Day 15: Ipod

Unfortunately, I can't locate my Ipod... I have no idea where it can be. Since I haven't been using it for months and the last person who saw it was Alex, yeah you can do the math... Alex used to play on it all the time and one day he couldn't find it. He was upset and was asking me to help him find it. All I could say was I had no idea where it is.

Let the search begin...

Day 14: a picture of my family

This is the latest we have. From our latest hike in the mountains. It's missing a few family members: my mom, Sandy Cheeks, and Bessie :)

Day 13: a letter to someone who hurt me

Well, let's see.... It's pretty hard to really hurt me. I have an amazing family and great friends... When someone tries to hurt me, I can explode pretty easily but calm down fast. I don't hold grudges (it's true!) mainly because I don't remember bad things.

I have an amazing memory but for some reason my mind erases bad events fast and I sometimes find myself wondering why or under what circumstances I got in a fight with someone. In Russian it's called не злопамятная.

Having said all that, I'm pretty mad at Verizon right now. We've fallen for their (false) advertisement of amazing service and now suffering the consequences. We still can't get them to allow us to receive text messages from Russia. Why? Don't even ask me. That's a whole other issue to discuss. We can send messages to Russia, we can call and receive calls from Russia but for whatever odd reason we cannot receive them from Russia. This seemingly simple and insignificant problem has caused me a lot of my nerve cells, mainly because my mom really freaks out about the fact that she can't receive texts from Russia and she takes her frustration out on.... you guessed it... ME.

Well, Verizon, watch out! We will call you regularly and bug you to death until you either: a) fix the problem, or b) let us cancel the account penalty-free and switch to the beloved T-Mobile...

The End.

Day 12: why do I have a blog?

I found out about blogs..... let's see... 3 years ago? Hmmm, having a hard time remembering who inspired me back then. I think it was my friend Carine. I'm pretty sure that her blog was the first I ever read. Carine, is that right? She was also the one to introduce me to FB (even though I resisted for a long time), so Carine wins the award for being the most persuasive :)))

Why did I start a blog? Originally, it was because blogging was something new and I liked the idea of putting my pictures and the stories together in one place. I tried it a few times and felt the creative juices flowing. It all snowballed from there :)

Now the main reason for blogging is to preserve the memories that I have. Blogging replaces journaling for me. I really want my kids to be able to read about their childhood when they grow up. I want them to see the pictures, the progression, the growth, and to remember all the precious moments we've spent together as a family.

Day 11: another picture with my friends

Stay tuned! I'm going out with my ex-work girlfriends tomorrow and we'll be sure to take some P-H-O-T-O-S.

Day 10: about the music...

So this day was supposed to be about music that I listen to when I'm sad, happy, mad, etc. Well, the honest truth is as follows:

1. I don't listen to music at home. When I'm sad- I garden. When I'm happy- I play with my kids or take them places. When I'm mad- I exercise.

2. I only listen to music while driving the car and it's always either FM 97.1, FM 99.5 or FM 107.9. It used to be 101.9 when they had the Chunga show. I used to listen to them every morning on my drive to work or school. They would crack me up daily, also would occasionally make me very mad (like that one time when Chunga made fun of Russians). I now listen to the 97.1 morning show, which is a white-trash equivalent of the Chunga show. But I really have no choice. Well, except NPR radio which is sometimes interesting but mostly puts me to sleep, and it's not a good thing when you're behind the wheel...

3. I do own an Ipod but frankly, almost never use it anymore :( It's mostly for Alex to play games on...

Am I not a musical person???? I'm starting to wonder that too... When I'm home, I don't have time to listen to music because I'm always busy with something else. When I'm outside, I like to listen to the sounds of nature and I can't stand being outside and having my ears plugged up with something. I really do want to hear the wind in the trees, the birds singing, the bees buzzing around my garden, car breaks screeching, and people yelling. Call me a dork if you wish but that's the honest truth...

WAIT! I remembered!!! I do like to listen to music when I'm cleaning the house! Yeah, that's right! And it's usually something upbeat: Gwen Stefani, Linkin Park, One Republic, The Killers, Bon Jovi, and such.

So... there!

Day 9: something I'm proud of in the last few days

Yesterday we decided to take a family hike at Donut Falls. It's been many years since Dave and I came on that hike and we've never been as a family. I wasn't sure how Alex would tolerate it as sometimes he doesn't like to walk long distances. Amazingly, he did very well and didn't complain even once!

Nicholas is another story :) He started out in a backpack carried by Dave.

But that didn't last long because he was missing his mama too much. So we had to switch and I became 20 lbs heavier. Nicholas was in 7th Heaven playing with my hair and cooing behind my back. I didn't think I would make it all the way up...
Along the way we found a few picture-worthy spots :)

The fall colors were amazing, but most of all, the SMELL of fall was unbelievable. A mixture of pine trees, dried wet grass, aspen leaves, and wet soil. I couldn't get enough of that smell into my lungs.

On the way up we got a little lost and off course. We ended up hiking up some little travelled trail that led us through bushes and broken tree branches. We realized we took a wrong turn somewhere.
Ok, back on course now :)
We made it!
Dave was the brave one and climbed all the way up to the donut falls.
The water drops into a "donut" or a cave as Dave put it.
This is us down below taken by Dave at the top of the Donut falls.
It was time to go back.
Nicholas behaved well in the backpack the rest of the way :)



It was a great family outing! We all enjoyed it very much! I was mostly proud of Alex for making it all the way up and never complaining! I was also proud of Nicholas for sitting behind my back very contently. For the exception of him pulling on my hair the whole way... But that's nothing new :)

Day 8: short term goals for this month

The list is never-ending but I guess I can break it up into more manageable groups:

1. Professional goal- finish the process of credentialing and (hopefully) start the transition.

2. Personal goal- continue some sort of exercise maintenance program and find an alternative to biking outdoors once it gets too cold.

3. Creative goal- finish putting all the pictures into a (gasp) scrapbook. Yes, I am scrapbooking. Nothing too elaborate but still. It all started when I scored some free kindergarten stickers and had an idea. It all snowballed from there. Now I've done around 10 pages of both Alex's and Nicholas's pictures. So far so good and Alex really loves helping me :)

4. Cooking goal- use up the abundance of tomatoes that we have in our yard. Sometimes I feel like I'm drowning in them but I still like them :)

5. Housekeeping goal- to finally finish cleaning my piles and stacks of mail, papers, and other random things. I also want to start going through some drawers and get them organized and cleaned. O, and hire a cleaning lady (or two) to give me a much needed hand at cleaning.

6. Gardening goal- finish fall cleaning and get my garden ready for winter (yes, I am starting to realize that winter is much closer than it seems right now).

7. Health goal- stay away from illnesses, create a weekly menu of healthy meals, and go for more walks as a family.

Day 7: a picture of someone who has the biggest impact on me

These two little people changed me forever!

Day 6: favorite super hero and why

Super hero? Seriously? I don't have one... do I?

I would have to put something cheesy on here, but it's true. My favorite super hero is my husband. He's going to laugh about it but I truly believe that he is. From the day that we met to the present day I have admired Dave as a person, as a husband, later as a father, and as a worker.

He is an excellent husband, very attentive, likes to surprise me, knows what makes me happy, and he keeps our marriage exciting.

He is the best father I've ever known. He loves his boys, plays with them, teaches them, reads with them, takes them on walks and other activities. He gets up with the baby at night when needed and he changes his diaper every morning before bringing him to me to nurse. He never complains about the "baby duty" which makes me admire him even more. He's great with Alex also. He can be strict when needed and very soft with him at other times. I seriously can't imagine anybody being a better father!

Dave is a great person! He's funny, very smart, fit, compassionate (as much as a man can be), adventurous, and kind. He can always make me laugh no matter what. He is a great listener and problem-solver.

He is a great worker, the one a company is lucky to have. He's very loyal, innovative, excellent leader, honest, and always tries to improve things at work to make them easier and more logical. He is very smart and it makes him an invaluable worker. And he is hard-working.

I could go and on but Nicholas needs some attention right now :) But I think all the listed qualities qualify Dave as a super hero.

Well, he is MY super hero and that's what the topic was about anyway.

I love you, Dave!

Day 5: pictures of somewhere I've been to

Of all places we've travelled to (and there are many) I chose to dedicate this post to Maui, Hawaii. This is by far my favorite place to be! In particular, Napili Point resort on the North-West side of Maui. This is not your typical island resort that you expect to see. It is more like home. All of the condo units in the resort have the ocean view. It is quiet and peaceful, without the buzz of the resort life. I love it!

Sunset at Napili Point: a view I can never get tired of.

That sail looks so mysterious out there!
This is probably my favorite picture of myself ever. This is exactly what I imagine "happy life" to be.
A nice view of the Kaanapali beach.
Sunset at the Napili Bay.
Turtle Cove at the Napili Bay.
The jungle. Need I say more? :)
This is the view we would wake up to every morning while at Napili Point. That rainbow says it all: paradise :)
Napili Beach is the best beach on Maui, by far!
Walking to the dinner on the beach :)
Napili Point grounds.
Sunrise at the top of Haleakala (10,000 feet above the sea level).
Somewhere in Lahaina.
This post made me miss Maui even more. Time to start planning!

Day 4: a habit that I wish I didn't have

Hmmm, that's a tough one. I don't have any habits that are socially unacceptable, I guess. But I can certainly think of a few that I wish I could change.

For one, I wish I wasn't so dependent on internet. Checking things on internet is my daily habit. Sometimes I feel like I'm physically attached to my computer and I HAVE to check multiple email accounts, FB, and other random things regularly. I want to work on decreasing the amount I spend on the internet. On the positive note though, this habit means that I have lots of great friends who I keep in touch with regularly. If I wasn't checking my email daily I would certainly get very backed up on my emails and still have to spend a lot of time going through them.

Another habit I want to work on is being over-analytical. I sometimes spend hours and hours analyzing things in my head, coming up with alternate solutions, predicting outcomes, and even developing multiple outcome scenarios for things that I do. The negative aspect of this habit is that I get worked up over things that either haven't happened yet or will never happen. The positive aspect is that I almost never get caught off guard because I think of all possible outcomes ahead of time. I mentally prepare myself for the best and for the worst case scenarios all the time. Can I say I'm never disappointed? No. But I almost always "know" ahead of time of all possible outcomes. Call me a pessimist? Maybe or maybe not. Call me a person with a great intuition? Definitely!

The bottom line is I want to work on being more carefree, learning to go with the flow rather than always try to predict things, and just enjoying the ride!

Day 3: pictures of my friends

As I was looking for pictures of my friends, I realized I DO have some amazing friends. I hope I didn't miss anybody... Here we go, in no particular order :)

My childhood friend Irina Rudenko. We've known each other since we were 3 years old! I won't even tell you how many years that makes :))) Last time she came to visit me here was in August of 2007. We took a trip together to Newport Beach then and it was a great weekend! I miss Irina.
My friend Elena Weaver. We met in nursing school, she was a year ahead of me but we had some classes together. We've known each other since 2001. She is a CRNA in Florida. This picture was taken last year in San Francisco, on the Alcatraz tour. I miss her too!
My friend Emily Erickson. We've "known" each other for a while but became good friends during our time together in graduate school, ACNP program. She is an NP at Huntsman Hospital. This picture is also from SF trip last August where we took a Boards preparation class together.
My friends Nadia Kulikova and Katia Hatch. We've known each other since 1993. We're all from Samara and for almost 10 years we all lived in Utah together... until destiny separated us. Katia now lives in Rochester, NY and Nadia lives in Samara for a few more months where she's getting ready to immigrate to Canada :) This picture was taken in summer of 2007.
Here is Nadia again when she came to visit us in May of 2009. I just love this picture of her :)
My old work friends: Anya, Roxanne, Jessie, Bonnie, Shirley, Brittany, Rasa, and Zara. Also Vika and Carine (not from work :). This was taken last November at my baby shower in Zara's house. I miss all the girls!
Vika Gnatyuk and Zara Amoros, my fellow NPs. I met Zara while working on 4 North at the University hospital, it must have been 2005? Zar, do you remember? I met Vika last year during my residency at the Jordan Valley hospital.

Here we are at an annual NP appreciation dinner at La Caille in October of 2009. I was WAY pregnant, hence the round face :)
This is Carine Henderson and Valia Masse at one of our mountain picnic-get-togethers. I've known Valia for maybe 2 years and Carine for about 3 years.
Here is Zara and Carine again at Nicholas's baby blessing in March 2010. This time Carine is WAY pregnant :)
My ACNP program buddies at Emily's wedding in May 2010: Kelleen, John, and Emily herself :)
Valia, Zara, Carine, and Katya Turner at Carine's baby shower in June 2010 in our backyard. Fun times! I first met Katya at another friend's bridal shower in 2006 but we didn't become friends until about 2 years ago, thanks to Carine :)
My long-lost friend Yulia Klochkova (Ujuk) who now lives in Estonia and was visiting us here in August 2010. We first met when I was 15 years old and we travelled back and forth between Samara and Saratov (where she's from) to see each other and hang out. It was so fun to re-unite after not seeing each other for almost 15 years!
I hope I didn't forget anybody... And if I did it means I don't have your picture and we need to hang our MORE!

Day 2: the meaning behind my blog name

That one is easy! Alex. Nicholas. Parents. Family. What could be any simpler and any more meaningful than that?

Our original blog name was Alex's family but when Nicholas came into the world, it had to change :)

I write on this blog for them so when they're older they can go way back and read it from the time they were little. I guess this is my type of journaling and recording our family's adventures.

Day 1: 15 interesting facts about me

I will try very hard to stick to 30 days of blogging. I realize that life can get in the way as I am a very busy person at the time. So here we go, in no particular order:
1. My kids are everything to me. Honestly, it scares me how much I love them. I used to grin at the saying "the love of my life", but now I realize that I gave birth to 2 loves of my life... so far :)

2. I love my husband and feel very blessed every day that we found each other. It was definitely fate because of the circumstances of our meeting.

3. I love gardening. After my family, this is the most important thing in my life. There is something about digging in the dirt, being in the sun and nature, and marveling at the end product. Well, in reality, gardening never has a true "end product"; it is a seasonal work in progress and this is the beauty of it.

4. Cats fascinate me. They're such magical animals; very free-spirited and independent. I seriously think that my cat Bessie is smarter than some humans I know.

5. I am a Nurse Practitioner but I secretly wish and hope some day to open up a gardening business of some sort.

6. I am very humbled by the power of a heart. It is just an organ that makes our physical bodies alive, but having a healthy heart should never be taken for granted, as I learned last year.

7. I truly do enjoy every day of my life as I don't know how limited or prolonged this life can be. I try not to take any day for granted and live it as fully as I can.

"Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery. And today? Today is a gift. That's why we call it the present. ~Babatunde Olatunji"

8. I try very hard to make my family healthier, whether it be eating better or exercising more. I think I've been pretty successful lately.

9. Traveling is my other passion. If we can ever afford it, we plan to see every part of the World.

10. I have this amazing intuition that can sometimes be a blessing and sometimes... well, a barrier. I think I might have been a fortune-teller in a previous life :)

11. I respect people who are straight-forward, honest, hard-working, kind, and genuine. I can't stand whining and self-pity.

12. I often over-analyze things.

13. I am very lucky to have some amazing friends in whom I can trust 100% if needed.

14. I may appear as a very social person but I get shy in a new company of people I don't know and it takes me a while to warm up to them.

15. Alex said for the last one I have to put: I take good care of my kids. Thanks, Alex! You are so sweet :)