31.march.2010.//31.mart.2010. [90].

31.march.2010.//31.mart.2010. [90]. 

today i went to Büyükada (Big İsland) to hang out with friends.. the weather was amazing, we biked all day, ate awesome pide, amazing waffles, & sat at kahve dunyası for a while. lovely day for sure. side note: Büyükada is one of the 4 Princes' Islands in Istanbul....

30.march.2010.//30.mart.2010. [89].

30.march.2010.//30.mart.2010. [89]. 

after spending hours in the office working on a report, it was nice to walk down a beautiful street and enjoy a little bit of the awesome sunset....

29.march.2010.//29.mart.2010. [88].

29.march.2010.//29.mart.2010. [88]. 

this car's for sale around the corner from my apartment.

28.march.2010.//28.mart.2010. [87].

28.march.2010.//28.mart.2010. [87]. 

headed back from dinner in kadıköy in the rain.. lots of fresh veggies...

27.march.2010.//27.mart.2010. [86].

27.march.2010.//27.mart.2010. [86]. 

tonight, april and i had some girls over for dinner & a movie... we had 5 friends come, all from different countries...4 of the 5 are pictured here with April. (Mary-Robin is from the States too, but from a different country than the rest of our guests).. :)

26.march.2010.//26.mart.2010. [85].

26.march.2010.//26.mart.2010. [85]. 

this is what kadıköy looks like at 8am.... calm & peaceful between the people running to and from the boats... old couples sharing simit, dogs sleeping in the sunshine, and people enjoying the weather on the benches near the water...

25.march.2010.//25.mart.2010. [84].

25.march.2010.//25.mart.2010. [84]. 

i went to a writer's workshop/conference today... it reminded me of some of the things i love about journalism....

24.march.2010.//24.mart.2010. [83].

24.march.2010.//24.mart.2010. [83]. 

Julie made me some amazing cupcakes as a get well gift. and i also got some awesome coffee from another friend. i'm so lucky to have such great friends! :)

23.march.2010.//23.mart.2010. [82].

23.march.2010.//23.mart.2010. [82]. 

Fort Brimily... what Emily and I created with the help of 9 sheets/blankets, 2 chairs, 1 stool, & a clothes rack.. we hid under here for hours because i was super sensitive to the sunshine and we played cards and listened to music. best way to spend your afternoon after lasik.

22.march.2010.//22.mart.2010. [81].

 22.march.2010.//22.mart.2010. [81]. 

my last day with glasses for a long time, inshallah.... Lasik in the morning!!

21.march.2010.//21.mart.2010. [80].

21.march.2010.//21.mart.2010. [80]. 

you know it's Spring when all of the kids start coming out to the park again.. that park's been empty for months..

20.march.2010.//20.mart.2010. [79].

20.march.2010.//20.mart.2010. [79]. 

game night with some friends.. owen's such a rock star... isn't he adorable? such a cute family!

19.march.2010.//19.mart.2010. [78].

19.march.2010.//19.mart.2010. [78]. 

typical day on Istiklal..

18.march.2010.//18.mart.2010. [77].

18.march.2010.//18.mart.2010. [77]. 

headed home....

17.march.2010.//17.mart.2010. [76].

17.march.2010.//17.mart.2010. [76]. 

every time i look out my kitchen window, i think about amos lee's song "Shout Out Loud" and the lyrics: "A thousand empty windows// And only half the lights are out// I wonder what these people's lives// What they might be all about"...

16.march.2010.//16.mart.2010. [75].

16.march.2010.//16.mart.2010. [75]. 

spring is coming.. i love spring in this city...

15.march.2010.//15.mart.2010. [74].

15.march.2010.//15.mart.2010. [74]. 

peanut butter from the states=amazing.

14.march.2010.//14.mart.2010. [73].

14.march.2010.//14.mart.2010. [73]. 

walking to a friend's house along the train tracks....

13.march.2010.//13.mart.2010. [72].

13.march.2010.//13.mart.2010. [72]. 

matching scarves. fun game night. :)

12.march.2010.//12.mart.2010. [71].

12.march.2010.//12.mart.2010. [71]. 

we got to the iskele just in time for an incredible sunset tonight. it was such a beautiful night.

11.march.2010.//11.mart.2010. [70].

11.march.2010.//11.mart.2010. [70]. 

today, i went to Efes/Ephesus for a day trip with the University of Memphis group. it was such an amazing experience to be there.... more pictures to come... this time I only took 200 pictures (last year it was one thousand. literally)....

10.march.2010.//10.mart.2010. [69].

10.march.2010.//10.mart.2010. [69]. 

tour day with the Memphis group.... lots of walking, seeing the sights, and shopping, of course....

09.march.2010.//09.mart.2010. [68].

09.march.2010.//09.mart.2010. [68]. 

today, we toured Marmara university & then came to my apartment to hang out with friends. we played charades and ate lots of chocolate chip cookies! can you guess what jennifer's acting out?

08.march.2010.//08.mart.2010. [67].

08.march.2010.//08.mart.2010. [67]. 

another bowling night. i got made fun of some more, but i wasn't the worst player out there.. haha.

07.march.2010.//07.mart.2010. [66].

07.march.2010.//07.mart.2010. [66]. 

on the way to the airport for the 4th time in 3 1/2 weeks.. this time to pick up the University of Memphis group!! the metrobus was packed, as usual, and i had a good view... (:

06.march.2010.//06.mart.2010. [65].

06.march.2010.//06.mart.2010. [65]. 

today i randomly met a new friend, rode 2 minibuses 2 hours to her aunt's apartment, and stayed for 5 or 6 hours... it was a fun time of laughing, eating a lot, drinking a lot of çay, learning Turkish idioms, meeting lots of family, and translating a lot of Turkish (as much as i could...) SUCH a good day!

05.march.2010.//05.mart.2010. [64].

05.march.2010.//05.mart.2010. [64].

headed to taksim.... what a beautiful sunset...

04.march.2010.//04.mart.2010. [63].

04.march.2010.//04.mart.2010. [63]. 

today i got a package from my old friends (and friends i don't know) at NC! thanks guys... a big thanks for all of the sweet cards and words of encouragement. :)

03.march.2010.//03.mart.2010. [62].

03.march.2010.//03.mart.2010. [62]. 

English Tea Time had a TON of people tonight, but it was fun! :) there were probably 35 people or so... it was really good to see some friends i haven't seen in months!

02.march.2010.//02.mart.2010. [61].

02.march.2010.//02.mart.2010. [61].

today i started reading Crazy Love and i love it already. I'm going to study it with a few women & i'm pretty excited about it.

01.march.2010.//01.mart.2010. [60].

01.march.2010.//01.mart.2010. [60]. 

today some friends came over for dinner, dessert, Scattergories, and youtube videos later on.. haha... fun night.