tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-85375204109727106252024-03-13T06:58:50.628-04:00To Kazakhstan for one MooreOur Kazakhstan Adoption StoryJesse and Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15039309428223041585noreply@blogger.comBlogger52125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8537520410972710625.post-4846123951777752372010-04-10T01:20:00.003-04:002010-04-10T01:33:05.681-04:00April 2010<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_gIqFOKN1vmbZG-T9hadg18RwjlsfkR8vtiLTPABp0vcgI1CoOA7-aKWFZcQBHXbiMbmi_oQPjHcxRbOa7vzcWSThYkNIEiM-3y5FcC3gR5ykqGyUHlUQbJBHSpTfdEUJK0Ck_X7H0A/s1600/DSC_0014_edited-1.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 237px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_gIqFOKN1vmbZG-T9hadg18RwjlsfkR8vtiLTPABp0vcgI1CoOA7-aKWFZcQBHXbiMbmi_oQPjHcxRbOa7vzcWSThYkNIEiM-3y5FcC3gR5ykqGyUHlUQbJBHSpTfdEUJK0Ck_X7H0A/s320/DSC_0014_edited-1.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5458376997417617314" /></a><br />The month of April will always be special to me. Jesse and I spent the month of April 2008 living in Kazakhstan getting to know Griffin. It's been two years but at times it seems like yesterday that we walked the streets of Shymkent, spent time with new friends and most importantly visited the baby house each afternoon. <br /><br />Griffin is doing fantastic! <br /><br />We are so blessed to have him in our home and in our hearts.Jesse and Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15039309428223041585noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8537520410972710625.post-64960714696320218812009-06-19T22:44:00.013-04:002009-06-20T00:08:26.504-04:00What a difference one year can make...<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPNuhYIGBRKFLofhi1m-CTVXmmEhDRPzyZhK19G5l1yZ82PSmipcaGwbq8hthAz7S2jwwHSnjgP0L7A2ZhI5QyBvJu3Gf3NlDvqKpuYYW9wNQtpu9_mzCZTCGS5Dom1GdJjSSzftfMDw/s1600-h/Griffin+Tough+Guy.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPNuhYIGBRKFLofhi1m-CTVXmmEhDRPzyZhK19G5l1yZ82PSmipcaGwbq8hthAz7S2jwwHSnjgP0L7A2ZhI5QyBvJu3Gf3NlDvqKpuYYW9wNQtpu9_mzCZTCGS5Dom1GdJjSSzftfMDw/s320/Griffin+Tough+Guy.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5349238627404249122" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5tOkvVgkY-yD5sxsrtlOLqJb5afu4c3CHgJ8szudPY1gHWPdKRd4a_lvKcXn-F6j71sX9HSb31lhGayT34zLOyL1fIKTeTIPHBYnNhr94k-56Uk9AfG8qV0oFI39jn8yZOYiOytqD6A/s1600-h/Griffin+18+months+2.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 318px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5tOkvVgkY-yD5sxsrtlOLqJb5afu4c3CHgJ8szudPY1gHWPdKRd4a_lvKcXn-F6j71sX9HSb31lhGayT34zLOyL1fIKTeTIPHBYnNhr94k-56Uk9AfG8qV0oFI39jn8yZOYiOytqD6A/s320/Griffin+18+months+2.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5349237787891482498" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh-B8wwlU4OB6Mh4XeSqjTWRAmaLmVdGzaCsFiWZGpbi9lmWnkPbwqPLUeEhKY6Sdb_eKMT9WeZeCVJ-XnvaH73zYtJgEkn4Q4QzCfdxqeE-I0zgtxVlaz0KRs-Ce3cKJZLfT803H7tQ/s1600-h/Griffin+watching+Sea+World+Show.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh-B8wwlU4OB6Mh4XeSqjTWRAmaLmVdGzaCsFiWZGpbi9lmWnkPbwqPLUeEhKY6Sdb_eKMT9WeZeCVJ-XnvaH73zYtJgEkn4Q4QzCfdxqeE-I0zgtxVlaz0KRs-Ce3cKJZLfT803H7tQ/s320/Griffin+watching+Sea+World+Show.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5349240904109245026" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrTYEtqOR9JqqkQ3lxcvarMmjPv6dqrS9c7_0UKbGY3dqY1ZRoATB8pA6HB-5aIUSW2u4p9Ey2y6DCAZrljTceizAmB56EtNXkEJyFe0yF4tFiAXsL2d1S6VYVz1fttF7Fukv2Koo0eQ/s1600-h/Griffin+18+months.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrTYEtqOR9JqqkQ3lxcvarMmjPv6dqrS9c7_0UKbGY3dqY1ZRoATB8pA6HB-5aIUSW2u4p9Ey2y6DCAZrljTceizAmB56EtNXkEJyFe0yF4tFiAXsL2d1S6VYVz1fttF7Fukv2Koo0eQ/s320/Griffin+18+months.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5349237784475636434" /></a><br /><br /><br />A year ago today we brought our little boy home from Kazakhstan (KZ). I can't believe it's been one year and I can't believe I said little. Griffin is now far from Kazakhstan and far from little. In 12 months time he has grown 4" and gained 12 pounds. He worn 6-9 month sized clothes last June and now he wears size 3T. Shoe size went from size 4 to size 8. It is amazing how much he's changed. <br /><br />I can remember our time in KZ so vividly, yet can't remember a time without Griffin in the family. In one short year he has won the hearts of each of us. His older brother Connor loves to tell him what to do (or more importantly what <strong>not</strong> to do.) From Connor we hear a lot of ..."Don't go in my room, don't touch my ipod, don't stand in front of the TV". Yet it's touching to watch Connor pour Griffin's milk or push him on the swings. And Lana, she is the best big sister in the world. I don't know what she would do without Griffin and he without her. They play together daily: endless amounts of running, jumping, chasing and laughing. From Lana we hear a lot of... "Hey Griff watch this". They are brothers and sister.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxC1KWqDrsq51gLjFmaxL5lU__o0l7D5_U9LE-mn7quS4sHSN5cpTWUVZoCA0cGJ07pkgA5ffbep9BPWvTj98ooWrL9-DC7hue4WD-YU0AoT6Mh4ijyZp2aM5-bFMhvnRolk4-4Z6URA/s1600-h/Moore+Kids+2.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxC1KWqDrsq51gLjFmaxL5lU__o0l7D5_U9LE-mn7quS4sHSN5cpTWUVZoCA0cGJ07pkgA5ffbep9BPWvTj98ooWrL9-DC7hue4WD-YU0AoT6Mh4ijyZp2aM5-bFMhvnRolk4-4Z6URA/s320/Moore+Kids+2.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5349250637842630386" /></a><br /><br />As for Jesse and I, we just adore him! He will come running from the back yard all the way up the hill when he sees Daddy's car pull in the driveway. Nobody can make Griff giggle like Jesse, the two of them together can be heard laughing for miles. When Griffin needs a break from the other clowns in the family he comes looking for Mommy. Oh, is there anything sweeter than your youngest child crawling on your lap offering up hugs and kisses? I could just melt at bedtime when I hear "of oou", still working on L in "Love You". I confess it didn't take a year to wrap Mommy around his finger.Jesse and Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15039309428223041585noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8537520410972710625.post-85676845091451747082009-01-09T21:21:00.008-05:002009-01-17T18:37:32.068-05:00Happy New Year<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVDc4f7SPFuUr60DOTSUGadUCUkFDQ6SJDS4QIXvsA0uXy8lKg48iwR03keEPUWJFMP5kAHOdaxnppvH6BaIjyA7CJ74KgTF6dSYh5yWxR-Ogvneez471TVROpryeotH-IYYhbiBnngw/s1600-h/Family+Photo+2008.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 251px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVDc4f7SPFuUr60DOTSUGadUCUkFDQ6SJDS4QIXvsA0uXy8lKg48iwR03keEPUWJFMP5kAHOdaxnppvH6BaIjyA7CJ74KgTF6dSYh5yWxR-Ogvneez471TVROpryeotH-IYYhbiBnngw/s320/Family+Photo+2008.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5289742991310104402" /></a><br />Wow, two years ago this week Jesse and I made the decision to expand our family by "one Moore", I never could have imagined the journey that lie ahead or the absolutely amazing little boy that is now our son.<br /><br />Griffin is doing fantastic! His joyful personality shines bright everyday. It appears we have a bit of a "class clown" on our hands. He'll do anything goofy just to get a laugh. He will mimic a cough or sneeze and laugh while doing so. He gives the cutest devious sideways look right before feeding the dog food off his plate, which he's repeated been told not to do. One thing remain consistent from the first day we met, he's very ticklish. His belly-laugh is the sweetest sound.<br /><br />His physical development is progressing wonderfully. When he came home, 6 months ago, he was in the 5th percentile for weight and 15th percentile for height, today he is in 50th percentile for weight and height. His language skills are a bit behind. Just turned two and he only says a few words, but that's OK since one of them is "MaMa".<br /><br />The most rewarding part of the past 6 months has been witnessing the bond form between Griffin and Connor and Lana. I never doubted their ability to accept a child into the family, but I'm so proud of the genuine love that is growing between them. Connor often waits patiently and even encourages us to meet Griffin's needs first, before his own. He'll now give Griffin a gentle pat on the head when they cross paths and say "hey little brother".<br /><br />Lana has found her calling in life... she is the perfect big sister. She loves to play with Griffin. She's teaching him to do forward rolls, which he finds hysterical. She'll persuade him to lie down on the carpet while she practices dive rolls and cart-wheels over his body. Again he finds this hysterical. She even likes to push his stroller or help with his coat and shoes. She's very helpful with Griff, in all regards except changing the diapers!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt12NBsZlS5mT6lo6w3gXJZO2l0GUcGs1IstDft7L1CeiiQrMWxpsCNzOn5mJidSZ6MH-EGVbk2dnQTLgws_MDOC9KM6BbUkqlt1wUPufFhu8Ja1nOvKxjeeK7xhSNnzoufupkenKuIg/s1600-h/scan0001.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 226px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt12NBsZlS5mT6lo6w3gXJZO2l0GUcGs1IstDft7L1CeiiQrMWxpsCNzOn5mJidSZ6MH-EGVbk2dnQTLgws_MDOC9KM6BbUkqlt1wUPufFhu8Ja1nOvKxjeeK7xhSNnzoufupkenKuIg/s320/scan0001.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5292410483086999442" /></a>Jesse and Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15039309428223041585noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8537520410972710625.post-83988665570831368662008-11-01T14:09:00.001-04:002009-01-17T19:20:53.879-05:00FallGriffin experienced the beauty of fall in Ohio: nice weather, changing leaves, Halloween, numerous soccer games, and a season of OHIO STATE BUCKEYES football.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFO1hryCkOfETO9NKG4NHhCfOuIY-0CHnKRoo0B3q_muE-FhBgdndCB8JAkVV00Ct4jVhTTcu8I8Pz3tO4_zWnjmpAI5EIw2YhD4wWJ02BdHxunWDNvTkI0F8ZWwTSMq_Sm6dhKgwfgA/s1600-h/Halloween+2008.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 254px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFO1hryCkOfETO9NKG4NHhCfOuIY-0CHnKRoo0B3q_muE-FhBgdndCB8JAkVV00Ct4jVhTTcu8I8Pz3tO4_zWnjmpAI5EIw2YhD4wWJ02BdHxunWDNvTkI0F8ZWwTSMq_Sm6dhKgwfgA/s320/Halloween+2008.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5292413460668426786" /></a><br /><br />Griffin dressed as a scary bat on his first Halloween. OK, I must admit. I picked the bat costume and it was too small. He grew a lot between the time I got it and Halloween night. Not too scary, instead he looked like an overstuffed purple and black pillow. He enjoyed the evening out. He rode happily in the stroller while Connor and Lana ran from house to house.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6kfk3kocZdl1jVxrZW2cKZNli_8mow3N5OIwcjfTaskVi38AcW8ePGq6QOsgqP5T8lh_sV5Jdtz2tvOl89WuHKuMUAv9DNv3J0K68yu8OYFgp6hRMWdSyFWvRLvwSxm3OxDbkkzpFSg/s1600-h/Connor+and+Lana+in+soccer+uniform+back.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6kfk3kocZdl1jVxrZW2cKZNli_8mow3N5OIwcjfTaskVi38AcW8ePGq6QOsgqP5T8lh_sV5Jdtz2tvOl89WuHKuMUAv9DNv3J0K68yu8OYFgp6hRMWdSyFWvRLvwSxm3OxDbkkzpFSg/s320/Connor+and+Lana+in+soccer+uniform+back.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5292412761993974450" /></a><br /><br />Griffin had the privilege of watching both Connor and Lana play soccer games every Saturday this fall. He was usually content to do so as long as he had a cell phone, car keys and a few snacks. After every game we'd race home to catch the Buckeyes game on TV. I think Griff finally started to understand why all his clothes are scarlet and gray. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnewmFI9lwGhNEnpn6EVNiAk9g3UFQM_4B5T9LUkXXTiQljkES4Elokak7BwNNUUruQbvJ2rJI_5q0YdT6p6uHBaNeUjO4KBlypVJ9LkmGFLXU2VMpvZsINfaJhpopG9OKUsKCBOnSMw/s1600-h/DSC01951.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnewmFI9lwGhNEnpn6EVNiAk9g3UFQM_4B5T9LUkXXTiQljkES4Elokak7BwNNUUruQbvJ2rJI_5q0YdT6p6uHBaNeUjO4KBlypVJ9LkmGFLXU2VMpvZsINfaJhpopG9OKUsKCBOnSMw/s320/DSC01951.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5292413203797745458" /></a>Jesse and Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15039309428223041585noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8537520410972710625.post-34481844105076338442008-08-30T21:38:00.010-04:002008-08-30T22:49:56.125-04:00Griffin's First All-American Summer<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0-hCCaco4V4n7hViwA-I7ERVDpDRGCam9gRWS6-WVI37UieXl8lBtpWaiGITELiBrRYiz0M_uY-4nE3T609ll0Hn9kzQqp3EZrc8magSujGYf-Di3Bdy4p1irkqoBHijGRWGm-ah2GQ/s1600-h/Connor+and+Griff+on+Slide.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0-hCCaco4V4n7hViwA-I7ERVDpDRGCam9gRWS6-WVI37UieXl8lBtpWaiGITELiBrRYiz0M_uY-4nE3T609ll0Hn9kzQqp3EZrc8magSujGYf-Di3Bdy4p1irkqoBHijGRWGm-ah2GQ/s320/Connor+and+Griff+on+Slide.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5240495232104699810" /></a><br /><br /><br />What a wonderful summer we've had getting to know our Kazak boy! Griffin has enjoyed all sorts of summertime fun. He thoroughly enjoys trips to the neighborhood YMCA water park and to Kings Island Amusement Park. He celebrated 4th of July with a traditional cook-out and fireworks show. The above picture captures just one of his many trips down a 16 foot water slide rented for Connor's birthday party. Griffin's brother, sister and cousins eagerly took turns assisting him down the slide. He would squeal with laughter every trip down.<br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXaCrYM4u_g7kZLx5mX-5gfmTorfY-SNn8fAY0o4IsX-N-c9gre1ITKsQkyTvuZfpXJOR9zYYLia8nUuquWJiQEL1Tl201gaGPl9lZ6n9z9W6gyqYpAZNEX1WpJzlHpUqSC44z0Eq8ag/s1600-h/All+three+on+slide.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXaCrYM4u_g7kZLx5mX-5gfmTorfY-SNn8fAY0o4IsX-N-c9gre1ITKsQkyTvuZfpXJOR9zYYLia8nUuquWJiQEL1Tl201gaGPl9lZ6n9z9W6gyqYpAZNEX1WpJzlHpUqSC44z0Eq8ag/s320/All+three+on+slide.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5240495439024473986" /></a><br /><br /><br />Just a few weeks ago we attended the Ahlers family reunion in Monticello Indiana. Family members from 8 states came together for a long weekend of fun and sun. During an afternoon of boating he took a nap and enjoyed eating a snack while watching the big kids ski and tube. Griffin wore out every member of the family with his relentless desire to practice walking. (Thanks everyone for your many trips around the grounds.) I would say Griffin's favorite summertime activity is eating ice cream! The below pictures captures his joy of eating (and sharing) an ice cream cone with his Great Aunt Mary Beth. <br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXzZWidaZRiy91g50BdzJb8eGkYGVI8lMVkv75SwrKbp5zddQjPHGLo1Pc04-bhANWRoI-MfslmL45XcVFUP-4gDmRQPClR9Z5mmpvmGrBVbMEBerAFjxFGbsHrZAJNtBNE-lyHjwDjA/s1600-h/MB+with+Griff+3.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXzZWidaZRiy91g50BdzJb8eGkYGVI8lMVkv75SwrKbp5zddQjPHGLo1Pc04-bhANWRoI-MfslmL45XcVFUP-4gDmRQPClR9Z5mmpvmGrBVbMEBerAFjxFGbsHrZAJNtBNE-lyHjwDjA/s320/MB+with+Griff+3.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5240500793806311842" /></a><br /><br /><br />Throughout this summer Griffin has been introduced to family, friends, neighbors and co-workers... we'd like to say thanks to everyone for welcoming him with such enthusiasm. <br /><br />A few other photos of the big boy...<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIvAaSkBh_Y_PCxbcdUV5fWiMbaVYpUbbMkl1xwiFwzf6F_7vS6HvJIEvLoFKRhQlGmzg1PbuE4lxVbt72OYv4tfUjR1okBzq5eIDyDW4ou5ybllKAKCrE_NUE7nB7YQymCxQYy4g1cA/s1600-h/scan0005.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIvAaSkBh_Y_PCxbcdUV5fWiMbaVYpUbbMkl1xwiFwzf6F_7vS6HvJIEvLoFKRhQlGmzg1PbuE4lxVbt72OYv4tfUjR1okBzq5eIDyDW4ou5ybllKAKCrE_NUE7nB7YQymCxQYy4g1cA/s320/scan0005.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5240507365725938082" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi39MOJNmciUAEcpyRNbm8VVm0zIi2pJgOLDQ597A3pQbCQcI9mr9AImPDLUMzU3wQScm0b89VWFhM_IFZvDvAe6uG95T3btTwL0wzUaXbHjMbVGJ0ST_dAX6XIcJ0gpBM5mHNUNH5H6A/s1600-h/scan0001.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi39MOJNmciUAEcpyRNbm8VVm0zIi2pJgOLDQ597A3pQbCQcI9mr9AImPDLUMzU3wQScm0b89VWFhM_IFZvDvAe6uG95T3btTwL0wzUaXbHjMbVGJ0ST_dAX6XIcJ0gpBM5mHNUNH5H6A/s320/scan0001.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5240507919011117554" /></a>Jesse and Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15039309428223041585noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8537520410972710625.post-73091741369615423412008-06-20T08:14:00.005-04:002008-07-08T15:51:51.242-04:00HomeI'm thrilled to be writing this post from home. <br /><br />Wow, I think I'm in a bit of shock. We finally reached the finish line. We started the adoption process about 18 months ago and it feels wonderful to have our whole family together for the first time. (Side note: we filled out the first piece of adoption paperwork on Jan 1,2007 only 8 days after Griffin was born.)<br /><br />Believe it or not the flights home went very well. In the 24 hours of travel Griffin only had about 2 or 3 hours of "freak out time". Yes, we were one of those couples with a screaming baby stuck on an airplane with no where to go and no way to get him to calm down. I think Griffin realized that if he acted the same way on the next two flights we'd put him in the cargo area therefore he was an absolute angel for the remainder of the very long day.<br /><br />Connor and Lana met us at the airport along with Grandma T and Papa, proudly wearing their hand-crafted Big Brother, Big Sister T-shirts. There were tears, hugs and kisses for all. We were also greeted by welcome home signs from our Churchill Court family. <br /><br />I don't know who's luckier: for us to have him or for him to have all of you. Thanks family, friends and co-workers for your support.Jesse and Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15039309428223041585noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8537520410972710625.post-44458495713017308202008-06-17T07:08:00.002-04:002008-06-17T07:10:38.443-04:00We're coming home...Yippppeeee! <br /><br />We got Griffin’s travel Visa today and we’re coming home!<br /><br />I'm so excited to embark on the journey home… well sort of. The journey home starts with waking at 3:30 a.m., a 7 + hour flight to Amsterdam, a 5 hour layover, a 9 hour flight to Detroit, a 3 hour layover, 1 hour flight to Cincinnati… oh and an hour drive home. Seriously! <br /><br />If the Travel Gods are with us we’ll be landing in Cincinnati at 10:35 p.m. Wednesday night.Jesse and Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15039309428223041585noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8537520410972710625.post-36732666950914490802008-06-17T06:56:00.002-04:002008-06-17T07:01:26.753-04:00Tired Cowboy<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYMl14iuU3tME8gDqchjPEeiaCwZTjBPdQHCV1UPUnH2OtYIPPT_Riba4z31kwLwaJUUSqQgOGbC_jcDzp6K4bRBxFH1PDsNy4dB_sEQwz3el8tqgmCNws1mdyb93wK1QvSOmk4j2akQ/s1600-h/Tired+Cowboy+(low+res).jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYMl14iuU3tME8gDqchjPEeiaCwZTjBPdQHCV1UPUnH2OtYIPPT_Riba4z31kwLwaJUUSqQgOGbC_jcDzp6K4bRBxFH1PDsNy4dB_sEQwz3el8tqgmCNws1mdyb93wK1QvSOmk4j2akQ/s320/Tired+Cowboy+(low+res).jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5212803826353349490" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Preface to story: When ordering a meal at a restaurant in Kazakhstan you usually seat yourself at a table and then are presented with a menu. A minute later the waiter is hovering to take your order. They don’t take your drink order and then come back for food order. They take your complete order all at once and then bring food and drinks at random times. The side dishes and entrees come separately and each person at table just has to wait until their food arrives. You always have to ask for the bill, they will not bring it until you ask. We’ve been here long enough to know the routine and it’s really no big deal.<br /><br />So Monday night we meet the Finney’s for dinner and decide to go to a “bar and grill”. This saloon has a serious cowboy theme. Cowhide, horse shoes, wooden benches and post, bull horns, even the waitress wore a cowboy hat. The restaurant decided to carry the cowboy theme onto the menu. They had dishes named, The Big Horn and Saddle Stew. We all chuckled as we read the names because we’re quite right. For example, one dish is named the “Tired Cowboy”, the description says “beef that will melt in your mouth”. Everyone places an order and we sit and wait. Finally the first entrée arrives, the waitress puts the plate down in front of Ben (see photo above) and we all start laughing. You’ve got to be kidding me… is that sausage? So Jesse is in hysterics and really starts giving Ben a hard time about his dinner. “Where’d they get that sausage from Griffin’s diaper”, “Isn’t that cute, it has a peace sign. Have peace on your digestive tract”, “What was that dish called, Alpo?”, “I need a picture of that gross looking stuff”, and on and on and on and on.<br /><br />The completely none-English speaking cowboy hat wearing waitress comes back a few minutes and appears to be apologizing about something. We have no idea what she’s saying. She finally just reaches in front of Ben and grabs the untouched plate from him and places it in front of… Jesse. That’s the Tired Cowboy dish that Jesse ordered, not Ben’s sausage. The laughter that exploded from Ben, Kerry and I could be heard in Ohio! Jesse was speechless.Jesse and Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15039309428223041585noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8537520410972710625.post-71018756133149337912008-06-15T07:59:00.010-04:002008-06-16T00:16:57.480-04:00An Evening at Medeo<span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:115%; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi; mso-ansi-language:EN-US;mso-fareast-language:EN-US;mso-bidi-language:AR-SA">Ever hear of the fairy-tale of the Olympic sized speed skating rink located in the mountains? <span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Well, Saturday evening we set out to determine if indeed such a place really existed.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>In this case, the ‘we’ consisted of Amy, Griffin, and me, as well as our new American friends the Finney’s (Ben, Kerry, and Liam). <span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Medeo is truly a unique place, and is hard to describe in words, so I’ll include several pictures to help give an overview of the place.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>As you can tell from the picture below, Medeo definitely exists, and is truly an Olympic sized speed skating rink located in the middle of the mountains.</span><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEygLUXDiVJ6qu0vSDah1ipbijqSPQWwitgsuZQXIbWXIax30dvp0zmNq4cwStdaV0ZKQQajrrGSF_WfaqYYN3NmLhKlbTX1qpn7mW_luO5IElIIaXoZi0v_6R4S_-SHmon5evqgHz1VV-/s320/Medeo+Rink+-+From+Afar+(low+res).jpg" /><br /></div><div><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 15px; line-height: 17px; ">Medeo is only about 20 kilometers outside of Almaty, and can easily be reached within 20-25 minutes.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The roads to Medeo are very well maintained, since they pass through some of the most expensive properties in Almaty (as our driver would say ‘big dollars’).<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Contrary to the American stereotype of Kazakhstan living, there are certainly many people in Almaty that are very well off, American standard or otherwise.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>As a matter of fact, Amy and I happened by a gentleman driving a Ferrari just yesterday afternoon.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>And the cars parked in front of the McMansions on the way to Medeo would rival any posh neighborhood in the States (think BWM, Lexus, Mercedes, etc.). </span></p><span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;mso-ansi-language:EN-US;mso-fareast-language: EN-US;mso-bidi-language:AR-SA">As we wound our way up the mountain toward Medeo, the first thing we noticed was the cooling temperatures and clear, alpine air.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The landscape was beautiful, and certainly not a place where we would expect to find an Olympic speed skating rink.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Actually, Medeo is one of two venues that were built as a start toward a bid to host the winter Olympic games (unsuccessful so far), with the second being the Chimbulak ski resort that is located another ~7 kilometers farther up mountain from Medeo.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Since the weather definitely gets much cooler in Chimbulak, we decided to enjoy our stop at Medeo and hold skiing for another trip (hmm… say next year?).<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Below is a picture from inside the rink.</span><br /></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQSO1gjdKezknM-N_VZ-N5JYyDHwex-i0gxDv-gFqRYMX-NW8w8RFx9tsJrDagYeYOmnKQU7kZuQa5eqGXFdlpeiv1mn_yaTYM0hOox1Ku8mZJhrz6NAylul8p9eVHR8WNs3P9sdbSc-75/s320/Almaty+Medeu+Family+Photo+(low+res).jpg" /><br /></div><div><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 15px; line-height: 17px; ">If you can get past looking at the good looking people in this picture, you will notice the large damn-like structure in the background.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>It’s actually not a damn, but was built to protect against avalanches.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Makes you feel safe, eh?<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>If you look really closely, you will see many, many steps leading up the structure.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>We felt that the views had to be outstanding from the top, so we mentioned to our driver that we would make the trek to the top with the kids in tow.</span><br /></p><span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;mso-ansi-language:EN-US;mso-fareast-language: EN-US;mso-bidi-language:AR-SA"><div> <span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;mso-ansi-language:EN-US;mso-fareast-language: EN-US;mso-bidi-language:AR-SA">He smiled at us politely.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Then he nodded, and communicated that we <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">could</i> do that, but we would in effect be crazy.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Now realize that our driver speaks only slightly more English than I speak Russian, but for some reason we had some ‘Onagee’ thing (‘Friends’ reference for Jamie) going that allowed us to fully understand each other.</span><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>He then motioned to a side road that we hadn’t noticed, and indicated that we could drive up to the top.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>As we sat in the car and listened to it struggle to pull us up the hill, I realized the magnitude of the error that I would have made had we tried to climb it.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I’m thinking that Griff would have had to roll back down on his own, as his two out of shape parents would surely have suffered heart attacks.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Below is a picture of the group from the top.<br /></div></span></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5NQWRSEUiNVgeQjX_LNyFPtfWP-x5dOzxrPIWQbLZJVjMvnLVWvsdb3lv5Eon3nM12bJ10D3ttCsNt2dJgFtyHaqJ_9djMIisD4deg7OTNJvzfxbzrGaakbjqReRZMOhF8MjnHoLual0p/s320/Almaty+Medeu+Group+Photo+(low+res).jpg" /><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:115%; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi; mso-ansi-language:EN-US;mso-fareast-language:EN-US;mso-bidi-language:AR-SA">To help give some additional perspective on how remote this area really is, below is a shot of the valley from the top of the ‘damn’, opposite side from the skating rink.</span></div><div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQSO1gjdKezknM-N_VZ-N5JYyDHwex-i0gxDv-gFqRYMX-NW8w8RFx9tsJrDagYeYOmnKQU7kZuQa5eqGXFdlpeiv1mn_yaTYM0hOox1Ku8mZJhrz6NAylul8p9eVHR8WNs3P9sdbSc-75/s1600-h/Almaty+Medeu+Family+Photo+(low+res).jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKX8KlP1SSQ_OhO0PyHaXr59gtoIK-hY6DOaFRTitrvhg2pXS6tEV1nEW1IGD0AGliuim6k3p82L5YePIydYBNQamS-hity6jo2LSefU7WLFu2d6hx6G0HjUHJM1iWF47dSevY6oJiN_5l/s320/Almaty+Medeu+Mountain+Side+(low+res).jpg" /></a><br /></div><div><div style="text-align: left;"><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 15px; line-height: 17px; ">Yep, there is really nothing else out here but the skating rink and a few snack stands, but we really enjoyed getting out of the city for a few hours.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>On our way back to the city, we noticed that they are building a ski lift from the city to Medeo, continuing on to Chimbulak.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>That will be a great addition for tourism, and should hopefully help spur along some additional investment in the area surrounding the rink (as much as you can on the side of a mountain).</span><br /></p><span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;mso-ansi-language:EN-US;mso-fareast-language: EN-US;mso-bidi-language:AR-SA"><div style="text-align: left;"> <span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;mso-ansi-language:EN-US;mso-fareast-language: EN-US;mso-bidi-language:AR-SA">And for those that are curious, the rink is actually used for more than simply entertaining goofy American tourists.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Several Kazakhstan Olympic skaters have apparently trained here, and Medeo will be one of the venues when Almaty hosts the Asian Games here in 2011.</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">After our adventures through the mountains, we enjoyed a great late dinner at L’Affiche, a little café outside the Hotel Almaty.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>For those that will be staying near this area, we highly recommend this spot, as the food is the best we have had yet in Kazakhstan.<br /></div></span></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); text-decoration: underline;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); text-decoration: underline;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); text-decoration: underline;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); text-decoration: underline;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); text-decoration: underline;"><br /></span></div></div></div></div>Jesse and Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03803827143811088280noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8537520410972710625.post-81445717959574153602008-06-15T01:29:00.001-04:002008-06-15T01:31:28.700-04:00Long Distance Happy Father’s Day Wish<p class="MsoNormal">Dad,</p> <p class="MsoNormal">I know that we traditionally get together on Father’s Day and grab dinner together as a family.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Since we are half-a-world away this Father’s Day, we’ll obviously need to postpone the dinner, but wanted you to know that I’m thinking of you today.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Ever since I can remember, you have always been there for me.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>You have shown me that one of the more important traits of a great father is not in having all the right answers to the difficult questions, but just always being there to support your children in their struggles.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>While this sounds fairly obvious, I think it’s more difficult in practice, as the perspective of a youngster tends to make everyday issues into monumental quests.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I thank you (and mom of course – focusing on dad since it’s papa’s day!) for having the patience to deal with my continually changing interests as a child, and for now showing the same love and care with my kids.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>They are very lucky grandchildren.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Know that Amy and I would not be able to maintain our sanity (or what’s left) without the knowledge that you are holding down the fort at home, while we are off globetrotting for Griffin.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>It’s clear that Connor and Lana are doing great, primarily due to the activities that you have planned for them on a daily basis (swimming, karate, gymnastics, movies, sweatshop work… kidding).<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I thank you for being the rock during this process, and can’t wait to get back home to thank you in person, and give you some relief from your duties.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Give Connor and Lana and hug and kiss for me today, and let them know that we’ll celebrate my day when I get back.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I’ll expect cookies from Lana, and some fierce tackling from Connor.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Look forward to seeing you soon,</p> <p class="MsoNormal">-Your son</p> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height: 115%;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi; mso-ansi-language:EN-US;mso-fareast-language:EN-US;mso-bidi-language:AR-SA">And to the other father’s out there, have a great Father’s Day today.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I know that I’ll be looking for some shashlyk (i.e. kabobs) and a few colds ones to enjoy with Amy and Griffin (nyet cold ones for Griff, but he certainly enjoys the kabobs).<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Best, Jesse.</span></i>Jesse and Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03803827143811088280noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8537520410972710625.post-90837230455531311862008-06-14T06:07:00.010-04:002008-06-20T08:14:01.092-04:00A typical day in Almaty<p class="MsoNormal">It’s Saturday morning and we’re trying to stay positive and enjoy our time with Griffin in this beautiful city. The last couple of days the weather has been cooler, in the upper 80’s. We call these days “one shirt days”, meaning we should be able to get by without changing our sweaty clothes at mid-day. This is only an issue because we didn’t bring many clothes. I’m washing things almost daily in the sink – at least they dry quickly. <span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>As nice as it is here, I’d still much rather be at home.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I’m looking forward to some home-cooked meals when we return, even willing to tolerate my own cooking. (As most of you know Jesse does the majority of the cooking for our family). <span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Mealtime here feels like a chore. We try to plan where we’re going to eat (or just start walking), find the restaurant and pray that they have an English menu and a high chair for Griffin.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>So far only two places have had high chairs, our hotel’s breakfast room and Mama Mia’s Pizza place. <span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I think the Lonely Planet Tour Book should add a “kid friendly” rating to their restaurant recommendations.</p><p class="MsoNormal">Although I must admit we enjoyed dinner last night, because it wasn’t a chore at all. We went out with our new friends Kerry, Ben and their son Liam. The boys were content throughout the whole meal, the food was fine and the conversation was great.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">If we weren’t living in a hotel with a tiny refrigerator we would take greater advantage of the fantastic grocery store nearby. It has everything you could imagine. A deli with recognizable meats, a bakery and fresh produce area.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Much to Jesse’s displeasure, they even sell non-alcoholic beer! <span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Jesse stood in front of the beer section for 20 minutes, mulling over which beer to select. Later that evening after a long day in the heat, he opens the beer and scans the label as he begins to drink it. The words, “Nyet Alcoholic” suddenly jumps out at him. Ahhh, I can’t help but to laugh. Yesterday for lunch we bought food at that grocery and ate at the park across from our hotel (see picture below).</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsljqytdifbdh6xyNQYBLXcLqmbcsBRdbepvLMO8GtgEsdAr1nmSyK-P9GEGOqwpm7ClqUHjpwiQMAKARVRnd5xTFH4ccw6KuDUTRg7o5dTHNMtXJyuLTpoUp0vIY0RXJKff-ieaZClsZ_/s320/Amy+and+Griff+Picnic+Lunch+6-13+(low+res).jpg" /><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">A little about Griffin… we’ve figured out his schedule and I must say it’s very “parent friendly”!<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span><br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal">7:00 – 8:00 a.m.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Wakes in the morning and eats breakfast #1 (formula)</p> <p class="MsoNormal">9:30 – 10:30 a.m. Eats breakfast #2</p> <p class="MsoNormal">10:30 – 11:30 a.m.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Sleeps<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>(Jesse’s time to go downstairs for internet use)</p> <p class="MsoNormal">12:30 – 1:30 p.m.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Eats lunch</p> <p class="MsoNormal">3:30 p.m.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Eats pre-nap snack (formula)</p> <p class="MsoNormal">4:00 – 6:00 p.m.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Sleeps<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>(Amy’s time to go downstairs for internet use)</p> <p class="MsoNormal">7:00 – 8:00 p.m.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Eats dinner</p> <p class="MsoNormal">9:30 p.m. Eats pre-bedtime (formula)</p> <p class="MsoNormal">10:00 p.m. Bedtime</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">Jesse here – I had to interject a quick comment.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Notice anything interesting with this schedule?<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Yes, our youngest child is either eating, planning on eating, or sleeping.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The ‘tick’ will be a nick name that may stick for awhile… <o:p></o:p></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Griffin’s food issues are challenging but expected. He has no control over his eating, yet. He will not stop on his own, which means that we must remove food from his sight.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Actually, we’ve started trying to time it so we’re all finished eating at the same time. He freaks out if we’re eating and he doesn’t have something.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>We allow him to carry his snack cup full of Cheerios in hopes of providing comfort. Ben and Kerry said Liam did the same thing for a couple of weeks as well. </p> <p class="MsoNormal">As Jesse said in the last post, we’ve seen the new passport and it’s correct. It’s traveling long distances throughout Kazakhstan for the required stamps. We’re hoping it will arrive in Bayan’s (our coordinator) hands on Tuesday morning.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>If so, we go back to the Embassy on Tuesday afternoon and then home on Wednesday.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Our fingers and toes are crossed!</p><p class="MsoNormal">I want to tell everyone how much we've enjoyed reading your comments. Not only it is great that so many people are reading the blog and following along with us on this journey, but your comments of support and humor are very comforting and a constant reminder of how many people we have supporting us back home. Thanks so much!</p>Jesse and Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03803827143811088280noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8537520410972710625.post-36580743077751776002008-06-13T01:34:00.011-04:002008-06-13T02:46:16.937-04:00One Step Closer<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDkrjHrL9CO4b_cGONrV0f2Pu9k66uqJWHujDFAmS5IqcGkYCL9bBw91v7f9JpCrrJKo9sMBSDewG5ynccCeGXlIggyi14CK7WtalDhTpc9H7FWKiDCqGoTKUFJlnDFjWdVZdOluMArhiB/s1600-h/Griffin+I+like+to+sleep+(low+res).jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDkrjHrL9CO4b_cGONrV0f2Pu9k66uqJWHujDFAmS5IqcGkYCL9bBw91v7f9JpCrrJKo9sMBSDewG5ynccCeGXlIggyi14CK7WtalDhTpc9H7FWKiDCqGoTKUFJlnDFjWdVZdOluMArhiB/s320/Griffin+I+like+to+sleep+(low+res).jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5211236261117878290" /></a>So, before any adoption related updates, I figured we should just start with the fun stuff. Kinda like starting with dessert. To the left is our little munchkin' caught in one of his favorite activities. As I mentioned in the previous post, Griffin loves his sleep. What I didn't mention is that this little guy could sleep through a tornado, which makes sense considering he is probably used to another ~100 or so screaming Griffin's laying next to him. In addition to the quite, the air conditioning is a bonus that he also seems to greatly enjoy. The average temperature in Kazakhstan in the summer is near the 100's, and I've heard rumors it can reach near ~120 F in Shymkent. No fun. This picture to the left, of course, is pre-haircut.<div><br /><div><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh47Y-qZR-WDCumV1TRkzCROFVFG-S9Uyh_fr3XVT6QaPD5vsYCLI6dw7dwpoNEiBT0uGNvRLlQweXtDiYEeEvsha1YDDGarH8EXVx3lgIuDcAVwNDebLgsidKv3vVqlZ6wSuw55IivtOQI/s320/Griffin+after+haircut+(low+res).jpg" /><br /></div><div>And this picture above is after Griffin's haircut yesterday! Holy cow, it's a boy! It was another fun experience trying to arrange Griffin's appointment. Our first try was to ask the ladies at the hotel beauty salon ourselves as a 'walk-in'. After a few failed attempts at hand signals and garbled Russian phrases, I punted and headed for the front desk attendant for a little English-Russian translation assistance.</div><div><br /></div><div>As the lobby attendant could not actually leave the front desk, she instead agreed to call the salon on our behalf (a distance of approximately 50 feet). Meanwhile, Amy had decided to stay in the salon with Griffin to practice her Russian. After the lobby assistant got the salon attendant on the line, she proceeded to ask if we could get Griffin's haircut (yes, you would think we were trying to negotiate the purchase of a Uranium depot). So the conversation went something like this...</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Lobby attendant</span></span>: 'He is a boy?'</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Me</span></span>: 'Yes', I emphatically respond. I'm still a bit sensitive from the whole passport issue.</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Lobby</span></span>: 'You would like to have all of his hair cut?'</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Me</span></span>: 'Uh, yes. We would like to have his hair cut.'</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Lobby</span></span>: Speaking into the phone to the salon, she makes a motion with her hand that seems to indicate a buzz cut. I begin to rethink the meaning of the phrase 'all of his hair cut', and the likely response that I'll get from Amy if I screw this up.</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Me</span></span>: 'Excuse me. By 'all his hair cut', do you mean that they will completely buzz off his hair?'</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Lobby</span></span>: Smiling proudly, 'Of course.'</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Me</span></span>: 'Ah. Well, then. How about 'nyet' to that one. Just a simple trim will do...'</div><div><br /></div><div>In spite of the fun we have with the language and cultural differences, everyone seems to take it in stride. The ladies that cut his hair did a great job. I say ladies as it seemed that we had a virtual pit crew working on him. One to distract him, Amy to hold him, one to actually cut his hair, one that would brush off locks of hair that inevitably landed in his face, and I paced around nervously. </div><div><br /></div><div>Regarding the adoption update, we met with Bayan (our coordinator in Almaty) yesterday evening and were happy to hear that Griffin's new passport has been completed! I actually held the new passport in my hands, and had the chance to verify the information first hand. Now, the passport must travel back to Shymkent for an official stamp (not sure what it is), then on to Astana for another stamp (again, not sure -- but it is sacred). At this point, we are hoping that the passport will make it's travels back to us by Tuesday, so we can meet with the US Consulate, then travel out Wednesday morning. Of course, that is best case.</div><div><br /></div><div>For dinner last night, we abandoned our adventurous side and headed out for the American Bar and Grill. Yes, it was a bit cheesy, with wagon wheels hanging on the ceiling and a general 'cowboy' feel (I guess that's the definition of American). However, the food was good, and the cafe was located semi-outdoors, which made it a good place to enjoy the cooler evening weather. </div><div><br /></div><div>Today (Friday), we are attempting to coordinate a trip to the nearby mountains. No major hiking with a 17 month old, but a little sightseeing out of the city. Should be a good change of pace for all of us, and a much needed distraction from the adoption related stressors.</div></div></div>Jesse and Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03803827143811088280noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8537520410972710625.post-19725917748819070442008-06-12T03:03:00.004-04:002008-06-12T07:06:03.396-04:00Bouncing Back<p class="MsoNormal">It’s Thursday morning here in Almaty, and I keep thinking that we should be sitting on a plane right now on our way home. The disappointment I feel is still very strong, but the tears are almost gone. Actually, I received words of encouragement last night on the phone from Connor, our wise 6 ½ year old.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>He’s fully aware of the situation regarding Griffin’s passport issue. He asked me during the conversation “who typed the word female?”<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>(Yes, he used the words “typed and female”).<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I replied that I wasn’t sure who typed it incorrectly, but whoever it was made a mistake. He said to me “you know mom, it’s ok if you make a mistake sometimes”.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>So that started me crying all over again.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Thanks son for your support, I really needed it!</p> <p class="MsoNormal">As for an update as to when we’re coming home, we don’t know for sure yet. We’re hoping for next Thursday. We should get more information today.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">So in effort not to turn this blog into doom-n-gloom for the next 6 or 7 days, we’ll continue to journal our activities.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Not at all to say I’m happy to still be here, but at least we are stuck in a beautiful city. <span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Almaty is surrounded by mountains that are clearly visible, and the streets are lined with big, mature trees. While walking on the sidewalks, there is usually plenty of shade, which provides relief from the midday heat. There are also many parks in the area that are nicely landscaped.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The language barrier here is not as drastic as Shymkent, since many people speak at least some English and cafés tend to have English menus.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Although, buying a band-aid turned into a 30 minute ordeal, and even drawing a picture did not help. Jesse ended up soliciting the help of a local that spoke English to help translate, and now we are careful to keep the outer package in the event we need to buy more.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">It’s Jesse’s turn to use the laptop, so I’ll check in later with more information about Griffin. By the way, I’m so excited to get his pink hair cut today at noon!</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">Jesse here</i>--- </p> <p class="MsoNormal">The last few days have certainly been difficult.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>It seems that the closer we come to the finish line, the more elusive it becomes.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>While we have weathered many challenges during this adoption, this one was particularly painful.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>We not only had our expectations set on having our entire family together today, but we also set the expectations of Connor and Lana. <span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Fortunately, as usual, our children have wonderful perspective, and are rolling with the punches very well.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Yet again, they are making mommy and daddy very proud indeed.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">On a very positive note, Griffin is completely oblivious to any of our administrative conundrums.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>He is sleeping well, with two naps a day and at least 8-10 hours of sleep at night (yep, I'm sure I just jinxed it).<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>And he eats like a horse.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Actually, his newest moniker has become the ‘human tick’ (with love, of course), because if we would let him, he would literally eat until his little pot belly burst.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>It seems that he is accustomed to eating as much as possible, as fast as possible, which makes us a bit sad.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>So, for now, we accommodate him without letting him hurt himself.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I’m guessing that he’ll gain about 3-4 pounds over the next few weeks – hopefully all in his arms and legs!</p> <p class="MsoNormal">As a real-time update to Amy’s note above, Griffin’s haircut went very well today (we’ll post a picture later).<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>He now looks less like our little girl, or as a boy about to try out for a junior Beatles band.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>And Amy’s OCD has been satisfied, for now…</p><p class="MsoNormal">We hope to hear more regarding the status of the passport this afternoon, and in the meantime, we are attempting to make the best of our time together here in Almaty. The weather has cooled a bit, meaning it is now in the mid 80's. Perhaps we will be able to make an excursion to the mountains this weekend. More to come...</p>Jesse and Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03803827143811088280noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8537520410972710625.post-79995398092015497552008-06-11T04:49:00.004-04:002008-06-12T01:28:57.811-04:00Brick WallI write this post through teary eyes and with an extreme amount of frustration and anger. We did not get Griffin's travel Visa yesterday at the US Embassy and therefore can not come home tomorrow. There is an error on his Kazakhstan passport...it lists him as a female, a typo made at some government office. The US Consulate here can not issue the Visa with that type of error. We begged and pleaded but he explained we'd have serious problems upon our arrival in the US with that type of error. Our adoption agency is working to get a corrected passport...let's hope they handle things better this time around. We hope to be home next Thursday.<br /><br />This set back is almost too much to bear emotionally. I feel overwhelmed by shear frustration. At this point Jesse is the calm one and I'm the one pacing around like a caged animal.<br /><br />We're so sorry Connor and Lana!<br /><br />We'll pass along an update as soon as we have one.Jesse and Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15039309428223041585noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8537520410972710625.post-43009777601566874372008-06-10T02:26:00.003-04:002008-06-10T02:30:43.685-04:00Thanks for the Blanket (from Griffin)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhybe49gdNKaaGINk0DltJnXyB1vRrKCCvy5Kz3imdy0LliGJKJYND7wZcngb3d0VqotuaTWVuB_RBH5LvSqxaVoTaC7wH__kMm9NhnK_Dqy5vXV6d7mgPCVWAOatO26H6BEmGps8odtR5y/s1600-h/Griffin+sleeping+with+blanket+Connor+picked+out+(low+res).jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhybe49gdNKaaGINk0DltJnXyB1vRrKCCvy5Kz3imdy0LliGJKJYND7wZcngb3d0VqotuaTWVuB_RBH5LvSqxaVoTaC7wH__kMm9NhnK_Dqy5vXV6d7mgPCVWAOatO26H6BEmGps8odtR5y/s320/Griffin+sleeping+with+blanket+Connor+picked+out+(low+res).jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5210136193214401074" /></a><p class="MsoNormal">Connor and Lana, </p> <p class="MsoNormal">Griffin wanted to let you know that he really loves his new blanket, as you can tell from the picture above.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>He can’t wait to meet his big brother and sister, and looks forward to hearing your voices on the phone this evening.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>He wanted to speak to you this morning, but was so comfortable with his blanket, that he decided to sleep in late (which was a gift to mommy and daddy).</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Love,</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Griffin</p><div><br /></div>Jesse and Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03803827143811088280noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8537520410972710625.post-21670096851161832072008-06-10T02:25:00.000-04:002008-06-10T02:25:16.298-04:00Our First Full Day Together<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg60sS4FcTj_MPwblt_GfSuKdfJWrBlO9hDNrY2s_gGonaE1NP83QV0iz2P-kwIqqIVvsR888RIyyMqDuHynNEdTEQjgiL7solAo6m8-oU6SYZsUsqWm7nrf4sfW3WnbSmvAx5QaYhEp6W0/s1600-h/Griffin+and+Amy+at+Coffeedelia+(low+res).jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg60sS4FcTj_MPwblt_GfSuKdfJWrBlO9hDNrY2s_gGonaE1NP83QV0iz2P-kwIqqIVvsR888RIyyMqDuHynNEdTEQjgiL7solAo6m8-oU6SYZsUsqWm7nrf4sfW3WnbSmvAx5QaYhEp6W0/s320/Griffin+and+Amy+at+Coffeedelia+(low+res).jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5210133967466462818" /></a><p class="MsoNormal">Ahhh… it’s a good morning here in Almaty. We’re all feeling rested and refreshed today.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Yesterday we figured out the key to Almaty… it’s simple really: stay inside during the hot, hot, hot afternoon and go out after the sun goes down.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Yesterday for lunch we went to Mad Murphy’s Irish Pub. I know it doesn’t sound very adventurous but I was curious. Is there truly an Irish Pub in Kazakhstan?<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Yes, it’s an Irish Pub. Jesse ordered Fish-n-Chips and a Guinness.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>After walking in the heat we came back to the hotel for our family afternoon nap, and didn’t go to dinner until almost 8:00p.m. For dinner we went to Coffeedelia. The Lonely Planet Tour Guide gave Coffeedelia rave reviews and now we know why.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>It’s a great coffee house / fresh deli with free Wi-Fi.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The frapaccino that Jesse ordered would make the people at Starbucks nervous… it was delicious!</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Griffin is an active participant on all our excursions.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>He enjoys his time in the stroller as we’re walking, and seems to take in the sights and sounds of the city.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>He also enjoys all the food we give him… everything! We’re not sure if he is making up for a few missed meals or if he just really likes the new flavors and textures he’s getting.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>(Daddy here – Lana, I bet he will really like our homemade Guacamole!).<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">The only time he’s looked completely shocked was in the car ride to and from the SOS clinic. It was probably too much stimulation for him to process so quickly, but he still dealt with it well.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>At the clinic we found out that Griffin is ~20 pounds. He’s so light but seems to be average height.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>His legs and arms are tiny. <span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Most of the 12 month shorts we brought for him to wear are too big, because he has no butt to hold them on! He’s wearing 12-18 month shirts.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I think most of his 20 pounds is on his head – the boy is in serious need of a haircut.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>He has so much hair and some of it is still tinted pink from the medicine they put on it almost 8 weeks ago.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>My OCD issues are struggling with the hair… I’m so temped to cut it. </p> <span style="line-height:115%;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;mso-ansi-language:EN-US;mso-fareast-language: EN-US;mso-bidi-language:AR-SAfont-family:";font-size:11.0pt;">I’m not sure if Griffin remembered us from Shymkent 6 weeks ago.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Jesse thinks he saw a flicker of recognition (a bit if a grin…).<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>While I didn’t notice signs of recognition, I fortunately didn’t see signs of fear or anxiety either.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>It has taken a couple days, but now he’ll smile when we get him from his crib and he’ll reach for us to pick him up.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Last night we had a new first -- we gave him a real bath. Jesse got in the tub with him, and at first he was scared, but by the end of the bath he was completely relaxed and loved the scrub down with baby body wash.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I think he’s starting to realize things aren’t so bad.</span>Jesse and Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03803827143811088280noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8537520410972710625.post-17773541348660382012008-06-08T23:30:00.001-04:002008-06-09T00:44:09.328-04:00He’s Finally Arrived!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivi8Edi1sAN_aTHZmog6JSeh_AmWI4C3MwVXGZLtvasglt0VMB53-45I36G2IebrLAiQxPsIhfPXB8tu6gRwsCseW_H9_XYiLlf6vIN9ZzDzgN0Ixse2D8dk2ayI7z4IV9YxL8q_FeXt_a/s1600-h/G+smiling+at+first+meeting+(low+res).jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5209737623323313202" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivi8Edi1sAN_aTHZmog6JSeh_AmWI4C3MwVXGZLtvasglt0VMB53-45I36G2IebrLAiQxPsIhfPXB8tu6gRwsCseW_H9_XYiLlf6vIN9ZzDzgN0Ixse2D8dk2ayI7z4IV9YxL8q_FeXt_a/s320/G+smiling+at+first+meeting+(low+res).jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>Amy did a great job summarizing our ordeal with the airlines (see post below). Needless to say, my version of the story wouldn’t have been as ‘family friendly’, and she’s right that I might have used a few expletives to fully describe the incompetence of our friends at NW airlines. Ahh, but to the fun stuff…<br /><br />We arrived at Hotel Almaty early this morning, still dazed from our travels. However, we were quickly awakened from our collective stupor after our driver mentioned that Nurshai’s flight was scheduled to arrive in Almaty at 11:00 am, and our son should be in our arms before noon. The day was certainly beginning to look brighter.<br /><br />Fortunately, his estimates were right on, as we got the call from the lobby (‘you must come to the lobby’… in stoic Russian accent) around 11:45am, at which time we scrambled for the miniaturized elevators and made our way to finally welcome Griffin to our family. I think we were both surprised by how well he looked, as we both felt that he would probably regress a bit during the 5+ weeks since our last visit. Not so – other than a few lingering spots from a rash that we knew about when we left, he looked physically healthy. And he was active, playful, and most important of all; he smiled after a few minutes of seeing us. All is well now.<br /><br />We enjoyed the rest of the day hanging out over a late lunch, getting in a good afternoon nap (which it took all of my strength to awaken from), and a casual dinner under the stars (outside dinning at the hotel… nothing fancy, but convenient). Tomorrow morning we head to the SOS clinic to get the final medical review and approval, and should have the rest of the day to ourselves. Assuming all goes well there, we are then scheduled to go to the US Embassy on Tuesday for our final interview and paperwork, and Wednesday will be a contingency day in case anything pops up. Then we are back to the airlines Thursday… and homeward bound.<br /><br />He’s sleeping peacefully in his crib now. Any misery associated with our travels seems pretty insignificant. Goodnight all.</div>Jesse and Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03803827143811088280noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8537520410972710625.post-42284494572066946032008-06-08T23:00:00.002-04:002008-06-09T00:50:09.199-04:00Misery Loves Company (2nd Trip Travel Woes)I’m going to author this post because if Jesse did it would all look like this %#!%&*. All along we’ve tried to maintain a positive fun blog, but instead I ask you to feel our pain!<br /><br />We’re so eager to get back to Kazakhstan that we get to the Cincinnati airport early. We ask the ticket counter agent to help us work out our seat assignments on the return flights, the ones with Griff. He’s unable to help so he gives us 800 # to call. Jesse calls the 800# to discuss our situation… we’re traveling with a 17 month old who’s spent 90% of his day in a crib and major “freaking out” is highly possible. He explains that we’re hoping to have seats together and in the 2 seat section of the plane versus the 4 seat section in middle of the plane. The lady on the phone acts like we’re asking to change the orbit of the earth. She says she can’t help unless we’re ‘status members’ – bingo! -- Jesse has Delta Gold Medallion status. Delta and Northwest are both part of SkyTeam Alliance, so his status should work on this airline. The NWA lady says she can’t verify his status and refuses to help any further. A supervisor gets on the phone, calls Delta to verify his status as Gold and then says she can’t really help because the flights are full and then literally hangs up on Jesse. The very frustrating phone calls last almost 45 minutes and we got nowhere!<br /><br />As we’re sitting at the gate waiting to leave the NWA agent says we’re going to be delayed because the flight before us is delayed going to Minnesota and they have to wait for the pilot to move that plane out of the way so we can began boarding our plane. Moving us to another open gate would have been too easy, right. We start to panic now because we only have one hour in Detroit to catch our next flight to Amsterdam.<br /><br />RUN FOREST RUN… we get to Detroit at 9:05p.m. and our flight leaves at 9:20. We land in terminal C but have to get to terminal A. We ran, seriously ran, through the airport. I’m sure looking like two big ole dorks; me in my flip flop sandals, pushing an empty baby stroller and Jesse dragging luggage behind him. He gets ahead of me (nice to be wearing running shoes) and I’m yelling … “just goooo, I’lllll catch up” We come running up to the gate, out of breath and red in the face and the airline agent looks scared to death and says, “But where is your baby?” Our only laugh of the day!<br /><br />We’re the last to board the plane and feel encouraged when the pilot comes on to say there will be a slight delay while we wait for a few additional passengers and late luggage to be loaded. About 20 minutes later, there’s another announcement about a further delay, only this one ended up lasting almost 7 hours. Yes, it happened to us. We sat inside the plane on the tarmac with little or no air conditioning for 7 hours as they did a repair. We were not allowed to leave the plane “for security reasons”. After two hours we got a drink of water and after five hours we got a bag of pretzels. We sat for 7 hours on the tarmac and then had to endure the actual 7 hour flight. We got off the plane in Amsterdam, walked straight to the gate for the Almaty flight that is now boarding and walked directly onto the plane. No time to stop for a bathroom break or a sip of water, directly onto the plane and then sat for another 7 hour flight! For those that are keeping track, including the Cincy to Detroit flight, we had the joy of experiencing ~22 hours of time sitting in our less than 2 feet of coach space… together. You’ve got to be kidding me… I wanted to cry!<br /><br />So we’re here now, in Almaty at the hotel, amazingly with all of our luggage. We’re laying down with our legs propped up to help reduce the leg pain and swelling. You should see Jesse’s ankles, they look like baseballs. And we’re thrilled to be waiting for Griffin to arrive… very soon the last 24 hour nightmare will be forgotten.Jesse and Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03803827143811088280noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8537520410972710625.post-89007551786217245002008-06-03T20:53:00.004-04:002008-06-03T21:17:12.895-04:00Robeez Shoe Donation<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf2HwPTHrVNczt6aH6rfVY4Ac8TDo1CwIqiB35p0d4XsLw_FrQUGYn6DyfP69WIiCBO0l_bnFU-uk-micr9slHJ_qIu4y7e-fV-V8rj71YaTHw64UPn_jNyAz0qVD6HoCsybmI4-T9GA/s1600-h/Robeez+(low+res).jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf2HwPTHrVNczt6aH6rfVY4Ac8TDo1CwIqiB35p0d4XsLw_FrQUGYn6DyfP69WIiCBO0l_bnFU-uk-micr9slHJ_qIu4y7e-fV-V8rj71YaTHw64UPn_jNyAz0qVD6HoCsybmI4-T9GA/s320/Robeez+(low+res).jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5207825779388934258" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />We'd like to send out a huge THANK YOU to Robeez Shoes for their generous donation. Robeez donated 30 pairs of their adorable shoes to the Baby House in Shymkent. Let me tell you...these shoes are so cute! I applied to be a part of their Heart & Soles Program and was accepted. The donation was shipped to our house here in the States and we'll deliver it to our coordinator in Kazakhstan. A special thanks to Robeez employees Stephanie and Kelly for your assistance in making this happen. <br /><br />You can find out more about Robeez (a division of Stride Rite) at www.robeez.comJesse and Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15039309428223041585noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8537520410972710625.post-86686776046258389592008-05-21T21:58:00.003-04:002008-06-05T22:49:44.363-04:00Hang on Griff... we'll be there soon!We're heading back to Kazakhstan very soon to bring our son home. <br /><br />The time between trips has been very difficult to endure. We've done our best to stay busy and concentrate on preparing for Griffin's arrival. His room is ready: the bed made, the clothes washed, the diapers purchased.<br /><br />It won't be long until we have one Moore in the house.Jesse and Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15039309428223041585noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8537520410972710625.post-55568629480270988342008-05-04T08:49:00.003-04:002008-05-07T15:48:43.364-04:00The End of Trip OneHome Sweet Home<br /><br />Our flights home were uneventful: very long and painful for the muscles and joints but well worth it upon seeing the smiling faces of Connor and Lana at the airport.<br /><br />The only problem... we can't wait to get back to Kazakhstan.Jesse and Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15039309428223041585noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8537520410972710625.post-53439085104649159792008-05-04T08:20:00.003-04:002008-05-07T08:07:39.462-04:00A Day in AlmatyOn Tuesday morning we took the quick flight from Shymkent to Almaty.<br /><br />Arriving in Almaty was like taking in a breath of fresh air. The feel of Almaty is so different from Shymkent. The city sits in the mountains so the view is amazing. The streets are lined with big trees, the sidewalks are even, the drivers follow traffic laws and many young people speak English.<br /><br />We spent the warm afternoon walking around the city. We walked to the tourist walking street (similar to Arbot Street in Moscow) where many vendors sell souvenirs. There are shops, restaurants and ice cream stands. We met up with the Dickey's and had one last dinner together. A very enjoyable day.<br /><br />For anyone coming to Almaty soon... Hotel Almaty is clean and has big rooms and is centrally located, but we didn't like it that much. The room was $170 per night. We could hear the street traffic at night and the shower didn't work well.Jesse and Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15039309428223041585noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8537520410972710625.post-68864303275350636782008-05-01T16:04:00.004-04:002008-05-07T08:06:33.736-04:00Last Days in ShymkentThe last couple days in Shymkent...<br /><br />Sunday we started the day with a brief meeting with Nurshia and Zhenia to discuss our court appointment. Later that day we finally made it to lunch at a place called AN, we can’t get there during the week because they close at 3:00p.m. They serve a dish called ‘plovf’. It’s a rice dish with carrots, raisins, chick peas and mutton / lamb meat. (I have eaten more lamb in the past month than I have my whole life!) Plovf is delicious and get this… a huge bowl of plovf is $1.25. One of the best lunches we’ve had and it only cost $2.50, amazing!<br /><br />Sunday afternoon we were invited to a picnic. The invitation to the picnic came in the oddest of ways. We were invited by complete strangers. Saturday evening about 9:30 at night there is a knock on our hotel door and I open the door to find two smiling girls. They quickly say “hello”. They tell me they had heard about the American couple staying in the hotel and they wanted us to come to the picnic so they could practice speaking English with us. It goes against all things normal in the States: one the hotel staff gave them our room number, two they don’t know us at all and three they were so nice and sincere with their offer. The picnic time was pushed back so we were unable to attend… much to the disappointment to the girls. They came back to the hotel Monday night to say good-bye. Complete strangers coming to say good-bye. I honestly don’t even know their names.<br /><br />The reason we were unable to attend the later picnic time was because we had plans with another stranger who wanted to speak English and ask questions about America. I know it’s very odd, but hey what else do we have to do?… might as well take advantage of the opportunity to learn more about Kazakhstan. We met this very intriguing young Russian girl while trying to figure out how to add minutes to our KZ cell phone. She over-heard us struggling with the Russian directions on the phone card and nicely asked if she can help us. After a few minutes of conversation and many thanks, she asked if we’d have coffee with her on Sunday.<br /><br />The coffee conversation on Sunday was fascinating. She is desperate to get to the US or Europe to go to college. She’s trying to find a college that offers scholarships to International Students. She doesn't have the money to fund a US education by herself.<br /><br />The fascinating part of the conversation revolved around her current education. She has an associate’s degree from a university in Shymkent, but the degree is considered worthless. Most of the college degrees earned in Shymkent have little merit in other cities in Kazakhstan and are not honored in other countries. She will have to start her education over in Russia, Europe or the US. How can that be??? In her words, “Corruption and bribes”. She describes an environment where students can pay professors for good grades. This practice is so common that it degrades the integrity of the entire higher education system. The students who get professional jobs after college get the jobs because of family connections or bribes. She completely understands this system is terrible for Shymkent and for the whole country and she’s wants out. If anyone out there knows of scholarships or internships for international students please let us know.<br /><br />On Monday, the 28th, morning we prepared for court. We made a quick visit to the Baby House to see Griffin one last time before leaving but he was sleeping so we were told to come back later. We had our court appointment and everything went fine. The judge granted our adoption but it does not become official until the end of the 15 day appeal period. It’s hard to feel true excitement at this point.<br /><br />After court we went for a quick visit with Griffin. He was in a good mood and didn’t understand the extra hugs and tearful good-bye. It’s so hard to leave him! We just keep telling ourselves it’s only one more month and he’ll be home.<br /><br />We ended the last day with a quick dinner at Istanbul and an evening of joyful packing.Jesse and Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15039309428223041585noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8537520410972710625.post-77598147973771806632008-04-27T10:38:00.011-04:002008-05-08T12:48:18.568-04:00Feasts and Beasts<div><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3oVJrfQY2RSeHEa44gvbu4KcTmMCSUe-KuCbIn6_OrXKBZzNiSZSib7Ad33VKwhlV6czVAUxSORvAZnETleI4b_ttY6WPLBnrUnxm-_Ydgo_3q5qAcAxy64S2l6V3nxnjPihEKqVXXkVv/s1600-h/Uzbek+Restaurant+with+Dickeys+2+(low+res).jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3oVJrfQY2RSeHEa44gvbu4KcTmMCSUe-KuCbIn6_OrXKBZzNiSZSib7Ad33VKwhlV6czVAUxSORvAZnETleI4b_ttY6WPLBnrUnxm-_Ydgo_3q5qAcAxy64S2l6V3nxnjPihEKqVXXkVv/s320/Uzbek+Restaurant+with+Dickeys+2+(low+res).jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5193935746077759106" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; " /></a><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div><p class="MsoNormal">The past few days have been a whirlwind of activity, alternating between preparations for court and our increasingly busy social schedule. Above is a picture of our night out with the Dickey's (sounds like a Disney film, eh?) Thursday, at the Uzbekistani restaurant that Amy mentioned in the prior post. For us, this restaurant probably has the best ambiance we have experienced in Shymkent, and the food is very good as well. Oh, and we fed 10 people for around $75 US. Great deal! You can't tell from this picture, but we are sitting in an upstairs 'loft', overlooking an outdoor courtyard. We have several other pictures in the slideshow that provide a better perspective and also has the name of the restaurant for those that will be heading to Shymkent (it's in Kazakh).</p><p class="MsoNormal">On Friday we had a very good visit with Griffin.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>His head is healing nicely, and he continues to show us his determination and spirit.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>He’s now excited to show us how he can walk across the room with mommy holding one hand, and daddy the other.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>He’s also started to display his soccer (or football skills over here…), by ‘kicking’ at one of the bouncy balls in the toy room.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>While he still has a long way to go to catch up, it is very encouraging to see how much his confidence and endurance has improved over such a short time.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I can’t wait to get him home and see what he can do with the full support of his new family and friends!</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Speaking of new friends, we had a special evening Friday night with our new Shymkent friends Jon-Paul and Yuliya, and their two lovely youngsters Brianna and Ryan.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>We were treated to a traditional Kazakh feast at a local restaurant, with seating much like the Uzbek restaurant from the prior evening (comfy seating on pillows around the low table in a private room).<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>During the meal, we were able to sample a few Kazakh dishes new to us, both a gift of the horse (fermented mare’s milk) and, well… the horse itself!<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Surprisingly, the horse meat was fairly tasty.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Had we not known it, we probably would have mistaken it found a good piece of beef, perhaps a bit saltier, but tender and good flavor.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I just hope that I didn’t just lose my rights to travel back into Kentucky…<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Regarding Kymys, the mare’s milk, however… Yuliya dear, since I know that you’ll likely read this, let’s start by saying that we loved your enthusiasm and we really wanted to like your favorite drink.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>But I must admit I was a bit skeptical when you described the fermentation process as ‘you kinda start with letting the milk set out for a few weeks, then skim off the top…’.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Yea, ok.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Think happy thoughts.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>It’s only a drink, and plenty of people survive and actually like this.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Yuliya doesn’t seem to suffer any permanent twitches or other obvious effects, so let’s have it.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">The drink looks like milk, only watered down.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>It has a slight alcohol odor (there is some alcohol that is a result of the fermentation process).<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Amy and I try a sip, and realizing that our hosts are watching, and that we do not have a chaser of any sort to be found, we do our best not to completely give away the fact that this is not a fluid that should be consumed by humans.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Ever.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Under any circumstances.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Yuliya politely notices that we are not gulping down our toxic mixture (again, love you dear!), and mentions that it’s an acquired taste.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I’m thinking that it’s probably acquired over several generations.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Amy Here:</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.5in">I’m sorry to interrupt but I have to add a few comments. Jesse is correct – the horse meat wasn’t that bad. In case you’re wondering, they boil the meat and serve it cold. It had a casing around the outside that Jon-Paul said to take off.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I refuse to believe it was horse intestines so I’ll ignore how or why the casing was there. <span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The meat was sliced thin and attached to congealed fat. Sort of yin-yang looking, they said it was ok if we didn’t want to eat the fat (nice of them).<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>It reminded me of a salty beef jerky.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.5in">As for the mare’s milk… I wish I could explain the taste. It was terrible! It was so soar, so bitter, so bad.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I honestly can’t believe it’s not dangerous to your body. </p> <p class="MsoNormal">The rest of the dinner is absolutely delicious, and we ended the night with coffee and great conversation at Jon-Paul and Yuliya’s house.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>While the bureaucratic processes in this country can be difficult to navigate and are often dictated by payoffs and corruption, Amy and I have been constantly amazed by the hospitality of the individual folks in Kazakhstan.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Certainly Jon-Paul and Yuliya are in a league of their own in this regard, and have made our stay much more rewarding due to their generosity and friendship.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Thanks guys, it’s nice to know that we’ll always have friends in Shymkent! <span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>We continued our adventures on Saturday by traveling to Turkistan (not to confuse with the country Turkmenistan), to visit a mausoleum dating to the late 14<sup>th</sup> century.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The mausoleum (see slide show) was named for the first great Turkic Muslim holy man, Kozha Akhmed Yasaui.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Turkistan is a region of Kazakhstan, so we didn’t actually leave the country, but it was a 2-2 ½ hour jostling ride by car through the countryside and several small villages.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>It’s about 90 miles from Shymkent. </p> <p class="MsoNormal">The trip provided us an excellent opportunity to witness how people live in Kazakhstan outside the ‘big city’.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The first thing that hits you is the physical beauty of Kazakhstan’s rolling hills and steppes.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>And since much of the land is not well developed outside the city, it’s obvious that the basic landscape has not changed much in the past several thousand years.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>In many places farmers still herd sheep, cattle, and goats while riding donkeys.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>However, in other areas, we noticed some technology (circa 1960-70’s) in the form of tractors, old trucks, and basic farm equipment.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Life is certainly much different in the villages than in the city, and a world away from what is typical in the States.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">One of the highlights of our trip was during a stop to a camel farm.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Our driver, Kostria, felt the camel and I had the same teeth, and that his picture below was proof.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I believe my childhood orthodontist may take offense, but I do see his point.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH_dlznhDhXOlR3xkx_M0jSYFB3BN9tV38C0ZpzehqrVXK1vZDNDD8aLU6B6nGs2TI7xjRZF3uRz0ZXLqloVfG0Ql3MBGYQmUrhx3DKLgPAur1KbBXslUpRO1H_geuAkc_x_oaNtoDGtuX/s1600-h/Jesse+with+camel+(low+res).jpg" style="text-decoration: none;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH_dlznhDhXOlR3xkx_M0jSYFB3BN9tV38C0ZpzehqrVXK1vZDNDD8aLU6B6nGs2TI7xjRZF3uRz0ZXLqloVfG0Ql3MBGYQmUrhx3DKLgPAur1KbBXslUpRO1H_geuAkc_x_oaNtoDGtuX/s320/Jesse+with+camel+(low+res).jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5193941926535698082" style="text-align: right; display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; cursor: pointer; " /></a></p> <p class="MsoNormal">For those that haven’t had the joy of spending quality time with these creatures, they are intimidating.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>They’re bigger than you think, they smell very bad, and they have an attitude.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Our friend here was particularly cantankerous, and started our visit with an immediate ‘Urrggnnnhhhh’.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Can’t do it justice in written format, so you’ll just have to ask Amy and she’ll recreate the sound for you.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Let me just tell you, it wasn’t ‘Hello’, and it wasn’t welcoming.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Amy wanted nothing to do with this creature, which you will notice by the one picture (in the slideshow) with her stiff-arming the thing from as far away as possible.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>By the end of our brief visit, Mrs. Camel was tired of the picture-happy Americans, and started to become more aggressive.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The farmer motioned that we would be fine, but I’ll bet that he was secretly hoping that I’d get a chunk of my hide removed by the inch long teeth housed in mouth of my surly new friend.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The last picture taken shows the camel’s head as it was swinging toward me. <span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Fortunately, you can’t see the panicked look on my face as I realized there was nowhere to hide from the freakishly flexible neck on this beast. <span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>If it wanted to extract a pound of my flesh, it could have without a problem.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I escaped unharmed, and without being spat upon.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Amy here again:</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.5in">Excuse the interruption again… look in the dictionary next to the words “Good Sport” and you better see a picture of my smiling face. Remember the night before I ate horse meat and drank poison, got little sleep and had to be up early for the drive to Turkistan. 2 ½ hours one way, Jesse said it is a jostling ride… jostling my butt.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>My neck is still sore from the ride there and back: think bobble head doll.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>It was 90 degrees that day and in the mausoleum, an official asked me to cover my head and provided me with a large napkin thing. I refuse to call it a scarf. God (or should I say Allah) knows how many other woman had worn it before me. <span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Interesting place.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.5in">I’m happy to be back on the road to the hotel, but the boys want to stop at the camel farm.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Can you imagine pulling up to a house/hut in the middle of nowhere asking if the silly Americans can see your camels?<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The old farmer must think we’re nuts!<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I, being the good sport, get out of the car and start towards the camel. As I’m walking toward them I see the farmer has just loosely tied the front legs of the camel.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>(Made me think of walking up to a dog as someone is putting a mussel on it.)<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I’m surprised at its size, as it’s much bigger than I imagined. The creature is making this really loud<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>‘Urrggnnnhhhh’ sound.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>All signs are blinking “stay away”.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I give into peer pressure and get close enough to touch the camel. Clouds of dirt come off as I touch her and she really stinks. I’m done… get the picture as proof and I’ll meet you in the car. Call me a city girl; actually just call me a girl from Ohio where we have dogs, not camels. </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.5in">Then Kostria encourages Jesse to give the camel a big hug.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I stop my retreat to the car and turn to witness this trick. As Jesse reaches up to hug it, the camel starts moaning and coughing and then turns his head and neck toward him.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I think it was preparing to spit on him. Ahhh, the look on Jesse’s face was truly priceless. It scared him to death – he couldn’t get away fast enough. The four of us (Zhenia, Kostria, old farmer and I) are cracking up laughing. Made the whole trip worth it!</p> <span style="line-height:115%;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;mso-ansi-language:EN-US;mso-fareast-language: EN-US;mso-bidi-language:AR-SAfont-family:";font-size:11.0pt;"><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 17px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">On an educational note: what do they do with camels?</span><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">They drink the milk, sheer them for warm wool, use them for transportation, and eventually eat them. (Jesse here – I would have paid to participate in the eating part… particularly with this angry beast.)</span></span><br /></div></span></div>Jesse and Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03803827143811088280noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8537520410972710625.post-25546134389458166082008-04-25T00:56:00.002-04:002008-04-25T01:02:09.381-04:00Court DateOur court date has been set! <br /><br />We go to court on Monday at noon. (7 days exactly from our last bonding day). I think Nurshia had to pull a few strings to get us to court so quickly. She ask for copies of our plane tickets to show the courts. <br /><br />We'll go to court Monday, then flight from Shymkent to Almaty on Tuesday, then fly home on Wednesday. We leave Wednesday morning here, travel for 23 hours, but still get home Wednesday night there. I'm sure our heads will be spinning for a few days.Jesse and Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15039309428223041585noreply@blogger.com3