Fri., March 11th - Well, when I as young, I had to walk 25 blocks, in the snow, carrying a plate of cookies...

What a day! It started by getting to see my boy! He was so happy, as usual. He and Annie played and played. I enjoyed watching them so much! We had a long time with him today - almost the full 2 hours. Then I did get some bad news - the lectures couldn't be rescheduled - there was just no time in the university schedule. We are going to take a different approach - meeting Sunday after church. :-) After that, we stopped by an outlet mall and I found Annie the cutest Russian hat on clearance for only $6! It is perfect for this Russian weather and will be great for sled riding at home. Then I decided to be adventurous. When we got off of the bus, we walked the opposite direction from what we usually walk. I saw some letters on a store and told Annie I wanted to see what it was - it was a baby/toy store! Boy did we have fun in there! I was able to get Max diapers, wipes, snacks, toothbrush, etc. By the time we left, we were laughing so hard that I thought they were going to kick us out. We came back and baked peanut butter cookies for game night at the pastor's house tonight. After some rather creative planning, we got the address and directions to the Machino flat. Well, the bus driver said that he would tell us when to get out and he did. But, he dropped us off too early. We ended up walking 25 blocks, in the snow, carrying a plate of peanut butter cookies. Once we finally got to the flat, after all that walking, we opted for the elevator instead of steps. That was a good decision - until it got stuck! Renee stuck her head out and yelled "we're on the fourth floor." I replied "we might be a little late - we're stuck in the elevator." I don't know what she did, but the electric came back on and we made it in no time. We had a GREAT evening! We had tacos/nachos for dinner, met some great people, and played Sequence. At the end of the night, Pastor John drove us to the metro and we were home in two stops! Ahhh - settled in after a great day. Annie can now say to her kids "You think you have it bad - when I was a kid I had to walk 25 blocks, in the snow, carrying a plate of cookies, in zero degree weather...." lol