Life by numbers, Rizdvo edition.

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7: January 7th is Rizdvo, Ukrainian Christmas according to the Julian calendar. I love that we get to celebrate both Christmases, each with its own special rituals and traditions. And who doesn't love an extra long holiday season? 

5: people our apartment is going to house tomorrow night through Tuesday...I'm excited to figure out the obstacle course of blow-up mattresses and sleeping bags that will have to be traversed throughout our one-bedroom apartment! 

12: number of dishes that are traditionally served for Christmas Eve dinner. We're scaling it down to just four of my favorites, and I can't wait to spend all of Monday cooking away. 

-20: the windchill for tomorrow night, but our apartment will stay nice and warm because my favorite people (and puppy) will all be together in the same place.  

30: the number to which my husband keeps rounding up my upcoming birthday...

2: the number of days off (in a row!) I get to celebrate with my family. I am so thankful and so blessed. 

**This is a Christmas cookie?!? Too beautiful to eat! 

Futbol.

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After a fantastic game this Friday, the Ukes are going into the second leg of their World Cup qualifying games with 2 goals to France's 0. Fight through one more game, хлопці, and we're off to Brazil! 

I can't wait to watch this afternoon! Bперед, Україно!

Some Vinni for your Friday.

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And we've made it to Friday. While this has seemed like a long week, the month is actually flying by: how is it that there are only three weeks to Thanksgiving?! 

If you need a break and a laugh today, I suggest you take in some quality YouTube videos of Mr. Winnie the Pooh. No, not the Disney version, but the SoyuzMultifilm version of the 1960s. This is one of the few occasions that will I let my Ukrainian pride step aside and give way to the Soviets (noting, of course, that the second photo in the above link to learning Russian is actually a shot from a Ukrainian dance)...because this bear is just too cute. And his friends are hilarious. And I can't help but laugh each time Vinni dances and sings. The animation is incredible, too; as Andrew says, he actually looks like a bear as imagined by a child. 

And then there's this Buzzfeed link - after watching Vinni and Pyatachok take on the bees, you'll have to agree.

The best day.

Over two months have passed since our wedding day and I'm still over the moon. So many people I've talked to have said their wedding day was the best day of their lives. I've had many "best days" in my life, but none really do compare to our wedding weekend; those days were truly the most wonderful, happy, and love-filled days I can remember. Everything all flew by so quickly, despite the months of planning that lead up to it, and that's why I'm so, so grateful to our amazing photographer. Sarah Blesener's photos allow me to relive our day over and over again. She captured what I want to always remember as well as those little moments that I didn't even know were happening around us. It's impossible to pick favorites, but here are a few that I love...

We had an absolutely incredible time at our wedding, and Sarah's photos remind me of just how lucky we were to be surrounded by our friends and family on our favorite day. We can't thank you enough! 

Five things.

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Today I received an email from one of our registries informing me that there are only "8 weeks left until your big day!" I can't get over how fast the time has gone. It makes me crazy excited that our wedding will be here so soon, yet slightly anxious for all that's left to be done. I'm not stressed though, promise. 

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Cheremosh's concert at the Cowles Center was fantastic. It was so strange to not be backstage among the chaos that inevitably drives everyone slightly crazy before show time. I was, of course, nervous as I waited for the curtain to come up for Pryvit, and found myself counting/tapping/thinking through the steps and combinations that I knew in my head more than once during the program.  This was actually the first dance concert I've ever watched in full from the audience in my life. Everyone did an incredible job, and I'm so proud of all the dancers. 

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It's my mama's birthday this Thursday. I can't think of a better way to celebrate with her than to actually do just that in person - we'll be home in time for dinner, Ma!! 

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Yesterday afternoon, Andrew and I went to the beach that's just a few blocks from our apartment. It was crowded, but felt absolutely perfect to be out in the sun. It made me want to take a vacation to someplace tropical and hot with fresh sea food and bright sunshine. For the time being, though, Atwater and Lake Michigan will just have to do. It's so nice to have it so close by! 

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A big congratulations to Alex at Life. Law. Luck: happy wedding planning!! 

Saturday Post No. 8

This has been quite the busy week, but we're ready for everything this summer is throwing at us. It's going to be a good one. 

Yesterday turned out to be an absolutely beautiful day and night, so we took advantage of it and went for a nice long walk to a part of the lake that's a bit north of us. That's one of the best things about living on a "Great Lake" - it's huge, and there are so many paths and trails to explore. It was perfect. 

We'll be home in a few days for Cheremosh's concert at the Cowles Center. This is going to be an incredible show, and even though I'm not with them week in and week out, I'm still so proud of how hard everyone's been working, from the instructors and dancers to the parents and volunteers behind the scenes. I can't wait to see this! And of course, we'll be spending as much time with family as we can, and throwing in some additional wedding planning in between concerts, parties, and grill outs. I'm predicting a whirlwind of a weekend. 

Much love to everyone at home and our friends who are elsewhere. It's actually quite amazing how many of our friends from Minnesota are now in all sorts of different places (as are we!), but I'm so excited for everyone to reunite together in August. Just a bit more than 2 months to go! 

MN Mondays: Minneapolis rules.

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I first saw this list on a fantastic Minneapolis tourism website and could barely contain my excitement for our trip home in a few weeks. Everything on this list is perfect, and I want to do every single one at some point in my life. I'm pretty sure we've checked off many already, but I wouldn't mind revisiting some favorites, including sidewalk dining down Nicollet Mall, everything involving St. Anthony Main and Lake Harriet, and, a true city gem, the Mill City Farmer's Market. I also love that Kramarczuk's made the list - a childhood tradition that is now making a real name for itself! 

If you're looking for things to do in the City of Lakes this summer (hint hint, dear friends and family who are coming in for the wedding!), check out this list. Even if you're a homemade Minneapolitan, challenge yourself to explore some of the neighborhood treasures you may not have yet seen. Sometimes the best things to do are truly in your own backyard! 

I think this post marks an unofficial countdown to summer...who's with me?!? 

Saturday Post No. 7

I had to snap this photo at a work outing last evening. I need some Hennepin. Two weeks to go. 

Don't have plans this evening? Need something to do while your freshly-baked paska is cooling? Go see my Ukes dance at Festival of Nations at the St. Paul RiverCentre! Three of our groups are dancing throughout the day and into tonight, and would love to have your support in the audience. 

After weeks of searching, we finally found ramps this morning. Andrew was like a kid in a candy store at Whole Foods and is now scouring the web for the best recipes to highlight this springtime treat; our favorites so far include ramp pesto and zucchini with ramp aioli. Stay tuned for results later this week, if we can control ourselves long enough to take a photo. 

Five things.

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How is it May? This means the year is nearing its half-way mark, which freaks me out entirely. I don't know where time has gone, where exactly spring is hiding, or how it's been a year since graduating from law school. The fact that time is rushing by so quickly is countered by the fact that it seems like forever since we've been home to Minneapolis. Thankfully, Andrew's parents visited a few weeks ago to bring some family/MN love to MKE, but then again, HOW was that so long ago?!? I feel like I'm trapped in this weird zone where everything is moving so quickly and I feel like there's still much to do in so little time, and one where it seems that the days are taking forever and summer will never come. Anyone else feel this way? 

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More on time: today is our five-year anniversary. Fast-forward from one Guinness each and a night full of conversation at Brit's to two graduate degrees (with a third in progress), a ring, a move, a lot of cooking, more wine, and an upcoming wedding, and we're here. I'm so glad we went to Brit's that night, after several weeks of old school flirting and discussing class reading assignments. So much has changed, but not really - we're still committed to each other, our families, and the life ahead of us. I can't wait to marry you, Driy!!

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We'll be home in Minneapolis in exactly 2 weeks from today. We have an actual countdown going on our chalkboard, we're that excited. 

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Both my sister and Andrew's sister are graduates this year! My sister graduates in a bit more than 2 weeks and Andrew's sister graduated earlier this week! Way to go, ladies!! We're proud of both of you and will celebrate LOTS when we're home. 

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It's Orthodox Easter this weekend, which is strange because I don't remember the last time that the two Easters (Orthodox and everyone else's) were so far apart; usually, there's just a few weeks between the two. I don't think it helps that the first Easter was so early, either. To all those celebrating this weekend - have an extra slice of paska (and lots of extra syrna paska and kovbasa) for me. I'm quite sad about not having any. I was going to bake some and make syrna, but a) I was at work for too long to bake and b) NO ONE sells farmer's cheese here. I was complaining about this to my mom, who was equally surprised and indignant: "but it's Wisconsin, how do they not sell farmer's cheese in Wisconsin?" I don't know, and I'll be upset about it for a while. Oh, and I would love to see if any of my Ukes decide to embrace the other holiday going on this weekend...if someone decides to be brave and go have their burrito blessed in their koshyk, please send me photos. You would make my week. 

Pysanky.

Happy Friday morning, friends!

We're back after a wonderful, family-filled week at home in Minneapolis. Our adventures will be posted later, but for now, in the spirit of springtime, here are some shots of what took over our dining room table for the last few weeks. 

Pysanky are traditional Ukrainian Easter eggs, and have been a part of Ukrainian culture for thousands of years. The word pysanka comes from the word pysaty, or "to write," referring to the fact that the designs are written on the egg with wax. Each design and color has its own meaning, with roots in pre-Christian times (it was once believed that the more colors and symbols an egg had, the more magical it was!). Now, centuries later, Ukrainians continue to make pysanky to preserve the traditions of the past and pass down this incredible art to younger generations. 

Here's how the process works: you start with a regular, plain egg (they're raw, so no, you really can't eat them). Using a kistka, a wooden (or, to bring us into the 21st century, an electric) stylus with a tiny well that's heated in a candle to melt the wax, you write each design onto the egg. Dying the eggs is a layering process: as you move from light to dark colors, the wax designs preserve whatever color is underneath. When you're finished, the pysanka will have wax all over it, hiding all the earlier colors and designs. 

My favorite part of making pysanky is the final step - melting off the wax. I use a candle; others do this en masse and melt several eggs at a time under a heat lamp. As the wax melts off and is wiped away, all the colorful designs are revealed. I've done this so many times, and still, each time, I'm surprised and excited to see the finished pysanka. They really are the perfect symbol for spring, signifying rebirth and new life. 

Making pysanky is a beautiful tradition that I'm so proud to continue! If you want to learn to make your own, visit the Ukrainian Gift Shop in Roseville, MN - they have everything you need to start making pysanky - from dyes and styluses to instructional kits and books filled with inspirational designs. They're really the go-to experts on all things pysanka! 

Have a wonderful weekend - hopefully the weather cooperates and starts to actually feel like spring!