Yesterday we watched this movie about Russia, Ukrainian, Chechen mafia. It is very violent but very good and the scary past is that it is very close to reality. This is how things are in Russia and other places where Russian mafia operates. Very very good movie and it has a happy ending - this is where the American movie making tradition comes in. In Russia it would be different.
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Joe, a personal trainer and "Positive Stress" gym owner , have set a new Guiness World record by cycling on a stationary bicycle for over 165 hours that is over 7 days straight with just 2 hours of total sleep. He was allowed to take 5 minute break to eat or go to the bathroom, he could also accumulate his 5 minutes every hours and take longer breaks if needed. He was on the there for a whole week!!! I volunteered to be one of the official witnesses. It was so amazing to see him break the old record of 111 hours. He was falling asleep behind that bike, he was hallusinating, falling off but he kept on going!!!
JOE IS THE CHAMPION!! HURRAH!!! Here are some pictures from the celebration.
Here is the CHAMPION!!! OVER 165 STRAIGHT HOURS ON THE BIKE!!! WOW!!!
He did it for charity reasons to raise money for Breast Cancer Research and raised over $25 000!!! Respect!!!
It would have never happened without Peter!!! Peter is the Champion too!!!
Neil and Rikarda also came to witness!!! Joe's nick is IRON MAN. Here is the iron :-)
Natasha was there all the time too, just like many other volunteers. We all worked out, socialized and had fun :-)
It all started with a dream
Famous bike. Wife Ashley finishing the race!!!
So stress can be positive!!!
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This is how we do it :-) It was huge success!!! My grandpa and Elena helped me. We had fun!!!
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Ksusha always wants to meet with everybody even people I have not seen forever. So here is a little reunion for you :-)
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Too bad I did not take more picture... I have very few... We worked, worked and worked some more!!! Pictures from final days of Going out of Business sale.
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I still get asked a lot why did I change my name. For those who do not know the whole story I was born as ALLA KHMELEVA and now I am NATALIYA STRUMILA.
Why? How?
Here is why....
[698x372] [527x699]I can't tell you how many times I was referred to as Mr. Alla Khmeleva because people thought I am a man. Alla is a popular Russian name but in the USA it is associated with Allah or Muslim God and terrorists and all the crap. I got tired explaining that I am not Muslim and I do not have a male name.
Mom and dad, sorry, but you just did not know that I will end up living in the USA when you gave me a name.
So when I got married I changed both my last and my first name, it took bout 3 years, lots of stress, bribes and bullshit but now it is all said and done.
I remember how we were explained in English classes in high school in Russia what does the word "self-made man" or "self-made woman' mean. Now I know for sure. I made my name and I made my fortune. There is such a thing as American dream. I came to this country when I was 18 with nothing but desire to learn and study the system. Now 8 years later I have more than I could ever ask and dream of.
Existential question would be though: what am I supposed to do next when I have it all already? I have plenty of time to figure out my plans for the future of cause I want to have kids and strong bonded loving family and I want to see my business grow and become even more profitable. BUT!!! For now let me take a moment to reflect on the past.
I've learnt a lot in the past couple of years about myself and my environment. I see, hear ,feel and think so many different things...... I see why so many American people deal with depression. Many have it all and they get bored out of their minds because they do not have to struggle to survive. In Russia there is no time to stop, it is survival mode: eat or be eaten, starve or figure out a way to make some money. Stress is everywhere you go and it is not safe. Russian people escape into spiritual world or become alcoholic. Life has no value, you could be killed for a dollar or die because of somebody's negligence. There is a lot of abuse anywhere you go. Political, economic, social and natural climate is very hostile and severe. "Life sucks" and you either quit and die or do your best to make it a little better. Very few exceptions exist. There is a world of super rich and super spoiled, 5% of Russian population control just about 95% of national wealth, assets and income. There is a lot of good that I miss but it is another story :-) In the USA people deal with overconsumption, excessive material presence, lack of spirit and spiritual life, pressure to succeed and compete, powerful negative marketing and media, high expectations, debt, "work slavery" and boredom. Of course these are just my negative observations and generalizations but overall this is what I've noticed. In the USA many people work too much and have no life, they are slaves of well marketed desires which are not even true needs. Isolation, materialism and competition are the three worlds that I would apply to the USA. Many people live like horses with blinds on and know to little and see to little and scary enough do not even know enough to change things around. As I have observed in the past 10 years there are very many unhappy people both in Russia and in the USA but there are just as many happy ones. It is possible to avoid the negative and concentrate on the positive. The glass can always be half full. Happiness does not depend on how rich or how poor your are, it does not depend on ones looks. It comes from within and it is always possible to find this happy place inside. I know many happy people on both sides of the world and these are the people I chose to be with and associate myself with. There is such a things as happily ever after. There is love around us! There is success! There is beauty! And I love to find it anywhere I go and in every person I meet along the way. There are many kind, generous, strong, intelligent and beautiful inside and out people. We all come from different places but sooner or later we all make a choice where to stand on a bright or dark side of life. How and why did I get so lucky to take the best of both systems and create a positive synergy of both societies? I do not know but I thank everybody!!! Do I have bad days? Yes, I suffer from a split personality syndrome in every possible way that you can imagine. I am bi.... I am Russia and I became American too. I have biological Russian and adopted American parents. I have two different families and two different homes. I speak two
Just want to take a minute and say special THANK YOU to STEVE SHERMAN AND GINGER MUMPOWER for helping me start my own successful business and teaching me everything I know about jewelry and sales. I would not be where I am without these two people. I extend my lifelong gratitude and bow to this people!!! Steve and Ginger, you will always have a special place in my heart. Words can not describe how grateful I am to you. Thank you for helping me find myself.
And this is how it happened.... [409x698]
Steve Sherman hired me as his personal assistant and I grew into a sales executive for Jewelry Marketing company, one of the leading diamond wholesalers in the country. One year later I was hired as Operations Manager/ Buyer for Ginger's Jewelry a successful privately owned retail jewelry store. 4 month in a Buyer position, 5 month as a Diamond Sales Consultant total of 9 month in Virginia. The store was sold to a chain and I quit and started on my own. Now I have a face and freedom to work as much or as little as I choose to. Goodbye corporate world and welcome to a lifelong vacation where I love what I do and can't even call it work as it is pretty much a fun hobby :-)
Steve and Ginger, thank you so very much for giving me the knowledge and tools to make it such a success!!!
If anybody loves jewelry and need Christmas presents feel free to call me. Would love to help you :-) I will be in Russian all October, so call me in November and December !!!
By the way before this happened I have a huge list of odd full time and part time jobs and assignments. Let's see
1) George K's Greek Restaurant Office Manager, started as a hostess
2) Verizon Cell Phone company customer representative
3) Crown Nissan marketing research assignment
4) La Fiesta Restaurant hostess
5) Libby Hill Seafood waitress
6) Teacher of English as a second language in Russian university and hight school
7) Library clerk
8) Merill Lynch financial company intern
9) Office clerk in shipping and receiving department of Alamance community college
10) Math private tutor
11) Model
12) Baby sitter for multiple families
13) Interpreter for international conferences and music festival
14) Retirement house leisure coordinator, arts and crafts organizer
15) Cocktail waitress :-)
16) Travel agent and tour guide
17) Greene Peace volunteer
18) Professional student and scholar, I actually made money studying and teaching ("US Senate Scholar", sorry but I love to remember that I've done something special)
19) Teacher and manager at a private language academy in Russia
20) Somewhat ex pro athlete in basketball, track and field, ballroom, and many other sports
I could probably throw in a couple of other odd ones. I am glad I had a chance to try it all out not that i plan on stopping :-) I still want to teach, I want to paint, I want to continue dancing, want to continue doing charity work and bla bla bla .... I have lots of ideas I'll keep you posted :-)
When they say that "Grass is greener on the other side" they are actually right sometimes. I am glad I was never afraid to quit and move on to something better, more meaningful and significant!!! I am 26, I've done a lot to find myself and I AM HAPPY now!!! I am sure I will get lost and have to reinvent myself and put the puzzle back together many more times before I transform into past life but now I am in my own NIRVANA!!! LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL!!! Special thank you to everybody who helped me along the way!!! I really appreciate it!!! If anybody ever has doubts, if you hate what you are doing an wish you were somewhere else, I would be the first person to say "JUST DO IT" "IT IS WORTH IT" "LIFE GETS BETTER AND BETTER IF YOU FIND THE COURAGE TO MOVE ON" "DO NOT STICK TO THE STINKY PAST IF YOU HAVE ONE"
I love my past and more then that I love my present and I am sure that the future will be even better!!!
Here are some beach pictures when we went crabbing and to feed the pelicans. Sorry if I put too many pictures, I just love them a lot. I've been blessed as I spent a lot of time surfing and swimming in August. We had lots of friends over and everybody enjoyed themselves at our beach house. We had some really awesome parties where all the neighboors came over to celebrate the 4th of July and also Tony's birthday. We ate a lot of fresh fish that Tony caught, ate shrimp and clams, etc. This was a great summer, soon the swimming season will be over and I can not wait for the next summer to come! In the meantime we are moving to Burlington in December, we are taking over the house that my American parents Tony and Margaret built. They will be permanently moving to Wilmington. Hopefully this is just our stepping stone and as soon as Marius can find a new job near Wilmington we will also move there full time. This is my favorite place to be and I feel like this is where I belong. Of course I can always travel elsewhere but I want to raise kids at the beach on the ocean side where it is so peaceful beautiful and simply heavenly. This is my heaven on earth.
Oops pictures are not downloading any more... Sorry will post them later!!!
So animals wise I had an exciting year - I"VE BEEN KISSED BY A GIRAFFE AND I HAND FED THE PELICANS!!! HOW COOL IT THAT!!! PLUS WHEN I SURF I SEE DOLPHINS, SHARKS AND OTHER PRETTY SEA CREATURES. BY THE WAY THE SHARK WAS REALLY CLOSE AND SCARED THE POO OUT OF ME, OH WELL OCEAN IS IT"S TERRITORY AND WE HAVE TO SHARE :-)
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And yet another party and more fun :-) Love my life!!! We are gonna party ta da ta ta :-)
New York and Russia I am on my way. Anybody who reads this reach out!!! I am in New York OCT 8,9,10,29,30,31 and then I am in Russia Moscow, Saint Petersburg, Yekaterinburg, and actually the Ukraine too between OCT 11 to 28! Would love to see everybody!!!
Lika with flowers!!! Happy B Girl!!!
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Baby when you see this picture know that I LOVE YOU VERY VERY MUCH AND ALWAYS THINK ABOUT YOU AND MISS YOU!!!
COME BACK SOON!!! I NEED YOU BY MY SIDE!!! THANKS FOR ALL THE HELP AT WORK!!! [525x700]
Ok, lets rewind that and say I have a lot of free time I just enjoy goofing off too much for the past 2 month. 2 month vacation going on 3. Wonder when I will I start craving to go back to work?
Work is overrated!!! Lets party and here are the party pictures!!!
Yehha!!!! Show time!!! Neil's Bday party!!! [700x525]
Neil and Rikarda. They are expecting a baby!!! Congratulations!!! [700x525] [700x525] [700x525] [700x525] [700x525] [700x525] [700x525] [700x525]
And that's a wrap and a fairwell for this party. Moving on to the next one :-) xoxo
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Our favorite rides were there. It was so funny, they have ride where you get soaking wet and we never got a chance to dry. So when we came to the airport we had to change all our clothe up to the underwear, we were laughing out butts off. We had a balst :-)
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From open to close in the parks. Can't wait to go back there again. Definitely one of my favorite places in the world. Who said we need to grow up? Forget it, I love being a kid :-)
We look so much alike :-)
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We went to 5 different parks, loved them all!!!
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Ksusha and myself both loved Sea World the most. I could live there :-)
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I was finally able to fly my sister and Marius to Disney World. When I first went there 7 years ago I cried watching Fantasmic show in MGM and I cried not only because I was so excited and thrilled but also because my loved ones were not there to see it too and share the excitement. So back then I promised myself to do whatever it takes and make sure they come to Disney too. This time I cried watching the Shamu Wale show and my sister was by my side!!! Life is as good as it gets!!!
We had a game where Marius was the Daddy and I was the Mommy and Ksusha was our daughter. We all loved it and had so much fun together. She kissed me and hugged me gratefully so so many time. Life is great!!! I miss her!!! [700x525] [700x525] [525x700]
Small bird big cahunas :-)
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Sometimes I wonder how my life has changed so drastically. I was born in Russia in the Ural mountains far far away from the coast and now I live on the beach and it feels like there is no better place in the world. I love it here so much that I never want to leave. Yesterday when I was riding on the boat with TOny I thought how nice it would be to build a house here and raise kids on the coast. Wake up with the babies, go surfing, read a book, go fishing ... I am content, I don't need anything esle when I am here. I don't even miss big cities and the crowds of rushing people. All I need is right here in front of me. I have been tamed, I found my home and my happiness right here and right now................
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