This is Legit...i'm seriously going to get one!

Moscow winters here I come!

You'll never guess what I just heard...

"Veta Isabelle, WE ARE NOT GOING TO SLAM DOORS IN MY HOUSE!" - Stephanie

Oh, this brings back some memories... not that I was ever the object of the statement.  It was my sisters that were always slamming doors in our house :)

Do you have 35 minutes to listen to this? Wow...

The video doesn't always match up with the audio, but don't give up on it.

Update: This is the song I want you to jam out to...Amazing lyrics

Jamming the broom guitar...

How do you relieve stress?

Stephanie and I feel like we've been under attack the last couple of months.  Just seems like there is a lot going on in our lives...when there really isn't a lot going on.  Does that make sense?  Sometimes when there is more idle time it allows things to creep in and cause stress, dissension, and even sickness.

How do (did) I relieve stress?  I used to jump in the car, roll down the sunroof and all the windows, crank the radio and DRIVE!  For those of you who know me, you know what "DRIVE" means :)  Another way I would relieve stress was to crank the Bose in the house, grab a broom and jam out.  Music has always been a big part of my life.

No car over here...Close neighbors and paper thin walls= No Jamming out.

Do me a favor-- crank the tunes, throw it in 5th gear (maybe even the 6th gear for some of you) or grab a broom and jam out to a favorite for me!

Make sure you're in for the night before you take NyQuil and smear on the BENGAY!

For the last couple of days Stephanie has been sick...very sick.  When we took her to the doctor he immediately sent her to the ER for more tests and IV's.  After spending the whole day (~9 hours) in the ER we went home.  That night when we were getting ready for bed, I decided to take a couple NyQuil pills.  I didn't get much sleep the night before and my sinuses and allergies had been killing me all day.  In addition to this, we rubbed some BENGAY on our shoulders and sore necks.

No sooner did the burning sensation begin and my eyes started closing, then Stephanie's body started tweaking out.  It started out as shakes and then progressed into tremors and almost like convulsions.  This scared both of us and we decided we better go back to the hospital.  So I put my clothes back on and headed out to find a taxi.

By this point the NyQuil has been in my system a little over an hour and was really starting to crank.  After I found a taxi, I brought him back to the apartment to pickup Stephanie and Veta.  When they got in the car it was a double dose of BENGAY.  It was so strong that my eyes were watering!  I guess after about two blocks the Taxi driver had enough--he rolled down his window for some fresh air.  

We got to the hospital about midnight with bloodshot eyes and a pungent aroma of BENGAY surrounding us.  (I don't know about Turkey, but if you go to the ER with bloodshot eyes and smelling like Vicks vapor rub at midnight in the states, the nurses are probably going to assume that drugs are involved).  While we were doing our best to describe to the nurse what the issue was, I couldn't help but hear laughing from outside of the curtain.  I don't know if they were laughing because the nurse was trapped in a small room with Americans who stunk like a peppermint, or if it was my Turkish.   

Long story short, I had to remain standing at Stephanie's bedside for fear that if I sat down I would pass out.  

Once the doctors were able to get Stephanie's electrolytes, calcium, and potassium levels back up, the twitching stopped and she began to feel better.  They ended up admitting her for observation that night, and I was able to sit down and sleep in the chair next to her.  She still feels puny, but she is definitely feeling better than she was.

Lesson learned: Use Nyquil and BENGAY responsibly and make sure you won't be leaving the house again!  

Central Asian Coffee...If you want to call it that.

Another disappointing carafe of coffee brewed this morning.  Every morning I try to change up the formula to see if the outcome is any better.  The fact of the matter is, that there is a reason why Central Asians are Chai drinkers...there's not much to choose from on the coffee market over here (unless you have a lot of money to spend).

With this sob story comes a request...Many of you have asked about little things that you could send us.  Stephanie's parents are going to visit us in July.  So if you wanted to send along a bag of Joy (I mean Joe) we would be forever grateful! Our favorites: Dunkin Donuts, Folgers, Starbucks, really anything.  Thank you!!!

You can mail it to us at:
5828 Deer Flag Drive
Lakeland, Florida 33811

Daddy/ Daughter Date...Rocking Around the Clock

Stephanie wasn't feeling well today, so I decided to take Veta on a Daddy/ Daughter date.  We left our house and jumped on a train with no set destination.  I just wanted to see where it would take us.  We ended up traveling down the coast about 30 minutes.  When we got off the train we headed across the street to a really nice children's park situated right next to the Bosphorus.  It was nice enjoying the sea-breeze, the sound of seagulls, and even the smell of the sea.  Veta swung for a while and had a great time on the slides.  Next, we headed to none other than McDonalds for lunch.  When we went in there were about 20 little kids celebrating a birthday.  Veta and I both enjoyed watching them play games while we ate.  The Turkish McDonald's birthday parties put our birthday parties in the States to shame.  The kids were having a blast.  After the games were done, the dancing began.  One of the dances included the parents.  You'll never guess what song came on....Bill Haley and the Comet's, Rock Around the Clock (One-two-three o'clock, 4 o'clock rock).  The place went crazy.  People were singing and having a great time.  It reminded me of a skating rink or watching a 50's sock hop in a movie.  It was crazy.  Even the McDonalds employees behind the counter started twisting their hips.  Veta loved it!

Never know what you might run into over here...

Two childhood favorites (watching Macguiver & drinking coke) are combined to help out in a pinch

This is what happens when you lose (or Veta loses) your contact lens container.  I had to Macguiver a container from two 2-liter coke caps taped together.

Some might say ghetto...not so fast.  Look how the Red cap helps to indicate the lens is for the Right eye.  That's attention to detail my friend. 

Why Google translate isn't always the best option...Read all of it, it's funny

My letter to the company:

I wanted to share with you my genuine appreciation for one of your employees.  We have been working with Güçlü for the last couple weeks trying to finalize our vacation.  I think that it is very important for supervisors and owners of a company to know when a client receives exceptional service.  From the moment that we received contact from Güçlü, he was professional, courteous and genuinely interested in our needs.  I can assure you that we might have been one of his most difficult clients.  We were trying to work within a limited budget and time frame, as well as part of our family would be traveling from the United States.  Neither of these factors, nor the endless emails dissuaded Güçlü from trying to earn our business.  In fact at one point, I gave up on finding a trip that would encompass all of our needs.  I apologized to Güçlü for taking up his time and began to look at other options.  Within hours I had another email from Güçlü presenting a new option.  I commend Güçlü for his attention to detail and his efforts to make our vacation a special one.  It’s been a pleasure working with him and booking our travel with your company.  I would recommend your travel agency to anyone with a need and especially Güçlü as their representative.  

Translated:
I wanted to share my genuine appreciation for someone I worked with you. We are trying to give the final shape of our vacation last few weeks working with a strong Yaman. I know a client receives exceptional service to a firm's managers and owners think it is very important. We are strong from the moment of contact, he was really interested in a professional and courteous and our needs. I can be sure that he could be one of the most difficult clients. We have a limited budget and time frame to go from the United States, as well astrying to work within a part of our family. Neither of these factors, nor an infinite strong dissuaded from trying to earn our business e-mail. In fact at one point, we gave up finding a trip that will cover all your needs. I apologized to a strong start in his time and started to look for other options. Another option is to provide a strong clock other had an e-mail. I am detail and our vacation, to make special efforts to attract her attention'm strong. It was a pleasure working with him andtravel reservation with our company. I need as their representative and advise your travel agent, especially for anyone with a strong Yaman.


If anyone cares to see what the language looks like:
Ben sizinle çalışan biri için benim hakiki takdir paylaşmak istedim. Biz AkdenizTurumuzun son şeklini vermek için çalışırken son birkaç haftadır Güçlü Yamanile çalışmaktayız. Ben bir istemci ayrıcalıklı hizmet aldığında bilmek bir firmanınyöneticiler ve sahipleri için çok önemli olduğunu düşünüyorum. Biz Güçlü iletemas aldığınız andan itibaren, o, profesyonel nazik ve bizim ihtiyaçlarımızı dagerçekten ilgi oldu. Ben onun en zor müşterilerinden biri olabilirdi emin olabilirsiniz. Biz ABD'den gideceğini sınırlı bir bütçe ve zaman diliminde, hem de ailemizin bir parçası içinde çalışmak için çalışıyorlardı. Ne bu faktörlerin, ne de sonsuz bir e-posta işimizi kazanmak için çalışırken gelen Güçlü dissuaded.Bir noktada Aslında, bizim tüm ihtiyaçlarını kapsayacak olan bir seyir bulmavazgeçti. Ben onun zamanında başlamanın Güçlü özür diledi ve diğer seçenekler aramaya başladık. Saat içinde başka bir seçenek sunulması Güçlübir başka e-posta vardı. Ben detay ve bizim tatil, özel bir yapmak için çabalarınıonun dikkatini çekmek için Güçlü ediyorum. Onunla çalışan ve şirket ile bizim seyahat rezervasyon bir zevkti. Ben onların temsilcisi olarak ihtiyaç ve özellikleGüçlü Yaman ile herkes için seyahat acentesi öneriyoruz.

Language #3 (this does require viewer feedback)

So it looks like Russian is going to be the third language we study.  In an effort to get a jump start on the language, I am considering purchasing a software package such as Rosetta Stone or Pimsleur.

• Does anyone have any experience with either of these products?
• Do you know anyone (other than the FBI, NASA, and whoever else Rosetta tries to impress you with) who has used the software?
• Do you know where we can get an affordable (yet, not bootlegged) version?

The Money Pit

Do you remember that movie from the 1980's that Tom Hanks starred in, The Money Pit?  In the movie, Hanks kept asking the construction workers when they were going to be done remodeling his house. Their famous reply was "two more weeks."  The first couple of times hearing this, he was optimistic about finally seeing a completion to the task at hand.  Many months later when the job was still far from being complete, he jokingly would answer his own question by stating....two more weeks!

I feel like I have a Money Pit of my own.  Ever since we got here (back in February) we have been trying to get Stephanie's cell phone registered and working.  Every time I go to the cell phone store they tell me to wait 48-hours.  I was optimistic for the first "couple" 48-hour periods, about a month into it I got frustrated, two months into it I got ticked, now three months into it, I just laugh!

Store Clerk: "Please wait 48-hours."
Adam: "Ok, Great! I won't hold my breath."