Okay, so it's been a few days since we returned to the states and it's been over a week since I've blogged. I really need to go back and catch you and myself up on what our last days in Latvia were like. You see, this blog is my way of journaling so that one day Lilia and the rest of our family will be able to look back on this journey and remember all that we experienced. So, let's start with Thursday!
Thursday, December 1
We had a free day! Nothing scheduled at all today, so we asked Lilia what we should do...shop!!! Well, this worked out perfectly because we had a lot of souvenirs to buy for our loved ones back home. We headed out late in the morning and headed down a little side street that we had not yet explored. It was a great choice! This little street had so many adorable little shops with amber (baltic amber is everywhere here), ornaments, mugs, and other handmade treasures. I must say that the amber vendors and stores are quite alluring here, they make the most beautiful jewelry and these little trees with amber "leaves". Everywhere you go in Riga, there is amber for sale. Lilia never misses an opportunity to look at it (so of course we had to sneak in necklaces with amber hearts for both girls stockings! Shhhhh, don't tell!). We also got to see the old City Wall and enjoy some more of the beautiful architecture of this city. We ended up at the Central Markets, of course! After buying lots of fun souvenirs and gifts like handmade wooden spoons, perfumes, and amber trees we headed back to the apartment. Thursday evening we also got Lilia's picture taken for her US Visa.
Friday, December 2
This morning we slept late and then got ready for our US Embassy visa interview appointment. Daina picked us up at 11:15 and off we went! We really didn't know what to expect from this appointment and Bob was a little nervous. However, once we got through security and into the actual "interview" we realized that this was no big deal. We were called up to a little window where a very nice English speaking woman smiled and greeted us. She looked at our papers and asked how we planned to educate Lilia while she was on the visitor visa and I very politely said "I will homeschool her". That was it! She said "Okay" and handed us our paperwork telling us to come back on Monday to pick up the Visa. YAY! I love easy interviews! So, back outside we went to wait for Daina's son to pick us up. We had brought along a cake for two girls who are waiting to be adopted by another family here. Their mom asked us to deliver a birthday cake to them for her and Daina agreed to take us to their orphanage which is near the Embassy. Have I mentioned how kind Daina is and how much I enjoyed her company? Not only did she take us to the orphanage, but she walked up to the door with us and spoke with the worker there for us, explaining who the cake was for and who it was from. She translated for us and was a big help. We had decided on Thursday that we would go to Dome Cathedral for an organ concert on Friday night, so in the evening, we headed out to eat dinner before the concert. We ate at an awesome restaurant called Il Patio Pica. It is a 200 year old restaurant in the basement of this building. Old brick walls and arches, gorgeousness! We really liked the atmosphere and the food here. We will return! This evening we also found a great little book store where we picked up some cook books, travel books, and Lilia found a book whose title was "Lilija"! Of course she had to have it (this book became the first one that I have ever seen her actually read and finish!). I enjoyed myself at the organ concert, dad and Lilia tolerated it well. That cathedral is beautiful and the organ pipes are massive! It was beautiful to here the choirs singing and the organ playing. I'm glad that we experienced it. As you've heard me say again and again, God is always working behind the scenes. This evening was no exception. As we were standing in the lobby waiting to be admitted into the cathedral, a woman who was sitting beside us on a bench leaned over to me and said, "Are you from America?" We said, "YES!" It was so good to meet someone American. We began to talk and found out that she is from Pennsylvania too and she was there on her third trip for the adoption of her son! Amazing! We have met so many people throughout this process and it is so nice to have these common bonds that tie us together in inexplicable ways. It is an encouragement from God himself each time that I meet someone new, like He is saying "you are not alone in this".
Saturday, December 3
I loved Saturday!!!! This day was one of the best we had during our stay in Latvia. We had decided at court on Wednesday that we would go to Ziemeli to pick up Lilia's monthly "allowance". This would also be a great oppotunity for Lilia to see the rest of her friends who hadn't been there on Monday and say goodbye to her best friend Glorija. We were all very happy to be going, Lilia more than us, as was obvious by her constant singing and dancing all morning! It's difficult to put into words how it makes you feel to spend time in the place where your daughter has grown up for the past 5 years, where she has developed friendships and relationships, where she has slept and eaten and played. It is a place that brings great joy and at the same time great sadness. With every good memory there is also a bad one. We can tell that Lilia has been loved and cared for while she has been here, but it doesn't change the fact that it is an institution or that the things that brought her here have left scars on her heart. That being said, we so enjoyed our time with these children. I could stay and play with them all day! The looks on their faces when they hear us speak and realize that we are from America is priceless! The camera is a source of endless entertainment and joy as they each want to have their picture taken and of course see it! We were blessed to be able to meet little Elvis who will be hosted here in PA by another family this Christmas. This little ball of energy so enjoyed our visit. He loved the camera, hugs, and roughhousing. I could just see how much he needs the love and guidance of a family and I am so glad to know that he will soon have that opportunity.
We left Ziemeli and headed over to visit at Inese's apartment. What a pleasure to finally be able to spend time with this precious woman who has meant so much to us over this past 10 months! She has loved Lilia and encouraged us from the very beginning. Once again, it is just amazing how God puts the perfect people into our lives just when we need them. We spent hours just talking and visiting with our dear friend and her beautiful foster children and it was an amazingly blessed afternoon. We decided that we should head back to Old Town so we hopped on the tram and headed off. After just a few stops, two young girls hopped on and Lilia got very excited. Here these two girls were friends of hers and they all sat together and chatted the entire trip. We ended up inviting them to join us for some McDonalds for dinner and they eagerly accepted! As we sat down to eat, we soon discovered that young Victorija had only been to McDonald's one other time in her 9 years of life! She was so excited to be able to eat there and I was once again reminded of how spoiled I am. My children have eaten at McDonalds and other fast food restaurants so often they think it's just a part of life. We don't realize just how blessed we are. Those girls enjoyed every single bite of that hamburger and french fries and they thanked us with such sincerity. I wish they knew just how thankful we were to have had the honor of sharing in this meal with them! I wish they knew that God used them to teach me yet another lesson in life about being thankful, about counting my blessings and about giving of myself every opportunity that I get! We returned to our apartment that night with so much joy in our hearts!
Friday, December 9, 2011
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Oh Happy Days!!!!
So, I really need to catch up! Monday, after I blogged about our beautiful Sunday adventures, we experienced yet MORE adventures! Imagine that! Since then, we have been very busy "bonding" and having appointments. So, let's begin with Monday afternoon...
We had already made arrangements with Lilia's orphanage to go for a visit on Monday afternoon to deliver gifts for some of the kids and to take a boy from Lilia's group out shopping for a new coat and to dinner. We decided to head out early and take the tram to Meza Park which is near the orphanage. Oh how I wish it were nicer weather! This park is huge! It is pretty much a gigantic forest with filled with fun things to do. The zoo, unfortunately was closed. But, we headed down this beautiful path through the forest and Lilia was on a mission! She led us straight to these huge playgrounds and we had so much fun! We enjoyed the swings, the ropes, and all of the spinning things (Lilia's favorite). It was a lot of fun for all ages and we laughed, a lot. Soon, we decided it was time to start our walk to the orphanage. It is amazing the contrasts of old and new, of wealth and poverty in this city. As we walked, we saw so many beautiful homes and right beside them, shacks. I am saddened by the chasm that seems to exist between the rich and the poor and I pray that bridges are being built between them. The street beggars simply break my heart. Often they are found kneeling on both knees, completely still with their hands held out in front of them. This position brings tears to my eyes each time I see it. Bob couldn't take it any longer and finally gave some santimi (cents) to one the other night when we were on our way home. I don't know what exists here for these people in the way of help? I pray that there is somewhere they can go and get a hot meal and a place to lay their head at night.
So, where was I? Oh yes, our orphanage visit! Well Lilia was so excited that she ran ahead of us and we could barely keep up. She walked into the director's office and spoke to her (in lots of Latvian!). I have no idea what she said!? Then, she was off and running again...to the next building. Here, we made it up the stairs to her "group" area where we found two handsome young men lounging on the couchs watching TV, Alex and Arturs! These are the boys we came to see, so we gave them their gifts and they disappeared! Off to their room to go through the "loot"! Pretty soon, Lilia disappeared as we got a nice little tour of her living conditions. We sat and visited with two of the workers and waited, and waited, and waited....you get the idea?! Our daughter seemed to have forgotten us! She reappeared, with a friend who was dressed and ready to go with us for dinner and shopping. So, we headed out to catch the tram with 4 kids. I have to admit that I had no idea what to expect from them. I was amazed! These kids were so well-behaved and mannerly. On the tram, one of the boys got up to give his seat to an elderly woman and I was so proud of him. At dinner, they were worried about ordering too much food. While we were shopping for a coat for Alex, he worried about spending too much money and was so careful to only enter stores that were "reasonable". It was a pleasure to spend the evening with these amazing kids and we were very blessed by it.
Tuesday...this was the day that our court appointed social worker was scheduled to visit in the early evening. So, we woke up and got right to work cleaning up the apartment and preparing for the visit. Lilia really got into this and she worked very hard to make sure that her room looked just perfect. At 1:00, we had plans to meet with another adoptive mom and her daughter, Anna for lunch. We were happy to be able to meet Linda and Anna. Linda had been the one to deliver our dossier to Daina back in July so this was special for us. We enjoyed our afternoon together and lunch at Lido's. We stopped by a flower stand and picked up a nice little bouquet for the table and bought some pastries as well. Our visit with the social worker went well. Lilia was nervous at first, but she soon opened up and began to share about her experiences with our family and her time in America. We laughed a lot and enjoyed a very relaxing and pleasant visit. Tuesday ended early with us heading to bed at 8:30! We were beat! Lilia asked to sleep on the couch, which she says she has never done! It was so funny, she was so excited about this and she went right to sleep. I wish I had taken a picture.
Wednesday...ahhh! Finally! Today, was court day. We woke up bright and early to get ready for our court appointment. This court appointment was so special because this is the day that they decided whether or not to "approve" of our adoption and allowing us to maintain custody of Lilia until the adoption is complete. After sharing how our week had been and our feelings for Lilia...they said, we find that it is in the best interest of this child that she be adopted by the Callen family and that she remain in their care until the adoption is complete!!!! WOO HOO!!!!!! Praise God!!!! Thank you!!!!!!!!!! Lilia looked so happy during this announcement and Bob and I of course couldn't stop smiling. I was proud of myself for not crying. Of course, that came later! Lilia requested that we just go back to the apt and get comfortable, have hot tea and watch a movie...so, that's what we did! Bob headed out to grab a few groceries for us and returned with lilies for Lilie!! She was so excited! We even all took a nap in the big old king sized bed in the afternoon! Of course, we returned to Lido's for dinner (thanks, Linda for introducing my husband to this restaurant! He may never go anywhere else again!). It was a good, good day (as Lilia would say)!!!
We had already made arrangements with Lilia's orphanage to go for a visit on Monday afternoon to deliver gifts for some of the kids and to take a boy from Lilia's group out shopping for a new coat and to dinner. We decided to head out early and take the tram to Meza Park which is near the orphanage. Oh how I wish it were nicer weather! This park is huge! It is pretty much a gigantic forest with filled with fun things to do. The zoo, unfortunately was closed. But, we headed down this beautiful path through the forest and Lilia was on a mission! She led us straight to these huge playgrounds and we had so much fun! We enjoyed the swings, the ropes, and all of the spinning things (Lilia's favorite). It was a lot of fun for all ages and we laughed, a lot. Soon, we decided it was time to start our walk to the orphanage. It is amazing the contrasts of old and new, of wealth and poverty in this city. As we walked, we saw so many beautiful homes and right beside them, shacks. I am saddened by the chasm that seems to exist between the rich and the poor and I pray that bridges are being built between them. The street beggars simply break my heart. Often they are found kneeling on both knees, completely still with their hands held out in front of them. This position brings tears to my eyes each time I see it. Bob couldn't take it any longer and finally gave some santimi (cents) to one the other night when we were on our way home. I don't know what exists here for these people in the way of help? I pray that there is somewhere they can go and get a hot meal and a place to lay their head at night.
So, where was I? Oh yes, our orphanage visit! Well Lilia was so excited that she ran ahead of us and we could barely keep up. She walked into the director's office and spoke to her (in lots of Latvian!). I have no idea what she said!? Then, she was off and running again...to the next building. Here, we made it up the stairs to her "group" area where we found two handsome young men lounging on the couchs watching TV, Alex and Arturs! These are the boys we came to see, so we gave them their gifts and they disappeared! Off to their room to go through the "loot"! Pretty soon, Lilia disappeared as we got a nice little tour of her living conditions. We sat and visited with two of the workers and waited, and waited, and waited....you get the idea?! Our daughter seemed to have forgotten us! She reappeared, with a friend who was dressed and ready to go with us for dinner and shopping. So, we headed out to catch the tram with 4 kids. I have to admit that I had no idea what to expect from them. I was amazed! These kids were so well-behaved and mannerly. On the tram, one of the boys got up to give his seat to an elderly woman and I was so proud of him. At dinner, they were worried about ordering too much food. While we were shopping for a coat for Alex, he worried about spending too much money and was so careful to only enter stores that were "reasonable". It was a pleasure to spend the evening with these amazing kids and we were very blessed by it.
Tuesday...this was the day that our court appointed social worker was scheduled to visit in the early evening. So, we woke up and got right to work cleaning up the apartment and preparing for the visit. Lilia really got into this and she worked very hard to make sure that her room looked just perfect. At 1:00, we had plans to meet with another adoptive mom and her daughter, Anna for lunch. We were happy to be able to meet Linda and Anna. Linda had been the one to deliver our dossier to Daina back in July so this was special for us. We enjoyed our afternoon together and lunch at Lido's. We stopped by a flower stand and picked up a nice little bouquet for the table and bought some pastries as well. Our visit with the social worker went well. Lilia was nervous at first, but she soon opened up and began to share about her experiences with our family and her time in America. We laughed a lot and enjoyed a very relaxing and pleasant visit. Tuesday ended early with us heading to bed at 8:30! We were beat! Lilia asked to sleep on the couch, which she says she has never done! It was so funny, she was so excited about this and she went right to sleep. I wish I had taken a picture.
Wednesday...ahhh! Finally! Today, was court day. We woke up bright and early to get ready for our court appointment. This court appointment was so special because this is the day that they decided whether or not to "approve" of our adoption and allowing us to maintain custody of Lilia until the adoption is complete. After sharing how our week had been and our feelings for Lilia...they said, we find that it is in the best interest of this child that she be adopted by the Callen family and that she remain in their care until the adoption is complete!!!! WOO HOO!!!!!! Praise God!!!! Thank you!!!!!!!!!! Lilia looked so happy during this announcement and Bob and I of course couldn't stop smiling. I was proud of myself for not crying. Of course, that came later! Lilia requested that we just go back to the apt and get comfortable, have hot tea and watch a movie...so, that's what we did! Bob headed out to grab a few groceries for us and returned with lilies for Lilie!! She was so excited! We even all took a nap in the big old king sized bed in the afternoon! Of course, we returned to Lido's for dinner (thanks, Linda for introducing my husband to this restaurant! He may never go anywhere else again!). It was a good, good day (as Lilia would say)!!!
Monday, November 28, 2011
A Blessed Sunday, in any language!
Once again, I'm going to go back to yesterday. It's only 10:30 in the morning here now and our day has not yet begun. Yet, my heart is still overflowing with memories and joy from yesterday!
Our new friends, the Matheny's, invited us to join them for church yesterday and we were so excited to be able to go and to worship with other Christian's here in this country that has seen so much suffering and is really still just beginning to trust in God. A very small percentage of the population here are Christ followers, but we were blessed to meet with 40-50 of them yesterday. We walked in to the sound of contemporary Christian music in English and I was already excited! The spirit of worship throughout their service was so amazing and I was overwhelmed by a feeling of joy in hearing them worship through songs in Latvian. It is such a beautiful language, but most of all, I was amazed to realize that God hears millions of people worshiping Him in thousands of languages all around the world and He understands every single one. What a beautiful beautiful sound He must hear!!! I am so glad that we went and I am so glad that the pastor's daughter was willing and able to sit behind us and translate the service for us. I loved how their service moved so freely and with so much "structure", there would be talking, then song, talking/prayer, then song, etc....it lasted for nearly 2 hours, but no one was looking at the clock! I'm sure that you can tell just how much I loved it! Also, they announced that next Sunday, will be baptism and we are so excited for Lilia to experience this. Even right now, we are having the most amazing discussion about what this means. She has never heard of this before and we love being able to share with her what it means to a Christian. Her heart is so open to the things of God and what the Bible teaches!
Yesterday we also enjoyed Christmas in Doma Square. Old Town is coming alive with the Christmas spirit and it is beautiful! We tried to go to a First Day of Advent Christmas concert at St. Peter's Cathedral, but they had run out of room so we strolled down the street to Doma Square to enjoy all of the Christmas festivities. Lilia had her first candied apple and our family shared a bowl of traditional Latvian soup that had been cooked over an open fire. We saw Santa Claus and the kids were so excited! Even Lilia followed him around and smiled so big. She had her picture taken with him and then he kissed her on the cheek. She was so embarrassed and later asked, "Why did her kiss me? " We told her that he loves her, he loves all children. She said "NO!" It is so hard for her to believe that she is loved and special, but she's beginning to understand. Last evening after we got back to the apartment, I heard her say "Me is a special girls". I was so glad to hear this from her! She finished off the night with a very special "first"...her first time taking a bath! The other day at the market we had bought her a bath soak (the ones you drop in and they fizz and turn the water colorful and scented). I lit a candle, turned on music, and she soaked for a long time. She loved it!
What a joy it is to share these special moments with her. To see her face light up when she experiences something new and wonderful. To answer all of her questions about God and the Bible. To hear her talk about why we love her and how God put this amazing love in our hearts! What a blessed Sunday!!!!!
Our new friends, the Matheny's, invited us to join them for church yesterday and we were so excited to be able to go and to worship with other Christian's here in this country that has seen so much suffering and is really still just beginning to trust in God. A very small percentage of the population here are Christ followers, but we were blessed to meet with 40-50 of them yesterday. We walked in to the sound of contemporary Christian music in English and I was already excited! The spirit of worship throughout their service was so amazing and I was overwhelmed by a feeling of joy in hearing them worship through songs in Latvian. It is such a beautiful language, but most of all, I was amazed to realize that God hears millions of people worshiping Him in thousands of languages all around the world and He understands every single one. What a beautiful beautiful sound He must hear!!! I am so glad that we went and I am so glad that the pastor's daughter was willing and able to sit behind us and translate the service for us. I loved how their service moved so freely and with so much "structure", there would be talking, then song, talking/prayer, then song, etc....it lasted for nearly 2 hours, but no one was looking at the clock! I'm sure that you can tell just how much I loved it! Also, they announced that next Sunday, will be baptism and we are so excited for Lilia to experience this. Even right now, we are having the most amazing discussion about what this means. She has never heard of this before and we love being able to share with her what it means to a Christian. Her heart is so open to the things of God and what the Bible teaches!
Yesterday we also enjoyed Christmas in Doma Square. Old Town is coming alive with the Christmas spirit and it is beautiful! We tried to go to a First Day of Advent Christmas concert at St. Peter's Cathedral, but they had run out of room so we strolled down the street to Doma Square to enjoy all of the Christmas festivities. Lilia had her first candied apple and our family shared a bowl of traditional Latvian soup that had been cooked over an open fire. We saw Santa Claus and the kids were so excited! Even Lilia followed him around and smiled so big. She had her picture taken with him and then he kissed her on the cheek. She was so embarrassed and later asked, "Why did her kiss me? " We told her that he loves her, he loves all children. She said "NO!" It is so hard for her to believe that she is loved and special, but she's beginning to understand. Last evening after we got back to the apartment, I heard her say "Me is a special girls". I was so glad to hear this from her! She finished off the night with a very special "first"...her first time taking a bath! The other day at the market we had bought her a bath soak (the ones you drop in and they fizz and turn the water colorful and scented). I lit a candle, turned on music, and she soaked for a long time. She loved it!
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| Tabita, our translator with the kids |
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| Rigas Baptistu |
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| Christmas in Doma Square |
Saturday, November 26, 2011
New friends, Old friends, and Old Town...
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| Heading to the movies! |
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| Meeting Inese! |
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| Meeting the Matheny's! |
We headed out in the drizzle and walked to the Forum Cinemas to see a movie. It's about a ten minute walk and we enjoyed walking arm in arm through the streets. We got to the theater and found out that the movie we wanted to see, Johnny English, wasn't playing for another two hours! So, back out into the pouring down rain! We stopped by Rimi (a frequent stop for us) and picked up a few things we needed for the apartment (water, eggs, juice, etc.). We were looking forward to meeting up with our "Old Friend", Inese this evening after the movie, so we cleaned up a bit around the apt and chatted with Bob's mom back in the States on FB. And, back to the movies we walked! We had a really great time. Johnny English was hilarious and Lilia was just about rolling on the floor laughing! The theatre here is awesome, with super good food, comfy seats and lots of choices.
We headed back to the apt again and soon enough, Inese arrived for her visit! It was so amazing to finally meet her! For those of you who do not know about this amazing lady, let me fill you in...Inese used to work with Lilia in her orphanage and she became our source of connection to Lilia back in January through another friend and host-momma in the States (thanks, Stephanie Norman!). Anyway, we have grown to know and to love her as a friend over this past year and were very anxious to finally meet her! So, at 4:00 she arrived and we began a nice visit with her. About 20 minutes into our visit, our Latvian cell rang! Now, we are not very popular here in Latvia, but suddenly we feel like we are. I should back up and tell you that the world of adoption is a small one with close connections made very quickly sometimes between adoptive families. Also, Daina, our attorney had called us last night and asked if we would be interested in meeting another family who is here right now to adopt a sibling group and they are from Wisconsin. We of course said "Yes!". So, we had been given their contact information and had e-mailed them this morning early. So, here is Michele (the adopting mom) on the phone and their family is right outside of our building in Doma Square! Of course, I invited them right up! Party at the Callens!!!!
What a fun evening of meeting "old friends" and "new friends" in this beautiful old town!
Friday, November 25, 2011
I'm typing this post with only one hand because my other one has been held captive by my beautiful new daughter, and I love it! It has been such an amazing two days here in Latvia with her, I'm going to go back to yesterday...Thanksgiving! What a day of thankfulness it was for us! We all slept in, way in! Lilia didn't get out of bed until noon! We had a great breakfast together of eggs, toast and sausages.Then we got ready to head to the markets to grab all the "fixings" for our Thanksgiving meal. What an amazing place the markets are! 4 huge hangars connected together and full of vendors!! It's unbelievable really, and we all loved it! We are finding that there are so many places here that Lilia has never seen, so many things that she has never experienced and we are thrilled to be able to experience them with her!
So, we headed home with all of our goodies to make dinner together. We decided to have our "Latvian chicken" with homemade cranberry sauce, cucumbers, mashed potatoes, pastries filled with cheese and spinach and some yummy desserts. Lilie was such a big help and we had so much fun working together in the kitchen.
Thanksgiving was full of laughter and joy for all of us. We were able to talk with our children back home in America and know that they are being well cared for and loved in our absence. We were able to be with our daughter here and watch her heal and find joy in being loved and cared for. We were able to celebrate our marriage and the life that we are sharing together which God has filled to overflowing with love, love for Him, for one another and for our 4 beautiful children that He has seen fit to bless us with. We are so thankful for this past year and all that He has brought us through together. There has been much joy, many sorrows, and tons of love!!! And as we shared these things with Lilia and taught her about this American holiday called Thanksgiving, I was overwhelmed by how great His love is!
Again this morning we slept in until 11 o'clock! It's crazy how late we can sleep here. At home Bob is up by 6 or 7 at the latest every morning and I am up by 7:30 or 8:00. However, once we're up our days are full of activity. There is so much to do here. Shop after shop, tourist attraction after tourist attraction, restaurant after restaurant...you get the picture?! Today, we walked up the street to a great little pancake place for lunch/breakfast and then headed over to St. Peter's to ride the lift to the top of the steeple to see the view of Riga. It was a fun experience and Lilia loved being able to do this. We walked around some small outdoor markets and enjoyed all of the beautiful handmade clothes, jewelry and other items. Lilia and I LOVE these little markets and vendors and shops!
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| The markets |
So, we headed home with all of our goodies to make dinner together. We decided to have our "Latvian chicken" with homemade cranberry sauce, cucumbers, mashed potatoes, pastries filled with cheese and spinach and some yummy desserts. Lilie was such a big help and we had so much fun working together in the kitchen.
Thanksgiving was full of laughter and joy for all of us. We were able to talk with our children back home in America and know that they are being well cared for and loved in our absence. We were able to be with our daughter here and watch her heal and find joy in being loved and cared for. We were able to celebrate our marriage and the life that we are sharing together which God has filled to overflowing with love, love for Him, for one another and for our 4 beautiful children that He has seen fit to bless us with. We are so thankful for this past year and all that He has brought us through together. There has been much joy, many sorrows, and tons of love!!! And as we shared these things with Lilia and taught her about this American holiday called Thanksgiving, I was overwhelmed by how great His love is! Again this morning we slept in until 11 o'clock! It's crazy how late we can sleep here. At home Bob is up by 6 or 7 at the latest every morning and I am up by 7:30 or 8:00. However, once we're up our days are full of activity. There is so much to do here. Shop after shop, tourist attraction after tourist attraction, restaurant after restaurant...you get the picture?! Today, we walked up the street to a great little pancake place for lunch/breakfast and then headed over to St. Peter's to ride the lift to the top of the steeple to see the view of Riga. It was a fun experience and Lilia loved being able to do this. We walked around some small outdoor markets and enjoyed all of the beautiful handmade clothes, jewelry and other items. Lilia and I LOVE these little markets and vendors and shops!
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
What a day!
OH MY! That about sums up this day...where do I begin? First, I will go back I guess and finish up yesterday. So, as we were about to touch down in Riga, I saw exactly what I thought I would see...FOG and lots of it. We were nearly on the ground before we could see ground, but once we could it was so beautiful! Forests and countryside everywhere. It was like a fairytale. It was easy to get out of the airport and we quickly found our "angel", Venita. She is the woman who helps manage the apartment we are staying in when the owner is out of the country. She had promised to meet us at the airport so that she could help us find a taxi and get to the apartment. What a tremendous blessing this was! First of all, I don't know the first thing about taxis, I also had no idea where we were going (just the address), and lastly I know no Latvian!!! So, Venita was truly like an angel for us. She took care of everything and I officially LOVE that woman! We spent a short while settling into the apt and then headed to the bank to exchange some money for Lats so that we could eat and go to the market. We ate a yummy pizza (simple bacon) at Charlie's Pizza which is just 3 doors down from our apt. We also had some delicious fried dumplings. We couldn't believe how cheap it was to eat there! 5 lats!!! SCORE! We also ventured through Old Town to the Galerija and shopped at Rimi (a small grocery store). By this time, I was EXHAUSTED! So, we headed back to the apt and we went to bed at 6:00! After a 4 hour "nap" we were up and ready to talk to the kids on the phone at 11:00. Thanks to my new friend Melatonin, I was able to go right back to sleep and slept until 6:00 a.m.
Here we are, finally TODAY!! COURT DAY!!!!
So, Daina and her son picked us up at 8:45 to head to court. I was excited, nervous and well...very nervous. But, Daina has this amazing way of putting you at ease. By the time we pulled up to the court, I wasn't at all nervous. She had explained that we would get to see Lilia at 9:00! That we would then meet with the social worker from the orphanage to discuss her history and answer any questions. We stood in the hallway waiting for them to arrive and pretty soon there she was peeking around the corner of the stairwell!!! I went straight to her and we hugged, she looked so amazing! Oh, how I missed that girl! And, then things got a little...crazy...
Lilia kept looking past Daina and the rest of us, down this small hallway. Finally, she just simply walked away from us as we were entering a small conference area. I asked where she was going and Daina went to see. Things got a little hectic from there, but we quickly found out that her mom and grandma had been sitting in that hallway where we met the entire time and she was going to them! Oh my! I was floored! Bob and I just looked at each other and I said to Daina, "is this normal?" to which she replied "NO!" After much fuss and lots of translation, etc we were able to get Lilie into the room and it was decided that they would stay in the hallway until we were done at which time Lilie would be allowed to say "goodbye" to them. Needless to say, it was a very uncomfortable situation for Bob and I. Daina was none to happy about it either. But, we want Lilia to have closure and to feel comfortable so what do you do?
Court itself went very well! Thank you, God!!! Lilia was very positive and happy. Everyone was kind and not too intimidating. ;) In no time at all they placed her in our custody and then it was time to go back to the hallway to say goodbye. We waited (very patiently) and after a few minutes she was done. She became a little emotional when I asked her how it went and if she felt okay? I don't know what was said between them, but I get the impression that she's made to feel rather guilty and like she is the bad person in this situation. Bob and I are praying that she is able to put distance between her and this woman who has caused so much stress and turmoil in her life. We know that in the months to come, keeping distance between them will be a great challenge and that Lilia may be rather mad at us from time to time. We are already taking steps to protect her here and we will continue to do so at home.
It is a fine line we walk, one that must be respected and handled with great care, we are up for the challenge.
We tried our best to enjoy the rest of the day. We did some sight-seeing and shopping together, spent some quiet time at the apt and went out for a celebration dinner at TGIFridays (yes, there's one just down the street here!). We thoroughly enjoyed our cheeseburgers and fries and had a lot of laughs. Just what we needed tonight!
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| The fog! This was when we were nearly on the ground! |
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| Our first time with Lilia at court |
So, Daina and her son picked us up at 8:45 to head to court. I was excited, nervous and well...very nervous. But, Daina has this amazing way of putting you at ease. By the time we pulled up to the court, I wasn't at all nervous. She had explained that we would get to see Lilia at 9:00! That we would then meet with the social worker from the orphanage to discuss her history and answer any questions. We stood in the hallway waiting for them to arrive and pretty soon there she was peeking around the corner of the stairwell!!! I went straight to her and we hugged, she looked so amazing! Oh, how I missed that girl! And, then things got a little...crazy...
Lilia kept looking past Daina and the rest of us, down this small hallway. Finally, she just simply walked away from us as we were entering a small conference area. I asked where she was going and Daina went to see. Things got a little hectic from there, but we quickly found out that her mom and grandma had been sitting in that hallway where we met the entire time and she was going to them! Oh my! I was floored! Bob and I just looked at each other and I said to Daina, "is this normal?" to which she replied "NO!" After much fuss and lots of translation, etc we were able to get Lilie into the room and it was decided that they would stay in the hallway until we were done at which time Lilie would be allowed to say "goodbye" to them. Needless to say, it was a very uncomfortable situation for Bob and I. Daina was none to happy about it either. But, we want Lilia to have closure and to feel comfortable so what do you do?
Court itself went very well! Thank you, God!!! Lilia was very positive and happy. Everyone was kind and not too intimidating. ;) In no time at all they placed her in our custody and then it was time to go back to the hallway to say goodbye. We waited (very patiently) and after a few minutes she was done. She became a little emotional when I asked her how it went and if she felt okay? I don't know what was said between them, but I get the impression that she's made to feel rather guilty and like she is the bad person in this situation. Bob and I are praying that she is able to put distance between her and this woman who has caused so much stress and turmoil in her life. We know that in the months to come, keeping distance between them will be a great challenge and that Lilia may be rather mad at us from time to time. We are already taking steps to protect her here and we will continue to do so at home.
It is a fine line we walk, one that must be respected and handled with great care, we are up for the challenge.
We tried our best to enjoy the rest of the day. We did some sight-seeing and shopping together, spent some quiet time at the apt and went out for a celebration dinner at TGIFridays (yes, there's one just down the street here!). We thoroughly enjoyed our cheeseburgers and fries and had a lot of laughs. Just what we needed tonight!
Our travels...
So, I have a little time this morning and thought that blogging about some of our travel adventures would be fun. First, let me just say that Bob and I are NOT travelers! We both have only flown ONCE and it was a nonstop commuter flight to Orlando! (I know that doesn't really count since we didn't even have to pick up our luggage!). Anyway, you can imagine how much of a learning curve there was for us as we made this trip 4,000 miles, and 3 flights away from our home!
First stop, Pittsburgh International Airport...no problem! We got there in plenty of time, made it through check-in where we met a young woman who has two sisters adopted from Eatern Europe, made it through security (no body scans or pat-downs, woo hoo!), had lunch and found our gate! We departed on time and arrived in Newark early!!!
Second stop, Newark...okay, this is where we started to see our "innocence"! So, we had a 3 hour layover here (which ended up being 4, because we were early from our first flight). So, we hung out on the councourse, had some Starbucks, read, listened to music and called home to say "hello"...we continuously checked the board for our gate but it wasn't being announced. Let's just say that by 5:00, we were getting pretty nervous and Bob had this "gut feeling" (God speaking?) that he should go to the information desk and ask about our flight. Thank you God, because we were in the wrong part of the airport and we needed to go like a mile, through security and find our gate! Our flight was departing at 6:10!!!! So, we hoofed it across the airport, through security (with one body scan-Jamie) and to our gate just as they were boarding our section!!!! [long sigh.........]
The flight from Newark to Frankfurt was "tight" and I don't mean time-wise, I mean it was economy class and there was no room to move! I was in the middle of Bob and I really nice guy from Paris. I'm glad he was nice, because we were VERY close for 6.5-7 hours! Between drinks, snacks, dinner, movie, and breakfast...I didn't get much sleep. That would have been fine accept for the time change which made it 7:00 a.m. when we arrived rather than 1:00 a.m. I was tired, and here were all these wonderful German's wide awake starting their day! So, again we were ahead of schedule! This time we knew to immediately find our where departures were and get there! Oh my goodness, Frankfurt's airport is huge!! We walked for what seemed like miles to get to our departure gate, but at least we had lots of time!
Our last flight was quite an adventure as well. We were drive across the tarmack by shuttle bus to get to our plane. It was small and overcrowded. We were late getting off because they had loaded some of the wrong passengers! Oh my! But, alas we made it to Riga! 30 minutes late, exhausted and thrilled to be here!!!!
First stop, Pittsburgh International Airport...no problem! We got there in plenty of time, made it through check-in where we met a young woman who has two sisters adopted from Eatern Europe, made it through security (no body scans or pat-downs, woo hoo!), had lunch and found our gate! We departed on time and arrived in Newark early!!!
Second stop, Newark...okay, this is where we started to see our "innocence"! So, we had a 3 hour layover here (which ended up being 4, because we were early from our first flight). So, we hung out on the councourse, had some Starbucks, read, listened to music and called home to say "hello"...we continuously checked the board for our gate but it wasn't being announced. Let's just say that by 5:00, we were getting pretty nervous and Bob had this "gut feeling" (God speaking?) that he should go to the information desk and ask about our flight. Thank you God, because we were in the wrong part of the airport and we needed to go like a mile, through security and find our gate! Our flight was departing at 6:10!!!! So, we hoofed it across the airport, through security (with one body scan-Jamie) and to our gate just as they were boarding our section!!!! [long sigh.........]
The flight from Newark to Frankfurt was "tight" and I don't mean time-wise, I mean it was economy class and there was no room to move! I was in the middle of Bob and I really nice guy from Paris. I'm glad he was nice, because we were VERY close for 6.5-7 hours! Between drinks, snacks, dinner, movie, and breakfast...I didn't get much sleep. That would have been fine accept for the time change which made it 7:00 a.m. when we arrived rather than 1:00 a.m. I was tired, and here were all these wonderful German's wide awake starting their day! So, again we were ahead of schedule! This time we knew to immediately find our where departures were and get there! Oh my goodness, Frankfurt's airport is huge!! We walked for what seemed like miles to get to our departure gate, but at least we had lots of time!
Our last flight was quite an adventure as well. We were drive across the tarmack by shuttle bus to get to our plane. It was small and overcrowded. We were late getting off because they had loaded some of the wrong passengers! Oh my! But, alas we made it to Riga! 30 minutes late, exhausted and thrilled to be here!!!!
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