History

Wednesday, March 17, 2004 5:10 PM CST

Hello everyone,

Bryce had his first scheduled doctors appointment today with an American doctor. Good thing as he has not been feeling too well. He has been throwing up and having very watery diaherra(Daddy just had the stomach flu, and cousins Ryan, Paige and Andrew also)I was filling out the new paitent paperwork in the doctors office and my mother was holding Bryce. She said he is either pooping or just farted and then she said he is still going. I looked up to see the diaherra running out of his pants all over my mothers jacket and jeans and all over the floor. They immediately put us in a room with a sink so I could wash Bryce down. He was then pretty much happy. But I then realized that the diaper bag I brought had no clean clothes. He had a dry vest,blanket, ski hat and scarf. We managed. The doctor told me to use Pediatlyte to keep him hydrated and too stop the diaherra(hopefully it works)He is almost 25 inches now but still only 12 pounds. The doctor wants to see him in two weeks to check his weight out. Now the worst part the poor little guy got four shots. HE SCREAMED!!!!!!!!!!!!(I am sure that scream with be nothing as to when he is to be circumsised) I still have to schedule that and am not looking forward to it. I will keep you updated. Love the three FIrks from Buffalo.

Wednesday, March 10, 2004 6:57 PM CST

Greeting from Buffalo. Sorry no journal last night things were too hectic. I want to start off my thank you's.
Thank you FANA for giving us our beautiful baby boy. Jerri Wegner your insight and help is just unbelievable and for ever unforgettable. The time I spent alone in Bogota was hard but I kept and good head on my shoulders and Jerri your words of encouragment helped me through the process. I also want to thank you for all of the e-mails and sent and your prompt response. To Betty and all of the girls(I do not want to call them maids of babysitters)You are all wonderful people!!I feel as if we became a family with all of you, so to Bryce, Scott and myself you are never help you are friends and our Bogota family. Betty and Maria TeresaI thank you for all of the outtings you took me on, remember girls our motto,SHOP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!To Jorge and his wife(my Bogota bowling team)What a blast I had. Jorge I told you we would find BUDWEISER even though it was only a sign. I thank you for taking such good care of us especially at the airport. To Mercedes we are forever grateful to you for Bryce. He is such a little angel and you made our dream come true. We will do whatever it takes to help support FANA now and forever. To Annette for coming over to check on me and sitting through dinner with me and eating the wonderful desserts prepared for us. This is a journey that will be in our hearts for ever and we hope to be back in two years to get a sister for Bryce. To all of the wonderful new couples that we met you will also never be forgotten. We will be in touch with everyone as we are now a family as well.

It is nice to be home but I am missing Bogota. Bryce did ok on the flight from Bogota to Atlanta. But he cried the two hours from Atlanta to Buffalo(he was so tired)When we arrived in Buffalo he was as happy as can be to see his daddy and everyone waiting for us at the airport. What can I say but WOW. I never expected that many people to be there to greet us. That to is something that will never be forgotten. I want to thank my wonderful husband for holding down the fort while I was gone. The house looks wonderful, all of the cleaning and getting Bryce room complete. The beautiful flowers!!!!!!Colleen and Dave you too are a family to us, for everything you have done from the beginning to now is just unbelieveable. The curtains are just beautiful and complete the room. We thank you from the bottom of our hearts and are so glad that we have such wonderful new friends and family. To Cristin and Ed thank you for helping get everything ready. The sign outside the house made me cry when we pulled in the driveway(did I mention that I have been crying since Thursday at 8:00pm when I found out I was signing on Friday)I also want to thank all of our friends and family that have been by our side since day one and supported us through this wonderful experience and most of all I want to thank Bryce for letting us be his MOMMY AND DADDY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
If I have forgotten anyone I truly apologize as I am still not on planet earth.

Monday, March 8, 2004 7:01 PM CST

Well we will be home in less than 24 hours. It was another very sunny day in Bogota. We went to the US Embassy with no glitches at all. Bryce was wide awake the whole time. He did not wake up this morning until 8:30 when I had to wake him as we were leaving at 9:00. We were finished at the Embassy around 11:30. He did not sleep the whole time or even in the car which scares me a little for tomorrow on the plane ride home. I will try my best to get him to sleep. He does not like the carrier I have so it looks like I will be carrying him and the diaper bag. What a chore packing was, I could barely get either suitcase closed.(have no fear though I did manage)I will have to leave my sweats, sweatshirt, slippers and the hand help carrier as there is NO ROOM because of all of my shopping(for Bryce ofcourse, not myself)Great pizza at Archies for lunch and neither Jen or myself bought a thing at Freddies, although we both would have liked to purchase one of everything. There was a problem with Bryce's ticket that the travel agency had take care of today(Firkins curse back,NOT!!!!!!!)I thought that it would be easy to leave as we were coming home to our family. But I was sadly mistaken as we now have another family in Bogota. It was a very emotional day full of tears(both of happiness and saddness)We know that we will be back here but it will not be soon enough. We will miss everyone dearly and thank everyone for their hospitality,love and friendship. I really need just need to relax and get my head cleared. Once we are home I will update our journal with my many thankyou's. Too many tears today to start crying again, as I will be a Channel 2 movie star tomorrow and cannot have puffy eyes. See everyone tomorrow!!!!!Love and Kisses the two firks(less than 24 four hours to be the three Firks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sunday, March 7, 2004 7:38 PM CST

This is our last Sunday journal entry for 2004. Bryce was a very, very happy boy today. All smiles and laughing. He is finally asleep. It was another beautful morning and early afternoon. I believe I got all of the Colombian rays for this trip as tomorrow we are off to the Embassy in the morning and back @ 3:00 pm to pick up the paperwork and then we will be all set. After the Embassy trip we are off to Freddies to have one last look at emeralds(last shopping trip for mommy)then pizza for lunch ar Archies(YUMMY)This afternoon was ANOTHER day of shopping at Exito with Maria Teresa and her daughter(Daddy I got some clothes this time and only saw one shirt for Mommy, unless she was hiding something)Then we picked up Jen and went for a drink in a cute little restaurant. It is a happening part of Bogota where there are just restaurants after restaurants. I spoke with Mercedes a little while ago and thanked her for the most precious gift one could receive,OUR SON BRYCE!!! I also heard from home today that Bryce's room is pretty much comlete. Colleen put the curtains up today(thanks for everything the Gaglione family, without you we would not be here today)Bryce and I can't wait to see eveyone. I will update tomorrow but it might be a short entry with all of the running around tomorrow I have to finish packing. Speaking of that I think I should probably begin!!!!!!!!Hugs and Kisses from the two Firks from Bogota!!!!!!!!!

Saturday, March 6, 2004 7:52 PM CST

Greeting from Bogota. Our last entry for a Saturday in South America. It was another beautiful day. Sunny and a few clouds a nice breeze in the air. It did rain around 6:00pm but very briefly. Maria Teresa picked me up at 10:00 am so that we could take care of the airline detail. Instead of dealing with Delta directly(will take care of that in the states, especially with Channel two on our side)we went to a travel agent. I had to purchase another roundtrip ticket(which was cheaper and I am scheduled to return to Bogota on March 30th. Hey who knows Fana might have a sister for Bryce between now and Tuesday)I cost me $800 instead of the $1300 Delta had quoted to begin with. I did have to purchase a new ticket for Brcye which was only $60 usd.(It turns out the ticket I bought in the states is refundable and we will be reimbursed once we are home. The ticket was around $140 usd when purchased)We then took care of all of the paperwork that is necessary for Monday at the US Embassy. Now off to pick up Peter and Jen(we were going to go see Freddy(emeralds)but do to the time we decided to go to lunch in the country and visit a little town. The retaurant was very nice(they are filming a soap opera there and it is like a town in Spain)Then we drove 1/2 hour to the little town and ofcourse us ladies did some shopping(tomorrow also back to Exito)Had a nice steak lunch and the retaurant and guess what Filet for dinner(yes that is correct steak two times in one day)Just got done watching Star Search and putting the little one to bed. Jorge stopped over and will be here on Tuesday at 5:45am(he is always prompt)Then our Journey begins. We leave Bogota at 9:15am arrive in Atlanta around 2:00pm.Oh yeah, most importantly FLIGHT 5087(Delta)leaving Atlanta at 5:17pm arriving in Buffalo at 7:30pm(please no snow)Hope to see everyone that can make it. I only have tomorrow left to work on my Colombian tan(nose and forhead peeling for the 4th time)hopefully it will not rain. I will update the journal tomorrom evening and also on Monday and again once we return home. Hugs and Kisses from the two(soon to be three) Firks from Bogota and Buffalo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Friday, March 5, 2004 6:39 PM CST

Good Friday evening everyone. I am happy, but sad to announce that this will be my last Friday journal entry as it is official we are coming home. Maria Teresa picked us up at 10:30 am and off we were to sign the Sentencia. I thought that is would be like signing your mortgage but I am happy to report it required only 1 signature from me. Bryce was getting hungry so we went to the car to feed him and wait for the attorney to drop off our copies. Next we were on to the Notary office to have the birth certificate changed. Maria Teresa knew the woman so it was a very quick process. Now we were pressed for time to get to the passport office as they were only open until 3:00(if we did not get the passport today it would delay travel by one day)Well we made it at around 2:30(might I add traffic was terrible today)We got him pictures taken(pretty cute I might add seeing he has been up since 7:30am)then we had to wait for our number to have the passport complete. Well, we hade 10 numbers to wait but Maria Teresa advised me to sit in front of a window that had a woman working(if she sees a Fana person she normally just calls them to the window)Well, it worked. She was gawking at Bryce as wsa the woman who had to sign the passport. Well we were out of there in no time. Now time to get Jen and Ethan(they signed today also) and head on off to the Embassy Doctor for a checkup. Maria Teresa pulled strings again. She made Jen an appoinment for 4:00 pm and told the doctor that there might be one more baby(she was not sure if we were signing or not at the time the appointment was made) Jen had her turn next was Bryce. The doctor asked how he was going, looked at his immunization chart and then looked and me and said ok time to STRIP. I looked at him like he had 6 eyes(what kind of doctor was this)then I realized he wanted me to undress Bryce. He weighs 12.25 pounds and is 24 inches long. Then the doctors phone rang, he answered talked in spanish and finished the call. After he hung up he looked at me and said it was the Old Lady, she wants me to pick some things up(I guess things are the same all over the world)then he told me how he fit me in and made the two twins in the waiting room wait. Kudos to Maria Teresa. He was a very nice doctor and spoke very good english. Now it is time to figure out about coming home. It looks like I am just to do nothing with my old ticket and purchase a new one as it is cheaper. Unfortunatley we will be flying Delta again. Not sure if it will be Tuesday or Wednesday. I will update the site when I have more information sftert our trip to Delta tomorrow. Today Bryce turned 4 months old, Okenis made him a cake and there were party hats as well. Love and kisses from the two Firks from Bogota!!!!!

Thursday, March 4, 2004 7:26 PM CST

It was an absolutley gorgeous day today. A slight breeze a few clouds in the sky and plenty of sunshine. Got a lot of sun today, it will eventually turn to tan. Bryce even enjoyed the nice day. We hung outside, him in his little seat and I sat at the table and read my book. Maria Teresa called to see it I had any plans, she was not sure if she had errands and she was to call me back as she was waiting for a call from Maria Teresa from Fana. She called a few hours later to advise that she was not free and I asked her to call me tomorrow if she had no plans and we could do something. I asked if she had any news from Maria Teresa from Fana and she said no, but call her and she may have some information. I returned back outside to enjoy the rest of the day. I thought to myself don't be a pest and call them if there is news you will get a call like you were told. I had to run to Carulla to get a size bigger diapers as the little one is now eating 6 ounces instead of 5. Okenis peeled, boiled and strained some carrot for him. He tried them ate a few, I will try again tomorrow for lunch. Gary and Ruby did decide to got to Cartegena for the weekend(I considered but it was $200 usd a night for a hotel room and $200 for airfare)too much to spend for a weekend. We bought apples yesterday and Okenis made an apple crisp for dessert with the recipe from my memory. Annette stopped over to see how we were doing and sat with me through dinner. Then came the apple crisp, yummy!! Annette decided to leave as she knew I wanted to watch Survivor. I was walking her to the door and the phone rang, Annette said it is for you and I replied no I will be calling Scott and I did not expect any one to call me. Then Okenis said Senora Dawn it is Maria Teresa Maldonado(from Fana)she just got off the phone with our attorney and it looks like I will be signing tomorrow. Hugs and tears of saddness and happiness all at once. I called Maria Teresa(my driver to advise of the news)her reply, that is why I told you to call Maria Teresa(from Fana)earlier.(what sneak) She said the attorney is going to court tomorrow morning to confirm that everything is set. She promised that if I do sign tomorrow we will get at much done as possible. If we sign and get to the passport office tomorrow by 3:00 Bryce and I will be home Tuesday, if not Wednesday. Everyone please keep your fingers crossed that everything goes as planned so that the Three Firks can be reunited once again. Love and Kisses the Two Firks from Bogota!!!!!!!

Wednesday, March 3, 2004 6:30 PM CST

Hello my fellow Americans, It is Bryce and I from South America. It was another overcast day, but I did manage to get all the sun rays as possible. Betty and I went to a Lebanese restuarant this afternoon for pizza(yes that is correct pizza from Lebanon)We sat in front of the kitchen and watched as our pizza was prepared. It was a thin crust first put on a hot grill, then another grill and doused with water. Then the ingredients,cheese,chicken,tomoate, and a sort of garlic sauce. Muy Bueno!!!!!!!I found out they also deliver. When we returned we had guests. Ruby, Gary and baby Lucy stopped over. They just returned from San Andres island(very tan I might add, they are considering Cartegena if they do not hear anything soon, and I think Bryce and I will be off with them) Lucy is doing wonderful, she was sick kind of like Jacob was. The two babies just stared at each other across the room. Believe it or not, when Betty turned Lucy away from Bryce he cried. She brought her over and then the two just gazed at each other(we think love at first sight)and even touched hands it was really sweet. They also brought pastires Jacques(I have heard about how good it was)Good wasn't the word. It was the most amazing pastry I have ever had. I believe we will be getting together this weekend to hangout. Everyone is still on the same page, no word about signing, I think everyone is just anxious to get home. Don't get me wrong it is wonderful here. But I do miss my 80 degree waterbed especially when it is 45 at night. For now I will just continue to use the nice warm blankets in mind and Bryce's room. Bryce tried some rice tonight. He made a funny face but did eat it. Friday is his 4 month birthday and we are having a party with hats and a cake. Hopefully I will still have some film left to take pictures. Hope to see everyone soon, talk to everyone tomorrow . Love the two Firks from Bogota!!!!!!!

Tuesday, March 2, 2004 7:24 PM CST

Greetings from Bogota my amigos. Today started off slow but ended with a bang. Maria Teresa stopped over today when I was in the shower and waited for me. She just wanted to check in on Bryce and myself. She is arranging a day out with all of the remaining couples. It was cloudy out but I told her that it would become sunny at around 11:30(her reply you have been here too long to predict the weather) Well at 11:25 BAM the sun was out maybe only 20 minutes but I got some rays. The tan is definitely fading. Jorge was due to pick me up between 1:00 and 2:00 but he was running late. He arrived around 2:50 And we set out for a beautiful Park that he and Okenis told me about. There was a huge building that looked like the Taj Mahal. We pulled into to parking lot and Jorge asked me to get out and undo the chain(I thought this was strange and there were no guards or cars)Once I released the chain I heard whistles from across the street and Jorge was not pulling in. Well as it turns out the place is only open from Wednesday-Sunday. Jorge was apologizing up and down and he drove for more sightseeing. He took me to a cute shop that has just Colombian made food, from cheese to baby food it was quite quaint. We then drove to another town with a nice square(like downtown Buffalo) We went to a bar/restaurant for a Cervesa and flavored water(as Jorge does not drink when he drives a good thing, details to follow) We were the only people in the place. We had a table with two chairs and an open window overlooking the square and mountians(breathtaking)We walked a little as it was windy and cold. The beer(16 oz bottle) and flavored water ws $2,000 pesos (yes $.50 for a beer) I think I may not come home!!We then began our drive back to Bettys. We stopped at a place called the drive-in(just as it sounds, in american open 24 hours serves food and beverages 24-7)It also had a beautiful view(as Jorge said, you say in American Inspiration point) Right next to the place was another restaurant that we walked through(Jorge must frequent the place as everyone knew him) As we walked in, I said Jorge LOOK a BUDWEISER sign!!!!!!!!!!!!We did not have time to stay for a beer as I was cooking tonight. However, we received a complimentary Colomnian shot. It was a warm shot with colombian liquer, brown sugar,lemon and cinnamon(yummy) We then headed down the moutain, passed Bettys home and to the left were police. They signaled for us to pull over and I asked Jorge is this was common and he said yes, they just check to make sure that you have all of the paper work for your car. Well they made us get out of the car, they frisked Jorge, checked my purse and the trunk(all normal for Colombia) and then we were on our way. We stopped at Carulla to get some Club Colombia. I offered to make dinner for Okenis this evening and asked Jorge to join us. Just quesidillas they both said DELICIUOSA!!!!!!Bryce was fighting his sleep again and I finally got him down around 1/2 hour ago(out for the night)I was just a paranoid mom yesterday, he is not sick and not sneezing anymore. I need to use the Bano and then call my good friend MCCOY(Nicole)Hope you bowled good today daddy and mommy did not do shopping at all.

Monday, March 1, 2004 6:35 PM CST

Did I remember to tell everyone what a good boy Bryce is. He went to sleep around 9:00pm last night and he woke up @ 7:30 this morning. He took his bottle and then fell back to sleep until 10:30am(daddy she's got you she can still sleep in)It was suppposed to be a sunny afternoon but it was overcast all day. I sent for a ride with Betty to her house to drop off gorceries for her maid. She was making arroz con polo(chicken and rice)for Betty Rafa and their houseguest(Hannah, who is one of their daughters dear friends)I might add that I had the same dinner plus the little salt potatoes that I like. Bryce even tried some mashed up as well as bread. He loved both. He has really been sneezing alot the last two days. If he seems like he is stuffy tomorow I will call FANA and take him there for one of the doctors to take a look at him. We don't want him to become ill. If he is ok tomorrow I am off again with Jorge for some more sight seeing. He assured me if a call does come in that I am to sign his phone will be on and we will get to where I need to be immediately. Well the little guy is fusing on my lap right now and trying to touch the keyboard so I must sign off until tomorrow. Love the two Firks from Bogota!!!!!

Sunday, February 29, 2004 7:03 PM CST

Hola from Bogota. It was another beautiful day, started off cloudy but then it was actually HOT. Maria Teresa picked me up at 11:00am and we went to a fair. (kind of like in Buffalo when the fairgrounds open and there are tons of deals) We kind of window shopped and neither of us bought a thing. We had lunch in a nice food court that they have. Baby, I finally had my Todo Taco, pretty yumy I might add. Next we were off to EXITO(a glorified K-mart and Tops together) Man was it nice. Daddy, she came back with FOUR bags and I all got was two pair of white socks and yucky pagamas(mom said that they were for when the weather is warmer when we are home) Good deals on clothes. Still hace some room left in the suitcases. Maria Teresa said don't worry Dawn, they sell suitcases here if the need be. Tomorrow Bryce and I will just spend the day together trying to get everything in order because who knows what this week has to offer. Maria Teresa mentioned that I might want to get me pesos together for everything that I have left to pay for. Who knows we will just hand in there and see what cards we are dealt. Bryce was quite the little piggy today. I came back from shopping at 4:00pm, it is now around 8:20 pm and he has had five ounces two times. He is still enjoying grabbing my thumbs and boosting himself up. Once again he will not go to sleep he is just playing. Time to see what the TV has to offer us tonight. Love the two Firks from Bogota!!

Saturday, February 28, 2004 7:09 PM CST

It was a beautiful day in Bogota. Partly sunny and no rain. Jorge picked me up at 11:15 to meet Betty and Rafa at the American Embassy of Bogota. What a scenic ride. The hills and mountains are just breathtaking.( so is the driving) We arrrived around 11:40 and off I was to find Betty and Rafa in a place I have never been. There were guards everywhere. They searched my purse and then off I went. The chldren were all playing on a bouncy slide and then I went around the back and found Betty and Rafa. The grounds were beautiful. I did not bring my camera as I was not sure if it was allowed. No weeds in the garden,flowers perfectly in bloom and the bushes were amazing. The theme was American barbeque, there was a popcorn machine, home made potatoe chips hot dogs for the kids. Then the adult food; burgers, potatoe salad and chili. The grill at the American Embassy failed and all of the servents gathered the burgers to fry them in the kitchen. The chili was part hamburger meat mostly chili, still was tasty as were the burgers. I got to meet the Ambassador in person a very down to earth gentleman from New York city. He was asked if he was allowed to tour the city. His reply I am an important person, but how do I get rid of them all. My idea of going out is getting BEER and going to a bookstore and drinking my beer. He is the first unmarried embassador. Just had a wonderful dinner of crepes filled with mozzarella cheese and basil(like I loved at crepes and waffles)Bryce just ate his final bottle and I think he just squeezed another poopie for mommy. Now he has a case of the hiccups and he just screamed,I know that you are going shopping tomorrow with Maria Teresa tomorrow and my suitcase probably has another 15 pounds to fill. Daddy you better be doing side work because I want my mommy when I wake up and eat. I don't want to go to day care. Besides that Daddy it defeats the purpose of mommy working if all of her money goes to pay for day care. I promise I will keep Mommies shopping under control for the rest of our stay. We are going to watch the remainder of Star Search. Mccoy thanks for calling tonight I miss you. Love and Kisses to all we will see you soon. The two Firks from Bogota.

Saturday, February 28, 2004 1:41 AM CST

For anyone that is still awake it is me again at around 2:50 am. No Bryce did not wake me up it is the stupid seasonal allerigies I get back at home at the end of the summer and beginning of the fall. My arm is just itching uncontrollably. I do not want to wake Bryce. I have been up itching for almost an hour now. I put the cream on that Monica had left me but I think I am immune to it now. It happens the same way at home. Just one arm itches and the other is fine. It is so annoying I just want to scream. I figured if I came down here and kept my mind off of it the itching would stop, not the case yet!!I think that I would rather have Bryce screaming at me to feed him because he always smiles as soon as he knows it is time to eat and then it is happy times and back to sleep for both of us. He should probaly wake up around 5:00 am for a bottle so I will probably be just getting back to sleep then. Looking forward to going to the Embassy for the barbeque. I have to make sure I remember my ticket and passport copy or else no admittenance. I don't know if I told everyone but it is just an all American cookout, hotdogs,hamburgers,fruit,cake, pototoe salad,soda and cervesa(beer)Hopefully it does not rain again. Betty says that the residence is very nice and that there should be covered tents on the grounds. I will let everyone know tomorrow.

Saturday, February 28, 2004 1:41 AM CST

Friday, February 27, 2004 6:50 PM CST

It was a cloudy & rainy Friday what a better reason to go shopping. It was for Bryce because he complained again this morning, My Joe Boxers again mom!!!!Betty and I found a few cute outfits for him @ a baby store that advertised 50% off but they ofcourse had no more of the 50% off items. Don't worry Dad says Bryce she didn't spend that much money look at what she does when she goes to Chadwicks I am just a drop in the bucket. I was supposed to go shopping with Maria Teresa today however, she is a driver of one of the other couples(from Minnesota)and they signed today. Which means that things are moving. Her and I will be going shopping on Sunday, tomorrow I am off with Betty and Rafa to the American Embassy for a barbeque. Bryce will be staying with Okenis as he is on such of a good eatind and sleeping schedule that I don't want to interrupt it. Bryce and I were playing this morning and he found enough strenght to lay on his back grabbing my two thumbs and pulling himself up to a sitting position. He liked it so much he wanted to do it again and again. Don't worry Dad says Bryce I have not yet mastered how to say your favorite word AGAIN!! I forgot to mention that for dinner today was the famous pasta primevara that I have heard rave reviews about. Well that is an understatement. This by far has been the best dish I have eaten here. Bryce is sitting in my lap as I type this and he wants to play so we have to cut this short tonite. Talk to eveyone tomorrow love Dawn and Bryce(the two Firks from Bogota)

Thursday, February 26, 2004 7:16 PM CST

It was a beautiful morning and early afternoon. Still keeping up the tan. It got a little cloudy and rained for a little while but no white flakes flying around. I just hung out and played with Bryce. He now likes to lay on his tummy and try to push himself but he gets so frustrated that he works up a sweat. Jorge and his wife picked me up at 4:30 for bowling. What a blast!! Jorge is not so good he came in last both games, his was was better as she bowled when she went to college(university as they call it in Colombia)I was the winner both games, only a 66 first game and then the groove set in for a whopping 117 not bad for not bowling since last April. We had a few Cevesas(beers) and just had a lot of laughs. Jorge will be taking me on an another sight seeing tour on Tuesday with a nice veiw and he promised a nice lunch. Thanks to Okenis for watching after the little one. Tomorrow Maria Teresa is taking me shopping. Gotta make sure the suitcases each weigh the alloted 70 pounds. Okenis will be watching over Bryce again. Saturday we are off to the American Embassy for a barbeque. Hopefully the airline ticket issue will be taken care of Sue from the travel agency is diligently working it. Oh, I almost for got I received a call from Maria Teresa from Fana(and an email from Jerri)that we are accepted into court. Now it is just time to wait to see when we sign. In the meantime I will be enjoying the Sun, warmth, good food, fine shopping and all of the wonderful people I have met so far. There is still plenty to see and do. Bryce told me today that he wants new clothes as I did not pack him enough. Talk to everyone soon, have to get back and watch Survivor.

Wednesday, February 25, 2004 7:16 PM CST

I just want to let everyone know that the Firkins curse is back!! Betty and I went to Delta today to advise that we would not be traveling on 3/1/04 and we would let them know when we know our return date and then we would pay the $200 fee to change the flight. Well it turns out that it is not that easy. Apparently the ticket I had was a 30 day ticket, which means the fee that needs to be paid is what the fare is now minus what I had already paid. Well the fare is around $1300 minus what I paid would be a little over $800 plus the $200 change fee and a fee to change Bryces ticket as well. Jerri is having the travel agent from Buffalo look into this and I will know more tomorrow. Betty and I then went to Crepes and Waffles for lunch and when we left the skies opened up and neither of us had an umbrella because when we left it was sunny out. To make matters even worse we could not find a cab. Eventually we did find one. Next it was to Nobertos to get my hair done, Betty knew everyone there and explained I wanted a cut and color, the color he picked out I really did not like but they told us to trust them. We were to it would take 1 1/2 hours to get my hair done so Betty left and she would return to get me around 4:45. I have never had my hair done in a salon with all gay men. It was wonderful, one did the color, one shampoed and then it was back to Henry who did the color to finish the cut. The color is great and he did a great job on the cut they even massage your head during the process. It cost $120,000 pesos(45-50 usd) cheaper then what I pay in the states. Betty called me to see if I was done and she was on her way to get me, I advised her I would wait outside and have a cigarette. Well as I sent outside everyone was yelling at me, I had no idea what I had done wrong(I paid the bill already)they were telling me that I could smoke inside. Betty was there in 5 minutes and promised. Then we hung out in front of the fire to warm up the dampness. Had a vegeterian dinner(it's Ash Wednesday) Bryce is soundly sleeping. I need to go get more formula(6 cans gone in 22 days the kid can eat) Tomorrow evening I am off to bowl with Jorge and his wife. I am also happy to report that the Wisors are home safely after a long delay in Newark. The house is very quiet and I expecially miss Brooke and her saying O'tah. We will be seeing the Wisors when we are all home as they live in Wilson. Still not word on our court information maybe tomorrow. Everyone keep your fingers crossed for us. We love and miss everyone very much. The two firks from Bogota

Tuesday, February 24, 2004 9:43 PM CST

Hello everyone it is us again. Seeing that Bryce and I are the only ones here I am constantly on the internet. So PLEASE continue to sign the guestbook and email us at Bettys, bettycastillo@cable.net.co. Thank you looking forward to hearing from everyone. SEE YOU ALL SOON!!!!!!!

Tuesday, February 24, 2004 6:33 PM CST

Firk and baby Firk have nothing real big to report today. Our friends the Wisors left this morning and were due back in Buffalo around 9:46 pm however they are delayed in Neward awaiting their plane and are not due in Buffalo until around 11:15pm(over a 5 hour layover with two children)We hung out in the nice warm morning and early evening sun until the skies opened up again. The weather is very unpredictable. Still heard nothing regarding court and coming home. We have to go to Delta tomorrow to change our flight as we were scheduled to come home on March 1st, that will not be happening. Hopefully soon after. I broke my tooth today(hopefully can hold off until we are home as dental coverage is in the states) If not Betty will take me to her dentist(ouch!!!!!!!!)After the Delta stop tomorrow Betty and I are off to lunch and to Norbertos to get our hair done. As Betty put it I need to get my roots colored as I cannot go to the embassy with my hair like this. We are going to the American Embassy on Saturday for a barbeque.(a sold out event, can't wait to see what it is like, Scott took all of my good clothes home, so it looks like shopping again(DARN)I will still be going bowling on Thursday with Jorge and his wife(I promise I will not give the tips to watch your mark and waive hands with the ceiling as I do not want to have to pay for pizza)Just put Bryce to bed and time to chill out and see what is on TV. Talk to everyone later. Love Firk and baby Firk

Monday, February 23, 2004 7:48 PM CST

Hello from Bogota. Another very rainy and miserable day. It pretty much has rained the entire day. Looks like I might need to find a tanning booth to keep the South American color I have acheived thus far. They are saying that maybe the rainy season is arriving early, who knows we will wait and see. We went to Betty and Rafas home in the mountains today for happy hour with Ives and Amy from Minnesota. There son was also in Fana for 5 days as he had some kind of infection but they were pleased with the results. Ives is a doctor back in Minnesota in the ICU unit and has also worked at the Mayo clinic. There were going out for Peruvian food and invited us, but Okenis had already prepared dinner and was waiting for us. Jorge's wife took us there and we were quite rushed with the liscence plate restriction and made it just on time so there was no fine involved. Jorge met us there and brought us back to Betty's Place. Jorge, his wife Patrcia, Rafa, Betty and myself are going bowling on Thursday(loser has to buy pizza) Maria Teresa and I are going to a glorified K-mart and lunch tomorrow, She promised that we would go to a part of town that carries inports and we will find BUDWEISER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Bryce is still a very happy boy, I forgot to mention that he learned to roll from his back to his side and lay there comfortably. Still no news from the court we just keep thinking that each day that passed means another day closer to coming home. We love and miss everyone very much!!!!!!!!!

Sunday, February 22, 2004 6:29 PM CST

It was a cold dreary day today. We had to actually wear windbreakers. This morning we went to an outdoor market, but nothing was set up due to the rain. We went off to Hotel Lafontana for their market and outdoor church service. There were alot of people for the mass, but it was in Spanish and I could not understand. So we shopped around the market. There were a lot of nice things, Mike bought a leather jacket, Monica bought a doll for Brooke, a serving tray and photoalbum. People hold on to your socks I all bought was a photo album(20,000 pesos $6.00 us) We ventured back to the house and had Pizza Hut,watched a movie and off again we were. We walked back to the market we went to this morning(just a lot of jewelry we did not buy a thing) On the way back we stopped at a mall. It was absolutely huge, part indoors, part outdoors, there were three floors(probably around 100 per floor)a hotel on the top. Two of the floors had food courts with around 20 restuarants each. There were activities for the children on two floors as well. There was bungee jumping and all kinds of neat things for children. We stopped at one of the casinos in the mall and lost. We only spent minimal funds. And I did not purchase ANYTHING!!!!After around two hours of walking we finally headed back to Bettys Place to relieve Alicia and her son Carlos. We just ate dinner and now are just kicking back for the evening as the Wisors have alot to accomplish tomorrow as it is there last day and Bryce and I will be the only survivors left on the island, Who will win the million dollar prize, stay tuned for scenes from the next Survivor Bogota.

Saturday, February 21, 2004 7:25 PM CST

Sorry to say but another sunny morning here in Bogota, heard about the snow in Buffalo. It did get cloudy this afternoon and sprinkled a little bit. Alecia came over to watch the kids so we could take Okenis to lunch. She was so happy, dressed casual(not her normal attire), she even had make up on and a huge smile on her face the whole time, she just thanked us over and over(according to Betty she does not go out) So she really had a treat at El Corral as did the three of us. As we walked back there were street vendors selling sunglasses. Michael needed a new paid as his broke this morning. The vendor wanted $45,000 pesos and Michael offered $20,000 pesos thanks to Okenis he was able to barter back and forth and he got a pair of Oakleys for $25,000 pesos(around $20 us funds)What a deal. I stopped in at Baby Ganga and got my little buddy his first pair of jeans, ofcourse a shirt to match and a romper(Daddy Bryce wants to know if his Jeff Gordon clothes arrived)Okenis went off to spend time with her husband(it was sad as we found out today that her 9 year old son lives in Cartegena with her mother and she only sees him at Christmas time 1 day a year)She will be back here Monday morning. Adellia came if about 5:30 and she did not have to cook as it was time for us to make quesidiallas with the leftover chicken Michael grilled yesterday. I chopped up the meat and veggies, Michael shredded the cheese and then I fried up the grub(I do miss cooking, but it was even better as I did not have to do the dishes as the maid insisted she do them) I hope to have some good news the beginning of the week. Have to go now as we are watching Star Search. Tomorrow we are off to the flea market and I need to watch my shopping as I as almost out of room!!!!!

Friday, February 20, 2004 6:57 PM CST

Hola everyone!!It was a cloudy day today. Alicia came over to watch the kids so that Mike, Monica and myself could make a trip to Makus before the had to go to the Embassy doctor for Jacob(a clean bill of health I might add)It seems that there were several different things at Makus this time that I did not see last time or even the time before. I only spent $238,000 pesos(around $100 american) I did get Gabbi another pair of sandals as Scott only made it home with one of the two shoes. We were in there for about 1 1/2 hours and probably could have spent more time but Annette was coming to get Mike, Monica and Jacob and Mike had chicken to grill for lunch.(mighty yummy I might add)I forgot to mention that when Alicia came over she commented on how big Bryce had gotten as she has not seen him in almost a week.(wait until you see the new Bryce daddy)Okenis made her delicious minestrone soup, pasta and garlic bread. I seems that the Wisors are very special as we have had a table cloth, garlic bread for the last few days, and even an ice bucket. Man it is going to stink just being Bryce and myself. I might add that he still likes to eat his bananas in the morning. And he did a big poop for Alicia again(like he knew she was coming over)tomorrow I think that we are going to make an american dinner(roast beef, mashed potatoes and carrots)for Okenis to show our appreciation. Then on Sunday we are off for more shopping at an outdoor market. I hope that Bryce is allowed two bags as well, as it looks as if we need to buy a new one. We have still not heard anything about court and hope to soon as we miss everyone. Colombia is wonderful but I miss my couch, my candles, my waterbed, my Budweiser, my american TV, my family, my Fachey and My wonderful husband. Hope to be home soon.

Thursday, February 19, 2004 8:14 PM CST

It was a beautiful morning in Bogota. We hung outside and enjoyed the sun. Monica was a little under the weather but felt better as the day went on. As the afternoon approached so did the dark clouds. But before the total darkness approached Mike came outside and said that he had received phonecall, Monica and I thought that it was Will cancelling our plans for this evening. But no, It was Maria Teresa from Fana advising them that Annette would be here at 2pm to pick them up as they were signing. Monica was in total disbelief as she had vivid dreams about this since Tuesday. I am very happy for them but bitterly sad as Bryce and I will be alone again on Tuesday as they are returning to Western New York. I thank them for the time we had to spend together and the bonding and friendship that will be everlasting not only with them but with their two beautiful children, Brooke and Jacob. I will be looking after Brooke tomorrow as Jacob needs to have passport pictures taken. Then Alicia will relieve me and we will be going to Makus and out to lunch. We did cancell our club plans for this evening and just hung out at Bettys Place. Now lets talk about that and the rain, it was raining this afternoon with thunder and lightening. Brooke was fightened but Aunt Betty and I calmed her down. It has since then cleared up and now again the sky has opened. Yesterday when it rained Okenis put newspaper down to catch the raindrops in the kictchen and laundry room. Well today is different!!There is a bowl, newspaper and just water all over the kitchen. When I say it is raining cats and dogs I think there is a kitten and a puppy in the kitchen. Bryce was a little feisty today. He cries and expects to be picked up all of the time. It is hard not to, I let him cry and then feel so bad. I have picked him up briefly and set him down so he can sleep I think that he really misses his daddy. Just so everyone knows, we are still having problems with email from here. Betty was on the phone all afternoon trying to get it resolved. Hopefully, tomorrow will be better for email. I also hope that we have good news soon about coming home. If anyone would like to join Bryce and I we would love the company. It is only a 4 hour flight from Atlanta. Perhaps we could finance the flight. I can't offer to pay completely because I hope that I can stay home and take care of my precious Baby Bryce and my other favorite man, Scott.(Firk to everyone else) We love everyone and miss each and everyone of you dearly!!!!!!!!

Wednesday, February 18, 2004 6:15 PM CST

Maria Teresa, her niece from Ecador and I went to the Salt Cathedral today. It was just amazing, I did take pictures but it was dark and not sure if the pictures will come out. We tasted the salt from the walls, a stronger salt taste then we are used to. There were stalagites and stalagmites and all of the signs of the Cross. There were some optical illusions when things were looked at from a distance. We had an English speaking quide which helped matters. He explained everything and answered any questions that we had. It took around an hour to walk through the cathedral and we were below see level this time and it was much colder. Then we went to the mall and to Crepes and Waffles for lunch. I had a mexican crepe, nothing like you have ever eaten, I could not finish and they did not have to go containers oh well whats money lunch cost a whole $10,000 pesos(3 american dollars)It rained a little on the ride back and then there was a brief shower this afternoon. The sweater lady came back, I purchased a vest to match the knicker outfit I bought, christening shoes and a wall hanging. She tried to sell me more but I refrained. The bowl lady was also here today to drop off those purchases. Running out of room and still have to make another trip to Maku's. Tomorrow it is off to get a new doo and then clubbing with Wilson(he is a busboy at the hotel Mike and Monica stayed at Mike has already hung out with him. Sounds like fun can't wait to see the Colombian nightlife. Okenis will tend to the children. Bryce was a good boy for Monica today(she watched him while I went to the Salt Cathedral) and yes he decided to poop again while mom was not home. Maria Teresa advised that she would get on our Court and let me know tomorrow. Hopefully good news. We thought that the courts were closed on Fridays however it is only the US Embassy. That is a trip that does not have to be made until we sign. Lets keep our fingers crossed cause Bryce and I are sure missing the nice Buffala weather.

Tuesday, February 17, 2004 6:29 PM CST

Another hot and balmy day in Bogota. No more lonely nights, The Wisors moved in this morning. All happy and healthy. We hung outside in the nice warm sun. Had some awesome Pizza Hut pizza for lunch. And yes empananda again as it is one of Mike favorites. Yummy rice, beans and ground meat(kind of like mighty but better eat your heart out baby)Bryce was wonderful again today, just the stuffy nose when it is cold(39 degrees here this morning)Monica and I had some pampering today. Monica and Brooke had their fingernails done and I had a pedicure(11,000 peso's $3.00 usd hope you see this Mccoy)Tomorrow I am going to the Salt Cathedral with Maria Teresa and her neice, Mike and Monica will tend to Bryce. The Wisors also received good news today that they have been accepted into court and should be home within two weeks. Maria Teresa from Fana was checking on our case with our lawyer and should call tomorrow with news, whether good or bad it does not matter as we have our precious Bryce. Ofcourse we miss everyone at home but weigh the pros and cons 70 degrees or 15 degrees. Love and kisses, talk to everyone tomorrow.

Monday, February 16, 2004 4:54 PM CST

Another beautiful day in Bogota!! 72 Degrees and not a cloud in the sky. Sat outside with Bryce for a little while and then back to the normal, eat, sleep, eat, sleep, but not poop today. We had a bath(mommy made the water much armer and enjoyable)then back to my swing for 3 hours. I went with Aunt Betty to a meat market(nothing like at home, beautiful tile floors, clean as a wistle and the men in the back room cutting the meat wear masks) Now you might ask yourself, self, why go to a meat market when people cook for you!! Well because I will be making laze pierogi and polish sausage(chorizo)for everyone. We will be having Mike's favorite dish tomorrow(rice,beans,delicious ground meat and fried plantains(Daddy sorry)After the meat market it was on to a trip to the fruit and vegetable market(like gerchois in Buffalo, or even the Clinton Bailey market) It was just yummy, good prices too!!Bryce learned how to hold and shake his rattle today now he is in his sleeper ready for laying low(last night he slept from 8:30pm-5:00am)We will be watching a movie tonight and then getting ready to help the Wisors as they move into Betty's place tomorrow morning.Aunt Betty is taking me for a new doo on Wednesday morning and she warned me about the guy(you all know what I mean) but she said that he is awesome. Maybe burgers and milkshakes for lunch tomorrow, we are even going to teach Okenis how to make pizza dough so that we can have some american culture, if all else fails it will be French bread pizza's yum ,yum, no chicken wings cause who knows what we would get. Gotta go tend to Bryce and grab a Club Colombia.

Sunday, February 15, 2004 5:33 PM CST

It was another day of hanging low. Bryce had the sniffles as was very fussy so I did not want to take him out. I caught up on some laundry and read another book on how to be fluent in Spanish(I think it is working)He seems to be doing much better now as he has taken his first grande poopie for me(and grande it was) I forgot with all of the hoopla that has been going on that it is just Bryce and myself at Betty's as Scott left yesterday as someone as to pay the bills as mommy is shopping and shopping.(could not find the race on Tv today so Bryce and I watched on Nascar.com and did some online shopping) Way to go Junior, sorry I could not find infant items on your site so we had to go shopping for the #24 pretty cool stuff I might add. Tonight I requested tacos for dinner(sorry mighty)beef tenderloin and shredded chicken, great refried beans, and a wonderful spicy salsa. Jacob is home safe with his mommy and daddy and Brooke is doing much better. Bryce myself and the Wisors will be hanging out tomorrow and they will be moving in on Tuesday with the help of Jorge!! Talk to everyone soon,XOXOXOXO Oh yeah Daddy, where are mommies Valenites day flowers she has been waiting for a delivery for the past two days. I think it is a time out for you!!

Saturday, February 14, 2004 6:26 PM CST

It is Saturday evening hard to believe that it has been almost two weeks here in Bogota. It was a rather uneventful day. There were men here fixing the plumbing and fixing the lighting fixtures. They were here all day. Atleast we did not have to rush to take a shower like yesterday.(they shut the water off for a while)The skies were sunny again and 70 degrees. It looks like it is snowing in Buffalo(so sorry to here that)We just hungout and I read a book. Bryce ate, slept, ate slept and now he wants to play. I gave him some smushed bananas yesterday and today. I even gave him some of the chocolate sauce off of my dessert(he said yummy give me peas) Tomorrow it looks like we are off to the market at Lafontana(weather pending)time to spend some more money. Monica and Mike wen to visit Jacob today and were told that they could bring him home , however Brooke has gotten worse. She is on 5 med's hoping she will get better today so that Jacob can come home tomorrow and we can be living together on Tuesday. Time to go play with the little chico, as he was on my lap earlier, I was helping him stand and he is pushing his legs like he wants to crawl. Hopefully soon, and our fingures are still crossed for good news in Court #3 early next week!!

Friday, February 13, 2004 7:48 PM CST

Another beuatiful day in Bogota. Sunny and probably around 70 but felt alot hotter again. We sat out in the courtyard this morning and then went to lunch with the Wisors to Andres Carne. It is located in he country, the ride was beautiful with all of the scenery. The restaurant was just wild. It is kind of like a Friday's and Applebees combined. The place is absolutely huge it was not very busy for lunch but I guess the weekend evenings are just jammed. There is a huge parkinglot across the street for all of the cars. Scott and Mike had marjaritas that finally gave them the buzz that they were trying to achieve. Monica and I had a some Club Colombia's. The food was just fantastic. Five of us ate with appetizers, cocktails and full meals for $98 usd.(Colleen compare that to the New Years eve dinner that set each couple back $100)After we ate we were all given free shots of mudslide like drink and then seeing taht Valentines day is tomorrow the waiters and waitresses came over with a fake cake with a huge candle and sparkelers for all of us and they sang a song to us. We also did some souvenir shopping there. I had happy to say that Brooke just has a cold that is not contagious and Jacob will hopefully be home with his mom and dad on Tuesday when they join us at Betty's Place. We did a little walking around and picture taking this evening. Now is is a typical Friday night for TV and adult cosktails.
Bryce does not want to go to sleep and will be watching TV with us as well. He is still a very happy baby!!

Thursday, February 12, 2004 4:06 PM CST

Today we toured Fana and received Bryce's social history. The tour of Fana was wonderful. To see the care the children receive,not only the ones up for adoption but for the children that are they for protection. The place is immaculate. Now we really have a true appreciation of what all of our donations actually do. We were out in the court yard where the children were playing and a little girl approached us as if she new us. As is turns out she did know us. She was one of the Fana children that danced at the presentation on 2/4/04 and she remembered us. That was just the beginning of the emotions we were to about to experience today. Flor gave us the social history. Bryce has a sister who is 6 and a brother who is 2. He and his brother share the same father who is no where to be found. The woman who gave birth decided that adoption was the best thing as she could not afford to care for another child and she wanted him with a loving family that could provide as she could not. We then got to see her picture and she is beautiful and Bryce does resemble her. Then Flor opened up an envelope and inside was letter written from her to Bryce(written in spanish)explaining everything to him. This letter will remain sealed. We will not read or get this letter translated as it was meant for him. So when he is old enough to understand we will explain to him, give him the letter and if he wishes to share, it is up to him as it will be the only tie he will have with the woman that gave birth to him as we are now his MOMMY and Daddy. Afterwords it time for another Elcorral burger, then a little shopping. We will hang our for tonite and watch Surviver and we are going to lunch with the Wisors. We saw Jacob today while at Fana and he looks wonderfulhe is out of the tent and they hope to have him off of oxygen tomorrow. Brooke has a cough and they don't want her to come down with what Jacob has so she was going to Fana this afternoon for medicine to prevent her from getting sick. Oh yeah while we were at Fana we found out that we have COurt# 3 which is supposed to be a quick court but who knows. We will just keep our fingers crossed.

Wednesday, February 11, 2004 8:12 PM CST

This afternoon we went to lunch with the Wisors to a place called Winners. It has american cuisine. We had burgers, philly cheese steak and potatoe skins. The meat was good but Colombians need help with potatoe skins and their so called bleu cheesedip. Not bad but definetly need Dawny's help with the skins and dip. I should show them lazy peirogi. Once again ,while we kept an eye on Brooke, she was a little Angel. After lunch we watched Meet the parents and laughed our butts off. Then it was Happy Hour time. Okenis made plenty of Colomian appetizers(yes we had empandas again)and fresh squeezed juices. There as also a Colombian liquer(like Ouzo) sorry I don't rememer the name.
We had drinks with all of the couples and our gracious host and hostess Betty and Rafa. They were both very excited as they were picking up their daughter from the airport today as she is in for the long weekend as her friend is getting married on Saturday. Tomorrow we are off to a tour of Fana which I am sure will be another tear jerker. It looks like it may rain in Bogota for a few days so off to Cartegana we go which is 90 in the daytime and 70 in the evening. There are pictures of Bryce finally posted thanks to Monica. Just click on photo album. Talk to everyone tomorrow.

Wednesday, February 11, 2004 2:40 PM CST

To everyone please click on the photo ablum below to finally see pictures of Bryce. Thanks to Monica!!

Wednesday, February 11, 2004 9:52 AM CST

Good morning,

I will update this mornings events and later this evenings as we are having happy hour. Maria Teresa picked us up at 6:35 am and off the the Beinstar interview. The Wisors were there when we arrived(they were accompanied by Annette)
They were first up. Their interview took about 20 minutes. They were are smiles and waved by. Now our turn. While we were waiting Bryce was hungry so we fed him, we met our attorney and in we went. There were a few questions,what do you do, who will care for Bryce, what is his name, does he sleep through the night. Then we were asked if we wanted the social history. We were told that he has a 6 year old sister. The woman who gave birth to him is 26 years old and she could not care for another child. She lives at home with her mother. His sister has a different father then Bryce. They could give us no information on him. It was very emotional as the woman who gave birth to him had considered having an abortion(our tears began to flow,we could not even look at each other)but then decided that their was someone out there who could love and provide him a good home. God chose us as the lucky couple to love and provide for Bryce. He was an angel no crying and he even stayed awake the whole time(10 whole minutes)She then said that she can see that we both them him and congratulations. That was it, we thought there would be tough questions but that was not the case. She then said I hope to see you in two years when you come back for a sister. She gave us a big kiss and off we went. We are know looking after Brooke so that Mike and Monica could visit with Jacob. The sweater lady also dropped off my purchases for Bryce which was $300,000 pesos($116.00 usd) Now it is just a waiting game to see what court and when we can come home!!Will update after happyhour.

Tuesday, February 10, 2004 8:15 PM CST

Today we just decided to hang out. We sat in the courtyard for a few hours, had homemade lemonade with Betty and Jorge even stopped over to drop off the soccer jersey that we had made for Bryce. It was only 70 degrees and it felt alot warmer and as the day wore on we realized how sunburnt we had gotten. We watched Brooke for a few hours so the Wisors could got visit with Jacob. He is still sick but doing better. He is eating now and has a better color. Us and the Wisors have our Bienstar interview tomorrow @ 7:30 am. They were concerned as the baby is supposed to accompany the parents. However, Fana will not allow him to go as they want him to get better and not worse. They got good news that they could still have their interview minus Jacob but Brooke will be with them. This will not set them back in anyway. We tried some Colombian pizza this afternoon as we needed to feed Brooke as well as ourselves. It tasted ok but nothing like Buffalo. We will be getting a pizza the day I come home. ELizabeth and her husband came over tonite to show silver and Emeralds. Well needless to say after $282 american dollars I was done shopping. Elizabeth noticed our sumburn and had Okenis call the pharmacy and have some cream delivered. Oh what a releif!!Elizabeth commented that Bryce has gained weight and wanted to know if we were feeding him pasta and burgers(pretty close as two cans of formula are already gone and it is not even a whole week)She wants me to bring him into Fana next week to see how much he actually does weigh. Monica tried to helpdown loan pictures but the batteries were too low. We bought new ones this evening and will give it a try again tomorrow so everyone can see just how handsome he is(talking like a proud mother huh?)

Monday, February 9, 2004 6:56 PM CST

Good evening everyone. Today was a fun filled day with JOrge as our driver and our new friends the Wisors. First off we would like to say that our prayers and thoughts are with the Wisors. Their son Jacob had a cold the day they received him and now he has a bronchial infection. He will be in Fana for the next 5-6 days. We are her for friendship and support. So that Michael and Monica do not have to worry when the go to visit Jacob at Fana, Scott and I have have been looking over Brooke. We will continue to do so and to help them out in any way possible until they giet their little bundle of joy back in their arms. We are glad that we got to spend the day with them and even though it was hard we tried to keep their minds off of Jacob. After our fun filled day they did visit Jacob and came back to report that he was doing better but still not 100 percent.

Jorge picked up Michael,Monica and Brooke @ 9:30 and met us here at Bettys Place. Alicia took care of Bryce and Brooke so that we could go out. We went to the Old City where we could see where Bogota began in the mid 1500's. The place is amazing. We then went to a museum in the Old CIty which was also incredible. Jorge took us to a Colombian restaruant and he ordered us empanadas(Yum) and then suggested what we should order for lunch and let me tell you he was right on the money. He then took us to the leather district(which is just as is sounds)He helped us to haggle and make sure that we americans did not get ripped off. I bought two purses for $110,00 pesos and Scott and I bought leather jackets that are being made for us. Jorge will pick them up on Wednesday evening and drop them off to us on Thursday. The jackets set us back $390,000 pesos. Tomorrow for the first time we are going to take Bryce for a walk off of the grounds. Me, Scott, Brooke and Bryce are going out for pizza for lunch. From what we have heard it is incredible, not sure if they have wings(of what animal) I think that we will pass. We also went with Aunt Betty to take Brooke for icecream. Tomorrow is basically a day of relaxation as there are alot of events planned for the remaining of the week. And talk about relaxation Elizabeth is coming tomorrow with the Emeralds and the bowl lady will be here as well. There have been computer problems that last two days and we promise to post pictures tomorrow.

Sunday, February 8, 2004 4:06 PM CST

Sorry for no update yesterday. We had some computer issues and we felt lost. Yesterday we went to an awesome suvineir shop called Mccoos. It is a very cool place with tons of Colombian merchadise. We spent $230,000 pesos and as Scott just said it is just the beginning. There is another couple here from Buffalo(near Lake Ontario)Mike and Monica Wisor. They have a 2 1/2 year old daughter Brooke who they adopted from Fana 2 years ago. The received their son Jacob on 2/4/04 the same day that we received Bryce. He had a cold when they first got him and he has gotten worse. We thought that they could use a little company so we went down to visit them yesterday. When we go there they advised that Jacob had gotten worse and he was admitted to Fana. So we hung out a while and had some cocktails. Hang on to your hats everyone Dawn had Vodka and 7-up. Yeah you got that right no beer Vodka. It was good. We had mentioned to Mike that we had not gotten a buzz since we have been here so he took care of it. We were both feeling good for the walk home. We had chicken and mashed potatoes for dinner and just hung out with Bryce and had cocktails. We were able to get some American channels also. We could not however locate the Bud shoot out.

Now on to today, Sunday. We had planned to have a barbeque with all of the couples here but we were all invited to Mercedes house for lunch. We watched Brooke this morning so that they could go visit with Jacob at Fana. When they came back they were pretty upset as he was still not doing to well. They could not even hold him as he was in an incubater box so they could not even hold him. We told them that we are here for them and we would watch Brooke when ever needed. They are actually going to the Old Town and the leather district with us tomorrow with Jorge as our driver. We will then watch Brooke afterwords so that they can visit with Jacob. The lunch at Mercedes was very nice. We had some wine, a colmbian soup with potoates, carrots and chicken. It was very filling. Then flan for desert and very strong colombian coffee. Alicia took care of Bryce and Brooke and she will do the same tomorrow as we go shopping. There is a posibilty that Gary and Ruby will be moving over here with there new daughter Ruby. Mike and Monica will probably be moving over with in a week. It is nice to have the run of Bettys place but it will also be nice to laugh and have a good time with some other people. Oh I almost forgot after I gave Bryce a bath this morning I received my first squirt shot luckily it missed me but got all over his towel. I am sure that this is the first of many to come. We will be having a Colombian Happy hour on Wedesday with everyone hosted by Aunt Betty and Uncle Rafa. Bryce is being figitty so I will sign off for now. We received instructions on how to down load pictures and we will try to do so tomorrow. If we do have a problem Monica will be here to help us. Talk to you tomorrow.

Friday, February 6, 2004 7:39 PM CST

Today we had to attend a baby care class at Fana. The Van came to pick us up @ 9:30 am and when we walked out there was a couple in the van all dressed up. We thought oh boy the Firkins luck again as we were dressed casual. As it turns out the couple arrived last night from Washington and they were going to receive their little girl Lucy today. We went and picked the rest of the couples up and went to Fana. We arrvied 1/2 an hour late and Elizabeth told us we were all going to get a Red card like we used to in school. She was just kidding. The baby class was very helpful. Some of the couples have had no experience with infants at all. Scott and I have already had plenty of experience from all of our lovings nieces and nephews. After the baby care class we all proceeded to the Green Room to celebrate with the new couple as they received Lucy. We took their cameras and coached them as we are all pros now. It was nice to share the experiece again. All of the couples that are here now will be having a barbeque on Sunday. All of the kids will be together and we will have great group photos. Then we went back to check on Bryce and Jorge was waiting to take us to Delta(to change Scotts ticket, no he did not make a stink here he is waiting to get back to the states),then to El Corral for more burgers and then the Monserrate. FOr those of you who do not know this is a very holy place that is very busy on Sundays as people come to pray and have a mass. It is also 10,000 feet above see level. I am afraid of heights but the cable ride did not really bother me. It was the altitude once we got off to tour the area that got to me. You just need to take slow steps and you will be okay. The view was just breathtaking. Hopefully all of the pictures turned out. It is now a little past 9:00 pm and Bryce is sound asleep and Scott and I will be be having a few adult beverages. Oh I almost forgot, Bryce justgot to experience his first Friday of manys on the Patio(poarch)enjoying adult beverages as well.

Thursday, February 5, 2004 2:46 PM CST

Well I am happy to say that around noon today we finally received our luggage. It was hard to get a taxi as we thought but Betty and Maria Teresa took care of it. Things went smooth but the gentlemen we dealt with advised he would not be able to reimburse for the suit. We will worry about that when Scott gets back to the states. We went for burgers today, and also went shopping as it is Bryce's 3 month birthday. I will be unable to check email from home. If anyone wishes they can email us here @ bettycastillo@cable.net.co Colleen if you are reading this I am unable to locate the time of Bryces birth but we care going back to Fana tomorrow for a babycare class and we will ask Elizabeth. Colleen I also need to know what size bowl you would like as well as the colors. We will be checking for emails later on. Sorry to cut this short but the sweater lady has just arrived.

Wednesday, February 4, 2004 8:59 PM CST

Hello all,

It is us again. Well it is just a little past 10:00 pm on Wednesday and we finally got a call from Delta that our luggage is indeed here. We need to go the the Delta office that we visited several times yesterday to claim what is ours. However, back to the Firkins and Firkins saga, there is a new mayor in Bogota that has declared tomorrow 2/5/04 as a no personal vehicle day. What this means is no vehicles are allowed on the road except for public transportation. So saying that cabs will probably be in high demand. Sp lets see what the cards deal us tomorrow.
Talk to you all soon!!

Wednesday, February 4, 2004 6:32 PM CST

Here it is again on 2/4/04 the day we received our precious boy Bryce August Firkins. We hope to update pictures soon. The whole experience was quite emotional being the anniversaary of FANA. 6 couples received their baby boys. There were four from the states and 2 from out of the country. The children of FANA danced and then we were all given our babies. Scott and I were the second to go on stage to be presented Bryce. I was doing pretty good until we walked into the auditorium today and the emotions took over and i just lost it. Scott did pretty good until we were on stage and presented Bryce but he pulled it together. Then we had wine and cake with everyone. I wish to extend a Happy Anniversary to the Gagliones who received Sam six years ago on the anniversary. Without them we would not be here. We love you guys. After the ceremony we came back and fed and changed Bryce and he went down to sleep around 6:30. Let's see how long the little guy sleeps. We have our Bienstar interview on 2/11/04 @ 7:30 am with the Wisors. It looks like they will be moving into Betty's Place with us soon. As it is right now there is just Scott, Bryce and myself here and we are being treated like royalty. Oh yeah back to the adventures of Firkins and Firkins and now I guess little Firkins. It is now 7:48 pm and still no word from Delta regarding the missing luggage. Tomorrow we will go to the notary I will be given Power of Attorney so that I can sign the Senentcia when it is time. We have Alicia coming over to babysit @ 10:00 am so that we can take care of the notary, go shopping as we have no clothes(Scott's jeans are standing as he has worn them since Monday)and we are going for the famous hamburger and milkshakes. We will keep the Firkins and Firkins and baby Firkins adventures updated.

Wednesday, February 4, 2004 11:29 AM CST

Well it is back to the adventures of Firkins and Firkins. First off the drinks and empandas with the Wisors were wonderful. Bet you all wish you were eating empanads. Then it was dinner of chicken, rice and deep fried cauliflower. Yep that is correct deep fried cauliflower that Scott even ate. Guuillermo picked us up at 7:45 to get our luggage off of the flight that was due at 8:32. We made it with a few minutes to spare. The traffic was terrible. We had quite the run around at the airport. It seemed like we went from one end to the next and one and to the next it was never ending. Finally they took us to the Delta office and the manager on duty happened to speak both Spanish and English. She had the security officer take us down to baggage so that we could retrieve our bags. It was a sigh of relief, Jerri's duffle bag, our suitcase, mom and dads suit case and the Red suit case that was borrowed from Nicole. Then it was on to customs and the red suitcase was the one that was opened to be checked, well guess what it was NOT ours. A woman came over from Delta and advised that the bag did not arrive. Back to the office at Delta again to speak with the supervisor on duty. She was more than cooperative, She contacted Altanta and they said that the bag was not there either. She reassured us by saying that Atlanta is a large hub and the bag is still possibly there. They will be contacting us and sending a driver for us to retrieve the luggage. Now the kicker!! Scott's shoes, suit and all of our casual clothes for our stay are in the missing suitcase! Delta told us to go shopping in the morning to find a suit,shoes etc and to save the receipt and we would be reimbursed. Well we had breakfast this morning then I had a manicure and it was off to the mall to find a suit, shoes, belt and a tie. Well every place that had suits the pants needed to be hemmed to fit. We did pick up a suit hoping that Okeneis could help us out. As the store advised it would take two hours for alterations which could have been 1:30 and are leaving for the mass and presentation of Bryce. We contacted Betty as soon as we arrived back, she talked to Okeneis and she took the suit to the tailor that lives next door. We should have the pants back by no later than 1:15. If not Scott is going with the good old look of the 80's and cuffed up dress pants. We can't wait until Bryce is old enough to understand the adventures of Firkins and Firkns. Talk to you after the presentation.

Tuesday, February 3, 2004 2:53 PM CST

Sorry we did not get to update yesterday we got in a little late. First we would like to start off by thanking all of our friends and family who have supported us through this journey. Now lets get on to business. The Firkins curse has returned. First we left Buffalo an hour late due to the weather conditions in Atlanta. Who would have thought Atlanta over Buffalo huh!! We did arrive in Atlanta with enough time to slam a personal pizza from Pizza Hut down our throats. We then boarded the 757 and the plane was only half full. I was watching out the window as they were loading luggage and noticed that our red bag was not being placed on the place. I told Scott and he told me not to worry that there were plenty of red suitcases and ours was not the only one. Then it was on to wonderful airplane food. We had our choice of Beef or Chicken. We both chose the chicken and rice, it was not that bad. The movie we watched, Stuck on You was low budget but did pass the time time by. We arrrived right on schedule at 8:32, went through customs with no problem. We then moved on to pick up our luggage and low and behold it was not there. Not only was one bag missing but all four. We did have the carry on which had the camera, camcorder, hairspray and a blowdryer and the items we needed to deliver to Bogota. Then on to the desk to advise that our luggaage did not arrive and we had to fill out paperwork to claim the missing baggage but another snag as the woman that took care of us spoke only Spanish. There was however a gentleman that did translate and she stated our luggage would arrive today 2/3/04 on Flight 299 @ 8:30 like it was supposed to yesterday. We then had to go outside to find our driver who fortunatley was there. He immediatly called Betty and she supplied us with toothpaste, tooth brushes and something to sleep in as the nights get cool(50 degrees) We had our meeting with Fana today to receive the medical history of Bryce which was all wonderful. We did not have clothing for that either. Betty loaned me a pair of pants a sweater and a pair of shoes. Okenis(the maid)had to do some quick work to fix the pants as they were a size 10 and I am a 4. The shoes were an 8 and I am a 6 but we did get by. Betty also suppplied Scott with a polo shirt. We will be going to the airport this evening with our driver to hopefully pick up our luggage. If not we have some quick scurrying to do in the morning to pick up presentation outfits. We will not need one for Bryce as all of the children will be dressed the same for the Anniversary presentation. We are in the process of Happy hour now waiting for the Wisors and then it;s empandada time. Talk to you tomorrow..

Sunday, February 1, 2004 5:33 PM CST

Well it is Superbowl Sunday. On 1/17/04 we decided to have a party, but on 1/19/04 we heard of Bryce and all plans were cancelled. Good thing cause I hate to clean and Bryce is alot more important then having the guys over screaming, belching, farting, drinking, chewing and swearing. We went to Jerri's yesterday to get the HUGE duffle bag. All packing has been complete and I am sure that I have forgotten something. Our flight leaves Buffalo tomorrow morning at 11:15 and we are due in Bogota @ 8:30. We look forward to spending time with the Wisor's. Well off to make a pizza and have a few beers. We will talk to everyone soon. I will also keep the site updated.

Thursday, January 22, 2004 3:54 PM CST

Today we had to get our medical letters certified and sent on to Albany as they have expired. It was quite cold downtown but everything went fine until about 4 hours after we had the documents Federal Expressed I realized I only enclose one check. I will have to contact them tomorrow to let them know I am forwarding another check. The Visa application packet was also sent today. Now we just have to hope that we receive them back before the 2nd so we have them to travel. FOr those of you that did not know Channel 2 News is doing a story on us. We received a camcorder from them back in August to get the story on tape from the beginning. Colleen and Dave have had the camera since then. They taped the footage from Monday nights wonderful news and now the camera is in our hands to tape the rest of the memorable events. Not only did they supply us with the camera but they were here this afternoon to interview us on the whole experience. We thought this was going to be a quick interview but they were here for over an hour. I was a great experience. They advised that they will be at the airport when we leave for Colombia to get us both on film leaving and they will also be here for the end of our wonderful journey and get us on film when we finally get to bring our beautiful boy home. I will continue to update the events.

Tuesday, January 20, 2004 5:27 PM CST

It was Monday evening about 8:50 est I was upstairs watching American Idol and Scott was downstairs channel surfing. I thought I heard a knock at the door but really did not pay any attention to it. Scott came upstairs and asked if I heard a knock and I replied I think so. He looked outside and saw nothing. A few seconds later there was another knock he looked out and saw nothing(he did however mention that he thought someone was messing with him) Then again a few seconds later another knock, he was concerned thinking someone was trying to break into the house and told me to grab the phone. Now both are our hearts are racing. He did open the door, looked outside and came right back into the kitchen. I still had no idea what was going on. I stepped outside without even putting shoes on to see two camcorders going, tons of balloons, and a huge picture of Bryce and people screaming ITS A BOY. What a shock to see our buddy couple Dave and Colleen Gaglione their two beautiful children, Colleens sister Bernie her friend Alicia, her mother Jane and husband Tim all there to share this joyous celebration with us. Colleen is a pretty good actress as I talked with her just a couple hours before hand and she gave me the reassuring talk that we would have our baby soon and to hang in there.
I want to thank them for their support throughout this wonderful time and also for the great frienship that we have made. We love them, their children and their family. If it had not been for them we would not be here today. We will keep this site posted often and hope to fly out to Bogota on 2/2/04 and to receive Bryce on 2/4/04 which is the anniversary. Thanks so much also to FANA.

Tuesday, January 20, 2004 5:10 PM CST

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