Nico, Zara and little David

Beautiful spring

2011-05-11T04:05:00.004-07:00

We have a tradition, with my dearest friend Paulina, to visit Tulip festival at Thanksgiving Point gardens every year. This year David joined us (Paulina's mom came as well). The weather was beautiful and David absolutely loved the 3 hour walk in the park! The tulips were amazing as always.

Having fun with camera and David

2011-05-10T19:45:00.005-07:00

Nico and I were playing with our camera. David loves posing so we had fun taking some pictures. David is about 2.5 months old here. He loves his daddy and does many things with him like watching soccer and other TV programs, dancing and kissing. His daddy can't get enough of David either. They are best friends!

David already starts concentrating on objects and liking the bright toys. It is so fun to watch him play!

Happy birthday, MOM! C днем рождения, МАМА!

2011-05-09T03:53:00.003-07:00

This spring our mom turned 70. Unfortunately, we could not be home to celebrate with her (she celebrated with her dear friend, Shushanik). We love you, mom and wish you good health that we may see each other soon!

Весной нашей маме исполнилось 70 лет. К сожалению мы не смогли отпраздновать с ней (она отпраздновала этот день с дорогой подругой, Шушаник). Мама, мы тебя любим и желаем здоровья, чтобы мы скоро увиделись!

April fun

2011-05-07T10:03:00.010-07:00

In April we had the privilege of attending the General conference, thanks to Nico's friend, Gabriel, who found us tickets. Nico's parents came with us and they enjoyed it so much.

We love visiting Moab and it has become, actually, once a year activity. I love the serenity and the beauty of red rocks and Utah desert. This year we decided to show Nico's parents Moab and they fell in love with it too. We spent 3 beautiful days exploring and enjoying our time together. David behaved so well and loved visiting the land of his uncle Kokopelli (I got pregnant last year while visiting Moab :) Till next year, Moab!

In April my sister blessed her little girl, Alina. It was such a beautiful and joyful day! We love you Alina Zara so much!!!

David's party in Armenia

2011-05-05T06:53:00.002-07:00

Although my parents were unable to be with us for David's birth they still threw a big party and celebrated with our relatives the birth of their only grandson. I wish we could have been with them ...

David's blessing

2011-03-15T18:53:00.006-07:00

On March 13, 2011 we blessed our little David in the church. It was such an incredible celebration of new life with people that are very close to us. Nico gave a very special blessing to our little boy. We had very special families that came to support us on this big day: Nico's host family, Zara's host families, Nico's parents' closest friends of many years, Nico's and Zara's closest friends and family. We had really good food and great company. David was looking all festive in his blessing tuxedo that was specially made by our good friend Jenny. He was just so adorable and behaved very well during the whole day!

Family photos

2011-03-15T18:41:00.004-07:00

While Nico's parents are visiting we decided to take some professional photos. David behaved really well and we have some great memorable photos to look at. Sometimes I have to pinch myself because I have a hard time believing that I am a mother now and have this bundle of joy!

Daily routine with David

2011-03-15T12:55:00.005-07:00

David is an absolute angel (when his eyes are closed, jk :) He is being totally spoiled. When he cries or makes any noise four adults jump up and run towards him. Yes, we are going to have a problem when grandparents leave :) Daily routine is very unpredictable like with any newborn. There is nothing that can be assumed for sure about baby care-the lesson I learned very quick. We are constantly solving problems that arise, starting from breastfeeding to diaper changes. But we sure enjoy taking care of him and watching him grow. Kids do grow like weeds. David loves spending time in the swing with daddy's iPhone playing classical music for him. He is overall a happy baby as long as meals are served on time (you can check your watch by his stomach needs). He has been smiling from the very first day he was born. Nico and I quickly learned diaper changing techniques and we of course have been in pee and poop from head to tow by now (David loves peeing during the diaper changes which makes our laundry needs constant). We are very grateful for grandma and grandpa from Spain that make our lives sane by attending to David's immediate needs. We have lots of fun together (except at 3 am :)!

The day that changed our lives forever!

2011-03-15T00:06:00.007-07:00

I was supposed to be admitted to the hospital on 2/10/11 but the day before my OB/GYN wanted me to do an ultrasound to evaluate the amniotic fluid level. That day at noon I got admitted to the hospital with a fancy diagnosis of oligohydramnios (low level of amniotic fluid which poses a risk for the baby). Pitocin was started at about 1:30 pm, epidural at 4 pm, after which I took a nice nap and started pushing at 6:30 pm. The miracle of our lives-David Rafael Ulikhanyan Amoros was born at 6:53 pm, only 20 min after pushing. It was a beautiful, short labor process for which I am so grateful. We had an incredible doctor- Dr Sharp and the staff at the University Hospital in SLC did an amazing job delivering our boy safely. Nico's parents shared this special moment with us. It was such a memorable day. We love our boy so much and can not imagine our lives without him, even though sleep is a hot commodity now. We got discharged 2 days after the admission with no complications. Many friends from work came and visited us. It was so fun! Grateful to Heavenly Father for watching after us and our little boy!

Baby Showers

2011-02-06T23:54:00.002-07:00

In January'11 my sister organized a baby shower for David. It was so much fun to spend time with my college and scrapbooking friends. We had delicious food and great time talking and unwrapping beautiful presents. I also got some good advices from experienced moms.

A week after my sister's baby shower my great friend Paulina organized another baby shower for my friends from work. We had so much fun getting together and seeing everyone in normal clothes instead of scrubs. I have wonderful friends at work. David got some very useful presents and I got a lot of great advices. The food Paulina made was outstanding! We had a lot of fun!

Sixth wedding anniversary

2011-02-06T23:17:00.004-07:00

December 18, 2010 we celebrated our wedding anniversary by spending a night at our favorite hotel in SLC-hotel Monaco (where we spent our first wedding night 6 years ago). Our good friend Paulina won Christmas concert tickets for this year (thanks to her luck she won it for the exact day of our anniversary). We went for a dinner to Olive Garden and then watched a beautiful concert with Mormon Tabernacle Choir and David Archuleta in the company of our good friends the Gudgells. We had such a great time and in the evening enjoyed beautiful Christmas lights on the Temple Square. We are very happy to be married and love each other more each day!

The Miracle of Pregnancy

2011-02-06T22:29:00.009-07:00

After about 5 years of trying to have a baby I was able to get pregnant while on vacation in Moab (I bet Kokopelli had something to do with it :) We are very grateful to Heavenly Father and doctors that helped us to have such an incredible experience. In September'10 we found out we are having a baby boy, which made us very happy! We decided to name our miracle David Rafael Ulikhanyan Amoros. The pregnancy was a true blessing. I was able to graduate from University with Masters in Nursing, went to Spain on vacation, passed my boards and still kept working full-time through all that time. All 9 months flown by so fast that I can not believe our baby is about to be born. Nico's parents came to spend time with us and help us figure out how to care for David. We are so excited about this eternal change that is coming into our lives!

Some more photos of Mallorca

2011-02-02T23:09:00.007-07:00

It is taking me 6 months to update my blog but I finally got to it. I wanted to share some more photos of beautiful Mallorca. For the rest of the trip after the family reunion we toured around the island, had wonderful food and relaxed with friends. It was a wonderful vacation. Nothing better than sleeping as much as I wanted to and exploring the island!

Family reunion and vacation in Spain

2010-08-15T11:00:00.009-07:00

After I got done with 90 hours/week work (half school, half work) in the summer and graduated from U of U we took a vacation to Spain, Balearic Islands particularly Mallorca where my incredible in-laws live. Another reason to go was also to celebrate their 50-th wedding anniversary.
One day my father-in-law took us to one of the local beaches. All the beaches in Spain belong to the government so you never have to pay to park or enter the beach. The beaches are very well maintained and clean. I really loved the color of water and it was nice and warm.

Then we had some very good friends of ours Aaron and Michelle come to visit and we showed them around. We went to a little village in the mountains, Valldemosa, where Chopin composed at one time. It was very romantic!

The whole Amoros family gathered from different parts of Spain and we celebrated 50th wedding anniversary of my in-laws. It was a great celebration in one of the hotels on the beach in Mallorca. We had a great time together, had a presentation and dances that went into the late night till we dropped dead. My husband had compiled a great presentation of the life of Juan and Teresa. Lots of tears of joy and happiness-what an incredible goal to live for!

We went to the same beach as before on another day but it was a stormy day. We did not get to swim but we sat on the beach in a cafe and were able to watch the sea give us an incredible show. I love the house on the hill. It is my dream house for when I am super rich and famous (real estate is very very $$$ in Mallorca).
We also walked around the island with the family and visited other little towns.

Moab in 2010

2010-06-03T20:51:00.002-07:00

Nico and I love visiting Moab in the spring. This year we took a Hummer tour over the petrified sand dunes. It was a lot of fun and are hoping to go next year as well.

The best aroma in the nature

2010-06-02T16:41:00.002-07:00

I am in love with lilies of the valley flowers (ландыши). They have the best smell ever and this year after about 4 years of not blooming much I had about 6 plants bloom. They made my week!

The luckiest aunt in the WORLD

2010-06-02T16:14:00.007-07:00

I have the best sister in the world because every time I graduate from college I get the most precious present of all-A WONDERFUL NIECE!!!
When I graduated with Bachelors I got this as a present: Ava Taylor

For my Masters I got this as a present: Alina Zara

My nieces are the most adorable and of course I am biased but they are also the most BEAUTIFUL!!!

Carine, should I go for PhD?

Graduation with Acute Care Nure Practitioner Degree from University of Utah

2010-05-11T16:54:00.006-07:00

After three long years of classes, tears and super hard work I graduated with Masters of Science in Nursing (ACNP degree). I know that we have angels supporting us all during the hard times and my angels came to support me during the celebration time as well: my friends and family! There are more angels that supported me along the way and they are my work and school friends, other long time friends and I THANK YOU all from the bottom of my heart. Thank you for listening to me complain and cry on your shoulder during these last 3 years. I DID IT but only with your and God's help!!!

Spring gardens

2010-05-11T16:36:00.007-07:00

Paulina and I have a tradition now-every spring we visit Thanksgiving Point gardens. This year we followed the tradition and went to visit the sea of tulips again. It was a windy day but we had fun. We even saw an owl on the nest (I have never seen a live owl, she was gorgeous and very serious).
My front yard had many spring bulbs blooming. They always bring me so much joy!
In the month of April we also celebrated Nico's birthday by following another tradition-Cafe Madrid. It was delicious as always!

JAZZ game

2010-02-15T14:10:00.002-07:00

Nico won some JAZZ game VIP suite tickets at work (for great performance). We got to watch JAZZ vs LA Lakers game. Lakers won but I was cheering both teams :) so it was ok. We had so much fun because there was a full blown delicious dinner for VIP guests and the view was amazing. I could get used to that kind of life :) It was a great evening! Thanks to my wonderful hardworking husband (first pictures with my new braces).

Can't wait for spring

2010-01-18T17:46:00.002-07:00

For Christmas my sister gave me a box of paperwhite daffodils to grow. Two weeks after planting them in the pot I have been enjoying the sweet fragrance of these little messengers of spring. I can not wait till my front yard will be full of tulips and daffodils. Thanks Carine for these flowers, they make me so happy every time I look at them.

Winter happenings

2010-01-05T22:17:00.005-07:00

In January we had a visit from our good friends the Vinas family. We were glad to spend some time with them. They are heading out to Brazil with Gabriel's job this spring. We will miss them!

Nico and I celebrated out 5th wedding anniversary by going to "The Melting Pot" restaurant (fondue type of food). It was delicious and afterwards we walked around the downtown (I do not recall doing that before for the past 9 years of living in Utah). We had a great and romantic evening together. Our love is stronger than before and we are very grateful for each other.

In the late fall I had couple gorgeous dahlia bushes bring me happiness for several days. Such gorgeous colors!

Fall fun!

2009-10-15T07:59:00.012-07:00

In September we went to Octoberfest at Snowbird ski resort with Paulina and my sister. There was such a european atmosphere at the fest and we had to much fun and good food.

On one Sunday that I had off Nico and I went on a Fall drive into the canyon. It was beautiful!

In the fall my roses bloom so beautifully. They make me very happy so I cut several and put at home.

We went for a wedding to Logan. It was a beautiful day. We spent time with Nico's friend's, the Hansens, whose son was getting married.

Trip to West coast

2009-08-24T08:39:00.016-07:00

This summer Nico wanted to take a motorcycle trip with his friends to West coast, but his friends ditched him so me, being a very nice wife, agreed to accompany him. It was a very fun trip but very LONG (for me to sit on the bike since I have a very hard time sitting still).
The weather during the whole trip was amazing!

In the hotel on Oregon coast on the way back. The whales were right near the shore.

Then we headed out back through Oregon coast. It was gorgeous!

Kirkland suburb of Seattle (Costco brand Kirkland comes from here).

Even got to visit Bruce Lee's grave.

We took a ferry to Bainbridge island.

Downtown Seattle.

"Riding the Ducks" (amphebious buses-can go on water and land) in Seattle. We stayed with my best friend Erka and her family. It was so much fun! Thanks, Paul and Erka. Juju you are adorable!

On the way to Seattle we visited Nico's Cuban friend Pablo in Boise. Then we continued on through river Colombia to Washington.

Camping 2009

2009-08-23T22:34:00.003-07:00

Every summer we try and go camping for couple days. I hate the cleanup afterwards so I am not sure how many more times we will be going camping. This year we spent 2 days at Moosehorn lake in Uintas with my sister's and Paulina's family. It was fun but very cold! We even did kayaking!

Summer events

2009-08-09T21:09:00.001-07:00

We spent Pioneer Day in Fairview with some friends and went to demolition derby. It was actually fun!

For the first time went to Real Salt Lake game! It was fun!

Enjoyed some more gorgeous lilies.

Don't have our own kids, but raised bird babies (birds made a nest under our roof 2 times this spring! should have charged them mortgage :)

Ate a TONN of my own back yard grown berries!!! Kept thinking of the saying "be careful what you wish for" (I love berries but could not keep up with them riping and me eating them).

I was able to enjoy my garden, although I did not have much time for it this year and it got offended by not producing very good vegetables.

Since I gave away my summer to school I have been pretty busy but we still managed to do some things with my husband and friends. Nico and I went to an airforce show at Hill airforce base. It was very interesting. We even saw Thunderbirds perform and then met the pilots!

Red Butte Garden and St George

2009-06-06T23:27:00.005-07:00

We travelled a lot during May. I have never been to Red Butte Garden in SLC. The grounds are beautiful and we had a lot of fun walking around with friends.

We also went to St George and visited long time friends the Stephens. It was a great and relaxing weekend.

Trip to Moab

2009-06-06T22:59:00.004-07:00

I have never been to Moab but have always heard that it was amazing there. Right after the finals we decided to take a 2 day trip to Moab. We stayed in a simple cabin and visited Arches national park. The nature was incredible and I had no idea that Moab is so famous. Tourists there were from all over the world: Germany, Scandinavia, France, Canada and many other countries. We spent a very fun weekend. I would love to go back. There is so much to see still!

Spring fun

2009-06-06T21:14:00.007-07:00

Spring has been busy but managed to have some fun. My husband's roommate got married. Congratulation to Leo!

We said goodbye to the Vinas family. We are going to miss them. We are very happy for their new life!

I had a lot of fun gardening. I had my own tulip festival.

My friend Paulina and I went to Thanksgiving Point gardens this year as well. I love seeing all the beautiful colors. Bulb flowers are my favorite!

We attended my friend Paulina's graduation. We are very happy for her. CONGRATULATIONS!

Good friend's visit

2009-04-21T22:14:00.004-07:00

One of my very good friends from home, Milena, came to SLC for work related visit and we were able to see each other. We went to my favorite restaurant Olive Garden and had a lot of fun catching up since she just got married. Congratulations, Milenchik! It was very nice to see you!

Nico's birthday

2009-04-21T16:25:00.003-07:00

For Nico's birthday as his birthday present I take him to Cafe Madrid- a very nice Spanish restaurant in SLC. This year we went with Nico's friends. It was a very pleasant evening, filled with amazing Spanish dishes. Happy Birthday to my angel!

Sushi mania

2009-04-21T12:19:00.004-07:00

Couple years ago I discovered that I like sushi. Since then I have been addicted to it. I even asked my Korean co-worker to teach me how to make sushi. My sister, Paulina and I decided to have a sushi party and experiment making some of the sushi varieties we have seen in restaurants. It turned out GREAT!!! We even succeeded in making veggie tempura and fried banana ice cream!

Hawaii, January 2009

2009-02-15T23:06:00.013-07:00

In January while Nico's parents were visiting us we went to Hawaii. It has been Nico's mom's life's dream and it finally came true. She fell in love with Oahu and this became the trip of all trips. We stayed at Hilton Hawaiian, Nico did scuba diving, we went to Pearl Harbor, Polinesian Cultural Center, all over the island and visited it's beautiful beaches, Dole plantation and Hanauma bay.
This was an incredible trip!

Christmas and New Years 2009

2009-02-09T14:17:00.003-07:00

My wonderful in-laws came to visit us from Spain. They were to great to decorate the tree, the house, made an incredible dinner (for those who know me I will not put a Christmas tree-too much hassle, too lazy :) We had one of the warmest and sweetest times celebrating the holidays. New Years we spent with the Vinas family (my husband's friend).

Coldplay Concert

2008-12-21T22:57:00.005-07:00

Nico and I love Coldplay band. They came to SLC on their VIVA LA VIDA tour and we went. It was a very professionally done concert. Coldplay musicians are so talented (lead singer is great but weird- Chris Martin. He is married to Gwineth Paltrow).
We had a wonderful date night!

Time with my little Ava

2008-12-21T20:43:00.003-07:00

I always feel really bad that I never spend time with my little niece Ava. My life is so crazy! So sometimes I take her to fun places. Disney on Ice came to SLC and I took Ava to watch it. She really loved it since now she knows all the heroes (and her aunt doesn't actually so she had to tell me who is who). We had a lot of fun. Her little friend Alex, his mom and my sister came as well.

GO COUGARS!!!

2008-11-19T22:40:00.002-07:00

We have a tradition in our family that while we live in Utah we will be going to one BYU game a season. This year we went to BYU vs San Diego game in November. BYU did a great job and they won with a very high score. We are so proud to be BYU Alumni.

Beautiful Fall

2008-11-19T22:30:00.003-07:00

I love fall in Utah. One weekend we got together with my coworkers and went riding in the Uintas. It was a beautiful day. Thanks to Shirley for taking much better pictures than the ones I did.

This is our beautiful tree that was my husband's project in the summer. He did such a great job planting and taking care of it.

Our family's huge loss

2008-10-09T08:43:00.003-07:00

Lately I have been hearing a lot about deaths: my friends, acquaintances... One always hopes that it will pass by and not touch your own family, but it did, sadly! My only brother (cousin, but I regard him as brother since we grew up together), my great friend, person that made our childhood and youth so much more significant, my Vardan, died tragically in a head on collision at 11 pm last Sat, Oct 4, hit by a drunk driver. He was only 34... He left a wife and 2 kids.

There is no words to express how devastated our family is. I am just so glad that my sister and I got to see him this summer otherwise I would regret it all my life!

I love you Vardushik and will miss you ALWAYS!

Camping in Uintas

2008-09-11T12:28:00.005-07:00

We made it a tradition to go camping at least once a year in the summer. I am not a big outdorsey person but we have a lot of fun getting together with friends and exploring some Utah's nature. We went to Uintas this camping trip. I liked it but I HATE packing and unpacking all the sleeping gear! So, if I become super rich next year (wishful thinking)I might persuade everyone to do a cabin version of camping! :)

Trip to San Francisco

2008-09-11T12:01:00.008-07:00

My husband won a trip to San Francisco at his work. We went there mid August. It was a conference/vacation trip. His company "Primerica" had it so well organized. It was not one of those conference trips where you sit in a conference 8-5pm and if you want to see places you have to miss meetings or do it afterwards. We had meetings 8-noon and then we would party the rest of the day.
We loved exploring San Francisco: Union Square (at night), Fisherman's warf, Peer 49, Lombard street (the crookedest street in SF), Ghirardelli square, yummy Japanese restaurant with incredible sushi (Shirley that is for you) and of course gorgeous views of the coast! I love CALIFORNIA!!! Can't wait to move there (Brittany, c'mon, lets do it!)

It was a one great and relaxing trip (we were there 5 days). Thank you PRIMERICA!!!

And it all ended with an airplane on July 11, 2008

2008-07-14T08:38:00.005-07:00

We had a nice but again loooong flight home. Flight full of emotions and thoughts about life and it's worth, values and their meanings, changes in our personal lives because of the people that surround it.

Thank you, time-machine! It was all worth it!!!

Back to Yerevan

2008-07-14T08:26:00.005-07:00

One more photo of Dilijan and we were back in Yerevan (on the way to Yerevan I got to have my favorite of all treats in the world-curb side boiled corn on the cob YUMM!!!!!).
We got back and went to a nice restaurant for the last evening with my family. It was delicious and the atmosphere was inviting. It is sad to leave the family behind again and see your parents get older year by year. Life is a cruel thing at times...
Last photo is of our brand new wing of airport Zvartnots. GORGEOUS!!! It even had a free WiFi connection! I could not believe my eyes!!!

Dilijan, Armenia and my BIG FAT Armenian Weddings

2008-07-14T07:54:00.008-07:00

The last week of the trip we spent in our house in Dilijan. Our relatives had a second wedding for us since they were unable to be at our wedding in US. It was a lot of fun. I missed everyone a lot. Then we had another huge party at our house for all our family and friends (I call it my third wedding :) For the remainder of the time we visited the beautiful country side surrounding Dilijan, went high in the mountains where I used to spend my summers with my grandma when I was little and enjoyed relaxing and doing nothing. I tried to watch as much TV as I could because I miss it a lot!

Yerevan, Armenia

2008-07-14T07:23:00.007-07:00

Then for the remainder of the trip we flew to Armenia (or else we would have gone bankrupt in Russia- everything soooo expensive!!!) We stayed one week at my house in Yerevan, where we went and visited country side and ancient churches, got as close as we possibly can to Mr Ararat, went to nice restaurants (if you want great food for great price go to Armenia-a dinner for 4 with everything but alcohol $55, sweet!!!)
My mom spoiled me rotten with all the foods I have been missing for past 4 years. The food was soooooo yummy!!!
We walked all over the city. Yerevan has changed so much that I was having a hard time recognizing places. Many new beautiful buildings added.
In one of the restaurants we watched Spain win the Euro cup 2008. You can imagine how happy my husband was. I think he decided to go to Armenia every 4 years now. It seems to be the lucky charm for Spanish soccer team :)
We visited some museums and nice cites in the city and I met up with my college friends.

St Petersburg

2008-07-14T07:03:00.006-07:00

Next 3 days we spent in St Petersburg (we flew there). On a side note I was pretty impressed that I was able to plan this much of this trip on-line. It is a miracle on it's own.

In St Petersburg we stayed in a rented apartment right downtown by Nevski prospect. In St Petersburg we went to a ballet in Mariinsky theater (the second biggest one in Russia after Bolshoi theater in Moscow) and watched La Bayadere by Minkus.
Then we walked all over the city, took a day and night boat tour on the river Neva (during the night we saw how the bridges open). We visited Peterhoff- tzar's summer residence and Hermitage-tzar's winter residence. It was a lot of fun, despite the rainy weather.

Moscow

2008-07-14T06:39:00.005-07:00

We arrived in Moscow June 19 and stayed with our family friends. We had a blast with them. Despite the fact that we had not seen each other for about 10 years the friendship was still there.

In 3 days that we were there we visited mausoleum (where Lenin is laying still), Red Square, took a boat trip on the Moscow River (passing my all favorite Red October candy factory, YUMM), visited the building where I grew up and had a nice walk in most spectacular parts of the capitol of Russia.

It all started with an airplane on June 18, 2008

2008-07-14T06:28:00.002-07:00

June 18, 2008 after 4 year gap, I was able to go visit Russia and Armenia and this was Nico's very first time.
We had a nice but very looooooong flight to Moscow. It still amazes me though that in 14 hours I can be on the other side of the globe 11 hours ahead of where I was before. Real time machine ...

My wonderful sister

2008-06-18T09:48:00.004-07:00

I can never thank my parents enough for giving me a sister and such a wonderful one. I love her so much and her family have always brought happYness :) into my life. She has always been there for me and Randall has been closer than a brother for me.
I got to babysit Ava last week (it does not happen very often because of my insane life schedule). We had a lot of fun together!

We love you, guys, A LOT! Thanks for always being there for us!

Also in June Nico and I got to go to a party in Park City that was organized by the director the Electrophysiology lab where I work sometimes, Dr Marrouche (he is from Lebanon). Nico and I had so much fun!!! He has a gorgeous, very European style house. He made great food: humus, incredible lebaneese salad and a lot of grilled meat. It was a great evening. This is by his house in Park City.

Sunday picknics

2008-06-18T09:42:00.004-07:00

We decided to enjoy the nature as much as possible this summer and made a tradition to go with friends and family to the canyons for Sunday dinners. We have had so much fun that we want to continue this tradition. Thanks Hendersons and Gudgells for the great idea!!!

One of my good friends at work got married (met at work). we went to their wedding. They are such a cute couple! I can only imagine how gorgeous their kids will be! Congratulations, Afton and Will!

Thanksgiving point

2008-06-18T09:32:00.002-07:00

This year once again we went to Thanksgiving point for tulip festival. We had a late spring so not too many tulips were open, but it was still fun.

But at home I had a gorgeous African violet making me happy as ever after 12 hour shifts. Paulina, THANK YOU!!!

I am back to blogging

2008-06-18T09:24:00.003-07:00

I have gotten so many reprimands for slacking off in the world of blogging. So here you go, I am back! I was working very hard for the trip to Armenia and blogging was never an option over sleep :)

I had some beautiful flowers in the spring.

Spring is in the air

2008-04-01T22:18:00.004-07:00

One day Ava came over to my house and we spent the whole day together while her mommy was working. We had so much fun that we did not even turn the TV on. We went exploring nature in our neighborhood and Ava had a lot of fun at the playground. My crocuses came out in front of my house and I can not peel my eyes off of that beauty. I love to see nature wake up after a deep sleep.
I am also including a photo of gorgeous hyacinths that I grew at home and a beautiful Saturday morning in Lehi (Mountain Timpanogos).

Last day for skiing this season

2008-04-01T22:11:00.003-07:00

My sister and Paulina are very avid skiers and they got me into that as well. It is a great exercise and since I love speed (unfortunately :( I love skiing as well (only if I don't ski on my bum). In March I went one last time skiing with everyone (Nico is very busy with work, hopefully next year he will join us). It was a lot of fun and I will for sure do it more next season. Utah mountains are just gorgeous!

Mike, Inna and baby Alex

2008-04-01T21:39:00.003-07:00

My best friend Inna just had the cutest baby boy. He was born March 15 in Provo and was named Alexander Daniel Dodge. Inna and Mike, Congratulations!!! May he grow to be a smart and healthy boy!

Zara's princess

2008-03-31T15:39:00.005-07:00

For Ava's birthday I took her to Disney on Ice Princess Wishes. She just loved it!!! At first she was not excited to go because she did not know what to expect but as soon as she saw all the little girls dressed as princesses she got all excited (I dressed her up as a princess as well and everyone was staring at her because she was so cute).
She knew all the heroes in the show and to my shame I had to ask her who the heroes were since I did not grow up here. Her mom told me that for days after the show she would sing Cinderella's and Ariel's songs and was imitating the dances she saw in the show.

Flowers of winter

2008-02-17T23:02:00.004-07:00

My love for flowers is pathological and is blossoming as the flowers I plant. This time I grew a gorgeous Calla lily that gives me a lot of happiness when I get home after a long day at work.

Skiing 2008

2008-02-17T22:51:00.002-07:00

I have a tradition to go skiing once a season at least while I live in UT (I really should be going more often, but have to at least once). In January I went with the Gudgell's and my sister's family skiing at Alta (Nico was working). It was GREAT and I had a lot of fun! I only fell once and went down the hill 3 times! For me it is an acccomplishment!

Frost Fest 2008 party

2008-01-06T14:20:00.000-07:00

Every year University Healthcare where I work, organizes an employee appreciation party. They invite a really fun entertainment company, have great food, dances, games and raffles. My husband is such a good sport. He has been coming with me for all the years I have been working at the U. We've gone 3 years already and we have so much fun! Nico dances during the whole time of the party. He is on the dance floor more than some of the employees. He is the best husband, always so much fun to be with. I love that he is happy to participate in the events like this, dance and have a lot of fun. Not every husband would do so.

He is the best! I love you, nene!

That funny navy hat he is wearing he caught when the singers were throwing it out during Village people's "In the navy" song :)

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

2008-01-04T16:09:00.001-07:00

We had a lot of fun during the holidays. Although I have been in the Grinch mood the whole time (we did not decorate our house this year, mainly out of being lazy) I still enjoyed the days off work/school/worries/cooking/cell phone and bills. My sister was very nice and invited us to her decorated cute house to spend Christmas. We had a very yummy dinner there.

For the New Years we got together with some friends. We first went to Rodizio restaurant for a nice dinner, then went to down town SLC for the First night celebration, then watched a traditional Russian New Years movie and of course by the end we were all dead on the couches. It was a much better way to celebrate the New Years rather than the years before just chilling at home.

Igor's wedding

2007-12-28T17:02:00.000-07:00

Inna's brother Igor' got married and I went to their wedding Dec 22. His wife Mal'vina is from Ukraine. She is very nice. Several of my friends know them so I want to add the photos to my blog to share with others. They are a cute couple! CONGRATULATIONS!!!

Wedding Anniversary

2007-12-28T16:28:00.000-07:00

Dec 18th was our 3 year wedding anniversary. Nico gave me a dosen of gorgeous roses, took me to a restaurant (anyone wants to guess what we ate? OF COURSE SUSHI !!!!!!! another addiction of mine :) and on Sunday morning we went to Tabernacle Choir Christmas Concert at the Conference Center. It was amazing!!! I loved the stage decoration and the music!

Flowers in the winter

2007-12-28T15:56:00.000-07:00

I think I am officially diagnosed with "flower" disease. If I can not plant outside since there is a lot of snow I am planting inside. This year I tried to plant Amaryllus and Paperwhite daffodills. They turned out great and brought me a lot of joy. Now I am growing another color of Amaryllus and Calla lillies. May be I am crazy!

May be I can be a professional gardener, plants never complain :)

My cute little princess Ava

2007-12-16T15:57:00.000-07:00

My cute little niece Ava is growing so fast! She definately has a strong personality that comes from mixing Polish/Ukranian/Armenian/American blood. I am sure the stubborness comes from the Eastern European side (Randall will agree with me :) She is a very good and bright girl. She knows how to entertain herself when mommy is busy and then poor Jasmine becomes her victim :) Her biggest dream is life is to get a horsie for Christmas and I think Santa heard her plea!

Here are some photos.

The Fall flowers

2007-11-17T22:45:00.000-07:00

I had the most beautiful flowers this fall: dahlias, zinnias, pansies. As the nature started falling asleep I saw the last gifts of the Earth beautify my garden.

Spain Sept 9, 2007

2007-09-14T10:30:00.000-07:00

Sept 9, 2007
We went to church with Nico’s parents and then spend time having dinner with Nico’s sister and her family.

Spain Sept 6-8, 2007

2007-09-14T10:07:00.000-07:00

Sept 6, 2007
In the morning we started getting ready to go to hotel on the beach for next 3 days. We went to a place called Calla Millor. It is a beach area that is between reefs. We went to a hotel called Castell de Mar that was great. We had meals 2 times a day included in the price. The place was full of retired Germans. We felt like we were in Germany.
As soon as we came to the hotel we run to the beach. We spent all day on the beach, then went to dinner, walked around the little town and went to bed supertired.

Sept 7, 2007
The weather was pretty bad all day because fall has started in Mallorca as well. We sunbathes half of the day but it was not the best day for it. Then we ate a nice dinner and walked around the town. Most of the restaurants playing German music and all the Germans were dancing away.

Sept 8, 2007
The day was great. The Mediterranean sea was like a big swimming pool, no waves at all and the water was as clear as glass. We could see the bottom till very far from the shore. Nico, mom and I went snorkeling and saw a lot of fancy fishes with yellow tales. Zara even saw an octopus that was climbing around a rock (he was brown with while spots all over and big legs). Nico got stung by a jelly fish, poor guy! Then we went on a banana boat with some Germans and banana boat dragged us around the seashore on a big rubber banana. It was so much fun. Nico’s mom did it too. She is so great, such a young spirit. I want to be like her when I am 71!!!
Then we checked out of the hotel and went to underground caves by the sea called Caves of a Dragon in Porto Cristo. It was very impressive because those caves also have beautiful lakes made from rainwater drop by drop filtering through the earth. They even gave us a concert of classical music on the crystal clear lake. It was just marvelous. Then we went to the port of Porto Cristo and had a very yummy paella in a restaurant on the beach.

Spain Sept 5, 2007

2007-09-14T09:35:00.000-07:00

Sept 5, 2007
We went to Andratx which is a small village on the beach with multimillion dollar homes. It was very pretty. Then we ate a yummy dinner.

I am posting some photos of Nico's parents apartment. His mom is super clean. Can you imagine she washes her windows every 15 days, inside and out!!! I about died. They have everything very nice and clean.

I loved the photos of Nico's grandma with this typical spanish woman head brush and cover.

Nico's family has a family crest. I though it was so awesome. I did not know that some families still have crests.

Spain Sept 3, 2007

2007-09-14T09:15:00.001-07:00

Sept 3, 2007
In the morning we went to the beach Cala Sant Vicen which is on the north shore of the island. We chilled on the beach for several hours. The water is emerald green and very clean. You can see the bottom of the sea. There are many beautiful yachts passing by (very rich people). The beach time was very relaxing.

Sept 4, 2007
In the morning we went to Valldemossa which is a village on the West side of the island. This village is known for the fact that F. Chopin and G. Sand spent one year living there in 1838-1839 and this is where Chopin composed some of his musical pieces. We visited monastery Cartuja which is a museum now and then visited the rooms where Chopin and Sand lived with Sand’s kids. Sand was the first woman on the island at that time to put on pants and she was very ridiculed for that. The village was very pretty and green with animals gazing on the hills. It was very serene. We even were able to listen to a 15 min concert of Copin’s music by a pianist on the grounds of the monastery. It was fantastic.

Then we went to downtown Palma de Mallorca and visited El Corte Engles which is a version of JC Penney in US. Then we went on a walk to the beachfront and spent some time in the cafeteria. The beachfront and the port had a lot of gorgeous yachts there that were just like a floating house. We saw basketball players from Lithunia, Germany, Turkey and Czeck that came for Eurobasket 2007 tour games.

Spain Sept 2, 2007

2007-09-14T08:52:00.001-07:00

Sept 2, 2007
We woke up early, went to Jacuzzi at the hotel, got dressed and went on tour bus around Barcelona. This tour bus covered all the rest of the Barcelona that we were not able to see. It was very interesting and the best way to get to know the city. Next time we travel I will not hesitate and use this option first to get to know a place. Then we had a lunch and got some things for Nico’s dad. We checked out of the hotel, took a taxi and went to the station to take the fast ferry to Mallorca. The ferry ride was nice, fast and smooth. These ferries are very comfortable. We arrived in Palma de Mallorca.
At the port Nico’s sister’s family was greeting us with Nico’s parents. It was nice to meet them all, their kids are very well behaved. We visited for a little bit and went to Nico’s parent’s home in Inca which is 30 min away from Palma de Mallorca.

This is our hotel where we stayed in Barcelona: H 1898. It was a very nice hotel. We loved it!

More Barcelona pictures

2007-09-13T21:03:00.000-07:00

Here are some more pictures of Park Guell designed by Gaudi and la Sagrada Familia cathedral that has been under construction since Gaudi died in an accident at least a century ago. They just can't decide on the design for the cathedral that would be in tune with Gaudi's style.

Spain Sept 1, 2007

2007-09-09T14:51:00.000-07:00

Sept 1, 2007
We woke up at noon, ate breakfast at 2 pm (what a life! Too bad does not last for too long ☹ ) Then we went sightseeing the city. We took metro and little trams to get to the mountain Tibidabo from where we could see the whole Barcelona spread in front of us. It is just beautiful! We went to a chapel there and walked around.

Then we walked to Park Guell that has sculptures made by Gaudi at the entrance and through the whole park. We loved seeing the sculptures. They are so original and so outside of the range of what we are used to. As we came down from the hill we saw some gorgeous villas where super rich people live. Those homes were so nice! Then we walked to the metro and went to La Sagrada Familia cathedral that was also designed and built by Gaudi. We could have never imagined the beauty and extraordinary architecture of this structure. It is half built because Gaudi died while this cathedral was in construction and now the city is trying to finish it but it is taking a lot of time. They built some of it already though.
Then we took a bus and went to a restaurant Casa Jasinto. Very nice food, we loved it.

Then we went to see the MountJuic which is a mountain with beautiful fountains with light and music and gorgeous palace on the back which is a museum.
On the way there as we came out of the hotel we saw 4 Armenians talking and Nico of course made me talk to them. It was nice to see someone from my country but at the same time some of the comments they made were pretty dumb and I even felt embarrassed (such as “Barcelona is ok, but Yerevan is better; Food is better in Armenia” I about died when I heard all this).
We watched the fountains, they were so beautiful and magic. Then we took the metro, went home and sat in the bar on the roof of our hotel (just a dream vacation!)

Spain Aug 31, 2007

2007-09-01T17:49:00.000-07:00

We went to Barcelona. What a city!!!!!!!!!! I am speechless! We saw incredible work of Gaudi and went to the house of bones. We came out of there in complete awe! We also saw from the outside La Pedrera (another architectural work of Gaudi), walked around the city and had a nice meal (Nico is enjoying snails, Zara did not try it!!!)

Spain Aug 30, 2007

2007-09-01T17:37:00.001-07:00

Aug 30, 2007
We woke up in the morning, did a lot of laundery. Then Nico’s brother picked us up and we went to meet his other brother, their families and his grandma. We all went to a restaurant for dinner. Zara got to know the grandma, Paco, Carmen, Laura and Andrea, Tony, Carmen and Rocio and grandma’s sister-in-law and her son with his wifer. We took many pictures, sat for several hours in café afterwards. We gave them small presents and said good-bye. Then we went to visit with Manolo- Nico’s best friend. We sat in another café for several hours, had a good time and then went home and watched Apocalypto with Fernando and Silvia.

Spain Aug 28-29, 2007

2007-09-01T17:23:00.000-07:00

Aug 28, 2007
In the morning we went around Coruna which is the capital of Coruna province which belongs to the region of Galicia. We went to the light house that is right on the Atlantic Ocean front. We walked all around the hill where the lighthouse was located and looked at the ocean that was not very happy that day. It was a windy and cold weather and the ocean had huge wave that was breaking on the reefs. We saw Spanish coast guard motor boat haul a huge barge and they we were going pretty fast. That was interesting. We even got to hear the symphonic orchestra practice on the city square for the evening concert. It souned so pretty among the old city buildings. We ate dinner/lunch (whatever you call it) at a restaurant downtown that served seafood. It was delicious with real Armenian matnakash bread!!!

Then we headed off to Asturias. We arrived in Gijon which is one of the cities in Asturias and spent a night there in a hotel Jovellanos which is a 4 star hotel. This hotel could have not been compared to Barcelo (also 4 star hotel). This was an older one with some things not working but we slept well after watching a movie.

Asturias is very green like England. It receives most of the rain from the clouds that come from England and the Pyrenees get all this moisture. We saw a lot of grass cowered grounds which is pretty rare in Spain due to dry climate. Coruna and Asturias are both bordering the Atlantic Ocean. Asturias though has access to Cantavric sea. As we were driving to our hotel we saw very beautiful sites with palm trees and nice chalets on the ocean and on the other side beautiful green hills with pastures with cows grazing.

Aug 29, 2007
We woke up in the morning and headed off to Gijon city to see around the city. The weather was very rainy. We cruised around the city following a tour train and saw the beautiful big city beach. The locals told us that in Aug it rains a lot. The beach was empty besides some brave souls that were trying to windsurf because the waves were pretty big. On the way out of the city we saw a horse race tracks, a beautiful university. The landscape was very green with gorgeous pastures with animals. We were following the coast as we were heading out of the city and we tried to get to the lakes of Covadonga and as we headed up into the mountains we encountered a huge Celtic castle/church built on the top of the mountains. It was just like in the fairytales with clouds hanging over the towers and the rain falling continuously. We saw a gorgeous waterfall and a small chapel built into the mountain. This place was called Covadonga and before it passed a cute city hidden in the mountains called Cangas de Onis with small cute homes and beautiful landscape. We decided to definitely come back here next time we come to Spain. Asturias is beautiful. We ate dinner in a restaurant called Puertas de Covadonga. It was a very wellkept restaurant with most delicious food: favada which was the bean dish that is very typical of this area. We had a very nice visit to Asturias and definitely want to come back here.

Then we headed off to Santander of region of Cantabria. We got to the city and cruised around there for a little bit. It is a nice ocean front city. The weather continued to be very rainy. The landscape continued to be very beautiful with small cute homes in the country side and lambs gazing in the pastures. I think Spain has more restaurants than people. They just love to eat!!!

Then we headed off through Madrid cutting though the middle of the country to Valencia, Alicante and Elche. We arrived at home at 3 am having been driven for 3500 km during 5 days.

Spain Aug 27, 2007

2007-09-01T17:17:00.000-07:00

Aug 27, 2007
We went to Carefour which is Spain’s Walmart. Looks just like any grocery store, only customer service was lacking very much. But we are in Europe ☺
We later went to the island of La Toja that is famous for making soap and soap products. It had nice beach houses and walking areas.

Then we headed off to Santiago de Compostela in the region of Galicia. Santiago is famous for a cathedral that is built in the name of Apostle James that came to proselyte in Spain and died in Spain. He is resting now in a huge beautiful cathedral built between XII-XV in his name. This is also pilgrimage destination. People walk from the border of Spain or Italy to this cathedral and it is called Camino de Santiago to replicate the route that apostle James took as he arrived to Spain. We saw several people arriving there as we were sightseeing. They looked like they did walk for miles and miles to get to the destination.

That night we slept in a very nice four star hotel called Barcelo in Coruna. You can get a pretty good rate if you purchase reservations through a travel agency and that is what we did. We also ate dinner in the restaurant at the hotel that was delicious and watched a movie Flight plan.

Spain Aug 26, 2007

2007-09-01T17:02:00.000-07:00

Aug 26, 2007
In the morning we went to the city of Avila in Avila province. The most distinguished place in Avila is La Muralla - the city wall that was being built since about 900 AC and saw several eras of building styles: by Jews, Romans and etc. It was very interesting to also go inside the city walls and walk around. The buildings are very old and it seems like if you stay quiet and listen carefully the stones will tell you the story of what they have seen during the centuries.
We took a little tour guiding train around town that told us about the history and the architecture of this town.

Then we drove to the north of the country. The landscape became greener as we arrived to Galicia, Pontevedra that is on the Atlantic Ocean shore next to Portugal. We saw many grape fields and lemon and orange trees. We slept in a very well kept hostel with a restaurant that served delicious food. We watched a movie in the evening.

Spain Aug 25, 2007

2007-09-01T15:24:00.000-07:00

Aug 25, 2007
First thing in the morning we went to Alcazar de Segovia. It is the most well preserved castle-fort in Spain and it was built 1200-1300.
Then we went to Segovia to have a breakfast at Valor, which is a chocolatery. We had churros with hot “real” melted chocolate. It was heaven. We were having breakfast right under the famous Roman aquaduct that spreads for miles through the city. When the romans invaded Spain in 20-30 BC they built this aquaduct and it goes as high as 25 m in height (Romans tries to cut the distance for the water). The aquaduct is still in use more than 2000 years after. Romans did not use any sort of connecting materials for the stones, just put one on the top of the other. It was astonishing!

Then we went to Valle de los Callidos which is a memorial that was built by Franco in the memory of all Civil War victims and Royal Family deceased members. Franco himself rests there. In reality it was actually built by political prisoners and many people died building it. It is built inside a mountain and has a huge basilica inside and functioning monastery next to it. We had mixed feelings visiting it.

Then we ate in a restaurant. The food was great but all the restaurants are full of smoke so it is sometimes hard to enjoy the food while inhaling the smoke.

Then we went to the cathedral of San Lorenzo Escorial. He was a evangelical preacher that died being burned on the grill for his beliefs while trying to convert the unbelievers. Later during 100 years in his name a monastery was built in a form of a grill. It is now a library and a museum of very large proportions.

In the evening we found a hostel in the region of Segovia. It was pretty scary looking with a deaf guy running it. We then watched Vacancy movie and it became even scarier. We were all crazy, scared of everything, even our shadows. Eventually we went to bed but it smelled so much like tobacco everything around us that we had a hard time sleeping. Anyways, it was definitely an adventure.