A Little Update

So what in the world have I been up to? It has only been 5 weeks since I last blogged, but it feels like a lifetime. First…I was sick for a few days and Umut’s neighbors (a retired couple from Istanbul) made me a special drink to help me out. Did you see the color of the drink she made???!!!! It was the color of…pee. Actually, it was intense flavors of lemon and mint. It was rough going down but in the long run, I think it worked! Whatever bug was in my stomach was certainly killed by that cup of tea!

Next you will see pictures of a bunch of cute school children in a parade. Thursday was the annual celebration of the Turkish Republic. Each year every city hosts parades of school children (indicating children are the future of the Replublic), speeches are made and elegant balls are thrown. I really enjoyed attending the parade, even though we were late and missed half of the show. I especially loved asking Umut about his experiences performing in similar parades in elementary school. It's crazy to think that one day I will be watching my own half-Turkish kiddos in a similar parade.

I just love this picture...

I just love this picture. Hopefully now you can see why I really want our children to inherit their father's hair!

A Blob of Henna and a Marshmallow

What do you get when you mix a blob of henna and a puffy marshmallow dress? A Turkish wedding, of course!

Here are just a few pictures of our Henna Night and Turkish wedding. For those of you unfamiliar with a Henna Night, essentially these traditions come from the Hitittes, who ruled this area of the world thousands of years ago. Both the Bride & Groom are stained with henna followed by a war victory dance by the groom. Basically it was a night of food, alcohol and LOTS of dancing.

The next day was our Turkish wedding. More food, more alcohol, more dancing. But this time I got to wear a marshmallow dress! I think I was so worried the entire time that I would trip while dancing that I hardly remember the evening.

I've mentioned before that Turkish weddings are about BIG and *BLING*. This Turkish wedding celebration proved to be nothing less. If you get a chance, check out my Facebook page for more pictures!

Umut's 1st Boxing Match

I went over to Umut's house after church on Sunday to find him in a boxing match with some American friends.

I am ashamed to say that Umut lost. Then again, our friend had already reached the level of "professional" and this was Umut's 1st game. Maybe next time, Umut.

(Feel free to ask Umut why his Wii character is named Paco Sanchez!)