Poorna Comes to Visit!

Well I have no photo evidence that Poorna came to Connecticut, but I promise she did.  She was the photographer for this blogpost and the inspiration for all of our activities.  When I asked her what she wanted to do when she came, she said she'd be fine with just staring at Finn all weekend.  While I know that is entertaining, I figured she should see more than just our apartment. She also had a few errands she wanted to run since we have a Target (there are no Targets in Vermont!!!!) and an Ulta, so I promised we could squeeze them in.

She arrived around 9:30 on Friday night and we both stated that we stayed up way past our bedtime when we noticed the clock read midnight. There's something to be said about friends that you can talk for hours with, even after being apart for a significant amount of time. 

Saturday morning, we took our time and watched Finn do a little bit of this....

He's not as big of a fan of the jumperoo now that he can crawl

and a lot of this!

We finally made our way out the door to see the Nautilus, which is the world's first operational nuclear submarine.  Now, it's basically a museum, but you can go into parts of the submarine and it's definitely one of the major attractions of Groton, CT.   I always think it's fun for people to go on submarines and see how much is crammed into such a small space, but the first nuclear submarine was pretty cool in it's own way. We had been waiting for a guest to come so we could do it with them and this weekend was the perfect weekend for it!

That afternoon, Poorna, Finn and I ran some errands and came back to the house to hang out for an hour before it was time to see Santa!  Finn was not the happiest camper, but he rallied for Santa.  I don't think he quite knew what to make of the big guy with the huge beard, but at least he didn't scream.  The place that we went to see Santa was so cute.  It was a little coffee shop that basically shut down for the evening and had Santa come.  There was a line out the door to see him, but it moved quickly and each child got a gift (crayons and a coloring book) as they were leaving.  They even handed out cookies and brownies as you were waiting in line!  I ended up buying some hot chocolate that they were selling out back because it was such a nice event.  It definitely beat going to the mall and paying $25 for a photo package!

After seeing Santa, we had plans to meet up with Mike and our friend Matt for dinner at a local pizza restaurant called Pizzetta.  This evening was the perfect example of how a seven month old can dictate your life.  After seeing Santa, we put Finn in the car and headed downtown to Mystic, literally a five minute drive.  Finn proceeded to scream the whole way there.  He continued to scream when we put him in the stroller to walk to the restaurant and around downtown.  When I went into the restaurant to see if there was availability, I noticed that it was pretty quiet and immediately asked where to order take out.  We let Finn crawl around on a blanket on the ground because that was the only way he was going to be happy (#momoftheyear) while we waited for our order and then came back home and enjoyed the silence of a sleeping Finn.  

Sunday morning, we wanted to do brunch in Mystic and Mike found a cute restaurant right on the main street called Chapter One.  It turned out to be a delicious brunch and a great end to Poorna's trip!! We are going to visit Poorna in Burlington in a few weeks and I'm excited to see her new home and hopefully take some pictures of the two of us and not just Finn (although he is very photogenic!). 

A Tribute to Three Faves

In my family, we like to group our birthdays.  We have three in March and two in December.  Two of my friends followed that trend and have birthdays this week.  I really appreciate it because it makes it so much easier to remember.  Thanks guys!

Sara's birthday is October 12th, which unfortunately (or fortunately?) fell on Yom Kippur this year, so the day was spent fasting.  The upside of that is that Sara got to spend the evening eating lots and going to bed early.  What more could a girl want? HA!  Anyways, happy birthday to my fellow name twin and one of the funniest and most outgoing girls I know.  This girl's got enough spunk to take over all of Washington, D.C. one day, which I know will happen, so watch out.  I miss our wine drinking on the Seine and our French dinners in D.C., but I'm lucky enough to swap emails with her and get the occasional video chat in, which I'll settle for right now (only ten months until we head home, but who's counting?).   

The second birthday of the week goes to Poorna, one of my fellow Kempsville High School Yearbook survivors and my favorite Boston resident.  She's snarky and spunky enough to keep up with Mike, but fun and witty, which makes her another one of my favorite people.  We had so much fun on her visit to Turkey, even if a snow storm prevented her from leaving.  I can't wait to have her be my dentist when we're all in New England together next year and am so happy that the decision to join the yearbook staff in 10th grade gave me one of my longest lasting friendships. 

Not our best picture, but the guy in the background still makes me laugh.

And last but not least, I couldn't go this week without giving a tribute to my favorite Red Sox player and the man who embodies everything good about Boston.  While it may not be his birthday week, David Ortiz "Big Papi" has done more for Boston and the Red Sox than I can describe.  He has been the unofficial and official leader of the team, the heart and soul of the Red Sox organization, and a great representation of everything the people of Boston and New England stand for.  He was there to lead the team to their first World Series in too many years as well as bring the city together after one of the scariest tragedies.  I'll never forget after the bombings, he got on the microphone and said "This is our f****** city!"  It summed up the spirit of Boston in one sentence.  So, here's to you, Big Papi.  Thanks for all you did for the me, the Red Sox and Boston.  It didn't go unnoticed. 

Now if only l had a picture with him....

So, here's to you three! Happy birthday and thank you for being wonderful people who I'm lucky to have in my life, even if it's only on a TV screen or hundreds of rows up in the stands of Fenway!  

Mutlu Yillar!

Happy New Year from Izmir, Turkey! I know it's a week late, but better late than never, right?

The day started out kind of early because Poorna was leaving that morning.  Her flight was originally scheduled for 10:30, but when we woke up, it was cancelled.  She had a 2pm flight from Istanbul to Boston and when we checked the news and saw reports of a snowstorm in Istanbul, we knew we should get to the airport and figure out what to do.

When we got to the airport, we were able to get her a ticket for another flight that left around the same time as her original flight, which was a huge relief.  I left her after a sad goodbye and headed home.  Around noon, Mike got a phone call from a random Turkish number and when he answered, it was Poorna!  Her new flight to Istanbul had been delayed/cancelled (I don't remember), so they rebooked her entire itinerary for the next day, New Year's Day!  I was excited because that meant that she would get to bring in the new year with us.

She braved the metro by herself (it's actually really easy, but I'm always nervous to do things by myself here) and was back at our house by 1:00.  We spent the rest of the afternoon grocery shopping and relaxing at our apartment.  Entertaining is as exhausting as traveling, so I think all three of us were glad to just lounge around and relax after a busy week of exploration.

That night, Mike's good friend Murat, as well as a couple of his classmates and classmates' friends came over for New Years. I think altogether we had eight people.  It was fun to just hang out with them.  I pulled up the official time for Istanbul so we could count down and we stood out on the balcony waiting for fireworks.  There were other people out on their balconies, as well.  Our group began counting down in four different languages (English, French, Arabic, and Turkish), but around five, we noticed no one on the other balconies was counting down yet.  We continued since we had to official atomic clock pulled up and, when we got to zero, we wished each other happy new year. Then, about a minute later, we heard the people on the other balcony counting down and just laughed.  In typical Turkish fashion, they were late.  Or, I guess you could laugh and say in typical American fashion, we had to be first.  Either way, it was pretty funny.





Poorna's flight the next morning was at 9:30, so we had to be up early the next morning.  We both headed to bed shortly after we brought in the new year and said goodnight to our guests.  The next morning, we returned to the airport to find out that her flight was once again delayed, but only for an hour.  Once again, I left the airport with the instructions to come back to our house if she couldn't make it on a flight today.  I knew she wanted to get home though, so I was hoping that she wouldn't have to come back again.

Once I left, it sounds like things went from bad to worse.  She ended up being delayed for about five hours in the Izmir airport with poor customer service, no wifi or way to find out any information on what was going on, and just overall a miserable experience.  When she got to Istanbul, she did end up making her flight because that was also delayed, but was once again greeted by grumpy employees and a lot of chaos.  I can't imagine what that must have been like.  Turkey and it's people are good at a lot of things (food, history, etc.) but organization and logistics are definitely not one of it's strengths, so trying to rebook and reschedule people's flights must have been a mess.   She did eventually make it home to Boston and we were able to video chat with her to hear all about her travels, but it definitely wasn't easy.

It was a great trip and I LOVED having a friend here to explore and show around our new home.  I love Poorna for her sense of humor and appreciation for culture and I definitely miss her.  Mike and I spent the rest of the weekend hanging out at home.  We had a busy December and will have an even busier February, so we're trying to relax and enjoy a slower pace to start off the new year.  Let's see if that works!

The Cotton Castle

The literal translation of Pamukkale is Cotton Castle, which is perfect because it honestly looks like balls of cotton.  Or snow. I fell in love with it last summer when Mike and I went and knew that we'd be back at some point.  It's 2.5 hours from Izmir, so it's kind of long for a day trip, but definitely worth it. 

When Poorna and I were planning her itinerary, we didn't put it on there originally because it was January and I figured it would be too cold.  Then, one of Mike's classmates went and raved about how warm the water was, even in December when she went and that changed everything.  We quickly added it to the itinerary and didn't think twice. 

So, on the Wednesday of Poorna's visit, we jumped in the car and set out for the Cotton Castle.  Mike and I have driven a bunch around Turkey and at this point, we both feel very comfortable (Mike driving, me navigating/napping/DJing).  We have converted our spedometer to kilometers per hour and have gotten used to seeing goats and other animals on the side of the road in the middle of the road. What we hadn't experienced was getting pulled over by the police, which we can now say we have.  Lucky Poorna can now say she's experienced it too!

We were driving along and cruising with the flow of traffic.  Nothing too fast, but probably a little too much over the speed limit. So, we're driving and then we see a traffic police officer standing in the middle of the road signaling to us and a few other cars to pull over.  The officer approaches the window of our car, just like in the United States and says something in Turkish to Mike.  When Mike asks him if he speaks English (he asks in Turkish) the officer replied no (I understood this entire conversation! One point for me!).    The officer proceeds to talk to Mike in Turkish (which is where I got lost) and then leaves.  At this point, Mike says it's a registration check.  Then, the officer comes back and asks to see Mike's driver's license. Since Mike is military and here on orders, he doesn't need an international driver's license (I do, which is why I don't drive). The police officer didn't know this and seemed a little hesitant when Mike explained it, but let it go.  He did say that Mike needed to get out of the car and come with him.  Can you imagine if someone tried to get out of the car in the United States? They'd handcuffed and pinned down faster than you could say "speeding ticket."  Here, it was no big deal.  I had no idea what was going on at this point and Poorna and I were just watching from the car.  Luckily, there were other people who were pulled over as well, so I didn't feel too worried.    After what seemed like forever (really, probably not even ten minutes), Mike returned to the car with his first ever Turkish speeding ticket. Apparently, there had been guy a kilometer or so back with a radar gun and was radioing the officer who pulled us over. Instead of being upset or frustrated, I think we were all pretty intrigued.  The ticket comes to about 60USD and we get a 25% if we pay it within 15 days.  Not too terrible, although I think we'll be watching our speed limit a little more carefully from now on. 

So, after that whole ordeal was over, we finally made it to Pamukkale.  From the minute we got out of the car, Poorna was in heaven.  I mean, how could you not be when it looks like this?

Mike and I recommend starting at the bottom for a couple of reasons.  One, that's where the parking is and two, the crowds start at the top. If you start at the bottom, you hike through the water, and then reach the ruins at the top, and then hike back through the water.  You do have to carry your shoes with you if you do it this way, but we always have a backpack, so it's not a huge deal. 

I wasn't sure how this whole hiking-through-water-in-the-winter thing was going to work since it was especially cold for this part of Turkey (read: 45 degrees Fahrenheit).  Plus, they make you take off your shoes so you don't stain the rocks, which just seemed like it would be unbearably cold. I'm not going to lie, it was pretty cold at first.  I ended up putting my socks on for the first part because it was so cold, but then we got to the middle of the pools and the water started warming up.  It got so warm that we were looking for water to put our feet in.  The hot springs are at the top, so by the middle of the hike, the water is warm.  It was so fun!  

After we got to the top of the springs, we walked around the ruins that are there.  When we asked Poorna for feedback, she said she probably would have been fine not doing Ephesus and just doing the ruins at Pamukkale (there is an amphitheater at both locations).   Once we explored the ruins more, we were ready to hike back down and get some lunch.  We ate at the White House Restaurant (fitting for three Americans, right?) and it was delicious! I had iskender (Turkish street food) and it was the best iskender I've had.  Poorna had Manti, which is Turkish pasta with a yogurt sauce and let. me. tell. you. It was delicious beyond belief.  The bowl was huge and we probably should have split it (she didn't end up eating half of it), but I've dreamed about that manti ever since. Definitely a must if you go to Turkey, especially if you go to this restaurant.   

By the time we finished lunch, it was almost two and we were ready to head back home.  Poorna said it was a definite must for anyone coming to Izmir, which we'll remember. We're still trying to solidify an itinerary for visitors, but I am pretty sure Pamukkale will make the list from now on!

Ephesus

The city of Izmir doesn't have a ton of sights to see in the heart of the city, but there is a decent amount to see if you're willing to drive outside of the city to see it.  Probably the biggest attraction to this part of Turkey is Ephesus, which is located about an hour and a half outside of the city.  The easiest way to get there is by train, which Mike and I have done.  Mike has also driven and said that it doesn't save that much time.  Poorna and I decided to take the train, but I'll admit, I was definitely nervous to do this without Mike.  I made him write out step by step instructions and explain it about a million times before we left.

We left around 8:15 on Tuesday and took a cab to the train station.  When we got there, we had to buy tickets and I knew it would probably be better to speak Turkish, even though hundreds of tourists come through here speaking English.  I put my two months of Turkish lessons to good use and asked for two tickets to Selcuk.  Not only did the man behind the ticket counter understand, he responded in Turkish, saying that two round tickets would be 20TL.  Guys, this was so exciting!  A small victory for me and the Turkish language.  

We found the train and were happy to see that it wasn't crowded so we were able to get a seat.  The train ride was extremely foggy, which made me concerned that we wouldn't be able to see anything when we got to Ephesus.

Selcuk is the town outside of Ephesus, so everyone comes through there.  It's interesting because it's so different from the United States.  In the US, towns near a major tourist attraction are huge.  There are hotels, restaurants and a ton of people.  In Turkey, the towns outside of tourist attractions are just like any other Turkish town.  There are a few restaurants and shops, but Selcuk is definitely not a major city.  They do have a bus station with dolmushes (mini buses) running back and forth to Ephesus, so we found a bus and made our way to Ephesus.

I think it's so much fun to travel with friends.  It's such an experience getting to witness all of these incredible pieces of history with friends.  I knew what to expect since Mike and I had been here before, but showing Poorna around and watching her reaction was so much fun.  The amphitheater is incredible in size, but the library wins the prize for most breath taking.  It's amazing.

Just a few little kedis hanging out at the amphitheater

I don't know about you, but I've never been to a library that beautiful!

The pillars of the library

Isn't the library in the background stunning?

 We walked around looking a different ruins and just admiring how much work and attention to detail was put in to creating all of these old buildings.  It's definitely a cool place to visit, especially if you are in to ancient history.

After we made it to the top of the site, we left and had to take a taxi back to Selcuk.  Apparently, the dolmushes only come to the bottom of the site where they drop you off, so you essentially have to walk all the way up to see the ruins and then back down without leaving the park to catch the dolmush.  Silly.  Once the taxi dropped us off at the bus station, we were both starving, so we found a little place to grab lunch.  We both got chicken pita type sandwiches and then split some yogurt/tziki and bread.  It was delicious and only about 4USD a person.  Gotta love the Turkish economy!

The only issue with taking the train to Ephesus is that you are at the mercy of the train schedule.  We went during the week in the winter, so there weren't a ton of trains coming to and from Selcuk in the middle of the day.  I think there are more trains that run in the summer and the weekends.  Once we were done with lunch, we still had two and half hours before our train came.  We searched on TripAdvisor (love love LOVE TripAdvisor) and found out that the Basilica of St. John was within walking distance.

Neither of us knew much about this, but it's definitely worth seeing.  It's believed that John the Apostle walked from Jerusalem to Ephesus and wrote Revelation when he reached Ephesus.  Pretty cool, right?  Even if you aren't into the Biblical aspect, the Basilica and the castle next to it have some incredible views.

I think we both enjoyed the Basilica and castle as much as we did the actual ruins of Ephesus.  We still had about an hour left, but we were both ready to just sit and relax, so we got some Turkish coffee and tea to kill time.   When it was time to get on the train, we were shocked at how crowded it was.  Coming to Ephesus, we hadn't had any trouble finding a seat, but this time, we had to stand almost the entire way. Where did all of these people come from????  The train ride back was less than enjoyable since it was hot, crowded and we were tired, but we made it back in one piece and were happy to be home.

Step Count: 20,095

Wine Tasting in Urla

After a busy weekend in Istanbul, we all wanted to sleep in and take it easy the next day.  We spent the morning just lounging around, which was perfect.  I needed that and I think Poorna and Mike did, too.  Finally, around noon, we got our act together and were ready for the day. Mike's classmate, Murat, came over and we all  headed out.

We park our car about a mile from our house in a garage since we don't use it that often and there isn't any parking on our street.  Once we got to the car, we realized that we needed to stop for gas along the way.  We applied and got a chip to put in our gas tank so we don't have to pay taxes on gas here in Turkey.  Turkey's gas prices are one of the most expensive in the world, so this was exciting.  We just got the chip and haven't used it yet, so this would be our first time.  You have to go to specific gas stations that have the special machine, so you have to be a little more conscientious of how much gas you have in your tank, but it's definitely worth the price break.

We set out towards the winery, while also looking for a gas station.  Mike got a little worried that we might not make it, so we pull over to a gas station and put in a 20TL worth of gas just to hold us over until we find a gas station that can fill us up.  We continue driving and find a gas station with the sign that says they can do it, but it turns out it's broken, so we continued on.   The gas station attendant directed us down a road about 4 km to another gas station that would be able to help us.  We finally found it and filled up, but I don't think we really got a discount.  We need to figure that out because gas is ridiculously expensive (it's like $100 to fill up our little Volkswagen Golf!).

After that rocky start to the trip, we were in need of some wine! Mike and I had been to Urla Winery before, but Murat and Poorna were newbies.  One of best parts of this winery is the view and the building.  They even have a couple of rooms there to stay in!  The tasting room and hotel is at the top of a hill that overlooks the vineyards.  It's breathtaking.

We all tasted a few reds and whites and walked away with a few bottles to bring back to our respective homes.  Mike and I also wanted to take  Poorna to MMG, which was a winery we went to when Kelly was here visiting.  Not only is the view incredible, but it's family owned and everyone is so friendly.

When we arrived, we were greeted by the son, who we hadn't met and the adorable black lab puppy that we met last time.  This time, though, the puppy wasn't a puppy any more.  He was probably 30 pounds heavier and definitely fully grown. This was the winery that also had the Kangals, which are the Turkish dogs who are around 250 pounds each.  A small horse.  After playing with the dogs for a while, we headed out to the deck where we were once again greeted with a stunning view.   The son brought out delicious grapes, cheese and crackers, as well as four different kinds of wine.  I think we were all fans of this wine and probably could have spent all day there.  Poorna, Mike and I bought wine before we headed back home.

I mean, really?  How is this real life?

Mike and Murat

I had to teach that night, but I knew Mike and Poorna would be fine hanging out for a little while.  They had talked about venturing out to a bar near our house and I figured I would meet them later.  When I returned from teaching, they hadn't left.  Instead, they had decided to drink wine and have heart to hearts while doing a puzzle.  I mean, I knew they'd be fine together, but they were complete BFFs by the time I returned! Ha!

Overall, it was a relaxing day of wine tasting and exploring the outskirts of Izmir.



***All photo credit goes to Poorna :)

Istanbul with Poorna

Once Christmas was over, we packed our bags and headed for Istanbul! My friend, Poorna, had been in India for a wedding the week of Christmas and decided to stop in Turkey for a few days on her way home! We were meeting her in Istanbul, spending the weekend there, and then all coming back to Izmir for a few days.  I was super excited to see her and to have a visitor and her visit didn't disappoint!

The day after Christmas, Mike and I headed to Istanbul so we could meet Poorna at the airport.  Our flight got in about the same time as her and we found each other pretty easily at the airport.  We had rented an AirBnB for the night, so we headed that way so we could drop off Poorna's bags.  I love the idea of AirBnB, but we always seem to have a few issues.  We waited for the owner to come and let us in for what seemed like a half an hour. There has to be a better way to arrange meeting the owner, but Mike and I haven't figured it out and always seem to have a few issues.  Once we met the owner and were let in to the apartment, we were pretty content with the size and the location.  

By that point, though, we were starving and were  in desperate need for lunch.  Our apartment was pretty close to a bunch of restaurants and we found one that had traditional Turkish food.  Mike got an Adana kebap, while Poorna and I both got the mezze sampler.  Oh. My. Gosh.  I'm still dreaming of that sampler.  It had hummus, yogurt, baba ghanush, stuffed grape leaves, and pita bread.  Both Poorna and I were in heaven.  Mike said his kebap was delicious also. 

Once we were fed and rested, it was time to start sight seeing.  Mike and I are pretty familiar with the touristy section of Istanbul, so we knew where to go and what is worth seeing, but Poorna later said that she was pretty confident she could have done this by herself if we hadn't been there because Istanbul is so easy to navigate. Our first stop was the Aya Sofia, which is basically in the middle of the tourist section.   Despite the fact that it hasn't been taken care of very well, I still think you can see the beauty that was once there.  Instagram filters help, too :)

Thanks Poorna for letting me steal your photos! I forgot my camera.....

Our next stop was the Blue Mosque.  We couldn't go inside because it was time for prayer, but we did walk around the courtyard and admire it from the outside.  Honestly, I think the outside and the courtyard are the best parts.  The inside is beautiful, but if you don't see it, you aren't missing that much. 

Why, hello Blue Mosque! Aren't you just beautiful?

Afterwards, we still had a little bit of time, so we went to Topkapi Palace, which I think is a must-see in Istanbul.  It's just so massive and there are so many different rooms and views to see when you're there.  We've been every time we're in Istanbul and I think we've finally figured out that you must get there early in the morning.  Despite the lack of crowds everywhere else, there were still lines to get in to the room with the jewels (the Treasury) and some of the other more popular places.  We didn't end up doing everything, but I feel like Poorna got a good feel of the palace.

When we were finished there, we were all pretty exhausted and needed to recuperate before dinner, so we headed back to the apartment for a little relaxation.  Mike found a Thai restaurant that we wanted to try so after an hour or so of rest, we made our way there.  There isn't a lot of ethnic food in Izmir, so we always try to eat ethnically when we're traveling.  Despite having to walk up the world's tallest hill (or at least it felt that way), the food was totally worth it.   I had a duck dish, Poorna had chicken and Mike had steak.  We split a bottle of wine and by nine o'clock, we were all completely full and ready for bed.

Mike's steak at the Thai restaurant

The next day, we had the morning to sight see before we had to check out of our AirBnB and get to the airport.  Mike and I try to do or see something new every time we have a visitor, so we wanted to do Dolmabache with Poorna since we hadn't been there and had heard rave reviews.  It's a little removed from the rest of the touristy sights, but it's totally worth the metro ride.  

So, for a little history lesson...Topkapi was the old palace of the Sultans and then Dolmabache was the new palace.  It's where Attaturk, the founder of modern day Turkey, died.  Topkapi is interesting because there is so much to see, but Dolmabache is incredible because of how extravagant it is.  It is usually grouped with Versaille and other big palaces. It's beautiful!   I can't imagine living somewhere like that.  The secretary's room was as big as our master bedroom! INSANE!  It's definitely worth the metro ride out there and I'm os glad we took the tour.

Never would have thought the girl I met in Yearbook would be my palace exploration buddy.
photo cred to Poorna :)

Once we picked our jaws up off the floor and finished the tour, we still had a little bit of time before we had to catch our flight.  TripAdvisor recommended doing the Little Aya Sofia.  Honestly, I thought it was pretty, but nothing special.  Maybe I'm getting jaded, but I just didn't think it was anything too incredible.  

We grabbed lunch at a Chinese restaurant and made our way to the airport to head to Izmir.  I feel like Poorna definitely got a good taste of Istanbul and Turkish culture during her first two days.  You could probably spend weeks or months in Istanbul, but you can also spend two days and get a good taste of the city, which I feel like she did.


After a little fitbit hiatus due to battery issues, I'm back and tracking each step!

Saturday: 30,565 steps!
Sunday: 18,188 steps

birthdays all around!

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I've always been lucky to have grown up with good friends.  Even middle school, the three years that most people try to block out of their mind, was pretty enjoyable for me because I had a great group of friends.  My friends changed as I was growing up, but for the most part, I always had at least one good friend I could count on. Now that I'm halfway around the world and haven't found any new friends, I have an even deeper appreciation for the friends I have, even if they are thousands of miles away.

Two of these amazing ladies I am privileged call some of my closest friends had birthdays this week. I love birthdays and I love my friends, so here's my little celebration of these two lovely ladies!

Sara
Somehow, amidst Michael Jackson and Farrah Faucett's deaths and the power outage in Charles de Gaulle airport on our arrival to Paris in the summer of 2009, I found this sassy, loud and always a bundle of fun.  We survived power walking through the cobble stone streets of Paris with the most Parisian lady I have ever met (shoutout to Szcepsy Fierce) and I couldn't be more happy that JMU Study Abroad brought me one of my favorite Parisian wannabes (not unlike myself).

I remember hoping that I'd meet a friend or two in my study abroad program, but figured that since it was only six weeks long, we'd probably all go our separate ways when we returned to JMU.  While that was true for a lot of people in our group, Sara is different.  She's sassy and stubborn, but she's also one of the most caring people you'll ever meet.  She has thousands of friends and, yet, she is somehow able to make you feel like you're the only one when you're with her.   She's a huge Phillies and Eagles fan, which makes her okay in Mike's book, but she also has an awesome FIANCEE who is Mike's beer drinking soulmate.  I'm pretty thankful for that study abroad trip for a multitude of reasons, but Sara is definitely number one.

just because....

Bon anniversaire, Sara!  Je t'aime mermy!

Poorna

High school can be tough.  Most of my friends from middle school ended up at different high schools, which meant a few years of navigating the halls of Kempsville, while trying to figure out how to fit in.  I joined the yearbook staff my sophomore year to help me find a group to call my own.  Not only did I find a group, I found this girl I am lucky enough to call one of my closest friends.  Her determination and drive, as well as her sarcasm, made the late nights in yearbook worthwhile, as well as serve as a model for me as I navigated high school and college.  She has been by my side since high school and I couldn't be more thankful.  I'm so proud of what she has accomplished and I know that when I get back to the states, she'll definitely be my go-to dentist.  

I can't wait for you to come and visit! Two months and counting!


I love you both and am so thankful for friends like you!