Saint Petersburg, Russia

Here is some basic information about Saint Petersburg, Russia. Our baby is somewhere in the Leningrad Oblast (Region). Since I don't know exactly where, I thought I would share some information about Leningrad's capital city. You didn't know following our adoption journey would qualify you for a World History degree, huh? Enjoy...

Saint Petersburg, formerly Leningrad, Russia was founded on May 16, 1703. It is the capital of the Leningrad region (although not administratively part of it) and the administrative center of the Northwest district. Located in NW European Russia at the head of the Gulf of Finland on both banks of the Neva River and on the islands of its delta, St. Petersburg's port is linked by deep water a canal with Kotlin Island, where the outer port and the Kronshtadt (krənshtät`)naval base are located.

Russia's second largest city and its former capital, St. Petersburg is a major seaport, rail junction, and industrial, cultural, and scientific center. Although the harbor is frozen for three or four months annually, icebreakers have prolonged the navigation season. The seaport is one of the world's largest, but it handles relatively little traffic because the volume of foreign trade for Russia is small. The river port, one of the most important in the country, stands at the end of two artificial waterways, the Volga-Baltic and the White Sea–Baltic. A series of canals within the city carries considerable cargo. The city's diverse industries include shipbuilding, metallurgy, oil refining, printing, woodworking, food and tobacco processing, and the manufacture of machinery, electrical equipment, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, and textiles.

Points of Interest

The city's main thoroughfare is the celebrated Nevsky Prospekt. On it are the high-spired admiralty building; the Winter Palace, built by Rastrelli; the Hermitage (ĕr'mētäzh`), one of the world's foremost houses of art, Cathedral of St. Isaac, the equestrian statue of Peter the Great, Falconet's masterpiece and the subject of Pushkin's poem "The Bronze Horsemen." The city's oldest building is the fortress of Peter and Paul (1703), which served as a political prison in imperial days. Among the baroque buildings of the early 18th century are the Alexander Nevsky monastery (1710), the Cathedral of Saint Peter and Saint Paul (1733), the Winter Palace (1762), and the Smolny convent (1764). Neoclassical buildings of the late 18th and early 19th cent. include the Academy of Arts (1772), the Marble Palace (1785), the Taurida Palace (1788), the cathedral of the Virgin of Kazan (1811), and the Exchange (1816). Among the city's educational institutions are the St. Petersburg State Univ. (est. 1804) and the St. Petersburg State Univ. of Economics and Finance. There are numerous theaters, museums, scientific and medical institutes, and libraries, including the Maryinsky Theater, the Saltykov-Shchedrin Public Library (1795) and the Academy of Sciences library. Outside the city are Pushkin (psh`kĭn), with the Summer Palace, and the former imperial residence of Peterhof (now Petrodvorets (pyĕ'trədvəryĕts`), formerly Peterhof and Gatchina (gä`chēnə). A striking phenomenon of St. Petersburg is the prolonged twilight, or the "white nights," of June and July.

History

The city was built by Peter I (Peter the Great), who sought an outlet to the sea and a port for trade through the Baltic. It was built in 1703 in what was then Ingermanland (ĭng`gərmənlănd) or Ingria, an area conquered from Sweden during the Northern War. The fortress of Peter and Paul was erected to defend the projected new capital, which was to be a modern city and a "window looking on Europe." Construction was carried out at tremendous human and material cost. The capital was moved from Moscow in 1712, although the land on which the city stood was not formally ceded to Russia until 1721. Italian and French architects planned the city, giving it the spacious, classical beauty that it has retained.

St. Petersburg soon replaced Arkhangelsk (ərkhän`gĭlsk) or Archangel as Russia's leading seaport and became an important commercial center. From the second half of the 18th cent., it was also the country's principal industrial center, at first for shipbuilding and engineering and later for textiles. In 1851, a rail link with Moscow was completed. One of the world's most brilliant capitals and cultural centers, St. Petersburg was immortalized in the novels of Pushkin, Turgenev, Dostoyevsky, and Tolstoy. Its apex as an international center of literature, music, theater, and ballet and as the scene of lavish and reckless social life was reached in the late 19th and early 20th cent.

Under the surface, however, the seeds of social upheaval ripened, especially among industrial workers. Secret revolutionary societies arose, and an attempt by city workers to petition the czar precipitated a revolution in 1905. The city was renamed Petrograd in 1914. The workers, soldiers, and sailors of Petrograd also spearheaded the revolutions of Feb. and Oct., 1917. Although it lost much of its former glamour, the city remained the economic and cultural rival of Moscow, which replaced it as capital in 1918. Petrograd was renamed Leningrad in 1924. During World War II, the city was cut off from the rest of the USSR by the fall of Schlüsselburg (now Petrokrepost (pyĕ'trəkryĕ`pəstyə), formerly Schlüsselburg to the Germans (Aug., 1941). It was besieged for over two years, during which many hundreds of thousands died of famine and disease. The city's original name was restored in 1991. In the 1990s, the city struggled to convert its heavily military-related industries to civilian purposes.

Saint Petersburg Facts

Territory: As of 2003 the territory of the city is 606 (377 sq mi) square kilometers, and 1 439 square kilometers (894 sq mi) with the suburbs. The length of the city from North to South is 44 kilometers, and 25 kilometers from West to East.
Highest elevation: 42 meters above the sea level (Poklonnaya Gora)

Distance to the nearest cities:

Tallinn - 330 km
Helsinki - 383 km
Stockholm - 710 km
Moscow - 650 km

Neighbouring countries: Sweden, Norway, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Germany, Denmark (The Baltic Sea Region).

Neighbouring Russian regions: Leningrad Oblast, Novgorod Oblast, Vologda Oblast, Pskov Oblast, Kaliningrad Oblast and Republic of Karelia.

Population: According to the last census that took place in 2003, there are 4.7 mln people in St.Petersburg (which makes approximately 3% of the Russian population).

Gender distribution: men — 45.1%, women — 54.9%.

Ethnic: Russians, Ukrainian, Belorussian, Moldavian, Tatar, Jews, Karelian, Azerbaidzhanian and Gypsies (Roma).

Resources: Fresh surface waters and underground waters. The surface fresh waters are concentrated in the columbine of the water system "Lake Ladoga — the Neva River — the Neva Inlet — the Gulf of Finland". On the territory of the city and its environs there are sand and gravel quarries, pebble stones, sands, clays, sandstone, loamy soils, as well as peat (the resources make approximately 17.5 bin m3 of raw peat which is the equivalent of about 2 bin tons of dried peat).

Islands: The city is located on 44 islands formed by the Neva River and 90 more rivers and canals.

Bridges: The abundance of islands has led to the construction of a multitude of bridges. Of these, nowadays there are 308 within the city proper, and 534 if suburbs are included. 22 of the bridges are drawbridges. The total length of all the bridges is about 16 kilometers. The longest bridge across the Neva is the Alexander Nevsky Bridge (909 meters with runways), the widest bridge is the Siniy Bridge on the Moika River (99.5 meters).

Language: Russian

Religions: Predominantly Russian Orthodox, Islamic, Buddhism, Jewish concessions, Catholic and Baptist Church.

Voltage Requirements: 220 volts

Time Zone: 3 hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time. Daylight Saving Time is observed March-October.

Airport Departure Tax: None

Telephone Code: country code-7; St.Petersburg city code-812

Tipping: Tip 10%-15% in restaurants and hotels. Taxi drivers aren't usually tipped.

Nicknames of the city:

"The Venice of the North" (referring to St.Petersburg's many rivers and canals)
"The Palmyra of the North" (referring to architecture of St.Petersburg and harmony of the city and its rivers and canals)
"The Northern Capital of Russia" (referring to the centuries-old rivalry between St.Petersburg and Moscow)
"Cultural Capital of Russia"
"The Babylon of the Snows"
"The Window on the West"
"The Window into Europe"
"Russia's Crown Jewel"
"The Cradle of the Revolution"

Symbols of the city:

The Angel with a Cross (weather-vane on top of the Peter and Paul Cathedral)
the Little Ship (Korablik), weather-vane on top of the Admiralty tower
drawbridges
White Nights
The Seal: A sea anchor and a river anchor with a scepter — a symbol of royal power — on a red field.

Local government: The Governor and the Governor's Office, The Legislative Assembly.

Zoning: 20 administrative districts, including satellite towns under St.Petersburg's jurisdiction.


Saint Petersburg's Seasons

Winter

The first snows fall in November. The Neva starts to freeze in great ripples of ice. The City takes on a new romantic quality as snow shrouds its famous landmarks and buries its parks in an icy mantle.

Made more temperate than Moscow by the waters of the Finnish Gulf, the snows come and go before setting into a thick white cloak soon after New Year. This is the time for Troika rides in the countryside and steaming bowls of Borscht.

Restaurants in the main hotels offer choices of Russian and international cuisine and bars and restaurants throughout the City provide a good choice of traditional Russian home cooking and international options.

Ballet and Opera are a major part of the City's winter attractions. The works of Russia's most talented musical sons Tchaikovsky, Stravinsky and Rimsky-Korsakov are at their best performed here in their cultural homeland.

The Russian festive season combines two Christmases and two New Years! So there is plenty to celebrate! As Russia re-discovers Yuletide traditions, long forbidden and forgotten, the big celebration is still New Year. That is when Father Frost alias Father Christmas, comes to town and the City puts on its glitziest face and parties until dawn.

Spring

As the snows melt and the first blossoms peep from St. Petersburg's many beautiful parks, the City casts off its winter mantle and embraces the spring sunlight.

The last of the winter ice flows dramatically down the Neva and out to sea. The haunting notes of St. Petersburg's street musicians can again be heard as the days grow ever longer and the City of the Tsars is filled with a vibrant sense of re-birth.

Spring is an ideal time to visit The Hermitage - the magnificent former residence of the Tsars and home to one of the world's greatest art collections. Ahead of the summer crowds, you can gaze in relative privacy at works of art by a multitude of famous artists from Rubens to Van Gogh.

Immerse yourself in the intrigue of pre-revolutionary Russia with a visit to Yusopov Palace, home to the once mighty Yusopov family and site of Rasputin's infamous murder. Or take a trip into the countryside and visit Paul's Palace at Pavlovsk - one of the finest examples of restoration work in Russia. After viewing the treasures of the Palace, enjoy the spring sunshine in the picturesque landscaped gardens which surround it.

Summer

St. Petersburg's Summer starts in early June and runs right through to the end of August. Long summer days linger late into the night providing a haunting quality to the light as it caresses the ornate facades of Peter's City.

The lango-rous evenings are ideal for lazy boat rides through the canals. As you glide gently under picturesque bridges and pass through the subdued elegance of the City's backstreets, St. Petersburg reveals its beauty from a new and more subtle perspective.

Enjoy summer picnics in the parks, on the sandy beaches north of the City, or by secluded wooded lakes in the surrounding countryside.

A typical Russian picnic comprises home grown cucumbers, tomatoes and fresh herbs, freshly baked bread, cold meats and the classic grilled Shaslik, not to mention plenty of Vodka and Russian Champagne!

The famous White Nights with their legendary midnight sun, fall in June each year, lending the City an intriguing and exotic mood, St. Petersburg celebrates with an international music festival. The program includes performances by the famous Kirov Ballet and Opera Company and concerts at the Philharmonia.

Autumn

Golden Autumn as the Russians call it, heralds days of crisp bronze sunlight and the first chill promise of winter. The leaves turn to burnished gold on the trees throughout the City's parks as St. Petersburg's residents enjoy the last days of sunshine. This is a quieter, more relaxed time to visit St. Petersburg and its many fabulous sights and exceptional museums.

Just behind the statue of St. Petersburg's favorite poet Pushkin, and a stone's throw from Nevsky Prospect, lies the Russian Museum. The Museum's treasure trove of art tells the enigmatic story of Russian history as seen through the eyes of Russia's most prominent artists.

Out in the countryside, Catherine's Palace in Pushkin embraces the autumn light with its golden spires and luxurious interiors. Perhaps the grandest of St. Petersburg's many palaces its eighteenth century baroque style reflects the glamour and glitz of those heady imperial days.

Discover Yelagin Palace, on the outskirts of the City, set on its own wooded island, poised above the river, it is a favorite autumn haunt for private parties, receptions, treasure hunts and barbecues.

Still Waiting

It has been a while, so I thought I would give you an update. We are still waiting to hear from our facilitator in Russia for our travel dates. She is in the Leningrad Region and apparently this is a slow moving region. We were told that travel to this region usually happens in 3 to 8 weeks from the day we accepted our referral which was January 2ND. But, because Russia celebrates it's Christmas two weeks after us, our travel dates would probably be pushed back a little. I can deal with waiting now, but I pray that after I meet her I will be able to return to bring her home really quickly! I don't know how well I will be able to accept the thought of someone else taking care of my child a half of a world away.

I can't post real specific information about our child here but I can tell you a few things. Her middle name is going to be Hope and I am pretty sure her first name is going to be Elizabeth. Elizabeth Hope. Andy really likes this name, so I think this is it. (I named both of the boys, so I guess I can let Andy name one of our children.) I am really excited! I have already bought her two outfits. I have also bought everything we need to travel in Russia...a converter, a money belt (for Andy...I'm not wearing that much cash!), toys to leave with Hope (We will call her Elizabeth once the adoption is final.), a baby photo album with pictures of us and our home to leave with her, a VERY heavy coat and boots (Thanks for the help, Aunt Audra!), and much more! International travel is really expensive! The good news is that the Dollar/Ruble exchange rate is the best it has been in a VERY LONG time. It is the best I have ever personally seen it. So, this will literally save us thousands of dollars! I guess waiting has paid off in some ways. Anyway, please continue to pray for our journey as it is FAR from over. Although I can see the light at the end of the tunnel, we have really just arrived at the hard part. It will all be worth it in the end...I can't wait have my little one home!!!

Merry Christmas!!!

Russian Christmas

Thirteen days after Western Christmas, on January 7Th, the Russian Orthodox Church celebrates its Christmas, in accordance with the old Julian calendar. It's a day of both solemn ritual and joyous celebration.

After the 1917 Revolution, Christmas was banned throughout Russia, along with other religious celebrations. It wasn't until 75 years later, in 1992, that the holiday was openly observed. Today, it's once again celebrated in grand fashion, with the faithful participating in an all-night Mass in incense-filled Cathedrals amidst the company of the painted icons of Saints.

Christmas is one of the most joyous traditions for the celebration of Christmas Eve comes from the Russian tradition. On the Eve of Christmas, it is traditional for all family members to gather to share a special meal. The various foods and customs surrounding this meal differed in Holy Russia from village to village and from family to family, but certain aspects remained the same.

An old Russian tradition, whose roots are in the Orthodox faith, is the Christmas Eve fast and meal. The fast, typically, lasts until after the evening worship service or until the first star appears. The dinner that follows is very much a celebration, although, meat is not permitted. Kutya (kutia), a type of porridge, is the primary dish. It is very symbolic with its ingredients being various grains for hope and honey and poppy seed for happiness and peace.

Once the first star has appeared in the sky, the festivities begin. Although all of the food served is strictly Lenten, it is served in an unusually festive and anticipatory manner and style. The Russians call this meal: "The Holy Supper." The family gathers around the table to honor the coming Christ Child. A white table-cloth, symbolic of Christ's swaddling clothes, covers the Table. Hay is brought forth as a reminder of the poverty of the Cave where Jesus was born. A tall white candle is place in the center of the Table, symbolic of Christ "the Light of the World." A large round loaf of Lenten bread, "pagach," symbolic of Christ the Bread of Life, is placed next to the Candle.

The meal begins with the Lord's Prayer, led by the father of the family. A prayer of thanksgiving for all the blessings of the past year is said and then prayers for the good things in the coming year are offered. The head of the family greets those present with the traditional Christmas greeting: "Christ is born!" The family members respond: "Glorify Him!" The Mother of the family blesses each person present with honey in the form of a cross on each forehead, saying: "In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, may you have sweetness and many good things in life and in the new year." Following this, everyone partakes of the bread, dipping it first in honey and then in chopped garlic. Honey is symbolic of the sweetness of life, and garlic of the bitterness. The "Holy Supper" is then eaten (see below for details). After dinner, no dishes are washed and the Christmas presents are opened. Then the family goes to Church, coming home between 2 and 3 am. On the Feast of the Nativity, neighbors and family members visit each other, going from house to house, eating, drinking and singing Christmas Carols all the day long.

The "Holy Supper"

Christmas Eve dinner is meatless but festive. The most important ingredient is a special porridge called kutya. It is made of wheat berries or other grains which symbolize hope and immortality, and honey and poppy seeds which ensure happiness, success, and untroubled rest. A ceremony involving the blessing of the home is frequently observed. The kutya is eaten from a common dish to symbolize unity. Some families used to throw a spoonful of kutya up to the ceiling. According to tradition, if the kutya stuck, there would be a plentiful honey harvest.
Traditionally, the "Holy Supper" consists of 12 different foods, symbolic of the 12 Apostles. Although there was also some variation in the foods from place to place and village to village, the following is a good summary of what was typically served:

1) Mushroom soup with zaprashka; this is often replaced with Sauerkraut soup
2) Lenten bread ("pagach")
3) Grated garlic
4) Bowl of honey
5) Baked cod
6) Fresh Apricots, Oranges, Figs and Dates
7) Nuts
8) Kidney beans (slow cooked all day) seasoned with shredded potatoes, lots of garlic, salt and pepper to taste
9) Peas
10) Parsley Potatoes (boiled new potatoes with chopped parsley and margarine)
11) Bobal'ki (small biscuits combined with sauerkraut or poppy seed with honey)
12) Red Wine

It was once common practice, on Christmas Eve, for groups of people masquerading as manger animals to travel from house to house, having themselves a rousing good time, and singing songs known as kolyadki. Some kolyadki were pastoral carols to the baby Jesus, while others were homage to the ancient solar goddess Kolyada, who brings the lengthening days of sunlight through the winter. In return for their songs, the singers were offered food and coins, which they gladly accepted, moving on to the next home.

Ded Moroz and Yolka

The origin of Santa Claus is in St. Nicholas. He was born in Asia Minor at the Greco-Roman city of Myra in the province of Lycia, at a time when the region was entirely Greek in origin. Due to the suppression of religion during the Soviet regime, St. Nicholas was replaced by Ded Moroz or Grandfather Frost, the Russian Spirit of Winter who brought gifts on New Year's. He is accompanied by Snyegurochka, the Snow maiden, who helps distribute the gifts.

The Christmas tree (Yolka) is yet another tradition banned during the Soviet era. To keep the custom alive, people decorated New Year's trees, instead. Since ornaments were either very costly or unavailable, family trees were trimmed with homemade decorations and fruit. Yolka comes from the word which refers to a fir tree. The custom of decorating Christmas trees was introduced to Russia by Peter the Great, after he visited Europe during the 1700's.

Why January 7?

In ancient times, many, mostly unreliable methods had been used to calculate the dates according to either the lunar or solar cycles. By Roman times, the calendar had become three months out with the seasons, so in 46 BC, Julius Caesar commissioned the astronomer, Sosigenes to devise a more reliable method. This, we know as the Julian calendar and was used widely for 1500 years. The month of his birth, Caesar had named Quintilis, but the Roman Senate later re-named it Julius (July) in his honor. In those days, February had 30 days every 4 years.

However, this calendar was still 11 minutes and 14 seconds longer than the solar year, so that by the year 1580, the calendar had accumulated 10 days off again. In 1582, therefore, Pope Gregory XIII corrected the difference between the sun and calendar by ordering 10 days dropped from October, the month with the least Roman Catholic Feast days. His calendar, we know as the Gregorian calendar, which is used in most of the world today. Pope Gregory made further changes to keep the calendar in line, which on average is only 26.3 seconds longer than the solar year. The Gregorian calendar is so accurate that it will take until the year 4316 to gain a whole day on the sun.

That year, 1582, October 5Th became October 15Th and was immediately adopted in most Roman Catholic nations of Europe. Various German states kept the Julian calendar until 1700. Britain and the American Colonies didn't change until 1752, but Russia and Turkey did not adopt the Gregorian calendar until the early 1900's.

So, January 7Th by the Georgian Calendar would have been December 25Th by the old Julian calendar and is therefore why it is still Christmas Day for the Russian Orthodox Church. Many Russians will have celebrated along with the rest of us and will then celebrate again on the Orthodox date.

New Year Eve instead of Christmas

Few people in Russia remember, but when the communists took power in 1917 they banned the open expression of religion. While it was easy to pray at home, the Russian people were concerned about giving up their traditional Christmas celebration.
But where there is a will, there is a way!

They re-invented the New Year's holiday tradition to include a decorated tree, and introduced a character called "Grandfather Frost." Known as "Ded Moroz," Grandfather Frost looked very much like the western "Santa Claus" or "Pere Noel" - except he wore a blue suit.
Actually, Ded Moroz was a character that existed in the pagan culture, centuries earlier. For a time, Christmas was all but forgotten. In fact, it was generally celebrated only in small villages, where the citizenry was far from the prying eyes of the Party.

Today, Christmas is celebrated again, on January 7Th. But, to date, New Year's remains the bigger event.

We Said Yes!!!

We just heard back from our IA docs. They said she is perfect...well not really perfect, but they didn't see a thing that would raise a red flag. So, we just called our agency and said yes!!! I am so happy, I can't stand it!!! Okay, I will let you know more later...right now I can't think straight.

Going Private!!!

Effective immediately this bog is a private blog. This means that only those of you that received an invitation to will have the ability to access it. This means that WE GOT A REFERRAL!!!! First, a few rules...This blog has to be private in order to protect the children of Russia and to protect our adoption process. I have only invited a select list of trusted people to continue following our journey, until our child touches American soil. This means that it is very important for you to follow these rules (Do I sound like a school teacher yet?) Anyway, everything written about the child, our process, any dates or amounts are to remain strictly confidential. Please do not share this information with anyone!!! Especially, an unknown person on the web. Russian officials do monitor chat groups, blogs, etc. They WILL stop our adoption in it's tracks!

Okay, enough with the lecture. Our referral is a beautiful baby girl with dark brown/black hair and brown eyes. She looks like she may have some Asian genes in there somewhere...this is common for the far east and a few southern regions of Russia. She was born in March 2008. All of the medical information I have seems to suggest that she is healthy, but I have to wait for an IA doctor to confirm this. I have already sent her information to them for an assessment. So, now we wait to hear back from them. This whole process is "hurry up and wait", so why should this part be any different, huh? Anyway, I will keep you updated. Hopefully, I will know something by Friday.

Pretty In Pink

The baby's room has been ready for a long time. All it needs is a baby. Here are a few pictures for those of you that live out of town...and never come visit...you know who you are.

Yes, I took ALL of the pink. It's all in her room. After two boys and a ton of blue and green, I decided I was going to use every shade of pink I could possibly find...and I did!

Notice all the "boy" toys in this picture...her big brothers decided to share their toys with her and placed them in her room. It was so cute I just left them all in there. (Their toy box is full of "big boy" toys anyway.)

Thanks to Aunt Kasey for the help with the butterflies. (Do you remember how long we waited for these?) They are perfect! (They look much better in person.)

The Russian Federation

I thought you might like a geography lesson. No really, here are some interesting facts about the Russian Federation. Enjoy!




Area
17,075,400 sq km (6,592,850 sq miles).
Population
141.4 million (UN 2007).
Population Density
8.4 per sq km.
Capital
Moscow. Population: 12.6 million (2007 estimate).
Geography
The Russian Federation covers almost twice the area of the USA, and reaches from the enclave of Kaliningrad in the west over the Urals and the vast Siberian plains to the Sea of Okhotsk in the east. The border between European Russia and Siberia (Asia) is formed by the Ural Mountains, the Ural River and the Manych Depression. European Russia extends from the North Polar Sea across the Central Russian Uplands to the Black Sea, the Northern Caucasus and the Caspian Sea. Siberia stretches from the West Siberian Plain across the Central Siberian Plateau to the Lena River and takes in the Sayan and Yablonovy ranges in the south. East of Siberia stretches the Russian Far East, a region almost as big as Siberia itself, running to the Pacific coast and including the vast Chukotka and Kamchatka peninsulas.
Head of State
President Dmitry Medvedev since 2008.
Head of Government
Prime Minister Viktor Zubkov since 2007.
Recent History
Dmitry Medvedev, President Vladimir Putin's chosen successor, won a landslide victory in March 2008.
Language
Russian is the official language, although there are over 100 other languages. English is widely spoken by younger people as well as some educated older people.
Religion
Mainly Christian with the Russian Orthodox Church being the largest Christian community. Muslim, Buddhist and Jewish minorities also exist.
Electricity
220 volts AC, 50Hz; Russia uses a standard two-pin European plug.
Social Conventions
It is customary to shake hands when greeting someone. Company or business gifts are well received. Conservative wear is suitable for most places and the seasonal weather should always be borne in mind. Smoking is acceptable unless stated otherwise.
Currency
Rouble (RUB; symbol руб) = 100 kopeks. Notes are in denominations of руб5,000, 1,000, 500, 100, 50 and 10. Coins are in denominations of руб10, 5, 2 and 1, and 50, 10, 5 and 1 kopeks.

Let me catch you up...

I am starting this blog a little late in the process, so I thought I would tell you about all of our ups and downs and catch you up. We first decided to adopt last fall. We did not care where our child came from; we just knew we wanted a girl. So, we chose our agency first and let them help us choose our country. They talked us into Vietnam. I know, you are thinking "the title of this blog is Our Russian Love"... just keep reading...it's part of the downs. Anyway, we started the "hunting and gathering" part of the process, gathering about a million different documents, having the home studies, being fingerprinted...and so on and so on. Then in November, just as we finished up, our agency calls with terrible news...Vietnam is having major problems and is most likely not going to be an option. However, they hoped that the problems would fix themselves. We were in the front of the line for this country and didn't want to change, so we decided to wait and see. Well, Thanksgiving came and went...Christmas came and went...Then in mid-January we got another call...this one was even bleaker, but they still had hope. So, we kept waiting. I knew in my heart it was time to change countries but I felt like I would have wasted so much time and OHHH...all that paperwork. Then, we started reading things like "Vietnam is closing." (Which turned out to be true.) Our agency told us our options but really left the decision up to us. Okay, so, do we switch and if so what country do we choose? We had researched our options and were leaning toward Russia, but we were truly at a loss and were not sure what to do. We kept praying about it and just weren't hearing our answer. My husband told me to keep praying, but apparently I am impatient...(this is still to be determined). I kept telling my friend Kenessa that I just wished that one day I would walk outside and find a burning bush in the front yard...you know like Moses. So, in April, we are on a beach in sunny Mexico...oh wait that's a different plan (Sorry, inside joke I couldn't pass on)...in Ft. Lauderdale, FL when out of nowhere comes one of those really annoying planes that insist on flying right over your head. This plane was pulling a banner that said "Every Child Deserves A Home". Well, I already knew this, but then not a second later comes a man walking down the beach wearing a t-shirt that says "RUSSIA" in HUGE letters. I had cold chills...on a 90 degree beach. I knew it was time to call my agency...I had just seen my burning bush. Even more amazing...when I get back up to the hotel room I start to tell my husband what happened and he says "Yes, I saw that too..."(from the other side of the beach). Okay, now I KNOW it's time to call our agency. Well, we call our agency that Monday and start the paperwork process ALL OVER. Yes, it was worth it. Our dossier went to Russia on June 26, 2008 and we received our first referral on Sept. 9, 2008. Unfortunately, this beautiful little girl had medical problems that we were unable to care for and we had to decline. It would not have been fair to her for us to try to take that on. So, I still pray daily that this angel will find a loving home that is capable of caring for her special needs. Now, this also means that we have to wait again for another referral. But, we know in the end that God will bring us to the child that is meant to be ours. So, now it is December...Thanksgiving has once again came and gone...Christmas is about to come and go...and still we wait. But, I will let you in on a secret...we are NEXT!!! Looks like Siberia in January for us...I said this would happen all along. (I was just really hoping I was wrong!) At least I will hopefully get to see some real snow...Oh, how I love snow!

Our decision to adopt...

I new from a very young age that adoption was an option for me. When I directed our VBS's at Liberty we had missions projects that went along with each theme. One year our missions theme was "Shoes for Orphan Souls". There were pictures of orphans all over the place. On the books, the walls...everywhere. As I was teaching "my children" why it is important for us to help orphans, it occurred to me that...we should really help orphans. I know it sounds like a blond light bulb moment. (Sorry, if you are blond. My family always said I should have been.) Anyway, I knew from that moment on adoption is a wonderful way to grow a family. Fast forward a few years to when I found my wonderful husband, he agreed! We were married in June 2002 and had our first child in 2003 and our second in 2005. I had two absolutely horrible pregnancies! In 2007, my youngest son was about to celebrate his second birthday and for some reason it occurred to me out of the blue (I now know this was God...not blue...whoever that is.) that I have 2 1/2 years between each of my children and if I going to adopt I should get started. Well, I just let that thought pass. One day I was shopping with my mother buying clothes for my niece and cousin for their birthdays when I casually told my mother, "I need a girl." She, not so casually, said "YES, you do!" So, I came home and started doing research on adoption. I spent hours on the Internet...so long that I gave myself a headache. So, anyway, I decided to think and pray about it. Well, that very night I was in bed talking to God. (This is what I do. My husband falls a sleep as soon as he is in a horizontal position. It takes me a little longer. So, I either talk to God or the wall...kind of a no-brainer.) Anyway, at the very moment I start to discuss adoption my cat jumps up on my bed and starts doing his kitty thing. You know, kneading the bed, purring, settling in to choke me in my sleep (Well, that's what it feels like anyway.) It instantly occurred to me that this cat, this goofy cat that I don't like most of the time, has it better than more than half of the children in the world. WOW! No words can describe how I felt. I knew what I was going to do...other than first convince my husband that a house full of kids was a good idea...I think it took one day...I told you he is wonderful! So, are we doing this to "save an orphan"? No. Don't they need loving homes? Yes. But, we are simply growing our family in a way that won't kill me (bad pregnancies). So, really she is saving me. Our Father lead us here and we agree...it just happens to be the best for everyone involved. Thank you for joining us on this wonderful journey.