Veteran's Day Outings

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

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

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!

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.

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.....

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

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!!!