I Was Sooo Wrong!!!

Life in Russia often requires some advance preparation…especially when your need is specific! 

Our morning conversation went something like this…

Keith I need to get some things for Emme’s Birthday Party at Stockmanns (the only place you can buy American groceries).

I heard it is Crazy Days.  There will be a million people and the lines will be out the door. (He really means…Stokmanns is the last place I want to go today…or any other day for that matter!!!)

My very optimistic response…I only need to go to the grocery store, there won’t be anyone in there!!! 

We left at 10AM to insure that the store would be empty.  I was sooo wrong!!!  There were people everywhere!!!

I fought the crowds and got what I needed and much more…but seriously failed to see anything that was on sale!!!  To “celebrate” we went to the Three Amigos…St Pete’s attempt at Mexican food.

Russian Mexican food is good if you have lived in Russia long enough to have forgotten what “real” Mexican food tastes like.  Even though it often feels like we have lived in Russia forever, it has not been long enough to really appreciate Russia’s version of Mexican!

Lunch would have been much more enjoyable without the free balloon gifts that seemed to remain in my face throughout eating and then popped on the way home giving my complete heart failure!!!

We attempted to work off a few of the calories with a little bit of exploring Birthday present options.

Again, the conversation went something like this…

OK, kids…we are going to just LOOK!  We will NOT BE BUYING ANYTHING TODAY!!!

Kids are thinking…yeah, right!!!

And again…I was sooo wrong!!!

After “falling completely in love with a robot squirrel” Emme AND Gideon both finished our “Window Shopping” with awesome new roller blades!!!  Somehow I also heard someone promising to take them roller blading TOMORROW…exactly 15 days before Emme’s Birthday!!! 

We ended our very long day at the Jazz Club at IA.  The School Bands did a great job playing and Emme and her friends worked up a sweat dancing.

What a fun day!!!