dear stacey.

just because we aren't friends, it doesn't mean we have to be enemies. i say this honestly and in a totally non offensive matter. life is short, and i wish you nothing but the best.

"As far as the east is from the west,
so far has he removed our transgressions from us."
Psalm 103:12 New International Version

cappadoccia.

i am back from my AMAZING weekend trip.
i have a lot to say, and i took 300 pictures!
i promise that i'll be back later this week with lots to tell you about my trip! :)

something sweet?

check out this recipe from my friend paula; all her recipes look amazing, but i thought i'd share this one in particular :)
just copy and paste the link below; and yes, you're welcome!

http://www.bellalimento.com/2010/03/14/nutella-caramel-hazelnut-brownies/#more-4365

1/2 way there.

i got my associates degree!! woo hoo! just waiting on the certificate and i'll put up pictures.
i thought i'd feel more of a sense of accomplishment, but honestly, i'm just glad that i'm done with that. :)
next thing is that this weekend i'm off to cappadoccia and i can't wait! there will be TONS of pictures of that!

it's the little things that i'll miss.

turkey is the land of quirks. which is not always a bad thing. living here for most people takes adjusting, but honestly, i don't get it when people say that they hate living here. this place, while admitedly a bit off, is just a cool place to live.
tonight, i drove off base and went to the alley, knowing i wanted to pick up some movies. before heading to the five dollar movie shop, i decided that i wanted to get some take out too. i drove past a resteraunt first, and saw the owner standing outside. i placed my order with him, telling him that i was stopping at the movie shop, and then after picking out movies, he was standing outside with my food ready as i drove by... who else would give you that kind of service? it's the little things that make this tour fun.

i love art club.

so thursday after school i volunteer in art club at the school. i've only gone 3 times so far, but each time has ben so much fun!! last time i made a clay cupcake/muffin and this time i got to do some marbling. if you've never marbled; it's definatly a must do. i'm picking up a kit at: http://www.dickblick.com/ type in suminagashi marbling kid. it's 15 dollars, but something i think my kids would have a blast doing! here's two that i made today:

and this my friends is why my family calls me the "creative" one. they think i'm dorky with my craft loving self... and you know what? i'm okay with that ;)

the trails welcome a new addition!!

dear friends and family,
i have some really exciting news for you!! after much thought and planning, we have decided to make an addition to our family. no one could be more excited than me!! although i will admit that it did take some convincing on my husband's part, i just felt like such a huge decision should be taken lightly....
so without further ado, i present to you:
my kindle!
anyone who knows me, knows that one of my favorite things to do is read. comics, science fiction, fiction, non fiction, a biography... books, i love them! and honestly, i don't read as much as i'd like to due to the sheer inconvience of it. books are bulky, i forget them places, or even just the fact that once i'm finished, then what? if you've ever found a book in the back compartement of your airplane seat, chances are me or someone like me left it there. traveling with four kids is fun enough without having to keep track of a book or even just having to lug it home once i'm finished. although, i have to admit, i was worried because i do love the feel of books. i like turning pages, i like the feel of paper, and yes, i am a page creaser. don't judge me...
however, this baby is amazing! it can store up to 1500 books. it can download monthly magazines or newspapers or blogs. downloading a book from amazon takes 2 minutes! and while i do have to admit that the first time i started reading it, upon turning the first page, i did look to the left, (stop laughing, my brain is slow!) once i got into the story, honestly it was just like reading a book.
anyways, this gift was an early anniversary present from my husband, and i have to say, it might be the best gift i've ever received! if you are thinking about getting one, i say go for it. you can find free books online, and most books cost 10 dollars or less.
and no. i'm not getting paid to write this review. i just know that a lot of people out there are on the fence like i was, and i'm so glad my husband got this for me!! :) if you have any questions let me know. it's new so i don't have everything figured out, but from what i've seen so far, it's really user friendly!!
oh, and for those of you who were thinking that our new addition included a baby... well, shame on you! ;)
okay. i'm off to read. facebook doesn't have anything on the kindle!

mersin, turkey.

we took a last minute trip to mersin today with some friends. i took olivia and daddy hung out at home with the boys. here's a few cute pictures of our day:

she wasn't a huge fan of the big statue people, but it was too cute to pass up!

she wasn't a happy girl about getting splashed by the huge wave, but she did think it was hilarious once we got home and she got to see the pictures.

and lastly, quite possibly my favorite picture: the things you ONLY see in turkey *lol*