14 years. [with 12345678901234567890+ more to go]

The following post has little to do with Russia.

Remember this day? I do.
No, I don't remember that it was a bad hair day for me, although I see it.
I remember it as a day my life changed.

Tomorrow is the anniversary of my my mom being married to my dad.

Aren't they just so great?
The answer is yes.
If you don't want to read about why i appreciate my parents. now is the time to leave and check back later. but, because I am in Russia this is how i'm wishing them a happy anniversary. and i especially miss them. so, it might be a little lengthier than you would want. but, at least it will include lots of pictures. :]

My mom is:
 selfless. [unless there is an Oreo package in the room, then you fight to the death. or just give up because you know she is the mom.] She just dedicates all of her time to her six children. And the four children that are at home, are probably the easiest to deal with. she spent countless hours driving me back and forth to dance. she spent countless hours listening to me cry because i had a paper i needed to write, and then proceeded to stay up until it was done just so she could correct it for me. she spent hours talking to me on the phone, calming me down before i left for this trip. and spent much time helping me prepare for this trip. she has been there for me my whole life. and has sacrificed so many things in order for me to have it good. even though we rarely show our full appreciation, she still did it because "she is the mom." [and now we see that that saying is not always a bad thing.]
funny: seriously. I think my mom may be the funniest person. her sarcasm will always be drier than you could ever hope yours to be. and she is just plain, sorry to say it mom, weird. even though i'm stubborn, she has raised me to have a sense of humor. even if no else thinks it is funny. Sister Christiansen at least does.

and my whole life my mom asked me why i couldn't just take a normal picture. truth is: i learned from the best:

out of her mind: no this is a nice bullet point. i promise. my mom is out of her mind because of all the tasks she takes under, and accomplishes. my mom is anything but a helpless female. she has 6 kids, and a semi-helpless dog. okay, really helpless dog. she runs half marathons, and ragnars, does triathlons. she runs businesses. she throws a dinner party at least 4 times a month. not ever really on purpose. but she is just too kind to say no to my dad. and keeps our house pretty dang clean. obviously she does more than this.

my dad. a great guy. he is:
fun, neat, cool. this is a family joke. no matter what you tell my dad, his response is: "that's fun, that's neat, that's cool." although this can get annoying, because i like it when people have lots of inflection in their voice, it really explains my dad. he is fun: seriously, though. [proof, i invited him on a hiking trip with all of my friends. and without shame or being embarrassed, i hiked with him the whole way up and whole way down. see? and that was in high school!]

 he also is fun, because he just is. also, he has much greater knowledge about harry potter than my mom. so discussing hogwarts and spells is much more enjoyable with my dad. he is neat because he can do math. if that isn't neat, i don't know what is. also he is neat because he still plays basketball every wednesday. even if he has to wear 5678 casts on his leg he will be there. [hopefully this still stands true, even though i have moved out.] and he is cool because he does races with me. and it is always fun. and one day when he is 76 i will beat him. Until then...i'll just use the excuse that i am a girl. despite the fact that I am significantly younger.

generous: my dad is generous with a lot of things. but the thing that has meant most to me is how generous with his time he is. nothing is more important than helping someone. and he is always willing to help. many times has he helped me with projects, taken me to dance, watched long dance recitals just to see me on stage for 2 minutes, talked with me, helped me with math. My dad is also generous with showing you how much he loves you. I'm not a hugger, but my dad is generous with hugs. And you can just tell he loves you through the time he so willingly gives.

I am so blessed! And I just wanted to wish you guys a Happy Happy 14th anniversary. I hope I did my math right. If not, happy anniversary! I love you guys!