Last Steps:

I'm not sure everyone knows, but this has been our last year in Slavutich and it has been one of bittersweet steps.  The understanding that this is our last year has brought a different perspective….it has even impacted the girls, who know that every passing day can never be relived here in Slavutich (our home).  As Nichole had put it, “we’ll never have another April 20^th (living in Ukraine) and we’ve all been a little somber with the idea of these “last steps” walking through town.  Although, we are looking forward to reuniting with our friends and family in the USA and having a more “convenient” life style; it makes the time we have in Ukraine with the friends here (who have become like family) all the more precious.  This has been an amazing period in our life that we will treasure forever; it’s hard to believe that it’s nearing the end.  Our planned return is the first of August!

Kuchanovka and Marina’s Country House:

We had a holiday for May Day and we took advantage by doing some local sightseeing.  Marina and Gena took us to the city of Nyezhen and Kuchanovka: Nyezhen is where Marina went to University to become an English teacher and the village of Kuchanovka has an old “palace” originally built in the late 16^th century by two brothers.  It was a long day of traveling, but it was a very interesting to see another part of Ukraine.  Really it wasn’t much different then what we see locally in Slavutich and Chernigov, but it was a fun adventure.

This is hand written text

It was a one day trip and we spent the next two nights out at Marina’s dacha – where she continued to spoil us cooking us meals and not letting us do much “work”.  We spent our time basking in the sun reading books and watching the children play in the mud and have their toes nibbled on by Gena’s little fish in the pond.  The girls also, did some fishing, Ry caught her very first fish “all by herself” she cast the line, watched the bobber, pulled on the pole and then brought the fish to shore, Gena then unhooked the fish and Ry took it over to the bucket, for safe keeping….she wasn’t too thrilled when Gena released all the fish, I think she was hoping to clean and cook one.  The girls also collected frogs…we should have told them to kiss one and see if it turned into a prince =)