Miami

The weekend before last, Misha and I took a Friday off work and headed down south for some fun in the sun!  I didn't realize exactly how much I missed palm trees.  :-)  We flew down to Fort Lauderdale to spend the weekend with Natasha & Alex.  What a weekend!

Friday we rented a catamaran in Key Biscayne.  Could it be any more beautiful?  The weather was perfect!

Group shot (minus Boulder + Nia...the puppies) who also went out on the boat with us

Trying to get the hookup...pretty much like pelicans hanging around the docks to see what the day's catch was

Muah!

We did get the hookup!  As fresh as you can get white-meat tuna for $20!

...so we decided to make sushi that night!  That's one thing I love about visiting Natasha & Alex - they are both such good cooks...well, maybe I could say Chefs! We are always trying some sort of exotic food when we visit Miami.  :-)

Hitting up the beach!

We went and visited our rental property while we were there.  Haha...no, this is not the view from our flat!  However, our property is next to a golf course, 1/2 mile from the beach, and one block from the intra-coastal waterway!  Not bad!  We spent the afternoon checking out all the unbelievable homes, yachts, shops, galleries, and scenery.

And of course...what would a trip to Miami be without going to the European/Russian market in Hallandale?

Got to get that yummy Russian dark chocolate!

Thanks to Natasha & Alex for being awesome hosts as always!  Can't wait to come visit you guys again soon!

Recent Road Trip

I've been DYING to make a trip to Valdosta/Gainesville.  We haven't been there since CHRISTMAS!  Can you believe it?  I REALLY AM suffering from withdrawals.  I am a woman who is highly relational and talking on the phone, or Facebook, or whatever does not do justice to one-on-one, face-to-face contact.  It's just not the same.  I really miss my family and friends!  Especially my sis who just recently moved to Macon, GA.  Well, this weekend I decided to drive four hours to Macon to meet my sis and see her new digs.  She is now working with Rodeo Beach at their new storefront in Macon.  You can also check them out online here.  It's my cousins' business and a pretty cool one at that.  They are an outfitter that sells everything from Rainbow sandals to Tilly hats.  

 

It's beach meets West.  Well, Susan is helping them out in the store and with online orders.  I've never seen her so happy...that makes me happy!  :-))))     

So I got to see my sis

 

She showed me around, introduced me to people, and gave me a mini tour of the town.  Then we hopped in the car and took off to V-town.  We got to have 2 1/2 hours of girl talk in the car!  Not a minute went by when we weren't chatting.  Haha...I even teared up.  Imagine that!  ;-)

We got to have dinner with the family and then met up with Sarah 5 for some catching up.  Cheryl and Ben were there too so that was a nice surprise!  Shame on me for not having any pictures of the family dinner or catching up with old friends!  I do, however, have pictures of Lindsay Colson's baby shower on Sunday. 

 

Lindsay is one of my good friends from high school and I'm so glad I was able to be at her baby shower!  She and Willis are having a baby girl in just a few weeks!  

Being able to see my family, catch up with friends, go to church at Central, be at Lindsay's baby shower, and spend time with my sister did my heart so, so, so much good...even if it was only 24 hours!  :-)  Our next road trip will be to Gainesville in a few weeks and I can't even begin to tell you how excited I am about that!   

Project Thanks B-ham!

Okay, well this post was supposed to go up on March 16th, but we left for Miami before I could get it posted on here.  It's still good though and an excellent reminder for me. 

Do you remember this 30 Days of Thanks that took place during the month of November?  Bloggers were to list one thing each day that they were thankful for...big or small.  Well, that being said, yesterday marked the calendar for us being in Birmingham for one year.  Exactly one year ago, we moved to the city and moved into our house (where we spent the night with no heat...brrrr!  haha!).  This blog entry is my Project Thanks B-ham! that is similar to the 30 Days of Thanks, only I am listing all my 30 in one day as a reminder of the good and positive things about being in Birmingham.  Some days you just need a reminder, right?  Well, here goes (of course, in no particular order):

1) Our quirky old brick house - it certainly has character and it's our first home together.

2) Our good (and cute) neighborhood complete with some of the only sidewalks in the city of Hoover/Birmingham - haha - it's really nice to walk/run!


3)  All the festivals and activities.

 

At the Hot Air Balloon Festival

4) We have four beautiful seasons here. 

(This is the one I'm looking forward to the most - Spring + Summer)

5) Moss Rock Preserve is 2 miles from our house...waterfalls, boulders, creeks, great hiking, and scenic picnic spots.

That's where we picked all these wild blackberries!

Yum!  :-)

6) Great shopping!  Whole Foods, Fresh Market, AWESOME TJ Maxx and Ross, GREAT mall, World Market, Pottery Barn, Bed Bath & Beyond, Macy's, etc. even a Sak's 5th Ave (but I never go there)...all within 15 minutes.

 

7) Exploring a new area + finding local hotspots.  i.e. Maria's Mexican Restaurant.  Owned by a single mom...very authentic, hands down the best Mexican food ever.  Also looks like you stepped into the country of Mexico...seriously authentic, which we love.  Plus, they have $1.50 margaritas!  We go there often.

 

8) Sitting on our deck under giant Magnolia trees.

9) The view from our road overlooking the bluff.

10) Fireflies!


11) Awesome city-wide YMCAs.  They have sweet state-of-the-art facilities and crazy-awesome zumba, pilates, and yoga classes.  Also, there is a PYT studio that I have been going to for some dance lessons.  LOVE IT!

12) People coming to visit us.  This is one of my most favorite things!

Susan

Mama & Daddy

Bill & Lyuba

Alona & Dima (and Julia!) + Motzart

Natasha & Lyosha

Ira & David

Rachel & Whitney also came for a visit on the way to Tuscaloosa, Sergey Mil was with us for a few days while he had interviews in B-ham, and Melissa & Roy are frequent visitors from Huntsville!

Anyone else passing through the B-ham or want to come visit?  We would LOOOOVE to have you!  

13) Both having jobs - the reason we moved here in the first place (well, for Misha's anyway).


14) Improving our financial situation and making progress.  Thanks to biblical principals and Dave Ramsey!

15) Quite possibly one of the most important  - the growth of our marriage.  When you move to a place where you do not know a soul, you really develop this strong relationship and you really have to depend on one another.  It is hands down one of the best things about being here.

16) People being excited when you come back to town for a visit.

17) Having the opportunity to learn Russian here.

18) Meeting great people here such as Larissa (my Russian teacher) and her husband Vitaly.

19) Being able to visit cool places such as DC and Chicago through Misha's work.  

20) Having the opportunity to see the inner workings of a faith-based non-profit. Mixed feelings on that one.

21) Living in a city that has a downtown with tall buildings and hearing traffic updates on the radio.

22) Visiting different churches.

23) The creation of my Pesto Pizza happened here in B-ham.

 

24) There is an Aveda Institute here.  Love that my shampoo, cut, and style + hand massage + tip is only $20!

25) The Botanical Gardens & Birmingham Zoo

It started getting hard at this point!
 
26) Nice beer selection (this one is totally for Misha).

 

27) Visiting the Civil Rights Museum - get to see the "affected areas" and where it all went down.

28) I have an office with a huge floor-to-ceiling window where I get to watch wildlife.  Herons, turtles, snakes (ew), fish, nutria, otters, and beavers!

Check out this video of my co-workers and I watching the beavers:

29) All the neighborhoods & houses are all different and unique in their own way - very eclectic.

and finally...

30) Learning that I don't want to stay here...I want to be closer to my friends and family!