We all awoke this morning with a renewed sense of hope and promise! Today is our last day (of our first trip) in Latvia! Viktorija claims, "Tomorrow is my lucky day!". She is beyond excited! I think we all feel the same.
Another good breakfast and then school....again. She chose to do English before Math. She says she now likes Math better than English. That could be the teacher's fault ;-) Mike is a wonderful teacher. I'm just doing my best. Viktorija worked very hard with me today. I think she was trying to make up for yesterday's session. She is slowly improving on her sentence usage and structure. I really am proud of her. She has learned so much in such a short time. I have confidence that she will eventually do quite well in an American school setting. She is so shy with other people. We've been trying to have her order her own meals when we go out to eat, ask questions of others when needed (instead of mom and dad doing the talking for her), etc. She doesn't like doing it, but that's the only way to get more comfortable with it. Overall, I give her an A for all her effort:-)
On our way to pick up Viktorija's VISA today, we took another "walking tour" of a different part of Riga. The temps were up today...a whopping 28 degrees!! Believe it, or not, it really did make a big difference in our tolerance to being outside. The city was bustling with people. It was nice to see. It's amazing what I saw some of the women wearing...short skirts, tights, and high heels, and a lightweight jacket. I guess, to them, this is warm weather. Meanwhile, Viktorija and I were bundled up. We saw some pretty sights. And, I even saw a McDonalds!!! I guess they must have those everywhere. I was not tempted to eat there, however. We stuck with the small cafe we have come to enjoy. And, I even found another small, quaint coffee shop nearby our hotel. Oh, yummy! I have now had my caffene fix for a few days.
When we arrived at the US Embassy, I was elected to stand outside with the camera while Mike and Viktorija went in to take care of business. They wouldn't have let us take a camera in, so I just people-watched outside the gates. When they came back out, they both told me they couldn't get the VISA. Knowing Mike as I do, I thought it was a joke, and didn't pay it much attention. Soon I realized they were telling me the truth:-( There was a problem on the American side of things and she couldn't get her VISA yet. UGH!! Of course, Viktorija was asking, "will I be able to go to America?" I was secretly a bit nervous, as our attorney happened to be at the Embassy with another adopting family and she stated that this rarely ever happens. She assured us all would be fine. We returned to the hotel and waited. Since the embassy closes at 5:00 (and it was 3:30) at this time, we just had to leave it in God's hands. At 5:00 on the dot, we received the call from our attorney that she had Viktorija's VISA and passport in her hand. Praise the Lord for that! Viktorija was so happy when our attorney brought it to our hotel that she hugged Daina (attorney) and thanked her for helping her be able to go home to America. She was so excited, she asked Mike to take a picture of her holding her "pass" to return home with her parents.
As we are winding down this evening, on our last night in Latvia, I am so thankful to God for our journey. We have learned a lot about faith and each other through all of this. I also feel so very blessed and thankful for my family and friends and I'm thankful to be an AMERICAN! To have the privileges we do is something I don't take for granted. I told Mike I now understand why some people returning to the USA kiss the ground:-) I feel like I could do the same. We are excited to continue this journey at home with our new daughter....Viktorija Hope Vanhoy! As we adjust to our new lives and all of the ups and downs that will come with it, I ask that you continue to pray for our family, and for Viktorija's salvation. We thank you all again for your love and support. We will see you very soon:-) I'll post a blog to let you all know that we arrrived home safely.
With much love and gratitude,
Julie, Mike, and Viktorija
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