I have arrived home.

After another 12 hours on the bus overnight, Anna and I spent all day Monday touring Moscow where we saw many amazing places.

We very much enjoyed our time together and took many pictures. I will upload many over the next few days.

We were both very tired from walking all day when we arrived at the airport in Moscow at about 10:30 PM, Moscow time.
We spent the rest of the night and and much of the early morning hours waiting at the airport for my departing flight that was scheduled for 5:35 AM. I finally had to leave her at around 4:00 AM to pass through passport control and security. It was not a happy time for either of us.
I left Moscow at the scheduled time and had a quick flight to Amsterdam. I had 5 hours to spend at the Airport in Amsterdam and I must say it was a very interesting layover. There was a bomb scare that caused a portion of the airport to be evacuated. Someone had left a bag unattended so naturally Airport Security assumed there must have been a bomb inside the bag. I think there were maybe up to 6 officers at one time on the scene. It was later discovered that the bag was a garment bag only containing clothing. It was good for a laugh.

Also, I met a gentleman by the name of Thomas from the UK who told me that he too met a woman online and fell in love with her. She lived in the Philippines. They are now happily married and live together in the UK.

After departing Amsterdam, it was a 9 and a half hour flight to Seattle. I had yet another 4 hour layover in Seattle waiting for my flight back to Boise. Finally a 7:00 PM, I arrived at the airport where a friend had arranged to meet me to take me home.
Now I am trying to rest and recover from the Jet-Lag.
Tomorrow I will submit details and pictures of my first day in Russia.

Preparing to go back home.

Today will be my last day with Anna at her hometown in Russia. Tonight we will be getting on a bus and returning to Moskow.
It will be a 12 hour bus ride from where she lives to Moskow. We hope the weather will be good when we arrive in Moskow so we us to tour various sites in Moskow. We did not have much time when I first arrived and were  unable to see many of the various attractions there. We would like to be able to visit Red Square and other popular attractions in Moskow.
My flight will be departing on Monday at 5:55 AM Moskow time and will not be back home until 6:40 PM on the 28th.
This will be my final blog entry while in Russia. I promise when I get back home I will give more details about my trip and I can assure you I have many pictures to share.

Having a great time in Russia!

Both Anna and I are having an excellent time together. The day before yesterday, we took the kids to the park where we had a great time with each other and the children. We even rented a rowboat that we were able to take on the river briefly.
Yesterday we went to the mall and spent some quality time together and with the children. In the evening Anna took me to her personal hairdresser to get me a haircut. Then in the evening Anna and I spent about 2 hours walking through town watching the sun go down.
Today we are planning on going to the beach if the weather permits.
Do not worry, I am getting plenty of photos and I will be able to publish them when I return to the states when I know I will have plenty of time.

At Last I am together with Anna in Russia!

After approximately 15 hours of airtime and 15 hours of layovers, I finally arrived at the Airport in Moscow. After I passed through customs and I claimed my luggage, I exited the terminal and Anna was right there waiting as promised. I arrived at just past 9:00 AM in Moscow.
We spent the entire day touring Moscow while we waited for the next bus ride to take us to Anna's home which is over 450 miles outside of Moscow. It was scheduled  to depart at 20:30 Moscow time which is actually 8:30 PM. We spent many walking the streets of Moscow and taking the Metro from place to place. The weather was not the best it seemed to rain the entire time we were touring Moscow. The rain did not stop until we were ready to leave.
We finally left a bit late because the bus was behind schedule. We spent 12 hours trying to sleep on the cramped bus and did not arrive in her hometown until 6:00 AM.
Fortunately we had a brief opportunity to sleep after we returned to Anna's house. Now she prepares lunch as I prepare an entry for the blog.

I'm leaving on a jet plane!

Finally after 11 months of correspondence through skype totaling over 1800 pages, I am finally flying to Russia to see Anna for the first time.
In 2 more days, Anna and I will meet each other face to face for the very first time. We are both very excited to say the least.

I am flying out this evening. Unfortunately It will take me 2 days to get there but I think the time will pass quickly. Anna will meet me at the airport in Moscow and then we will proceed to her home town from there.
I regret that I do not have much time to post on the blog but I do hope I will be able to make some blog entries while I am there with Anna. And of course I promise we will get many pictures to post on the blog.

Only two more weeks until I can finally see Anna!

Finally after over 10 months and 1700 pages of written correspondence, I will finally see Anna!
 I have my passport with a visa to visit with her and it is valid until August 31 of this year.
My plane ticket has already been purchased and I will be flying out of Boise Airport on the morning of August 18.
Unfortunately my schedule is not very desirable but it was all I could afford at this time. I have a 5 hour layover in Salt Lake City and then a 10 hour layover in New York.
Then after that it will be a straight overnight flight to Moscow where Anna will be waiting for my arrival. Needless to say, I am counting the days and hours until I can finally see her for the very first time.