Morning weather report: 3, feels like -9. Projected high: 21 (Forecast has lows listed in the teens… but it just a little colder than that)
Meanwhile back in Memphis: Overnight low of 50, and heading back to a high of 65 (that’s more like it!)
Last night was quite the celebration! We went to dinner with Ann & Miguel and Suzanne & Hilton. Friday night at our favorite Italian place, complete with Stairway to Heaven and Dust in the Wind on Guitar & Accordion. I have to say that the musicians did a super job! We only wish Cathe were here instead of home. But she’s busy making final arrangements for our return, so it’s nice to have all the bases covered.
The food was great (as always) and presented an interesting experiment in likes and dislikes. I suspect that tastes were probably affected by partially full bellies. The next few weeks will be an adventure for Cathe and I since Kate and David want to try everything, and will need to adjust to the different spices!
Rewinding to the afternoon: We hadn’t been at the apartment more than a few minutes before our little drama queen went to great lengths to convey just how hungry she was. (Carl & Kevin: We’re going to have some serious Pictionary competition on the girl’s team now) We had some mid-afternoon sandwiches and chips along with a few glasses of juice (on top of their last lunch at the RBS just a little over an hour before). The experience of having options is new and exciting, so they don’t want to miss a moment or opportunity!
Much effort will be required to adjust stomach schedules and taste buds since the orphanage offered many small meals throughout the day instead of the three we are accustomed to in the US, and there are fewer spices used. Back to dinner… Due to the number of planned attendees, Hilton had phoned ahead so some pizzas and other dishes were ready when we arrived (instead of the usual hour-long wait). The kids had fun with the Spaghetti Bolognaise while I enjoyed Cathe’s favorite, Penne Italia. Kate really connected with Ann from Belgium. To seal their new friendship, Kate traded her mood ring for Ann’s bracelet. We all had a lot of fun watching all of the moods of Kate shine through while she enjoyed being the center of attention!
Something else I have to mention is that the children are *VERY* accustomed to schedules, so I need to give a specific time for each event. Otherwise, they pester me with “Papa, when?” every few minutes. (After all, “Later” means you can ask again in 10 minutes, right?) I also learned that when I give a time, I had better be ready as well, because they won’t let me off the hook either, even if I’m running late because I had to interrupt my task to help either of them with something. Trying to post our blog entry last night was a perfect example. I told the kids we would be leaving for the restaurant at 6 pm, but I was still in the final throes of getting blogger to upload the latest pictures (without luck). By 6:15 I had the text uploaded but postponed the pictures so we could doubletime over to the restaurant. They were only a little flustered, but all that was forgotten once they saw the spread.
And last night! Now *THAT* was an adventure. Imagine two highly hyped kids who have just experienced something more significant then Christmas. Now imagine you’re the very tired parent trying to get them to go to sleep. It was a long night for me, and I’m sure, a longer night for them, but it didn’t last long enough! I suffered wake-up calls every two hours through the night. And based on photographic evidence (gotta love our little Paparazzi!), they seemed to have let me sleep a bit as well. In return, I had the pleasure of giving an 8 am wake up call and didn’t let anyone doze off for an afternoon nap.
Back to food: This morning was our first adventure with cold cereal. Neither was very impressed with the very healthy, but bland, whole grain Muesli that I’ve been eating since arrival. They did give it a try, but we didn’t get much further than that. Hopefully Raisinbran and Frosted Mini-Wheats go over better. Thank goodness for yogurt and Raspberry jelly! Breakfast was salvaged.
Although we’ll be heading for Almaty Monday, we had to replenish some groceries (the kids go through a lot of bread!). Heading out the door at 10:30 am we were greeted by some pretty chilly temperatures, but that didn’t slow down the kids at all and despite the short night, their batteries have recharged. After one last stop at the local bookstore to pick up a copy of “Garry Potter” for David and a copy of “Nina the Adventurer” for Kate, we headed to the Iceberg. I’m not going to miss that store, but will need to swing by and see Sasha the Kabob Guy one last time before we leave.
Back to the apartment to meet with Masha and receive our translated paperwork. The true weight of what Cathe and I have just done really sank in when I was handed the children’s new birth certificates which list us as their parents. Now that’s heavy burden, but it’s one which we are prepared to take the rest of the way! (Pray for us!!!!)
After Masha’s brief stay, we were all back out the door heading toward the Northern Kazakhstan Museum on Constitution Avenue. Cathe and I really enjoyed our first visit and today was no different with Kate and David. First, David grew some new antlers, then we moved into the natural history area and got a nice view of the full-sized Yurt on display. 
Next we moved upstairs to the political history section, with a wealth of memorabilia documenting the country’s status under the USSR, then finally to the nation’s independence, posing with the flag and seal of Kazakhstan.
Since it’s Saturday, the most popular day of the week for weddings, we had opportunity to see several couples coming to the town square for photos and spotted the white Town Car limo we had seen last weekend. While taking a couple photos, the black Town Car limo appeared. I really feel for the bride. I was dressed in my nice parka, with a ski cap, scarf, and gloves. There she was in her silky, short-sleeved wedding dress, trying not to look cold while the videographer did his work.
The day was topped off with another dinner adventure, this time a small affair with Suzanne and Hilton at the Slovenian Inn, our “other favorite” restaurant. Hopefully we will see them in Almaty next week. If not, definitely whenever we pass through Richmond. (Thanks for the Sudoku game! You guys are the greatest!) Walking back to the apartment, I could tell it was getting cold again (even this afternoon’s 20 degrees felt “warm” after this morning’s low!) since my face was tingling. Thank goodness the wind wasn’t blowing!Keep praying that all the paperwork comes together so we can be home in a week!
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