Happy New Year 2011!

Happy New Year to all! I pray that 2011 brings everyone good health and prosperity!

It is hard to believe how time passes so quickly! I remember as a young girl, my GaGa (grandmother) telling me to enjoy everyday because as we get older the days fly by. Of course, I did not believe her. Whoa! She was right, it amazes me how fast time flies these days. It seems I have an idea of something to do and then, poof, the time goes by and I don't get to the task.
I am amazed that I have not posted since September 8, 2010. In my mind, I have posted many poignant discussions! If I could just get those thoughts from my mind to the keyboard!!!

My 2011 New Year's Resolution is to blog more!

Here is a photo of our "little angel"! You are correct, she is not so little anymore and I am not sure "angel" is what we should be calling her! Ha! She is a little imp and this photo captures that perfectly!!!
God bless,
Elizabeth

Happy Gotcha Day 2010!

Gotcha Day - September 8, 2009

It is hard to believe but one year ago today we were saying goodbye to everyone at the orphanage and getting ready to start our new family. It seems so long ago, yet it seems just like yesterday. We just chronicled our adoption in a storybook for our Angel. I am praying it arrives today so we can have a little celebration this evening. She often asks us to tell her the story about her adoption. She especially likes to hear about when we received the phone call from AWAA and then the email with her photos.

I was working on updating the blog for the past year but realized it will take me forever. So, I think it is appropriate to post a few photos of family life over the past year and move on from there. Enjoy!

First Day in the USA!
When we arrived in Atlanta, our Angel was singing a song she made up and the only Russian words we could understand were: "Ya Amerikanka!" English translation: "I'm American!"

Our American Princess!
The first day home, we told her we were going to take a walk around the neighborhood.
This is what she insisted on wearing!

Christmas morning, December 2009.

Ready for Ballet Class!

Our Annual New Year's Eve Swim! December 31, 2009.

Valentine's Day, 2010!

Cheering on the FGCU Women's Basketball Team!
February 2010.

First Day of School, January 7, 2010.

May 2010
Dad and Angel Ready for Daddy Daughter Dance!

May 2010
Getting Ready for Her Ballet Recital - She Seems So Grown Up!

Our Prima Ballerina!

Happy 11th Birthday!

Disney, Here We Come!

We Had So Much Fun!

Celebrating Dad's Birthday!

July 2010
We Hosted Two Exchange Students for the Summer.
One From Spain and One From Hong Kong.

August 23, 2010
First Day of School

September 8, 2010
Happy Gotcha Day!

We hope you enjoyed our quick update. We are so blessed by our daughter, we cannot imagine how empty our lives would be without her. We are so thankful for the support of many family members, friends, and people we have never met during the long adoption process. There is not a day that passes that we do not thank God for you all.
As I have been preparing the storybook for our Angel, I was reminded that we completed our original homestudy in November 2005. It was almost five years later when we finally brought our Angel home. We faced many obstacles and challenges during the adoption process but I know that God knew exactly when we would bring our Angel home. For those of you who are still in the waiting phase of adoption, please be faithful and know that God has a plan and you will bring home your beautiful child or children according to God's perfect timing.
                     Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart.  Psalm 37:4

Thanks for stopping by.
Blessings,
Elizabeth

Nostalgic Moments!

Today, I am overcome with emotion and nostalgia. Partly because I have been working on a story book for our Angel and partly because it is one year ago today that Don and I boarded a plane for Russia to bring her home. We are amazed at how we have been blessed by adding a daughter to our family.

We are overcome at times by the generosity of so many that helped us bring our Angel home. Over the past 11 months, we have felt some guilt by not keeping this blog updated. Please understand that we thought we were justified in neglecting the blog. Last winter, Don wanted to update postings but I was not convinced it was the thing to do. However, now, I am feeling compelled to update this blog and to let followers know how amazing the past year has been. A year of challenges, blessings, struggles, and sheer joy! Everyday is a new day with new experiences. There is so much to share and I will begin this week with some updates and I plan to journal more frequently.

Due to some unpleasant, insulting and harassing emails, I was reluctant to continue the blog. I felt paralyzed by this and could not bring myself to blog. However, after much prayer, I believe God is telling me to continue. After all,

The Lord is my light and my salvation - whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life - of whom shall I be afraid? When evil men advance against me to devour my flesh, when my enemies and my foes attack me, they will stumble and fall. Psalm 27:1-2.

I now feel strong and determined to continue. I am putting on the armor of God and taking a stand against evil that may lurk out there!
Please stop by next week to see updates.
Thanks to everyone for your support over the past year.

God Bless,
Don and Elizabeth

Give Me A Hug

While we were in Russia and for at least 6 weeks after we arrived home, Anzhela would not hug or kiss us. We would tell her we love her often and attempt to hug her but she would pull away. We did not push it but we continued to tell her that it is important to tell your family you love them and to hug them. We would then hug and kiss each other and say, "I love you Papa" or "I love you Moma". She would just watch us.
While in Russia, bedtime was difficult but once home we've been able to get into a routine. Don and I put her to bed together. We say prayers, read a book, and then we tuck her in. She pulls the covers up over her head so we can't kiss her or hug her. At first, we would just say "goodnight Anzhela, we love you." And we would leave her room. After a few nights, we decided to hug and kiss her anyway. So, when she pulled the covers up over her head, Don would get on one side of her bed and I would get on the other and we began hugging her and kissing her through the covers. She would just laugh and giggle, eventually pull the covers off her head, and say goodnight to us.
One thing about Anzhela is that she demands our attention. When she wants something, she calls us and expects us to come to her. A few weeks ago, she was calling me to come to her bedroom. I was folding laundry and told her I would be there in a minute. She kept calling, "Mom, Mom" so I went to her room. She was standing in the doorway with her arms stretched out and she said, "Give me a hug!" Then she hugged me like there was no tomorrow. I was really caught off guard but once she pulled away I said, "Wow, that was the best hug ever! Thank you Anzhela, I can't wait for more!" She beamed.

Since that day, she is very free with her hugs for both Don and me. She will not kiss us but she gives us hugs frequently throughout the day. I love it and so does Don. Bedtime has changed a bit. Now, once we are finished with our story, she has to hug each of us and then we tuck her in. Bedtime has become a very special time for us.

Thanks for stopping by.
Blessings,
Elizabeth





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It's Gotta Be Blogger's Block!

I am really having a difficult time blogging these days - not sure why. I guess I just have "Blogger's Block"! I have been blogging for a little over 2 years. During that time, I have had periods where I just couldn't blog. I don't know why it happens. What I can say is that when I feel the urge to blog, there is no stopping me. In fact, when I have the urge to blog the words just flow, I don't even think about it. Right now, I have about 6 unfinished posts. I am hoping I can get them finished by the beginning of December.

We finally bought a used camera in late October so we are taking photos of our Angel like crazy since we feel we missed a good 6 weeks without a camera. We were also able to replace my crashed computer in late October so now I am working on organizing our photos. I tried to upload a slideshow of the few photos we downloaded before we lost our camera but I am not happy with it. I will have to work on it.

Well, I am just blogging to blog right now so I will sign off. Hopefully, the "Spirit" will move me soon and I will start posting more.

God Bless,
Elizabeth
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Has It Really Been Two Months?

Two months since "Gotcha Day". Wow! That is hard to believe! Don and I both feel a little guilty for not posting sooner but it has been absolutely crazy! We had two computers crash. We also lost our camera bag, camera, and (sandisks with photos) on the flight from Moscow to Atlanta. Just broke our hearts! We have prayed that whoever finds our bag would please just send us the disks - keep the camera we really don't care about it. But the photos are just not replaceable.

It seems it's always something. We have this black cloud that follows us around. Don reminds me frequently that "rain falls and the sun shines on the just and the unjust alike" I really should look up the actual scripture sometime. Anyway, we have a computer now and decided to do a quick update for those of you who have been looking for news.

First, to everyone who helped us get to Russia and back, God Bless You! We think of you all everyday and will never be able to thank you enough. Know that you are in our prayers everyday.

Second, we apologize to everyone who have been waiting to hear news about our Angel. It has just been a wild two months! Gotcha day was September 8 and we returned home September 18. I am not going to lie, the ten days after our Angel joined our family was difficult. The language barrier was a major challenge. We really worked on our Russian and felt we were prepared but it just wasn't enough. However, we have been home about 6 weeks and she is such a joy. I can't imagine our family without her. The struggle was worth it and we are sure God meant for us to be a family.

So, may I introduce our Angel to you?

We have called her our Angel since we began the adoption process. We knew she was meant to be part of our family the minute we received the referral. We had no doubts.

We promise we will post more this week. I have kept a journal of our entire trip and since we returned home and hope to blog over the next few weeks some of my thoughts during the experience.

Please scroll down for a small slide show of photos in Russia.
Blessings,
Elizabeth



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Touring Nizhny Novgorod

As we wait for Gotcha Day (9/8/09), we have been taking in some sites around Nizhny. We've enjoyed many activities as well as the wonderful weather. The Pedestrian Walk, also known as Bolshaya Pokrovskaya street, is right around the corner from our apartment. We've walked up and down many days. There are also several great cafes to sit and watch the people.

We spent an afternoon at the Kremlin. We took in the beautiful gardens, architecture, history, and views of the Volga River.

Several evenings we enjoyed free outdoor concerts in front of the Nizhny Novgorod Drama Theater not far from our apartment.

Yesterday, we walked along the Lower Volga Embankment and took a day cruise on the Volga River. It was a beautiful day and the trip only cost 200 rubles/person or $6.00/person.

This is definitely a beautiful and historical city. We have really enjoyed our time here.

The scenery and cathedrals are just breathtaking. This is a photo we took from the river of the stairs at the end of the Pedestrian Walk. This is one of the many beautiful cathedrals. We took this photo from the Kremlin on our walk back to our apartment. It was just at sunset.

Tomorrow is Gotcha Day. Hopefully, we will enjoy a few more sites with our Angel. Later today, we will prepare for her arrival. We are going to get a small cake, decorate the apartment a little, and have a celebration with our Angel and Julia. I guess one could say, "Gotcha Day is the first day of the rest of her life!"

We will try to post again before we leave Friday for Moscow. However, we have had difficulty posting on our blog at the apartment and may not make it back down to McDonalds for free wi-fi. Please check back later this week or the weekend for our updates.

Blessings,

Elizabeth

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Fun Time With Our Angel

Today we had a great time visiting with our Angel. We walked through the neighborhood by the orphanage. She played on the swings for a short time and then took us to a little toy store. She said she wanted to show us some "koo-klas" (dolls). She was especially fond of a Barbie Doll and a baby doll similar to a Cabbage Patch Doll. She told us she didn't have any dolls. That made me sad. We told her we would get her a doll when we get home.

After the toy shop, she took us to a lake. We walked across a footbridge and back. Then she decided we needed to have a throwing contest. She gathered rocks for us to throw and who ever threw the farthest won! Of course, she won every round. She laughed and giggled as we tried to throw farther than her. She also made sure she gave Don the smallest rocks. He would make faces at her and whine, "mah-lyen-kee" (small). She just laughed and giggled. I love hearing that giggle! It makes me smile.

We walked by a produce stand and she was looking at the watermelons. I asked her, "kak et ah pah RU ski?" and she answered "arBUS." My daughter taught me how to say watermelon in Russian!

As we walked back to the orphanage, we stopped at a market because she wanted to buy some treats for the other children at the orphanage (hmm, this is a good thing). We bought juice, pastries, and cookies. Oh, well, at least the juice was healthy!

As we approached the orphanage, several children were standing in the door waiting for us. Apparently, the caregivers told the children that our Angel was being adopted and that we were from America. As we walked up, they began saying "hello" in both English and Russian. They followed us down the hallway smiling and chattering. I recognized one of the little girls from our previous trip in January and I smiled at her. She walked with us and stuck by my side. It was time to say "goodbye" to our Angel again - I really hated that. We gave her hugs and kisses and told her we would see her again on Tuesday. She wasn't too forthcoming with her hugs - we'll work on that!

As we turned to leave, the other little girl was still by my side. She tugged at my arm and said, "I want to live in America too." Oh my goodness, I just about burst into tears. Don overheard and was touched by her as I was. This little child made an impression on us in January and here she was again tugging at our heart strings. There are so many children in the world wanting families - it makes my heart ache. Tonight, we are praying for all the orphaned children in the world - we pray that God will keep them safe and find them families.

For in this hope we were saved. But for hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently. Romans 8: 24-25.

Blessings,
Elizabeth

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Shopping With Our Daughter

Today, we took our Angel shopping for an outfit for Gotcha Day. We went to a large children's store with clothing, books, shoes, games, many other items. We told her she could pick out an outfit (any kind) for when we pick her up from the orphange. She picked a pretty party dress and fancy flower print shoes. She also wanted a pair of heavy weight tights. Now, I know it is typical to bundle-up children in Russia but she would die wearing those tights in Florida. It took a little doing but I managed to talk her out of them. One day, she'll thank me. While she tried on her dress, I found myself thinking, "this is a milestone, we are shopping with our daughter." There will be many more milestone shopping days in our future as we watch her grow to become a young woman. Okay, I'm getting ahead of myself here - let's get her home to the USA first!

Although she had a good time shopping, she seemed a bit distant. She didn't want us to take any photos of her, she wouldn't sit by us during lunch, and she wouldn't try to talk to us much. She may have some worries that we won't come back for her. We hope she feels more secure now that she has a "special dress" for the day we pick her up from the orphanage.

We are praying she warms to us and we can have a smooth transition.

Thanks for following our journey,

Elizabeth

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The Judge Said "YES"

We were both up this morning before the alarm went off. Although we prayed about this day, we were nervous. Other than our wedding day, this is probably the most important event in our 13 years of marriage.
Dimitri arrived about 8:15am to prep us for court. We spent about 1 1/4 hours preparing. He told us what to expect and reviewed court questions with us. We decided I would go first. There has been a lot of talk about the judges focusing on the husbands because many are not as involved in preparing the homestudy and dossier as the wives. Both Julia and Dimitri did not feel this was accurate in Nizhny.

We arrived at the court house about 9:50am and our hearing began at 10:00am. I spoke first, after I told "our story" the judge opened it up for anyone in the court room to ask me questions. No one had questions except the lady from "the administration" (I am not sure who she was and will have to get her role clarified). Regardless, her questions were the most difficult. Once the judge was satisfied with my testimony, she told me to sit down and asked Don to stand and tell "his story".

Don's testimony lasted about 30 minutes. Once he sat down, others presented information for the court and then the judge left the room to deliberate. She was gone about 5 minutes. Don and I held hands, actually squeezed hands, and quietly prayed. When she returned, we all stood and she read her ruling. Our adoption application for our Angel was approved by the Nizhny Novgorod Court! No translation needed - we knew exactly what she said!

I don't really know how to explain the emotions that washed over me hearing those words. I asked Don to explain his emotions at the moment - his response was the same. It is just difficult to put it into words. Happiness, joy, relief..........

Here is a photo of me with Julia, Dimitri, and the social worker. We are all happy because the judge said "yes!"

The bottom line, we are thrilled beyond words! Now we begin the 10-day wait. That's 10 working days by the way - we expect to have custody of our Angel September 8 or 9.

Your love, O Lord, reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the skies.

Psalm 36:5

So, we are here waiting again. But God is so faithful.
Elizabeth

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Seeing Our Angel Again

We went to the orphanage to wait for our Angel to arrive from camp. The camp was about 2 hours outside the city and the driver was stuck in bad traffic. We waited until about 3:15pm before they arrived. She was surprised to see us but very shy and wouldn't talk too much.

While we were waiting, we visited with the orphanage director and she shared some photo albums depicting the history of the orphanage. It is quite apparent the children are well-cared for. But I was struck by how sad their eyes were in all the photos. More affirmation that adopting our Angel is "the right thing to do."

We took her to get her passport photos - yes, although it seemed a bit premature, we took it as a positive sign! We also got a quick bite to eat. She started to open up and interact a bit. After our visit, we drove her back to camp. Saying "goodbye" was difficult but we were very hopeful that the next time we saw her she would officially be our daughter.

Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress.... James 1:27

Preparing for Court,
Elizabeth

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The Train to Nizhny Novgorod

Last night we left Moscow around 11:30pm on the overnight train to Nizhny. The train seemed new and very clean compared to the train we rode in January.

I had trouble sleeping and found myself up around 3:30am staring out the window. Don was sawing zzzs and I was thinking about our Angel. Has she missed us? Does she think about us? Does she remember that we are coming back to get her? Is she scared? Oh, so many questions. One day, I hope she will share her feelings with us.

Around 5:00am, I went to freshen up and brush my teeth. When I came back, Don was awake. We decided to order practice our Russian and order some coffee from the attendant. We weren't sure how to ring her so Don went to find her and place our request.

She came to our compartment and brought us coffee with milk. She giggled when we asked her how much in Russian. We paid her and a few minutes later she came back with granola bars, candy bars, and cookies. We each took something and asked her again in Russian. She giggled again and took a few rubles from us. The coffee and snacks were probably complimentary - oh well at least we made her giggle!

Not long after our coffee, we pulled into the train station. We saw Julia waiting on the platform. The minute I saw her, I got butterflies in my stomach. Wow - this is real, we are really here again and this time we are bringing our Angel home!

We loaded our luggage in Julia's car, picked up a few groceries, and she dropped us off at our apartment. This would be home for the next 18 days.

Julia told us our Angel was at summer camp and did not receive our letter that we were coming. The Director of the orphanage sent a driver to bring her to the orphanage to see us. We would go to see her around 12:30pm. We were filled with excitement and anticipation as we began to unpack and settle in.

Blessings,
Elizabeth

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Counting Down: Take Off

Well, we are in Atlanta relaxing before we take off for Moscow. It is by the Grace of God we got here! What a morning! Our house was in total chaos. We were both extremely stressed out this morning. Trying to pack, take care of those last minute issues, etc... Our friend Karen came to drive us to the airport - I am sure we were a spectacle! She sat quietly and patiently in our living room sipping coffee and watching us. We managed to pull ourselves together enough to pack up the car and get to the airport with just minutes to spare. We did forget a few things but we are sure we will survive. Just think, the next time we will be in this airport, we will have our Angel with us and she will be a US citizen. Wow!

Thanks Karen! You are a true friend!

Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing. 1 Thessalonians 5:11

Blessings,
Elizabeth

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Counting Down: Days 3, 2, 1

The days are flying by. It seems there just isn't enough time to accomplish everything we wanted to. How do you plan for the unexpected? You don't - you just have to stay flexible!
We have last minute documents that were sent off for apostilling and we pray they arrive back here in time for us to take them with us. We had a few work issues to settle, bills to pay, arrangements for the house while we are gone, arrangements for the cats while we are gone, stop mail, broken toilet to take care of, .... well, you get the picture. There is so much we wanted to do before we left but we are not going to get to everything. We have tried to be organized but have fallen a bit short. Oh well!
I am absent from you in body, I am present with you in spirit and delight to see how orderly you are and how firm your faith in Christ is. Collossians 2:5
Well, I may not be the most orderly person, but I am definitely firm in my faith.
Thanks for following our countdown,
Elizabeth



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Counting Down: Day 4

Oh, my goodness - only 4 days until we travel! It seems there is so much to do. Tomorrow is my last day at work and it won't come too soon. I really wanted to take off the entire week to be able to get ready for our trip - but just couldn't swing it. So, I am meeting myself coming and going.

Don worked today on finishing up our Angel's room. We had a practice Skype run with my best and dearest friend in California - I think it will work just fine. We spoke to the bank and our new bills are in - we will pick them up on Thursday. Things are really coming together.

We also found out that a few documents we thought we needed to get prior to traveling are not needed - YEAH! We sent our Angel a letter (email) telling her "We Are Coming!" We sent our last packet of documents to the courier in Tallahassee to get apostilled for us. We should have them back Thursday to safely pack to carry to Russia. It's really going to happen!

PRAISING GOD TODAY FOR: fundraising success; donations that keep coming in; less documents necessary to take on Trip 2 (notice the happy fundraising thermometer!).

We want to thank everyone who has supported our fundraising efforts and/or donated to help us bring our Angel home. We are so greatful for your help. God Bless You All.

Blessings,
Elizabeth
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Counting Down: Day 5

What a hectic day! I was up and on the road by 6:15AM - so much work to finish before we leave on Saturday. The beginning of the semester is always a crazy time of the semester and facing the reality of being gone for close to 1/2 of the term makes it more chaotic. I know it will all work out.

I had a faculty retreat to attend so I did not have much time to follow-up with other things that really needed my attention. We found out that we needed a document from another county notarized and sent for apostilling. In the middle of my retreat, my phone buzzed and an email came in from our agency. Guess What! I will not have to have medicals in Moscow after all!!! Woo Hoo! What great news! That email came in at the right time - I was just getting ready to call my family physician to get an order for lab work - now I don't have to! Plus, we will save money - those specialist exams are quite costly.


After work, I stopped and shopped for a few outfits for our Angel. So, I have to ask " when did 10 year old little girls begin wearing bikini underwear?" Am I out there too much in that I do not want my child to wear "adult underwear?" What is with Hanes and Fruit of the Loom. Don't our children grow up fast enough? I was so surprised! Needless to say, we do not have any underwear yet for our Angel.

When I got home, Don was smiling like the Cheshire Cat - what, what? I asked. Then he showed me, we received another donation. WOW! How can anyone question that God's faithfulness is unending? We are so blessed by what God has done over the past few weeks. Some would say that stepping out in faith is risky business. We say, we must be willing to step out on faith - even when it doesn't make sense.

We had our travel meeting tonight and we are just about ready to hop on that plane and bring our Angel home. We have a few documents to send out tomorrow and then we are set to go!

PRAISING GOD TODAY FOR: My medical being cancelled in Moscow; receiving another donation to help us complete Trip 2 and bring home our Angel! Angels among us.


Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. Hebrews 11:1

Be sure to stop by tomorrow, we will update our fundraising thermometer with the amount of funds received through fundrasing and donations.
God Bless,
Elizabeth


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