.turkey.

a picture’s worth a thousand words,

so i’ll let these visual aids do most of the talking

a) to spare you a mile long explanation

of quite possibly one of the greatest weeks of my life

and b) my lack of ability to even try and articulate

how absolutely incredible TURKEY is.

hagia sophia.

the oh so wonderful, talented, brilliant, and beautiful christina – aka my {turkish} roommate.

istanbul archaology museum – ishtar gate. i’m glad unicorns were part of antiquity.

“oh, that’s so cool it says ‘FAITH’ all around istanbul… lemme take a million pictures of it.”… NOT. good thing i have lysdexia.

blue mosque (probably my favorite mosque we visited. #thatizniktiletho.)

basilica cistern.

grand bazaar. it was… grand. truly.

boat ride on the bosphorus (the strait that connects europe and asia).

anzac beach.

i loved walking through the cemetery and reading the gravestones here.

troy.

view from our hotel. yes, that is the aegean sea. and yes, we joyfully swam in it.

overlook of asos. and yes, i realize i look like i came straight out of ‘full house.’

say hello to my favorite snack - the çokopren aka the turkish e.l.fudge cookie.

i was obsessed with the fields upon fields upon fields of red poppies.

my life is in ruins.

sardis

behold, the underground remains of constantines palace – location of the creation of the nicean creed. and while we were sitting here a real, live, mini earthquake happened. twas trippy.

turkey = it doesn’t get much better than a massage on the side of the road.

.happy mothers day.

may.

the mother month.

seeing as my mom’s birthday

and mother’s day fall in the same week,

lots of thinking and reminiscing comes with the territory.

but, more than just thinking about and appreciating

my own mom on mother’s day,

today my heart is full for the many mothers

who have impacted my life.

i wish i could individually thank,

give a giant bouquet of flowers to,

and wrap my arms

around each of my friends’ sweet mothers.

all those have taken me in their home,

talked with me about life,

fed me delicious food,

taught me how to make their delicious food,

let me cry on their shoulders,

bestowed upon me cherished gifts,
gave priceless dating advice,

shared wisdom and experience

from their talents, education, and professions.

i’m grateful for grandmothers who

show me the right way to cut tomatoes,

aunts with stellar fashion recommendations,

and four incredible sisters who have

passed along any and all motherly counsel

that was either given to 
or naturally instinctive a part of them.

i’m grateful for the way i’ve seen these maternal figures

have their children jump at the opportunity

to tell them about their day,

how they brush away contention with gentle tones,

have late nights sewing or going to the ER,

spend their days living in the car going from one errand to another,

go to recitals after hearing the same songs on repeat for months,

help the tooth fairy and santa claus,

give their laps for a pillow,

play the cheerleader, doctor, mentor, chef, chauffer…

just about everything, really.

you’ve all been angels.

i’ve felt like the luckiest girl to have

my own angel watching over me,

with countless more all around me.

a huge thank you and lots of love

to each n every one o’ ya.

happy mothers day.

happy mother’s day.
happy mothers’ day.

.brings out the best.

do you have a class called “field trips?”

i sure do.

every monday.

here was this weeks adventures.

augusta victoria tower.

prophet samuel’s tomb.

looking over bethlehem.

zedekiah’s cave - complete with shadow making and singing ‘in the jungle’ with awesome cave acoustics.

7 11? no, no. 7-to-11 – here’s the spot for our daily ice cream and coke runs.

eating falafel in the middle east. yup, that just happened.

a jerusalem rainstorm is one of mother natures finest gifts.

st. james cathedral – next to the salt lake temple, probably the most beautiful religious building i have ever had the pleasure of beholding.

singing hymns and being picturesque at the garden tomb.

and last but not least,
friday at sunset.
also known as the beginning of sabbath here.

we went to the western wall as group,

and were able to go stick a prayer in the wall,

sing and dance with the floods of people there,

and bask in the glory of beautiful ritual and devotion.

everywhere i go, it really impresses upon me how dedicated

the people are to their faith.

whether it’s a christian, jewish, or muslim site

there is a feeling of reverence and commitment

to the ground they walk on

and the God they worship.

regardless of any religious similarities or differences,

one thing for certain,

is that it makes me want to be better.

more devoted,

more dedicated,

and more committed,

to my own beliefs and faith.

to do and be the best that i can

all because i love the Lord.

i’m grateful this place brings out the best.

.adventure chapter one.

wow.

that pretty much sums up the past few days.

i wish i could’ve captured the moment of

coming around the corner on the bus

and seeing the dome of the rock for the first time.

or coming into the jerusalem center

(aka the palace on the hill)

and my jaw dropping for how nice everything is - 

the floors, the pianos, the food, the staff…

THIS VIEW.

wowowowow.

going into the old city for the first time was somethin else too.

you kind of learn to love the smell of DI mixed with spices.

i love hearing hebrew and arabic everywhere.

i love the palestinian/israeli accents speaking english.

everywhere you look there’s something of historical or religious significance,

so it’s hard to be bored here.

and it’s a comforting thought that i don’t need to see/do everything all at once,

because i get to be here for three and half blissful months.

i’ll try to keep bragging to a minimum.

i love that i get to be on this adventure with my carl.

i love my flying buddies jessica and jake.

my humble abode, the palace.

it's real easy to study with a view like this... kind of.

i love my roommate grace. the first night we were here, the muslim call to prayer was blasting through the city at 4 am (like it does every morning), and grace starts talking in her sleep saying, "wow, i'm learning so much!" :) i knew our friendship was fate the minute she started singing one of my favorite songs that probably only 13 people on the planet know. and talk about one of the coolest cats i've ever met, seriously - she has lived all around the world, speaks spanish and german, sings and plays the guitar like nobody's business, is a car mechanic, professional photographer, avid star wars fan, not to mention has best taste in music... i'm sure there'll be more to add to the list everyday. 

i love that gabby and jenni are my other roommates and that we like to wear sun hats. and that we can laugh at night and appreciate things like boy band look-a-likes from the 90s.

i love just about everything in the markets and know i'm going to be a very poor person by the end of this trip.

i love i get to hang out with these kids every. single. day.

i love the musical parties every night.

i love that i get to walk on these slippery city steps.

i love how all the locals are photogenic.

especially the cute, little ones that smile and throw flowers at me.

i love jewish quarter traveling buddies.

 i love finally standing in front of something i've stared at pictures of for six months.

thumbs up for middle eastern produce, coke, and one shekel (30 cent) popsicles.

i love darling friends that are stoked about zechariah's tomb.

i love the sunsets here that never fail to impress.