Tuesday night, our attorneys here took us and our Lifeline team to an authentic Bulgarian restaurant. It was an hour away. I can't tell you how bad that was. Not the restaurant, but the drive. People drive CRAZY here. I mean, I think there may be traffic laws, but nobody follows them. I don't even know why lanes are marked, because I have yet to see one of these huge electric streetcars actually stay in its lane. There's more jerking around than a bumper car ride, and more stopping and starting than and game of red light/green light. So . . . all that to say that I've been car sick a lot this week. When we left for the restaurant, we just thought we were going somewhere in the city. But we kept driving, and driving, and driving, until we started going up the mountain. By this time, we'd been going for 50 minutes strong, and I felt like I was on a tilt-a-whirl for the 5th go around.
After another 10 minutes of going up the mountain, we made it. Snow was everywhere. From the outside, you could tell we were going somewhere that was very Bulgarian-ish. The waiters were dressed in authentic attire, and the food was as Bulgarian as you can get. This made us kind of nervous, but to my surprise, it was actually very good. We all shared these huge platters of food that had roasted peppers, chicken kabobs, some kind of chicken meatballs (can't tell you much about those . . . I don't eat unidentified ground up meat), pork steaks, and different sauces and breads. The real treat was when the waiters and waitresses, along with the Bulgarian band, broke out in song and dance. For a minute, I felt like I was in the lower-class section of the Titanic with all of the pan flutes and violins and drums. You've seen that part where Rose slips down there with Jack when she's not supposed to be hangin' with him? She has the time of her life, and I seriously felt pretty in-the-moment when they started all of this jivin'. I didn't think it was gonna get any better, until one of the dudes came and got Craig and took him up to the stage. People, Craig now knows how to do a Bulgarian dance in front of a lot of people. I wish so badly that I had a picture or video to show here, but unfortunately I left my phone in the car and didn't take it in. Craig took some pictures of the inside, though . . .
Before it was all over, he and I both were up dancing in the big circle with all the others, and it was just lots of fun. I guess it was good to let go for a bit and be a little goofy.
Today we got to take Maya out of the orphanage for a little while to take her to get a picture made for her Visa. Car seat? Nope. I don't even think they use them here. I haven't noticed one in any cars, and I've looked. Maybe they do, but we weren't even offered one. She hung out with Craig in the back seat on the way . . .
It's obvious she hasn't been in a car much. She got a little sick on the way and upchucked a tiny bit. No biggie, though. We cleaned her up, and she was good as knew. We took her back to the orphanage and played for the rest of the visit. Our afternoon visit was really sweet. We introduced her to music. I had some worship music on my phone that she listened to, along with a 'Les Miseables' song or two. She seemed to really like it. She'd get still every now and then and just seem to listen. Be sure to watch the video that's on here. Her laugh is PRECIOUS.
Before I get to the pics of today's visit, I wanted to show you where she spends her time when she's not with us. This is her crib . . .
And here's the happy pics and the video. I'll leave you with these. But first, keep praying for us about our leaving her on Friday. With everyday that passes, we realize a little more how incredibly hard it will be to walk away without her.
Thanks, again, for all of the support and encouragement from blog comments and Facebook comments and messages. We cherish every one!
Love,
Paige
Paige, please know that Craig and you will be even more in my prayers this Friday as you prepare to leave without being able to take Maya with you. Rest assured, however, that we serve a mighty God and that he will provide His strength to carry you through all that might come your way.
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