This summer, we also got to spend some time visiting orphanages in some of the cities that we played in and others nearby. Some of the orphanages were ones we'd visited last summer and winter. This past winter, we brought Christmas boxes with us for the kids at two different orphanages. The boxes were filled with gifts of everything from stuffed animals to toothbrushes, all stuff that people had donated for the kids. That was really a neat time, just seeing how excited they were digging into their boxes, so thrilled to have things we have taken for granted like scented soap. This time we brought over goody bags for the kids and got to spend time playing with them and just hanging out. The kids are so sweet and just want to be loved. We've visited some of the orphanages three or four times now, the kids get so excited when they hear that we are coming.

The really cool thing about the trip to Russia this past summer, though, is that I got an amazing guitar to bring with me and play. The Yoey. If you haven't checked this guitar out yet, do it! The Yoey is really an awesome guitar. It was definitely love at first sight for me. When Mal pulled the Yoey out to show me, and then let me play it, I was hooked! And when I got it home, I couldn't stop messing around with it. The Yoey has a hot and unique look that the kids in Russia couldn't get enough of. They kept asking me, with the help of translators, all about it and wanted to take pictures of it. It has definitely become my favorite guitar to play at shows. But it's not only a hot looking guitar, it's amazing to play and it sounds great. It's just a really well-built guitar. It's also cool to have the Kahler bridge on it and to be able to do all sorts of crazy stuff with that! The Yoey is a hot looking guitar, it feels incredible to play, and it sounds awesome -- what more could you want in a guitar?