a bunch of awesome.

Our last few days in Russia, we filled with awesome things. i don't think i could ask or plan for anything better.

Alexander Nevsky Cemetery and Cathedral

I think this cemetery was one of my favorite things i saw in russia. i don't know what it is about it that's so cool, but with the cold, humid day there was just something very peaceful about it. but, it was also really sad to see that they weren't very well taken care of.

 

 

 

 and then we went on a pretty little nature walk...

and then we walked like 2 miles along the side of a river, AKA freezing, to get to the...

Smolny Cathedral

i was kind of disappointed when we got there and realized it wasn't open to go look at. we could walk inside the door, but it was a concert hall or something, so we couldnt just go look around. but at least we could sit there for a minute and get warm! that was a definite plus.

 even though we couldn't see much of the inside, this is still one of my favorite cathedrals. i just think it's really beautiful.

 

another awesome Christmas display :) 

 KGB anyone?

gotta love Russian architecture...

and.... to end the day we went to a Christmas party at the Institute building! there were videos, skits, and testimonies. and of course good food. there's always food when you're mormon :)

Russian Museum

personally, i'm not a huge fan of museums. i just get really bored after not very long. i feel bad about it, but really not at the same time. well, the russian museum is one of the few exceptions to that rule. i LOVE the russian museum. we went to the hermitage and overall i got really bored, really fast. i just really wasn't all that interested in the art there, regardless of how classic it is. the russian museum is just that, a russian museum. it's all things russian. about russia, by russians, all the good stuff. i loved it.

<3 this painting. 

 hell= waiting in line for eternity. literally.

 kinda intricate i think....

 you can't tell, but this is actually like, 2x1 inches probably. it's tiny. do you see that detail?!

 

 this picture was done in the hermitage. i've been there. and stood there. no big deal or anything.

A Dinner Date with Heather

there's a really good, but kind of expensive restaurant that Heather and i love. so, we had to go one last time before we left. remember the mint mojito and chicken sandwich? most importantly the mint mojito, same place. well, it was freezing outside so i decided to get some hot chocolate. at least that's what i thought i was getting. who doesn't love a nice, hot cup of hot cocoa on a freezing cold december night? well, that's not what i got. i got a cup of a melted down chocolate bar and a glass of luke-warm water. we were almost gagging trying to finish it all.

 but this delicious blini made it all worth it :)

 St. Nicholas Cathedral

This one looks kinda like Smolny, but i just really liked it and wanted to see it, so Heather and i went on a little excursion :)

 

there's a big place in my heart for the missionary couples in russia

These are the McArthurs. and i love them. they taught our old testament institute class while we were in russia and put on a ton of great activities. they are so sweet and i miss them!

This is most of our institute class. jodi and leslie weren't usually there because they had to teach and one of my favorite russians Alexanya is missing, but overall, this is it! our last class was great. we had a little "unleavened bread" and "bitter herbs" and wore scarves over our heads and watched a movie. it was a good time. 

i realize how big my little apartment now is when i remember my russian apartment

So, i realize that i suck at keeping up with blogging now. it's one of those things where i'm really behind and hate catching up and saw i just dont have time, when really i could make some.... mostly, ijust hate catching up on things. luckily, my college life isn't horribly exciting, so there's not much to catch on from rexburg. getting back into the blogging process, i thought i'd start with something simple- my russian apartment!

 This is our living room. there's two chairs and a horrible couch in quite possibly the worst colored furniture i have ever seen. c'est la vie.

 This was my bed. a couch. and that's how it usually looked too

 red, white, and blue streamers from our American birthday party for Bekka!

 a lovely hallway complete with a lovely tinfoil quote wall

tine bathroom. tiny tiny bathroom. complete with washer. 

it was sometimes difficult to get out of the shower due to lack of space 

 our kitchen.

try fitting 9 girls cooking in here. a tad crowded. a tad claustrophobic. 

 such a beautiful view we had...

and a beautiful street.....