Summer Plans!

I have changed my plans for the Summer,

as most of you know...I was going to be traveling all over Europe, but now instead I will be extending my teaching until mid-July. I am going to go (along with Branda and Holly) to Ukraine and teach there for 6 weeks. We are going to be teaching kids from the ages 5-15. It is going to be more like a summer camp though because we will be doing a lot more outdoor activities with them, like hiking and horse-back riding! I am really excited. We are going to live in a town that is about 45 minutes outside of Kiev. I hear that it is just beautiful there, and now I will be able to experience life in yet another country! I really do want to just go home, but I couldn't pass up the opportunity! Since I couldn't just not travel at all, Branda and I decided that we will just be content with diving into the Italian culture and after Ukraine we will head to Rome and spend two weeks traveling all over Italy! It should be so much fun! It definitely is something that helps me cope with the fact that I have to leave my Russian family and my kids here soon. I have 17 days left in Russia, and it will definitely be a sad day when I leave for good, Russia has become my second home and a big part of my life! It will also be hard because St. Petersburg is getting more and more beautiful by the day! Everything is green, there are flowers and fountains everywhere! Ah I just love it! This is what it looks like now:

Big difference eh? It doesn't even seem like the same frozen ice berg that I first landed on!

**But I am excited to see everyone again, put in my papers, work, and start a normal life again! I especially miss my Mama! I know I am a day past mothers day, but happy mothers day! I hope that it was amazing and that the boys made you breakfast in bed or something! I remember when I was little and we would always have so much fun planning what we would do for mom on Mothers day. Dad would ask all of us, and no one ever knew what to get, so we would go to Fred Meyer or something on Saturday night, right before and get a card and something else! I loved those times, and I think breakfast in bed we did at least a few times! I can't believe that we are all old now! Dylan is going to be 16, and that stage is definitely passed! But we all still love you so much mom! Thanks for being my best friend! Russia can never truly be my home because you aren't here!