A Day Out With My Favorite Girl

My daughter and I took matters into our own hands and declared Tuesday, March 6th, 2012, a girl's day out. We try to do something special for Women's Day and this was just what we needed! We had been hitting the books hard in school and were both ready for a day off! So, after making out a to-do list of what the boys needed to accomplish for the day in school, my wonderful husband drove us into town so that we didn't have to take a bus! A normal thirty minute car ride turns into an hour and a half trip on the bus. 

Car = more fun time for us!

First stop, second hand stores to find some much needed "new" clothes for Beka. We had a good time and found three new shirts this time around. After some second hand shopping, we stopped into a new store we had never been in before to check for any new things newly available to our city. I love to do this! When we first arrived here in Krasnoyarsk I would often go for a walk in the afternoon, with Beka in tow, to pick up a few things from the store and to see what new things I could find that I hadn't seen before. I loved these little adventures! I even would look up new Russian words in the dictionary and go out to try to use them as I shopped and talked with people. There was one particular store in which EVERYTHING sold was behind glass. In order to buy something you stood in line and when it was your turn you stepped up to the counter and began naming off the items you needed to purchase. Very challenging in another language! My hubby hated this store by the way! It is actually still open twelve years later! Every time I drop in there now those same ladies who worked there when I first arrived in Russia just smile, ask me how village life is, how the kids are, because they remember me trying my hardest to communicate with them back when I spoke very little Russian. :)

Since Beka and I were celebrating Women's Day on our day out, we planned to eat lunch at a new restaurant which Beka had never been to called "Country". They got our attention when they showed a  ribeye steak on one of their advertisements! My hubby and I tried it out first to check if the steak was really, well, steak. It was yummy and so Beka and I decided to go again to try something else on the menu.

Pictures of Native American Indians and aged western movie ads adorn the walls.

The restaurant is uniquely decorated in "country" style (as a Russian sees it). In the evenings they even  project American western movies on the wall!

My girl loves meat so she was excited to try it out. I ordered a salad with roast beef (also an unusual treat), we shared cheese sticks (also a rare find!), and she ordered...pork ribs! Oh, was she happy!

An another surprise for her was that they served Coca-Cola in those little bottles that she thinks are just adorable! Believe it or not, this missionary kid had never drank Coke out of one of these little bottles. She loves it when I tell her how I used to walk to the store with a childhood friend just to buy these little bottles of Coke and some candy.

Lunch was followed up by ice cream! I was able to take Beka to see our new craft store for her first time where we purchased gifts for our church ladies. Even ran into an old friend we hadn't seen in years and  continued our shopping until it was time to catch the bus back home.

I love a good "day off" every now and then to relax and enjoy time with my daughter who is growing into a beautiful young lady right before my eyes!