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Their BIG Day

Saturday, March 31, 2007
    Istanbul is such a western city, we have so many "American" things to enjoy. We can order from McDonalds, Quiznos, Pizza Hut and hundreds of other fast food restaurants any time of the day right from our computer. The malls here are huge, much bigger than any mall we ever went to in America. We are even able to watch some of the same shows that are on in America, just a few months later. We have many of the comforts of home. However, there are some things that we do miss out on by living here. We knew about these things when we decided to move here, but sometimes it is still hard to be thousands of miles away...

    Today, my (Andrea) brother, Scott is getting married! Of course, we would LOVE to be there to celebrate with them, and the rest of our family, but unfortunately, we aren't able to just hop in a car and drive a few hours to be in SC. We are sure that it will be a wonderful day and a beautiful wedding and we are so thankful for digital cameras - can't wait to see pictures! Scott and Lindi, have an incredible wedding, we love you guys!

    Three sweet girls

    Monday, March 26, 2007
      Our dear friends, Callie (r) and Lindsey (l), came to visit last week. I just wanted to share a little about these amazing girls. We are so blessed to have them in our lives, even if we now live in different countries.

      Lindsey came to Turkey in the fall of 2005 and was immediately part of our family. Even though we had only known her for a few months at the time, I remember thinking while we were in the hospital having Adeline that I couldn't wait for Lindsey to come see our new baby girl. She was family and I wanted her to be there and celebrate with us. Of course, she came - and even brought banana bread - which she knew was the exact thing that I needed! She is so loyal and loving - to her friends, to her family and most importantly, to the Lord. She is compassionate, wise beyond her years and knows and loves the Word tremendously! The Lord has blessed us beyond measure by allowing Lindsey to be part of our lives. Thank you, LP!

      We have known Callie for almost three years now! Wow, time has flown by. One of our first conversations was about softball (she played in college) and how we would love it if we had the opportunity to play it in Turkey. Little did we know that just a few short weeks later, we would be meeting some amazing girls and guys who really wanted to learn softball - in Turkey of all places!!! The most important thing in Callie's life is her relationship with the Lord, and telling others about Him. The second is her family, especially her nieces and nephews. Her nephew Xander got cancer at the age of 2 1/2, just a few months before she left the states for Turkey. It was hard, but Callie was so faithful to ask people to pray for Xander - and they did! He is doing well, and although there are struggles, he is a fighter, and Callie is now able to love on him, and her entire family, in person. We are so thankful for her faithfulness and friendship!

      14 months old


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        Adeline is officially walking everywhere. She has gained so much confidence over the past few weeks, we are so proud. The key is that she has figured out how to "fall" and not hurt herself, praise the Lord! In this video, Adeline walks to the table and then looks at me and signs "please" because she wants the balloon. So cute!

        Just a cute picture out on the Johnson's balcony. If you look hard, you can see one of her two top teeth which finally came in this month.

        She's probably trying to say something in this picture. The list of words she says is growing by the day, there are too many to recall. She definitely enjoys "copying" so watch what you say around her! One of the things she has been saying a lot of recently (and even at the appropriate times) is "help" as she is signing "please". She's such a polite little girl.

        A few weeks ago I took Adeline to softball practice up at the University. She loved seeing the students and cheering for her baba as he coached.

        In training already!

        Only in Turkey

        Friday, March 02, 2007
          You know you have lived in Turkey a long time when you have tomatoes, beyaz peynir (white cheese) and Nescafe for breakfast in your own home.

          We thought this No Smoking sign was amusing for two reasons. 1. Even if an area is non-smoking, it really isn't! 2. The fine is 594.20 YTL - that is like having a fine of $424.03 in America. Who comes up with that number?

          ***I fixed the posts below, sorry the pictures weren't loading***