So Marius got his visa today and he along with the rest of us are super happy! It truly has been a miracle process! I just feel honored that I was able to be part of this. I wanted to post this video for all of Marius's girls friends. You know who you are. Ladies we are so lucky to have this boy. I hope you enjoy this video as much as we do.
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Saturday, July 19, 2008
Passports!!! the most amazing day!
Hello family and friends! So this week has been an odd one because as each day ended I became more and more aware that I have one day less left here. As a result I have been focusing a lot on the use of my time, which has in turn slowed time down. I am not sure if this is a good or a bad thing but I think in the future it will be a good thing. I will have just that many more memories.
Although it sounded like a lot of fun I realized I would be way too anxious if I spent any more time away from my kids then I already have. So I opted to stay and as a result Melissa and I have almost worked ourselves to death trying to make up for their absence. As I write this I realize that it seems like I am complaining but in all reality I have absolutely loved it. When I get anxious hard work is just the thing I need to balance myself out and I got my fair does this week. Melissa and I have been spending a lot of time getting things ready for Marius to leave to 
that we thought would just match his eyes perfectly along with a pair of pants and some sandals. Just as we were ringing up our order, at 
was just not the day. We just ran right past her into the room and got Marius in his new clothes and place him in the foldable wheel chair the orphanage was nice enough to let us barrow. Marius just thought it was the coolest thing in the world. Not only did he have a new outfit but also he had a hot new ride. I think if the day would have ended right there he could not have been happier but of course it just got better. As we all piled into the taxi Marius just got this huge grin on his face that would not go away. He kept hugging his big brother who he adore as he asked us about all of the things outside. At that moment I realized that not only was this Marius’s first time away from the hospital in 8 months but it was also the first time he had ever been in a city. You seen the town he is from is about the same size and the village I told you about last week. He had never seen a tram nor ridden in a taxi. He just loved it! As we waited at the passport office while Inouts and Teo filled out paper work Marius played the DS to keep his mind off of things and the people who kept looking 
at him. Truly yet another way that DS has been a blessing (Pete you were without a doubt directed to get that for him). It only took us and hour to get the passport, which blew Melissa and me away. It was so ironic that the most inefficient place I have ever been could get a passport done in an hour just mind boggling. Marius was so excited about the passport he would not let anyone else hold it except for when we fed him his first Swarma (the Romanian version of a kebab). Truly it was the most amazing day. I just feel honored I was there witnessing it. That smile on Marius’s face when we were in the taxi is something that has forever changed me. I think I witnessed an emotion that has never before been defined something much more brilliant then joy.
simply the cutest boys hand I will ever hold
even though he is not smiling he is happy I promise.
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Andriesen in Photo form
an 80's version of elisa with the priest
these poor horses
the best host in the world Teo (our sister as she says)
cheese is beautiful
the sheep which made the cheese as beautiful
two of the sisters waving goodbye
one of the sisters husbands who told us a very long story about how in america someone asked him what he wanted to drink and he told them is name
all wagon no cars in this town
the librarian and her parents who gave us a cross stitch off their wall
needless to say this one is for you mm
the honey man also collects broken t.v. this is just a few
a traditional romanian home and couple
andrea and his foster mom. they are just crazy about each other. we met him because he is an orphan from the orphanage we work in. meeting him made me realize that happy endings are a reality and well worth believing in.
the veg. oil maker
the church that started it allThese are the people in the best neighborhood int he world!
Hello world! So I have a very wonderful place to tell you about this week. Remember back when I attended the funeral for my child Marian in a town called Andrieseni? Well while we were there they made us promise that we would return and this past weekend we did just that. After searching for a maxi taxi, aka a bus taxi that went to Andrieseni, we headed on our way. From the moment we stepped off the bus to the moment that we left wonderful thing after
wonderful thing seemed to happen. It reminded me a lot of when I went to Peru with my uncle Jack and sister Cory a few years back with a humanitarian group. I remember pulling up in our bus and just being blasted with confetti and flowers from the moment we arrived to the second we left. The people in this small two of Andrieseni were just as gracious. I have thought and thought of how to tell you about what we experienced there and I have realized that there are not to express the kindness that we were shown. It was one of those experiences that you would have to be there to believe it. Regardless, I will try and do my best to give you a little taste of what I saw and felt. I think the best way of doing this will be to tell you about some of the people I came in contact with. So here they are I hope you love them as much as I did.
One of the first people who really affected me, of course not counting the priest and his family who are truly some of the most Christ like people I have yet to meet, was the Beekeeper.
Teo our hostess took us all throughout the town to meet the various people that contributed unique things to the feel of the town, the beekeeper was one of these people. When we pulled up to his house, on the buggy we road on the whole time, he was waiting out back with his bees. The priest came with us but sadly had to abruptly leave because he was stung by a bee… go figure. He was so excited to 
see us that he happily showed us not only the honeycomb but also his coy pond, cactus garden, green house, and a series of landscapes he had done. During this whole time his mother just walked around with us smiling at all of her sons accomplishments. After our Mr. Rogers like tour of beekeeping they sat us down and made us eat one cup full of honey each, this was of course after we had all ready been served two 3 course meal in a two hour period. I personally loved it and when our buggy trotted away I struck with how giving this man was, but this giving did not stop that night he brought us 5 L. of honey as a gift. Of course at our next stop, just like the ones that had come before, the people were extraordinarily nice 
and they cut down all of their flowers in their garden to give to us because they had nothing else to offer… mom they were all bulb flowers. Anyways another stop that absolutely did me in happened the next day after we camped out in front of the church, which was wonderful because I got to see the stars all night long. We pulled up to a small house with a huge garden and a bunch of old people just poured out. As it turns out 6 elderly sisters who grew up in the house get together and spend each summer together tending their land. I thought it was a wonderful idea and they were so nice. What was more surprising is that they had planned on leaving the previous day but had heard we were in town and changed their travel plans so they could feed us lunch which was far to kind of them because we had already been fed lunch by another family just and hour earlier. I just loved these old ladies so much they all seemed like such beautiful free spirits. They insisted on walking us threw their fields before we left and sent us off with a bucket full of fruits they had shook from the tree. I am sorry that I only have time to talk about this small 
handful of people I have so much more to say but alas I don’t think anyone has time to read it. I guess what I really learned is that the world is full of beautiful giving people. And I personally found that Romanian culture really does have something on my own.
Other then that the highlight of my week was talking to my mom and dad while they were at my Grandma Thelys’s house celebrating her homecoming from a mission she just served in Chili. While I talked to them as a family they pulled up my blog and were asking me questions about various pictures and experiences. Needless to say it made me feel like a million bucks and grateful that I have a family who loves me very much.
-elisa
wonderful thing seemed to happen. It reminded me a lot of when I went to Peru with my uncle Jack and sister Cory a few years back with a humanitarian group. I remember pulling up in our bus and just being blasted with confetti and flowers from the moment we arrived to the second we left. The people in this small two of Andrieseni were just as gracious. I have thought and thought of how to tell you about what we experienced there and I have realized that there are not to express the kindness that we were shown. It was one of those experiences that you would have to be there to believe it. Regardless, I will try and do my best to give you a little taste of what I saw and felt. I think the best way of doing this will be to tell you about some of the people I came in contact with. So here they are I hope you love them as much as I did.One of the first people who really affected me, of course not counting the priest and his family who are truly some of the most Christ like people I have yet to meet, was the Beekeeper.
Teo our hostess took us all throughout the town to meet the various people that contributed unique things to the feel of the town, the beekeeper was one of these people. When we pulled up to his house, on the buggy we road on the whole time, he was waiting out back with his bees. The priest came with us but sadly had to abruptly leave because he was stung by a bee… go figure. He was so excited to 
see us that he happily showed us not only the honeycomb but also his coy pond, cactus garden, green house, and a series of landscapes he had done. During this whole time his mother just walked around with us smiling at all of her sons accomplishments. After our Mr. Rogers like tour of beekeeping they sat us down and made us eat one cup full of honey each, this was of course after we had all ready been served two 3 course meal in a two hour period. I personally loved it and when our buggy trotted away I struck with how giving this man was, but this giving did not stop that night he brought us 5 L. of honey as a gift. Of course at our next stop, just like the ones that had come before, the people were extraordinarily nice 
and they cut down all of their flowers in their garden to give to us because they had nothing else to offer… mom they were all bulb flowers. Anyways another stop that absolutely did me in happened the next day after we camped out in front of the church, which was wonderful because I got to see the stars all night long. We pulled up to a small house with a huge garden and a bunch of old people just poured out. As it turns out 6 elderly sisters who grew up in the house get together and spend each summer together tending their land. I thought it was a wonderful idea and they were so nice. What was more surprising is that they had planned on leaving the previous day but had heard we were in town and changed their travel plans so they could feed us lunch which was far to kind of them because we had already been fed lunch by another family just and hour earlier. I just loved these old ladies so much they all seemed like such beautiful free spirits. They insisted on walking us threw their fields before we left and sent us off with a bucket full of fruits they had shook from the tree. I am sorry that I only have time to talk about this small 
handful of people I have so much more to say but alas I don’t think anyone has time to read it. I guess what I really learned is that the world is full of beautiful giving people. And I personally found that Romanian culture really does have something on my own.Other then that the highlight of my week was talking to my mom and dad while they were at my Grandma Thelys’s house celebrating her homecoming from a mission she just served in Chili. While I talked to them as a family they pulled up my blog and were asking me questions about various pictures and experiences. Needless to say it made me feel like a million bucks and grateful that I have a family who loves me very much.
-elisa
Sunday, July 13, 2008
Just a lot of progress with my boyz!
I would like to begin my saying Happy 4th of July! For you that know me well know that this is my holiday of choice. I missed each and everyone of you and tried to shut out the missing by eating corn bread as you will see it worked a little.
I just glanced over my blog to insure that I don’t tell you a story you have already heard and I realized that my l
ife here really does center around a few key people, Marius and Alex. So if you don’t like hearing about these boys I must ask you right here and now to stop reading because this email will not be all that interesting for you. So here you go… We have been waiting for months to see if Marius’s brother is granted custody of Marius because his going to America for treatment depends upon it. This week, after all of our waiting, we 
got the good news! When Teo got the call she went running around the orphanage looking for me and when I finally saw her she was down the hall. I have never seen someone jump so high in my whole life. She just came jumping down the hall on the verge of tears shouting, “Elisa we got it”. Although Marius has been through so much seeing Teo’s reaction left me with no doubt that he is a very loved boy. Truly that is only a reaction a mother can have. So now we just have to wait for the papers to arrive in the mail, which because we are in Romania can take up to a month! Oh the woes of post communist life. No need to worry though he will be able to get his treatment now and someday Marius will have his face back and sweet prosthetic hands.
Tuesday the 8th of July was a very important day that Alex and I have been looking forward to for weeks now. It was his tenth birthday! I have been trying to figure out what to get his for a while. This was not the easiest thing since he cannot talk but I narrowed it down to balloons and a big horse. Now the trick was finding both of these things. I planned on spending all Saturday getting things ready for his birthday but I was hit with a bad case of the flu. I spent two whole days in bed with a high fever which luckily only lasted two days and left me with an hour on Monday to make Alex’s birthday dreams come true. Things worked out perfectly. We bought all 19 balloons the store had and got the biggest and only stuffed animal horse we could find. When we got to the orphanage on Tuesday morning we blew up all of the balloons and walked in one by one into his room holding them. As each girl entered Alex’s smile just got bigger and bigger. I thought it little eyes might blow up. It was truly a great birthday and to make things ever better Alex was dressed in a tuxedo that the orphanage just happens to have.
The last thing of note is that my little baby Christi was in the hospital for some tests which means we got to see him and got to take pictures of him! Although it was good
for us Christi did not like it one little bit. I did not get to see him the first day because I had other responsibilities to attend to but the other girls said he was really upset about being there. It seems as though when I saw him the next day his love of he hospital had not increased at all. When I walked in he was just crying and crying. I picked him up to find that he along with his mattress was covered with pee. We was very upset because something like this would never of happened at the Orphanage. I changed him as quickly as possible and after that he was just fine as long as we were holding him. Seeing Christi so scarred like this made me so grateful yet again for the Orphanage where he is taken care of. Although it is not the most ideal care it is so much better then it could be. They really do the best with what they have. Seeing him there also made me think a lot about how I will be leaving in just three weeks to go home and start me new life. I remember the first time I left I was so stressed about leaving my kids and what would happen to them but this time I am not scarred at all. I know that they will be taken care of. I know that other girls will come and will love my children just as much as I did. It is funny how much things can change with time. As for now I am off. I am sorry that this took so much time to get to you but life has been crazy.
with much love!
-elisa
I just glanced over my blog to insure that I don’t tell you a story you have already heard and I realized that my l
ife here really does center around a few key people, Marius and Alex. So if you don’t like hearing about these boys I must ask you right here and now to stop reading because this email will not be all that interesting for you. So here you go… We have been waiting for months to see if Marius’s brother is granted custody of Marius because his going to America for treatment depends upon it. This week, after all of our waiting, we 
got the good news! When Teo got the call she went running around the orphanage looking for me and when I finally saw her she was down the hall. I have never seen someone jump so high in my whole life. She just came jumping down the hall on the verge of tears shouting, “Elisa we got it”. Although Marius has been through so much seeing Teo’s reaction left me with no doubt that he is a very loved boy. Truly that is only a reaction a mother can have. So now we just have to wait for the papers to arrive in the mail, which because we are in Romania can take up to a month! Oh the woes of post communist life. No need to worry though he will be able to get his treatment now and someday Marius will have his face back and sweet prosthetic hands.Tuesday the 8th of July was a very important day that Alex and I have been looking forward to for weeks now. It was his tenth birthday! I have been trying to figure out what to get his for a while. This was not the easiest thing since he cannot talk but I narrowed it down to balloons and a big horse. Now the trick was finding both of these things. I planned on spending all Saturday getting things ready for his birthday but I was hit with a bad case of the flu. I spent two whole days in bed with a high fever which luckily only lasted two days and left me with an hour on Monday to make Alex’s birthday dreams come true. Things worked out perfectly. We bought all 19 balloons the store had and got the biggest and only stuffed animal horse we could find. When we got to the orphanage on Tuesday morning we blew up all of the balloons and walked in one by one into his room holding them. As each girl entered Alex’s smile just got bigger and bigger. I thought it little eyes might blow up. It was truly a great birthday and to make things ever better Alex was dressed in a tuxedo that the orphanage just happens to have.
The last thing of note is that my little baby Christi was in the hospital for some tests which means we got to see him and got to take pictures of him! Although it was good
for us Christi did not like it one little bit. I did not get to see him the first day because I had other responsibilities to attend to but the other girls said he was really upset about being there. It seems as though when I saw him the next day his love of he hospital had not increased at all. When I walked in he was just crying and crying. I picked him up to find that he along with his mattress was covered with pee. We was very upset because something like this would never of happened at the Orphanage. I changed him as quickly as possible and after that he was just fine as long as we were holding him. Seeing Christi so scarred like this made me so grateful yet again for the Orphanage where he is taken care of. Although it is not the most ideal care it is so much better then it could be. They really do the best with what they have. Seeing him there also made me think a lot about how I will be leaving in just three weeks to go home and start me new life. I remember the first time I left I was so stressed about leaving my kids and what would happen to them but this time I am not scarred at all. I know that they will be taken care of. I know that other girls will come and will love my children just as much as I did. It is funny how much things can change with time. As for now I am off. I am sorry that this took so much time to get to you but life has been crazy.
with much love!-elisa
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
The Top 20 Pictures well I mean more...! Here you go!
Good work Charla this is all of us!
The cold I had with a scary Jaron bear in the background
Sweet glasses
Just funny really.
Pest
Sleeper train! I took 4 of them this trip
He is everywhere! Krakow
Krakow
Even sweeter!
so sweet, Krakow
Jewish grave yard
The family name well almost... I found them mom.
This speaks for itself... amazing
Beauty (found on a wall in the Jewish sector), krakow
Jeff hates when Charla and I talk we on the other hand love it
Good friends on the roof in a hostel
Sweet!
My fav. Church in Krakow
The best tag I found
Some tricky subway tags
Buda
Two some what Jewish girls in the great synogauge, Hungary
Budapest at night
This one is so for alex
Bridges in Budapest
Romanian Country Side by Train
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