Holidays

OK, once again trying to post more. Not sure how I got busy - seems like I am always doing something or other, and after awhile I just got tired of the computer. Anyway - here is my attempt at posting a bit more!

Holidays were great. Too short time in Portland, Seattle. Partly because we lost 2 days stuck in Amsterdam due to the weather and flight cancellations. It is a long story, but basically Moscow said our flight from amsterdam to seattle was cancelled when it really wasnt, but we had to go get our luggage in amsterdam because it wasnt checked to seattle and ended up missing our connection - had to wait 2 days. No worries though. I got a hotel and it wasnt too bad. I am thankful I was able to do that. If I was travelling alone I would have waited in the 8 hour lines and tried to get an earlier flight. No way I was going to wait in the long lines travelling alone with 3 kids.

Anyway. We made it there and spent the 2 weeks with family, and driving between portland and seattle I think 4 times. That took up a lot of time.

I didnt go to target, trader joes. I didnt see ANY friends. NONE! just spent time with family or in the car taking Maria to appointments, which was ok. That was the priority anyway.

Before we left moscow we went through the annual process of renegotiating our lease for our apartment. This year the landlord decided to raise the rent so we started looking at other places, turned out to be unnecessary as I married a fierce negotiator.

When we returned to Moscow, however, I went to take a hot shower and somehow there was no hot water in the bathroom. great. Yesterday afternoon Leo went to the gym and once he left suddenly water poured from the light fixture in the kitchen. Simply poured. I filled my biggest pot 5 or 6 times before it slowed. Then suddenly water started pouring from a crack in the middle of the ceiling. Then the electricity went out. In that moment I wished we moved. After Leo came home we flipped some switches and lights came back on. Then the plumber came - he literally chopped through the upstairs apartment door and broke into the apartment as no one was home (the apartment is empty and being remodeled). Turns out the workers had opened a pipe to something or other and instead of capping for the weekend the stuffed a rag in it. hmmm. It ended up spraying water all over the place - and thus the leak.

Leo also figured out that when you turn the water in the bathroom sink on hot, it runs cold, but the makes the shower water hot - turn off the sink faucet and the shower water gets cold. weird. Such a russian-y thing I think it took a russian to figure it out.

Anyway Leo was the hero of the day and figured it all out!

For now we just have to run the water in the sink when we want to take a hot shower.