SO FRUSTRATING!

So I got a new computer, and I'm still figuring it out.

My old one had Windows XP, and I got Windows 7 on this one. So far, I like a lot of the features.

Except...dun dun dun...the TOUCHPAD (it actually went crazy while I was typing that).

I did read about it in the reviews, so it's not like I wasn't warned, but I thought I'd be able to find a fix. Example: In Windows XP you can select "turn off touchpad while typing," and apparently they got rid of that option in Windows 7? Weird.

The problems are:

-text randomly gets bigger/smaller when scrolling (solved that one by turning off pinch zoom)
-the mouse goes crazy and thinks I've selected something when just hovering (think opening/closing pages, etc.)
-the cursor jumps around when typing, so I'll be in the middle of a sentence and suddenly end up somewhere else

I'm trying to investigate to see if I can "fool" the computer somehow and get it to not be quite so responsive.

So there's my little vent. If you have any ideas, let me know! In the meantime, I'll be blogging when possible, even if it means using the "undo" button a lot to get back what I was typing.

How it went

I might as well continue with wedding month! I've never really written an account of our wedding, and I think I'm going to do that now, 2 years later!

Part 1: In the Bridal "Suite"

The hairdresser came TOO EARLY. I think she was supposed to come at 8 or something, and came at 7 instead. I had planned to have a nice breakfast and suddenly had company. She told me to jump in the shower and get my hair wet...

The whole time I was getting my hair done, I was wondering how I would pay for it! I didn't actually have any rubles on hand and hadn't had time to get to an ATM. I did have some dollars, and a debit card. I picked up my phone, and saw a text from my mom that they were heading over to meet me. But when I tried to write back and ask about cash, I got an error message saying I was out of minutes. GROAN! So much for coordinating. There would also be no wedding morning texts for Andrei, oh well!

I started to get more and more nervous as the stylist got close to being done. I also had no way of knowing whether my mom and the other girls were lost or not.

Finally, I heard some knocking and went to open the outer door to find my mom, sister, sister-in-law, nephew, and aunt all huddled together in the hallway. They'd made it!

A look outside revealed a cloudy/drizzly day, just what I'd ordered! The days leading up to it had been hot and stifling, and I was worried that I (and the wedding guests) would wilt. The cooler temperature was such a relief and I was even willing to get a little wet.

Our friend arrived in his mini-van a bit early to drive us, and pretty soon we were ready, too.

Time to head to the church!

1 and beyond

Summer in America!

David turned one at the exact time our plane touched down in Boston, which seemed a bit ironic. I've been as cuckoo ga-ga tickled excited as the rest over the birth of George (AKA the Royal Baby), but I'm quite happy to have a 1 yr old rather than a newborn at this point.

Skype call with Russian grandparents!

I think that's partly the way God designed our parental instincts, to be enthusiastic (and appropriately concerned) over our child's current developmental stage.

Andrei and I aren't really in a summer camp/ministry phase of life at the moment, so summer is a good time to do some traveling, mainly visiting my relatives. With all the hot weather we did start to feel like we should visit another time of year when we can stand being outside for more than a few minutes at a time. On the OTHER hand, having experienced a few St. Petersburg heat waves, I believe excessive heat is easier to bear in New England than in a crowded Russian city with long summer days.

I think the Russian walking culture has instilled some good habits in me. Normally when given the choice I would much rather read or write than go (waste precious time!) outside. But there have been times lately that I haven't known what else to do with David, and it has calmed him down. Just like other nourishing traditions, it feels like a kind of medicine.

Remembering one day in July

The story of our wedding photos is sort of sad.

To make a long story short, we didn't really get any professional ones. We DID have family/friends with photography experience and nice cameras taking candids. Everyone is a photographer these days. But the person we hired to be our Photographer (so our guests could relax and enjoy themselves) didn't really come through. We ended up with a few folders of unedited photos and all the posed ones (siblings, indoor photo studio) missing.

Bear with me, this post is going to get better!

I've heard people say that the candid photos are the ones from their own weddings that they liked the best. 2 years later, I'm starting to agree. I still want to pick out a few acceptable ones and get them framed, maybe give some away. But the candids are the ones that make me relive that wonderful day.

I think in some ways Andrei and I are still blown away by the things people did to make our day special, or just the way they simply rejoiced with us. I wish everyone's marriage could start out that way! It is certainly meaningful to be in front of that many witnesses. I'm not talking about numbers, though. It's more about a unity of the spirit, if that makes any sense. And I believe that the Holy Spirit was there. Even though there were non-Christians there, I like to think that they saw it, too.

Just Married!