say thank you. it is beautiful. most often you'll see a little child going up to one of these veterans {encouraged by a parent standing nearby} to give them a flower and say thank you. so moving.

silas got to meet a few, too...


this man who tim got to talk to for a while, was very adamant on reminding us {once he learned we are from america} that we did this together. i think our friend chris did a perfect job of describing this day here.

there is so much good out there, too.

it was awesome to get to be a part of this day here in moscow.

{so many many more pictures on picasa}

{and happy happy birthday to chris, who graciously shared his birthday with russia's victory day!}

green

as spring settles on moscow and everything has turned green overnight, i'm reminded of one of my favorite songs {and the inspiration for the name of this little blog}

the color green is from a song by rich mullins, and some of the lyrics are there on the right.

...look down upon this winter wheat and be glad that you have made, blue for the sky, and the color green, that fills these fields with praise...

even the trees and grass praise Him.

this was so evident yesterday evening when tim and silas and kai and i were out on the greenbelt outside our building.

there was so much life and activity happening there...

and silas and kai made new friends quickly.


tim and i had quite a task on our hands reassuring the moms we met that silas wasn't too cold in the warm and sunny 74 degree weather without a hat and sweater. everyone is looking out for everyone else, and there are some parts of that i really like.

silas and лиза (liz)


















and kai and her new friend, тимофев (tim)

















i was getting to spend some time with tina, one of the high school girls who i've gotten the privilege to do life with here, and before we went outside to meet tim and silas, from our kitchen window i saw...

yes he does! and so well!!!

lots more from this adventure yesterday on picasa.

ярмарка

this weekend was so beautiful and we took full advantage of it! i have always loved the sun...so when you take a girl and put her in a place that doesn't see much sun for most of the year, then that sun does come out...wow. loving it!!!

on saturday, tim and silas and i went to the local ярмарка (yarmarka) which is like moscow's version of a farmer's market...and if you know me well, you know that a sunny day at the farmer's market is definitely part of my "perfect day." it was so lovely.

i so wish i had our camera with me, but i didn't so here are some word pictures...

...silas walking from booth to booth, charming, smiling, getting free fruits and vegetables...

...saying "hey" and waving to each person he passed...

...gnawing on the huge carrot an old babushka gave him and being on top of the world as he socialized with the sellers...

i love the experience of living here for so many reasons, one being silas getting the exposure and experiences he is getting. i hope he values it someday, too.

some of what we bought included...

виноградины (grapes), помидоры (tomatoes), апельсины (oranges), яблоко (apples, from moldova), клубники (strawberries), моркови (carrots), and some fresh pomegranate juice, squeezed into an empty vodka bottle.

it was such a wonderful time.