Happy Anniversary

Before I get into it, let's just say that we are just as disappointed as you are that there are still no pictures to put up. The technicians here at the internet cafe claim that the card readers that we are getting from Circuit City are not working. We have one or two ideas left to try and then after that, we are stumped. We are not sending an e-mail out today because we can't send pictures. Once we get pictures going, we will send out another e-mail. Hopefully that will be this weekend.
After Stacey and I got married, we went on a cruise for our honeymoon. We loved it. We had a great time being together and it was a wonderful experience. We had always thought for one of our anniversaries, that we would go on another cruise. We kicked around the idea of a cruise with a couple of our friends not long after we were married but none of us could really afford it then. Once we started seriously considering this adoption, we joked that instead of a cruise, we would get to spend a month together in Eastern Europe. Well, Happy Anniversary Sweety. We are actually having a pretty good time together. There isn't an entertainment director and we haven't seen any Broadway shows or magic acts or acrobats but Stacey and I always have fun together. You know you are meant to be together if you can spend 10 days in as close quarters as we have been spending with each other and not even get frustrated with each other. At least I haven't been frustrated with her. I did forget the camera cord and perhaps I read the e-mails too fast, but those things are minor things. We play cards and watch DVDs together. We pray together and just "hang out" together. We ride beside each other in the van and play with Coy together. We are just together. There are lots of things that we could have done for an anniversary, but the best thing is being together. I am so thankful that God has given me such an awesome wife that she enjoys just being together with me. For those of you that know me, you know that is no easy task. I might be fun for a while but I would tend to irritate most people after 10 days and limited showers. The only downside to this "vacation" is that we do miss our kids that are back at home. We are not wishing that we had brought them with us. It has been difficult traveling at times. But do wish that we were back together with them. We are enjoying our time away and will be even more committed to some quality family time when we get home. Just the 5 of us.
We did get to video tape the performance at the orphanage today for Health Day. There were about 8 children from Coy's group that participated. They were all dressed in matching sweatsuits of different colors. Several other children from the orphange got to sit in little chairs and watch. Two other families were invited to attend along with us. Good thing they require paperwork to adopt these children, or we might have stuffed a few extra in our suitcases on the way out today. We got to see Coy's bedroom, table where he eats, and playroom today. They had recently renovated the rooms with money they had received from families who had adopted children from the orphange. It looked relatively nice. He showed us his bed, bed #2. He continued on to point out other beds and named the children that slept in them. There were about 20 beds in the room. We heard that there are about 120 children in the orphanage.
Today we went to a local toy store to buy some gifts for the orphanage. The director said they could use some developmental toys and a few dolls. We brought a large box full of toys to our afternoon visit, and they were very thankful. The toy store was interesting in that it was kind of like the old Service Merchandise stories were you write down the number for the product and how many you want. It is entered into a computer. You pay, and then you go and pick them up in a different room. Sveta said that the toy store was opened by a man who had lost a child and wanted to have the store in the child's memory. We also picked up a few toys for Coy for the long drive and flight home. We hope you are not picturing Toys R Us. It was located in a residential area. Victor had to ask at least 3 people for directions to find it. The building was attached to a large, old apartment building. It looked kind of like an abandoned warehouse.
We hope to have pictures next time. Thank you for your messages and prayers!!!