a trip to Israel is your next hw assignment

February 7, 2017 Steffen Sharikov

One of the best feelings is when you’re re-reading the Bible stories and you can vividly imagine every scene and its location because you were there. You stood at the same exact shore where Jesus got baptized. You hid in the caves where David cannot be easily found. You wet your hands in the Sea of Galilee where many fish were caught. You touched 2,000 year old trees in the Gethsemane Garden because Jesus once looked at that same tree. You walked the Land of God. Oh, I love how dramatic this sounds! I hope you are as simpatico about this as I am.

After our wedding, we stayed in Israel for our honeymoon. The Sharikov family didn’t want to show me much of Israel before the wedding so that they don’t steal Teddy’s thunder (Thaddeus only made it to Haifa three days before the big party because of work). So instead, every day we hit the beach. Got our tan on, and were ready to rock the show. Since I’ve mentioned Haifa before the wedding, let me introduce you to the finest beach out there. A touristy vibe, warm water, HUGE waves, and the famous Jewish street cuisines at every corner is something worth experiencing. Haifa is one of the bigger cities of Israel with a modern feel. Want to shop while visiting the Holy Land? You can go to Haifa. Want to find a bank near you? Stay in Haifa. Want your skin to glow? Live in Haifa. Overall, Haifa City is the place a lot of our wedding guests who flew in a couple of days earlier, stayed at.

Teddy and I stayed for a week in Israel after the wedding. I have to tell you that having a honeymoon in Israel was one of our proudest decisions we’ve ever made. We grew spiritually, experienced the Holy Land, and we also had a whole lot of fun getting to know each other better. We visited Capernaum, the Sea of Galilee, the Dead Sea, the Garden of Golgotha, the Old Jerusalem, and Nahal David Waterfall.

So, when looking for your next destination, book a flight to Israel; in addition to, make sure the ticket is for two or more weeks because you go big or go home! Seriously, not enough time to check everything out..

husband of the year

January 30, 2017 Steffen Sharikov

On Saturday, we had an early birthday celebration for Thaddeus. This day was all about us spending it together and making him feel special. We woke up earlier than the alarm clock because that’s how excited we got for the weekend. For breakfast, we went to the Black Coffee and Waffle Bar where he had his gluten and dairy free waffle. But me on the other hand, took advantage of that whip cream. Then after breakfast, we headed to the Russian Museum of Art where we purchased a Russian Art book for our coffee table as an entertainment for our guests. Afterwards, we went out for burgers. I had my burger and Thaddeus had his wings. Here are some photos from the marvelous weekend.

This blog post is quite different but very personal. Here is a letter entitled to my wonderful husband:

On a cold, crisp, January day, this world was gifted with a warm heart. Babe, you are now 26! But guess what? Age doesn’t matter anymore because we are counting our moments instead of our days. I want our days to be counted only after moments become memories. Then, remembering that day will grow a sentiment that is full of love and affection.

With only 26 years, you have managed to change people’s lives around you. You inspire, you support, and you help. You have inspired me to become a more passionate person. The passion in me started to rise when you made all of my dreams come true; from going to a missionary trip, to marrying the man of my dreams who happens to be a Christian model!

I am now more passionate about my teas… I use the french press instead of teabags!! I am now more passionate about cooking... I use more seasonings on my food than ever!! Also, I am now more passionate about having a big family, because you as well want an entire clique instead of just a couple of kids.

Thank you for coming into my life at the perfect time. At a time, when we were both ready to grow bigger together.

You support me when I don’t know exactly what I am doing. And you ALWAYS support me when I actually know what I am doing. You’ve supported my decision on starting a blog. You’ve supported my decision on going to choir even though that takes away our opportunity to stay in on Thursday nights. Overall, you’re a huge support and I will always return the favor. That means I’ll visit your hockey games once in awhile.

Goodwill. Not the Goodwill we shop, but the goodwill you grant because the help you bring to the table can change the world’s heart. You are a blessing to everyone who knows you.

You are a blessing to those who can’t stand up for themselves, because they’re guaranteed you have their back. You are a blessing to those who don’t know how to calm down, because you have a special breathing method that I’m not entirely fond of. Once all the facts about you are gathered, you turn out to be one baller guy!

Before I end this beautiful novel, I can’t forget to mention how much I love the way you treat me and how I love the way you act around me. Thanks for being silly in public. Thanks for having me as your number one best friend that is not only confirmed on Snapchat, but in real life as well. Most importantly, thanks for being yourself. Teddy, I fall in love with you every day. And I will show our future children the appropriate moments when to fall in love with their dad. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, HANDSOME!!! That warm heart of yours is contagious, keep us melting.

wedding day tips

January 24, 2017 Steffen Sharikov

From our one time ‘planning our own wedding’ experience, we gained insight on how to play a stress-free wedding. A lot of people were surprised at how calmly and smoothly things were going for Teddy and I ever since we met. Therefore, I shouldn’t even be surprised that the wedding didn’t cause major difficulties. The only tiny difficulty we faced was the "bridesmaid drama."

All three of our bridesmaids are very picky in their taste for fashion and loyal to their own sense of style. And this is exactly why I love every single one of them. Tuna (my youngest sister), Susana (my new sister), and Anna (my sister from another mister) certainly know exactly who they are and they will wear what they’re comfortable in with pride. Therefore, only after we bought and returned three dresses, they finally decided to go with the last gorgeous blue. Good thing our styles are very similar and eventually we were able to make the final decision. I wanted our bridesmaids to end up with dresses that they can wear another time. No prom dresses or Princess Elsa-looking dresses were ever put into consideration. Also, we had difficulties finding the right shoes that each one of them LOVED. But that is a long story, and we have to get back to our topic...

Here are some beneficial tips to follow for an easy-to-breathe wedding event:

PRAY ABOUT EVERYTHING. From that last makeup touch-up for yourself to that bipolar weather, pray! What can you accomplish without God? Your answer might be, “I can manage to get my friends to come to my wedding. I can find the perfect dress without anybody’s help. I can go on and marry the person I love because I know that we will last forever; we will make a strong team! I can even brew my own coffee.” Yes, you’re right - you are a capable and a strong person! Everything will go well. But if God isn’t on your side, then you’re done. Your plans will not succeed. Just know that God has the last word.
BE A COUPLE INVOLVED IN PLANNING. Communicate. Exchange opinions. Explore your style. Be honest. You’re planning a wedding with the person you will spend the rest of your life with. That means you guys will live together, you will design or decorate your place together, and you guys will shop for apparel together. Why not start off by planning a wedding together to get to know each other's way of putting things beautifully together? I guarantee you, at the end of this planning process, the groom will know the bride’s least favorite flower, and the bride will know the groom’s least favorite color. Basically, all of the most important stuff.
FAMILY INVOLVEMENT AND RESPONSIBILITIES. Family always has your back. They are here to help and support. By asking for your family’s time, it will only leave them grateful to you for allowing them to participate in your big day. So don’t be so certain that you have everything under control because when the wedding comes, you won’t...and you don’t even know it. You need people.
DON’T SWEAT LITTLE DETAILS. Something's not looking the way you wanted it to? Don’t stress. Be flexible. It’ll look good on pictures, I promise! Especially, if you have a good photographer... Overall, your magical day will turn out to be priceless! You won’t even remember that little unfix-able stitch on your dress that kept bothering you all morning.
TAKE YOUR TIME TO GET DRESSED. Guess who’s the center of attention on this big day? You and your spouse are! So take all the time you need. Maybe even wake up earlier for you not to feel rushed or pressured?! Keep that hair on fleek. And eyebrows too, if possible.

Weddings are fun to plan. Grab your coffee, or your Matcha tea, and skip through those wedding magazines as you point out your favorites!

"I do" with a view

January 17, 2017 Steffen Sharikov

November 2nd is when we will be celebrating our anniversaries, by the way.

Let us start off by thanking our family and friends who flew into Israel to witness Teddy and I exchange our vows. You are appreciated!

Our wedding day was on a Wednesday. Unusual, right? Well, not for the Israelites. That Wednesday was beautiful, not like any other Wednesdays. The leaves on the trees were still. The clouds were white. The temperature was high 60s. That morning was stress-free and free of trouble. The people that surrounded us brought engagement, bliss and pleasant support.

Our bridesmaids, groomsmen, photographer, videographer and our hairstylist were the perfect clique to complete this joyful day of ours. They kept us company while we were preparing for our first look. They had us smiling even before we saw each other! Oh that first look was magical! I finally got to see Teddy for the first time that day. Not really a good feeling when you know he’s somewhere around but yet you can’t even peek at that gorgeous face. After patiently waiting all morning, we exchanged our first looks. We were overloaded with happiness! We couldn’t get enough of each other. Beautiful memories were captured; but as we were capturing those memories, our bridal party was sneaking off to the reception with appetizers, where they greeted our wedding folks and ate their food.

Teddy and I got married under a Chuppah. A chuppah is a traditional Jewish wedding canopy with four open sides. The symbol behind the traditional chuppah stands for the new home that the newlyweds will create. Chuppah decorations can be different, depending on your taste. For us, we adore fresh flowers. The more scented foliage, the merrier it looks!

As my dad was walking me closer and closer to the crowd, I saw my soon-to-be husband standing there among the breathing flowers and alluring view of the mountains. My heart raced. Teddy was my greatest view. The nature surrounding us only complimented my soulmate. That emotional afternoon, we were officially married. The guests emptied the ceremony place and took off to the reception, which was held outdoors. So many good wishes were addressed to us and the program was very entertaining. Our wedding party was lit (tears of joy were included).

To end this perfect day, our entire wedding party went to Old Jerusalem, where we danced to the violin and then joined a crowd of Jewish young men singing their hearts out.

God is good. He only blessed us with good. So by leaving stress and weariness behind, we allow God to show us how attentive and caring He really is.

Proverbs 3:5-6“Trust in the Lord with all of your heart and lean not on your understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight.”

first impression, last perception

December 25, 2016 Julie Sharikov

I love meeting new people and when I met Thaddeus, I knew he was here to stay. I instantly thought to myself about how he is an interesting piece of art. I saw constancy and amusement in his eyes. His slightly excessive stares were not awkward at all…

We first met at the Erie youth conference, which happened on March 12, 2016. This trip to the conference caught me off guard. I personally enjoy youth conferences; I usually prefer not to skip any of them. The spiritual food, the late-night bonfire talks and hangs, and the bonding between the Russian-speaking Christian youth is important in order for the young hearts to grow into something so beautiful and bold.

I wasn’t planning on going to this exact event this time, due to the school and work hustle. But luckily, I have a very convincing sister who really wanted to get out of town that weekend. Shout out to Tuna! Teddy and I spent the Saturday evening and Sunday together with our siblings and mutual friends. This trip changed his and my life forever!

Our first date happened on April 8th, 2016, when we both traveled to California for D+D’s wedding. Just in case you were wondering, bicycles and sushi were involved. And then, one whole month and 18 days later, we were engaged.

Teddy and I chose to become “forever.” The forever that will overcome anything that you can think of. We discovered pure passion. We developed unending interest in each other. We grew a love so deep that even inspired children.

Here is the story in short:

Teddy (Thaddeus) and I spent the weekend at little Mark’s house for the Lititz conference. This was the day after Teddy proposed. After observing us for two days, Mark says, “One day, I want to have a girlfriend too!”

One special technique to finally getting someone who checks off the list of best qualities, is patient prayer. Your Matchmaker reigns in the heavens above. Your Wingman rules everything around you. So, the next time that you speak to God, mention your future soul mate. God knows exactly who you truly want or need.

But don’t forget that maybe the person you want today, is someone you won’t need in the future. Or maybe the person you need today is being rejected by your wants and desires?

Hey, it is worth the wait. For those who are still praying for their future spouse, I wish for you to find your Thaddeus.