My dad has been great throughout our whole adoption process. He has been very supportive, he tackled watching the kids while we gone the first trip and he even found away to get us back home when I just had to see my babies and get a shot of junk food. I have always been thankful for him and thought he was going above and beyond, but today he needs to be knighted.
We left Minneapolis at 6am on Saturday morning, into Detroit and on to Newark for a 6 hour layover before leaving for Milan, Italy. This went well but I didn't really manage to sleep on the plane and was really happy when we arrived in Milan early - almost. Actually we arrived in the airspace above Milan early and circled because Milan was fogged in. And circled some more. And some more. Finally, the pilot came on and said we needed fuel and were being rerouted to Genoa to take on fuel and wait for the fog to clear. I think Genoa would have been a lovely place to visit, if I could have gotten off the plane. 3 and a half hours later, we left Genoa, flew 25 minutes and landed in a chaotic Milan. Twenty minutes after our plane had left for Kyiv.
I have seen riots that were more organized than the check in for Alitalia. There were hundreds of people trying to check in, reschedule, etc. An hour and a half later we finally made it to the counter and asked about our flight. We leave at 8pm and arrive in Kyiv sometime after midnight. This creates massive problems. Our translator had already bought our train tickets for Odessa for the night and we definitely missed that. This throws off our whole schedule. We tried to find a way into Odessa directly but there were none to be had. Only solution $600 taxi ride - Kyiv, Izmail, pick up Lera and back to Odessa to start the paperwork first thing Tuesday. Wish us luck.
Randy, I love you. The next time I get to SKYPE, I should have our other daughter with me. Kiss my angels.
8 comments:
Thanks for up dating,Sheila. we hope the trip gets better connected for you and your dad.i bet lera will love your dad. in Odesa is that were you will get lera's passport,visa, and medical ,or do you get her medical in kiev. have fun.The Campbell's gary & jody
Oh my goodness, what a trip! You're very blessed to have such a wonderful Dad! I'm praying the rest of your trip goes smoother than it started! Thanks for keeping us posted, I'm so excited for you!
Amy
Oh, Sheila, what a pain. Just think, it will all be over soon. Hang in there. How wonderful that your dad was able to travel with you. What a guy!!
Oh Sheila, I am so sorry you had to endure this mess of a trip back to Ukraine! Jeez! Glad you weren't alone though. I have enjoyed following your blog and my thoughts and prayers are with you every minute.
And if you're wondering, I am doing as OK as I can be, back and forth between tears and resolve....brokenheartedness and peace....today and tomorrow. Seeing all of these angels with Down syndrome saved and brought out of darkness into a loving family gives me such peace and joy, my cup runneth over. God has a plan for every child and every family....I have to trust that. Love to you and giant hugs and kisses for Miss Lera! ---Andrea Roberts, Reece's Rainbow
Sheila, a taxi all the way? Oh boy, that hurts. I hope the rest of the trip goes off without a hitch. Soon you will be home with Lera!!
What a trip! What a blessing to have your Dad with you.
I don't remember if I've seen your blog before, but I'll sure be following it from now on! I'm Leah, mom to 11 year old Angela (and her 4 big brothers!) and live in the Twin Cities. Hang in there! We'll be praying for the rest of your trip!
We are coming to Kiev and Izmail in a few days adopting our son. Maybe we can connect so there is somebody to talk to while in Izmail. Your blog is very nice. Our email address is ejweber@brookings.net
Have a great time in Ukraine.
Joni W.
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