second of the year

I fell victim to the Come Home From Study Abroad and Find that Having a Life Again Means No Time for Blogging curse. Have you noticed that one? It is a very real danger. In case you have been holding your breath, you may now exhale when you read that I made it back to Norman with no major problems. I have been here for a couple weeks now and am enjoying myself. Last night was RUF, for which when I tried in my head to come up with an adjective, all I could think of was a Russian one. It was...uh...great. That's an okay translation for what I had in mind.

It has been good to come back and see church friends and RUF friends again. I miss my Russian church, but it is nice to hear English at church again. Living with the RUF intern has meant lots of people at our house a lot, which is great. It is good to catch up with people and slowly meet all the new people that have shown up in the last few months. So, it is one new roommate and one old, a new living location and a new bedroom color (we painted. My room is chocolate brown. It is delicious), a new semester and the same community. I am thankful to be back.

I just realized I have been using lots of bland adjectives: great, nice, good, thankful. Lame. I'll pretend it was the time in Russia which deadened my English capabilities. Or I'll just stop talking and leave you with some photos.

Last view of the fam, after boarding the train. My dad loves that hat. I may not see the two on the left for a full year:
Last view of the chilly St Petersburg airport, at 6am:
Sunrise in Nalchik:
Nalchik horizon:
The best family photo attempt. We used a self-timer. Isaac is cuter than that, I promise, when he opens his eyes.