Fresh air

We got an invitation to go look at our friend's apartment in the university town a little south of Novosibirsk. The rest of my family had already been there, but I really wanted to check this place out since I heard some nice things about it. So I motivated the kids in getting their school done early by saying there would be a surprise when we were finished.

We got it all finished, got dressed and were picked up in a car. We made the 30 minute trip south and came to a nice, modern apartment complex. The difference is that it is on the edge of a huge pine forest and it is a two story apartment. Our friend was in the process of trying to rent it out, but has decided to fix it up a bit and possibly move back into it if there are no takers. For us, if we had a vehicle and the place had one more bedroom, I would be there in a second! Three balconies, all with a view of the forest; a huge kitchen, two bathrooms and the bedrooms are a nice size. An unusual apartment since most of them were built during the soviet area and are small and cramped.

NOTE: we have been blessed with a nice, big apartment in the city near public transportation, so this is not complaining. Just enjoying! :)

After a quick lunch, the kids were out in the playground, having fun in the sandbox. Papa was helping our friend clean the windows (kind of high up on the 5th and 6th floors), so we waited for him before taking a walk in the forest. When we were all ready, we took about a 20-30 minute walk and just enjoyed the fresh, pine air! Pasha fell asleep in his stroller. David and Kiana found nice size walking sticks and helped clear the path if there was a fallen log on it. Misha, on the other hand, enjoyed the view from sitting on top of our friend's shoulders. He doesn't like to walk. I guess he is more the American :)

After the walk, we were ready to head back to town. On the way, we stopped at Ashan (a Wal-mart type store) to pick up some groceries. This store has the cheapest prices in town and let me tell you, everyone knows it! I think there are about 80 cash registers and ALL of them were open when we got there at 8:00 pm, each with a line! There are two registers for ladies who are pregnant (they can go straight to the front), but there were so many pregnant ladies that we just got into any line. When I turned around, there was another couple behind us and she was pregnant. Must be something going around . . .

When we finally got home at 9:30 pm, we put away our groceries and the kids got their bath. A nice full, productive day in Siberia. Did I tell you that the weather was perfect? In the low 70's, sunny and FRESH AIR! Have a blessed day!