tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-59021227311129534452024-02-18T19:39:56.144-08:00Journey to TatyanaSunny Jewellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04858053356800381653noreply@blogger.comBlogger26125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5902122731112953445.post-7841367376830535672010-11-02T02:25:00.000-07:002010-11-02T04:04:50.718-07:00Hello from Kiev!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBseUbOiS04suA0qiyc5YR1UUxKM_lLW2NxRARfYZ_okFmrwkkut3Q3u2YkKiuZZRzWvNBkdXv3Y2_5PPU9CiQ1Q9LJCFktlXgrDYswsmRogfq9-8QuHTMHMDSAKy1kLAYKc9khcDLL7-b/s1600/HPIM4660.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBseUbOiS04suA0qiyc5YR1UUxKM_lLW2NxRARfYZ_okFmrwkkut3Q3u2YkKiuZZRzWvNBkdXv3Y2_5PPU9CiQ1Q9LJCFktlXgrDYswsmRogfq9-8QuHTMHMDSAKy1kLAYKc9khcDLL7-b/s320/HPIM4660.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5534905133057661410" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3enDA23px4lbbV_xx0IxcsZxWQkpJzridiEQGMzvEb9_hSLx-l-hB6lSFPSYQ1SCJfDeuF5Cm3mFZFJPZL5d3CXzap1mIyb0DbHjOm-E7KSfpMDgDfToQ8b6CgGPV5LT42_CaMW3oS9PV/s1600/HPIM4663.JPG"><img style="float:right; 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margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3Pt3g7EOnDbWQASfM0Z3m0nZ2xAoNQApq_T-uBzLTbwvmF02_PGECJM1mJFmeoCFc0QFug-mgd4FYh0VUAfF_wZQU0nfCbqx1L6PvGeLDDzgCOu2zXXQiUCgq2O7G1iiz0AueumBFeSQr/s320/HPIM4729.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5534903571903180306" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-XDDt-5ofX3UbSo1qJF9LR4ByemLTGZhWojfEPvbooxDbvT9zenoR_3nk6D_nnxVBNMtFITpGaio0e1ad-m8zrgYqKrAlrkfvmsKV63E3V8yRI8haS7apCsccfGadaEnGfPPEIhWDPUb2/s1600/HPIM4730.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-XDDt-5ofX3UbSo1qJF9LR4ByemLTGZhWojfEPvbooxDbvT9zenoR_3nk6D_nnxVBNMtFITpGaio0e1ad-m8zrgYqKrAlrkfvmsKV63E3V8yRI8haS7apCsccfGadaEnGfPPEIhWDPUb2/s320/HPIM4730.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5534903568596832530" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-QeVHV_wj9j3gI8qsycv06clTG3glcskhzqDJmnBf7ATk8dN3W6yXAHvSOV7mCwCaw6C3DD4CNDy_NgcVt3heh859TpjTFXW81OUh_-4CeAifcUT1Amah2LbiPzSUymFBBkVRAgmsP4pI/s1600/HPIM4731.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-QeVHV_wj9j3gI8qsycv06clTG3glcskhzqDJmnBf7ATk8dN3W6yXAHvSOV7mCwCaw6C3DD4CNDy_NgcVt3heh859TpjTFXW81OUh_-4CeAifcUT1Amah2LbiPzSUymFBBkVRAgmsP4pI/s320/HPIM4731.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5534903560847026178" /></a><br /><b>Tuesday, November 2, 2010 </b>- Sara, Summer and I are in Kiev and are getting ready to spend day two here which will be our last full day in Kiev and in Ukraine. It is truly bittersweet and I am sure that right now I am feeling more of the "sweet" as I am now so close to returning home as Sara experiences more of the "bitter" as she leaves her country and her family of friends, teachers, her grandmother, etc. I know that she wants to be in America and to be there with our family but it doesn't make this any easier. She is only 15 years old and this VERY grown-up decision she made is a final reality as that plane takes off from Kiev tomorrow. <div><br /></div><div><b>Backtrack to Sunday, October 31 </b>- the day we departed Severodonetsk. (Sorry, due to limited time, I have to skip Saturday which was the day we picked Sara up to stay with us at the hotel on Saturday night. Just suffice it to say, she held up really well considering she was sleeping somewhere besides her orphanage for the first time since she was in our home last December.) Sunday was as tough as I thought it would be. With the Amazing Sergei as chauffeur and translator, our first stop on the "day of tears" was the orphanage - for me, the toughest of the stops, <i>or so I thought,</i> because of the bond I have developed with Sara's friends after 3 weeks of seeing them every day. We went to Sara's room and ended up sitting in the hallway with her dear friends Olga and Ola as Sara walked through the hall saying goodbye to others in her class. (All the 9th graders sleep on the same hall - boys and girls.) While sitting in the hall, I snapped a picture created by Olga, Ola and Summer as they shaped hearts with their legs and their hands. It was a perfect creation for the moment as Sara passed us several times in the arms of different friends with tears streaming down her face. <b> (See photo of their heart-shaped legs and hands - their idea, not mine.) </b> A few minutes later, I snapped a photo of Sara with her closest friends (including Summer :-). <b>(See photo of, left to right, Alaina, Christina, Sara, Olga, Summer and Ola.) </b> These are the girls that I love - and I will cherish my memories of getting a hug from them EVERY time I saw them, laughing with them, playing cards with them and marveling in their strength in having risen above their circumstances. All of them, except Alaina :-(, will be coming to America as they are also being adopted by their host families so at least I have the opportunity to see them again. But, for this day of goodbyes, it still wasn't any easier to actually say goodbye. It was time to leave and all of these girls including a few others walked us to the car. The goodbyes came in multiples as Sara hugged each girl repeatedly and the tears flowed from her and from them. <b>(See photo of best friends, Christina and Sara, in a lifting bear hug.) </b>I felt like Summer and I got almost as many hugs as Sara, and like Sara, multiple ones from her closest friends. <b>(See photos of Ola and Olga both signing the "I Love You" sign that I taught them.) </b>FINALLY, we were able to get Sara in the car and it seemed as though she may have finally cried all that she could because she held up better than expected as we took off with girls waving behind us.</div><div><br /></div><div>Well, actually, we quickly found out that Sara could cry a LOT more tears because we were now off to Larisa's house for a final goodbye with this amazing "teacher turned Momma." As I have said before, Larisa has been in Sara's life since she entered the orphanage at seven years old and she has a VERY special relationship with her, truly that of a mother. They both wanted to say goodbye one more time. We had the pleasure of enjoying her wonderful borscht soup again along with some cookies and hot tea, definitely the drink of choice in Kiev. Afterwards, the tears began to flow from both Sara and Larisa as we walked to the car and they both hugged and hugged and cried and then hugged and cried some more. It was a hard yet beautiful thing to behold. <b>(See photo of the two in their last embrace.) </b></div><div><br /></div><div>And, sadly, we had the hardest goodbye last. Sara wanted to say goodbye to her grandmother one last time. Her grandmother's town (and Sara's birthplace) was on the way to the airport so we went by there on the way. Despite my deep love for Sara's friends, my compassion and utter admiration go to this woman who was the only constant familial presence in Sara's life. The hardest tears to watch were those I observed at this most emotion-filled goodbye of all. This grandmother is making such a selfless sacrifice from her unconditional love for Sara!!!!! Can you imagine letting your only grandchild with whom you have a sustaining relationship go to another country with a family you have only met three times?????? This woman of God is giving Sara to us because she sees Sara's family IN US!!!! She wants Sara to have the life she deserves and that she was never able to have. My admiration of her selfless love is what made me feel SO overwhelmed with emotion as I watched them say goodbye. <b>(See photo of Sara and Grandmother so fondly, and sadly, looking at each other followed by photo of the the two of them holding a framed photo that Sara gave her grandmother to remember her each day.) <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; ">Then, hard it as it was, we drove away as Sara looked back several times. She continued to cry in the back seat for several miles while I held her hand from the front seat. </span></b></div><div><br /></div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; ">We then took the LONG 2 1/2 hour drive to Donetsk Airport. It was a fairly quiet ride as we listened to music in Russian, Sergei and I had a some conversations and Summer and Sara both fell asleep in the back seat - Sara's head was leaning forward and Summer's was leaning backward - too cute!! I wanted to take a picture so bad but I just didn't have the heart to wake them up with a flash! Again, we were on these long straight roads in the countryside but the only difference was that Sergei actually hit over 160 kilometers this time. Yikes! My hands were actually sweating! At the airport, we had some extra time so we enjoyed a light dinner - a final one with the delicious vareniks (like stuffed dumplings) that are a staple here and that I have grown to love in Ukraine! We also had an ice cream, always a favorite of both Sara and Summer. </span>(See photo of them licking away.) </b>And, worst of all, we had to say goodbye to Sergei, this man-of-many-talents who has been an invaluable aid for us in this process and who was my hero in getting this adoption not only completed but in an expeditious manner as well. I will truly miss him!!! <b>(See photo of Sergei and me - note my coat and gloves INSIDE the airport because it was freezing in there!) </b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div>Yesterday (Monday) we had two adoption appointments in Kiev and, as I said above, we have our last one today. Then, sadly, we will have to go to sleep around 8:00 to 8:30 pm because I must get up at 2:45 am so we can get ready, get our 5 huge suitcases to the hotel lobby and then catch a cab for the 30 minute ride to the airport for our 6:45 am international flight. We should touch down in Columbia around 6:40 pm on Wednesday (we GAIN 7 hours on the way). I am SO excited to come home and am most especially excited about seeing Steve after 2 weeks of being apart!! I am coming home, honey - and so are your <b>TWO </b>daughters!!! I cannot WAIT to see your face at that airport on Wednesday evening! I will do another blog entry when we return to Columbia because I still have some final things to enter as a close-out of this amazing "Journey to Tatyana" that unexpectedly turned into our "Journey to <i>Sara</i>." Be sure to check back over the weekend for that final blog entry and some final photos as we return to Columbia and bring Sara home!!!!!</div><div><br /></div><div>Know that God is good and that I have seen Him in EVERY step of this journey that He planned for us a very long time ago! </div><div><br /></div><div>Sunny </div><div><br /></div><div><div><br /></div><div> </div></div>Sunny Jewellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04858053356800381653noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5902122731112953445.post-77998363564362910672010-10-30T01:09:00.000-07:002010-10-30T03:13:24.292-07:00FAST FORWARD...Sara Is A Jewell and We're Coming Home!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhChRu0OM9sNDm6Mwu3GL_h5Yf9MTigp2t8-E5HSV5h5cWfb-F5WSgZZ2IExrJr2TffqGh6Wpha4UD76gb87PNcATeuzXcj4ruCjqv5qMWEJJurpwA_CV3UjhgvrK4zQXDUpwuMP7Yusn5G/s1600/HPIM4637.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; 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margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi46I0JPGG9HQQu3VwxwWqyigCgga-DkzVJU-_DtJ9MX5SSmAq6BQroMe9JEV2-VnS91oOgV2bAPxq1A976rHMtbbrQigu0huIvfj43ECBusRVN8JxAy5BOZ8-YWSzenGmfYdYEho6IYUYn/s320/HPIM4648.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5533778435824402434" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkM3UQZawkhyphenhyphenHruWDKPWHu0B-DEZRA7pRI7o3jAAbzdQv2eMuYqbkuTKRIjthV5BtG_SyTw3ogZRjGPnNG48hW7sLvP5ospOfbZAuYHOfk3zdxpQo0OI0Tga5dppVke5qhC9FrMVb7b1rv/s1600/HPIM4651.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkM3UQZawkhyphenhyphenHruWDKPWHu0B-DEZRA7pRI7o3jAAbzdQv2eMuYqbkuTKRIjthV5BtG_SyTw3ogZRjGPnNG48hW7sLvP5ospOfbZAuYHOfk3zdxpQo0OI0Tga5dppVke5qhC9FrMVb7b1rv/s320/HPIM4651.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5533778431498013458" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixEkXmeq_G84Aixgo6VzcPuLsAdi5grg4ocQBeWULRKAjCJG2JjnCpOTQvzzKSVXKcgmA-O6s2qwldFJAQX2bGVudsKJUbuDca-2Hza2N5Ew2mzrXggZ5ImnQhP4I6r9tzOrNegdoYR1Pl/s1600/HPIM4654.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixEkXmeq_G84Aixgo6VzcPuLsAdi5grg4ocQBeWULRKAjCJG2JjnCpOTQvzzKSVXKcgmA-O6s2qwldFJAQX2bGVudsKJUbuDca-2Hza2N5Ew2mzrXggZ5ImnQhP4I6r9tzOrNegdoYR1Pl/s320/HPIM4654.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5533778429491878370" /></a><br /><b>What a difference a day makes!!! </b>As I write, I am hurried to get all of our family and friends this unexpected update and then hit the ground running with to-do's and errands. Yesterday, Friday, October 29, Summer and I joined Sergei on a day-long whirlwind trip that started at 8:30 am and ended at 7:45 pm. From the start, Sergei told me it would be a long-shot with trips through three different cities in this part of Ukraine to get all the needed documents to finalize our adoption of Sara including her new birth certificate (big smile) along with her passport. I will briefly take you through our trek that was the pivotal and final step in completing the official adoption portion of our "Journey to Tatyana." (I titled the blog before we were completely sure she wanted to be called Sara in America.) And I do have a few photos to document THE day we have been living for since January of this year because the spoiler is that we did actually accomplish this and will be leaving Severodonetsk earlier than planned. Read on for our new return schedule!!!<div><br /></div><div>Our first stop was right here in Severodonetsk at the local Courthouse. Truly, this first stop was THE most exciting one because we would be picking up the final court decree declaring Sara as the daughter of Steve and Sunny Jewell. Sergei said congratulations as he handed me the decree and I had two overwhelming feelings - one of joy and one of relief that finally this drawn-out process was coming to an end. <b>(See photo of Summer and I outside the courthouse holding the official court decree saying that Sara is a Jewell! </b><b>Sorry, about the dark photo but it was the only one I had.)</b> Once in the car, I was mesmerized by this document covered with Ukrainian words that said I was a new Mom - of a teenager!!!! <b> (See photo of the top page of the court decree. The words at the top say "Decree - In the Name of Ukraine." </b>It was a surreal moment just remembering when I first saw her picture on the hosting website last October and feeling this instant connection with her - from a photograph! And now, here I am one year later in Ukraine holding the document that says she is my daughter! I felt humbled, overwhelmed with emotion and oh so thankful to my God for revealing his plan for our lives and, more importantly, for Sara's life through a photograph of a then 14-year-old redhead who was to be ours a mere one year later. WOW!</div><div><br /></div><div>We then drove about 30 minutes to Sara's birthplace of Lisichansk to the Vital Records office. As a follow-up to the court decree, they would be issuing a new birth certificate listing Steve and I as the parents and doing so under Sara's new name, Tatyana Sara Jewell. "Sergei the Great" (my fond term for him) did ALL the work as Summer and I sat in an incredibly cold lobby (everyone - all Ukrainian besides us - still had on their coats, hats and even gloves following a VERY cold night). Ms. Palen and Mr. Acquisto, you will be glad to know that we brought schoolwork along so Summer could work on it while we waited which ended up being well over an hour. I then went in to sign my name on the new birth certificate and, when the woman handed the certificate to Sergei, she looked at me and said, "Congratulations," in Russian and even smiled, a rarity in Ukraine. We then drove back to Severodonetsk and went to a tax inspector's office to get a new Tax ID number for Sara as is required. Next, it was on to a local office to begin the first step of acquiring Sara's passport to go home to America (I like the sound of that). After a good bit of waiting, we had a document we needed to now take to the orphanage for the director's signature which releases her from the orphanage. We drove to the orphanage and waited again since the director was at lunch. <b>(See photo of Sergei filling out documents while we waited followed by a photo of me holding up the passport paperwork with Sara's photo on it.) </b> The director returned from lunch and we got the signature along with some sage advice, well wishes, positive comments about Sara's good heart and talents in dancing and then we even got a hug from her. </div><div><br /></div><div>Then we returned to the local passport office to pick up a woman from there who would accompany us to Lugansk where Sara's actual passport would have to be approved and created. It was a long 1 hour 15 minute drive because we were already tired (especially me because I did not sleep well the night before). Summer was a trooper reading a book and not complaining even once. I was VERY proud of how she handled this day filled with travel and errands. This woman, Olga, would be helping us try to expedite the creation of the passport since it was Friday and she had appointments on Monday that would make travel to Lugansk more challenging thereby possibly delaying our trip to Kiev. She joined us on the nail-biting trip to Lugansk over bumpy roads in need of repair on which cars, including ours, can go VERY fast because these are fairly straight roads through countryside and police are a rarity. I don't know how kilometers convert to miles but Sergei's speedometer said we were going just over 120 kilometers an hour! All I know is that it felt VERY fast but he assured me that it was normal for this strip of road. I was just happy to arrive in Lugansk! We arrived there at 3:45 pm so time was getting tight but Olga became my hero! She got it done and then we were on our way back to Severodonetsk at 5:15 pm. More nail-biting ensued as we sped our way back to Severodonetsk because 30 minutes into the trip, we were speeding back through the same roads but in the dark. I just said a few prayers and remembered that Sergei has been my personal angel throughout this process and that he would get us back safely. And he did!</div><div><br /></div><div>We now needed to head to the orphanage to share the good news with Sara that our adoption and passport processes are now complete and we can arrange a flight out this weekend. At the orphanage, we found out that all of her class had gone with Larisa and another teacher to a big show in the town square with a huge stage, mammoth & LOUD speakers, dancers, singers and even a hot air balloon (found out it was a "political celebration" all funded by one candidate for some office - interesting!). We headed there and found Larisa and the kids minus Sara and two of her friends. I then found out that Sara was actually dancing in the show and would soon be on stage. It had to have been below 30 degrees and we were freezing as we waited patiently through a number of other dances and two singers to finally see Sara. <b>(See photo of two of the dances which were traditional types of local dances in beautiful Ukrainian costumes.) </b>And just when I thought we couldn't take the cold anymore, out came my Sara with her almost waist-long standard pony tail and, as usual, it was hard to watch anyone but her. I tried to take photos but, sadly, my camera battery decided it would run low and not allow me take lots of photos!!! I was able to get one barely-decent photo. <b>(See photo of Sara's dance. She is the far-right dancer in the blurriness - sorry!) </b> She astounded me with her usual gift of dance but then my astonishment went a few steps further when she did a gymnastics move tumbling across the stage - what?!? I didn't know she could do that! She continues to surprise and delight!</div><div><br /></div><div>We took her and her two friends back to the orphanage but, on the walk to the car and throughout the car ride, there was almost non-stop crying and sniffles because Sara had said goodbye to some of her dance class friends after the show. Her other two friends tried to comfort her but, in the process, started crying themselves. They were in the back seat while I was in the front and all I wanted to do was get to the school so I could hug her - which is exactly what I did. Then, when we entered the orphanage, I had to break the news to her that we would likely be taking a plane to Kiev on Sunday rather than Tuesday as we had originally thought. I had given her a heads up the day before that, according to Sergei, this would be a <i>slight </i>possibility but, with our unexpectedly successful day, the "slight" had turned into "definite." As her friends stood nearby, she cried some more (as did they) at the realization that the final goodbye was only 24 hours away since we would be returning tomorrow (Saturday) to pick her up for some errands and then she would be going to the hotel with us to spend the night. Goodbye would now be tomorrow, not Tuesday. Whew! </div><div><br /></div><div>As I write, it is 12:30 pm on Saturday and we will be picking Sara up at 1:30 pm at the orphanage. I have been dreading this since we arrived in Ukraine and it will be even harder than I anticipated because Sara will be leaving the only family she has known she was seven years old. These girls have all shared their unfortunate pasts, their childhoods and now their early teen years. They are truly like sisters and Larisa has been like Sara's Mom and now she must leave them and set out on a new family journey in another country. The strength this takes for a 15 year old to do this is incredible but, today, this strength will turn to utter sadness and streams and streams of tears from her and these incredible girls whom I have grown to love.</div><div><br /></div><div>Our flight out of Donetsk (airport about 2 hours away from Severodonetsk) is at 7:30 pm on Sunday arriving in Kiev at 8:45 pm. We have appointments in Kiev at the Ukrainian Consulate and at the U.S. Embassy on Monday and Tuesday at an almost non-stop pace. I have rescheduled our flights to leave from Kiev and head back to The States beginning at 6:45 am (yikes!!) on Wednesday, November 3 because this was the ONLY flight that got us out on Wednesday - and I am SOOOO ready to be home. We will arrive at the Columbia Airport on Wednesday at 6:42 pm - exhausted and emotional with a mixture of sad (goodbye friends in Ukraine) and happy (hello, America and the future Sara has dreamed of). I hope to do another post or two from Kiev with more photos that I didn't get a chance to post. This has been an amazing experience for which I truly thank God and it is hard to believe it is almost over. When I think of getting on that plane in Columbia on September 30, it seems SO long ago! When I think of coming home, it can't get here soon enough! </div><div><br /></div><div>No time for a teaser because I have to get to the orphanage for the tears and hugs - and our new beginning as a family as Steve, Sunny, Summer - and Sara!!! The Four S's! Keep checking the blog for any update from Kiev and even a follow-up or two once we have returned home.</div><div><br /></div><div>Sunny (Officially "Sara's Mom!")<br /><div><br /></div></div>Sunny Jewellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04858053356800381653noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5902122731112953445.post-19901349327126071092010-10-28T12:34:00.000-07:002010-10-28T14:48:52.699-07:00The Last Supper<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyWSlWLMrNjQJ1DWOPOeq19uJLRO7AmMyvqrvndZxNJJ7yiiirnodyqKyrkKHKeO5lcnSi6yZHhuqy3tFdwKm6LKwxdN9LiYOnvzqBzLXFKMLtH1I6GLHin_79iFrUnC7-dN8aFReCTk9_/s1600/HPIM4578.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyWSlWLMrNjQJ1DWOPOeq19uJLRO7AmMyvqrvndZxNJJ7yiiirnodyqKyrkKHKeO5lcnSi6yZHhuqy3tFdwKm6LKwxdN9LiYOnvzqBzLXFKMLtH1I6GLHin_79iFrUnC7-dN8aFReCTk9_/s320/HPIM4578.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5533214013215666130" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCT2GGXJDByZkcH_l-jmQkSwFdX_WlZl52iwrS5DYsvWtgSZNxqKu2__sBmGctfX9txCH_6MhPHBvxI17slIm6-NG3j-RkfXXdGy2J95tZxxKZhLrq-DXuV5gwUFGtNoCNnO2IcWMJSiFt/s1600/HPIM4584.JPG"><img style="float:right; 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margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaalX0gH7hVfFl1NaljR4uQrB_foUxdf_YAMshgxfMmlURce0SIraHv7xentyhNnhq2CbDsv_VqcRx5KbMW5KWfJ9cPhV9LjPvrHTkp_rXT8-ubpXSv4Pl-OizFbku_3rSndUVq9pl8nJY/s320/HPIM4601.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5533211011916320274" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiR8ig_D2DXDL9V6KelxiSIuk1Avsodp4aqLqUao7zNGJZ2Ne2W3PQfFOUSydRicroMT9YMndf9MY7Yu-JCFMG4cW3pOnKs7dGbOq-mC4kAmNM6-YGeeYX8ewAunGyiEK7M4mavuXg2pmF/s1600/HPIM4626.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiR8ig_D2DXDL9V6KelxiSIuk1Avsodp4aqLqUao7zNGJZ2Ne2W3PQfFOUSydRicroMT9YMndf9MY7Yu-JCFMG4cW3pOnKs7dGbOq-mC4kAmNM6-YGeeYX8ewAunGyiEK7M4mavuXg2pmF/s320/HPIM4626.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5533211004531860754" /></a><br /><b>Tuesday, October 26, 2010</b> - Sadly, Summer and I shared our first breakfast alone since our arrival in Severodonetsk since Moises and Julia will be with Sergei all day today running various adoption errands on their last full day here :-( ! After breakfast, we once again returned to the classroom in Room 209 for hotel-schooling. Around 1:00 pm, we left to run an errand for Sara. She requested that I have some photos printed that we both had taken during our time here so far that she could give her friends. I was more than happy to do this so Summer and I left the hotel and, on our way, we passed the orphanage so I snapped a photo of Summer in front of a statue that sits right outside the gate. <b>(See photo of Summer at statue with orphanage in the background.) </b>And, at this point, I can go ahead and answer yesterday's teaser. <i>And what do flowers, popcorn, liver and Snickers bars have in common?</i> You should know the answer if you have been keeping up with my blogs because, if you have, you should recognize this question as similar to one from a previous teaser in a previous entry. The answer is...<i>drum roll</i>..."The Market." You know, remember "The Market" where I snapped the photo of the woman holding up a cow's head for sale amongst a variety of other raw meats piled upon table after table after table. The FDA would have a field day at this place! It is nothing like you have EVER seen in America. It is kind of like The Farmer's Market, a humongous butcher shop, Big Lots, Walmart and the Barnyard Flea Market all rolled into one but with everything on indoor tables or crammed in outdoor booths that are jammed up against each other with just enough room between them for a dirt aisle for people to walk. It is oddly fascinating and I highly recommend it the next time you are in Severodonetsk :-). <div><br /></div><div>After a 25-minute walk, Summer and I finally made it to "The Market" where we went to the photo shop and encountered a nice young lady who actually could speak enough English to help us - what a relief! Unfortunately, the photo list that Sara gave me had photo numbers on it that did not match the numbers actually on the photo card. I had them print the photos I could remember her singling out but that left plenty more that I couldn't. We would need to return with Sara in tow to complete this assignment. After a 30-minute wait spent perusing the bizarre bazaar, we picked up the prints and headed back for the orphanage for our visiting time with Sara. We spent our time there hanging out in Sara's room talking with Sara, Christina and sweet Ola. <b> (See photo of me and Ola hugging, as Ola loves to do.) </b>Ola and Summer have become big buddies. Ola just seems to get Summer and loves to have her around. <b>(See photo of Summer and Ola hamming it up followed by photo of Summer scaring Ola after she left the room and returned.) </b>We then decided to play spoons in Olga's room next door. <b>(See photo of Christina, Olga, Sara & Summer on the floor while playing spoons</b> <b>followed by a photo of Sara laying on a bed watching the game once she was out.) </b></div><div><br /></div><div>Summer and I left and then met up with Sergei, Moises and Julia for our <i>Last Supper </i>together (boo-hoo!). We went to Brava which is the pizza place that we took 35+ of the orphanage kids to for a pizza party earlier in our stay. We chose this place again because there is nothing like the combination of pizza and cigarette smoke! Ahhhh...I can still smell it - all over me that is! There are no enforced restrictions in Ukraine for smoking in restaurants and this place is the "poster child" for why there should be restrictions. We made it through and even got a couple of good photos that came out despite the cloud of smoke - ha! <b>(See photo of Moises, Julia, me and Summer.) </b></div><div><br /></div><div>When Summer and I returned to the hotel room, we did our nightly routine of playing cards for an hour or so before her bedtime. As usual, we first played a single player game that Steve taught us a while back by playing a couple of rounds with her playing, then me, etc. to see who ends up with the least amount of cards, which is the object of the game. The <i>ultimate </i>object of the game is run out of ALL of your cards which is VERY rare. I have been playing this game for years and Summer just learned this game since coming to Severodonetsk. I have <i>never</i> run out of cards and, on this night, Summer RAN OUT OF CARDS! I wish you could have seen her face!! Because I didn't have the camera on to capture the exact face at the exact moment, Summer did a reenactment for you all within minutes of her big win. <b>(See joyous Summer as she relives the moment just for you!) </b>We then played two rounds of "Go Fish" and then had some fun taking photos of ourselves. <b>(See photo of Mommy and daughter </b>- just try to ignore the close-up of my wrinkles - where is a filter when you need one?)</div><div><br /></div><div>Teaser For Today - Why should you sell your car?? I will tell you tomorrow when I share my sage advice and...the rest of the story...!</div><div><br /></div><div>Sunny </div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div>Sunny Jewellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04858053356800381653noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5902122731112953445.post-956165109686000362010-10-27T02:23:00.000-07:002010-10-27T14:15:21.890-07:00A Heart to Heart, A Grandmother & A Photo Session<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9PwdPHiePbG1D-z9pJg3Lm9jtMuK31iu5tGuFGdPC2cU7GdJjw1i-W6pSb1qBjqjQ2hIQrip9PpfyN7kobGNGH1FK6g49mySnA_lcmkURIJtq3rwHRkVDw3PaUdeJ_Pe-1NaM9L90HR0t/s1600/HPIM4571.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9PwdPHiePbG1D-z9pJg3Lm9jtMuK31iu5tGuFGdPC2cU7GdJjw1i-W6pSb1qBjqjQ2hIQrip9PpfyN7kobGNGH1FK6g49mySnA_lcmkURIJtq3rwHRkVDw3PaUdeJ_Pe-1NaM9L90HR0t/s320/HPIM4571.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5532836883615106082" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiegH9YIINWz46XhdhOVbygswqkOWmrfs2lBlnTYCEpANBx-UIrXl0q8fR97yb_Rvrson_sUoz1t3m9I6TdmfTI9csVRdK5XC7uB77HXxWVPp0LyJl1PwamLFpZWXuntMLi9u5NGgv4WxDr/s1600/HPIM4569.JPG"><img style="float:right; 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margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAMKoIs-hmtaD0JRqO-tqRJxgv6tTgb5BJQ7gA-G7adsOSiVUnbTot2aC2gNnQMAH3GeI2l_gAx86plP98sesvTs1hfPEQy2zU-rzyLqJstk_mTsrjr_iz7PJ6fthln6Pm40iW5pGwW-zh/s320/HPIM4572.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5532835689016518610" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_Aor-JFAefAU1BWhhSVoe0LcgT_SmMK7A99UI990VmBT5O3UsHMwQ_yUkhWCvBEpdszovJZ2Qnwfa4ptcqLJyqA3YanERhhmda49yXMRS_t9s7xk5LsjmlKgKEj-a9H-dskXl64l9a3ej/s1600/HPIM4575.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_Aor-JFAefAU1BWhhSVoe0LcgT_SmMK7A99UI990VmBT5O3UsHMwQ_yUkhWCvBEpdszovJZ2Qnwfa4ptcqLJyqA3YanERhhmda49yXMRS_t9s7xk5LsjmlKgKEj-a9H-dskXl64l9a3ej/s320/HPIM4575.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5532835685540568354" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxYWZQmoaUN0VI1gJCVLeltW6buZJaQn9a61ACEuIyuy7FqsNNZ2ZwAaCnoh_wabbhi16zC9TAZQddj7Aq3E49DLb7GSU_dWN1n1RJ_8EiYWKojeTQweYmHh9IgSxdsXWkqbXcVYmbLVCN/s1600/HPIM4576.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxYWZQmoaUN0VI1gJCVLeltW6buZJaQn9a61ACEuIyuy7FqsNNZ2ZwAaCnoh_wabbhi16zC9TAZQddj7Aq3E49DLb7GSU_dWN1n1RJ_8EiYWKojeTQweYmHh9IgSxdsXWkqbXcVYmbLVCN/s320/HPIM4576.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5532835676886941058" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_WNkbweijYV5_i_b1D0ORtdp9rNCekl-DOBL_q3DybtMyJtOotQCTUOtKfypmgVBVcGl08NCXcmc7lA-TCJDcai0nF8hZkxDOtQgwfgIpz5N1IC7WYFHzhE5Hlo7d1HnvHrQKa5QsMiE2/s1600/HPIM4577.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_WNkbweijYV5_i_b1D0ORtdp9rNCekl-DOBL_q3DybtMyJtOotQCTUOtKfypmgVBVcGl08NCXcmc7lA-TCJDcai0nF8hZkxDOtQgwfgIpz5N1IC7WYFHzhE5Hlo7d1HnvHrQKa5QsMiE2/s320/HPIM4577.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5532835667159014114" /></a><br /><b>Saturday, October 23 - Monday, October 25 - </b>Since we are in the middle of our 10-day waiting period since our court case was heard and our adoption of Sara was approved, I am trying to put 2 or 3 days of entries in one post so here is a synopsis of these 3 days. On Saturday, after breakfast and hotel-schooling, we had our daily visit with Sara at the orphanage. I had taken my laptop because Summer and I had scheduled a Skype call with Steve while still at the hotel; however, the day before we had arranged with Sara to arrive early for our visit time so we could surprise Steve and have her in on the call. And boy did we surprise him. I slowly moved the laptop camera over to her and he was so elated and Sara was obviously happy to see him. <b>(See photo of Steve's Skype smile on my laptop.) </b>Sweet Ola was in the room with us and I encouraged her to come to the laptop so Steve could see her. At first, she was shy and reluctant but then she did move the laptop and say hello. <b> (See photo of the shy sweet Ola before she leaned into the laptop.) </b>We had a great call with Steve and I think he enjoyed it even more than we did because he is missing not only Summer and I but Sara and her friends as well.<div><br /></div><div><b></b>On the large majority of days, like today, we go to Sara's room for our visiting time. One, two or even three of her friends are typically in her room with us which is crowded since her room is maybe 10 feet X 12 feet and has 3 beds in it with each against 1 of the 4 walls. After the Skype call, Summer and sweet Ola had gone to the nearby recreation room to dance to some music and Sara's other friends were not around. I had Sara all to myself and I had her for a good 35 to 45 minutes with no interruption which is rare because there are scores of roaming kids (boys and girls) on her hall. Our time together was wonderful! We had our first really great heart-to-heart talk with her understanding enough of my English that she could answer questions, etc. She really opened up and asked lots of questions about going to school in America and expressed her anxiety about it, etc. She did confirm that she understands that these concerns will get more and more relieved with each passing day once she returns there. She has a really good command of basic English but still continues to struggle with sentences longer than 7 or 8 words but she continues to improve with each day that she spends with us. At one point when I was encouraging her about her good English, she asked for my Russian to English/English to Russian dictionary and pointed to the word "shy" saying that she is shy to speak too much English around others because she isn't sure she is saying the right thing. I told her how well I was understanding her and encouraged her to speak around others because she is doing better than she realizes. She seems comfortable talking around me, particularly this day when we were alone, but I do think she will hesitate to use her English around others when we return. So...if you are one of those who will be seeing Sara once we are back in Lexington, keep in mind that she may be very quiet and shy but that she is listening and understanding a decent amount of what you say but she will be shy to respond because she is still uncomfortable with her English. </div><div><br /></div><div>On Sunday, Summer and I got up earlier than usual, had breakfast with Moises (I call him my surrogate husband now that Steve is gone and we share all meals together) and then Summer and I headed for a short visit to Sara's orphanage. Her grandmother has been wanting to visit her one last time before Sara leaves for America. We arrived and Grandmother seemed truly happy to see us. She is such a humble and loving woman and she welcomed us with a warm and lingering hug as she mumbled Russian words of affection. <b>(See photo of Sara and Grandmother followed by a photo of all four of us.) </b>We had Sara translate several reinforcing messages to her about how much we love Sara and will take good care of her. We left a gift with her and told Sara we would return for the afternoon visiting hours. As we walked out, we were greeted by Cujo the Dog and "The Cat," both of whom just hang out at the door to the orphanage. Summer just loves these two and always has soft words and a petting for each of them. <b>(See the two photos of Summer petting each of them.) </b>When we arrived back at the orphanage, Sara wasn't there but we found Olga and Ola, two of Sara's closest friends, watching a Taylor Swift video. <b>(See photo of Olga with Taylor Swift video behind her.) </b>As I said before, the kids at this orphanage love anything American. We see them wearing clothing from American stores, wearing American brand shoes, loving American music and more. The girls love not only Taylor Swift but also also Hannah Montana, Rhianna, Avril Lavigne, Justin Beiber and they even still love High School Musical and all of its stars. Sara returned from an errand with friends and then I got her to try on some clothes and shoes I had bought her in America. Believe it or not, I don't believe this child has grown one iota since we hosted her in December 2009! I bought everything one size bigger and virtually everything was too big. The shoes actually fit but I will be returning much of what I bought for sizes 3 or 5 and most likely in petites since the pants were 5 to 6 INCHES too long! And she's 15...and her 10-year-old sister is now 2 inches taller than her! </div><div><br /></div><div>On Monday, we had a great day - and, sadly, I don't have even one photo to back-up my claim!! My camera card was full and I did not have time to purchase a new one before the Monday fun. So you will just have to use your imagination. Monday was a GORGEOUS Fall day here in Severodonetsk, Ukraine! The sun was out and it was in the upper 50's and the yellow and orange leaves were falling out of the trees in beautiful streams with the help of the light breeze. Summer and I walked to the orphanage to attend a party organized by Moises for the three kids on our girls' hall who were celebrating their birthdays in October. Moises brought the cake and teachers/caregivers Larisa and Irina provided "blue fruit hot tea" for us all. (The kids here ALL drink hot tea - it is a popular drink in Ukraine.) There were 5 adults and probably 15 kids as we sang "Happy Birthday" in English and then chowed down on some cake and sipped some tea. </div><div><br /></div><div>After that, Larisa's daughter took Sara, Summer and I along with six of Sara's friends outside to take professional-type photos of the girls out in the Fall-colored surroundings. We must have walked for at least two miles total as we scouted for picturesque locations for the pictures - and boy did we find them amongst the old buildings and tree-lined streets! The girls posed leaning on trees, up in trees, on walls, on houses, behind rusting fences, on steps, on the leaf-covered ground and in one-girl photos, pairs, trios and groups. They were too cute but, let me tell you, they take their photos seriously. A couple of the girls had changed into dresses for the photos and sweet Ola even had a pair of high heels in her bag that she slipped on for a few photos. And my Sara had her gorgeous l-o-n-g red hair flowing throughout - but, as soon as the photo session was over, her hair was up in its trademark ponytail! Then we had to take the long walk back to the orphanage and the group split into two groups. My group was Sara, Christina and Galla. We chatted and laughed as we walked and before long I felt Sara's hand slip into mine and we walked hand-in-hand! All together now...awwwwww! I soon brought up something about not having any ice cream yet since we arrived in Ukraine. Sara marched our group to the nearest store and bought me an ice cream - which was delish! As we walked more, we began talking about that there is no "th" sound in Russian. I began an English lesson on how to pronounce "th" and began to give example words for them to practice such as "Thursday" and "three." It was too adorable! These girls kept saying "Sursday" and "sree." After many, many practices, I finally had to settle for a <i>couple </i>of mildly successful "<i>Turs</i>days" and "trees." It was indeed a fun day with a great group of girls with whom I have grown attached and hope that I will be blessed enough to see again when our adventure here is over!! Monday ended with another delicious dinner at Istanbulista with the Amazing Chef Sirhan and the wonderful return company of Sergei (yea!) and not only Moises but his <i>new</i> DAUGHTER Julia! YEA! And all is well in Ukraine!!</div><div><br /></div><div>So what do fragrant flowers, smelly fish, popcorn, Snickers bars and liver have in common? I guess you will find out when you read the next blog entry and then you will have...<i>the rest of the story.</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div>Sunny </div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div>Sunny Jewellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04858053356800381653noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5902122731112953445.post-65083118744775340552010-10-24T11:57:00.000-07:002010-10-24T14:37:04.339-07:00Sara Smiles ...and Cries: A Fond Farewell<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcLfeSw6eZagjuB4tPUZn4JoFtqtBDa4j88a8g2b12NeTs7xwwl8Q6Qbj0m8nMjMMGXBNur1kzqpxVroUoV4d7sNd8xeox0sKPypYqpxIL4_2nIisuzHDV0YFSQVRFq75xmPrr-0r8IUr1/s1600/HPIM4428.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcLfeSw6eZagjuB4tPUZn4JoFtqtBDa4j88a8g2b12NeTs7xwwl8Q6Qbj0m8nMjMMGXBNur1kzqpxVroUoV4d7sNd8xeox0sKPypYqpxIL4_2nIisuzHDV0YFSQVRFq75xmPrr-0r8IUr1/s320/HPIM4428.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5531721065801005634" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3feoj9Zf_ssQzynZ0LaSKiWYeEKdhuJ_fQSxddn3Vv4MsXkNQKiAoIHElHWOGR9a3O5ttCzxMhYS2V0VnHiOpb31YiDxfYFa3xWT_mHV7xn9mPJDhAL3cDxTBkuCK6QP0gOQZXFVv-Nb8/s1600/HPIM4440.JPG"><img style="float:right; 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margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTQeF8Nw2ezVz8BYQLn2rct4LmhQ12Sn9MYaMkyDuIbB54EkxaHdGYofhAdhc45LgwyIqTMNKUjWm4cpoB3TfZl9c9G0AeAP6otD_F_pkdOMnJqgMdg-27CUQDpOV5cRsBWpV5iaax2OFg/s320/HPIM4483.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5531718476577680450" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw0ak1bRv395ZzY54rArJ4pxBKu38rO5nyQkKuR6EnPLw2gz9q0cwiSUIvdI4XZm9PNSCuDUuR07uUKMKtvxAVKPmoTTwoL1i_nYcfxoyETliuofL_djiOHy7T8aSArZdti72V0gF3sI2i/s1600/HPIM4500.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw0ak1bRv395ZzY54rArJ4pxBKu38rO5nyQkKuR6EnPLw2gz9q0cwiSUIvdI4XZm9PNSCuDUuR07uUKMKtvxAVKPmoTTwoL1i_nYcfxoyETliuofL_djiOHy7T8aSArZdti72V0gF3sI2i/s320/HPIM4500.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5531718470532489602" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsEEBhFeQb59K1NsxixqB9u3bWT8l3cyg9Og37lN3Kj72pCGeiQlUa16ZZjrxCUivyOiuv3p3L_6T_BO4A2XeIR5sEOaBBnONVnLZjxeQvF8phOtBhXUen8H24nvjxyRpArpApJ8rWU4Ez/s1600/HPIM4522.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsEEBhFeQb59K1NsxixqB9u3bWT8l3cyg9Og37lN3Kj72pCGeiQlUa16ZZjrxCUivyOiuv3p3L_6T_BO4A2XeIR5sEOaBBnONVnLZjxeQvF8phOtBhXUen8H24nvjxyRpArpApJ8rWU4Ez/s320/HPIM4522.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5531718464459401250" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg90BGdOKAc-6FXdBw0fthyl3gukAZLNJu-xYnWjtoUmWKBk8dLwupX3ejk9OagmKHK0__70oeSoOH7Q2lvdrxy2c4yyNQbnAAaJ3aKG-48Yrwmzk91rvB8nfszfpP5w6wBjpdzZnZORmr9/s1600/HPIM4530.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg90BGdOKAc-6FXdBw0fthyl3gukAZLNJu-xYnWjtoUmWKBk8dLwupX3ejk9OagmKHK0__70oeSoOH7Q2lvdrxy2c4yyNQbnAAaJ3aKG-48Yrwmzk91rvB8nfszfpP5w6wBjpdzZnZORmr9/s320/HPIM4530.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5531718461754364018" /></a><br /><b>Thursday, October 21 and Friday, October 22</b> - Thankfully, Thursday was a fairly quiet day because I have SO many photos and comments to share about our exciting and emotional Friday. Here's Thursday in a nutshell - breakfast with Moises, hotel-schooling for hours, a walk to the orphanage, helped Ola talk to her "host mother"/soon-to-be mother on Skype, visited with Sara, returned to hotel to have our first Skype with Steve since his return which lasted well over one hour and then met Moises in the hotel restaurant for dinner. I will also answer the last teaser before moving on to Friday's festivities. When your spouse has traveled over 5,000 miles to return home after you have spent 3 weeks together without interruption in a foreign country, what do you talk about for over one hour on Skype? Bills! That's right - life went on and there are actually companies who think we should still pay them even though we weren't there to use their services - the nerve!! HA!<div><br /></div><div>On Friday morning, we were very excited about the day ahead! Sara had told us about a week after we arrived in Ukraine that her school was planning a big show and celebration on October 22 and that part of the show would be saying goodbye to her and to Julia (the Antenucci's child-to-be). The show would involve a puppet show, comedic monologues and skits, singing, and lots of dancing which would mean Sara would be on the stage a lot - yea! The show involved the entire 9th grade class which, at the Ukrainian orphanages, is the last year of school. (After 9th grade, these 15-year-old children must leave the orphanage and most attend trade school.) Moises, Summer and I arrived early to get upfront seats. The rest of the audience would be staff, teachers and the other children of the orphanage. The first photo I took was of these adorable little girls sitting behind me who seemed intrigued with Summer and me. They stared a lot and one even tried to talk to us until she learned we couldn't speak Russian. <b>(See photo of 3 little girls.) </b> I just couldn't help but wonder about how these cute and oh-so-little girls ended up here and what their futures will or won't be. My heart just went out to them!!</div><div><br /></div><div>And then the show began (and continued throughout) with lots of Russian that Summer and I couldn't understand but we didn't care either because all we wanted was to see was Sara! After some comedic routines and a puppet show, out came Sara in that beautiful white dress that I first saw her in on Tuesday in her room. She was absolutely glowing and I captured the most beautiful photo of her as she danced a formal ballroom dance. <b>(See my sunlit Sara looking like an angel as she gazes out the window during her first dance.) </b>Just a minute later, I snapped another photo that ended up becoming Sara's favorite. <b>(See photo of Sara still in the white dress in a graceful dance pose with her lovely locks of hair showing.) </b>After this first dance, Sara danced again and again, played guitar as a trio sang and then sang in the finale during which everyone in the show stood on stage and sang an emotional song (alma mater?) about their school/orphanage that had many on stage crying - especially Sara, her friends and her teachers. <b>(See video clip of this emotional finale at the bottom of this blog entry IF I got it to post - by my blog "preview,", it wouldn't post.)</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>Here are the captions of the remaining photos from the show:</b></div><div>a) Dance in striped shirts - Sara's closest friends (left to right) are Alainia, Olga, Christina and Ola; b) Sara in the same striped-shirt dance as she danced past me with a big smile; c) Sara wearing an elegant black dress while dancing with Nikita (being adopted by a family in Oregon) whom she has danced with for years; d) Sara speaking about her time at the school/orphanage; e) Sara playing guitar opposite one of her teachers as her friends Alainia, Christina and Nastya sing; f) Sara looking beautiful on her toes in another dance; g) Sara still looked beautiful in green as she belly danced; and, h) Sara receiving recognition and balloons from her crying dance teacher. </div><div><br /></div><div>After the finale song, everyone began to hug and cry and cry and hug. Even Summer was crying because there were so many tears flowing around us that she came over for a hug and cried on my shoulder. It was especially hard for me to watch Sara cry because I knew it represented all the emotions attached with leaving the only family she has known since she entered this place at seven years old. All the friends and the special teachers in her life were on this stage hugging her and knowing that she will soon be leaving. Our weeks here have attached me to these special friends, teachers and mentors who have shaped Sara into who she is. I will deeply miss each and every one of them and I am not looking forward to the day that I must say goodbye to them.</div><div><br /></div><div>As things wrapped up and crying subsided into sniffles, a huge group photo was taken on stage of all those in and involved in the show. Summer and I were greatly honored when we were asked to join the photo. We felt like part of this special family in Severodonetsk, Ukraine! Following the photo, Moises & Julia and Summer, Sara and I were asked to go to the orphanage director's office. As you will recall, when we first arrived and saw Tatyana the first time, we met with the deputy director. Now the actual director was back and wanted a final meeting with us. Poor Moises was the only man in the room as the director, deputy director, another school official and two teachers (all female) began to speak Russian to each other, to our two girls and occasionally towards us. We had no idea what was being said in our 10-minute meeting but we know the director was smiling so we assumed we should just smile back. We shared our thanks and departed. So ten Sara-dances later and after a meeting in which we have no idea what was said, we left the orphanage filled with love for our girls and feeling like we are now really getting closer to completing these adoptions!</div><div><br /></div><div>And, because I am typing this at 11:45 pm, I have no brain cells left to come up with a teaser. I am SO sorry to disappoint you - ha! <b>Don't forget to check out the video of the show's finale song below </b>(again, IF it posted, if not, sorry) and witness the emotion I described above with the camera focused on Sara who also shed her share of tears.</div><div><br /></div><div>Sunny </div>Sunny Jewellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04858053356800381653noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5902122731112953445.post-71783900095894506982010-10-22T01:09:00.000-07:002010-10-22T13:48:36.490-07:00Goodbye, Steve :-( ...And Now We Wait!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvbD3FeVGjcOFUmlNepJXBz9TN69gwpk584zI045uLZCNp0qU7_yzPIOdvEn5BFfUkRCXjPvdYjtmKaV5Ocp_m9p4yK4TZYK2SnRGufioM8i4jLJ2SMpbeBTuT6giF0xeKX74z-tl-BCdl/s1600/HPIM4399.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvbD3FeVGjcOFUmlNepJXBz9TN69gwpk584zI045uLZCNp0qU7_yzPIOdvEn5BFfUkRCXjPvdYjtmKaV5Ocp_m9p4yK4TZYK2SnRGufioM8i4jLJ2SMpbeBTuT6giF0xeKX74z-tl-BCdl/s320/HPIM4399.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5530974175348819970" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4CeljgAirg5VTbz10yE-2x7rOZDOj_0xJA-G9FobJHQ5cqznzB7YJw1M49mQv4rh8bQww2XkctB38t_Qyer3pOrdQ5LrvWDy9jL7tnHFiTQip4JaljjXGrgTOq6xdzoenT-u6ot3AXcOd/s1600/HPIM4402.JPG"><img style="float:right; 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margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiufDpuVeY52hI-AiNxrIK8cCSTb4iAxSr4PI2ktUfsvQyJH8xgbjo_AfICU1kdVWcdnvp6YNm5F44WvqderTM7qv4WBLIqWzL4PKJjdAMSq8uYsZ_-SRL1mUbTLcsY6bn9wVid5WKZHYa/s320/HPIM4414.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5530972815638282002" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5cFTg8YhAfKWCkwnhJlhuwHRzFYa6GgaZJBxTRmSnk1Zg2qr2DY81D4vSFdEOw7cbp3I6PoBkHuVMc7eKSSrqQPFcY8ct3Jca9M16s6aE0B0DmwkVz7ncE5SRjdMJfkzVqGKF_hjMWKi7/s1600/HPIM4298.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5cFTg8YhAfKWCkwnhJlhuwHRzFYa6GgaZJBxTRmSnk1Zg2qr2DY81D4vSFdEOw7cbp3I6PoBkHuVMc7eKSSrqQPFcY8ct3Jca9M16s6aE0B0DmwkVz7ncE5SRjdMJfkzVqGKF_hjMWKi7/s320/HPIM4298.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5530972801254669826" /></a><br /><b>Tuesday, October 19 and Wednesday, October 20 -</b> On Tuesday, we lost the wonderful company of both Steve (boo-hoo!) and Sergei because Sergei drove Steve 2 1/2 hours to the airport and then drove several more hours to his home to spend almost a week with his wife and child. It is going to be tough for Summer and me without Steve because he has been like our rock of normalcy and support and, sadly, our family will now be apart for two weeks (double boo-hoo)!! Steve and I have never been apart for more than a week so this will be an exercise in strength and pure will. So our original breakfast-and-dinner group of 6 is now down to 3 - Moises, Summer and me. <div><br /></div><div>Tuesday also starts our required 10-day waiting period for the adoption to be complete. This period allows anyone who may have reason to object to our adoption of Sara to do so, but we certainly do not anticipate this. According to Sergei, our tentative schedule for our remaining time here is as follows. Our 10-day waiting period is complete at midnight on Thursday, October 28. We complete final paperwork on Friday the 29th and MAY even be allowed to "withdraw" Sara from the orphanage and then have her with us at the hotel for the remainder of our time here - and I really hope this happens so she can have some time away from the orphanage (i.e., her friends and Larisa) but still be able to visit before she boards the plane to America. Sergei tells us that no government work happens on Saturday and Sunday in Ukraine so those are basically lost days other than buying Sara some clothes, shoes and personal items because she will likely leave the orphanage with only the clothes on her back and some photos, personal mementos, etc. (<i>Side note:</i> Clothing, shoes and accessories are community property at the orphanage. We bought Sara a good bit of clothing, etc. when we hosted her and I have seen these clothes, etc. on many other girls during my visits.) On Monday, November 1, we should get the final court decree and, on Tuesday the 2nd, we will get her passport done. Our tentative departure date will be Wednesday, November 3 when we will fly to Kiev, Ukraine and stay for 2 more days to complete a required physical exam, go to the U.S. Embassy to submit paperwork and to get her visa to travel to the U.S. My hope is that we will fly out of Kiev and head for America on Friday, November 5 - but, again, all this is tentative.</div><div><br /></div><div>So, this morning, Summer and I had our first breakfast for three with Moises. Our conversation began with Moises and I commiserating about both of us now being without our spouses. Inspired by our commiseration, Summer had a great photo idea. <b>(See photo depicting the commiseration.) </b>Conversation flowed during breakfast and then it was off to school for Summer. That's right! Now that our waiting period has begun, Steve is gone and we have no adoption errands to run, Summer will be home schooled (or should I say hotel-schooled - ha!). Her two teachers gave me all the materials needed to try to keep her up with her 5th grade classwork. So we got out the books, notebooks, paper and pencil and got started.</div><div><br /></div><div>Later that afternoon, we walked to the orphanage in a cold rain, received our usual enveloping but tender hug from Sara and then went to her room with sweet Ola. After a few minutes, Sara said she would be right back and left with no explanation. I thought this odd but we started playing Uno with Ola. After about 20 minutes, the room door opened and what I saw took my breath away. Sara left the room looking like a teen in jeans and a ponytail and now entered with her long flowing hair and a gorgeous all-white satin floor-length dress with swirls of frills looking like a young woman or, better yet, a princess or...<i>gulp.</i>..a bride! <b>(See photo of Princess Ariel, Sara's favorite princess, <i>wink</i>, looking like she's about to marry Prince Eric followed by a photo Sara & me as I beam like a proud Mom.) </b>She was so stunning, even without a stitch of make-up on (must be nice, huh, ladies?). Sara changed and joined in on the Uno game. Every time she fed me a card that meant I had to draw more cards she would say, "Sorry, Mom." I was filled to the brim with love and pride!! After our visit, we had dinner with Moises at the hotel restaurant (which is really good, by the way) because it was still cold and rainy! Being the snow lover that I am, I keep hoping for a few snowflakes before I leave but that is not likely since I have been told that the first snow is usually in November.</div><div><br /></div><div>On Wednesday, we woke up to...that's right...more cold and more rain! We had our usual breakfast with Moises then hotel-schooling for 3 1/2 hours. At 2:30 pm, Summer had an appointment with her teacher to Skype with her class. She was SOOOO excited! The call connected and on the screen appeared her entire class seated on the floor of their classroom and all waving at her as they watched her on their Smartboard screen. <b>(See photo of Summer during the Skype call.)</b> Her classmates asked questions including what her favorite Ukrainian food was so far (and like all 10-year-olds she said ice cream) and what her favorite thing she has done/seen (the monastery and catacombs in Kiev). Running late to make our visiting hours, we then rushed off to see Sara in what was now, thankfully, only a cold drizzle. Summer and I walked arm in arm under one umbrella for our eight-minute walk to the orphanage. About halfway, a stray dog (I told you strays are everywhere) trotted past us. We continued to walk and after a while, when I turned to look at something, I could see out the corner of my eye that this same stray dog was walking almost on her heels. At first, we were a little scared because Summer had a close encounter with a vicious stray dog in Kiev. However, after a few blocks, he was still behind us and we were still in one piece so we no longer felt afraid. As we approached the building we became concerned that this rather large dog was going to attract the attentions of Cujo (remember the fearless mutt of a dog that guards the orphanage entrance). Indeed he did and out came Cujo teeth fully bared and ready to attack this trespassing stray that was 3 times his size. Long story short, there was back-and-forth growling and baring of teeth, a few snaps and one of the stray's snaps must have braised or frightened Cujo because he retreated. I am not sure if Cujo just loves his home on the orphanage stoop or if he is protecting these children but I like to think he is protecting the children. And , in this case, I think he was protecting us. </div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></b></div><div>As we walked into the orphanage, Sara was coming down the stairs so we hugged and walked to her room<b>. (See photo of Sara's one and only counter space and the photos she keeps on it - awwww!) </b>We spent time talking about America, what clothes (if any) and other things she will bring to America, etc. Sadly, since we had arrived late and she had a 4:00 pm rehearsal for a Friday program you will learn about in the next blog entry, we only had a short visit. We then met Moises at the orphanage entrance and walked probably a mile or more to the wonderful Istanbulista restaurant which we had eaten at before and loved. <b>(See photo of Summer and Moises as we walked to the restaurant.) </b> The owner/chef, Sirhan, and his wife, Olga (the only waitress) greeted us at the door. <b>(See photo of Sirhan and Olga.) </b> As I said before, Sirhan has taught himself a good bit of English and, each time we go, he recommends dishes he thinks we will like and he has been spot on every time. This place is a gem and we just LOVE the food here. Moises and I both had THE most delicious baklava we have EVER had anywhere. Sirhan said it takes him 11 hours to prepare it and it tasted like it. It was better than ANY baklava I have had anywhere! </div><div><br /></div><div>Regarding the last teaser, what DO the words "spasibo" ("thank you" in Russian) and "procedure" have in common? The answer relates to a running joke that started between the Jewells and the Antenuccis (Moises and Jamie). Steve used his Russian one night in front of Jamie to say thank you to a waitress. The correct pronunciation is "spah-SEE-bah" but Jamie got tickled and repeated the word in Steve's southern accent saying "spah-see-BURR." A few days later he said "adoption procedure" and again got ribbed as saying "prah-SEE-jure." It has been an ongoing joke since then and Moises, Summer and I are honoring Steve's memory by continuing the joke. Speaking of Steve, he and I will be the subject of my teaser for today. When your spouse has traveled over 5,000 miles and gone home after you have spent 3 weeks together with no interruption in a foreign country as you work on expanding your family through adoption, what do you talk about for over one hour on Skype? Tune in next time...<i>for the rest of the story!</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div>Sunny</div>Sunny Jewellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04858053356800381653noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5902122731112953445.post-85360898574311064592010-10-20T02:13:00.000-07:002010-10-20T13:31:05.987-07:00"I Want A Family."<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTB5zu7pY2ynQ0hFjTrSeyQesdsPAmmrqNfh-TIt29w160bcOb3XBNpqj9NEOeViFbSsOdOU1BzJ3my4h8lbxWBp7rrxjDKIR5p-GACa9OQf3C6MWlXz49CrHfR7tvwOlKFq5EFlBEc_3o/s1600/HPIM4373.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTB5zu7pY2ynQ0hFjTrSeyQesdsPAmmrqNfh-TIt29w160bcOb3XBNpqj9NEOeViFbSsOdOU1BzJ3my4h8lbxWBp7rrxjDKIR5p-GACa9OQf3C6MWlXz49CrHfR7tvwOlKFq5EFlBEc_3o/s320/HPIM4373.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5530225976984168786" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFH-pis4w-AV9lm7QP-1yC6VPGzEP0k1bSIiFj2xp9ZZhZ1kSmj25cO1y0qsFhKTVOBA0OMsYCapbwi3HU9_wNw2Txq8fyNEpwMqdqG6sBtG8Wk0kIEDNo_UlZgGHmEeZYvbC0Ji76EHy5/s1600/HPIM4374.JPG"><img style="float:right; 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margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZBqfWYtuvLOP-_SqUfwhWTngMzKadXEfg0xhLQFzVMA2-0gigvqqTwj_hN0bf6qpkQtvN2j5g_-79QcqbhhhvcmAdy1rifWEs9wPl1Pl6sTxGr5y0UBouAChtcibqNEip-AT8dBVXifcj/s320/HPIM4390.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5530224590512091890" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXdttvOdiJUeT4ANGCyZq1_XVAjQrXD7goN63jY4Di6p51VxUH8KrPbMOWY-hrbAIdmGw9OBmr8oBBm9uc9adqSzCMuyN2E2-LO6BjKqNWjVqzKCyMx-EbgZykFbZrEOSnkiFAshmQhzcB/s1600/HPIM4389.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXdttvOdiJUeT4ANGCyZq1_XVAjQrXD7goN63jY4Di6p51VxUH8KrPbMOWY-hrbAIdmGw9OBmr8oBBm9uc9adqSzCMuyN2E2-LO6BjKqNWjVqzKCyMx-EbgZykFbZrEOSnkiFAshmQhzcB/s320/HPIM4389.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5530224583955870770" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm3TKr1oI1J43_jmdhLCUbCJg9zhMfSq1tRiU8mnpIkKaITQkFMdv-aTINtmPxWfaQf5oJaWWGjTooeJvbBhHVLF7-w9JpqbaFj2TTxTk5NToKg4ZXTeQUWrRgY_ItknWDnJjuj7PGIzbl/s1600/HPIM4398.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm3TKr1oI1J43_jmdhLCUbCJg9zhMfSq1tRiU8mnpIkKaITQkFMdv-aTINtmPxWfaQf5oJaWWGjTooeJvbBhHVLF7-w9JpqbaFj2TTxTk5NToKg4ZXTeQUWrRgY_ItknWDnJjuj7PGIzbl/s320/HPIM4398.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5530224577750551474" /></a><br /><b>Monday, October 18, 2010</b> - Today is a BIG day! Steve, Summer and I will be appearing before a Ukrainian judge, two jurors and a prosecutor asking them to approve our adoption of Tatyana Khonina. This morning, we had a quick "Breakfast with Moises," returned to our room to don our court-appropriate clothing (you know, the ones that make you look like you are a responsible tax-paying, law-abiding citizen) and then met Sergei in the lobby. <b>(See photo of the handsome and appropriately dressed Steve waiting in the hotel lobby.) </b>We quickly stopped at "The Market" (remember the bizarre bazaar that had everything from pastries to cow heads) to get some flowers from the florist shop to present to Sara once the court declares we can adopt her. We then drove to the orphanage and picked up Sara and Yanna, the orphanage attorney. I felt like the "Keystone Cops" as all 6 of us squeezed into Sergei's 5-seater sedan to make the short drive to the courthouse. It was a cold and windy day so Fall leaves were pouring out of the trees. Being one of my very favorite seasonal sights, I took this as a reminder from God that He was with us as is promised in my favorite Bible verse which I hope Sara will also hold close to her heart (Summer has had it memorized since she was 5 years old), "<i>For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.</i>" Could have been personally written for Sara as well, huh?<div><br /></div><div>After arriving at the odd courthouse (old building in need of various repairs), I snapped a quick picture of Summer and Sara before we entered. <b>(See photo of the sisters-to-be.) </b>Now, based on my previous entries, you fill in the blank. In addition to being old, the courthouse was also ____ and _____ on the inside. The adjectives should quickly come to mind as you reminisce about my previous entries about Ukrainian buildings, particularly the government buildings - <i>cold</i> and <i>dark</i>! Neither Yanna, Sara, Steve, Summer or I ever removed our winter coats throughout our entire time inside the courthouse - even during the actual court! We got through an uncomfortable time of sitting in a waiting area for our turn in the court. Sara was very quiet so I asked if she was nervous and she said she wasn't. I assume she was just out of her element of the familiar walls of the orphanage.</div><div><br /></div><div>We were called into a small courtroom and then we stood when the judge entered. He was a stereotype of husky older-but-wiser judges all over the world who look and even sound like authority would sound if it had a voice. The court process was a distracting mixture of Ukrainian (NOT Russian) and English words as the judge spoke and our translator translated his words softly for us. Among the judge's Ukrainian words, we could clearly hear Steven Jewell, Susan Saunders Jewell, Tatyana Khonina, America, Ukraine but the rest was jibberish to us until translated by Sergei the Great (our nickname for this multi-tasking facilitator, translator, taxi driver, errand runner and breakfast and dinner buddy). We had been told that the judge also fancied himself a comedian and it didn't take long for us to hear his jokes and teasing worked into the proceeding. We had quite a few laughs - at our own expense :-). </div><div><br /></div><div>Steve was the focal point of The Inquisition. The judge asked Steve lots of questions about his career, his income, our home, college for Tatyana, how she will learn English, etc. He asked me about my education, my stay-at-home-Mom position and why we wanted to adopt Tatyana - and that was easy to answer as I looked at him, at Tatyana, back at him and so forth with a big "mother's love" smile on my face. He asked Tatyana a few questions with the most important being why she wanted to be adopted. Her reply began with, "I want a family..." and, to me, that was not only the most important thing she said but also the most telling. You can have friends galore and even a nurturing orphanage staff but that cannot compare to a forever family. He did also ask about her name change to Tatyana Sara Jewell and she confirmed that this was her choice :-). </div><div><br /></div><div>Court lasted about 40 minutes or so and the judge, jurors and prosecutor left to deliberate for 20 minutes. Sergei said he would take Yanna and Sara back to the orphanage during this time and then return. We ran to the car with them and pulled out our congratulatory flowers for Sara and, again, Sara smiles! <b>(See photo of Sara with flowers in hand.)</b> Steve, Summer and I went back to the courtroom and Summer began acting up SO badly that they placed her in a holding cell in the courtroom. <b>(See photo of the incarcerated Summer.) </b>Just kidding! She is such a ham and begged to get into that cell. After Summer's jail break, the judge, jurors and prosecutor returned and, for the next 10 minutes, we all stood as the fast-talking judge went through a litany of Ukrainian legal schmegal and as poor Sergei translated and tried to keep up as best he could. Steve and I intently listened to Sergei as we again heard our names spoken by the judge and even heard him say "Tatyana Sara Jewell" which gave us great hope. And then the judge declared us as authorized to adopt this sweet child of God!!! Steve and I gazed at each other with big goofy proud-parent smiles as Sergei translated the long-awaited words to us.</div><div><br /></div><div>At our appointed visiting time (3:00 to 5:00 pm), we went to the orphanage to have our daily visit with Tatyana and friends. We must break the news to them that, since we got the court clearance, Steve is now free to leave to return to America. We will be working on his return flight when we get back to the hotel and Steve is hoping for a flight tomorrow since he is already behind schedule for a return. Some of the regulars weren't around but I did get a good photo of Steve saying goodbye to Olga and Ola. <b>(See Steve and 2 of of the 4 "regulars.") </b> Sara and I talked about sign language because, when we hosted her, I told her about my father being deaf and the sign language we use to communicate. Surprisingly, she showed me how to sign her name in Ukrainian sign language and said she had learned it at school. It was different from American Sign Language. I then asked Sara to pose with me for a picture specifically for my Dad. <b>(See photo of us saying "Hi" to my Dad.) </b></div><div><br /></div><div>Monday night we had a <i>Celebrate Sara and a Maybe Goodbye Steve </i>dinner at a VERY nice restaurant, probably the nicest in Severodonetsk. Golden Palace was recommended by Sergei for our special night but, apparently, if you arrive at 6:00 pm on a Monday night you may be the only customers! And we were - at least until about 7:00 pm when ONE other couple arrived. This was a big elegantly appointed restaurant that probably seats 150 people or more with beautiful table settings and various statues around the room gazing upon our one-table celebration. <b>(See photo of Steve, Moises, Sergei & Summer. Note the empty but beautiful room behind them. Also see photo of Sergei and our "personal" waiter who had nothing else to do but please us.) </b>The food was delicious and the company was awesome! Sadly, the five of us will likely not be together again. </div><div><br /></div><div>After dinner, Summer entertained us with a special performance. As my last teaser asked, you know all about Sergei but have you seen "<i>The </i>Sergei?" Our Sergei the Great has had us laughing many times. I wish you could hear his Ukrainian voice say something with a Southern accent - it is spot on and hysterical! He has also surprised us with tidbits of various dance moves. Each is short and sweet and Summer, on her own, managed to put them all together to come up with a dance called "The Sergei." Sergei surprised us with a new dance move on Sunday so Summer had to add it to the dance so I captured a video of the latest and greatest "The Sergei" and will attempt to include it at the bottom of this blog entry. I hope it works because it is too cute!! Our evening concluded with a few photos my favorite of which is a walk (i.e., staged pose) down the winding staircase at Golden Palace. <b>(See photo of Moises, Steve, me and Summer on the stairs.)</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div>When we got back to our hotel room, Steve was able to book flights back to America. Boo-hoo! To distract me from my sadness, I will share my teaser for the next blog entry. Are you ready? What do the words "spasibo" (Russian for "thank you") and "procedure" have in common? Don't know? Guess you'll have to check the next blog <i>for the rest of the story</i>...(don't forget to check out "The Sergei" video below - assuming it loaded correctly).</div><div><br /></div><div>Sunny</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dwIhOD6Awk9ppmbSycM9DI9HH6zfCI8gq78Qoh6XFv3761ahitpAkAwiMV9ldMZR4HVISdfJb0cu75bpvRntg' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe>Sunny Jewellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04858053356800381653noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5902122731112953445.post-7310558326431269812010-10-19T01:35:00.000-07:002010-10-19T03:09:04.358-07:00An Afternoon with "The Girls"<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9mrNqnNrfA-HAtgNtJ7qXhXu9jpI6o9cxdAZDP9JXcYoyPGuYrP6Ts21ygQxi-ia39r2i5QSlViHDILUNyTU9XFGI0mBCVP-eAm2PqHGAxBAxCQBWel6bXzgjtH9Q0uueaSnpEU9HiAdU/s1600/HPIM4333.JPG"><img style="float:right; 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margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghxtVJgYBZBcMbvzVfVH3GNE1lICELvQF8O0L6D0Cu_IagptKOgrhot_rR60k1Xu5PHnzEaFiY8ygB7kM4XT8pydjmJvzo3kpKBIRDPzyA_5BGocf7ebN3l7Jpg-le34cowCqPs78dgOvE/s320/HPIM4361.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5529695101055880386" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzG_ytTcQPgLZ5olGUbPot1gOrhdsYsdWZi6eZRqHnSgp6RMZn4ybPJUkLrFn4gM5CA3f4u4v_RgaVAmV2mBNmhAGbmsQg1sjKiuUvDmqQomFJ0zXH-Auz2lSAmjYY6F4TkSngOH6ByHYw/s1600/HPIM4365.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzG_ytTcQPgLZ5olGUbPot1gOrhdsYsdWZi6eZRqHnSgp6RMZn4ybPJUkLrFn4gM5CA3f4u4v_RgaVAmV2mBNmhAGbmsQg1sjKiuUvDmqQomFJ0zXH-Auz2lSAmjYY6F4TkSngOH6ByHYw/s320/HPIM4365.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5529695095688284306" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHilxjZzaBJ18OXQdRN46q5o9qWx03h2dNjkJrHqwKHG4cFbuLk8Fr8idvq7Ax0aVuONv8CCOIs0Hkz-7RiCJef5Axlw2af6x1N_KxmXWVsNiWy6o8-UK1BaYkbB81-YcQWm9ALbWO2vhF/s1600/HPIM4366.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHilxjZzaBJ18OXQdRN46q5o9qWx03h2dNjkJrHqwKHG4cFbuLk8Fr8idvq7Ax0aVuONv8CCOIs0Hkz-7RiCJef5Axlw2af6x1N_KxmXWVsNiWy6o8-UK1BaYkbB81-YcQWm9ALbWO2vhF/s320/HPIM4366.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5529695079643288802" /></a><br /><b>Sunday, October 17, 2010 </b>- "Breakfast with Moises" was filled with laments this morning. Steve was dumbfounded to hear of the Gamecock's loss to Kentucky. He did not get to watch this game on the Internet because it aired, in Ukrainian time, beginning at 1:30 am or so. <div><br /></div><div>We had made plans on Saturday to participate in a Sunday cooking class at 12:00 noon at the orphanage. It was not a class that Sara was in but she was planning on trying to attend with us. She would normally have a dance class during this time. When we arrived on campus, we saw Sara walking with a group of kids away from the orphanage but she saw us and ran over to hug us and tell us that she was going to her dance class after all. (As I mentioned before, Sara has a talent for dance but she also has a passion.) We went on to the cooking class and on the way there ran into sweet Ola (being adopted in Myrtle Beach & speaks a fair amount of English). She showed us to the classroom but we were told we would not be able to participate in the cooking class this time because, at the time we arrived, a class of young children would be coming soon and they would be too distracted by us. We were disappointed and decided to head back to the hotel. As Ola followed us out, she showed Summer a set of stairs bordered by "slides." <b>(See photo of Ola and Summer sliding down the "stair slides.") </b> <div><br /></div><div>As we exited the building, Ola said she was going to the playground. For Summer's sake, we decided to follow her. The girls had fun on what we will call the playground but it was ancient by American standards with overgrown weeds, lots of dirt and even some broken glass around some of the equipment! Our first encounter with the reality of an orphanage "playground" was a couple of ping pong tables. I am not being trite at all but they truly looked like they came out of a Flintstones episode with a huge rock slab on top of two wedges of rock holding up the slab. <b>(See photo of Summer and Ola apparently imitating "The Thinker.") </b>There also was a series of gymnastic types of bars that had been painted and repainted many times. <b>(See Ola and Summer showing their strength on the bars followed by a photo of Moises demonstrating his keen sense of balance.) </b>The girls had running races and then got on some swings. We then said goodbye to Ola and told her we would see her after 3:00 pm when we returned for our official visiting time. </div><div><br /></div><div>We walked back to the hotel a different way that gave us a more up-close view of the rows of apartment buildings that dominate the local housing market. They are everywhere and, according to Sergei, these are their permanent homes because they do not rent these apartments, they own them. <b>(See photo of Steve, Summer and Moises amongst the buildings.) </b>Steve was also fascinated by a nearby convenience store since his company serves the gas station industry but there were no gas pumps, only a store. It appeared to be a pair of mismatched modular buildings attached to each other with poster ads plastered over them. <b>(See photo of Steve and Summer in front of store.) </b> We went inside and it was quite small and narrow but two very sweet ladies greeted us so we bought some sweet treats out of a 50/50 mix of a case of sweet tooth and obligation to reward their kindness. </div><div><br /></div><div>We returned to the orphanage in the afternoon and saw Sara outside just returning from dance. We received enthusiastic and lingering hugs from Sara and her friends and walked out of the cold into the warmth of the building. (Yes, the local government FINALLY cut on the gas heat a few days ago so we can now enter the building and actually take our coats off!) As usual, we spent our time with Sara and her wonderful friends. We encountered Olga in the hall who complimented Summer's blue glasses and said she would like a pair just like these because blue is her favorite color. She tried them on. <b>(See photo of Olga wearing Summer's glasses.)</b></div><div>We again went to Sara's room which has now become a gathering spot for all of her friends when we arrive. I shot a great photo of the three roommates. <b>(See photo of Sara, Alainia and Christina</b> - pose is totally their idea because, as I said, they LOVE to pose.) Sara's roommates requested photos with us. <b>(See photo of Steve with Alainia and Christina followed by a photo of Alainia and me.) <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">I then requested a photo of OUR growing family and it turned out to be a good photo that I just may have to frame back in the States. </span>(See our framable family photo.) </b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div>Tomorrow (Monday) is THE DAY!! We will go to court to hopefully be cleared as parents and as a family to adopt Sara. WOW! And this journey all comes down to this moment on this day at 12:00 noon in a town I never heard of until one year ago, Severodonetsk, Ukraine. We are told that Steve will primarily be questioned but that Sara and I will speak as well. A little scary but A LOT exciting!</div><div><br /></div><div>And, as for the teaser at the end of Saturday's blog entry, you will just have to deal with more suspense because I cannot reveal the answer at this time because the answer has been, shall we say, updated. You have seen photos of Sergei but, trust me, you have not seen "The Sergei" until you see "The Sergei" in tomorrow's blog entry. So, tune in then...<i>for the rest of the story</i>...</div><div><br /></div><div>Sunny</div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div></div>Sunny Jewellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04858053356800381653noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5902122731112953445.post-79373691541419279562010-10-16T23:21:00.000-07:002010-10-17T10:16:37.800-07:00Our Court Date is Set!!!!!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikXO1KT7sUty45Twt3HDf5MQJRzsd8gd9WZNyyicn-vwc0fa4BehCiBElXlFk9lWuCx-Kytx3h3WDyDQ1FooudAiEzOCaG_ptd7qDmermxaI3uxBCLiscgJCxmKXrNuAP82hWLMpeTJ5jK/s1600/HPIM4271.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikXO1KT7sUty45Twt3HDf5MQJRzsd8gd9WZNyyicn-vwc0fa4BehCiBElXlFk9lWuCx-Kytx3h3WDyDQ1FooudAiEzOCaG_ptd7qDmermxaI3uxBCLiscgJCxmKXrNuAP82hWLMpeTJ5jK/s320/HPIM4271.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5529064496422864402" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE5-sBXtU-VQr54U0lDvdfwqgfOeODK4ZvPT7O8nnnAe6Al2fEK2jhQUQ_RdnZFSd08C5q52uGI8RoPokokfnRH3KbrgNVlOTWsEPWsAH4BoLnQAvkwSke9lEgyIoUYAo2M7xownFe5zlS/s1600/HPIM4282.JPG"><img style="float:right; 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margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOVwJxZwyGgHniPzLJcYMdsc16WjfT30osJsbzW7XsA5cvGWUnqWGur6HB1wbiwg08vLFeE8_4dpyilrEFgd_uqrta33ecF1s5AVUlSBVDOiRaDY1_4Q9MHKFlM-fbqUJ2ZE9lEKq_PlY8/s320/HPIM4319.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5529062557568110210" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6TPRwIktjPdKL5dyF0U_MPm11UPcmc2bcdHIs9txqyUAZDz12ojLLX2R1bhQG1mi1htiKF0L_t7Vy9uOAoQ9B0NLfUFJE-dmtmIgGqkm3yVEZPoh_e9mpGQXZ0L-zprcoeOu4SjKY1wHZ/s1600/HPIM4322.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6TPRwIktjPdKL5dyF0U_MPm11UPcmc2bcdHIs9txqyUAZDz12ojLLX2R1bhQG1mi1htiKF0L_t7Vy9uOAoQ9B0NLfUFJE-dmtmIgGqkm3yVEZPoh_e9mpGQXZ0L-zprcoeOu4SjKY1wHZ/s320/HPIM4322.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5529062546174894578" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzMkE99HMmvV52U59gd-ckeyGegMkJ8rrR8IM1WHZPecR8yOM7uUGFtnAaEB08SCzZTcudqUOaDMbEmUx_KLjl75srP_VXPO5yi_pSGFekViGv9p1569WtP6bBURhuhSKE_YmCoDMEhOX7/s1600/HPIM4325.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzMkE99HMmvV52U59gd-ckeyGegMkJ8rrR8IM1WHZPecR8yOM7uUGFtnAaEB08SCzZTcudqUOaDMbEmUx_KLjl75srP_VXPO5yi_pSGFekViGv9p1569WtP6bBURhuhSKE_YmCoDMEhOX7/s320/HPIM4325.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5529062540999610946" /></a><br /><b>Friday, October 15, 2010 and Saturday, October 16 </b>- Guess who's coming to dinner? We are! Details in a moment. We started our Friday with breakfast with Moises <i>sans </i>Jamie. He did share with us that she arrived safely back in America without delivering her baby in the process - yea! Every day since we have arrived, we have had breakfast with either the Antenuccis and Sergei, just Moises or just Sergei. In his blog, Moises describes our daily breakfast as "Breakfast with the Jewells" and commented that this sounds like the name of a movie. I concur except our movie title would be "Breakfast with the Antenuccis" or "Breakfast with Moises and Sergei." <div><br /></div><div>In the afternoon, we met Moises and Sergei in the hotel lobby so Sergei could drive all four of us to the orphanage since he was going to help Moises with some translation. As we entered the lobby, he told us the good news that our court date is now set!! We will be at the local court with Sara on Monday, October 17. Our 10-day waiting period then begins on Tuesday and, sadly for me, Steve will then be free to leave. Boo-hoo!!!! When we arrived at the orphanage, Larisa was in the hall with Sara so we all hugged and talked. Larisa addressed Sergei and then he translated that Larisa wanted to have us three at her house for dinner on Saturday and Sergei as well. We were so honored that she would ask this!! We gladly accepted! Sara and Larisa then talked back and forth and Sergei translated that Sara was asking Larisa if she could come too and that Larisa had said no since she would not be allowed to leave campus at night to come to her home. Sara was her typical determined self and, with her impish smile, she continued to try to convince Larisa to include her. Then even we could understand Larisa's final reply, "Nyet, Tonya" which is "No, Tatyana." We then went to Sara's room to have our visiting time. She asked several questions about her school in America and when she would start. I picked up a calendar and showed her the date she would likely start at Lexington High with the next week ending in the long Thanksgiving weekend followed by three weeks of school and then two weeks off for Christmas. I think all the holidays from school were comforting to her because she seemed pleased. We did our usual talking, laughing, visiting with a friend or two as they came in and out and more snapping of photos. I have taken 305 photos already! <b>(See photos of Sara and me, then Summer and Sara and then two of Summer and Sara goofing around and already acting like sisters.)</b> When it was time to leave, we each did our usual l-o-n-g hugs with Sara and then walked back to the hotel acknowledging and wallowing in a heartwarming purr/hum that she does as she is getting her goodbye hug each day. Just another thing that lets us know that she truly feels loved when in our arms!</div><div><br /></div><div>On Saturday, we had breakfast with...<i>drum roll...</i>Moises and Sergei, our now constant companions whom we will deeply miss when they are no longer part of our daily lives! Breakfast will never be the same. Then we walked to the orphanage with Moises where we did our usual split to spend time with our respective daughters. Sara's friends again joined us as we looked through photos on my camera (these girls LOVE photographs - taking them and being in them) and just visiting and communicating in English and them mostly understanding enough words to get what we were saying. This time we were joined by Alainia, Sara's roommate, who has frequently been in class during our visiting time. She joined us three, Sara, Christina, Olga and Ola, whom I have grown so close to and will be adopted by her Myrtle Beach host family. <b>(See photo of, left to right, Alainia, Ola & Olga.) </b>These girls are a true joy and I completely understand why Sara doesn't want to part from them because I don't either!</div><div><br /></div><div>We returned to our room to have a Skype call arranged by my dear friend Cynthia Pate. It was a great call during which Summer also got to talk to one of her best buddies, Mollie. It is amazing that we can talk face to face with family and friends in America when we are 5,000+ miles away! We then met Sergei in the lobby and drove to Larisa's apartment where we met her always-smiling face outside of her building. She guided us up the four flights of stairs to her fourth floor apartment (again my thighs reminded me that they much prefer elevators!). We met her husband, Genna, and her adult daughter and son, Alina and Sasha. All three of them have the same infectious smile as Larisa! We felt SO welcomed and SO at home! The house had the sweet aroma of food and Larisa invited us into her kitchen. <b>(See photo of Larisa at the stove.) </b> Much to my surprise and pleasure, we were having homemade borscht, the trademark "soup" of Ukraine. I had read about and heard about borscht but, in our weeks here, I had yet to taste this infamous soup. It is a cabbage-like soup with a delicious broth and there was what they called homemade "mayonnaise" (looked like hollandaise sauce) to put in the soup. In the kitchen was a huge pot in which Larisa was cooking homemade vareniks (dumplings filled with mashed potatoes) and topped with carmelized onions. Anyone hungry yet??? <b>(See photo of Steve fake-eating an uncooked varenik.)</b> </div><div><br /></div><div>We then sat, we toasted our gathering <b>(see photo of Summer toasting with her juice), </b>we ate until truly stuffed, we laughed <b>(see photo of Larisa & Genna laughing) </b>and we talked with the help of our translator Sergei. We asked Larisa so many questions about Sara and learned more about her as a young child. She described her as shy but popular with the other girls, a good student with good grades and as someone who treats others with respect. She also described Sara as one of her very favorite students and said that it will be very difficult to see her go but that she also wants Sara to be a part of our family and to fulfill her dream of coming to America where Larisa knows she will have a good life. After dinner, Larisa brought her laptop to the table and showed us older and recent photos of Sara during her time at the orphanage. Then it was time to leave this special home of these special people. Sergei took one last picture of Larisa's family and our family. <b>(See two-family photo.) </b>I will never forget this night - because I am still full of vareniks at 2:00 pm the next day - but, more so, that I was so touched by Larisa's hospitality and her engaging and gracious family.</div><div><br /></div><div>Teaser: You know all about Sergei...but have you seen "The Sergei?" You will see "it" on the next blog entry so look <i>for the rest of the story</i>...</div><div><br /></div><div>Sunny</div>Sunny Jewellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04858053356800381653noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5902122731112953445.post-17690544083693836572010-10-15T23:42:00.000-07:002010-10-16T04:10:42.980-07:00Goodbye, Jamie! Hello, Christina!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHofj5Da0wwP8dSgVWCeF8yuvbk93zGh-4DITkDJdUYNT5Bfwmw-4x-J1zFffjRDWcYHP4jVSIalFf1mMw26qeGkm8fUyihBzZv_0fW9iRk0YgkCgTO1AmYdH-a7PE6R5ipHPvu-Vs3V-s/s1600/HPIM4241.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHofj5Da0wwP8dSgVWCeF8yuvbk93zGh-4DITkDJdUYNT5Bfwmw-4x-J1zFffjRDWcYHP4jVSIalFf1mMw26qeGkm8fUyihBzZv_0fW9iRk0YgkCgTO1AmYdH-a7PE6R5ipHPvu-Vs3V-s/s320/HPIM4241.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5528595560728254962" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinyxM9B9vZDLa1fbe1srPZ7URGdezs-ScqC0A4t0OhzELGZyMpiCzEV0pxQlF5SHtnXJttBdABfbiC4EZIpXwX3WIYzs6NAZrBbNsx3Zm2SJimjwSX2l4GUtFXKZmQh5nqrSevE3XXrH3Y/s1600/HPIM4248.JPG"><img style="float:right; 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margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-9Vqw7EEF4Sxda86_RFqOwS639EUP161M0_PyXV790KkXzZ4TBM5PeZpjogkMmuqt0EV14cpXsrLPo3K8wAc2FcfHSHVreZmpwmwEr21CN3n9JTjQ0i1vpPLAA1fD9Oq6h8bqPf5owZU6/s320/HPIM4261.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5528593640760213890" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjENaPAV2LOoGG8HvRLZghLMocLZfMjh_gtWRbxRKmjcqVchQqK1kcNY_louN3GTZ5prtLWmQ_jdAVSSkFuFHNRaPzSE-R_bDPKBJo2tFw1sdtQ0LwbXdtYE-s-MC73ust6TxjBhyBrbDlb/s1600/HPIM4262.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjENaPAV2LOoGG8HvRLZghLMocLZfMjh_gtWRbxRKmjcqVchQqK1kcNY_louN3GTZ5prtLWmQ_jdAVSSkFuFHNRaPzSE-R_bDPKBJo2tFw1sdtQ0LwbXdtYE-s-MC73ust6TxjBhyBrbDlb/s320/HPIM4262.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5528593634604144770" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVllRChI55QXIzE9O4FfnG39yrD2byQTevwoPA7bF002-EZjnlm39Y5yxS2pcku2ko5NMnHFIQ34aEhUXLRgT290cR_ihu35iy8F_eQu-gkiK82uffbSxPi9hsfnr49H_3geTOR9zlTrel/s1600/HPIM4264.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVllRChI55QXIzE9O4FfnG39yrD2byQTevwoPA7bF002-EZjnlm39Y5yxS2pcku2ko5NMnHFIQ34aEhUXLRgT290cR_ihu35iy8F_eQu-gkiK82uffbSxPi9hsfnr49H_3geTOR9zlTrel/s320/HPIM4264.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5528593629122512034" /></a><br /><b>Wednesday, October 13 AND Thursday, October 14 </b>- Wednesday was a sad day in Severodonetsk and yet a joyous one as well! Jamie Antenucci, the wife of the wonderful adoptive couple with whom we have been sharing this adoption journey, left to return to America today. Both parents are required to stay in Severodonetsk until the court date takes place which authorizes the adoption. Once this court takes place, one of the parents can leave if he/she has signed certain papers in advance with a notary signature (which is what Steve is going to do as well). Then the remaining parent has a 10-day waiting period and, at the end of that period, the adoption is complete. As I mentioned, Jamie is 7 1/2 months pregnant and needed to return to America but also wanted to return to their 4 other children (soon to be 6 children!). Their court date was on Tuesday. Thankfully, Moises has us to keep him company and Summer and I will have him to keep us company after Steve leaves. <b>(See photo of Jamie waving goodbye - boo hoo!!)</b><div><b><br /></b></div><div>After our last breakfast with Jamie on Wednesday morning, we went to the orphanage for our afternoon visit with Sara. She invited us to her room where we reminisced about her stay with us last December and January by looking through her two photo albums she assembled before leaving our home. Her close friends, Ola and Olga, came into the room shortly thereafter and quickly retrieved their own hosting photo albums for us to see. We all talked and laughed because Olga, who could be a comedienne, kept us in stitches because she knows a decent amount of English and just has that knack for wording her English in such a way that you just crack up!! And then...hello, Christina! Sara's best friend entered the room with a huge smile on her face, not uncommon for her, but this time her face had a certain glow that set THIS smile apart from others. She announced that she had just Skyped with her host family (in Mississippi, Summer 2010) and that they told her they are going to start the process to adopt her. She was beaming from this news! And, get this, they are also adopting her 2 brothers and her sister AND they already have 2 biological children! Wow! Are you in awe of this family or what?!?!? This is FANTASTIC news for Sara and for us because now ALL THREE of her closest friends will be coming to America - Christina, Olga (Atlanta) and Ola (Myrtle Beach)!!! YEA!!!!! And Olga had just told us, prior to Christina's arrival, that her Atlanta family is coming to Ukraine on November 17 to start her adoption process so she should be in America by Christmas! God has blessed this special group of friends!! <b>(See photo of - left to right - Christina, Olga, Ola and Sara - aren't they beautiful??) </b>Once we settled down from the excitement, we all played Uno. These girls LOVE Uno! In fact, when we hosted Sara, we played Uno virtually every single day and sometimes twice a day. <b>(See photo of Steve and Sara during Uno game followed by a close-up of my sweet Sara.) </b>And, by the way (teaser alert), Russian is not only their language, it is also a strategy!! Let's just say there was a lot of Russian going on between these girls that was obviously about the cards in their hands as they strategized how to best "get" Steve. Sara loved to do this while in America :-). Language barrier cheating - priceless!</div><div><br /></div><div>So...what do raw meat, pastries, army boots, deodorant and kitchen sinks have in common? We quickly found out when we three joined Sergei and Moises for a visit to "The Market," the shopping mecca of Severodonetsk. Now, when I say "mecca," don't think massive mall or street upon street of downtown boutique shopping. Think one-stop shopping for <i>anything</i> you might need - and get ready for the photo to prove it!! The guys had already been there and I think they wanted us to experience this spectacle of "sights, sounds and smells" with smells being first because we walked in the door and were surrounded by whole fish and raw meats of all kinds just sitting out on tables (NO refrigeration!). Just suffice it to say that Summer and I about lost our late morning breakfast thanks to the mixed smells of raw meat! And the sights didn't help either! <b>(See photo of woman proudly displaying her cow's head -</b> sorry, but it was too surreal not to share, and you do want to share in our FULL experience of Ukraine, right?) In this mammoth indoor section of The Market, there were rows and rows and rows of just about every kind of meat and every part of meat you could imagine. Thankfully, there were also rows of cheeses, flowers, pastries, etc. as well. <b>(See photo of Steve and Summer.) </b>Then Sergei led us to the outdoor section which I presumed to some tables, flea market style - but no!!! It was row after row after row of about 100+ small booths most with just enough room for the attendant to fit in with a seat. <b>(See photo of one booth that was so cluttered with goods that you can see the customer but can barely see the attendant through the small hole in the stock of goods.) </b>It felt like one of those outdoor mazes you pay to get in to figure out how to get out! If we wouldn't have had Sergei, we would still be there today lost in the labyrinth of booths. What an experience! And I can't decide if we should have felt like movie stars or criminals because we got LOTS and LOTS of looks and stares - or is it that we just have that American stamp on our faces?</div><div><br /></div><div>That afternoon, we visited Sara at the orphanage. Just before we entered the building, we came upon the unofficial mascots for the school - an unnamed cat and a tiny dog, fondly named Cujo by Moises, who both hang out at the front door. When I was first told of the name Moises had given this dog, I wondered why in the world this pitiful little pup who cowers when Summer approaches him would be nicknamed after the infamous and ferocious Cujo. I got to witness why! One day a big husky man walked out of the school and this pint-sized mutt took off and snapped at the heels of this large man baring his full set of teeth and barking madly like he was...Cujo! It was actually very funny to watch this small dog become ferocious with a huge man 25 times his size! <b>(See the photo of the meek and mild Kujo as Summer pets him and his front-door buddy - "the cat".) </b>We visited with Sara and had some good talks with her, especially considering we didn't have Olga to translate this day. One interesting note from our talk. Steve asked Sara what career she would like to have one day and she said she wants to be a translator. I love that! At the end of our visit, Sara had to go to class (they have a class at 5:00 pm following their 2-hour afternoon break) and she asked if we would like to see it and we said yes. She went down the hall and got a key (we weren't sure why) and we walked to the room. The key opened the door so apparently our little Sara has some type of authority/responsibility at the school. We snapped a photo of her sitting at her usual desk. <b>(See photo of Sara at her desk followed by a photo of her sitting at the teacher's desk at Steve's prompting - which she willingly did.) </b>Shortly thereafter, the kids, most of whom we knew, started coming in so we hugged her and left. Always a little sad for us to leave her there! But there will be more hugs tomorrow :-).</div><div><br /></div><div>Teaser for the next blog entry is...Guess who's coming to dinner? You'll find out soon and then you will know...<i>the rest of the story.</i>..</div><div><br /></div><div>Sunny</div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><br /></div><div> </div>Sunny Jewellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04858053356800381653noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5902122731112953445.post-83843735217720402642010-10-14T23:05:00.000-07:002010-10-15T04:02:15.326-07:00Bravo, Sara! Encore! Encore!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT59-N_Rv7HdqGMAvOh-PD0dJn5AKBTORa-uiuusG_9RAfmqGCb8zd_J2Rk7PUenlhNBXhisuyM6h1mAC_Z51lOCcjQeAYZqRD_291Sce6hnaCMdhWVA91tWkNQXe_0CxfKWTzb1deaHO0/s1600/HPIM4218.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT59-N_Rv7HdqGMAvOh-PD0dJn5AKBTORa-uiuusG_9RAfmqGCb8zd_J2Rk7PUenlhNBXhisuyM6h1mAC_Z51lOCcjQeAYZqRD_291Sce6hnaCMdhWVA91tWkNQXe_0CxfKWTzb1deaHO0/s320/HPIM4218.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5528217458136168402" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpMlpqsVMSeMTVqMmBL4QGMSc3mqc8CYb3R6NulOhCmnZJV-I6W411gEUdx8niER_rxFSX5PZrRhRAdcQBP85yGnmg8PQWvlQ08EQLR0KEo9vXELh3iuCqUWl9L-YZESWIHE_juEzT0Brh/s1600/HPIM4224.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpMlpqsVMSeMTVqMmBL4QGMSc3mqc8CYb3R6NulOhCmnZJV-I6W411gEUdx8niER_rxFSX5PZrRhRAdcQBP85yGnmg8PQWvlQ08EQLR0KEo9vXELh3iuCqUWl9L-YZESWIHE_juEzT0Brh/s320/HPIM4224.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5528216496706187586" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjQ0VeA9vCJdlofs1j6K9enAeG79Y_OG3qorqC5FSvNxKvEONcaTZE0L9Tmp5d-jcXS86Ohy5MkFw1speuA3p9Mj7GjJAHeZh5cU5vWc2iH75PSMjgx9mvkXpjE0feX_10gK6UMMhEbX9Y/s1600/HPIM4226.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjQ0VeA9vCJdlofs1j6K9enAeG79Y_OG3qorqC5FSvNxKvEONcaTZE0L9Tmp5d-jcXS86Ohy5MkFw1speuA3p9Mj7GjJAHeZh5cU5vWc2iH75PSMjgx9mvkXpjE0feX_10gK6UMMhEbX9Y/s320/HPIM4226.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5528216494675291330" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyRlEioRvxMkJabE93NsY4OpiJqbzLlPTOt7vP5n4qXFVRDRCbk6IXvlPJ_a-7P01cV_H864xYCjBujysGnT0cs5cXD5PH0q1HAzR290dFp8NpamRtMM3ff6HNjJVUsT20k0uARVT-qwMJ/s1600/HPIM4228.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyRlEioRvxMkJabE93NsY4OpiJqbzLlPTOt7vP5n4qXFVRDRCbk6IXvlPJ_a-7P01cV_H864xYCjBujysGnT0cs5cXD5PH0q1HAzR290dFp8NpamRtMM3ff6HNjJVUsT20k0uARVT-qwMJ/s320/HPIM4228.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5528216484748738834" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOZeJhbIA675M7cn2UOPxynuh4nkQBN7tOsZWcoOSiPQPc_kPRmEQOasqavUwEu406GTjQajVFgWfDPVYlb4INSmE-ouddvOBpofMbOIKEV1WFWoHBnVBNpxD1W1QljX3dIryaBTfTALEl/s1600/HPIM4230.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOZeJhbIA675M7cn2UOPxynuh4nkQBN7tOsZWcoOSiPQPc_kPRmEQOasqavUwEu406GTjQajVFgWfDPVYlb4INSmE-ouddvOBpofMbOIKEV1WFWoHBnVBNpxD1W1QljX3dIryaBTfTALEl/s320/HPIM4230.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5528216480097160210" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPPEnZVfU-kuwqLN1DTFbw5nJA1Rqfey-mJLlo7hv3nZkpeig6X4r63xoFiG1BDe12Y-4ctfxisjNGunx2REMIXCvYXJUW9drXhWhB5CSd2aJu5VUuutCzsf902lnZZNTEGdIkmDAvstqa/s1600/HPIM4235.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPPEnZVfU-kuwqLN1DTFbw5nJA1Rqfey-mJLlo7hv3nZkpeig6X4r63xoFiG1BDe12Y-4ctfxisjNGunx2REMIXCvYXJUW9drXhWhB5CSd2aJu5VUuutCzsf902lnZZNTEGdIkmDAvstqa/s320/HPIM4235.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5528216475812292386" /></a><br /><b>Wednesday, October 12 </b>- How DO you top the pinnacle of a surprise birthday party put on by Ukrainian teenagers at their orphanage including your big-hearted daughter-to-be?? Well, actually you can't but, if anything could, it would be going to see her dance in a big production at the old yet stately and beautiful community theater. A few days before, Sara had asked us if we would like to see her dance and we enthusiastically said yes!!! When we hosted Sara last December and January, we quickly learned how much she loves to dance. She had brought a journal with her that had several photos intermittently pasted on some pages and all of them were photos of her dancing or in a dance costume. We have now learned that the orphanage has dance classes but somehow several of the girls (perhaps those who excel in dance - and one would be our Sara :-) are in a dance group that allows them to dance outside of the orphanage in community performances. Today is one of those performances and we were so excited that we would get to see her dance in person on stage in a dance production. Well, at least I thought it was just a dance performance...<div><br /></div><div>We never quite figured out what the purpose of this event was but it was definitely an interesting experience. We met Larisa, Sara's teacher and pseudo-Mom, at the entrance to this grand theater. <i>Sidebar</i>: Sergei told us that this stately and column-laden theater was built while Ukraine was under Soviet rule which would explain its grandeur in the face of poverty. Larisa greeted us with her always-present and infectious smile. She led us up three l-o-n-g flights of stairs and we couldn't help but wonder where we were going. Larisa can only speak a limited number of English words but we trust and love her so we just followed her like obedient puppies. Once we reached the summit (ha!), we saw a roomful of young girls and teens rehearsing and following the instructions of a Russian-speaking woman whom we found out later is Sara's dance teacher. My eyes scanned the room and there, even more beautiful than yesterday, was Sara in her flowing costume looking like an angel gliding across the floor. She saw us but continued to concentrate on her steps but, as soon as there was a small break, she ran out into the stairwell landing and hugged us. </div><div><br /></div><div>When Sara returned to the rehearsal, Larisa led us back down the endless stairs to the theater where we discovered there were few seats remaining. Larisa then led us up MORE stairs to the balcony and, sadly, the door was locked. Back to the three l-o-n-g flights of stairs to the rehearsal room with my thighs screaming incredulously. Larisa got the teacher's attention and they went back and forth in Russian and then the teacher returned to the room, spoke to Sara and then Sara appeared with a key in her hand. Like a deer, she ran effortlessly and speedily down the stairs as we attempted to keep up with her. Forget that because we never saw her again until she was on stage. Larisa led us back up the stairs to the balcony and, thanks to Sara's invisible handiwork, the door was unlocked. I had now had my Stairmaster exercise for the day and plopped myself in a front and center balcony seat with Larisa, Steve and Summer. Whew!</div><div><br /></div><div>The show started and we were so ready to see Sara dance. But...hold the phone...after two hosts opened the show, there were official looking men on the stage speaking in Russian (with almost preacher-like motions). They spoke...and spoke...and spoke... then introduced another man wearing lots of medals on his suit jacket who then spoke...and spoke...and spoke with lots of projection and gesturing. He spoke so long that one of the other men had to walk up behind him and touch his arm. He continued to speak with great conviction and more gestures and finally closed as the other man was now tugging his arm. It was almost like a cartoon but then all was made clear when we found out he was a local politician. <i>Applause recedes.</i>.. Now let's get on with the dancing...but then more people came up and spoke Russian and introduced a series of other people who came up and received plaques and/or flowers. <i>Applause</i>...OK, NOW we will get on with the dancing...but out came a woman with a microphone who sang us a song in Russian and she sang it beautifully but apparently the tip about pulling the microphone away when you hit your high note isn't a custom here as we all cringed as her soprano voice about shattered our ear drums. <i>Applause</i>...OK, NOW we get on with the dancing...and another singer came out...<i>Applause</i>...OK, NOW we get on with the dancing...but a group of 6 women now came out to sing traditional Ukrainian music with an accordion player...<i>Applause.</i>..you get the picture. <b>(See photo of the 6 singers with their accordion player.)</b></div><div><br /></div><div>We are now wondering if we came to a dance show at all but, just about the time we are totally perplexed, Larisa motioned our attention to the stage and held up her camera so I knew to ready mine to capture the beauty and grace of my dancing angel. And then, FINALLY, there she was - just as beautiful and graceful as I anticipated as she floated across the stage with her dance group (which included two of her classmates at the orphanage, one of which is her best friend Christina). Although there were other dancers, I barely gave them a glance because all I could think about was this beautiful and talented Ukrainian girl is going to be my daughter!! This child who is gliding across this stage and who has risen far above her circumstances in life will soon become a part of our family and will return with us to make our home her home. God is great!!! I love my God who planned long ago that Sara would become part of our family. It gives me chills! It also brings me to happy tears as I watch this girl who willingly walked into an orphanage at 7 years old to make her life better and to make something of herself. What a gift she is and I thank my God that He chose us to love and shepherd this special child!</div><div><br /></div><div>Sara danced in three different dance routines and I couldn't keep my eyes off of her throughout every dance. As the house lights came up at the end of the show, there stood Sara among the finale dancers and I could see that she was looking at us in the balcony. I waved my arms in the air like an obsessed and proud Mom and could see a grin break out across her face - so I waved all the more! I wanted to yell, "Bravo, Sara! Encore! Encore!" but I restrained myself. (Note: Because the theater was so dark and the dances were dimly lit and we were in the balcony, few of my still photos turned out. Because my camera has video capability, I did capture a video of part of one of her dances.<b> </b>I made an attempt to add this video to my photos on this entry but it didn't work. Sorry! You will probably see a box at the bottom of this blog that resulted from my attempt that I don't think will work. If you see a box, you can try to play it but it looked like it didn't load to me. If it did, Sara dances primarily on the right side at the back of the line.)</div><div><br /></div><div>Afterwards, we went to the rehearsal area to congratulate and pick up Sara. Her dance teacher hugged us three saying obviously emotional words in Russian as she teared up. I imagine she is as sad to lose Sara as we are happy to bring her home. <b>(See photo of our family of four - <i>wink!</i> - with the dance teacher.) </b>We then left the theater with Larisa, Sara, Christina and her other friend from the orphanage - don't remember her name. As we left, we took a couple of pictures of the girls and of this striking theater. <b>(See photo of "the girls" as we left the theater followed by a photo of Sara in front of the theater building.) </b>We walked back to the orphanage with Larisa leaving us about halfway to walk home. We hugged and said our goodbyes at the orphanage entrance since it was now after the 5:00 end time for our visiting hours. </div><div><br /></div><div>That night we ate at what has to be THE nicest restaurant in this town! Our usual crowd, the three of us, the Antenuuci's and Sergei, ate delicious food at Eden - an ornately decorated restaurant with white statue-like carvings throughout, china and crystal glasses. The best part was our waitress' name was Tatyana! <b>(See photo of Tatyana and me.) </b>We laughed and talked and laughed and talked like we always do and enjoyed a fabulous meal. <b>(See photo of Summer that she took herself at the restaurant - too cute!)</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div>The next blog entry will address the following question: When playing cards, is Russian a language - or a strategy? Tune in tomorrow...f<i>or the rest of the story..</i>.</div><div><br /></div><div>Sunny</div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><br /></div><div> </div><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dwTFNR2TMAjg1F01q8PAEZFJWC-lYDJ_eaEGITtTQPI_vYV8SxDdxHGGz6GQPWWyw8CXHyyqMNxutKydOXw5g' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe>Sunny Jewellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04858053356800381653noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5902122731112953445.post-73801199947514665632010-10-14T01:10:00.000-07:002010-10-14T04:53:36.051-07:00"Happy Birthday To You, Happy Birthday To You..."<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDCH99QerIIvnUEKN3VFxITYV9GmXtxFWXxr3w9qTc0otXgfTalpPU6ZvqDoOq289GVjcE69ufL1Suhbqyx8HlpS4J1tUp2eUfDnNHFe4iezYfMXatzfTzuL_tmC6UYdoIQ6r1OA4Ybd6G/s1600/HPIM4145.JPG"><img style="float:right; 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margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC9bEwVb6ByLNF3cz2incPmmlVRUJi81_GO9d3L46D_wpOQ_25WjXrPkysxLpybvXEGpcoGkGKT6039T_sLfeibgIoY4iSU29FTVKyq3yDDCtt01JMOPHkdwTgbbYKrzy_40YQ5v54pQzT/s320/HPIM4199.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5527866638466954162" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju8jO3kno4eVynR61hSekMV3d055wOxJVmXB9pAxE5ERr8TWFUlMV6ShAG3ETm2ImisAisQv9B4pZtPSqP40mTBjY2Q33h7apW2HrC8CKuHZXFxqh4_Tw48De4HV7QxHgS1TT2cR4F6069/s1600/HPIM4202.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju8jO3kno4eVynR61hSekMV3d055wOxJVmXB9pAxE5ERr8TWFUlMV6ShAG3ETm2ImisAisQv9B4pZtPSqP40mTBjY2Q33h7apW2HrC8CKuHZXFxqh4_Tw48De4HV7QxHgS1TT2cR4F6069/s320/HPIM4202.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5527866628976221458" /></a><br /><b>Monday, October 11, 2010 </b>- How do you have the BEST BIRTHDAY EVER??? By being Steve Jewell celebrating his 51st birthday in Ukraine with his family and with his soon-to-be daughter who has a great big heart!! Steve's special day started with the usual free breakfast at the hotel restaurant which we again shared with the Antenucci's. (Sergei was running adoption errands.) And I just have to take a moment to thank God for blessing us with this wonderful couple with whom we have talked, laughed but most importantly with whom we have shared this adoption journey. Sergei told us that it is rare to have two adoptive families in Severodonetsk at the same time so we truly consider ourselves blessed to have been able to share this experience with them.<div><br /></div><div>To make our usual 3:00 to 5:00 pm visiting time with Sara at the orphanage, we left the hotel around 2:50 pm to take the 8 minute walk. As usual, we walked up the stairs to her third floor hall (no elevators there either - and still NO heat - BRRRRR!). As we entered the long hall, we saw kids at the opposite end of the hall near the recreation room. Sara was one of them and, instead of running down the hall to give us our daily hug-greeting, she turned into the recreation room - but that was no surprise because we have met in there several times. We walked on and, as we approached the series of recreation room windows, we could see about 15 girls and boys lined up against the wall with Sara in the center. <b>(See photo of kids lined up on wall - sadly Sara is hidden by someone.) </b>A little birdie (with red hair - wink!) had already told me she wanted to do something for Steve's birthday so I stepped back and let Steve enter first. In unison, their voices burst forth in English singing "Happy birthday to you, Happy birthday to you (and here is the America's Funniest Videos part), Happy birthday dear ... a mumbled murmur, then a split second of silence, then laughter from all present and then..."Happy Birthday to you!" Too hilarious and too sweet! I guess they forgot to practice his name. They had also put up balloons and one of the girls, adorable Ola, had drawn a beautiful poster that was up on the wall. <b>(See photo of Steve with Ola's "Happy Birthday" poster.) </b></div><div><br /></div><div><b></b>Then, Sara asked us to sit on a sofa in the room as eight girls took positions in the room, including Sara (who was right in front of us, by design I am sure). They danced two routines for us and I snapped MANY pictures of Sara like any good momma would do :-). <b>(See photo of Sara dancing - one of her many talents.) </b>Then Sara pulled up a bench in front of us and sat down with a guitar (yet another talent) along with three of her friends and touched us deeply with a beautiful song sung in Russian. <b>(See photo of, left to right, Alainia, Christina, Sara & Nastya.) </b>Then we were entertained by two couples doing traditional ballroom dancing. <b>(See photo of Christina dancing with partner.) </b>This was the conclusion of Sara's gift to Steve and, afterwards, there was a hug-fest with not only Sara but with the many participants. <b>(See photo of Steve and Sara - priceless!) </b>After the hugs, we were SO touched by Sara's wonderful teacher, Larisa, who gave Steve a gift followed by several children who came in with small gifts of their own for Steve and even one for me, a beautiful bead bracelet made by Nastya. These children have very little of their own things since clothes, shoes, etc. are shared among the children so gifts of personal items are truly from a place of love. <b>(See photo of Larisa, Steve and these selfless children.) </b>Gifts to us from orphans who have so little! Amazing...and oh so touching!!</div><div><br /></div><div>After what Steve described as "The Best Birthday Party EVER," alternating groups of the kids enjoyed playing with "Photo Booth" on our computer. They were gathered in a big circle around Sara as she held the computer looking at some of her poses from her stay with us last Christmas and then they all began posing, making faces and doing all kinds of distortions to their own faces and snapping photos. <b>(See the three photos of various kids playing on Photo Booth.) </b>Once they broke from playing with the computer, I took a breathtaking photo of the beautiful best friends, Sara and Christina. <b>(See the close-up of the two of them.) </b>I understand why Steve said this was his best birthday party ever because these children gave of themselves to recognize his birthday. They honored him with their time and talents and he was beyond touched!</div><div><br /></div><div>After this memorable birthday celebration, we went to dinner with the Antenucci's and Sergei at a wonderful restaurant named Istanbulista. It is a cafe-like restaurant that is owned by a Turkish couple, Sirhan and his wife (didn't catch her name). When we entered, our first impression was that of an American Internet cafe that also had a big screen TV with music videos. But then effusive and incredibly likable Sirhan comes to the table, greets you with his self-taught English and asks what type of food you like and then suggests a dish that you may like. He made a suggestion and we all ordered it, except Summer for whom he brought a grilled chicken breast with french fries. Personal customer service at a Ukrainian restaurant that felt like an America restaurant where the owner is also the waiter who speaks Turkish, Russian and English - again, priceless! The Antenucci's had surprised Steve with a birthday cake before we left the hotel so Sirhan brought that out and we all enjoyed a slice, including Jamie and Steve who had ALSO ordered other desserts. Jamie is feeding two (remember she is pregnant) and Steve...well, it was his birthday after all!!! What a GREAT day this was!</div><div><br /></div><div>Teaser - how do you top the pinnacle of a surprise birthday party put on by your big-hearted daughter-to-be and her big-hearted friends at their orphanage? Tune in for the next blog entry...for the rest of the story...and Happy Birthday, Hubby!! I love you!!!!!!!!!!!</div><div><br /></div><div>Sunny</div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b><div><br /></div><div> </div></div>Sunny Jewellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04858053356800381653noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5902122731112953445.post-50743438334215965172010-10-12T22:24:00.000-07:002010-10-13T03:56:12.771-07:00Love in Lisichansk - Hugs, Kisses and Tears<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj28kTiYgEwbGwOs0uS6B61_uUo6YcUyohhhtkr_Ym2cBM44cTLrfCAXkMWNoRnluDnFEHRqKQKPFAu_pTtpHvKc0AgYO4fGW2AB6-nVrMmJeRaaxDhwYp62aWoQEQCzIQQzgeK4CZD4ybO/s1600/HPIM4144.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj28kTiYgEwbGwOs0uS6B61_uUo6YcUyohhhtkr_Ym2cBM44cTLrfCAXkMWNoRnluDnFEHRqKQKPFAu_pTtpHvKc0AgYO4fGW2AB6-nVrMmJeRaaxDhwYp62aWoQEQCzIQQzgeK4CZD4ybO/s320/HPIM4144.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5527479922525898482" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgioBBLQwulhnqkkaB01GKD6RJS_kpNK4dxAZ_NzIuThGSQp8hOyO4i_qeySvA_9GJXnope5JEp5fGzqgkNgdFrJDnwvT7uvNI-vj9kcSJ4nlJzJY3h5SIFcnlFzYAMNzJTevkvKTCVP5UG/s1600/HPIM4082.JPG"><img style="float:right; 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margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim8sLbtXTO03nX5vq3v_D95edWfDbC9HC-MezAKlAC-rSnEiPNba98-CR0cphtdXbFc2qK-pOnOH2HRzBcHls1WZd8cEKS1ecbTJC2JVZEfabO6RglJN1zTG435b38PVdc3mXJDXOMbbcG/s320/HPIM4139.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5527477947274681490" /></a><br /><div><b>NOTE: </b> If you did not yet read my last blog entry entitled "Sara Smiles" about the pizza party we did for the kids of the orphanage, please read that one first which is now below this entry. I happened to post two blogs in one day which forced the other one to below this one. Sorry! I am trying to catch up!!</div><div><br /></div><i>Today is the day we meet Sara's infamous grandmother!</i> During our December through January hosting of Sara, she spoke of her grandmother often and was radiant and misty-eyed when she did. I think her grandmother was and continues to be her rock. She is the woman who was like a mother to Sara in the physical and emotional absence of her own mother. In fact, Sara's ONLY hesitations about coming to America were #1 grandmother and #2 her friends. And, as a side note, I have to say that Sara has amazing friends whom we will miss very, very, very much. They, along with Larisa, have been her family since she entered the orphanage at 7 years old.<div><br /></div><div>Before Sergei took us to pick Sara up, we had a late breakfast at 10:00 am and a little later went to the AM Store (pronounced as "am," not "a.m." and one of my favorite places to go because it feels very much like my second home, Walmart - ha!) because Steve had a great idea for a gift for Sara and because we understood from Sergei that it is customary to take some kind of gift, most often food like a cake, when you visit someone's home. Pursuing Steve's great idea, we first went to the electronics store (which is HIGH security let me tell you - two security men in dark suits with walkie talkies and looking very stern as they look every entering customer up and down). We bought Sara a digital camera so she can take keepsake photos of her grandmother and her friends to put in empty frames I have already placed in her room back home. We then went to the bakery in the grocery area and bought grandmother an eye-catching cake as well. Then it was off to the orphanage to pick up Sara and Yanna who is the orphanage's attorney since a representative of the orphanage was required to accompany us on this out-of-town trip. Yanna is a smiling, elegant blonde beauty and I enjoyed helping her practice her basic English vocabulary during the trip to Lisichansk with all my questions about her life.</div><div><br /></div><div>Before I describe our amazing visit with grandmother, I wanted to share with you an interesting fact about Ukraine that relates to the grandmother. When the Soviet Union ruled Ukraine, they wanted to provide this relatively poor country with housing for everyone. They then built scores of what we would describe as apartment buildings all throughout the country, including Severodonetsk and Lisichansk. So, when you drive through Ukraine, you see these buildings everywhere with one after another after another. This is where the vast majority of Ukrainians live and these buildings have now become quite old and are mostly in disrepair with little exterior maintenance including the "yard," if you can call it that. In fact, the hotel we are staying at in Severodonetsk, Hotel Mir, is the nicest hotel in the town but our view from our window is a series of these buildings. <b>(See photo of the building right across the street from our room.) </b>I am sure this photo doesn't accurately capture the condition of these buildings but you get the idea - and there are no elevators, just as we have no elevators at our hotel for our 6 giant suitcases! Just know that this would be your home if you lived in Ukraine.</div><div><br /></div><div>On our drive through Lisichansk, we again saw these buildings and, sure enough, grandmother lived in one of them. She was standing outside in the drizzle near the street wearing her coat and scarf and Sara ran out of the car to her arms. Her son, Sara's uncle who is also named Sergei, was there as well. We walked to the back of the building and walked up the stairs to her second floor apartment (which this 75-year-old woman has to descend and climb each time she leaves). Upon entering the apartment, I felt like I was at my Great-Aunt Lillian's house in Charleston with old hutches and cabinets topped with lace and decorated with items that, in America, would probably be quite valuable as antiques. Grandmother invited us in and asked us to hang our coats and take off our shoes - good thing I wore my best socks - just kidding! Grandmother hugged us all but gave extra hugs to Sara and special attention to Summer all while speaking Russian words we couldn't understand but hugs and touches that spoke volumes. She also acknowledged all of our red hair. After looking around the quaint living room that was like a living history, we began taking pictures of Sara with her relatives, with all of us, etc. <b>(See photo of Sara and her grandmother and photo of Sara, grandmother, Uncle Sergei and us three.) </b></div><div><br /></div><div>Then Grandmother took out old photos for Sara and us to see. They included adorable pictures of Sara as a child and also included photos of Sara's sister and her child (Sara is an aunt!) and one of her two brothers. My understanding from Sara is that she rarely sees her sister and never sees her brothers because they both took a wrong turn in life. Then Grandmother announced that she was serving us lunch and, before you knew it, a table was placed in the center of the living room with enough chairs for us all. <b>(See Sara setting the table.) </b>The table was set and we were all seated and enjoyed boiled & seasoned potatoes (yummy), what was described to me as vegetable caviar (I have no idea what it was but I ate it so as not to insult Grandmother), bread and homemade pickles (which did not taste like American pickles but I dreamed that they did so I could get them down so as not to insult Grandmother), hot tea (which I didn't drink because we were advised NOT to drink the water in Ukraine) and our AM store cake (delicious). Lunch was served around 1:30 pm and we had just had a huge breakfast at 10:00 am so I think all 3 of us did the best we could to eat the food placed in front of us. BUT - THIS is why you don't eat a big breakfast before you go to Grandma's house!! Most of us probably have or have had grandmas that insist on feeding you when you come over - whether you are hungry or not! We were NOT hungry - but we ate!</div><div><br /></div><div>During lunch, Grandmother shared a lot about Sara's early years before going to the orphanage. Our facilitator/translator Sergei had to translate it all and it had to have been difficult for him to do because she was blatantly honest about Sara's mother, her choices in life, etc. To preserve Sara's privacy, I will not get into the details but will simply say that, at 7 years old, Sara ASKED to be taken to the orphanage! I cannot imagine how difficult this was for Sara to listen to as her Grandmother shared this with us but I think her Grandmother wanted us to know about Sara's background and experiences since she will soon be our daughter. Sara was brought to tears and left the room for a short time. I already love Sara but my respect and compassion for her grew exponentially during this lunch. And tremendous kudos to Steve! He asked Grandmother and Uncle Sergei for their blessings for us to bring Sara into our family and we indeed receive their blessings. But...we fully understand that we cannot fully comprehend how difficult this must be for them to agree to have their obviously revered granddaughter and niece taken to America. I know that they know this is best for her and that they are putting themselves aside for what is in her best interest. I am so in awe of their sacrificial love for Sara!!! Before we donned our coats and shoes, Sara gave her grandmother a recent photo of herself. Grandmother asked that she place it on top of her hutch. <b>(See photo of Sara with her long hair flowing - beautiful!) </b>We all walked down the stairs to the outside and took more photos of the emotional goodbye. It was a special visit that I will never forget!!</div><div><br /></div><div>Sergei drove us back to the orphanage and we went in with Sara for our afternoon visit. We had a GREAT time playing Uno with Sara and some of her closest friends whom we have already grown to love, Christina (light blue jacket), Ola (black jacket) and Olga (dark blue shirt). (FYI, Ola and Olga were also hosted in America when we hosted Sara and are also being adopted by host families. Olga will be in Atlanta and Ola will be in Myrtle Beach - yea!!) We played cards, laughed and took LOTS of photos! <b>(See the silly & fun girl photos and the daughter-to-be/proud parent photos.)</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div>And my teaser for this blog won't be as mysterious as usual but will be a joy to read when you get it because someone in this family had a "TOP FIVE Greatest Experiences Ever" moment. So, my question is this, "How do you have the BEST birthday ever?!?!?!?!?"...read the next blog <i>for the rest of the amazing story...</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div>Sunny</div>Sunny Jewellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04858053356800381653noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5902122731112953445.post-88656174716617243152010-10-12T10:35:00.000-07:002010-10-12T13:25:30.491-07:00Sara Smiles :-)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDAdJ_NUIN8lpAHlcqhvNbGs1hNPQ8BEv0Fv34wJ0W5cQuqtbhnOkqiF5Hx-LmGMVqqu-mAJic1mCH54tA3SFTGmXpaKTJwPL7gKTU8goD45-dS-qyiSG5S_-jSiPZV2sf1lb-k7tq3Fao/s1600/HPIM4005.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDAdJ_NUIN8lpAHlcqhvNbGs1hNPQ8BEv0Fv34wJ0W5cQuqtbhnOkqiF5Hx-LmGMVqqu-mAJic1mCH54tA3SFTGmXpaKTJwPL7gKTU8goD45-dS-qyiSG5S_-jSiPZV2sf1lb-k7tq3Fao/s320/HPIM4005.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5527257481808309842" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL21PjvKFggMCIPdqXT0aoVhrCGv_-a7LundlFXRNxvqBVwyi77Ftf_85LAkOn-EFPQWkJT0l_CkgY7jFtDkzTim7zRQ-gplTD2tKpWZUNWU67yeX31Hp1lHVZ4YBytDwbbOm9UC334ULE/s1600/HPIM4006.JPG"><img style="float:right; 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margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_QvVrZWkNQEEO51T-I_3osfBYReTYHiIF2sA-FXHhOf65uBmhAZs6tXmRLsBl7sao1l6K2TOSptlUq7I-j1LU_jfBYC_xYBG2Eo86cXim1kMnsFpif2p22H0iVij9MwvbJC9yYSe0yO1m/s320/HPIM4071.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5527250800808938626" /></a><br /><b>Saturday, October 9 </b>- We had our laziest morning yet - and it was glorious! I actually woke up at 7:45 am - a rarity for me. We met Sergei for breakfast in the hotel restaurant at 10:00 am. I then returned to our room to heat up some water for my Cafe Francais, a supply of which I brought from America because it is my coffee of choice and because I am a Type A and that's what we do - tee hee! I opened up the sugar I bought the night before at a local store where I had asked a clerk where the sugar was located. She didn't speak English so I said the Russian word for sugar I had learned a few days ago. She walked me to where it was and I then purchased the sugar. This morning, following my usual routine, I added the usual amount of sugar to my usual amount of coffee and then took a most UNUSUAL sip. What in the world?!!? With a mouthful of coffee, I ran to the bathroom and spit it out realizing that apparently I did NOT ask the store clerk where the sugar was. <i>Teaser alert</i>: And this is why you don't pronounce Russian words you don't know how to pronounce because you too may end up with salt in your coffee!!!!<div><br /></div><div>We then met our fellow adoptive couple, the Antenuccis, in the hotel lobby and Sergei drove us to Brava, the local pizza place, where we were going to host 20 or so kids from Sara's and Julia's (Antenucci's daughter-to-be) classes at the orphanage. Instead, we ended up with 34 kids plus 8 adults so we had <i>quite</i> the pizza party - a roomful of teenagers, lots of Russian and only a little English. It was awesome! <b>(See photo of Steve, Summer and I with Sara followed by a photo of the chaperones, Larisa, Sara's teacher, and Irina on left, another teacher with Sara.) </b> I did have a very sweet moment with my sweet Sara. After I put my things down at a table, I noticed her standing nearby but not with any of her many friends who came. I walked over to her and asked if she was OK and she said yes. I then asked if she wanted to sit with her friends and she said no. Not sure what to say, I asked if she wanted to sit with us and she smiled and said yes. My heart swelled - and she sat with us - awww! <b>(See photo of Sara, Summer and me at table.)</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div>Sergei also sat with us so we got him to translate as we asked Sara some questions about coming to America. She told him she was very happy to be joining our family but admitted she is nervous about American high school especially going to such a large high school with the language barrier. She also expressed her sadness about leaving her grandmother who is the only relative with whom she has maintained a relationship and to whom she is very close. We discussed the possibility of taking Sara to visit her grandmother the next day. After eating, I gave Tatyana (old habits die hard), I mean Sara, my camera and she took SO many pictures of her many friends and we just wallowed in watching her joy as she snapped away. <b>(See four photos of friends and classmates. 1st photo - Sara with Christina & Alainia who are roommates & close friends; 2nd - Sara with other close friends; 3rd - Boys' table, boys sat together & girls sat together - too cute!; 4th - Girls' table).</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div>When the party was over, we walked outside and all posed for a huge group photo. <b>(See group photo - the four S's are on the right.) </b>We all walked back to the orphanage in a huge group that ended up breaking into smaller groups as we walked. <b>(See photo of Sara, Steve, me and boys Sara knows.) </b> It was SO much fun as we got to meet and laugh with some of the other kids as we walked. At one point, Sara and I were walking alone arm in arm. It was heartwarming! We had a great talk and the absolute best part of the talk was when she told me she was talking to her friends the other day about her family (us :-) and that, when she said something about me, she called me "Mom." :-), :-), :-)!!! It just doesn't get much better than that!!! Speaking of "moms", we also took a great picture of Sara's two Moms - me and Larisa. <b>(See photo of me, Sara and Larisa.)</b></div><div><br /></div><div>When we got back to the orphanage, we determined that we would try to visit Sara's grandmother tomorrow. Sergei said he would drive us and Sara said she would call her grandmother to confirm. Another goodbye hug-fest ensued but I especially enjoyed the extra long hug she gave Steve - and I could see he did too!! </div><div><br /></div><div>And the teaser for the next blog is...drum roll, please...why should you never eat a big breakfast before going to grandma's house??? Tune in tomorrow...<i>for the rest of the story</i>............... </div><div><br /></div><div>Sunny </div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div>Sunny Jewellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04858053356800381653noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5902122731112953445.post-80226518301247124882010-10-11T07:18:00.000-07:002010-10-11T09:04:39.035-07:00Steve, Sunny, Summer...and SARA!!!!!!!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDhtw5cvQ7mERR92D-HtsYzCn5_37YZW_C4QEmqeZpRhSwnY8nO-Yq8qJ2-dXX1AJzcWi5a7tc66RvyAu7yiBnnNEVRI0-QeedvYLeLjGfb8Gkw7q1t7oGHpJ8PCqoWtcqNKzCC_Lbpnlv/s1600/HPIM3986.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDhtw5cvQ7mERR92D-HtsYzCn5_37YZW_C4QEmqeZpRhSwnY8nO-Yq8qJ2-dXX1AJzcWi5a7tc66RvyAu7yiBnnNEVRI0-QeedvYLeLjGfb8Gkw7q1t7oGHpJ8PCqoWtcqNKzCC_Lbpnlv/s320/HPIM3986.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5526819810509861922" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhka5Ph-MFrJTv1SJwTZ6sKmhmL900vS8bIpsuyXvH6YU3Gv3Icq0inUbZ_N3xyRP9ebBVgOodFVo-nMElGSXjVIZJQbgsMQHkQ_zRjV3OtsscxCG9ooEfQ5Oyzu5iwWZkVpxC2mzda9Vb3/s1600/HPIM3988.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhka5Ph-MFrJTv1SJwTZ6sKmhmL900vS8bIpsuyXvH6YU3Gv3Icq0inUbZ_N3xyRP9ebBVgOodFVo-nMElGSXjVIZJQbgsMQHkQ_zRjV3OtsscxCG9ooEfQ5Oyzu5iwWZkVpxC2mzda9Vb3/s320/HPIM3988.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5526819802666388082" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH6Ay-4HB728z5AcUWEzPXkACJurQnntjkq7PaL6Wgs0VoNmSiCV86vds3NEiSqsUH-XTRuUzV_Nckl83vAiB6jHWbWMp-xDjU7wNDgqZaChf9JkJ7JwtkNy8PwCoAd1c16l76mc5ck9iq/s1600/HPIM3990.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH6Ay-4HB728z5AcUWEzPXkACJurQnntjkq7PaL6Wgs0VoNmSiCV86vds3NEiSqsUH-XTRuUzV_Nckl83vAiB6jHWbWMp-xDjU7wNDgqZaChf9JkJ7JwtkNy8PwCoAd1c16l76mc5ck9iq/s320/HPIM3990.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5526818713282421010" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtKawDLMCw9LFJ0rawBXhJXGlNOr4rvDgK1B-o3WQYU3V9MVoZxrCLgjSIa6W9rYDWzOY5dprXlAcb4MZwBGCixdQx4PbfpWXUV-3yFAM6KCLebm57vJhViN8e9G3RmJuv-xUGNYBbO952/s1600/HPIM3991.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtKawDLMCw9LFJ0rawBXhJXGlNOr4rvDgK1B-o3WQYU3V9MVoZxrCLgjSIa6W9rYDWzOY5dprXlAcb4MZwBGCixdQx4PbfpWXUV-3yFAM6KCLebm57vJhViN8e9G3RmJuv-xUGNYBbO952/s320/HPIM3991.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5526818711073736466" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYaV4ILIKnLnf3rAcyNabfeVOq-ovCEB8FzYaz2l96lkA9MjB7ZzMkkcvMCG_9Eb8pcTw9zzOogfkufFvuHHDjqXJ7ZEZhjz6fHV3EuIuQru_z3Sp6ce5IernPGEBi2t0KTZ2QKJK3S855/s1600/HPIM3993.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYaV4ILIKnLnf3rAcyNabfeVOq-ovCEB8FzYaz2l96lkA9MjB7ZzMkkcvMCG_9Eb8pcTw9zzOogfkufFvuHHDjqXJ7ZEZhjz6fHV3EuIuQru_z3Sp6ce5IernPGEBi2t0KTZ2QKJK3S855/s320/HPIM3993.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5526818702462591234" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu3rY5hUoTPIcaX3IaHidCNmo9P5hiCcSrypYXy9wjrwqDWnDfMCbkJYzDLansYzXeuRxq3BntgQRkfedYXVwWknrLltw4zb08hLqWiYVIdRbRaIX1ZtybBzZeuzN84YS1xfM5BIT2u7MQ/s1600/HPIM4001.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu3rY5hUoTPIcaX3IaHidCNmo9P5hiCcSrypYXy9wjrwqDWnDfMCbkJYzDLansYzXeuRxq3BntgQRkfedYXVwWknrLltw4zb08hLqWiYVIdRbRaIX1ZtybBzZeuzN84YS1xfM5BIT2u7MQ/s320/HPIM4001.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5526818696884777634" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikUYezMsNUVO0FaAHaZxswfBqjXOYwIIxtLEMygHutrpt46Z2j3upON5t6dPCA_Z90p-cXpzXR40oSfKyvDV1f-BW4W7jUNx7u5ir3NVkcdyiXRWVldqitwNKSc6H1W22ZRUOwENhxuRhx/s1600/HPIM4003.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikUYezMsNUVO0FaAHaZxswfBqjXOYwIIxtLEMygHutrpt46Z2j3upON5t6dPCA_Z90p-cXpzXR40oSfKyvDV1f-BW4W7jUNx7u5ir3NVkcdyiXRWVldqitwNKSc6H1W22ZRUOwENhxuRhx/s320/HPIM4003.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5526818690904244498" /></a><br />First, let me address the last teaser. There are two Russian words for greeting someone - Preevyet and Zdrastvweetye (phonetic spelling/pronunciation in English). During Tatyana's stay with us in America, Steve decided to learn the first one because it was just easier to say. He used it exclusively with Tatyana and continued to use it with everyone he greeted once we arrived in Ukraine which was 10 days ago. We were discussing the pronunciations of Russian words with Sergei and Steve was pronouncing some of the Russian words he knows. A woman walked by us and she said, "Zdrastvweetye." I asked Sergei about it and he said it is the more formal greeting for hello and should be used by adults to adults and that saying "Preevyet" is inappropriate and almost disrespectful because it is usually used with greeting children. So Steve will no longer be saying, "Hi" to adults and will now be doing his best to pronounce "Zdrastvweetye" as he greets them. You try it!<div><br /></div><div><b>Friday, October 8 - </b>We woke up early to drive with Sergei to a nearby town, Lisichansk, the town in which Sara was born (I will do my best to remember to type Sara but I may have a slip or two). He had to obtain her original birth certificate. Later, we again got to visit with our beloved Sara (good job, Sunny) at the orphanage. By the way, her orphanage is officially called the Severodonetsk Boarding School and I have to say they seem to have wonderful teachers and the kids we've met seem to be as happy as you can be in an orphanage. We had some wonderful private time with Sara today. <i>I had two favorite moments. </i>My first favorite moment came when she showed us an orphanage photo album and we got to see pictures of her throughout her years there. Arriving when she was 7 years old, there were pictures from about that age to about age 12. What an adorable little girl she was!! <b>(See photo of Sara holding the photo album followed by a close-up of the photo she is showing.) </b>We then took some photos of ourselves. <b>(See photo of Steve with his 2 girls followed by the a photo of the 3 redheads.) </b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div>Sara (wow, I am doing good) then took us on a tour of the school. We passed a room where our new friends (the fellow adoptive couple) were visiting with their daughter-to-be, Julia. <b>(See photo of Jamie and Moises with Julia.) </b>It has been SO cool getting to share this experience with another couple who know all about the emotions and joy we are having. After visiting with them for a little while, Sara then started our tour of the still chilly building. (Sergei told us that the government controls when the gas can be turned on for the entire town. Some homes will use space heaters in the meantime but the orphanage heat is operated only by gas.) We got to see the dining hall on our tour and Tatyana - oops! - Sara showed us where she sits for all her meals. Then she showed us some of her classrooms and where they do their equivalent of physical education. Then came my second favorite moment of our time with Sara. We walked by a wall of 20 photos of children in the orphanage. It is a display that recognizes the top 20 kids in the school (so we were told) and there amongst the faces was our lovely smart and talented Sara! <b>(See photo of Sara holding her guitar.) </b>For those of you who don't know, Sara is a very talented young lady who taught herself to play the guitar, writes lyrics and music for her own songs and she has a lovely singing voice as well. She performed one of her songs for us when we hosted her. And apparently, per "the wall," she is smart too - but I already knew that! It was time to leave after our tour and Sara walked us to the door and I took a beautiful photo of her there. <b>(See photo of Sara with the unofficial orphanage dog in the left corner who greets us everyday.) </b></div><div><br /></div><div>We returned to the hotel and ran into Sergei who told us that the preliminary papers/documents he submitted for us have already been approved by the SDA (adoption authority) and that now we just wait for Interpol clearance. It is Friday so we won't get that clearance until early next week because offices are closed on Saturday and Sunday. We went to dinner with Sergei, Jamie and Moises at a cool store they have here called the AM Store. It is a Walmart wanna-be but is actually several separate stores all under one roof including an electronics store, clothing and accessory shops and a grocery store. It also has a small cafeteria-style restaurant that has surprisingly delicious food so we enjoyed a quick and yummy dinner. We also bought a few items while there and <i>take note that I bought sugar </i>for my own coffee that I like to make in my room with bottled water - trying not to drink the local water which has been known to upset many an American tummy. This purchase will come back up in the next blog. </div><div><br /></div><div>Tomorrow is Saturday and the kids have no school so we have planned with the Antenuccis to have a pizza party for the kids in Sara's class and in Julia's class. Looking forward to that! And the closing teaser for today will be: Why should you NOT try to pronounce Russian words that you are not sure how to pronounce? Tune in to the next blog <i>for the rest of the unpleasant story!!</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div>Sunny (Sara's soon-to-be Mom :-)</div>Sunny Jewellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04858053356800381653noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5902122731112953445.post-20093217172708767892010-10-10T22:44:00.000-07:002010-10-11T03:03:18.859-07:00And Now for "The Big Surprise"...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhokBxMhxMhKmYfpYH3lWqPO0vQxGfGgupreHrtc15e0PcqUbyP3QKxfGsYjJFaxZwQllnfk7fEmnA53inCnIJX8kjp7fwjtMs4EPCZPQPzkgIgoIltaptty-IA7PDIa0In1Swqs4vgaN1E/s1600/HPIM3964.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhokBxMhxMhKmYfpYH3lWqPO0vQxGfGgupreHrtc15e0PcqUbyP3QKxfGsYjJFaxZwQllnfk7fEmnA53inCnIJX8kjp7fwjtMs4EPCZPQPzkgIgoIltaptty-IA7PDIa0In1Swqs4vgaN1E/s320/HPIM3964.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5526725898821499138" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt-g5u5C2AGWbWODppzZYqsFuhEbGrJWtrQDKaTRs8J7058XzqKFahSki9jEuVjl5uw7jzq5mRRHeR3oYyEmpzXA0Ps26OisVsNl8Xkg1zQmSCxHvT3tEGsUM78N3tb3hentS0j1HKhrbe/s1600/HPIM3965.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt-g5u5C2AGWbWODppzZYqsFuhEbGrJWtrQDKaTRs8J7058XzqKFahSki9jEuVjl5uw7jzq5mRRHeR3oYyEmpzXA0Ps26OisVsNl8Xkg1zQmSCxHvT3tEGsUM78N3tb3hentS0j1HKhrbe/s320/HPIM3965.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5526725893722324898" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9y0hdcsGuwjc5QVVWU6Pi5cEV2OOgrnStoOwZw0L03uyLTYZLFDAcX8MlpNXq48YB5vV7LB-BaC78i-yqcIc0KjSNAePsRgJtCaf0axMiQku-ofKL1Y4h0KOW369QKKsRsOIBUlE6uKwG/s1600/HPIM3968.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9y0hdcsGuwjc5QVVWU6Pi5cEV2OOgrnStoOwZw0L03uyLTYZLFDAcX8MlpNXq48YB5vV7LB-BaC78i-yqcIc0KjSNAePsRgJtCaf0axMiQku-ofKL1Y4h0KOW369QKKsRsOIBUlE6uKwG/s320/HPIM3968.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5526725890530232178" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL2CAOzPfleEhMSR6wHOJ9-uKyE4Jb62gQVrT5zJ-ApqTRCmfpwNuREJdBm9xo7wbP6mRkFE8Hs8VvII4F_FVmAvm1msSOP-p5bcvue959g__EHoKvNA1LQTDW3InIu7HsS1sANf-vWHA_/s1600/HPIM3967.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL2CAOzPfleEhMSR6wHOJ9-uKyE4Jb62gQVrT5zJ-ApqTRCmfpwNuREJdBm9xo7wbP6mRkFE8Hs8VvII4F_FVmAvm1msSOP-p5bcvue959g__EHoKvNA1LQTDW3InIu7HsS1sANf-vWHA_/s320/HPIM3967.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5526725876123309810" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghEXNkGbvZcqiopB9p6N6pRdN_j8ZkrNCBb1_k77tMKaYD-WHJ1Hc7chmI_8ZDfPdZ-ImXkle7IqgE9jzCTcXY44uJRTrQXUZSYkaONk7gsI0r2dd1Bimo87DEDBAqon24x63JGRwZGlEh/s1600/HPIM3971.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghEXNkGbvZcqiopB9p6N6pRdN_j8ZkrNCBb1_k77tMKaYD-WHJ1Hc7chmI_8ZDfPdZ-ImXkle7IqgE9jzCTcXY44uJRTrQXUZSYkaONk7gsI0r2dd1Bimo87DEDBAqon24x63JGRwZGlEh/s320/HPIM3971.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5526725873332646162" /></a><br />I hope you all got to read my last blog entry that was made on Game Day (Go Gamecocks!!). Steve was so excited about watching USC's victory over Alabama on the Internet that he was bursting with joy and did a "victory blog" that moved my entry to an "older post" section. If you did see it, this new entry will open right where it left off. If you didn't, you need to go the bottom of this entry and click "Older Post" twice to get to "The Big Day..." entry so today's post will make sense.<div><br /></div><div>After our hug-fest with Tatyana at our first meeting in the director's office, all of us remained giddy with reunion joy, including Tatyana. The deputy director asked us to sit down and began to talk and for several minutes it was challenging to listen to our interpreter because we couldn't stop looking at Tatyana nor could any of us remove our Cheshire cat smiles!! The director continued to share sage advice, positive comments about Tatyana and even acknowledged all the red hair in the room :-). Tatyana then returned to class and I am sure her attention span was nil for the rest of the day. The deputy director told us to return during visiting time (standard for all adoptive parents) from 3:00 to 5:00 pm. </div><div><br /></div><div>We went back to our hotel room high on the love that had filled that room once Tatyana entered. We had to wait for Sergei to run an adoption-related errand so Summer decided to respond to a great email she got from her 5th grade class. Her teacher, Mrs. Palen, was very excited about Summer's trip to Ukraine and she has been sharing these blog entries and photos with the class. She had decided to let the class come up with questions for Summer about her trip and Ukraine. This email had individual questions from just about every class member and Summer sat down and answered all of their questions about the weather here, the food, Tatyana, etc. <i>Hello, Mrs. Palen and everybody in the 5th grade class at Pleasant Hill Elementary! Summer really enjoyed receiving this email and responding to all your questions! </i><b>(See photo of Summer responding to the class email.)</b></div><div><br /></div><div>Sergei then returned to take us to a notary's office for signatures on some of our adoption papers. (Notaries in Ukraine are different because they actually receive training similar to lawyers and are about just as high on the legal totem pole.) I only share this errand with you because we waited and waited at this man's office. Once we got into his office, we understood why because he actually hand writes all of his notary certifications in a book. And this man was impeccably dressed and had an essence of class and power - like he stepped out of a "Godfather" movie. (<b>See photo of Sergei and "Don Corleone.") </b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div>Sergei then hurriedly drove us to the orphanage because we were now 45 minutes late. I knew Tatyana would be anxiously awaiting our arrival. We walked back into the dauntingly cold and dark building and followed the directions we'd been given to meet Tatyana. We walked up several flights of stairs and into her dormitory hall. We saw no one so we just started walking. As as walked, we looked into various open doors and saw mostly empty rooms but suddenly I looked in one and there was THE woman, Larisa, who made all of our Skype calls with Tatyana possible since her departure in January. This wonderful woman would take Tatyana to her home (and a couple of her other friends who had been hosted in America) and allow them to Skype with their host families. And now, here she was in person and no longer just a face on Skype! We instantly recognized each other and she said "Sunny!" in her beautiful Russian accent. She hugged all three of us as if we were family! She is a wonderful woman of great grace and charm and she describes her love for Tatyana as that of a mother for a daughter. <b></b></div><div><br /></div><div>Our voices must have carried because I suddenly see a group of girls appear down the hall and out of the group runs Tatyana light a bolt of lightning. She hugged each of us with such great enthusiasm and joy! It felt SOOOOO good! We met two of her friends whom we have heard so much about, Christina and Olga. Christina is one of her two roommates. Larisa followed all of us to a recreation room where we took photos. <b>(See photo of, left to right, Olga, Larisa, Christina and Tatyana followed by a photo of Christina, Summer, Larisa, Tatyana and Steve.) </b> After this, we went to Tatyana's room and were alone with her. She showed us cards we had mailed her (yea, she actually got them!), framed photos of us on her nightstand and the bear we made her at Build-A-Bear in Columbia that has a voice recorder in it with our voices telling her we love her and which she had been telling us on Skype that she plays every night before she goes to bed - aw-w-w-w-w! <b>(See photo of Tatyana and Summer with bear.) </b> </div><div><br /></div><div>We then talked about her life in America, Lexington High School (she'll be in the 9th grade there) and then came "THE BIG SURPRISE..." I wanted to confirm one of our Skype conversations a few weeks ago during which we discussed what her name would be in America. When I first asked her, she said "My name in America, Tonya Jewell," which is her nickname in Ukraine. I said fine and to be thinking about a middle name as this is common in America. On our next Skype call, I kept calling her "Tonya" trying to get used to it when she suddenly looked at the camera and said, "Why Tonya?" I reminded her of our last Skype and she replied, "Say Tatyana." I was surprised but thought perhaps she had been stressing before that she wanted to be a "Jewell." During our next Skype, she announced she wanted her middle name to be "Sara" because she likes that name. I told her I loved it! I then said, "So, in America, your name will be "Tatyana Sara Jewell." She confirmed. During today's conversation in her room, I wanted to confirm one last time what her name will be in the U.S. and I said, "Your name in America - Tatyana Sara Jewell and we call you Tatyana. Yes?" She hesitated so I asked, "Would you rather be called Tonya?" She shyly smiled and after a moment said, "Sara." Surprised, I replied, "Sara?" She said yes. So, Sara it is!! Sara Jewell - and better yet, we are now Steve, Sunny, Summer and Sara!!!!!!!!! The Four S's. Love it!!!!!! I really can't help but think that was part of her thinking as well :-).</div><div><br /></div><div>A BIG Day indeed! And a BIG Surprise as well - albeit a very pleasant one! My next post will reveal why Steve stopped saying "Hi" to Ukrainians...so read the next blog <i>for the rest of the story.</i>.. </div><div><br /></div><div>Sunny</div>Sunny Jewellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04858053356800381653noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5902122731112953445.post-51935336557444399012010-10-09T16:16:00.000-07:002010-10-09T16:24:09.894-07:0035 - 21<div>Steve here,</div><div><br /></div>It is 2:16 am in Ukraine and I am sitting on the floor in an empty lobby and I just saw something amazing. I only saw about 1 in 20 plays due to the fact that I watched on a computer with a terrible wireless reception but I did get to see the last few seconds of SC defeating the #1 team in the nation. Please read the latest blog from Sunny below but I had to share my elation with someone, someway and this is the only way I know how...I am very happy!!!! Sorry Todd.<div><br /></div><div>Wow, what a week...</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Sunny Jewellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04858053356800381653noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5902122731112953445.post-20445214559663433392010-10-09T01:17:00.003-07:002010-10-09T12:08:04.167-07:00THE BIG DAY!!!!!!!!!!... and a Big Surprise!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx80n8IfdCOmX6Eb9F2Jt092sScoEjPjH9T3Z7QH5lUG9OIERkM-3pw3jrwQdITHzn8hvqkDAFkjCcH4fSVqloySgl3Kj_2unD0j7akbx7SxS46CNaMP8N8J1dIysWYRq2DK-HaKwbG-xT/s1600/HPIM3959.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx80n8IfdCOmX6Eb9F2Jt092sScoEjPjH9T3Z7QH5lUG9OIERkM-3pw3jrwQdITHzn8hvqkDAFkjCcH4fSVqloySgl3Kj_2unD0j7akbx7SxS46CNaMP8N8J1dIysWYRq2DK-HaKwbG-xT/s320/HPIM3959.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5526123053721269698" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEJJa9F0L6eZQW-us2m5_5w57tQmGRYPEqbIeNevSTsBmanqA1VpUmlNGDdbtjFekeKMy9SrzuzMjkmji4dtKiSOjFUWoeG1w-Nfh9d5ac6lA0uTfU5HNOd6gFvdWZ7vAsDIBf8Qu6xw9j/s1600/HPIM3962.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEJJa9F0L6eZQW-us2m5_5w57tQmGRYPEqbIeNevSTsBmanqA1VpUmlNGDdbtjFekeKMy9SrzuzMjkmji4dtKiSOjFUWoeG1w-Nfh9d5ac6lA0uTfU5HNOd6gFvdWZ7vAsDIBf8Qu6xw9j/s320/HPIM3962.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5526119718389302306" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTCY-4W40tLY5DwrH8fBpBgghQRphy5SGMrCbmJPis8Z0BO65f85qQcs_rAInxzKwYY8D5bfubzjxhzyuYzOX3Z1yo38Aya-xXClMewPmL-L8t2e06rJQivp10zP0K7NsZx9xNtzF5TgjJ/s1600/HPIM3955.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTCY-4W40tLY5DwrH8fBpBgghQRphy5SGMrCbmJPis8Z0BO65f85qQcs_rAInxzKwYY8D5bfubzjxhzyuYzOX3Z1yo38Aya-xXClMewPmL-L8t2e06rJQivp10zP0K7NsZx9xNtzF5TgjJ/s320/HPIM3955.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5526117599695537410" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeCVZyLMR2iWJLvKWl9Vto0t3zcNQKMcyHANUSxsaPcJm9fJu1914tpobzWo0Jn4M7ExsOhH_O9SzELDzvsQnxZNYFhmtiOpm5cGXJGfMRsl7sy8VZaaaeEHwpBxyF5glWJkuxWe4Ofkvo/s1600/HPIM3948.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeCVZyLMR2iWJLvKWl9Vto0t3zcNQKMcyHANUSxsaPcJm9fJu1914tpobzWo0Jn4M7ExsOhH_O9SzELDzvsQnxZNYFhmtiOpm5cGXJGfMRsl7sy8VZaaaeEHwpBxyF5glWJkuxWe4Ofkvo/s320/HPIM3948.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5526109960485945362" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjln_FRnjT0ycsdD_K2kF-Y2XpCE0Zg0fIJw-UWD2LCZEOFWPMvMXSmI9ntDEHC6P4cgQEHyb8icWiap6MpSRl-fnMFyiStNDuf3suoAy-pAxdk1ZENJlH0x6d1JK0kcVpkZw_r7aw93Zx3/s1600/HPIM3950.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjln_FRnjT0ycsdD_K2kF-Y2XpCE0Zg0fIJw-UWD2LCZEOFWPMvMXSmI9ntDEHC6P4cgQEHyb8icWiap6MpSRl-fnMFyiStNDuf3suoAy-pAxdk1ZENJlH0x6d1JK0kcVpkZw_r7aw93Zx3/s320/HPIM3950.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5526109953372710594" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZDOd7BoF-ClJjyfPWOpjC7arRCMgg6vszoamPIX8arrsSOom08A_274IDEnc8EgSHdzk03puBj0TZpwW0OwvtOrmU-oj1bC2xP1e_y2sHprWNhi8eIgTjSXWayP15XkURY7Zwlqjg0u7l/s1600/HPIM3951.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZDOd7BoF-ClJjyfPWOpjC7arRCMgg6vszoamPIX8arrsSOom08A_274IDEnc8EgSHdzk03puBj0TZpwW0OwvtOrmU-oj1bC2xP1e_y2sHprWNhi8eIgTjSXWayP15XkURY7Zwlqjg0u7l/s320/HPIM3951.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5526109920494051042" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMeqpdlYpopwTaJ-vhr1bQ3GQ718uhwzUw7WnF4WvMlK6pSZfx0TkCWfcmJwSmi04wMWat_atCZkRiLEtenSG4DhLAfP2eaq4dLaGOxA4nvU1yOL5ZPY1hdjJJm-2RC9TSpzQPD4BJFiiT/s1600/HPIM3953.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMeqpdlYpopwTaJ-vhr1bQ3GQ718uhwzUw7WnF4WvMlK6pSZfx0TkCWfcmJwSmi04wMWat_atCZkRiLEtenSG4DhLAfP2eaq4dLaGOxA4nvU1yOL5ZPY1hdjJJm-2RC9TSpzQPD4BJFiiT/s320/HPIM3953.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5526109893103342802" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPL9zV3W0PKITwUWqAzAq-HehZAVIeZa5AMJ2YBpkd7FZC_kwulFRK3mscVc2FxYTh726SmT6YCQF6W7I9ah-r0vILdyYj3LWl36kim15aqVmHnS2tpKtehaEY3VyxscvCHyL9prdpn4ln/s1600/HPIM3954.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPL9zV3W0PKITwUWqAzAq-HehZAVIeZa5AMJ2YBpkd7FZC_kwulFRK3mscVc2FxYTh726SmT6YCQF6W7I9ah-r0vILdyYj3LWl36kim15aqVmHnS2tpKtehaEY3VyxscvCHyL9prdpn4ln/s320/HPIM3954.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5526109887081182498" /></a><br /><b>THURSDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2010</b> is the day that Steve, Summer and I were FINALLY reunited with Tatyana!!! We woke up with palatable excitement that we would soon be leaving to see our precious Tatyana. Eating our free breakfast at the hotel was almost an annoyance but we needed to eat and, if we had to eat, we were most happy to share breakfast with Sergei and the other couple I mentioned before who are adopting from the same orphanage and are also staying at Hotel Mir, Jamie and Moises Antenucci. <b>(<i>NOTE: Due to a loading problem, the photos are out of order. </i> See photo of us with Sergei - </b>don't we look excited?!?<b>)</b>.<b> </b>After breakfast, Sergei drove the three of us to the Inspector's Office here in Severodonetsk. <b>(See photo of Summer and I at the entrance to the office.) </b> By the way, I forgot to mention in my last blog entry that we were pleasantly surprised by this town. We thought it would be very rural with very few places to eat or shop but it is a little larger and has more food and shopping options than we would have expected. Admittedly, we don't have a slew of restaurants to choose from and have found at least a few general stores, grocery stores, etc. but none of them are close to the hotel and we must have Sergei drive us, get a taxi or take a cold walk (and, yes, it is big enough to have taxis). People walk a LOT in this town and there are markedly less cars than we are accustomed to seeing on American streets, not to mention the number of stray cats and dogs. (My favorite was a stray dog that we saw actually cross the street at a crosswalk - ha!) And, yes, it continues to be cold here and looks like we are in for highs in the 40's next week.<div><br /></div><div>Anyway, back at the Inspector's Office, we entered the old, dark and very cold building and basically sat and watched Sergei hand the inspector papers, listened to the two of them talk in Russian, waited as papers were signed and then...TA DA, we were given our local referral allowing us to go to the orphanage, visit with Tatyana and proceed with the adoption process. The Hallelujah Chorus played in the background - well, at least it did in my head! We left to drive to the orphanage!!!! I will pause here to resolve the teaser at the end of the last blog because it is applicable to this Inspector's Office. The reason I may end up at the hospital before the end of this trip is because I keep tripping!!! For some reason, a lot of the doorways in Ukraine have raised doorsteps. There is a strip of raised wood or metal at the floor level of many doors and I have tripped over SO many of them that Summer now points down and says, "Mom, watch out for the step." And I hear this at virtually every doorway! </div><div><br /></div><div>As we drove the short distance to the orphanage, excitement definitely mounted! I felt giddy! We got out of the car <b>(See photo of Sergei, Steve and Summer in front of the school.) </b>We entered the school (another old, dark and very cold building), went to the Director's Office and chatted with her with Sergei's translations. She is actually the Deputy Director since the Director is on vacation but she was a fairly serious yet cautiously warm woman looking at us almost maternally but then speaking as a sage advisor telling us the importance of maintaining Tatyana's Ukrainian background and her Russian language. <i>Drum roll...</i>she then left to get Tatyana. The minutes felt like an eternity and I can't remember anything that was said during that time because I just kept staring at the door. Suddenly, <i>the knock heard round the world</i> was a rapid and excited pounding. The door flew open and Tatyana stepped in with THE biggest smile on her face...and the hug-fest began!! It literally took my breath away! Not only did each of us receive an enveloping hug, we each gave and received numerous hugs over and over. It was a surreal moment! Everything we have been working for and waiting for during the last 9 months became a reality with that knock on the door! It was an emotional and joyous and long-anticipated reunion! <b>(See the multiple photos of the hug-fest and the one that includes the Deputy Director.) </b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div>Well my emotions about this day have made me run a little long on this blog entry. I have more to share about this reunion day and more wonderful photos but will stop for now and follow-up as soon as I can with the rest. I am SO thankful for blogs that allow us to share this priceless adventure with all of you! Keep the comments and emails coming because they are VERY welcomed as we experience this amazing journey and immerse ourselves in Tatyana's world! And I know you are anxiously awaiting my teaser for the next entry <i>(Ha!) </i>and, sadly, it will be a disappointment for you because it will be the reveal of what "...and a Big Surprise" means in the title above...I love suspense, don't you???? </div><div><br /></div><div>Sunny</div>Sunny Jewellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04858053356800381653noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5902122731112953445.post-16708419199990409342010-10-08T03:53:00.000-07:002010-10-08T13:12:28.331-07:00Tatyana, Here We Come!!!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6Ln7zxK2a2z4AxvMoVsbPWEIv1nke4-bJPZVz6OzYTJrcLPu15uLb12u4VDI1fA9WmLcT5rJiLn2AGPc9HpSoSwOS20HfaJ8AKjU0X7c9vTtWsR95HW8tETi8FWMbzapBWBKjtGkWtmg/s1600/HPIM3933.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6Ln7zxK2a2z4AxvMoVsbPWEIv1nke4-bJPZVz6OzYTJrcLPu15uLb12u4VDI1fA9WmLcT5rJiLn2AGPc9HpSoSwOS20HfaJ8AKjU0X7c9vTtWsR95HW8tETi8FWMbzapBWBKjtGkWtmg/s320/HPIM3933.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5525769421360289378" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2TQASbDybt8pIayAOKx6Omd7HksA7T_I0fEwsusWeD98QJsx6JvAL8CfCa7laq69TuHcL2LA5mmxdi_CF0FFoWqnFpvKRDl-5bDPPXK6Mm-EfLOlkUdM-AnnXbIBr4srB4s3WnWPREQY/s1600/HPIM3931.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2TQASbDybt8pIayAOKx6Omd7HksA7T_I0fEwsusWeD98QJsx6JvAL8CfCa7laq69TuHcL2LA5mmxdi_CF0FFoWqnFpvKRDl-5bDPPXK6Mm-EfLOlkUdM-AnnXbIBr4srB4s3WnWPREQY/s320/HPIM3931.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5525769412910461346" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUDWHCRk5SCG5GwDgYwMxEdjKuTNHBdFCtUM_w8tfw_ayFHmtmW_TTXOdg0H1pwHG_SHv1EWDWypHrfflmsUFPXtGnPG3jxQd6rKoapWWd5oSKVbgoFNO7aZlVfNVQcphoeo3K_Tz4TRY/s1600/HPIM3936.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUDWHCRk5SCG5GwDgYwMxEdjKuTNHBdFCtUM_w8tfw_ayFHmtmW_TTXOdg0H1pwHG_SHv1EWDWypHrfflmsUFPXtGnPG3jxQd6rKoapWWd5oSKVbgoFNO7aZlVfNVQcphoeo3K_Tz4TRY/s320/HPIM3936.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5525769410491102450" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPHTv7H3Qyhh0XA41O6_F0VWLx4ifvbjY7Jv5aVbkWtXNviwunYEV0m6d-C_WF0BETXf6F91sAvAsoTH8ZNCE7pUzc5-8cGMoI5j6eH4lDuEQDvUTGLAfUQyvg3YoIueU1ZPsUJXfNdwE/s1600/HPIM3939.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPHTv7H3Qyhh0XA41O6_F0VWLx4ifvbjY7Jv5aVbkWtXNviwunYEV0m6d-C_WF0BETXf6F91sAvAsoTH8ZNCE7pUzc5-8cGMoI5j6eH4lDuEQDvUTGLAfUQyvg3YoIueU1ZPsUJXfNdwE/s320/HPIM3939.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5525769401212597954" /></a><br /><b>Wednesday, October 6 </b>- After a taxi ride to the Kiev airport, Steve, Summer and I arrived early enough that we could have lunch at the airport. We enjoyed some food, relaxed and had some laughs thanks to Summer. We ordered her a green apple, sliced, from a Russian-speaking waitress via lots of pseudo sign language. She returned with a green apple milkshake! More motioning finally resulted in an actual sliced green apple for which Summer found an interesting purpose. <b>(See photo of Summer followed by a photo of Steve and me "chillaxing".)</b> Then we flew from Kiev to the Donetsk Airport (nearest Severodonetsk) and, when we landed, we went straight from the plane to a bus which zipped us off to a terminal. As the bus approached the terminal, I saw the words "Donetsk" in big letters on the roof and thought this would make a good picture for Tatyana's scrapbook and for the blog since this is the only landing that really matters because it is the one that means we are close to Tatyana. I got off the bus, moved away from the crowd exiting the bus and stood alone in front of the terminal as I set up my photo. <i>Teaser alert</i>: This is when I apparently became a threat to national security because I was approached by a man in "uniform" who said in his Ukrainian English, "Stop please." He then came close to me and said, "Delete please." I said, "O.K." and closed the camera and went to put it in my purse when he said, "Delete <i>now,</i> please." I felt my stomach sink imagining myself being handcuffed and dragged to a dungeon somewhere never to be heard of again. I turned my camera back on as he stood over me and watched me delete the photo! Therefore, I have no photo to share of this pivotal airport sign but I did walk away from the encounter a free woman. Whew!<div><br /></div><div>Within moments of this horrifying moment, I saw a sign that said "Jewell" being held by a tall man with a heartwarming smile. It was Sergei, our Ukrainian facilitator/translator for our adoption papers and process in Severodonetsk. <b>(See photo of Sergei and his warm smile.) </b>He had driven 2 hours to get to us and would now be driving 2 more hours to get us to Tatyana's hometown. Sergei had a small sedan and we questioned if we could fit the 4 of us plus 6 large suitcases. Steve and Sergei used their puzzle mentality and somehow fit everything in but it also meant that the majority of the backseat would be suitcases leaving one seat for Steve and Summer to share - so she sat on his lap for two hours! <b>(See photo of Summer backdropped by 4 suitcases during a gas stop.) </b>Meanwhile, Sergei and I talked the two hours away. He is a fascinating guy born to two Russian parents who moved to Ukraine. By profession, he is a document translator but also serves as a facilitator and translator for 5 or 6 adoptive families each year. </div><div><br /></div><div>I can also tell you that our two-hour drive was quite sobering! We passed through some desolate parts of Ukraine including some <i>very</i> poor areas where people literally walked down the street with cows at their side. The houses were in very bad condition as were the roads which we literally had to slow the car down to a crawl to get through hundreds of small and large potholes. Just before arriving in Severodonetsk, we drove through a town called Lissychansk (spelling?) and Sergei told us that Tatyana's birth certificate showed that she was born here. Again, a very poor area of poorly constructed homes and roads. Shortly thereafter, Sergei got us situated at our hotel for our stay in Severodonetsk. He also went over what our next day would involve with the best news being that we would get to see Tatyana for the first time since she left our home in January. We have been living for this moment and now it will finally, finally happen!!!</div><div><br /></div><div>In closing, Steve would like to thank everyone for their emails and blog comments including condolences to him for the loss of his father on Tuesday. He has been so touched by the words of love and comfort from family and friends and he encourages everyone to continue to keep in touch with us throughout this adoption process. We LOVE getting blog comments and emails from home!! We check email and the blog multiple times a day!</div><div><br /></div><div>To find out why I may be in the hospital before this is all over, you will have to tune in tomorrow f<i>or the rest of the story...</i></div><div><div><br /></div><div> </div></div>Sunny Jewellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04858053356800381653noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5902122731112953445.post-20889045177330764452010-10-08T01:47:00.000-07:002010-10-08T03:08:16.694-07:00Talented Toaster, Patient Parents & Napoleon<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijWPyCqp0hjtMutY21SjZSmBqNjA4O7f9hU0iekala0PEfzlyFPw7cEUgMeKy6YGJxfBTrsi0Wb7eRdn4VQewyll8kUORCLIwBmpV0DtwNRAWR0ijf_zLrtJpFt7AqZLTqH-dqW4iyE0c/s1600/HPIM3914.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijWPyCqp0hjtMutY21SjZSmBqNjA4O7f9hU0iekala0PEfzlyFPw7cEUgMeKy6YGJxfBTrsi0Wb7eRdn4VQewyll8kUORCLIwBmpV0DtwNRAWR0ijf_zLrtJpFt7AqZLTqH-dqW4iyE0c/s320/HPIM3914.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5525612772448468658" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyvJMt5yGomj90eS70L6Hce1VJ8DDpj4pJS1ZNaKUmNvjiZ4Pc2tLj_XPejqrmmz-2UnwK7H-Ex4VhiZQVVFmPC05Gluqh3lyJljHqOMLAC3-sU0bY55gtY2fhyphenhyphenEzA2xvW-I2DaxthfsA/s1600/HPIM3915.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyvJMt5yGomj90eS70L6Hce1VJ8DDpj4pJS1ZNaKUmNvjiZ4Pc2tLj_XPejqrmmz-2UnwK7H-Ex4VhiZQVVFmPC05Gluqh3lyJljHqOMLAC3-sU0bY55gtY2fhyphenhyphenEzA2xvW-I2DaxthfsA/s320/HPIM3915.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5525612769699613682" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvoQ-dbGegJrVAjcDXJH8UAY33Hii0x_nb6Urm9g8Mft52LyRK5I2VL1IH2liE80u-SMtn6dKvN0VCCAVgegvL_Vz83dm40SFAFMuZwL5OwbpplP8VQifspHmczPhpYpi8e9dPRI6TuKo/s1600/HPIM3920.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvoQ-dbGegJrVAjcDXJH8UAY33Hii0x_nb6Urm9g8Mft52LyRK5I2VL1IH2liE80u-SMtn6dKvN0VCCAVgegvL_Vz83dm40SFAFMuZwL5OwbpplP8VQifspHmczPhpYpi8e9dPRI6TuKo/s320/HPIM3920.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5525612762089809746" /></a><br /><b>Tuesday, October 5 -</b> (The Jewells have been on the go since my last blog so I am playing some catch-up with this one. I should be able to stay on track from now on.) On Tuesday morning, we again enjoyed our hotel's complimentary breakfast buffet. Now that we have been here for four days, we have definitely figured out that the buffet is pretty much the exact same fare every day. Will I have my daily dose of cholesterol with two scrambled eggs <i>again </i>or get my cholesterol via the sausage in the shape and size of McDonald's fries? This is my daily struggle - ha! Actually, the food is very good -it is just the same food. However, I was enthralled today by a talented toaster (see teaser in last blog) which decided to entertain me out of my food boredom with fantastic feats. After my bread toasted, the toaster ejected (or should I say propelled) my toast into the air and down it came and landed right back in the same toaster slot. Cute! My stunt toast wasn't toasty enough so I put it in again and this time, when it was done, the toast shot up in the air and did a perfect flip landing on its side on the top of the toaster! Alright, where are the cameras???<div><br /></div><div>After relaxing in the hotel room for a while, we went downstairs to meet Alexey, Nastya's husband who is also a facilitator/translator for adopting couples. <b>(See photo of Alexey and his infectious smile.) </b>Using his taxi driver-like skills, Alexey weaved us in and out and through downtown traffic with nail-biting intensity and took us to the SDA (Ukrainian adoption authority) so we could receive our "referral" as adoptive parents. While we waited, we met several other American adoptive parents also getting their referrals. They were from Pennsylvania, Texas and even Rock Hill, South Carolina. It was a joy getting to speak English with everyone! The referral process was easy as they checked our passports, recorded some information, got our signatures and then handed us a one-inch thick set of documents to take to the authorities in Severodonetsk (Tatyana's hometown where we will go next).</div><div><br /></div><div>Afterwards, Alexey needed to run a quick nearby errand so we waited for him outside the SDA. As you may recall from a previous blog, the SDA is in the middle of downtown Kiev. While we waited, we strolled down the street in front of the SDA. It was a steep and winding cobblestone road with beautiful old buildings along it. <b>(See photo of Steve and Summer walking down this street.) </b> There was also one of Kiev's ornate churches under renovation at the top that street and, once downhill on the uphill street, I snapped a photo from below. <b>(See photo of church.) </b>It is impossible to capture the full beauty of the historic and grand churches of Kiev in a photo so imagine its up close beauty and grandeur in person!</div><div><br /></div><div>Alexey returned and took us to a restaurant where Steve and I had arranged a very special meeting. While still in America, I had learned of a couple who were already in Ukraine and who were in the process of adopting from the <i>same </i>orphanage in Severodonetsk at which Tatyana resides. They are Gina and Marty Adams. I began to read their adoption blog and loved it. I then emailed Gina because I had SOOO many questions about their experiences that we would soon be having ourselves. She was wonderful and SO responsive. She helped me more than she will ever know. (Thanks, Gina, and I hope you are enjoying my blog now that you are back in the States!) Long story short, Gina was my guiding light on the adoption process in Severodonetsk AND she was my direct connection to Tatyana since she visited the orphanage daily to see her soon-to-be son, Kolya (now named "Nick"). Through Gina, I found out that Nick and Tatyana are good friends. Then Gina the Great arranged a Skype call with me at the orphanage and had Nick bring Tatyana. I got to "meet" Gina, her husband Marty, Nick and then I got to see Tatyana's beautiful face and then tell her that we were coming to her orphanage in a few weeks! Her reaction - priceless! Then, once Gina returned to Kiev (as we all must do to get visas, physical exams, etc. for the kids), we met for dinner! How amazing it was to meet her in person after weeks of emails between the U.S. and Ukraine and Skype calls! And meeting Nick, one of Tatyana's friends, it just gave me chills!! The bad news is that I was SO excited about meeting and talking with them that I completely forgot to take pictures!!!! Boo-hoo! Oh, and the "Napoleon" in my blog title above was the scrumptious dessert we had that night. Layer after layer of a cream cheesy filling followed by a layer of Phyllo dough (or some kind of pastry) followed by more cream cheesiness followed by more gooey pastry. You get the delicious picture - although I missed taking a picture of that too!! </div><div><br /></div><div>It was a big day for us as we are now officially approved to go to the next level of adopting Tatyana in her hometown. Severodonetsk, here we come!! You will also learn in my next blog how Ukrainian security police viewed me as a possible threat to national security...so read the next entry <i>for the rest of the story!!!</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div>Sunny</div>Sunny Jewellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04858053356800381653noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5902122731112953445.post-63749808762067671882010-10-07T02:07:00.000-07:002010-10-07T02:31:21.455-07:00Dancing In HeavenHello everyone! Steve here, giving Sunny a short blog break. <div><br /></div><div>As Sunny has mentioned in a previous blog, my Dad went in the hospital last week, the day before we left. He apparently had several seizures that worsened his condition and he peacefully passed away Tuesday night. </div><div><br /></div><div>It is surreal being over here while all of this has happened and I am not going to be able to attend the funeral due to our schedule and the requirements of my presence at several legal meetings (honestly I am not sure from one meeting to the next who I am sitting in front of, I just nod and sign where they tell me). My family has been super supportive about my not being around during all of this and I am sure if Dad was able to give his two cents he would tell me to not think twice about me continuing on in this process. But still I find myself being distracted by the business at hand and even feeling great joy (we saw Tatyana this morning, Sunny will give details) and then remembering that Dad is gone and I will physically never see him again.</div><div><br /></div><div>It's ironic that within three weeks after we adopted Summer Dad had his stroke and I remember that combination of sadness and happiness. It is hard. But I know he is dancing in heaven and he feels healthy and I hope he is pulling an all nighter with his brothers and sisters and his Mom and Dad. </div><div><br /></div><div>Anyway, since I won't have a chance to say it publicly, I thought it might be appropriate to say on this blog how special he was. He was my teacher, my friend and I will never forget how I felt when he would hug me. I know he is proud of me and I will always love him. See ya Dad.</div><div><br /></div><div>Steve</div>Sunny Jewellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04858053356800381653noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5902122731112953445.post-63837191159645372232010-10-05T12:02:00.000-07:002010-10-05T12:57:06.252-07:00Our First Adoption Appointment!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPDihq3I_1cwCWasl3u7lDICbSkWWTYler5LkL5tqhFOa5_OgzU3uqVyVCDbT8OFrEOqgOGoSm0holHQMgPmP9nwVwYEaXFHCyUaHuYB020EOIi2Vf2agRoYUTwkguOg51uYv6LUwXPEA/s1600/HPIM3907.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPDihq3I_1cwCWasl3u7lDICbSkWWTYler5LkL5tqhFOa5_OgzU3uqVyVCDbT8OFrEOqgOGoSm0holHQMgPmP9nwVwYEaXFHCyUaHuYB020EOIi2Vf2agRoYUTwkguOg51uYv6LUwXPEA/s320/HPIM3907.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5524653236211374546" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0HfT8vP_WJ5YmdTutQvMPkPtL4F1osm9SZmCY-FDIZ5R46w25zIQRuJPO_4TVydEY940M9EF8tWiLll9Nm_GU574QFrb9YaG94DC96T7rnKWUJSVubDQbtcVqM4bgbQwCqxoGUPSav1A/s1600/HPIM3906.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0HfT8vP_WJ5YmdTutQvMPkPtL4F1osm9SZmCY-FDIZ5R46w25zIQRuJPO_4TVydEY940M9EF8tWiLll9Nm_GU574QFrb9YaG94DC96T7rnKWUJSVubDQbtcVqM4bgbQwCqxoGUPSav1A/s320/HPIM3906.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5524653229687379842" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjme3dobOYHKSYTQjoU7WWH5BJtJdvvohayBiu5zwh6gxa3YehoTHSYUYZJudN_lPg-qW1yv4X5T9cyvLV4UHRmxEOFe24nB6uaf6UEMhHTz7TFE13IJmbofFq0rsCP3V2xK8Wy-7N93og/s1600/HPIM3909.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjme3dobOYHKSYTQjoU7WWH5BJtJdvvohayBiu5zwh6gxa3YehoTHSYUYZJudN_lPg-qW1yv4X5T9cyvLV4UHRmxEOFe24nB6uaf6UEMhHTz7TFE13IJmbofFq0rsCP3V2xK8Wy-7N93og/s320/HPIM3909.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5524653220855655506" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZGJJTbANDE5d1DQ4zqUykeEnAP4lEQD55TxJDZs_d_O5RPJBN1PZ6B6KKSr4HYTfTucwL6iqhsFo_6Nccey26hVcLkDr18WKfgk6UJCjPDLqODr8mprPTsIZN8NOmWgIvDj3wXH9keQg/s1600/HPIM3910.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZGJJTbANDE5d1DQ4zqUykeEnAP4lEQD55TxJDZs_d_O5RPJBN1PZ6B6KKSr4HYTfTucwL6iqhsFo_6Nccey26hVcLkDr18WKfgk6UJCjPDLqODr8mprPTsIZN8NOmWgIvDj3wXH9keQg/s320/HPIM3910.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5524653217702447042" /></a><br />Monday, October 4, 2010 - a VERY important date for the Jewell family! This is the date that we waited to hear about since we first started on our adoption dossier for Tatyana back in February of this year. And, today, we entered the door of the SDA (Ukrainian adoption authority) to see the "file" on Tatyana and to officially accept her as a child we want to adopt. It was very exciting to learn a few things about her that we didn't know and one of those is that she is "flat-footed." Interesting thing to have in a file, huh? On Tuesday, we will return to this same office to actually receive our "referral" from their agency which is basically approval for us to proceed with the adoption process. <div><br /></div><div>Nastya accompanied us to this office and, after the appointment, she had to make copies of the papers they gave her. We waited for her outside the SDA office and, while we waited, we strolled through an adjacent tourist attraction called Andrew's Descent situated on a winding cobblestone street on a hill where artisans display their crafts and Ukrainian souvenirs. <b>(See photo of Steve and Summer amidst the booths.)</b> We again saw that all things American are popular in Ukraine as we perused these booths and had Russian-speaking vendors trying to entice us to their particular booths. Mixed in with the local nesting dolls, cross-stitchings, Russian hats, etc. were t-shirts, nesting dolls, mugs, etc. with photos of President Obama, Elvis, the Twilight stars and even "House" of the TV show of the same name. <b>(See photo of Summer standing next to the "House" astronaut - what?!?) </b> This is also where I saw a guitar selling for 230 hyrvnia and I bought it (see teaser in previous blog)! However, it was only a 5 inch hand-painted guitar and, in Ukrainian money (hyrvnia), it's sale price of $230 was only $25 in American dollars. It is a gift for Tatyana to put in her new room in America as a reminder of Ukraine. It was hand-painted at a renowned art school and is beautiful! Tatyana taught herself how to play the guitar and she played for us while at our home as she sang an original song of hers. I think she will love the guitar!</div><div><br /></div><div>After Nastya returned, she joined us for lunch and we got to ask her lots of questions about her interesting career as a translator and facilitator for adoptive families. She is only 30 years old and has been an integral part of bringing SO many families together and giving hope and futures to children in orphanages throughout Ukraine. <b> (See photo of Nastya and me.)</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div>It was a great day AND would you believe I was entertained by a talented toaster today? Be sure to read tomorrow...<i>for the rest of the story.</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div>Sunny</div><div><br /></div>Sunny Jewellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04858053356800381653noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5902122731112953445.post-72925959438861846652010-10-05T11:37:00.000-07:002010-10-05T12:00:41.982-07:00The Metro, Mall and A Meal<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhxxRMMfGux3EfM9l2EEZ49U53rvwJhbgX7YKrn_I-iZ2OJ-ZaG3UtY31Wuzhzkwdvg3IVWn5wY6dTI1uqAhV6AhVq1QBBZJHUM588teULAi6xP43CZN50BrAfz5AT5mK1Eks78c97F2Y/s1600/HPIM3902.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhxxRMMfGux3EfM9l2EEZ49U53rvwJhbgX7YKrn_I-iZ2OJ-ZaG3UtY31Wuzhzkwdvg3IVWn5wY6dTI1uqAhV6AhVq1QBBZJHUM588teULAi6xP43CZN50BrAfz5AT5mK1Eks78c97F2Y/s320/HPIM3902.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5524636716658094306" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5SMmfNapcdYU60WuqBKoVgzysnd-3oTxYzzXQobBglXHltZHAsG0erxctWxENxqmnVVtJDfHvDmZS4CyDUZNnPwyK48bFnYXCHkMmqIDJCUekV2SQqDPelfDKUz3oV6ZFWS-GPnzwKEM/s1600/HPIM3885.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5SMmfNapcdYU60WuqBKoVgzysnd-3oTxYzzXQobBglXHltZHAsG0erxctWxENxqmnVVtJDfHvDmZS4CyDUZNnPwyK48bFnYXCHkMmqIDJCUekV2SQqDPelfDKUz3oV6ZFWS-GPnzwKEM/s320/HPIM3885.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5524636706809424130" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdxNR3s0jM761Ix9_DJPJjkWujL1taRmQGbK5zlOEe2J3SBMwDDXwpnETUHThyphenhyphengKreYTabXM8_4SxMQ4Gvctwq0Wmlv4YbL7vSoK507oOP6Q7m8jjIotnBWPY08bf4iOb4bSDlDGVbm2A/s1600/HPIM3887.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdxNR3s0jM761Ix9_DJPJjkWujL1taRmQGbK5zlOEe2J3SBMwDDXwpnETUHThyphenhyphengKreYTabXM8_4SxMQ4Gvctwq0Wmlv4YbL7vSoK507oOP6Q7m8jjIotnBWPY08bf4iOb4bSDlDGVbm2A/s320/HPIM3887.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5524636705030934130" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7nCIrwCUh10SQeUVQdlIXHGHuz91kaQsxBX5N_FqMPC9ylB9MzcxI24glHFeNkDA2HSTMML-Tg0TlybnsNAmTLfWhkqQzEcaYKbDCZG0P2pIobPd5k0ogoZl5WNgL8qJuIZLLAf1O7cQ/s1600/HPIM3897.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7nCIrwCUh10SQeUVQdlIXHGHuz91kaQsxBX5N_FqMPC9ylB9MzcxI24glHFeNkDA2HSTMML-Tg0TlybnsNAmTLfWhkqQzEcaYKbDCZG0P2pIobPd5k0ogoZl5WNgL8qJuIZLLAf1O7cQ/s320/HPIM3897.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5524636700628679986" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik2q3MGuOcihFD2CcX16FFaNizz188gAeaCbbLjQGQotKvuJ8GnNB1cWswVNeyXg-fNcF4V-3hWgZB2euglW1WaX7sgo-eqRtEKl9LN4O7g8W-DWY4Mwvt8Uu_kps5gA0A5cN1zZiebzs/s1600/HPIM3903.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik2q3MGuOcihFD2CcX16FFaNizz188gAeaCbbLjQGQotKvuJ8GnNB1cWswVNeyXg-fNcF4V-3hWgZB2euglW1WaX7sgo-eqRtEKl9LN4O7g8W-DWY4Mwvt8Uu_kps5gA0A5cN1zZiebzs/s320/HPIM3903.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5524636691660766402" /></a><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" color: rgb(102, 102, 102); font-size:17px;">On Sunday morning, the still-travel-weary and overwhelmed-yet-still-overjoyed Jewells slept in. We got up and got ready in just enough time to make the free morning buffet at our hotel and then we took on "The Metro", Kiev's subway system. Fortunately, we have a Metro stop about 6 blocks from our hotel and, after we walked the 6 blocks, we had to go alone through a dim underground tunnel to get to the Metro. Summer was spooked and sticking to us like glue. Just for fun, I started singing softly, "Lions and tigers and bears, oh my!" That did not go over well - ha! After surviving the tunnel, we hopped on the ridiculously crowded Metro having to stand the entire ride squished up against a surrounding wall of people. No one talks and few smile - and, no surprise, the Jewells talked and smiled throughout the humorous ride.<b>(See photo of Summer & Steve as the blue Metro pulls up.)</b><div><br /></div><div>We got off the Metro with our fingers crossed that Steve had read the Metro map correctly and that we had gotten off at the right stop. Summer and I followed his lead. (We had discovered that there was a TGI Friday's - American menus, American food - yea! - in the middle of the city so Steve had read the map and felt confident he could get us there. I was nervous though.) We walked a couple of blocks and turned left where he told us to and then - TA DA! There was the TGIF sign!! I love my man!! <b>(See photo of Summer and me below the TGIF sign.)</b>Sadly, our dinner was a little disappointing (compared to American TGIFs) and quite expensive. I think all things American come at a price in Kiev. We also went to one of Kiev's several underground malls. Right under the hustle and bustle of traffic and taxis are these meandering and almost endless malls for which I highly recommend a bread crumb trail to find your way back!! Some of the shops were no wider than 7 or 8 feet and only you, the attendant and maybe 1 or 2 other people could fit in it. <b>(See photo of Steve and Summer outside some shops.) <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; ">We then found our way back to the Metro, stood amidst a new crop of quiet and serious Ukrainians, got off at the right stop (I still love my man!!) and then walked back through the Tunnel of Lions, Tigers and Bears, Oh My - at dusk no less - and made it back to the hotel safely albeit frozen. </span>(See the photo of the chilled Summer and me at the riverside Metro station nearest our hotel.)</b></div><div><br /></div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; ">Unfortunately, our Sunday night ended on a sad note when we got a call from Steve's family about his father. As some of you know, Steve's Dad was diagnosed with Alzheimer's a few years ago. The disease has progressed significantly over the past year and its effects landed him in the hospital for the second time last Wednesday, the day before we left for our trip. During his previous hospital stay, he recovered fairly quickly and returned home after a few weeks. However, the Sunday night call revealed that he had two seizures and his prognosis does not look good. The family is contacting us with daily updates but this has certainly been a challenge for us, in particular Steve, so we do ask for your prayers for the family.</span></b></div><div><br /></div><div>I will try to send another post later today since we have to leave now to meet our facilitator/translator for an adoption-related appointment. YEA!</div><div><br /></div><div>Sunny</div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div></span>Sunny Jewellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04858053356800381653noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5902122731112953445.post-75160897085270236722010-10-04T05:35:00.000-07:002010-10-04T07:27:00.079-07:00Sightseeing In Kiev<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUr8YJ99E9lCpKfHss9CmR9nZQXxURvFrpF0EhG_6381HV6vkHCtKtDQVP_tPFL2TrQqCnn9oEb9yuJ_YzCoK2JQmeAQpIvLggVusxkOaZSz9MT9WHT0IFxsL3ekDUeIdYglQIwDdUs7A/s1600/HPIM3809.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUr8YJ99E9lCpKfHss9CmR9nZQXxURvFrpF0EhG_6381HV6vkHCtKtDQVP_tPFL2TrQqCnn9oEb9yuJ_YzCoK2JQmeAQpIvLggVusxkOaZSz9MT9WHT0IFxsL3ekDUeIdYglQIwDdUs7A/s320/HPIM3809.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5524195100990309426" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjz-VOn-sehWwLv_JhWWryklT9p1VQqC3KP_ayq8OLL031tlJtJtBZEAA34baipQMAPWEsI2nBcRf_B2OfBnnoyKuq-WRkz6a-9xl0FLUrn2qfMiQtbgUJTvhM22A9xDylLy_4cmwp1_8/s1600/HPIM3824.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjz-VOn-sehWwLv_JhWWryklT9p1VQqC3KP_ayq8OLL031tlJtJtBZEAA34baipQMAPWEsI2nBcRf_B2OfBnnoyKuq-WRkz6a-9xl0FLUrn2qfMiQtbgUJTvhM22A9xDylLy_4cmwp1_8/s320/HPIM3824.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5524195097642155458" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2QvsgXB9udEHQ01kEAj1UrPxGcfLzxOPnJ9lweld-LMclpeB4hDXFHzC9ydyVp7Deinf7u7T-x_wBaabtSx3HMbN7a39mT2V2KLExtE6BbFTmO6wHW7n7V44vVEnl5bVUPPmgMW5VFHw/s1600/HPIM3845.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2QvsgXB9udEHQ01kEAj1UrPxGcfLzxOPnJ9lweld-LMclpeB4hDXFHzC9ydyVp7Deinf7u7T-x_wBaabtSx3HMbN7a39mT2V2KLExtE6BbFTmO6wHW7n7V44vVEnl5bVUPPmgMW5VFHw/s320/HPIM3845.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5524195096047839666" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTzxjJ29j3bn4ZwxG-lvDs4c9yPZX74zYh3lTGmEqWXyrv2RElLgqmcr-BZ9VqnS1ND49YQ5k3jInGE6TLh9Xyc34lZavXcP0mQIE8JgTR_-DzCbHSe4_5Zvm0eAsByFihIBFtMtbmvDw/s1600/HPIM3840.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTzxjJ29j3bn4ZwxG-lvDs4c9yPZX74zYh3lTGmEqWXyrv2RElLgqmcr-BZ9VqnS1ND49YQ5k3jInGE6TLh9Xyc34lZavXcP0mQIE8JgTR_-DzCbHSe4_5Zvm0eAsByFihIBFtMtbmvDw/s320/HPIM3840.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5524195084228845538" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVkcTZAqOJsZeoA5n_T9hohdCRp1YgzECIKVAlQ9bqDLx97-SrzHplO12Eo2ivK3ltLWhMFQymb6a9fqSVTNotodS5KBpMNKEtm_q9NhZZJJXL9t88npYztMRrFU-o8YbWyVhmk3bMJeM/s1600/HPIM3861.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVkcTZAqOJsZeoA5n_T9hohdCRp1YgzECIKVAlQ9bqDLx97-SrzHplO12Eo2ivK3ltLWhMFQymb6a9fqSVTNotodS5KBpMNKEtm_q9NhZZJJXL9t88npYztMRrFU-o8YbWyVhmk3bMJeM/s320/HPIM3861.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5524195083649425090" /></a><br />Dobrye' dyen! This is the English transliteration for "Good Afternoon" in Russian. Our first full day here (Saturday) was so exciting but yet very overwhelming as we felt like three fish out of water. As I mentioned, Kiev is a very large metropolitan city and people are VERY busy and in a hurry here. Anytime we were outside of the hotel, people and cars were buzzing by us with Russian-speaking voices and horns (ha!). And we must have had "American" stamped on our faces because we definitely got lots of second looks. But this country seems fascinated with anything American so maybe they were just fascinated by us - ha again! It is surprising how many American things, words and photos you see here - American actors, American music and even McDonalds restaurants are everywhere! We were told there are over 50 in Kiev!<div><br /></div><div>Before I share our Saturday fun, I just have to tell you about the wonderful but unusual hotel we are staying at until we leave Kiev. (I will try to take a photo of it later and send it in a future blog.) It is called the Bakkara Art-hotel and it is actually referred to as a "floatel" rather than a "hotel." It is a former cruise ship that has been converted into a hotel and is moored on the bank of the Dnipro River that runs through Kiev. So we are actually staying in a cruise ship that has been renovated into a contemporary Western type of hotel. All guests enjoy a free (and quite lavish) breakfast buffet each morning so this worked out great for a family on a budget since we just eat the free breakfast around 10:00 to 10:30 am, skip lunch and then have dinner thereby only paying for one meal a day. And it is a cool place too! <b>(See photo of Summer and Steve on the "floatel's" outdoor deck for riverside dining.)</b><br /><div><br /></div><div>Saturday started with a call from our facilitator/translator Nastya. She had told us on the ride home from the airport on Friday that she was taking another host family turned adoptive family on a sightseeing tour of the "Pearl of Kiev" the next morning and invited us to join them. We took a taxi and met them at the Kyivo-Pechers'ka Lavra, a working monastery in the middle of Kiev that was established in 1051 by two monks to spread the word of the Christian religion throughout Kiev. <b>(See photo of us with Nastya at the monastery.) </b> I cannot describe the spectacular and humbling experience of visiting this monastery. I expected a one-hour visit of a few buildings and a church but it was SO far beyond this. The churches and buildings on this sprawling hillside campus were absolutely breathtaking. <b>(See photo of one of the churches.) </b>And the interiors of the churches were indescribably beautiful with detailed paintings of saints, angels, Christ, Mary, etc. Nastya knew so much history about this place and she kept us spellbound. It was so interesting to see all the tourists mixed in with the occasional passing monk in his black robes. We also got to enter the catacombs while we each held a candle to light our way. Because this is a hallowed and reverent place reserved for burial of only select monks, all women are required to wear skirts in the catacombs - which is why Summer and I had to "rent" skirts before we entered the catacombs and our heads had to be covered so we had to wear the hoods on our coats up over our heads. <b>(See photo of Summer backdropped by the river and some church spires.)</b></div><div><br /></div><div>I would say the most interesting experience of the day was <i>attempting</i> to use the women's facilities while at the monastery. I stood in a short line of Russian-speaking women waiting my turn. One of the women moved forward and opened a stall door and my jaw may have actually dropped before I bolted out of the bathroom. The <i>public </i>restroom facilities for women are basically basins built into the floor that you stand or squat over - that's right, no toilet, no seat! Nastya called them "squatty potties." Yes, I guess I am a spoiled American and, on this issue, I am fine with that! </div><div><br /></div><div>Our Saturday ended with a taxi ride to McDonald's with a driver who couldn't speak a lick of English - always a ride of faith that he is actually going to get you where you want to go since you have no idea where you are or what any of the street signs say. And it is too weird to be in a McDonalds ordering food with Russian-speaking cashiers and a menu that is in Russian. <b>(See photo of Summer at McDonald's and note Russian menu and the Russian on her balloon.)</b> Thank goodness for the photos of Big Macs and Double Cheeseburgers that allow you to just point! </div><div><br /></div><div>Today, we went to the State Adoption Authority (SDA). I also bought a guitar today and it cost $230 hyrvnia!! Read tomorrow...<i>f</i><i>or the rest of the story</i>!</div><div><br /></div><div>Sunny</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div></div>Sunny Jewellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04858053356800381653noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5902122731112953445.post-68374957617477207922010-10-03T11:39:00.000-07:002010-10-03T12:26:05.026-07:00A Fun But Tiring Sunday<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFq5Zh__wCgjm0GscDL325nvqabI_pncZXgczRUS5LuPsFjjGmEYQ2j6YItBvQAaL4r6aqcfVs7gFhgO6zXmf5AlxqnqaqqLT8lzqQ696bCwzHroSHEN_haFr5Le3IFYppUMf84qhehYA/s1600/HPIM3745.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFq5Zh__wCgjm0GscDL325nvqabI_pncZXgczRUS5LuPsFjjGmEYQ2j6YItBvQAaL4r6aqcfVs7gFhgO6zXmf5AlxqnqaqqLT8lzqQ696bCwzHroSHEN_haFr5Le3IFYppUMf84qhehYA/s320/HPIM3745.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5523892502434415794" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9LUmSSiUferroBqtqoZlQ2D_KR5ONnwVAXxChWnmr4SMuf6VDmxNOdl_HL6foOLnIv8kaMim4uDedi14S2BFFeLBUigCNIySWXs_wR3xoOoGh6UL7hlv8isFTzuBefcTOwkBtfschSe0/s1600/HPIM3763.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9LUmSSiUferroBqtqoZlQ2D_KR5ONnwVAXxChWnmr4SMuf6VDmxNOdl_HL6foOLnIv8kaMim4uDedi14S2BFFeLBUigCNIySWXs_wR3xoOoGh6UL7hlv8isFTzuBefcTOwkBtfschSe0/s320/HPIM3763.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5523892497341739122" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4GXidRY6-6XmCuUgFp6e4-g8u2SNmE77f9tvEnR1JOB5uGDnetiC6hTPaB-MRVW6etV3uz2D3ozbRJNIyM-tVjK9fwn9yM4RNTvfNQj9xHWZJf2P35iRHhIXRG3YgwBpOKDpzzCLP5lI/s1600/HPIM3786.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4GXidRY6-6XmCuUgFp6e4-g8u2SNmE77f9tvEnR1JOB5uGDnetiC6hTPaB-MRVW6etV3uz2D3ozbRJNIyM-tVjK9fwn9yM4RNTvfNQj9xHWZJf2P35iRHhIXRG3YgwBpOKDpzzCLP5lI/s320/HPIM3786.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5523892485862218306" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCAm8rKsdhLFULp0lt3vGcEi4-Xynj54aNRuEhWR2nqXWF5WDWFbb0ZyVvjrLmWiOBpjYdvCeyu_cC5v3zcOpnIkY2tBSefv64mZNAa10s5GG6iG2T7xUlnrS2XrLByyvlkU68Zfm_U38/s1600/HPIM3788.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCAm8rKsdhLFULp0lt3vGcEi4-Xynj54aNRuEhWR2nqXWF5WDWFbb0ZyVvjrLmWiOBpjYdvCeyu_cC5v3zcOpnIkY2tBSefv64mZNAa10s5GG6iG2T7xUlnrS2XrLByyvlkU68Zfm_U38/s320/HPIM3788.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5523892472506876434" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbcYMdNtCf45Fcu_H1yU5HoGx0kwYbXw_xjjRsE0ndKpSqZLlMySQRUaORNvacKjB3ckUM9XdsJNbf6GZrJ0p6cEuP7pCiCncF4mWKm-SX2rauls5jJWMW-VvR_LeWGWNQoPYQoDEvi1A/s1600/HPIM3789.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbcYMdNtCf45Fcu_H1yU5HoGx0kwYbXw_xjjRsE0ndKpSqZLlMySQRUaORNvacKjB3ckUM9XdsJNbf6GZrJ0p6cEuP7pCiCncF4mWKm-SX2rauls5jJWMW-VvR_LeWGWNQoPYQoDEvi1A/s320/HPIM3789.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5523892464043648482" /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; "></span></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbcYMdNtCf45Fcu_H1yU5HoGx0kwYbXw_xjjRsE0ndKpSqZLlMySQRUaORNvacKjB3ckUM9XdsJNbf6GZrJ0p6cEuP7pCiCncF4mWKm-SX2rauls5jJWMW-VvR_LeWGWNQoPYQoDEvi1A/s1600/HPIM3789.JPG"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; ">We had a long day today (Sunday) and are ready to hit the sack. However, I did want to post a few photos from our flights to Kiev. We can't figure out how to caption under each photo yet so here are the captions:</span></a><div><br /></div><div>Photo #1: Checking in at the airport</div><div>Photo #2: Summer boarding her FIRST flight ever - very nervous but also very excited.</div><div>Photo #3: At the airport in Frankfurt, Germany</div><div>Photo #4: Summer wide awake before boarding our flight from Germany to Kiev</div><div>Photo #5: Summer asleep within minutes of leaving the runway in Germany</div><div><br /></div><div>I will close with a wonderful email we received from Tatyana today. I have included the English translation first followed by her original email in Russian. She is such a sweet child with such a big heart and we can't wait until she is part of our family!! </div><div><br /></div><div>Hi Sunny, Summer, Steve,</div><div>I am very glad that I will see you soon. Larisa (note: her teacher) has told me that you will arrive to see me on October 6. </div><div>This news has pleased me. </div><div>I very strongly wait for you.</div><div>Yours, Tatyana Sara Jewell (note: this is the name she has chosen)</div><div>I LOVE YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" border-collapse: collapse; font-family:arial, sans-serif;"><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Привет Санни, Самер, Стив.<br />Я очень рада, что скоро вас увижу.Лариса мне сказала, что вы будете у меня 6 октября. Меня эта новость порадовала.<br />Я вас очень сильно жду.<br />Ваша Тatyana Sara Jewell!<br />I LOVE YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!</span></div>Sunny Jewellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04858053356800381653noreply@blogger.com3