Yesterday's Adventures

Yesterday we met up with the McFarland's (a family from Alabama also adopting through Reece's Rainbow). They are staying in an apartment a little closer to Independence Square than we do, so they were able to show us around. We met for lunch at a little cafeteria and ordered pizza. Take a look-it was much more "normal" than our last attempt at pizza:

After lunch we walked to Independence Square. It was really fun. There was a lady there giving an outdoor concert and lots of vendors on the street. There are people dressed up as different characters that will try and get you to take a picture with them (using your own personal camera) and then try and get you to pay them for the picture! Luckily, the McFarland's were able to warn us before hand. We walked around for quite a while just sight seeing and enjoying a new experience with American company :)

Here, cars and people play chicken fight on the roads. Sidewalks apparently are made for driving and parking on and if you are going to cross the road, you had better run...no joke. There are very busy intersections that are too big to cross, so you have to go underground to cross the street. These little underground passageways are actually underground malls. They are filled with little Ukranian kiosk type shops and most of them lead to actual little malls with food courts. We walked all around them yesterday. On the way back to the place where we needed to catch a cab, we stopped for a soft served ice cream cone. I got cherry vanilla. It was amazing! We were exhausted to we headed back to our apartment and called it a day.

Today is Father's Day and I think this is the first time in 27 years that I have not been with my dad :( It makes me pretty homesick just thinking about it, but I know it will be worth it to him and to me when I bring him his first grandson! We are overjoyed that we will be on an overnight train tonight (what an incredible Father's Day gift for Brian) on the way to meet our son! As excited as I am, though, I cannot help but think about all of the people who struggle with this day-the people who have lost their fathers, the people who never had a father figure in their lives, and for people like Brian and I who have wanted to be parents for so long it hurts. Hang in there. Special thoughts and prayers to you all. Love you guys!

Here are just a few pictures from yesterday:

Happy Father's Day to my dad!