Jan 02 2022

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year both from Russia.They celebrate both together.  Big holiday. For the next 10 days Russia is basically shut down.  Transportation is still going and some stores are open but that is it.  Everyone goes on vacation and spends time with family. Pretty good idea Huh.
If  Robyn is reading this I honestly do not know our address.  There are no street names they just go by buildings.  My kids send things to the office.  So just send us an e-mail to mggronning2@hotmail.com and update us on your family and our ward friends. That is one of my fears if we ever have an emergency, like needing to call 911 I have no idea how to tell them where to come.  But my plan if that ever happens is to call the office elders and they can handle that.  Actually I am hoping we never have that expierence.
It has been a cold snowy week, but I think home is about as cold as here.   It was my birthday on the 28th.  Whoever thought I would spend a birthday in Russia?  But it was fun.  Missionaries called all day and sang Happy Birthday to me and President Ordered pizza for the office and Gene bought me some Roses and took me shopping for a new purse.  And of course e-mails from all the kids. So it was good.  Because Russia is on holiday this whole week we are getting in meetings and conferences for the missionaries so that they can spend their time teaching the rest of the month.  So the up coming week is full of meetings.
Fireworks have been a huge event on Christmas-New Years Eve.  It sounds like we are in a war zone.  They were going off all around us.  Some we could see but because of the tall apt buildings we could not see them all.  But they started at 7pm and continued on until the wee hours of the morning.  We finally got to sleep around 2am.  There are still some going off today.  I will post pictures with coments again to tell you about our week. 
Happy New Year and we will see you the first month of 2012.  Luvs from Russia Gene and Marcia
Just one moe thought.  We are having very little daylight right now.  It is light from about 10-4pm..

Christmas decoration as you walk into our apt building

My christmas blanket that hangs right by my desk so I see and I
can feel my grandchildren near,  I love this so much

My precious children hang on my desk also

I have the best desk ever

Christmas package from Michael's family



Reading a sweet message from Cody and Shellie








Elder Harrison and Elder Player from the West Mission.  Greeted
us as we came into the office after Christmas



My beautiful Roses's from Gene

2 days later.  We do miss Costco flowers

Cold and slippery walking to the office

So many fireworks on New Years Eve.  All over and all around us

In front of our entrance to our apt

Snow is getting deep and as you can see..no clean sidewalks.
This is also in front of our apt.

And Bud sent us this picture of his Russian hat..Isn't he cute?