Cam and Sonja's Blog

New old house

2012-01-25T02:35:00.000+04:00

We made the big move last weekend! We had a lot of helpers move things from our old place to the new one. Luckily we moved only 10ks (approx 6 miles) from the old house.

We've got a lot of unpacking and things to do, but we're deliriously happy with our new house. See some pictures below of the first day that we got our keys to the house. At the moment is very messy with boxes and things everywhere and we're still trying to figure out where to put our furniture. We'll be ready for guests soon!

look at the funky wallpaper at the end of the hallway. One of our first projects is to remove it

our bathroom looks like a hotel bathroom

baby's room!

guest room + office

Master bedroom green wall. This will be painted soon

giant diamonds for door handles!

The Gibbons are on the Move!

2011-12-21T08:11:00.004+04:00

In only 4.5 short weeks we'll be moving in our first (owned) house! We're beyond thrilled and can't wait to put some paint on the walls and hang our photos. Even though we've been renting for the last three years, it still feels like we've been living out of suitcases, and this is definitely feeling more settled. There's a good reason for the move, we're expecting more out of town visitors next year after the arrival of our first baby! So much excitement in our lives at the moment. We get the keys to our new digs on January 20th, which is the day we find out the gender of the baby, AND its' our 5 year wedding anniversary! It can't get any bigger than that!!

We'll be posting more about the house soon, but until then here's a photo

Hurra for Syttende Mai - Norwegian National Day celebrations

2011-05-23T15:56:00.004+04:00

Last weekend we went up to Warburton to take part in their Nordic Festival. I made up a thermos of hot chocolate and made some "pepperkaker" or gingerbread cookies and we braved the cold weather. I wore mitten made by my grandmother knitted in Norway. They had a Viking village, market, art gallery (we purchased a painting by a Finnish artist of Birch trees in winter), and stinkin' cute shops. A fun time was had by all!

A couple weekends ago Cam and I skipped down to the Swedish Church where there was a special Church service in Norwegian followed by a parade around the neighborhood in Toorak, and concluded with Norwegian food and fun. Many people wore their national costumes to celebrate Norwegian National Day.

Mt. Beauty

2011-04-27T14:46:00.004+04:00

More photos of our Easter weekend up at Mt. Beauty. It's Autumn here in Australia so the colours of the trees were electric.

and YES those are Sock Monkey mittens, courtesy of my dear niece Laurel.

Easter Weekend

2011-04-27T13:47:00.004+04:00

Cam and I went up to Mt. Beauty, Vic for the Easter weekend. The weather couldn't have been nicer! Cam even got to fly his kite in the high-country.

Cam's Kite

2011-03-14T06:01:00.003+03:00

We went back to the States for a few weeks for my parents' 50th Wedding Anniversary. I know, it was a big deal! It was also Cam's birthday while we were over there and I decided to get him his very own stunt kite, since he bought a little worthless kite here and he takes it with him everywhere and it doesn't get 2 feet off the ground. We went down to Barwon Heads, VIC Australia yesterday with Cam's brother Michael and Cam finally got to take his kite for its inaugural flight. It was so much fun... until he crashed it into me!

Our First Aussie Christmas

2009-12-22T06:45:00.003+03:00

Things are starting to heat up down here and we're gearing up for a great first Christmas in Australia. We've got Cam's family coming here for Christmas dinner and we're even roasting turkey on the bbq!! The sun is shining and the palm trees are in their peak and to me (Sonja) it doesn't seem real at all! I'm really enjoying it though. We've been to a 'Carols by Candlelight' performance and we've driven around and looked at a lot of houses with Christmas light displays.

Guy on Didgeridoo in Melbourne

2009-09-29T12:23:00.002+04:00

we found this street performer in Melbourne. His music was awesome.

Twelve Apostles

2009-09-29T11:54:00.002+04:00

While Sally was here we drove down the coast to see some of the natural wonders of Australia. We stopped here at the Twelve Apostles.

I'm an Aussie resident!!

2009-08-28T04:23:00.003+04:00

Here's me in front of the building that houses the Australian consulate in Auckland, New Zealand. In my passport is the infamous residency visa that has been in the making for the last 11 months! Now the hard part begins with all the paperwork I get to do here to become a legal resident - bring it on!!
It was VERY blustery in Auckland when we were there. But I LOVED it!!

New Zealand - Sonja's Visa trip

2009-08-27T05:21:00.003+04:00

I (Sonja) LOVED New Zealand. I want to move there. Scratch the idea of moving long term to Australia, I want to move to New Zealand! But alas we'll be here in Australia for a while. Here are some pics from out adventures on the north island of NZ.

Fun at Healesville Sanctuary - July 31 2009

2009-08-27T04:51:00.005+04:00

For Sonja's birthday we went up to a wildlife Sanctuary to see some Australian flora and fauna. We saw all kinds of unique animals and we got to pet kangaroos. Check out the video of the rarely seen Lyrebird. It imitates all different bird sounds to fend off its enemies.

Visa Update!!

2009-07-13T11:13:00.002+04:00

Just got an email this morning saying that my visa processing is completed in Russia, now they'll send the application on to the next Australian embassy for the final decision on my residency visa for Australia!

I am very excited about this because I have been waiting for 10 months already. Hopefully I won't have to wait too much longer to live long-term in this beautiful country. I'm feeling a little patriotic for my new found home Australia so I'll leave you with the national Coat of Arms for Australia. Don't let it bother you that we sometimes have part of the emblem for dinner, Kangaroo and Emu taste yummy!

Sonja's back!

2009-06-21T09:18:00.003+04:00

Sorry for the long pause in blogging lately. Cam has lost interest in updating the blog with his daily news, and I've been away and I haven't been keeping up at it. But now I'm back in Australia! I had an awesome time in the States and was thrilled to be there for my nieces high school graduation festivities. Yesterday Cam took me down the peninsula near Melbourne. We had a great time. Here are some pictures.

Sonja's going for a while

2009-05-05T02:57:00.004+04:00

My tourist visa has run out here in Australia and I have to leave for a little while. I'm going back to the States for about 5 weeks and then coming back to Melbourne. I'm still waiting on my residency visa (grrr). Cam will stay here and work while I'm away - he's currently looking for a cleaner.

I'm looking forward to spending time with family and friends and enjoying the sunny weather (hopefully) in Seattle.

Here's what I'm looking forward to:

Mt. Rainier, a dormant volcano

Pike Place Market in Seattle

Going shopping with my sister

And being silly with my niece (who's graduating, can't believe it!)

Easter at Mt. Beauty

2009-04-14T10:21:00.006+04:00

Over the Easter weekend we were up at the holiday house at Mt. Beauty. We had amazingly beautiful weather during the day and really exciting lightning storms at night. Here are some pictures of our weekend.

The holiday house and our new car

our noisy neighbors, the cockatoos

With all the bushfires lately the fire department is desperate for some new recruits - seen here on their first outing.

Gold Detecting - Eureka we haven't found anything!

2009-04-14T10:00:00.004+04:00

We spent a weekend away with Cam's parents in a little town called Lanacoorie looking for gold. Cam's dad bought a gold detector (with our inheritance) and he's set on finding the "big one". Cam got his miner's right license and went to work with John. They detected, dug, sifted, and in the end didn't find anything. I spent a lot of time with Cam's mom sitting and reading.

Getting geared up

cheap labor...

I found lots of quartz

an old camp from the late 1800s

Careful Trish! Don't fall down there...

hopefully these are kangaroo bones

the lake near our cabin - ahh the serenity

Camping on the Buffalo

2009-03-30T10:49:00.002+04:00

We went camping on Mount Buffalo, a national park in Victoria Australia, for the long weekend. A group from Cam's parents' town get together each year for a camping trip. We stayed in tents by the lake and did little walks to different look-outs. It was gorgeous!

An unwanted house guest

2009-03-30T10:40:00.003+04:00

A few weeks ago we got some much awaited rain and then some little creatures decided to take cover in our house. A huge huntsman spider, non-poisonous and part of the tarantula family, took refuge in the corner of our kitchen - until we swooshed it outside into the garden.

Because I don't know what's poisonous here and what's harmless I was a little frightened at first. I need an encyclopedia of arachnids around the house to tell me what's what.

We're Moving... Again!

2009-02-06T07:05:00.003+03:00

On Feb 10th we'll be boarding yet another plane and heading to Australia. We're really excited for the move and equally as excited just to unpack our bags for a while. We're packing like crazy at the moment. Please keep in contact with us and join us on our adventures in Australia!! We'll miss our friends and family in the U.S., but please don't hesitate to come down under and visit us - we have a guest room for you.

Seattle Daze

2009-01-29T00:50:00.004+03:00

On Jan 20 there wasn't only a big party in Washington D.C. but here in Washington as well. Cam and I celebrated our 2nd wedding anniversary. We spent a couple days up in Seattle just milling around and doing very "touristy" things. We went to the Seattle Aquarium and saw lots of fish and some very cute river otters - and we had dinner at a great place called Wild Ginger (to commemorate our honeymoon in Indonesia). The next day we went into Benaroya Hall, where the Seattle Symphony plays and took some cool pictures of Dale Chihuly's glass artwork.

We're going to miss Seattle!

Merry Christmas

2008-12-24T04:01:00.003+03:00

We just wanted to take a moment during this special season to wish our friends a merry Christmas. This Christmas is particularly special for us as we get to share this holiday with extended family for the first time as a couple. While it doesn't particularly feel like a typical Christmas for me (Cam), it is still special. During the past week we've had almost half a foot of snow and we have been out at night to check out the neighborhood lights on skis. Though after 6 years of Christmas in Russia, I am quite used to the snow, Christmas in Russia was VERY different. Anyway our time in the USA is already halfway gone, and we are starting to shift our sights towards the warm weather of Australia. May you all have a very special Christmas and receive the gift of precious time to reflect on the true meaning of Christmas and the special gift we've been given through Christ.

See ya St. Petersburg! Пока!

2008-11-17T13:17:00.005+03:00

До свидания!(Good bye in Russian)

We're leaving for Finland and America this week. We'll spend a couple of days with colleagues in Finland before flying out of Helsinki to the States. We're full of all kinds of emotions as we leave. Cam has been here nearly 6 years and I've been here 3 years; this is where we met and have lived our first 2 years (almost) of marriage. We're saying our 'see you laters' (I'm not good at saying Good bye), and have shed a tear here and there.

We're very excited to be arriving in the States right before Thanksgiving and spending the holidays with my whole family (there are 5 of us Barrett kids, plus my mom and dad and all kinds of grand-kiddies and in-laws).

Here is a picture of the Barrett family the day after Thanksgiving 2004 (I'm not pictured because I worked the day after Tday- biggest retail day of the year. Stinker, would have been a great picture). Notice all the Norwegian sweaters? Some of them were handmade by my grandma and other family members in Norway.

Good bye to all our lovely friends in Russia. We will miss you and we hope to see you again some day!! Please keep in contact and check our blog regularly for more fun and adventures with Cam and Sonja.

Homeward bound

2008-10-08T19:41:00.004+04:00

design by Sonja Barrett-Gibbons

The visa application has made its way to the Australian Embassy and now we wait. We're hopping... I mean hoping to get a positive answer sooner than later!

Are we there yet?

2008-08-31T19:49:00.003+04:00

(I got this pic from a friend's Facebook account. I don't know the original photographer)

We're less than 6 months away from making our move to Australia!
This week we will submit my (Sonja) visa application request at the Australian Embassy in Moscow, Russia. We hope to hear back from them very soon so we can go to Moscow for an interview at the Aus. Embassy.

We're even closer to moving to the States. 12 weeks from today we'll be in Seattle to spend the holidays with my family. Start the countdown!!

Thirsting for Hungary

2008-08-24T12:19:00.011+04:00

That was it?
Cam has been planning our organization's biennial group conference for over a year now and we've been talking about going to Hungary for ages and all of a sudden it happens and now it's over! We had a terrific time at the conference, though we were crazy busy the whole time. The venue that we were at is a Bible College during the school year and a conference center during the summer. One of the conference center curators and I (Sonja) were born in the same Army medical hospital :o)

Before the conference we arrived in Budapest a few days early and we stayed at a guest house in the Centre. It was gorgeous and close to all the sights. We were at the conference for 2 whole weeks - the conference center used to be an old homestead/plantation and bespoke a turn of the century castle as their main building. During the conference we had a group outing and we went to a neighboring city called Pecs which has some Roman ruins - amazing!

In Pecs near the Roman ruins (which were underground)

I celebrated my 26th birthday at the conference, August 1, 2008! Cam was pretty creative in sneaking around and getting me little gifts here and there and also organized a huge bouquet of lilies for me. What a sweet husband (I'm in love!).

The hotel that we stayed at near lake Balaton

After the conference we took a well deserved 4 day holiday by lake Balaton (Europe's second largest lake). All I can say is Wow and no-internet-access, woohoo! The weather was absolutely perfect and there were plenty of activities to take part in. We rented bicycles and road about 10 kilometers, and then we played tennis - we played a proper match and I beat Cam! Then we lounged by the pool and went into the jacuzzi in the evenings and watched the stars. We walked about 20 kilometers in a couple of days and just had a great time fiddling around in the neighboring towns and going to little restaurants and wine festivals. The place looked like a Bavarian town and the Mediterranean all together.

Cam in front of the Kesthely castle

We got back into Budapest the night before we flew out and stayed at another great guest house. We had wi-fi and found out all the emails we'd missed out on (but didn't really "miss") and we found out that someone had left a piece of equipment on the charter bus to the airport so we had to go find that bus and get the piece of equipment back and take it with us to St. Pete. That took the better part of our last day in Budapest but we did find a Gloria Jeans (Australian coffee chain) coffee shop next to one of the tourist attractions - and downed a couple of iced coffees before heading out in the heat again. All we can say is we're sure glad we don't have kids so we can wander aimlessly around gorgeous European cities without tired little feet and having to eat at McDonald's all the time. I'm sure that will come soon enough and we'll fear the flight between Australia and America, and back with little kiddies.

A stinkin' cute house with a thatched roof and tons of flowers, and a room to rent for the night!

Speaking of little kiddies, Cam's brother Matt and sister-in-law Karri had a little baby boy in February and he's already 6 months old! His name is Rhett and he's adorable - we can't wait to meet him :o) I'll attach a pic at the end of this post.

To Australia or Bust!

2008-06-17T16:29:00.005+04:00

I (Sonja) am in the midst of applying for a visa to Australia. And there is A LOT of paperwork! I've got about 100 pages to fill in plus providing telephone records, pictures, and declarations that our relationship is genuine and continuous. Because we've been in Russia for so long I've had to get a police check from here and back in the States.

This is an exciting and stressful process. We plan to go to Moscow this month for an interview with the Australian Embassy. Then we wait for up to 10 months. We should be ready to move down to Australia in February 2009.

Tere tulemast (Warmly Welcome) to Tallinn!

2008-06-13T10:25:00.004+04:00

We spent the last two weeks in Estonia. We had incredible weather and an incredible time. We stayed outside of Tallinn in a hostel and we traveled into the city center to see the Old Town and to go to all the museums. While we were there they were having a Tallinn Old Town Days festival with all kinds of cultural concerts and markets. We had a blast.

We rented a car for a weekend and drove around Estonia (its not a very big country). We went to the beach, to the national park, castle ruins, and checked all kinds of country side. Once again Cam took some awesome pictures and once again I waited (not so patiently) while he was taking those awesome pictures.

View of Alexander Nevskii Russian Orthodox church
from Kiek in de Kok tower/fortress.

Huge bull statue near an old castle. We don't know why ??

At the Rakvere Medieval attraction at an old castle. I think we wore the kids tunics, oops. We had fun playing with the sword and shield replicas and checking out the torture chamber.

Estonia's National Park (Lahemae) boasts a swampy bog, woopee!

May day!

2008-05-04T11:18:00.006+04:00

May 1, 2008

We went out to enjoy the weather in St. Petersburg and the beginning of "white nights". We were out until 11:30 and it was still a little light outside. Check out these amazing pictures taken by Cam and his new camera!

Admiralty Building, St. Pete

University building, University Ebankment

Oops, I don't know the name of this building. It's on the river Neva, St. Pete
Do you see the river boat going by in front of it?

Lover of the Russian Queen

2008-05-04T11:10:00.006+04:00

May 3, 2008

We took a local train out to the town of Gatchina, 45 minutes North of St. Petersburg. A palace and park was built there in 1776 for Grigory Orlov, lover of the Empress Catherine the Great. A huge palace and park-grounds were built for him. In the park there is a lake that is split up by islands. There were plenty of patrons renting boats and taking advantage of the beautiful weather. We even saw an older guy strip down to his underoos and take a dip in the lake.

In the town of Gatchina there is a beautiful Orthodox church that is made mostly of brick but then topped with white gables and blue domes. We went to a local art shop and bought three little oil paintings to help us remember our time in Gatchina.

Again... the weather was gorgeous but I (Sonja) got tired after walking around for 3 hours!

Easter eggs and Battleships

2008-05-04T10:58:00.006+04:00

April 26, 2008

Cam isn't studying this semester so we have extra time on the weekends to go exploring outside the city. We went to an island city called Kronstandt outside St. Petersburg. For a long time this city was closed off to people coming in and out because of the military secrets and navy base located on the island. We went out there the day before Easter and the Orthodox churches were already starting their Easter mass. There were swarms of people going in and out, getting their Easter eggs and bread blessed for the holy holiday. There were also "holy water blessings", where the priest dunks a huge brush into holy water and then whips it around the heads of everyone standing near him so they receive a blessing. There are beautiful churches on Kronstandt.

We also saw Navy ships, very cool. We enjoyed the nice weather most of all!

NO! I'm not pregnant, don't ask :o) Just a little chubby right now.

2008-04-05T15:26:00.005+04:00

A "quick" tour around our apartment. Don't mind the mess :o)

Leavenworth and Lederhosen

2008-04-05T15:16:00.002+04:00

We took a Barrett family vacation to the Bavarian inspired town of Leavenworth in central Washington. It was gorgeous and sunny and plenty of snow. Take a look at some of the great scenery we got to enjoy.

Volcanos and Birthdays

2008-04-05T15:13:00.003+04:00

Cam celebrated his 30th birthday on Feb 19th, Yay!!
We went up to Mt. Rainier, which is 40 minutes drive from my parents house, and is a dormant volcano. We attempted to go skiing (there weren't any trails), but ended up just enjoying the sunny day.

View of Mt. Rainier from my parents house.

a "little bit" of snow!

Winter? Spring?

2008-04-05T15:03:00.006+04:00

Every morning is a lottery when putting on our shoes and coats. We don't quite know if winter is gone and spring is here; we always have a back up pair of gloves, winter hat, and an umbrella in our backpacks. Last week we had a blizzard come in and a few days of wet, slushy, icy weather. Then all of a sudden the birds are chirping, the sun is out and the flowers are blooming!

Take a look at some pictures that we took last week and this week. What a difference!

a happy little kid and his annoyed grandma.
Alexander Nevskova Monastery, St. Pete

The brightly colored houses down the river from our apartment.

Road trip to Seaside, Oregon

2008-02-09T21:39:00.000+03:00

5-7 Feb 2008

Cam and I celebrated our 1 year anniversary in St. Petersburg by going to an Indonesian restaurant. But we really celebrated by going down to Seaside Oregon and staying at a hotel on the beach. We had no idea that the wind and rain would be so powerful that it would throw the furniture around on the balcony like a bunch of matchsticks. We had a great time on this mini road trip. In Oregon we visited Seaside, Cannon Beach, Hug Point (almost got stuck in a raising tide), and Tillamook (home of Tillamook cheese and ice cream). It was fun to show Cam a little more of the United States – too bad we were having horrible rainy and windy weather and point break waves. Oh well! We had a wonderful time nonetheless. Oh, and Cam got a new camera for an early 30^th birthday present. He had fun taking all kinds of pictures (mostly of seagulls).

St. Petersburg in Seattle

2008-02-09T21:35:00.000+03:00

4 Feb 2008

Cam and I met up with some friends, Tim and Emily, that lived in St. Petersburg last year. They came to Russia to work as English teachers in a local university and ended up falling in love and they’re going to married within the next couple months. Emily went to university at Seattle Pacific University and Tim is originally from Vancouver, BC. They came down to Seattle to meet up with us and we took the Seattle Underground tour at Pioneer Square. The tour was a historical breeze through the origins of Seattle, and we actually went underground to were city was originally built. There was a huge fire in the late 1800s that demolished the original part of the city and they decided to rebuild, above the older buildings. Our tour guide was pretty funny and a real history buff.

FINALLY a Winter Wonderland

2008-02-09T21:06:00.000+03:00

28 Jan 2008

Within the first couple days of arriving back in Seattle we had a winter wonderland (something that we’ve been lacking in St. Petersburg). My parents live outside of the city in the country near the mountains and it was glorious to wake up to snow all over the property and frost and ice on the trees. It disappeared within a couple days :o(

New Years in Norway

2008-01-12T12:19:00.000+03:00

It’s a little late but we want to wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. The best way to wind up the busy year is to spend the new year’s festivities with family in Norway. Cam and I were able to take a mini-trip over to Oslo, Norway to see my aunt and cousins and to take in the beautiful scenery.

We’ll be coming back to the States for five weeks starting Jan 27^th. We’re going to still be working during this time and will be visiting friends and family. Cam will be celebrating his 30^th birthday 19^th of Feb!!! We’ll also be celebrating my parents 70^th birthdays in Feb. We’re very excited to be going to the States to see friends and family and would very much like to catch up with you if you’re available during that time!

Time for exploring...

2007-11-11T10:40:00.000+03:00

Well with my Exam and studies finally over for another year, yesterday Sonja and I decided to explore a part of the city we hadn't been to before. It's a little funny though, because this part of the city is actually one of the first parts you see when coming from the Airport. So we've been meaning to visit it for a while. The place is called the monument to the heroic defenders of Leningrad. It's located on a round-a-bout in the middle of the main road to the Airport, but really needs a visit to appreciate the monument. St Petersburg in World War II was surrounded for 900 days by the Germans, and nearly a third of the population died from the war or starvation. The museum was rather interesting and a nice break from the weather on this gray dreary day. As you can see from the photos...

Bratwurst, lederhosen and the wrong train!

2007-11-01T14:58:00.000+03:00

I (Sonja) traveled to Germany, Kandern and Giessen, for training in my new position at work. The town of Kandern (pronounced Kon-dern) is so charming and quaint that I want to bottle it up and take it home with me. Kandern is the birthplace of John Sutter who later moved to California and was one of the first to strike it rich and find gold. Everything about Kandern is clean, all the houses are clean and freshly painted, the streets, the cars, even the kids faces are clean. Some buildings are hundreds of years old yet hold a classic modern charm that only well-kept buildings could possess.

When I was leaving from Giessen (pronounced Gee-son) to catch the plane in Frankfurt I traveled by train. I had to make a transfer and I got onto the wrong train! It was going in the direction that I wanted to go but it by-passed the Frankfurt airport that I was headed for! I ended up in some town and had to wait 30 minutes for another train going back to the main station and then had to get another train to the airport. I arrived only an hour before my plane left and had to wait 45 minutes in line at the security check; I made it to the gate right when the plane was supposed to leave and found out that the plane was delayed a few minutes. I made it home just fine!

Babushka in training

2007-10-24T19:33:00.000+04:00

This is Sonja dressing up as a "babushka" or Russian grandma; in the stairwell of Sally and Sean's apartment. A lot of old ladies dress like this, and carry buckets, NO KIDDING!

Octobrrrrrrr!

2007-10-24T19:25:00.000+04:00

October 07 – Brrrrr, it’s getting cold. Cam’s been studying for his Masters degree for a couple of months now and that means that every weekend has been full of books and studying and not to much of adventure. We finally had a free Saturday to do whatever we wanted and so we went to a park called Pavlosk. We took a local train out to the town on Pavlosk. The park was for the Tsar (empirical) family in Russia but was taken over by the Germans in World War II. It’s a very naturally landscaped park with hills and lots of trees and lakes and small palaces and hermitages around every corner. It was rainy when we were there but we didn’t care. On the way home we took a taxi-van called a “mashrutka” and got stuck in a traffic jam. Luckily for us our driver got his license while working on a safari and decided to take all 20 standing and sitting occupants off-road on the side of the highway to get around the back-up. This happens quite often and unlucky for you if you’re a pedestrian and the taxi driver decides to go on the sidewalk (Australian: footpath) to get around the traffic jam. In the end we got home and had a cup of hot cocoa and rested for the rest of the day. We plan on going back out there when it’s snowy.

Let's go to Moscow

2007-10-24T19:10:00.000+04:00

September 07 – Cam’s parents, John and Trish Gibbons, came and visited us for three weeks from the end of August to the first part of September. We had a great time. We were cramped in our tiny one bedroom apartment, but it worked out okay. John and Trish were real troupers, they went out by themselves and walked and explored and walked some more all around the city while Cam and Sonja went to work. We did go to Moscow one weekend and it happened to be Moscow’s birthday, 860 years! Would you believe that they control the weather here? They put silver nitrate in planes and fly around and drop it on the clouds and they go away. Yeah, they actually do this. So everyday in the morning it was cloudy and cold but by 11AM it was blue skies the rest of the day! We’re not sure of the effects of the nitrate so the next time you see us we might each have an extra arm or something. Anyway, we all had a great time and took the train to and from Moscow. We went to all kinds of yummy restaurants while they were here so they could try some local cuisine. We were sad to see them go; but they were able to meet up with my aunt in Norway while they were there and they traveled through Europe on their way back to Australia. Trip of a lifetime!

Make a Wish and blow out the candles!

2007-10-24T13:46:00.000+04:00

August 07 – 1 Aug was Sonja’s 25 birthday! Very low key this year. Cam knows better now and will make up for it next year :o) About a week after Sonja’s b’day we went with friends to a beach in St. Pete (don’t get too excited, when we say beach we mean a bit of sand by the water with trash all over it), and had Russian “shashlik” which is meat on a stick like shish kabobs (for Australians: kebabs). It was so good! At the end of the meal a old lady came up asking us for help with money and we sent her home with all the left-overs, even a piece of cake. That really made her day.

Simply Sweden

2007-10-24T13:45:00.001+04:00

July 07 – We had a church conference in Sweden for the Nordic vineyard churches. We drove from Russia through Finland and then took an overnight ferry to Sweden. We had a full day in Stockholm and the weather was fantastic. We roamed around the city and wanted to see a movie in English, but they weren’t playing at the time. We were actually trying to beat the heat; it was really sunny and warm that day. The church conference was great. We camped outside at the conference, which was held at a small college. It rained so hard one day that people’s tents started to float away. It was so beautiful and peaceful. This was my (Sonja) first time in Sweden and I met a lot of people from Norway so I wasn’t shy to speak Norwegian with them even though it’s been 7 years since I spoke it.

Viva Latvia baby!

2007-10-24T13:41:00.000+04:00

June 07 - We went with 40 other colleages to Riga, Latvia for a conference. Riga is a gorgeous city in the EU. The old buildings and small alleyways were so quaint. And they had the restaurant T.G.I.Friday's! The conference center that we stayed at was outside the city; it was a refurbished community farm. The rooms were actually where the horse stables used to be. Our team went to a ropes course; it was scary but so much fun!

Up Up and Away........

2007-04-26T07:52:00.000+04:00

Well our 80 days in Oz are up, Our visa's arrived this morning (there's nothing like living life on the edge) and tonight we fly out to Bangkok and on to Russia. Thanks to all who have been supporting us and blessing us during this time, we look forward to writing next time from our home in Russia!!!

On the road again

2007-03-20T02:36:00.000+03:00

Well our time in Oz has gone quickly and is over halfway gone. Sonja and I have found it busy but exciting - as honeymooners do. We've been able to mix up some business with leisure in getting around and for Sonja to discover more of Australia - or the state of Victoria at least. In between meeting with small groups, schools and churches, we managed to take 3 days out to travel the great ocean road, a section of coastline that is one of the most scenic in the world. Here we also trekked through rain forests and visited waterfalls.

This week we are off to the country again (as we are for the next 3 weeks). This week Wangaratta, then Wodonga, then Mt Beauty. With less than 6 weeks to go in Australia, we'll be back on the plane in no time.

- Sonja with the giant statue of Ned Kelly -

Bintan and Beyond

2007-02-27T02:13:00.000+03:00

It's more than a month after the wedding, and we are now catching up with communications. Lots of travel, 2 weddings and lots of getting ready for our trip back to Russia have kept us busy over the past month.
Some of the highlights in among the errands include:
1. Honeymoon in Bintan - Our best holiday yet!!! Tropical Island, lots of wildlife and HOT!!! Comforted by a swimming pool.

2. Our Aussie wedding celebration - Another great time of celebration with friends and family, thanks to all of you who helped put this together - most of all Mum and Dad who helped out so much.

3. Day on the green, My brother Mike gave us tickets to a concert down the coast to one of our favorite artists. It was HOT!!! No Pool!!! The report said 46 degrees C in the crowd, Sonja was sweating like a fountain. It has started off quite hot so far for our stay in Oz, but now seems to be cooling a bit. Sonja is pleased to say the least.

First pics from the day...

2007-01-22T20:38:00.001+03:00

Ok, so we are still at the hotel in Seattle (A beautiful room with a view over Elliot Bay and the Olympic Peninsula that is covered in snow) but we do have some initial pics from the day for all of you eager to see us at our best.
The day was just perfect, low stress, and Sonja and I had a real peace right the way through the day. Our advice to those who follow - "Keep it Simple!!!"
Anyway here are some pics I'm sure there will be heaps to come. You can find more at my flickr page - just click on one of the photos.

The Cake(s) and more fun!!!

The Big Day

2007-01-20T19:32:00.000+03:00

Well it is finally here, the big day, we had the rehersal yesterday and every seemed to go well.
With only 4 hours to go, all things are in order. We want to send out a very big Thanks to all who have been praying, helping and supporting us through this big event. We are so grateful for all of your help in this time, I've had a bad back this week that is still recovering, but we are just amazed at the fact we are finally here!!! Stay tuned for Photos and exciting stories of our adventures.
- Cam (and Sonja)

Bucks party Яussian style

2007-01-10T10:02:00.000+03:00

Ok, so we are 10 days out from the wedding and I still have 4 countries to stop in before I get to the wedding. I should be there by Sunday. Its been a hectic past 6 weeks, trying to finish up all my roles here in St Pete, but I have finally finished work (yesterday), Packed up our house (last weekend) and even found time for a bucks party in between.
So what does an Aussie in St Pete do for a Bucks Party?
Eat lots of meat - We went out to a restaurant called Sphinx for dinner where John and I split the pharaohs feast - a 1.1kg plates of ribs, burger, steak and of course Shashlick.
This was followed by the traditional Russian banya - a group of guys getting naked and beating each other with birch branches in a steam room.
This is slightly more enjoyable than it sounds to most of you, anyway as I finish up here in St Pete, Sonja is working hard to get things ready in Seattle. Please be praying for us as we travel and workout this thing called marriage. we've been working on both marriage prep and wedding prep for months, but lately - particularly because of the distance - it seems like its all wedding. I'm sure we'll get to the end of this soon, only 10 more days to go.

28 days to go until the big day!!!

2006-12-22T20:52:00.000+03:00

Firstly we'll take this opportunity to wish all our friends a Merry Christmas and a happy new year.

As for an update on the lives of Cam and Sonja, Sonja left for the States on wednesday after 3 very fruitful months here in Russia, learning the language and taking on her new position in our office. The Lord has been so faithful to us in this time and a true testimony to our call to this city.

For those wondering about our schedule leading up to and surrounding the wedding, I will be in Russia until the second week of January, then fly via Singapore to Seattle for the wedding on the 20th. We will be in Seattle with Sonja's family for 2 weeks, then fly via Asia to Australia where we will be for my 3 month furlough through until April when we will pack up our bags again and head back to Russia.

We hope to catch up with many of you during this trip, so drop us a line if you'd like to catch up.

Once again many thanks for your support and prayers during the year, we couldn't do it with out you.

Blessings, Cam and Sonja

Big News and the Newsboys!

2006-11-25T19:55:00.000+03:00

Cam got home from North Carolina last weekend and we went straight to a Newsboys concert here in St. Petersburg. The Newsboys were playing with 6 other Russian bands in a Christian Rock Festival here in the city. The venue that they played at was rather small, seated about 1000 people, but it was great to see them up close. I've only seen them before with about 10,000 other people. Cam has a loose connection with one of the members of Newsboys, named Paul Colman. Cam knows Paul's dad from church back home, and he's actually going to officiate our second wedding ceremony in February. So when Paul came out on stage to fix his microphone we called him over and started talking to him. He was amazed that there were Australians and Americans at the concert. After the concert we got pictures taken with the band and autographs. When we were leaving we saw the band standing at the front doors waiting for their bus and we stayed there and talked to them for another 45 minutes. It was so much fun!

It's 8 weeks to our wedding! We're trying to get a lot of details organized while we're over here. I'm traveling back to the states in 4 weeks. Crazy times!!

Cam and me with Paul Colman from the Newsboys

with Peter Furler (lead singer for the Newsboys)

Check out more pics on flickr.com/photos/camgibbons

November Update

2006-11-02T00:28:00.000+03:00

It's been 5 months since we’ve given a blog update, but we’re still here. I (Cam) am writing this from Waxhaw, NC while Sonja is back working with SIL in Russia. Yes, since we last wrote lots of great things have happened. Sonja over the Northern Hemisphere Summer Returned to the States and joined SIL and then returned to St Petersburg in September to begin working in our office, supporting the Admin Team.
She is currently learning her position and also learning Russian to help her live in Russia. As for myself I have been busy with conferences traveling Europe for a month over summer and I am now in the US for 3 weeks of international meetings and workshops. Busy Busy Busy!!!

As for the wedding plans nearly everything is in place. With less than 3 months to the big day, the venue is booked, date has been set, Invites on their way and our tickets are purchased for or whirlwind world tour. The Australian party is currently in the works so stay tuned for more details.

A bit of an update

2006-06-08T15:01:00.000+04:00

Ok, so sorry for the long silence, May has been a very busy month for both of us. Sonja has been working with Motorolla quite a bit and I have been busy getting an essay completed; Training a team in Central Asia and now we both are trying to wrap up our studies for the semester. This has all fallen in between hanging out with friends as they spend their last days here and lots of other activities.
As for wedding plans, not much as changed (because we haven't had time to). Sonja leaves in 3 weeks to go home for the Summer :( so hopefully we'll have some more news soon about what will be happening in January and February.

We've enjoyed the nice weather in the city and have included a couple pictures of our trip to Peterhof (a palace of Peter the Great's).

Thank you for all your warm comments that we have received. It's been fun to meet some of you through these comments. Also thank you for your encouragement and prayers during this time.

The Big News!!!

2006-04-20T23:09:00.000+04:00

We’re Engaged!!!

The evening of April 20th, we walked down to Peter and Paul Fortress, before we went to our favorite Georgian restaurant for tasty shashlik (kabobs (U.S.)/kebabs (Aus), Georgian style). Cam was so excited all evening, and I didn’t understand why. He proceeded to tell me how much he loved me and handed me a card. In the card he professed his definition of perfect love and had an extra special question for me.
So there on the bank of the Neva river in front of the old fortress overlooking the beautiful city of St. Petersburg Cam Gibbons asked Sonja Barrett to marry him. And she said YES!
The plans as set so far are to be married in Seattle, WA on January 20, 2007. With a celebration to follow sometime in February in Australia. Please stay tuned for more details and exciting adventures to come.
We would like to give a special thanks to our friends and family who have supported us while we’ve been here, and have continually lifted us in prayer and encouragement. You are so much a part of our lives even though we are thousands of miles away. Please continue to keep us in your thoughts and prayers as we go through the engagement time and beyond...

The ring... details by cam.

Ok, so for those of you, who want to know details about the ring, let me tell you buying the perfect ring in Russia is not the easiest thing. Particularly when you need to learn terminology. But anyways after searching 30 or so jewellery stores I found the one to match THE ONE! White Gold is not common here, neither are simple rings, the Russians seem to like lots of flare to their rings. This American girl does not. The Ring, I'd like to think reflects her, hard to find, not complicated but beautiful and functional. Most importantly stands out from the crowd.

Profiles Updated!!!

Our profiles have been updated, so if you are wondering who Cam or Sonja are, take a look at the profiles section.

Watch this space for news coming soon...

2006-04-15T12:47:00.000+04:00

The exciting news is on its way, stay tuned.