OK.....We have had a busy few days....1st of all...we're all doing very well and Millie's awesome!!!!!
On Tues. Abby started not feeling well....you all know that feeling...I don't need to give you the details. Let's just say that if she were a McDonald land character, her name would be Pukey McPoopy Pants. We had heard from the other adoptive parents over here that several of them have had the same bug and it lasted about 24hrs. Well Abby in wanting to out do everyone, decided to make hers last for more like 52 hours. The 1st day was mildly uncomfortable for her, but the second day was a landmark day of toilet time....ugh. She finally started feeling better just in time for us to celebrate one of our friends getting to bring her bouncing baby boy home from the orphanage!!! We went to the american cafe and grill, even though she's one of our friendly neighbors from the north....(Canada.) Makes us all VERY jealous since she doesn't have to leave him at the orphanage!!!! Alexander is a VERY happy little boy, and His mama seems thrilled to have him out of that orphanage!!!!
We officially have a court date, which will be Sept. 12th. This is the day the judge approves or denies our request to adopt Millie. Our agency has never had a family denied, so we don't really fear that. We are hopeful that the judge will waive the waiting period. This is a 2 week period after the judge approves us, where Millie stays in the orphanage and we continue to visit her on the same schedule we have been for 15 more days. This is for us to 'make sure we REALLY want to adopt her'...as if flying half way around the world and spending half of our yearly salary isn't proof enough!!!!!!!!!!!! PLEASE PRAY FOR US IN THIS!!!!!!!!
Ben has been great...he's still having the time of his life with Eva. They take turns every morning waking each other up at 6. One morning he'll wake up early and the next she'll wake him up...and of course in that, we wake up as well. It could be worse, he could be waking up at 3 am still!!!!!!
Abby and I have an ongoing challenge to find the best, (and by best I mean most familiar,) pizza in all of Almaty. Today we may have found it. There is a gondola that goes to the top of big hill that's got a lovely view and a really nice playground, which by Kazakhstan standards on sat. doesn't open until 2pm. A playground....on a saturday....not open until 2 pm....every other day of the week it opens at 10am.....but not on SATURDAY'S!!!!!! As the wise Scott Brickell would say....they're paying a lot in stupid tax around here!!!!! Yet I digress....the pizza we had today on top of the hill was GREAT!!!!! Of course...you only want to order a cheese pizza around these parts....not too sure what's up with the meat, but it ain't quite right. All that to say, to get pizza that tastes like home, we have to walk 6 blocks, ride a gondola for 600 Tenge, (about 5 bucks,) to the top of a hill. Walk probably the equivalent of 3 more blocks to the Bistro. Order, and wait on the pizza. Then ride back down the gondola, for another 600 Tenge since they don't believe in round trip gondola tickets around here....walk 6 blocks back home. All for a pizza!!!!!! So the next time you order your favorite pizza, and they deliver it to your doorstep...please say a little prayer for us!!!!!!!
So last night Abby and I took an evening stroll with Ben to get some fresh air and get him out of the apartment as he had been cooped up all day. We walked down the hill about 2 blocks to a little park to let Ben run around a bit. We had a great time and as the sun began to set we began to make our way back up the hill. As we walked up the quaint little side street lined with trees and older apartments, we noticed this little old lady, or babushka, in russian. Well this babushka was getting up from a park bench and about to walk up the hill, but she was carrying a wooden and cloth chair with the back of it removed. We figured she was sitting on the bench in the beautiful evening weather recovering it while sitting on the park bench. Thinking that she probably lived in one of the many apartment buildings close at hand, I offered to carry it for her at Abby`s urging. She began saying something in Russian, (I caught the word for thank you in there somewhere,) and I replied with...'sorry, no ruskie'. She continued to talk as if I understood every word. For the next 26 minutes as we walked at the very least a half a mile, she talked and talked and talked...with Abby and I not understanding a word!!!! We did figure out that her husband had passed away, and as a car sped passed us, that she doesn't like the way the young people drive these days. We finally got to her apartment, on the 3rd floor....no lights what so ever in the stairwell...started thinking she might try to mug me in the dark or something!!!! As I dropped her off she kindly invited me in for tea, and I declined as best I could not speaking her language, (after this trip I will ROCK at charades!!!!) She said BOLSHOI SPESEEVA (sp) which means big thanks, and Abby and I were off for a half mile jaunt, in the pitch black, back to our apartment. She was a very sweet little old lady, but I wish you all could have heard her just talking away and Abby and I at a complete loss for what in the world she was saying. She was probably complaining about all the loud americans these days or something!!!!
Lorie is leaving us at 4:30 a.m. tomorrow which we're VERY sad about...pray for her safe return to the land of WHATABURGER and DR. PEPPER!!! She has been such a huge help and blessing to us, and will be sorely missed by us over here in the land of WHATAHORSEBURGER and PEPSI (with no ice...ugh)
Please continue to pray for us...especially Ben's continued health, and of course for the adoption process...We want to bring Millie home SOON!!!!!
Love you all, and miss you greatly,
Mike, Pukey, Ben, and Millie
1 comment:
Your friendly neighbor from the North--a red-head named Linda? I believe I have photos of her. Bet you and I had the same drivers and translators too.
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