still no news

Still nothing.

Earlier this week, I sent a note asking the following:

Just out of curiosity, why is there another new Judge?

I thought the judge had 5 days to respond to our documents. We are past the 14 day mark. With the new judge, do we have to start over – or will the new judge recognize the statements provided by the original judge? I am concerned that our case has been in front of 3 Judges now – and that we have not yet received a new legal statement. From here, what can we expect?

Do you know if the Judge has called for Anya’s documents to be prepared yet? When that happens, I really want to know – from all others account of their experiences, it seems that the court date is generally 2 months from that point…that is good information for us to have from a planning stand point.

Here is the reply I got:

Kathy, hi,

well, we all thought that it would be a man but all of a sudden, a female judge was appointed

So...as you can see, even when you ask specific pointed questions, it is hard to get answers. Yes, we can call, however there is a 13-14 hour time difference between here and there - which makes planning a call a little tricky. If we don't hear anything by the end of the week - we're going to call.

Seriously, can't ONE STINKING THING be easy or as expected?

Seriously, can't ONE STINKING THING be easy or as expected?

Heck no!

2 weeks ago, as you know, we submitted the documents that were requested by Judge #1 (Stepanova). She initially reviewed our case and accepted it in March - this review was done with her replacement, Judge #2 - a man. All we know about this guy is that he is younger, a father, friendly and more pro-international adoption than other Judge's have been. We also learned that this new man judge takes his own sweet time in responding to things.

After we meet the judge's deadline - the Judge then has 14 days to respond. The 14 days was up yesterday...or maybe the end of the week if weekends don't count toward that 14 days (who knows!?). I know that our documents were delivered back to Judge #2 - the guy.

Since that time, there has been some talk about another Judge (Judge #3). So, I asked about the name of the Judge, and was told this Judge is Popova AA (no one knows what the "A" and "A" stand for), but in fact, this is a woman.

Why am I concerned?

Because this is the 3rd Judge our case has been in front of in 30-45 days. Each has a different opinion, take and set of unwritten rules and requirements...apparently we are being asked to meet the requirements and expectations of all 3 stinking judges.

I am not thrilled.

But, that is all my conjecture. I don't know WHO has our case. Judge #1, #2 the guy or this new #3. I've asked, but don't have answers yet.

So - I reiterate. Seriously, can't ONE STINKING THING be easy or as expected?

no news is...well, no news

I keep emailing our "guy" in Irkutsk to ask for an update. I think technically, the Judge has 14 days to respond to our updates...which would be this coming Monday or Tuesday.

Got a note today that said, "what we know so far is that the new judge is friendlier and less biased against international adoptions. I have not received yet the legal statement. For other cases, including the European cases the judge takes more time to issue a legal statement or decisions of acceptance. . "

So...nothing.

thanks

Blogs are funny things. I took this blog private about 6 weeks ago. I sent out invitations to those who asked for one...didn't assume anyone would want to read my ramblings about the adoption.

I quickly found out that a lot of people who I thought would be on the 'inside track' aren't -and that is OK! not complaining at all... Not everyone thinks the adoption is a good idea, and not everyone cares, and not everyone is on our side of this...AND THAT IS OK!

But, please, be honest...

The other day I was talking with one such friend, and she out and out lied to me. She said "I just went to your blog to get an update, so what's going on with things"...obviously she hadn't gone to the blog - she isn't a reader, fan or one that got an invitation. When I menionted that this summer looked to be THE TIME, she did everything in her power to not change the expression on her face, and she tried to act like she was well aware of that piece of info.

She didn't know.

And, that's OK!

Marty and I have been through a lot of things in our lives, some seriously crazy stuff. One thing that remains a common thread is that when stuff happens in your life that changes the trajectory of things...your real true friends bubble up to the top.

Thanks for being that group of real true friends...who have bubbled up to the top. Our pals from every phase of life, and some that I've never met...thank you for coming to me with money making ideas, and for sending me emails about how you're praying for us (even tho you have things in your OWN life that deserve your uninterrupted prayer!).

I love you all...am blessed and humbled.

That's all!

Guess it's time for an update

I guess I should post an update...it's been a while.

Long story short...we're waiting again. Waiting for the Judge's statement.

We got the Russian certification of our apostilles from the Russian Consulate. Impressive! I think this should be step #1 in the process...so pre adoptive parents can see what a "notary" looks like in Russia. Seeing this explains why ours looks unofficial and fake.

It is bound by a ribbon, and there are grommets that go through each page of the document that is being certified. There is also a stamp that is on both the certification statement and the actual document (so you can't 'fake' that).

I hate this waiting...but it is the story of our lives. I am a little concerned that with this recent wait, it will put off a court date until July - which means we would need to be in Irkutsk in August. August is a vacation month for most Russian people, and I know that the Judge always takes a vacation in August...with any vacation comes crazy shutdowns and waits...I am not so excited about footing the bill for any unnecessary weeks in Russia. But, it is what it is!


I am conflicted about June. From a business perspective, June is a month when I am fairly busy at the first of the month. My dilemma is...do I book things like I normally do? I was holding off booking anything the end of May, but I threw out that idea this week, and booked some events for late May. At this point, there is no way we're going to get a court date that would require us to leave in 6 weeks...and we need money, so I need to work. Ahhh yes, the double edge sword all PAPs face! Put your life of hold, or continue with life as (sorta) usual.

Supposed to be hearing something - anything

Hi friends,

Just wanted to share that we should be hearing something in the next 24 hours. From what I understand, our documents went to the Judge today - and our coordinator was going to ask for a court date.

Of course, I'm not new, so I know that 24 hours in Russian time means 72ish...so I'm not holding my breath.

As with everything, we're praying our way through this.

Easter in Russia

I was thinking the other day, I've been in RUssia for Mother's Day, Easter, New Years, Labor Day and Halloween. THe exact years I was there are a little sketchy, but I think:

2004 - Halloween (I don't think we were there for Halloween day, seems like we got home jsut before Halloween..but we were there for Halloween, that's my story and I'm stickin to it)

2005 - Easter

2006 - Mother's Day

2007 - Labor Day

2008 - New Years

One of my best times of the year in Russia is the Spring time. THe winters there are so cold and long (ha! Kind of like here in the mid-west!), once springtime comes, it is a welcome sight!

Just like here, Easter serves as the kick off to Spring. Some of the Easter traditins in Russia are pretty neat.

I was reading my friend's blog tonight, and she posted this great article on the RUssian Easter traditions:

Easter (Pascha) in Russia

by Don Fairbairn

Of course, Christians all over the globe join together on Easter Sunday to celebrate the resurrection of Christ, and one could probably go to an Easter service anywhere and recognize (to some degree) what was taking place. But there are also many differences in the way Easter is celebrated in different parts of the world. In particular, there are differences in the way Western Christians (Protestants and Roman Catholics) celebrate Easter and the way Eastern Orthodox Christians (members of the churches which descended from the Greek-speaking wing of the early Church) celebrate it. Perhaps it will be interesting to us in the West to learn about some of the customs related to the celebration of Easter in the East (and especially in Russia).


The most obvious difference is that Easter is normally celebrated on a different Sunday in the East and the West. Ever since the Council of Nicaea (A.D. 325), Christians have celebrated the resurrection of Christ on the first Sunday after the first full moon after the vernal equinox (March 21). For most of Christian history, the church used the old Julian calendar (invented in the time of Julius Caesar in the first century B.C.) to determine when the vernal equinox would be. But in the sixteenth century it became clear that the Julian calendar was lagging behind astronomical time, and a new calendar (the Gregorian) was proposed. The Western Church accepted this new calendar, but the Eastern Church rejected it. At present, the Julian calendar is 13 days behind the Gregorian calendar, and is gradually losing more and more time. That means that whereas we calculate the date of Easter from March 21 by our Gregorian calendar, the Eastern Church calculates it from March 21 by their older calendar, which equals April 3 by our calendar.

The Eastern Church also insists that Easter must follow the Jewish celebration of Passover in any given year, and that celebration is based on yet a third calendar. Depending on when the full moon occurs and when Passover takes place, Eastern Easter can fall on the same Sunday as Western Easter, or it can follow it by one week, four weeks, or five weeks. Normally Eastern Easter is one week later, and this year is no exception.

A second big difference has to do with the hour of the day when Easter is celebrated. Of course, we are familiar with Easter sunrise services. But in the East (especially in Russia), Easter services last all through Saturday night. The congregation gathers in the church or cathedral on Saturday evening and takes part in an Easter vigil commemorating the buried Christ. Orthodox church buildings have an inner sanctuary blocked off from the sight of the worshipers, and at this point the door to that sanctuary is closed, signifying that the way to God is closed. But at the stroke of midnight, the priest throws the doors open and emerges, shouting, "Christ is risen! Christ is risen! Christ is risen!" After hours of silent anticipation, the congregation comes to life and shouts back, "He is risen indeed!" This custom powerfully demonstrates the way Christ’s resurrection has opened up for us the way to God.


One of my favorite Russian Easter customs has to do with dyeing Easter eggs. In Russia, children always dye the eggs red, never using other colors. The red dye, of course, symbolizes the blood of Christ. Furthermore, people crack the eggs open using nails, in order to remind themselves again of the death of Christ. As the eggs are cracked and the whites are exposed, people remember that the blood of Christ cleanses us from sin. Although our sins were as scarlet, we have been made as white as snow.

A mainstay of our Easter celebrations is the family Easter dinner following our worship services. In Russia, the corresponding dinner is actually a picnic, in which the entire congregation celebrates together. People bring food to the church on Saturday evening and ask the priests to bless it. Then after the long Easter vigil through the night and the celebration of the Lord’s Supper on Easter morning, people eat together on the lawn outside the church building. They believe that such an important celebration cannot be merely a private or family affair, and the worshipers are reminded by this communal picnic that all members of the body of Christ belong to one another.


Perhaps these tidbits about the celebration of Easter in Russia will not simply be interesting to us in America. Instead, they may also give us some ideas which we can incorporate into our own Easter celebrations, ideas which may help to re-focus our attention on the great truth which we all celebrate this Sunday: Christ is risen!

Fundraising necklace gets national play on website

Most of you know that I occasionally write for a national online magazine called "Blissfully Domestic". The editor of the fashion section did a story this week on the BRING ANYA HOME necklace.

Here is the story:

A Stylish Necklace to Help Out a Stylish Friend
By Jenny Rapson on April 6, 2009

One of the very vital team members here at Blissful Style and Blissfully Domestic is contributor and fashion expert Kathy Friend. Kathy has written some of my all-time favorite Blissful Style articles like this one on how clothes should fit. Girlfriend is a professional wardbrobe consultant and she knows what she's talking about!

Something you may not know about Kathy is that for five long years, she and her husband Marty have been trying to adopt Anya, a lovely little girl who lives in an orphanage in Irkutsk, Russia. (Please read their whole story here!) Now, after five years of tears, five trips to Russia and tens of thousands of dollars, Marty and Kathy, who have never given up on the little girl they love, see an end in sight - there is a very real possibilty that Anya could officially be their daughter by her 7th birthday in June 2009.

Read the rest of the story HERE

dreams

I know I've posted stuff on this blog before about the crazy dreams I've had over the past 5 years. Anyone who has been in the heat of an adoption can probably relate. I don't know if it is the constant prayer that brings on these dreams, or raging mommy hormones...who knows.

Well, the past 2 weeks, I've have 2 very vivid dreams. Here is a recap:

This last one I just had this past week. In this dream, we were able to raise so much money through the fundraising effort that we put it into a trust, and then any family that came after us was able to have their housing (apartment) totally paid for through this trust. Ask Debbie and Judy what kind of savings that is! Since most of you have no idea, it's about $170 a day...do the math. If you have to stay in Russia for 8 weeks, times $170 a day - that is about $9,500!

The last time I was in Russia, I was there for a week; I paid roughly $3,500 for just transportation to and from the orphanage and the apartment I stayed in! If we can help offset some of this outrageous cost, it would be a HUGE load off the minds of those of us who are in the heat of it!

I am hoping that my dream is prophetic! Just call me Kathy with the Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat – err, maybe Amazing Technicolor Dream shoes :)

Anyway - that was dream 1.

The other dream I had I KNOW was a God dream. Haven’t had many of these in my life, but if you have ever had one- you know it is…these dreams are different. Let's get to getting people to buy these Bring Anya Home necklaces!!!

Dream 2

So, I had this dream the night before all our documents were going to be mailed to Russia (about 2 weeks ago). I was sitting at my desk (as I always am), going through documents, trying to guess and second guess and think and rethink every detail. IN this dream, this voice (God) whispers to me “it is done, it is done, it is done”.

I respond to this voice, and say, “I know, but I just want to check one more thing, and make sure it’s done right”

The voice comes back and says…a bit louder “It Is Done, It Is Done, It Is Done”

The voice enunciated exceptionally well…I don’t know why, but that was significant in the dream.

Anyway, I replied to the voice again, and said, “Yes, I know, but I just need to check things one last time”

The voice came back again, this time in a LOUD, earth moving booming voice saying, “IT IS DONE!!”

…then I woke up.

Have you ever had dreams like this?