Pictures from Last Year

The last touch up was done to Uchi (Oct 27)

Our Halloween Party

We didn't dress one - but one of our friends was dressing as gorilla

Our Stair before renovating

Underneath our loft

Underneath our second floor hallway

Our Loft with new carpet (nicer and softer)

Laundry Room before painting

Best Buy's washer and dryer (cute blue) in a blue painted laundry room

Our messy Kitchen

Our Messy Garage

We installed our garage openers (we did not have enough lights for all the garage openers)

Our kitchen island was used as a temporary table to build new computer

Thanks to Erni's new knives - really sharp ones

 Painting our guest bathroom (same color with our laundry room)

Trandition Blue 

 

Painting our loft green

"Crocodile tears" is the name of our paint and we picked it because it is a funny name

Complete painted loft

Cleaning our driveway

Our White Christmas and white Uchi

That was me cleaning our driveway

a new exercise tool for us

Reflect Back....

Saying goodbye to 2009...  many things happened to us last year:

* We are home-owners
Finally, after years of waiting, we dared to place our footprints in MN.
We experienced our first painting (which was painful) and shoveling snow.

* Still "aliens" but with no-visa needed
Got a green card -- no longer need a corporate sponsor to stay in the US

* First Ticket
My first traffic ticket in MN, just on the day when we moved to a new home. (For not stopping "completely" at a stop sign -- what a ridiculous argument from the police officer, apparently he was so sure that I did not fully stop. What imaginary people stop completely 100% at a stop sign when there are no other cars around?!)

* Celebrated Our First Year Anniversary in Chicago
See Chicago Trip 2009

* Russian got a new Job
See New Job

* New babies -- NOT OURS!  (Don't start posting rumors on the internet!)

A couple of friends have had their babies this year: Ernita (Ethan), Elena (little Vasya), Lani (Aiden), Ely (Livia), Touby (Kyle), Zhichao (Sarah) and few others ... sorry I don't remember their baby names.

* Babushka came to visit

We got a surprise visit from Babushka, see babushka

* New Hair Cut

See the boy-cut

* First Time Biking to work

Biking is not a new thing - but biking 25 miles a day is a new thing, see biking

Hopefully we will continue experiencing new things this year!  Good things more than bad things, of course.  And same wishes to all three of you reading this blog!