Well, shockingly enough, I didn't leave town over the weekend! And actually it was nice to be home. Unfortunately, it rained all weekend. But it also rained in Chicago and in Indy which is probably where I would have been if I hadn't stayed home.
Friday was actually nice and I went out to lunch with a friend to play a little catch up. I also looked to see if I could find a new straightener. After about 5 years, my last one decided to quit on me (which is pretty amazing considering I only paid $25 for it at Meijer). I really wish it hadn't decided to quit though before such a rainy week! I think we all know how amazing my hair looks in the rain and the humidity! :)
Friday night I bowled on my bowling league. I'm pretty awesome, and by awesome I mean, my average is a 65. But I actually did pretty well on Friday and bowled a 70, 90, and 86. The team is usually just happy if I hit my average so I think they were pleased. Afterwards I headed to a local bar to meet up with some other friends. I witnessed some excellent pool playing including playing with your left hand and playing one handed with the opposite end of the pool cue.
Saturday I woke up to the rain so I decided to head to the grocery store thinking most people would choose to stay inside. Wrong. The store was PACKED! I grabbed what I needed and headed out of there as fast as possible. I did find some Chilean wine that's called 35 degrees or something like that. I haven't tried it yet but I'm pretty sure if you're supposed to judge wine by the name and lable, this is a good bottle. Biggest disappointment--Meijer is hiding all the Cadbury Cream Eggs from me!!
Saturday night we headed to Bay City for a little change of pace. We started at a place called "The Arlington" which had shuffleboard as a game! But it's different then what you see people playing on a cruise boat...it's shuffleboard on a table. I didn't actually play but it looked interesting enough. The Arlington is also a place where local bands play so we listed to a band where I knew one of the guys --and by knew I mean, I met him the night before. I can't say that it was the kind of music I'd choose to listen to on my own, but I'm all about moral support. After that we headed to a different bar to do some dancing. One good thing about Bay City is they still play the Cupid Shuffle. Will that song ever get old?
I didn't get up Sunday until 12:30 which I'm blaming on Daylight Savings Time. Once I was up though, I was on a mission. By 3:00 I'd made a lasagna and a chocolate cake! I haven't actually eaten either of these dishes yet but if they're any good I'll be sure to pass along the recipe. One thing that was fun though was that I bought a Dutch Oven for the lasagna and it's possibly my new favorite thing in the kitchen. I just need to figure out what else I can make in it. I kept up the cooking spree later by making myself fish for dinner and some Bakla (which is a Turkish dish made with lima beans). I also discovered how to use our OnDemand. I watched Bee Movie (which was not good even though it has Jerry Seinfeld in it) and the end of Fool's Gold. That was actually one I enjoyed. By the time I finished that movie, it was raining pretty hard and even though it was still relatively early, I called it a night. It's very hard to stay awake when it's raining outside.
So that was it! All in all, I'd say the weekend was quite enjoyable. This weekend I'll be spending St. Patrick's Day in Chicago!
I'm currently eligible for jury duty though every time I've called in, I've been told that I don't need to report at this time. I really want to be called in though. I mean, what other time is reading all those John Grisham books going to pay off? I have to call again this Wednesday so keep your fingers crossed! :)
Monday
The Other Big D
Well, I have returned from a glorious long weekend in Dallas and I have lots to share!
I arrived in Dallas early Thursday evening. Our first stop was Le Madeline for some delicious Panera style dinner. Then we headed back to Nicole's amazing condo (seriously, it's super cute!) and attempted to get ready to go watch the Purdue game. Of course we got distracted by talking and were late...this is a reoccurring theme in our weekend. We went to a bar called Frankie's where I saw Brigid and Brian. Plus I met two other Purdue people! Apparently Dallas attracts Boilermakers. Unfortunately, we all gathered there to watch Purdue lose to Michigan...
Friday I got to sleep in and woke up in time to go to yoga with Nicole. We did hot room yoga which I decided is just a ploy to kill people. Why are people volunteering to workout in a 98 degree room? Just kidding. It was actually fine until I felt like I was ready to pass out and had to leave the room. I found out later that I was actually supposed to stay in there to at least let me my body adjust to the heat. Sorry Mr. Yoga Instructor Man...I didn't want to puke in front of strangers. I actually didn't get sick. But I did spend the rest of the class outside.
After yoga we went back to Nicole's and she did a little working while I walked down the street to get a mani/pedi. I am on vacation after all! Normally I hate mani's but I actually really enjoyed this one and I've managed to go 3 days without ruining it so maybe this will become a reoccuring event.
Friday night we went out to dinner with Jace and Brigid to a place called Sushi Zushi. They had by far the biggest sushi menu I've ever seen! And it was all delicious! After dinner we went to go play with none other then Gregory Schildmeier! After the girls dominated in catch phrase, we decided it was time to head out on the town. We went to a bar Irish bar where of course there had to be car bombs involved! Greg and I made plans for my next visit to be a little reunion in Austin and then Nicole and I proceeded to mock Jace's ability to dress himself. All in all, a very enjoyable evening!
Saturday I slept in way late mainly due to the black hole that I was happily sleeping in. We finally started functioning and headed to the movies to go see Confessions of a Shopaholic (which I thoroughly enjoyed!) complete with a giant icee--a must in Texas. Afterwards we went shopping (what else!) to kill some time before we needed to get ready for the evening.
For dinner on Saturday we started off with champagne and appetizers at Brigid's apartment. I've never seen more gated communities then I did in Dallas. Then we headed off to a restaurant called Cuba Libre where the food was so-so but the sangria was excellent! After that we went to a place called the Corner Bar. The evening was full of lots of laughs and good friends...you can't ask for anything more!
Sunday we woke up in time for brunch at State and Allen. Then it was back to Nicole's to pack up! We headed to the airport and were able to visit a bit with Nicole's mom who happened to be passing through DFW the same day! I also got to ride the Skylink (the tram) at the airport which I enjoyed probably more then most. I got to my gate just in time to board and was given an exit row! I'm pretty sure this was because they saw how tall I was and that I needed a lot of leg room. ;) Aside from a 10 minute delay in Detroit the trip home was hassle free and I collapsed into my bed when I got home just before midnight! The weekend was glorious but I was exhausted!
I did managed to finish New Moon while at the airport (I'm a little behind the bandwagon on the Twilight series). I know everyone said that was the worst one but I liked it.
I'm still looking for my camera cord but I promise pictures will be posted this weekend!
I arrived in Dallas early Thursday evening. Our first stop was Le Madeline for some delicious Panera style dinner. Then we headed back to Nicole's amazing condo (seriously, it's super cute!) and attempted to get ready to go watch the Purdue game. Of course we got distracted by talking and were late...this is a reoccurring theme in our weekend. We went to a bar called Frankie's where I saw Brigid and Brian. Plus I met two other Purdue people! Apparently Dallas attracts Boilermakers. Unfortunately, we all gathered there to watch Purdue lose to Michigan...
Friday I got to sleep in and woke up in time to go to yoga with Nicole. We did hot room yoga which I decided is just a ploy to kill people. Why are people volunteering to workout in a 98 degree room? Just kidding. It was actually fine until I felt like I was ready to pass out and had to leave the room. I found out later that I was actually supposed to stay in there to at least let me my body adjust to the heat. Sorry Mr. Yoga Instructor Man...I didn't want to puke in front of strangers. I actually didn't get sick. But I did spend the rest of the class outside.
After yoga we went back to Nicole's and she did a little working while I walked down the street to get a mani/pedi. I am on vacation after all! Normally I hate mani's but I actually really enjoyed this one and I've managed to go 3 days without ruining it so maybe this will become a reoccuring event.
Friday night we went out to dinner with Jace and Brigid to a place called Sushi Zushi. They had by far the biggest sushi menu I've ever seen! And it was all delicious! After dinner we went to go play with none other then Gregory Schildmeier! After the girls dominated in catch phrase, we decided it was time to head out on the town. We went to a bar Irish bar where of course there had to be car bombs involved! Greg and I made plans for my next visit to be a little reunion in Austin and then Nicole and I proceeded to mock Jace's ability to dress himself. All in all, a very enjoyable evening!
Saturday I slept in way late mainly due to the black hole that I was happily sleeping in. We finally started functioning and headed to the movies to go see Confessions of a Shopaholic (which I thoroughly enjoyed!) complete with a giant icee--a must in Texas. Afterwards we went shopping (what else!) to kill some time before we needed to get ready for the evening.For dinner on Saturday we started off with champagne and appetizers at Brigid's apartment. I've never seen more gated communities then I did in Dallas. Then we headed off to a restaurant called Cuba Libre where the food was so-so but the sangria was excellent! After that we went to a place called the Corner Bar. The evening was full of lots of laughs and good friends...you can't ask for anything more!
Sunday we woke up in time for brunch at State and Allen. Then it was back to Nicole's to pack up! We headed to the airport and were able to visit a bit with Nicole's mom who happened to be passing through DFW the same day! I also got to ride the Skylink (the tram) at the airport which I enjoyed probably more then most. I got to my gate just in time to board and was given an exit row! I'm pretty sure this was because they saw how tall I was and that I needed a lot of leg room. ;) Aside from a 10 minute delay in Detroit the trip home was hassle free and I collapsed into my bed when I got home just before midnight! The weekend was glorious but I was exhausted!I did managed to finish New Moon while at the airport (I'm a little behind the bandwagon on the Twilight series). I know everyone said that was the worst one but I liked it.
I'm still looking for my camera cord but I promise pictures will be posted this weekend!
Wednesday
Fat Tuesday to Ash Wednesday
Well for those who are not aware, today is Ash Wednesday. Now technically Lent is not a part of my religion, but I like to give something up anyway. Last year I gave up Chinese food and that went well. This year Chinese food and fast food. I know some people give up chocolate but I would just find that to be torture. A friend of mine is giving up meat. I don't know how that's even possible. I once attempted to give up red meat...it only lasted about 3 days.
In other news, plans have started to be made for my Dallas trip this weekend and I'm quite excited! Of course part of the plans will include watching Purdue beat Michigan tomorrow night! We're also going to do hot room yoga which I've never done before but have heard about and am quite curious. This got me looking to see if there is anywhere to do Yoga around here and wouldn't you know it...we have a yoga place! So once I return from my trip I think I'm going to venture out there and check it out. I'll keep you posted.
I was sent the video below and I found it pretty hilarious so I decided to post it on here. I never did get the belly dancing video to work because it was too big, even for Facebook.
Sunday is March 1. This is a day I look forward to all winter. Why is that you might ask? Because its' the day Great Lakes Ice Cream opens up for the season! If you ever come visit between Sunday and the end of October, I can assure you, we will be going there.
Sunday night, I have to call the clerk's office to see if I need to report to jury duty. That's pretty exciting. I really want to be on the jury. I know the cases in Midland won't be like the ones I read in my John Grisham books but I'm sure it would still be interesting.
I heard on the radio today that the second Twilight movie is coming out June 21...the first day of summer. That may or may not be true but that's what they are reporting.
In other news, plans have started to be made for my Dallas trip this weekend and I'm quite excited! Of course part of the plans will include watching Purdue beat Michigan tomorrow night! We're also going to do hot room yoga which I've never done before but have heard about and am quite curious. This got me looking to see if there is anywhere to do Yoga around here and wouldn't you know it...we have a yoga place! So once I return from my trip I think I'm going to venture out there and check it out. I'll keep you posted.
I was sent the video below and I found it pretty hilarious so I decided to post it on here. I never did get the belly dancing video to work because it was too big, even for Facebook.
Sunday is March 1. This is a day I look forward to all winter. Why is that you might ask? Because its' the day Great Lakes Ice Cream opens up for the season! If you ever come visit between Sunday and the end of October, I can assure you, we will be going there.
Sunday night, I have to call the clerk's office to see if I need to report to jury duty. That's pretty exciting. I really want to be on the jury. I know the cases in Midland won't be like the ones I read in my John Grisham books but I'm sure it would still be interesting.
I heard on the radio today that the second Twilight movie is coming out June 21...the first day of summer. That may or may not be true but that's what they are reporting.
Monday
I love Wisconsin...and carnivores...
I can now say that I've been to the state of Wisconsin...even though all weekend I called it Minnesota. Apparently I have my states a little mixed up.
Friday afternoon I drove to Chicago stopping in Indiana to pick up Colleen from an interview. Then in Chicago I went to play with my sister for a couple hours before we packed up the car and headed to Wisconsin! Kylie's apartment is super cute and in a GREAT location. We walked everywhere all weekend because it's all so close! Her apartment overlooks the Riverwalk and though it was frozen and snow covered while we were there, I believe her when she says it looks nice in good weather. We arrived in Milwaukee, did some snacking and chatting, and then headed out for the night! We decided to try some places Kylie had never been before just for a little change of pace. The second bar we went to had a pretty empty dance floor so we took full advantage and showed off our killer dance moves. I seemed to have misplaced my camera cord when I was unpacking after Turkey but once I find it, I'll be sure to post some pics.
Once we were done dancing, we headed to a place that Kylie has named "Clown Bar". As we were walking there we ran into some Australians on the street. What Australians are doing in Milwaukee is beyond me and I decided it was a moment worth documenting. Colleen, did you by any chance remember to ask them if they knew Louie?
Saturday morning we woke up rather early (I'll take some responsibility for that) and headed out for bagels. It was only after milk was spit up on to the table from laughing way too much (Is this meat!?) that we decided it was time to go. We changed into some warm attire (as it was now snowing heavily) and headed to the ice skating rink! Now, I haven't been ice skating in who knows how long but we managed to avoid any catastrophic spills so we couldn't have been that bad. We then headed inside to go watch Purdue beat IU in basketball (Go Boilers!) and then headed back to Kylie's for naps (which I did not take) and showers (which I did take).
Saturday night we were joined by Kylie's friend Carrie who fit right in. We headed to a bar called Bootleggers for our Mardi Gras celebration! After a little while at Bootleggers they switched from a DJ to a 2 man band. I'd have to say that they were pretty good (though Colleen disagreed for certain songs). :) We ended up staying there until close at which point we headed back to Kylie's for a dance party and staying up as late as possible.
Sunday morning we woke up, tidied up and then headed back on the road to Chicago. Then it was back in the car for me for another 5 hours. Thank goodness for books on tape and a lot of singing and dancing in the car. I made it back by 8pm and was asleep by 8:30.
This weekend...Dallas, Texas!!
Friday afternoon I drove to Chicago stopping in Indiana to pick up Colleen from an interview. Then in Chicago I went to play with my sister for a couple hours before we packed up the car and headed to Wisconsin! Kylie's apartment is super cute and in a GREAT location. We walked everywhere all weekend because it's all so close! Her apartment overlooks the Riverwalk and though it was frozen and snow covered while we were there, I believe her when she says it looks nice in good weather. We arrived in Milwaukee, did some snacking and chatting, and then headed out for the night! We decided to try some places Kylie had never been before just for a little change of pace. The second bar we went to had a pretty empty dance floor so we took full advantage and showed off our killer dance moves. I seemed to have misplaced my camera cord when I was unpacking after Turkey but once I find it, I'll be sure to post some pics.
Once we were done dancing, we headed to a place that Kylie has named "Clown Bar". As we were walking there we ran into some Australians on the street. What Australians are doing in Milwaukee is beyond me and I decided it was a moment worth documenting. Colleen, did you by any chance remember to ask them if they knew Louie?
Saturday morning we woke up rather early (I'll take some responsibility for that) and headed out for bagels. It was only after milk was spit up on to the table from laughing way too much (Is this meat!?) that we decided it was time to go. We changed into some warm attire (as it was now snowing heavily) and headed to the ice skating rink! Now, I haven't been ice skating in who knows how long but we managed to avoid any catastrophic spills so we couldn't have been that bad. We then headed inside to go watch Purdue beat IU in basketball (Go Boilers!) and then headed back to Kylie's for naps (which I did not take) and showers (which I did take).Saturday night we were joined by Kylie's friend Carrie who fit right in. We headed to a bar called Bootleggers for our Mardi Gras celebration! After a little while at Bootleggers they switched from a DJ to a 2 man band. I'd have to say that they were pretty good (though Colleen disagreed for certain songs). :) We ended up staying there until close at which point we headed back to Kylie's for a dance party and staying up as late as possible.
Sunday morning we woke up, tidied up and then headed back on the road to Chicago. Then it was back in the car for me for another 5 hours. Thank goodness for books on tape and a lot of singing and dancing in the car. I made it back by 8pm and was asleep by 8:30.This weekend...Dallas, Texas!!
Wednesday
Winter...
Well, I made it back from Turkey safe and sound. I had this great plan to not sleep the night of my flight so that I could sleep the entire way home and be adjusted to the time zone by the time I returned to Michigan. Unfortunately, when this plan was tested, it didn't work exactly as planned. I arrived back in Michigan around 6pm and was home and in bed by 8pm. But 12 hours later I woke up as though I'd never even left the country! So I wouldn't call it a complete failure.
I spent most of the weekend attempting to get my life back together. I managed to finish all my unpacking, get a few groceries to survive the week, and even do a little socializing. As mentioned in a previous entry, the Dow Corning Classing tennis tournament took place this month. I only watched one set of one double's match but if I'm in town next year, I'd be interested in attending more. This match happened to be followed by Dueling Pianos. I happen to love dueling pianos and though it was no Thursday night piano bar at the Cactus, I still had a good time. Though the atmosphere is sufficiently different when you're surrounded by a crowd of people of all ages and not just a bunch of college students.
I was so happy that when I landed in Michigan there was hardly any snow on the ground and my car was easily found in the parking lot at the airport. I thought maybe the groundhog prediction was going to be wrong this year. As the weekend continued, I found out that it was not.
I also went and saw the International. I'd give it 3.5 to 4 stars. That last half a star might only be due to the fact that a short chunk of the movie took place in Istanbul. That made me rather happy. :)
This weekend I'm off to Milwaukee, Wisconsin!!
I spent most of the weekend attempting to get my life back together. I managed to finish all my unpacking, get a few groceries to survive the week, and even do a little socializing. As mentioned in a previous entry, the Dow Corning Classing tennis tournament took place this month. I only watched one set of one double's match but if I'm in town next year, I'd be interested in attending more. This match happened to be followed by Dueling Pianos. I happen to love dueling pianos and though it was no Thursday night piano bar at the Cactus, I still had a good time. Though the atmosphere is sufficiently different when you're surrounded by a crowd of people of all ages and not just a bunch of college students.
I was so happy that when I landed in Michigan there was hardly any snow on the ground and my car was easily found in the parking lot at the airport. I thought maybe the groundhog prediction was going to be wrong this year. As the weekend continued, I found out that it was not.
I also went and saw the International. I'd give it 3.5 to 4 stars. That last half a star might only be due to the fact that a short chunk of the movie took place in Istanbul. That made me rather happy. :)
This weekend I'm off to Milwaukee, Wisconsin!!
Thursday
All good things must come to an end
Well, my trip to Istanbul can pretty much be classified as "over". I'm sitting at the airport now waiting for my flight. I have to say that the last week flew by! Toward the end of the trip I debated extending my ticket through the weekend...but then I remembered how miserable it is to go back to work without adjusting to the timezone and decided against it.
Let's see...a new member of our team arrived on Sunday to review all the work we'd done for the last 2 weeks. Unfortunately, due to his limited time in Istanbul, he didn't get to do any sight-seeing. We did try to take him to some of our favorite restaurants though. This included one called "Go Mongo" which is a Mongolian restaurant that came highly recommended by multiple people.
Tuesday night a few of us went out for dinner. Then my cousin's fiance and I met up for some coffee (or wine as it turned out). Considering I just met her for the first time last summer on my last day in Turkey, it was nice to be able to spend so much time together while I was here for this trip! Hopefully we'll have a chance to hang out again before the wedding this summer!
Wednesday we were invited over to the home of one of the finance people from work. He had a beautiful home on the Asian side of Istanbul, a lovely wife (who is an amazing cook), and too cute little kids. The food was delicious and the company was great! Just another example of great Turkish hospitality! :) I'd have to say the perk of the evening was that this gentleman's wife was from Thailand so she prepared some Thai dishes and some Turkish dishes for our meal. It was all divine and sometimes I wonder if I wasn't Asian in a past life.
Thursday was our last day in the office. We went in for the morning to have our exit meeting and say our good-byes. The office gave us each a gift of beautifully decorated plates. I have a picture but I don't have my cord to connect my camera with me so I'll have to post those later. After we left we had our last team lunch and then sent two of our team members off to the airport. Another team member and I decided to spend the rest of our day with one last trip to the Grand Bazaar and the Spice Market to spend the rest of our cash. I have to say it was quite successful and Nat, you can start checking the mail for your Turkish Delight next week!
Thursday night my aunt picked me up to take me to one of my cousin's house's for dinner. As always it's always nice to get to see some family. Being away from home for so long can make you a little homesick so seeing family always helps! My cousin has an adorable son and a daughter who I just saw in July and can't believe how much they've grown in six months! I exhausted myself playing with them and probably will be incredibly sore from swinging them around so much but I don't get to play with them very often! I got some pictures of them too but again they will be posted later. Dammie, you won't believe how big Baby Emre is now!
After dinner I made it back to the hotel around midnight and continued packing my luggage which I'd made little headway on previously. Somehow I managed to fit all my stuff, all my purchases, the gifts I received, and a package for my parents into my luggage. I was well over the weight limit when I checked in but the guy didn't say anything and I wasn't going to point it out!
I'm anxiously waiting to board the plane as it's now 4:30 in the morning here and I haven't slept in almost 24 hours. And speaking of 24 hours, I realized that I forgot to pack my headphones in my carry-on so I won't be finishing 24 on this plane ride home.
I have to say that this was possibly my best work trip yet! I kept saying that we should give a poor review of the location so that we would have to come back again in 18 months, but I was just joking...sort of. :) We're already planning our trip back for this summer and the only thing better then a business trip to Turkey is a vacation in Turkey!
Let's see...a new member of our team arrived on Sunday to review all the work we'd done for the last 2 weeks. Unfortunately, due to his limited time in Istanbul, he didn't get to do any sight-seeing. We did try to take him to some of our favorite restaurants though. This included one called "Go Mongo" which is a Mongolian restaurant that came highly recommended by multiple people.
Tuesday night a few of us went out for dinner. Then my cousin's fiance and I met up for some coffee (or wine as it turned out). Considering I just met her for the first time last summer on my last day in Turkey, it was nice to be able to spend so much time together while I was here for this trip! Hopefully we'll have a chance to hang out again before the wedding this summer!
Wednesday we were invited over to the home of one of the finance people from work. He had a beautiful home on the Asian side of Istanbul, a lovely wife (who is an amazing cook), and too cute little kids. The food was delicious and the company was great! Just another example of great Turkish hospitality! :) I'd have to say the perk of the evening was that this gentleman's wife was from Thailand so she prepared some Thai dishes and some Turkish dishes for our meal. It was all divine and sometimes I wonder if I wasn't Asian in a past life.
Thursday was our last day in the office. We went in for the morning to have our exit meeting and say our good-byes. The office gave us each a gift of beautifully decorated plates. I have a picture but I don't have my cord to connect my camera with me so I'll have to post those later. After we left we had our last team lunch and then sent two of our team members off to the airport. Another team member and I decided to spend the rest of our day with one last trip to the Grand Bazaar and the Spice Market to spend the rest of our cash. I have to say it was quite successful and Nat, you can start checking the mail for your Turkish Delight next week!
Thursday night my aunt picked me up to take me to one of my cousin's house's for dinner. As always it's always nice to get to see some family. Being away from home for so long can make you a little homesick so seeing family always helps! My cousin has an adorable son and a daughter who I just saw in July and can't believe how much they've grown in six months! I exhausted myself playing with them and probably will be incredibly sore from swinging them around so much but I don't get to play with them very often! I got some pictures of them too but again they will be posted later. Dammie, you won't believe how big Baby Emre is now!
After dinner I made it back to the hotel around midnight and continued packing my luggage which I'd made little headway on previously. Somehow I managed to fit all my stuff, all my purchases, the gifts I received, and a package for my parents into my luggage. I was well over the weight limit when I checked in but the guy didn't say anything and I wasn't going to point it out!
I'm anxiously waiting to board the plane as it's now 4:30 in the morning here and I haven't slept in almost 24 hours. And speaking of 24 hours, I realized that I forgot to pack my headphones in my carry-on so I won't be finishing 24 on this plane ride home.
I have to say that this was possibly my best work trip yet! I kept saying that we should give a poor review of the location so that we would have to come back again in 18 months, but I was just joking...sort of. :) We're already planning our trip back for this summer and the only thing better then a business trip to Turkey is a vacation in Turkey!
Sunday
I love birthdays!
Well, here we are in week 3 in Istanbul!! Sometimes it seems unreal that I have been in Istanbul this long!! I feel so lucky that I got to see so much of my family on this trip. Even my aunt who lives in Indiana came to Istanbul on Saturday so I got to see her too!!
This weekend was much more uneventful then the others due to bad weather. We had planned to do a boat tour on the Bosporus on Saturday which had been predicted to be sunny and lovely but woke up to gray overcast skies. We ended up hitting up the malls instead. It was a successful trip I would like to say complete with lunch and a new pair of shoes (please ignore the ugly carpet in the picture). You can't beat that!
Saturday night I went out to dinner 2 of my aunts, my uncle, two of my cousins, my cousin's fiance and my cousin's finace's mom. It was a double celebration celebrating my cousin's fiance's birthday and my aunt's arrival in Turkey! Just like all our meals here it was delicious and huge! Afterward the younger half of the group went to Taksim to meet up with some of my cousin's friends and do some dancing.
They played some pretty awesome songs that you wouldn't normally here as much in the U.S. like Ace of Base and some Aretha Franklin! We left the first bar around 3 am and I thought we were going going home but apparently we were just heading to the next bar! You can always find a party at any time of the night in Istanbul!
In between getting from one bar to the next, a small party broke out in the street. I tried my best to get a picture of the dancing!
We ended up having to drive past my cousin's apartment on the way to the second bar and decided we were all exhuasted and passed on the after party. Instead we stayed up talking and rehashing all the good times we had as kids and talked about the fun we're going to have this summer when we come back for my cousin's wedding! My cousin's apartment has a great view of one of the bridges that connects the Asian and European sides of Istanbul which they recently added lights too.
Sunday we slept in and then I was dropped back off at my hotel which I've now started to call home. I secretly love living in a hotel. I love that I have a bathroom that's attached to my room. Plus I have a huge closet, fresh towels every day, and someone comes in every morning to make my bed, and every evening for turn down service and leaves me a little snack. What's not to love?
I feel like I still have so much left to do while I'm here and not enough time to do it all. Working for most of the day really gets in the way!
This weekend was much more uneventful then the others due to bad weather. We had planned to do a boat tour on the Bosporus on Saturday which had been predicted to be sunny and lovely but woke up to gray overcast skies. We ended up hitting up the malls instead. It was a successful trip I would like to say complete with lunch and a new pair of shoes (please ignore the ugly carpet in the picture). You can't beat that!
Saturday night I went out to dinner 2 of my aunts, my uncle, two of my cousins, my cousin's fiance and my cousin's finace's mom. It was a double celebration celebrating my cousin's fiance's birthday and my aunt's arrival in Turkey! Just like all our meals here it was delicious and huge! Afterward the younger half of the group went to Taksim to meet up with some of my cousin's friends and do some dancing.They played some pretty awesome songs that you wouldn't normally here as much in the U.S. like Ace of Base and some Aretha Franklin! We left the first bar around 3 am and I thought we were going going home but apparently we were just heading to the next bar! You can always find a party at any time of the night in Istanbul!
In between getting from one bar to the next, a small party broke out in the street. I tried my best to get a picture of the dancing!
We ended up having to drive past my cousin's apartment on the way to the second bar and decided we were all exhuasted and passed on the after party. Instead we stayed up talking and rehashing all the good times we had as kids and talked about the fun we're going to have this summer when we come back for my cousin's wedding! My cousin's apartment has a great view of one of the bridges that connects the Asian and European sides of Istanbul which they recently added lights too.
Sunday we slept in and then I was dropped back off at my hotel which I've now started to call home. I secretly love living in a hotel. I love that I have a bathroom that's attached to my room. Plus I have a huge closet, fresh towels every day, and someone comes in every morning to make my bed, and every evening for turn down service and leaves me a little snack. What's not to love?I feel like I still have so much left to do while I'm here and not enough time to do it all. Working for most of the day really gets in the way!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
