Russia Day weekend

Last weekend Russia celebrated its independence. Instead of trying to figure out from whom this great country became independent, I decided to grab my brother Michael and head for the countryside. I wanted him to get a taste of the "real" Russia outside of Moscow and St. Pete. Here are some pictures from our adventures in Kostroma and Vladimir:

at Ipatyeski Monastery, Kostroma

on the banks of the Volga River, Kostroma

making chili with friends one stormy night, Kostroma

swimming and shashlik with friends on the outskirts of Vladimir

birthday, etc.

Traditionally on the 30th birthday one reflects on the past three decades and what has been accomplished up to that point. Maybe I've just been a shallow thinker lately (listening to bad English and correcting pronunciation mistakes 24/7 will do that to you) but all I can think about is how blessed I've been in my 30 seemingly short years of life. All this reflection started last Wednesday when I picked up a hefty package at the local post office from the USA. Inside was a photo album my family had put together with pictures from each year of my life. Looking back over the years to all the people and places that have shaped who I am--what an amazing stroll down memory lane it was! After that things got crazy and there was much celebrating this past weekend. I missed having family and friends from home here but my friends from Moscow, Vladimir, and Kostroma made it very special.

Celebrating at the Hard Rock (they actually didn't allow us to eat the cake on the premises. ahh Russia...)

so we took it to Starbucks where the staff happily provided us with forks to eat it with

friends from Vladimir and Moscow

currently listening to: Club of Sons, new Conor Oberst and Mute Math (thanks, Tim!)