Dena Reay

Farewell....

2010-01-24T16:37:00.000-08:00

I figured I would get one last post in before I set off on the next big adventure of my life!

I am leaving THIS WEEK!!!

It is sooo crazy! I had my farewell on the 17th and I just LOVED that day :)

So many people came out to support me! Thanks to everyone who came, there were even people standing at the back of the cultural hall! I couldn't believe it! I can't believe I actually know that many people! Well while I am gone my mom is going to post my emails on a new blog for me, so if you are ever wanting an update or wondering how things are going in the DR check it out:

sisterdenareay.blogspot.com

I love you all and thank you so much for being a part of my life! I'll see you next summer!

Love,

Dena

"A man filled with the love of God, is not content with blessing his family alone, but ranges through the whole world, anxious to bless the whole human race."

-Joseph Smith Jun.

Dominican Republic!

2009-12-28T14:57:00.000-08:00

Check this out!

'Tis The Season...

2009-12-11T10:33:00.000-08:00

I just LOVE the holiday season!
It's the time for Christmas Fever!!!
For some reason at this time of year, our eyes open and we see the things in our life that mean so much to us! We all think of the Savior more.. I think that at this time of year you probably hear the word "LOVE" more than at any other time of year! (except maybe Valentines Day) You also express your gratitude for just about everything...
Well, I have been affected with the Christmas Fever! For me it also has to do with the fact that soon I will be leaving for 18 months, and I'm leaving my family and friends and all the conveniences of home behind!
Thanksgiving was a great day! (Last year I was in charge of rolls at Golden Corral, so anything tops that) We spent the day at my Grandparents house, and with family! We all had a question that we had to answer about our lives and why it makes us grateful, it was good to hear that everyone has struggles but they get through it and are grateful for them! I know the Lord doesn't give us anything that we cant handle...

I had the privilege to read a letter that Sean wrote to us... I can honestly say that the Army has changed his life and opened his eyes. He told us all of the ways that he has grown, and how he loves all of us so much! A lot of people were crying as I read, and it was really touching! Love him! I am SO grateful that we are so close and that God blessed me with him as my older brother! I'm also grateful that he found Haley, and the amazing sister that she is to me! She is so easy to love!
Of course there is the rest of my family, they are all great in their own ways! Its fun to be around them all the time now, leaving them will be difficult! (but do-able!)
And then there are my friends! I love them! My Best Friend is GETTING MARRIED!!! And although it is really hard for me to know I wont be here for her wedding, I couldn't be happier. I think that because I know I'm leaving I'm helping even more than I normally would! She is including me with everything (even more than her mom I think!) and I love it! She will be such a beautiful bride, and a wonderful wife! Love you Branda!

When I left Russia I was so excited to be leaving, and I never thought that I would be SO grateful for my time there, not only did I change and grow for the better, but I met people that helped me get to where I am today!
The number one person that helped me put my life into perspective is the beautiful Aubrey Whitaker! Its not just that she is kind, loving, happy, pretty, has the greatest eyes EVER, and funny, but she is just a BEAUTIFUL person, inside and out! She brings God into every aspect of her life, and I look up to her so much for that! I can truly say that the best part about going to Russia was meeting her! (And she is hopefully coming to visit in January! I CANT WAIT!!)

The list could go on and on and on... but that is enough for now I think! I am grateful for and Love all of you! Thanks for being a part of my life!
Now this Christmas Fever usually goes on until the beginning of January...we make our New Years Resolutions with such good intentions, but this next year lets REALLY try to show our love and gratitude to all of those around us, and most importantly to our Heavenly Father and His Son for letting us be here and have any of this in the first place!
Merry Christmas!
Love you,
Dena

I can feel you all around me....

2009-10-13T15:03:00.000-07:00

Last week was AMAZING!!!

First I have to name some things in my life that I am SOOO Grateful for(in no particular order):

*My Gospel
*My Family
*My Friends
*Music
*Pride and Prejudice!

Let me tell you why...

Well General Conference always helps to put things into perspective for me! I love hearing from all of the General Authorities and the people God knows we need to hear from! Its refreshing to feel their spirit, even if it is just through a TV screen! So that set a good mood for my week! It was also cool to hear the Elizabeth Smart is going to serve a mission (my mom was sure that I was going to get called to Paris, France as well and we would be companions haha)

So the week went on... Monday we watched the Gordon B. Hinckley movie, which I really liked! A man as amazing as President Hinckley even had his human moments, and it's funny to hear about those!

Then Wednesday came, and the mail lady decided to not deliver our mail until 3:30!!! Can you believe it? It's ok, I didn't get a certain package anyway, nor the next day! Oh well, I thought, next week!

Then came Thursday night! Can I just say that I have the most amazing grandparents in the world? Their foundation, Deseret International, was celebrating its 20th birthday! And they have done such amazing things! Helping people all over the world one at a time!

There is something that Joseph Smith once said that will forever remind me of my grandparents. He said, "a man filled with the love of God, is not content with blessing his family alone, but ranges through the whole world, anxious to bless the whole human race."

If only everyone could be like them...well they had the Celebration on Temple Square in SLC. We got to go and hear all about their progress and meet some amazing people; Elder and Sister Oaks, Jenny Oaks Baker, Elizabeth Smart, Daniel Beck, and many others...

The music that night, there are no words. I wish that I could play the Violin like Jenny Oaks Baker! It was touching! A really enjoyable night! It made me so proud of my family! I don't know what I did to deserve to be placed in such an amazing family! They truly teach me service and love for others! They are such examples to me! And my friends were there to share that with me!

So now its Friday! I'm not feeling to well for some reason, so I went downstairs and turned on my FAVORITE movie, Pride and Prejudice! (the long one with Colin Firth) And while I am down there just enjoying this great film, my mom screams down the stairs! I run upstairs....and guess what? That certain package arrived! I felt it was so fitting that it arrived while I was doing my favorite thing!

After waiting for all of those people to come over and be there with me while I opened it...The time finally came:

Dear Sister Reay:
You are hereby called to serve as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. You are assigned to labor in the Dominican Republic Santo Domingo East Mission. It is anticipated that you will serve for a period of 18 months.
You should report to the Provo Missionary Training Center on Wednesday, January 27, 2010. You will prepare to preach the gospel in the Spanish Language.....

YAY!

Then to round it off, on Saturday I went horseback riding with my friends up Hobble Creek canyon! It was gorgeous! We had such a good time! Thanks to Holly!

I couldn't be happier! This time in my life seems to be the best time! And I am just so grateful that I have people all around me that are such good examples and are so supportive! All of my family, friends near and far, and my Heavenly Father who is always with me and helped me know that this is what I need to be doing right now in my life!

I love you all!

Dena

kids are SO inspiring....

2009-10-02T16:02:00.000-07:00

Kamyanets-Podilsky, Hotin Castle, and the Mountain Caves!

2009-09-11T09:29:00.000-07:00

So Ukraine, never ceased to amaze me! There are so many beautiful places there... One of our weekends we took a train over to Kamyanets-Podilsky! It is a Castle City! It is just a really small, quaint town that is old, but majestic! The part that I liked best about it, is that it is all built on hilltops, so you have to cross bridges all the time, and there are beautiful cliffs with waterfalls and vines hanging! Its gorgeous! It was definitely a fun couple days..

This is us in front of the towns Cathedral... It was on the top of a hill, and was surrounded by an awesome park.

The houses were so cute, and of course they were colorful. I think if I had to pick one word to describe my trip it would have been colorful (or lack thereof... haha)

Some more pictures of the buildings in the city!

On the way to the Castle Branda stepped on a nail and it went right through her shoe! Unfortunately it was a really old, rusty nail, so I had to whip out my sewing kit and go Nurse on her foot! I ended up getting all of the metal out! I think that I deserve the friend award of the year for sure!

Another Cathedral (I cant count how many I have seen this year!) This one is older and really close to the Castle!

Haha...what do you think this is? You guessed it! Another Cathedral! This one was on the hilltop next to the Kamyanets Castle! It reminds me of a Fairytale Castle!

Here it is...The Kamyanets-Podilsky Castle!

Just Chillin against the Castle Wall...

A view out of one of the cool windows

Here I am inside the Castle Fortress just practicing my archery skills! I'm no Green Arrow, but I did make a pretty good shot! Dad would be proud! (i think)

The hill next to the castle, I assume that is where most of the people live because it is the hill with the most houses on it!

We had a driver take us about 45 minutes away from the Kamyanets Castle to another Castle and some caves that were discovered in a hill there! Here is us at the entrance to the caves! We felt like we were the Goonies!!!

Inside the caves...Yeah Branda thought that she was Golem/Smeegle the whole time! It was actually quite entertaining!

Here were are creeping around some rocks! Good thing Golem is showing us the way...

This is te road to the other Castle, the Hotin Castle... I don't exactly know what these things are but they had these dugout type things all around the castle...Maybe it was where people hid if the Castle was under attack. (that sounds fun right?)

The Hotin Castle.. It is right on a river bank...The river surrounds it at the bottom making a mote! It was really quite beautiful!

Here we are on the bridge before entering the Hotin Castle, just enjoying the moment! I still can't believe that I did all of this stuff!

We had so much fun, that by the end we were jumping for joy!

Overall we LOVED Kamyanets-Podilsky and all the Magical things we got to see and be apart of! This world has so many beautiful things to offer! I am so glad that I have had the opportunity to see so many of its wonders!

I love you all!

Dena

Parts of the Beautiful Kiev....

2009-09-11T08:49:00.001-07:00

Really quick, It has been 8 years since the attacks of September 11th. I can hardly believe it, but I pray for those families at this hard time, this isn't exactly a happy anniversary for them! I will never forget that fateful day!

Kiev, Ukraine! I never thought that I would go there, and I never thought that I would love it so much! I don't really know what I was expecting, but it definitely wasn't this.....it is completely green, cobblestone roads, people that smile, and HOT, HUMID weather! We lived in a town called Boyarka, it was 45 minutes outside of the city! I was glad, because we didn't have as many opportunities to spend our money, and the air was a lot cleaner. And every time that we went into the city, we got to drive by the new TEMPLE! I am so excited for the members in Ukraine, their closest temple is Germany! Not for long...

This is one of the main streets downtown in the City! It was so fun to just walk around and look at the buildings! I didn't take as many pictures though, because by this time I was pictured-out.

This is on Souvenir street! We had so much fun there, it is this really long winding road that is down a hill. The people were all really nice there, but I didn't get anything really because they had all the same stuff as Russia, but worse quality for a bigger price.... dumb

This beautiful Cathedral was right on Souvenir street! I love all the colors that they use!

On the 4th of July, the American Chamber of Commerce held a party! So we went and there was supposed to be American food, and people speaking English, yeah well there really wasn't, but its ok because the fireworks at the end were good enough for me! Missing Holidays is one of the hardest parts about being away from Home! SO we were glad that they had something for us Americans in Ukraine!

Just another cool building, a little less colorful than St Pete's but still beautiful!

A communist building! They have these all over in Russia too, especially Moscow, Staling had them all built!

This is taken at the Kiev-Pachersk Lavra! It is a Beautiful Orthodox Christian Monastery there! It has underground caves where they still keep the bodies of Reverends. It was really interesting to wander in the caverns with a candle and your head covered and seeing these bodies, a lot of them with the hand sticking out so you could see that part of the corpse. Kindof gross, but...interesting!

This was us with our Candles and Scarves on our heads before we headed into the caves! You have to wear dresses there too...it was cool!

More at the Lavra...

There is a belltower there that has amazing acoustics, so we went in there and started singing Hymns! It sounded so beautiful and was such a spiritual experience, we brought our coordinator to tears!

This is on Kreschatik, the main street in Kiev. These people were from Nike, and they were always there break dancing. It was so entertaining to watch! They always had a huge crowd.

Walking down Kreschatik at night....Life's Good!

I think that this is Victory Square? Maybe, but It was fun to see everything lit up at night! This was one of the best nights that we had in Ukraine! We got Henna (haha) and were invited to Turkey on an all expense paid vacation! Then we had brownie mix and watched John Tucker Must Die, what can compete with that?

Plus we got to see this HUGE Harry Potter Poster! We couldn't wait to come home and see it!

2 Best Friends under the Friendship Arch! Its on top of a hill that looks out over the city and the Dnieper River. Amazing! There was a dance going on right under it as well....haha

We ate soup like every day! I wouldn't mind never eating it again! And a lot of the time it had nasty things in it! So just letting you guys all see what it was like! (I definitely don't miss the food!)

We went to the Ballet again! This time we saw Cinderella! It was really good, but not as good as the Russian Ballet! Sorry Ukrainians!

Branda, Holly and I inside the Opera House!

I loved my life in Boyarka! I would go back any time! There were a few hard days! But never dull moments! Living with 9 other girls, and getting along with every single one was such a blessing! There were never fights, or disagreements! It was perfect and I made bonds with all of them that will last a lifetime!

Love you all,

Dena

The Crimea!

2009-09-09T07:59:00.001-07:00

So I decided that it was time I started updating everyone on my adventures this year!

Well I did eventually part from my life in Russia, which was very hard! I was so attached to my kids there and it was hard to leave them! At least I know that I will see them again someday whether it be in this life or the next! But I think of them often! AND there was my Russian family and the girls that had become like sisters to me.....ah BUT I did survive!

Holly, Branda, and I set out! We had a fun day in Moscow (It was HOT and SUNNY!!!) followed by 4 days of misery! At the Russia/Ukraine border we were kicked off of the train! Can you believe it? Branda actually had to jump off when the train was moving! There were some problems with her Visa and the only reason we made it out ok was because God sent us some Angels when we were so lost and didn't have any idea what to do, so anyway long story short, we spent 4 days on trains or at train stations and Branda went back to St Petersburg and Holly and I went on to Ukraine, which would be our new home for the next 7 weeks! We left from Kiev and on to Sevastopol (which is on the Black Sea).

We had such a blast! We were on the Black Sea! We just walked around and enjoyed meeting new people, beaches, countryside, caves, mountains, cliffs, Monatery's, Mosque's, and rich history! I will never forget it!

Ukraine has some beautiful countryside! Holly and I missed our stop on the train! (hehe we fell asleep because we were exhausted!) So we had to walk back one stop through these gorgeous fields, on our way to Bakhchisarai!

Khans Palace, Bakchisarai, Crimea, Ukraine! GORGEOUS! This is an old Mosque!

The Crimea used to be part of Turkey, so there are still a lot of Turkish towns there...They sold Baclava everwhere....I told Sean about this and he told me that I had to try it in memory of him! It was really tasty, but very different from the Baclava that I am used to!

This is a Monastery that is built into the side of a mountain! It is a pretty hike up there, and hundreds of people do it daily, just to get holy water! Farther up this canyon there were caves!

This is at the entrance to a mountain full of caves! It is absolutely Beautiful, we had fun just walking around, soaking up the sun, and singing like we were in the Opera - echo's can make you sound pretty good! haha

This is the harbor in Yalta! It is such an amazing city! It has many beauties!

We rode a Gondola car up this really steep cliff on Mt. Ai Petri. On the top there was a turkish town where you could shop around and ride camels and what not....the view from the top was breath-taking! We were in the clouds, LOVE IT! The pictures dont do it justice!

On the way down Mt. Ai Petri, we stopped at a waterfall! I mean seriously, this little peninsula has everything! It was so fun! Holly, Sarah (a girl that met up with us that will teach in Kiev also), and Me!

This is the view from the porch of the Massandra Palace, which is the Mansion that the Yalta Conference was held at! Yeah I was in the same room that Roosevelt, Churchill and Stalin had meetings about world peace! It was great!

This is the boardwalk in Yalta! We walked down it often, and got really delicious ice cream and pizza! It was so relaxing after all of our stress from traveling to get here!

Look what I found when we went shopping! I should have bought it! haha

This is a terrible picture! But this is Bora and Giga! They are the people that we stayed with in Sevastopol! They were really nice! Bora picked us up from the bus stop and payed for us to get to his house, then they took us out to dinner that night! There are such nice people all over the world! I will never forget any of them!

Well, I suggest everyone book their tickets for the Crimea! It is amazing! This isn't even close to half of the pictures we took of amazing places! I hope you all get the chance to go someday!

Love you all, Dena

HOME AT LAST!!!

2009-08-02T16:20:00.001-07:00

I am home!

It took a long time to get here!

(almost 3 days!)

But I made it.

and I love it.

Family is the greatest!

When I got to the airport there they all were wearing shirts that had the letters of my name on them and wearing zebra print clothing! It was the best!

Then we went to Costa Vida! It was heavenly!

I love the United States! We know how to do everything right here! haha

well i will be posting about my recent travels soon, now that I have more time!

Thanks for all of the support while I was gone! I love all you guys!

Dena

Anyone know her.....

2009-05-31T14:22:00.000-07:00

LAURA LEE JACKSON REAY

She is the greatest person in the world and my best friend!

She was born on June 1, 1958

Today she is turning 51!!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!!!

I wish that I could be there to spend the day with you.

If I were home, I would:

Make you breakfast in bed,

give you a birthday card,

take you to the movies,

go shopping to Costco with you,

go to lunch at Costa :),

sing out loud in the car to David Archuleta,

talk with you about whatever for all the time in between,

and to end the night we would go in your room and watch the LONG version of Pride and Prejudice, while quoting the whole thing!

Sounds like the best day ever to me! Not only would it be because those are all of my favorite things to do as well as yours (i think) but because I would be with you!

I have missed you more than you can know!

Can't wait to see you in July!

Hope you have an amazing day, love you so much!

Dena

AAAAHHHHHHHHHH................

2009-05-16T10:59:00.000-07:00

If I had one more day on earth I know where I would spend it....

PETERHOF PALACE!!!

So this place is absolutely gorgeous! I'll let you in on a few facts:
*After the victory over the Swedes in 1709, Peter the Great decided to build a palace "befitting to the very highest of monarchs"
*Later, a visit to Versailles furthered his ambitions with the Palace.
*It took 9 years for 5,000 people to finish Peterhof
*There are 144 fountains
*They are run by gravity (there is a lake above the level of the palace, that the water comes from)
*8,000 gallons of water are pumped per second through the fountains! (I still can't believe that!)
*In the "Peter" days, all guests would arrive by boat, they would ride a Gondala up the main channel to the palace.
*For each building in Peterhof, there is a Cascade of Fountains! Its amazing.....
*Oh and this is the "Palace by the Sea" that Anastasia was born at, and her brother, Alexis, was actually baptized in the Cathedral that you will see...

Ah I'll just let you see the pictures, just know that they don't do it justice, It honestly is so amazingly beautiful there!

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Oh my gosh, I love it there, the day started out, sorta cloudy, with a light breeze, but as it went on it just got more and more blue and beautiful! I am really going to miss St. Petersburg! There is so much to do and see here, I am definitely going to want to come back someday! I can't believe that I am only going to be here for 8 more days! A chapter of my life is ending, but a new one beginning! Ah...Love you all!

Dena

p.s. Mom did you see how long my hair is? It has grown 5 inches since I've been here!

Summer Plans!

2009-05-11T05:30:00.001-07:00

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!

SPECTACLE!!!!

2009-04-16T11:33:00.000-07:00

So at the end of the semester our classes put on skits to show off their "English skills" to their parents! I can't wait for the end of the semester! Our kids are going to be so cute! And we finally figured out what we are going to be doing!

INTRODUCING:

the amazing vocal stylings of the St. Petersburg Primary class!

32 children will be performing.....wait for it....

They are going to be soooo cute! We are dressing them all up, and they are making things in arts and crafts to put up for decorations. we will each have them say a line about what they are dressed up as and then we will sing...

Part of "Under the Sea", "Baby Shark", "Let Me See Your Fishy Face", "Five Little Ducks", and "Five Little Speckled Frogs". We will also be doing "Princess Pat" Because that is their favorite!

I can't wait to see how well they actually do it because, as of right now, they dont really know the songs! ha the parents dont really want to hear us singing it i think...but oh well!

I might be even more excited for our Level One class though.... They are gonna be awesome, and its even better because they are coming out with a movie of it....the kids are excited! They all get to be monsters! hahah

Well except Gleb...he is gonna be Max! and I think he will do great! We have tamed him!

I wish you would all be here to see our kids in Action! They are all amazing and I am gonna miss them so much when we leave! It will definitely be hard. I will video it and take pictures and let you guys know how it goes...but its not until the 21st of May! So no rush! Love you all!

Dena

Elder Richard G. Scott said....

2009-04-09T04:32:00.000-07:00

"Keeping the covenants is not hard when you do it willingly with a 'broken heart and a contrite spirit.' When obeyed, those covenants bring happiness and joy. They give purpose to life. Difficulty comes when agency is used to make choices that are inconsistent with those covenants. Study the things you do in your discretionary time, that time yore free to control. Do you find that it is centered in those things that are of hightest priority and of greatest importance? Or do you unconsciously, consistently fill it with trivia and activities that are not of enduring value nor help you accomplish the purpose for which you came to earth? Think of the long view of life, not just what's going to happen today or tomorrow. Don't give up what you most want in life for something you think you want now."

I love this quote and it has definitely inspired me while I have been in Russia! I have been so involved in the church here, I never thought that I would be, mostly because of the language barrier. But the missionaries here are amazing. They have provided so much opportunity for us to be involved! It has helped us to stay happy! We have FHE, institute, church in English!!!, and play floor hockey with the missionaries and the members 2 times a week! We either are at the school teaching or at the church when we aren't home or sightseeing! I love being a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints! Every happiness I have is from being a member!

My experiences here have helped me decide for sure that I am going on a Mission! I will put my papers in this August. I am looking at the long view, instead of what I think I want now! I know that a mission will benefit my life! I can't wait! I know this Gospel is true, live it, love it, and you will be the happiest person in the world!

Love you all!
Dena

A Russian Birthday Party!

2009-03-30T07:37:00.000-07:00

As you know it was Valera's 5th birthday party not long ago....well let me fill you in on how a Russian Birthday Party works....

Apparently the party isn't for the kid, it's for the Parents! haha Tanya and Igor had all of their friends over. It was fun to meet a lot of new people! But I think that Russia only has about 10 names in their "Book of Babies Names" because the only people that I have met are named:
Tatiana (Tanya)
Igor (George)
Sergei (Serosha)
Sveta
Sasha (Alexander)
Dima (Dimitri)
Anna (Anya, Anastasia)
Vlad (Vladik, Vladimir)
or pretty much anything that ends with "asha"
I think that they need to change it up...how about you?

Anyway...So we ate! That is what they do at birthday parties here....they just eat and eat all day! They don't even sing! It was so weird. They just sat IN MY ROOM!!! on MY bed! and we all ate, they moved a table in there, and we ate. Well I guess I should say they ate! I only had 2 things: Fruit salad, and this chicken salad, that tasted like Tuna with Chicken...anyway! Same with Branda (she was there with me) Everything else had fish in it! It was so gross! They have this thing in Russia call Holladiets (sp?) and it is like a meat jello, well they had a fish one, with 2 whole fish in it, skin, eyes and all! BARF! I just kindly passed! haha
But then when I thought all the eating was over, they brought out ice cream, we had some and then they were like "do you want to go on a walk?" Uh I think not, it was FREEZING outside! Hardly weather for a nice walk! So we stayed home and they all went for a walk and then came back to do what???? Uh eat again! haha
It was definitely an experience! I enjoyed it! And I was so grateful Branda shared it with me! She is the best friend ever and I don't think that I would survive Russia without her!
Love you all!
Dena

My Host Family!

2009-03-30T07:15:00.000-07:00

I realized that I haven't really posted any pictures of my Host Family, so I figured I would add some pics!

This is Igor (my host dad) and Sasha. They are the ones that are going to come stay with me this August! I can't wait! They are so much fun!

This is Tanya! She is such a Beauty Queen! I love her, I think it's because she reminds me so much of my mom! It helps when I'm feeling homesick!

and this is Valera! He just had his 5th birthday! He is such a doll! He likes to bite and spit a lot, but you forget all of that when you see his beautiful blue eyes!

Love you all!

Dena

Trakai Castle

2009-03-29T01:22:00.003-07:00

Ok I think that the reason I loved Lithuania so much, was because of our side trip to Trakai Castle! It was absolutely beautiful even though everything was frozen! The city of Trakai is the ancient capital of Lithuania, and is situated west of Vilnius between, hills, forests, and lakes. It was built in the 14th century and is known as the "Island Castle". I loved it, when you stood on the towers, all you could see around were the hills and the lake on all sides! Very picturesque!

Me, on the bridge to the Castle.

The almost hauled us to be hanged for our "Witch-craft" Don't worry though, we got off the hook by showing them some ancient Witch Dances!

They weren't really satisfied though, so we ran for our lives. They put the gates down right before we could get out, but our climbing skills were above them, we made it! jk :)

Inside the tower, on the winding stair case! Don't you just love the looks of the old walls?

Branda and I hanging out by one of the windows in the housing chambers!

We had to pose again on our way back, it was hard to leave, we all loved it so much!

I am experiencing and seeing so much here. I have now been many places that I never thought I would go and now have a place for all of them in my heart! Love you all!

Dena

Lithuania

2009-03-29T01:22:00.001-07:00

Ok...so I am trying to catch you guys up...in March we took a trip to Lithuania and Latvia...Two countries that I never thought I would see... But it was so much fun! As much as I love Russia, it was kindof nice to leave it. A lot more people speak English and there are absolutely better looking guys! haha, we started out in Vilnius, Lithuania! It was my favorite place because we happened to be there during their Kaziukas Fair. It is their biggest Festival of the year. It has been in existence for over 400 years, and the craftsmen from all over the country come and present their work to visitors. It embraces the area of the Old Town.. which is beautiful. So we probably saw every single Lithuanian while we were there and we definitely saw all of the Culture! It was a blast! There were so many people! But it was fun to be in the hustle and bustle!

Lithuania is the oldest of all the Baltic countries, the history includes a lot of drama and war. It was independent twice. This is the "Castle" that sits on a high hill overlooking the whole city, it has been there almost as long as the city itself, which was established in the 13th century!

Who knows why these were in a random park, but of course we posed...don't mind my puffy "monster" coat! It is huge, but definitely kept me warm!

Told you there were a lot of people. This is just one of the streets! There were probably 7 others that looked the same! It was so much fun! (especially since we all carried our luggage around the whole day!)

The cathedrals are always so beautiful everwhere you go! I love red brick!

More of the festival...they were selling the weirdest things, the most popular being flower arrangements that weren't even flowers at all, just twigs and weeds, wound to look like flowers!

This is the main square "Cathedral Square" You can see the old "Castle" right above it, its just overlooking it..it was beautful, I liked the change because until now we have only been to Russian Orthodox churches, so it was nice!

Another red brick, Cathedral!

This is all of us, exhausted on the nicest bus I have ever been on! The seats were leather and it was spacious. We had a 4 hour bus ride to Riga, Latvia. The Bus even had a Coffee machine that amazingly had a Hot Chocolate Button as well! I think that we each had about 6 little cups, burnt our tongues, and got tummy aches! haha but it was worth it! We got to Riga really late and found our Hostel (which by the way, they were both so nice in both of the countries!) I wont post about Riga probably, but it was gorgeous just like Vilnius, narrow, winding, cobble stone streets. Really nice people, and beautiful buildings to see! Love you all!

Dena

Moscow

2009-03-29T01:07:00.001-07:00

Hi everyone! So I have been really bad lately with Blog posting! haha back in February my group took a trip to Moscow, it was definitely the coldest that I have ever been in my life, but also amazing to be in a place that you only dream of going to...Red Square was fantastic!

Branda and I on Red Square, in front of the clock tower of the Kremlin. :)

LOVE THIS CATHEDRAL!!! Who wouldn't, it just looks like it belongs in Candy Land or something! I definitely think everyone needs to go in their life time!

This was my favorite building...it is on Red Square opposite St. Basil's...the picture doesn't do it justice, but the architecture is phenominal!!! I wanna move in...

Right outside this wall of the Kremlin, they have an eternal flame, and this is where the changing of the guard takes place, which is definitely cool to see, the Russian soldiers can really high kick, they are all more flexible than me, thats for sure!

Well I loved Moscow, there were so many more things that we saw and did, including: Church in English!, more Cathedrals, a Monastery, and Best of all a Blini festival, we danced with Russians and were in the midst of the first happy people we have met! We definitely had the time of our lives! Love you all!

Dena

The Russian Ballet

2009-03-29T00:36:00.001-07:00

Everyone should go to the Russian Ballet in their lifetime if they can! It is amazing! I definitely am going to try to go again while I am here! We got to see the wonderful production of "Swan Lake" by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. Everything about it was spectacular! Tchaikovsky took a trip to Germany to see King Ludwig, who was the King at Neuschwanstein Castle (the one that they created the Sleeping Beauty Castle after...and I will see it in June! yay) So King Ludwig is nicknamed "The Swan King" because he loves Swans. I guess there are carvings of Swans on the Castle and there is a Lake right by the Castle that is called Swan Lake because he filled it with Swans...Tchaikovsky was inspired and when he came home to Russia he wrote the music to "Swan Lake"! awesome how all of these things tie together! I love being apart of history! (It's kindof awesome because Tchaikovsky also wrote the Ballet for "Sleeping Beauty")

We had FHE with the missionaries before we were off to the Ballet and it was quite an experience because we had to run to the Ballet because we got lost! Here we were, all dressed up with high heels on running through the Metro.. up and down escalators in rush hour. We were definitely very hated by the russians because running in the Metro is just something you dont do...but at least we made it to the Ballet right?

The Finale....She was so graceful, they were amazing, it makes me wish I were a Ballerina, but I know that would NEVER happen! hehe

This is the Swan Princess' impersonator...Of course you weren't supposed to like her, but man could she dance! I kept looking for the strings attached to her, but I don't think there were any!

forgive my appearance. I had just run through the undergrounds and I was super sweaty! The theatre was beautiful though.

On our way...this was before we realized that we were going to be late! (Aubrey's hat I'm wearing she bought at a second hand store here....we all wore it at defferent points in the night.)

Sarah was not to happy that we had to run...not long after she took off her coat and everything! It was sooooo hot down there, no wonder the Russian have bad BO!

So funny story, we finally made it to the right Metro stop but were completely turned around and didn't know where to go. None of us has good Russian at this point so we didn't know how to ask where to go...so Rachel just decides she is going to point on a map and ask someone. We were like "ask a mom or a grandma" but she goes up to this guy! hehe and luckily he was super nice and really willing to help. We got it through to him that we had to be to the Ballet in 7 minutes...so he started running with us! and he ran all the way to the theatre with us! How sweet huh? So we had to hurry and snap a photo, being the Americans that we are! haha

Everyone should go to the Ballet! Love you all!

Dena

See You Summer....

2009-03-19T10:02:00.000-07:00

Hi. So I just had to tell you all about my Host family...

Recently I got a package from the fam with all kinds of goodies in it... Mom made an apron for Tanya (my host mom), got some books about Utah for Igor (my host dad), and a bunch of little trinkets for the boys.. They LOVED it by the way! Anything that is from America is pretty much just amazing to them. Valera was blowing bubbles all night, and Sasha thinks that he has the game of Jacks down (although he is totally doing it all wrong, but you can't tell a 6-year-old they're wrong...) But the funniest thing was Igor. He is the best.
So, Tanya works 2 jobs and is usually not home until around 11 every night. So Igor cooks the Dinner every night and does the dishes and most of the Laundry. :) He is Superman. So as soon as I got the Apron out, he put it on and was wearing it all night. It was cracking me up!
Then I got the books out about Utah, and he was even more exited. Then they started seriously talking about coming to Utah, because our giving them the books was like an invitation. They were having a serious conversation about it, and they finally turned to me and said, "Do we have to give you an answer tonight?" haha it made me laugh, but I said, "of course not."
Then I came to find out a couple days later that they have seriously decided that they are coming to Utah this Summer! Just Igor and Sasha. But I don't know if they are coming because of me and the books, or if they had thought of it previously....but just a heads up folks, we'll have some Russians visiting us for a couple weeks this summer!
They were thinking of coming in July, but then I told them that I wouldn't be home. So Igor is now trying to talk with his boss about changing his vacation time to August. They really must love me!! :) it makes me happy!! I know that I will really miss them when I leave. But it wont be too bad because they will be visiting pretty soon after! I can't wait to show them everything about Utah!
Every morning when I leave or Igor leaves, he always says, "See you evening!" and the other night I had a dream that I was going home and he said, "See you Summer!" So I just wanted to let you all know of my little family experience!! I love it, and I love you all!
Dena

Church on Spilled Blood

2009-03-12T00:52:00.001-07:00

Hello everyone!

I've been so busy lately, but wanted to update you a little on something that we FINALLY did! We went to the Church on Spilled Blood, which is the first thing you think of when you think of St. Petersburg. It was beautiful, definitely my favorite Cathedral we have been in so far. It was on a dreary day, but it was still gorgeous. The inside was the best though. It was full of rich colors and beautiful pictures. The best part is that everything you see is a mosaic. It is amazing! The floor is all marble as well. I just loved it!

This is our famous building! It is not as colorful as the one in Moscow, but I think it's more beautiful because it doesn't look as fake. Its all brick, and right on a river!

Again, the ceilings and chandaleirs are amazing, all MOSAIC! (well not the chandaleirs)

This is a little model of the church that someone made and donated, its amazing!

The floor is almost the best part! They have kept it in such awesome condition.

I just can't get over the fact that all of this is mosaic, even inside the double pained windows is a mosaic, they didn't overlook any part of this building!

I love you all, sorry this isn't much, but I'm running out of time yet again, I will post again as soon as I can!

Dena

Oh Russia.....

2009-03-04T11:24:00.000-08:00

So I know that I haven't been really good with posting lately, I promise this isn't my fault.
If I could I would spend all day uploading all of the pictures I take so that my dearest mother would know everything that is going on with me....
But apparently Russia isn't having this.
We went to Moscow a couple weekends ago, right after my last post, and when we got home, the internet just decided that it didn't want to work for about 6 days. (My poor mother, she was so worried...) Someone said its because the Government turns it off? Who knows? Then I finally got on and I can't upload pictures for some reason, but trust me, I will find a way.
Another "Oh Russia" experience that I had this week: I was going to get a drink (through the filter of course) and It wouldn't turn on. Then I just turned the regular water on, and it was brown. EWW! I guess it was too dirty to go through the filter, hopefully I don't get some disease.
My final "Oh Russia" experience ended today when I finally was able to take a shower! I haven't for 4 days (and most of you know that I am a shower every single day kinda girl) because, apparently in Russia the government controls the heat. They decided to turn ours off in my apartment building. Don't ask me why, but I have been washing my face in ICE COLD water, because that is the only water that we can get. Just cupping the water in my hands made me feel like I was going to have to amputate my fingers!
We don't have heat either, so the other morning I walked into the kitchen and my host mom had the oven on with the door open, she was trying to heat the flat that way! haha I love the Russians! They make my day and DEFINITELY make me thankful that I live in the USA with clean, hot water and internet that is run through companies and not the government!
We leave for Latvia and Lithuania tomorrow, so I will have some definite catching up to do when i get home! I will figure out a way to upload pictures and keep you guys updated on the adventures of Dena in Russia!! Love you all!
Dena

Narnia..I mean Pavlovsk Palace

2009-02-15T07:50:00.000-08:00

Ok...so after a pretty horrid week, we definitely needed some fun in our lives...I think Sveta knew that Pavlovsk was the place!! I am currently reading all of 'The Chronicles of Narnia' Books. I LOVE them!! So this reminded me of Narnia to the 'T'! It was about a 45 minute train ride outside of the City.

The train was a fun experience...and it was snowing just in the morning. The snowflakes were beautiful, just like the snowflake that the Who's live in. hehe We take for granted so often the beauty all around us, It's insane how God thought of every little thing and did it in only 7 days. In church we learned about the creation, and how we can be closer to Christ when we are in Nature and think about all that he has done for us...so sorry that is my spiritual rant.... Pavlovsk is an Estate that was created by a Czar. Its gorgeous..

This isn't a very good picture but this is the front.. There is a statue and a huge sqare. It is all rounded and yellow! I loved it! They even had horse drawn sleighs going up to the door.

I would've posted pictures of the inside and told you all about Paul the first and his wife that lived there...but the grounds were my favorite part! There were bridges everywhere and half frozen rivers. The fact that it had snowed all night and day before, made it magical.

This is the Pavillion of friendship, and I'm standing by it with my BFFF! hehe It was so pretty, and I think that I loved it even more just because it looks like the pavillion from Pride and Prejudice! and that is my favorite part of the movie.

When I grow up, I'm gonna be a photographer..hehe

We owned that bridge!

The pavillion by itself, LOVE IT!!!

This is what all of the pathways looked like that we walked on to get to the Palace. it was so cool because it seemed like it was snowing because the snow was falling from the trees. I love when the snow sticks to them like that!

These benches don't get a lot of use in the winter, so we figured we'd be the first ones to sit on it! I definitely wouldn't be opposed to someone proposing to me here, it is very romantic!

This was us trying to get up the hill to the palace. Underneath the snow was pure ice, so it was very, very slippery. You'll find out that I fell in the end. Love you guys, I'll post when I get back from Moscow!

St. Isaac's Cathedral

2009-02-15T07:48:00.001-08:00

So a LONG while ago, we went to St. Isaac's Cathedral. It was beautiful inside of course. (Church on Spilled Blood is still my favorite though) It is built by the River and they say that the ground is so soft that they never thought that it would last because it is made with some pretty heavy material. But they made a good foundation and it has been standing for 150 years. It is the largest Cathedral in St. Petersburg! St. Isaacs Cathedral to Russians, is like the Salt Lake Temple to us. They worked on it for 40 years and people died working on it, and others spent their whole lives finishing it. Take a look...

Sorry that it is kindof covered... The building in the way is actually the famous Astoria Hotel.

Everything is made of like 14 different types of Granite and Marble. Its beautiful!

The Dome. All the way up there, is a Dove that is hovering in the middle of the Dome. It is actually like 7 feet tall or something. So you can imagine how big this dome is! The acoustics in here are amazing. We happened to be going through it when they were having a service, so we heard the choir singing and it was awesome!

Another group Photo...

This Cathedral was actually designed by a Catholic. Which is weird for a Russian Orthodox Church. So he added this Stained Glass into the Cathedral. It is the only Orthodox Church in Russia with Stained Glass.

Sorry I haven't been to great with updating...I will try harder! Love you all!

Dena

Teaching the Runts!

2009-02-08T01:45:00.000-08:00

So I figured you guys would all want to hear about teaching right? I will update you on my kindergarted kids... (trust me you dont want to hear about Gleb right now) This is our caterpillar that we made out of pipecleaner and googly eyes and egg cartons!! They loved it sooo much! They learned new words like putting the pipe cleaner THROUGH the hole and stuff like that! They are so cute!

These are the girls in my homeroom class! They are the sweetest!! And they love me, even though i'm super strict! haha (our classroom is so tiny)

This day thy were indians!! They were so excited! The boy in the front with the orange shirt is Valera, he is my host brother! I love him, he has the most beautiful eyes and eyelashes (when he isn't squinting.)

This is Sarah's homeroom class! They are my last rotation of the day, so usually I am so sick of teaching the same thing over and over by then, so we just have fun!

These (Ulia, Artiom, and Bogdon) are the worst kids in the whole Kindergarten, but somehow they are my favorite!! They all love eachother too...they kiss all the time and everything, I don't know what they are thinking, but I guess I dont understand what any of them are thinking!

This is Alina and Veronica, they are in my homeroom, and they are both 3! They are the youngest in our Primary, and its hard to get them to talk, but I try!

Here are my other 3 girls, Liza, Anya, and Nastia...They are 5 & 6 and they are little know it alls! They speak pretty well (they get all the best prizes during store, because they have all the tokens!) We have so much fun together!

This is Masha, she is in Branda's class, and she's 3 also. Today we were Princesses! She has these pigtails EVERY day! Sometimes they are more lopsided though...

At first, I didn't know how I was gonna make it through teaching, because I was so overwhelmed with all the kids, and how crazy they were...But now I just love them all, the craziest ones have even become some of my favorites! After you get to know them, and their personalities, almost everything they do just makes you laugh! If anyone ever has an opportunity to teach, do it!

A lot of the kids have been sick lately, like today we only had 12 out of 32 there! So we have been combining lessons and playing games together...we taught them duck-duck-goose. They LOVE it! But I was the last one chosen and then Bogdon decided to grab onto my leg and then all the kids jumped on me and attacked me!! They were just jumping on me and tickling me for a good 5 minutes. No one came to my rescue because they were laughing so hard!

(I promise I'm in there...those are my black legs to the right and I'm wearing the striped shirt you can hardly see) They finally came to my rescue because Ivan (the redhead) had just wet his pants and was sitting on me!! So yeah, it was lovely!! haha but we had a lot of fun! I love it here! Although I do miss everyone, email me so I can know how everyone is doing! Love you all!

The Hermitage? What? Yes, I've been to the 2nd largest Museum in the WORLD!!!

2009-02-08T01:12:00.000-08:00

Priviet!! So today I woke up and when I left the apartment and walked outside, the first thing I noticed was the SUN in the BLUE sky!!! I love love love it!!!! We were off to the Metro to go downtown. The first place Sveta (our tourguide) took us was Victory Square...We learned all about the History of St Petersburg and what happened During WWII. It was really really sad to hear about what the people went through. Then it was called Leningrad, and the population was about 2 million people. When the war ended and the Blockade was no more, there were less than 1 million people left in the city. They had no electricity, no heating, no water, and pretty much no food. Sveta says that that is the reason why the Russians look so unhappy and don't smile very often. (I think its because they don't have God in thier lives....) Anyway I wont bore you with the depressing stories! It was really cool though, they built a memorial and a museum just for the people that died.

AH!!! Look at the sky!

This is one of the statues of that they have made of the people that were in the city during the blockade!

This is the soldier and the worker...they got through the blockade together!

I just had to take this picture!! THE SUN is in it!!! This is one of the streets that is lined with trees leading away from the memorial, this city is beautiful!

We then left the Memorial Museum and took the Metro to the Center of town. This road is Nevsky Prospect and this is the Book Store right across from the metro!! I love it! After this we bought our train tickets for Moscow next week! yay!

This is the Kazan Cathedral and it is Beautiful, its a copy of the Italian and Greek buildings! Its right across from the Library! Wish you could all see it! Are you jealous of me?

Yeah I know! This is the Church of the Resurrection. (The Church of the Savior on the Spilled Blood) I had no idea that I was going to see it! We turned around after buying our train tickets and there it was!! Ah I can't wait till we get to go there for real! This was taken right before we turned down the side street. This place is amazing!

This is my favorite place in Russia so far!! Palace Square. This is the Winter Palace and it is now part of the Hermitage Museum. This is where the Czar's would live with their families during the winter. Yes, Anastasia lived here and they were arrested in this very Palace!! I stood in the same room!! It was so amazing!! Usually it is expensive to go inside, but we get to go in for free because of our University cards!!! yeah baby!

Branda and I, just freakin out that we were actually here! (We keep saying "We're in freakin St. Petersburg, Russia"...we still can't believe it! oh and sorry for the 'freakin' word, dad. hehe)

A video that I took while walking in the courtyard before actually going inside!! I love the colors there, it makes you smile especially when you are used to cold and gray!

OH you know, we had to dance in the Ballroom!! Its tradition!

we just snapped a shot while walking up the Grand Staircase!! :)

The ceilings are AMAZING!!! I think I've said it before, but you really can't say it enough right...I'll probably say it again, because they dont forget any part of a room when it comes to art here in St Petes. (the ceilings win)

This door was Beautiful!! It reminded me of you, Mom! I don't know why, but then I made Holly take a pic of me by it so I could show you!! There was so much detail, you would love it!

This is the room where the Czars just sat on their throwns and watched people dance! hehe and I was there!

Look out St. Pete's the knights are here.... we might decide to charge at any time!

ha, we had to imitate at least one statue! They are all beautiful, but why did this artist decide to sculpt this? Do they just look at their huge block of stone and say "I think I'll draw women all over eachother?" Its soooo weird, but pretty in a way!! We saw sooo much art and some original Davinci pieces, it was a really neat experience! I will definitely be going back because we didn't even touch 1/4 of that place!!

Did you know that if you went to the Hermitage for 8 hours a day, 7 days a week, and looked at each individual piece of art for just 30 seconds....it would take you 8 YEARS to see everything!! ah, now you can imagine how bid it is!!

St. Petersburg is amazing, there is so much to see and do, and everything is beautiful!! I will post again soon!! I love you all! Dasvidanya!

Peter and Paul Fortress

2009-02-04T04:22:00.000-08:00

On a bitter cold Saturday morning in January....

We bundled up and headed out with our tour guide Svieta to the Peter and Paul Fortress. I didn't really know what we were going to see. All I knew was that it was a church on the shore of the Neva River.

As the day went on I learned that a lot of the history of St Pete's begins at the Peter and Paul Fortress. It was one of the very first buildings constructed, and was built by Peter the Great (well not him personally, but you get it...) and it is beautiful. It is a Russian Orthodox church of course, but was designed by and italian architect, so it looks more like a catholic church. The inside is made completely of wood from lime trees, and then that is covered by a layer of gold that is thinner than a strand of hair. Crazy huh? It is so intense when you walk in, I can't believe that it has lasted so long, because it is over 300 years old. It is one of the only buildings that survived the Blockade during WWII.

This was our first look at the Peter and Paul Fortress... You have to go over the little bridge (its on an island) and then it is inside a huge stone wall!! GORGEOUS!!!

This was right before we went inside the walls of the fortress. And right before we took this picture a cannon shot telling us that it was noon. (it scared us all half to death) They have been doing that ever since they built the fortress. Its a Russian tradition.

Inside the walls...

Everything was sooooo colorful!

Narnia? What?

This was my first look inside the church...yes sarah's hands are covering her face, we were all in awe!! It was beautiful

Every ceiling in the old building was more decorated than the walls, amazing!

There were about 10 chandeliers inside...

This was at the front of the chapel...who knows what its for...well i guess a Russian Orthodox would. But it was all gold, and look how well preserved.

The whole gang!

Right behind us is the place where the czar and his family would stand during church services. There are no chairs or pews in Russian Orthodox churches, you only stand.
Peter the Greats Tomb! Ahhh can you believe it? All of the czars of Russia are buried in this church along with their wives and one exception......

THE ROMANOV FAMILY

They have a seperate room dedicated to the Romanov's. It was so touching and special to see this. I had chills!

This is the tomb/memorial of Anastasia!

Yes...we were touched!

Next we went to the St Petes Museum....and I'm runnin out of time so this will be brief, just some pics of the rest of the day...

Dyl...this is how they disco skate in Russia!!!

I ended the day in Jail...it was such a long night! Just kidding, we went through the old prison as well where they kept many terrible people...stalin's brother died here even! WOW

It was such an amazing day!! I love all the history that I am learning! Not as much as I love you all!! I'll post again soon!

Love, Dima Bilan hehe

Gleb....

2009-02-04T03:58:00.000-08:00

I just had to post this video of Gleb..He usually is 2o times worse than this and always looks confused...he cracks me up!

Teaching!

2009-01-30T06:18:00.000-08:00

Sorry it's been a while... I have been so busy with planning lessons, and GLEB! He's one of my students and he's a lot to handle. I teach two classes here, one of them is a kindergarten/primary class that has kids from ages 3-6 and the other is level one and they are 7 and 8... The kindergarten has 30 kids and we have four rotations a day... They are crazy! I didn't know that teaching would be sooooo hard!! I still love it though. Right now I teach shop. We get to build things every day that have different types of vocabulary in them so they learn how to say new words. Its fun, but I have to be creative to try and keep every kids' attention. My homeroom class has 8 kids in it! They are sooo cute, but very loud and kinda mean! (I didn't know kids could punch so hard) I've never been spit on, climbed on, hit, hugged, or smiled at more in my life! Although these kids can be harsh, they show you so much love and you can't help but smile through the chaos...

This is one of the first lessons that I did... We attatched the pom poms to the string and put them through the bottom of the cup. It was hilarious trying to watch 3 year olds try to catch the pom pom in the cup. But they still loved it!

These are all of my pom poms in their cups ready to start class. The shoe box is full of my store items. When the kids spontaneously speak english or repeat after me really well, they get a token. Then at the end of the day we have store. They get a better prize the more tokens they have... you get the concept..

This is one of our classrooms! Our supply closet is just to the left of where I took this picture... But this is also where we teach our level one class! It's so small and soooo Russian!

Ok so for level one...I absolutely hated this class at first because I swore that gleb was going to be the death of me, and we already teach kindergarten every day, so it was A LOT to add another class on. (Now I have 2 classes mondays and wednesdays) But after class on Wednesday this week...I love them!! They were all soo good! They are smart too, especially Gleb. He just has ADHD or something that makes it REALLY hard for him to concentrate. He's supposed to be in the older class but they wouldn't let him because all of the kids parent's in that class complained about him, so the only way that he could continue with English, was if he stayed in the same class...haha But he's alright. We have 3 teachers in there... so we can handle him!

This is Lonya. It was his 8th Birthday on wednesday, so we had a small celebration. He was pretty excited. (although we didn't know it was his birthday, so please excuse his white trash birthday hat that holly pulled together in one minute.)

This is our class hopefully learning something. They had just finished their spelling test. (Thats Branda in the back correcting them...) Yay for us 4 of them got 100%! We are such good teachers!

This is Gleb. This is actually a pretty good face. Usually he just looks really, really confused! haha

This is Nikita. He is holding his picture that he drew of me...haha yeah in Russia they have their own version of american idol and the guy that won last time is named Dima Bilan. All the kids in my class call me Dima Bilan, they think it is SOOOOO funny! So now I just let them, and to get a reaction out of me, Nikita drew me as Dima Bilan. (Yeah he is a terribly ugly Russian that has a Mullet that has blond streaks in it! Plus he can't even sing at all! You tube him.)

This is our class...Don't they look like they are having the time of their lives? (well...except gleb) Ah...I love to teach! (Well, when they are well-behaved! :) And understand you ok...)

I'm out of time, but I will get on soon to tell you all about our AMAZING trip to the Peter Paul Fortress!! It was amazing!! Love you All!

Dena

ST PETERSBURG!!!

2009-01-22T04:58:00.000-08:00

Priviet!!!

So what would a day in the life of Dena Reay be like if there wasn't:

A happy mom

Hearing the song "Imagine"

Someone talking with an accent

Brothers

and...

Someone asking me if i'm Mexican???

Well don't worry, all of this happened within my first 2 hours of being in Russia! I love it here! My host family really makes me feel welcome and they are willing to do anything for me! I have gained two more brothers: Sasha and Valera, who are darling even with their little Russian mullets! They can sorta pull it off! But they are a little out of control, I get bitten and spit at on a regular basis!

So people weren't kidding when they said that Russia is freezing!! But it doesn't seem so bad when you are all bundled up and sweating to death in all your layers! The only problem is how slick it is!! I already fell on my butt this morning! Don't worry only 26 people saw me!

We spent a few hours down town before we were off to church, but didn't see much: We still had fun, but it wasn't even cold at all! Perfect day, but for sure now I know why everyone thinks Russians are so mean and why they never smile!! Its because it is soooo dreary there and grey!! Its pretty hard to make yourself smile!

We take the metro to get anywhere and that is the nicest place in St. Petersburg pretty much! It is really nice down there, actually at one of the stops the walls are made of gold (I doubt its real, but it looks soooo cool!) The Metro is really quiet to so taking any pictures is sorta out of character down there but whatever we did it anyway!! We took some pictures on the platform and one with the Russian guards! ha, from the side, they would die if they knew what we were doing, they are the angriest looking of all the Russians! But actually taking pictures on the trains is pretty much forbidden so sarah and I had to be pretty discreet in taking our close up! ha!

About the food...it pretty much sucks!! I had to pretend I was sick for a couple days to get out of eating what my host family tried to feed me!!! They LOVE fish and the fish here is just plain gross! The worst thing I had was apparently supposed to be a salad and it was made up of shredded beets, potatoes, and carrots with a mayonnaise dressing oh yeah and salted fish in it!! It was all layered and tasted just disgusting!! She tried to feed it to me for 3 meals!! Breakfast included!!! EWWWWWW McDonalds and this Pizza place have been the BEST!!!! They actually have drinks so its good!!! I think that I have been dehydrated since I got here!!!!!! Well I have to go plan my lessons!! I will post soon about my students and school! Love you all and hope all is well, thanks for the support and love!!!

p.s. That isn't really my house!!! I promise!!! I live on the 4th floor in an apartment building!! It was just a funny picture and a joke!!! That ugly thing was just out in the river by our university where we take classes!! haha sorry if I worried anyone!

RUSSIA!!!

2009-01-20T01:20:00.001-08:00

This is my home!

Cruisin' for Christmas!

2008-12-25T21:08:00.000-08:00

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

So I know that Blogging and I aren't really fitting together... But I promise I will get better!

This year our Christmas vacation was spent Cruisin' the Mexican Riviera on the Carnival Spirit! Mom and Dad wanted to have a big family vacation before everyone's lives get to crazy. I'm leaving soon, then Weston will leave on his mission next fall (Me too!!! maybe) and then when he gets home Dylan will leave! It was sortof our last chance to all be together...

We had such a good time and spent 8 days being pampered in 80 - 90 degree weather, and missing all the blizzards that were going on back home! Found out that we want to find a Karaoke place near home, we're pretty good at entertainment quizzes (we did win 5 trophies!!), my mom apparently loved the slinky commercial in the 60's and Sean and Dylan can do a mean chicken dance!

We went to Acapulco, Zihuatenejo (Ixtapa), and Manzenillo! Mexico is a very pretty place! (We definitely recommend Ixtapa, it's gorgeous!) Every place is different in it's own way and it was really fun to wake up each day in a new place! The people we met were really nice and it will definitely be a trip we will never forget!

I love my family and was so glad to have the opportunity to spend some quality time with them before I leave for 7 months!! If you haven't been on a cruise....go!

All My Reasons.....

2008-10-27T22:37:00.000-07:00

Reasons I'm Frowning...

1.) I miss Branda...(why is Disneyland cooler than ME?)

2.) I miss Estee....(I have no one there to think I am judging them all the time...)

3.) According to my dad I smell like chicken noodle soup and BO, and thats ALL THE TIME!!!

Its all because of my LAME work....

4.) Its almost November....that means I'm gonna be OLD!!!!

Reasons I'm Smiling....

1.) Branda

2.) Estee

3.) Work

4.) It's almost November (even if i'm gonna be old!) TWILIGHT!!!!

5.) Mom is my BFF

6.) I get awesome uplifting letters from the sweetest missionaries!

7.) I have the cutest nephew ever who is starting to talk!

8.) I'm taking Piano lessons!

9.) in just over 2 months I'll be on a plane to St. Petersburg!!! Yeah baby!

10.) and last but not least, I saw High School Musical 3 and fell head over heels in love with Zac Efron both times I saw it, He is the most beautiful creature on the planet!!!

I think that I could go on and on about all the reasons I'm happy, but that would take forever!!! So I guess there shouldn't be reasons to frown!! LOVE LIFE!!!!

ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh the beauty.......

Изучение русского языка

2008-10-15T09:14:00.000-07:00

The Rosetta Stone is an interesting way to learn a language:

Am I ever going to learn beyond:

The woman reads

The man reads

The girl reads

The boy reads

The woman eats

The man eats

and so on?????

Bring it on Rosetta Stone

We Will Never Forget...

2008-09-11T07:07:00.000-07:00

I remember 9/11/2001...
I was in the 7th grade, and it happened right before I left to school. Aunt Chyrl was staying at our house and we were all in shock hovered around our tiny kitchen TV not even believing what we were seeing! When I got to school it seemed like no one else knew what was going on until the principal made an announcement and we all turned the TV's on in our classrooms. I will never forget the feeling of loss that I had that whole day even though nobody close to me lost their life.

Go to this video on you tube and check it out, it's sweet... and makes me feel for those who lost loved ones on that fateful day... may we always remember!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PtYMYYarkSo
(I know the song is kinda weird with the video, but overall I thought it was touching...)

Paradise in a styrofoam bowl!

2008-08-13T17:46:00.000-07:00

ok.....so I found my new favorite thing in the world...

If you haven't tried yoasis...I definitely recommend it!! Its gonna be sad to move away from the yellow house because then I won't be just 3 blocks away!!! :(

p.s. I finished my book finally! It was still weird, but overall I am alright with how it ended!

Breaking Dawn!!!

2008-08-09T02:27:00.000-07:00

so....I know that this is a few days later....but the party was a blast! There were some crazy people there... These werewolves for example won 3rd place...

But Branda and I were the first people to buy our books at 12:01!!! Then they made us take a huge group picture with all the volunteers so they can put it in their newsletter....Crazy, I know! The statistics for the Orem store we volunteered out were outrageous...they had over 5,ooo copies pre-ordered and, therefore allowing them the budget to have the biggest release party nation wide! It was HUGE!

They had some fun stuff there though, they had face and fingernail paintings, a Trivia game, a costume contest, a bad bridesmaid contest (explaining Branda's cute pink dress) and tons of other things... I'm glad I was a part of the madness! Oh and don't worry...I did get something out of it... some chapstick that says: "EDWARD CULLEN Dazzling girls since 1901" haha now my life is complete!

I haven't finished the book yet...all I will say is WEIRD! I have mixed emotions...love you all!

A Day In The Life Of A Volunteer

2008-08-01T17:24:00.000-07:00

Firstly, I just wanted to say Hi!! I am excited to learn the about the world of a Blogger.... Hopefully my life isn't too boring!

Today my day started at 7am! I got ready, and headed over to the Barnes and Noble in Orem. You see, I volunteered for the release of Breaking Dawn (the 4th and final book in the "Twilight" series) and I didn't really know what I was getting myself into... I went there to help hand out wrist bands, that put you in line for your book at midnight!

Well apparently there are very VERY dedicated Stephenie Meyer/"Twilight" fans...They actually spent the night to get the first wristbands (which by the way are SO ugly and boring) CRAZY! So I was there handing those out to these fans until about noon, it was fun being in the middle of all the madness. But I have a secret for them all...just volunteer and you will get the book and more before everyone else!

I can't wait to read it!!! I better not be bothered at all tomorrow....I will be reading it...Well I'm off to Barnes and Noble again to the actual party, It's going to be insane! I'll let y'all know! :)