Finals

Today was the day to leave Zhytomr, the small town that we have spent most of our 44 days in Ukraine in.  We've gotten pretty good at living there and have made a number of friends as well.  We were up early to get to the passport office (passports promised at 9:00am were ready at 10:45am), and checked out of our apartment and goodbyes to Alex (apartment owner).  Really great guy who took the time to help show us around town, even hang out with us a couple times for the day.  Our US Embassy appointment was scheduled for 11:30am (2 hour drive) so do the math.  Vitaly our driver made like amazing time and should drive NASCAR, and we made it close enough to get in at the embassy to start the papers for visas for Kayleigh and Michael.  Vitaly is an excellent and reliable driver, not to mention very funny for a guy who speaks almost no english and we'll miss him.  The US Embassy visit went very well (great seeing the Stars & Stripes flying!) and the staff very helpful.  Our visit only took about 30 minutes as our facilitator had everything ready to submit.  There is an unbelievable amount of paperwork involved in adoption, we have been very blessed to have Oksana handle our adoption, she is the best!  Then back to the flat to check in to our apartment in Kyiv (very nice :), and an early dinner with Andriy, the pastor from Zhytomr whose church we've attended while there, who helped with transportation to Kyiv today.  He is a genuinly wonderful man who loves God and lives the Gospel.  Our family has been blessed by him and his family, and the church family as a whole.  If I lived in Zhytomr, I am sure he would be my BFF there!   Dinner was tasty, we went back to the place we ate at the day we left Kyiv for Zhytomr, they have the awesomeest vareenky (dumplings).  Then home for the evening to do some final flight home packing and an early night to bed.  So, a very busy day and a day of goodbyes to Alex, Vitaly, Oksana & Andriy, you have been wonderful and will truly be missed!  Oh, and Pasha, but that is for another blog..... :)