No April Fools Joke Here!

It is with great pleasure that I can sit here this afternoon and say that we got to see Nastya today!  It was a feeling like no other and a moment in my life that I will remember forever.   Pictures would never do it justice.  But my heart is forever engraved with the last few hours of my life.

It has been a long journey to get to this point and at times, in the back of my mind, I wondered if we would ever get here.  In my heart, I knew that this day would happen and have devoted every ounce of my being to get us here.  The last 36 hours have been full of activity so let me catch everyone up.  Not to leave you hanging on our visit with Nastya, but I will return to that moment in a bit.  (Isn't that what all good authors do?  Give you a catch line or moment and then wrap it up at the end?)

We left Kiev for Simferopol yesterday morning.  It was a ride that I never could have imagined.  Prior to leaving, we knew at some point we would be going by van from Kiev to Simferopol.  In my preparation, I Googled the distance and direction just for curiousity.  It showed up as about a 700 mile trip and about a 9 hour drive from point A to point B.  In my head, I was all prepared for such a trip because LA and I made such a trip about a year ago from Raleigh to the Cape Cod area on vacation.   No problem right?

Well, let me tell you something.  I had parts of me jiggle and other parts of me wiggle, and yet other parts of me that I didn't know I had, jostle in ways that have never josteled before.  In my mind the pathway from there to here was paved in gold. Nope. Nodda.  No way Jose!  To sum this portion of travel up, let me paint this picture..not literally, but figuratively...gather 4 square wheels, not the same size that is;  put them onto 2 axles that are not the same lengths and geometry plays no part; sit down on a wooden bench that is laying at a 45% angle to the ground; and then "roll" over them along cobblestone pathways for 12 hours!  By the time the physical part of the ride was done, I will never ever need a chiropractor OR I will forever need a good one!

Ok, now that that short bit of sarcasm is aside, let me move onto the true meaning of what I experienced during the drive.  Yes, despite the physical toll that it took, there was a tremendous sense of  "stop and smell the roses" that took place along the way.

Having never travelled outside of the the US, I have never been exposed to another culture in the way that the last week has enabled me to do.  I never considered myself sheltered or uneducated as to what the world brings as a whole.  But I realized yesterday that the world as I once knew it, both the one I lived in and the one that I imagined, will be forever different.  The easiest way to describe the way I felt can be summed up in a single word...simplicity.

As we made our way through village after village, I couldn't help but capture the images of simple people, completing simple tasks, in a simple manner.  Let me clarify that I am not using simple in a negative way.  More in an extremely positive and quite awe-inspiring way.  A way that I would strive to live like.

Each village had its own unique geography, people, housing, and overall environment in general.  One town was nestled along a hill side and all the people were out tending to the landscaping of the small ornamental trees that dotted the roadside.  Cleaning up the winter growth and preparing for the new spring.  In the next town, young shepards were sitting along the road with a stick in one hand and blade of grass between their lips as they watched over a small herd of grazing sheep, goats, or cows.  Further down the road, men and women alike were plowing by hand their individual pieces of land in neat rows in what appeared to be preparation for planting.  Women in one town were sitting in the front area of their homes, selling their pickled, canned, and home grown vegetables and dried meats.  40 or 50 homes in a row with differerent goods at each.  As we drove further south, you could tell the soil was becoming more rich and fertile and each land owner was tending to the fruits of their labor.   And all along, chickens, turkeys, geese, and pheasants roaming each individual parcel of land; surely getting fattened to be on the dinner table at some point in their near future.

Their homes were simple.  Sometimes made of hand made bricks. Some of wood. And in a small handfull of places, you couldn't tell you weren't in North Raleigh.  But one thing was in common throughout.  You could without a doubt tell the simplicity in which everyone was living.  It made me think about all the "stuff" that I have and we have in the "western world".   We truly don't need all of that "stuff".  Simple people, doing simple things, with simple belongings.  That is the mantra I take with me from this portion of our journey.

After the ride, we got settled into our new home away from home for the next days and visited the local supermarket.  We hit the supermarket right after rush hour and people leaving work.  It felt like the lines at Wal Mart just after Greg Fishel said snow was coming AND its the Friday after Thanksgiving!  But that is the norm here.  The custom in the city is to shop a little at a time, every day or so, and just get what you need for couple of days or so.   No Sam's Club, big box, bulk selling practices that is for sure.  Once again, simplicity.  Get what you need when you need it.  Simple concept huh?

Last night LA and I both crashed and had our best night's sleep since we started our travels.  I guess the bouncing around and shear wear and tear the last week and the drive took on us caught up with us.  This was contrary to what I would thought would happen though, as I was hoping that we would get to see Nastya today.

We met our coordinator and driver early this morning to go meet with the people that make this all happen.  After a brief meeting with them, we were taken to see Nastya.  Editor's Note: Okay, I have made you wait long enough.  Here is the best part of this posting.

With growing anticipation, nervousness, and anxiety we drove the 10 minutes or so to the boarding school.  We walked into the main office and sat in 2 green chairs alongside a table that held tons of folders and paperwork.  Within a couple minutes, the door opened, and there was our soon to be daughter.  I promptly stood up, took a couple steps towards her, and embraced in the single greatest hug that I will ever have.  (No offense meant to anyone at all on that, but you get what I am putting out there.)  I didn't want to let go and the best part of it was that she didn't want to let go either!  After what seemed like a couple minutes but was only a mere 30 seconds or so, and I relunctantly let go.  Not because I wanted to but because LA was sitting beside me and I wanted her to feel that love as well.

Nastya took a couple steps to my right and gave LA the same kind of embrace.  It was incredible.  Watching LA now embrace our future daughter.  Not officially by any means, but unofficially and in my little world inside my giant noggin, it was endearing to watch LA hug Nastya.  In those moments, I watched LA transform from my wife to the Mommy that she has always wanted to be.

After our greeting, we sat and conducted some official business and then got to spend some alone time with Nastya.  She walked us down to the playground and we spent our first time alone as a future family.  Nastya played on the monkey bars, climbing to the top about 8 ft up and jumping down, as if it was no big deal at all.  We took pictures of her and she took pictures of us.  She then led us up a path to an old castle on the grounds that is being renovated. It was a thrill for her to walk up there as you could tell they aren't allowed to go up there much.  She took great joy in walking with us and taking pictures of the castle as if this was a new treat for her to be up there.  Not only up there, but to show us a piece of her world.

We walked back down the path towards the office and by this point I was a little tired.  We had played on the playground.  Walked up and down steps and hills.  Meandered through the grass without a care in the world enjoying time with her.  I was walking a few steps behind LA and Nastya and she came back to me and put her arm around me as if to say, its okay...I will walk with you...don't be tired...I am here for you.  How precious, caring, and giving for her to pick up on a simple fact that I was falling behind a few steps. Amazing moment once again.

When we got back to the office, we shared a few gifts that we had brought for her and for her to share with her friends.  LA pulled out a mini-scrapbook that she had put together of her soon to be new family.  Mimi, Pop Pop, Aunt Allyson, Granddaddy, Grandma, Aunt Amanda, Jim and Angie with their girls Lil E and Lil A, LA's mom and step dad, Aunt Tiffany, Uncle Robert, and last but not least Daisy!  At the end were pictures of her new home, her school, and a skyline shot of downtown Raleigh.   "Daisy" seems to flow off her tongue rather easily as she told us that she is looking forward to meeting her and that she is glad she is not a cat...because she doesn't like cats.

Our visit was then soon done and we made plans to reunite later in the weekend. We shared temporary goodbyes, she asked if she could bring one of her friends to meet us the next time and we promptly said an enthusiastic yes.  She asked if we could bring her some chocolate back and LA said "That's My Girl"! We hugged and told her we loved her and went our our way.  She walked down the path to her dormitory with her gifts in hand, a smile on her face, and I can only guess an anticipation that LA and I match for our next visit.

Today was an incredible day.  Quite ironic that its April Fools Day and something so special happened on a day meant for tricks and pranks.  We asked Nastya if she thought it was an April Fool's joke that she was called to the office to see us.  She quickly said no and that she knew we would come one day.  That day is here and here is to the beginning of something so incredibly special.  Her first English words to us were Papa, Mama, and Daisy.  Her new family.