4/17/07 - The Longest Day!!!

Yesterday started out looking like we had to get one signature from the local inspector (conclusion) and submit our request for a court date to the local judge and then send our package on a train to Kyiv for the SDA approvals and turnaround. Well, 12 hours and a whole lot of nerves later we had what was needed. No thanks to the judge (woman) for putting undo pressure and being very fussy in sticking to the letter of the law. She was demanding that the grandfather be present at the court even though he signed off with a notary on giving his granddaughter his blessing to leave with us. Also she initially stated that we had to come to court twice (which is what the law requires although not done in many other regions). She also demanded that we go out and make 4 copies of all the documents before she would even talk to Sergey or set a date for court. She also said she wouldn't set a date until the documents came back from Kyiv. The game got worse until the special envelop with the "motivation" caused a change of heart and a whole lot of things got done after hours. Now we are down to one court date (Tuesday 4/24) if the paperwork gets back on time, or 4/26 if a delay in the paperwork. This has been an uphill battle thus far and we can only look past the court date, the 10 day wait and the final paperwork (new birth certificate, passport, medical and visa), then home. Debbie could be home by the end of next week and I will be home in 3 more weeks if all of the above happens without further undo hassles. We got back into town last night around 9:30, ate at a McDonald's by the train station and walked over to the train station and sent off our package.

Sharon met another potential mate the other day while waiting to have our washing machine fixed in our flat. The guy who came to do the work was a dashing specimen but exuded the scent of an aged salami and that put a pause (halt) in her pursuit. We have a couple days break before our next flurry. Ira spent the day with us Sunday. We bought a couple of new outfits, new shoes all of which were very appealing to her. We stopped for pizza (rather good compared to the one we had the other day at another place. That was Ira's 1st pizza. She also had an espresso coffee, also a first for her. She saw a movie in our flat (Shrek - Russian version) and had a bubble bath. She still had a lingering cold and was not up to par. Speaking of par, I could sure use a round of golf right about now! After taking Ira back we noted some envy by her friends and now can only do one thing - find something for each of them (9 girls & 7 boys)!

We are on the hunt to find a male friend for Sharon, possibly one she could "adopt" and bring home. He may need a bubble bath and new threads, but we look at is as another attempt to reach out helping someone. After all, she said she needed a pool boy. - Dale

Our 12 hour day yesterday, spent primarily in Sergey's car, while Sergey worked his magic. During a quick break to grab a bite to eat, we stopped at the local town mini-mart, about the size of our garage. They were using an abacus for a cash register, which really puts things in perspective! - Debbie

Pic 1 - New outfit; Pic 2 - Pizza time; Pic 3 - Looking for new clothes; Pic 4 - Return to the orphanage with Ira friends (some envy showed) .