Ukraine

In August, I was able to go back to Ukraine for the Kyiv Ukraine Temple dedication. It was my first time back since the mission and the experience was incredible. Memories flooded back and for the first few days I felt like I walked into another life and possibly an alternate universe. Everything seemed surreal, but so familiar and almost exactly as I had left it a few years ago. I wish this post could capture all my emotions, memories, and experiences, but there is no way to put that all down in words and pictures.

The journey getting there and back was a little hectic, but I made all my connections and everything seemed to fall into place, even if it was last minute. In the 10 days I was there, I spent time in 8 different airports in 6 different countries...I was a little confused by the many languages and time changes. I left DC with a plane ticket and an address of a hostel. For those of you who know me well, know that that while I can live with a little spontaneity, I really like knowing exactly what is coming next and am quite leery of "flying by the seat of my pants," though that is exactly how it went. I was a little unsure of staying at a hostel. I had been emailing a member (who I had never met) in Kyiv who gave me the address and assured me it was a clean hostel and the Ukrainian youth performing in the cultural celebration would be staying there. As I turned off my phone to get on my transatlantic flight, I said a quick, but absolutely sincere prayer that all would work out.

Well I made it to Hamburg and onto to Warsaw (even with passport control lines that were insane and I really believed I would miss my connection to Kyiv). I randomly met up with a guy who had served with me in Ukraine. He was also heading for the dedication and had a few more of his details worked out. I decided to tag along and after arriving in Kyiv, headed to a member's house to figure out places to stay. While I waited in the airport for this new found friend, I saw another friend of mine, a Ukrainian friend. Mariya had been living in DC and was in my ward over the summer. She was coming home for the dedication. I had tried contacting her before I left the US, but we were unable to connect. At the airport she gave me her home phone number and said her parents were fine with me staying there. That's a lot of detail, but I just wanted to show how many many mini miracles happened along this trip. I needed to be in Ukraine and the path kept opening up in front of me.

The new Famine Monument. Ukraine experienced a man made famine imposed by Stalin in the 1930's. Over 6 million Ukrainians were starved to death so that Stalin could gain more strength over the region. It's a sobering part of history, but one that needs to be shared.

This is "Big Mama" the famous statue in Kyiv that houses a World War II museum. 'Big Mama' is also known as "Mother of the Nation" and was the symbol used during Soviet times to rally national support.

I spent a few days in Kyiv visiting the Temple site, churches, parks, museums, and enjoying walking Kreshatik (the main street). On Saturday I met up with my friend Eli who served with me and we attended the cultural celebration. President Monson, President Uchtdorf, Elder Nelson, and other area authorities were in attendance. The celebration focused on the history of the church in Ukraine starting with the earliest introduction of Christianity, where Ukrainians believed the Apostle Andrew was sent into the area to spread Christianity. The production showed other important events such as President (then Elder Benson) visiting Moscow while acting as the Secretary of Agriculture, the dedication of Ukraine for the preaching of the Gospel in September 1991 one month after Ukraine declared independence from the Soviet Union, and the organization of the first stake in 2004 (which I was there for). As the events were displayed, I felt the Spirit so strongly testifying to me the truthfulness of the Gospel. The Lord has blessed this land and it is very humbling and overwhelming to think that in a very small way, I was part of the building of the Church in Ukraine. The event was spectacular. In addition to the festivities I met up with many members I had served among and even found a senior couple I had taught in the MTC.

Natasha Fihel (member in Chernivtsi-my first area)

 

Ira Demchenko (member in Chernivtsi)

Here I'm with Elder and Sister Thatcher who I taught in the MTC at the Cultural Celebration. All the missionaries in the mission were present.

Sunday I attended the Temple dedication at the Stake Center adjacent to the Temple. The dedication was beautiful and the Ukrainian and Russian saints in attendance were thrilled to be part of such an event.

The girls from Chernivtsi

A family I taught in L'viv, who were later baptized and had a sealing date for the following Tuesday after the dedication.

Irina Sinegub, my companion in L'viv. Irina is from Central Ukraine.

Sunday night, I hopped a night train to L'viv. For those of you who received letters from me know that I served almost half my mission in L'viv. L'viv is a beautiful city. It's a city that has had many ruling countries over years due to war and borders changes, but even with the changes, the city has been fairly well preserved. I spent two days in L'viv exploring the city and visiting members and old investigators. It was fantastic! One thing I LOVE about L'viv is that people actually speak Ukrainian!!! It's so great to understand and be understood. Amazing! After two days in L'viv, I took another night train back to Kyiv to fly out the next day.

L'viv Opera House

L'viv

The new branch house in L'viv, with two elders I had served with in L'viv. We each planned our trips separately, but met up in Ukraine.

Oksanna Kravchenko, a member who I had taught and got baptized in L'viv.

Ploshka!!! My favorite Ukrainian sweet bread. This seriously is heaven!

The trip was absolutely incredible. This post does not do justice to all the experiences and emotions I went through in my ten days. I am grateful for the opportunity I had to go back to Ukraine and to be there at such an important and memorable time. I needed this trip.

Viva Ukraina!!!

Best Fieldtrip Ever

Earlier this summer, I headed back to Utah to pick up my car and the rest of my belongings and embark on a cross country roadtrip to Washington, DC. Bringing my car over to the east coast is kind of a big deal. To help me make the journey, my good friend Tim joined me for the 2000+ mile drive. I'm not sure if Tim volunteered or if I was super persuasive, but for whatever reason he agreed to come along and I am SO grateful. We had some good times driving across Utah, Wyoming, Nebraska, Iowa, Indiana, Illinois, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Maryland, DC, and Virginia!

Day 1: Leaving Herriman at 4 PM

Leaving Utah (and my sense of direction...if there aren't mountains to the east how am I going to know which direction I'm going?

Day 1: Driving across Wyoming and Nebraska. I heard Nebraska was super flat and full of corn fields, but we drove through Nebraska in the night and I didn't get to see all the corn. I was a little disappointed.

Day 2: We got as far as Grand Island, NE the first day, rolling in around 3:30 AM, slept for a few hours and started day 2 at 11 AM.

Day 2: IOWA!!! My Favorite state! (well on this drive). Iowa is beautiful in July. We drove through rolling hills and saw cute houses on the tops of the hills. It really was charming, and I'm pretty sure I quoted 'Field of Dreams' the entire time we drove the state.

IOWA

Day 2: Welcome to Indiana. It was hazy, dark, and we got pulled over. I hate Indiana. Well, let me explain. There was quite a bit of construction so the speed limit was lowered. We had been behind a cop for a few miles and then he pulled off. He got back on and followed us and then pulled us over (Tim was driving). The cop asked for Tim's license, but not the car registration, which I had out and ready. First funny point, we were driving 45 mph when getting pulled over. Secondly, Tim didn't have his license, but a temporary paper copy because he was waiting for his motorcycle endorsement.  Thirdly, the cop asked us if our brights were on, which they weren't. He didn't believe us and asked us to turn the brights on and off as he waved his flashlight in front of the lights. He complained that he couldn't see and had to swerve all over the road when he was in front of us. He finally let it go and reminded us to keep our brights off. The best part of this story, well beside getting pulled over for having too bright of lights (I thought that was a good thing), was the cop himself. He had a ranger type hat on and a toothpick in his teeth and spoke with a complete hick accent--exactly what I would imagine from a 1980's cop show in the Midwest. Lesson learned: cops in Indiana are dumb.

Day 3: Cleveland, OH! My old roommate Meghan lives in Cleveland with her cute family. We rolled into Cleveland around 2 AM, but Meghan had left the door open and set up the downstairs for us to sleep. The next morning we played with her two adorable daughters, Mckinlay and Eliza, then headed off to Kirtland for the afternoon.

Day 3: Kirtland Temple

Inside the Newel K. Whitney Store

 We arrived safely in DC at midnight on day 3 of the journey. We spent the next two days exploring DC (monuments, temple, Arlington Cemetery). The trip was a success. Everyone and everything made it safely. The drive was much better than I expected and actually quite enjoyable...but I don't think I'll be making that drive anytime soon again.

Take Me Out to the Ballgame!

One major perk of living in a big city is access to Major League Baseball games. For those of you who didn't know, I am a MAJOR fan of baseball. I like to play baseball (softball). I like to watch baseball. I like to talk about baseball. I can watch a 3 hour game on TV and not get bored. For the past 9 years of living in Provo, I've had few opportunities to go to major league games. A few road trips to California were the only chances I got, but now that I live on the east coast, ball parks are a plenty! This summer I attended 4 baseball games and loved every minute of each game.

I also made a new goal: visit every baseball park on the east coast (Washington Nationals, NY Yankees, NY Mets, Philadelphia Phillies, Boston Red Sox). And if time and circumstances permit: Cincinnatti, Cleveland, Pittsburgh. I wonder how far Atlanta, Tampa Bay and Toronto are?? This might not get done in one summer, but it will get done before I leave the east coast.

A few highlights from this season.

Tuesday August 17: Seattle Mariners came into town to play the Baltimore Orioles at Cambden Yards. I planned this game early in the summer as Seattle doesn't come out to Baltimore all that often.

Yes, that's Ichiro.

My roommate Whitney and me at the Baltimore vs Mariners game

The group I fanangled coming to game to cheer my Mariners on.

Nationals Stadium (DC)

After game party

p.s. the Mariners won 4-0

A Capital Summer

Readers: I know many of you are saddened by the lack of posts for the past few months. I think I promised to have regular updates about my new life in the Capital, but I have failed. To make up for it, I'm going to enthrall all of you on a jumbo post of the highlights from Summer 2010, which sadly ends in 8 days.

Moving to the east coast has brought many new adventures and places to explore. While I'm still a little jealous of those of you in Utah and California with so many fun outdoor activities, I won't complain too much as I think about some of the awesome places and experiences I've had over here in the east.

Sailing with the R.S.

In June, I went sailing with some girls in the RS. We went up somewhere in Maryland and spent a few hours on a sailboat out on the Chesapeake (or somewhere near). I believe it was my first time on a sailboat and I had a blast. Somewhere, I think I got my Dad's love of water and boats and I just can't seem to get enough. Sailboats, speed boats, canoe, kayak, ferry, fishing boat...I'll take any of them. I think I've been on about every kind of boat now except a cruise ship and an submarine, so it looks like I'll just have to take more trips.

Happy Birthday America! (4th of July)

 

4th of July weekend was fantastic!!! Saturday July 3, I drove to Harper's Ferry, West Virginia to float down the river. We rented tubes and spent a few hours gently floating the river. Supposedly, we paid for the "rapids" but I'm pretty sure I could make bigger rapids in a swimming pool than the ones I saw on the river. Nonetheless, it was a very pleasant day and I met a lot of fun people on my journey down the river. Sunday, July 4, we had a BBQ after Church and then headed into the District to secure a spot to watch the fireworks. After wandering for quite some time, a few of us finally decided on the Jefferson Memorial. This seemed to be a perfect spot with large marble steps to sit on and a great view of the Fireworks over the Potomac River with the Washington Monument piercing the skyline. BEAUTIFUL!!!! For a girl who's spent more 4th of July's outside the US than inside the US since high school, I had a grand time and really enjoyed being on American soil for Independence Day! Monday July 5, was filled with a long run, some time at the pool, and another greatBBQ. What a weekend!

Shenendoah National Park

Sometime in July, Liz, Jackie, Sara, and a few others made an impromptu camping trip to Shenendoah National Park. We left late Friday night and drove a few short hours into Viriginia. The park is beautiful with lots of greenery and plenty of spectacular lookout points from the road. We set up camp in the dark (Liz and I are masters at tent assembly) and prepared for the following day adventures. The next morning we ventured out on a hike to find some natural water slides. While the hike was short and steep, the waterslides were a blast! I was a little hesitant at first (sliding down wet rocks just seems a little dangerous), it turned out to be so fun and I couldn't get enough.

Yup, that's me. It's way more fun if you throw your hands up!

Biking the Monuments

The Monuments in DC are always here. I see them almost every day on my way to and from work and whenever I go into the city. Even though they don't change, they are cool each and every time. While night is not the best time for taking pictures, it's definitely the best time to see the Monuments. What's even better than monuments at night? How about monuments at night by bike!

p.s. my favorite monument: Lincoln Memorial

What about Bob weekend

Have you seen "What about Bob"? Did you think they filmed the movie at Lake Winnipesaukee like it claims? Well, they didn't. The movie was filmed in Virginia at Smith Mountain Lake near Roanoke, VA. About a month ago, a bunch of us went down, camped, rented boats, and went boating on the "What about Bob" lake. The day included wakeboarding, lounging, swimming, eating, visiting the house filmed in the movie, and a stop at Gutman's Cafe (which I didn't actually go to, but I heard from those that did, that it was completely closed up and not in service anymore). The lake was beautiful and we couldn't have asked for better weather. I don't get to go boating very often, so each time I'm afraid I won't be able to wakeboard/ski. Don't even worry, I got up right away, stayed up, and even managed to maneuver the wake! Oh, and I might have become the official wakeboard instructor on my boat! Have I mentioned how much I love boats and water?!?! SO FUN!

 PARTIES

Parties just seem to be a part of life as a young single. Someone always has a birthday, or someone is moving away, or there is need for more desserts, or people just want another reason to get together. Either way, this has been a summer for parties. I'm a little "partied" out, but I know that I will continue to go. I just have a few random snapshots from a few parties. Both happened to be themed birthday parties.

 "All things Nautical" 

 

"Billionaire" 

Well, those are most of the highlights of Summer 2010. There are a few other events that deserve their own blog post, so they will be coming shortly. I hope you enjoyed the update!