A Couple of Things

For some reason, the stuffed animals here really creep me out. It's a combination of their bright, obnoxious colors and weird cartoony eyes. I don't like being in the same room with a bunch of them at once. Would you want to be alone with too many of these psychedelic play pals?

We had a lovely time celebrating our anniversary on Sunday. We took our family and friends to dinner at our favorite little restaurant in Bar. Roma's parents never go out to eat so it was special to be able to do so with them. Here's a family shot:

A couple weeks ago, Roma and I successfully tracked down nearly all necessary sushi ingredients and I was able to make sushi for the family to try. I was very worried that they wouldn't like it because it's comparatively, so different from what they usually eat. I was particularly convinced that Papa wouldn't like it. I've seen him try different dishes made with traditional Ukrainian ingredients and say: "This, this isn't food. Borshch, meat, potatoes, that's food." Sushi was a hit, however. And to my great delight, Papa liked it best of all.

We are off to the village today. I believe we will spend the night. It will be our last time seeing Grandma and Grandpa during this trip. Considering his grandpa's health, I know that saying good-bye will be hard for Roma. He has always been very close to these grandparents.

When Roma was young, he'd spend entire summers with them helping out around the farm. When he was still a little kid, he'd sleep in the same bed as his grandpa. Grandpa would tell him bedtime stories as little Roma would drift off to sleep. In his sleep, Roma would always sling his leg over his grandpa like a body pillow and hug him all through the night. There are still nights where in his sleep, Roma will sling his leg over me in the same manner.

Big good-byes are never easy.