Golfing at the Yalta Country Club and the Prime Minister

Well, it could only happen to Matt. Here we are in Ukraine, and he finds a way to play golf.

I'm serious. While we were in the open market last week, a man approached Matt and my Dad because he heard them speaking English. Turns out he lived in Miami for ten years and came back here to open this club. So, yesterday we all went up to "the club" for lunch and so Matt could hit a bucket of balls. It was absolutely hysterical. Dad was betting it was a tee set up on the edge of one of the cliffs and that was the driving range. It wasn't even that much. We knew there was NO WAY it would be a real golf course, and sure enough, it was less than a pitch and putt- but we had many, many, many very much needed laughs and got some funny pictures as well as souvenirs for the guys back home. The "club house" was actually very, very nice with a huge fireplace and um, modern conveniences if you know what I mean- which goes a long way here in making us happy. We're hoping to return before we leave Yalta to have dinner there.

Today, we went for our usual visit with Natasha. While we were playing with her on the playground, I noticed a few uniformed police officers walking around. There have been lots of people coming and going as this is the time of year that everyone likes to make donations to local orphanages, so I didn't think too much about it. After a few minutes we noticed police cars and vans driving up to the orphanage and even more uniformed police walking around. Now, normally a large police presence would make me feel safer- for some reason, it just doesn't do that for me here- when I noticed the guys in suits walking around with headsets on and they took the bomb sniffing dog through the playground, I really started to get, um, curious.

So, I walk up to one of the KGB, I mean, security guys and put on my biggest smile. Big surprise, he didn't speak any English. I told Matt that whoever was coming here and attracting that much security really didn't make me want to be out in the open with the baby. So, we packed her up and now started walking toward all of them. This didn't make them too happy, but I told Matt to wait downstairs and I took Natasha upstairs and got her changed. Once Matt cleared the cavity, I mean, security check to get through, he came upstairs and asked one of the very nice ladies what was going on. She pulled him aside and whispered "Yanukovitch" If you say this to yourself in your best Boris and Natasha/Bullwinkle cartoon accent, it's REALLY very funny. I heard that and could not get my American butt-sky outta there fast enough. Apparently, the Prime Minister sent a very generous gift of a flat screen LCD TV and some other electronic goodies for the orphanage and I guess someone smelled a photo op. Just hope they don't use my Natasha to sit on his lap- I was for the other guy, Yushenko :)

So, as you can see, each day brings something new to enjoy. At least our sense of humor is intact. New Year's Eve is a huge celebration here, and there are all kinds of "interesting" people walking around the city, taking pictures of shop window displays, standing in front of McDonald's funny, no one seemed to be posing for any in front of the huge monument to Lenin, ah, maybe they're all waiting until tonight when they're REALLY dressed up.

Yes, that's sarcasm you're reading..........

Anyway, thanks to everyone who e-mailed me to tell me our girls our gorgeous, I happen to think so too. We can't wait to get home, and Matt and I wish all of you a VERY happy, and healthy New Year!!

xxoo
Lisa and Matt

Back in Yalta again

Again, sorry for the delay in posting. We just can not seem to get any access or time to post on the internet while we are Kerch.

We spent a few days with Vica- she is just the sweetest little girl. Even though she is almost 7 she just wants to sit on my lap and be cuddled like a baby. Natasha is the same way, but at 3, that's more expected. I am not complaining one bit. We've all got A LOT of making up for lost time and I've got more than enough love and snuggling for my babies to go around!

I'd just like to clarify something here in the blog because there seems to be some confusion about which girl is who.

Victoria Daria is our 6 year old. For those of you who got the pictures, she's the one who looks EXACTLY like Matt with dark hair and beautiful hazel eyes. She is very bright and compassionate. Whenever we are visiting her, the other kids find lots of "excuses" to get into the room where we are. There is one little girl there who she is very good friends with and she made a point of calling her over to share the chips I brought her. She also wanted her little friend to sit with us and was very happy when we took a picture of both of them together. Vica doesn't want me getting "too" close to the other kids, but she seems aware of the fact that these other kids have less than she does and wants to share the wealth. Needless to say, I'm one very proud Mama. She is also very gentle and affectionate with the orphanage's pet dog. He's sixteen years old and sooooooooooo slow- my heart breaks for him. She's always petting him gently and speaking to him in a loving, soothing tone. What a shock she's in for when she meets Queen Sophia !!!!!

Natalia (Natasha) Anastacia is our blonde haired, blued eyed 3 year old cutie pie. SHE is a piece of work and will be the certain death of me. VERY opinionated and likes to wag her finger at you while going NO NO NO!!!! She doesn't do that to me, but my Dad and Matt get more than the fair share of scolding from her. It's cute, for now...... Her orphanage also has a very old dog that lives there, so she's at least used to being around animals. I'm sure her take on Sophia will be quite amusing when we get home! She absolutely LOVES to color and draw, play with Play-dough and blow bubbles- typical 3 year old fun stuff.

While we've been killing time, I've had fun shopping for the girls in the open market. Still need to get them a few more things, but have done pretty well. The prices here are great and well, shopping soothes me (wink, wink)

I've got absolutely no idea how to post pictures here, so if you'd like me to send you one of the girls, e-mail me privately and I'll send them out.

We're doing alright, just homesick. You know things are boring when you get excited to catch the BBC news on TV every day. I know exactly what time it's on every day. For real mental stimulation there are always the 10 year old re-runs of America's Funniest Home Videos- please...... I almost cried tears of joy when I realized today that I had packed two more books than I originally thought I had. What I wouldn't do for a People magazine- even one without George Clooney on the cover :)

So, you're probably wondering when we're coming home- good question! Unfortunately everything is shutting down for the Chrismas holidays here next week which is when our mandatory 10 day waiting period is over. So, we lose the entire week just killing time. Our translator has gone back to Kyiv until Jan 8th. From there, we will go to Kerch to do the new birth certificate and spring Vica from the orphanage. Then we will hit the road and if we get there with enough time, start the passport process in Simferopol. The next day we will get Natasha and both girls will be reunited for the first time in almost two years. I can't even begin to explain the emotions I'm feeling about that. We'll be sure to get it on video. When we last visited Vica she asked about her sister in Yalta- I think she wanted to make sure we were taking her home too. It will take a couple of days to get the passports, then we head back to Kyiv for the girls medical exams and to get their visas to travel home. We've already made good use of the down time by re-booking our flights (NOT an easy thing to do here) and getting tickets for the girls, so at least that's off our minds.

New Year's Eve is a huge celebration here in Yalta. We'll all be going out to a really nice restaurant for dinner. We are just blocks from the Black Sea and the waterfront area is really beautiful- full of nice shops and places to eat, a complete departure from Kerch. Then Dad will be heading back to the US on Jan 2nd. Hopefully on Jan 3rd he'll be mailing us a care package from home!! Mom will stay here to give us a hand with the girls, and that's about everything.

PLEASE keep the comments and e-mails coming, they are our life line here!

Please e-mail me at lisasicilian@yahoo.com if you want me to send you a picture of the girls.

Love,
Lisa

Merry Christmas!

So sorry it's been so long since we've posted. The internet cafe where we go has been down and then we couldn't access the blog site- WHAT a drag!!

We didn't have court on Friday- the paperwork didn't get done in time back in Kyiv. However, we will have court tomorrow, Christmas Day at 2 pm our time- please keep your fingers crossed and the prayers coming. After that, we have a mandatory 10 day wait, but basically, we'll be marking off time until we come home.

We're leaving for Kerch at 7 am tomorrow, picking up our translator in Simferopol and then headin' out to Kerch. We met a Ukrainian basketball player here at the internet cafe tonight- he was extremely helpful and spoke perfect English as he studied in Buffalo, NY for two years. We keep getting luck :)

So, let me fill you in on what has turned out to be possibly the MOST bizarre Christmas Eve of my life- I certainly hope it never gets more weird than today.

The day started out with a great visit with Natasha. She's such a love bug, always wants to cuddle and kiss me. We've got to bribe her to hug and kiss Daddy right now- but she knows what she's doing- she playing Daddy- I keep telling Matt to get used to it. We met my parents down at the open market afterward. While we were buying some cookies and candy to take to Vika tomorrow, some guy tried to stick his hand in my Mom's coat pocket.

Wrong move, buddy- she about kicked his you know what. The last thing this poor guy suspected when he was going to try to rob this gray haired American was for her to whip around and unleash a torrent of curses upon him in flawless Ukrainian. By that time, that sent Matt and Dad running and the guy took off. He's probably still shaking. Mom said the worst thing she could have said to him was that she knew his Mother and would tell her. Anyone that's Ukrainian will get that joke!

After the rumble in the market, we were standing around waiting to purchase something else and another guy walks up to Matt and my Dad and starts speaking English- turns out he owns (probably the only) golf range here in Yalta! Matt just about followed the guy home. When we get back here in a few days were going to go visit him. He's got a pretty nice place it seems and Matt is itching to hit a bucket of balls- this could only happen to Matt.

Tonight, we had Christmas Eve dinner at a very nice "Italian" place here. The restaurant was beautiful, but the atmosphere was downright bizarre. There was a large party going on (Ukraine doesn't celebrate Christmas until Jan. 7th) and they had some rather "colorful" entertainment provided for them- I'll refrain from going into too much detail here for the sake of our readers who may be Matt's students- but let's just picture La Cage Aux Folles, okay??? 'nuff said!!!

So, now we're going to head home because we're on the road super early tomorrow and we still want to call some people back home before we turn in.

Merry Christmas- we miss you all!!!

xxoo
Lisa and Matt

Still in Yalta....

Thursday, 12/21 11:00 AM Yalta time.....Hanging in as best we can. Still waiting to find out from our translator in Kiev if our court date is tomorrow or Monday..Christmas Day. Either way, the waiting is beginning to wear thin. More than a bit homesick, but we've come this far and have our eyes on the prizes. Yalta is beginning to gear up for Christmas and New Year, so there is a bit of a new bustking in this seaside resort town. It ain't cape May!!!. We are finally out of the hotel and in a nice apartment. Makes it easier to move around and we're actually having homecooked meals. Lisa's dad makes breakfast and her mom is cooking..even without the modern conveniences she is used to. We actually had pasta, meatballs and sauce last night.
Lunch is usually on the fly...but you can't beat the 100 diferent ways they make soup and borscht here. We are going to Natalia's orphanage today to join in their little holiday party and show. That should be fun for an hour or so. We try to plan one or 2 things a day while we're waiting around, just to have something to do. It gets tough at night, though. Our side of down closes up pretty early, so even going out for a walk after dinner has its limits. At least in Kiev, we were in a city.

Pop and I were the entertainment for the morning at the local salon...we got haircuts. I'm sure we were laughed at....you can tell by the tone..kinda like the episodes of seinfeld when elaine has a few issues with the nail salon. Who cares? they were all smiles with the tip though...al 2 dollars.
A haircut, shampoo and tip...$6 US dollars..and not a bad haircut! That killed an hour. So..here again at Internet. They were down yesterday, so no access. Still tought o put up pics yet...not secure Internet facility and don't want to put pics up intil court decree is settled.

I'm glad to hear that everyone is well in Rockaway, Heights, NY, NJ, Westchester...etc....
We miss everyone fiercly. I wish we had something to report in the process here. But at least while in Yalta, we are getting good one on one quality time with natasha. She is full of spirit...she will be "trouble". She shakes her crooked finger at us and admonishes us in her Russian. We are picking up what she says and making the connection with body language. One good thing about the orphanges...they teach the kids routine, clean up after yourself, and share. And the kids play on playground equipment made of iron and steel with a concrete playground. They are resilient.
And they take them out at dusk to play.....tough litttle kids. hard to visit the orphange without backing up the van and loading all the little buggers in and stealing them away. There is one little guy we have nicknamed "the wacker"; he has a tendency to hit below the belt when we go upstairs to get natasha ready for her visit with us. Imagine the other names that I can't post here on the blog for the little guy. He packs a wallop...just ask pop.

Natasha is very forthcoming with the hugs and kisses now, especially at the end of the 2 hour visit. She loves her momma and taunts her poppa. At least she taunts me in Russian. I'm dead meat when she learns english...she has a few words down.."go go go" good girl..and the latest..a chopped up "pizza pie". we were playing with playdough and I made a pizza and taught ehr the words. Anyway....time to hit the roadsky here and hit the market for lunch items.

To all my friends and students at Heights...I know you have one more day to go before the break...please wish you and your families a great holiday and new year. I hope to be back in the states by early January...but will keep you posted on that as the process plays out.

Love to all!!!!!

Another gray day in Yalta

The weather here has been pretty warm, just a constant, dull gray. It doesn't help that it gets dark around 4, so then you're just killing time until it's time to go to bed.

I don't remember who asked me this question because it's hard to keep all of the blog comments and direct e-mails straight, so I'll just answer here.

Kerch, where our six year old, Vika now lives is about a four hour car ride on a two lane road from here. It is about two miles from the Russian border- makes my nationalistic Ukrainian Mama, verrrrrrrrrrrry nerrrrrvous- and more than a little fiesty to boot- but we've taken to speaking pig latin and now everyone here just things we're REALLY crazy Americans as opposed to the garden variety crazy Americansky..... So, while our translator is in Kyiv, we are spending time in Yalta- which in case you don't own a map of this part of the world is the southern most part of the Crimean area of Ukraine. We visit Natasha every day and with each visit she gets more and more affectionate. To answer your question Jane, Natasha does not remember Vika, but Vika certainly remembers Natasha- she even knew that her little sister lived in Yalta. It should make for a very interesting reunion.

Today we walked to the orphanage with Dad. Natasha just LOVES her Daydushka and will run into his arms without any prompting. She's still playing hard to get with Daddy, but looks for him when he's out of her sight. If she can't find him right away, she goes around screaming at the top of her little lungs PAAAAAAPPPPPAAAAAA!!!! Do I have to tell you how much Matt loves this. She's also getting the concept of kisses. She loves to be loved up! Today not only did we both get spontaneous hugs, but I got many, many smooches from my baby. And I know I don't have to tell you how happy that makes ME!!!!

We are making the best of the circumstances here. We know that the weather could be absolutely horrible and we're catching a break as far as that goes, but we miss home something terrible. The bright spot of our day is seeing our girls, but like I've said before. When I'm loving up one, I'm missing the other. I worry if Vika is okay while I'm here and I'm always in a state of being torn between these two places. Just want to get through this week and court and then start the countdown. Can't wait to have them both together, give them a LONG HOT bath and dress them in brand new clothes. They are both very girly girls and love having their hair done up with barettes and hair bands.

Absolute Mama Nirvana!

Okay, and now a word from Matt-

Hey everyone//whats up? Sorry we sent a blog update on a Sunday..we know you guys at schol enjoy reading it aloud Period 2, Period 4 in the junglwe room and teacher's room. I wish we had more gossip and tawdry stories for you, bu we don't.It's great to hear that you guys are following our travels. Thank god I brought Everybody Loves Raymond with us on dvd....It makes those late insomniac nights easier. I know this is a short week for you guys, and I hope you guys continue to follow us over the christmas break..If someone could please post the blog site again in each teacher's room, that would be great. We miss everyone!!!!!

Now....for all my students following the blog, and even if you aren't I'm sure someone will get the message to you.....

Period 1....You boys being good? Battaglia, Condal, Kapo< Denicholo
Melanie and Laura...you keeping them in line? Have fun and stay on top of your work.

Period 3...Harris and Hodulik...Hodulik-a detention? Leventhal and Naef, you paying attention? Kacperowski..you keeping things in line there for me?

Period 4...Gillian..thanks for the emails. Sounds like you guys are doing great.

Period 5....Austin, Gambino, Alosco..you guys behaving back there. Sibley..thanks for the email..Man Have I got some Russian redneck stories for you!

Finally..Period 6...At 12:20 every day..Ukraine time..I shake in me shoes.
I'll be back before you know it. Toomany of you to address individually, please give me a great Christmas present...and study for your quizzes

I miss all of you guys!!!! Take care and we'll catch up soon enough.

Yalta..Yalta..Yalta

It's the weekend. We found a great apartment here in Yalta. Near 60 degrees. The weather has been the warmest in histroy compared to last years coldest winter ever. The Gods are watching. Could get away with no socks Dolan, easily. Thanks for all of your emails and blog posts, they bring as many tears to our eyes as our blog does to you. The girls are great. Vika and I are on the same page and Natasha..aka the Natashinator/Nyetasha...and I are battling. She digs Momma, and is playing poppa like a violin. Flirts, looks at me coyly and is winning so far.
We are so far apart from each girl at times, over a 4 hour ride each way, so we have to strategize our trips between Kerch and yalta. Kerch is a mere 2 miles from the Russian border. Cassiere..working on the cigars. We have some down time for a few days until our translator gets back from Kiev..more paperwork. Until then, we have a little routine worked out.
To all my students...Mr. Braiitsch and I touch base every few days. I know what you're up to...seriously. Detentions, phone calls? Period 6..I will turn these two little girsl on you and you will not be able to handle it. Shape up guys...I'll be back!. To everyone else..period 3 jungle room, teachers room, all my friends---I love you all and feel your good thoughts with me daily.
Go Yankees, Go Giants...Ask Nick if the jackets came in yet. Donna..will you please learn how to work the computer and send me an email?..Just kidding. It was great to hear your voice last week when talking to Lisa. I miss your sage advice. How you going to give me advice on girls?
Tell Kyle that if he can wait 18-20 years, I have a blue eyed blondie for him!!!!

Okay, enough from Matt- Lisa here. We are finally in one spot long enough where we can actually have some down time. I can't describe the rollercoaster we've been on. In some ways it feels as if we've been here months. Next week should be court- so keep the prayers coming. Then it's a ten day wait, more paperwork and we are on our way home, but I will update more on that whole process as it gets closer. Once we have court, we're just marking time until we leave. I'm happy to be here with my family, but I miss home so much.

Especially my nice, comfortable bed- and my dog!!!

Warren- you know what I mean......


We went to see Natasha this morning, and as usual she was happy to see us. She dresses herself and uses the toilet all by herself- hanging on for dear life- it's absolutely hysterical- she's not even using the potty, but the full sized toilet. Of course I took pictures to blackmail her with later in life. We try running around with her for an hour or so, then spend a half our more just coloring or drawing. This little girl LOVES to color- we got her all inked up with markers yesterday. I'm sure the caregivers were loving us when we brought her back. She doesn't really cry when we bring her back, but we'll see how that goes as we spend more time with her. The plan right now is to be here in Yalta with her until later next week. Then we'll pick up our translator in Simferopol and head to Kerch where court will be. We'll spend a few days there with Vika, then not sure what the plan will be going forward. Hard to plan too far in advance with this whole process, so we're just trying to take it one day at a time. Catching up on our rest, and trying to get some exercise to take advantage of this great weather. So far, we've been very lucky. No one has gotten sick.

Spent two days with Vika last week. She is such a cuddle bug- always wants hugs and kisses and to sit in my lap- I am looooooooooooooooooooving it! She loves her Papa too and will spend all the time in the world with him if I don't barge in on them. Matt gave her what seems like her first piggy-back ride and she was giggling like crazy. She loves to dance, so Matt had her stand on his feet and he waltzed her around the room- they both thought it was the best :)

Promise to post pictures just as soon as we can- for now, thank you as always for the comments and e-mails. We sat here fighting tears as we read them. We always feel the best just after we visit the girls and when we get a chance to check in with all of you.......

Talk to you soon!

Love,
Lisa and Matt

E-mail message

Just a quick note to everyone,

AOL is tough to get into here for some reason, but Yahoo seems to work just fine.

Sooooo if you're going to send a private e-mail, please send it to our yahoo accounts.

mpsteach8@yahoo.com-

lisasicilian@yahoo.com

Thanks, and can't wait to here from you

Greeting from the Sicilian's Grand Tour of the Crimea!

Well, we met the girls and they are GORGEOUS!!!!!!!!!!

Victoria, (Vica) is absolutely beautiful. Dark hair, fair skin and hazel eyes- she's the spitting image of matt.

Natalia has blonde hair and the most piercing blue eyes I've ever seen- she's already got Matt wrapped around her little finger.

The girls are very well adjusted, seem very bright and healthy.

There are simply no words to say how blessed we feel right now.

We have spent the last two days driving back and forth from Yalta to Kerch. It's sorta like driving from NJ to Binghampton, NY every day- on a VERY bumpy road. Luckily, we've had an excellent driver- Ivan, who is now part of the family. My mom can not stop feeding him.

We've stayed in two very nice hotels, plenty of hot water and the food is still good :)

Tomorrow there will be more running around, we will visit Natalia in the morning and the head out to Kerch again- hoping to arrive in the late afternoon to pick up yet more documents. Then we will visit with Vica in the evening.

The running around is hard, it's nerve wracking- but I can not stress this enough to those about to travel. EVERYONE in Ukraine has been nothing but absolutely nice to us. Trust your translator, do what they say. You've got to suspend your need for control here, but in the end, things seem to just work themselves out. But more on that later.

The really tough thing is that when we are in Kerch, we are missing Natalia, when we are here in Yalta, we can't wait to see Vica. Very hard on Mama and Papa- but we're just going full steam ahead.

There isn't anything to compare witht the sight of seeing that little one's face light up at the sight of you, and having them come running into your arms.......

We promise to try to post pictures, but as you can imagine, this is easier said than done.

Yes, they let Dad video everything- precious memories.

We even had an impromptu dance recital by Vica and three of her classmates that was an absolute riot!! Can't wait to show her that in ten years :) :)

That's it for now- keep those comments coming. While we're loving what we're doing, we are so very homesick. Hearing from you all just makes it easier!

Will try to post in Kerch- but we're more out of our element there than here!

Matt wants Chris Braich to please contact him when he gets a chance- mpsteach3@aol.com, or mpsteach8@yahoo.com. He's not worried, just wants to know how things are going.

Warren, you better be taking good care of my dog- want to babysit for ALL the girls when we get home??????

Love to you all,

Lisa and Matt

Next stop....Yalta...

Sunday mornign here in Kiev. We're getting ready to leave in a few hours for the next and perhaps longest leg of our journey. Had one last great dinner last nite. Not quite as festive as Saturday night, hence the lack of enthusiastic phone calls. We're as rested as can be. The train ride will take 10 hours, overnite. At least we have a 1st class sleeping car. Can't wait to see the Ukraininan version of first class. We'll get into Simferopol early Monday morning, a round of paperwork and then to meet Natalia, the younger sister. We hope they will let Lisa's father video our meeting. There will be so much to do in the next 3 weeks. We will try to keep all posted on whats happening as it unfolds. Yalta is a nicer, more upscale area then Kerch, where Victoria's orphange is, so we hpe Internet access might be easy as well. Keep the comments coming...your words, thoughts and good vibes are keeping us going at this end. That and the 3rd season of Everybody Loves Raymond......good bye for now. We all send our love back to the states.

Love

Matt and Lisa

Waiting to travel

Hi everyone,

Sorry for the sporadic posting, but internet access is primitive at best here. Not sure what it will be like when we hit Yalta.

We are very, very excited about meeting the girls Monday- but we want to caution everyone, we are many, many steps away from completing this adoption. For those of you have done this, you know exactly what I mean- for those who haven't- I'll elaborate more in person :)

Anyway, we spent yesterday getting a power of attorney completed and picking up our referral from the SDA. These two things took all day to accomplish- 'nuff said.....

We stopped at the FAO Schwarz of Kyiv to buy a couple of small toys for the girls. Matt got yelled at for trying to take a picture of me in the store. Ooops- first cultural faux pas.

Had dinner at the most awesome restaurant last night. Those of you who got the phone call know exactly what we're talking about. We had caviar, smoked sturgeon and just the absolute BEST vodka ever. Those of you who know Lisa know this is not an overstatement.... We even sent a bottle of champagne over to a group of girls who were having a get together- dinner for the 4 of us, including everything, was 100 US $$$$ The same dinner in NY would easily have been well over 500.00 We are having a lot of fun in Kyiv. You just have to roll with the cultural differences. They really are not that bad. I've found it really, really helps if you know how to read Ukrainian and/or Russian a little bit- at least you can read signs while you're walking around, killing time. TV is the absolute worst here- but it's a sort of train wreck type of thing. YOu know you shouldn't be watching, but you can't seem to tear yourself away.....

Going to purchase train tickets today. Trip should take about 10 hours. Not sure what will happen or where we will be after that, but will try to post again ASAP.

To everyone leaving comments, THANK YOU from the bottom of our hearts. You can't imagine how much it means to us that you are as excited as we are about this great adventure we are on. We apologize for not answering e-mails. Sometimes you can open the e-mail to respond, and sometimes you just can't and it throws you off the internet completely...

We send our love to you all, please keep the prayers, good wishes, thoughts and especially comments coming!

Next post from the Crimea!

It's a girl.......and a girl....we have a referral

Hello everyone,

Well...step 4 of about 15 is done....We got a referral for 2 girls aged 6 and 3 today at the adoption headquarters. The paperwork and dossier on them indicates they are in good health. we will have to wait and see once we meet them in a few dyas. We will have to travel to the Yalta peninsula, down by the Black Sea...yeah, u might have to check your geprgraphy and get a map.. The appointment went very well. SDA people were very kind, helpful, but they have limited information on the girls. We will find out more once we see documentation at the orphanage.
Lisa sent out some mass emails from her yahoo account. It is easier to email her than Matt's AOL address. We received all the posts on the Blog here so now we have 2 ways to get and send info.

We wish everyone well and keep sending us your good vibes. There is a bit of good karma attached to the 2 girls...more to follow on this.

To all mys students and Mr. B......hope u guys are doing the right thing and taking care of business while I'm gone. I will ask Mr. B to send me updates on all you guys, especially the "chuckleheads". I may be 8,000 miles away, but you know I can lay a good whooping via Internet. LOL LOL LOL. I do miss all of you. I googled numa numa on the Russian Internet...they might have aguy that can beat the saddlebrook kid!!!!

Wish us well ,post a message and send some really good vibes our way.

Love to all,

Matt and Lisa

Uhhhh, I guess we're REALLY doing this!!

Okay, so now it's finally hit me as I sit amongst the rubble of what I could not cram into my suitcase that in 7 hours, the car will be picking us up to take us to JFK and we will be starting a whole new life.

Nervous- still not! Excited- VERY much so. Not too thrilled about the plane ride, but I've got help for that :) Just please say a prayer for us for a safe trip- and say about a 1000 prayers for us on the way back home with the kids. 10.5 hours in the air. Oh boy....... Thankfully, and I can not say that enough- Mom and Dad are coming with us. Extra hands to help, just in case there's more than say, TWO (wink, wink Shelly and Jane).

Matt has been terrific at keeping me calm and centered. I had a minor melt down over the packing yesterday and he just stepped in and got it done and we're still not taking 15 bags with us like I thought we would!

Thanks to all of our friends and family for the great e-mails, phone calls, get togethers, etc to send us off on such a high note.

We love you all-

Lisa and Matt

next post will be from Ukraine!! :)