Two years later...

So it's been over two years years since my return to the States. I've obviously stopped posting here... and probably would never have posted again if I weren't holed up in our local library fighting distraction and trying to get some studying done for the NCLEX that I'll be taking on the 25th. Clearly I'm losing the battle of me vs distraction.
So here's some updates. Finished up nursing school in December (bachelor's degree number two, check) and am working as a nurse on the fantastic oncology floor where I did my preceptorship. Vangel continues to work and go to school for culinary arts. We have a small apartment, three computers but no television, and plan on going back to the BG for a much needed visit sometime this summer.
Let's see if I can find any pictures to post since I don't think I'll be able to pull my focus back to NCLEX studying for at least another 15 minutes.

Grandma's 90th birthday celebration.


Drive-in movie waiting for the sun to set.


Beginning of spring in Michigan


Lake Michigan



And now I believe I've wasted a sufficient amount of time posting to a blog that nobody reads. Time to get back to studying.

Michigan

so while I'm sure that nobody reads this anymore i felt the urge to update.
been back in the states almost 7 months now. crazy. time flies here, time flies there.
vangel and i are both working and going to school.
vangel more working than schooling, me more schooling than working.
things are good. life is good. it's still nice to be home. i miss bulgaria but oddly a whole lot less than i expected i would. maybe that's just my defense mechanism. or maybe i appreciate a conveniently close washing machine and structured environment with clear and defined expectations more than i ever knew.
either way it's nice here.
spring has come and just like in the balkans it's gorgeous. in a different, yet equally beautiful way.
so with that, чао за сега.
but before i go, here you are, like always, the pictures:

Rome

amazing.
we had planned to travel around italy. and I'm sure it would have been wonderful if we had, but we so fell in love with rome that we ended up staying there the whole time.
next trip to italy we'll see more of it.
but this time was just perfect.
picnics at night by the colosseum, picnics during the day by the vatican, picnics next to the trevi fountain, picnics at a park overlooking all of rome (do you see a pattern here? by the way, if you are traveling on a budget picnics are the way to go. you get the best views for the best prices)
and when we weren't picnicking we were eating pizza and gelato. 10 of the best days of my life. (just so you know the pic of the pizza isn't mine, we forgot to take a picture of the pizza places, but that gives you the idea because they all looked the same and were all delicious. i'll never settle for pizza hut again...not that i really ever did in the first place...)

so happy to be back in the states. for so many reasons. vangel and i are loving it.


not sure if i'll still update this blog anymore.
we'll see.
anyway, here are a couple pics from our low-key wedding in good old Zlataritsa, Bulgaria back in may. (actually, technically more of an "after signing the marriage documents" party)

and i'll try to get the pictures from rome up as soon as i can.

sofia

so these are patrick's photos from sofia, but i like them too.

Endgame

So with 20ish days left here we're trying to get things in order before we head out.
One of the most important things being this little tiny piece of paper. After months of paperwork, trips to Sofia, and money spent we finally have it:



We also just bought our plane tickets to Rome. Not quite sure how long we'll be staying there. The main purpose of our trip is to visit Vangel's mom who is working somewhere in the south of Italy. We'll see, it might be a couple days, it might be a couple weeks. But we will definitely be back in the States before November.


Also, the kids are back in school. Which means all the older kids who went to Greece for the summer to be with their parents are back in town and back at the museum.



And while I'm here and typing, might as well put up some more pictures.

Here is a picture of the city of Sliven as seen from the blue rocks of Karandila.
A couple weeks ago when I just needed to get out of town for a bit I took a day trip there.




And then last week we headed over to Turnovo and hiked to the transfiguration monastery. There was also quite a bit of homemade wine and picnicking involved. Great hike, great monastery, great day.




And then here is a picture from last months BBQ at Dancho's house. Dancho, by the way, is one of my adult English students. He also makes the best wine and rakia in Zlataritsa.



OK, well I guess I'll stop here before everybody gets bored.
See ya soon!

gone

we just got back yesterday.
went to sofia. again.
vangel had his "interview" (which by the way, was nothing compared to his first interview at the embassy back in november when it wasn't even for a visa, but just to marry me)
but everything went great.
we just have to translate a few more documents, send them in, and a few days after that they should be sending out the visa.

then we went to kraynitsi to hang out with my host family. it was great because
1) vangel was able to meet everyone and
2) daniela, my language trainer from two years ago is back in kraynisti as the trainer for a new group of trainees.

after kraynitsi, we left on an overnight train to the sea. we only spent a couple days there but i fell in love with bulgaria's north black sea coast.
it was absolutely beautiful. we went to the marine reserve of kaliakra, saw wild dolphins swimming and also to the town of balchik which was beautiful because unlike the other tacky touristy towns on the black sea this one was much more relaxed. yes, it had it's touristy side, but it was at least much less tacky. it had a cute downtown area, a great beach with clear water, and instead of the main tourists being british, here they were romanian or russian. all the signs on the restaurants were in both bulgarian and romanian instead of bulgarian and english.
which was definitely a change from turnovo and the other towns in bulgaria. not that i have anything against british, americans, or english speakers in general, it's just nice to find out that bulgaria attracts a more diverse group of tourists.