Princess Ava

In the parking lot of the Embassy last night, waiting for Jared to get off work, Ava crawled around the car in her princess dress. As she crawled onto the floor of the drivers seat and turned around, she noticed that some of the sparkles had rubbed off her dress and on to the seat. She laughed and laughed, telling me she was magical, leaving fairy dust behind! As she caught sight of a sparkle that had stuck to my cheek, she touched my cheek with her little hands and said, "Oh Mommy! Now you are pretty like me!"


McKenna, Ava and Alina playing dress up


Ava and her knight in shining armor, Sir Van

Where's Willy Wonka?

Every wednesday out Community Liaison Office has an activity for the kids. Last wednesday we toured the Arcolade Chocolate Factory. It was heaven. We could smell the chocolate from the parking lot. Before walking into the production room, we had to get "sterile."


Mmmm, chocolate!


Ava and Van in front of the production line. The day we went they were making chocolate covered dried peaches with a walnut on top. Sounds like a weird combo, but it is so so good.



Of course no chocolate factory tour would be compete without a sample at the end!

Snow in July

Last weekend we explored the ridge-line below the summit of Mt Aragats, the tallest peak in Armenia, not to be confused with Mt Ararat, the alleged site of Noah's ark's remains, which is in Turkey. Although it was 103 degrees back in the city of Yerevan, it was cold enough on the mountain that we needed jackets and long pants. As we drove up the broken and pot hole ridden "road" at 2 miles an hour we spotted snow still dotting the mountainside. You can imagine the kids excitement and my equally demoralized reaction. But alas, their pleading won out and we stopped to play in the cold, wet, depressing , wintery substance. They had a blast, and their infectious happy mood eventually spread to me. After the "fun" in the snow, we walked over to a little pond where Van and Jared skipped rocks, while Ava and I played in the car, with the heat on.

Respect of Office

I believe that Politics are one of the ugliest things in this life. I was appalled at the slander and disrespect that Democrats showed the Republican President George Bush. I was disgusted at the back and forth antics between both parties during the election. I believe that the United States is the greatest nation. I believe in the Constitution. I believe that even though I am vehemently opposed to the socialist liberal agenda that this administration is shoving down the throats of the American people, the office of the President of the United States is to be respected. I do not like the views or beliefs of the current administration. I disagree so whole-heartedly that sometimes I want to throw up when I listen to the rhetoric put out by the white house. But still I respect the Office which President Obama holds. It would be hypocritical of me to be offended at the treatment of President Bush, and then turn around and act that way towards the next President I disagreed with.

It was with that mind-set that I greeted Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, when she visited Armenia.

Happy 4th!!

The 4th of July is my favorite holiday. It is a time to celebrate the wonderful country that I call home. I love America. I feel it a privilege to be able to serve, first as a Marine Corps Wife, and now as a Diplomat. Celebrating America's biggest holiday on Foreign soil is a very unique experience. I was moved to tears during the singing of the National Anthem. The Embassy, normally stoic and solemn, was beautifully decorated in red, white and blue, and filled with live music, loud talking & laughing. State flags lined the walkways and a huge American Flag hung as a backdrop to the celebration. Of course no July 4th party would be complete without some BBQ. So in our semi-formal cocktail dresses, nice suit's & Military Uniforms we dined on the closest thing to American hamburgers that Armenia has to offer, as wine and champagne were served on silver trays.










The next day we had a real American BBQ in our Backyard. With friends, food and faux fireworks we celebrated the 4th again! It was nice to be able to sit back and relax, while the 9 kids ran around and played. (Van is still in the process of cleaning his room though!) The only time that fireworks are available in Armenia is Christmas. But Jen and I were able to find some confetti blower things that the kids thought were cool, and Jen brought some sparklers. Van got out his pretend AT4 and we blew the confetti through the tube, and the kids thought it was great!!
The Ladies
The Guys
The food - I didn't think that I'd have enough, so I just kept making more. Yeah, we didn't eat even half of it. We had 2 types of Beef Kabobs, a spicy marinade called Haitian Voodoo Sticks and the other was a garlic, soy sauce sprite blend. We also had chicken Kabobs, marinated in a Honey Garlic sauce, then we had Salads, chips, dip, I made Apple Pie and a Sour cherry Pie - complete with Lattice top crust :) and Jen made a really good peach cobbler. And of course there was watermelon and Muddy Buddies for all!!!
CHOW TIME!!! Ava the Carnivore!!

Setting off the confetti "fireworks!"