Tuesday, February 8, 2011

I can see Russia from my house!


No, we haven't become addicted to Sarah Palin's Alaska but we do have some exciting news to (officially) share...

Last December, Andy was faced with a tough decision  - should he stay or should he go now (cue The Clash)? The team he was playing for in Greece was struggling big time financially and ultimately Andy decided to take a leap of faith, come back to America and patiently wait for another contract.

It's been an emotional and long road, but we're pleased to announce that Andy has signed a new contract and soon will be heading off to...

Россия!

For those of you who aren't fluent in this country's native language - aka everyone but Romo - we're going to RUSSIA! The town is called Yaroslavl and can be found 150 miles northeast of Moscow, situated on a lovely little river.



While this is a far cry from a team we thought we might be joining in Indo (80 degrees and sunshine everyday), we couldn't be more thrilled for this (chilly) adventure. Russia is an incredible country for volleyball and we're hoping the next few months prove beneficial from a development and competitive play standpoint.

The contract has been signed and we've received an official "invitation" letter from the Russian government - whew! With his visa application, passport photos (a la Glamour Shots) and invite in hand, Andy will head to the Russian consulate in the city tomorrow to obtain his work visa - woopie! Once we have the visa, the team will book his flight and off he goes. In the next few weeks, I'll be wrapping things up in San Francisco, traveling to Minnesota for some friend and family time, and then I'm off to Russia for a visit.

Personally, I'm looking most forward to updating my current (lack of) wardrobe with a few new pieces - an ushanka hat, a pair of Uggs (my last pair kept me cozy as I gallivanted around Italy and much of Europe for four months back in 2006 - they're due for retirement) and a cute new scarf or five. I'd be remiss if I didn't acknowledge the copious amounts of vodka that will be at my little American finger tips. Of course, exploring a new city and country with the love of my life ain't to shabby either...

And so I guess the saying is true - good things really do come to those who wait. A huge kudos to our families and friends for all the support, strength and love you've given us during this time of uncertainty.

On to the next one...

Love,
k + a

5 comments:

  1. Yay, Andy! We're so excited that your patience has paid off and wish you all the best in Russia (the Hungarian an Polish women in the lab translated the cyrillic letters for me...).

    I love the look of the blog! We look forward to keeping up with you both here. Brian will certainly help with banner/etc. if you'd like.

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  2. Congrats kids-- you're really going to Russia!! Keep the posts coming so we can check up on you!
    Safe travels...
    jean

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  3. I love the blog! Looking forward to keeping up with your big adventure -- to Russia!

    Love, Mom

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  4. YAY!!! Terribly excited for the reports from Russia! Pictures too please!
    Kelly

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