The Lundy 5

Just wanted to share our good news in the continuing saga of our ceiling/water leak. After a torturous 2 weeks of looking at a partial ceiling and some attractive 100 year old pipes hoping water would soon pour out again so we could locate/fix the leak with no luck and wondering if someone's just playing an elaborate joke on us, the rain finally came. Outside it was a beautiful spring day, while inside - el nino! Anyway, more of the ceiling came down and we found the elusive culprit. With our insurance check in hand, we can finally go forward and get this house back in working order! Not many would appreciate the waterfall in the dining room, but at the Lundy home it's a cause for celebration. It's almost a shame it has to be fixed. Yeah, I think the lead paint dust has gotten to my head. Anyway, just wanted to share. And of course this will find it's way into my scrapbook soon.

Well, I keep saying I should write a book. Our family just has the most bizarre things happen, and always all at once. If I believed in luck, I'd say ours was bad, but it always turns out good somehow. So here's yet another chapter in the life of a Lundy. We bought a new old house, built in 1908. Big, beautiful, but old. So it fails every inspection and we fix gas leaks, roof leaks, termites, etc. So all is well. We move in 3 days ago. One toilet doesn't work, the sinks have very low pressure, no place for the microwave or fridge, one sink leaks easily and floods the floor, tub drains very slowly, some phone jacks don't work, etc. All little things DH can fix, so no problem, just inconvenience. So tonight we came home to a serious rainstorm in the dining room. I mean pouring through the ceiling with serious force. Something happened in the upstairs bathroom, but there's not a leak. Minor issues (there are always issues with us) with the hom...

Whenever you're bored (or in a rotten mood), I've found a cure! 1. Start with a boxer puppy. If you don't have one, borrow one. 2. Go buy your 2-yr-old (again can be borrowed) a pair of sandals that light up when you walk. Preferably the little red lights that look just like the infamous red dot. 3. Then place the shoes on the child and let the dog loose! Great fun! I have video! Sydney chased Josh all over the house and all three of us loved it! Don't worry, she never catches the red dot, so she didn't get Josh too bad! He stayed on his feet anyway. And they say stay at home moms don't work!

Day 1 - Sunday, Oct 14 We were met at the airport by Gregory who took us to the Stemples' home.  (Friends of the Purperos and wonderful people.)  They showed us around Kiev I read that Kiev is 1500 years old.   They were very generous and great!  (Thanks so much!)  Our only pictures we have of them came from the video camera.     Day 2 - Monday, Oct 15 Hello everyone! We're here (in Ukraine) safe and sound.  The plane ride was very uneventful (a little frisking went on though!) Today, we went to the National Adoption Center and looked through books and books of available children of all ages, so very depressing. First, we had one of our MANY waits outside a building :  Then, we had one of our MANY MORE waits inside (both just as cold) :     We read a lot about bringing gifts with us.  Ukrainians are supposedly known for giving/receiving gifts.   They were recommended for the Adoption Center Di...

Day 8 - Sunday, Oct 21 Today, we went to Mass at the Lavra, the second oldest and biggest and most beautiful church in Kiev.  It's actually a complex of churches, monasteries, bell towers... and has almost 10 0 historical buildings. The view from the Bell Tower:  We have pics. It was amazing. No idea what they were saying but it was breath-taking! The buildings here are beautiful. The churches are centuries old. We toured the area, there are many churches, museums, caves, monks... There were mummified monks and warriors from the 11th century on in open coffins down in the caves! Culture shock! I guess the monks spent their lives underground praying.  I  had to cover my head with a scarf (yeah, had to buy one) to enter the area because it was so holy.  We lit a candle for Josh and Avery down in one area of a cave and prayed for them. Our fellow River Valley-ites should get a kick out of this!     The Military Museum had huge, amazing stat...