Army/Navy 2017

Finn started the week leading up to Army/Navy with a terrible case of bronchitis. Combine that with the weather reports that it was supposed to snow during the game and Anna and I were questioning our decision to bring the kids to Philadelphia, let alone the actual game.  Luckily, Finn's health improved enough that I didn't think we should stay in Connecticut, but I knew bringing him to the game was not a smart move. Anna agreed that the thought of standing out in the snow with three kids two and under didn't sound appealing, so we camped out in the hotel for the day. Our rooms shared a wall and I packed the baby monitor, so we just bopped back in forth between the rooms.

Mike's entire family came for the game, including his sister and brother-in-law from London, so we had a pretty big crowd.  Originally, we were going to drive to the game and tailgate with everyone before they went to the game.  When we looked at the weather report, though, we quickly changed our plan and decided to tailgate in the hotel parking lot.  Thank goodness we did this because Finn didn't even make it from the hotel door to the tailgate before deciding he was over the cold. He spent his five minutes at the tailgate screaming before I brought him (and a stiff drink) back inside. Emma, on the other hand, loved spending a few minutes out in the snow and even built a snowman!

The cutest little snowman with the cutest little girl!

Please note how everyone, even Emma, is smiling and Finn is having a meltdown.



Once the guys left, Anna and I spent the rest of the day in the hotel with the kids.  I think we were all going a little stir crazy by the end of the day, but we had fun!  Finn and Hudson just kind of stared at each other and Emma stared at all of us, but it was so entertaining to have all of them together.  I can't wait for more weekends like this as they get older and become best friends (they don't really have a choice).

Unfortunately, the game came down to a missed field goal and the second Navy loss in a row. The guys were not happy, especially since they were cold and wet.  Maybe next year?  We said goodbye to the Ficks the next morning before heading out with Mike's dad, sister and brother-in-law for Philly Cheesesteaks.  It wouldn't be a complete trip to Philadelphia without one!

Happy Birthday Anna and Emma!

Birthdays are always fun and double birthdays mean double the fun!! Today is two of my favorite girls' birthdays and I couldn't pass up the opportunity to celebrate them on the blog!

 I can't believe it's been a whole year since our not-so-little Baby Emma was born!  While she had a rocky start to the world, she has done nothing but smile and laugh since she came home.  She has won both Mike and my hearts and we are constantly bothering Emma's parents for a video chat date with Baby Emma.  Spending a few days with her in June was a highlight of my trip home and I don't think I heard her cry once while I was with her.  When we have seen her upset, it's almost as cute as her smile and laugh. She is so close to walking and doesn't manage to stay on video chat with us for long due to her enthusiasm for crawling.  Our video chats with the Ficks now consist of talking to Anna and Mike while we watch Emma come on and off the screen as she crawls around.  Long gone are the days where she was on the blanket for the entire chat. It has been SUCH a joy to watch Emma grow into such a little lady this past year and we are so excited to continue this journey with her as her Godparents.

It's funny to look back at this picture and see this little baby because she looks nothing like the Emma we know and love! So little!

Fulfilling our Godparent duties from afar via Skype.

Be still my beating heart....

Maybe more deserving of a celebration on a baby's first birthday are the parents. I'm constantly impressed with Anna and Mike's parenting skills and how naturally it comes to both of them in different styles.  Emma's love for them is apparent every time we video chat with them and I'm sure it will only grow in the next year.  They are some of the role models Mike and I will try to emulate one day with our own family.

I still remember talking to Anna around this time last year and getting excited that Emma could be making her appearance that day! What a great birthday present! If there is anyone who is meant to be a mom, it's Anna.   She approaches motherhood with such ease, it's fun to watch.  More importantly, though, Anna is an incredible person.  While 99.9% of our conversations revolve around Emma, that other 0.1% of conversations are often my favorite.  She is so grounded and level-headed.  She is the type-A to my type-B. She is there to be excited with me over things like boyfriends that turn into husbands and there to listen to things like moving to Turkey freakouts. I've never had a sister, but I imagine this is what it's like.

Little baby Sarah and Anna on JMU move in day.  I'll never stop loving this picture!

Happy birthday to two of my favorite girls! I love you both so much and am so thankful for the roles you play in my life (and in Mike/Uncle Hoagie's).  Have a wonderful day celebrating and we'll do the same!!

Washington, D.C. and Maryland

I couldn't come all the way to the United States without making a trip up north to Washington, D.C. and Maryland, especially if it meant I could actually hang out with little miss Emma!   Since Andrew was home for Father's Day and heading back to DC that Sunday, I caught a ride with him.  It was so fun to hang out with Andrew in the car and hear all about his life in DC, even if we did hit REALLY bad traffic.

I spent that night with Rachel since she took the next day off of work.  We went to this new cheese and wine bar in Ballston, Cheesetique, which was so much fun. The next day, Rachel and I went to brunch at Metro 29 which had been featured on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives.  I had the eggs benedict (my go-to brunch choice) and it didn't disappoint.  I didn't think it went above and beyond, but it was definitely good and I would return.  I need to watch the episode that Metro 29 is featured on.  After brunch, we spent the afternoon at the pool.  It was so hot that we only lasted a couple of hours, but it was so nice and relaxing.

That evening, I met up with my bridesmaid Sara and another one of our friends Kirsten for dinner at the Commissary in DC.  If you guys haven't been, you totally should. I had the chicken salad sandwich, while they both got the chicken burgers.  After dinner, I saw Sara's new apartment.  She's had some big changes in her life recently and I'm so proud of her for following her gut and doing what she knows is right.  Plus, her apartment is super cute.

I spent the night at my uncles' house while Andrew was house sitting on Monday.  I love their apartment and their pugs! Plus, getting to spend one more night with Andrew was fun. Overall, my time in DC was a lot of fun.  It made me miss living there with some of my favorite people so much.  I even saw our old apartment building, which made me even more nostalgic.  Maybe we'll return one day....inshallah.

The next morning, I headed to Maryland via the metro.  I got to experience the fun that is the metro reconstruction, which actually wasn't bad at all. I was so happy to make it to New Carollton, though, because Anna was there waiting for me!!  After a wild year and a half apart, I was SO happy to see her!  We headed back to her parents' house in Severna Park.  When we got to their house, Emma was asleep, which gave us adults to catch up. Being able to hang out with her and her Mike (my Mike's best friend!), as well as her parents was so nice.

After an hour or so, the star of the show woke up from her nap and, if I wasn't in love with her already, meeting her in person sealed the deal!

So happy to meet this little lady, but missing Uncle Mike!

That night, we met up with Karen in Baltimore and all spent the night cheering on the Orioles!  I'm always a little torn as a Red Sox fan, but it was a good game and Camden Yards is a great place to spend an evening.

Wearing white in order to remain neutral, but so happy to be spending the evening with two of my favorites!

Anna, Mike and I went into Annapolis on Wednesday night and met up with Karen and Anna's friend Nikesh for dinner. Anna and Mike were happy to have an adult night out and I was happy to tag along!  We even found a Turkish store across from the wine bar!! You really can't escape the Turks!

The next few days, we spent time hanging out on the river and lounging around the house. 

Views like this make happy hour even better!

Watching my friends as parents is one of my favorite things.  The love Anna and Mike have for their little girl is so obvious and endearing.

Pop Pop might be Emma's biggest fan...after Uncle Mike

We ended my week in Maryland with crabs because....Maryland!  I'm not the best at picking crabs, but it's fun and such a Maryland thing that I was happy to participate!

I had such a fun time hanging out with the Ficks and the Degenhards and getting to spend time with my favorite goddaughter.  I was so sad to say goodbye, but Anna and Mike are coming to visit for Thanksgiving, so that made saying goodbye a little bit easier.

love this little one so much!

It Takes a Village

In City Year, we have these things called Founding Stories that serve as inspiration for why we serve.  They range from long stories to short quotes and proverbs.  One of my favorites is the African proverb

"It takes a village to raise a child"

I believe that with all my being.  It's not possible for one single person to raise a child.  It takes a whole community of people, big and small, to help nurture, love, and support that child throughout their life. Everyone from the next door neighbor to the high school guidance counselor is part of that village.  Some villages are bigger than others, but even the smallest villages are still that...a village.

My village, you ask? It was huge. There were tons of men and women who served as role models, mentors, and friends as I journeyed through childhood and adolescence (and lets be honest, adulthood too.  It's tough being a grown up). My mom was the matriarch of the village, but there were lots of other influential women who weren't afraid to put me back in line when I stepped out, give me a hug when needed and cheer me on at various sporting and school events.

When I think about my village, I think about my mom, but also my aunts. I have three very different, yet all incredible aunts.  They all taught, encouraged and supported me in very different ways growing up, but each one made me a better person.  I remember getting excited when my Aunt Beez from Chicago came to visit, getting my nails painted and spending the night with my Aunt Mary, and laughing with my Aunt Patti.

Aunts, cousins, and Mom...I've got a big village

My village wouldn't have been nearly as strong if it weren't for my grandmothers. When I count my blessings, one of them is always that I grew up close to my grandmothers.  I spent afternoons with them after school, had dinner at their house frequently, and knew they were only a phone call or short drive away.   As I grew older, they became confidants, role models, and friends.  And even though they are no longer here, their influence on me as a woman remains strong. 

My village extends outside of my family. It includes thousands of neighbors, teachers, friends and community leaders who ensured that I was the best person I could be.  Many afternoons were spent across the street at a neighbor's house where their mom treated me like a daughter, teaching me through conversations. Countless days in school led by incredible teachers who made sure that I was not only learning facts, but also developing my character.  Many evenings and weekends spent at sports practices and horseback riding lessons where I was surrounded by women I admired and wanted to emulate. These women, while not related by blood, were part of my village.  Their dedication to me has been influential and deserves recognition.  As I spend this Mother's Day thousands of miles away from my village, I am extra thankful for the countless hours I got to spend surrounded by their love and dedication. 

I can't help but also think about Mike's village.  I'm so thankful for all of the women in his life who made him who he is today.  Thanks to his mom, grandmother and countless other women in his life who made him the man I love most.

And last, I've reached the stage in life where my friends are becoming mothers to their own children, as well as countless other children.  It's such an incredible stage of life to be in and I'm loving every moment.  I love watching my friends as aunts, mothers and caring adults to these little ones who admire them so.  I couldn't be prouder of them and know that they are creating such a strong village to surround these children in love.  

Emma got glasses last week! She's my favorite little professor and it's been so much fun to watch Anna be an incredible mother to this little lady.  I couldn't be prouder!

I'm so thankful that I have such a strong village and that we have a day to recognize all of the mothers in our villages. Happy Mother's Day to all of the women out there who make sure we are raising our children in a village that promotes love, hard work and lots of fun!  

Easter in Izmir

Paskalya bayraminiz kutlu olsun and happy Easter from Izmir!  We hope that, if you celebrate Easter, you had a beautiful spring day spent celebrating exactly as you wished! We spent our first weekend in Izmir in a few weeks celebrating.

Saturday was supposed to be a day of nothing, but it really ended up being a day of cooking.  We have this tradition that I carried over from my parents' house that Saturdays always start with pancakes.  Sometimes it's waffles and bacon is almost always a welcome addition, but we always do brunch.  It's so nice to spend the morning in our pajamas, eating pancakes and enjoying not having to rush off.  Anyways, I digress.  After our typical pancake breakfast, I prepared the mashed potatoes and the cheese cake for our Easter dinner. 

Sunday, we got up and headed to mass.  On holidays, the church only offers one mass, but it's in Turkish, English, and Italian.  On Christmas Eve, they had the homily in English, as well as one of the readings and a few verses of hymns.  Easter was a little lot different.  There was only one reading in English and our homily was translated on a piece of paper in the bulletin.  I was able to follow along because I've been going to Catholic mass for 27 years and luckily, like most things Catholic, the order of the mass hasn't changed.  Mike was able to read the Turkish in the bulletin, but neither of us walked away with that "Hallelujah! He is Risen!" feeling.  I think we'll have to reassess our church strategy. 

After church, we came back home and prepared our Easter dinner.  I always think of lamb on Easter for some reason, so Mike very willingly agreed to be in charge of cooking a leg of lamb while I prepared all of the sides. 

Mike has made two friends from his school who we invited over to help us eat food.  We were going to make the same amount of food, regardless of how many people we had, so we figured we should enlist some help.  These guys are right out of college guys, so definitely a different lifestyle than us (they came over super hungover from their Saturday night) and aren't even Christian, but they're a lot of fun and can definitely eat.  We had a lot of fun and ended the evening all feeling very full from cheese cake and lots of lamb.  We also played Cards Against Humanity, so any sort of moral points we earned from going to church that morning were washed down the drain after a few rounds of that game.  I don't know if I should be proud or not that I won. 

After Murat and Yashar left, we Facetimed with my family who was at my aunt's house for Easter dinner. Congrats to my cousin J.P. for getting a teaching job as a middle school band teacher starting in the fall after graduation! So proud of my fellow JMU duke!  I love FaceTiming with them because I just get passed around, told the same story a million times, and people are just so excited.  They really know how to make a girl feel loved!

We ended the night with video chatting with this little one and her parents.  Mike and I are enamored with her.  We spent a good 20 minutes last night just watching her roll over.  You would have thought she won an Olympic medal or something.  She's always been really cute, but now that she's up and moving, she's almost too much to handle.  The other day, we were video chatting with her and when she heard our voices, she started flapping her arms and smiling.  I wish I could say she was excited to see us, but I think really she was just more excited about the computer screen itself.  She's been practicing her typing skills pretty frequently. 

Getting some typing practice in.  Gotta increase that WPM!

LOOK AT THOSE FEET!! I can't handle this guys!

Pretty sure Mike and I were holding ourselves back from giving her a standing ovation for rolling over.  What have our lives come to?

"Look guys! I can roll over both ways!"

And because I know you guys love Emma pictures (ha!), here's one of our favorite little Easter rabbit.  She had to go down for a nap while we were chatting, but her mom made sure we got pictures of her post-nap outfit.

Just like Christmas, this Easter was much different than what Mike and I are used to, but it wasn't bad and we had fun making it our own day.  I didn't walk away feeling super inspired or motivated, but I had a great time celebrating.  Until next year, little Emma bunny!  Uncle Mike and Aunty Sarah love you!

Thinking Out Loud

A lot of little things have happened in the past few days/weeks that I definitely wanted to document, so here's a run down of a lot of little things!  I'm linking up with Running With Spoons today, too, so that's just an extra bonus!

1.  We were talking about guilty pleasures.  People seemed to understand what the meaning of a guilty pleasure was and were naming all sorts of things from Candy Crush to different TV shows.  All of a sudden, one of the students was like "Hanukkah!"  I was SO confused, but figured it could be some weird obsession with Hanukkah.  As he kept talking, I realized that he didn't mean Hanukkah, he meant hookah, which is extremely popular in Turkey.  Maybe he's planning on celebrating eight nights of hookah?

2. We were talking about Turkish culture, which I think is interesting to hear from them.  They were coming up with great stuff and I was soaking it all up.  Finally, they ran out of ideas, but one girl decided to search "Turkish culture" on Google.  She starts sounding out the word with a confused look on her face...

"Cir-"

"Circum-"

"Circumcision?"

Nope. Not talking about that here! Sorry!


3.  Izmir has decorated for Christmas.  At first, we just noticed a few lights shaped like snowflakes, which gave it a winter-y feel.  Then, we started noticing lights shaped like angels and things just got weird. A few days after the angels appeared, I was walking to work and I noticed two guys setting up a light display at the end of a no drive street.  When I was walking back home at the end of the night when it was dark out, I realized that it was a straight up nativity scene.  Turkey is 90% Muslim.  Why is there a nativity?  They didn't get it quite right because, even though there was a baby, there were four angels looking at him.   So so weird.  Don't get me wrong, I love Christmas decorations, but I think it's kind of strange how obsessed they are with Christmas decorations, despite the fact that they don't celebrate Christmas.  Maybe that's just me...

4.  I finally got my haircut.  I got my haircut before we moved here.  Yup, in June.  I've needed a haircut for months, but between traveling and the language barrier, I just haven't done it.  There is a small barber on base, but Mike and I had been talking about going to get my haircut out in the real world, so I hadn't done it.  Finally, it got to the point where I couldn't stand it anymore and I broke down and went to the guy on base.  I am definitely not ready to try to speak Turkish to get my haircut, but maybe by the time I'm due again, I'll be ready.

5.  Mike's friend (and groomsman) Ben came to visit this weekend on his way to Israel for work.  While I was getting my haircut/manicure and pedicure, they were out exploring Ephesus and Izmir and seeing Star Wars.  I told them if they took a picture, they'd make the blog, so this is what I got.  Love it!

6. Our Goddaughter, Emma, was baptized on Sunday and, while we weren't able to be there physically, we were able to participate through FaceTime.  Thanks to Emma's parents for arranging it for us and to our lovely videographer Karen! Emma was a gem and was wide awake and quiet throughout the entire baptism and then promptly fell asleep for the entire church service.  She woke up just in time for the last hymn and then pictures with anyone and everyone. What a smart little lady!

I promise I'm not crying in this screen shot, but I mean, she's just so cute, I could understand if I was!

Emma's baptism gown was made from Anna's wedding dress which makes it extra beautiful!

The camera really makes us look great, don't you think? I also love how excited Emma is in this picture! Can't you just see all of the joy and excitement? Ha!

We are so honored to be Emma's Godparents and we were so happy to watch from afar.

As Mike and I were discussing the baptism that morning beforehand, he decided he should practice his lines and just goes "I pledge allegiance, to the Emma..."   He had me laughing at that one.

7.  I made Christmas cookies the other day, thanks to the package from my mom, and brought them to my Turkish class and then to my students.  Y'all, they went nuts and thought they were the greatest thing! It was so fun! The students in my Turkish class were taking pictures of all of the different shapes (Santa, snowflake, Christmas Tree, etc) and then in my other class later that night, they just kept talking about how delicious they were.  I didn't have the heart to tell them they were just a mix with store bought icing.  I loved it!

Teaching English

I was video chatting with Emma and Anna and Anna had all sorts of questions about teaching and what my classes were like.  I realized that, while I've mentioned a few things here and there, I haven't really described what it's like.

In Europe, language schools are broken up into six levels.  A1 and A2 are the beginner levels, B1 and B2 are intermediate, and C1 and C2 are advanced.  Supposedly, by the time you finish C2, you'll be fluent, which I don't really believe, but C2 students should be able to read, write and speak English pretty well.  This is how Mike's Turkish lessons are categorized, as well as my English classes.

At the school I teach at, each level meets three times a week.  Twice a week is grammar/vocabulary instruction and then the third day is the conversation class with the native speaker (me!).   So, since I teach three nights a week, I have three different class levels (C2, C1, and B1).  The difference between the C2 class and the B1 class is like night and day.

In the C2 class, it is all discussion based. My first night was a little rough since I had no idea what their skill level would be or what their interests were, but now I think I've gotten a little bit better at figuring out what they want to talk about. I usually think of topics that make for a good discussion and then let them discuss.  We've talked about everything from the bombings in Ankara to whether everyone should learn English. These students know basic vocabulary, so the point of these conversations are for them to learn and use more advanced vocabulary. There are a few students who are more talkative than others, but they're a pretty good class and most of them seem to enjoy talking.  They even come up to me during the breaks and talk, which is nice because I know how exhausting it is to try and speak another language.

The B1 class is almost the opposite.  They still struggle with vocabulary and being able to speak without planning out what they are going to say.  I try to stick to more basic conversation topics, such as your dream vacation. Even with that, most of them have to prepare what they are going to say if they want to say more than a sentence or two.  They also have a hard time understanding me, so I have to speak slowly.  I also play games with them, such as Scattergories and Taboo, to help them just get thinking and talking in English.  They're a fun class though and very eager to learn, so I think that with lots of practice they'll be able to master basic conversations.

I am meeting with the C1 class this week for the first time, so we'll see where they are.  I miss teaching children a lot.  I miss teaching actual lessons and information, but this is an interesting experience. I have worked with students who are English Language Learners (ELL) before, but most of them were basically fluent in English, so this is definitely different.  It is also good to watch adults learn a different language because I think that will give me confidence when I start Turkish lessons. Plus, my students told me they would help me with my homework, so there's that..... :)

PS my students taught me a Turkish term.  The "Ottoman Slap" is when you slap someone so hard that they fall to the ground.  I don't ask questions about how they know this...


Oh and how cute is this little one?  She's gotten so much bigger since we last video chatted and is a squishy little baby and not a newborn anymore.  Plus, she's opening her eyes and focusing so much more, which is super cute, especially when she just stares at Anna forever.  Swoon.

Tummy time: baby's first work out.  PS oh, heyyyyy Kare Bear!

Look, Mom! I figured out how to use my arms!

Being two months old is exhausting.  Naps on naps on naps.