Hello from Moscow

Just a quick hello for those checking in to see if we safely made it to Russia. This by far, has to have been the most eventful flight over here so far. Everything from the Boeing 767 planes computers needing to having their operating system and database uploaded (in Chicago O'Hare) before we could take off to a passenger seizing/convulsing in the isle right next to our seat. We found all our luggage in quick fashion all in good condition upon landing in Domodedovo Airport. Our driver from previous trips, Vladimir was waiting for us, always a welcome to see a familiar face.
I will post more info and pictures after we've gotten some sleep. It is 11:28pm Sunday night right now here in Moscow so we are heading off the sleep. We have a hotel that is $80 a night cheaper then the one we had last time and much much nicer. In fact, the American Airlines flight attendants couple we met coming up to our room, told us this hotel just opened after a year of remodeling. There is a mall with KFC, McDonalds, Kabob Eatery, and every other kind of eatery all in one level of the mall so we wont go hungry here. Very modern mall right outside our hotel. We have our medical exam tomorrow so need to be rested up.

Tomorrow is the big day

Tomorrow, Saturday Sept. 19th we are heading off to Russia. Our next posts will come from the other side of the world. Today we got some very important steps done in the process for the upcoming trip. We really hope all turns out well as we have put forth our best effort to meet the requirements for a successful trip but as we found out today, you can never be too sure. Its been a roller coaster of a day finding out some of our provisions aren't up to the specs of our programs specs and then having one business day to get it all straightened out.

The Original Haven Herald RELAUNCHED in digital form!

Hello All: If  you have been invited, you may head on over to the brand new place called "Haven Herald" which is a old title I decided to resurrect from way back in 2001. Back in that day it was a paper based publication about local events, projects and ideas about our community in southeastern Minnesota. Its address is www.havenherald.blogspot.com and requires you to login just like you do on the Adoption Blog.

Local Events, Projects and Ideas

The questions been raised "why I don't post local happenings like the current project we have underway here called "Operation Water Buffalo". As those of you know whom I've been texting we had the well pump that pumps the whole communities water go down and hence no running water since Friday morning (Sept 11). So a big project is underway since that seemingly doomed day of Sept 11 this year 2009 to supply running water to all residents in our community. I have decided to not post local events in this blog as this is devoted to our family. So a new blog will spring to life which I will call "Haven Herald" and it will be open to invited readers only and be devoted to local topics like "Project Water Buffalo".

Details about Court Date

Preparations and travel arrangements are underway to go to Russia where we undergo an "inside and outside and through your nose" physical exam with 8 Russian doctors in Moscow, (it's mostly formality). After we pass this test, we move on to the court appearance in Kemerovo region of Russia. After the court appearance, there is a scheduled 10 days of dead air time during which we have chosen to return to the US of A and prepare our house and our surroundings. Will our lives change or what? I have a sneaky hunch we have no idea what awaits our calm, relaxed life of two in our comfy trailer home.

To summarize:

Flying on Sept. 19.

Court on Sept. 24 in Kemerovo.

Coming back home in Sept. 25.

Going back on Oct. 3.

Picking up the boys on Oct. 6.

Paperwork in Kemerovo Oct. 6, 7.

Paperwork in Moscow Oct. 9-14.

Hoping to come home on Oct. 15.

The reason for the longer stay and all the paperwork is - as soon the boys hit American soil, they will be US citizens, and this will occur at JFK in NY, that's where we're landing. We could do it here as well, but our agency insists on doing it this way, which is probably a wise idea, since I'm sure most of us wouldn't really know how to go about making them citizens. There, you just follow instructions, and sign where they ask you to.

Court Date Established!!!

Its happened!!! We have received an established date for appearing in court to claim our boys. The date is Sept. 24th. More Details to follow....

Welcome Back All!

Welcome back to our blog! It has been a tremendously busy summer, so much so that I have to say its been my best summer in years. Lots of technology projects at our school as well as taking on some of the communities technology. If you like tech stuff, you know that it can be just as exciting as the adoption and family side of life. This is me defending my love for tech stuff; it gives you unique opportunities to meet new people, learn new things, concepts and ways of using technology. About our adoption: We just reaching the next milestone in our adoption which brings us right up to the point of receiving a court date in Russia! This means that traveling to claim the boys is oh so close. Stay tuned, as the blog will once again come to life with news, facts and friction.