Happy Halloween!

Hope everyone has a scary and spooky Halloween!!

Be safe and eat candy.

And try not to fall absolutely in love with my niece Stella.

I just want to squeeze that little ball of wool.

Magic Really Does Exist

Yesterday I got to experience something I had never experienced before.

The first snow of the season.

I felt like I just so happened to wake up in some movie scene.

After rising from bed with a big stretch, I looked outside the window and saw a single white fluff delicately floating down from the sky.

I thought it was a feather.  My mind wandered off into how that single feather could have gotten there...

....probably fell off a bird while it was flying...

....maybe that bird was getting chased by a big, black, scary crow....

....maybe that crow pecked the feather off as it was chasing this innocent white dove....

....maybe the bird was flying away from a plane...

....maybe the bird got hit by the plane and the feathers went flying everywhere!....

Yes, this is actually how my mind works.

I continued to peer out the window as my mind was running in circles and slowly I began to see more soft, white fluffs coming down.

As I thought to myself,

"Clearly the bird was hit by the plane with this many feathers coming down"

I realized it was snow.

Being the Southern California girl that I am, clearly my first conclusion was not, "Oh! Snow!" regardless of all the tell tale signs of freezing temperatures, snow jackets, and lots of hot coco.

When my blonde moment finally lapsed and my brilliant Berkeley brain realized that it was actually snow, I couldn't resist jumping up and down on the bed and squealing like a little girl.

Then a massive lightbulb switched on

"You idiot, GO OUTSIDE!"

So on with my stockings, leggings, and snow pants. I bundled myself up to go experience something new.  With my camera in hand I ran as fast as I could down the 10 flights of stairs and went screaming out the front door.  

Unfortunately, I didn't get to go diving into mounds of snow and make snow angels.  Instead, I sat on a little bench.  I sat and reveled in this white soft powder that is snow.  With my face up at the sky, little soft kisses landed on my nose.

It was magic.

Welcome To Russian Cribs

I moved into my apartment yesterday, otherwise referred to as a flat in every country other than the USA, and I am so excited to be out of that hotel and into my own space.

So I want to take you on a little tour of mi casa but I warn you, I basically live in a vault and your eyes might start hurting after seeing the amount of yellow in my digs.  You might assume they would choose warmer colors like rich browns or deep reds to try to counteract the arctic weather outside but instead, this previous owner opted for a pale sunshine yellow.

But in a way, I guess it's good because maybe I can just do it all my way and shnaz this place up a bit.

Anyways, as we step off the elevator we come to this door.  It requires a single key that unlocks two locks.

Make a quick left and we come to the vault.  This door requires three keys to unlock seven locks.

Voila....My Russian Crib

Standing at the entrance, from left to right

My bedroom

The second bedroom

TV room with surround sound BOOOYAH!

From the entrance, turn left and take the hallway to the kitchen.  On the way, we will make two quick stops.

First stop on the left down the hallway- Shower room and laundry room

Second stop on the left is the toilet.  

Exciting stuff.  I know.

Last stop- Kitchen.

Notice there is no dishwasher.  Matt is going to love this :)

I would show you the inside of my fridge but there is literally NOTHING in it.

Back to the entrance so we can check out the themed decor.

Now for where the magic happens!

That's how they introduce the bedroom on Cribs right?

My cozy bedroom

The View!  Doesn't really compare to my old view in Newport but it's a great perch for people watching.

The second bedroom with a killer futon.  Anyone interested in coming to visit?

The TV room with surround sound.  The flat screen is being delivered today!  Highlight of the evening most likely.

Hope you enjoyed the tour.

Now get outta my house!

We are finally back in Moscow after a very long road trip to St. Petersburg.

If you ever come to Russia, you must visit St. Petersburg.  It is gorgeous; full of old architecture and soft white light dimly shining from the countless bridges that frame the river which winds its way through town.  I am absolutely smitten.

I made some awesome strides this weekend with the team.  The girls are fantastic and so much fun and it's kind of nice not knowing what they are saying.  This way, if they hate me, I will never know it so I can just continue on being friendly.  With miraculous effort, I learned everyone's names, accent and all, which was not easy.

The best part of the entire weekend was when I found out that our trainer used to be a stripper!!!! YES! I said it.  A stripper.  Totally unassuming guy too.  I am going to try to make him dance for me.

I am so excited for this little golden nugget of information because you know what this means?  

A LOT MORE SURPRISES TO COME!

I'm guessing this is going to be an interesting season.

So I am not sure if I mentioned to you all that traveling in Russia is a tad bit different than traveling in America.  Planes are not the first choice of transportation.  Trains are.  And much to my surprise, I must admit that I am feeling particularly prone to picking the train over the plane as well.  

Check out our digs!

Those are beds you see and you have the freedom to walk around as you please.  

Seat belts?

No thank you.

On the two train rides we have taken thus far, we have departed around midnight and by the time we sleepily awake from our slumber, we have already arrived at our destination.

It's like time travel.

This is our super cool stadium.  I'm really excited to play our first match here.  Maybe I can get a better picture.

Now that we're home, we have three days off.  I think I am going to call my coach and beg him to take me to the men's game tonight so I don't have to sit in my hotel room.

Halloween isn't even here and they were playing "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" at our match tonight.  For some reason, this feels totally normal here.

St. Petersburg

I really wish I could have taken some more pictures of this place.  It was gorgeous!

Some girls from the team.  Thanks coach for the bunny ears.

Going deeper and deeper into the earth....or just down to the subway.

I can't wait until I have some free time to come back to St. Petersburg and explore.  It is such a pretty place...minus the constant rain.  Plus, this entire city is such a great location to people watch and we all know how much I love to do that.  

The range in fashion is absurd.   I saw people wearing cat ears and an entire fire red ensemble all the way to high fashion/cover of vogue amazing fur coats and stilettos.  And let me also state that Paris has failed in comparison to St. Petersburg if they were competing for the title of "City of Love."  Regardless of the weather, I have never seen so many couples outside canoodling, and smooching, and holding hands.  It makes me miss my mister.

I have been trying to waste time before my train ride to St. Petersburg tonight....

I know you are all so green with envy that I get to embark on such a cool adventure for a week

....and stumbled upon a blog with a post that held so true to my heart.  While reading my new favorite post, my entire childhood and my parents' voices kept flashing through my head.  It made me realize that what they tried to teach me was really valuable information and I now understand why they got so frustrated with me when I refused to listen.  I am fairly lucky (don't want them to get big heads since they both read this blog) to have had parents who wanted not only the best for me but for me to be able to be wise and caring and make well thought out decisions.  And to be completely honest, I think they did a pretty dang good job because these values that they instilled in me have been seriously helpful in avoiding some colossal stuff-ups.

I am far from perfect and I regularly screw up, so it is nice to stumble upon something that genuinely makes you want to be a better person.

It's a good guide to use to check yourself before you wreck yourself.

Rules To Live By

~Trust your gut, always.

~If it sounds too good to be true... it probably is.

~When someone shows you who they are: believe them.

~When we know better, we do better.

~People will forget what you said, but they'll never forget how you made them feel.

~The greatest relationship is the one you have with yourself because no matter what happens, you will always have to live with that person.

~Sometimes the hardest thing and the right thing really are the same.

~Be grateful, always.

~Sometimes you have to take that chance and if you fail, learn from it and try again.

~If you work hard and you're kind, amazing things will happen.

Thank you Maribel from My Narcissism.  This is really great advice.

Get Your Daily Dose Of Geme

My brother's girlfriend just started her very own blog and let me tell you,

IT'S ADORABLE!!!

Her last name is St. Geme which is not only really cool but made for a great blog name.

So go get your daily dose of class and sophistication along with seasonal recipes at The Daily Geme.

I hope you love her blog as much as I do.

It's So Hard To Say Goodbye

Do you guys remember Matt's and my apartment?

The Fish Bowl

Due to the recent move to Russia, and the community's crappy rules of no subletting, we have to move out entirely.  I am not sure I can handle this.  I have grown so attached to my temporary home.
Foggy mornings on the water, casual walks around Balboa Island with a hot cup of coffee in hand, sharing Balboa bars with my husband as we walk hand in hand down the dock.  This place has really become my home and I am seriously hurting inside knowing someone else is going to move in.  In a way, it feels like I am abandoning my life in California and throwing it to the sharks.  Dramatic, I know.  But I grow attached so easily and I have truly come to love the place I lived.  I just hope that whoever moves in falls in love with this apartment as much as I have and then they begin to hate it around April and move out so Matt and I can move back in.  Maybe I'll plan some sort of Mission: Jump Ship to make them want to move out quickly.
Evil?
Potentially.

Hallelujah!

I survived the first day!

And I have never been made to feel so short in my life.  I'm not joking you, I come up to the shoulders on one of my teammates.  It's crazy!  And I know the first thing you think is EEEEK! but they are like extra tall supermodels.

We had two practices today.  The first one I really struggled through physically.  I think I got to a point where I was so tired that my eyeballs were throbbing.  No joke.  The second practice I was doing better physically but technically I pretty much tanked.  You try hitting against the Eiffel Tower and tell me if you can get the ball over that thing.  I think I credit my lack in performance to my lack of practice.  My skills are a little (a lot) rusty and it has been so long since I have touched a ball that there is a bruise starting to form on my arm from passing.

Hi Coach!  I know you're reading this :)  I'll do better.  Promise!

Tomorrow we depart for St Petersburg which is super exciting!  I am hoping to finally get to take some pictures of Russia to share on my blog instead of stealing others.  I feel like such a fraud.  But I do want to warn you that we don't really fly in Russia.  We take trains....for many hours.  So prepare for many blog posts if there is internet.

I Forget....

...That a lot of people don't get American humor and usually take it personally which is exactly what happened with my last two posts.  With my attempt to just talk about a day in the life of Morgan Beck or a day gone horribly wrong (which happens to a lot of people) my posts ended up making some people very unhappy which is why they are now removed.  I will now need to be more conscious of the way my posts come across and be very positive and include nothing but amazing things that happen to me while I am here in Russia.

Sorry to those who were offended by the posts, but please know that there was no mal-intent behind them.

I really am excited to be here and for this opportunity to play with a fantastic team.

OHMYGOSH

I know it looks like I am kissing her lady lumps.  I'm not.  I'm kissing Jack's lady lumps.

I sing to them in the car when they get nervous.

I miss them so much!

Happy Birthday To My Matthew!!!

How cool are these candles that burn the color of the wax!

Hi Honey,

I so wish I could be with you today on your birthday to help you celebrate and make your day full of smiles and kisses.  And I know the present I got you doesn't make up for the day we had planned, but I hope you have a fabulous birthday full of playing with your new toy I got you, healthy food, working out, adventures outdoors, and seeing some friends.  I'm hoping to send you the best birthday present ever today consisting of a ticket to Moscow!  But in the meantime, I hope your man date with my dad is sufficient enough to celebrate your big day.
But since today is your birthday, I have full reign to get completely mushy and sentimental.

I'm sorry to all of my bloggers that you have to read this and I promise my little obsession with notes on my blog will end pending an international cell phone.

Matty Pants, I am so thankful to have you in my life.  You have been a blessing and have made me view the world in a whole new way.  You have guided me through the tough times and have created such a desire in me to be a better person.  You are my better half and I live for the days we get to spend together and the nights snuggling on the sofa watching Desperate Housewives.  My heart still beats faster when you hold my hand and my palms still get sweaty when you come in the room.  It's like I am a kid falling in love over and over again.  I guess what I am trying to say is that....
Marrying you was the best choice I have ever made :)
and
I LOVE YOU!

Happy Birthday Honey Baby Boo Bear

I Wish...

This week I wish...

~ To get to Russia safely

~To have Matt come out on Sunday which means

-get the apartment rented

-get the rooms packed up

-get Matt's visa

-find someone to watch my babies for two months in hopes of bringing them to Russia in December.

~ To find if I get to go home for Christmas so I can book my flight this week

~ To find the strength to resist candy and junk food

~ To not face an glitches with this contract.  That is always the pits.

Who's excited for Halloween?!?!

I wonder if my team would be upset if I showed up to practice in costume.

Camilla Leila Dugonjic

Camilla's gorgeous ring.  There is a really precious story behind it too.

Dear Camilla,

I know I just wrote you a little note telling you that I was going to miss you oh so much but I wanted to write you another little note telling you how absolutely ecstatic I am that you are getting married!  

Not only are you getting married (which is a huge step in and of itself, for the both of us might I add) but you are actually marrying someone you like.  I may even go so far as to say he is the man of your dreams/soulmate.  Seeing you this happy, day in and day out and watching you grow out of the old pessimistic Camilla into the love life, positive, charger Camilla because you are so in Love is beautiful and I couldn't be more happy for you and proud of you.

If someone told me 2 years ago that either one of us would be married or better yet we would be living our lives simultaneously, I would have thought they belonged in a looney bin.  But watching us grow together into who we have become holds so many amazing memories and through it all I have come to love you like a sister and I am so lucky to have you as a best friend.  I may be a little reluctant to share my best friend status with Damir, but honestly, anyone that can make you this happy deserves to share that title with me. I can't wait for us to continue to grow and make families and watch our kids do the same things we did.  I look forward to all of our family vacations and our afternoons 50 years from now, sitting in our rocking chairs, telling the same stories (specifically how we met) while we watch our grandkids play together.  To find a friendship as true as this one, I believe, is as rare as finding your soulmate and I am so grateful we have maintained such a great connection even through all of our very polar opposite differences.  

I may be thousands of miles away, but I plan on helping you with every step of this wedding.  Even if the only thing I can do is tell you that you have horrible taste (we both know that won't happen).  But know that anything I can do will be done.

I'm counting down the days until I get to help you celebrate that special day.

(my count would be a lot more accurate if you would pick a date)

and you better believe I am still throwing you a bachelorette party, even if it's the night before or two months after the fact.

Dear Damilla,

You would not be who you are without Camilla, therefore you will now on be referred to as Damilla.  For the longest time I thought Camilla was so perfect and I admired her in so many different ways.  She cooks like a young Rachel Ray, she creates art better than Picaso, her writting abilities put J.K. Rowling to shame, she has an eye for design like Martha Stewart, her business savvy brain is up there with Steve Jobs, and on top of all of these qualities, not only is she gorgeous but she is an incredible friend.

I seriously think you lucked out.

But the longer you and Camilla were together, the more I realized that she really lucked out too.  Every quality and gift that Camilla had and still has has continued to grow and develop in ways that shouldn't be possible because it will cause 99% of the female population to hate her out of jealousy.  But I thank you for loving her unconditionally and for being her best friend stand-in when i'm not around.  And I thank you for making her heart skip a beat every time she sees you and making her the happiest she has ever been.

Bravo Damilla, for accomplishing the one feat no man has ever been able to do.  

She actually LOVES you.

Tel Aviv'in It

From left to right: El Al airline television screen, Sunrise heading out of LAX, my digs for the night in Tel Aviv, my homeboy from my hometown, Women's bathroom sign, to the left to the left with cool writing.

Man, the last leg of that trip was tough.
For some reason I unwillingly become an insomniac when I am on a plane.  I could be flying around the world five times and I wouldn't sleep a wink.  And even if I could sleep on a plane, it would not have helped being in the back of the plane stuck in the middle seat with the Michelin Man to the right of me and Mr. Snores-A-Lot to the left who liked to intertwine his legs with mine while sleeping.  I was a little creeped out, not gonna lie.
Long story short, I am in Tel Aviv and I am so happy that Shalom is now a prevalent part of my vocabulary.  I just hope the locals aren't insulted when I have giggle fits while greeting them.
For those of you who know me, you are laughing hysterically.  For those of you who have not yet had the torture of getting to know me, maybe someday I'll tell you why having Shalom in my vocabulary, in the correct context might I add, is so awesome.

Tel Aviv'in it tonight and then heading out on the last leg of my trip tomorrow.

Next and last stop...
MOSCOW! DA!

Have A Nice Trip, See You Next Fall

First off, I just want to state the fact that I am on a plane, in the air, flying, above the clouds, and there is wireless internet.  This is so cool!!  It might be a sign of cool things happening Russia?!? No? Okay, maybe a bit of a stretch but one could only hope.

Second cool fact, Annalynne McCord and Phil Jackson are both on my flight.

Not that cool? Darn. Strike two.

Leaving this morning was so difficult.  I think the fact that the point of return is so obscure and potentially very far in the future makes leaving all the more depressing and undesirable.  Kissing my kitties bye made me cry, listening to the cd Camilla made me on the way to the airport made me cry, kissing my husband goodbye at the airport for who knows how long made me sob, writing this is even making me cry and rereading it to make sure there are no spelling mistakes is making me cry.

I'm hoping it's just a hormone imbalance or something and not the fact that I am a complete and total mess.

So here are some notes to those I love who are holding down the fort for me in the fantastic US of A.

Dear Mom,

You are amazing and I am going to miss you so much!  I expect you to fire yourself up for a potential day after Christmas shopping marathon.  If I don't make it back, I'll send you my level 2 Nordstroms card.

Dear Dad,

Take care of mom and Breyer, and please don't die.

Dear Olive,

Stop being such a brat and start getting along with Jack.  When I see you two again I want you to be best friends.  Oh, and lose 5 lbs tubby.

Dear Jack,

Stop eating everything you see because it is seriously making your poops smell terrible!  Don't grow up too much please and I expect lots of kisses and cuddles sessions when you get your furry toosh to Russia.

Dear apartment,

Thank you for providing me with the best summer ever.  You brought in the best light and made such a fabulous home.

Dear Purple People Eater,

Bite people that try to ride you and don't rust.

Dear Camilla,

I expect our daily skype chats to continue and I am looking forward to the loads of emails flooding my inbox with pictures of you in your wedding day attire.  I am so happy you got to come down to visit me before I left.  I would have been so sad if I had to leave without seeing you.

Dear Matthew (the most fabulously incredible husband in the world),

Saying goodbye to you this morning was one of the hardest things I have had to do in awhile.  I am going to miss you so terribly much and I am so sorry I am going to miss your birthday (you old fart).  I am the luckiest girl to get to have you in my life forever and I will be counting the days until you make your way out to Moscow.

Love to all, from,

I Took The Candy

I depart Monday

Whoa!

So, this might be my home by Sunday.

Moscow, Russia...Anyone want to come visit?

I feel like I am on the end of a yo-yo between playing volleyball on another continent or staying in America in complete nirvana.  One second I am all balled up in your hand all comfortable and then on a whim I am sailing back and forth on a string heading into a "walk the dog."

I am not really complaining because these opportunities keep coming up.  I mean, at least I have opportunities.  But in a way I kind of am complaining.

I want to find a path and take it instead of having these little side tracked detours along the way.  It's like I am trying to walk home from school but on every block there is some middle-aged man in a huge van saying,

"Come here little girl.  Do you want some candy?"

AND I LOVE CANDY!

It's so hard for me to stay focused and flip that old man the bird and yell,

"No freaky old man, I'm walking home!"

I know this post just took a turn for the weird but I hope you kind of got the point.

Flannels And Warts

This morning, Camilla and I started our day with a cup of our new amazing Pumpkin Spice holiday coffee we scored from Costco yesterday and then set off on our usual walk around Balboa Island.  With our flannels on and our cameras hung over our shoulders, we made our way down the dock and over to the island.  The homes were seriously all so charming and appropriately decorated to welcome in the new season.

This house might have been a tad bit overboard.  My guess is they most likely have children ranging in age from 2-10, or at least I hope they have children ranging in age from 2-10.  

We had a pleasant early morning conversation with an old man out for his daily walk who told us he passed out 1500 candy bars last year for Halloween and will probably have to bump up his stash to 1700 this year because,

"They keep bussing more and more kids onto the island for Halloween."

Sounds a bit like illegal immigration to me but count me in on collecting candy.

Then, with flannels still on and cameras still attached at the hip, we headed over to the pumpkin farm.  This place was really cool because we actually got to walk through the fields and pick out all of our own pumpkins from the vines. 

With Camilla and wheel barrow in tow, we scoured the fields for the perfect pumpkins.  Preferably with warts.

Camilla made a new friend.

After we picked out the four biggest pumpkins we could find, we headed over to the vegetable farm to pick some fresh veggies.  Camilla was so impressed that they had children there getting to pick their own food from the ground because they could now better understand where their food comes from.

I think she noted this point around two dozen times.

I must admit, it was pretty cool

We picked radishes, onions, green beans, and carrots.

It was a really tough afternoon in the fields so we opted out of the corn maze, which we towered over anyways, and decided to spend the rest of the day relaxing.
See more pictures from our day here on Camilla's Blog (like I don't post enough pictures as is)

Now for the exciting stuff!!!

The winner of my giveaway is Janna from

Janna's Keeping It Real

Congrats Lady!!

Email me at morganEbeck{at}gmail{dot}com