Kazapalooza 2011, St. Petersburg FL

2012 Announcement!

2011-12-01T06:17:00.000-08:00

The Planners of Kazapalooza are excited to announce that Kazapalooza 2012 will be held at......

The Kalahari Resort in Sandusky Ohio

Kalahari is an African themed hotel and convention center located on the shores of Lake Erie. At 173,000 square feet Kalahari is America's LARGEST indoor water park with another 77,000 square feet of outdoor water park fun! Add to that a resort zip line and ropes course, climbing walls, Adventure Animal Park, indoor glow golf, bowling, craft center, indoor playground, the largest game arcade in the Midwest, and a wide selection of onsite restaurants and lounges including a swim-up pool bar and an adult only night club, and you can see why Kalahari is a popular Midwest vacation destination.

Visit http://www.kalahariresorts.com/ for more information about this fun family resort.

Save the Date....Kazapalooza 2012 is June 22-24. Tickets and discount hotel rooms will be availble starting January 9th. Watch for more details soon!

Primary donation from 2011

2011-11-09T07:31:00.000-08:00

After receiving answers to our questions and a more detailed outline of the library project, Kazapalooza is proud and excited to announce we will be donating $6,400 to Antares Foundation. This donation will be used to remodel and furnish a library at Sokolovka Orphanage in Northern Kazakhstan. We look forward to sharing pictures and updates with our families as we receive them from Antares.

Thank you from Two Hearts for Hope

2011-11-01T18:26:00.000-07:00

Dear Kazapalooza,

Thank you very much for your recent support of Two Hearts for Hope. Your donations will be put towards our window restoration project in the city of Ust-Kamenogorsk, Kazakhstan. Drafty windows not only contribute to a cold living situation but also cause upper respiratory infections, asthma, and increased risk of heart problems. With your support we are closer to our goal of providing a warm and infection free environment for the babies in Ust.

Our experiences in Kazakhstan and Russia are ones that we will never forget. God opened our eyes to a world where children lack the basic necessities to live clean and healthy lives. There are more than 900,000 orphans in Kazakhstan and Russia. After the age of 6 children stand virtually little to no chance of being adopted and will grow up in the orphanage system where the lack of hope is stiflying. Two Hearts for Hope began with a calling to aid these children.

As we move towards working to change the oppressive conditions that affect these children's lives, we are grateful for your support.

Together, we can make a difference.

Blessings,
Stacy Segebarth and Kimberly Prud'homme
Executive Directors/Co-Founders
Two Hearts for Hope, Inc.
www.twoheartsforhope.org

Thank you from SPOON!

2011-10-27T13:58:00.000-07:00

Dear Gretchen,

Thank you so much for your recent contribution to SPOON Foundation!

The funds provided by Kazapalooza will be used to support our Orphan Nutrition Project currently underway in Kazakhstan's baby houses. Our Kazakhstan-based team is now working with the Ministry of Health to lobby for new diet and nutrition practices for all the country's baby houses, which we hope will be passed by parliament early next year. We are planning now for a training conference so that we can equip all Baby House directors and cooks with the knowledge they need to prepare the new menu, and feed the children in a way that will support their emotional and physical development.

Attached are pictures are of some of the baby house children who have been receiving the improved diet and vitamin supplementation through our pilot project this past year. You can also watch a 3-minute video update on our Kazakhstan program at this link: http://spoonfoundation.org/video/index.html. Below you will find a receipt for your generous contribution to SPOON Foundation.

Thank you from the bottom of many hearts (and tummies),

The SPOON team

Charity proceeds announcement

2011-09-20T11:38:00.000-07:00

The organizers of Kazapalooza are excited to announce the total raised this year from our event in June is $8,000. We will be donating $533.00 each to Dream Prosperity, SPOON, and Two Hearts For Hope.

As some of you may already be aware, the head of Antares, Laura Rosier, lost her dear and supportive husband a few short months ago. During the past few months and weeks there has been some restructuring of this organization. At this time the organizers of Kazapalooza wish to hold the funds set aside for Antares Foundation until November 1, 2011 in order to give the staff an opportunity to reorganize and bolster the support of its sponsors and volunteers. At the end of this period we will reevaluate the situation and make another announcement. There are many questions we feel must be answered and issues dealt with in order for us, as stewards of your donations, to proceed.

We wish all of our sponsored charities the best and look forward to sharing updates with our families on how donations have been used to support the children in Kazakhstan.

Information on Photo Collage

2011-06-10T17:53:00.000-07:00

Below is information from Karen Harrison our photographer on how to purchase the amazing collage she made of the families reserved a photo session with her.

Hi everyone,

I'm overwhelmed at the number of people who have requested that the Kazapolooza collage be made available... so, ask and you shall receive! An 8x10 and 11x14 version of the collage are now available. If anyone does NOT want one of their photos included on the collage, please email me and let me know (by June 12th please). Once I've received those emails, if there are any, I'll recreate the collage with the remaining photos, and will have them delivered with your regular collection purchase.

To purchase a collage, click on the below link that corresponds with the size you'd like. The link will redirect you to Paypal, where you can complete your purchase. I will receive your payment and will know to include a collage in with your order. Please place all orders by June 12th so these can be included with the shipment of your Collection.
Thank you!!!

8x10 Kazapalooza Collage - $12.00
11x14 Kazapalooza Collage - $20.00
- Karen
Karen Harrison Photography
www.karenharrisonphotography.com
(813) 495-5135

Thank you for a wonderful weekend!

2011-06-07T11:44:00.000-07:00

This year's planners include Karen Kitzman, Gretchen Bilbro, Muriel Elrod, Lori Printy, Kristan Struck, and not pictured Michelle Sapp.

Thanks to all our families who made this year so amazing! The beach was a perfect backdrop for a weekend filled with family, friends, and fun. It was wonderful to meet new friends and see old ones. To me the coolest part was watching the children start to really show strong connections to each other. I can only imagine how these friendships will grow through the years.

We will have a total for the amount of money raised at the end of the month. We are still adding things up and paying for this weekend expenses. Once we have the total we will share it all with you here. If you would still like to make a donation to the Antares Library project, we will accept donations through our Paypal account at kazapalooza2011@gmail.com. This years raffle donations blew me away! We had over 8 tables of amazing items generously donated by our families and their friends.

Next year be prepared to meet us in Ohio on the fourth weekend in June for our next event. We have not committed to a particular city yet but will keep you posted as soon as we know.

If you are not a member of our Yahoo group, I highly suggest you join as a way to keep in the loop about KP happenings as well as a way to connect to families you may have met this weekend. Feel free to post your state and try to find families that live near you so you can have your own Kaz met ups throughout the year.

Also you may have noticed cameras at the luncheon on Saturday. They were there filming for this local Tampa news broadcast. This is very exciting for us to gain recognition from the community. Too bad they mispronounced Kazakhstan. Maybe next year they will get it right. :)

http://www.wtsp.com/news/local/article/195536/8/Reunion-for-Bay-area-kids-adopted-from-Kazakhstan--

The planners would like to acknowledge our husbands and friends who help us through out the year and weekend to be able to make this all possible. Errands, childcare, slideshow creating, and so much more was done by them. Thanks, you all are wonderful and we thank you!

Itinerary change

2011-05-31T18:01:00.001-07:00

*On Saturday for those checking in Friday night or Saturday morning you will be able to check in starting at 10:30.
*Our raffle preview and ticket sales will start at 10:30 instead of 11:00.
*Also, we will still say goodbye on Sunday in the hospitality room, but doughnuts and juice will not be available.

Kazpalooza 2011 Itinerary

Friday June 3
2- 3 pm: Early check in for registration. Pick up goody bag, name tags and shirt (if ordered)
*If you are at the hotel at this time, we encourage you to please take advantage of early registration as we have 125 families attending this year.
*Raffle drop off to still be determined.
5- 6:15 pm: Check in continued
Meet and Greet
*This event will be held outside so please dress accordingly*
6:30 pm: Dinner: Same location as Check in/Meet and Greet.
Stay after dinner and watch the beautiful FL sunset over the beach.
Friday night menu:
Mixed Greens Salad with Tomatoes, Cucumbers, Black Olives, Carrot Threads and Assorted Dressings
Rotini Pasta Salad with Artichokes, Sundried Tomatoes and Cherry Peppers
Mixed Fruit Salad
Baked Potato Salad with Roasted Anaheim Peppers
Spiced Ground Beef Taco Bar with Flour and Corn Tortillas
Mac & cheese
Cookies & Brownies
Tea and water will be served with meal.
*there will be a cash bar for other beverage options.

Saturday June 4
8 -10:45 am: Beach Portraits for preregistered/prepaid families. Times will be given
at a later date
*10:30-11:30: Preview raffle items and buy raffle tickets. $5 each.
11:30-1:30: Lunch, slideshow, followed by Raffle—location of banquet room will be given Fri. night.
* Wear your Kazapalooza t-shirts to the luncheon*
Lunch menu:
Garden Salad with Cucumber, Tomato and Carrot with
Assorted Dressings
Grilled All Beef Patties, All Beef Hot Dogs, Veggie Burgers
BBQ Basted Chicken Legs and Thighs
Lettuce, Tomatoes, Dill Pickles, Sliced Red Onion
Baked Beans
Corn on the Cobb
Southern Potato Salad
Assorted Cookies and Sliced Watermelon
Cake and cupcakes
Tea and water will be served with Meal
*there will be a cash bar for other beverage options
3:30: Beach Social—Optional—meet on beach for games and good old fashion fun in the sun with friends.
Dinner: free: make your own plans.
7:00: Pirate Show put on by the hotel

Sunday June 5:
*9—11: Come by the hospitality room to say goodbye, unfortunately there will not be any drinks or doughnuts.

Raffle Items

2011-05-26T05:39:00.000-07:00

Kazapalooza is one week from tomorrow!

I am getting really excited seeing the incredible items families are bringing for the raffle.

Donations can be be as big as one of Steve Morrison's handmade top quality play tables which he will aslo pay for shipping cost (shipping alone is $300, plus the $500 table), to something as simple as the upcoming adoption book by new Children's Author and Kazapalooza Planner Kristan Struck to be shipped out as soon as it comes off the presses (if you know me you know I am saying that through humbled laughter). To everything in between from an Ava Anderson basket full of wonderful products, to mommy and me visors, goodies from France and LOTS, Lots more.......!

Kaz families are the best and I love that this celebration of our families also is an opportunity to give back children that are forever engrained in our hearts, but may never know the love of a family.

Beach Portrait Deadline Reminder

2011-05-23T06:11:00.001-07:00

THE ABSOLUTE FINAL DEADLINE to preregister and prepay for beach portraits will be WED. MAY 25. There will be NO exceptions and there will be No sign ups at Kazapalooza.

So if you are interested please go to http://karenharrisonphotography.com/blog/uncategorized/kazapalooza-family-portraits/ to make your reservations and payment today. Password is kazkids.

Kazapalooza Expectations

2011-05-20T04:49:00.001-07:00

Hi Kazapalooza Families,

Today marks two weeks until Kazapalooza 2011.

As many of you are making preparations to head to St. Pete Beach in two weeks, or making a pre trip to Orlando or another destination prior, there is a lot of anticipation in the air. On your part and the planners, at least for me-Kristan, :-)

Some of you are attending your first KP and have no idea what to expect while some of you are seasoned pros.

As anticipation and excitement rises, I would just like to ask each one of you for your patience and to remember that all of the planners are volunteers and we do this in our "spare" time. We are all busy moms with jam packed lives like each of you. Unfortunately none of of our current or previous careers happened to be as event planners :)

Each year Kazapalooza is "new" to all of us. It is in a new location, with new support staff at a new hotel, with new families, new memories to be made and also new things that could go wong(I write with a laugh and a sigh). This is our largest KP yet; 125 families, give or take by the actual time of the event. That is unbelievable as four years ago we had 40 families.

We plan all year to make this an special event for everyone. We take great pride in making KP the best event that it can be on a budget which is made up only from registration fees and starts over each year.

While we think of many details, we do miss a few so please be kind, :) Thankfully our KP families are the best and have always been gracious!

There is going to be a lot of information flowing in the next couple of weeks. Please be sure to check the blog, www.kazapalooza.blogspot.com , fb (Kazapalooza 2011 event page) and/or the yahoo group regularly. If you are not signed up to receive e-mails from the blog, yahoo or fb, you might want to consider doing so.

We are trying to reply to all e-mails and in a timely manner. If 48 hours goes by with no response, please feel free to e-mail us again as we may not have received your first one.

If you have to cancel please let us know as soon as you do and please be sure to cancel your hotel room ASAP.

We want to thank you ahead of time for your patience and honestly we can not wait to see all of you in two weeks to celebrate our children, our families, Kazakhstan and remembering the children left behind!!!

See you in two weeks friends!

Kazapalooza 2011 Itinerary

2011-05-18T11:42:00.000-07:00

Friday June 3
2- 3 pm: Early check in for registration. Pick up goody bag, name tags and shirt (if ordered)

*If you are at the hotel at this time, we encourage you to please take advantage of early registration as we have 125 families attending this year.

*Raffle drop off to still be determined.

5- 6:15 pm: Check in continued, Meet and Greet

*This event will be held outside so please dress accordingly*

6:30 pm: Dinner: Same location as Check in/Meet and Greet.

Stay after dinner and watch the beautiful FL sunset over the beach.

Friday night menu:Mixed Greens Salad with Tomatoes, Cucumbers, Black Olives, Carrot Threads and Assorted Dressings
Rotini Pasta Salad with Artichokes, Sundried Tomatoes and Cherry Peppers
Mixed Fruit Salad
Baked Potato Salad with Roasted Anaheim Peppers
Spiced Ground Beef Taco Bar with Flour and Corn Tortillas
Mac & cheese
Cookies & Brownies

Tea and water will be served with meal.

*there will be a cash bar for other beverage options.

Saturday June 4

8 -10:45 am: Beach Portraits for preregistered/prepaid families.

Times will be announced at a later date.

11-11:30: Preview raffle items and buy raffle tickets. $5 each

11:30-1:30: Lunch, slideshow, followed by Raffle-location of banquet room will be given Fri. night.

* Wear your Kazapalooza t-shirts to the luncheon*

Lunch menu:Garden Salad with Cucumber, Tomato and Carrot with Assorted Dressings
Grilled All Beef Patties, All Beef Hot Dogs, Veggie Burgers
BBQ Basted Chicken Legs and Thighs
Lettuce, Tomatoes, Dill Pickles, Sliced Red Onion
Baked Beans
Corn on the Cobb
Southern Potato Salad
Assorted Cookies and Sliced Watermelon
Cake and cupcakes

Tea and water will be served with Meal

*there will be a cash bar for other beverage options

3:30: Beach Social-Optional-meet on beach for games and good old fashion fun in the sun with friends.

Dinner: free: make your own plans.

7:00: Pirate Show put on by the hotel

Sunday June 5:9-11: Doughnuts and juice, while they last, in hospitality room as we say goodbye until next year.

Oops

2011-05-15T13:33:00.000-07:00

Some of you received an e-mail from this blog about Friday night at the Children's Museum.

That was from last year. We have no idea how or why that was sent.

Our entire weekend of KP will be at Tradewinds at the beach.

Stay tuned for the agenda in the upcoming week.

Thanks! Sorry if there was any confussion.

What is included in the registration fee:

2011-05-11T19:19:00.000-07:00

There have been some questions about what is included in the registration fee for our weekend.

Your registration fee includes dinner for Friday night, lunch Saturday, a goody bag for each family. Plus all the costs that it takes to put on the event for the weekend such as hospitality room for each night, audio/visual equipment, microphone, name tags, Saturday dessert, cake cutting fee if needed, entertainment and/or games, pay pal fees, family books, prizes, etc.

I would like to mention that all of the planners pay registration fees, purchase our shirts and bring our own donations for the raffle.

In the upcoming week as we finalize all the details, keep an eye out for the weekend agenda. It's getting close! Planning is wrapping up and we are really looking forward to seeing everyone in St. Pete!

2011 Charity Announced!!

2011-05-03T17:12:00.000-07:00

We are very excited to announce this year's charity will be Antares Foundation! Below you can read about Antares and the project we hope to complete.

The Antares Foundation was incorporated in 2004 to help provide support for orphans in the North Kazakhstan Region through child sponsorship, educational programs, meeting medical needs and providing needs of the orphanages. Antares has been involved in many projects over the past seven years such as purchasing washing machines and satellite for all the family groups at the Regional Boarding School in Petropavlovsk, providing soft indoor play equipment for the Poludino and Disabled Orphanages, creating a relaxation room at the Disabled Orphanage, and many other projects.

Antares has recently started renovations and upgrades for the library at the Sokolovka Orphanage. With a recent generous donation we were able to start purchasing books and part of the shelving we will need. The windows, flooring and lighting will need to be replaced and the ceilings repaired. For us this orphanage was the most neglected in our area.

Each year the planners of Kazapalooza choose a charity that supports orphan children in Kazakhstan. This year several organizations submitted applications outlining certain projects that we could support. We received four application this year. The decision was a difficult one as we are familiar with all four groups and the projects they outlined were all wonderful ways to support the children and young people in Kazakhstan. The charity was chosen by majority vote of the six planners.

In previous years we have chosen one charity to support, but this year we have decided to chose one primary chairty (Antares) to recieve 80% of the donations with the remaining 20% being divided evenly among SPOON, Two Hearts For Hope, and Dream Prosperity. Each charity will then be allowed to set up informational booths after the raffle on Saturday to give our families a way to learn more about each group.

Raffle
We have many new families this year that may not be familiar with our raffle. To give you all an idea of what to expect, here is a brief overview of our raffle and a sample of donation ideas.

We ask that each family bring a donation to be raffled at our luncheon on Saturday. It can be any sized donation. Our families are some of the most generous and imaginative with their donations. Past donations have included baskets containing spa products, local souvenirs, gift cards, handmade hair bows, and jewelry. Kazakh related items are always a big hit. In the past there have been tote bags embroidered with the Kp logo, stained glass of the Kazakh flag, and even a child size lawn chair with the flag woven into the seat. Many of our families donate items from their businesses such as hand made tables, chairs, hair bows, and even a autographed book.

If you have friends that are talented and would be willing to donate an item, ask! Families and friends of our attendees often love helping by giving items. Please keep in mind that our families are coming from all over the country, even Canada. Many will be flying home so large items may be best showcased with a picture and offer to ship to the winner.

You will be able to purchase tickets for $5 each on Friday or Saturday. This money goes directly to the charities we support. To purchase tickets, just find one of the planners. We will be wearing a ribbon on our name tags.

Friday night we ask you drop off your donated items for the raffle at registration. Tables will be set up at the luncheon on Saturday for you to browse and look over the items. On Saturday, you will place your tickets in a cup which corresponds to the donation you would like to win. We will pull tickets at the luncheon and give you your prize that day. This year we will only be choosing one name for each donation and will have the item brought to your room or left at the front desk. Please be sure and ask on check out if you have any items waiting if you have left the luncheon. If you are not staying at the hotel we will contact you via the info you gave upon registration.

Also if you are unable to attend this year's event, you may still donate items for the raffle. Send us an email to get more information.

We are so excited about this year's event and cannot wait to share this weekend with you, our wonderful Kaz families.

Order your Kazapalooza T-shirts!!

2011-04-19T18:01:00.000-07:00

Hello Kazapalooza families,

Here is our shirt design for this year! What do you think? The planners are so excited to offer these cotton shirts at $12 each. You will be able to pick up your shirts on Friday night at the Meet and Greet. Please prepay for your shirts by sending the total amount to kazapalooza2011@gmail.com via Paypal. Be sure to include which sizes you want in the comment section of your order. Specify kid or adult sizes XS, S, M, L, XL, XXL. Toddler sizes are also now available. If you cannot attend the event and still want a shirt add $5 for shipping and include that you will need it shipped in your comment.

We will not be selling shirts at the event. You must preorder and prepay for shirts before May 15th.

Last Call for Photos

2011-04-03T16:09:00.001-07:00

We are extending the deadline for photos submissions for the Kazapalooza slide show.

If you would like your child(ren) to be included in the slide show please submit photos to:
kzslideshow@gmail.com

Please include ONE photo of each "KazKid" along with ONE family photo. Please include the name of each child pictured along with the adoption region. Photos must be received by April 15, 2011!!! To help us identify you please note your family's last name in the email subject line.

Registration ending.

2011-03-14T08:20:00.000-07:00

Hello families! registration for Kazapalooza 2011 will end tomorrow, March 15th. If you would like to attend our event but have not registered yet, please do so now. Feel free to email us with any questions. Here is the link to register. Thanks!

Kazapalooza registration

New KP Logo!

2011-01-28T09:27:00.000-08:00

We would like to thank Liz Nelson of Liz Nelson designs for her wonderful work creating our new logo. Below is a bit about her. She donated her services to us and for that we are very grateful.

I graduated from Indiana Wesleyan University in 2006 with a double Bachelor’s degree in painting and illustration. I currently work out of and show paintings in my studio at the Harrison Center for the Arts located in downtown Indianapolis. Acrylic and pen are my primary medium and I often use a combination of both free form painting as well as my training in illustration. I also dabble in logo design and mixed media. Much of my inspiration comes from poetry and literature.
By day I am a bookseller at a used bookstore, which feeds my literary cravings as well as my love of film and helps support my artistic endeavors. I will soon be celebrating my four year wedding anniversary to my high-school sweetheart; we are expecting our first child in April and are currently living in Zionsville, IN. Creativity is an important and vital part of my life and I enjoy the opportunity to share that with others. Two of my nephews were adopted from Kazakhstan making this particular project something that was near and dear to my heart.

Liz Nelson
(317) 437-8722
liznelson.artist@gmail.com

http://www.harrisoncenter.org/home.php

Hotel Block

2011-01-05T09:00:00.000-08:00

Hi KP Families,

Our hotel block is reserved under "Kazapalooza".

Registration is OPEN!

2011-01-05T05:23:00.000-08:00

Registration for Kazapalooza 2011 is now open.

Please join us June 3-5, 2011 in beautiful St Pete Beach Florida for the 4th annual Kazapalooza reunion of Kazakhstan adoptive families. Last year's event was a sell out so get your tickets early!

Get more information

Register Now!

Kazapalooza is a weekend long reunion of families with children adopted from Kazakhstan. Each year since its inception in 2008 the event has grown and last year 300 moms, dads and kaz kids attended.

Kazapalooza 2011 is being held on the white sand beaches of the Gulf Coast of Florida in St Pete Beach. The hotel this year is the incredible Tradewinds Island Grand Resort, a 20-acre beachfront playground. The resort is just a short drive from Disney as well as other fabulous family friendly destinations so come kick off your summer vacation at Kazapalooza 2011!

We hope to see you there!
Sincerely,

Kristan Struck
Lead Planner, Kazapalooza 2011

Gretchen Bilbro, Muriel Collinson, Karen Kitzman, Lori Printy, Michelle Sapp
Planners, Kazapalooza 2011

Kazapalooza 2011 hotel

2010-10-01T14:46:00.000-07:00

Hi Kazapalooza Families,

I know this announcement has been long overdue but we wanted to make sure that everything was in place for those that may decide you want to go ahead and make your reservation, :)

We are excited to announce that Kazapalooza 2011 will be held on the beautiful white beaches in St. Pete, FL at TradeWinds Island Grand Resort, http://www.tradewindsresort.com/properties/island-grand.aspx , June 3-5, 2011.

It will be a beach filled weekend with beautiful, soft, white sand, sunsets, sand castle contests, dive in movies at the pool, a pirate show and so much more.

Rates will be:$159 per night (plus tax) for standard rooms.

$169 per night (plus tax) for gulf front.

$199 per night (plus tax) for a small suite.

$299 per night (plus tax) for the large suite that sleeps up to 10.

The $25 resort fee has also been waived.

Details about registration are soon to follow. In the meantime, go to the hotel site and look around. We think we have chosen a great location to host KP 2011! We are so excited and hope all of you will be too!!

Kazapalooza 2011

2010-09-10T18:12:00.000-07:00

Hello Kazapalooza Families,

It's true that Kazapalooza 2010 just ended, but in order to give our families as much time as possible to plan for Kazapalooza 2011, the planners have been hard at work trying to choose a destination that will accomodate our growing size, meet our high standards with reasonable rates, all while offering a family friendly location.

In 2009 we announced Florida would be KP's desitination in 2011 and Florida is where it will be. What? FL in June? No worries there. How do you fight the heat in FL during the summer--you Go To The Beach!!

Kazapalooza 2011 will be held on the beautiful white beaches in St. Petersburg, FL the weekend of June 3-5, 2011. We will post details about the resort next week.

Until then we will just say it will be a beach filled weekend with beautiful, soft, white sand, sunsets, sand castle contests, dive in movies at the pool, a pirate show and so much more.

We are very excited about 2011's Beach weekend in FL and look forward to seeing our friends along with meeting new ones!

**The KP planners want you to know that because KP is growing so quickly that we are working to identify areas that we need to improve or completely change to keep KP as accessible and enjoyable to our families

One need that we have identified is having KP the same weekend during the same month each year. For example: 3rd weekend of June every year. *THIS IS ONLY AN EXAMPLE!! This will start in the year 2012.

For now, please save the date for June 3-5 in 2011. Stayed tuned for hotel information, registration dates, deadlines and other important details.

Remember, you can follow Kazapalooza on FB, our blog, www.kazapalooza.blogspot.com, as well as becoming a member of our yahoo group for our families.

Pictures of water filtration system in Karakastek

2010-09-03T08:57:00.000-07:00

Here is the link to the Two Hearts Blog showing pictures of the water filtration system.

Donations from Raffle make a BIG difference- Water Filtration update

2010-09-02T06:58:00.000-07:00

Below is a post from the Two Hearts For Hope blog discussing the new water filtration system being installed this week at the Karakastek orphanage in Kazakhstan. Thank you all for your generous donations that made this possible!!

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2010

Water filtration update
This week our team in Kazakhstan began working on the water filtration systems for the Karakastek orphanage. When they started to drill the pipes were crumbling into dust and 6 faucets needed to be replaced. We decided that we needed to replace all of the pipes leading into the places that the water filters were being installed. The director has asked for government assistance to replace plumbing but have yet to receive it.

We are installing 8 systems:
- 3 on the baby floor, floor 3
- 4 on floor 2 where the older children live (bath, brush their teeth and drink)
- 1 larger unit in the cafeteria where they prepare all the food.

We were also asked to install 8 soap dispensers in the bathroom, one by each sink on the older children's floor. Right now the children are using laundry soap to wash their hands so of course we said yes to helping provide this basic necessity. In addition to the soap, each child received a new toothbrush and toothpaste.

Pictures of the progress coming soon!

Where do I get that?

2010-06-29T07:23:00.000-07:00

Many people asked me over the weekend three questions:

1. Where do I get those neclaces?

2. Where do I get those stools?

3. Did we have a famous author amongst us?

READ BELOW!

Show your love for adoption! Two Hearts for Hope has teamed up with Bashful Bliss to bring you these adorable, one of a kind adoption necklaces. Bashful Bliss is a unique and fun company that enjoys giving back! They design glass tile necklaces with the idea to give a little "happy" to someone and allow them to find bliss in the "little" things in life! Each necklace is hand-made with a 1' x 1' inch glass tile in Kazakhstan colors attached to a coordinating ribbon cord by a sterling silver bail. Each necklace is 18' inches in length with a 2' lobster clasp. We have three styles for you to chose from: "Chosen", "Forever" and "Miracle." Necklaces are $15 plus $3 for shipping and 100% of the money will go towards our continued efforts in Kazakhstan.
GO TO www.twoheartsforhope.org to buy yours!

I bought one of these and I LOVE it. Please contact Steve at steve.morrison@mac.com

The Orb of Azcera follows an ensemble cast of heroes and villains through past and present as two seemingly separate time periods are suddenly and violently thrust together in a battle for ultimate supremacy.

Tony Van Sant attended Kazapalooza (Taylor's Dad) and has just published the above book. For more information please visit: www.orbofazcera.com

CHARITY RAFFLE WAS A SUCCESS!

2010-06-20T17:22:00.000-07:00

Thanks to all of the wonderful families who attended Kazapalooza 2010, we were able to raise $5,400 for Two Hearts for Hope this year! Please read below to see how this money will be used by Two Hearts for Hope :-)

"On our recent trip to Kazakhstan we were approached by the orphanage doctor asking for help in purchasing a water filtration system. Our board has decided that this is a fantastic way to improve the lives of the orphans at Karakastek.
Our fundraising goal is $3000. With this money we will purchase 6 water systems and 24 replacement filters. Please join with us in making sure the children are no longer made sick by drinking contaminated water.

Our experiences in Kazakhstan really make you stop and think about how much needs to be changed. While we wish we could do it all, our goal remains to provide small acts to better the lives of those orphans still waiting for their forever families."

The money that was raised will ensure this water filtration system can be purchased along with other much-needed items!

THANK YOU SO MUCH KAZAPALOOZA FAMILIES!

We had a wonderful weekend celebrating family and friends!

Heads or Tails

2010-06-17T11:44:00.001-07:00

Wanna win this super awesome cool Ipod Shuffle that is literally the size of a house key?

PLAY HEADS OR TAILS AT THE LUNCH ON SATURDAY!

Here is how to play:
Find me (muriel) and purchase a ticket for heads or tails $5. I will give you a special sticker which means you paid and are eligible to play. All ages can play this game...last years winner was 6.

During lunch we will announce that it is time to play Heads or Tails and everyone who has a special sticker stands up. You must place your hands on your head or tail and leave them there. I will flip a coin and if it lands on heads and you have your hands on your head you are still in. If you had your hands on your tail you would be out. We keep flipping the coin until there are only a few people remaining and they come up front. We toss the coin until there is one winner and they get the Ipod.
SOOOOOOO Play Heads or Tails on Saturday and remember all the proceeds from this game go to Two Hearts For Hope.

See ya soon!

Thursday Night

2010-06-14T13:08:00.001-07:00

If you are coming in a little early and can sneak away from the kids, We are having a little mommy get together at 9:00pm in the hotel bar on Thursday. This is NOT a Kazapalooza sponsored event...just for fun.

See you there ;)

last minute cancellations...

2010-06-14T11:20:00.000-07:00

We have had many last many cancellations due to wonderful circumstances (last minute traveling for adoptions, etc..) So... if you would like to make a last minute decision to join us for Kazapalooza 2010 in Milwaukee, WI this weekend, please contact one of the planners ASAP for details!!! There is still room to be a part of this wonderful adventure filled with family and friends :-)

Michelle: SpEduc8er@aol.com

FINAL UPDATED SCHEDULE. PRINT PRINT PRINT

2010-06-08T09:09:00.001-07:00

Kazapalooza 2010!

FRIDAY JUNE 18, 2010

6:00pm to 9:00pm Night at the Museum!
Special Venue: Betty Brinn Children’s Museum, 929 East Wisconsin Avenue, Milwaukee, WI 53202 (414) 390-5437. The museum is .83 miles from the hotel.
Kazapalooza 2010 kicks off with a family friendly evening at the Betty Brinn Children’s Museum. There will be plenty of hands on activities for kids and their grownups to enjoy. A casual dinner will be served and families are encouraged to picnic throughout the museum. Menu items include; pizza, fruit, cookies, juice, soda and water.
Please note this is the official registration site for Kazapalooza 2010. Be sure to check in at the museum’s front desk to sign in and pick up your Welcome Gift Bag! If you are unable to attend this event and would like a welcome gift bag we kindly request that you arrange for another family to pick up your bag.
TONIGHT IS THE NIGHT TO WEAR YOUR KAZ COLORS!

SATURDAY JUNE 19, 2010

Breakfast on your own…

9:00am to 10am Two Hearts for Hope Presentation
Join us in the WRIGHT BALLROOM to learn more about this year’s designated charity, Two Hearts for Hope. Get updates on the Playground project and mission trip and learn about new opportunities to help the orphans in Kazakhstan.

10:00am to 11:00am Auction Item Preview
Stop by the WRIGHT BALLROOM to check out all the wonderful items available for auction. Remember all proceeds benefit Two Hearts for Hope’s mission to improve the lives of orphans in Kazakhstan! Auction tickets will be available for sale during the Kazapalooza luncheon for $5 each. Cash and checks made out to Two Hearts for Hope only please.

11:00am to 1:30pm Kazapalooza Luncheon
Join us in the MONARCH BALLROOM for our main event for food, raffles, prizes, fun with a magician and a slide show starring YOUR gorgeous children! Our kid friendly lunch menu includes; Wisconsin’s famous mac and cheese, hotdogs, brats, salads and veggies & fruit.
A separate ticket is required for this event.
WEAR YOUR OFFICIAL KAZAPALOOZA 2010 T-SHIRTS!

Naps on your own!!!

2:15pm to 4:30 Sprecher Brewery Tour
Participants should meet in the lobby of the hotel promptly at 2:15pm. $2 per person “bus fare” will be collected prior to boarding the bus, (exact change preferred/cash only). Payment for the tour may be made in cash or by credit card at the brewery.
Prior reservation for this event is required. Adults are required to show valid ID.

Dinner on your own…

7:00pm to 8:30pm Kazapalooza Pool Party
The Kazapalooza festivities continue at Paradise Landing where we have access to 20,000 square feet of aquatic fun!

Late night activities on your own…

SUNDAY JUNE 18, 2010
HAPPY FATHER’S DAY!

Breakfast on own…

9:00am to 10:00am Spoon Presentation in the WRIGHT BALLROOM
Parents are invited to attend this informative presentation on the unique nutritional and dietary needs of children adopted from Kazakhstan. An opportunity for Q&A following the presentation will be provided.

10:00am Paka Paka
Families are invited to stop by the Kazapalooza Event Room throughout the morning for one last informal visit before heading home.

Sneak Peak at some raffle items....

2010-06-08T08:59:00.000-07:00

SUPER IMPORTANT!!!!!

2010-06-03T09:34:00.001-07:00

IF YOU HAVE NOT PAID FOR YOUR LUNCH TICKETS YOU MUST DO SO BY THIS FRIDAY, JUNE 4TH. IF YOU ARE NOT ON OUR LIST OF PEOPLE WHO PURCHASED TICKETS YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO ATTEND THE LUNCH. THERE ARE NO EXCEPTIONS.

IF YOU SWITCHED WITH ANOTHER FAMILY PLEASE LET MICHELLE KNOW IMMEDIATELY AT SpEduc8er@aol.com

IF YOU ARE NOT SURE IF YOU PAID PLEASE CHECK YOUR OWN PAYPAL RECORDS.

THANK YOU.

Family Reference Guide Deadline Extended

2010-05-29T06:22:00.000-07:00

Good Morning Kazapalooza Families,

I have been sick and unable to work on the reference guides, therefore I'm going to extend the deadline to Wed. June 3rd.

I have just over 50 families information so I know there are many more families who have not sent in their information. I would love everyone to be included.

Please send an e-mail to kristans@mchsi.com with a family picture (or any picture if you don't have a family one), all family member names, region and year Kaz cutie was adopted, and if any of your other children were adopted please include the country as well, city where you live and any other contact info you would like included such as blog, e-mail, phone number.

Thanks so much. Have a great Memorial Day Weekend.
Kristan

How our donations this year help the children in Kaz.

2010-05-28T11:39:00.000-07:00

It is very exciting for me (Gretchen) to be able to announce exactly what our fundraising will accomplish this year. The proceeds from our raffle and fundraising efforts at Kazapalooza 2010 will go to Two Hearts For Hope. Below is a description of exactly how we are helping the children in Kazakhstan.

The Karakastek orphanage is located in the Almaty region and is home to children age birth to 7 years old. The baby home houses anywhere from 75 to 125 at a given time. It is a village orphanage that is only supported by the local government and is very poor and under funded. The children lack proper nutrition, are very small and often sick. Part of the reason for their sickness and malnutrition is poor water conditions. Most children adopted from Karakastek come home with bacteria or parasites that are caused by drinking or ingesting contaminated water. Just looking at statistics of children that are adopted with parasites we are sure that many of the children still waiting for a family are also infected. We can change their diets or supply vitamins but it will only do so much if the water is not also changed.

On our recent trip to Kazakhstan we were approached by the orphanage doctor asking for help in purchasing a water filtration system. Our board has decided that this is a fantastic way to improve the lives of the orphans at Karakastek.
Our fundraising goal is $3000. With this money we will purchase 6 water systems and 24 replacement filters. Please join with us in making sure the children are no longer made sick by drinking contaminated water.

Our experiences in Kazakhstan really make you stop and think about how much needs to be changed. While we wish we could do it all, our goal remains to provide small acts to better the lives of those orphans still waiting for their forever families.

FINAL SCHEDULE*****PRINT THIS

2010-05-24T11:00:00.001-07:00

Our Charity

2010-05-21T16:20:00.000-07:00

I have gotten some questions about who Kazapalooza's 2010 charity is and where the proceeds from the raffle go. As many of you may know, one of the goals of Kazapalooza is to support a charity every year that works in Kazakhstan with the children left behind. We are pleased to announce that our charity this year is Two Hearts For Hope. (www.twoheartsforhope.org)

All the proceeds from the raffle and all leftover registration funds will be donated to Two Hearts for Hope. We are really hoping to exceed our donation of $2,500 last year. Please bring your checkbooks and your generous spirit to the luncheon on Saturday. When economic times are tough it is even more important to dig a little deeper. The raffle tickets will be $5. Please be thinking about what item(s) you will be donating to the raffle. Each family attending Kazapalooza is asked to bring a raffle item.

Although we will have an informational session led by SPOON on Sunday morning, the purpose of this meeting is strictly educational. They will not be soliciting donations.

PLEASE READ ALL POSTS BELOW

Family Reference Guide

2010-05-18T08:25:00.000-07:00

Hello Kazaplooza families,

I am putting together a reference/information guide to help us get to know each other better as well as use as a cheat sheet when you can't remember the names of the people you just met cause you've just met 30 new people, ;)

If you would like to be in this booklet please send me a picture of your family, with the name of all family members, region adopted from and city and state you currently live as well as any contact information you would like to share, e-mail address and blog. If you have bio children or have adopted from other countries as well, please include that as well.

If you aren't comfortable sending all of that, send what you are.

Time is of the essence, so please send this information to kristans@mchsi.com No Later than May 25, that's one week from today!

Thanks so much! I will miss seeing everyone this year at Kazapalooza~
Kristan

What to expect-FRIDAY NIGHT

2010-05-10T12:28:00.000-07:00

The Planners thought we would be specific about what to expect at each of the events so that if you need to make adjustments or bring your own food or drink ect. you will have all the information needed.

Friday night:
We have rented the entire Children's Museum. It is a pretty long walk from the hotel but there is plenty of parking available. It is a large space with several exhibits and a quiet room. There are two balconies overlooking the lake. We will be eating picnic style. There will be some chairs but many families will need to picnic around the museum. We will be serving the following which is included in your registration fee:

pizza (cheese, different meats, veggie)
grapes
cookies
rootbeer and other canned soda
bottled water
juice boxes
*for liability reasons we are unable to serve alcohol.

The party will go until 9pm. You will need to check in and you will receive your welcome bag at this event. Please note, if you will not be there, make arrangements to have someone pick up your welcome bag. We will not have them at any other time.

You can learn more about the museum here: http://www.bbcmkids.org/

Although the following is not a "Kazapalooza" event, people in the past have gathered in the hotel bar once the children are in bed. There is a bar in the lobby at our hotel called The Miller Time Pub and it is open until 2:30am.

T-Shirts are Ready to be Ordered!

2010-04-26T10:48:00.000-07:00

The t-shirts for Kazapalooza 2010 are ready to be ordered! Let's show our unity and order t-shirts for this year's event! Click on the link below and view this year's t-shirt options. You will find that there are many styles and colors to choose from this year. There are even other fun items to order as well such as water bottles, bags, and ornaments! Karen did a great job getting this all together :-) There is no time to waste, so get your orders in now!
http://www.cafepress.com/kazapalooza2010

***REMINDER***

The DEADLINE to pay for the lunch is MAY 1st!!! I still have 25 families who have not paid. If you are unsure if you have paid or not, e-mail me, SpEduc8er@aol.com and ask. This is our big event and we want you there! May 1st is right around the corner!!!

Please read!

2010-04-12T10:41:00.000-07:00

The DEADLINE to pay for your Saturday lunch is MAY 1st. This is our big event, so please don't forget to pay your fee! I still have about 40 families who have not yet done this. We need to know how many people are coming/eating. At this event, we will be showing the slideshow, eating, and holding the annual raffle for charity. We absolutely need a headcount, so don't delay!!! This is NOT part of your registration fee. If you want to attend the lunch/slideshow/raffle, you need to pay the lunch fee.

Adults are $20 and children 2 and older are $11. You can pay using Paypal on the sidebar of this blog or send a check directly to me, Michelle. If you need my address, please e-mail me (SpEduc8er@aol.com).

There are 10 families who have not yet sent in their pictures for the slideshow. Please do so as soon as you can! We REALLY want all beautiful families to be represented! If you know of a family on the list, please pass along the information to them in case they are not actively following the blog or receiving e-mails.

Ghomeshi
Karp
Kovac
Parisi
Stone
Struck
Sunga
Uras
West
Weiss

Please pay for your Saturday lunch(es) ASAP!

Be thinking about what you want to donate to the raffle! All the proceeds go to the children of Kazakhstan we were not able to bring home!

Brew tour details and final count

2010-04-10T14:36:00.000-07:00

Wow, I am amazed at the interest in this tour. I extended the transportation (school buses now instead of trolleys) and reserved the entire tour to accommodate as many people as we could. THIS TOUR IS OVER SOLD. WE DO NOT HAVE A WAITING LIST. I apologize to anyone who wanted to come and did not contact me in time. Every year the planners try our best to listen to your suggestions which is why we planned this tour however, it is the only tour that takes reservations and we are at capacity.

IF YOU ARE GOING ON THE TOUR YOUR NAME WILL BE LISTED BELOW AND YOU MUST BE IN THE LOBBY OF THE HOTEL AT 2:20 SHARP. YOU MUST HAVE $2 PER PERSON FOR TRANSPORTATION IN CASH TO GIVE TO ME WHEN BOARDING THE BUS. YOU WILL PAY YOUR ADMISSION FEE AT THE BREWERY.
I am very excited for this trip!
I have the following people booked for the tour:
Thad-1
Elrod-2
Morley-4
Serra-4
Halls-4
Crocoll-4
Yoeman-3
Bilbro-3
Jaworski-3
Chau-4
Groh-3
Morey-6
Gerbrandt-1
Dykes-1
B.-1
Snyder-4
Sanders-1
VanSant-3
Soraya-2
Erickson-4
Speckman-4
Hallmiller-3
Lloyd-3
Behrmann-3
TOTAL 73 PEOPLE

Brewery Tour

2010-04-09T10:28:00.001-07:00

The Brewery tour is now full. Muriel will post a list of people with spots later today. Thanks!

Brewery Tour

2010-04-07T14:40:00.000-07:00

We are excited to announce the details of the Brewery tour on Saturday June 19th!
We will be touring Sprecher Brewery (a Milwaukee favorite)

The tour includes:
The tour of the brewery takes you in brewhouse, through our aging cellar to our bottling line and warehouse, all the while guided by a friendly and knowledgeable tour guide. The tour ends in our indoor beer tent where samples are served, questions are answered and usually a trivia contest or two ensues. All adults 21 and older get 4 samples of beer (chosen from up to 10 beers on tap) and a beer tasting glass to take home. Adults as well as kids get to sample all of our seven different sodas to their heart's content.

The cost of the tour is $6 per adult and $4 per child. This includes transportation (A school bus will take us from our hotel to the brewery and back $2 is added to the admission price for transportation...so to avoid confusion the total price is $6 per adult and $4 per child )PLEASE PAY IN CASH TO MURIEL THE DAY OF THE TOUR.

The bus will leave at 2:15 and will bring people back at 4:30.

we only have space for 50 people period.

Please reserve your space by e-mailing me at murielcollison@hotmail.com with the total number of people attending. first come first serve.

Slideshow!!!

2010-03-29T11:14:00.000-07:00

SLIDESHOW DEADLINE IS APRIL 1st!!!!

The theme of this year's presentation is "Then & Now". We are asking each family to email us 2 high resolution photos showing your child "Then" (referral photos, first bonding day, homecoming) and "Now"( a recent photo). The photos can be of just the child or a family shot. Whatever you like.

Send your photos by email to kzslideshow@gmail.com. Be sure to include the following information in your email;
Child's full name
Region in Kazakhstan (ie Almaty, Ust-Kamenogorsk, etc)
Age in each photo

To date we have recieved photos from the following families;

1. Prud’homme

2. Simon

3. Bolstad

4. Saradis

5. Crocoll

6. Leggett

7. Bilbro

8. Hochestetler

9. Yeomans

10. Burg

11. Floyd/Leggett

12. Chen

13. Groh

14. Hammond

15. Milani

16. Weiss/Pelnar

17. Pere/Williams

18. Khin

19. James

20. Keogh

21. Chau

22. Vinci

23. Halls

24. Serra

25. Morley

26. Bhagat

27. Morrison

28. Chaney

29. Fogleman

30. Brown

31. Jaworski

32. Erickson

33. Tarpey

34. Bradshaw

35. Burns

36. Costello

37. Arpell

38. Elrod

39. Scott

40. Segebarth

41. Miller

42. Printy

43. Kitzman

44. Ruley

45. Sapp

Early Deadline for Registration for Kazakh Aul

2010-03-07T17:52:00.000-08:00

I am happy to announce that the Early Bird registration deadline for the
Kazakh Aul of the US' 6th annual heritage camp for families has been
extended! To get the best rates, the new Early Bird deadline is MARCH 29,
2010.

IMPORTANT: A variety of housing options are still available; however, at
this time some housing is filling up. Rooms are assigned based in the order
in which registrations are received and family need. If you are interested
in coming and want to get the best rates and your first choice housing, you
are encouraged to register soon.

Zhailau 2010 will be held July 26-31 in New Hampshire. Each year more than
100 people come together to celebrate Kazakh culture, including special
Kazakh teachers and friends who will be returning to perform and teach our
children. Please visit the Kazakh Aul of the US' website to download all
information and registration forms at www.kazakh-aul-us.org.

Please read all Zhailau materials carefully and complete the registration
forms thoroughly. Early Bird Rates are available if you submit your fully
completed forms and 1st deposit no later than March 29, 2010. Checks or
money orders please; we are unable to accept credit cards at this time.

The Zhailau Planning Committee is comprised of parent volunteers who have
day jobs. Please feel free to contact us anytime, and know that we will do
our best to answer as quickly as we are able. If you have any questions
please email info@kazakh-aul-us.org

Finally, please help spread the word about Zhailau 2010 if you can, feel
free to forward this email. :-)

Thanks and hope to see you in July. We can't wait!

Susan, Heather, Audrey, and Jeanne
Volunteer Zhailau 2010 Planning Committee

Susan Saxon
Volunteer Administrative Executive Director
Kazakh Aul of the U.S.
www.kazakh-aul-us.org

SLIDE SHOW!!! URGENT!!!!

2010-03-05T07:02:00.001-08:00

SLIDE SHOW DEADLINE CHANGE: Photos Needed by APRIL 1st!!!

Due to the fact that I will be in China adopting my daughter in May, the deadline for submitting photos for the slide show has been moved up to APRIL 1st!!!!!!!!!!

The theme of this year's presentation is "Then & Now". We are asking each family to email us 2 high resolution photos showing your child "Then" (referral photos, first bonding day, homecoming) and "Now"( a recent photo). The photos can be of just the child or a family shot. Whatever you like.

Send your photos by email to kzslideshow@gmail.com. Be sure to include the following information in your email;
Child's full name
Region in Kazakhstan (ie Almaty, Ust-Kamenogorsk, etc)
Age in each photo

To date we have recieved photos from the following families;

Prud'homme
Simon
Bolstad
Sarandis
Crocoll
Printy
Leggett
Snyder
Bilbro
Hochesterler
Yeoman
Burg
Leggett
Chen

Golf?

2010-02-25T07:49:00.000-08:00

If you are interested in golf please e-mail me at murielcollison at hotmail.com
If we have enough interest for a foursome or two we will try to arrange it.

Kazakh Aul Early bird registration information

2010-02-11T12:28:00.000-08:00

The following message is from Susan at the Kazakh Aul.

Greetings!

If you are interested in coming to the Kazakh Aul of the US' 6th annual
heritage camp for families - and you want to get the best rates - please
know that our Early Bird registration deadline is February 22, 2010. Zhailau
2010 will be held July 26-31 in New Hampshire.

Each year more than 100 people come together to celebrate Kazakh culture,
including special Kazakh teachers and friends who will be returning to
perform and teach our children. Please visit the Kazakh Aul of the US'
website to download all information and registration forms at
www.kazakh-aul-us.org.

Please read all Zhailau materials carefully and complete the registration
forms thoroughly. Note that Early Bird Rates are available if you submit
your fully completed forms and 1st deposit no later than February 22, 2010.
Checks or money orders please; we are unable to accept credit cards at this
time.

The Zhailau Planning Committee is comprised of parent volunteers who have
day jobs. Please feel free to contact us anytime, and know that we will do
our best to answer as quickly as we are able. If you have any questions
please email info@kazakh-aul-us.org

Finally, please help spread the word about Zhailau 2010 if you can, feel
free to forward this email. :-)

Thanks and hope to see you in July. We can't wait!

Susan, Heather, Audrey, and Jeanne
Volunteer Zhailau 2010 Planning Committee

Susan Saxon
Volunteer Administrative Executive Director
Kazakh Aul of the U.S.
www.kazakh-aul-us.org
ssaxon@kazakh-aul-us.org

Slideshow

2010-02-08T12:28:00.000-08:00

As has become a bit of a Kazapalooza tradition, we will be putting together a slide show featuring all of our beautiful adopted children from Kazakhstan. The theme of this year's presentation is "Then & Now". We are asking each family to email us 2 high resolution photos showing your child "Then" (referral photos, first bonding day, homecoming) and "Now"( a recent photo). The photos can be of just the child or a family shot. Whatever you like.

Send your photos by email to kzslideshow@gmail.com. Be sure to include the following information in your email;
Child's full name
Region in Kazahstan (ie Almaty, Ust-Kamenogorsk, etc)
Age in each photo
IMPORTANT DEADLINE: The deadline for photo submissions is May 1, 2010.

Lori

Zhailau Culture Camp through the Kazakh Aul

2010-01-16T09:27:00.000-08:00

Below is information from Susan Saxon regarding the Kazakh Aul's Culture Camp this summer. Contact her for information on attending their event.

Greetings!

I am delighted to help spread the word that the Kazakh Aul of the US – a
nonprofit 501(c)3 organization that promotes Kazakh culture and cultural
education – is busy preparing for its 6th annual heritage camp for families
– Zhailau 2010 – that will be held July 26-31 in New Hampshire.

We are excited to see old friends and welcome new ones, including special
Kazakh teachers and friends who will be returning to perform and teach our
children. Please visit the Kazakh Aul of the US' website to download all
information and registration forms at www.kazakh-aul-us.org.

Please read all Zhailau materials carefully and complete the registration
forms thoroughly. Note that Early Bird Rates are available if you submit
your fully completed forms and 1st deposit no later than February 22, 2010.
Checks or money orders please; we are unable to accept credit cards at this
time.

The Zhailau Planning Committee is comprised of parent volunteers who have
day jobs. Please feel free to contact us anytime, and know that we will do
our best to answer as quickly as we are able. If you have any questions
please email info@kazakh-aul-us.org

Finally, please help spread the word about Zhailau 2010 if you can, feel
free to forward this email. :-)

Thanks and hope to see you in July. We can't wait!

Susan, Heather, Audrey, and Jeanne
Volunteer Zhailau 2010 Planning Committee

Susan Saxon
Volunteer Administrative Executive Director
Kazakh Aul of the U.S.
www.kazakh-aul-us.org
ssaxon@kazakh-aul-us.org

REGISTRATION CLOSED - Read Below.

2010-01-12T16:45:00.000-08:00

As of 1/12/10, registration is officially closed. However, if you are still interested in attending and have not registered, please e-mail me (Michelle Sapp - SpEduc8er@aol.com) and let me know. You still might be able to attend if we have families that cannot attend later. Each year we have had this happen, so I will place you on a waiting list and contact you if there is a spot that opens. We regret the fact that we cannot take everyone that is interest in attending, as we would love to have all who want to come have the opportunity. We just don't have enough space to allow it.

Registered Families

2010-01-12T04:44:00.000-08:00

1. Muriel Elrod/Collison
2. Michelle Sapp
3. Erin Herman
4. Dan Costello
5. Carolyn Tarpey
6. Craig Morey
7. Sara Yeomans
8. Suzanne Ruley
9. Karen Floyd
10. Chandra Hammond
11. Kami Dykes
12. Annette Sunga
13. Lori Erickson
14. Kara Brown
15. Soraya Meri
16. Lisa Chaney
17. Joanne Morley
18. Quaintance Miller
19. Sue and Craig Bradshaw
20. Susan Serra
21. Lori Strobbe
22. Maegan Van Sant
23. Mary Sue Vinci
24. Jennifer Weekly
25. Paula O’Brien
26. Dan & Kerry West
27. Gretchen Weiss
28. Maren Leggett
29. Kelly Bhaghat
30. Brad Reed
31. Angela Reinoehl
32. Kari Speckman
33. Ann Hochststler
34. Cynthia Jaworski
35. Kelly Sarandis
36. Alaina Falk
37. Ken Gerbrandt
38. Tracey Crocoll
39. Michelle Burg
40. Lori Printy
41. Corey Halls
42. Pam Cantania
43. Christy Simon
44. Melissa Scott
45. Bob Henson
46. Andrew Snyder
47. Sandra Martin
48. Andrea Bolstad
49. Allison Byrne
50. Stephanie Karp
51. Karon Decker
52. Jackie Schmitt
53. Gena Lloyd
54. Lea Arpell
55. Jennifer Sanders
56. Gretchen Bilbro
57. Suzette Jeckel
58. Christine Fogleman
59. Linda Serges
60. James
61. Keogh
62. Kovac
63. Jila Ghomeshi
64. Joyce Pezold
65. Scott Zeidler
66. Jeanene Von Wald
67. Kristen Showalter
68. Karen Kitzman
69. Jeremy Groh
70. Karen Pere-Williams
71. Susan Behrmann
72. Kim Prud'homme
73. Morrison Family
74. Angi Martin-Prudent
75. Jen Matsovsky
76. Todd Burns
77. Shashona Chau
78. Andrea Hall-Miller
79. Sue Heacock
80. Jayne Chen
81. Aziz Uras
82. Christine Milani

If you haven't done so already, please don't forget to pay for your lunches.

We will be getting information to you in the next couple weeks about the slideshow.

YIKES! About 20 more spots!

2010-01-09T11:05:00.000-08:00

Spots are filling up fast! This is wonderful, but also unfortunate that due to space restrictions, we have to turn people away. If you really want to attend, please send me your registration, FEES, and book your hotel. Do not assume that just because you turned in your registration, you are coming. Because we have so much interest, I need your fees turned in as well to assure your space. I can't assume you will be coming based only on your form.

We are really excited about all the interest!

Registration/Fees/Hotel

2010-01-06T10:47:00.000-08:00

*****PLEASE NOTE WE ONLY HAVE THE CAPACITY FOR 70 FAMILIES. ONCE THE SPOTS ARE FILLED, REGISTRATION WILL BE CLOSED. AS OF 1/7/10 WE ARE HALF FULL.

We are so very excited about all the interest in Kazapalooza 2010 this year! Just a friendly reminder that if you are seriously interested in attending, you are strongly encouraged to register, pay, and book your hotel soon. As much as we'd LOVE to accommodate all who are interested each year, unfortunately sometimes we just don't have the meeting space big enough (our banquet room can only hold 300 people). We can never anticipate interest each year, and it seems as though 2010 has generated a lot (which is wonderful)! However, to ensure you will be a part of this event, please don't hesitate in registering, paying your fees, and booking your hotel. To date, I was just informed (thank you, Kerry) that all suites are gone. They do have something called a, "King Junior" for $169.00. This has a king bed and sitting room with pull out sofa separated by folding door, if anyone is interested. I am seeing a lot of familiar families registering and many new families as well! Please note that you aren't completely registered until we have received your registration form and payment.

*** You may now pay for your lunch/main event. We do not include this in the registration fee because it is different for each family who attends depending on the amount of people in each family. The lunch fee is $20.00 for adults and $11.00 for children. Unfortunately, you will have to individually purchase each ticket separately as an individual transaction, as this is how it is set up on Paypal. These fees will cover food, taxes, gratuity, and entertainment.

BREWERY TOUR:
WE WILL BE DEPARTING FROM THE LOBBY AT 2:15 SHARP ON SATURDAY. THERE WILL BE A SMALL FEE (TBD) FOR THE BUS WHICH WILL TAKE US TO AND FROM THE SPRECHER BREWERY TOUR WHICH IS $4 PER ADULT AND $2 PER CHILD. PLEASE INDICATE IN THE POLL ON THE SIDEBAR IF YOU WILL BE COMING. CHILDREN ARE WELCOME.

KAZAPALOOZA MILWAUKEE, WI 2010 REGISTRATION IS OFFICIALLY UP!

2009-12-29T15:00:00.000-08:00

Registration is officially open for Kazapalooza 2010 (June 18-20)! Families will not have as much time to register this year, so don’t delay!

To register, follow these steps:

1. Send an e-mail to me, Michelle Sapp (SpEduc8er@aol.com), entitled, “Kazapalooza,” in the subject line. I will then send you a form to fill out and return to me. It is important that you fill this out and return it so that we have the necessary information to secure meeting spaces, etc…

2. Send in your registration fee. The registration fee is same as last year, $100.00 plus a small Paypal fee. The fee covers the cost of nametags, to welcome bags, to food on Friday night and space, etc…

We are sorry, but registration fees are non-refundable. We are not responsible for hotel costs that may be lost.

Fees may be paid by Paypal using the button on the sidebar or by check or money order sent to Michelle Sapp. The address will be on the registration form.

3. After registering, you can secure your room at the hotel (http://www.hiltonmilwaukee.com/)
Check out this link for water park pictures (http://www.paradiselanding.com/virtual/virtual_tour1.htm)

Contact Hilton Milwaukee City Center directly at: 414-271-7250 and reference the Kazapalooza room block
(June 18-20, 2010) to receive the group rate of:
$139.00 plus tax per night for a standard room

or

If you’d like a one bedroom Executive Suite, it will be $204 plus tax per night.
* There are a limited number of suites, so if you are interested in this option, reserve quickly.

or

There is a third option called a, "King Junior" for $169.00. This has a king bed and sitting room with pull out sofa separated by folding door.

We are very excited for Kazapalooza 2010 – Milwaukee, WI! We look forward to reconnecting with old friends and connecting with new ones! Please pass along the word to new and old friends! We'd like to see this event grow each year!

Our tentative schedule is as follows:

Friday:

Meet & Greet 6:00

Betty Brinn Children’s Museum (http://www.bbcmkids.org/)
(The cost of this event is covered in your registration fee.)

We will be renting out the entire floor for our event. It is an amazing place we believe our families will enjoy. Check out the website above. It will offer a place our children can burn off energy while the adults can meet and get to know each other without fear that our children are getting into things they shouldn’t. The facility also offers a, “quiet/serenity” room for any child that may need a space to get away from all the activity/noise that may be happening ☺ As a bonus, there is an outside patio area perfect for the adults to take advantage of to sit around and talk. The patio area overlooks the lake!

Pizza and beverages will be offered this night.

Saturday:

Breakfast on own

Preview of auction items Saturday morning

* The hotel has graciously offered to let us set up our auction items in advance so that everyone can preview them before the lunch. Because of this, we will need to collect all donations Friday night so we can get them all set up by Saturday morning so everyone can get a chance to see all the great items up for raffling! Donations can be given to any of the planners: Michelle, Muriel, Karen, Lori, Gretchen, or Kristan. All Kazapalooza families can come down to our luncheon room at any point Saturday morning and see the great donations.

Please start considering what you will bring to donate to our raffle. This is where we make our money to donate to our chosen raffle to give back to the children still in Kazakhstan. Last year we made well over twice as much as the year before and we hope our kindness and generosity continues to grow! Some ideas of donations we’ve had in the past: homemade gifts such as jewelry, art, hand-sewn gifts, Kazakhstan-themed donations such as clothing, dolls, art, decorations, state or region-themed gifts such as food products, sports memorabilia, kid items such as hair bows, cars/trucks/tractors, games, books, art supplies, themed baskets such as movies/popcorn, spas items, hot sauce, ANYTHING!!!

Lunch/Slideshow/Raffle located in Hotel Banquet Room 11:00
(***There will be an additional fee for this event.)

This will be our big event. We decided to change things up this year and see if a luncheon would serve our families better than a dinner. Our slideshow and raffle will take place at our lunch. We take to heart what our families our telling us, so we thought we’d try a lunch this year instead of a dinner. We are serving kid-friendly foods and having things like Wisconsin’s famous mac and cheese in addition to hotdogs/brats/salads and veggies/fruits, etc…

2:30 Depart for Sprecher Brewery Tour (anyone is welcome, including children. Must bring your ID. There will be a small charge for transportation and the tour

Dinner - on own

Pool Party (located in the hotel) - 7:00 (after dinner)

Sunday - Meet in Kazapalooza Hotel Meeting Room for Goodbyes

*Also, I strongly encourage you to join the yahoo group set up for Kazapalooza. See below in previous post for details!

** If you are looking to extend your vacation stay, check out the post Muriel posted below. These are GREAT family vacation spots!!!

*** Lastly, Start registering! I'll keep you all updated on how many families we have registered!

****IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN GOLFING ON SUNDAY MORNING E-MAIL MURIEL (murielcollison@hotmail.com) and we will try to get some foursomes together.

If you are looking to extend your vacation...

2009-12-29T09:08:00.000-08:00

there are three great areas close to Milwaukee that are family friendly and fun!

1. Door County. Located approximately 2.5 hours North of Milwaukee, this is an amazing vacation spot with gorgeous beaches and lots for the family to do. Voted one of the top 10 Vacation Destinations in North America. It is my (Muriel) personal favorite as I have been going there since I was a child. Please ask me any questions and I would be glad to help you plan your Door County getaway.
www.doorcounty.com

2. Lake Geneva. Located approximately 45 minutes south west from Milwaukee, it is a very popular place for Chicagoans to vacation. The lake is gorgeous, great golf courses, resorts and there is major shopping.
www.lakegenevawi.com

3. Wisconsin Dells. Located approximately 2 hours west of Milwaukee, it is known as the water park capital of the world! There are tons of resorts, lots of shopping, amusement parks and tourists!
www.wisdells.com

REGISTRATION

2009-12-28T21:58:00.001-08:00

Registration will be open for Kazapalooza 2010 within the week! Get excited and get ready!!!

Yahoooooooo!

2009-12-01T08:36:00.001-08:00

We have started a Yahoo Chat Group for Kazapalooza. Join us!

Group home page: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/kazapalooza
Group email address: kazapalooza@yahoogroups.com

Here we go!

2009-11-06T19:41:00.000-08:00

Michelle and I (Muriel), just got back from Milwaukee and we are so excited about Kazapalooza 2010. All of the planners will be working hard to iron out all the details but we need some information from you! Please go to the sidebar and answer the polls so we can finalize some details. Here is what we do know now:

1. It is June 18th-20th

2. Friday night we will be renting out the entire Children's Museum for a pizza party. The kids will have run of the place and there is a quiet room there as well. We will have a keg...It is Wisconsin don't ya know.

3. We are staying at the Hilton and there is an indoor water park. The park is not huge or fancy but it will definitely be a lot of fun for the kids and the bonus is....IT IS ENCLOSED AND THEY HAVE A TIKI BAR!

4. The price of the hotel per night will be $159 or lower (plus taxes)for a standard room. We do not know the final rate as of now. 1 and 2 room suites will be available for an up charge.

Standard room.

5. All the Kazamoms will receive a $25 gift certificate to the spa. yes, I am serious.

6. We have negotiated a rate of $7 per night for parking.

7. Wireless Internet is free.

And the best news of all...

THEY HAVE A STARBUCKS IN THE LOBBY! The man above is Courtney, the catering director, and he may think Michelle and I are a little crazy! :)

In closing, a word from our sponsors:

Ummm, this is going to be a totally fun weekend. If you do not come you are a floppy face. (That is a direct quote)

The second planner is....

2009-10-03T09:47:00.001-07:00

The second planner is Karen Kitzman!

As an inaugural member of the Kazapalooza groupies, I was so honored and excited to accept a position as rookie planner. Now that I consider all of the Fabulous First Four as my friends “in real life”, I look forward to working with them on an even more personal basis to create another memorable event. We became a Kaz family 2 ½ years ago when we adopted our son Nicholas from Zhezkazgan. Yes, we are in the minority! Where’s Zhezkazgan? Surprisingly Zhez can be found rather easily smack dab in the middle of most Kaz maps. We are officially in the Karaganda Region but most adopt from Karaganda city instead of the little mining city of Zhez. Our lives have forever been changed for the better thru adoption and even more than we imagined by gaining an incredible second family thru all of our fellow Kaz families. The fabulous four have created a truly unique and precious gift to us all so we can maintain friendships and create an environment for our kids to feel “just like everybody else”! See you in Milwaukee!
Karen Kitzman, very proud wife of Patrick and mom of Nicholas (age 5) – home forever in April 2007
We are two mid-westerners (Missouri and Wisconsin) and a really cute central Asian living in Lexington, Kentucky and loving life!

Exciting announcement.....

2009-09-30T18:24:00.000-07:00

We have two new planners joining our Kazapalooza team this year. Tonight I am proud to introduce Lori Anderson-Printy!!!! Here are a few words from Lori:

I am excited and honored to play a role in Kazapalooza 2010. Last year we attended for the first time less than 6 months after adopting our sweet Kaz daughter Nina. The immediate welcome into this amazing community of Kazapalooza families was one of the many unanticipated blessings of our adoption experience. The Kaz adoption community is relatively small and I am grateful for events like Kazapalooza that celebrate my daughter, my family and our Kazakhstan adoption.

So much of the hard work has already been done by the Kazapalooza founders. In just two short years they have succeeded in creating a reunion of friends and families that already feels like an annual tradition! I just hope that I can find a meaningful way to contribute to this wonderful event.

Lori Anderson-Printy

Wife and friend to Dart Printy since 1989

Mother to Kiefer 18, Aidan 14, Nolan 9 and Nina 2 (home forever 1/7/2009, Ust Kamenogorsk, KZ)

Waiting again on daughter # 2 sometime in 2010???

Stay tuned for the announcement of the second new planner!

Kazapalooza 2010

2009-09-28T11:45:00.000-07:00

The dates are June 18th-20th, 2009 in Milwaukee.

We are going to look at hotels on November 6th...we are hoping to stay at one with a water park!

It's going to be a great time!

Save the date!

Pictures lost

2009-06-29T09:07:00.000-07:00

I spent a long long time on the phone with Shutterfly and am unable to get the account back. Apparently, some people or person ordered photos and changed the account settings and never changed them back. Maybe Shutterfly was not the best way to share pictures. We will be glad to have someone take control of figuring out a way to share our photos next year. Any volunteers? I apologize to all of you who did not see them. Steve (Tougie's dad) has very nicely downloaded all his photos to this site: http://gallery.me.com/steve_morrison#100057

He is a great photographer and he managed to capture the true beauty of our kids and the event. Enjoy.

Shutterfly

2009-06-20T20:42:00.001-07:00

PLEASE, if you went onto Shutterfly and changed the password please e-mail me and let me know. murielcollison at hotmail The entire account has been changed and I can't access it. I have requested a new password and have been informed the account is not linked to my e-mail anymore. I am not mad, just want to solve the problem without having to sit on hold forever with Shutterfly.

Thanks to our Sponsors!

2009-06-16T06:22:00.000-07:00

We could not have had a successful event without the help of our sponsors. Please support them throughout the year!

SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS:

Burp Itty Burp:
www.burpittyburp.com

Holly G Bows:
www.kickassbows.com

Lokey Rentals and Sales, LLC

Charms 123
www.charms123.com

Elena's Gift Shop:
www.elenasgiftshop.com

Heart and Seoul:
www.heartandseoul.com

Born in our Heart:
www.borninourheart.com

Charms 123 & Scrap and Tell
www.charms123.com

Many Hearts One Beat:
www.manyheartsonebeat.com

Mandy's Moon:
www.mandysmoon.com/Qstore/Qstore.cgi

Collison & O’connor, Ltd:
www.collisonandoconnor.com

Pensacola Investors:
www.pensacolainvestors.com

B and B Transportation,Inc:
www.bandbtrans.com

Welcome Home!

2009-06-09T20:51:00.000-07:00

We had such a great weekend and loved seeing all of you. It warms all of our hearts to see all of our gorgeous children in one place together celebrating adoption, life and love! We are also thrilled to announce that we raised almost $2,500 for Two Hearts For Hope! Be sure to check out their website and continue to support them all year long. www.twoheartsforhope.blogspot.com

We have created a Shutterfly account to share all of our pictures. Please go to shutterfly.com and download all of your wonderful pictures to share.
e-mail: jerryelrod@hotmail.com
password: kazapalooza

We can't wait to see all the pictures!

Friday Night Meet and Greet

2009-06-05T10:51:00.000-07:00

Hello all! we are having SO much fun meeting everyone that has come in early. Tonight you are encouraged to come to our meeting space at 4pm. We will have this meeting space available to us for the entire weekend. It is located in the Magnolia lobby, second floor, at the end of the hall. The room is the Hermitage Room CD. It will close nightly at 11pm and reopen at 5am each day. Please do not leave any valuables in the room at any time.

Tonight dinner will be served promptly at 5 and removed at 6:30pm. So if you plan on eating, come early! We can't wait to see you all and want to thank each one of you for coming!

Thursday Night

2009-06-03T16:45:00.000-07:00

All you early Kazapalooza people: We are meeting for casual dinner at 7pm at Paisano's Pizzaria & Vino tomorrow in the hotel for all of us early birds if you want to come. Totally casual good kid enviornment...so I am told. No reservations needed just stop in.

For everyone else: please read about the meet and greet below. That is our first event on Friday.

SEE YA'LL IN NASHVILLE BABY!!!!!!!

Meet-N-Greet

2009-06-01T19:12:00.000-07:00

Friday night we are having a Meet-N-Greet at the meeting room in the hotel. There will be food provided. Please note that although we will have the meeting room all weekend, the food service for that night will be from 5-6:30 pm only. If you would like to eat, you must come between those hours. The meeting room is Hermitage CD in the Magnolia section. Thanks!

We are really excited about this weekend and can't wait to see you all there.

Also, please be thinking about the raffle when you budget for your trip. Would you consider giving up a few of your morning Starbuck drinks to purchase raffle tickets? This is the only fundraiser we do the whole weekend and we really want to make as much money as we can for our charity this year. Please remember to bring cash to the dinner/dance on Saturday for the cash bar and the raffle tickets!

Semey

2009-05-31T13:17:00.000-07:00

Here are our Semey families

Lori and Ruth
Madina age 4 - Issyk
Nicholas age 1 - Semey
Illinois

Linda
Maya age 2
We are Linda and Maya Serges and live outside of Chicago . Maya is 2 ½ years old and has been home for four months. She is an intelligent, funny, outgoing little girl and charms most of those she meets. I am amazed at how much she has blossomed in such a short period of time. I am thankful everyday that this little girl has come into my life.

Illinois
lindasjourneytokaz.blogspot.com/

Chris and Emily
Liam age 9
cade age 7
Zane age 4
Keira age 1 - Semey

We are Emily and Chris Jenkins, we have three boys Liam (9), Cade(7), Zane (4), and one daughter adopted from Kazakhstan. Keira will be two in July, she was adopted from Semey and came home on February 6, 2009.
Tennessee

Jim and Peggy
Jacob age 9

Our trip to Semey was at Easter in 2001 when Jacob Valentin was 19 months
old. It's hard to believe we've been a family for 8 years and that Jacob
will be 10 in September. Jacob has a loving spirit, is eager to please but
strong willed and very active. He loves to build things, swim, play with
friends and travel. We live in Northeast Florida outside of Jacksonville in
a rural setting on a creek so he gets lots of time outside. He struggled in
public school and is now happy and progressing in a private Montessori,
small classroom environment. We have attended other Kaz adoption functions
over the years and look forward to seeing families we've met and meeting
others. We welcome others and would love to hear from you if ever in the
Northeast Florida/South Georgia area.

Stewart and Ashlee
Owen age 2
Georgia
http://lifesmarathon.blogspot.com

Kelly and Sne
Miras age 1
We brought our cutie, Miras, home from Semey last Summer and so wanted to travel earlier in the Spring so we could attend the first Kazapalooza. Miras (his Kazakh name, meaning "good heritage") has been such a joy - really the light of our lives. Everyone describes him as the sweetest boy who loves to smile and laugh. He is also "all boy" as he loves sports, taking things apart or "fixing" them, and anything with wheels and/or an engine, especially Thomas the Train. We are all looking forward to meeting other Kaz kids and their families - especially those with whom we've been blogging since the beginning. You are our virtual family and we can't wait to meet you and your beautiful children in person.

Midwest
www.climbingcradlemtn.blogspot.com/

Uralsk

2009-05-31T01:11:00.000-07:00

Here are our Uralsk Families

Carolyn
Henry age 2
Hi, We are Carolyn and Henry Tarpey from Conn. I am a single parent to my adorable son Henry who is 28 months old. I traveled to Uralsk Kaz in Oct/ Nov. 07. Henry came home at 9 months old. From the moment I met Henry, I knew in my heart he was my son. Henry is an amazing little boy who lives life to the fullest and never stops smiling. His passion is cars and trucks and he loves to just play and play. We are both so excited to be going to Kazapalooza and to be finally meeting so many wonderful people through the world of adoption.

Connecticut
www.overthemoonandbackagain.blogspot.com/

Kelly and Steve
George age 2
We are the Sarandis Family. We traveled to Uralsk in West Kazakhstan in late July 2008. We arrived home on September 9th, 2009 and couldn't be happier. George is doing wonderfully. He is the center of attention wherever he goes. As we like to say he is a 'busy' little guy. On the go constantly with no down time except when he sleeps. We count our blessings everyday as George is just such a wonderful child. We live just north of Boston in Massachusetts and are looking forward to Kazapalooza next weekend.

Massachusetts
Blog is http://sarandisfamily.wordpress.com

John and Anita
Charlie, age 5 - Uralsk Oct 06
Waiting for Alex...

Marietta (Atlanta), GA

Andrew and Alaina
Calvin age 4 - Uralsk
Patrick age 3 - Uralsk
Titus age 1 - Domestic

Hi, we are the Falk family from Indiana! We adopted Calvin and Patrick from Uralsk in October 2006. Calvin was born with a cleft lip and palate that was repaired at the Shriner's Hospital in Chicago - he continues receiving care there. Calvin is 4 and Patrick is almost 4. Titus was born in KY joined our family in August 2008 as a newborn. They are all such a blessing and we are amazed by them daily! We had such a great time at Kazapalooza last year and can't wait to see everyone!
http://andrew-alaina.blogspot.com/

Nathan and Cynthia
Abram- he will be 2 on June 12th
Nashville, TN
Blog: www.cynthianathan.wordpress.com

Our prayers were answered in April / May of 2008 when we adopted Abram. He will be two on June 12th. He is such an amazing little guy!!! He is a loving little ball of energy that truly enjoys life to the fullest. He loves to be outside and loves to be in the water. We feel so blessed to be his parents! We are excited about Kazapalooza, and cannot wait to meet all of you.
Tennessee

Karon and John
Emerson age 2

Hi,
We are Karon, John and Emerson Decker. We adopted Emerson from Uralsk June 4, 2007 when he was only 8 months old. I think we hold the record for the longest in country stay for a Uralsk family of 60 days and we loved every minute of it. We made many friends there, taught English as Second language classes and even found our own apartment. We liked it so much, we are going for round two and we hope to be in Kazakhstan this time next year. Emerson, as you will quickly see, is a very active 2.5 year old who is always on the go. He loves the outdoors, cars, trains, swimming, giving hugs and kisses and running around screaming:) His entertaining antics and "ball of fire" personality keep us in good shape and have us wonder what we did with our time before he entered our lives. We love him to pieces and we are very excited to share a weekend with others who have adopted kids from Kazakhstan. We feel very fortunate to be the parents of our little boy.
http://decker-adoption.blogspot.com
Alabama
www.decker-adoption.blogspot.com/

Kostanai

2009-05-30T13:04:00.000-07:00

Here are our Kostanai families

Susan and Joe
Sean age 10
Leeza Grace age 1 - Kostanai

We are the Serra family, of Largo, Florida. We spent 11 weeks (plus 3 days) in Kazkahstan, arriving home Oct 21st with our princess. Leeza has changed SO much in the 7 months she's been home-and is becoming a strong willed, bow-clad, fashionista with her mom enjoying being her fashion coordinator. She is changing so much lately, and has a new passion for books, swimming, her mother's iphone, chapstick, pushing her baby stroller around, and lately, Elmo, even though she is not interested in TV yet. Her latest HUGEST milestone is that she has joined the "potty trained" elite and we just made our first outing to Target and left the pullups at home. Sean turned 11 in April and is a wonderful big brother and was a real blessing to have in Kazakhstan with us. He plays with his sister all the time and she ADORES him, even when he torments her by throwing her bunny on the ledge above the front door. :) We are so excited to meet all the other families and their Kaz sweeties. Leeza has blessed our life beyond our wildest imagination, and I had no idea be blessed with all these incredible friendships to boot.
Florida
www.ouradventurestomeetbabykaz.blogspot.com/

John and Jenny
Roxana age 2 - Kostanai
We met eight-month-old Roxana in October 2007. This tiny and demure beauty immediately captured our hearts, and we were overjoyed when we became a family two months later. We have thoroughly enjoyed watching Roxana blossom into the loving, garrulous, vivacious two-year-old she is today. Now, we look forward to meeting other munchkins from the merry old land of Kaz !

Alabama
johnandjennynews.blogspot.com/

Christopher and Tricia
Rustam age 1 - Kostanai
We are Chris and Tricia from the Philadelphia area. We traveled to Kostanai Kazakhstan on June 1, 2008 and returned home with our son Rustam (pronounced Roo-stahm) on August 22, 2008. Rustam is 18 months old and full of energy to do his favorite thing, climb any surface he can! The comment we hear most about him is "he's a happy little guy". He was smiling when we met him and he sure brings many smiles to our faces. We feel incredibly blessed to have traveled to Kazakhstan and had the experience that we did, but most importantly to have met this sweet, fun, curious, adorable little guy who is now our son. We are looking forward to meeting you all in Nashville!

Pennsylvania
www.chrisandtrishadoption.blogspot.com/

Calling all birthday babies!

2009-05-27T18:27:00.000-07:00

If your child has a birthday over the Kazapalooza weekend, please e-mail me at murielcollison at hotmail.com

We would like to do something special for the birthday sweeties!

8 MORE DAYS PEOPLE!!! CAN I GET A WHOOOO HOOO!

Karaganda

2009-05-25T12:53:00.000-07:00

Here are our Karaganda families

Joanne and Andy
Nicholas age 2 - Karaganda
Jacob age 15 months - Bishkek, Kyrgzstan
New York
www.jandamor.blogspot.com/

Liberty and Laura
Stella age 5 - Karaganda
Georgia

Karen and Patrick
Nicholas age 5 - Karaganda
We came home 2 years ago in April with Nicholas Carmon Kitzman (Nurbolat was his given name). He is from the Karaganda Region but not Karaganda City. He is from a smaller and remote town about 6 hours from Karaganda City called Zhezkazgan. If you look smack dab in the middle of Kaz, that is where we were! Very few American families end up in Zhez. Usually, only 1 or 2 families per year are allowed to adopt from there. Nick was 3 when he came to live with us and while his age was a surprise, he has been the perfect fit for our family. He is the loudest, sweetest, funniest, most charismatic boy you will ever meet! He has changed and grown so much over the past 2 years (almost 7 inches to be exact!) He will start Kindergarten next year at a spanish/english immersion school and will hopefully be bi-lingual in his fourth language by the time he graduates....of course, then we will have to go back and learn Kazakh and Russian! He loves pirates, planes, geotrax trains, and books! He is always on the go and if you blink, you may miss him in Nashville but most likely you will HEAR him! :) Our blog is http://kitzkazventure.blogspot.com/

Kentucky
kitzkazventure.blogspot.com/

Danielle and Barrett
Nolan age 6
Callan age 4
Hailan age 2 - Karaganda
Massachusetts

Ben and Ziara
Catherine age 2 - Karaganda
Ben and Ziara Bierig adopted Ava from Kazakhstan in 11/08. After being scammed by a former agency for 5 years Ziara met a woman over the internet trying to buy a Kazakhstan cookbook and she happened to be starting a kazakhstanian adoption agency- Ziara trusted her heart to a stranger and her dreams of parenthood after 16 years of failed IVFs, and a scammed agency but a lot of prayer and dont quit attitude Ava Catherine is perfect for our family. It took 7 years but we never gave up and share our experience with anyone who wants help.
Tennessee
www.journeytokaz.com/bierig

Muriel and Jerry
Sophia age 2 - Karaganda
Jack age 9 months

We are the Elrod family and we are so honored to have two little lovies sent straight from God; Sophia Hope and Jack. We traveled to Karaganda (Nezabudka) to meet our princess in April of 2007. She is the life of the party and loves Elmo, Mickey (specifically, Mickey's Clubhouse), Thomas, swimming and the park. She is an amazing little girl and we count our blessings daily. She is full of fire and determination and will do anything once she puts her mind to it. We are also amazed by our son who is perhaps the sweetest happiest baby we have ever met. He will melt you all with his toothy grin. We can't wait to see you guys in Nashville! We love people who love adoption!
Illinois

Mark and Kristan
Ryan age 10
Tanner age 7
Sadie age 2- Karaganda
Florida

Slideshow Update

2009-05-19T13:16:00.000-07:00

Below are the following families that are in the slideshow. If you sent me something and your name does not appear, please contact me ASAP!

Tennen
Prud'homme
Elrod
Khin
Wood
Morley
Sapp
Snyder
Hochstetler
T-B
Mortenson
Van Sant
Sanders
Yeomans
Gojkovic
Keogh
Fulford
Decker
Struck
Hermann
Lloyd
Pike
Sandlin
Bilbro
Serra
Ruopoli
Ghomeshi
Morgan
James
West
Driskill
Serges
Johnson
Floyd-Leggett
Leggett
Kitzman
Hodges
Wilons
Forscher
Fakih
Falk
Segebarth
Morrison
Thomas
Reed
Strobbe
Tarpey
Taylor
Moore
DuBose
Lucas
Henson
Hoffa
Meri
Printy
Bierig
Matasovsky
Smith
Raymond
Preston
Parisi

Ust-Kamenogorsk and Taraz

2009-05-19T12:47:00.000-07:00

Here are our families from Ust and Taraz

Michelle
Mateo age 6 - Ust
Natalia age 4 - Ust
Hello! We are the Sapp family :-) We traveled to Ust-Kamenogorsk in
October of 2005. Mateo Timur just turned 6 and Natalia Grace is 4.
Mateo loves trucks, policemen, ambulances, Spiderman, Batman, the Green
Goblin, books, and any sort of gadget. He enjoys swimming, putting
things together, learning how to use tools with his G-Pa, and being
outside. He is a very energetic, curious, good-hearted boy. Natalia
loves dolls, her Magna Doodle, shoes, hats, and dress up clothes. She
enjoys being outside, riding her bike, singing, and drawing. She is a
sweet little thing with a diva-like spirit. We live in Illinois and
enjoy keeping up with other adoptive families!

Illinois
www.sappfamilyadoption.blogspot.com/

Dart and Lori
Nolan age 9
Nina Bea age 2 - Ust

We are the Printy's from Stow Ohio and we are thrilled to be heading to Kazapalooza this year. This past Christmas we received the greatest gift of all, our dear daughter. We traveled as a family back to Ust-Kamenogorsk to bring Nina home. In a whirlwind 17 days we celebrated; gotcha day, Christmas, Nina's 2nd birthday (also Christmas day), our 19th wedding anniversary, New Years, Russian Orthodox Christmas and Kiefer's 18 birthday. Best of all on January 7th 2009 we celebrated the homecoming of our beautiful Nina Bea.
Ohio
www.treasuresofthesilkroad.blogspot.com/

Bob and Diana
Anton age 18 months - Ust

Illinois
www.journeytoalex.blogspot.com/

Glenn and Karen
Max age 2 - Ust
We are Glenn and Karen, and we arrived home from Ust with Zakary Makseem "Max" in June, when Max was 18 months old. Max hit the ground running once we arrived home in Cincinnati and he has been running ever since. He loves his school and all of his new friends, and he is also crazy about Elmo, Dora, and Diego. He loves playing outside, and is happy kicking a ball around or pushing his big Tonka trucks up and down the driveway. We are about to submit our dossier, and we hope to travel back to Kazakhstan some time during 2010 to adopt another son. We also have two children from Glenn's first marriage, 18-year-old Tyler, and 21-year-old Jessica. Our blog: http://ourkazakson.blogspot.com

Ohio
www.ourkazakson.blogspot.com/

Kevin and Angel
Lena age 7 - Taraz
Dub age 7 - Taraz
It's been almost 4 years since we came home from Taraz with Lena and Dub. Today they make no resemblance to those tiny creatures we fell in love with. They are both 7 1/2 now- Dub with his curly hair, loooooong legs and ever present smile is the lover of the family. Lena has blossomed into a wonderful little girl. She is still full of sass and vinegar, but is so bright and has such a compassionate heart!
Lena is excelling in first grade. Dub was struggling in kindergarten - they were doing first grade work, but he could not process quick enough to hold onto the info.
This is an Easter picture from this year Just a week later, we stopped into a salon to have them check the length of Lena's hair. She has been growing it out to donate it to "Locks of Love" who make wigs for cancer patients. I thought we were close, and sure enough, we had more than enough, so we chopped it all off! You have to see the difference. We haven't cut her hair more than a small trim since we came home!
We are blessed beyond measure and are so grateful to their tummy mommies who gave them life, and to Umit, who cared for them until we came.
Love to all,
Angel and Kevin Sandlin, and Lena and Dub

Georgia

A Few More Things...

2009-05-18T08:42:00.000-07:00

Several people have asked about transportation. The hotel does have a shuttle service from the hotel to the airport and to several tourist areas such as downtown Nashville, the Grand Ole Opry and golfing, the mall, etc. There is a charge for this shuttle. Check the hotel website to determine the price. They also charge a daily rate for parking at the hotel. So even though the shuttle might be expensive ( I can't remember exactly how much) if you rent a car it may be even more. Once you get to the hotel, you will not need a car unless you want to go somewhere on your own. All of our activities and events are at the hotel or the mall next door which is within walking distance.

We also would like to explain the raffle for those of you that were not at last year's KP. We will hold a raffle Saturday night at the dinner. The raffle benefits Two Hearts for Hope, a charity that gives hope and help to orphans in Kazakhstan. 100% of the ticket sales will go to this charity. Throughout the day Saturday you will be able to purchase raffle tickets for $5 each. You will write your last name on each ticket. At the dinner we will have all the raffle items on tables with a cup in front of each item. You will place your ticket(s) in whichever cup that corresponds to the item you want to win. Buy more tickets to increase your chances of winning. All items in the raffle are donations. Please consider bringing a donation to put in the raffle. Some ideas are gift baskets of tasty treats, books, region specific items (make a basket with items from your town), Kaz related items, children's toys and games and books, gift cards, you name it, you can bring it and win it! We already have some really good items. Help us make this year's raffle a success! Last year we raised over $800 for Interlink, let's break our record!

A few things....

2009-05-18T07:32:00.000-07:00

PLEASE READ ALL POSTS BELOW!

As stated from the beginning, tickets for the dinner and the registration fee are NON-REFUNDABLE. We have already put deposits down and have given final counts. If for some reason you are not able to make it please let us know but understand there can be no refunds.

What to wear?
I have gotten several questions about this. The entire weekend is casual. On Saturday night we will all be wearing our Kazapalooza tees. If you did not get a tee (my hubbie and I did not) make sure to wear your yellow and blue! If you still want a tee, it is not too late...see below!

DEADLINE: t-shirts

2009-05-18T04:24:00.000-07:00

If you missed the deadline date to order a t-shirt, you're still in luck - the supplier, Shari, has extended the date, so you can still order. If people still need to order, you just need to e-mail Shari (heartandseoul@cox.net) and let her know the date you are leaving home so she can be sure to get your order to you on time. She will be shipping everything that has come in so far on Monday (today). Remember that Canadian families (due to the high shipping costs) will have their orders shipped to me, Michelle, and I will bring them to the event.

So... there's still a little time!!!

Here is the direct link to do so: http://www.heartandseoul.com/Kaz.htm

The deadline for the slideshow was last Friday. I received a ton of pictures last minute, so if I haven't sent you a return e-mail yet, I will be doing so today!

Aqtobe, Petropavlovsk, and Shymkent

2009-05-14T12:40:00.000-07:00

Here are our families from Shymkent, Petropavlovsk, and Aqtobe

Teresa and Winston
Martina age 12
Jasmine age 4
Sophia age 2- Shymkent

Regina and Frank
Milo age 2 - Aqtobe
South Carolina

We first met Milo in May, 2008 and brought him home in August 2008 at exactly 2 years old. He is a sparkling, silly, cheerful, exuberant, loving and charming little imp. He loves the water, airplanes, trains, cars, tractors, books, animals and shoes. He loves to play chef, play doctor, give hugs and leap from tall buildings in a single bound. His favorite foods are tomatoes, apples, broccoli, yogurt and ice cream. We live in Charleston, SC, and we looking forward to seeing our Kaz friends very soon!
www.ruopoliadoption.blogspot.com/

Janice with friend Laura
Brenna age 3 - Aqtobe
Kentucky

Todd and Lisa
Hannah age 12
Nolan age 10
Lucas age 8
Angela age 6 - Petropavlovsk
Kentucky
mortensen946.blogspot.com/

Jim and Jennifer
Gianna age 2 - Petropavlovsk
New York
www.convergentpaths.com

DEADLINE

2009-05-14T04:13:00.000-07:00

I briefly interrupt this blog to remind you all that TOMORROW, May 15th, FRIDAY, is the deadline to send me, Michelle (SpEduc8er@aol.com) pictures for the slideshow. I will be turning the slideshow into a movie (big process for the program I use) when I return this weekend, so I really won't be able to add any pictures to it after that. PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE get me your pictures if you want to be a part of this by TOMORROW, FRIDAY, MAY 15th or unfortunately your family will not be a part of the slideshow.

Information needed:

Family name (ex: Sapp Family)
Child(ren)’s name: (ex: Mateo Timur & Natalia Grace)
Area where adopted: (ex: Ust-Kamenogorsk, Kazakhstan)
Month and year traveled (ex: October ’05)

Pictures can be of just the children, the entire family, or a combination of the two. It's completely up to you.

Also, TOMORROW, May 15th, FRIDAY, is also the deadline to order t-shirts.

Here is the direct link to do so: http://www.heartandseoul.com/Kaz.htm

Thank you!!!!!!!!

Now look below again at all the beautiful families we have featured this week ;-)

Almaty Region Families

2009-05-10T13:29:00.000-07:00

Here are our families from Almaty region

Cathy
Joseph age 7 - Almaty region
Lilly age 7 - Almaty region
Tennessee

Sara and Julian
Zoe age 2
Almaty City, BH#2
Canada
We brought Zoe home from Almaty (BH #2) in April of 2008. The past year has been full of sugar and spice with plenty of snails and puppy dog tails thrown in for fun. Zoe is amazingly happy and well adjusted. Her curiosity and zest for life keep us entertained and on our toes. She loves music, books, tofu hot dogs and blueberries - and is as happy playing with dolls as she is digging in the dirt and looking for snails and caterpillars in the park. We have started the paperwork for a second Kaz adoption.

yeomans2kaz.blogspot.com/

Gerri and Joe
Ella age 6- Almaty City
Lexa age 6- Le Chang, China
Danielle age 14 Anshan, China
Tennessee

Stacye and Mark
Lainey age 8
Andrew age 3- Almaty City BH#1

Missouri
moorestory@blogspot.com/

Mark and Dawn
Anastasiya "Staci" age 12- Almaty City
Jacob age 11
Alabama

Tom and Angie
Lydia age 5- Almaty City

We met our Lydia in Dec. of 2004 at Baby House #2 at the age of 10 months. She is an exuberant, inquisitive, and happy little girl. She absolutely loves animals, running and jumping, talking, and music. She rarely meets a stranger. Though born in Almaty City she is a child of the steppes as she delights in wide open spaces where she can run and she adores horses. We live in Alabama near Auburn University. This will be our first Kazapalooza and we look forward to meeting other families.
Alabama

David and Kim
Noah age 4- Volgograd, Russia
Josh age 2- Almaty City
Tennessee
www.prudhomme-family.blogspot.com/

Carolyn and Mark
Sadie age 3- Esik

Texas

Lori and Ruth
Madina age 4- Issyk
Nicholas age 1- Semey

I am Lori and I became a mother for the first time in April of 2005 when I travelled to Ecik and met the beautiful baby that was to become my Madina Grace. Madina has been the light of my life for the last 4 years and this winter she got to be part of her brothers adoption as she travelled to Semey with her Grandma and me to adopt Nicholas Adilet. Nicholas was a ball of energy when he came home in Feb. at 12 months and hasn't slowed down a bit! After the initial "sibling shock" Madina has taken right to her role as big sister and is having a blast with her brother.
Illinois

Pam
Natalya age 3- Ecik
Tennessee
bringinghopehomefromkaz.blogspot.com/

Stacy
Addison age 5
Haven age 2- Karakastek
Missouri
We are Brad, Stacy, Lindsay, Charlie, Addison and Haven Segebarth. We traveled to Almaty Kazakhstan (Karakastek) in April - June 2007 to bring Haven home. She definitley adds a little spunk to our lives and WE are truly BLESSED beyond belief with her addition to our family. She has a sunny personality and a happy dispostion. She is the most strong headed one of the kids (she must get that from her Daddy) and always knows how to get what she wants. She does not have shy bone in her body (she must get that from her Mommy) and truly lights up a room when she enters it! She puts the life into everyday and we can't imagine our lives without her!!!!! We truly are the blessed ones. We can't wait to meet everybody!

Our blog is www.godslittlegifts.blogspot.com
Our travel blog is www.thestoryofyoux2.com/HM.html

Dave and Mary
Ashling age 9
Orin age 4- Karakastek

We are Dave, Mary, Ashling and Orin Keogh. Dave and I (Mary) were born in Ireland and moved to Canada in the late '80s. We have two kiddies - our Ashling is bio and is 9. She is a lovely kid, full of life, humour and sweetness and great big sister to our Orin. We met Orin in April 2006 and brought him home to Toronto in June 2006. Orin is a little spitfire - his nickname is hard work!! He is very head strong, out going and full of energy!! We laugh as his care taker in Karasatek BH said her lasting memory of him would be how calm and good natured he was - NOT!!!
We met great friends for life, other adoptive families in Karakastek in 2006 (Moon and Dave and Mirko and Snezana from below) only to name two couples. We have had a reunion with them in 2007 and 2008 - this year we are combining our 2009 reunion at Kazapalooza - we can not wait!!
The Keoghclan - Toronto, Canada

David and Moon
Nicholas age 4 Karakastek
Luke age 4- Karakastek
Louisiana

Snezana and Mirko
Philip age 4- Karakastek
Canada

Chris and Gretchen
Serik age 2- Karakastek
Austin age 2
Asa age 9 months
We travelled to Kaz in May of 2007 to meet our oldest son, Serik. He is such a joy in our lives. The quiet, shy underweight baby has become a big, loud, friendly toddler. He loves to eat and play with his two younger brothers. His favorite toys are cars and trucks and knows the names of all the big heavy machinery. We have had lots of big changes in our family in the past two years and he has rolled with the punches each time. We are so blessed to be Mama and Papa of Serik and his brothers. I am so excited about KP and look forward to seeing all of you!

Tennessee
journeyfarjourneynear.blogspot.com/

Thad and Ann
Jabari age 5 Astana
Gunnar age 3- Karakastek
Indiana
www.kazakbaby.blogspot.com/

Astana Families

2009-05-05T10:10:00.000-07:00

This week our featured families are from Astana.

Daniel and Kerry
Quinn 2 yrs old
Michigan
www.KZ4youandme.blogspot.com

Tony and Maegan
Taylor 2 yrs old
Michigan
Blog address: http://www.babygirl-kaz.blogspot.com
Info about Taylor: Taylor was adopted from Astana in August of 2007. We have been so blessed to have her as a part of our family. She is very outgoing and active, always surprising us with new things and sayings! She loves to play outside, draw, and sing. She is very tiny (weighing only 22lbs and being only 32 inches tall!) but you would never know it by how active she is! She is always running around, jumping and rolling. She attends school part time for the summer, and she is very smart!

www.babygirl-kaz.blogspot.com

Adam and Sara
Rylie 2 yrs old
Arizona
Hi! We are Sara, Adam, and Rylie Tennen. We live in Phoenix, Arizona. We traveled to Astana in October of 2007 and brought Rylie home in December 2007. Rylie just turned two and she is seriously the coolest kid in the world (objectively speaking,) and is much cooler than either of us. We are in the process of adopting again from Kazakhstan and hope to travel sometime in early 2010.
We cannot wait to come to Kazapalooza and meet all of you.
Our family blog is http://thetennenfamily.blogspot.com
It has links to our two adoption blogs.

Jennifer
Andrew 3 yrs old
Pennsylvania
www.mowgie.blogspot.com

Kate Fakih Astana 07
Marwan, Annette and Kate became a family one warm summer morning in July of 07 in Astana, KZ. They have been inseparable since. Kate is almost, always shy the first few moments of an encounter but lights up the whole room once she gets going. She loves pink (shade:rose pink), watermelon and baby jaguars (pretty much most baby animals). Kate also enjoys feeding time with the penguins at the NiagaraFalls Aquarium and sliding down on her knees at the park slide. Marwan and Annette learn from Kate everyday. She inspires them to laugh to their hearts' content, hug everyone who is sad and kiss every boo-boo that hurts (could be challenging in their line of work, possibly an infection control concern!), say hello to the nice lady who gives people bags of fruit and milk at Wegman's (THE grocery) and to always, always take time to stop and smell the roses during wagon rides around the block (when the temp is not subfreezing). Annette specially loves it that Kate adores Marwan (see photo).

See you all soon.
Marwan and Annette
Kate 2 yrs old
New York

Michael and Jennifer
Matthew 2 yrs old
Canada

Brad and Corrine
Andrew 2 yrs old
Kansas
http://www.reedfamilykc.blogspot.com

Dana
Serena 2 1/2 yrs old
New Jersey
www.lovemykazbaby.blogspot.com
www.lovemykazbabylife.blogspot.com
Serena is a very happy girl and continues to amaze me with her spirit. She loves yogurt, the beach and being chased around the house. Her laugh is infectious and one of a kind and I truly can't imagine my life without her. She is my heart.

Stephen and Kjersten
Aitugan 2 yrs old
Maine
www.aitugan.com

Soraya
Maxium 2 yrs old
Ohio

Max was born January 7, 2007 in Astana. I held him for the first time , August 10, and the world changed forever for me from that day on.
Like all Kaz children, he is so smart, gorgeous, loves to be a boy, and can he sing! From a baby, he would rock and shake in his car seat when we drove, and now repeats any song. He attracts the ladies, loves to build things and move them, has a very funny sense of humor( our first meeting we both were laughing) and is very sweet if you ignore the 'terrible two' episodes. :)
We cannot express how excited we are to see everyone in June, as I feel this is so important for our children. At church today, they were thanking the mom's, as it is Mother's Day, yet I thought, I am so grateful to have Max in my life, and to have shared our journey in Kazakhstan with amazing familes in Astana. Yes, Annette, I was crying like a baby at church! lol
Warm regards,
Soraya and Max

Jaimie and Gena
Berik 3 yrs old
Texas

Our blog as you know is www.berikjames.blogspot.com but the original blog was/is www.frogssnailsandpuppydogtails.blogspot.com . We live in Huntsville, Tx. about 1 hour north of Houston. We both work for the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Daddy is the Captain of the Food Service Department and mommy is a Parole Officer. Berik turned 3 on March 27. Here is a fairly recent picture of all of us. Thanks, Gena Lloyd

Maren and Peter
Rinat 2 yrs old
DC

We are Peter, Maren, and Rinat Leggett from Washington, DC. We were lucky enough to go to Astana in 2007 to adopt our sweet boy who is now 2 years old and, in the process, get to know a great group of people who were there adopting their little cuties at the same time. We can't wait to see them all in Nashville and make some new Kaz friends too! See you there! www.stanwardbound.blogspot.com

Thad and Ann
Jabari 5 yrs old and Gunnar 3 yrs old (Karakstek)
Indiana
www.kazakbaby.blogspot.com

Jila
Kiana 2 1/2 yrs old
Canada

Jila met Kiana, then 6.5 months old, on May 23, 2007 in Astana and was grateful for the lengthy in-country stay that followed which gave Kiana the time to get used to her and Jila the opportunity to explore Kiana's birth city. They arrived in Canada on July 19, 2007 and now live in Winnipeg with frequent excursions to Toronto to visit Kiana's grandparents and uncle. Kiana is delightful in every possible way and Jila loves everything about being her mother with the one small exception of wishing there was more time in her life to do things like update her blog.
Blog address: http://jgkazandbeyond.blogspot.com/

Let's get to know each other...

2009-05-01T18:06:00.000-07:00

We thought that we should all get to know each other before Kazapalooza. Since there will be over 60 families at Kazapalooza this year (wooohooo), we will be featuring a few families each week on this blog. We will be posting information from the registration form. Please let us know if you do not want your family to be featured on this blog. We are going to start with the four planners.

The Elrod family:

Hi, my name is Muriel, and I am so looking forward to seeing all of you. I have been married for four years to Jerry and we adopted Sophia Hope from Karaganda in 2007. Sophie will be three in July and our son Jack (home grown) is 8 months old. I am a trial lawyer and Jerry is in banking. We live in Chicago. When I came up with the idea of Kazapalooza I was hoping 10 families would come! I am thrilled that it has grown into such an amazing event. Adoptive parents are amazing people and we feel blessed to be a part of this community. See you all soon! Our travel blog is: www.2kaz4sophie.blogspot.com. We also have a private blog I would be happy to invite any family attending Kazapalooza to. Just e-mail me at murielcollison at hotmail.

***If you are interested in how Kazapalooza came about please read the sidebar!

The Struck Family

Hi, my name is Kristan. My husband Mark and I will be married 14 years in June and are the proud parents to our Kazakh angel, Sadie, 2 1/2, and her big brothers Ryan, 10, and Tanner 7. Sadie will be home two years in June.

Our boys traveled with us to Karaganda and the love affair between each of the boys and Sadie started there and has grown even more over these two years.

I have been a Stay at Home Mom for 9 years now. Prior to that I was a child and adolescent therapist working with children with behavioral problems as well as with attachment disorders.

One day in the future I plan to continue my career, but as what exactly is still undetermined, however I like the idea of using my background and experience to some how benefit adoptions.

Mark is an air ambulance pilot and we have a real estate investment business (we are not Realtors thought).

I am very excited about the 2nd annual Kazapalooza. The relationships that I have built through our adoption journey and beyond has far surpassed my wildest imagination. I love that I have continued to bond with families in the Kaz community since coming home, and in the adoption community in general, who understand some of the dynamics of our family that people outside the adoption community truly have no understanding of. I hope that over the upcoming years Kazapalooza will continue be a forum to further build relationships for Kaz families that last a lifetime. See you in June! Kristan

The Bilbro Family

Hi my name is Gretchen. My husband, Chris and I have been married for 6 years and have three boys. We traveled to Kaz May-July of 2007 to bring home one year old, Serik from Karakastek. Austin and Asa were born in Kentucky and we were thrilled to finalize their adoptions this past April. My husband and I own our own businesses, a trucking company and a rent to own company that specializes in storage sheds. I have been a stay at home Mom since coming home with Serik but prior to that I worked as a Registered Nurse specializing in Psychiatric care at a hospital in Nashville.

Kazapalooza was so fun last year. I can't wait to meet all the families this year! You can follow our blog and read more about us at Journey Far, Journey Near.

The Sapp Family

Hello :-) Sapp family here... I'm Michelle Sapp, proud mother of my two amazing children, Mateo Timur and Natalia Grace. It has always been a dream of mine to adopt since about the second grade. In October of 2005, that dream came true when I finally traveled to Ust-Kamenogorsk to bring home my children. Mateo will be 6 this month and is full of curiosity, energy, and courage. Natalia is 4 and has a tender heart, sassy spirit, and desire to talk your ear off :-)

I'm currently a special education teacher at a middle school. My primary focus is learning disabilities in reading and behavioral/emotional disorders. I believe my profession helps me to be a better mom and my parenting two children with diverse needs helps me to be a better teacher. I also co-direct the school musical, as music has always been something I have an appreciation for.

I have a passion for adoption and feel quite blessed that I belong to a community of people who have also shared this joy! Kazapalooza is such a wonderful event for both our children and us, as we meet and build relationships with people who have taken a similar journey! I'm looking forward to this year's event and the many, many more to come in the future!

To Clarify

2009-04-15T10:12:00.000-07:00

Registration for dinner is closed. If you have registered for the weekend and have not paid for dinner tickets you need to e-mail me at murielcollison at hotmail.com immediately. Below is the complete list of families who have paid for dinner:
ANDERSON-PRINTY
RAYMOND
FALK
L. SMITH
T-B.
JUNCKER
MERI
MORGAN
SERRA
SUNGA
TAYLOR
MILLER
ELROD
MORLEY
MOORE
WOOD
KEOGH
REED
YEOMANS
KITZMAN
TENNEN
MORTENSON
FLOYD
BIERIG
BILBRO
DECKER
SANDERS
MORRISON
JENKINS
SEGEBARTH
JOHNSON
HODGES
GHOMESHI
HOCHSTETTLER
STRUCK
SERGES
PRESTON
MATASOVSKY
CHANG/HERMAN
PARISI
STROBBLE
FORSCHER
KHIN
GOJKOVIC
VANSANT
TARPEY
SARANDIS
HENSON
WILONS
SANDLIN
SAPP
FULFORD
HOFFA
LUCAS
LLOYD
PIKE
LEGGETT
SUNGA
DRISKILL
ROWE KOVAC
RUPOLI
THOMAS
Thank you. Please remember to get your pictures to Michelle for the slideshow. It was awesome last year and believe me you will want your children to be included!

Slideshow/T-Shirt Deadline

2009-04-07T15:46:00.000-07:00

Below are the families I have received pictures for the slideshow from:

Tennen
Prud'homme
Elrod
Khin
Wood
Morley
Sapp
Snyder
Hochstetler
T-B
Mortenson
Van Sant
Sanders
Yeomans
Gojkovic
Keogh
Fulford
Decker
Struck
Hermann
Lloyd
Serra
Pike
Sandlin
Bilbro
Serra
Ruopoli
Ghomeshi
Morgan
James
West
Driskill
Serges
Johnson
Floyd-Leggett
Leggett
Kitzman
Hodges
Wilons
Forscher
Sunga

Information needed:

Family name (ex: Sapp Family)
Child(ren)’s name: (ex: Mateo Timur & Natalia Grace)
Area where adopted: (ex: Ust-Kamenogorsk, Kazakhstan)
Month and year traveled (ex: October ’05)

Pictures can be of just the children, the entire family, or a combination of the two. It's completely up to you.

When I have received your five pictures and the above information, I will e-mail you back so you know for certain I received it.

If you have any suggestions on song choices to use in the slideshow, I'd love to hear from you!

Please send your five pictures and above information to, Michelle Sapp at:

SpEduc8er@aol.com

If you could write Kazapalooza or slideshow as well as your family name in the message box, I'd appreciate it.

T-Shirts

Here is the direct link to order t-shirts:

http://www.heartandseoul.com/Kaz.htm

DEADLINE for SLIDESHOW & T-SHIRTS ORDERS IS: MAY 15, Friday.

RAFFLE
Please consider donating an item or two to our charity raffle at Kazapalooza. Bring your donated item(s) to the event and give them to any of the four planners, Gretchen, Muriel, Kristan, or Michelle before the big event on Saturday. If you are a frequent orderer or buyer from a store that specializes in adoption gifts or anything else that may be of interest, consider contacting them and asking if they would consider donating an item to our charity raffle benefiting Two Hearts For Hope. Last year I had four businesses respond to me and donate.

Registration and raffle information

2009-04-01T09:34:00.000-07:00

Kazapalooza registration is now closed. If you have paid the fee but not returned the form to me- please do so as soon as you can. We need the information on this form to plan for the rest of the event. Some people have had problems filling out the form electronically so just email the information if you want.

We have 60 families this year!!!! Thank you all for participating. We will be sharing more information with you on this blog as time approaches.

Keep in mind that during the dinner on Saturday night, we will hold a raffle to benefit a Kaz charity. The raffle consists of items donated and brought by attendees. This year the charity will be Two Hearts For Hope. If you are not familiar with them you should check out their website for more information.

Two Hearts For Hope

DINNER TICKETS

2009-03-30T09:56:00.000-07:00

If your name is not listed in the post below and you have not talked to me, I do not have you as paid for the dinner/dance party on Saturday night. Please remember to register for the dinner tickets by tomorrow. If there is some problem that is personal to you and your family please e-mail me. murielcollison at hotmail

Registration ending soon!

2009-03-25T19:02:00.000-07:00

Don't forget that registration ends March 31st.

Dinner tickets

2009-03-09T08:11:00.000-07:00

I have listed the families I have received dinner ticket orders from. If you are planning on coming to the dinner/dance on Saturday please make sure you purchase tickets by the end of this month. Please e-mail me if you sent me a payment and are not on this list. murielcollison@hotmail.com
ANDERSON-PRINTY
RAYMOND
FALK
L. SMITH
T-B.
MERI
MORGAN
SERRA
SUNGA
TAYLOR
MILLER
ELROD
MORLEY
MOORE
WOOD
KEOGH
REED
YEOMANS
KITZMAN
TENNEN
MORTENSON
FLOYD
BIERIG
BILBRO
DECKER
SANDERS
MORRISON
JENKINS
SEGEBARTH
JOHNSON
HODGES
GHOMESHI
HOCHSTETTLER
STRUCK
SERGES
PRESTON
MATASOVSKY
CHANG/HERMAN
PARISI
STROBBLE
FORSCHER
KHIN
GOJKOVIC
VANSANT
TARPEY
SARANDIS
HENSON
WILONS
SANDLIN
SAPP
FULFORD
HOFFA
LUCAS
LLOYD
PIKE
LEGGETT
SUNGA

ALSO, PLEASE DO NOT FORGET TO DO THE FOLLOWING:
1. REGISTER FOR THE WEEKEND (SEE THE SIDEBAR)
2. RESERVE YOUR HOTEL (SEE THE SIDEBAR)
3. SEND PHOTOS TO MICHELLE FOR THE SLIDE SHOW
4. START LOOKING FOR SOMETHING TO DONATE TO THE SATURDAY NIGHT RAFFLE. HERE ARE SOME IDEAS OF THINGS THAT WERE DONATED LAST YEAR:
-new books
-Kaz tees and bows
-gift certificates (Target, gas, places to eat)
-canvas tote with Kaz monogram and beach towels
-hand made vase
-frames and albums
-Kaz Christmas ornament
-hand made items (hats, hooded towels, hair clips and tees)

Registration Update

2009-02-18T08:46:00.000-08:00

We have 34 families registered so far for Kazapalooza 2009! The age ranges of children attending is 1-14. The majority of children registered now fall in the age range of under 5 years old. I have been asked if older kids attend this event. Last year we did have several older kids but hope to have more this year. If you have paid for this event but not sent in your registration form, please try to do that soon. If you have sent in your form but have not paid your fee, try to do that soon too. :) Closer to the deadline I will sending out emails to let you know if I have not received one or the other from you. Remember the deadline to register is March 31st.

We are so excited about meeting all of you and seeing old friends again. This year will be so much fun.

Also the hotel does have several suites reserved for us at a special price if you need more space. If anyone calls the hotel and finds we are out of rooms, let me know. I can always reserve more. Again, let me know if you have any questions at all!!

Gretchen
kaz_mom_gretchen@yahoo.com or bilbro@comcast.net

Dinner/Dance tickets

2009-02-06T06:34:00.000-08:00

You will have to purchase each ticket separately. I am sorry for the trouble but it really helps us with figuring out exactly how many kids and adults and the fees are the same on Paypal (it is a percentage of the amount) Thanks.

If you have a child that is 2 or younger you do not need to purchase a ticket and I do not need to know if they are coming. This means if your child is 3 or older, you will need a ticket. We will have plenty of seating and the catering director said two year olds and younger do not eat anything really so they are no charge. Obviously she does not know my two year old!!!!

Shirts!!!

2009-02-05T12:35:00.000-08:00

T-shirts have been designed, and are ready to be ordered. Shari Gentry, of Heart and Seoul, designed them this year. She made two designs, and an option for our Canadian guests as well. The designs come in onesies, too.

Access this page to order: Here is the direct link:

http://www.heartandseoul.com/Kaz.htm

You can also access the page from the front page of Heart and Seoul. The link is right under the product directory.

http://www.heartandseoul.com

Also, she designed some Italian link charms for the group and put them up on the page. Keychains and ornaments are also available.

Please note that international shipping is extremely high right now, so if anyone living in Canada or elsewhere wants to have their shirts shipped to me (Michelle), I will bring them to the event.

You do not have to order shirts, but we will designate a day for all of us to wear them if you choose to purchase them.

The deadline to order is Friday, May 15.

Slideshow

2009-01-31T07:51:00.001-08:00

***Please read the, "Schedule of Events" post below.***

It's that time again to start thinking about sending me (Michelle) five pictures for the annual Kazapalooza slideshow!!! The slideshow takes a lot of time to complete, so I'd much appreciate receiving them as soon as you have the information needed, as well as the five pictures decided upon. It was so awesome last year to see all the beautiful faces of our children up on the screen. It really gave me a sense of awe at how lucky all of us are and just how much we all have in common, although our situations are unique to our individual family.

Information needed:

Family name (ex: Sapp Family)
Child(ren)’s name: (ex: Mateo Timur & Natalia Grace)
Area where adopted: (ex: Ust-Kamenogorsk, Kazakhstan)
Month and year traveled (ex: October ’05)

Pictures can be of just the children, the entire family, or a combination of the two. It's completely up to you.

When I have received your five pictures and the above information, I will e-mail you back so you know for certain I received it.

If you have any suggestions on song choices to use in the slideshow, I'd love to hear from you!

Please send your five pictures and above information to, Michelle Sapp at:

SpEduc8er@aol.com

If you could write Kazapalooza or slideshow in the message box, I'd appreciate it.

T-shirts:

I'm currently working on getting the t-shirt designed. As soon as it is agreed upon, I will provide that information on this site. You will be able to order what you want at your convenience.

Schedule of Events

2009-01-26T19:53:00.001-08:00

This is our schedule of events for Kazapalooza 2009 in Nashville. Upon check in at the hotel you will receive a copy of the schedule. Please note it may change. We will have a meeting space ( the KP room) throughout the weekend. Feel free to meet up here at any time.

Friday

5-8pm Meet and Greet in our own meeting room at the hotel. Food and drinks will be provided. Please bring any donations for the raffle or the charity at this time.

9:30pm Dads Night Out- gather at the meeting room to go have some drinks and relax.

Saturday

Breakfast on your own

10:00am- Pool Party

12:00 Lunch on your own.

2:30pm- Meet at the room to head on over to Opry Mills. We will have groups going to different activities (TBA) at the mall.

5:30pm- Dinner at Buster's - Wear your Kazapalooza t-shirts for a group picture.

9:30pm Mom's Night Out- Meet up to have fun and drinks with other Kaz mommies!

Sunday

Feel free to meet in our KP room to say good bye.

Raffle/Dinner/Dance Party!!!!

2009-01-22T13:23:00.001-08:00

On Saturday June 6th we will be having an Raffle/Dinner/Dance Party at Dave and Buster's Grand Sports Cafe located in the Opry Mills Mall. This will be our big event for the weekend so please make sure you sign up before March 31st. We listened to your feedback from last year and we tried our best to accommodate. We will start the party at 5:30pm. The raffle items will be displayed and raffle tickets are only $5 this year. We are hoping to raise a lot of money for our 2009 charity, so please start thinking of what donation items you can bring!

We will have a wonderful Italian buffet featuring the following:
• House salad or Caesar salad
• Italian roasted rosemary chicken
• Linguini Alfredo and Cavatappi pasta with Marinara
• Four cheese pizza bits with basil pesto
• Garden vegetable medley
• Fresh baked rolls with butter
We will also have some type of cake or cookies for dessert. Please note all beverages (aside from water) will be from the cash bar.

Additionally, we will have a family friendly DJ. This is going to be great, I can already picture all of our cuties rocking out on the dance floor!

We are really excited about this event. For those of you that have not been to Dave and Buster's before, you should look it up online and see all the wonderful games and activities for children of all ages.

The cost is as follows:
$23 per adult
$10 per child ages 2-12
$0 children 2 and under
Please pay prior to March 31st by clicking on the Paypal link on the sidebar. We hope to see you there.
There is a PayPal link on the sidebar. Please remember you must register and sign up by 3/31/09.

Registration Deadline

2009-01-21T20:31:00.000-08:00

The deadline for registration will be March 31, 2009. This is to enable us to plan for the meal and for hotel. The registration fee is non-refundable unless you travel for your adoption during the event. You may not register after the deadline of March 31st. Thank you to all who have already registered. So far 21 families will be attending this year! We have lots of exciting new things planned for this year. I think it will be loads of fun for everyone. The hotel is really amazing and is next to a mall with many activities. I know I speak for all the organizers when I say that we cannot wait to meet all of you and get to know all our Kaz friends in Nashville!

Strange happenings

2008-12-19T14:15:00.000-08:00

We have no idea why the t-shirt post from last year was sent out as a new post. Sorry for any confusion. As soon as we have the new shirts designed we will post the new information for everyone. Also if you have requested info about registration and not heard back from me (Gretchen), please try again or use this different account (kaz_mom_gretchen@yahoo.com). It has come to my attention that there have been several emails that I have not received through my comcast account. Again, I am sorry for any trouble or confusion. We are looking forward to getting down to business with planning Kazapalooza 2009 after the holidays. Hope you all have a wonderful Holiday Season and a Happy New Year!!

Registration and hotel information

2008-10-08T11:06:00.000-07:00

Registration is now open for Kazapalooza 2009! To register, send an email with Kazapalooza in the subject line to me, Gretchen, at bilbro (at) comcast.net
I will then send you a questionnaire to fill out and return to me. This will enable us to secure the meeting place for our luncheon on Saturday and the Friday evening Meet and Greet.

The registration fee for this year has increased to $100 per family. This fee covers the cost of nametags, gift bags, meeting space for the entire weekend, and the meal on Friday night. Last year we just barely covered our costs. If there is any money left over from our organizing costs they will be paid directly to the charity. The registration fee is more than last year but the hotel rooms are cheaper, so really it works out about the same.

Fees may be paid by Paypal using the button on the sidebar or by check or money order sent to Gretchen. The address will be on the registration form.

Registration fees are NON-refundable. If you are a waiting family and travel during the event, we will make an exception and refund the fee. We are not responsible for hotel costs.

After registering you can secure your hotel room at Gaylord Opryland Hotel. Room rates are as follows:

Single and double occupancy for a
Traditional room $149/night
Junior suite $239/night
Atrium view rooms are an additional $30.

This group rate is available for three nights prior to arrival and three nights after departure as space allows. Each additional person to a room is $20 for triple and quadruple occupancy with children under 12 being free when accompanied by their parents.

Please note there is a $15 resort fee charged to each room to cover several amenities per hotel policy.

Individual hotel reservations MUST be made by May 6, 2009 to qualify for this rate. Please call Opryland directly at 615-883-2211 and identify yourself as part of the Kazapalooza- Reunion with the group code of X-KAZA.

Transportation to and from the hotel is NOT included and will be each family’s responsibility. There are cabs, rental cars, and a shuttle service that require an additional charge. Nashville does not have a public rail system. Self parking is $18 a day, valet parking is $25 day plus tax.

We are so excited about the response we have received. We cannot wait to meet you all again, this time in Nashville! Our tentative schedule is to have a Meet and Greet Friday night with food supplied. Saturday we have a luncheon planned. The raffle will be at the luncheon. Donations for the raffle can be mailed to me or you can bring them to the event. Saturday afternoon is open then we can all meet up again for dinner at Opry Mills food court. I hope you all are excited as we are. It is going to be so much fun. This year we will have a room that can hold all of us and be a place to meet up and enjoy hanging out at the hotel. If you have any suggestions or questions feel free to post a comment or send me an email. Looking forward to seeing you there!

Kazapalooza 2011, St. Petersburg FL

2012 Announcement!

Primary donation from 2011

Thank you from Two Hearts for Hope

Thank you from SPOON!

Charity proceeds announcement

Information on Photo Collage

Thank you for a wonderful weekend!

Itinerary change

Raffle Items

Beach Portrait Deadline Reminder

Kazapalooza Expectations

Kazapalooza 2011 Itinerary

Oops

What is included in the registration fee:

2011 Charity Announced!!

Order your Kazapalooza T-shirts!!

Last Call for Photos

Registration ending.

New KP Logo!

Hotel Block

Registration is OPEN!

Kazapalooza 2011 hotel

Kazapalooza 2011

Pictures of water filtration system in Karakastek

Donations from Raffle make a BIG difference- Water Filtration update

Where do I get that?

CHARITY RAFFLE WAS A SUCCESS!

Heads or Tails

Thursday Night

last minute cancellations...

FINAL UPDATED SCHEDULE. PRINT PRINT PRINT

Sneak Peak at some raffle items....

SUPER IMPORTANT!!!!!

Family Reference Guide Deadline Extended

How our donations this year help the children in Kaz.

FINAL SCHEDULE*****PRINT THIS

Our Charity

Family Reference Guide

What to expect-FRIDAY NIGHT

T-Shirts are Ready to be Ordered!

Please read!

Brew tour details and final count

Brewery Tour

Brewery Tour

Slideshow!!!

Early Deadline for Registration for Kazakh Aul

SLIDE SHOW!!! URGENT!!!!

Golf?

Kazakh Aul Early bird registration information

Slideshow

Zhailau Culture Camp through the Kazakh Aul

REGISTRATION CLOSED - Read Below.

Registered Families

YIKES! About 20 more spots!

***Registration/Fees/Hotel***

KAZAPALOOZA MILWAUKEE, WI 2010 REGISTRATION IS OFFICIALLY UP!

If you are looking to extend your vacation...

REGISTRATION

Yahoooooooo!

Here we go!

The second planner is....

Exciting announcement.....

Kazapalooza 2010

Pictures lost

Shutterfly

Thanks to our Sponsors!

Welcome Home!

Friday Night Meet and Greet

Thursday Night

Meet-N-Greet

Semey

Uralsk

Kostanai

Calling all birthday babies!

Karaganda

Slideshow Update

Ust-Kamenogorsk and Taraz

A Few More Things...

A few things....

Registration/Fees/Hotel