The Weekend -Saturday, Sunday and Monday

Saturday, a day off!!! Kath and I got up around 8 and headed to the big supermarket to have coffee. While there we decided to get some groceries. I'm always kidding Kathie that she can runn into people she knows wherever she goes - so we run into the inspector that handled our last adoption and was the inspector for this one also and we ran into the Orphanage director, Galena Anatoliva!!!

In the afternoon, Bill from the complex here was having a youth gathering and we went to the rec area and played foosball and and ping pong.

About 7 ish we got cleaned up and took the boys to a restaurant in the park by the hotel. It is a bavarian looking place and the food is excellent and they have a good wine selection. This is where we found the moldovian chardonnay the last time we were here. We all ate till we were about to burst and then headed back to the apartment.

Sunday we woke up early because Nick and I were going to get Cody in Huliaipole. We had reserved tickets on Saturday and the bus was leaving at 7:00 AM, the cab would be here at 6:40. The cab driver, Roman, has been very helpful and helped us get to the right window to get the tickets. It took about an hour and a half and I recognized the bus station as the one we stopped at for a break when we came back fro Zaporozhya. We hired a cab to get to the orphanage. It was going to be more expensive than I thought and I thought we were being taken. It should only be 4 miles to the orphanage. I learned quickly that we got off the bus in Polohy instead of Huliaipole. Evidently it is a major stop on between Zaporozhya and Berdyansk, and it is about 12 miles from Huliaipole - so we had to take the cab there and back (since I already contracted the guy!) He stopped at the bus station in Huliaipole to ask directions, so at least I know what the right stop is now!!!!!

We picked up Cody and got back to Polohy, and bought three tickets on the bus to Berdyansk - it was leaving in ten minutes! Guess what - same bus we rode to Polohy on!!! We were back in Berdyansk by noon!

The boys and I went to the hotel for lunch (cause they have an English menu). I was starving, the boys had snacks at Polohy. I had a Caesar Salad (the best ever!!!) and Diruny (potatoe pancake with mushrooms) and a piva! I was stuffed. We called Roman to take us back to the apartment.

The kids are all going to spend the night at the orphanage tonight (even Tyler). Elliott rented some movies. and they are gonna party because tomorrow is a holiday - children's day!!

Oles, Kathie and I went back to the bavarian restaurant in the park for supper - afterwards Oles went for a walk and Kath and I headed back to the apartment alone for the first time in two weeks!!!

Kathie starts writing here....
Monday, May 24

Today is a national holiday in Ukraine, Children's Day. I think it is a great holiday to have, just not on my time! :-) Every holiday keeps us another day further from completing our adoption and coming home with Cody. The next holiday is Monday, June 1st. Not sure what that one is all about yet, but everything official will be closed that day too.

Yesterday, Elliott & I went to church here at the center. The music was awesome and I so wished I understood Russian to appreciate it even more. The church last about 2 to 2 ½ hours so it felt like home! I miss our church but so awesome to know there is brothers and sisters in Christ wherever you go.

Dave & Nicky took Cody to Huliaipole (I'll never be able to spell or say it correctly) on Friday by taxi and had to go get him Sunday by bus. They got off one town to early yesterday and had to find a taxi to go the last 12 miles. Cody was glad to come back. He wasn't very excited about going, as he didn't really know anyone, barely his sister. Of course, he is all about hanging with his new brothers now. I'm wondering if he will really bond with Dave & I because of the boys. Oles encouraged me by saying he would. He said Cody has many boys in his life, what he doesn't have is parents and a family. We will have our moments and it will happen. I liked hearing that.

Yesterday when the boys returned they all wanted to stay all night together in the orphanage...even Ty! I wasn't concerned about E & N but I was Ty. I thought “what if he doesn't like it, what if everyone ignores him, what will he eat, etc...” Dave assured me that it was Ty's idea and it would be an experience for him whether he liked it or not. Nan Nan's get a little overprotective sometimes. Long story short...he had a great time! (however, the only thing he ate was candy because the other food looked to weird!)

Dave & I have been walking about 5 blocks most mornings to get coffee. We found a place where the coffee is tolerable. I doubt if it is decaf but I don't seem to be wired from it. Hopefully, I won't have a terrible headache coming off of it when I return home!

Earlier today be bought fruit at the market. Bananas, strawberries, orange, apples & kiwi. It is 4 p.m. And we have NONE left. Cody himself ate 5 bananas in a row! Fruit is a rare treat in the orphanage.

Elliott is here chillin for the afternoon and has lost his voice. I hope he gets it back soon because he is going to Kherson (3/12 – 4 hr drive)to visit “Joshua's House”. Joshua's house is a home for boys sponsored by Heart for Orphans (www.heartfororphans.com). God is doing an amazing work there and he is anxious to see it! Then he is off to Melitopol for a final visit with his sister, Ruslana before coming back to Berdyansk.

It is a beautiful day out again, so Dave & I are headed out for a stroll before I have to rattle some pots & pans. (notice I'm trying NOT to complain about it!)

Back to Dave composing...

I love to go exploring whenever I'm in a place I'm not familiar with. When we moved into the Baptist mission house in Kyiv, I wasn't happy till I walked around and figured out where it was on the map. I use Google Earth a lot because it is easy to see the landmarks. I also get the spelling of the namer of the towns from Google Earth – they have both the Russian (Cyrillic) and the English form of the name. From the apartment we are in now, I have been north – to the big grocery store, east – to the hotel Berdyansk and downtown, and south to the orphanage.

So this afternoon, while Kathie started supper, I decided to walk west from the apartment. The area we are in has several five story apartment buildings that are very long – maybe a large city block long (150 yards). When I went one block south and then west, there was a park-like place about 5 blocks long (west from the apartment) with a wide paved walkway through it. It is about 200 yards wide and was absolutely filled with people today (cause of the holiday). At the west end there is a small mopen air market but it was closed today. There are a couple of restaurants (bars) that have tables outside at the end of the park – I'm gonna go have a piva there tomorrow!!!

Kathie cooked a fabulous meal while I was gone and all the boys are back from roaming the town so it's time to eat!!!!