First Weeks in Utah

Well we are here in Utah going on three weeks now and still don't have any of our shipments, that includes our car. We are grateful for family that have been letting us take advantage of them and letting us use their things. We are staying in my mom and dad's second home in Ogden and have used their car for a week and a half and then took Clark and Mary's car for a week and a half. We are getting very anxious to have our own things. We have found a home and can't wait to move into it. It is a very nice home with a big yard. We are excited to finally have a little more space. The lady that we are renting from has been so nice and I think we got very lucky to have found a house that we like and a landlord that is going to be quite enjoyable to work with.

We have done more with family in the past three weeks than we have in the past five years probably. Maria gets up in the morning and asks, "Which cousins do I get to see today?" She is having a great time, but I have been really bad at taking pictures. Some of the highlights have been two trips to Willow Park in Logan (one time with Brad, Brian, and families and one time with Carla and family), a trip to Hogle Zoo with Cheryl and boys, swimming with Grandma, Stephanie and family, Laurel's bridal shower and reception, Courtney's missionary welcome home lunch, a birthday lunch and shopping trip with my mom, Stephanie, and Taylor, and various day visitors where we have just sat and talked. It has been very nice, and we hope that everyone will be able to come and visit us in our own home very soon.

Maria and Bracken enjoying the base pool.

Taylor and Carly enjoying the shade at the base pool

Maria, Caitlyn, and Bracken at the splash pad on base.

Maria, Hunter, and Ashton at Hogle Zoo.

Spain

We left Turkey and made a stop in Spain before going to Utah. It was the most relaxing vacation ever. CJ found a house to rent about 45 minutes south of Barcelona. It was in the small village of Saifores. We had a great time. We went to the beach, swam in the pool, went to the nearby village of Valls and watch them make human pyramids, went to Barcelona to see the sights there, went to the coast city of Tarragona to shop, and just relaxed before the long flight back to the USA. We were sad to leave our vacation home, but it felt good to be back in the good old USA. Since being back we have seen a lot of family, found a house, CJ has started his job, and we are waiting for our stuff to get here. Here's to a good year in Utah.

Maria in front of the Mediterranean Sea in the city of Tarragona.

Family photo in a park that we went to. We hiked around for awhile. It had a man made lake and a castle that you could hike around.

Park with the lake and castle in the background.

CJ and Maria enjoying the Golden Coast.

Maria sitting on the 700 year old steps in the front room of the house we rented.
The view from the upstairs window of the house down to the garden.

Eating on the patio at the house. We fixed and ate most of our meals here. It was so beautiful and peaceful.

Everyone but Carly enjoying the pool at the house we rented.

One of the human pyramids at Valls. An old tradition we were told.

Some of the Gaudi architecture in Barcelona. It was very fun and interesting.

The Sagrada Familia Temple in Barcelona. It was started by Gaudi and is still not finished. They estimate that it will take another 20 years to finish.

A main square in Barcelona.

Goodbye Turkey

We said goodbye to Adana Turkey on June 1st and then goodbye to Turkey all together on the 4th of June. We went out to eat with the Pharmacy crew the night before we left Adana and had a great time. It was good food and we will miss the people at the Pharmacy. We then went to Istanbul and spent a few days. We have never been and couldn't leave Turkey without going. It was pretty amazing. We stayed at a nice place right by all of the sights and walked everywhere. We went to Topkapi Palace, Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque, Grand Bazaar, and the Spice Bazaar. All of the places were very unique and very interesting to see. Maria did great and did a lot of walking. She was a little sad to leave Adana and Turkey in general. We have all loved living in Turkey and being able to do the things that we have done. We will miss you Turkey, and hope that we can return sometime.

Thuduras, Mark, Tameka, Lale, CJ, Timeyah, Maria, Myself and Carly.

Maria in front of one of the buildings at the Topkapi Palace. It was a huge place and had some very interesting artifacts. A few of my favorites Moses staff, Muhammad's beard clippings, and a 52 carat diamond.

CJ and Maria in front of one of the many shops at the Spice Bazar. It smelled wonderful.

One of the many rows of shops in the Grand Bazaar

Inside the very impressive Hagia Sofia- Maria showing just one of mer many poses she has developed

The Anderson girls in front of the Hagia Sofia- Carly is hiding under the baby carrier

1 Crazy Horse, 1 Clean House, and 1 PE Class

We've had a pretty nice week. We were invited to a birthday party, and it was held at a place just outside of base called the Crazy Horse. Families were invited and so we all went. We had dinner outside, there was a play area for the kids to play at, and they had a horse that the kids could ride. It was a very fun night.

A couple of days later we checked out of our house and moved into the Hodja Inn here on base for the remainder of our time here in Turkey. Maria was a little sad, but excited to stay in the Hodja. It was a little funny when we checked into our room because we are in the exact same room as we were two years ago when we first arrived in Turkey.

Then on Friday a friend called and invited us to a PE class. She home schools her kids and they do a PE class with other home schooled kids every Friday. She thought that Maria would enjoy it so we went and she did enjoy it. They did aerobics and I was surprised to see that Maria is a lot more coordinated than I thought. She did really well and had a great time.

Maria riding Princess the pregnant horse. Was not crazy at all.

Maria waiting with the others (Magnas, Emily, Thisbe, Caitlyn, Susan, and April) to have a ride on the horse.

Signing Happy Birthday to Molly on her first birthday with the rest of the party goers.

Maria and Carly saying goodbye to 4059a Samsun Court. It's been a nice little home for us for two years. I emphasize little.

Maria at aerobics with her good friend Summer Turner. We are going to miss this Turner family.

Mersin, Turkey

This weekend we went to a city about an hour from Incirlik which we had never been to . The Turkish Pharmacist that CJ works with wanted to spend one last day with our family. Her family (Cem-her husband, Lale-her, and Berk-their son) have been so good to us and have really helped me to enjoy Turkey. We went to a fish restaurant by the sea and it was very good food, but it was the environment that made it so enjoyable. Maria and Berk then wanted to go swimming in the sea. They put their feet in the water and that was enough for them, it was freezing. They played on the shore for a little while and then were okay with leaving. We then stopped at a big mall. A few months ago Maria saw a movie where a girl ate cotton candy. Maria has never seen or tasted it, but has wanted to ever since she saw the movie. We walk into the mall and one of the first things we see is cotton candy. She got some and decide that it was just okay. We didn't stay long, because Carly was at her limit, but we had a wonderful day and will miss Cem, Lale, and Berk very much.

Lunch by the sea with friends, I will miss this.

Maria and Berk after lunch playing.

Maria getting cotton candy for the first time.

On the drive home we took some random photos from the car. These things have become very commonplace for us to see, but we realize that there is nothing common about them, unless you are in Turkey. I'm sure after awhile we will forget about these types of things, and it's these things that have made living in Turkey so fun and interesting.

Trucks are piled as high as you can get them, and sometimes there are people riding on the top of the pile of goods. This is on the Autobahn by the way.

Some guy and his wife pushing their cart of goods down the highway heading home for the day.

Autobahn going through Adana.

Incirlik Village right outside the base. It's known to the Americans as the Alley. It is full of shops and restaurants that rely on the base for pretty much all of their business.

Summertime and Smiles

May 21st

We had a summer pot luck and recipe exchange that two friends put together. Everyone was to bring 15 copies of three recipes and then make and bring one of those dishes to share. We met and ate at the park, and then the kids played most of the afternoon. There was about ten women that showed up and a few more that couldn't come, but that sent recipes. It was a great idea and we had a wonderful time.

Maria enjoying Trista's rainbow cake.

Carly has started to smile. CJ even got a laugh out of her the other day. It's hard to catch it on camera, but here are some good attempts. She is such a beautiful baby.

A Happy Carly.

A missed smile, but still a beautiful little girl.

She was smiling in her sleep, but I didn't catch it. She looks so peaceful though.

Bol Kepce

May 12th-

I will miss this little gem of a place that we have found in between Incirlik and Adana. It serves the best salads and Adana Kebab I have ever tasted, and it's very cheap. Bol Kepce translates to lot's of food, which you get. It's located in the area were they have lumber yards that they use to make furniture, so it's known to some as Lumber Yard Kebab or Furniture Kebab. It is just delicious and I will miss it when we leave. The owner is so nice and although he speaks very little english he has taken care of us each time we have gone.

The owner in the white shirt and the kitchen of Bol Kepce. I don't think there is any health inspectors coming around this place. I don't care it tastes amazing.

So CJ asked if he could take a picture of them working on our kebab's and they let him make them and they took the picture. Only in Turkey.

Enjoying our dinner.