2008 is Almost Over; Happy 2009!

[Simoni]

As 2008 winds down, and as I reflect back upon the year, I am thankful for so many things.

We found out in June that our first baby is coming our way, and now we are only nine weeks away from her (its a girl!) joining us.  What a blessing!

We got to renew our marriage vows this year in a beautiful wedding, on a floating chapel on the bay with 75 friends with us, including three RWD members.

I have a  good job with stability.  That too is a blessing in these trying times.

How about others?  Any updates or things you are thankful for?

~Simoni

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

[BillyB]

Congratulations Simoni,
  Looks like all good news coming your way. Happy New Year to you too and to all at the forum.

[Turboguy]

Wow, that is wonderful news Simoni.   Congratulations on the soon to come new addition.   We are both happy for the two of you.   Congratulations on renewing your vows as well.   It is nice when two wonderful people like you have good news.

Ray & Iren

[Simoni]

We are in the New Year's spirit here in St. Petersburg, USA.

We have been watching on TV as the New Year comes in as midnight strikes different time zones. 

The city of St. Pete makes the whole downtown waterfront into a giant New Year's Eve Party, with 12 stages set up and bands playing all the time.  There is food, and ice skating.  Yes, Ice  Skating in this 85 degree weather!

Fireworks go up at 8 PM, and every hour thereafter until the big blast at midnight as 2009 comes in.

What are the plans of others for New Year's Eve?

[groovlstk]

Welcome back Simoni, glad to hear things are going great for you and your lovely wife, your experience and wisdom are missed around here!

My wife and I are headed to a Russian restaurant tonight with a bunch of friends, should be fun as last year when we finally went home the sun was rising. So I'm sitting here recharging my batteries and reflecting on the last three NYEs we've spent together and I'm still amazed at what a long, strange, and wonderful trip it's been.
 

[Simoni]

Thanks, Groove!

Have a great time tonight at the Russian Restaurant. 

As I recall, we started up this pathway at the same time, and now here we are, celebrating New Year's with our beautiful and lovely wives!  We are the fortunate ones 

Happy New Year!

[BC]

We're celebrating our 7th New Year together (Moscow time) and our 6th here in IT.

A quiet one, just us which is really nice after the Christmas blast with 20 or so over for dinner.

Simoni,

Thanks for reminding that we really do have a lot to be grateful for, most of all healthy, happy kids.

S Novim Godom all!!

[catzenmouse]

We're here waiting for Father Frost to come. Had a nice shrimp dinner (home made) and are now just being lazy.

Loved the Maine pics Simoni! looking forward to seeing the bundle of joy pics to come. (sure hope she gets her mother's looks!  )

Thankful here for everything that this crazy adventure has brought into my life. For the friends I've made along the way and to come. And for the opportunity to watch our little munchkin (not so little anymore) grow up.

Ken

[ScottinCrimea]

Congratulations Simoni on a successful year and a new year filled with many wonderful things to come.

My wife is sleeping now, resting up for the festivities in a couple of hours.  We went to a Russian store, bought the prerequisite foodstuffs to celebrate and will spend the time relatively quietly at home.  I do have a few fireworks to try to recreate the atmosphere in Ukraine, but it will be a far cry from the saluti that go up everywhere there.

The new year will bring her daughter to us here in the US, so there is much to look forward to.

[Daveman]

Congrats on the Little Princess, Simoni!

I haven't been around in a while, as my nomadic personality dictates from time to time but I thought of you guys here at as I am half baked and stuffed with more food than a small village can hold (understatement of the year) from a massive celebration here in Simferopol. Good lord, the midnight fireworks coming from every corner, crack, and crevace of the city and seemingly all surrounding areas was truly a sight to behold. I had never witnessed anything quite like this. Simply amazing.

My good news is that L and I are stronger than ever marking our one year anniv on this visit (of the beginning of our journey).  Her parents dig me (at least when they've been drinking), she adores me and I;m quite the happy camper. Will visa bells ring in the coming year?  Things are looking good. So, It's a definite maybe :-) but we all know how that goes sometimes. Anyway, one day at a time and the days are great.

Tomorrow it's back to Yalta for another two weeks and then home.  But meanwhile, I sit schnockered awaiting Det Marose while wearing my Santa suit and will challenge him to a duel for legendary supremacy or some other nonsensical title of grandeur...

Happy New Year everyone..
Dave

[Mishenka]

HAPPY NEW YEAR everyone!

Mishenka

[Jet]

As the clock winds down to midnite here on the East Coast, there really is an awful lot to be thankful for this year.
Some of the most notable things include the Green cards finally being issued for Lil and the little guy, being able to celebrate our 5 year anniversary (even if we weren't together for it), having the opportunity to spend time with Lil's Uncle here in FL, and most recently, Lil getting her Master's degree back through a new credential evaluation which was delivered the day before Christmas eve  . Our health has been good, and we've managed to stay on a stable footing financially, when MANY in my business are in very, very bad shape.

Tonight we'll be at home with a bottle of Soviet Champagne, a big plate of "kielbasa", one of Russian chocolates and another of mandarin oranges from the local Russian market.

S'novim Godom everyone!

[Simoni]

Eight minutes til the new year strikes us here on the east coast of the USA!

Vodka is flowing here...I'm surrounded by Russians and I can't keep up!!!!

Happy New Year, everyone!!!

[Shadow]

Happy New Year to all.

Our year could have been better, and we still have some things that need work in our future.
But that does not keep us from being happy in our marriage.

And Simoni, our first is a boy, and will be arriving around the same time as your girl. 

[Simoni]

Congrats to you guys, Shadow!

At our party last night, there were 12 children...all girls!   So your little son is much needed to balance out these numbers! 

[Simoni]

We're celebrating our 7th New Year together (Moscow time) and our 6th here in IT.

A quiet one, just us which is really nice after the Christmas blast with 20 or so over for dinner.

Simoni,

Thanks for reminding that we really do have a lot to be grateful for, most of all healthy, happy kids.

S Novim Godom all!!

BC-- congrats on seven New Year Eve's together!  Our third was the best ever.   Much more fun and relaxed as the years go by...

[Simoni]

We're here waiting for Father Frost to come. Had a nice shrimp dinner (home made) and are now just being lazy.

Loved the Maine pics Simoni! looking forward to seeing the bundle of joy pics to come. (sure hope she gets her mother's looks!  )

Thankful here for everything that this crazy adventure has brought into my life. For the friends I've made along the way and to come. And for the opportunity to watch our little munchkin (not so little anymore) grow up.

Ken

Me, too!  We are going to be in big trouble if she looks like me!!! LOL

You guys enjoy your frozen weather and rejoice in it!  Marina complains almost every day that our 80 degree days are horrible, and it does not seem like New Years at all! 

[Simoni]

Congratulations Simoni on a successful year and a new year filled with many wonderful things to come.

My wife is sleeping now, resting up for the festivities in a couple of hours.  We went to a Russian store, bought the prerequisite foodstuffs to celebrate and will spend the time relatively quietly at home.  I do have a few fireworks to try to recreate the atmosphere in Ukraine, but it will be a far cry from the saluti that go up everywhere there.

The new year will bring her daughter to us here in the US, so there is much to look forward to.

Marina has many horror stories about people getting hurt in Ukraine shooting off fireworks.   So you be careful!
Our show here last night was spectacular.  We had half an hour of beauty from our condo deck at the pier below, and could see all the way across the bay to a similar light show in Tampa.  But I do remember my youth, and how fun it was "doing it myself."

Congrats on your daughter coming to the US this year.

[Simoni]

Congrats on the Little Princess, Simoni!

I haven't been around in a while, as my nomadic personality dictates from time to time but I thought of you guys here at as I am half baked and stuffed with more food than a small village can hold (understatement of the year) from a massive celebration here in Simferopol. Good lord, the midnight fireworks coming from every corner, crack, and crevace of the city and seemingly all surrounding areas was truly a sight to behold. I had never witnessed anything quite like this. Simply amazing.

My good news is that L and I are stronger than ever marking our one year anniv on this visit (of the beginning of our journey).  Her parents dig me (at least when they've been drinking), she adores me and I;m quite the happy camper. Will visa bells ring in the coming year?  Things are looking good. So, It's a definite maybe :-) but we all know how that goes sometimes. Anyway, one day at a time and the days are great.

Tomorrow it's back to Yalta for another two weeks and then home.  But meanwhile, I sit schnockered awaiting Det Marose while wearing my Santa suit and will challenge him to a duel for legendary supremacy or some other nonsensical title of grandeur...

Happy New Year everyone..
Dave

Thanks, Dave!

The fireworks sound amazing.  I do know they love to light up the night sky in Ukraine!  From my wife's old apartment overlooking the Dnepr river, you could watch them almost every night.  Can't imagine what New Year's looked like!

Good luck on that visa, Dave.  And the duel, too!  LOL

[Vaughn]

It's great to read these Good News Reports!

Our sincere congratulations to Shadow, Simoni and their lovely wives on bringing new
children into the world. We are thrilled for you! And Scott, the impending arrival of your
daughter is a joy I can definitely relate to - just yesterday I learned my own American
daughter, Lara (hmmm.... I gave her a Russian name in 1986... was that prophetic?) will
be returning from New Orleans after a one year absence. We are thrilled to have her come home,
and count this as a special and welcome surprise.

Last night Elvira and I attended one heck of a great party, with some of the tallest ladies I've
ever seen en masse....I am 5'11' and was matched by at least four women, and another who
towered over me even with her heels removed!! Lots of dancing, photos and chatter....
There were four or five American husbands in this group of thirty, everyone else migrated here
one way or another. Dyed Moroz showed up at 11.

We wish everyone a healthy and prosperous New Year!

Vaughn and Elvira

[Gator]

We found out in June that our first baby is coming our way, and now we are only nine weeks away from her (its a girl!) joining us.  What a blessing!

Splendid news, a little princess!!!  Being one of the three RWD members at your wedding, this news is special to me.

It was my new family's first New Year's Eve in America.  We had a progressive party last night (house to house to house to house).  It keeps us off the highway.  A RW-AM couple joined us before midnight.  We had the traditional champagne toast (Belorussian champagne), and then I proceeded to shoot fireworks. 

The crowd moved back when I placed the first mortar upside down and blew the tube into confetti.  After that I read the instructions and the event went smoother.

Near the end I asked how our Great Dane puppy, Zara, is doing.  No dog.  She had bolted in the dark of the night, frightened by the exploding rockets and mortars.  Sabina, the kids and I started walking and calling.  No dog.  The party broke up on a down note, ending what had been a grand celebration.

I walked the neighborhoods with the kids until 2 am.  Fell asleep at 3, woke up at 6:30, renewed the search, placed posters at stores.  Sabina and I walked the swamp this morning near our home.   After dragging Sabina through the briars and jungle, we returned and learned from the kids that Zara came back.  She found us!

Last night I am certain Zara heard me, but refused to come thinking I had more fireworks. 
 
Around 2am I told the kids that we would find Zara tomorrow, and I wished them a "Happy New Year."   Even in the down mood of a lost Zara, the 12-yo boy volunteered, "This is the happiest I have ever been."  That's something indeed to be thankful for.



 

[KenC]

Gator,
Be thankful your dog returned.  I lost a dog the exact same way on the 4th of July years ago.  The neighbor shot off fireworks, my dog ran away and got run over by a car.

Any way, glad your outcome was better!  Happy New Year to you and your family.
KenC
(BTW, sorry about your Bucs)

[Gator]

(BTW, sorry about your Bucs)

Yeah, and your Chargers were part of our collapse.  In December every team took advantage of our age and small size. 

Justice prevailed with regard to the Chargers and the Broncos.  Good luck with the Colts.

[OlgaH]

Happy New Year and the best wishes to everyone!

Our fourth New Year Robert and I celebrated this time quietly at home. New Year Eve we spent with our friends in City Place in West Palm Beach and after we went to home to have a rest, because before Christmas we went to Atlantis for weekend, after we stayed at The Gaylord Palms in Orlando to see Ice show, and two Christmas days we spend at Disney World enjoying the Osborne Family Spectacle of Lights and the Christmas parade.

[Simoni]

Splendid news, a little princess!!!  Being one of the three RWD members at your wedding, this news is special to me.

It was my new family's first New Year's Eve in America.  We had a progressive party last night (house to house to house to house).  It keeps us off the highway.  A RW-AM couple joined us before midnight.  We had the traditional champagne toast (Belorussian champagne), and then I proceeded to shoot fireworks. 

The crowd moved back when I placed the first mortar upside down and blew the tube into confetti.  After that I read the instructions and the event went smoother.

Near the end I asked how our Great Dane puppy, Zara, is doing.  No dog.  She had bolted in the dark of the night, frightened by the exploding rockets and mortars.  Sabina, the kids and I started walking and calling.  No dog.  The party broke up on a down note, ending what had been a grand celebration.

I walked the neighborhoods with the kids until 2 am.  Fell asleep at 3, woke up at 6:30, renewed the search, placed posters at stores.  Sabina and I walked the swamp this morning near our home.   After dragging Sabina through the briars and jungle, we returned and learned from the kids that Zara came back.  She found us!

Last night I am certain Zara heard me, but refused to come thinking I had more fireworks. 
 
Around 2am I told the kids that we would find Zara tomorrow, and I wished them a "Happy New Year."   Even in the down mood of a lost Zara, the 12-yo boy volunteered, "This is the happiest I have ever been."  That's something indeed to be thankful for.



 

Thanks for the congrats on our little girl 

I am pleased to hear you had such a wonderful evening, Gator!  It's great you survived the fireworks and the lost dog!

Our dog is a condo dog and could not run far.  She hid in the laundry room and did not come out until morning!

We had a great party with a number of international couples, then came back to the condo at 11:30 to finish the evening with couples in our building at our place, overlooking the bay and the fireworks.  Now we are jointly cooking an international feast of New Year's cuisine.