What does an eleven year old boy do about the whole “Santa Issue?” Believe? Not believe? How do you get from Thanksgiving (at 4:30 AM) to Christmas morning without bursting? These annual conundrums seemed more insurmountable than ever in 2015. The Rankin family always tries to observe Advent and the anticipation of Christmas. Sometimes, I […]
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Elisabeth and I Went to Moscow and Did Not Go Bowling
In 2005, Russia required foreign adoptive parents to make two trips to Russia. The first trip was to meet our prospective child. The second trip was to formally adopt the child. In between was a frantic paperwork chase and nervous waiting. Elisabeth and I made our first trip to Russia in September 2005. We did […]
Kemerovo: Gateway to South Central Siberia
Fun Facts About Kemerovo, Siberia, Russia [The Management disavows any borscht related content.] Wallace was born in Kemerovo and I thought that I would highlight some of the more important facts about Kemerovo. Instead, I wrote this post. I also had some of the best borscht ever in Kemerovo.[1] I hope you enjoy this short […]
A Road Trip To Erie That Involves A Clapping Monkey
A Trip to Erie That Melted Mom’s Heart “The ice is really bad, honey. We may have to turn around.” said Mom. A relatively uncommon ice storm had moved through the area and driving on the interstate was not easy. Then Mom looked at Wallace. Earlier In The Day “Mom, can we go to Toys […]
Thanksgiving Should Not Start At 4:30 AM
Elisabeth and I give thanks for many things in our lives: Wallace, Spam, and Netflix being a very short list of items for which we are thankful. Thanksgiving Day is the day we adopted Wallace and brought him home from Russia. We, however, were not so thankful when Wallace woke up at 4:30 AM on […]
Elisabeth Has Been Fingerprinted More Times Than The Average Criminal
Because we did adopt Wallace, I can say that the adoption process worked. However, I cannot say that Elisabeth and I walked through a wardrobe into a magical land of Lions, lush green hills, and Turkish delight. Our adventure really coalesced when we bought our first (and only) house in 2004. […]
