Our Last Hurrah

Last night we held our last hurrah party to celebrate our last weekend home without children! It was great to see everyone and catch up. The party was over by 9:00 p.m., so I guess we're already acclimated to life with kids! We made many promises to blog as much as possible during our adoption trip. Not knowing whether we'll have any or reliable Internet service, the promises all have a little asterisk* attached!

Thanks to everyone who brought gloves, hats and scarves for the orphans of Ukraine! More thanks to all the pen pals in Colorado sending letters and gifts with us for their UOO pen pals in SB. It will be a privilege to hand deliver the goodies to the orphans! Thanks also for the survival package from the Stoesz family! We'll try not to eat all the candy before we meet our kids!

Stay tuned...more coming soon about our evening at Timberline Church with Tom Davis (author of Fields of the Fatherless). Wow!

You talkin' to me??

Only a week and a day to go and we are anxiously waiting for the day. Part of me is excited and part of me is worried about the unknown. With so much at stake and the uncertainty of it all, I have been praying for help. Then this message came...this was K-LOVE's scripture of the day, yesterday. Do you think he's talking to us?!! ~Felix~

Wait patiently for the Lord. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the Lord.
~ Psalm 27:14, NLT ~

The Garrett's are home!

Aimee, Matt & Anya arrived last night from their long journey from Ukraine. Kari, Heidi and I met up with their family at the water fountain at Denver International Airport. The Barrett family attended as well. Aimee & Matt were supposed to fly ahead of Anya and wait for her on a later flight, but they were able to get everyone on board the same flight. Despite the fact that an elderly lady died 10 minutes into the flight to Chicago, they arrived at DEN early. I'll let them tell the story on their blog, listed to the side over there under "Our Friend's Links & Blogs". They all looked very tired and exhausted, but they were very happy to have the welcome committee. Anya was a joy to meet and talk with, she is very animated and Matt wasn't kidding when he said, "She's all drama", but in a good way! We hope to see more of them and the family as the years go by. For now, we will let them rest up.

Have duct tape, will travel!

Yesterday, I looked at all the things that my honey, Heidi, has planned to take on the trip. We will be packing light as we did back in April, so it's not a lot of "stuff". However, one of the items I saw was a roll of duct tape, or "Ukrainian Chrome" as I like to call it. Before I engaged my brain, I put my mouth in gear by saying, "What in the world do we need to take duct tape for?" Yes, guys, I let you down. My sweetie had already deduced that there are many needs for duct tape. You can make a hat, a broach, a shelter, a clothes line, a wallet, and many more useful things when you are too scared and intimidated to wander down to the Ukrainian version of Walmart, Foxmart! I was quickly reminded that with my Swiss-army knife, a leatherman, and a roll of duct tape...anything was possible. See, I'm not without skills!


Feel free to comment on your possible duct tape uses.

Getting ready for the Bureaucracy!

New Ad at the Denver Airport

I saw this on the web and did a little editing, just a little humor for those of us freaking out over the whole process of "slow down" then "speed up". It seems like it is feast or famine with the SDA and Ukrainian adoption sometimes feels like you are riding a mad horse through a burning barn. I am silently preparing myself for the silly bureaucracy of the whole thing so that that I don't have a heart attack or burst a blood vessel while there. Sure, we've been there before, but this is our first trip for adoption. I know I'll get stressed out once we jump into the frying pan.

There are many families here in Colorado making the trip to Ukraine this year for adoption. As many of you know, this is a big change from recent times when the SDA was back logged and their appointments were scarce. So far, the Barretts, and the Garretts have been to Ukraine. Following them will be us, The Volfs in December, perhaps the Carmens in November or December, and an Arvada couple we know a few days after our appointment. We are still praying for the Christophersons and the Hoffmans, two more Colorado families still in the process.

The Hoffmans sure could use your help. Please visit their blog, listed on this page to the right. They have made a promise to their little girl to come get her as soon as possible. It would be a blessing to bring one more Ukrainian Angel home to Colorado. If you're considering giving to a worthy cause this holiday season, or for end-of-year tax purposes, this is certainly a great option. After all, giving, IT'S SO EASY A CAVEMAN COULD DO IT!

The Barrett's are home!

Our friends, John & Twyla Barrett arrived home last night! Kari & Tatum Volf went with me to the airport. Heidi stayed home due to her illness. The kids, Mari & Misha (Michael), both are adorable! Mari wasn't quite as shy as she was when I saw her arrive for the FH hosting trip. Misha gave me a few "high-fives" as he warmed up to us. We are so happy for J&T! I didn't take a camera, so there are no pictures. The whole family looked great though, just tired from their weekend trip to get home. I won't steal any of their "thunder", so look up their blog listed under our friends listings as, The Barrett's Journey. I'm sure they will need some time to get organized and rested before they start blogging. Both John & Twyla both said the have lots more to blog about, so stay tuned.

John & Twyla, we hope to get to hang out with you more in the future while our Ukrainian Angels grow up. We look forward to many great years as your friends.

Felix & Heidi

Keeping Busy

Heidi and I have been keeping busy this week, hoping that the time will pass while we wait for the big day to arrive. Judging from our friend's blogs that are over there now, I know that I too will be ready to come home after a couple of weeks. We only spent 10 days in Ukraine last time, including 2 to 3 days traveling. But that's nothing compared to the 4-6 weeks of Ukrainian bureaucracy that we will face next month.

Some of the busy work I have been doing this week includes fertilizing the lawn, winterizing the sprinkler system and greasing the garage door tracks. I also found time to put new brakes on Heidi's "purse on wheels" (her car). I promptly increased her life insurance...just kidding, honey! I grew up working in my dad's shop, so I enjoy working on things. Besides, it scores me huge brownie points with Heidi!

Both Heidi and I have been battling a sinus infection for the past week. Today we went to the doctor, we definitely want to get better before the trip. Not being able to clear your sinuses and ears while on a plane can be painful. Also, we will be without familiar health care while there. We purchased medical evacuation insurance last time we went to Ukraine from Med Jet Assist. They are a reputable company and will deliver you directly to you home hospital wherever in the world you are. A yearly family policy is around $350 and well worth it if you have to be medically airlifted back to the states. Three-fifty is way better than thirty thousand per person! The only catch is that you have to be admitted for treatment. Does anyone else do this? I first heard of this insurance last year when we started our adoption. So, this is another busy task I worked on this week.

I've been busy tidying up my areas of the house for our house quests. Our friends, Aimee & John, will house and cat sit for us while we are gone. They are in between moves, so this mutually helps both parties. I wanted someone collecting the mail, using the house, and keeping things from freezing while we are gone. It also helps keep potential bandits at bay, not that we live in a bad neighborhood or city. I'm just taking away the opportunity.

Heidi has been busy too. She has a room of the house with all of our travel stuff. Her attention to detail and project managing abilities are nothing short of amazing. She is most concerned about the important dates like the SDA appointment and the court appearance and what to wear. I'm wearing the same coat, jacket, slacks and tie for both. Heidi is taking only one dress up outfit, too. She has found a nice jacket but she is still looking for a necklace or scarf. Ukrainian fashion being what it is, I reassured her that she will look fabulous...that got me brownie points, too!