Thursday, April 29, 2010

Trip to Izhevsk!

Last week I decided to visit some great friends who live in Izhevsk, the capital of the Republic of Udmurtia here in Russia.  I had some free time Monday through Thursday, so I decided to hop a 17 hour train Monday afternoon, and arrived Tuesday morning.






After an eventful ride on the train (I happened to be sleeping by a rather inebriated man), I was met at the station by Ross Frierson and Ricky and Brandy Wilhelm (Ross's awesome wife, Dena, was at home working on a delicious lunch).  They pulled out all the stops.







The first evening of my stay we went out to learn some traditional Udmurt dances.  It was a blast!








Throughout the few days, they also took me to visit different monuments in the city.











We also visited the local zoo!








We also visited the Klashnikov museum (yes, THAT Klashnikov!)




I think the only downside of the entire trip was its brevity.  It all went by too quickly, but it was a great opportunity to visit awesome friends and see more of the vast expanse that is known as Russia.

Monday, April 26, 2010

Moscow Metro Dance

This video is pretty great.


OW/EE Business Seminar - Spring 2010

Here are some more photos of the exciting April 9-11 weekend:






















Sorry for the extreme delay; life has been hectic lately. But more on that soon!

Monday, April 19, 2010

First Year in Moscow!

Wow, it's so hard to believe.  Today is the one year anniversary of Beth and my arrival to the incredible city of Moscow.

Sadly Beth and I were not able to celebrate today, as she is relaxing in the good ole U.S.A.  In fact, she has been so kind to call me from time to time, usually between trips to Chick-Fil-A.

 I don't really know how to express the emotions and experiences of this past year, but Beth and I consider ourselves to be very grateful to be in such a place.

Thank you so much for your continued support and encouragement.  We are far more fortunate than we deserve.

Thursday, April 15, 2010

Business Seminar Weekend! Pt. 1

This past weekend I was able to attend a business seminar hosted by Open World and the English Exchange.  It was a very busy but exciting weekend.  I was able to hang out with old friends and meet new ones, both Russian and American.  My primary job was to capture the weekend for a future promotional video.  I did some photography too.

Here are a few for now:




Friday, April 9, 2010

Busy Week!

Well, it's been a hectic week.  Many of you may know this already, but Beth left for America yesterday to receive a new visa.  She'll be in Atlanta for nearly two weeks.  Try to see her if you're able to!

I'm headed out for a business seminar for the weekend.  I'll try to post something substantial when I return!

Monday, April 5, 2010

Христос Воскрес!





Воистину Воскрес!


Forgive me, I stole this from Michial Farmer and the Christian Humanist blog.  But it is incredible.



Make no mistake: if He rose at all
it was as His body;
if the cells’ dissolution did not reverse, the molecules reknit, the  amino acids rekindle,
the Church will fall.


It was not as the flowers,
each soft Spring recurrent;
it was not as His Spirit in the mouths and fuddled eyes of the eleven  apostles;
it was His flesh: ours.

The same hinged thumbs and toes,
the same valved heart
that–pierced–died, withered, paused, and then regathered out of enduring  Might
new strength to enclose.

Let us not mock God with metaphor,
analogy, sidestepping, transcendence;
making of the event a parable, a sign painted in the faded credulity of  earlier ages:
let us walk through the door.

The stone is rolled back, not papier-mache,
not a stone in a story,
but the vast rock of materiality that in the slow grinding of time will  eclipse for each of us
the wide light of day.

And if we will have an angel at the tomb,
make it a real angel,
weighty with Max Planck’s quanta, vivid with hair, opaque in the dawn  light, robed in real linen
spun on a definite loom.

Let us not seek to make it less monstrous,
for our own convenience, our own sense of beauty,
lest, awakened in one unthinkable hour, we are embarrassed by the  miracle,
and crushed by remonstrance.
- John Updike