Part 3- Featuring "Istanbul"

Back to the vacation update...


Our next stop was Istanbul. We were blessed with PERFECT weather for our entire trip, except in Istanbul. This was quite unfortunate because we did most of our site-seeing on foot and got totally soaked. We ended up paying some street vendor WAY too much money for 2 crappy umbrellas in order to keep somewhat dry for the rest of the day. But, despite the rain, Istanbul had a LOT to see and we made a lot of ground in a matter of about 7 hours.

We visited the Blue Mosque (I believe its one of the biggest in the world), the ancient underground Cisterns, perused the HUGE & 'very easy to get lost in' Grand Bazaar, ate lunch in an authentic Turkish restaurant and later enjoyed a snack in a beautiful park. The only "big thing" we didn't get a chance to see was Haggia & Sophia" (its a HUGE historical museum/mosque). Overall, Istanbul was a beautiful, very busy and fascinating city and tough to see in a day. But we did and we loved it. The Grand Bazaar was where we got most of our souvenirs and gifts and although we found some great stuff, we were both EXHAUSTED by the time we left. The Turkish vendors are so IN YOUR FACE the WHOLE time and it got tiring saying, "No thank-you."

I must say if I had the chance to go back and see the city at a better pace, I probably would. I'm sure there was so much more to see.

Love for the Game

Monday night was spent doing something we both love to do......golf. It is such a blessing to have the same hobbies and I'm so thankful that Jon and I share the same love for sport!
What a blast to enjoy the range together. Neither of us had spectacular scores last night, but we did have a few sweet drives each and had a ton of fun playing! Plus the sun came out as soon as we arrived and it made the evening that much better.





After golf, Jen came over for Canadian Idol and then we met Jon's parents for ice-cream at the new Dairy Queen in town. The new DQ opened up pretty close to our place... it was nice not having to drive to the other side of town just to enjoy a "cool treat!"



And don't worry... I haven't forgotten about completing our vacation update...just have to narrow down the rest of the pictures. I still have to share about Istanbul, Dubrovnik, Venice & Rome so I have to be wise in my decision of what pictures to include so as not to overwhelm you :) More to come...

A Week of Good Friends & Birthday Boys...

I thought I'd take a little break from our holiday update to post a few pictures from our first week at home. It was a busy week but definitely a good one.
Monday night we met Jen at Earl's for dessert and Margaritas...always a good time!

Tuesday night I went to the Greek Islands for dinner with all the daycare staff. For those that are wondering what I'm talking about... Jon's mom owns a daycare and I worked for her for the first 2 years I was in Chilliwack. In that time, I became really good friends with Julie (the one in the picture below, who also worked at the daycare) and she happens to be leaving this weekend for Gibsons, BC. Her husband got a really great job there so they're moving. We're all sad to see her go but are excited for what God has in store for them in beautiful Gibsons!

On Wednesday night, we celebrated Konrad's 3rd birthday with Jon's family. It was actually a "joint party" seeing as Jon's dad's b-day was on June 6th, Jon's was the 10th, Konrad's on the 20th and Erich's on the 25th. June is a very busy month for us with all the guys' birthdays PLUS Father's day so we just celebrated it all on one night. Of course, Konrad stole the show with his hilarious reactions to his gifts! We always love watching the excitement on his face when he gets a gift. What a little entertainer!






Once again, Happy Birthday Dad, Jon, Konrad & Erich! We all love you so much!!

Here I am with my wonderful sisters-in-law (Naomi & Susanne)...

After the party was finished, it was "jammie time" for the kids. I just had to get a picture of Ava's new summer pj's! Isn't she a doll!? And yes, her shirt DOES say "Sassy just like Mommy"... I love it :)

Well, Thursday ended up being our night to relax at home. It was nice to curl up on the couch and watch a movie together.

And last night we met our friends Jen & Laurie at the theater to watch "Ocean's 13." If you haven't seen it, you should. Very good flick, just as we suspected! You can't go wrong with that all-star cast :)
After the movie we went back to Jen's place for brownies and iced-tea!


So now its the weekend and we're very happy about it. The sun seems to be trying its hardest to shine and I'm hoping the day will involve some time outside! Enjoy your Saturday everyone...

Part 2- "Featuring Greece & Turkey"

Alright... you've all been waiting very patiently for the next round of cruise pictures so here they are. I won't do too much "journaling" because I'm quickly realizing that I won't get through everything if I do... So I'll let the pictures speak for themselves.
The following pictures are from Katakolon, Greece where the very first Olympic Games were held. The ruins were captivating and we really enjoyed our visit to Olympia.

This is where the athletes used to train, hence the flexing of my "huge" muscles :)

And this was one of the many "bath houses"...as you can see, Jon is giving a wonderful demo of how they might have "bathed" in ancient times :)

This was just a really cute little cafe we passed by on our way into town... doesn't it just take you away...

Our next port was Izmir, Turkey which was probably a highlight for both Jon and I. It is where ancient Ephesus is and it was so unbelievable to be able to visit a place that we've read about, time and time again in the Bible. The pictures don't do it justice at all--- the sheer size of all the amphitheaters and ruins were very hard to capture on camera but here they are anyway...

Next stop... Istanbul, Turkey... stay tuned!