Could someone FedEx me a Frescata from Wendy's Please???

Hi everyone!!  We came to the internet cafe earlier this AM so we would have more time to read e-mail and journal.  Hope everything is going well back in the US.  Is there anything new happening back at home?  We have NO access to English channels on our TV so have not heard news in over a week. 

We went to Simferopol yesterday and we had a nice visit at Alyssa's orpanage.  Unfortunately, there was only one caretaker there yesterday that we remembered, but it was well worth the trip.  I swear, I thought the caretaker was going to have a heartattack when she saw Alyssa :)  She grabbed her and hugged her so tight (it scared Alyssa) but I thought it was so sweet. We have a few pics of it that we'll post soon.  We let Alyssa walk around the orphanage grounds for a little bit.  She remembered a little I think.  We then gave the director pictures of Alyssa (we made a little album of her growing up).  He was very happy to recieve the pictures.  We also gave him pictures of another little girl who was adopted from Yolichka about the same time.  Her mother and I keep in touch via e-mail.  He oohed and aahed over the two girls for a while along with a few other people that were in the room.  If you are reading this (Gianna's mom) our translator asked him to please let us show the pictures to her caretakers and we would give the pictures back.  He said that he didn't think the ones in the picture were working that day and he would show them to the groupa later.  Sorry that we couldn't do it ourselves so we could let you know their reactions.  But, if it makes you feel any better he was VERY glad to see them.  :) 

After the orphanage visit, we went to Chelentanos, a pizza place we always ate at when we were there in 2004, and got 2 pizzas and 2 salads to go.  We then dropped our translator off at the train station............she had to go back to Kyiv to translate some documents to be submitted at the SDA.  She will come back right before court next week and then leave again after court.  So, we are on our own now, but we can still call her everyday and she will get us a taxi to go to and from the orphanage.  After the train station, we were on our way back to Kerch, a long 3 hour drive.  Chris and I watched a movie and Alyssa played the Gameboy the whole way.

When we got home, we realized that we still had enough time to visit one of the children.  We decided to visit Sergey since he was still in the hospital and was so sad the day before when I told him that we wouldn't be there on Wednesday.  We rode over to the hospital to suprise him.  He was VERY excited when we walked in the door!!!!!  He ran to me and gave me a big hug and then he showed us how his balloons had popped and how his beachball had a hole in it.  :(  Chris decided to rip up the beachball into strips and tie them together.  We played "tug of war" with the "rope" for a while, it was fun.  One of the nurses then came in to take Sergey's temperature.  She was talking up a storm with us and Sergey was just laughing telling her that we don't understand Russian. He then was telling the nurse that we he was going to America with us, and that we were his Mama and Papa and Alyssa was his sister.  He was so excited while he was telling her this.  When the nurse left, we went through a Finding Nemo work/color book that we had left with him.   He did a few word searches and then I wrote the English Alphabet.  He knows almost every letter and can even sound out words already :)  I am guessing he is learning this in school.  Oh, and last night, Sergey really came out of his shell!!!!!  I tickled him one time and that was all it took :)  Mama, Papa, Alyssa and Sergey were having a tickling match :)  It was so much fun and I have never heard Sergey laugh so hard!!  I finally had to call it quits and we sat down and I tried to exlain to him about his new American name.  I told him that Dina's new name was Abigail and that his was Brayden.  He seemed to be OK with it, if he understood what I said, that is :)  We had to tell him goodbye because it was getting late. He was sad, but he told me that we was going back to the boarding school tomorrow (today).  Well, he said "internat and zaftra" Internat is another name for orphanage or boarding school and zaftra means tomorrow.  So, we are HOPING and PRAYING that he will really be out of the hospital today.  I really don't think I could have taken visiting him in that place another day.

Abigail................what a fun, crazy, silly and precious cutie pie she is :) :) :)  She is going by her new name now and when I ask her what her name is, she tells us "Abigail".  She'll put on my sunglasses and say"American Girl" (her caretaker taught her that).  She loves to be chased, yet loves to be held.  She loves to run up to you and flip all over you, yet loves to cuddle.  I can't wait to see her again today, I missed her so much yesterday.  Alyssa and Abby played very good Tuesday.  They collected snails, there is a wall at the orphanage that have TONS of snails on it.  The girls must have had about 20 or so in a pile. YUCK!  Then we played with a soccer ball that we bought at the market for a while.  After that Chris hid behind on one of the buildings and while the girls started running, he jumped out and scared them.  Abigail was laughing so hard and she go so tickled and told me (in Russian and hand motions) exactly what happened, but she wsa laughing so hard she could barely talk :)  Alyssa, Chris and I were cracking up laughing at her laughing............it was hilarious!!!  LOL!! 

I can't wait to see all three children together.  I don't kow when that will happen yet because Abby's orphanage is so far away from Sergey's.  Well they are in walking distance, but about a 10 minute walk.  We may have to wait until after court.

As far as food, we are eating in the room for dinner most nights.  Last night after Sergey's visit, we ate our Chelentanos pizza, crab salad and pickles.  The two nights before, we ate meatless speghetti (can't find ground beef here) It actually turned out pretty yummy.  Tonight, we are going to have leftover pizza and the little bit of speghetti that is left.  I told Chris the other day that the FIRST thing I want to do when we leave the airport in Atlanta is to go through the Wendy's drivethrough to get a Turkey & Basil Pesto Frescata!!!  I am craving one so badly right now!!!  :)  So, if anyone wants, could you FedEx me one please??  Ha! Ha!  Just kidding..........well sortof :)

Thanks Teri and Jess for the comments about the clothes, I'll have to try the bleach thing for sure, although I do like the color of my shirt :) 

Laurel, I don't know why you can't see the pictures???  They usually show up in the upper right hand corner of each entry.  Let me know if you still don't see them.  Sometimes it takes a while for them to load.

Tom, thanks for getting me in touch with the missionaries in Simferopol.  Unfortunately theycould not make it to the orphanage while we were there, but left a few pitures with the orphanage director.  There weren't any of Alyssa in them, but tell them I said thank you for trying to help.

Cindy,  I showed the pictures of Evan to his groupa and they LOVED looking at them.  All the kids and 2 caretakers were gathered around the table for about 15 minutes looking at him, pointing at them and saying his name.  When the caretaker gave the pictures back she told me thank you and was very sincere you could tell :)  When our translator gets back, I'll tell her to give them to the director. 

Nikki, not sure if you read the journal or not, but any news yet???  I've been thinking about you.

Mama, how is flip-flop and Casey? 

Tiff, THANK YOU for posting pictures!!!!!  We are sending you more today. 

Everyone else, THANK you for your comments, prayers, thoughts, and everything else!!!  We are ready to come home, but it'll be a while :)  Looks like we we probably won't make Halloween, but atleast we'll make Thanksgiving..........we have A LOT to be thankful for this year!!!

And most of all..............THANK YOU GOD...............thank you for bringing our family together!  I love you!!!

Love to you all,

Chris, Julie, Brayden, Abigail, and Alyssa