Turkish Carps

Loch Ness Scotland

2011-05-29T08:50:00.001-07:00

best fish and chips i have ever tasted.

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Loch Ness Scotland

2011-05-29T08:49:00.001-07:00

best Steak pie.........EVAH!

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Loch Ness Scotland

2011-05-29T06:57:00.001-07:00

Nessieland

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Loch Ness Scotland

2011-05-29T03:47:00.001-07:00

Boat Cruise looking for Nessie

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Loch Ness Scotland

2011-05-29T03:28:00.003-07:00

Urquhart Castle

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Loch Ness Scotland

2011-05-29T03:28:00.001-07:00

Urquhart Castle

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This is humidity looks - frozen

2010-12-07T04:14:00.001-08:00

Cold but beautiful

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Warwick Castle

2010-11-11T07:53:00.001-08:00

Cold but beautiful

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Warwick Castle

2010-11-11T07:49:00.001-08:00

Apparently Hayden is not the King of England

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Our Cruise

2010-10-14T06:43:00.001-07:00

The sun is out again!!

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Our Cruise

2010-10-14T01:12:00.001-07:00

doesn't she look thrilled?

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Our Cruise

2010-10-13T03:47:00.001-07:00

Mykonos, Greece:

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Our Cruise

2010-10-10T07:38:00.001-07:00

The port in Croatia

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Our Cruise begins

2010-10-10T03:43:00.001-07:00

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Finally!

2010-09-25T13:49:00.000-07:00

I have spent the last MONTH trying to gain access to my blog again! Let me just tell you there were quite a few tears shed and a whole lot of screams emitted. But, *whew* I think I fixed it! (Fingers crossed)

Anyway, here are the promised photos of Sutton Hoo (But I prefer saying "Sutton Woo" if only to tick off my snarky sister-in-law. See previous post's comments) =)

Hayden was a bit frightened of this Anglican Warrior Mask, until he put it on and decided HE was scary.

Not to be outdone - Bennett wanted to try it on also! Of course it was only AFTER I let my kids pass it around, that I learned some of Dallen's classmates got lice this way. I have been compulsively checking my kids heads for a month now.

Here is Dallen, helping the village slave trader guard his wares and get the best price for them.

And Ben, once again, helps us to add another photo to the album, "Places my kids have dug in the dirt"

Dallen begged me to get a photo of him on this old fishing boat. He said it would make him look like he was sailing. I didn't have the heart to tell him the boat was too far inland to make that illusion. Besides, he is still cute, right?

I hear the underworld is a bit chilly this time of year

2010-08-12T12:59:00.000-07:00

I feel a deep sense of shame that it has almost been a year since I updated this blog. I will be mature and take a deep breath and bravely admit - it was completely my sister's fault. If she hadn't talked me into joining facebook, I wouldn't have had two things to avoid updating.

Now that I have admitted that she is to blame, I will look for more reasons why it really was a good thing I have ignored my responsibilities as a blogger. Ask yourself, did you really want to hear about my completely ordinary life? While I admit, sitting at the computer would give me another reason to avoid cleaning my house. (And I am always looking for more of those) I don't really feel as though I have much to share in the way of "news". Maybe it is because I tend to think of "news" as something exciting or devastating. The most exciting thing to happen to me this week was finding out the commissary had cabbage back in stock when I had really been craving cole slaw. How depressing is that?

But, my dear friends and family, you asked for it. A few of you (who will not be named) have been bugging me (and by "bugging" I mean "mocking") and asking when I would get this blog going again. As touched as I am, I know better than to think you are waiting on pins and needles for the next chapter in the saga that is my existence. If I am wrong on this point, I feel very, very bad for you and you need more hobbies.

So! Welcome Back to us! We are planning a trip to Sutton Who on Saturday, and I will post photos then. Or not. I could just use this quick, sarcastic post as a way to banish my guilt and ignore this stupid thing for another year....

More advice from an expert letter-maker

2009-11-13T15:01:00.000-08:00

For those of you that enjoyed our "How to make an E" post, here are a few more expertly crafted letters for you.

An X

An A

And a lower case b

Please do not try this at home. =) Leave it to the professional.

And in other news this week. I dyed my hair. (Okay, so it doesn't really qualify as NEWS per se, but it sure made me happy.) It was much too expensive to keep up the blond, so I went back to my roots - and then realized why I colored my hair in the first place - and then dyed it red. Maryn snapped this of me on my way out the door for date night. Yippee! She is old enough to babysit legally under Air Force rules!!

Halloween and the Dark Abyss

2009-11-04T01:22:00.000-08:00

Here are a few cute pictures of my kids on Halloween. I think this holiday was actually made up by parents who wanted another excuse to dress up their children and laugh at them.

Dallen was a cowboy (obviously) And Bennett decided he wanted to be a blue crayon. He had actually wanted to be a blue crayon with a machine gun, but I nixed the idea of going door to door with a semi automatic. He never gave up trying to convince me though. His last words as he went out the door were, "Well, here I go. I hope no one tries to color with me. I really should have had that gun."

This isn't actually Halloween. It is a couple days before on Picture Day. I just had to snap some photos though. I was freaking out that I went to bed with four KIDS and woke up with one TEENAGER!!!! AHHHH! I don't have any pictures of Maryn on Halloween because she was off with friends celebrating her last year of trick or treating. She's in Young Women now, time to be the official candy passer-outer.

Captain Underpants and the stinky pumpkin gunk

A frog and his crayon

So that sums up our night of working toward a sugar coma. I also put myself on Facebook this week. Much to the delight of my oldest sister, Queen Facebook. Yes, I have succumbed to the Dark Abyss. Its really not so bad when you see all the company you have. Now I wonder if this will help motivate me to blog more or makes me neglect my blog entirely. (Not that it can be much more neglected.)

High Speed Internet is proof that our Father in Heaven loves us and wants us to be happy

2009-10-02T13:43:00.000-07:00

We are back! It is amazing how much you miss the Internet when you don't have it. I found myself constantly starting for the computer to check something, and then remembering we weren't connected. Anyhow, we have finally found a house and started to get settled in. I will post a picture when we get all the boxes cleared away! =)

But here are the pictures of Bennett's first day that I promised. He was SO excited!

You can tell how nervous he was. (Right.)

Lining up to go inside. I was barely able to get him to wave at me!

Two days after the start of Kindergarten, I actually went back to the states. Can you believe it? And FYI - when you have finished driving through seven countries, and you are in the middle of trying to find a house and arrange your worldly possessions to be delivered to said house, and your kids are starting at a new school and your husband is starting a new job and you are living out of suitcases in a cramped hotel room, that would NOT be the time to take a whirlwind vacation across the ocean. But I am sure you knew that.

Actually it was not a vacation. Sadly, my grandmother passed away. When I heard the news, I must admit that for one brief second, I considered missing the funeral (see the above paragraph and add the fact that I was still not legally able to leave this country, because I was still having my residency paperwork processed). I just didn't think it was going to happen. But I knew I had to try because I needed to be there for my family. (That and I think my mom's head would have exploded if I had told her I wasn't coming - or she would have just come and physically retrieved me.)

Long story short - a lot of miracles happened to make it possible for me to attend. And a lot of people helped us out with the kids. So I was able to go to America just long enough to appear at the funeral and hug some long lost relatives. (And just long enough to get my body clock seriously messed up!) Then, the day after I got back, we moved into our house and had all of our belongings delivered. Yes, I hit the ground running.

So other than unpacking boxes, trying not to lose my mind, and reminding myself that the left-hand lane on the freeway is now the slow lane, that was all that happened while this little blog was silent. I'll keep you posted on further adventures, but it seems that after our Epic Journey, trips to the grocery store are pretty anti-climatic. Well, except when I'm driving. Then they become death defying feats of courage and skill. I am not kidding, this left sided thing is tricky.

Keep thinking of new names for this blog, and let me know when you plan to visit. I expect to see each one of you (just not all at the same time) =)

First Day of School

2009-09-03T13:37:00.001-07:00

Well, it couldn't be helped. School starts whether or not we've found a house to live in. The kids have been such troopers. Especially Maryn, because she has the added stress of starting Middle School (shudder). I just hope that Bennett and Dallen won't have to switch schools when we finally do find a place. (There are two military elementary schools, and some of the places we've seen are in the boundaries of the other one) Wouldn't that just add to my mommy guilt?

Bennett was a little discouraged watching Dallen go off to school without him. He's been waiting for this since he missed the cut off by six days last year. The kindergarteners don't start until September 8th. The teacher spends the first week of school scheduling home visits and individual testing, so class time is postponed till the second week. I tried to explain it to Ben as best I could, but he was still skeptical. "Are you SURE I get to go to school in England?" The way I helped him cope with his dissapointment last year was by telling him that he'd get to go to school at our new house in England. So he's been more than ready since the moment we crossed the border!

We've almost completed all of our required hoop jumping to legalize ourselves in this country. Our last hoop is registering the car, which is proving more difficult than I had hoped. First of all, our car is American "steering-wheel-on-the-left-side", and second of all, it is less than three years old with LED lights.

Apparently our rear turn signals are the wrong color and will have to be CUT OUT and replaced with amber colored ones. (If it was a regular bulb, they could just change it out - not so with LED) Yes, I am hyperventilating over that news. (You are doing WHAT to my two-year-old, not-yet-paid-for car?!) The only thing that calmed me a little was speaking with the garage that will be doing it. Finding out that they are GMC factory authorized (they can even make us a spare key!!!! Yippee!!!) and seeing another Acadia that they did, helped to calm me down. I was able to visualize exactly what they will have to do and what it will look like in the end. It is still nerve-wracking. BUT at least everyone I am dealing with speaks English. This would have been a nightmare in Turkey. And the end result will allow me to have a vehicle for the next three years. Now I just have to concentrate on driving on the left, when 20 years of experience has trained me to drive on the right. I look forward to the day that I won't have to chant "stay to the left, stay to the left" as I drive. (I'm sure my kids do too)

The last few crazy days

2009-08-24T12:57:00.000-07:00

Yippee! We are finally here! I apologise for taking so long to post our last days on the road, but as you may imagine, it has been a little crazy!

Fun photo opps at the Marionette Museum.

Hohensalzburg Fortress. Yes, we had to climb all the way to the top. Yes, it was insanely steep

Almost there!

As soon as the kids made it up, all they wanted to do was run back down.

Bennett ran a bit too fast. Is that not just the most heartbreaking face?

Remember how we have spoken of danger to self in the past? Yes, this is a second story window.

Of course, my luck being what it is, Mirabell fountain wasn't working. But we did get a cute picture by the gate. My little Von Trapps.

Michael insisted we take this picture. It is just the birthplace of some unknown musician. Mozart? Was that the name? Have you heard of him? Me either.

Eating an ice cream cone while riding in a carriage through Salzburg. Life is GOOD!

The trick fountains at Hellbrunn Palace, Salzburg. The Archbishop that commissioned these, had a very silly sense of humor. Starting with his outdoor dining table, he placed hidden water spouts throughout his garden to soak unsuspecting guests. (Notice, the chair at the head of the table (the archbishop's) isn't spraying water) Dallen and Bennett wore their swimsuits and went to get WET! Boy they did! The rest of us marveled at the water powered sculptures, and just tried to stay dry.

The boy in his underwear kept following Dallen because Dallen seemed to be able to find all the hidden spouts- and then get soaked when they'd go off.

Okay Mom, we did it, now it is YOUR turn!

Hayden solved the problem of his wet clothes quite nicely, don't you think?

"I'm free!!!!"

We were so lucky to be able to stop in Frieburg, Germany and see our nephew that is serving his mission there. We went 3 hours out of the way and got hopelessly lost in the city, but it was worth it! Sorry the picture is cut off, the only person around to take it, had a cast on, and couldn't operate the camera very well.

We stayed in temporary housing at the Air Base in Ramstien, Germany. The room was "pet friendly" so it had lots of things like crates and bowls. Those of you who know me and know how I feel about animals, are probably laughing at this picture. Yes, it was their DAD that let them use all the pet stuff. I just gave them a bath after.

Lining up to drive onto the train. This train took us across the English Channel, and to the end of our journey.

Now our next steps are finding a house big enough for a family of six in a country where a family of four is a strange sight - AND not killing any innocent people while we try to get used to driving on the other side of the road. (Michael and I both have had a near miss. It stinks that your instinct is to swerve to the right, that just makes it worse!)

And Again...

2009-08-17T12:10:00.000-07:00

Are you getting sick of me yet? Can you believe I have actually kept up a consecutive account of our trip? This has got to be some sort of new record.

The view from our hotel balcony in Halstatt.

Halstatt was Michael's favorite place. If the kids thought they were sick of him taking pictures before...

Getting ready to go into the Salt Mine. Michael and the bigger kids had to put on protective clothing and walk down the shaft. Mom and Hayden stayed behind because you had to be 4 to go inside. Maybe next time Mom will be old enough.

Inside the Halstatt Salt Mine.

Halstatt Salt Mines Railway

I told you, he only climbs when great bodily harm is a possible result.

Halstatt Square's Plaque Column

Michael couldn't understand why I didn't want to go inside the Carnal House. Hmmmm...a place where the townsfolk put the remains of all their dead because they don't have enough land to bury them in. Did he just meet me?

Good-bye and thank-you, Halstatt! Here we come Salsburg.

On the road again

2009-08-16T10:05:00.000-07:00

Are you ready for more? For those of you just now checking the blog, get comfortable, because there is a lot to read! Michael sacrificed his time in Vienna to take the kids to a few things that they would want to do. Like the zoo. He figured he only had one day in Vienna, and he wanted to see everything, so he will just come back with his sister. What do you think of THAT, Analee?
Besides, there was only some silly Mozart festival going on.....

The lion cages at the Vienna Zoo. Those are some pretty cute lions!

I think the squirrels in the zoo are a little used to humans, don't you?

Hayden spent the better part of the morning asking to see the bears, when we finally got to their pen, he didn't even look at them! Because if there is one thing that distracts my boy -it is heavy machinery. The were doing construction outside of the Bear cage, so that is all he wanted to watch! Zoo entrance fee - there is money well spent.

Dallen the Turtle

If you pull on the ropes, the bird's wings flap and you get a ride.

Speaking of money well spent and heavy machinery. This one really worked, and Hayden was in paradise!

This little patch played music when you stomped on it.

Creating worlds at the Vienna Zoo.

Relaxing after a long hard day of touring the zoo and digging in the dirt.

Kreuzenstien Castle. It was neat to see, but this was a difficult stop for the kids. The only way you could see the castle was by a guided tour and they were only in German. (The tour guide was also very snappy with the kids - Okay lady - my toddler probably wouldn't be completely silent through your spiel even if he could understand you! So calm down!) Anyway - I helped pass the time by interpreting. No, I don't know German, but I think my version of the tour was more entertaining.

The armory

Running down the hill in Durnstien Austria. You know you have been driving too long, when your two year old sees your car and yells, "Yay! Our car home! We're home!"

Durnstien Castle. King Richard the Lion Heart (A Carpenter ancestor - Michael is quick to point out) was imprisoned here.

The hike up was a killer, but the view was amazing. The problem is, two year olds don't care about views. So I ended up sitting on the path with Hayden waiting for the others when he flat out refused to climb another step. He even told me to go on without him. Umm...no.

Mommy saw this picture AFTER Daddy had taken it. You let them climb, WHERE?

At Schonnbrun Castle, the kids were able to load a cannon and shoot into a pile of tin cans. Are you nervous about Hayden with a hammer? Because I am. And Maryn definitely is.

Chess, anyone?

How about Chopsticks?

This is the best castle ever! It has a cannon AND a playground!? Those medieval kids were so spoiled!

Bennett has decided his new favorite thing is hedge mazes. But he likes the ones he can see over best. (Aren't those technically just hedges?)

Austria's largest Cathedral in Linz. The kids were most impressed by the fountain in the square.

Few things are sweeter than hearing Hayden sing "I Am A Child of God" in a Gothic Cathedral. (He found a book of Hymns on the pew)

The view from the highway on our way to Halstatt, Austria. Michael was right, this is even better than Brasov.

I really wanted to stay there, but Michael said it was out of the way. I never get to go anywhere fun. (She said as she drove from Turkey through Austria on her way to England.)

Only four more days left on our trek. I think we are all getting to the end of our patience. Bennett asked me yesterday, "Mom, how many more hotels do we have to sleep in?" I didn't have the heart to explain to him that we will actually be in a hotel in England until we find a house. I'm pretty sure he thinks that when we arrive there, we will just go to a house with all of our stuff in it. Wouldn't that be nice?

The saga continues

2009-08-13T12:23:00.000-07:00

And so it continues! I actually found time to blog again! (I bet the post will still be long) Let's see if this keeps up (although to be completely honest, the only reason I blogged tonight, is because the H&M next door to our hotel closed early. - Yes I would have shopped if given the choice )

We left Budapest and traveled on to a little town called Sopron. We have some pretty shots of the Danube. Tonight we are in Vienna and the kids are bushed. We walked them pretty hard.

Oh, and I forgot to tell you about our scare two days ago. Hayden got up at 6 am, opened our hotel room door, walked down FOUR flights of stairs, and decided to go for a stroll down the streets of Budapest sans clothing. (Apparently he peed before starting his journey) Someone OUTSIDE of the hotel, took him to the desk clerk (who hadn't seen him leave because he is too short to see from the top of the desk) who then came up and banged on our door to WAKE US UP (yes, we were still asleep - and didn't know he was missing)

Needless to say I was a TOTAL basket case thinking of the "what ifs" and thanking our Father in Heaven that he was brought back safely.

We have been so blessed on this trip! Thank-you to everyone that has been praying for us.

Gyor Cathedral

Sopron, Hungary

The outer wall of Tata Castle in Tata, Hungary. (Yes, I had A LOT of fun with the name of this town - Michael didn't think I was as funny as I thought I was - I am a misunderstood comedic genius)

Burg Forchtenstien, just inside the Austrian border. We were once again unable to get a picture at the border. But this time it was because they didn't even stop us. In fact we looked at each other and said, "Did we cross the border?" I guessed that we had because the signs were now in German instead of Hungarian. That was our only clue. By the time we figured it out, it was too difficult to turn around.

Dallen takes a turn in the execution chair at Burg Forchtenstien. The armory was cool. Although Michael was bummed that they didn't have English translation. I finally figured out how to keep a Carpenter from reading plaques - take him to a non-English speaking country. We've actually gotten through most of the museums on this trip in less than two hours!

Do you see why we call him "Spider Monkey"

On our way to Vienna, Hayden started shouting - Mom! I see sunflowers! He was adamant, and I couldn't figure out what he was talking about. He finally said "Right there! They are spinning!" We all had a good laugh.

Hey Mom, look at these pretty vases. I didn't bother telling them they were actually bongs.

The public gardens outside of Schonbrunn Palace in Vienna (The palace is in the background of the picture below)

Okay, so it seems to be a bit of a compulsion.

The gardens had hedge mazes that the kids lost themselves in. (Dallen - literally)

Hayden was thrilled with his first subway ride. I can't wait to show him the steam trains in England

The kids found a fun distraction on the way back to the hotel.

Hayden decided it was a little too high to climb (sure, he'll climb up a wall or a dangerous ladder, but certainly not something that is meant for climbing. - I think he only does it if there is a chance of killing himself)

Apparently, you can buy one in Vienna. But I am sure you could find one for free somewhere.

The Great Exodus

2009-08-11T00:08:00.001-07:00

Well, we did it! We actually made it out of Turkey! It was not bad by Turkish standards. Compared to what we feared, it went rather smoothly. We were there for three hours and stood in many lines and had to have way too many officials sign way too many forms, BUT - we made it! Interestingly enough, when we made it through and we went to the Bulgarian officials, all we had to show them was Michael's NATO orders and military ID and they waved us through. They didn't even search the car. Ahhhh, it's good to be free.

Right now we are in Budapest, but I will attempt to catch you up on our progress. Bear with me, nine days in Europe makes for a VERY long post.

The LAST, the absolute LAST castle my husband will ever drag me to. (In Turkey at least) =)

How do you spell freedom? Read the sign above my head! If you look closely you can actually see all the stress draining out of me in this picture.

Bennett doing his best "Robot Statue" impersonation at the Varna Bulgaria Archaeological Museum

We didn't make it in time for the dolphin show, but hey, the kids still found a way to catch a ride on a dolphin.

Petrified forest that had a little old man across the street selling really awesome honey. Yes my husband will mock me for not remembering the actual NAME of the forest. But it was really good honey.

Well, the pillars' cuteness factor have certainly been improved.

Pliska, capital of Pagan Bulgaria between 681 and 893 AD

WOAH!!!! Hayden is playing in the dirt?! How unusual. He has now played in the dirt of 4 different countries. And Dallen has peed on 5 UNESCO world heritage sites. But I digress....

Pile of stones....hmmm....didn't I see this in Turkey?

Look Mom! I could break my neck from here! Yippee! I hope the wood is rotted! I'm going to run back and forth while stomping as hard as I can!!

One country down, seven more to go! Good-bye Bulgaria!

Here is Dracula's castle. Vlad the Impaler (his real name) forced his Turkish prisoners to build this for him. This is the view from the parking lot. We got to climb an unholy amount of stairs just to be able to say we saw Dracula's actual castle. Dallen stopped counting at 50, Bennett stopped counting at 200, and Maryn finally gave up at 720. Did I mention I REALLY love my husband?

Bennett and Dallen stopped to rest (and take a break from counting steps)

Are we there yet? Just a little further...

The very top! We thought our legs would fall off! But we did it!! All just to say we did. =)

Bennett kept asking where the castle was. We had to explain that it is just a ruin now. "So where does Dracula live then?" YOU try explaining mythology to a five-year-old

Apparently we have discovered where the immortals go to get away from it all. Turn the corner you'll see the Count in hip-waders setting up a pup tent.

Vampire-hunting is seriously exhausting business. Or maybe it was just the 7 hundred plus steps we just climbed...

This is Bran Castle, the FAKE Dracula's castle. The one that looks more like what people imagine it would look like, so therefore they have turned it into a huge tourist trap. There were tons of shops at the bottom selling all sorts of cheesy Transylvania souvenirs. Of course we had to buy some.

A view from the top of Bran Castle

The Carpathian Alps were stunning. The road reminded me of places I was dragged to by my dad when I was a kid. Yes, I appreciate it now, and no, my kids didn't. In fact they didn't see much other than their DS screens. But I am not complaining - on a 17 day car trip with 4 kids, silence is golden.

This was the road we got to take through the Carpathian Alps. Dramamine anyone?

Dallen thought this lock was pretty neat. Especially because someone came up with the idea in the 15th century. It would be hard to break even today.

I took this picture from the front seat of the car. This is a true traffic jam. Romanian style.

Brasov Romania has been my favorite city so far. It rained, and that stunk, but the city as a whole was so beautiful! They had so many neat shops and cafes, beautiful churches and gardens. I wanted to stay there for the rest of the trip, but Michael enticed me with thoughts of Austria. =)

"Okay Hayden, just look at the camera. It is the only way to get Daddy to stop taking pictures. He'll just keep at it till it's perfect."

Fagaras Castle. A real one. With a moat. This is according to Bennett. (Apparently, the countless other castles we have seen in the last two years have just been fake)

This castle was the kids' favorite so far. Mostly because they were able to run around and climb on everything. The only thing the curator told them they couldn't do was toll the bell. Of course that rope was the first thing Dallen grabbed. =) He is the reason I have quick reflexes.

Can you tell my thoughts on this whole "castle-hiking, picture-taking" thing? I have to say, I am a much bigger fan of the cities. =)

Hayden agrees with me.

The birth-place of Vlad the Impaler. The streets were narrow cobblestone, but so neat. Bennett and Hayden spent most of their time running down them and making that "Uh-uh-uh" noise that you get when you run on a bumpy path.

Our hotel in Sigishora was HUGE. It also had a lot of cool furniture that I would have loved to load into my car. I think they would have noticed though. Can't you just see me blithely strolling past the front desk with an amiore strapped to my back?

Okay, so it is immature, but I thought the name Binder Bubi was really funny. Especially for a hotel.

Michael told us this place to Romanians, is like Washington DC to Americans - corrupt and in the pocket of lobbyists - WAIT no, this is the Unification Museum. This is where Romania, Transylvania, and Moldova, all became unified again.

Inside the Catholic Cathedral in Sibiu (Have any of you heard "Song of the Cebu" from Veggie Tales? Yeah, it was in my head the ENTIRE time we were in Sibiu.)

My three little men, digging thier way around the world.

Cluj, Romania and its awesome fountain

Bennett getting himself soaked in Cluj, Romania's awesome fountain

Okay, this is Eger Hungary. We didn't get a picture at the border because we crossed through at about 1 am when it was pitch black and the kids were fast asleep.

Eger Fortress. Of course my boys go straight for the cannons!

These seemed like good souveniers at the time.....um...WHAT was I thinking?

Budapest, Hungary. Our hotel is the building on the left

Dad and Dallen found thier favorite shop so far.

Alright Dad....we'll smile....heh, heh, heh.... (Be careful what you wish for)

Hayden enjoying a cold pint in the Cafe in Budapest. (It's apple juice - I promise!) I don't know why they put it in a beer glass.

We met this neat family from London and we ended up spending the afternoon with them. Our kids were almost the exact same ages, and everyone had a blast.

This was a very sobering, powerful memorial. This is a spot where the Nazis would line up Jews, shoot them and dump them in the river. But first they would make them take off thier shoes. There are pictures of hundreds of shoes lined up along this edge. For this memorial, the artist cast metal shoes to keep them permantently along the warf. Looking to the right and left it breaks your heart to see so many shoes. I almost cried when I watched Bennett put his foot next to a pair and say "Mom, these shoes could fit me!" He didn't understand what he was seeing - but I did

Parlament Building - Budapest. By the way - the memorial is in front of it. How sick that people were executed right in front of thier government's main building. (Okay- so it is sick that they were killed at all - but I think that puts salt on the wound)

Bag the historical buildings! I found a train!

Fisherman's Bastian at night

So there you have it so far! I will try to post at night from now on, (ha) so the next updates won't be so epic. Wish me luck!

Plop goes the kitty

2009-07-10T04:23:00.000-07:00

This is probably cruel of me, but I just thought this was so hilarious. We were outside sorting and cleaning our porch to get ready for the move. Well.... Hayden thought he'd do some sorting of his own. I ran for the video camera, and allowed him to do it one more time for posterity.

This will most likely be our last post in Turkey. As of Monday, our computer will be packed on a crate and our internet will be turned off. We will still check messages on our VOIP phone, so call if you need us. We will try to post updates of our trip on the laptop as we drive, but I am not really sure how accessible internet will be. At least till we get to Austria. (I consider that re-entering civilization) =)

For those of you who have asked - Yes, we are going to try and change the name of our blog when we get to England. Does anyone have any clever suggestions? So far the kids have come up with "English Muffins" (Mostly because Dad's pet name for any one of us is "Muffin" - That started out as a joke that has gotten WAY out of hand) So please - send your ideas.

Wish us luck! England Ho!

The actual results of being married to a push-over

2009-07-01T05:08:00.001-07:00

So last week the gardener decided to shake out an old tarp that had been sitting in our garage so he could fold it up. To his great surprise, five tiny kittens and a hissing mama cat went flying every which way. He felt horrible and gathered them up and then came to get us. I was all for calling the vet.....BUT I am married to Michael. The person who loves animals so much he almost became a wildlife biologist instead of a doctor. AND I am the mother of his children who have apparently inherited this weakness. So now we have a family of cats living on our back porch. (I flat out refused to have them in the house)

I am comforting myself with the knowledge that we absolutely cannot take any of them with us. First of all, we don't want a cat in the car on a two week trip, and second of all we would have to pay upwards of $6,000 dollars per animal to have them quarantined and checked over in Britain. (This is required for any animal coming from Turkey - so most people with beloved family pets start saving early or try not to be assigned to Britain) Even my animal loving husband isn't willing to pay that much for a cat that showed up at our house four weeks before we leave.

We will call the vet when we have to leave so that they aren't hanging around an empty house waiting to be fed. But the family is enjoying them while they are here.

My husband is such a marshmellow.

Little (Naked) Drummer Boy

2009-06-25T11:21:00.000-07:00

Well, we found out about our visas. The office in Lakenheath said that we should be fine, because we actually have them. Worse case scenario is that we'd enter on a tourist visa, then we'd have to leave the country before it expired. Maybe to France or Scotland. Then re-enter the country on our long term visas. Wait - that is worse case? A week-end in France? I think I can handle it. =)

Oh, here is what I found yesterday after Hayden's bath.
Honestly, is there anything better than dancing around, banging a drum, buck naked?
I submit that there is not.

The Greatest Playground in Turkey - Possibly the World

2009-06-15T10:52:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago we actually took the trek to get our visas. Things went much more smoothly than I had ever imagined they could in this country. In fact, things went so smoothly that we had our applications processed and our visas sent to us in just two short weeks. Yes, we actually have the visas already and it didn't end up costing us near what we thought it would. So that was good news. The bad news is that someone, somewhere, in the whole process changed our "date of entry" on the blessed little things. So now they aren't valid until after August 29th. This wouldn't be a problem except that Michael is supposed to report to his new commander on the 14th.

Good times.

Anyway, we are working on that.... in the mean time! We did find the BEST PLAYGROUND EVER! (According to my little team of playground experts.) It was pretty awesome. Especially because you could get your picture taken with Papa Smurf. 'Nuff said.

Happy Anniversary to Me!

2009-06-13T11:45:00.000-07:00

It has finally happened! After 13 years of marriage, I got a bedroom set! My dear husband had this set made for me. It is a bit cramped in the room we have now. To give you perspective, I am standing in the doorway taking this picture. Hopefully in our next home, Michael won't have to keep his nightstand in the closet! Now the next step is to get some things to decorate our bare white cement walls....Someday I will have a real house. (sigh)

Okay, so the mattress doesn't fit, but that's an easy fix - and I'm not complaining.

This is one of the best parts about it! Look what the mirror does! Now I can hide all my crap.

I feel so spoiled!

Baseball Season!

2009-06-08T04:46:00.001-07:00

All three of the kids played baseball this year. It was a little hectic, but so fun to watch! The video of Bennett pretty much sums up his year. He spent the better part of each game digging in the dirt. Do you remember my post about our Israel trip? And the constant digging? I wasn't kidding.

Bennett had the privilege of being a member of the world's greatest baseball team. Go Giants! (Now if only he made their salaries.....)

Here is Maryn, ready to hit it out of the park!

Bennett's coach had the patience of a saint. Teaching basic plays and positions to spacey 5 year olds is not for the faint-hearted!

Castle Hopping (aka Torturing the Kids)

2009-05-30T12:03:00.000-07:00

Good afternoon (actually early morning for those of you in the western hemisphere). Michael here. I was in charge of the last outing so I get to write about it (actually there has been one other outing since then but we are trying to go in order). Last week I took the kids into the Taurus Mountains to see some castles. Linda stayed home. She has never been as interested in the history of this area but she has indulged my particular idiosyncrasy and even volunteered to keep the smallest one home. So it was me and the three oldest kids.

The castles we here hunting for were the castles that guarded the passes through the Taurus Mountains from the Anatolian Plateau down to the Cilicain basin. The so called Cilician Gates. It is the classical route that invaders have used since time immemorial. Cyrus the Great and his Army of the 10,000 on his way to Greece, Alexander the Great on his way to fight the Persians, Paul the Apostle on his missionary journeys, The Knights of the First Crusade on their way to Jerusalem all came through here. The Germans also built the rail line to connect Istanbul with Baghdad through these passes. So castles were built to guard the passes and control the passage of people and goods. There are three main passes and each is guarded by a castle (the main pass by 2). And we went and saw each one.

Here is a map of the area we went to (of course too small to see). The yellow pins represent the castles. The Anatolian Plateau lies to the left (North) while the Cilicain Basin lies to the right (South). The green areas are the river valleys cutting down through the plateau.

The first castle is called Tekir Castle. It was a small castle and not as old as others- probably dating to the medieval period. But because it is newer the walls were in good shape. The thing the kids liked most was the turtles. That’s right turtles- actually tortoises and there were a bunch of them. And they were pretty big. We found 5 in the hour we spent at the castle. And the first ones we found were um… mating. That’s right- spring was in the air and they were going at it. At least the male was. The female was just not that interested. Maybe she had a headache. No surprise given that the way the male shows his interest is to ram her shell repeatedly with the front of his shell. That’s right. Just banging away and it was loud- could hear “bonk, bonk, bonk” all over the mountain. Maryn was pretty embarrassed and the boys didn’t understand what was going on. But it made it pretty fun for the kids (they usually tire of the actual castle part after about 5 minutes).

The next castle was Gulek Castle. And it was not as impressive as I had hoped but I had been warned in advance. It was built on a promontory so there were not many walls (why build walls when nature has given you a cliff) and the walls that were there were in pretty poor repair. There was a cool gateway and a few little towers but that was about it. What made the site interesting was the views. The views from Gulek were stunning. In all direction you could see forever. It was said the sentries at Gulek could see an army three days away. And I believe it. We had a picnic lunch with a campfire (again- had to keep the kids interested and my kids love fire. Wonder where they got that from). And then on to the next site.

The little black strip Bennett is pointing at is the 6 lane freeway at the base of the hill.

The next site was a distance away on a less than impressive road. Pretty remote. On the way there is a large lake and the kids had hoped to go swimming (bribe to get them to come along) but the lake’s banks were really muddy and we decided to push on with a promise being made that there was one other spot to swim later on. The name of the castle is Lampron or Namrun. It was the seat of the Armenian Hethumid princes in the middle ages. It ruled over a wide fertile valley and guarded the pass.

By the time we got there it was raining but I had driven 2 hours and was not going to skip it just because of a little rain. The kids were not excited to climb the hill in the rain but they did not have a choice. Like Gulek, the castle is built on top of a mesa with cliffs all around. And with cliffs who needs walls. There was a keep situated at the north end but could not be reached. The rope in place to climb the bluff was slippery and while I might have been able to get up, the kids would never have made it. So we took our pictures and pressed on. In the picture Maryn is smiling but really mad at me. She has the best fake smile of all the kids. (Later I found out that a path leads around the back of the bluff and allows you to get up there).

You can see the wall on the cliff behind the kids. The Keep has a flagpole on it which shows up as a line on the top of the Keep.

Bennett thought he could keep the rain off by keeping his hands on top of his head. He kept them there for probably an hour. They really didn't keep him very dry.

The next castle was on the other side of a steep gorge. Without a paved road. In the rain. Sounds fun. Lets go. The view was stunning. With the cool air and the rain in the pine trees I could have been in Oregon. We switch-backed down the mountain to the river at the bottom. It was running high due to snow melting and the rain but true to my word I said the kids could go swimming. They got their suits on and went to the water and put their feet in and retreated from the freezing water and back into the car. We tried to make it up to them with a little fishing but the flow was too fast and I’m not sure I had the right tackle. A local turk (out walking her goat) tried to help but the language barrier made it impossible. So we pushed up the other side of the gorge and on to the next site.

Here are the kids glaring at me for the inadequate swimming facilities.

Again- the scenery was stunning. Spring in the mountains. Everything was green and fresh with the recent rain. Farmers out with their flocks and fields full of thriving vegetables. I could have been in the south of France. We drove through a few small villages and into Gozne. The castle at Gozne was really just a watchtower. 2 small buildings built on a promontory overlooking a broad valley. From the tower you could see all the way to the Mediterranean ocean. The kids were not impressed. In Maryn’s words it was “the dumbest castle you have ever taken us to”. (I disagree- The castle as Limonlu was far worse. I think she was still mad about having had to hike in the rain).

And then to the car and home.

Okay, okay, I'm done!

2009-05-11T14:13:00.000-07:00

For those of you that were waiting for the rest of the saga, it has been posted. I just wanted it all in order, so I messed with the date and posted it after the first post. Just endulge my desire to be silly about this - and scroll down. =)

After your head explodes, Clean up is a bugger

2009-05-05T05:32:00.000-07:00

Warning: The following post will be incredibly long due to the fact that we have been slackers and I tend to ramble on about things. These two factors, coupled with the amazing trip we took make it necessary for me to warn you to get something to eat and go to the bathroom before you start in on this epic dissertation.

Go Ahead. I'll wait.

Okay, now, I realize we have been back for two weeks now - and many of you are curious about our trip. I have had the best of intentions, but life came at us fast and furious. For those of you who didn't hear, Michael's Grandmother passed away during our trip. We got home to Turkey just in time for him to turn around and fly to Utah for the funeral. I'll let him tell you about the drama that turned into. (Mostly in the form of flying to Germany, then taking a cargo plane to South Carolina, then flying to Atlanta to take a plane to Phoenix to finally arrive in Salt Lake City. But like I said, I'll let him tell it.)

Because the kids like to find creative ways to injure themselves whilst Daddy is gone, and because it had been so long since the last time he left, they put their heads together and came up with some great ideas. Two days before Daddy returned - Maryn went first by trying to hit a baseball with her face instead of a bat.

Not to be out done, Dallen arranged for a friend to head butt him in the lip and split it open. And exactly 10 minutes before Daddy's plane landed, Bennett, in his excitement to get to the Passenger Terminal to greet Daddy, ran into the open tail gate of a parked pickup truck. Which, lucky for him, was just at eye level.

Now thankfully Hayden decided not to injure himself this time, but he was feeling left out, so he just used a black sharpie to draw on his face. Needless to say, we were quite a sight when we welcomed Dad home.

We also found out this week that we need to apply for (and receive) multiple entry visas before we can enter Britain. If this was as simple as it sounded my eye wouldn't be twitching as I am writing this. Apparently the process takes 3 to 4 months to complete (do you remember the part about how we only have 3 months left? - Yeah I was laughing too....)

AND to get the process started, we have to pay about $3,000 in fees ("But wait Ma'am, you will be reimbursed once you arrive at Lakenheath" - OH! Well then! Good thing I sleep on a big pile of money, because I'll just pull it off of there for the time being. But make sure you reimburse us quickly because I get back aches when my pile is crooked.)

AND we have to drive to Gaziantep about 3 hours away to get fingerprinted and submit all our passports. Which of course I have to do with all the kids during business hours (translation -with out Michael, because naturally, he is the only one that doesn't need this special visa, so they won't let him off work) Oh! And as I am writing all this, some guy just brought Hayden back in from down the street. Twitch...Twitch....Twitch...

Do you wonder why I don't blog very often?

With all my complaining, I really should be working on the Visas right now, but this is more fun.

NOW! back to the original reason you checked the blog:

Our trip! It was, in a nutshell - AMAZING! If you ever have a chance to go - do it!

This is the view from the BYU Jerusalem Center. Our guide was very funny, when he found out we were Mormon, he took us up there even thought it wasn't actually on the itinerary. It was neat to see it, though.
Outside our Hotel. The drivers here are as skilled as Turks, with just as much temper. It made us feel right at home.

This is the Church of the Ascension. It is believed that when Jesus ascended into heaven he stepped on a stone and the stone still holds his footprint. Let me just clarify right now, that I realize that a lot of these holy sites cannot be verified, or can be interpreted differently by different religions (like for instance - the Eastern Orthodox Church believes that they have the body of Mary in a Tomb, but the Catholic Church has a shrine marking the site where Mary was taken up into heaven "without tasting death".) I am not going to try and figure out what really happened where, (although, if I did maybe I'd be a genius and be showered with wealth. Either that or burned as a heretic) Anyway - I am just going to show pictures of where we were - and let you take it for what it is.

This is the site where Jesus looked out over the City of Jerusalem, and knowing what was to come, wept. That golden ball is the Dome of the Rock. You can tell what Dallen thought of all this "holding still and posing for pictures" nonsense.

One of my favorite sites! You can tell by the number of pictures I posted! =) This is the Garden of Gethsemane. This is one place that is truly verifiable, and the Holy Spirit was very strong here. It was a very peaceful and reverent place. Many sites have been over-run with vendors trying to sell to tourists, but there are a few of the important places that are respectfully kept holy. It was so surreal to think that the trees that we were standing in front of, had been there since the time of Christ (though they had regrown from the roots after the Romans cut them down in 70AD).
This is believed to be the rock that Jesus knelt upon and bled onto when he took upon himself the sins of the world.

This is Hayden playing peek-a-boo outside the Church of All Nations. He was wrapping everyone he met around his little finger. He was such a good sport, walking everywhere (well, usually running) and singing to himself. When we'd enter a church, he'd turn to us and say, "Shhhh...be wewent (reverent)" and then proceed to sing "I Am A Child of God" really loud.

I snapped this from the bus window. I just thought it was neat to see the street signs in Hebrew, Arabic, and English. I also thought it seemed just a little surreal to see road signs with things like "Mt of Olives" or "Sea of Galilee 10 km".

I'm not sure if Hayden is throwing a fit or worshipping, so I am going to go with worshipping to make me feel better as a mom. =)

The kids were such good sports about the food. On the Arabic side of the city, the food was very much like what we have in Turkey. (Here the kids are eating a pita type sandwich called shawarma. They actually liked it as long as the sauce was left off) But on the Jewish side, it was a lot more American/European. We tried to find them burgers and pizza whenever possible. Because believe it or not, we were with a family that had even pickier eaters than me and my kids! Also check out the soda cans - the sprite is in Hebrew and the Coke is in Arabic. Cool huh?

Most of the holy sites were underground (because of course the landscape has changed in 2000 years) Here we are at the entrance to Jesus' birthplace, the Church of the Nativity. You walk into the Church of the Nativity and take steps down to the stable and manger. The boy on the right in the red shirt is part of the family that traveled with us, and the guy in the burgundy shirt is Michael's brother Robert (talking to his wife - the ever awesome Jenna) We were so lucky to have two other families with us. It made losing Bennett that much harder to do. (But not impossible, as he proved to us a couple of times - he just had to be more creative.

Once downstairs, they have the spot of His birth covered and marked by a shrine. You can reach inside the hole and touch the stone.

Then to the other side is the manger where He slept. It is that little trough looking area on Hayden's left.

The inside of the Church of the Nativity. (which is the oldest Christian church in the Holy Land being built in 565 over an older church from 333. The Persians who sacked the city and tore down all the other churches in the 600's spared it because inside was a mosaic of the wise men who were from Persia.)

The doorway to the Church of the Nativity. (Intentionally made small to prevent looting and force you to bow when entering.)

The Church of St. Catherine in Bethlehem.

Outside the Church of the Shepards
The Church of the Shepards marks the spot in Bethlehem where the angels appeared to the shepards watching their flocks, and announced the birth of Christ.

Border crossing through the West Bank on our way to Tiberias. The tour guide casually mentions where we are while my husband says, "COOL!" and snaps pictures and I try not to wet my pants. The barrier fence between Jewish controlled and Palestinian controlled areas can be seen on the left side of the picture.

Outside the Church of St. Anne near the Pool of Bethesda.

Inside the Church of St. Anne at Bethesda.

Original foundations and cleansing pools. (Notice how far below ground they are now - like I said before, a lot has changed.) This is called the Pool of Bethesda. It is where Jesus cured the paralysed man that had waited for 38 years. See John 5:5-8

This is the Via Dolorosa or Way of the Cross. These are the paths Jesus walked while He carried His cross on the way to Calvary. They have "Stations" along the way that mark things that happened to Him as He struggled with His burden. For instance, the places where He stumbled, the places where He asked the women of Jerusalem not to weep for Him, and some people believe He left His hand print on one of the walls when He leaned against it for support.

All along the way are statues and tributes to this Great Sacrifice. The conclusion I came to, was that regardless of exactly where each thing happened - the Atonement happened. And if anything, my kids and I got an even greater reverence and appreciation for what Jesus did. It made it so much more real to all of us. I chose not to get caught up in the nit picky of the speculation, and just savor the spirit surrounding these Holy places.

The doorway to the Ecce Homo. Meaning "Behold the Man" This is where they placed a crown of thorns on His head and dressed Him in a purple robe and brought Him out to the people. See John 19:5 Inside the Ecce Homo Convent, they had a few artifacts including these small tombs. These are the original caskets used by the Jews for the remains of their sons that were killed when Herod ordered all the babies 2 and under to be slain. We all hugged Hayden a little tighter after seeing those. In the midst of all this holiness, leave it to the kids to bring in some humor. Semi-inappropriate no less. We entered a shop who's back wall was part of the Roman fortress of Antonia where Pilate lived. (our guide recommended we have a look). Well the boys found an "artistic sculpture" of a young lady, and decided to giggle and pinch her bum. I hope this isn't sacrilegious.
The Greek Orthodox Shrine built on the site where it is beleived that Jesus' cross was placed. This site was very difficult to get close to. Obviously everyone wanted to touch the ground where His cross stood. The line was two hours long, mostly because of Easter and Passover

Are you still with me? I warned you this would be long!

You aren't allowed to take pictures right in front of the Wailing Wall, this is as close as you can get. We were able to go to it an touch it. It was kinda cool seeing it stuffed with prayers. For those of you who don't know, the Wailing Wall is the original western wall of Solomon's temple. So once again, it was awesome to touch history.

The road that Jesus walked as a free man from the last supper to Gethsemane, and then as a prisoner after Judas betrayed Him. Dallen said something interesting to me when he saw people kissing the stones of the road. "Mom, why are they kissing the stones?"

"Well, this is the road Jesus walked, and they are thinking of what happened here"

"Are they thinking of the road, or Jesus?"

Ahh the wisdom of a child. No judgement, just stop-you-in-your-tracks innocence. I kind of let that be my mantra for the rest of the trip. Sometimes the sites become the focus instead of the miricles that took place on them.

I thought of that again when I saw Mary's tomb. From what I have ever read about her, she seems humble and quiet. I wonder what she thinks of, looking down on all this ceremony.

The Tomb of King David. I just had to get a picture of the first site we've been to in almost two years where the men had to cover thier heads instead of the women!

Okay, I've got to divide this up, or we will never get through it. I've been working on this for days, and I keep getting interrupted. (What, do I have four kids or something?) I'll post what I have so far, and finish tomorrow.

The Epic continues

2009-05-03T01:27:00.000-07:00

Okay, did you rest up for the next installment? =) I know I promised this would be the next day, but honestly, I am just proud I remembered to do it at all. Anyway - if you think that these posts are tiring - you can just imagine how exhausted we were when we got home! And poor Michael had to turn around and fly to America! BUT, I digress...

Like I said before, we were able to find a few more "western" restaurants. And boy, did we stuff ourselves. In the picture above, Robert is holding one of the best burgers any of us ever remember eating. It was absolutely phenomenal.

Hmm.... Lets see.... what do we want?

Maybe a menu in English for starters? =)

The Dead Sea was a very bizarre experience. It literally felt as though the water was trying to expel you. Have you ever tried to push a beach ball under water? That was how it felt just trying to put your body under water. It was unreal. The amount of salt was too much for Bennett and Hayden. They tried to get in, but then ran screaming (literally) for the showers. It kind of stung to us adults, so I can only imagine how it felt to their sensitive skin. Even Maryn only lasted a little while. Dallen on the other hand was too thrilled with the fact that we were actually encouraging him to spread mud on himself, so he ignored the stinging. You should have seen his face when Daddy told him to throw some at Uncle Robert. You'd think we'd told him we were having sugar for dinner. "REALLY!? I can THROW it?"

Bennett in the hole! Playing his favorite "I bet I can fit in there" game.

This is basically how Bennett entertained himself the entire trip. As long as there was some type of dirt near by, he was happy. The trick was to remind myself to check for him each time we walked on. Because at some point further on the path, we'd look around and notice he was missing, only to find him back where we were - happily digging. Of course he could usually convince Dallen or Hayden to join him without much effort.

The ancient city of Masada. It is an amazing story. Google it.

We found Michael street!

Did I mention the boys dug a little?

This is the Latin form of Maryn's name

Bennett was supposed to just wade. Ha.

This is a beautiful shot of Tiberias and of the ghetto outfit

Bennett had to wear while his clothes dried.

I am going to go out on a limb here and guess

that this isn't part of the original city. Sure was fun though!

The ruins of the city of Caesarea. Peter preached here and converted Cornelius.

Yep, Again....

To break the monotony of digging, the kids played "Gladiator"
Here Dallen is bowing to the Queen Maryn. Bennett gave up on the game when Dallen kept making him be the lion. (And a very tame and easy to kill lion at that)

Whew. Good thing we found the prominent one

This church marks the ruins of the cave that Jesus was placed in while awaiting His trial. You could walk down into it and look up out of the hole He was lowered in from.

This ramp provided a good 20 minutes of peace for me.

And again...(I'm sure the only ones of you who thought

I was exaggerating the digging thing, are the ones with out boys)

The baptism! (Don't bother trying to figure out the sign, it's in Hebrew)

The site is called the Yardinet. They have sectioned off areas of the River Jordan so there can be multiple baptisms at a time. Luckily we were there when it was slow.

You can't see it, but there was a rainbow I tried to catch in this picture.

It was just over their heads.

It appeared as he came out of the water.

When we pointed it out to Dallen he said "Yep, God is happy"

You don't need to read Hebrew to know what this is! Which is why my kids were screaming when they saw it. This truly is the Holy Land. =)

Waiting on the dock for our boat out on the Sea of Galilee. It was a bit windy.

See what I mean?

Hayden thought trying to stand up was the best game ever. It was kind of stormy, and the waves knocked the boat around. Of course all the adults were glued to their seats. Maybe that is what the bible means by "being like a little child". Absolutely no fear, just trust and joy. The whole situation made me think of the stormy night that Jesus walked on the water. For that reason, the rough weather was preferable. It made it such a neat, reverent, experience.

The clouds parted in honor of the flags. =)

The boat crew raised our flag and then played our anthem.

I don't think anyone's eyes were dry.

Although I lasted until I saw my soldier boy standing at attention.

"Hey let's all climb the side of a pitching boat and

see if we can give Mom heart failure! Ready? Go!"

Bennett paused in his digging to flash me a grin

Princess at the Sea of Galilee

Ruins of Peter's home. This is where Jesus healed Peter's Mother in law, and while he was there a man wanting to be healed was lowered by ropes into the house.

Near the Synagogue of Capernaum

The Garden Tomb.

Another one of my favorite sites.

The door is open and this plaque is on the inside. It was just such a neat place.

I really wasn't kidding.

The stunning view over the Sea of Galilee. This area reminded me of Hawaii. If you ever go, I have some recommendations for hotels that are just beautiful.

Okay, so there you have it. Believe it or not, that was all in a nutshell. =) Now I really must get back to the demands of trying to read the minds of all the people that control whether or not I'll be able to leave this country before my Residence Permit expires.

I'll keep you posted.

Sanlurfa

2009-04-08T03:50:00.000-07:00

We took a quick overnight trip this past week-end to a town near Syria called Sanlurfa. We went with another family that has girls the same ages as our kids. (Apparently, if you are my friend and your name is Angie, you are only capable of producing girls.) =) There were a few historical sites in the area that Michael has had on his list since we got here. But up until about three weeks ago, the area was "red zoned". Meaning, active duty military were not allowed to travel there. So when the ban was lifted, Michael started planning! =)

Okay, so this isn't actually a historical site, per se... But Bennett looked so cute mooing at the village cows... I just couldn't resist. This was on our way to see the "last castle" on Michael's list. I say that with quotes, because I'm pretty sure he will find more to drag me to. =) (Editor's note (Michael) This is the last castle IN THE CILICIAN PLAIN. There are lots more outside the plain. HaHaHa.)

Here was the first official site we stopped at. The famous Euphrates River. It wasn't at all how I had pictured it, but a lot can happen in 2000 years, right?

This place is Gobekli-Tepe (Turkish for "The Belly Hill") It was originally discovered in the 1960's but no one bothered to dig because they thought it was a grave yard. Then in 1997, a German Archaeologist became convinced it was something more. So he dug even though he was told it would be a waste of time. Well, it turns out he had uncovered an ancient religious site. They have found pillars, sculptures, carvings and more - that carbon date to 10,000 BC. Yep this stuff is 12,000 years old. It is the oldest religious structure on the planet. 6000 years older than Stonehenge. Kinda makes you feel small, eh?

If you are interested, here is an article about it. http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history-archaeology/gobekli-tepe.html

Here we are in the Bazaar in Urfa (or Sanlurfa, if you want to be formal) (Or Edessa if you were a crusader 1000 years ago. The Kingdom of Edessa was the first crusader state in the Middle east established during the first crusade but being landlocked (no reinforcements) and near enemies was also the first to fall lasting only about 50 years. -Ed.) If you look closely, you can see the people standing on the right of the picture. You can also see a bike tire on the left.

Now, it may seem as though we have mistakenly caught a couple of bystanders in our photo, but not so! In all reality, there were about 10-12 more people standing behind Michael while he snapped this photo. Apparently most Americans don't travel this far out (at least not the sane ones), so we are an anomaly. That, coupled with the fact that most Turks don't have personal space, meant that we were almost constantly surrounded. It started to make me feel sympathy for celebrities, but then I remembered they make obscene amounts of money to put up with this. So I went back to resenting them. =)

This was outside the entrance to Abraham's cave and the sacred pools. According to Islam, when Abraham was going to be burned by King Nimrod for telling the people they shouldn't worship wooden gods, he prayed and God turned the fire to water and the coals to fish. So this water and these fish are sacred, and if you kill one you will go blind.

It was incredible to see the amount of fish in these pools. And the minute something hit the water, there was a huge surge. They would ram each other to get to the pellets you threw. Sometimes even lifting each other out of the pool. I have never seen such greedy fish, they were worse than pigeons. I know this can happen when you are worshipped, but honestly, I have never rammed someone for my food.

Just across from the pools, they had a stand where you could dress up and have your picture taken. We couldn't resist. First because the girls looked so cute, and second because you'd be surprised how many locals still wear this stuff. I have never seen so many sequins in one place outside of Vegas.

Dallen wanted to join in the fun, so he decided that he would dress up like Ali-Skaba. That is a shout out to you Micah. He still listens to your album. =)

On the way back to the hotel, we passed the shopping district. I couldn't pass up these pictures! Let me make it clear, that these were NOT taken in a costume shop, but a formal wear shop. Did I ever tell you that I spent almost two days in Las Vegas looking for a formal dress to wear to Russ and Kelly's wedding that wasn't too skimpy? And here I am in Turkey and I find a whole store full of modest dresses I wouldn't be caught dead in! The Turks really have their own sense of style. Bjork would love it here. If any of you want one of these hot dresses, let me know. I'll hook you up. How 'bout it Norine? =) (I wanted to get Linda the red one but she flat out said NO!. -Ed.)

The next morning, we headed back to the sacred pools. This time to explore Abraham's cave. It is believed this is the cave he was born in and also hid in for 7 years. Because it is sacred, Angie and I had to cover our heads. After watching us struggle stupidly for a few minutes, a few ladies from the crowd around us, (I wasn't kidding before) stepped forward to help us do it right.

They were very sweet and cheerfully declared, "Now you are more beautiful". I decided to consider it a compliment. (Funny how in Turkey, being asked to hide behind a veil is NOT an insult - "Uh, excuse me- Will you please cover as much of your face as possible with this, so you can be beautiful?") Hmmmm....

We weren't able to get a picture of the inside, but this is the garden out front of the cave.

Then we climbed the fortress and I tried to kill myself on an ancient stone staircase that I swear was booby trapped. Unfortunately, I only succeeded in messing up my leg, so I got to be miserable for the rest of our walking trip. But who's whining? (Linda was and so were the kids but anyway. This was the original way in and out of the castle (no wimpy concrete stairs for those folks). A tunnel dug through the rock. It was awesome. -Ed.)

Next we drove to Harran which is Turkish for "Land of many annoying children that try to snatch things off your person just to say they have something American and if that doesn't work, they will beg for coins by jumping at you and shouting, Lira! Lira!"

Okay, not really, but it felt like it.

At least our groupies up to this point didn't actually try to get something off of us or out of our cars. Oh well, they were harmless, if irritating. I finally started saying, "Evett, isteyorum Lira (Yes, I'd like a Lira)" and holding out my hand expectantly when they'd shout. It really threw them off, and a few even left.

(It is actually an ancient city that was very important in antiquity. Abraham and his brother Nahor and his father Terah and his nephew Lot lived here for a while before moving on to the Holy Land. Terah died here. Despite being conquered multiple times it continued to thrive until 1260 when it was decimated by the Mongols. It was abandoned after that and only recently resettled. -Ed)

All we wanted was a nice family picture. Is that too much to ask? What we got was a stop-motion recording of the afternoon's events. Which were, in a nutshell, Dallen and Bennett acting like spazzes and Daddy yelling at them to "Quit it and look at the dang camera!" (Sigh) They are cute, which is why they haven't been left with a gypsy family. And by "they" I mean Dallen, Bennett, AND Michael.

Hayden spent most of his time charming all the locals and trying to toss himself down holes. He was very proud of the hat a village man gave him, and he bore all of their kisses with the dignity of a long suffering sultan.

When Michael and Angie headed down the road to get the vehicles, Chance and I were mobbed by the oldest woman in Turkey with the least amount of teeth. She assumed we were married and all eight of the kids were ours. I was squeezed and kissed and had blessings pronounced on me. Same goes for the two babies. We tried to tell her it was two families, but she really wasn't listening. And besides, she was just so thrilled.

This was taken at Job's well. Another holy site. The cave is believed to be the place he went after his home was destroyed and his family killed. The muslims believe, when God decided he had suffered enough, he was commanded to tap his foot and a well appeared. God told him to drink from the well, and he was healed. Many people still believe that the water can heal, so the well has been sealed off. (NO miracles for YOU!) But you can look down into it (and kiss it if you are Turkish).

We drove to the border of Syria, and Chance took this picture of Michael. I am not in it because I was hiding in the car preferring not to provoke the angry looking men with machine guns, and saying a lot of prayers under my breath. My husband says I'm silly, I say, "Okay, whatever, can we go now?"

At least he seemed a little nervous when we passed a riot on the way home. We saw about 40 police officers in full riot gear (body shields and everything) and a bunch of people running and shouting. He looked at me and said, "Hmmm, maybe lets not stop here for dinner." Wow, he does have a sense of self preservation!

The trip was fun, if exhausting. We are back home, safe and sound and getting ready for our adventure to Israel next Monday.

Being adored and mobbed by all the locals really wears a kid out.

Strange Dreams and Busted Chins

2009-03-29T11:51:00.000-07:00

So yesterday we had a small emergency in our little family. Dallen decided to show Bennett how to bump set a volley ball, and he slipped and landed chin first on the sidewalk. As he stood up with blood running down his neck, he said, "Well Ben, it's like that except the falling." And Ben says, "Good, 'cause I don't like bleeding."

Well, he had given himself quite the gaping gash, so we loaded everyone up for an after hours trip to the clinic. We were able to take Maryn, Bennett, and Hayden to my friend Angie, so they were spared the whole experience. Unfortunately, I wasn't. Michael -wanting to be kind to his nurse - decided not to call her in, and just use me instead - forgetting that there is a reason I didn't become a nurse. I am proud to say that I didn't pass out - not even when I watched the needle and thread going in and out of my baby. And not only did I not pass out, I did a pretty fine job of sponging the wound and handing tools to my husband. (If I do say so myself) But no, I will never willingly do it again.

The real trooper was Dallen, he held so still and tried so hard not to cry. I told him, "Remember, being brave doesn't mean you aren't afraid - it just means you are afraid and you do it anyway." And of course, true to form he ran out to play baseball with Angie's kids as soon as we arrived to pick up his siblings. Nothing stops him for long.

I also had a pretty funny dream last night. I think the stress of planning our trip to Israel is finally getting to me. I dreamt that I was at my sister Dolly's house making last minute preparations for Dallen's baptism. Apparently my sister now lives in Galilee, in a HUGE house no less. Because it was big enough that the basement was the gymnasium of my elementary school in Tulsa, Oklahoma. (She must have liked it enough to build an exact replica into her home) =)

As I was bustling through the house checking on people and making plans for the luncheon after the ceremony, I kept running into all sorts of people who had arrived to celebrate with me. My cousins Mandy, Tammy, Amy, and Becky had all come with their families. My best friends from PA were there- Shannon, Jen, Dina, and Lisa. A bunch of the Colorado folk were there including Russ, Kelly, Greg and Karla who brought their babies. All of my siblings were there, and a bunch of Michael's, plus his cousins. And as each person showed up, I kept worrying about the luncheon. Dolly just said, "I'll just add more food and build more rooms". (She has always been so helpful!) =)

Then right before I woke up, we were all trying to load into cars and drive out to the baptism, and I realized I didn't have any white clothes for Dallen to wear. I told Dolly she needed to take me to Target. She said, "That is too far out of the way, but there is a Super Wal-Mart on the way to the River Jordan. We will just stop there." "Perfect" I said, and then I started loading my family into a bus.

Wouldn't Freud have a field day with that! I prefer to think it was a vision, instead of just a dream, so therefore all of you that appeared in it have to show up now. =) Oh, and Dolly has to build an expanding mansion somewhere in Galilee. I guess I also need to contact some CEO somewhere about building a new Super Wal-Mart. Do you think they could have it done in two weeks? =)

It's Final!!

2009-03-13T13:51:00.000-07:00

Guess what everyone?! We received notice that we are definitely going to Lakenheath, England next!! We were pretty sure all along, but you never know with the Air Force. =) We leave here August 1st, and we are required to report no later than August 31st.

In between those two dates, we will be packing ourselves into our crossover and driving up through Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary, Austria (where I will sing "Edelweiss" just to say I did), Germany, Belgium, (where I will have a waffle - just to say I did), France and then across to Britain.

Michael has already printed stacks of information from Wikipedia and Answers.com and he is gleefully putting together an itinerary of castles and WWII sites to drag me to. It really brings home the meaning of "a kid in a candy store." Although I must admit, I am excited to see Dracula's castle. And really, I won't be able to complain, I am after all planning on embarrassing him thoroughly with all my ridiculous stereotypical touristy nonsense. Maybe after singing Edelweiss, I will have my children march along the fountain in Mirabell Gardens and sing "Do-Ri-Me" like the von Trapps. But we will see if my dear husband snaps before then.

I can hardly believe we are on the edge of our next big adventure. It seems crazy to me that it has been almost two years! I have to admit I am relieved that this next adventure involves living in an English-speaking country with public toilets that are more than just a hole in the ground.

I'll keep you all posted as our plans solidify. But first, I am concentrating on our trip to Jerusalem. Four weeks and counting!

How to make an E

2009-02-26T10:18:00.000-08:00

As we were getting ready for bed the other night, Bennett said "Mom, look" and I looked and saw him sitting like this.

"I can make an E. Well, my head is too short, so maybe its an F, but then it is an upside down F. How about an A?" So of course I cracked up and ran for the camera. He then obliged me by showing his A making skills.

It has also been brought to my attention (by my wonderful husband) that I never sufficiently bragged about the Christmas present I received from aforementioned wonderful husband. So here it is....

In my defence, I had received it a little late, and then I just forgot. Do you remember all the times I have mentioned that the Turks don't really pay attention to deadlines? This is another one of those times. But who am I to complain? I have an awesome cabinet for my stamps!!

Alacakaranlik - Finally!

2009-02-06T11:47:00.000-08:00

I took my sweet little aforementioned pre-teen to see Twilight (or "Alacakaranlik" in this country - pronounced al uh ja CAR ahn lick - in Turkish the C makes a juh sound). Even though we are halfway across the world, it is still causing a stir here too.

I enjoyed the books, and Maryn desperately wants to read them, because most of her friends have. But I personally do not think the third and fourth books in the series are appropriate for an eleven year old. I told her I would let her read the first one, possibly the second, but then she would have to wait. She opted to wait until she can read all four in order. To take the sting out of it, we compromised with seeing the movie together. We went with a good friend of mine who happens to have a daughter that is a good friend of Maryn's. I love it when that happens! =)

We had a great time being silly for the evening. Maryn wouldn't do this for the shot Kim wanted, (though I am sure she wanted to!) so I did, and thoroughly embarrassed her. Isn't that my job? Besides, the Turks expect us to be odd. (Which is why they follow us around with their cell phone cameras -as if we don't see them.) I say, give the people what they want. =)

Let them eat cake (and juice)

2009-01-30T09:44:00.000-08:00

For Family Night this past Monday, Maryn made us all a cake. She did it by herself from start to finish. Here is the end result! It looked and tasted wonderful! Michael even pulled me aside later and said, "Be honest, you made it, right?" I am so proud!

And here we have Bennett juicing the oranges from our tree. He was the only kid whose attention span lasted through the process. I've also noticed this is yet another picture of one of my kids without a shirt. When did we start running a clothing-optional home?

Maryn is whining for the computer. I have a pre-teen in my house. Wheeeeee. At least she makes ultra fab cakes. My plan to have yummy treats available with very little effort on my part is coming to pass. It is the only reason I teach my kids to cook. =)

Succumbing to the Power

2009-01-24T05:15:00.000-08:00

Okay, when I started this whole silly blog thing, I was just going to write once in while and post a few pictures. But a few of you (you know who you are) have kept bugging me to make it all customized and stuff. You've even been bugging me to WRITE sometimes. Geez.

Anyway. I had a fun little party online today finding music to put on here. So now I have a playlist. I am bracing myself for my brother's (they know which ones I am referring to) comments about my choices. But I like it, and it is my blog, so blah. (Why is it that when I talk about my brothers, I often turn tweleve again?)

My goal now is to post a song that said brothers haven't heard. (Okay let me clarify, there are plenty of songs they haven't heard, I mean ones that they would actually want to hear. I make that distinction because some people have recorded songs that should have been burned immediately afterward. Yes, I mean you Britney.) I know better than to actually enter into the "I can discover more obscure music than you can" battle that they have been raging since we all owned boom boxes, but I will see if I can find something.

I am off to a rocky start, because when I went to playlist dot com, they didn't have the first three bands I searched for. (Ultravox, Screaming Blue Messiahs, and Electronic - in that order) Does anyone know of another music feed site that might have a more extenisive selection? At least they had Icehouse (yay Norine) and Jellyfish (yay Eric). So I am happy. Oh, and Micah and Gary, I do know that you have heard of all three of the bands I unsuccessfully searched for. I just meant that if they didn't have those ones, then I've got my work cut out for me.

Clarification

2009-01-23T13:18:00.000-08:00

So, someone asked me if the pillows were included in the price. And yes-they were. He made us 6 pillows so we could put a few on the futon too. I told you it was an awesome deal. =)

Born Again Couches - Hallelujah!

2009-01-23T05:55:00.000-08:00

I thought it would be fun to show you all what my husband got me for Christmas. I am sure a few of you remember our charming dark green plaid, outdated, starving Med student couch that we have had for 12 years. I scoured my pictures for something that would show it, for those of you that may never have had the pleasure of seeing it. I came up with this picture of Dallen fighting a Christmas morning Nerf battle. It is not the best, but it shows the ultra-fab pattern of the couch.

So, back to the Christmas present. Drumroll please....... We had the couch recovered! I am so happy with the result! Getting things like this done in Turkey is sooo cheap, because labor is cheap. They restuffed, reshaped, reinforced, and recovered. All for a mere $200. I only brag because I need to remind myself of all the good things about this assignment. =)

Next we are going to have an entertainment center built. And maybe one day we will get rid of the futon. Although we did have a new cover made for it last year so now it is obnoxious red instead of that obnoxious blue it used to be. We are slowly but surely leaving student life behind. As Michael put it when he saw the couch. "Wow, it is like grown-up furniture. We are going to have a real living room one of these days."

Emerging from the Holidays....Slowly

2009-01-17T12:20:00.000-08:00

Okay, so....wow....it has been a month. Does it seem as though I am often starting these posts by apologizing? Hey- I warned you all that I would post only when I had something to tell you. Even though I live in an amazing country with a rich and ancient history - I am still pretty darn boring. So unless you wanted a recap of the latest PTSA meeting or some really amusing stories about the Medical Group Christmas party, I thought it was best not to blog at all. I promised myself when I started this, I would never turn into one of those people that blogged constantly about nothing. "Today the kids and I went to the grocery store" "Today I flossed my teeth" "Today I read all the suicide notes from the people who read my blog and died of boredom".

The one big thing that did happen was Michael's parents came to visit. The reason I didn't blog during those two weeks is because we spent most of the time trying to kill them off by hiking them to death. =) Also, Michael wants to fill everyone in on the details of the amazing epic journey they took across this country. I am not being sarcastic. It was amazing and epic and it involved a WHOLE lot of really seedy Turkish hotels. I graciously offered to stay at home with Hayden so they could have the joy of uphill hikes and no hot water all to themselves.

I do have a few pictures of the couple of days we were all together. This one was taken in the Adana Mosque. The tiles and designs inside are really amazing. I am ashamed to admit I have been here for a year and a half, and this is the first time I've been inside. Although in my defense, I don't often carry around a head scarf - so going inside takes some forethought. We planned for it this time, and I realized yet another reason I am happy to be a Christian - no head scarves. I don't wear hats for a reason. See below.

Here is the outside of the Adana Mosque. For those of you that received my very late New Year's letter, you will recognize it. For those of you who didn't receive it, blame it soley on yourselves for not giving me a current address. That and the fact that I lose interest halfway through the alphabet. I have selective ADD where effort and organization are involved. So if your last name begins with any letter after "P" your odds of recieving a newsletter weren't good. Don't feel bad, it really wasn't great reading. Believe me, I wrote it.

Here is a typical Turkish meal. By "typical" I mean "every single resturant, residence, hotel, and hostel in the country is serving this exact same meal between the hours of 5 and 7 pm each night." The food is very good, but 18 months of it is getting old.

While my husband, in-laws, and older children where off on the Great Crusade, I took a picture that pretty much summed up my week. Hayden discovered the joys of hide and seek, and I often found him giggling in the strangest places. Like my linen closet. A couple of times he really gave me a start. This being one of those times. Also, note his closed eyes. Apparently he is not fully hidden unless his eyes are closed. As if the snickering and the repeated cries of "You no see me" don't give him away. The kid is a hoot.

As I said before, I will let Michael fill you in completely on the day by day of his trip once he catches up on the mountain of work that was waiting for him when he got back. I cannot begin to name all the people that came up to me while he was gone and demanded to know the exact minute of his return. There were even a few that looked at me and said, "Oh well - since you're his wife, maybe you'd know about...." Um.....what? Oh, yeah, because a marriage licence is the same as a medical degree. Hey - I guess I should take it as a complement - until I get sued for malpractice, right?

Anyway, Michael will post hopefully sometime this week. Be prepared for some awesome pictures!

Gestating Caterpillars

2008-12-08T11:14:00.000-08:00

I have been meaning to post an entertainingly witty synopsis of Birthday Week. It still hasn't happened and I am now staring down Christmas. So this is what you get =)

Here are a few of the Birthday pictures we took. I saved time (and my sanity) by combining all three boys' parties into one.

Bennett and Dallen quickly realized the advantages of a combined party. They had a blast sharing each other's toys.

Here is Hayden taking his turn blowing out the candles. We gave each of the boys his own turn, and after the third time of lighting the candles and singing "Happy Birthday" a few of the kids were giving us really strange looks.

The Bouncy Toys were the hit of the afternoon. Especially for the adults. We all busted a gut laughing while we watched the end of an over sized caterpillar dispel children like it was giving birth.

Next week I am planning on posting pictures of the kids' football games. If any of you have never seen football played by 5 and 6 year olds, I daresay it is one of the all time funniest things you will find. Especially when the teams are being cheered on by slightly off rhythm 5 year old cheerleaders. If I'm lucky, I'll get a video posted as well.

Out of Order

2008-11-30T10:38:00.000-08:00

So the other day I was updating the blog and realized I was no longer connected to the internet. It had gone down. Again. So I saved my file and planned to update later. Well Linda beat me to it. And now my post makes less sense but I am unwilling to change it. Interestingly, though Linda updated the blog she did not talk about any of the things I talked about. So I can still post my update without saying the same stuff. Here goes.

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Well I finally got tired of waiting for Linda to update the blog so I am doing it. My wife is such a slacker. I mean she only has 4 kids (4 of whom had birthdays in the last three weeks and three of whom she has to drag to football practice everyday now) as well as her base responsibilities (she has yet to learn how to say "NO!" when people ask her if she will be the chairwoman for the Medical Spouses club, etc).

So we have had a busy month. We did find the opportunity to go to some historical sights though. On Nov 11 we went to Antakya, which was the city of Antioch anciently. At the time of Christ it was the third largest city in the western world behind Rome and Constantinople. It was a trip put together for the families in the Medical Group here (my military unit) and I was made the unofficial tour guide. Of Antioch, not much of its history remains what with the earthquakes knocking things down every few hundred years and the intermittent raids and sieges by Crusaders, Moslems, Mongols, Turks, Armenians, Mamluks, and the French (yes even the French got a piece of the action during WW1). But there is a very nice museum, a famous spring at Harbiye, and a famous historical church.

Antioch was where the followers of Christ were first called "Christians". And Peter, Paul, and Barnabus all taught here. The Church is believed to be one of the places where Saint Peter taught. This was during the Roman persecutions so the "church" was really just a cave in a hillside. A wall was built across the cave by the Knights of the First Crusade. It was neat to stand in this historical place and think of the people who had been there before.

In Haribye (the ancient Greek/Roman city of Daphne), we saw the freshwater spring which drew settlers as early as 1000BC. It is the site where Daphne, a daughter of a river god, was pursued by Apollo and, despising his advances, had herself turned into a Laurel tree. Thus the Laurel tree is sacred to Apollo and was used to crown the heads of victors both in sports and on the battlefield. At Daphne were both a famous Oracle to Apollo and an underground temple to Hades. Neither of which have been discovered. Most of the mosaics in the local museum came from the excavations of wealthy roman villas at Daphne. Haribye was a lush oasis in the midst of the otherwise arid landscape and the kids loved getting wet in the springs and pools.

We also stopped at Payas, an ancient harbor on the Mediterranean sea. There was a castle and caravansari (fortified hotel where caravans loaded with goods could stay the night without fear of being robbed) built by the Armenians and Ottomans respectively. Being newer (built in the 1570's) they were in pretty good shape. The castle being built on the flatland, as opposed to a hill or mountain, it is the first castle we have seen here with a moat. It was a busy but fun day and we are planning to do it again with some friends who didn't get to go.

For those of you who have not yet heard the news, we have received our follow on assignment. We have been "penciled in" (the military's way of reminding you nothing is definite) to a slot at Royal Air Force Base Lakenheath in England. While Linda is a little leery of going back to a cold place with dark winters (We will be at the same latitude as central Quebec) we are both really excited to be able to remain foreign while going to a place where we already know the language. While I have really enjoyed Turkey, it has been so very frustrating not being able to communicate when out there on our own.

On Thanksgiving Maryn and Dallen and I visited another castle. This one did not have a road to it so we had to do a little hiking. It was a Byzantine and Armenian castle and defended a pass through the mountains south of here. The castle is called Gokvelioglu Castle. I've included pictures.

Well thats it from the Carpenter Clan. We are having a great time. The winter here is really mild and in my opinion the best time to go explore places. We look forward to hearing from the rest of ya'll and hope everyine had a good Thanksgiving.

Happy Thanksgiving

2008-11-27T12:42:00.000-08:00

Hello again! Yippee! We are back on! Believe it or not, nothing really happened while we were away. I pretty much have the exact same life as I have always had. Except that now I am doing laundry, attending parent-teacher conferences, and wiping snotty noses in a country that considers goats an appetizing form of meat. But doesn't that make everything more exciting?

The kids did start flag football a few weeks ago. Those of you who remember my husband or any one of my brothers (except maybe Roch) playing any kind of organized sport will know how that is going. But they all seem to be having a great time with it. Even Maryn has really gotten into it. She played her last game in the pouring rain and came home covered in mud, but smiling. As I stood there under my umbrella, I wondered why they didn't cancel it. But when I voiced this question later, she looked shocked. "Mom! You don't cancel football because of rain!" I stand corrected.

Bennett is by far the most entertaining to watch. He will spend most of the start of the game, stomping on the chalk lines to make "smoke". Somewhere around halftime he figures out he is supposed to try and get the ball. Hopefully before the end of the game he will remember he is supposed to run with it when he gets it. Most of the other players have learned not to pass him the ball because he just hands it to whoever tries to take it. Not because he is afraid, he just honestly thinks, "Geez, if you want it bad enough to chase me, you can have it. I'll go find another one." And then he does. He has this kind of "Look guys, there are a bunch of balls in the coaches' bag, lets not fight over this one" attitude. It is hilarious to watch him try to convince the rest of the team. He even says "Excuse me" when he's has to rush the other players.

The coach is so great with him, and so patient. He is firm enough to (attempt to) keep him on track, but relaxed enough to see the humor in his youngest team member. It's a good thing they don't keep score for this age, or Bennett would have added two touchdowns to the opposite team last Saturday.

Dallen's team is kicking butt and taking names. He is actually helping a little too. =) He might be afraid to catch the ball (he had a pretty nasty fat lip after one practice) but he sure can run when he finally gets it. Last game he got the ball and ran it almost the entire length of the field. He would have gotten a touch down, but someone yelled, "Stop! You lost a flag!" (he hadn't, but he stopped to check and got sacked) I told him next time don't stop until you hear a whistle. His team got the touchdown on the next play though. He had literally stopped a foot short of the goal line.

Dallen's other big news is that he no longer needs his glasses. (Listen for the Hallelujah Chorus) We went to the eye doc last week, and his vision has improved!!! Apparently if problems are caught early enough, they aren't too severe, and the child wears the glasses consistently, the eyes can be retrained. After going through 9 pairs of glasses with Dallen, I'm not sure about the 'consistent' part, but he apparently had the other requirements! We will have to make sure his eyes are checked each year of course. There is also a good chance that he might need them when he hits puberty (which is when most of the eyeglass wearers in my family needed them), but right now, we are celebrating!

Here is a picture we had taken in front of the Mosque in Adana. (The city about 20 miles from our village) See - I really AM working toward a Christmas letter. Lets see if it actually happens!

Happy Thanksgiving to all! Go out and do some Black Friday shopping for me!

Don't blink

2008-10-28T04:51:00.000-07:00

Some of you may have thought that the lapse in my writing is due to laziness - but not so! This time I have a good excuse (don't I always?) The fabulous Turkish Government suspended access to blogspot. Almost a year ago, they banned YouTube, and now apparently they are going after blogspot. I have been checking back every day for any changes and today - the suspension has been lifted. So I am writing before I blink and my access is blocked again. I was hopeful when I saw that it was a suspension and not an outright ban. Although - YouTube started out as a suspension too. If worse comes to worse, I will start a blog on a different site. Lets hope it doesn't come to that.

Things are back to our normal craziness here, as we are gearing up for "Operation Birthday Overload". I am sure you all remember that each one of my children has a birthday in the next week and a half. At least this year I have convinced the boys that having one big party will be FUN! Maryn wasn't fooled. Besides, she wants a girls only party. She knows she will win the arguement when she plays that card. I sympathize way too much with the "I'm out numbered by boys" plea. =)

Hey! This video I have been trying to post since May finally worked! Now you can see a little bit of our village =) Maybe I'll try to post the video of our house too.

YIPPEE! It worked! I apologize for the quality, but hey - at least it is posted! I try every time I write, and it usually fails!

Baptism Update

2008-10-10T05:09:00.000-07:00

Okay, so you all remember that we had decided on baptising Dallen in the River Jordan in November. Well, plans have changed. After our impromptu trip to Germany, the family budget was a bit strained. We simply cannot turnaround and do another big trip in one months time. We broached the subject of location change with Dallen, and he was crushed. Admittedly, we all still want to make this happen, so we have made the decision to move his baptism date to March 24. What a way for Michael to celebrate his birthday!! The people I have been in touch with in Jerusalem, said that March shouldn't be any colder than November would have been. Besides, the Holy Land in Spring will be awesome, right? Once again, this will be once in a life time. And I promise, this will be the only time we change the date.

To America and Back

2008-10-07T04:28:00.000-07:00

Hello again to all the people we were able to see on our whirlwind trip. We are truly sorry we missed a few people. Believe me when I say, it was whirlwind! We arrived in Baltimore, drove to Danville, said some VERY quick hellos, drove to Philly, then back to Baltimore. There we hopped on a plane, landed in Salt Lake City, drove to Cedar City (saw my cute sisters - see below), gave quick hugs to my family, drove up to Provo, and jumped feet first into wedding stuff.

At this point I was grateful for the few days of chaos with the entire Carpenter crew. Because - hey- at least we were in one place! Robert's wedding was beautiful. He looked awesome in his uniform and Jenna of course was as stunning as usual. It was nice to be back in the temple again. That is one of the main things I miss being overseas.

The kids had a blast with all the cousins. (as you can see, nothing says "having a blast" like partying naked with a garden hose.) Although Bennett kept asking when we were going home. He is a bit of a homebody, and all the noise started to get to him. Thanks to Janet and Jerry's kind neighbors, we actually had a home-base. They let us use a house that is empty and up for sale. My awesome Mother-in-Law even drove all over tarnation to collect beds. So we even had real matresses!

After the wedding, our dear friends, the Nanis, joined us and we had a great time hanging out.

At the end of the trip, I didn't want to leave, and complained loudly about it. That was my first mistake. Because I think I offended the universe. =)

We left SLC Sept 24, landed in Baltimore, spent the night with Michael's sister, showed up at the airport the 25th as instructed to catch the military flight, only to find that they had decided to send it early. Without us. The day before. SO - at this point our options were to take the next military flight that would only get us as far as Germany, or wait till October 3rd for the next flight to Turkey. We took our chances on Germany. That was my second mistake. When we arrived in Germany, we were told that the October 3rd flight coming from Baltimore (they all go through Germany) was our only choice. So we needed to find a room in Lodging, and wait out the week. The punch line to this is, THERE ARE NO ROOMS AVAILABLE WITHIN 30 MILES OF THE BASE, AND WE DON'T HAVE A CAR. I take that back, they had one room, for that night, with one bed, but we weren't allowed to put our family in there. So I called back and pretended to be someone else with lots less children. We spent that night hiding from the hotel staff.

Okay, so now I am desperate. And guess who comes to the rescue? OUR CHURCH! You can say what you want about us Mormons, but we know how to come together and support eachother! Within hours of being forced out of our hotel room (like I said, they only had the one night) we had 4 offers of places to stay, a family had loaned us their van, we were being fed dinner, and Michael had members trying to force him to take cash. I just cried and cried. THIS is what the gospel of Christ is all about. Helping those in need. And boy, we fit that description!

Well, we called the airport Sunday night desperately hoping there would be a flight to Turkey. And Yippee! there was! A cargo plane! Sure, we'd have to sit on jump seats and wear ear plugs, but we would be headed home! So we pack ourselves up (keep in mind, I had just been in the states stocking up on all the American stuff we can't get in Turkey, so we had A LOT of crap) and we head to the flight line at 5 am. And we wait. And wait. And wait. Around 9 am they tell us, oops, that flight has been moved to tomorrow morning. SO, after some more tears and ranting on my part, we pack up our crap, leave the airport, and prepare to do this again the next day. 5am, we are there again. And we wait, and wait. Oh, sorry, that flight has been moved to tomorrow. (Is this Groundhogs Day?) At this point we make the difficult decision to separate. Michael must get back to work, and it looks likely that we will be stuck in Germany for a full week. So, he goes on ahead, and we hunker down at the hotel room that miraculously opened that morning. I think because the Lord knew I was on my last nerve.

The next morning, I again arrive at the flight line with all my crap and four children, to be told that yes, the flight is leaving. I am still not convinced, so I keep the hotel just in case. But as the morning wears on, it looks promising. Our bags our checked, we have boarding passes, we make it through security, we are about to be loaded on a shuttle out to the plane. So now it is safe to cancel the last hotel room available to me, right? WRONG!!

In my ignorance of the military, I give the borrowed van back and send the angel who loaned it to us on her way, and I cancel the hotel room. Surely I'll be on that plane. HA HA HA HA HA HA (that was the insane laughter of a woman about to crack in case you missed it.) As we are on the shuttle, heading to the plane, a little voice comes over the radio (I am pretty sure it was Satan's) saying the flight has been moved to tomorrow. Yes, I was crying at this point. I spent the next 5 hours in the airport trying to get a hold of all the wonderful people who helped us, and who now thought we were on a flight to Turkey. By the way, when I called the hotel, they were full. And, as a funny little extra, during this five hour hell, when I ran to make my umpteenth phone call, one of the other moms in the USO family room thought it would be a great time to steal all the cash out of my wallet. YES, I KNOW I SHOULD HAVE TAKEN MY PURSE, but I was about to crack, and honestly, I thought I was safe in the family lounge of a military base's airport with two other moms. I am now more wise.

I finally got a hold of the amazing woman who lent us her van. She was able to arrange for a place for us to stay. She literally kept me from losing my mind, and she is one of the only good things to come out of this week.

Then we finally got settled in with a wonderful woman to whom I now owe a kidney. (She had beds for everyone, she bought food for the kids, she had toys, blankets, you name it) By this time it is Wednesday night, and I have no desire to repeat this nightmare on Thursday. So I call the flight line to tell them that I will not be showing for the cargo flight the next day. That I am going to just wait for the passenger flight to Turkey on Friday morning. The response I get is, "What cargo flight? We have no record of a cargo flight, I think it was cancelled permanently". I am very proud of myself that I didn't kill anyone. I think I know now how the terrorists convince people to become suicide bombers. They lock them in airports with four jet lagged children and sixteen tons of crap and keep them waiting for imaginary flights.

The happy end to this sordid tale, is that yes, we made it home on Friday's passenger flight. All of us collapsed in a heap and didn't emerge till Monday morning. I had it reconfirmed to me how important it is to help others. A little gesture to you is the world to someone else.

We are all settling in. I have never been so grateful to be in Turkey. I should never have complained about having to go back!

Oh, and on a completely different note, we are getting a new phone number. Our Vonage hasn't been working right, so we are trying a different company. I am not going to put it on this blog of course, but I will send out an e-mail this week. Write me if you don't get it and you want it. It will still be a Utah number, but will most likely be a 435 area code this time. Ah the wonders of the internet! You can call me and it is only the price of a call to Utah. Just don't forget the time change! =)

From Michael's Perspective

2008-08-30T08:39:00.000-07:00

I always find it amazing that Linda can talk about going to a really incredible place without actually talking about the place. She talks about parks and hotels and magical chickens found in gas stations but not the actual place. So as usual the job of informing ya'll about where we went falls to me.

Mt. Nemrut is a burial tumulus (fancy name for a big pile of rocks) that was raised over the body of King Antiochos I of Kommagene, who ruled from 69 to 36 B.C. The Kommagene Kingdom was founded by King Mithridates at the upper reaches of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers in about 80 BC. It had arisen out of the ashes of the Seleucid Empire (which had been founded by Seleucus I Nicator in 312 BC out of the ashes of the Greek Empire following the death of Alexander the Great who had carved his Empire out of the Persian Empire which...... As I have said before- we live in a place rich in history. Interestingly it appears in the maps in the LDS edition of the KJV Bible- maps 13 (grid E3), Map 20 (grid F2) and Map 21 (Grid F2)).

King Mithridates and his son King Antiochus I created a small empire in south central Turkey under a state religion that mixed Greek and Persian Gods to unite a mixed people. King Antiochus claimed descent from both Greece and Persian through his father Mithridates from Darius I (522-486 B.C.) and, through his mother Laodike, from Alexander the Great (356-323 B.C.). The height of the Kommagene Empire occurred under Antiochus with the Kingdom becoming rich as a buffer state between the Kingdom of Rome and the Parthian Empire on the east.

The site at Mt. Nemrut (elevation 2,134 m/7,001 ft) includes the burial mound (a giant heap of limestone moved to the peak of the mountain by hand), 2 ceremonial platforms- the east (public area) with a dias for the sunrise ceremony where a sacred fire would have burned and west (for the Nobles only). At each platform were statues- 5 giant seated statues of the king and the Gods (from left to right in the following order: King Antiochos, the fertility goddess Kommagene, Zeus-Oromasdes- the god of the sky (the central and largest statue), Apollo-Mithras, and Herakles-Ares). On the flanks are 4 smaller statues of guardian eagles and lions. On the north was also a series of stellae representing the royal genealogy. In a cult inscription, King Antiochos declares that he had the site built for the ages and generations that were to follow him "as a debt of thanks to the gods and to his deified ancestors for their manifest assistance."

The kingdom's independence came to an end in 72 AD with its defeat by Roman legions in the last of the Kommagene wars and it became part of the Roman province of Syria. The Roman Legions at that time destroyed many of the cultural accomplishments of the Kingdom and the site at Mount Nemrut was no exception. The heads were toppled and many of the stellae destroyed. No reference is made to it in ancient sources and it essentially disappeared from history until Karl Sester, a German road engineer, rediscovered it in 1881. Mount Nemrut has been declared as World Culture heritage by UNESCO is one of the important National Parks of Turkey.

The east platform is where we watched the sun rise and it really was a neat experience. We sat next to the fire altar (which was too crowded) and waited for the sun to come up over the horizon. The haze sitting low to the ground blocks a lot of the suns light and you can literally look straight at it as it climbs. It was a far more interesting experience than I was expecting. We didn't get many pictures on the east terrace as it was swarming with people and any picture of the statues would have included a bunch of strangers milling about. We had better luck with the west platform due to the smaller and more polite crowds. The heads are better preserved on the west side as well. Here are some pictures.

The heads behind me are (from L to R) Zeus, Kommagene (a local fertility goddess), Apollo (behind my head), Ares, and a guardian Eagle.

Dallen with (L to R) Guardian Eagle, King Antiochos, and Kommagene.

Bennett with Zeus.

Maryn had by this time boycotted all pictures so she is not seen.

There is a lot of good information on this at http://www.adiyamanli.org/mt_nemrut.htm .

After watching the sun rise at Mount Nemrut we went to old Kahta village there stands the remains of the ancient site of Arsameia, which was a capitol city of Commagene's nobility. Here are a few hand cut tombs as well as a really well preserved relief of King Antiochus shaking hands with Herculese as well as a long inscription in Greek describing the founding of the kingdom.

Yes of course it was all Greek to me. HA HA HA

After that we traveled to the Caydere river and the single arched Candere Bridge built where the river exits a narrow gully and spreads out onto the flood plain. The bridge was built to the honour of the Roman Empire Septimus Severius(193-211 AD) and was built between A.D. 198 and 200 by the 16th Legion "Flavia firma". There were originally 4 dedicatory columns (to Septimus Severus, his wife Lulia Domna and their sons Caracalla and Geta) but the one to Geta was taken down in A.D. 212, part of an attempt by Caracalla to obliterate any references to his brother whom he had removed from power.

Yes of course those are my children throwing rocks into the water. They also played with a mangy dog. Not sure if they noticed the bridge. 2 of the dedicatory pillars can be seen on the left.
Then we went to Karakus Tepesi (Black Eagle Hill), a second tumulus where the women of the royal family had been interred. I toured this site alone as all the kids and Linda were pretty tired and refusing to exit the air conditioning of the tour bus into the afternoon heat.

Then we went back to the hotel, took a little nap, had lunch, gathered up our things, and started home.

Of course the kids were grumpy as they had not slept well due to the heat of the hotel and having awoke at 0200 to go to the mountain. And though we were surrounded by amazing historical artifacts the kids were more interested in other things. Maryn took it upon herself to save all the ladybugs on the mountain and Dallen and Bennet took turns throwing rocks (which had been moved into position by hand over 2000 years ago) down the mountain. Oh- and Dallen had to pee and took a wizz on the UNESCO world heritage site. (He has now peed on 2 UNESCO World Heritage Sights as he also wizzed at Cappadocia) They all got tired of me telling them to go stand at one place or another for pictures and eventually Maryn revolted and refused to pose for any more pictures. I have numerous pictures of her sitting with her back to me and refusing to smile. On the way home thankfully everyone fell asleep except me.

The only real gripe I have about the trip was the Hotel. Linda has discussed the difficulties the Turks seem to have in getting Hotels done right and the farther east you go in Turkey the more poor and removed from the luxuries of the west you get. For me it is the details. Yes the buildings are safe (aside from the death trap stairwell), the rooms spacious, and the beds OK but the little things are never right. It is like they got the room 90% done then gave up and just threw the rest together. In our Hotel room there were bare wires protruding from the ceiling where I assume a light fixture was going to be installed, the shower in the bathroom would fall off the wall, the toilet paper roll holder would fall off the wall if you pulled on the toilet paper, and the bathroom vent in the roof was for show (a vent cover mounted in a hole in the roofing tile with no fan behind it).

Turks all over the country seem to have the biggest problem with bathrooms. Most bathrooms are "squatty potties" where you just squat over a depression in the ground and then turn on a little water spout, wash your butt with your hand, and wash your poo down the hole. Most of them stink to high heaven due to a lack of sanitation (cleaning a bathroom is considered low work so many people wont do it) and (I have been told) by a lack of J-traps (a little plumbing piece that keeps the sewer smell from coming up into your house through the pipes).

And Linda mentioned the lack of air conditioning. Its not that there wasn't any air conditioning- it was just inadequate. The room was on the top (and hottest) floor since the sun was shinning on the concrete roof of our room and all the rest of the heat in the building had come up the open center of the building and, it seemed, come into our room. To save money the rooms AC is only turned on once the room is occupied so when we got there it was like walking into an oven. We turned the AC on and took turns sitting under the glorious cold air pouring from its vent. The kids literally had to sleep with wet towels from the bathroom over them to fall asleep. Of course by the time we left the AC had been on for about 24 hours and it was actually starting to get comfortable- the naps on day 2 were great.

Well that was our trip to Mount Nemrut. A "glad we did it but probably wont do it again" trip. Our next trip will be back to the states for Roberts Wedding. See many of you in about 2 weeks.

Back in the saddle

2008-08-27T04:03:00.000-07:00

Okay, I realize that it has been over a month since we last updated. But hear me out! The main reason is that we had a base-wide internet crash. Since that also interfered with our phone, we really haven't been in touch with anyone in quite awhile. Everything is back on now, and I will attempt to fill you in on the last few weeks.

Everything went relatively smoothly with the workers strike. In fact it really wasn't a strike after all, so we didn't have to worry at all.

For my birthday Michael planned a trip to Mount Nemrut. The fact that it consisted of waking up at 2 am to take a 1 mile hike up a very steep mountain with four grumpy children to watch the sun rise made me wonder if he has ever actually met me. When I pointed out this was more appropriate for HIS birthday, he just said, "Come on! It will be FUN!" Hmmmm..... I think for his next birthday I am going to take him shoe shopping.

In all fairness, he did give me a ultra-fabulous new Sony a300 with a kick-butt lens. This camera can do everything but your dishes. Now I can record the misery of hiking a mountain at 2am with stunning clarity.

No really, besides the fact that Hayden cured boredom by attempting to leap from the sheer cliff face, it really was fun. (And hey, watching to see if I'd catch him every time he bolted for the edge was nothing short of hilarious....for him)

Our first stop on the way there was at a small rest stop that we now affectionately call the "Death Trap Playground" If you look closely at this picture you will see that the slide is metal in the 115 degree heat, making it more conducive to burns. It is also tilted at such an angle as to cause the rider to reach speeds close to warp 9. I am assuming the thinking was that if they could propel the children into orbit, they wouldn't feel their flesh melting off. But the real crowing glory of this whole set up is the landing. The end of the slide dropped off at about two feet high, and placed there to cushion the blow was a lumpy, cracked wad of concrete. This was to ensure that if the children escaped third degree burns, they would at least have fractures severe enough to land them in traction. I would post the pictures Michael took of me frantically chasing and catching Hayden while he scrambled up over and over again and howled with delight. But I look close to losing my mind, and they are a little embarrassing.

Our next stop on the way to Mt. Nemrut was a beautiful town called Kahramanmaras. We had a wonderful time touring the market place. When we passed a man selling spices, Bennett exclaimed loudly, "Yuck!! I am NOT eating leaves!" Of course I couldn't resist a picture.

Further on in the market, Dallen met a blacksmith that helped him make a knife. Everyone kept swarming our kids. Turks really adore children. I always joke that when we head back to the states, Hayden is going to have a shock when he isn't adored every time he sets foot out his front door. In fact yesterday, we were walking to the park and we passed a man doing some repair work on an electric box. He was facing away from us and (understandably) absorbed in his work. When we passed him, Bennett looked at me, completely puzzled and said,"Mom, why didn't he say Hello to me?" When I tried to explain that he was busy, Bennett looked unimpressed and merely stated with disgust, "Well he's supposed to say Hello to Hayden at least."

Here are more shots of the market place, these men were pounding copper pots. They did it in time, so it was almost like a song.

Next we found a man making Turkish ice cream. He would spin and toss the sticks in the air. He'd yell, "Huppa" and dance and all the while keep the sticks moving. The kids were transfixed!

The whole day was fun, but long. When we arrived at our hotel after a bus ride of Hayden loudly voicing his disapproval of car seats, Bennett removing the entire contents of the diaper bag onto the dirty floor because he was searching for the blue car that he swore he put in there, and Dallen rhythmically kicking the back of the driver's seat, I had about one nerve left. Understandably, I was a little upset when I found that the "four star Hotel" didn't have air conditioning. Remind me to never stay in a Turkish two star. Once again, I decided to find everything funny. It keeps me from committing homicide. Below you will find a close up picture of the stair railing outside our room on the fourth floor. Yes, the bars are 18 and 3/4 inches apart. I measured. By the way, that is wide enough for Hayden to run straight through, as he enthusiastically demonstrated for me. Really, is there a death wish? Am I that hard to live with?

The next morning, we all rolled out of bed while muttering insults at Michael, because it was his stupid idea. Hayden and Dallen actually fell back asleep while I was getting Bennett dressed. It was strangely cold for July, and I bundled the kids up for the hike. The view from the top was amazing and we got some nice pictures. By this time Hayden and Dallen had gotten a second wind and were busy thrown rocks from the highest point they could find. Hayden soon tired of this and began throwing himself, which is why you see the harness below. If anyone is judging me for putting it on him, I defy you to come and spend a day with this boy here in the country of no guard rails.

Now apparently the ancients believed that this was the birthplace of the sun each day. What they didn't realize, is that it is also the birthplace of ladybugs. Below are just a few of the ones we saw. My children were in heaven. Maryn almost drove herself crazy trying to round them up and place them where they wouldn't be stepped on.

On the way home we stopped at a gas station for snacks and a potty break. They had a few shelves stocked with toys that I found so funny, I just had to post them.

The name of the doll is "Amused Baby" The yellow banner says "My new store. There is a lot and new clothes here" The bottom says "style, fashion, nobleness" I don't know about you, but I have always put those qualities together in the same sentence.

Dear Santa, this year all I want for Christmas is a magical hen...... Especially one described as "New Addition! Many color a lot, selected freely by your!" and make sure it has "included three eggs"

I think the shopkeeper thought we were crazy. We were laughing so hard and snapping pictures. There were also a few food items I would have loved to get pictures of, (like pizza flavored cola) but the bus was ready to leave and we ran out of time.

We made it back safe and sound with a whole lot more memories to laugh about.

Jump ahead now three weeks - Missoula Children's Theatre came and held tryouts for a play. Dallen and Maryn both got parts. Maryn's was even a speaking part. The show was a loose (and I mean LOOSE) adaptation of Robinson Crusoe. Dallen was a chameleon and Maryn was Will the Goat.

That was about it as far as news. Hopefully our internet will stay online and we won't have another long silence.

Istanbul, Markets and Other Such Nonsense

2008-07-15T03:08:00.000-07:00

To all those of you who have called us in a mild panic - we are safe! You have to remember that Istanbul is on the complete other side of the country. We were concerned, we have had a few travel advisories put in place, but really - the bombing hasn't effected us very much.

Actually at the moment our little base is more concerned about a labor dispute/union strike. It is really between the Turkish government and the union, but because so many of them work for Americans, we got caught in the cross-fire. The deadline for compliance is today, so we will see what tomorrow moring brings. I have friends that have hoarded food and water, completely convinced that there will be large-scale riots. And I have friends that are still planning thier weekly market trip without a blip on their radar. So we will see.....

Holy Land

2008-06-26T06:03:00.000-07:00

Okay, as many of you know, Dallen will be turning 8 this November. So, for the past 4 months I have been trying to work out the details of his Baptism. After much back and forth, advice, and general hand-holding from the leaders of our church in Galilee, we have finally nailed it down. Dallen will be baptised in the River Jordan on November 5.

We would love to have anyone come and join us. We had originally planned to do this closer to Christmas, but on the advice of the leaders in the area we moved it to his birthday. Apparently Christmas time in the Holy Land is cold, twice as expensive, crowded, and slightly more dangerous (more?!) So as cool as that would have been - this make more sense.

I realize that this would be a HUGE trip for most of you, so don't think that we expect anyone to be there. But if you just so happen to have a bunch of time on your hands and a couple of thousand dollars laying around....(stay home and just send me a check) HA HA HA! No seriously, please feel welcome to share in this with us. November 5 is a Wednesday and we plan on staying through the week-end. Think about it! Calvary, the Garden of Gethsemane, Christ's Tomb! It is going to be awesome! Totally once in a life-time. Which is why we are telling you all now, so plans can be made.

Did I mention this is once in a life-time? But really, no pressure!

Memiors of a Turkish Resort

2008-06-19T06:12:00.000-07:00

This past week-end we went to a beach resort in the little town of Silifke. We went with a bus load of people from the base. We were able to go for 3 days and enjoy the ocean. I am trying to be very diplomatic while I describe my experience there, lest anyone think I am a snotty American. It was very eye-opening. What I would have expected and considered a "resort" was a little different from what we found. The facilities were lovely, but once again, the Turks have a very interesting way of looking at things. For instance, the drain in our shower stopped working and water was pouring out onto the bathroom floor - literally inches deep. When I called the front desk, they assured me they would send someone to look at it. Someone did, and he said, yes the drain was plugged, and yes, water was everywhere, then he left and came back with towels to place around the shower. The housekeepers did us a favor and changed them out each day. This is the way this culture thinks. When the window air conditioner leaks on the bed - you move your bed. Someone in our group complained about the garbage on the beach. When we went out the next day, it was in the water instead. I have decided to think this is all very amusing. Because it doesnt help to get irritated. My friend Ruby and I just kept shaking our heads and laughing. A place that touts thier working hen houses as "a children's petting zoo" would have lasted about 30 seconds in the US. All I am saying is that it sounded very different in the brochure! =)
We did have a fun time. The kids loved the pools and every day at 3pm you could walk down to the beach and get ice cream. (Because, like the brochure said, this was "a all included resorting vacation") I think Hayden actually kept himself alive on ice cream for three days. Luckily, our villa had a kitchenette. Granted it had no pots, pans, plates, utensils, cups, etc. And when I asked why the staff told me it was because food wasn't allowed in there. Upon closer inspection I noticed the stove was basically for decoration. I had brought food, so I decided to pretend I didn't understand Turkish very well and used the "Barbie Dream kitchen" as best I could anyway. It was either that or watch my kids fast for 3 days. We had three meals a day provided, but have any of you tried to get a 19 month old and a four year old to eat goat cheese and olives for breakfast? Mmmm...wake up and smell the goat cheese. By day three, even Michael was digging into the cereal I brought.

So, my family thoroughly enjoyed the week-end, my neat freak self survived it, and we all have some funny stories to tell the grandkids. Hey - and the kids found a turtle. What more do you need out of life?

Vacation!

2008-05-29T03:13:00.000-07:00

Hello again everyone! I really do have a good excuse for my absence this time! =) I was ---(drum roll please) IN AMERICA! Yes, that is right! Completely last minute and very hush-hush, Maryn and I were able to get a seat on a "Space Available" (read: free) military flight. We kept it a secret because we weren't sure it was going to happen. Oh- But it did!!! It was SO wonderful to see some family and friends. The trip was a little crazy, because I had to operate on the Air Force's time table, and we definitely didn't see everyone near as much as we would have wanted to. But I am NOT complaining! The food was even better than I remember it! =) In fact, if I was being truthful, I would have to admit that food is the real reason I went to America. =) I even told my sister-in-law that I embarked on the trip to eat. If I happened to see family while I was eating - then that was a bonus, but really, I came to eat. =)

The surprise of the whole thing was a lot of fun too. Thanks to some sneaky maneuvering on the part of my sisters' husbands, I was able to totally shock them. I was even able to film it! There was a lot of screaming and crying going on. As you can see below! =)

I really wish I could have surprised Abby, my Mom and my In-Laws, BUT there are a lot of blabby people in this world. =) You know who you are!

All in all, the trip was SO awesome! It was so rejuvenating to just hug people and talk, even if it was a little rushed. Everyone kept asking me what I noticed the most about coming back. I think it was the fact that I could actually understand everything that was going on around me. Being able to hear all the "white noise" conversations and actually understand them. Reading street signs and billboards. You really don't notice those things until they are gone. I have gotten so used to just tuning everything here out because none of it makes sense to me. Being in the States was a little bit of sensory overload. =)

The boys did alright with out me, although Bennett told me on the phone a few times that I was "taking too long and long". And Hayden glued himself to my leg upon my return. He was taking NO chances. Michael also did fine. I left him in the capable hands of our Housekeeper/Nanny, and she made sure everything ran smoothly.

I feel refreshed, renewed, and ready to tackle this adventure again!

Castles, Conference, and Corn In Cup

2008-04-16T10:09:00.000-07:00

Yippee! More pictures! By the way - while you are browsing, if you click on a picture a larger (and easier to see) image will appear.

Here are a few pictures of my trip to the Mall. I went with Angie (on the left) and Juliana (on the right) my two dearest friends in this great adventure. Funny how something so simple in the states was like a pilgrimage to Mecca here. We had to take a tour bus on a miserable 4 hour ride in the hopes of getting some remotely Western food. (We had a friend tell us that there was a Popeye's Fried Chicken) On our way inside the building we just had to stop and get our picture next to the uber-hip decor of metal hearts covered in glitter.

No Popeye's Chicken yet, but we did find Fisho. Look closely, yes that man is holding up an entire fish -head and all- that you can buy at his fast food restaurant in the food court at the mall. Mmmmm... Does Juliana look grossed out? I should think so.

Look over there! Is that an Orange Julius? A Cinnabon? NO! Its "Corn in Cup" Just in case you were out shopping and you got a sudden urge for corn. Where or where can you find some!? Relax, we've got you covered.

Yes, we found Popeyes'. Yes it was delicious. Still, unbelievably Turkish, but delicious. A happy ending to our story.

Here is a top view of Snake Castle. If you have some extra time, you can play "Where's Waldo" I mean, "Where's Dallen"

Juliana's husband Karl took this picture. You can see us in various stages of ascending the mountain to the castle. That is me toward the back in the orange shirt, and my kids are even farther ahead. Oh, and lest anyone think my husband is a cad - he offered to take the baby from me, and I refused. After all I AM a liberated woman. (at least until the path gets too steep) =)

On our way down the mountain, a farmer let his sheep out. It was neat to see them scrambling down the hill. It looked like the ground was alive because they sort-of blended in.

Here is our branch at Branch Conference on the balcony of the Hilton. I had to speak and Michael was on call (meaning he can't leave the base) so I took Maryn with me and he kept the boys. The man next to me with the red tie is our Branch President and the lady in the khaki jacket is the Relief Society president. We have a really great group of people.

Here is a better picture of the mosque we are standing in front of. It is quite a lovely building.

A few musings (or ramblings)

2008-04-06T23:15:00.000-07:00

Well, Michael left me again! This time he went to America (Texas to be exact) for training in allergies and immunizations. That has always been one of the issues close to his heart, so he was excited for this conference. We have a neighbor here that won't vaccinate her kids and they have had a few "discussions" about it. My favorite was when this lady was harassing him for not recycling and he said, "Well, I help keep horrible diseases out of America, and vaccinate my kids so you don't have to. And you recycle and buy organic and reduce your footprint, so I don't have to. We cancel each other out, really."

That has always been his complaint, especially now that we are in a third-world country (Editor's note - those of you that told me I would not be going to a third-world country have obviously not been to THIS part of this country) He sees kids dying of these diseases. America is one of the only countries where the citizens have the choice not to vaccinate. Most everywhere else - if you don't, you die. I guess it just shows how great the vaccinations have worked. People in my generation don't remember having friends and neighbors dying of these diseases. So I guess now they think it isn't important. Maybe that is what the Bible means about the "love of men waxing cold" in the last days. (One meaning anyway) People start deciding that vaccinations are a choice or a conspiracy and they stop remembering that it protects all of society. Then these diseases can come back full force (they aren't extinct -come to Turkey if you don't believe me) and voila, we have another epidemic.

Well, that turned into a rant! You can tell I have been without adult conversation for awhile! - for the record, we would recycle if I didn't have to drive 2 hours to do it. In our little village, you are considered progressive and "earth friendly" if you burn your trash instead of throw it on the ground. The men that gather the base's trash think they have a racket going. "You mean we get paid to take your garbage away?" They think we Americans are crazy to pay when we could just drop it on the ground for free. I am not kidding. I will post some pictures.

On a sad note, we've had a real upheaval in our little Branch here. (Our congregation) A woman in our Relief Society (Women's Group) has decided to leave her husband and family and run away with a Turkish gardener. Putting aside how much this grosses me out (if any of you had ever smelled a Turkish man, you'd know why) I am trying to grasp how a person gets to this point. How do you become so selfish, stubborn, and far from Christ's light that you can completely convince yourself that something so glaringly wrong, is right. She thinks she is living a some sort of "higher law". To see the pain that her family is going through, it breaks my heart. But nothing matters to her, but herself. She actually brought home flowers the gardener gave her, and danced and tittered around the kitchen arranging them. All this in front of her husband. When he asked her why she was rubbing it in, she shot back with, "What is your problem!? They are just flowers!" No sense of reality.

I am taking this so much harder than I should. Those of you who know me, know that I have an overwhelming sense of fairness. This just seems so unfair to her husband and her kids. To have no respect for commitments you made, and to just cast people you love to the side. It is evil. Be an adult, have some maturity and decency.

Sorry to vent, I just can't discuss it with anyone here, we are trying to spare the family gossip on top of heartbreak. Sometimes I wonder if my calling is going to be too hard on me. I take everything to heart and I want to fix everything. (Well, what I really want to do is take this woman by the shoulders and shake her, - but that isn't Christ-like either)

One thing this has taught me, is to appreciate my wonderful husband and kids. These last few weeks have been pretty stressful and they have been so patient with me. In addition to this church issue, I have taught two classes (scrapbooking), worked a full schedule of nail clients, attending Installation (base) meetings to lobby for a preschool, met with the school Superintendent on an advisory board for the same reason, planned the Relief Society Birthday Celebration, and saved the world from nuclear annihilation. (Okay, not the last one. Although we did have a bomb threat in our post office and they caught and stopped a suicide bomber two streets over - although neither of those directly involved me, nor were they nuclear. But really, that is just splitting hairs.)

All in all, I don't have much to complain about (although after reading the last few paragraphs, I am sure you could beg to differ) Leave it to me to find a way! =) Michael will be home in two weeks, and he was sent with a shopping list. When he called me yesterday he said he had already been to Target. I said, "Oh, how is Target? Does it miss me?" He said Target misses me but our checking account doesn't miss Target. =)

I have babbled on enough. Love you all!

A Video - FINALLY!

2008-03-16T02:50:00.000-07:00

Okay everyone, I think I have FINALLY solved the "uploading videos" problem. (Nothing a little downloaded software can't fix, eh?) The quality isn't that great, and the first time I tried this, the audio and video weren't in sync. But, at this point, I am ecstatic that you can actually see Hayden's face! Hopefully, I will get better at this! Anyway - here is my cute boy. This was actually taken in December, (see- I really have been struggling to post for awhile!) Next I will post some recent pics. By the way - his shirt says "I do all my own stunts"

Tamam, Tamam- I'll write something

2008-03-13T12:19:00.000-07:00

OK- (Tamam in Turkish) Michael here. I realize that we have not updated the blog in 8 weeks or so (technically it is Linda's job to update the blog but she has been busy.) but I finally got something put together to post. A while ago some of you (friends from residency and others) asked about my job. What is my job like? How is being a military doc different from a civilian doc? Having never been a civilian doc I am not entirely sure but there are few things I am pretty sure of. (this probably doesn't apply to all Military docs but just to those of us "fortunate" enough to be in a forward location (that means close to the fighting to you civilians. And while we are not very close to the war we count as a forward location).

Some of the differences include:

1) we have men armed with machine guns at the doors of the clinic.

2) You cannot enter the building if you don't have proper clearance.

3) I am authorized to carry a sidearm (9mm pistol) during patient care (I don't but maybe someday).

4) when I have a critical case it gets airlifted out of the country.

5) I wear camouflage and combat boots to work.

6) I am usually addressed by the parents of my patients (and often by the patients themselves) as "Sir".

7) If a parent "No Shows" on an appointment I can call his Commander and have him punished (have not had to do this yet. I have very few "No Shows" as you might imagine).

8) There is a bomb shelter in the basement capable of withstanding a nearby nuclear blast.

9) When we have mock codes the "patient" has frequently been the victim of chemical, biological, radioactive/nuclear, or explosive attacks (CBRNE is the acronym for this). Making sure the scene is safe takes on a whole new meaning when your patient is covered with nerve agent.

10) I have a chemical protection suit in my office just in case of a chemical attack.

11) Our afternoon conferences frequently involve topics like "Using the Pralidoxime-2 (PAM-2)injector to counter nerve agents." or " The importance of screening returning soldiers for occult closed head injuries." or "Dangers on the flight line." (that's runway to you civilians). Being the solo pediatrician most of the lectures are (unfortunately) for the Family Practitioners and their adult patients.

12) I'm on call each Wednesday and the first weekend of the month.

13) The vaccinations we give include Typhus and Small-pox (only for those soldiers going downrange (into the war zone for you civilians)).

14) My contract requires I go running three times a week to be able to pass a physical fitness test which includes running 1.5 miles. (that may not be much to you runners but it was a long way to me).

15) must wear a dog tag at all times while at work

Anyway... Those are some of the differences. Otherwise my job is not that different from yours (speaking to my pediatric associates). I see the kids, diagnose their problem, reassure the parents, chart, refer, etc.

This week has been different though. Spent Monday and Tuesday teaching ACLS. My students included 2 Turkish physicians- one is a General Surgeon and the other a family practitioner. (we have a bit of a personnel shortage here- not everyone is willing to come to Turkey so we use some local providers) and then on Wednesday we had an "exercise". It was a pretend disaster drill complete with- you guessed it- a simulated chemical weapon attack. And with a simulated chemical attack comes the joy of wearing the flaming hot chemical protection suit with helmet and gasmask. (I do realize that anyone involved in actual combat in the big sandbox especially in the summer who wore their chem suit in that environment are laughing at me- "he's complaining about wearing his suit in an air conditioned building. I wore it in the sun in 120 degree heat!!) It was not just the heat and breathing difficulty but trying to treat our simulated patients through our gasmasks while wearing our big clumsy rubber gloves. It was an absolute lesson in futility. But now that is done and I wont have to do it again for another month.

Well it is late and I'm gonna go to bed. Eat some Mexican food for me because I cant get any here.

I've included some pictures by popular request.

Videos and Other frustrations

2008-01-20T09:37:00.000-08:00

I am still trying to figure out how to post videos on my blog. At the moment, I am messing with a you-tube clip of one of my favorite comedians. If everything goes well, and you actually see it, I will post my darling children next. I chose this video to practice on, so I can laugh a little instead of screaming and trying to throw my computer. (Did I mention that I have been trying to post videos since AUGUST!!??)

If anyone can help me with this, I'd love it. I know there is a way to do it, but I just keep getting error messages!

There is not much in the way of news this week. I am holding our Relief Society meeting at my house. That has taken some getting used to. Because I am the only councilor in the RS, I am in charge of the activities. And because we have no actual church to meet in, we meet in my living room. As a tiny branch, we improvise a lot! =)

Oh, and I wanted to mention to all of you who have posted comments- Thank You! We do read them and appreciate them, even if we don't answer. I'll be the first to admit I am terrible about staying in touch. Thus the reason we began this blog....

Shout it from the rooftops!

2008-01-08T00:46:00.000-08:00

I am sure you all remember that Michael went back to the states in October to take his Board Certification Exam. You know, the one that cost us 2,000$ for him to take and was the culmination of 11 years of school? Well.....HE PASSED!!!!!!!

Of course, I never had a doubt. Though it sure is nice to see the weight lifted from my husband's shoulders. We thought the results wouldn't be available until February, so I had quite a surprise waiting for me when I checked my e-mail yesterday. Unfortunately, they only sent a note stating the results were available on the Pediatric Board Website. What that means is, from 4pm till 11pm I was frantically trying to access his results along with every other newly graduated Pediatrician in the entire United States. The site literally crashed eight times! I almost ripped out my hair! When I did get through, we screamed and cried and tried not to wake our kids. =) Thanks to all those who fasted for him.

Oops- gotta go, Hayden is quietly giggling to himself.....he probably figured out donuts fit in the VCR.

Happy New Year!

2008-01-03T12:58:00.000-08:00

Wow! This month has just been one big blur. I will not fill you in completely right now, seeing as it is midnight here. I did however want to make sure you all know that we are alive and well. I realize I have let too much time pass since I last wrote. And my dear friend Jon reminded me that because there was a bombing relatively close to our home, I should probably assure all my loved ones of our safety.

We have spent the better part of this month traveling. Michael's brother Robert came to spend Christmas with us, and we wanted to show him a good time. We definitely kept him hopping, if nothing else. We will all need a vacation after this vacation! =) We spent time in Cappidocia - a series of ancient cities carved out of rock. In fact the hotel we stayed in was a bunch of modified caves. I have numerous pictures to upload and share. It was amazing to see halls, churches, caverns, homes - all carved into mountains. The family had a bit more fun than me, because I spent two days in the hotel room throwing up. Good thing it is close enough for me to go back.

I also had a run-in with a Turk at a gas station on the way home. Apparently, my being American, gave him the right to grab my butt. I think he figured I didn't know his language and so who could I tell? He seemed a little shocked when I kicked him and swore at him in Turkish. Then I whipped out my cell phone and called a Turkish friend to give me more words to chew him with. When my friend Sefer heard what this guy had done, he didn't need any prompting. I made such a scene that his buddies came over to find out what had happened. When I told them, the guy denied it (of course) but his burning face and stammering gave him away. He picked the wrong tourist to mess with. Hopefully he will never do it again.

Our travels this month also took us to Istanbul. It was amazing! It reminded me so much of the cities in Europe I visited with my brother and sister-in-law. It was nice to see a completely different side of Turkey. Istanbul is light-years away from where I live. It was like going from Hurricane, UT to Manhattan. (To give you an idea what Hurricane is like, there are only like, 3 people that live there - and a horse) Now I see how Turkey could possibly want to join the EU. Before I was just confused. This side of the country is more Middle Eastern.

We saw so many sites and walked till I thought Dallen's legs would fall off. I think he did too. We had wisely left the two youngest home with a babysitter. The big kids had a great time, riding on the ferry and touring palaces. We also saw an unbelievable Roman Aqueduct. (Okay - admit it - how many of you just now said "The Aqueduct??" with a squeaky Monty Python type British accent?)

We were treated to a dinner show the first night we were there. It ran a little late though and Dallen really got restless. At one point he loudly complained, "How many more Belly Dancers are we gonna have to watch!!??" We laughed as someone pointed out that in about 7 to 8 years, he would be riveted to the stage. Maryn's favorite part of the trip was the pottery store. A man there was using a kick wheel and he let her throw her own pot. We even got to bring it home for free! We took a video of it that I will try to upload. So far, I have hit and miss luck with that.

The history and energy of the city were breathtaking. And I found out the answer to one of life's burning questions: "Istanbul not Constantinople, been a long time gone Constantinople, Why did Constantinople get the works?" Well - apparently the name of the city was changed when the Ottomans defeated the Byzantines. The Ottomans were muslim, and they named the city "Istanbul" which means "City of Islam". Also they didn't want to call it "Constantinople" when it was no longer Constantine's city. So now you know. And now you all have a catchy song in your head.

Another little tid-bit that some of you might find interesting. We had Condalezza Rice stay next door a while ago. Do you remember her surprise visit to Iraq? She stopped here on her way. And our house is next to the VIP house. We didn't get to meet her because it was very hush-hush, but Dallen made friends with one of her Secret Service Agents. He even gave him an honorary badge. Dallen has carried it around telling everyone he is a special agent.

Sorry for the nutshell version of our trip. I promise to write more and post some pictures when I am not falling asleep at the keyboard. Till next time....

Back in Time-- it was muddy

2007-12-02T09:58:00.000-08:00

This is the first installment written by Linda's husband Michael. Most of you know me but if you don't-- hello. My writing differs significantly from my Wife's. She writes to entertain while I generally write more to educate. Some will like hers more (most of you most likely) but hopefully I will have my fans as well.

I am a history buff and as often as I can I drag my wife off to some ruin or church or castle or... whatever. Usually she goes willingly but sometimes she has to be bribed, tricked, or cajoled. It wasn't long ago that I was standing in a field- thats right a field- talking about some battle which had taken place there. (The Battle of Issos which occurred in November 333BC where Alexander the Great defeated Daruis III King of Persia. This was the first time the Persians had been defeated with their King present. This marked the beginning of the end of Persian supremacy in the region and marks one of the most important Battles of Western Civilization http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Issus). In my mind I'm seeing phalanxes of hoplites, Persian archers and Macedonian cavalry but all she sees is a dirty river and acres of mud and the flaming heat and complaining children. Needless to say I'm lucky to still be married.

Anyway- Last week we went to Anavarsus (aka Anavarsa or Anavarza). It is an ancient Roman city that became part of the Byzantine Empire and later was used by Cilician Armenia as a provincial capital. On the hill overlooking the city the Armenians built a castle. So there was a lot to see. Here is a brief overview lifted from a travel site (http://www.planetware.com/adana/anavarza-anazarbus-tr-ad-ada.htm

"Beside the Sumbas Cayi, near the village of Anavarza in Upper Çukurova, to the east of the Ceyhan-Kozan road, lie the easily recognized walled ruins of Anazarbus, at one time the minor capital of Lesser Armenia. Perched dizzily on an isolated crag some 200m/650ft directly above the town (and reached by steps from near the theater) are extensive remains of the fortress (upper and lower fort). In addition to the ancient main street other town ruins include a Roman stadium, a theater, an aqueduct, several churches and a fine gate to the south. The local open-air museum (situated away from the site itself, in the center of the village) has some famous mosaics from the third century. Founded in the first century B.C. Anazarbus was a Romano-Byzantine town. In the 12th century, after numerous disputes with Byzantium and with the aid of the Crusaders, it passed to Lesser Armenia, the principal capital of which was Sis (Sisium/Kozan). Although from 1199 onwards the Armenian princes styled themselves kings, they were always forced, in the final resort, to acknowledge Byzantine supremacy. While close links between the royal house and the Mongols preserved Anazarbus from destruction, in 1297 a Mongol prince had 40 Armenian noblemen, together with Hetum their king, murdered at a banquet in the town."

We got a late start and so did not get to see the whole city or the museum but we did hike to the castle. We had a volunteer Turkish guide- a local who knows he can make more by guiding Americans up the hill than by raising.... whatever it is they raise there (sheep probably). He may have got more than he bargained for though as he soon realized we would not make it up the hill before nightfall at the rate we (Bennett) were moving. I already had one child (Hayden) on my back so he hoisted Bennett up on his and climbed the mountain. We walked past the remains of the Roman Amphitheater and the Roman Stadium and up onto the hill where the citizens buried their dead. This is a largely unexcavated site other than amateur (criminal) work. Occasionally we came across an excavated (pillaged) grave with bits of bone scattered about. It was kinda creepy.

Up the mountain we continued to the castle. It was a well defended site- lots of rocks and at the top of a mountain. We got to the castle and had a lot of fun running around on and in it. Arrow slits and water cisterns and everything else- our guide even pointed out the toilet. It is a large castle with multiple layers of walled defenses. A particular Armenian architectural trait was easy to see. Unlike every movie ever made where the front gate is in line with the wall (at the front of the gatehouse)- the Armenians built their front gates at a 90 degree angle to the wall (on the side of the gatehouse). This made it impossible to attack it by a battering ram. Pretty smart.

We had a great time- though we were always worried about one of the kids falling into a well or off the mountain (it is literally at the edge of a sheer cliff). From the top you can see the entire city spread out before you- probably 400 acres in size surrounded by a thick wall. The remains of an aqueduct stretch off to the North. Most of the city is flat dirt (some of it has even been plowed and planted) but here and there a temple or bath house has resisted the ravages of time. We eventually had to leave lest we be caught up there after dark.

At the car we had the offer of buying coins our guide had found around the city. We also payed the guide- he really liked my Maglite flashlight and that plus 20 dollars brought our transaction to a close. Linda and I both felt we ended up paying too much but it is hard to say no the man who carried your child up and back down a mountain on his back.

I wasn't going to write this part but Linda threatened to if I didn't. I wanted to drive along the aqueduct. I knew it parallelled the highway and figured I could get back without too much trouble. After driving for a few miles without seeing any way back to the road we turned into a small village. I did my best to get back to the highway but ended up in a farmers front yard. He and his sons were very nice and directed us to the road. Hopefully we don't become the butt of a "crazy American" joke retold for the next decade in the town.

For those of you who are Google Earth fans, Anavarsus is located at 35 degrees 53 minutes east latitude and 37 degrees and 15 minutes north longitude- the ancient city is the big green blob with the black line (cliff shadow) as the right border.

Veteran's Day Outings

2007-11-16T11:05:00.000-08:00

Well, we ventured off base again. (I always have been a little off base) This time we were able to get to some Roman ruins. The castles we saw were built in 200 B.C. I have included some pictures of our adventure. We went with a family from our branch. Some of you may know the strange story of how we met the Wilsons. When I was in Cedar City this summer I got a phone call from a woman who asked if I was moving to Turkey. When I said yes, she said "me too!" Come to find out they were moving at about the same time. Our parents live in the same neighborhood and she and her family were visiting before moving out of the country. Small world, eh? This is the friend "Angie" that I have mentioned in a few of my stories. By the way - we are going shopping together tomorrow in a city called Gaziantep. Hopefully it will be uneventful!

Anyway - back to the castles...! The weather was beautiful and we all had a great time. The kids collected pieces of pottery and roman coins (we have no National Parks Service here). Then we all had a picnic lunch. Maryn had a snake fall from the ceiling on to her head. She just said "Cool!" and then called her dad over to tell her what kind it was. The other little girls that were with us were pretty freaked out and avoided that room of the castle for the rest of the visit. Even I was a little nervous. I like snakes, but I still didn't want them dropping on me!

Halloween was also fun here. It was very military-ish. Trick or treating was to be executed in designated areas between the hours of 1700 and 2000. This is all very new to me. Maryn was a princess again and Dallen was a ninja. Bennett was going to be the Blue Power Ranger until -

a) he saw that Dallen was a ninja
b)he realized he'd have to wear a mask.
c)he realized that Power Rangers don't carry weapons

So, we had two ninjas this year. One of them didn't cover his face, much to the irritation of the other one. "Bennett! Ninja's are supposed to wear this up over their faces! You have to be disguised!" "Dallen, Ninja's don't like masks" And so the evening went. Dallen tried unsuccessfully to yank up Bennett's mask as they walked to each house.

Hayden was a duck. And a very cute, chubby one at that. I will also try to post video of him walking (sort of)

Until next time!

It is what it is

2007-10-29T11:02:00.000-07:00

First off, let me say "sorry" for the long absence. Those of you that know our family well, also know that this is the birthday week for all four of my children. So, as you can imagine - I have been up to my eyeballs in treat bags and cupcakes. Every year I swear I'll have just one big party. But every year I give in and give them each their own. Usually because I feel Maryn's pain. It is hard being among so many boys. I think her exact quote this year was, "Mom, if we combine the parties then Dallen will be there with a bunch of first grade boys. AND you are giving them all Ninja swords. PLEASE don't do that to me!"

I immediately thought back to a time when I was ten. I had looked up a phone number and was reciting it to myself. As I walked down the hallway on my way to the phone, one by one, all of my brothers descended on me like locusts, pulling me away from the phone and shouting random numbers at me to make me forget what I had been saying. I still don't get why. But for this reason (and many others) my daughter gets her own party each year. =)

Besides - each of the kids requested a different theme. So unless BirthdayExpress.com has started making "Princess Ninja Pirate Duck" plates - I am out of luck anyway.

But I digress....

Michael made it back safe and sound. He said he felt "okay" about his test. We will see in three months. (Yes, they make you wait that long for the results. No, I can't believe it either) A huge "Thank-you" to Ken and Ashlee for letting him stay with them in Philly! I am holding you to your promise to come visit! =)

He also said that it was great being back in the U.S. But, he was kind to me and didn't rub in all the Restaurants he visited. Someone asked me once what I miss the most about America. I'd have to say that would be Restaurants. It is not that I don't like Turkish food (I REALLY do) It is just that, that is ALL there is! (Go Figure) I never really thought of that before coming here. In America, if you are in the mood for Thai, Mexican, Burgers, Soup and Sandwiches, whatever - you just go to the appropriate corresponding restaurant. But here, there is Turkish food. (And Taco Bell) It is not that they don't try, but even the "American" food on base ends up tasting Turkish. Because that is who is cooking it!

It is an interesting dynamic. ALL of the restaurants in Adana serve the same thing. The Turks are very traditional. They take a "this is what we have always cooked, and this is what we will always cook" attitude. Believe me, it is cooked VERY well, but sometimes I just want to go to an Applebees! =) I try not to think about the fact that Michael did - like four times!!!

As far as the political situation goes (regarding the Armenian Resolution) - we are still in a "wait and see" mode. Things are a little strained, but most of the Turks in our village are as nervous as we are. If anything happens to the base, their livelihood is gone. Besides - most of them truly do like us and want us here. We did have to be locked on the base a couple of times last week. There were some heated protests about the Turkish soldiers killed near the Iraq border. The protests were not anti-American (the people want the Turkish government to find the Kurdish rebels that did it) but our Base commander wanted to be safe. You never know what kind of looneys show up to those things. Just look at any University campus in California. =)

So unless the Resolution passes, things will stay calm here. Like I told my brother, there is no sense in freaking myself out about it. All I can do is make my opinion known to my elected officials, get my affairs in order, and go on with my life. The rest is completely out of my hands. It helps to remember that The Lord sent us here. I still truly believe that. I just hope He didn't send me here to teach me to not be so attached to my worldly possessions! =)

(Editors Note: The previous paragraphs were written a day before they were posted. We have since learned that Nanci Pelosi got a clue, the Resolution was dropped, and we can all let out our long-held breath.)

We are all well, safe, and happy. I am still trying to get Michael to sit down and write. Not only does he need to write about the Turkish Bath House, but he also attended a traditional wedding on Tuesday. We've got great video of him dancing! =) So far I have been unable to get him to log on. What? Does he think he is BUSY or something?

Oh, and one last thing. We have definitely decided to baptise Dallen in the River Jordan. It is possible with planning, so we are going forward. I mention this now so that anyone that wants to join us in the Holy Land has fair warning. We are looking at setting a date for the second week of November 2008 (Most likely Tuesday the 11th). We are planning on taking tours of the Garden of Gethsemane and Christ's Tomb, etc. So it will definitely be worth it! I can help with finding hotels and stuff, just let me know. I just thought I'd dangle the carrot! =)

Alone again...naturally

2007-10-11T10:57:00.000-07:00

I am feeling a bit blue at the moment. My dear husband has flown to America to take his National Board Exam. So, I am anxious for him and feeling down. He will be gone for about 10 days. The test isn't until next week, but the "higher-ups" here wanted him to be well over his jet lag before he sat down to two days of life and death examinations. Okay, maybe not life and death, but certainly career and death. =) Any prayers for him these next few days would be appreciated.

Of course the day he left, was the day my busy-body neighbor decided to freak me out. For those of you that follow politics, there is a resolution before Congress about the Armenian genocide. I won't bore you with long descriptions, but apparently the Turks are VERY upset about it. All of the service members on base received a memo to be cautious and alert because if the resolution passed, there could be demonstrations. We were not placed on lock down or anything, just warned to be on our guard. ANYWAY - this neighbor of mine got me completely freaked out because she is convinced there will be violence and we will have to be evacuated. She was here at the start of the Iraq war, and she was evacuated then. Apparently you get very little notice and you must leave everything behind. They were displaced in Germany for two months before they got the all clear to return to their homes. But of course she darkly pointed out that THIS time it is an issue with the Turks, so we could be kicked out for good. In fact, she said that if that happens, we might never get our things back. "Oh, the Air Force will try to compensate you, but how can you put a price on family heirlooms and photos?"

Yeah, go ahead and just ROCK me to sleep tonight.

Fortunately, I talked to a few other people that told me how unlikely this all really is. But it is still in the back of my head. I still feel so out of place here. The adjusting is harder on me than I thought it would be. I don't know, maybe it is just that my husband is gone again. Just my luck that this all happens right as he leaves. Only 9 more days and counting....

Well, we THOUGHT we hadn't dissappeared!

2007-10-05T11:17:00.000-07:00

Okay, so as soon as we get our computer back together, the internet goes down! (Yep, the whole world wide web - just up and died - thousands in shock- anarchy in the streets, the whole bit) OKAY! So I meant that OUR internet was down. But that is irrelevant, because now we are back on. After missing a few slightly important things like due dates for bills and Grandma Ada's 90th birthday gift. Grrrrr.....

I know it sounds trite, but there HAS been a lot going on. I actually drove for the first time off base and into the city. (Got terribly lost, paid a toll on the Turkish Otoban, asked a donkey cart driver for directions, smiled politely and nodded when I didn't understand a bit of what he said - you know - the usual) Oh - and a man was electrocuted on our front lawn. Don't worry though, he's doing better now.

So, let me start at the beginning. Last Thursday, I woke up and rushed around my house to get everything ready for the "Planned Power Outage"at 8am. Contractors were fixing a transformer in front of our house, so our whole block lost power that day. My friend Angie and I had decided to go into Adana rather than be stuck at home with no power. She showed up just as the power went out. We went to get into the car when all of the sudden we heard a loud popping/banging noise and a man was on the ground in front of the transformer with smoke coming out of the top of his head. Then everyone went nuts. (By the way - Turkish people are NOT calm in a crisis.) It took us forever to call for help, because of the aforementioned "power outage" no one's electric phones were working. (Note to self - get a corded phone)

At this point everyone is in panic mode. It seemed like every Turkish handyman on the base (there are A LOT) was running to try and help. Many of the Turkish nannys (there are even MORE) were crying. My neighbor's nanny just wrung her hands and kept yelling, "cok gec" (chalk gech - "it is too late") The lady next to her turned pale until I pointed out that the man was moving his hands and nodding his head.

The ambulanz finally arrived and he was whisked away. All of us were still pretty shook up, but we had to leave in order to make it back in time to get our kids from school. Besides, there was nothing else we could do at this point. So on we venture. (a sane person would have noticed that this experience did not bode well for the rest of the day, but since when am I sane?)

So, we leave the safety of our little base and venture out into the great wide world. Now I was trying to find the office of my Turkish friend, Delik. She had offered to take me to get a cell phone. Mostly because the prices on the base are more expensive. Anyway, I spent about 30 minutes doing what should have take 5. (I tell you, these roads are made by blind-folded, drunk donkeys!) When we finally found her office, I go to get her - and she sends out her Boss instead. Apparently she wasn't able to get away. I had met him a couple of times, so I felt only a little weird having him help. I probably would have said "no thanks" but we REALLY needed an interpreter.

So he takes me to the cell phone store, and again I feel as though I am 6 years old. I am standing there feeling stupid while they talk over my head. I basically have to trust that this man, Sefer, is actually buying me a cell phone and not selling me into slavery.

All goes well, and I am feeling confident enough to drop Sefer off before the I head over to the bazzar. He keeps asking, "you are sure you know the way?" "Of course" Angie says, "It is a straight shot right?" (By the way - this is the same Angie that accompanied me on my infamous "dolmus" trip. Something else a sane person would have noticed)

As I am sure you have guessed by now, we became lost. Very, very lost. Suffice it to say, asking for directions around here is like playing a twisted game of charades. Luckily for me, Sefer had programmed his cell phone number into my phone. We called him and he talked us back to the main roads. Thank heaven for bilingual friends. All these close shaves have made me study my Turkish even harder.

It is funny how being safe at home makes these stories funny.....

Next week Michael returns to Pennsylvania to take his National Board Exam. I might not get much written while he is gone, but I will try to post some pictures. Oh, and the man that was electrocuted really is okay. He had some pretty severe burns, but it could have been SO much worse! Here's to the next adventure! Gorusuruz!

No, we haven't dissapeared.

2007-09-26T12:03:00.000-07:00

Sorry everyone! We were offline while we moved our furniture in! Yes- I said "furniture"!!! OUR STUFF FINALLY CAME! It has been like Christmas here in the Carpenter household. Bennett asks every morning if we can open more "packages". (Sometimes he says "parcels" because every once in a while he becomes a little British dog named "Kipper". My only warning of this amazing transformation is his adorable English accent. I have to listen for it, because if he has transformed he won't answer to Bennett. I will try to post a video of it, it is really cute!)

Anyway, I have been up to my eyeballs in boxes. We finally cleared a space in the office for the computer. So now we are back - and badder than ever! =)

I realize I never wrote about the Baptism last week. It was so neat! We had to drive about 45 minutes to get to a part of the coast that you would want to set foot in. (That is the one thing I have decided I don't like about this country - the garbage. I don't know if it is because of the poverty around us or what - but there is garbage everywhere! It makes me sad! Some of the places we have visited are so beautiful, and people just toss junk around. The cities don't seem to be too bad, but the villages are awful! Michael made a good point though - the villages are where the poorest people live. When you are just trying to survive, you don't really spent time on "adopt a highway" programs.)

Back to the Baptism - we went to the coast and had a neat little service. Then the little girl (Kaylee) and her dad walked out into the Mediterranean Sea and she was baptized! It was so neat! Dallen is excited that he will get to do the same thing next fall. Although Michael wants to see if we can get him baptized in the River Jordan. I think he is getting his hopes unrealistically high. But if he wants to try - more power to him!

Not much else has happened this past week, mostly because we have just been trying to unpack and get organized. Although we did venture to the city yesterday so we could go to McDonalds. The kids about had heart attacks when they saw the "golden arches". This is as close to American food as we can get here. To be honest though, I think they just loved the familiarity. I know I did. We couldn't read anything on the menus or posters, but everything still looked the same. I will post some pictures of the playland guidelines in Turkish.

Anyway, I think I will sign off because I am falling asleep as I write! I just wanted to let you all know that we haven't fallen completely off the earth, just half way! =) Thanks to everyone that has posted comments or sent e-mails. I do read them even if I don't answer. We love and miss you!

That which does not kill us.....

2007-09-13T12:33:00.000-07:00

Okay, so it is the 13th, and there is still no sign of our stuff. Grrrrr. I am trying not to be negative, but this is getting quite depressing! I keep getting different answers from different people while I'm being sent to different offices. Barf.

Finance has also done me the favor of messing up Michael's direct deposit. Because I had nothing else to think about right now.....

But enough moaning! I had a small bright spot today- Apfel Schorle!!!! For those of you who don't know what that is, I will enlighten you. It is a wonderful sparkling apple juice that my oldest brother introduced me to when I went to visit him in Switzerland. And they have it at our Commissary!!!! Believe it or not, that actually made my day better. I had gone to the store to forget that my personal belongings were not being delivered. And there it was! So, see, someone out there wants to make sure I don't seek revenge on the TMO office.

Anyway- I just wanted to update you all, in case you were wondering if our stuff actually came. The answer - if you missed it - is a big fat "no". I will write again after Saturday, when we attend a friend's daughter's baptism in the Mediterranean Sea.....

Branch Conference

2007-09-09T01:16:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we had the adult session of Branch Conference. We do not belong to a Stake, so it was just our little branch. We met in a meeting room at the Hilton in downtown Adana. We had to register under "LDS Charities" for safety's sake. It was a very spiritual meeting. Elder Wolfgang Paul of the Seventy spoke to us. He spoke about the "Zero Factor". He made an analogy with math. Giving the examples that 2x2 is 4, 4x2 is 8, 8x2 is 16, etc... all the way up to 128. Then he asked "What is 128x0?". He made the point that with one mistake, all that you had before is lost. He went on to say that because of Christ's Atonement, we can start over and begin multiplying again - but how better off would we have been if we had kept our original 128. And multiplied from there. He told the story of a man who, at 75 years old made a mistake serious enough to be excommunicated. He had been an Area Representative and a Bishop. The man was angry that those things didn't factor in to his discipline hearing, and stayed bitter an unrepentant. Elder Paul encouraged us to endure to the end and stay vigilant. It doesn't matter how much service we've given, how many callings we've held, how many times we've studied the scriptures. All it takes is one zero to take that all away. It was very inspiring!

After the hour meeting (everything is shorter here) we all went to this great restaurant right on the water. They served kepaps (shish kebab) on these long swords. I have never seen so much food! It was a great night.

Michael left this morning for London. He will be gone till Thursday. He has some certificate training to do. I am so incredibly jealous! I have always wanted to go! His trip is even paid for!! I made him promise to take lots of pictures.

Also, our belongings are due to arrive this week. It will be just my luck they will come before he gets back! =) But hey, I'd rather have it here!!!

Yilankale

2007-09-03T10:16:00.000-07:00

We went to see Yilankale pronounced Yill ann CALL ee (or "Snake Castle") today. The legends surrounding it are all about snakes, so of course we Carpenters HAD to go see it! =) It was built about 900 years ago, supposedly by a man that people belived was half snake. It was said that he would inforce his will with snakes. But who doesn't?

The path up to the top started out deceptively easy. Then the pavement ended! But we all did okay. Even Bennett. Hayden had the sweetest ride. He was just carried up! You can tell in all the pictures, we are completely dying of heat. It was 102 degrees with pretty much no shade. (Yeah, yeah, I know, to all you Arizona people, 102 is nothing! But I wish you could see what I mean. It doesn't sound all that hot, but I have never experienced sun like this. It is indescribable! Everyone warned us that the sun is more intense here, but wow! It's like you can feel it shining on your internal organs!) I have never in my life lived in a place so hot and humid (it was 92% today!) But hey! I'll be bragging about the temperature in January! =) Maryn and Michael really checked out every nook and cranny. The boys and I decided the shade was more fun! (In my defense - I had carried the baby up! Okay- so Michael and I took turns, but I'm still going to whine!)

There was a small cafe at the bottom of the path, so we had some lunch and some frukto and yedigan (basically orange soda and sprite respectively - just not so sweet)

We had to get out of the sun and rest, because poor little Dallen was about to collapse! He had been climbing like a mountain goat, and really made himself sick. In fact, half way through his lunch, he ran to the little cement wall behind us and gave his sandwich back to a tree. Poor kid! When he finished, I cleaned him up and had him sit down. He looked at me with a pale face and in a shaky voice said, "Well, now my tummy has lots more room for candy." I guess he's just looking on the bright side, right? =)

So that was our adventure - tune in tomorrow for another exciting episode! I'm still bugging Michael to write his experience in the 500 year old Turkish Bath House.

2007-09-02T09:00:00.000-07:00

Isn't Hayden cute? Can you believe how big he is now!? If I can get this video thing to upload smoothly, I will definetley post more.

I am planning on starting my Conversational Turkish class tomorrow. I will also let you know how that goes. My goal is to get good enough at the language that I feel comfortable venturing out. I do it anyway now, but it scares me a little. Especially after the whole "dolmus" thing.

I am also planning to post a video of our home as soon as our stuff arrives. (I'm sure you could tell by Hayden's video, we are pretty bare right now) I want you all to be able to appreciate our "dorm/student housing" lifestyle. Everything should be here by the 12th. (Happy Birthday Cameron!) We will see if it actually comes. =/

Oh Happy Day!!!

2007-09-02T02:18:00.000-07:00

I had quite a wonderful day yesterday! First of all, we received notice that our car was ready for pick-up! So, I took a taxi to the pick-up point, signed a bunch of papers, and voila! We have our wheels! The taxi driver was very kind, and waited around for me to finish so I could follow him back to the base. I think he could tell I was a bit nervous about finding my way. I told myself "Okay, just look for landmarks as we drive and then you should be able to make it okay." I only got scared when I looked out the window and realized I couldn't figure out the stoplights! I didn't even know where they were, but people seemed to be stopping en masse. So, yeah, I accepted his offer to guide me back. By the way- the yellow light comes AFTER a red, before a green. And people make their own lanes - and rules. It kinda makes NYC look like Mayberry.

I made it back in one piece, and I couldn't stop smiling and peeking into my garage! You know, as much as I am going to miss my rental car (I say that with the utmost sarcasm!) I am just so excited!

On the note of great things happening, I had to call maintenance to report a problem with my washing machine. Well, they came, they saw, they couldn't fix it. SO! I get to have a brand spankin' new machine delivered on Monday!!!

A car AND a washer? I am in heaven.

Well, Here we are!

2007-08-27T23:57:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I've finally gotten the "Blog" thing going. Let me first say that I have never done this before. Please bear with me as I try to figure this out! Also be aware that while I am the daughter of educated parents (one of them an English major) and I am pretty schooled myself, I will not be worrying about grammar and syntax or even spelling. (If you want proof- just re-read that run-on sentence) I am going to put all the Turkish words in red, so that no one thinks my spelling is THAT bad. But just remember this is basically a stream of concience for me and a way to keep in touch with all my far flung loved ones. SO-

We have now been in Turkey for 3 weeks and two days. In some ways it seems that the time has flown by, in other ways two years seems like an eternity. I have been exploring the Base, and have found a few things to do and a lot of very nice people. Life is what you make it, and we will be very happy here. Mostly because we really do want to be here.

One of the first things Maryn discovered was the Taco Bell. We were all quite thrilled because we hadn't had one close to us in three years. The bad news is, it is the only fast food on Base. So we will see how thrilled we are with it in a couple of months! =)

My latest adventure happened this last Sunday. A friend, her visiting mother, and I decided to try to go to the fruit market in Incirlik Village. Now before you judge me about keeping the sabbath day holy - let me defend myself by saying it is the ONLY day there is an available fruit market because the Muslim holy day is Friday, and we were all really tired of eating canned produce. But as you are about to see, Heavenly Father didn't like my justification either.....

Angie and I were told to just go to the front gate and wait at the corner for a dolmus. (Pronounced - dole mush. It is basically a VW van that you pay 1YTL (80 cents) to climb into and squeeze between extremely strong smelling old men, and then hang on for dear life.) So here we are waiting, and one pulls up. Well, we climb on, pay our lira, and we are off. We were told that the market was a 10 min walk from the gate, so after about 8 minutes of driving, Angie looks at me and goes, "I think we are on the wrong dolmus." I look out the window and notice signs for Adana (the city about 30 minutes away from the village). We look at eachother and try not to panic. Angie asks the Driver where we are going, he looks at her blankly. "English?" she says. He shakes his head, rattles off in Turkish, and then says hopefully, "Deutch?" (Where is my oldest brother when I really need him!? Or Kyle for that matter?) So Angie says loudly to the entire bus, "Does anyone here speak English? We need help." Everyone looked at us blankly except for the couple of women that tried to scoot discreetly away from Angie.

Then we try to ask the Driver to let us off. At this point we are thinking - lets just get a Taksi (exactly what it sounds like) and take it back to base. More expensive, yes, but definitely more direct. The driver decided that it is not safe for him to let three women off half-way to Adana. (At least that's what we surmised from the gestures. Oh, and guess what? It is not just arrogant Americans that yell louder in thier native language thinking it will make them understood somehow)

Well, he wouldn't let us off, but he did keep saying "Incirlik, Incirlik" and pointing back at the village. So we figured he was going there eventually. We were right, as soon as he had emptied the bus, we were on our way back. Whew... Except for now we had to try and communicate that we wanted to go to the Market. Luckily, while getting a smoothie two days earlier, I had learned the words "elmar" and "amut" "apple" and "pear" respectively. I said these words while making eating motions and waving a 5 YTL. He got the point eventually, but I think for a little while he was just enjoying watching me look silly.

SO - we arrive at the market. He stops the bus and asks for more money. I hand him a lira. He shakes his head "no" and motions for more. 5 YTL. Still not enough. So I hand him 20 YTL. He keeps it, and asks for more.

Ummmmm......

At this point Angie and her mom have rounded up someone who speaks English. Who also just so happens to be a policeman. He asks what the problem is, I tell him we aren't sure what the driver wants. They speak in Turkish, and the policeman says (a little confused) "He says you owe him 40 YTL?" I about fell over! I told the policeman what happened and finished with "I will gladly pay him something for his trouble- but I am NOT paying 40 YTL for a dolmus ride!" The policeman's jaw dropped when he heard my story. He said, "He is crazy! You made a mistake! Besides, he had to come back here anyway to get more passengers!" So then he turns to the driver and they had some pretty heated words in Turkish. I am glad I didn't understand. Anyway - the driver threw the 20 YTL back at me and stormed off to his bus. We kept apologizing to the Policeman, (I am definitely NOT in the business of ticking off locals) but he waved us off. "He is crazy, that was his problem not yours" We thanked him, found our amut, and went running back to the base with our tails between our legs.

Yes, what started out as a 1 hour trip to the market, ended
as a 3 1/2 hour lesson in dealing with abandonment fears in 102 degree
heat.

Moral of the story- don't shop on Sunday- even if you think you have a good reason. Canned fruit is tasting pretty good at this point. =) Although I must say, finally getting safely back to Base helped me see the humor in the situation. And the story gets funnier as each day passes. It may sound corny, but I really have more sympathy for immigrants now. It is SO frightening to feel so vulnerable. We had no idea what was happening. We couldn't read any signs, understand any words -nothing! It must be how a child feels. All these words around you, and you know they mean something, but you have no idea what. Anyway, all is well that ends well. You live and learn. Now I know not to leave with out my phrasebook. =)

Next time, I will tell you all about my rockin' rental car....