The many adventures of Amberly, Calyn, Lori and Dennis

So I am living life in the fast lane here in Kyiv. Today I did something very exciting. I went down an up escalator. And it was going really fast. But I will get to that part of the story.

This morning Lori went to work and me and Amberly slept in and then we got up and we cleaned the whole apartment and it looks soooo amazing. Like, it is for real awesome. And I have pictures up everywhere of all my favorite peoples and that is fun. Then me and Amberly went to the Radooga office where we picked up Lori and Dennis and we walked to the Pyramid mall and ate at this really awesome baked potato place that's a lot like McAllister's. We don't have a McAllister's in Tallahassee, but they're all over the US so you guys might know about them. Then we walked around the mall and Amberly bought an Elton John duets CD. And we are going to have a dance party later. OOOOH! Speaking of dance parties, we had one last night. We have light-up microphones and we turned on duet songs, like, cheesy love song ones, and we danced around the apartment singing Johnny Cash and Celine Dion and stuff. It was pretty much the best. So we invited Dennis over and we're going to do that tonight too. It's going to rock. So we left the CD store and there was this escalator that was going up. We were already up. So we looked for the down one. But the down one was like, way over on the other side. So Amberly said, "Let's go down the up escalator!" So we did. We live life dangerously. That is my story for today.

Oh, and my other story is this. So, yesterday me and Lori went to see our friend Pasha's (Pasha, the actor from camp for those of you who know him) drama performance for his school because he's a theatre major and we watched it and it was all in Ukrainian so I only understood like, 4 words, but I understood "К чёрту." Jenna knows what that means. Anyway, so afterwards, Pasha had to go somewhere, I don't know, so he took us to the school cafeteria and told us to wait for him. I was thinking, like, maybe 15 minutes. Well, he didn't come back for like an hour and a half, because he is King Pasha and he can do that. But while we waited the gotten kinda crowded and these two guys, Igor and Dennis asked if they could sit at our table. So they did. And we started talking to them. Igor knew a little English and I could sorta talk to him a little bit and so we were talking about school and our majors and what we were doing in Kyiv and stuff. It was really fun. Like, usually I'm weirded out when random guys start talking to me in Ukraine, but I guess maybe because they were college students and we were talking about school and everything. Anyway, we were talking about camp and then we were talking about how it was a Christian camp and he was like, "Oh, you're Christians?" And I was like, "Yeah." And he said, "Oh, I'm a Christian too!" Then he said, "I go to 'Victory' church? Do you know it?" One of the translators from Lori and Amberly's English club goes there. Anyway he was talking about his pastor and how much he liked him and all this stuff and it was just really cool. So anyway, he asked if maybe we could hang out and give him English lessons and he could give us Russian lessons and I thought that would be really fun. And it's pretty convenient because Pasha and Veronica both go to that university and it's not that far away.

Well, arrivederci peoples! I'll try to write more soon.

"I survived the washing machine explosion of 2006!" (A shoutout to Melinda and the Cables)

We're making T-shirts! Okay, so I arrived safely and securely to Lori's apartment. Granted, I am bagless, but that is okay. Oleg M., Dennis and Lori picked me up and we got in the car and I'm fumbling around for the seatbelt in the back and I look up and Oleg Magdych is just shaking his head with a look that says, "Are you serious? Are you really looking for a seatbelt?" I apologized and thought, "welcome to Ukraine." So Dennis and Oleg dropped us off and we talked for a little while, but then I did something that I haven't done in probably 3 years. Yep, you guessed it. I went to bed before midnight. Not just before midnight, oh no, I went to bed at 10:30. I know some of you are falling out of your chairs at this moment, but don't worry, it probably won't ever happen again.
So, I'm fast asleep. (You know, I've never understood that phrase, "fast asleep." How can you be "fastly asleep?" I mean, you're not even going anywhere. Whatever.) And then I hear Lori yell. You never want to wake up to screams in the morning. It's just not a good way to start the day. So I crawled out of bed and I hear Lori say, "The washing machine exploded!" I'm like, "What?" and I look in the bathroom and the washing machine is gushing water everywhere. Water is filling up the bathroom we didn't really know what to do. So I grabbed some pots and we tried to funnel the water into the bathtub, which really didn't work so well.

Lori just made a good point. She said, "They're going to be a little confused about why the washing machine is in the bathroom." And right she is, Ken. The washing machine is in the bathroom because...well, I don't really know why, but Lori says, "Because that is where it goes." There you have it. That is where it goes.

So, Lori's frantically calling people and finally gets a hold of Sergey and she says, "Serozha, in the bathroom, there's a leak!" Then there was a pause because Sergey didn't know what "leak" meant. So, while Lori's trying to come up with a new word for "leak" Sergey says, "Water?" And Lori says, "YES! Lots of water!" So he said, "I'll be there in 5 minutes." I think it was longer than 5 minutes, but he eventually got there. While we waited, we took our pots and pans an were scooping up water and throwing it into the bathtub. We felt like we were on a sinking ship. You know, like when Jack Sparrow is coming into port at the beginning of the movie and the ship is just slowly sinking? Yeah, that's what it was like. But then our hero Sergey arrived and he runs in and he's looking at the water gushing through the bathroom and then he looks at me and says, "Hey!" So I say "hey." Then, in a moment I will always remember as being totally incapable of doing anything, Sergey turns to the sink and simply turns a little knob and all the water cuts off. Like, that was it. Really. I looked at Sergey and said, "Couldn't you have at least made it look like that was difficult?" But no. So, then Sergey said, "Welcome to Ukraine, Calyn." Shortly after that he left for church and Lori and I stood and contemplated how the heck we couldn't have figured that out on our own. Oh well. It was a lovely way to start the morning. So I said to Lori, "Can we just forget about it for another hour and go back to sleep?" She said, "Sure." So we did. And when we woke up all the water, that had been ankle deep in the bathroom, was completely gone. Where did it go? The world may never know. (The people next door might, though...)
Anyway, that's my story for today. So, you see, Melinda, I really can cause havoc no matter what country I'm in. :0)
Stay tuned next time for, "Oh my gosh! The oven's shooting out fire!"

Thanks everybody who came to the airport this morning. Y'all made me feel so special. Love you guys!!!

Shout Out to Friends

I would just like to say that I have the best friends ever. I know that I've been slacking on this the past week, but my life has been really crazy trying to get everything done before I leave Friday. I did want to post a quick update, though. I was telling Jenna that it always baffled me about people who wanted to move away and start new lives and all that stuff. I know that I have the best friends in the entire world and I could never find better ones so there would be really no point in all of that. I will miss you guys so much.






My drama peoples, I don't know what I would do without you guys. Your dedication to the youth group is really inspiring. I am so excited about all the things God is doing and will do in your lives and I'm so glad I got to hang out with you guys as much as I did. You're the best drama team EVER.



Bible study girls- I'm so glad that y'all gave up your Monday nights to come hang out and learn how to be a better follower of Jesus. Y'all were a huge blessing to me and I'm praying for you.



Todd, thanks for being the best youth pastor ever, but more than that, a really great friend.






Adult youth leaders, I love you guys and I'm glad I got to meet with all of you (even if you did vote me off the island). Thanks for Back to the Future parties, good food, great fellowship, and a little tiki man.



Sarah, I'm so glad I got to see you again before you head to Branson. Thanks for being my friend even though we don't get to see each other as much as we would like. I love you.



Jenna, I don't even know what to say to you. Let's just say that if you weren't coming to Ukraine I would probably die. Like, seriously.



Lerah, I am so glad that you consider me cool enough to be your friend. I know that you had to reach down to me from a high height. Thanks for helping me with my fashion sense, telling me how to cut my hair, going on random pizza trips, and talking with me about things so much more significant than the weather or silly boys and such. I hope a cardboard cut-out of me will help you not to forget me until I get back.



Shannon, thank you for late night talks wadded up on the floor between your bed and the wall and for always encouraging me and laughing at my jokes when they are usually not funny.



Mrs. Martha, thank you for being the best Easter musical director ever and filling us all with a love for the Easter story. Thank you for your pictures and for the way that you lifted us all up when we needed it so much. I am honored to be your friend.



David, I remember when we were such good friends when we were in like, 6th grade and you sat next to me in youth choir. The little, uncool sheltered kids that we were. Thank you for still being my friend all these years and being the person of integrity that you are.



Diane, thank you for singing Journey and Chicago songs with me at the top of our lungs and not caring who hears us. Thank you for making me special chicken with no garlic and for calling me just to see how my day was. I love you so much and I'm so glad we're friends.

I realize that I am going to see you all again soon, but I was just talking with Jenna and David tonight about what great friends I have and I just wanted to let you all know it. I'll miss you guys!!! Write me: kharosheeyozhek@gmail.com

Love you guys! Arrivederci!

Drama Party!!!

The TREE had a drama party last night for the end of the year. Good times, good times. Here's some videos to enjoy. :0)



If you can't see it, click here.


Jenna and Brandon dance to "Bye, bye, bye."



If you can't see it, click here.

Sappy has a new dance. Or maybe it's just because all of his hair is gone. I don't know. But it's awesome.



If you can't see it, click here.


These two had way too much free time growing up.



If you can't see it, click here.


Sappy raps for us...in what language, we don't know. See if you can catch any of this. I heard "beef stew" and "Josh Sapp." I think I hold the record amount of understood words...

Stargazing

I know I mentioned in a comment to Todd that I disagree with the notion that we learn things every day because sometimes I don't think I learn anything, but recently that phrase has been proven very true. Yesterday I learned that a "K" means "strike" in baseball and today I learned that the lights go off in the church parking lot at exactly 12:49 a.m. Now why Mr. Reid or whoever it was chose this particular time, me, David and Jenna aren't quite sure but that is the time that they go off. My Dad always used to tell me that "nothing good ever happens after midnight." I know that was just a ploy to get me home before 12:00, but if I always came home before 12:00 I would have never have known that the lights go off in the church parking lot. Before the lights went off we stared in wonder at the moon...and some airplanes and maybe the Big Dipper, but after they went off the entire sky erupted in a splash of twinkling lights and we lay in the grass watching meteors streak through the atmosphere like some sort of celestial food fight from one star to another. It was amazing. I highly recommend stargazing. But if you're going to Northwoods to do it, make sure to go after 12:49.

A Fairy Tale

Once upon a time there was a beautiful princess who lived on the North West side of the towne. She loved to visit people, especially those who were close by. But the princess had a group of friends that lived on the North East side of the towne down the road that led to Thomass Ville. Sir Waller and his family lived on a small estate in Cassandra and although the princess wanted to visit them for a long time, she never seemed to have the time to make the journey to Cassandra. Then one day, Sir Waller's son, Alexander Ernest Waller IV, who was affectionately called "Alec the Hairy" (which was rather ironic because he had recently gotten into a quarrel with a pair of double blades and consequently lost his hair) called the princess and requested her presence at the Cassandra Estate. Having just finished taking care of musical matters at the village parish, the princess was only so happy to visit the family of Sir Waller and was soon on her way.
Upon her arrival the princess was greeted by the entire family of Sir Waller except for their son Joshua who had taken up a hobby of fastening wheels to planks of wood. Boards, she believed. It sounded very fascinating and dangerous. Ergo, Joshua the Wheeled was not to be found. The princess had a lovely visit with the family of Sir Waller. Sir Waller, it seemed, had decided that someone in the house should take up the name "Hairy" if it was not to be their son, Alec. He had more than made up for it. It appeared that the son had simply transferred the hair on his head to the face of his father. How this was accomplished the princess did not know, but she found it most intriguing. Sir Waller's wife, the fair Eileen, made the most wonderful meal and Nathan, their son, entertained with tales of brave beings called "ninjas" and battles he and his brothers had faced.
After dinner, Joshua the Wheeled returned home and joined the family and it was decided that the princess, Alec the Hairy and Joshua would journey to visit the Duke of Cumberland. The Duke of Cumberland had only recently acquired his newest manor. He was in the business of buying and selling properties. The princess thought that was a most lucrative business and it seemed as though the Duke of Cumberland was doing well. They called upon their friend David O' cklocknee also.
The princess needed to stop by her palace to pick up the source for the evening's entertainment, X-men II and a VCR, so her and Joshua made the journey back to her home on Zermatt to pick it up. The princess was holding some tea cakes and a jar of icing and Joshua held the aforementioned items above. Then all of the sudden a great wind blew in from the isles of the North and the video was knocked out of Joshua's hand where it fell and shattered on the ground. Joshua muttered a most melancholy remark, "Dang it." The doleful pair thought all hope was lost until the princess remembered that her father, the King, had given her a special card that allowed for the rental of such items not too far away at a shoppe just down the road. With resolve the two made their way to the rental shoppe and found exactly what they were looking for and even got it at a discount.
With spring in their step and a smile upon their faces, the princess and the wheeled boy arrived at the home of the Duke of Cumberland where the evening was spent amongst good friends who the princess will not soon forget even as she makes ready to leave for foreign lands. She can only hope that she finds friends as good as these there. The end.

War Eagle!

I went to Sarah's on Monday night to pick her up from Auburn. It was sooo fun.



Sarah is so excited I'm here



I am so excited I'm here.



Me and Sarah at Jonathan Peter's apartment's pool



Guess which legs are mine...



We went to Jonathan's apartment and him and his brother Michael were taking down a fan because Jonathan was moving out.



We were so proud



Look at how much we were helping them.



Yup



The next day we went to Con's apartment for hotdogs and a movie. It was really fun. Here are me and Sarah being cute.



Lerah helped me perfect the art of looking away.





Then Anthony walked me and Sarah out to my car and my tire was FLAT! Oh no!



Anthony helped us put on the spare



He was our hero.

Pictures...Part II

Okay, so here's the rest of this weekend's pictures. We had a Back to the Future Party Sunday night and it was pretty much the best.

First off, though, Christian and Brandon and Alicia did a skit in church last Sunday that Mr. Reid named "Apathy in Action." It was so funny. Brandon and Christian played two old country guys named Jed and Ted. You can watch the skit on Todd's blog. Here they are:



Mornin' Ted. Jed...





Kate and Alicia working hard on a skit.



Brandon in the playground slide.



Us eating some wings and french fries.



Shannon and Todd. One of Shannon's hotwing bones touched Todd's plate and he wouldn't use it anymore. That was pretty funny. We're sending Todd to therapy soon.



Rita and Shannon



David and Jenna



Me and David



Katie and Rita have such special faces...



We're a totem pole



Me and Diane



This picture makes me laugh SO hard. We played with the coupling feature on my camera again. I think we laughed for about 10 straight minutes doing this.

David's Jack Black Nacho Libre Impression

A Preview of some awesome pictures

Okay, so this past weekend was one of the best weekends ever. Nursing home escapades, Sappy's party, Mexican restaurants, sarcastic waiters, drama practice and Michael J. Fox. I'm at Sarah's and she's watching the end of "24" so I'm going to post a few of the bazillions of pictures we took.



Me and Hannah. Me, Hannah, Shannon, Amy, Annelise and Abby went and visited nursing homes on Saturday for STRIVE. It was sooo fun. (Except for the mean Nazi lady. Actually, that whole place was just scary, but we'll get there.)



Abby's excited.



"Hannahlise" and Amy.



All of us outside of Centrepoint Rehab center.



Annelise and Mildred. She was so sweet.



Hannah and Emily. Mrs. Emily spoke Swedish and she was really cool.



Me and Grace



Hannahlise were on the west wing of the nursing home so here they are representing.



Hannah painting Francis' nails.



See the "N" and the "W?" That's for NorthWoods. Oh yeah. This was at the rich old people place on John Knox and they were really mean. The mean German lady was like, "VAT do you VANT us to do!?" and all sorts of other things in a German accent. She was sooo mean. I almost cried. But I didn't. Todd laughed at me when I called him on the phone and told him. I'll remember that.



Me playing the piano until the German lady told me to stop because she couldn't concentrate on BINGO. It's bingo for crying out loud. It's all luck! Vhy do you need to concentrate!?

Then it was off to Sappy's birthday party at Old Bainbridge park. fun times!




Sappy downing a capri sun. (Or Capri Son, depending on what country you're in)



Todd and Laurie are pretty much the cutest thing ever.



Drew- the exception to my rule.

After Sappy's birthday party we took him to El Tapatio for Mexican food. While we waited for him we all piled in Diane's Kia. We fit 10 people in that thing! We're good.



That's 6 of them. There's 2 behind Brandon and me and Sappy are in the front. There were 10 of us.




They gave Sappy flan since it was his birthday party.



Christian paid $2 for Sappy's flan. Sappy didn't even like it, that's what's funny. I think he got a good deal. :0)




Sappy got to wear an awesome hat.






Chris and I rocking out in the car. Me, Sappy, Chris and Kate drove back to the Myricks together. They are awesome.

That was Saturday. Sunday is coming....