Less Important...

Wonderful news!  Aleks is now in the US and we are quickly settling in to our life together, although also trying to finalize wedding plans.  So now we need to blog about more than just me!  This will be the last post on this blog.  I'm now moving over to our new blog:  http://www.aleksandlisa.blogspot.com/

So go there!  And find out what we've been up to!  (Of course, things are still pretty busy so we might not get around to telling you what we're doing until a little bit after!)

~L

Who's that Lady?

So Belka finally got her "summertime" haircut!!!  It started because I wanted to try out the "Self Service Dog Wash", which was pretty nice.  It was only $17 which is much less than having her washed costs.  Only I found out that the only way to get rid of the little fur mats she had around her collar was to shave her fur off!  So we figured she would look silly with a shaved neck, so they shaved all of her!  She looks like she did when she was a puppy again!  But don't worry, her hair will grow back in time for when she'll need it in the winter.  I think this will be much nicer for her lying around for the rest of the summer.  Although now I have to worry about her getting sunburned!
~L

Belka's Birthday Present

For her birthday, Belka got a new doggy bed!  She had one when she first came home with me, but she ate it.  Let's see how long this one lasts!
~L

Belka's 1 Yr Old!

So we had a fun party at the Shirlington Dog Park with Stephanie and Katie and Steve and Ethan and their dogs, George and Gracie.  After running about the dog park, we went to Dogma, the dog bakery in Shirlington.  And then the humans decided to have dinner.  It was a little stressful with 3 dogs and a baby, but after everyone settled down it was fun!   Belka wore a silly dress for her birthday party.  She seemed to like it actually!
~L

A Day in the Life

So I got a new camera today (the old one was dying and I wanted to be prepared for upcoming vacations and trips!) so to test it out I took some pictures of a typical day for Belka! Enjoy!
~L

Running in the field on our walk

Stopping to sniff the flowers

Checking out the Pool

and the BBQ area

Relaxing at home after a long morning

Belka Torture

Well, most ladies love a trip to the beauty salon, but I think Belka was a little annoyed by it! Although she does look pretty now. I was going to have all of her fur cut off, but I guess they just thought she needed a trim. So for now that's ok, we'll see if she gets too hot. But in general she was a good girl and the groomers like her. They want her to come to doggie day care there! So we might check that out. But first she needs to get one shot that she's missing! So first we have to get to the vet! Might as well go while she's pretty and will make a good impression!
~L

Back Stateside!!!

Well, due to various reasons (nothing bad!) I've gotten to return to DC early! I'm done working on my project in Kyiv and back to working in DC (similar to what I was doing before). Being in Kyiv was certainly a cool experience, but really I'm glad to be home! Sortof a shame that no one except my bro got to visit me, but I can show you all the pictures! Plus, soon enough (although hopefully not for at least a year) I'll be headed off to some new part of the world!

My dog Belka got to come with me! She did really well on the plane, and liked staying in the hotel. I think mainly because I always took an extra piece of sausage from the breakfast buffet for her! Now we've moved into a temporary apartment for the summer that is really nice and near the Pentagon City Mall. Don't tell the tenants in my house, but I think it's nicer than my apt! Smaller though which would be more of a problem with 2 people and 2 dogs (and a 3rd person on the way!!!)

It's great to see friends and family again, although things have been so hectic I've only gotten to see a few friends. I'll work on it and see everyone soon!!!

For now, check out my new дом... I mean home!
~L

Pysanka!

I made my first Ukrainian Pysanka! It was pretty fun. We used a traditional looking tool for applying wax that we melted into it's little cup with a candle. Our teacher was a famous Ukrainian Pysanka artist who has made 1000s of eggs and her eggs are in the Pysanka museum! Really very fun. We even learned a little bit about the history and some of the symbolism used on the eggs. Enough for me to at least know that the wikipedia page is fairly decent! Really interesting read... Strangely, my dad had made eggs similar to this (I think) but as Christmas decorations. And I don't think he knew at the time that he was making Ukrainian art!
~L

Flat Stanley in Kyiv!

Flat Stanley at St Sofia's

Flat Stanley at St. Andrew's

Flat Stanley shopping at the Spusk for Ukrainian souvenirs

Flat Stanley at the weird park

My niece Malaina mailed me a Flat Stanley. He travelled all the way from Indiana to Kyiv and got to see some of the sights! I'm going to mail him back, but here's a sneak preview of his travels! He was lucky that Belka did not eat him, but he did accidentally fall between the cracks of a bench / sculpture. Luckily we were able to fish him out with a stick! Now he's going to head back to Indiana, although it might take a while!
~L

Stupid Dog Whisperer... (says Belka)

Just thought this is a funny picture. I have been catching up on the Dog Whisperer and I think maybe it's starting to help me be calm and assertive towards Belka. But I don't think she likes the show...
~L

Нет много собакы!

Well, I've done my part to not create any more wild dogs in Kyiv. Belka has gotten spayed. I think it went ok, but now she seems kindof sleepy. She had to stay over night at the vet so she probably didn't sleep very well. But now she's back home and relaxing on the couch. A pretty good life. And the best part is now I don't have to worry about the wild dogs wanting to mate with her! She looks like a dork though because she has to wear this silly shirt to keep her from eating her stitches. Poor Belotchka! :) (Honestly, I don't think she has any idea what happened, just that she was in a weird place for a night.) I actually think it looks like she's ready to star in an 80's aerobics video...
~L

How cold is that in Fahrenheit?

Wow. So it's definitely cold here now. Tomorrow's forecast is for minus 30 C!!! One of our favorite jokes is to ask "How cold is that in Fahrenheit". The answer is always "frikkin' cold!" We're still doing work, although the workers do get to take coffee and tea breaks to try and warm up a little bit. Belka still does not seem to mind the cold, but it's now even harder to go for long walks because the sidewalks are still icy and snowy and now it's also freezing. Even my house is a little cold but that's what blankets and sweaters are for. It really makes me nostalgic for those too hot summer days! I'm going to make some hot chocolate.
~L
p.s. the -30 includes windchill at least. and the equivalent is -16 F