WARNING ... extensive journal entry today!

Our final morning in Russia has arrived. We were up around 6am with excitement flowing. Everyone but Christina as she was to follow about an hour later (she never unpacked from our arrival here in Moscow so no need to rise early plus I don't think she has slept well here in Moscow). We can't describe the joy of the dawn of this day. We get to go home. We get to go home with two new family members and a niece who's been homesick for 10 days now. We get to go home and have a BBQ, cole slaw, boiled potatoes and iced tea.

It didn't take long to pack up. Much of our 'stuff' was never unpacked other than for the boys and their stuff. But once they saw us gathering things, they were on it immediately. Their 'dresser' was ripped open and everything came out and into their backpacks. Mama, of course, had to unpack and repack them to ensure we were carrying those things on the plane that were necessary. She did so as I took the boys out for a final walk in front of the hotel. The morning was cool again; cloudy with a slight breeze. Most Russians had their jackets on and wondered why this man with two boys, they with jackets, didn't seem to need a jacket.

Everyone, except Christina, enjoyed one last buffet breakfast. The boys ate well; Carol did not. She, I believe, was suffering from the stress of activities here in Moscow and the slightly strained interaction with our interpreter. I've not shared much about the interpreter here and will not. Just suffice it to say that we need to be a little more in control of what happens other than the specifics of our paperwork and preparation to leave. The tolerance level we've had to exhibit was a tad bit higher than expected and it wears on your nerves and hospitality. Carol was able to nibble on breakfast but three days of not really wanting to eat was taking its toll. She was getting weak and tired. It wouldn't take too many more events to cause her own meltdown I feared. Insert more prayer. May God grant us the patience we need to get ourselves home in a stable state. This was going to be a long day.

After breakfast it was time to do the final packing preparation ... getting all the luggage flight ready. Carol took the boys for a walk around the hotel grounds while I worked to prepare everything for the trip. Christina was a big help as she has been this whole trip. We were very fortunate to consider to invite her and subsequently more fortunate she and her mother, Annetta, were able to secure all the paperwork in such a short time to allow her to travel. Thanks, Annetta. We would have sustained a much greater stress level throughout the time with the boys had Christina not been with us. And we're sure that her memories of this trip will last a lifetime. Two weeks is a long time for a 13 yr. old girl, especially learning to live in a country where all the food is different and you can't understand the language. ... The luggage was closed and placed in the hall in preparation for our exit.

We were to be picked up at 10am so we headed down to the lobby at 0930. There had been a LOT of people staying at the hotel this week and the morning crunch to depart had been huge. Luckily for us, this morning was not near the numbers I'd seen recently. We were able to check-out in 10 minutes and stop by the tourist shops to pick up a few things. Christina had not wanted to buy anything the whole trip despite my continued reminders; however, today she decided it was time to buy a couple of things. The tourist stores in the hotel had the right momentos of course so this exercise didn't take long. Tonya and Vladimir arrived just before 10am.

We departed for Sheremetyvo at 10am and arrived at 1040. The ride was joyous. Smiles abounded on our faces as everyone was anxious to get on the plane and depart. I tried to soak it all in. There is a certain way you feel when you know you're doing something for the last time. You want to remember it all and try to hard to fill your senses. That was my state. My eyes were darting about from inside the van where my wonderful growing family was to left and right around the scenes departing Moscow. There was downtown, the park, the river, the outer beltway, the cars, the billboards, the smoking Russians on the corner, the stray dogs hunting through trash bins, the low grey clouds awaiting our entrance and finally the airport.

Sheremetyvo was bustling with activity this morning. Many more people here today than when we left on Friday, July 23rd. Plus the additional security measures due to the plane disasters associated with Domodedovo Airport were adding to the stress and confusion. From the first line, which was outside the building and into the loading area, it took us 2 hrs and 30 minutes to clear all the checkpoints, check-in, and Passport Control. There were a total of 8 lines we had to endure. A couple of them were merely quick look-n-see type checkpoints but the others were major. The Russians were hand checking all checked luggage. Many passengers had their entire checked luggage emptied before them and items rigorously viewed and poked. Our security check was not as thorough although each bag was physically checked. We had no problems with our contents. Curiously, however, the carry-ons were not hand-checked even though they were x-rayed four times before we entered the plane.

Now that you read the 2 hrs and 30 minutes from above, guess what bodily activity would have to be dealt with before it elapsed? Yes, Zhenia had to go while we were waiting to have the bags hand-checked. There was no way out of this area without backing to where we'd been waiting and there were literally hundreds of people there waiting behind us. We'd miss our plane if we backed out. Where was the clothes pin when we needed one? :-)

Luckily, Zhenia was not at the frantic stage yet, just the whiney stage. Carol queried a security officer about where a restroom was located; he said we had to finish the hand-check, check-in, and then pass through Passport Control. Time for prayer. Looking ahead, I was calculating 30 minutes, likely the amount of time for a disaster to occur, at least in Zhenia's pants. We were worried. The whining increased as we moved to check-in and I told the clerk that we had a small emergency, 41 inches tall. She looked over the counter and smiled politely. Our plan was to have Zhenia 'let it go' right there in security/check-in if we had to. There was no other choice. We were not going to choose to have wet pants all the way to the US, that, I can assure you. The clerk quickened her actions and got us through in 5 minutes. By this time the lines at Passport Control had collapsed to nothing. Hmmm. Another prayer answered. We hurried to the window and presented our packets of adoption papers. The first test of whether or not we had everything we needed to exit the country was about to start. A few minutes went by. Zhenia, now holding a select portion of his anatomy, showing the strain of rising fluid levels, was getting a bit animated. So there you have Mama and Papa standing before the camera and the Passport Control officer wondering if everything we'd done to this point was sufficient ... not to mention continuously assuring Zhenia that the toilet was right around the corner. Perhaps they have video tape they'd send me. I bet not.

We cleared Passport Control with no questions and sped through the exit gate; Christina and I to the left with our carry-ons, Carol to the right with Sasha and Zhenia, the latter walking in such a way as to bring a sly grin to your face. She made it in time. Hmmm. Another prayer answered.

The next line was for yet another x-ray of carry-ons and walk-through portal, this time at the gate where Delta Flight 31 was being readied. We've been in lines now for two hours. This is well past Zhenia's attention span for any activity. The natives are becoming restless. And I stood there calculating at least another 16 hrs before we'd arrive at RDU. Yes, time for prayer again.

There was a little acting out in this line that consumed 25 minutes of our wait. Carol had taken the boys to some nearby chairs for a change of scene but then we had to swap out so I could walk the young one and give him some instructions on the finer part of behavior control.

Our carry-ons were viewed and a couple selected for hand-check at the gate. Things were a little furious there as I lost control of Sasha (lost having his hand in mine). But everyone made it through ok; Sasha, ever the eldest, was doing marvelously under these circumstances. He listened, obeyed and didn't do anything to require additional attention on our part. Carol had a clamp on Zhenia during this time. I think mothers know how to do this better than fathers. Hmmm. Another prayer answered.

We only had to sit about 15 minutes at the gate area before boarding began but even this was too long for Zhenia. We had to separate the boys and exercise parental maneuvers to maintain control of the situation. Christina sat with a sheepish grin on her face as the new family was learning how to deal with each other.

Flight 31 didn't have near the numbers of children returning to the US that it did on July 23rd. We were surprised at this. There were many more business people on this trip. Our seats were as reserved which had Carol and Zhenia in 40A/B, Sasha and I in 40F/G and Christina in 38E. Yes, we were on opposite sides of the plan with a set of three seats between us in the middle. Carol, just after the doors closed, gestured to the men in 38C/D to see if they wanted to swap with her. They agreed, but only after the take-off. Thus, Carol, Zhenia and Christina had 38C/D/E for the trip home. This was good as it gave us more space to deal with Zhenia for the 11 hrs we were on this plane.

Our exit from the airport was delayed by 15 minutes (yes, I'm counting the minutes!) which was a first for us in Russia ... all flights had departed on time previously. Additionally, one of the runways was still closed for pre-winter maintenance and the new security rules for arrivals took precedence over our departure. We didn't take-off until 1427, at least 45 minutes later than we should have. I watched five planes land with one of those being waved off due to being too close to a previous jet landing. My anxiety is growing. The trip to NY was unusual in its flight pattern as the jet stream was over the usual return path. This meant we'd have an additional half hour of flight to avoid the jet stream by heading further north. Wonderful, let's add another half hour of anxiety on this long day. Time for more prayer.

The more northerly route took us north of Iceland where we met with considerable turbulence for about 20 minutes. It was interesting to watch the boys as the plane bumped, dipped and turned. They would have big eyes and look out the windows for a few seconds and then return to their movie (they had their headsets on). Christina wasn't too fond of the motion, however; the extent of which we didn't realize until much later this day. More on that later. The route took us along the southeastern shore of Greenland. It was clear and a magnificent sight. I've always been impressed when flying to California and getting to view the Sierra Nevada around the Yosemite and Tahoe area but they fail in comparison to the views of the coast of Greenland. Even the pilot let everyone know that we'd have a view of a lifetime today with clear skies and glaciers nearly too numerous to count. He was correct. The plane nearly tilting to starboard with too many people; the passengers were marveling at the view for minutes at the time.

The boys were a contrast of behaviors during the 9 hrs and 45 minutes in the air. Sashsa did extremely well. We couldn't have planned for nor asked for a better situation with him. He never slept and never gave us a problem. Zhenia, well, we could write a book on parenting provided we knew what we were doing. He did have two meltdowns but, all in all, he did better than I thought we'd be exposed to. Hmmm. Another prayer answered.

Adrian Alexander Masher Buie and William Eugeniy Masher Buie became US Citizens at 4:14pm ET as we touched down at JFK airport on Long Island, NY. I can't tell you what anxiety relief there was too see the shores of Long Island coming up to meet us. I pointed out the window for Sasha saying, "Look, it is America." He repeated, "Amerrrr-i-ca." Our journey, while not quite over at this point, felt completed. Many, many prayers answered. We thank all of you who prayed for our safe travel during these two weeks. We know that many of you were more worried than we due to the timing of our trip and the events occuring in Russia (Beslan, airplanes, etc.). However, a large portion of our Christian faith recognizes the need for obediance. The ability to ascertain the will of God and act on His direction is what our lives are about. It is why we exist. It is why we are here on earth. Our job, if you will, at this point in our lives, was to get these two boys from Russia. Perhaps we'll learn why in the years to come. But we know this was His will and we'll not worry over the what's and why for's. He has brought us home; for that we are grateful.

Our next flight, Delta 5573 has a gate time of 1815, which is less than two hours from our touch-down time on Flight 31. Flight 5573 is a ComAir carrier and all flights like ours require a bus ride to reach the parking area on the tarmac. So, you'll need to be ready to leave on the bus about a half hour before the gate time. That means we have less than 90 minutes to taxi, de-plane, go through Passport Control and through Customs as well as retrieve our luggage and check-in again plus maneuver through security yet again. The possibility of doing all this in 90 minutes is not good, but we have hope.

We got in line at Passport Control at 1640. Keep in mind that it is now 12:40am the next day in Moscow; that's OUR TIME now! The boys have steadily settled into bed around 9pm the last couple of nights so we're 3 hrs past bedtime. They are looking droopy. The lines at Passport Control are long. Since our flight was about an hour late from the usual arrival there were other flights whose passengers were there before us. It took 45 minutes to pass through but the folks in line were very kind and talked to us and the boys; they were all complimentary of the adoption and eager to know the details, much like you reading this far into this journal. The Passport Control attendant was an older gentleman that used a couple of 'fat fingers' on his computer terminal. He said Carol had two identities ... one was US, the other Russian. I could have offerred another identity other than Russian, one that arises every so often. :-)

We cleared up the multiple identity problems and the attendant led us to Customs where the room was packed with people awaiting clearance to proceed. It is now 1725 and the boys are looking whipped, not to mention Carol, Christina and I. We found a seat, the only two remaining and Christina stood (perhaps in hopes of staying awake). Some folks were as close or closer to their next flight than we. Patience was drawing thin here on a Friday evening at JFK. It turned out that the clerk that needed to process our paperwork went on her supper break at 5pm and returned 50 minutes later. She had us out of there in 5 minutes which was much quicker than most all others that were sitting there when we arrived. By the way, Zhenia fell asleep on my chest just after we sat down. He was out cold. Now I had another 45 pound 'piece of luggage' to carry.

We quickly made our way to the luggage pick-up area; of course ours was sitting off to the side since we had taken an hour and a half to get to this point. We exited by the security guard and arrived at the Delta check-in line at 1810. We knew it was close and likely not close enough. The attendant saw us coming and inquired as to our flight. She thought it was too late but made a 'red phone' call to check. It was about 3 minutes later when we learned we wouldn't make our flight home tonight. As you can imagine, this was not good news. We're standing in the check-in line, three sets of folks ahead of us and we know we're not going home tonight. I looked at Carol and she says, "I'm not staying in another hotel." We I knew we weren't staying in the airport overnight either! We decided in less than a minute that we'd forego the change of Delta tickets. We decided to rent a car and drive.

This is when our next adventure began.

All our luggage in tow, one 5 yr old asleep in my arms, we proceeded to follow the signs to rental car pick-up. We arrived in an area with call-phones. I tried the Hertz line (I use Hertz on business usually) and it didn't work. So we continued to the pick-up area outside the terminal. It was warm and very humid this evening. The remnants of Ivan were making their way up the east coast and the preceeding humity had already arrived. We stood outside about 5 minutes before realizing there was no shuttle at this terminal. It turned out there were no shuttles at all. Passengers are expected to take the Air Train, a free monorail tram to the rental car area. But, at this point, I didn't know that. I located a pilot waiting for his ride and inquired about the rental shuttle ... that's when I learned there was not one. I had the family go back inside the terminal where it was cooler and I returned outside to get a signal on my cell phone. I called Hertz 800 number to acquire my reservation and the clerk told me about Air Train and sort of how to locate it as there were no signs about it where we were. Back inside again, all I knew was that we had to take the elevator up to locate the signs leading to the Air Train. Luckily, or some may say an answer to another prayer, there were two Delta stewardesses on the elevator who told us how to get to Air Train. The directions were nearly unbelieveable; but here they are:

• Turn left out of elevator on Floor 2.
• Go through double doors to outside.
• Cross the alley way to the other side; proceed left and up the hill.
• You'll come to an area where a split in the alley exists, cross to other side; proceed left and up the hill.
• Keep going until you come to a large opening, entrance doors to your right, don't enter.
• Cross the lanes of traffic to a set of elevators (outside).
• Take the elevators up to Air Train terminal area.

Air Train was clean, efficient and got us to Hertz in just a few minutes. We rented a Town Car, mostly for the trunk space we needed and for the comfortable seats as a few of us would be sleeping shortly. We left the terminal at 7pm ET, nearly 3 hrs after arriving in the US. I had a map that showed how to get to NJ, but that was it. But, we were on our way home (again!) and it was time to let the family know our situation. A quick Nextel ring to Annetta gave us and them (including my parents) some comfort. Our plan was for me to drive as long as I could, the boys and Christina would sleep and so would Carol; Carol would then relieve me long enough for me to rest and finish the drive later.

In case you're wondering, there are $19.50 worth of tolls between JFK and the Baltimore area. The drive was interesting to say the least:

• Traffic was light around New York; reached the Narrows bridge in 15 minutes.
• I remembered there were no problems locating I95 south from the Narrows from my trip here in 1986.
• We hadn't eaten in the last 6 or 7 hours, at least not a meal; we stopped at a Wendy's for a chicken sandwich dinner. The boys were aslepp and never knew it.
• Ivan reached us before we reached Baltimore. Blowing rain. 35 MPH gusts going over the Delaware.
• One wreck in Jersey delayed us 15 minutes.
• I got tired; learned Carol couldn't drive as she hadn't slept yet.
• We pulled off at Exit 77 in Maryland, gassed up and found a spot in a parking lot to shut my eyes.
• I awoke 45 minutes later, stuffy, and sweaty. I didn't let the windows down more than a 1/2 inch and with five people crashed out in one car, it was a little warm. But you know how you feel after a little nap? Yes, that's how I felt. Like I could go all night. So we departed and headed south.
• One wreck just north of Baltimore shutdown the southbound lanes of I-95. We exited, found a store with a map and snaked our way around to the southside of Baltimore before rejoining I-95. During this time we learned that Christina was sick, sick to her stomach. The trip, the bumpy plane ride, the new-found fear of another plane ride, the missed plane, the humidity and the speed I was driving in traffic (I was only driving with traffic) all contributed. Plus I think the home-sickness has become reality now. We were too close not to get home. She became ill and it only got worse as we got closer to D.C.
• We stopped a half-dozen times for Christina, bless her heart.
• Annetta, her husband Kenny, and my parents had agreed to drive north and meet us ... thus being able to drive us the rest of the way. What a relief it was to pull off at the Potomac Mills exit and see my Mom's van sitting at the gas station.
• The boys awoke for the short family reunion at 2am. I was very weary at this point. We put Zhenia with Carol in the van, I stayed with Sasha in the Town Car and somebody drove. :-)
• We stopped a couple of times for bio breaks before reaching our house at 0640 Saturday morning.

The boys, thankfully, had only stayed awake about 2 hrs after the D.C. stop and were still groggy when we got home. We took them into the house, quickly showed them around and into their room. They were glowing. But we quickly stomped that glow out and put them to bed ... with us. We all slept until about 12:30pm.

Our travel day finally closed after 31 hours. Not too bad I guess having come from Moscow ... by plane and Town Car. Yes, a lot of prayers answered.

We were up a few hours, down a few hours afterwards as jet lag had gotten ahold of our systems. The boys were incredibly happy as they explored their room, the book shelves, their closet, their back yard. I can't tell you how satisfying it was to be home and see them so happy. Carol and I were exhausted. Thanks to my parents for having our fridge stocked for our return. It was very nice to not have to go anywhere for a couple of days. They did return in the afternoon to see us all awake and exploring. We know many of you, particularly family, are anxious to see the boys. Please know that we want you to see them too but it will be some time before we extend the boys' knowledge of people and places around them. As you may know, the boys have been 'in the system' since December of 1999. They have not been exposed to many of the things you and I take for granted. It is important that we slowly introduce them to wonders like Wal*Mart, ball games and IHOP, let alone family reunions, pound cake and Christmas! We will appreciate your patience.

The plan going forward ...
I hope to upload items of interest on a weekly basis. There are many things we've yet to share about the boys and about adopted children in general. Some things we'll share will help to explain why some time is needed before we open the boys up to a lot of people and a lot of US culture. I hope you've enjoyed the journal. I had only planned to capture a chronology of what happened when I started but it soon turned into something bigger. My main hope with the journal is that it provides some other parents-to-be some comfort in the details. Knowing what is supposed to happen and seeing it come to fruition should bring you, the parents-to-be, great faith in the process. Prayers, everyone.

Comments? Please share them with Carol and Adrian ...