Goodbye Sofia...and a trip down memory lane...

Here I am just days away from yet another goodbye. On Tuesday I'm heading to the UK for a few days to visit my crazy friends...students in Oxford, Bristol, Sheffield, Manchester... I can't find one picture I want to post w/ everyone together so I'll just post these two...

It cost nothing to stay an extra few days there. Can you believe this is my first time visiting England outside the airport? Ok, one time I stayed in a hotel not far but that doesn't count either...

So yesterday I was so sad to have to start packing that I decided to take some pictures of my frames and the little things that make me so happy. :-) Just so I can remember them. They're already in the plastic tubs and ready to be closed away until I return to Bulgaria in the summer when my furlough is finished. 

My African violets make my think of my sister because she has dozens of them sprouting around her Chicago flat. When she moved to Chicago she took up a hobby of houseplants. Taking one leaf out and suddenly making a new plant. I was lucky to keep mine alive at all w/ my travel schedule since September. To the right are my pictures from my 2002 visit to Myanmar and Thailand. There is a wooden plaque that has my name carved into it that a boyfriend from high school made for me in shop class. :-) A work horse from Haiti. And a lovely wooden tea set that children of visitors always love playing with... And my cloth with Yaroslavl on it that my Russian teacher gave me as a gift.

This is the first wall-decoration I purchased as an adult when I moved to Florida! Daisies. My favorite flowers. It's gone with me everywhere since then. And in the top shelf of my bookshelf there is a little metal Unicorn that a student's husband had engraved for me. A teacup given by Veronica and Anya on this recent trip back. 

When we arrived to Myanmar, there were 50 of us altogether as a part of the conference. When I worked in the mission office, this was one of my first tasks of 2002...to organize the details for everyone's travel (visas, flights, hotel, etc.) Because we weren't allowed to call it the name our mission due to strict religious laws, the tour agency we hired chose to name our group: "The Misty Flowers Tour"... this was quite a confidence boost for me, because everywhere we went my name was the first thing on everyone's mind :-)

 

Back to my purpose now that I've shown you how popular I am in SE Asia...

Upon our arrival into Myanmar, we traveled on a bus quite a distance. We stopped near a bank of a lake (do lakes have banks?), got off the bus, and the porters put our luggage into boats. They then loaded us into other little boats, 3 people per boat. We went along with a little man working the tiny motor on the boat, and came to a little section of the lake where there were houses up on stilts. A water parade was about to take place. I wish I had pictures on my hard drive because it was amazing. A large ship went by with a gold palace on it, and beautiful women wearing pink costumes dancing. We were later told that inside the palace was a sacred Buddhist treasure from history. I think I recall it being something like someone's hair or teeth or skin or something interesting like that...

While we were watching the parade, other boats came crashing into ours and we could buy souvenirs or paintings. I bought a few greeting cards (that I later framed) and these two paintings that are two of my favorite paintings...

My friend Chelsea from college was always great at giving gifts. One year for my birthday she gave me these dog pictures. They've been framed and re-framed (since frames are too heavy to travel w/ sometimes). Though I preferred the black frames they originally came in, a Russian friend told me in horror that I couldn't buy black frames for them because you only put pictures of dead people in black frames. She asked, "Do you know if those dogs are dead now?" :-) So I bought gold frames...

I don't know why this book shelf insists on looking like it's something artsy and all crooked in pictures! Here I see just a few special things. My guitar man from Dominican Republic. My giraffe and lion from Kenya. My dog that was hand-painted by a sweet little girl Christina Weinman in Fort Myers. The only framed picture I have of my parents and I. A vase from my sister. Another great present from Chelsea about friendship. Another beautiful wall-hanging (black, center) from that boat in Myanmar. Lots of cute fun things from Japan, either from when I visited or presents from Jodi. My Russia shelf in the middle...

And the newest additions: mom and I found this "Flowers" plaque at Hobby Lobby when I was home. And a friend, Kyle, made me one of my favorite gifts of all time and I finally found a frame here that fits it. 

And all sorts of fun things on my fridge...shots of Maggie and Molly, magnets from travels and to remind me of my home states (IL/FL)...

And yesterday we had another beautiful sunset here in Sofia. The clouds were just behind the mountains. I will miss this view from my balcony and often find myself staring for a long time out this direction. Most mornings I brush my teeth out there so long that the toothpaste starts to burn!!!

Today I'm going to finish packing because this weekend will be a crazy one (again) :-( Saturday my friend Ivo is getting married. I don't know why but this is the only picture I could find of Ivo. I have one of him and Kremie (his fiancee) together but can't find it anywhere... In this picture he's dancing w/ Sarah at the last night of our summer project when we went to a nice outdoor restaurant. His eyes close when he's laughing or smiling really big... :-) I'm baking some for the reception and also performing a song during the wedding. 

And on the 12th of December I will be flying to Rapid City where I'll see these lovely people who I miss so much sometimes that I have been known to call at odd hours just to hear their voices... Can't wait to see you!!!!!

While looking for a picture of Jodi, I stumbled upon my pictures from my first visit to Japan around Christmas of 2001...and, of course had to post a few of them...

Oh Japanese karaoke clubs are somethin' else...

And we'll get to celebrate Mom's birthday together this time... that year we celebrated from far away.

I've posted this before I think, but one day in Osaka we had been walking around w/ friends and Jodi was not happy with me (i'm not the funnest to be around at all times) so I tried to cheer her up by posing next to this cute puppy...

Two years ago around Christmas, Jodi and I wandered around Chinatown with some silly guy I put way too much of my time, energy and heart into. :P At least I got some great pictures w/ my sister out of it! 

And last, but certainly not least, I'll get to see my babies soon: Maggie and Molly. This picture is from a sad, sad Christmas where it was just me and the parents and these girls who wouldn't sit still for a picture.

They like to lay on my clothes when I'm packing...probably trying to hinder the process as much as possible...

Sometimes when people are over, Maggie gets nervous and wants to be held like a baby for awhile like this...

Last year Jodi sent these to me because I was homesick. 

Poor babies...wonder what we'll dress them up in this year...