roesing.net

Just before we left Calgary, our friends hosted a goodbye party. One amazing gift we received was a painting made just for Rali by a local artist; our friends Mike and Brenda had it commissioned. They were paying tribute to Rali’s skill in the kitchen. Here’s the sign for “Rali’s Bulgarian Bistro”! The sweet farewell speech listed 10 reasons why Rich and Rali should return to Calgary. Reason #1 was: You already have a house here! Funny, but painful. Another reason was: Rali should open her Bistro on the bike trails, in south Calgary. Very tempting, if you ask Rali.

On July 28, just after Rich arrived, the family spent the day at the Carousel Water and Fun Park in Beach Lake, PA. Those of you who’ve known Rali for a long time and know her driving history (or lack thereof!) might be shocked to learn what she did there:

We all enjoyed a full day at the park, especially Carmen, who spent the day in the wading pool (largely because she was too small for the waterslides):

Here are the kids on July 24, on a float in the middle of Grandma and Grandpa’s pond in Welcome Lake, Pennsylvania. Grandma and Grandpa live in the house behind the flag. We’re staying in the apartment on the right, behind Kelvin.

When we left Calgary on July 22, 2008, Rali and the kids traveled by plane to Pennsylvania while Rich started the long cross-country drive. Here are the kids in Minneapolis Airport:

And while they were there, Kelvin decided to do some shopping:

On June 22, our friends Tom and Claire hosted a goodbye party for the whole family. The kids enjoyed plenty of running around in the large backyard, but Carmen made a mess of her dress (don’t ask!). Luckily, our hosts’ daughter Lizzie loaned Carmen a T-shirt:

This was not long before the Calgary Stampede, so traditional white cowboy hats were just coming out in force:

And as we went out to the car to head home that evening…well, I’m not really sure what led to this:

There aren’t many hiking trails near where we’re staying in Welcome Lake, PA, but we did find one on July 30: the Tusten Mountain Trail, near Narrowsburg, NY. It was an easy, well-marked loop. Here are Rali and the kids at the top:

And here are Rich and the kids:

Here are Kristof, Carmen, and Kelvin (l-r), with Rali in back, in Honesdale’s central park on July 31, 2008:

Out for a walk in Prompton State Park near Honesdale, Pennsylvania, on July 31.

On August 1, 2008, we celebrated our tenth wedding anniversary. Here’s how we looked on our wedding day ten years ago in Pleven, Bulgaria (Rali’s hometown):

And here’s how we look now, ten years later in Welcome Lake, Pennsylvania (Rich’s hometown):