Gypsy Baby

Some of the members of our branch have jokingly called Addie a "Gypsy Baby" because when someone (anyone really) opens their arms to her she will very often reach and lean out for that person to take her. While many children often prefer just mommy or daddy, this little girl has often been contented with pretty much anyone.

Addie with our cabin mates:
She's obviously pretty comfortable.


(She has become a little more selective in the last month or so... but she has still ended up in the arms of perfect strangers on long-ish bus rides.)

A Train Ride to Remember

Sunday evening we got on our train. And began to sweat. Our train car was sweltering!!! Once the train got moving the conductor opened a window at the very front of the car. We were assigned to the very last room in the car, so it did little to relieve the heat and humidity we were suffering in. We weren't initially able to get the male conductor to open the window in front of our door, but I was later able to communicate to the female conductor that I was sweltering and she made the other conductor come open our window.
Shortly after I fell asleep I was awakened by a loud slam. The male conductor had closed and was now locking the window. I think I was able to get it opened again, but can't remember if it was a few hours later or the next morning... I'm not exactly sure why the male conductor was so determined to keep the window closed. I know we weren't the only ones who were sweltering (the next day a guy was walking around in a pair of shorts--just a pair of shorts).

Can't you tell this poor kiddo is overheating?
I hope to get a closer picture one of these days, but this is a Muslim graveyard. We passed by a few, and although each is different, they were all pretty.
These cousins were our room companions. They were really nice guys, we were really lucky to be assigned to share a room with them, they often left to smoke, but didn't drink (alcohol) at all. Plus, the guy on the left is a father of two and was really good with Addie.

The Forgotten Pictures

In our last post of the city I happened to forget to include these pictures. Next Sunday I will post about our church services in Astana, but as of this post I will be officially done with Astana. I don't know how I managed to spread two days worth of a visit to two weeks worth of posts, but apparently I did.

This is quite the menacing horserider, but evidently he doesn't leave big impressions... I can't remember who he was or why he was important. But I rather liked these pictures...


This white tree (made of lights) is beautiful. After seeing at least two trees like it, we decided the President must be a Lord of the Rings fan.
We were walking by these pigeons and this one stuck out. It is caked with mud or something and I couldn't get over how disheveled it was. So once again, I found myself chasing after an animal for a picture. (Only this time I wasn't in the picture)
It obviously did not want to cooperate.

Women of Influence

When I think of Addie and all our future posterity, I often find my thoughts turned to the women whose influence has shaped our --mine and Chris'-- lives.

Baba, Evelyn's maternal step-grandmother, is a loving mother and wife. She and my Grandfather live across the continent from us, so I have not had much opportunity to get to know her well. That notwithstanding, I have received many a birthday card with her (professional) art, and we were blessed to receive an original painting of hers when my mom returned from assisting my grandfather during the week Addie was born. She is both thoughtful and kind.

Grandma P., Chris' paternal grandmother, is small in stature and big on spirit. Before meeting her I had been told that this little woman is always on her knees (which is why they had to be replaced ;D). The night Chris and I flew into Salt Lake City to meet his family we went downstairs to her apartment, knocked on her bedroom door, and waited. Soon the door was open and tiny little Grandma P. apologized for the wait, she was saying her prayers! With ten children, approximately 75 grandchildren, and nearly 20 great-grandchildren, all of whose names she knows, she leaves an amazing legacy. Make no mistake, the numbers of her posterity may be great, but greater still is her legacy of love, faith, thoughtfulness, and humility.
Grannie Pat, Evelyn's paternal grandmother, is a small woman who is not short on spirit, opinion, or work ethic. She is a good and faithful woman, who loves her family and worked hard, alongside her husband, to support them. During Hurricane Katrina she lost her home and very nearly her life. A fighter, she survived that nightmare the same way she endured other hardships in life--with faith and courage.

Grandma T, Evelyn's maternal grandmother, is a great example of lifetime learning. She attended college and received her bachelors as an English major, then later in life was educated and trained to be a nurse, and continues to be an active reader. She instilled a love for learning. A concerned mother, she cares about each of her children and exemplifies how the love of a mother enables a woman to see what her child is capable of achieving.

GranMarne`, Chris' maternal grandmother, is no stranger to adversity, but you would never know it unless you knew a little of her life history. After our reception a few of our friends described her to us as "regal". I think the term definitely fits! GranMarne` is an amazing woman of diverse talents who initiated the travel-abroad trend. Always a supportive wife, she learned to not just live but thrive in various areas of the United States and a few different countries.
Lisa, Chris' mom, is a great example and help to us in many realms, but especially in the graceful and cheerful manner in which she has adapted to life in foreign countries. When we learned (a year ago!) that we would be moving to Kazakhstan I knew I had a valuable resource in this amazing woman. I remember having a conversation with her in which we discussed my lack of fear to move across the world because (1) I was going to a place with a branch of our church, (2) there were family friends, and (3) Almaty is practically Chris' second home. Lisa commented that it would be so hard without those things, and I laughed and reminded her that when she moved her family to Kazakhstan, they didn't have those resources (she'd truly forgotten!).

Besides her influence and wisdom which is so beneficial to us now, she has also had great influence as she reared a certain someone I am quite fond of. ;) I know that much of the wonderfulness of my husband can be attributed to her diligence and goodness in motherhood.
Vicki, my mom, is probably the most charitable person I know. This woman lives to serve and rarely thinks of herself. Her selfless service is often unknown to many, but there is evidence of it in the lives of her family, ward members, and neighbors. The weeks after Addie was born were rather difficult: I was weak and Chris was working out of state. A few times a week my mom would drive up and spend the night with me. She would make the hour drive and arrive after 9 p.m., do my dishes, fold our laundry, listen to me talk, wake up with me when Addie woke up, change Addie's diaper and burp her, soothe her as necessary, and then wake up around 5:30 a.m. to make the hour drive back to work. I'm not sure what I would have done without her!

My mom has always been my biggest cheerleader. As a youth she attended all my softball, soccer and field hockey games, and since moving from my family's ward (over eight years ago) I can't think of a time when she hasn't attended a talk or lesson I've given--except when I was in Utah. Now that I'm in a faraway land she makes sure I have at least one comment on each of my posts. =D
These blurbs on our beloved mothers and grandmothers are just a sampling of the extent of the example they have set for us, Addie, and future posterity. When I think of them I find myself amazed at these wonderful women Addie and I have to look up to and learn from. Their pasts are diverse, their experiences vast. One thing remains consistent: they are women worthy of much love and emulation.

Today we honor you.

Quite a Woman

I wasn't sure what to title this post, but I figure any woman that can have two leopards and a huge bull at her beck and call has got to be quite woman. Wouldn't you agree?


To show how fearless Chris and Addie are (and give some perspective on the enormous size of this statue):Next we strolled along this lovely river walk which is often decorated and decked out for the various (and frequent) holidays.
These buildings are still under construction, but they are representative of the tallest mountains in the Tienshan Mountains (in Almaty).
(These pictures are from our Sunday, late morning/early afternoon excursion.)

Pyramid of Peace & Accord

One of our visits was to this pyramid (obviously not ancient).
Although the pyramid has a number of names, the one that we remember easiest is the "Pyramid of Peace & Accord". The pyramid was actually built to host meetings for the Congress on World and Traditional Religions, which are held every three years. There is a small area for the meeting at the very top of the pyramid... but we'll get to that later.

The ground floor is technically below-ground, and hosts a gift shop, restaurant, and coat check.

The first floor, is where a theater is located. In the middle of the ceiling is this interesting shape (don't mind the spotlight):
The design in the last picture is a little difficult to see. Here we are on the second floor standing on top of that spot. There are large triangles of glass in the foreground of the picture. I looked through the glass and could see the seats in the theater. I'll be honest... it made me feel a little ill to stand there.
To get to the top of the pyramid you travel these walkways. You can't tell by the pictures, but these two walkways are not connected. Each begin and end on opposite sides of the respective floors.
At the top of the pyramid is the actual room where the"Congress of Religions" meets. There is a large opening in the center of the room where you can look down and see the lower levels, around that opening is the area where the "traditional" religions sit, and then there are other seats on the perimeter for representatives of other religions/churches which have been invited to attend.

The top of the pyramid is stained glass, as you can see in this picture. The very peak is yellow, and then there are doves in various stages of motion (no two are alike). We were told that if we were to fly above the pyramid and look down it would look like the Kazakhstan flag.
Looking down from the top you can see all the way to the third floor.

The Islamic Center of Astana

The first picture shows the whole Islamic Center, which is made up of a mosque, school, and library. The mosque is located on the right, the school and library on the left.
This beautiful structure was sponsored by the Emir of Qatar.
We were able to watch two wedding parties enter the mosque. At the back of the second party were these babushkas.
Our little family in front of the Islamic Center.This is the main entrance to the mosque.Next is a courtyard. The marble structures in the middle are fountains for cleansing yourself before entering the prayer room. It was neat to walk into the courtyard, there was definitely a more quiet feeling than outside the walls, and that quiet feeling continued--perhaps even increased--as we entered the prayer room. There was definitely a special feeling there, which I liked a lot. It reminded me of the Latter-day Saint temples which we love so dearly.I loved the arches and covered walkway.
Inside the courtyard looking up at the dome. The moon isn't really visible because of all the light.
There's that moon!
We were allowed to take pictures inside the mosque, but there is a sort of barricade you must stay behind. We were told that men are the only ones who go on the other side of the barricade, where prayers are said. I thought the barricade itself was beautiful.

Where do the women go while the men are praying? Well... Women pray on the side of the barricade we were on, it's a smaller area, but would still fit many many women.
There is room for 5,000 inside the mosque. This is the prayer room.

Is the Islamic population in the area large enough to fill that kneeling area? I don't think the answer is very cut and dry on this one. Historically the people of Kazakhstan are Muslim. My understanding is that the atheism of the Soviet Union has definitely affected the number of practicing Muslims. While most Kazakhs would probably tell you they are Muslim, many are not practicing. I am not sure of the percentage which does practice, and the Imam was busy with the two weddings so I wasn't able to speak with him. The population in Astana is estimated at over 650,000--even if only 1% is practicing, the prayer room could get close to capacity. It's my understanding that prayers do not have to be said in the mosque, so while there should be enough practicing Muslims to fill the Mosque, I'm not sure how full it actually gets.
This picture is of the main dome, but there were many others. Each dome was similarly decorated. They are elaborate and beautiful.
I am not an expert on Islam. From what I have been told and read (ever so briefly), Islamic art generally avoids representations of people, and some Muslims avoid visual depictions of living beings altogether. All of the artwork I saw in this mosque involved geometrical design or calligraphy.

If you look at one of the "rafters" (for lack of a better word) in the picture below you see that it is painted blue with a gold design--that's an example of the calligraphy.
This picture is from the entryway to the prayer room looking through the courtyard to the main entrance.
From the outside looking in.

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Jenna asked some good questions, so I amended this post to answer them. Questions are in italics, with the answers immediately after.