Happy B-Day on Baikal

August 25, 2007 - Happy Birthday to me! I took 3 friends back to Ust Barguzine where the Ladies' Rehabilitation Center is near to Lake Baikal. The weather had been lousy for at least 2 weeks flirting with fall weather, but that day was AMAZING - everyone said it was God's special gift to me when the day dawned a perfect, warm summer day. Even better was when the following day was also sunny and beautiful but a very chilly fall day. Yup, God blessed me :)

Moms are good to send candles to make sure tradition is kept!

Olya, Natasha, me, and Luda at Baikal.

Thank you, family and friends, for the Birthday

packages and cards and emails. I opened

two boxes on the sandy beach of Baikal.

Everyone from the Rehab got in on the B-day picnic too!

No Russian Birthday party is complete without drama . . .

. . . presentations . . .

. . . and seranading!A truly perfect, beautiful day!

Cold? Yes, but not bad since Baikal's water is at it's warmest now!

This is the first time on a major holiday overseas that

I have not felt a huge piece of my heart was somewhere else

with family and friends in the USA. God has filled the gaps,

blessed me with friends, and given me a new home!