Six Things That Make Me Happy

It seems that I have been tagged to list six things that makes me happy. Thanks Ondrea for making me feel a part of the adoptive blogging network:))

Ron and I are thrilled at the thought of the safe arrival of our first grandchild. I know that is a very obvious thing that would make us happy, but its all so new and exciting at the moment.

Tonight I had driven to Auburn for a celebratory dinner with Ashley marking the safe arrival of Wyatt. We decided to get a pedicure before dinner. They were just filling the tub with water when her cell phone rang. Soon to be Dr. Ashley Warren, DVM was being paged back to the clinic to handle an emergency. It made me happy to see her reaction and response to her chosen profession.

Since Ron is rotating to India at the moment I get really excited and happy when the computer rings with a call from SKYPE. Email, Instant Messaging, Skype, Web Cameras are all so cool! Thanks goodness for modern technology!

It makes me happy to travel and I enjoy seeing things I could only read about as child growing up in rural Alabama. Never in my wildest dreams as a child did I imagine we would spend over 14 years living overseas! Traveling in Alabama in the 60's indicated a trip to Flordia or maybe the Smokey Mountains:)

I love getting Christmas cards especially when they have photos in them! Also, Ron and I have several adoptive blogs we like to keep up with and it just blesses our hearts to watch these children blossom in their new families!

Ron and I are happy as two peas in a pod after 33 years of marriage! He makes me smile when he calles me "dollie friend!"

I will beg off on tagging others as many seem to already been tagged

We Are Grandparents!

We are now grandparents! Kasey went into labor this morning, and when I talked with
Andy early afternoon I was amazed at how calm he was! As the afternoon wore on I called Ron in Deli and woke him up to pace the floor with me:)

Andy and Kasey welcomed their first born (Wyatt Wilson Warren)today at 4:06pm weighing in at just over 7lbs. Andy told his dad that the baby has more hair then the two of them together.

Ashley and I will fly out to Kyle on Dec 26 and Ron will arrive Dec 28. Pictures by the New Year for sure!

God is good!

Merry Christmas ya'll!!!!

On The Road Again

Please pray for my soulmate of 33 years as he leaves today for his first rotation to India. Prayers for travel safety and protection from the top three risks in India of malaria, dengue fever, and snake bites will be really apprecitated. Would you believe that 50,000 people died in India last year from snake bites?



I will remain safely in Alabama with two fierce guard dogs for protection. They look friendly, but once my nephew decided against entering the yard alone with them.

By the time Ron returns from this hitch we will most likely be grandparents. How cool is that?!?

Thanksgiving Blessings Continuing

Is it just me or does anyone else ever experience the after the holidays slump? All the preparations, gatherings, going and visiting and then it's over. I had a great pick me up last night after Ashley left to return to school! I had a visit from the family of one of the adoptive couples we met in Russia. To make it even better Ondrea's family was visiting other family members less then 10 minutes from us. It is such a small world. It was such fun to met them and swap stories. I loved hearing the grandparents of these precious children talk about getting to know their grandchildren. Ron and I will be grandparents in a few weeks and we can't wait!

Things are interesting at the moment for Ron who left on Monday to start his first hitch in India. Thankfully, he was in London for business meetings when the attacks broke out in Mumbai, and BP placed a travel ban to all locations in India for 14 days. So that's the good news on Ron, but the bad news is that while walking today with some friends from Russia Ron felt something pop in his knee. He had been having trouble with his knee for several weeks but we thought it was "Arthur Visiting" and all the manual work he was doing around our place here in Alabama. This has to be painful for him as he has decided to return to the states and get his knee checked out while he is waiting for the security issues to settle in India.

Hope you all had a wondeful Thanksgiving!

GO BAMA GO!!!

Ron and I graduated from the University of Alabama in 1977 during the Bear Bryant reign, and it has been a really long time since Alabama football fans have had a lot to cheer about. So far, this has been a great year for Bama and we made this diaper cake for an upcoming baby shower! It not a great picture but you can kinda get the jest of the cake theme. The dad-to-be is a huge Bama fan. Hope the mom is!?!

Now if Bama could only beat Auburn in a couple of weeks!

BP found us!

It appears that BP has found us, and want Ron back in the grind:( I knew this "garden leave" would not last forever, but timing on the new assignment could not be worse with holidays approaching and the arrival of the grandbaby. Ron is now working on medical release and visa requirements for a rotational position in INDIA! It looks like he will be headed off for his first hitch around Thanksgiving and returning before the New Year. The good news is that I will probably go with him to London over the Thanksgiving holidays for a few days. Really can't complain about a side trip to London can I?



Ron and his mom share a giggle during her birthday lunch.

Rotating seems like a good position for us at this time in our lives. I will remain in Alabama so I will be around when the grandbaby arrives, and the days off for Ron sound great also. Since we have been back in Alabama we have both noticed a decline in the health of our Mom's, and we are considering moving my mom in with us full time. My mom is 96 and has been in Assisted Living for several years. Ron's mom is 84 and still drives and lives alone. Right now we check my Mom out of Assisted Living on Monday and have her spend the night with us and most of Tuesday. This seems to give her something to look forward to.



We recently bought a golf cart for tooling around the yard, and discovered this week that the faster you go with my mom the more she smiles!

A friend recently put things into perspective for me when she told me that Ron and I have had some amazing opportunities to travel and see the world, but extra time with our moms will be just as special!


This is one of my favorite recent photos of "The Queen"



My mom loves to be outside on warm days when she can dig around in flower beds


Our family will welcome 5 new babies between November and February so I got creative today and created a diaper cake for an upcoming shower. Ron was really surprised as he has never seen a diaper cake before. The main thing I would do differently would be to use larger diapers on the next try. This cake probably has around 60 diapers. I used Sesame Street and Beanie Babies for my theme, and was pleased with the outcome especially considering it's my first try!



Best wishes to all for a wonderful holiday season!

Thanksgiving Blessings

Over the last few weeks as we have started to put down roots in Alabama I could not help but to reflect on how blessed we are. I have had the honor and privilege of sharing 33 years of marriage with my soulmate. Several days ago we received our ocean shipment from Russia, and such a flood of emotions came over me as we unwrapped 120+ boxes of memories. Each day as I walk past my table from Sergey Posad I say a little prayer for the artist Irina who recently lost her battle with cancer. Our collection of Father Frosts are more then things as they remind us of wonderful times at our favorite weekend haunt. We discovered many talented artists in Russia during our time there and the pictures below were done right before we left.

We have also had some wonderful opportunities to travel and explore places I had only read about as a child. I believe that living overseas has made us more open and accepting of different cultures. Our kids saw poverty in the streets of Cairo, and as a result have never felt the need for the latest fad fashions and high dollar brands. I think God for this opportunity to travel, and to expose Andy and Ashley to different cultures. We have raised and educated two children who have a strong base in life, and I have come to realize that now our roles in their lives are changing. Gone, and they should be, are the days when we can instruct them, and now we are trusting God to lead them as they travel on this wonderful journey of life.

Our son and his wife Kasey will soon welcome our first grandchild. Things have changed so much since we went through this, and I was just awed when I saw the first ultrasounds of this precious child. It is my belief that we all try to do our best as we are raising our children, and that hopefully each generation raises the bar of excellence as they raise their child. It is also our prayer that Andy and Kasey will train this child to love the Lord and to have a servant's heart. I love the fact that even at the age of 29 we talk to Andy several times a week and we always end our conversations with three simples words "I love you." Kasey has grown her hair really long recently, and just cut it for charity and I was really touched by this. I thank God for the opportunity to be a parent and grandparent!

Ashley, sweet Ashley, who is beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel and has chosen the perfect profession. Ashley has wanted to be a vet since she was a small child and will reach that goal on May 5, 2009. Vet school has not been easy, but she has not given up and I just know she will be a wonderful vet. I have seen this child endure hours of HS soccer practice with blisters on her feet that would make a grown man cry as giving up is not part of her nature. Last week we had the opportunity to spend some time with her and she was sharing something about her week. Ron complimented her, and said something to the fact that she was a good girl. Ashley reply was something along the lines of "I'm a good girl cause I had parents that raised me this way." Please don't think I am sharing this to pat ourselves on the back, but it was just such a precious moment on this journey of life!

As far work assignment - that is still in the air. We went to Luanda and somethings would have been a lot easier then living in Izhevsk, but at this point in our lives Angola was not for us. Ron and I were chatting a few days ago about the fact that we are assuming that things will work out for the rotional positon and trusting God to deal with it as He sees fit. So for now we are continuing to enjoy our "Garden Leave" as we sit on our back porch and count our blessings.

I've been tagged

I have been asked to reveal six obscure facts about myself. Thanks Tamara and Karyn:)

1.) When I was about 8 years old I felled out of my dad's truck door when he turned a corner. It was a hot summer day, and we were just returning from the community pool. My dad had purchased an ice cream cone for us and I was leaning against the truck door eating my ice cream as he turned a corner. When my dad got the truck stopped and reached me I was sitting up in the street crying that I had dropped my ice cream cone on the street! Hey I had my priorites straight!

2.) When I was about 14 years old, I was in the hospital for a minor surgery and received flowers from the sitting governor of Alabama at the time. I also rode in the ingaural parade of this governor. Did you notice that I did not reveal the name of the governor? My how time changes one's outlook on life!

3.) Ron and I are not only childhood sweeties, but we have known each other for so long that we have no story of how we met much less how he proposed marriage.

4.) I have a BS in Social Welfare from the University of Alabama and have never worked a day in my chosen field of study except as a volunteer.

5.) I have lived in Alabama, Lousiana and Texas. We have lived overseas in Egypt, Scotland, Trinidad and Tobago, Russia, London and the verdict is still out about Angola. We have traveled more overseas then we have in the US. Kinda sad there!

6.) This is not a obscure fact but meeting adoptive couples in Moscow while they were in country to expand their families will be in our memories forever. We love seeing photos of these precious children and the changes in their eyes since joining their Forever Families. YOU GUYS ROCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sorry, I don't know anyone to tag as it looks like alot of you have already been tagged. We are on our final day of the recee trip to Angola and still in the debating phase of is this where we need to be. If we do not accept this assignment it will be because of housing options here. You know you are getting old and set in your ways when you are considering turning down a posting due to housing. I forgot my cable to download photos but will post some early next week if anyone is interested. Regardless of our final decision regarding Angola I will leave here tonight with a prayer in my heart for this country and the people here.

We Are Off To Africa!

The time has come to take the plunge and see if we can make this possible assignment in Africa work! Our flight will be leaving soon and we will have about a week to see if we can live in Angola. As this blog was mostly connected to adoptions in Moscow I think I will start a new one. Blogging is still a bit new to me and I think that our blog is connected to this one. Maybe I just have two blogs now on one site and you have to log on the original one to get to the Angola one. At any rate, those that read blogs are experts at this and if interested in our next adventure I am sure you will find the link. I will try to sort out a direct link to the new blog. Can you tell I am over my head at this point on blogging!


Paka!

Lemons into Lemondade

It appears that our trip to Angola is going to be delayed as our passports were not delivered today by UPS. The frustrating thing about it is the passports made it to Montgomery but not on the truck for delivery, and to top that the local office is not open to the public on Saturday for pickup. So we canceled flights and hotels and now must work on rebooking the flight to Angola which does not fly everyday. Oh well...this is where we maintain a high degree of flexibility.

The good news is that we got to spend the day with Ashley in Auburn. Ron and Ash worked on a plumbing problem in the trailer while I took the paintings we had done in Moscow to Hobby Lobby for framing. Then we decided to take in a movie. We chose the movie because the starting time meshed with our schedules for the evening. Gotta take advantage of anytime we can get considering Ashley's clinical rotations. Loved the movie - Tyler Perry The Family That Preys with Kathy Bates.

I think we turned our Lemon of the day (passports not being delivered) into Lemonade (time with our our daughter)!

Life in Alabama

WELL!!! People have asked me in the past if I thought I would ever be happy living in Alabama after some of our past postings. It is nice to go out to eat here in the states, get sweet tea with free refills, and not have to float a small loan for the meal out! It is nice to be able to get in the car and head to Walmart without making arrangements for the car. It's great to go into a grocery store and be able to read labels. Loved our apartment in Moscow, but it's nice to be here in Alabama where we can be outside more. It's really fun to go and enjoy a movie at the theatre instead of watching the dvds from Ismalova. BTW I loved Mama Mia!

Ron is busy trying to get Visas sorted for our recee trip, medicals lined up so we can start the malaria prevention meds, and checking in with the office. We have also been enjoying some great family time and had over 25 people here for a Labor Day Cookout. The chance to spend extra time with family is a definite plus to being stateside!!!



Ashley's three legged dog checking out the neighbor's horses. Poor dog, as to him the temptation to chase those horses would be like me passing up Blue Bell ice cream!

We are currently waiting for our passports to return with our Visas for Angola in order to travel next week for our recee trip. We are going with an open mind and expecting the worse so anything positive with be a nice surprise. Who knows it could turn out to be a fascinating place like Russia! Just for giggles I added a poll at the bottom of this blog to see who would accept a posting in Angola. Please vote!



Farmer Ron in his "do rag!" Never thought I would see this but Ron claims they work great!

Next post will probably be sometime late September after our recee trip.

Paka!

Dinia and Ron

Dasvadanya Moscow!

November 15, 2003 we arrived in Moscow for the first time, and I have never been so cold in all my life as it was already snowing here and my Alabama coat and shoes were not keeping the cold away. We were fortunate to have two postings to Russia, and despite all the TNK-BP issues we count Russia as our favorite international assignment. Fast forward to August 17, 2008 and we are all packed out and leaving on the high smoker tomorrow afternoon. This past week has been a blur with packing , final good byes with expats, and one last trip to Gogul Mogul with adoptive families.

I think it's offical now that Ron and I are the older generation as we got to sit for the last photo at Gogul Mogul tonight! It has been such a wonderful experience living in Moscow, especially the last 8 months and meeting adoptive families traveling to Russia. If anyone should have any questions regarding Moscow please feel free to email us and we will do our best to be of assitance.

Hopefully, at 12:55 tomorrow we will board the Moscow-Atlanta baby flight for the states. We leave with many fond memories and a prayer in our heart for this country.

Dasvadanya Russia; it has been fun!

Guess Blogging Is Like Eating Just One Potato Chip!

Since we are leaving Russia next week I thought I would discontiue our blog since most people that read it are coming to Russia to adopt. At this point, I guess I am having second thoughts about ending the blog as it is a lot of fun to hear from people around the world that are on an awesome journey. I also wanted to share our thoughts about the current Russia, Georgia, Ossetia and US issues. The only repercussions we have seen in Moscow from the crisis to date is a rather large demonstration in front of the US embassy on Saturday, and an alert from our company to always carry our passports and be aware of our environment. Monday I had a phone call from home checking to see if we were being impacted. I feel that those reading this blog are praying people, and at this time I ask your prayers for this sitution in Georgia/Ossetia. Ron and I both beleive that this is a crisis in Russia/Georgia and the fallout has the potential to be widespread. It is also our prayer that those still waiting for travel dates are not impacted by this crisis.

Where in the World are the Warren's?

Due to the upcoming changes within TNK-BP we traveled to London in July to investigate the next job assignment. It was great fun to do some shopping, see a play and enjoy some of our favorite restaurants in London.
After the business was taken care of we rented a car, and landed in Liverpool. We enjoyed the Beatles Museum and some wonderful Chinese food in the city. We were a bit surprised to discover that Liverpool has a huge Chinese influence. Liverpool is a pretty seaside town, and we had a great day exploring where Beatlemania originated.

Then we were off to Wales for a couple of days of life in the slow lane, and enjoyed a neat little B and B in Snowdonia National Park. Wales is beautful country and a true hidden treasure of the United Kingdom. At one point we felt like we were on top of the world.

This is one of my favortie photos of our trip to the UK as it shows Ron writing post cards to Andy and Ashley. Although they are 26 and 29 with lives of their own they are never far from our thoughts and prayers.

After a few days in the UK it was back to Moscow for a final round of goodbyes within the expat community, packing and visiting with adoptive couples . It was our pleasure to meet Meghan and Bill who fought off jet lag on their first night in town to join us for dinner with Vernon, Christa and Andrew at our favorite restaurant - Gogul Mogul!

We were thrilled to learn that Meghan and Bill brought a scrapbook of their new son to dinner, and Bill goes down in my book as SUPERDAD since he created the book! As an avid scrapbook fan I think the scrapbook will be a special treasure for their new son! Way to go Bill!

We also had a chance to meet up with the Jeff, Sarah, Maya and Tristan for lunch at McDonalds, and a photo opp in Red Square. We are praying that Ian and Michelle will return to Moscow in early August. Hopefully, on August 17 we will have a chance to welcome one last couple to Moscow on their first day of Trip 2 and our last day in the country. I can't think of a better way to end our time here in Moscow.

Early August we took a short trip to St. Petersburg for some sightseeing. For anyone traveling to Russia to adopt I highly recommend that you consider a side trip in St. Petersburg. We even have a wonderful guide to recommend to you. One day after my 54th birthday we will start packing out. Ron gets kudo's for delaying the packing until after my birthday. Ron and I are from the deep South, and this was our first opportunity to truly experience living in snow for months on end. One thing for certain about Russia is that you can experience snow!

We have loved everything about the weather here from the sunshine,rain, snow and especially the fall colors have all been awesome here in Russia. It has been a wonderful experience to live in Russia and we leave with many fond memories of this country.

We will arrive back in the states August 18 and enjoy a few days in Texas with our son and his new bride. Then it is off to Alabama and the Retirement House where we will once again be waiting news from BP. Life is indeed very good!

Life goes on and change is certainly a part of life so we are now looking forward to our next adventure. At this point, we are still considering an assignment in Angola but no firm decision on that until we make a recee trip sometime late August or early September. Currently there are over 100 BP expats living in Angola so we are thinking it would not be that bad and it would only be for 2 years. It would be a great opportunity to see South Africia and go on a photo safari. HMM! We shall see what develops!
Our main purpose in this blog was to introduce ourselves and communicate with adoptive couples, and since we are now leaving Moscow perhaps it is best to end our Moscow adoptive blog at this point. Maybe we will start one in the future about our next assignment or the new grandbaby. It has indeed been a blessing for us to meet, at last count 17 couples since January 2008, and witness your journeys to your forever families. You are our heroes and we consider it a honor and priviledge to have been a small part of your adoption journey. Although we will be out of Russia as of August 18 please feel free to contact us via email if you should have any questions about this wonderful country. We will be thrilled to hear from anyone traveling to Russia, and will gladly pass along "Ron's Map" of the Arbat area with some of our favorite restaurants marked to anyone interested. All the best!

Mixed Blessings and Emotions

Summertime in Moscow

It's with saddness that we must report that our time in Moscow is drawing to a close. A decision was announced on Tuesday that BP will be reducing the staff here in Moscow. and since we have been here over 4 years we will be leaving on or before October 1, 2008. What a wonderful experience it has been to live in not one but two cities in this vast country! I will have to admit that Moscow was my personal favorite, but Izhevsk had its own personal charm. This has been one of the strongest expats communities Ron and I have ever had the priviledge of being a part of and we have really enjoyed our time here. In Jan of 2008 I had the honor of sitting next to Rob and Dede on their way to Moscow to pick up their son, Feb we meet Mark and Sinzina, and in May what we lovingly call our "adoption connection" expanded by leaps and bounds. Many thanks to the May group for stepping out on a limb to discover why these crazy American expats had an interest in your adoption journey. June has been fun with several new couples in town, dinners at our favorite restaurant, stops at Starbucks, and fun trips to the outdoor market with adoptive couples. Although after our experience on the metro with Becky and Keith we were concerned that we would never hear from adoptive couples again! LONG STORY! We are looking forward to those that will be coming into town in July as we will still be available right up until the packers arrive. No date has been set yet for moving so please continue to contact us. Also, I have proposed to the board of our American Women's Organization here in Moscow that we make meeting and assisting adoptive couples a possible interest group. So, although we are leaving late summer early fall we will maintain a connection here in Moscow for those coming later in the year.


Andy and Kasey at their optical clinic in Kyle, Texas

At this point, we have no idea what the future may bring for us within the grasp of BP. Our son and his wife will be bringing our first grandchild into the family around Christmas, and that is a stong pull towards heading to the retirement farm.


Our future Vet on Arbat Street

Ashley seems to be having the time of her life with her clinical rotations, and is just a few months away from reaching her goal of becoming a vet. We marvel at the accomplishment of our gifts from God and thank our Lord for them. What a blessing they are to us, and we are so proud of them and the goals they have accomplished

At the age of 53 there is still some possible interesting assignments that merit investigating so check back in a few weeks for updates.

We had a great day yesterday with Michelle and Ian! The weather was prefect, despite a sudden brief downpour, and it was so much fun for us to see their excitement as they explored Moscow. Yes, we made the usual trip to Ismalava but we added a side experience into the Moscow underground since their hotel is just outside of what is called the city centre. Would they have tackled the metro on their own? Certainly, but hopefully it was a bit easier for them after watching us back up the line at the Kacca window as we struggled with the ticket purchase. Think velka Karyn!?!

The objective of today's post is to ask those of you reading for suggestions on ways we might can be of assistance. My heart has been blessed recently by the response of the ladies here in Moscow to possible future needs of couples arriving. We hope to have a brainstorming sessions soon on things we might could do to be of assistance. I have had offers of assistance for ya'll ranging from a car seat and a pack and play to use in the city to accomodations. Would a list of essential Russian vocabulary works be helpful? If you traveled in the winter to Moscow your housing was pricey, but with tourist season now in full swing housing appears to be a preminum. In no way are we trying to replace your translator/driver instead we are attempting to assist them and exhance your experiences here in Moscow. Please feel free to contact us and never think for a moment it would be a bother.

Our thoughts and prayers are with you!

Paka!

Dinia and Ron

Back In Moscow - Finally

I left Moscow on March 17 for what was intended to be a 2 week trip out of the country, and I finally returned to Russia June 7. The past few weeks and months have been a blur with activity around visa renewals, family reunion, visiting our son and his wife in Texas, granddog sitting for our daughter, and the unexpected passing of my sister's husband on June 1. My sister and her husband Art attended the family reunion on May 31, and I spoke with Art early morning on June 1. A few short hours later he was gone. I only mention this on the blog as it really drove home to me how we never know when we will see a family member for the last time. Also, how important it is to tell our love ones that we love them.

That being said, it is good to be back in Russia. This is my favorite time of year here as the weather is mild and sometimes the traffic is even lighter. I did want to mention that it is also the time of year when those with allergies might have trouble here. In Moscow, they have a poplar tree here with blooms that can cause problems to those with allergies. At times it almost appears to be snowing as the blooms fall from the trees, and the blooms remind me of dandelions. Last spring a good friend with allergies was hospitalized as a result of the blooms this tree has.

Ron and I look forward to the return of Becky and Keith and to meeting a new family next weekend. It has been such a blessing to meet adoptive couples and we look forward to sharing Moscow in the future with new arrivals.

A sidenote to the couples that were here while I was away. My first meal out after returning to Moscow was to the restaurant with the stuffed chicken and strawberry pancakes. Talk about good! Yes, I have already been back to the market for BBQ and shopping!

HOME

Ron and I have moved so often in the oil business that it has sometimes been difficult to determine where home is. Although our kids got to be expats and travel they had to change schools often and never really had roots as children. Currently Ron is at our flat in Moscow, and I am holding down the fort in our retirement house in Alabama. So where is home? I guess I would have to say HOME is where the Lord places us on any given day. If I had not remained in Alabama I would not have gotten to spend some extra time with my Mom and our daughter, visit with high school friends, host a luncheon for some senior citizens in the community plus a family reunion. If Ron had not returned to Moscow he would have missed the opportunity to meet some wonderful adoptive couples in Russia. The adoptive couples would have been fine in Moscow without Ron, but I know they have blessed his heart with stories of their journey to their forever families. Now my perfect plan would have been for Ron to remain in Alabama for all the events here, and then we travel to Moscow together and meet the great couples coming into town. God's plan was different and I guess today I have grown to appreciate the fact that all things happen in God's timing.

I would also like to take this opportunity to express my heartfelt apprecation to Sue and Susan, friends since grammer school, for their generous donation today of school supplies for the Children's Cancer Hospital in Moscow. I know your donations will be appreciated and put to good use by the children in treatment at the hospital.

Future Grandparents?!?

Hard to believe that we will be grandparents soon! What a great chapter in our lives we will soon be starting. I am so excited, as I finally was able to add a ticker counter for the new grandbaby and Ashley's graduation along with an geosite counter to our blog. This future "Baba" still has lots of things left to do in life and new things to learn. Rob and Dede, you guys are responsible for getting me "hooked on blogging!"

It has truly been a blessing for both of us to meet Rob, Dede, Liam, Mark and Sinzina. This week Ron has had the pleasure to spend some time with Karyn, Norm, Dana and Aaron. We are fascinated by international adoption and find you guys to be true heros in making a difference in the life of a child! If we can somehow make your time in Russia a little easier and enjoyable then its time and energy well spent for us. Please know that there are several couples in Moscow that are more then willing to meet you guys and provide some assistance while you are on your adoption journeys. Best wishes as you go forward in this exciting journey!

Paka!

Dinia

Life Is Good!

Our most exciting news for this posting is that we are going to be grandparents! Our son and his wife are expecting near the end of the year. I have always joked with Ron that I would follow him anywhere for work until the grandkids came. Excited and proud does not begin to describe the emotions we are feeling at the moment. Perhaps it is now time to really start thinking about retirement and wondering what life will be like with grandbabies! I wonder if I can teach the baby to call me Baba!

Friday Ashley left for her offsite clinical rotation and we are currently granddog sitting in her absence. While stateside awaiting work permits, we had the opportunity to attend her Junior Presentation at the Vet School, and needless to say we were busting with pride at what she has accomplished while in school. Graduation is May 5, 2009 and we are counting the days.

Saturday Ron and I will mark our 33rd wedding anniversary and I have to say its gets sweeter with each passing year. I am married to my soulmate and feel truly blessed. Ron leaves May 11 to return to Moscow and I will follow early June after Ashley returns and a family reunion.

With a new baby coming and graduation from vet school on the horizon I will have to try to fiqure out how to add the cute ticker countdowns to our blog site.

Life is good! On we go in this wonderful journey called life!

Moscow Bound!

We have been stateside since March 28 awaiting work permit approvals which finally arrived today! This wait does not compare with what you guys are going through in the adoption process, but it has given us a glimpse of what its like waiting for the mailman to deliver those longawaited passports with valid visas! Ron will be trading in his farm clothes and back to the daily grind on being an engineer in Moscow. This time in the states has given us a preview of what retirement will look like, but it has also made me sit back and appreciate each day God has given us in a particular location. Best wishes to those that will be traveling to Moscow soon looking to expand your families and know that we are available to assist you in anyway.

Boys of St. Dominic's

Finally found some more pictures of the boys in Trinidad who first generated our interest in international adoptions.

My 50th Birthday Gift From Our Kids

Thanks Rob and Dede for getting me into this blogging thing! It has been lots of fun and I have learned some new things about computers. I guess I have had too much time on my hands to post this slideshow! Gotta get back to Moscow soon! Andy and Ashley made this slideshow for my 50th birthday and it was a complete surprise. I thought as new parents ya'll might get a giggle out of what your children could do to you at later date. Oh by the way, this slideshow is one of my most cherished gifts from our children.

Paka!

Dinia

Still Chillin in Bama

Sweet Home Alabama

Ron and I are still in Alabama awaiting visa renewals. While it is nice to be home and have a chance to visit with family and friends we are anxious to return to Moscow. Best wishes to those that are traveling now or will be soon. We check email often, and even if we are not back in country we will be more then happy to arrange a contact person for anyone in Moscow that would like to see some of the sights ie the great buys at the outdoor market and some of the best BBQ in Russia.

I am trying to upload to a slideshow some photos our kids put together when I hit the big 50 so all you young adoptive couples will have a preview of what your child could put you through in the future!

Paka!

Dinia

St Dominic Photos

Hi. I'm Ashley, Ron and Dinia's daughter. I stole their info so I could put some pictures of the boys from St. Dominic's up for them. Unfortunately, I can't find many good pictures electronically and the good hard copies have been put in scrapebooks already. Mom should have some more pictures coming soon though. The boys from St Dominic's hold a special place in my heart also. I have always been interested in adopting and after having spent time with these boys I look foward to one day bringing home such a child. However, that's in the far distant future sometime after graduation and finding a decent job.

Christmas (2007) in Sweet Home Alabama

Greetings from our homestate of Alabama! It is truly interesting times for TNK-BP secondees in Moscow at the moment. As all of you working through the adoption process are fully aware sometimes things get bogged down in redtape in Russia and it seems it also happens in the oil industry. Ron and I are currently in Alabama waiting on visa renewals but hope to return to Russia soon. In the meantime, I just wanted to let anyone that is passing through Moscow soon know that we have a group of friends that are standing by to be of assistance to you. If you would like a friendly ear in Moscow drop us an email, and we can connect you with someone there that would be more then glad to meet you and share Moscow with you from the viewpoint of an expat living in your childs birth country.

Thanks Ashley for posting the slideshow of St. Dominics!

Paka!

Dinia and Ron

The Reason Behind Our Interest In International Adoptions

It has truly been a pleasure to have the opportunity to meet adoptive couples traveling in and out of Moscow. The thought occured to me that some of you might be wondering why Ron and I are interested in international adoptions. One of the perks of living overseas is the opportunity to be a "accompanying spouse" and experience a new culture. While living in Trinidad we became involved with a children's orphanage and had the time of our lives! Our "baby" had just left the nest and we were new emptynesters so it was easy to fall in love with the boys at the children's home. For two years we were sponsors to a young man that just stole our heart and became part of our family. Adoptions are rare in Trinidad as parental rights are rarely entirely severed and unfortunately second generation children are not uncommon in the home. We were blessed with an amazing relationship with the houseparent and were often allowed to take the boys on outings. One of the hardest parts about leaving Trinidad was saying goodbye to the boys, and it was a delight to return about a year later and surprise the boys. To this day we have a teddy bear that we keep close by to remind us of the special young men of St. Dominic's Children Home. If I can ever sort out how ya'll upload pictures to BubbleShare I will share some photos of the boys. So there...that is part of our motivation, and the rest is just the delight in meeting you guys as you work through the adoption process. You are our heroes!

Paka!

Dinia and Ron

Safety Security and Sergey Posad

SAFETY SECURITY AND SERGEY POSAD

CAMPFIRE IN THE FOREST OF SERGEY POSAD

Well...It seems I have become a bit too relaxed in my outings around Moscow. Last week I lost my cell phone from my coat pocket while on Starry Arbat. I used my phone, put it in my coat pocket, and after I returned home it was gone. You would think after what happened to Mark and Sinzina's camera I would have been more careful. At any rate, let me say that for the most part we feel totally secure walking about the city. I hate being in the car when traffic is heavy so we walk or use the metro more then we use the car. Now I will be more careful and remember to store my phone in an inside pocket.

I also wanted to mention the possibility of a day trip to Sergey Posad, especially for those of you that choose to remain in Moscow between your court date and Gotcha dates. Sergey Posad is about a hour and half outside of Moscow and a wonderful day trip if your schedule allows. Let us know and we will fill you in details of a day trip to Sergey Posad.

Ron and I are enjoying receiving emails and comments on the blog spot from new couples. Even if we are not in town when you travel to Moscow I am pretty certain that we can connect you with an expat. We wish you all the best as you move through the adoption process.

Paka

Dinia and Ron

Our Favorite Weekend Haunt

The craft market just outside of the city centre. Local crafts and some of the best shaslik in town. Vendors from Old Arbat come here on Wednesday to buy in bulk for resale in the city centre.

Singing ladies at the craft market.

Ron and I returned on Friday from a short break to Dubai for some sun and relaxation to discover our first email from an adoptive couple since Rob and Dede left. We were thrilled to hear that Mark and Sinzina would be arriving on Saturday and up for a trip to the market. Fortunately their apartment was close to ours and shortly after they arrived we were on the metro and headed out to Izmaylovo craft market. Mark and Sinzina did a great job describing the market on their blog, and about the only thing they did not get to experience was the shaslik which is reason enough for a trip out there. We have been known to arrive on the Delta flight and head straight to the market for lunch. At any rate, it was a pleasure to meet another adoptive couple and we hope to hear from others in the future!

Living in and visiting Russia

Andy and Ashey in front of ice sculpture in Izhevsk, Russia created for the New Year.

Ron has been working for BP/Amoco his entire career. Currently he is Well Control Manager for the joint venture of TNK-BP. Ron enjoys his job, but after 30 years in the industry finds himself looking forward to the retirement years.

I have often been asked what I do with my time here in Russia. One of my favorite things is visiting the Children's Cancer Hospital here in Moscow. On a recent visit I got to visit with a family in their room. My Russian is horrible, but I was able to determine the child's name, age and that she was the youngest of three girls in the family. When I shared my name and age the mom giggled and told me her age. Russian women can sometimes be secretive about their age so I thought it special that she shared this with me.

Andy is now married but has visited Russia once. One of my favorite memories of him in Russia was while we were cross country skiing. We have found Russians seldom make eye contact with you on the street, but they were amused by our cross country skiing efforts. While in Izhevsk Andy and Ashley visited a middle school and chatted with the students.

Ashley's most recent trip to Russia was Thanksgiving 2007 at which point she declared she had seen all the tourist sites and wanted to go sledding. I will make a long story short and just say never trust icy ponds in November!!

At any rate, as I have already mentioned this blog site was established as a way of making contacts with adoptive families. Ron and I would like all adoptive families to know our door in Moscow is always open to you. We wish you the best as you go through the adoption process

Paka!

Dinia and Ron

About Our Family

Ron, Dinia, Dr. Andrew Warren, Dr. Kasey Wilson Warren, and Ashley

Rob and Dede encouraged me to try blogging, and I see it as a great way to intoduce ourselves to other adoptive couples. It has been a blast sharing a bit of Moscow with Rob and Dede, and we hope to hear from other adoptive couples in the future.

May 27, 2007 was a huge day for our family as our oldest married fellow classmate Kasey Kay Wilson from Lawrence, Kansas. Home for us is in Alabama and the wedding was our first trip to Kansas. I think all weddings need a bit of drama, and our wedding drama was our daughter oversleeping and missing an early morning flight to the big event. Several phone calls later, and with a lot of excitment Ashley arrived in time for the rehersal dinner with her Grandmother in tow.

Ashley has wanted to be a vet since she was about 8 years old. She is now within 16 months of reaching her goal. We will soon have 3 doctors in our family so our pets and eyes should be covered in the near future. Currently Ashley is the proud owner of three dogs (one she claims is a foster dog), three cats, and two rats or perhaps I should say ferrets.

As I mentined earlier Ron and I have been married 32 years and we can see retirement days ahead! At last count we have moved some 23 times within those 32 years. Home for us has been New Orleans, Houston, Egypt, Scotland, Trinidad and Tobago, Izhevsk, Russia, London and now Moscow.

About Us

Hi!


After meeting Rob and Dede on my recent return flight to Moscow I have decided to give blogging a try. Since this is my first attempt please forgive the mistakes.


Ron and I have been married for 32 years and have a newly married son (age 28) and a daughter (age 25). In May of 2007 Andy graduated from the University of Houston School of Optomery, and two weeks later married in Kansas. Ashley is a third year vet student at the University of Auburn. Andy and Ashley have both visited us in Russia.

We are starting our 5th year involved with projects here Russia through TNK-BP. Our first two years were in Izhevsk, followed by a short posting in London before returning to Russia in November 2006. I have always enjoyed chatting with new adoptive parents on the Delta flights between the US and Russia. After living in Trinidad where we were actively involved with a children's orphangage we certainly can relate to the need for international adoptions.


Hopefully, we were able to provide Rob and Dede with additional insights to the home country of their new son through our perspective of American expats living in Russia. So......if you find yourselves in Russia with time on your hands please know we are willing to share this wonderful country with you.