Carr's Journey to "The Edge"

Home Sweet Home

2008-12-10T20:21:00.000-08:00

Ruslan and Ann at home

Ruslan and guys wearing souvenir hats picked out by Ruslan

Family and Friends at the airport

Stephan and Ruslan reunited

The whole family at the airport

Well, for those of you that don't know. WE ARE HOME! Most of you have heard by now but we arrived home Saturday night after about 25 hours. We left our apartment in Kiev at 3:00am on Saturday morning and flew from Kiev to Frankfurt Germany. After a five hour layover we flew from Frankfurt to Denver Colorado. That is a LONG flight. Anyway, the folks at the Embassy in Kiev told us Ruslan would automatically become a citizen when we touched down in Denver. We have to admit it felt very good to be back in the good old USA.

Some of you may be wondering what happened to us and why the posts just stopped. We really didn't want to stop posting, but given some complications and a set of circumstances that we weren't controlling and that were quite complex, we felt it best not to post anything on the Internet. Needless to say, we had some trials, but in the end it all worked out.

One thing we will mention, we thought we were going to have to use a new computerized system to obtain the new birth certificate, but as it turned out, technology was a little slow. When we arrived the morning of December 2nd to start this new process, we received the good news that the government needed more time to implement the new system so we got the birth certificate the old fashioned way, SAME DAY!! For those of you that might be going later, it will probably start on December 20th. Sorry. After we obtained the birth certificate the next step was a new passport. After that it was on to Kiev for medical exam and a visit to the U.S. Embassy. The final step was returning to the Embassy the next day for a final interview and issuance of the visa. Then it was over. What a process!!!

We have to say the goodbyes at the orphanage was emotionally gut wrenching and not something we were not totally prepared for. The kids certainly didn't want Ruslan to go. He is family to them. We know how difficult it was for us to experience, we can only imagine the pain that Ruslan was going through. All we could do was hug him and reassure him we loved him and were there for him. Ruslan seems to be adjusting fine in our family. So far so good. He is studying English now everyday with Rosetta Stone. He knows a lot of English, just has a hard time verbalizing it. It will come with time.

The airport scene was almost magical. It certainly was emotional. Special thanks to the Richardsons, McBeths, and Fuhrmans who were kind enough to bring their children to the airport to see their Poltava classmate come to America. Ruslan saw those three kids and he ran to them and hugged all of them. When we looked over, he had a giant smile on his face. Thanks to all of you that followed our little journey and posted your comments along the way. They sustained us!

An extra special thanks to our children. While we were having a life changing experience, they had their own little experience here at home. Thanks so much for being the people you are. We never doubted that you all would handle our absence with class and work together to support each other. WE LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH!!!!! It certainly feels good to be home.

Working Through the Process

2008-12-02T10:04:00.000-08:00

Most common car, with one "r" in Ukraine

Apartment Keys. One on left is to steel outside door. One on the right is to our apartment. It is kind of like an old jail key and just about as big.

Apartment Double doors

Ann, Ruslan, and Jeff at dinner at a local restaurant

Well, here we are still working through the process. We ran around today with Natasha doing paperwork for most of the day. A couple of observations. A lot of doorways here in Ukraine have a threshold. Some of the thresholds look like a 2 x 4 across the bottom of the doorway. Trying to wheel luggage over them was a challenge. Additionally, many doors are smaller so it is kind of like moving through a submarine door. One last comment on doors. Sometimes there are two doors together within a couple feet of each other. Heaven help you if you are claustrophobic and get caught between the doors when they close! We included a picture of our apartment door which has a double set so you can see what we are talking about. Very interesting. Notice the lock, we feel like we are sleeping inside Fort Knox! And the keys are huge and look like an old jail key.

An observation about traffic here. The traffic lights here are interesting. After the light is red and before it turns green, the yellow light appears with the red light to signal drivers to prepare to move through the intersection. And do they get ready. Some of our taxi drivers are halfway through the intersection before it actually turns green. The other light has turned red prior to getting a yellow so everything is usually okay, but it is a different to start through the intersection when the light is still red! We probably have mentioned about the competitive nature of driving here. Every trip is like the Grand Prix. A couple of times we have required two taxis, and it sures seems they race to the destination. As Natasha says, there are two kinds of pedestrians here in Ukraine, the quick and the dead.

One last observation about the cars here. There are about every brand you can image, but the one that seems to be most popular, and certainly looks the oldest is Lada. They look like an old Datsun or Toyota from the 1970's, very boxy in style but our understanding is they are very good cars. All of the cars are manual transmissions which adds to the flavor of Formula One driving through the streets of Poltava.

Well, that is enough for now.

Last Sunday in Poltava?????

2008-11-30T12:40:00.000-08:00

Stephan's Supervisor with package

Jeff, Max, and Ruslan

We attended church today. There was probably 60-70 people there. The people are very nice and we enjoyed conversations with several of the branch members again. We brought the missionaries some of our food we haven't been able to use such as cake mix, complete with frosting, brownies, blueberry muffins, microwave popcorn, stuffing, gravy and Evenson's cheese and crackers and jam. You would have thought it was christmas the way those boys eyed their new stash. We told them we would take them to dinner sometime this week.

Today we were able to take Max and Ruslan for the afternoon and evening. Ruslan asked if we could get Max today as well. It was nice to have the boys together and they really lightened up and had a good time. When we returned the boys to the orphanage, Stephan Fuhrman's supervisor stopped us and asked if we would give him a package from his old class. There was a picture of Stephan when he was young incorporated into a drawing, some Poltava chocolate (hope that makes it back to America), and some post cards with messages from former classmates. Stephan, we will make sure you get this when we get home. We snapped a picture of his old supervisor and headed home for the night.

More Pics from Ruslan's Class

2008-11-29T10:40:00.000-08:00

Cabin Fever Setting In

Ruslan's class TV room

Hala in her room

Ruslan sitting in his seat in the cafeteria. Great smile.

Ruslan and Sasha joking around in the hall

Ruslan's Class

2008-11-29T10:05:00.000-08:00

Ruslan in the homework room, with Supervisor in background. Ruslan's face says it all.

Ruslan's Class

The boys really liked the ping-pongs and paddles. Who needs a table!

Ann with Leila as we headed to Ruslan's class

Iryna's classroom

Today is day 10 of the waiting period. We left for the orphanage with Natasha around 2:00pm and arrived and visited with Iryna in her classroom. We snapped a few photos and headed for the meeting with Ruslan's class. We brought them ping-pong paddles and balls and enough chocolate to feed an army. We also had pictures of Utah Jazz player Fesenko for the kids. We visited for quite a while. Some of the kids asked questions about Utah. One asked Ruslan if he was going to live in Utah and he quipped, "no, Jamaica." Yeah man! Ruslan seemed to beam today as he sat on the couch with us with his classmates sitting around us on the floor. It was his moment. We had previously agreed to buy the kids some computer games and blank CD's to assist them in their school work. Ruslan will pick those out in the next couple of days.

We had a great visit. Ruslan came with us back to the apartment where Ann fixed him a gourmet meal of Macaroni and Cheese with fried ham and cucumbers....ymmmm! The Evensons leave in the morning for Kiev. They fly home on Wednesday.....lucky ducks. Ray Evenson has enjoyed finding traditional Russian-style hats so we all put on a hat for the obligatory photo op. The joke at work was that I was not leaving for an adoption, but rather that my boss had banished me to Siberia for a month. Natasha commented I looked like I belonged in Siberia. I guess they weren't that far off. We will miss the Evensons and wish them well on their trip home. It will be quiet around here. They have been great roommates. Hopefully, we won't be too far behind them.

Another bump in the road

2008-11-28T12:03:00.000-08:00

Ruslan's wall. Notice the Curled Small Family Photos

Ruslan's Wall of Fame

Utah Jazz Poster with Tanner's Photo (Center)

Ruslan's Bed and Postered Walls

Photo of Front Door of Courthouse taken from Cab

Today is day nine of our waiting period. The Evensons left this morning for a visit to Sumy Orphanage so we watched Tonya and Tamila today. Natasha had some paperwork for us to help her with today, so we traveled with her to the notary, the court, and the birth certificate office. At the birth certificate office we hit another bump in the road. We learned that new legislation takes effect on December 1, 2008, which requires Poltava region to use a new computerized system. The legislation allows the office THREE MONTHS to process a birth certificate. After Ann and I woke up from fainting, Natasha informed us that the office will be closed on December 1st to train on the system. That was the day we were set to begin processing Ruslan's new birth certificate, usually a one day process. Natasha said that it could be 2-3 days now and we can't start the passport process until we have the new birth certificate. We are trying to stay positive, and we still may be able to make our revised time to come home, we will know more after we actually get the birth certificate.

On a positive note, when we got to the orphanage to pick up Ruslan, they didn't have anyone to go get him, so we were allowed to venture deep into the orphanage dorm area. Ruslan resides on the third floor and rooms with Max. We got to the room and his wall is covered with pictures of soccer teams. At the head of his bed he has several posters and pictures of the Utah Jazz and smack in the middle of his largest poster is a picture we sent him of Tanner from the Deseret News as he played against Bountiful in the state basketball tournament. Additionally, we had sent him several pictures we photocopied onto sheets of regular paper and sent with a letter back in September. He had cut out every one of the pictures and tacked them to the wall between and on top of his soccer and jazz posters. They were pictures of the entire family, Grandma Richardson, and Grandpa and Grandma Carr. Some of the pictures were curled and worn but they were all there! Ann and I were so excited to see his room. The dorm rooms are very old but clean. It has the feel of a very old hotel or boarding house. We saw the homework room where the kids do their homework and use one computer. The supervisor asked us through Natasha, if we would consider buying some blank CD's for the kids' use as well as some computer games. We will visit the orphanage tomorrow and visit with Ruslan's class and hopefully take some additional pictures. Hopefully, the bump we hit today will be a small one, but we will have to wait and see.

A Day of Thanksgiving

2008-11-27T10:28:00.000-08:00

Ruslan and Kola

Ruslan, Hala, and Max

The play with kids who were previously hosted

Romeo and Juliet

A very brisk day in Ukraine, but the sun was out. We left the apartment around noon headed for the orphanage. It was a nice walk. We were going to see Ruslan's class perform a play today at 3:00pm. We were excited to see some of the kids we recognized in the play including Oleg, who we hosted two years ago and Hala and Max who were hosted this year. The kids did a great job. The theatre was on the third floor. We sat on wooden chairs and the stage pretty much looked like any school auditorium. It was great fun. We also got to deliver a few packages to kids who were hosted this year.

We met an American family from Alabama who are here to adopt four kids. They are planning on coming back in May for another. It was nice to meet another American couple and spend a few minutes learning about the great things they are doing. We hope to see them again before we leave.

Natasha took us to the Metro, which is like Costco, and we bought some groceries that should sustain us until we leave for Kiev. We then took Ruslan and Natasha and had our Thanksgiving dinner at Botanica. We had chicken and mashed potatoes (not quite the same as a typical Thanksgiving dinner). We talked to the kids later. We miss you guys. We all have a lot to be Thankful for today.

Additional Pics from Today

2008-11-26T12:13:00.000-08:00

Giant spoon and bowl full of dumplings...ymmmmm!

Ruslan at the White Rotunda

White Rotunda changing colors

Poltava Church at night. This picture doesn't do it justice.

Barber Shop Duet

2008-11-26T11:18:00.000-08:00

The guys after the haircuts

Ahhhhhhhhhh.......

Does she understand what a "2" on the sides mean?

Off with those locks

Ruslan getting his hair cut

Day Seven of the waiting game. Today was an interesting day. We ventured out to the orphanage with the Evensons and Natasha. Tonya and Tamila were meeting their brother there to say their final good-byes. We were waiting in the foyer when Oleg appeared. We hosted Oleg two years ago. Man, how he had grown. He was quite tall and still very handsome. He had to be coaxed over but I insisted by motioning to him. He shook my hand and Ann gave him a hug. We asked him how he was doing and he answered "good" but there little more than that by way of conversation. There was a sadness in his eyes that both Ann and I noticed. He kept looking down. The meeting actually only lasted maybe a minute and he was gone. We were unable to get his picture, but we will visit again this weekend and will be allowed to take pictures of Ruslan's class so maybe we will get the chance to see him again.

Natasha had promised Ruslan's supervisor that she would see he got a haircut since he apparently missed the opportunity being with us so much. We headed into town and stopped for a quick bite to eat at Botanicas, a small cafe that is very nice. Natasha then took us to a very nice salon where Ruslan and I had our hair cut and shampooed! I might say, one of the best haircuts I have ever had. Ruslan went first and Ann made sure to document the event with pictures. Then it was mine turn and Ruslan made sure my haircut would be remembered as well, as he snapped several pictures. By the time we finished it was time for a little shopping and dinner. We tried to find Ruslan another shirt but were unsuccessful. We stopped back at Botanicas for dinner and then drove to a look-out point where there is a beautiful church and stunning monument that overlooked the city. The monument is called the "White Rotunda," white pillars in the form of a horseshoe for good luck. They light the monument at night and play music and the lighting changes colors. There is a saying that loosely translated means "In the house where there is harmony, peace, and quietness, people are blessed." The monument is really spectacular. It is actually not far from the orphanage. On the way back to the taxi, Natasha told us that Poltava is known for its potatoes. Apparently it is quite famous, since there is actually a dumpling monument very close to the look-out point. We couldn't resist taking a photo, how often do you get to sit by a giant spoon and a giant bowl full of dumplings? We all had a good laugh. We thought we were at Disneyland at "Honey I shrunk the kids" for a minute. We dropped off Ruslan at the orphanage and headed to the apartment. It was a fun and interesting day, one we won't soon forget.

This little piggy went to market

2008-11-25T10:18:00.000-08:00

Laundry Day

Our Cleaning Lady

Our Favorite Pizza Place

View Towards City Center. Our apartment is to the right about two blocks

Wow, it is cold out here

Today is day six of the waiting period. Louise Evenson and Natasha left early this morning to start the final leg of their journey home with passports etc. I left at 7:00am this morning for a three mile run. It was quite cold this morning and Ann snapped a picture of me as I returned all bundled up. It was cleaning day today as well so our cleaning lady showed up around 11:00am. Ann and I left for the market to pick up a few things. It is several blocks to the market. We are about two blocks off of one of the main arteries in Poltava. We snapped a few pictures showing the main road in both directions and our favorite pizza place.

Ruslan and the Evenson's girls, Tonia and Tomila (Angelina) arrived around 4:00pm. We watched Harry Potter while Ann fixed dinner, scrambled eggs and fried potatoes with cucumbers and tomatoes. This is the first night the Evanson girls are staying with their parents. Ruslan had to ride back to the orphanage without the girls this evening. Very sad to see him go back alone.

Pizza and Patience

2008-11-24T10:44:00.000-08:00

Louise and Ann preparing the Pizza Feast

The staple of our diet Salami and Tomato Pizza

Ruslan relaxing and watching a movie

Ann Blogging, E-mailing, and checking You-Tube

Day five of captivity, we mean the waiting period. It is Monday morning and it is NOT raining. However, everything is FROZEN. Ray and Louise ventured out this morning for several hours and we sat and talked with Natasha for a while until she left to work on ensuring that the translation of the court papers are done. We tried to fill the time with a little laundry, a little reading, and a little nap. I know, exciting!!! The kids came around 4:00. Tonia was not able to come tonight. It was strange not having her here. Another game of Yahtzee between Jeff and Ruslan, a favorite, and then Jeff and Ruslan went out to go get pizza. When all else fails for dinner, there is the pizza place around the corner. The kids returned at 7:30 as usual. It is always sad to see them go. Only five more days and then Ruslan can stay with us. Now we are having a pillow fight and telling ghost stories with the Evensons and Natasha. Okay not really, but it might make the night go faster.

Zamboni Anyone?

2008-11-23T12:17:00.000-08:00

Ruslan ice-skating for the first time

Sergei (center in black) ice-skating for first time

Had to add the Zamboni to prove it was in the mall!

Sergei and Ruslan resting while skating. Oh yeah, they have shopping carts at the mall as well!

Today we went to church for the second time in Poltava. It is a friendly little branch with maybe 40 people attending. Everyone stopped to say hello to us as they entered the chapel. Once again, it was the only day of the week where we were able to visit with Ruslan's brother, Sergei, as it is his only day off during the week.

We decided to meet Sergei at the mall again. He was there ahead of us this time. We ate at a nice cafeteria next to the ice rink. Ruslan and Sergei both had chicken and fried potatoes. They have a great Russian Salad here that is to die for. Ruslan gave me the thumbs up when I tried what he and Sergei were eating. The salad is a little like our potato salad but has pickles, ham, potatoes, peas, and some other ingredients, I am not sure what, mixed with a mustard & Mayo-type creamy paste. It is very good. The boys finished off their meal with a large slice of chocolate cake and a Coke, so all the basic food groups were covered. Anyway, we decided to go ice skating since neither Ruslan or Sergei had ever done that and they both wanted to try it. Both boys had a great time and actually did quite well ice skating. I am still amazed at the Zamboni in the mall thing!

The Wheels on the Bus....

2008-11-22T12:11:00.000-08:00

Well surprise surprise. It was raining today when we got up. What a great way to start a Saturday. I decided I was still going to run so off I went sloshing along through the puddles. There were not too many people out this Saturday morning, first I suspect since it was early Saturday morning and second because it was RAINING! Anyway, all went well until I ventured to close to what looked like an old junkyard. I sensed someone was following me and turned just in time to see a large German, uh maybe Ukrainian, Shepherd closing on me bent on making my right calf his next meal. Now it is always amazing how you react to these types of situations. I could have run faster, well maybe not much faster, but still. I could have panicked, which I think I did to some degree, but I just stopped, turned, and yelled "NO, NO" but not in English, in my best Ukrainian. The dog began to bark and I began to walk away very slowly. Natasha told me I had to worry about the drivers and the drunks when I ran, I guess she forgot about the dogs.

Anyway, I have to tell the Ann-on-the-bus story. Two days ago, we were headed to the city center and the Evensons wanted to take the bus. Ann and I were game so we ventured out to the main street. As the bus approached you could see it was jammed packed with people. The bus stopped and a few people got off. We were towards the front of the line, if you could call it a line, and we were soon stepping onto the bus. There was no way all of us were going to get on the bus, that was clear. We hesitated a little and weren't sure what to do. We were on the steps and there was no room on the bus. Just then, a old lady pushed Ann right in the back and it dropped Ann to her knees. The woman was saying something, who knows what. It became quite apparent there was a bus protocol we were not aware of. The protocol demanded that you push yourself with all your might until all that wished to ride were on board. Let's just say we got to know a few Ukrainians better than we would have liked. Kris and Cort, you got your wish. We rode the bus!

Day Two of the Waiting Game

2008-11-21T11:43:00.000-08:00

Just for Maggie, a cute street dog that followed us for a while

Ruslan trying on Ann's scarf. He looks a little like a cross between his new Grandmothers

Ruslan and Max outside the orphanage

Sight-seeing at local monument

Visit the Chocolate Factory...ymmmm!!

Well it is very wet here today and Ann and I decided to stay inside today. Natasha had to travel to her home town this morning and she left very early. She may not be back until tomorrow. The Evensons left this morning for a morning walk and returned a little while later and pretty soaked. Natasha arranged for the children to be brought to us around 3:00pm.

Ruslan had enjoyed the PSP that my mother loaned to us. Thanks Mom! He even brought a game from one of the boys at the orphanage that had been given a PSP by the Howick family. We also worked on English tonight for a while. I thought I would include a few photos that we hadn't had a chance to share. Yesterday we did do some exploring and Natasha showed us some sites. We went to a chocolate factory and a museum and a few other sites. The next eight days are going to be quite long I am afraid. We plan on seeing Sergei again sometime this weekend.

The Waiting Game - Part 2

2008-11-20T09:34:00.000-08:00

Ruslan wanted to say hi to the family!

The Waiting Game

2008-11-20T09:18:00.000-08:00

Not sure what to talk about today since everything we were working towards is done, at least for the next 10 days anyway. So we borrowed the Evenson's digital camera that has a video capability and recorded a couple of short videos. We weren't sure what to say as we were discussing it and Ruslan said "Hi, my name is Ruslan and I don't speak English." We laughed so hard we had to record it for everyone. The video you saw was the first take with the video running and as you can tell he could hardly get it out before cracking up. We are having a great time getting to know him better. With his sense of humor, he is going to fit in real well. Enjoy.

Here Comes the Judge

2008-11-19T11:29:00.000-08:00

Louise and Ann with celebration rose

Ireyna and Natasha at restaurant

First picture of Ruslan Matthew Carr and his parents

Today was court. Natasha told us this morning that the fax had not returned from the SDA which was needed to actually schedule the court time. She was concerned we would not be in court today. Around noon, Natasha called and told us to prepare for court and to be ready within the hour. We were excited and apprehensive about it at the same time. She called us a little later and said our court time was actually going to be at 3:00pm. She sent the taxi to the apartment and it arrived with a smiling Ruslan in the front seat. He was dressed in the same suit he had on for the interview with the city. When we arrived at the courthouse I was a little surprised. It is rather a small building and very old inside. We were delayed and were still sitting waiting to see the judge at 6:00pm. I really feared that he would cancel the hearing and ask us to come back tomorrow. Luckily for us, the judge agreed to hear the case even though everyone had left the courthouse except those associated with the case and two police officers who sat out front of the courtroom. The hearing itself was rather short, maybe 30 minutes or so with Ann and I testifying then Ruslan, and the City of Poltava, and the Orphanage (Ireyna). Sorry folks, no pictures here, it is strictly forbidden and can result in arrest. They simply don't allow it. Soon the judge pronounced that Ruslan's name would be changed and ordered his birth certificate changed and it was done. Ann was crying and so was I. Ruslan seemed relaxed and had a smile on his face, probably knowing the hardest part was over. A few hugs later we were headed to a celebratory dinner at a very nice local restaurant, Zefir, with Natasha and Ireyna. Ruslan will be officially part of our family after the 10 waiting period which starts tomorrow. Unbelievable! Louise and Ray Evenson and the girls were kind enough to purchase a rose for us to congratulate us on our new family member. Very thoughtful.

Men in Black

2008-11-18T12:14:00.000-08:00

Thanks Jenny for the white board

Ann waiting in line, Jeff getting in trouble

Natasha arranging for transportation of documents

Poltava Train Station

Our crew with the landlady's muscle, The men in black

Today was the first day I decided to go for a run since I have been in the Ukraine. Interesting. I was a bit of a point of interest to people on the street. I was the the only one out running that I saw on a very chilly morning. But I can now say I have run on three continents, adding Europe and Australia. Anyway, today we signed up for another week in the apartment (options were really limited) besides we have now lost all sense of smell so it doesn't really matter any more. The landlady is a very nice woman and she had her cleaning lady here cleaning the apartment and we were asked to leave for an hour. She said "the boys" would be by after to collect the rent, very nice young men we met last week and affectionately call our "men in black."

While we were waiting for the apartment to be cleaned we headed out with Natasha to the train station to deliver more documents that needed to be taken to Kiev. We also stopped at a grocery store by the train station. It was a large market with a lot of variety. They have security at some of the grocery stores. You have to check your bags in lockers prior to entering. They also don't allow photographs in most stores, depending on the owner. Jeff accidentally took a picture and got in trouble. He really wasn't trying to cause any problems.

Anyway, we returned to the apartment with our grocery sacks in tow. The apartment actually smelled clean when we entered. We are really beginning to love this place. No really!

I went with Natasha to pick up passport and visa photos of the children and then we were dropped at the orphanage. We got pizza tonight from a place within a couple of blocks of the apartment so we got take-out. Ruslan did a nice job of ordering. I couldn't see the cash register amount and of course I couldn't understand the cashier, so Ruslan showed me his phone and dialed 118 indicating the amount I needed to pay. I love this kid and he is quick on his feet.

Rain, Rain, GO AWAY

2008-11-17T12:11:00.000-08:00

Ruslan's pre-school

Natasha picking up kids at orphanage

Shopping area, complete with cobblestone street

On the way to find souvenirs

Neighborhood market

Well today was rainy but what are you going to do. We decided we would venture into town and do some souvenir shopping today while we waited for the next step in the adoption process. We walked in the rain to the city center, to a very nice area, kind of a tourist stop, and found a shop that Ann just had to visit.

When we returned to the apartment we took the opportunity to photograph some buildings including the market we frequent. The other night as we came out of the market Ruslan pointed across the street and I said "your school?" as it appeared to be an elementary or pre-school with playground equipment out front. He said "baby" and pointed to himself. I wasn't sure if it was a school or an apartment. Natasha later told us that he apparently lived in this neighborhood when he was younger and she indicated the building was a pre-school.

Natasha took me to the notary later to sign a power of attorney for some documents that were sent to Kiev by train last night and would need to be picked up and processed. We had hoped to have our court date tomorrow but were advised it will probably be Wednesday now. There always seems to be some type of delay.

After Natasha and I left the notary, we picked up the kids at the orphanage and returned to the apartment. We talked with Ruslan tonight about possible options for returning home for a week or so and then returning. He told Natasha he would rather have us stay but understood if we had to go home and then return. Natasha also told us that since Ruslan was born in the "city" of Poltava, it could cause a problem with the issuance of the new birth certificate if both parents are not present, since the law requires it. In short, after a lot of soul searching we are probably going to stick it out and stay. We don't want a problem when it comes time to issue the new birth certificate after our court date and waiting period. Fun huh! Well, hopefully our waiting period (ten days) will start some time this week.

Pics from the Mall

2008-11-16T10:48:00.001-08:00

The four of us people watching at the mall

Ice skating at the Mall

Ruslan beating Sergei at Air Hockey

Sergei getting ready to bowl for the first time

Ruslan had great form for a first-time bowler

A Day of Rest???

2008-11-16T10:08:00.000-08:00

Outside front entrance of branch building

Picture with Evensons at Front Entrance of Branch Building

Another view from front of branch building

Picture with Branch Presidency

Cort's photos on bulletin board

We woke early today to get ready for church. The kids were a little late last night getting back to the orphanage and we got in trouble so we weren't sure if they would release them today or not. We took a wild taxi ride to the orphanage with us in one taxi and the Evensons in the other. Our driver was young, wore racing gloves, and had a race-type steering wheel and he certainly knew how to use it as he whizzed in and out of traffic at a frantic pace. We were late for church as it took quite a while for the kids to be released. We attended sacrament meeting and there was a very nice missionary from Grand Junction who moved his chair behind us to translate. The meeting house is part of a larger building and we have included a few photos so you can see the area it is located in. Ann gave the branch presidency a letter and photos from Cort who served in the area. They were very excited to have heard from him and immediately after the meeting were posting the pictures on their bulletin board. Ann also took a few photos of the primary kids.

After church we had to meet with Ruslan's brother, Sergei, since this is the only day he was available and we felt it was important to spend some time with him and Ruslan. We met him at the mall. The mall is very nice and mostly like any other mall, except they have an ice rink in the center! I have to admit, I never thought I would see a Zamboni parked in the middle of a mall, but I did today. The mall also had a very large grocery store, bowling alley, arcade, and lots of stores of course. We spent the afternoon with Sergei and Ruslan bowling and allowing them to play video games. We had dinner at a nice cafeteria in the mall and soon were saying good-bye to Sergei. We learned that he has an apartment and is attending the trade school and will become a mechanic soon. We were glad to learn he is apparently doing very well.

Pictures of Poltava

2008-11-15T11:08:00.000-08:00

Our apartment stinks! Literally, there is a hole in the sewer pipe and it is rather fragrant at times. Ann's homemade gas mask as she prepares a dinner of Mac & Cheese.

Poltava Police Officer: Is he getting a doughnut?

Back entrance to our apartment complex

Open air market - yummmmm!

Front entrance to our apartment complex

ANY QUESTIONS!

Meeting Sergei

2008-11-15T10:36:00.000-08:00

Today we met Ruslan's older brother Sergei. He came to the orphanage to meet us while we were waiting to visit with Ruslan. He seems like a nice young man himself. We also got to meet Ruslan's supervisor, Alla Sergeevna, and had a photo op with her. She seems like a good lady. We walked from the apartment, which leaves a little to be desired by the way, to the orphanage. It is about a 30 minute walk. We had intended on taking the kids bowling in the city and inviting Sergei along, however, he only had a few minutes to meet with us as he was working. We are going to try to do something with him tomorrow since it is his only day off.

After meeting his brother we walked with the kids into the center of the city and stopped at a pizza place for a bite to eat. It started raining so we took a taxi back to the apartment. We played Yahtzee for a while until the kids had to go back to the orphanage.

Our kids have asked for more pictures so we will include a few more today including a few of our apartment and surrounding area and some that Ray took this morning at the open air market (never seen anything like that before!). The culture here is so interesting. Enjoy.

Last Stop Before Court

2008-11-14T13:27:00.000-08:00

Today was the last hurdle before receiving a court date. We had to get approval from the city administrator before we could move on. The interview was for Ruslan, Ann, and I. Natasha worked hard to set this meeting up because the official who usually represents the city in these matters was out of town until next week, so we were worried that we would be delayed again. Natasha pushed the city to have the official's supervisor conduct the interview.

Natasha brought Ruslan from the orphanage to the apartment. When he showed up he was wearing a suit! Obviously he found one at the orphanage to wear. Natasha told us that he decided to wear the suit on his own and she did not prompt him to dress up for the interview. We thought he looked very sharp, heck I didn't even have a suit on!

The man who conducted the interview is the second-in-command in the city administration, I assume someone like the deputy mayor. The man was very nice dressed in a suit with black turtleneck. He was shorter and stocky and very polite and warm with us. He asked us questions about our home, family, how we met Ruslan, and what school he would attend. He then talked to Ruslan about us and about coming to live with us in America. Ruslan was very firm and adamant about wanting to be adopted by our family. The interview lasted only about 10 minutes and the city administrator gave his approval. He gave us a souvenoir city calendar for our trouble, a nice gesture. We signed a couple of documents and it was done. Natasha believes we will have a court date early next week.

We came back to the apartment and Ann had Ruslan try on some of the clothes she had brought for him. A small fashion show commenced (see photos). We stayed at the apartment while the Evensons went to court. They were gone for quite a while but returned excited that they have two new daughters, as their adoption was finalized. We fixed some macaroni and cheese for the kids, which they seemed to enjoy and watched a movie. We took the kids to the corner market for an ice cream before they had to head back to the orphanage.

Pics from today

2008-11-13T12:42:00.001-08:00

A Visit From Ruslan

2008-11-13T12:01:00.000-08:00

Today we woke up later and sat around the apartment waiting for Natasha to call. We hoped we would be able to meet with the city administrator today, the last step prior to requesting a court date. No such luck, it will be tomorrow before we get to meet with him.

A little later tonight Ruslan and Evenson's girls arrived with Natasha who had picked them up from the orphanage and brought pizza to the apartment for the kids. It was quite a treat for them. Ruslan read the letters that the family had sent him and looked at some pictures that Corissa had sent. He spent a lot of time reading the letters and it was evident he was touched by them. We then showed him our blog and Janelle's and Corissa's blog. It was fun for him to see what everyone was doing and he and girls laughed at the videos on Janelle's blog of Cort and Tanner dancing and moth killing in Grouse Creek.

Natasha told us that Ruslan wanted to send an e-mail to the kids. We decided to just post it here in his own words.

Hi Family,

I miss you all a lot. I can not wait to see you all in America. I believed that Mom and Dad would come and get me. I would like to go to the soccer games with you when I get to America (short but sweet).

I finally have a eager partner to go see the REAL games!

We played spoons for a while and it was time for the kids to get back to the orphanage. They have to be back by 8:00pm. Natasha talked to us tonight about the process and it appears right now that if we stayed we would not be done until around the 10th of December. We discussed the option of both returning home next weekend after the court date and one of us returning around December 1 and completing the process to bring Ruslan home. More on this to come.

FYI, last night while walking back to the orphanage Natasha needed to know what Ruslan's legal name would be. As we walked we talked about it we decided with Ruslan that it would be Ruslan Matthew Carr. We kept his first name at his request and he will go by Ruslan at home. But he has a great new middle name. There is no turning back now as it was submitted with paperwork today. Hope you all like his new name.

He's grown a foot or two

2008-11-12T14:49:00.000-08:00

We spent the morning walking around town and visiting the open market waiting for Natasha to acompany us to the school. We arrived at the school about 4:00pm. Natasha lead us to the Director's office where we met the wonderful woman that runs the boarding school. She called on the phone to someone and told them to bring Ruslan to the office. Our hearts were pounding as we waited for what seemed like an eternity. Footsteps in the hall got louder until a woman appeared and told the director they had sent Ruslan outside. After what seemed like another eternity, our phone rang (our kids) just as Ruslan appeared at the door. I told Cort, call back...call back... and Ann and I ran to Ruslan. Ann got there first and gave Ruslan a big hug, with me in close pursuit. The best thing about it was how he hugged us back. It was a long hard embrace. He was sweating, we think from running in from outside once he was told we were in the office. He was definitely taller and looked more like a teenager than last year when he was with us. Let's just say he is one handsome young man. One of the things we missed most in the last year is Ruslan's smile, it was back today. Even with the language barrier his eyes seemed to be saying he had placed his trust in us to care for him. We can't even describe the emotion we feel today. (Thanks to Louise for capturing pictures of the moment)

Natasha quickly took the three of us to a notary in town to sign some documents petitioning the court for adoption. We later took Ruslan to dinner with the Evensons and their two daughters. It was a nice ending to a perfect day.

Adventures in Disneyland

2008-11-12T11:22:00.001-08:00

Today was the beginning of the waiting game. First we had to move out of the Apartment by noon. Natasha found a place close by where we could wait until the SDA signed our documents. It was quite a site seeing Ann and I with seven pieces of luggage negotiating a busy Kiev street (let your imagination run wild).

I have mentioned that driving in Kiev is a competitive sport. It is really rather frightening at first. I think it is a little like riding the rides at Disneyland. The taxi ride to the SDA was a combination of Indiana Jones: The Temple of Doom and the California Screamer (kids, Mom will no longer be afraid of rollercoasters!). Come to think of it the elevator ride could have been the Tower of Terror, the building looked very similar. We arrived at the SDA and waited for a few minutes as couples went in to get their documents, and then it was our turn. Very quick. We went back to the apartment and collected our luggage, AGAIN, and the taxi took us to meet the driver who would take us on a THREE HOUR TOUR, A THREE HOUR TOUR---not to Gilligan’s Island, but Poltava.

I liken the ride to Poltava to a combination of Space Mountain and Mr. Toad’s wild ride. The young man is quite the driver. There is nothing like speeding down a two-lane road in total darkness at 130km an hour passing large slow-moving trucks while on-coming traffic speeds towards you. Whose idea was this anyway? We finally arrived in Poltava at around midnight and were relieved to be with Evensons and Natasha. We can finally speak English again. Tomorrow is the day we finally get to see Ruslan. Emotions are very high. Can’t Wait

THAT'S NOT HIM!!!!!

2008-11-11T14:48:00.000-08:00

Today is the day we meet with the State Department of Adoption, known as the SDA. Galena picked us up around 12:30 for our 2:00 meeting. The city is really quite dirty. It has the feel of any large city but everyone seems to be walking and all wearing some form of black, except me, the only one wearing tan dockers (ouch!!!), should have listened to Ann about bringing those black dockers I never wear. When we got to McDonalds, we couldn’t read the menu and there were no numbers for the meals, thankfully Galena was there to help us out.

When we arrived at the SDA, there was a locked gate and a small door around the side of the building. Soon a guard appeared and let a few anxious pairs of prospective adoptive parents in the door. The place was very small and we waited for our name to be called as we stood at the bottom of the stairs. We were the first ones called in the afternoon and we went upstairs past the other parents into a room with a small couch. We sat down and were greeted by a psychologist named Maria who was very friendly and smiled (unusual for what we have seen). We introduced ourselves and Maria asked, through Galena, what the boy’s name was that we wanted to adopt. We answered Ruslan and then she wanted us to tell her about ourselves. I motioned to Ann to go first and Ann told her that she worked for a doctor and a little bit about our children, then Maria asked about how we knew Ruslan and Ann told her quickly about hosting Ruslan last year. I expected her at some point to turn and ask me some questions but she did not ask me any questions at all. Then the surprise of all surprises. Maria pulled out a paper, and through Galena, said “and this is your Ruslan” showing us a paper with lots of writing and a picture. The only problem was the picture was not of Ruslan, so instead of us acknowledging Maria’s gesture Ann said “that’s not him” and I agreed. This picture was of a boy that had light hair, a lighter complexion and blue eyes. Ruslan has darker hair, a darker complexion, and has brown eyes. Everyone was stunned. Maria and Galena did not know what to say. Ann quickly produced a picture of Ruslan and Galena said, “oh yes, that is him, he is just not smiling in this picture, look at the ears.” Anyway, they convinced us it was Ruslan in the picture and I think Ann and I were both too scared to say anything for fear of slowing up the adoption so we agreed with them. Then everyone laughed and laughed about the fact we didn’t recognize Ruslan, except it wasn’t Ruslan!

And just as fast as it started it was over, maybe 10 minutes total, 5 minutes of interview and 5 minutes of picture discussion. After we got outside Galena continued to laugh, so hard she had tears in her eyes, saying that had never happened to her before. She quickly had Natasha on the phone trying to verify Ruslan’s name and date of birth. Natasha called back a little later and told Ann she had talked to Ireyna and she had verified Ruslan’s information. Natasha told Ann everything was fine and to “get over it” and just relax, everything was fine. Natasha was also laughing so hard. We are assuming it will be fine. It appears they have the wrong photo on the paperwork but the paperwork is correct.

We had a few hours to kill, since there was an outside chance the director would sign our paperwork today instead of tomorrow so we waited to find out. We visited a few of the sites of Kiev; Independence Square, St. Michael and St. Andrew churches. About 5:30 Galena told us that the director was not going to sign the paperwork and we would have to come back tomorrow. On the way back to the apartment Sergei asked about Barrack Obama, politics, and who we voted for. We explained about America’s politics and the different politic leanings. We will go to Poltava tomorrow but probably won’t see Ruslan until Wednesday. This is been a day to remember! We wish we would have had a video of the SDA official’s face as Ann told her that was not Ruslan. Priceless!!!

Our Ukrainian Adventure

2008-11-10T08:13:00.000-08:00

The LONGEST day

The three-part plane trip was long, about 18 hours with layovers. Flying into the Ukraine the countryside was flat and appeared to be mostly small towns with lots of farms. The airport itself was smaller than I thought it would be and certainly had a Eastern European feel. After making it through Customs, we were greeted by a large Ukrainian man in a leather jacket named Sergei and a smiling lady named Galena. They held a sign with our name on it, but I think they could tell we were the Americans. We were a little out of place wearing clothes that were anything but black and gray. There was also a gal standing with them, although I have forgotten her name, who was there to pick up the hockey skates and hockey gloves that our son-in-law had sent over for a friend of his. I am sure we were a sight as we were searching our bags for those items, as they were not altogether. I wish we would have got a picture of that.

Sergei packed our bags into his small vehicle and Ann, Galena, and I piled into the back seat while Sergei and three of our bags were in front. Sergei unloaded a magnetic taxi light from his trunk and slapped it on the roof and we were off. Driving here is a competitive sport and Sergei is a world champion. Cars are parked everywhere and traffic lanes are optional. We stopped to exchange some money and he stopped in the outside lane of traffic as cars whizzed around us. We then stopped at a grocery store, although you never would have guessed it, and Ann and Galena ran in and bought a few groceries. Sergei and I stayed in the car, now parked halfway on the sidewalk, parking stalls are optional as well.

We drove through some of Kiev, there were a lot of large dilapidated apartment complexes with a patchwork of wood and glass covered balconies. We arrived at a newer looking complex that had a gate across it. Soon we were in and headed to the seventh floor in the smallest and squeakiest elevator I have ever been in. The apartment is very nice inside and appears fairly new. We are very tired, we should sleep very well. We got a call from Natasha about our appointment with the SDA tomorrow. Galena will take us to that appt. All should be well.

Up, Up and Away!

2008-11-09T08:48:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone! This is Corissa posting. My parents took off yesterday so I thought I would post some pictures of them at the airport. Kris brought his flags from Ukraine and waved them around as they took off.

It begins!

The End of the Beginning

2008-11-03T20:06:00.000-08:00

Last October we hosted Ruslan in our home as part of the Save-a-Child Foundation Hosting Program. We fell in love with this young man and wanted to make him part of our family. It seems like a lifetime since we have seen Ruslan, but we are very excited to be leaving this Saturday for the adventure of our lifetime and his. Even though we feel like we are over the edge, the title of our blog refers to the English meaning of the word Ukraine. Our daughters have patiently helped us start our blog. Tanner wanted the title of the blog to be:

"luggage $100, packing items $200, airplane ticket $1000, taking one fourth of a Valium to knock out the whole trip from memory: Priceless!" (Let's just say that Ann and flying do not mix, right family?)

We hope this won't be our last posting, but we will have to wait and see! Do the keyboards in Ukraine have English letters! Stand-by!!!!