Flying High

Today's educational post is on flags! (I know, I know, you've been waiting with bated breath!)

I'm sure most of us remember Russia's flag during its Communist reign. I certainly do from all my Olympic watching. The current flag is actually Russian's original flag. It was designed by Peter the Great in the 17th century. It is a tri-colored flag of white, blue, and red, and to the best of my ability, I found no official meaning behind the 3 colors. An interesting note, however, is when Eastern European countries began to seek independence from other foreign powers in the 1800s, they also adopted these 3 colors into their flags in honor of Russia. The white, blue, and red colors became known as the Pan-Slavic colors (countries such as Czech Republic, Slovenia, Serbia, etc.) It replaced the Communist flag in 1991 with the collapse of the Soviet Union.



The Communist flag was put into play around 1923 after the Bolshevik government took power. This flag is filled with communist symbolism. The hammer and sickle is a symbol of the communist movement. Various other communist and socialist countries have adopted various themes of these on their own flags. The solid red flag represents socialism. The hammer itself symbolizes the industrial working class; the sickle the agriculture workers. The yellow star represents the 5 components of Communism: peasants, workers, army, intellectuals, youth.




Here is our region's flag: solid red with a lion carrying the hammer and sickle.



I realize today's entry might be considered by some to be a bit dry, so here's a funny--now whether it applies to Doug or me can be argued. Kennedi announced yesterday that Doug had "a lot of white fur" on his chest and then proceeded to try to count them. She doesn't count that high. So that no one thinks I'm picking on my husband, Doug has been gleefully plucking a gray hair or two from my head within the last few months. I have been privileged to have missed this hair follicle phenomenon until recently, but I'm seem to be making up for lost time now. Those are certainly wiry little suckers! An observation that I've made, which I don't understand, is that people who have been fighting the gray hair battle since their 20s are unusually happy when we "older" folks finally get ours! Yes, Kristin and Kasey, go ahead and give each other a high five!

Potpourri

Happy Anniversary, Honey!! It's the big 2-0 for us. We dated for 5 years before we got married, so we've been together for a quarter of a century. Oh dear, that sounds soooo lonnnnng when you say it like that.

We received a piece of paper from the US National Visa Center today. Our I-1600A petition is being forwarded to Russia where the adoption interview will take place--I'm guessing it is the American Embassy over there? It just makes it a bit surreal thinking that my "stuff" is in a foreign country waiting on me to join it. I hope I don't eventually have any questions about this because we're suppose to direct them to this consulate general. It is all written in Russian--my language courses aren't helping me to read this--I'm starting to think I'm gonna need to get that Russian-English dictionary off Amazon after all...

And today's Russian tidbit....White Nights. (No relation to the song Nights in White Satin) It is a phenomenon seen in the Northern Hemisphere during the summer months, but St. Petersburg, Russia is the most famous for it. Not because it is "better" there, but because it is the world's northern most city with a population of 1 million. (More people--more news.) For you geography buffs, it is the same latitude as Oslo, Norway and Seward, Alaska. The sun starts to set around 10:00pm at night, but it never fully dips into the hemisphere making it day light in the night time. It is bright enough that these cities do not need to turn on street lighting! Thumbs up for saving on the light bill! This spectacle can be seen most vividly in St. Petersburg from June 11-July 2. I hear they have quite the party up there during this time of year. Talk about messing up your cicada rhythms! This picture was taken at 11:00pm at night in St. Petersburg!

Baby Revisited

I know many of you couldn't wait to turn on your computers today and find out what Russian tidbit you were going to learn today, but today's entry will be a break in the Russian 101. I began this blog in an effort to help/bless/inform other PAPs in the international adoption process; with that I have tried to be transparent with what the "real" side of a Russian adoption entails--at least for us.

Honestly, there are days/moments that I ask myself if I really want to go through with this adoption. The whole international adoption ride is daunting--from the $40,000 price tag to the time spent in a foreign country to all of the unknowns--but so is going back into the baby mindset--the real side of life after the adoption is complete. Maybe it's my age, but it came to a forefront when I was sorting things for our garage sales (note the plural!) I put baby things in the sale that I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that I wouldn't need--pink hooded towels, extra crib mattress, nursing pillow [free information for anyone pregnant here: My Breast Friend nursing pillow is hands down the BEST nursing pillow you will ever use--the Boppy doesn't bop in my opinion!], etc. I didn't end up with very much baby stuff in the sales quite frankly. I realized that I was going to need to keep the majority of everything I had--the high chair, the swing, the Diaper Champ (even though I've read that the orphanages start potty training as soon as they can sit up I don't really know what that means as far as skills achieved, so I'm keeping it), the baby gates, and the list goes on. It was overwhelming as I was sifting through all the baby tubs I had stored and realizing that I was going to need that and that and that again. I guess where I'm getting at is I was asking myself, "Am I ready to do the baby thing again???"

My girls, 6 and soon to be 4, are quite "independent." They can brush their teeth (sort of), pick up their own toys--Annsley without the fanfare, Kennedi does awesome if there is a "race", they can unload the silverware from the dishwasher, and they play by themselves which affords me snapshots of free time throughout the day. I have no baby gates to step over, no money going to diapers and diaper rash cream, and I get to sleep through the night. This morning I have had to deal with them dipping blocks into my Scentsy candle wax to make "butter" to take on their imaginary camping trip.

Before I was pregnant with Annsley, I had a friend who said something to Doug and me about having babies. She and her husband were contemplating having their 4th child, and she said that she thought it was better to have them close enough together so you could stay in "baby mode." I see her point now. Annsley was only 2 when Kennedi was born, so we were still using so much of the baby items that I didn't think twice about having to get the swing back out, etc. And I would like to point out that these feelings would be here if I were pregnant as well.

A few nights ago, I was reading to Kennedi and singing her bedtime songs, and I just broke down crying as I realized that there was probably no one doing that for the hundreds of thousands of boys and girls in Russian orphanages--let alone for my baby boy over there. Kennedi asked why I was crying and I told her. She said, "Momma, are you goin to rock my baby buther?" I said yes, and she nodded and replied, "He like that!"

Yes, Kennedi, but more than that, he needs that and deserves that. I will put my selfish side on the shelf for now, knowing that God called us to this adoption. He will/has already provided everything we need for this journey--and that includes curtailing my doubts about desiring to "go back in time." I love how He provides for us the opportune moment to come back to His will if we will just be open enough to hear His voice. It is a choice I make today to welcome the high chair that takes up too much space in my kitchen, to embrace putting together the changing table again, and to relish all the squeaker and musical toys that will be crowding my living room floor again. Our immense assignment is so much bigger than us receiving a blessing. We are bringing a little boy into a country where he will be free to dream, food on his plate will not ever be a concern, and he will receive all the love he can contain from his new mommy and daddy, sisters, aunts, uncles, grandmas and grandpas. And yes, when I get over myself enough, I know that for him to have the opportunity to experience rocking, singing, and praying in a loving parent's arms for just one night of his life will be worth dealing with all the baby stuff once again.

This journey is so much bigger than just us. Please continue to be in prayer for us, our little boy, the adoption climate in Russia, the orphanage workers and doctors, and our adoption agency.

All Aboard!!

Continuing my quest to educate all of us about the beauty and awe of Russia, here is today's topic: The Trans-Siberian Railway.

Construction of the Trans-Siberian Railway began in 1891 and finished in 1905. The train carries passenger and cargo from Moscow to Vladivostock, a city along the Pacific Coast. Today, there are even trains covering parts of China and Eastern Europe. It is the longest continuest rail line on earth, nearly 6000 miles and covering nearly 1/3 of the Earth. It takes 7+ days to ride from Moscow to Vladivostock.

OK, you know I had nothing better to do on a Sunday afternoon when I just spent 15 minutes booking my imaginary railway tickets online. To travel one way (in plain Jane style) in August from Moscow to Vlad, with a Class 2 ticket will cost approximately $550. From what I've read, if you want a private shower, you need to go 1st class, and those tickets are currently sold out. (Just thought I'd throw that in in case anyone out there reading this and was thinking about booking their vacay in the next month or so...) Also, from what I've read (I have no first hand knowledge of any of this so take it all with a grain of salt) 1st class usually results in more English speaking people, so you would want that ticket if you are the sappy talker type. For the back packers out there, you will find those individuals usually settling for 2nd or 3rd class. They have a 4th class ticket, but I don't know if that just gets you a ride strapped to the outside of the kitchen car, giving the "scenic tour" its literal meaning, but it is there for a reduced price nevertheless.

Do you feel a game show calling your name yet?

The Big Weenie

Round 2 of "We're Adopting from Russia, Come Help Us Buy a Visa" Garage sale is over. I'm done. We have gotten rid of a lot but still have so much stuff; however, thanks to Craig's List, we're getting rid of the big pieces. I'll be boxing up what's left and donating it to charity just to get it out of our barn. It's really the only adoption thing we've done lately. We've got to get focused on finding an accountant to sign off on our financial statement. I'll put that on Doug's to do list AGAIN.

Our 4th of July ended on a funny I have to share. Doug took the girls to the fireworks stand Sunday to buy a few fireworks. The wind here was terrible, and the punks aren't what they used to be, so they kept burning out. Doug goes into the house and finds a 10 year old cigar stashed somewhere in his bathroom drawer and lights it up to use. As soon as Annsley sees him with it in his mouth, she starts crying as she thinks this is going to cause him to die. (Too long of a story for this blog). I convince her that he is just puffing, and that is not the same as smoking. (And after those words are out of my mouth, I'm thinking, "Good grief, Shelly! You sound like some teenager trying to convince her parents that it's no big deal. Let's just confuse the little 6 year old shall we? The next thought out of my brain is then, "Am I disqualified now for the Mom of the Year Award??") Anyway, Doug used the cigar with good success to light the firecrackers. When it got dark, we headed up north of where we live to this unbelievable private firework show. There are two houses across the road from each other, and I'm not kidding when I say their little "fireworks war" would rival a city's fireworks' display. It was incredible. Afterwards, we're in the car going home to set off the remainder of Annsley's fireworks, and she asks in the car, "Doug, are you going to light your big weenie again?" Really, I couldn't contain myself on that one! (Annsley didn't think it was too funny of me laughing "at" her.)

To fill the time while waiting on "the call," I've decided post several entries on a wealth of information in an effort to enlarge your knowledge about Russia. This will be of great help to anyone who might be called as a phone a friend on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire. Really, you cannot put a price tag on the education you gain from reading this blog! Hopefully, you will enjoy this as much I will!

Since we've been assigned to Krasnoyarsk, here's some 411 on it. Krasnoyarsk Krai is the region in Siberia and Krasnoyark is the major city within that region.


Krasnoyarsk Krai the largest Krai in Russia. It is 3 1/2 times bigger than Texas. Krasnoyarsk is the largest city in Krasnoyarsk Krai. (That's a little confusing if you ask me. That's like naming a town Oklahoma in Oklahoma.) Do the residents there just refer to Krasnoyarsk Krai as just Krasnoyarsk, or do they go all out and say Krasnoyarsk Krai to avoid confusion? I don't know. Krasnoyarsk Krai has the 2 most powerful hydro electric plants in Russia. 80% of Russia's nickel, 95% of the platinum, and 20% of the timber is mined there. There are several thousand lakes. (A fisherman's dream no less.) The northern part of Krasnoyarsk Krai has average January temps of -36 F and July temps of 50 F whereas the southern part has January average temps of 0 F and July temps of 68 F. 95% of the Krai's cities fall in the South--I wonder why????And for any $50,000 question you might get asked, It is the Trans-Siberian Railroad that is major transportation outlet for the residents there.

I know, a little dab will do you, so I'll continue with our geography/history/senseless trivia lesson next time!

Cruella on the highways of Ohio

We received our I-171H from the USCIS office!! I guess it's official; the United States thinks we're OK parents to adopt. Kinda overwhelming in all reality. I must say, the US government keeps surprising me. According to the USCIS office, the time for an I-1600A to be processed from the Dallas office was 8 months, the longest processing times from any regional office. We got ours in 6 months, including the extra month it took to submit additional paperwork to them. And both ours names are spelled correctly and has everything attached as it should be. Way to go US Gov and thank you!

Our "We're Adopting from Russia and Come Help Us Buy a Visa" garage sale went well for the amount of traffic we had--which was not a lot. We would like to thank all our friends who ventured out and perused our trinkets and supported us. We will hone in on our advertising skills and have another one, maybe this weekend because we have a TON of stuff left. (And we have rather good stuff if I may say so!) It's quite embarrassing to know that just our family could produce this overwhelming plethora of "junk" from the dark recesses of our house. As I've said before, never again.

We took a little road trip to Columbus, Ohio to attend a Christian conference, Provision 2010 at FaithLifeNow Church. It was awesome to say the least! Our girls had a great time as well. Annsley met a new friend, and her dad gave us their Skype info so the girls can keep in touch. Doug and I have been through Ohio a few times in our married lives, but we are always amazed at the dry land corn growing up there. Yes, dry land corn--not a typo for those of you from our part of the world. The farms are so pretty as well. In the midst of the corn field you will find a white 2 story house, a red or white barn, and a silo. A far cry from what you see around here! Our conference was in New Albany, OH, and it was like something set in the colonial days. EVERY business looked like it could have come straight from 1792. White clapboard fences lined the highway and streets. Burger King has no Burger King paraphernalia--just a white sign with Burger King on it. Kroger was just a white sign with Kroger on it. An absolutely beautiful little town!

Traveling with a 6 and 3 year old in the back of the car for 18 hours one way...what can I say? I have refused to buy a DVD player for the girls, but I will have to say that after this trip, I can see that it might have its merits. By St. Louis, I was mourning my decision I can assure you. It wasn't a leisurely drive as we were under time constraints both going and coming home. We couldn't leave until Wednesday afternoon because Doug was at a C-Scope training for his school district, and we had to get home before 11:00 this morning for the girls' swimming lessons--we did--at 4:30AM this morning. I firmly believe that the people who invented bullet and sound proof glass were parents. I shall not bore you with the "she's got my..." or "Mom, Kennedi is...." or the constant vying who was going to be sleeping with whom routine 12 hours in advance, but let your imagine run wild...I'm sure it will pale in comparison to our reality though. Really, both girls did an awesome job all things considered, but I really think Kennedi would have been happier if we had tied her to the roof of the car and provided her with a bug guard for her teeth. A car seat and seat belt and miles of road is not the most conducive thing for her personality.

Doug's and my driving skills were under scrutiny the entire trip. I got a ticket--my first in about 15 years--taking the girls to swimming lessons the morning we left. So, Annsley was constantly asking me on trip, "Are you speeding, Mom?" We are very selective with what we allow to girls to watch and they haven't seen very many Disney movies. They were introduced to 101 Dalmations a few weeks ago by their cousin, and of course, that whole thing had Annsley praying to get the evil out of Cruella de Vil that evening. Apparently the only thing that stuck out in Kennedi's mind was Cruella's driving because every time Doug would accelerate, our back seat 3 year old driver would say, "Daddy, you diving like Ca-illa!"

The Progression of Marriage

Wow! It's been a month of Sundays since I last posted! Things have been so busy around here lately. I've had my birthday--29 years but who's counting???; Annsley had her 6th birthday earlier this month and my grandmother passed away--the second one in 3 months. She had dementia; it and Alzheimer's are such horrible diseases. I know that she had no idea who I was the last couple of years, and of course, she never "knew" Annsely and Kennedi, but I will tell you that whenever my girls were around her, she would smile and perk up like nobody's business. The power of children!

Now I'm getting ready for our "We're Adopting from Russia--Come Spend Some Money and Help Us Buy a Visa or Two" garage sale this weekend. If I haven't been using it or needing it for the last year, it's got a price tag on it. Doug and I told ourselves last year when we moved all our "stuff" that was it. This poverty mindset and pack rat mentality had to go. We were still holding on to stuff we had accumulated from our first year of marriage 20 years ago--storing it in closets or the attic--and it has never been used! And I keep hauling it across country. Is there a lunacy scale rating for that? I had kitchen gadgets from my wedding that I have been packing and unpacking for 20 years, and have yet to use them--in 20 years, but I have kept them "ready" for that special dish that I'm gonna make one of these days that will require the use of that Swiss made potato slicer--the one I can't even figure out how to put together. So, it's going--it's all going. Come and get it!

Five years ago, I thoroughly cleaned out my closet, more or less. I actually had jeans from high school gathering dust in my closet. Yes, I had plans to get my hiney into those size 7 junior denims. Can you believe the audacity? Our closet is quite a bit smaller in this new house. Actually, we are having to share a closet for the FIRST time in 12 years. Do you remember the episode in the Brady Brunch where Carol and Mike are splitting the closet after they've gotten married? The shoe starts off in the middle of the closet, but every time Mike goes to open the door, Carol has moved the shoe to give herself more than her fair share of the closet space. Well, that's my husband. Granted, I don't need as much space as he does since my daily attire consists mainly of sweats and shorts (I keep looking over my shoulder when I go to Wal-Mart wrapped in fear that cameras are going to sweep in and catch me in my initial reaction when they tell me someone has nominated me for a Mommy Make-Over), but really People, how much room does a guy need? I donated a slew of clothes again with this move--most of these were my "professional" teaching attire that I hadn't worn since Annsley was born. My sister took a look at my closet, rolled her eyes, and told me I needed to get rid of my 90s jean skirts and clogs. So they went. Doug was a bit more clingy with his clothing, but I did convince him to get rid of those Rush Limbaugh ties and teal green Dockers with the matchy matchy shirt. Back to my story...(I'm tired, I'm hot, and I want to finish reading Ronald Reagan's autobiography tonight--a good read by the way--so you're just going to have to roll with me on this post.) We split the closet 50/50. I have WAY more room on my side because I've given away WAY more clothes. I kid you not, every time I go into that closet, his sport coats are taking up more and more of my area. It does no good to push them back. They are like hair stuck in the back of your throat. They will be back there tomorrow. So he wins. It is nothing like our early years of marriage. "Oh, you need more room for your 50 thousand dresses and skirts, Dear? Here, just cram my shirts tighter together, and I bet you can get 10 or 20 on my side of the closet. Don't worry about the wrinkles; love will iron them out." Those were the days...