today

So the meeting with the officials at the orphanage was basically like the one we have every trip. No big deal at all. At one point, the director asked us when we first met Anya and filed to adopt her - and of course, we said October 2004. She got the most surprised look on her face and grabbed her chest. I don't know exactly what she said, but it was translated as "very good for you to try to hard to adopt her, that is a very long time". Um ya, thanks!

We then went to Anya's room to get her - she ran (and I mean RAN) up to us yelling PAPA - MAMA! She was so excited, her little heart was beating so fast, I promise you could see the beating through her dress. She was shaking (literally) with excitement. The social worker said "well, I don't have to wonder if she knows you or if she is excited to see you!".

We then had a meeting with the social worker and lady from the adoption center to go over our paperwork for court. They asked a few questions about things they didn't understand in our dossier (like what Marty does for a living...). We also got the low-down on all the medical conditions Anya has been diagnosed with.

The lady from the adoption center is very nice. She seems to be good friends with Alex - who is our guy here(bonus!). She has met Anya's birth mother and has the whole story about her. Very interesting (will post that later).

We'll see Anya every day after school (at about 1-2pm) until dinnertime (6ish)...and then on the days when she has extra activities in the evenings, I think we will be able to see her then too.

One of the caregivers said that when it gets this cold outside (was -35f this morning) that they cancel school. So if it is this cold, we can go see her earlier in the day...but no one knew what the cut-off temp was when schools got canceled. Oh well!

We'll Bring You Home

Many of you asked to see the song called "Home" Marty wrote, performed and put behind some images of Anya. Here it is.

we're here

THE TRIP HERE
Amazingly – there were no obstacles, no problems, no issues with our trip here. We got our luggage just fine in Moscow, stayed for a few hours at The Atlanta hotel in Moscow, and then flew out of the new terminal (D) in Moscow. That terminal was SO much nicer and easy to navigate. We didn’t need help finding our way at all. The most amazing thing about this part of the trip was the luggage. If you’ve been reading this blog for any length of time, you probably know that I do not like paying for overage in baggage. Yes, know there are “rules”, but I don’t like it.

We had to pay $50 in South Bend for an extra piece of luggage, and fully intended on having to pay in the $200 range in Moscow for overage in our baggage allowance. We have always had to pay this (even when our bags were well within the allowances). Well, we were not charged a dime in Moscow! Praise God!

We got to Irkutsk on time, and flew into the new terminal…which is like night and day to the old terminal. To put things into perspective, to claim your bags at the old terminal, you would claim them from a turn-style made of tin and wood…the new terminal has a REAL baggage carousel. It is very nice.

We’re staying with the Jackson family – so Steve picked us up from the airport. We came back to the house, and had a great breakfast with Tami and the kids. We called our guy here to make arrangements to go and see Anya this afternoon. Apparently since this is our first official meeting with the officials at the new orphanage, we were not allowed to go this afternoon. I guess ALL of the officials need to be present at that meeting (the director, social worker, care giver, bla bla bla) and someone couldn’t be there. This meeting is requires so that they can make a report for the court. BOO HISS!

Although I know this kind of thing happens, it doesn’t make it any easier when it does happen. Our guy will come to see us this afternoon (although it will most likely be WAY later, like 6-7pm) to talk about this meeting, and gather some documents from us. We have the meeting with the group of officials at the orphanage tomorrow at 10am. We will see Anya then.

Right now, all I really want to do is lay down and watch some mindless dribble on one of the DVDs I brought. I am forcing my eyeballs to stay open. One thing about traveling 13 time zones away is that it is REALLY important to force yourself to stay awake this first day her. I planned to go to bed at about 6-7pm, but with my luck, our guy won’t come to see us until later. Ugh! OH well, sleep is over rated, right?

you may have noticed

You may have noticed that I'm not posting much about our trip on Facebook and Twitter. That is on purpose. If you're one of the not-so-fortunate ones who see all my babble on Twitter/FB, please help me keep the trip details quiet.

Also, we should probably pray for Tara - she is staying at our house while we are gone. I am hoping that everything goes smoothly, that the cats don't drive her crazy, and that she doesn't get snowed in!

and...we're off

Tomorrow is the day - we'll leave from South Bend, head to Detroit, then on to New York...and Moscow - and then Irkutsk. Honestly, I have been having little panic attacks over the reality of it all.

If you are the kind that likes to track flight numbers - here are the numbers:
3958 (northwest) to 4918 (Delta) to 30 (Delta) to 749 (Aeroflot).

Here is the Delta site where you can track flights:
http://www.delta.com/traveling_checkin/flight_status_updates/index.jsp

There are a lot of flight tracker deals out there...I am sure you have a better one.


I am spending my day packing. Marty seems to think it will only take me about 2 hours to pack. He is a funny man...oh goodness!

I really don't like paying overage on baggage weight - it's an issue really. I get mad. Even if I KNOW I am going to pay it, it still urks me. I know we're going to have to pay for an extra bag on the Delta flight (which does not make me happy) - the website is a little sketchy as to how much they are going to charge. I know it's $50 - but it dosen't say if that is per flight (which would be $150) or per trip. Oh well, all of the neat little surprises that play into the rich padgent they call adoption :)

random adoption tip of the day

Have no expectations. When things go as they should, be surprised...because, honestly, this is a VERY rare thing. This goes for:

• paperwork (including passports, visas, homestudies...)
  
• communication (or lack of)
• travel plans
• time frames

old friends, common misery

I got an email this morning from someone I came to be friends with along this adoption road.

When the world blew up in 2005, following the tragic murder of Nina Hilt, there were several families caught in the cross hairs. We were all with the same agency - searching for answers (not getting any), and genuinely feeling completely helpless. I became friends with a group of Moms - we all were fighting together. Through the years, their families have grown through the miracle of adoption (from other parts of Russia).

Some day I will post about all that happened during that time - about the heartache, the lies, the deception - the true colors of the money side of adoption. The words "convicted of adoption crimes" surfaced a lot during those years.

But that is for another day.

These girls will always hold a special place in my heart. We had plans to meet in some city for a girls spa weekend - we also talking about getting together in Chicago and going to the American Girl store with our daughters (although, one of us has boys!).

This journey has been horrible. Don't get me wrong. But I am grateful for the friendships...old and new!

I think about the day we got the news that we would be getting a court date. Some of these friends I've made over the years are the people I wanted to call first. They get it - they understand the tangle of emotions that comes with that news.

Today - I just wanted to say to all of you gals, I am grateful for YOU.

weather

HI friends,

as you know, we're leaving on Sunday morning. If you have been watching the news - you've probably seen all the hub-bub about this nasty storm that is coming in the next day. If you've seen the path of the storm, that is pretty much out flight path out of the U.S. (South Bend to Detroit to New York).

I padded our travel to account for bad weather and delays - but I seriously didn't think we'd need it...silly me!

Praying for a media-inflated weather story that ends up being merely a dusting.

random adoption tip of the day

If you are adopting from a place where paperwork is a nightmare (read between the lines here...Irkutsk) - don't trust anyone to do the paperwork correct for you. You will eliminate a lot of stress, time and frustration if you show up at whatever office you need a signature from, with a typed letter in hand, and a copy of it on a jump (usb) drive.

yes, but it is a dry cold

I can't believe we're getting down to the wire - down to the time when we leave for Russia...for about 2 months.

Everything that we have to think about is overwhelming...but right now - this is what is overwhelming me. This photo was taken TODAY at our friends home (who we're staying with).

Yes, that says about 50 BELOW ZERO! As I told Tami (the owner of this photo)...I - I - I can't even talk about this!

Lola and Jazzy

I'm posting this because I remember other friends with pets having issues with their little fur babies before they left to bring their children home.

Well - today I noticed that Lola (the little cat on the left) is missing hair on the back side of her legs. I tell you, this was not the way it was yesterday. I looked online, and saw everything from ringworm to stress.

The big cat (Jazzy - on the right) has been acting funny - needing attention, jumping on my desk (and not allowing me to type on my keyboard). Jazz has also been a bit more aggressive toward Lola - but I marked that up to boredom...when the cats get bored, they seem to chase each other around the house more.

The only thing I can think is that the day before yesterday, I opened up the guest room, put the suitcases out on the bed to start packing. Lola has been sleeping on that bed (and had pretty much claimed that room as her own) ever since. Jazz has been around enough to know what a suitcase means.

So yes, I am freaking out a little bit. My Mom has pet (vet) experience, so she is coming over tomorrow to take a look.

I just hope it isn't anything serious.

Thanks for indulging me...and my crazy lady cat drama.

whatta day

Have you ever had one of those days when you pinch yourself because it was so great? When you think about all that has happened, and you KNOW you didn't deserve it all?

Well, yesterday and today were 2 of those days for me.

Blessed doesn't even begin to describe these 2 days. Blessed from old friends, new friends, people we don't know. Blessings coming from prayer, in the form of stuff for Anya, transportation and even with my business.

I am without words, and with a full heart of thanks.

To those I've been with over the past 2 days (and YOU know who YOU are...) - thank you.

short update

I just had a feeling we'd have some kind of issue with the Visa.

It's a long convoluted story, but it appears that what is required to get a business visa, with the purpose of the business listed as 'adoption' varies embassy to embassy. No, I am not kidding. The Embassy we are trying to get a visa with (Washington) said we need some invitation letter from Ovir (like the Russian immigration services). Well, this letter takes 30-45 days to get. In talking to our guy in Irkutsk, this letter isn't generally required by other Embassies in the world (well, of course not!). So I called the Houston Embassy, and they said they did not require that.

Now, I am not going to take what Houston said and get all excited. I am going to call back tomorrow and talk to someone in charge to be sure. In the meantime, our passports etc. are 'in hold' with this visa processing company in Virginia.

I will figure it out tomorrow - it's just paperwork.

Peace or Panic?

I read the title of this blog post on Lysa TerKeurst blog this morning. Many times in the past, I swear Lysa and I are twins from different mothers. I have posted witty comments on her blog thinking she will undoubtedly see the comment, know that I am her soon-to-be best friend and thus we will begin a beautiful friendship.

It's never happened.

Let me go back a few steps...

Several years ago, I made some goals. Now, even writing that is odd to me - since I am not the "goal setting" type. I have issues with perfectionism and failure, so setting goals seems to be like setting myself up for failure. So, I don't do it - except this one time. I won't even tell you what all those goals entailed, but I will share that it had everything to do with God's plan for my life, what I feel (and others have affirmed) are my God-given talents, and what to do with it all. Part of this well written piece of literature (ok, not really...just notes on a piece of paper titled "my big stupid goals") was becoming a part of Proverbs 31 Ministries. I never really defined what "a part of" would look like, I just knew that I loved the mission of this ministry.

Shortly after this time of goal-setting, I was in the car listening to Focus on The Family. The guest that day was Lysa TerKuerst. She immediately captured my attention because she is so darn funny! As her story unfolded, I felt like she was my new best friend; and to top it all off - her family story is one of adoption!

I got home, got on the computer to find out more about this Lysa TerKuerst person - come to find out she founded Proverbs 31 Ministries!

But I digress - wow, that was QUITE a digression!

Back to all things adoption...

OK, Peace or Panic.

This has been the theme of our last week. When things are all said and done, I will share more details about what has been going on . But today I will tell you that the 'peace' to 'panic' way of life is a stressful one. It seems that we wake up with Panic - wondering, worrying what the day will bring...and then peace at the end of the day once everything is taken care of.

Lysa's blog post reminded me that the Peace or Panic mentality is MY DECISION TO MAKE. For me, when I go into Panic mode I forget to stop, and pray. I am so concerned about DOING something to make the panic feeling go away, I am completely oblivious to the fact that no matter what I DO, I am not in control.

So consider this a public declaration - Hence forth, I shall try to stop panicking, and instead Stop. And Pray for peace.

Lots of stuff going on

We knew that once things seemed to be going smoothly, that something would happen. It's been this way for 5 1/2 years, why should now be any different?

I can't / won't go into details about what is going on - just know that we need prayers. Let me say that I don't like being in the middle of a spiritual warfare. It's not pretty. It hurts, it will make you sick. But we believe that our God is bigger than anything that comes against us. We've overcome big obstacles over the past 5 years, and we'll do it again. I am sure this current thing won't be the last thing we have to deal with before February 16th.

too many words, not enough pictures

I noticed that my past few posts have been all words, and no pictures. So rather than to bore you with all of the amazing things that happened at the concert and days leading up to the concert last Friday night...I offer the concert...in photos (thanks to Brittani Renee Photography!) See all of the pics HERE.

I will need to add some words about some of these photos...ya know, because I am a wordy-type...

Do you know Dale Shafer? If not, you should. He is honestly one of the nicest people I have ever met. Not only does he have a great sense of humor, but he is a very talented drummer. And no ladies, he is not available (sorry!)! He is getting married in May! YAY!

Steve Smith is the husband of my super-duper good friend Vanessa. We lost several emcees right before the concert, and there for a minute I thought I was going to have to emcee (which would have been odd). Steve jumped into the emcee role (literally) at noon the day of the concert - and he did an AMAZING job!!! THANKS!

This is our dear friend Angie Henry. She is amazing and beautiful...inside and out. She is the kind of person that makes you a better person. And her voice? WHOAH!
Here is a shot of my sweet friend Larisa and her son George with my sister in law, Lori...they graciously agreed to help us at the ticket counter for the concert. I know time is precious, and something neither one of them have a lot of...so I appreciate them VERY much!
This is Todd Bruce - he and his beautiful wife Lorraine are great friends. He was in the zone playing his bass guitar!
Of course, my frighteningly talented husband - he sang 3 songs that he wrote. One of the songs, called 'home' is about Anya. I hope he is able to get the video to that song, and the song up on You Tube soon so you all can hear it and be in awe of his talent.

He has a website where he has posted a TON of his music - that website is currently being used as an adoption donation page, but we will take that down soon so you can hear the music www.martyfriend.com

Kim Stewart and Angie Henry singing...which they should do more often! I love to see the pure joy in their faces when they sing. Kim also sang a song that ROCKED the house! I just love Kim...the more I get to know her and her heart, the more I just love her!

Seth Bible and band...and yes, that is his REAL name! Seth, oh what to say about Seth...the God given talent he has is something I can't seem to find words for. His music touches hearts every. single. time. he sings. (and he has an adorable girlfriend named Sarah!)
Mark Pitcher jams! Period!
Dean Swihart agreed to join in on the concert fun at the last minute. His talent really added a ton to the concert! Thanks Dean!

Kim Helmbreck is one of my BFFs, and oh goodness can that girl SANG! Kim is married and lives in Milwaukee now, so I so appreciate her driving over to our neck of the woods for the weekend to share her talents with us.

Haiti

I think it would be wrong to not mention the heartbreak, pain and suffering in Haiti. Much has been said, and I am sure much more will be said.

We have 2 friends whose families have a special place in their hearts for Haiti. They have been instrumental in planting churches and missionaries in Haiti for many years. We're praying for them, and for all the groups who are trying to help in Haiti...we can't imagine the destruction of property and life.

Although the images we're seeing on TV are hard to see - we need to see what the truth is. My friend Michelle Wegner said "Don't turn away from their pain because it is too hard. Embrace it, and change the world w/your love."

Today I saw a story about families who are in the process of adoption in Haiti. I can't imagine - I am sure you've seen the Dad on TV with the precious little 4 year old who is trying desperately to get his little one home. My heart is more than heavy for these families.

There seems to be so much to pray for, I'm not sure where to start.

prayers for friends

...and by friends, I don't mean family members.

There are other families who are on this roller coaster on trying to get a court date in Irkutsk. One of these families has run into a situation with 2 documents. The last documents they need to submit to the court in Russia. Of course, what the court has asked for, doesn't exist...so it requires the moving of mountains to get a (U.S.) government agency to help.

Please pray for this family and these last 2 documents. They need the grace and understanding (basically) of one person to get it done.

date

For those who weren't at the concert last night, I guess I should fill you in on the news.

We have a court date! February 16th at 10am

One month from today...

As with all Irkutsk adoptions, the paperwork issue going into court is a completely stressful situation. There are some technical problems with Anya's documents (which is why our date is a month away, and not 2 weeks away). We need your prayers that all of those little issues are worked out in a way that pleases the Judge.

I will be forever grateful to our guy who has been working so hard for us over there. This past week, he has truly gone above and beyond. Most of the problems with Anya's documents are the fault of the original orphanage she was in, and/or the Adoption Center. He has intervened on our behalf, driving to remote villages and solving problems.

We also heard that because we're American, we should plan on our court hearing going for at least 2 days -here is the 'neat' thing. We can't expect that those 2 days are (for example) a Tuesday / Wednesday. There could be 3 days, 5 days, 7 days, 10 days in between those 2 dates. Yippe (insert appropriate sarcasm here). This could potentially add another week to our stay. PRAYING this isn't the case, and God goes before us to bless the entire process...and that a miracle happens and we are able to complete the court process in one day. (honestly, I don't even care if that is a 10 hour day!).

Over the next few weeks, I'll post more updates on our progress.

We are truly blessed by your constant prayers for our process and for our little girl!

a word about Nina Hilt

We've received a lot of press recently about our adoption case. On one hand, I am grateful for my friends in the media world who help us publicize our fund raising efforts. On the other hand - telling and retelling the horrible story about what happened to little Nina Hilt isn't OK.

I don't think I've ever talked about or written about Nina.

Nina was an adorable little girl. Big bright smile, curls in her light brown hair.

In the coming days, please remember to say a little prayer for Chris (Nina's Dad) and her big sister.

To learn a little more about Nina - visit this website: http://www.remembernina.com/