So here's the short of it, 
Liga turned 25 today. 

And here's the long.

Twenty-five years ago today, Liga was born in Latvia.  At the time it was a part of the old Soviet Union, but there were already rumblings of independence the spring before she was born.

Now all these years later, she's in Jerusalem with a whole bunch of other young adults her age on an exploration.  What she's exploring? - I suppose that's different for each young adult on the trip.  Perhaps it's her faith, maybe her own independence, maybe it's the country itself - maybe in the end it will be about something none of us can at this time even imagine.

I think it's highly appropriate to turn the quarter century mark half way around the world in an adventurous way.  I hope it's everything she could wish for.

Happy Birthday, dear daughter!  

Happy Birthday to you.

So here's the short of it, 
Anniversary today...


And here's the long.

Eighteen years ago today - around lunch time- Victor drove us from our hotel in Riga out into the country to the Incukaln Home for Children.  For the first time we met Liga and Valdis and took them back to the hotel for our first day together.




These are very early pictures we had of the children.  We got these pictures maybe in February.  We expected to travel to Latvia in March, then in April, and then we finally travelled the last of May.

This was on May 31, 1994 right after lunch.
Liga remembers that they made them take a shower, which was a stand up affair in a small tub with a hand held sprayer.  She doesn't remember being told that they would be leaving.  She doesn't remember knowing that they would be as she fondly calls it Adoptnapped that day.

There's so much more to the story!  So many memories crammed into that week that took us from Incukaln, to Poland (via Copenhagen), then from Poland to Germany (trouble with officials in the German airport), then from Germany to Atlanta (an airplane that was delayed about 6 hours), a night in Atlanta (with a boy who didn't know what a pool was and had to have his uncle fish him out!), and finally home to Chattanooga, TN.  This picture was taken the first morning after a sleep in their own beds on Tuxedo Circle.

Here they are today at lunch.  Celebrating with us.
He's 24 - She's 25.


And there are so many memories over these last 18 years!

So here's the short of it, 
Nice surprise tonight. 

And here's the long.

Liga worked an early shift and got off by 7 tonight so she stopped by to have some of our leftover dinner.  She got a quick dinner that she didn't have to fix and I got a chance for a nice visit.  So I think that was a win-win! And a lovely surprise.

Sophie and I spent a bit of time this evening working on her fetch the ball trick. She loves to play catch... but when she brings the ball back to me, she doesn't want to let it go to have me throw it for her again. She wants to gnaw on it while I'm holding onto it in her mouth. I want her to learn how to bring it to me and then drop it on the ground so I can pick it up!  Well, this evening, I accidently dropped a piece of the turkey bacon we had for dinner so I tore it into little pieces and took it outside to use as a training treat for dropping the ball.  Sophie could not focus on the task at hand.  She knew I had that bacon, and she did not want to do anything for it but sit and look pretty.  Well, she was really ready to go through the "sit", "shake", "high-five", "lay down", "speak", or even the "wait" tricks that she already knows, but she and I had to have a real conversation before she understood that she was going to have to fetch the ball and bring it back to me and then drop it before she would get the bacon. She was even running around behind me when I put my hand behind my back.  Oh what fun it is to have this wonderful dog!

So here's the short of it, 
What a special day! 

And here's the long.

Today our youngest daughter invited Alan and me to go to lunch, and she picked up the tab!

What a pleasure it is to have our adult daughter think about wanting to treat us, and then following through!  It was a fun lunch at one of our favorite little local spots. Na Go Ya, Chinese restaurant.






Thanks Liga. It was a wonderful lunch and so fun to  see you taking on such an adult role!