Pictures in Ukraine

This a picture of one of the two beautiful churches in Kiev, Ukraine. The inside of it is amazing.

This is a picture of the new Harry Potter, but in Ukrainian.

This is just a beautiful statue in Kiev.

This is a picture my dad took of the Wendesday sunrise. He took it while we were on the train.

This is a picture of my cut foot. I stepped on a plug thing and it really hurt.

This is a picture of us eating dinner on the train. The Ukrainian food is called Piroshki. I liked the meat one better then the jelly filled.

That is all the pictures so far. Later I will post pictures of Alexsey because we did meet him. He is one if the cutest boys in the world.

Likes and Dislikes

Hi everybody. This is my second day in Ukraine. I really love Ukraine but there are a few things I don’t like about it or I think is weird.
First of all, one thing I think is weird is how the cars can drive and park on the sidewalk. Sometimes even half of the car is on the sidewalk and the other half in the street. It is unusual for me to see that.
Next, mostly everywhere I look I see someone smoking. There are cigarettes on the ground like everywhere, and you can smell the smoke real bad. Also, people are a loud to smoke inside most buildings.
The thing I don’t like to see is that there are always couples everywhere. I’ve seen a lot of people kiss and I think it is kind of weird to see that like everywhere.
Now that I’ve told you all the things that I don’t like about Ukraine, let me tell you about the things I do like about Ukraine.
The one thing I love is that from our apartment you can just walk everywhere. Everything is so close. I just enjoy doing all the walking and seeing everything. I like that we have a park right by the apartment and we can play on at it a lot. It is a pretty cool park.
Another thing I love is that in one place there is a whole bunch of fountains. It is just cool to see all of them.
So far that is all the things I could think of that I like and don’t like about Ukraine.

We Made It

Hi everybody. This is Julia typing from Ukraine. We made it here safely and are in our apartment room just hanging out. Dennis is sleeping on the couch and my mom is sleeping in the bed.
The plane ride was very long and boring. I didn’t sleep much on the plane but while my parents slept I had to watch Dennis. He was a handful. I was glad when my parents woke up so I wouldn’t have to watch him anymore.
When we first made it to Ukraine we had to wait in a line to get our passports checked. Then we went to look for our luggage. We thought it was lost after awhile but then we saw them. We were so happy. Later on we saw the people we were meeting and they took us to our apartment. Then we took a walk in Ukraine.
The weather here is so perfect. It is like 70 degrees and just so nice. We played at a park, saw the underground mall, then we went out for lunch. We went to a place call the “Potato House”. I ordered a meat and cheese burrito but when I got it, it had like a pickle sauce in it and it wasn’t very good. My mom and dad ordered a Greek salad and ribs. They enjoyed them both. Dennis got a baked potato, but he didn’t eat it so I did because I didn’t like my meat and cheese burrito. After that, we went to a different park by our apartment and played there.
There was this little boy who was like 5 years old who walked up to me and Dennis at the park. He said something in Ukraine and then pointed to his eye. I knew what he meant but in English I said I don’t understand you. Then, he laughed. He kept on following us around for the rest of the time at the park.
Then we went back to the apartment. My mom got a deep cut in her leg from hitting it against a pole. So far, I’ve had a very fun time in Ukraine.

Today is the Day

Today is the day we go to Ukraine. I'm so excited. We leave like at 10 or 11 tonight to catch the plane tomorrow at 6 in the morning. You can follow or journey at http://smilingallthewayback.blogspot.com/. We will be blogging in Ukraine. It is gonna be so much fun seeing my new baby brother.

I'm going to Ukraine!!!!

I can't wait. Next Friday, July 10th, is the day we are going to Ukraine. I'm so excited. Thank you to everyone who helped raise money and thank you to everyone who kept us in your prayers. Sorry I didn't post about this eariler. I'm just so excited we're going to Ukraine.

Last Day of Testing

Today was the last day of testing. I'm pretty sure on all my tests I got good scores. I don't think I missed any on the math though. Also, today after testing in class we just watched movies. I'm so happy that tomorrow we get a substitute teacher. I kind of miss testing and wish we could do it everyday.

Testing is Actually Fun

This week we have been doing the state tests. Taking them is actually fun. We have all morning to do it, and if we finish we get to read. I'm normally done at the beginning so I have a long time to read. So far during testing I've finished 2 books. Next week is the last week of testing. Also, during testing we get to chew gum and have some snacks. This week I've finished the language arts test and one of the science test. I really think I got good scores on them. I can't wait until next week so testing can be done.

My Brother's Birthday

Today was my brother Adam's birthday. He turned 14 years old. He is getting old. We went out to eat at "Chillies". I didn't order anything special, just a hamburger and fries. Adam ordered something special but I forgot what it was called. It looked really good though.

Two days ago I gave him his first present from me. It was 3 chore coupons and 1 dessert coupon. He already used one of them. But today, I gave him a big bag of skittles. He felt the bag and had no clue what was inside. When he opened it he said it was unexpected. His favorite candy is skittles. My five year old brother Jonny just got back from my grandma and grandpa's house, and while he was there he bought Adam a back of Sun Chips. Adam like those too. All in all, we had a fun nighyt.

More Orders

I'm done with all my orders. I've raised over $1,000 and that is enough for my plane ticket. I'm so excited. Once again, if anybody else wants to order anything, feel free too. Here is the list of stuff I'm still selling.

Scarfs $15
Washcloths $6
Pot Holders $5
Baby Bibs $8

I can't wait until I get to go to Ukraine.

I Lost a Tooth

For a couple of days I've had a loose tooth. Last night I sat down with my mom and let her pull it out. It didn't really hurt, but I was really acting like it did. From the "tooth fairy" I got pairs of socks. For awhile I've been getting socks. I'm not mad at the tooth fairy, I just wish I could of gotten something else.