One last night...

I have some shopping to complete today.  The last of the gifts and their gift bags must be ready for tomorrow morning when we say dahs-day-vhan-YA to well – everyone.  I find everything on the list but when I get back home to set the clock on the desk pen set I discover that the battery is dead.  I go back to the store but they don’t sell batteries just pen sets with clocks in them that need batteries.  I try four other stores (two in the big four story mall) but no luck.  Giving a gift that isn’t working seems lame so I call up Alice for some advice on where the battery might be found.  Turns out I’ve been walking past a watch shop for four weeks that is right next to Natalka (okay pizza GREAT WiFi) and that watch shop has the battery – thank you Alice.

Gifts are go

So it seems that everyone is getting a gift of thanks from us as we all finally leave Ukraine except nothing for Alice.  So I gave her the bike.  I am a little sad about losing the bike but not knowing that I even had a bike Alice had mentioned that she really wanted to get one someday.  I can’t pack the thing and it is too big for most of the kids at the orphanage so it seemed fitting.  Please be safe!

I brought everything to the orphanage for the last visit just in case there was anything that Sergei or Maksym really wanted to do.  I was hoping that we could just kick the ball around and do some flips with as many kids as possible.  Last day that they will be about to do any of that with these kids.  Thankfully that is exactly what Sergei (and Maksym after his nap) had in mind.  Great day.

It is hard these last days to see Big Volva – there are not words.


I drop off a gift for the couple that I've been buying ice cream from in the park - they've been very nice.  On the way back Daniel from the AK-47 pellet shooting tent stops me on his BMX bike to say good bye.  That was nice of him - I ask him why he isn't manning the tent today and he says there is a holiday.  Now if I knew any Russian I could say what the holiday is.

Our remaining schedule now that the waiting period and holiday are both over looks like this:  Birth certificates then to Donest’k for the one day RED passports for Sergei and Maksym.  Then Wednesday to Kyiv with the possibility of an embassy appointment same day (maybe) – work that magic Sasha.  We also have a doctor’s visit but we could be done and ready for a plane home by Friday or Thursday if all of the above goes really fast like it did for the Gardiners.  Saturday day is our boys and girls Mama’s birthday so let’s shoot for that!

If I don’t post for a bit know that it is because we are getting it DONE.