Slow Death

We had the privilege of hosting judges from the Ukraine for a week (though it truly seemed like 2 weeks). As enjoyable as it was on one level, it seemed, on another level, like a slow and painful death. I am sure all of you know someone who has said, "Oh, I've always wanted to have a Bed & Breakfast!" While we are all grateful for those people, I am sure they are insane. This is not to say that I don't want people from coming to visit us, it's just that I don't want people to come and visit us. No really, only if you speak English, can get yourself around town, don't want to go out and party until 1 or 2 in the morning, don't expect me to make breakfast every day and I don't have to take you to the airport at 5 am. So, family members, Emily Jones, BFF's are all welcome. Please just note the rules stated above. I was going to give you a play by play, blow by blow run down of the week, but it was just too long, so here is a list of the high/lowlights.

1. Hopefully would go to be early, but wanted to have tea and chat 'til 12:30 am.
2. Hotel style continental breakfast, complete with hot cereal and coffee every morning. My coffee must not have tasted too good, because Judge bought instant coffee on Monday.
3. Monday, no one wanted to eat, only shop -- Gap, Barnes & Noble, Apple Store and Victoria's Secret. Very odd experience with Julia digging through stacks of undies while discussing things with Judge in Ukranian. He bought 2 bags of stuff. I didn't ask.
4. Tuesday Ukranian Dinner - a Pork Festival -- All the dishes had some sort of pork product in it. Borscht with spare ribs, potato salad with ham, pork shishkebabs, pierogies and polenta garnished with bacon. If a spot of your plate had not food on it, someone would dish you up some more.
5. Wednesday, a little respite, because everyone went to the Jazz game. They have a Ukranian player on the team and he posed for pictures and signed all their ticket stubs.
6. Thursday - dinner at the Sykes house with pot roast, rolls, roasted potatoes and salad. Made coffee but no one drank it. Must not be too good. Bob took the Judge and Julia shopping -- he was feeling better. Bought the judge a $175 tie!! and a bike helmet for Julia's son. Julia and one of the other judges went out for drinks later. Bob stayed up until 1:30 waiting for her because she said she would only be an hour.
7. Friday -- big huge dinner at the Jacobs house. Kathy, thank you so much. Lots of speeches and then we sent them off to a concert at the Conference center. Then they went shopping some more. We pawned them off on the Sorokins and the Johnsons. We're not very good neighbors.
8. Saturday, they were supposed to be on their way to the airport where we could just leave them. The coordinator overslept and called Bob and asked him to get them checked in as Julia had all the passports (I think a throwback to communism when you didn't want anyone to defect.) It took over an hour to get everyone checked in due to pictures, hugs, overlimit bags. I waited in the car.
9. Cleaned the bathrooms, washed the bedding and generally aired out the house. Kathleen said it smelled like coffee, cheap aftershave and cigarettes. I think it is just a little Euro-funky smell.
10. Monday, I took all the bedspreads to the laundrymat to try to get them smelling fresh again. I may have to throw the pillows away due to the stale cigarette smell, even though they didn't smoke in the house.
11. Tonight at dinner Bob said he missed them and didn't I. Honestly, no!!