Orphan No More

Each year, November has been recognized as National Adoption Awareness Month. It is a month to highlight children who are vulnerable and in need of parents, love and family. No child deserves to be alone and yet there are millions of orphans around the world. Some starving, some lonely and some sick. How it must feel to be abandoned and left on their own I'll never know but I do know one thing. I must do something about it. This is how our daughter Maya came along. Maya has been abandoned twice and I am determined to make sure she knows it will never happen again. It is a long road of healing and trust building but she is starting to understand that she is now a part of a loving family where she is safe, very well protected and most of all loved. Being a part of a family and a place where they belong is all these children want. They want to be loved and cared for and to know that this is where they will stay forever.  So an orphan no more, our daughter, Maya Lanlan now has her place in our family and our hearts.

The End

Ok, this is the end of the Croatia trip but not before we visited another town in the opposite direction of the coast. This is Pregrada in northern Croatia with lots of green hills, fields and trees. This is where all the hot springs are that the Croatians love so much. They are not the only ones. The Germans and the Spanish and anyone else tho goes there must make the trip to a hot spring location of which there are a few. While we're in the town of Pregrada we visited their pretty church. Lots of nice work and detail on the church and religious sculptures. 

 There are also many religious sculptures just about anywhere on a street corner just in case you find time to stop your drive and have a prayer. Besides that the Croatians are big on eating their bread of all kinds and milk. Never in my life did I see this much milk of in any percentage you're looking for; two long isles filled with good old milk.

This is me with my aunt and mom. Not bad for five o'clock in the morning on the day we were to board our plane back home. 

We came in on time and waited in a long line only to find out that our connecting flight was cancelled. I know that you can imagine something like that can happen when you're flying but you always hope it won't happen to you.  So we were ushered to a side booth to look at what else was available.   Amsterdam was. 

So here we are in Holland, never imaging making a stop there but it was no sight seeing trip, only a brisk walk from one side of this huge airport to the other and we had to walk fast if we wanted to catch our flight leaving only a half hour later.  I snapped  a few pictures on the way.

We just barely caught our breath for five minutes and it was time to board our plane never knowing that our luggage would be left behind. We arrived home safe and sound but the luggage would have to wait a few more days.

On The Go

We didn't sit still for too long so we were off again to do some paperwork in center of town as well as to show the girls some more sights, including yet another museum. The center is always busy but interesting with many things to see and do. It's just great walking around without the traffic jams is wonderful and different from what we're used to at home.

Here we are visiting the Museum of Torture. Back in the day Zagreb was a hot bed for witches. So the legends go about looking for witches and doing away with them through torture.

Through much of Zagreb are these trees filled with these prickly chestnut trees. I remember as a child going up the mountain, Sljeme, picking these in the fall and getting the yummy chestnuts out to be cooked in water or over fire.

Maya is a Rooster in the Chinese Zodiac and this giant rooster in the middle of Zagreb was quite cute and interesting.  Also the painting of the Wolves was befitting because the first part of our last name means Wolf. 

We were going to go to the Zoo but when we got there it was such a long walk just to get to the ticket booth and it was hot . So we just walked a bit to see the greenery which was beautiful and cool. Loved waking in it however we had to get back to the center to do more paperwork and take in lunch.

Along the way we also visited the Zagreb Cathedral to look it over inside and out. It is so intricately done as most churches are in Croatia and all of Europe. The Cathedral is ancient and is getting an overhaul for the last few years.

Maya just polished off another Burek, she loves the meat kind, I love cheese and spinach. You can find it on every street corner. It's light pastry with some kind of filling in it.

Love this picture of mom relaxing in her living room. A rare moment she is sitting down because usually she is cleaning the house which to me is already spotless.

My mom and dad above, together for 56 years and my 81 year old aunt with a good friend.

Love is everywhere.