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!