Turks Know How to Have Fun

I have recently returned from a glorious 2 week vacation in Turkey! I miss the days when I didn't have a job and used to be able to go to Turkey for 2 months at a time. Delicious food, amazing weather, almost all of my family, and MADO ice cream--what more could a girl ask for?
This year was extra special for multiple reasons. 1. My little cousin (who is actually only 1.5 years younger then me) got married!! 2. My brother-in-law came to Turkey to meet the entire family and 3. I was given permission to bring a friend so Stacey came with me!! Damla and I made sure to show our guests why we love coming to Turkey!

We started our trip in Istanbul. We arrived Thursday afternoon and just unwound with a nice family dinner. Friday--the sightseeing began!! We took a ferry boat over to Eminonu and went to the New Mosque, the Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque, the Grand Bazaar, the Basilica Cistern, and the Spice Market! WHEW!! As you can imagine this pretty much took up our entire day! But it was well worth it because we saw a lot of sights!! That night we went out to dinner with my cousins and their husbands at the Moda Yacht Club. If you ever make it there, their sea bass is delish! Afterwards, my cousin Hakan (the groom to be)

Saturday we went to Bagdat Street which is pretty much the Michigan Avenue of Istanbul. We met up with my cousin Hakan and his friend Sanli. There we just walked around and then stopped for coffee. Damla was given her second failed attempt at iced coffee since we arrived in Turkey. I don't know why she just doesn't go to Starbucks! They have them here!!

We headed back in the early afternoon because we had all made appointments to get our hair done. The hairdressers in Turkey are great at what they do though I can't say this was our most successful trip. But Stacey got to experience a Turkish blow out so I won't say it was a complete loss!

Afterwards it was time to put on our dresses, do our make up and head off to the wedding! The wedding was at Portax which is right along the Bosphorus. It was outdoors and the weather was amazing as always. Turkish weddings are slightly different from American weddings in that they begin with cocktails and then take a break in the middle for the quick ceremony and then the party continues on until the wee hours of the night!! Canan (the bride) looked absolutely amazing in her long lace dress! The cake was beautiful and the music made it hard to force yourself to sit down and eat! We all had a great time and it was so nice to see so much family there! The groom's side of the family did an especially good job of keeping the party going past 2 am!!

Sunday started with more sight seeing. Unfortunately we got a late start and they weren't letting any more people into the Dolmabahce palace but we did get some lovely pictures at the gate and in the garden. And it worked out because our quick improvisation skills took us to Taksim to go see the Galata tower. Also in Taksim we walked down Istiklal Street which is a famous street with lots of stores and restaurants including MADO! From the Galata Tower we got some amazing views of Istanbul. It was lovely and I'm glad we got to go there because the pictures I took in January didn't do justice to the view.


After that it was back to my aunt's house to get our suitcases ready and board the buses. Stacey was on her way to our beach house and I was on my way to go visit my grandpa in Eregli. Eregli is near the middle of Turkey and isn't really full of exciting things to see so we decided to let Stacey skip that trip. My cousin has a farm in Eregli so the food we eat is always so fresh and delicious there. I can only imagine if I lived there with not a lot to do and tons of delicious food around!!

That night it was back on the bus AGAIN but this time to the beach house! We made it back to the west side of Turkey by morning and I was swimming in the Aegean sea by 11 am. This is definitely my favorite part of Turkey. I don't love swimming in pools but I LOVE SEAS AND OCEANS! Plus the water in Turkey is amazingly clear and beautiful. My brother in law said it was weird that he could see his feet in the water!

We spent the next 5 days at the beach laying out, reading, playing Euchre and Okey, drinking Fruko, teaching JB and Stacey Turkish, hanging out with old friends, laughing, talking, enjoying delicious food, spending time with family...but not very much time sleeping!!

On Saturday my aunt and uncle came to our house and we took their boat out. Some of you might have heard about the adventures we had on the boat last summer. Well, this year we figured we were in good shape because JB is quite the boat captain. But, as it turns out, there is only so much a captain can do when your gas guage is broken and you run out of gas in the middle of the Aegean Sea! Whoops! Thankfully we didn't stray too far from home and the marina was able to send out a tugboat to pull us home! And really, it wasn't that bad b/c the sun was out and we weren't in danger of hitting anything so we just continued to enjoy the day!

Saturday night we ventured to Altinkum which is the name of the downtown area close to our summer house. We went to a club there called Medusa just to give the Americans an experience at the Turkish clubs. Though I don't love Techno music, you can't help but love a club that only has walls on 3 sides and one side that opens up to the Aegean Sea. Plus it doesn't have a roof because they know it's never going to rain!

Sunday we enjoyed our last day on the beach and then that night boarded the bus yet again back to Istanbul. Our trip was almost over! We arrived in Istanbul early Monday morning and though we were exhausted we set out for our last day of fun in Turkey. First we went back to the Grand Bazaar to get any last minute souvenirs. We also stopped to have lunch. Then we headed back to the docks and took a Bosphorus Tour. Basically a boat just drives you from one end of the Bosphorus to the other on both sides so that you can see the buildings and houses. I love the way Istanbul is set up because its a great mix of beautiful historic castles and modern houses and buildings.

I have tried to include as many pictures as possible and sorry that this entry was so long. I could have updated it occasionally while I was in Turkey but I really didn't want to waste too much time indoors in front of a computer!

Up and coming things in my life include more and more weddings (of course!), maybe a trip to Wisconsin, a trip to Spain in October is in the works...and I think that's it!

Happy Birthday America!

This past weekend was 4th of July weekend. This is always fun because I'm usually not here for the 4th so the occasional years that I do stay are always enjoyable. Last year I was on a flight to Turkey at this time and that is only a couple days away!!

Thursday night I went and spent some time with Mommy before she left for Turkey the following morning. Watching her pack really got me geared up to go!! I took her to the airport Friday morning (I'm quite excited to actually go in the new airport this Wednesday!). Afterwards, I went and bought a brand new suitcase. My other one had become destroyed during my stint in Auditing as well as all my side trips so it was time for an upgrade. I bought a green one because I was sick of looking for my black suitcase amongst all the other ones that looked just like it. I had lots of good intentions to pack on Friday...but then we were invited to spend the day at Geist and I have my priorities...so off to Geist it was!

We spent the day lounging by the pool doing a whole lot of nothing but enjoying the nice weather. Around dinner time we headed back to Broadripple to meet up with Lynn who happened to be in town. We had some dinner and then Stef and I hit up the strip. Unfortunately, not everyone else managed to make it out so the bars were a little slow. We managed to make a few negative friends before we made it home.

Saturday I made a little trip over to Gina's condo to visit her family while they were in town visiting. It was so good to see them and I am looking forward to the trip Gina and I are planning on taking to STL sometime soon!! I also got to enjoy wonderful cooking by Gina's mom Susan which is always a nice treat!!

After that I headed to the opposite corner of Indianapolis to go to the Kamm Family 4th of July cook-out! The rest of the day and into the evening was filled with delicious food (especially desserts) and lots of laughing from hilarious recounts of past experiences. If it weren't for the rain and the lack of fireworks, I'd say it was a perfect day! I ended up just watching the Macy's fireworks in New York on TV. That sufficed.

Sunday was a day of errands. We set off around noon to go to Revolver which happens to be Laura's boyfriend's store. I got some great new hat for Turkey, a t-shirt, and some fun new shoes!
The store is located in Hamilton Towne Center which I'd never been in before but actually is a really cute outdoor mall area. It has a Banana Republic, Express, DSW, Black House White Market, and Ann Taylor loft too. I have a feeling I'll be frequenting it more often! After that we hit up Macy's and Target for some other odds and ends. I spent the rest of the day doing laundry and getting ready for my trip. I'm still not completely packed but I'm getting there. Only 2 more days!! I CAN'T WAIT!! I'm so excited to see my family as always. Plus my cousin is getting married on Saturday and Turkish weddings are always a great time. Add in the ice cream, delicious food, gorgeous beaches, and fabulous weather and I don't think I could ask for a better vacation!! SO EXCITED!!

Well, it's quarter close in the financial world so it's back to work!

I've Been Waiting 25 Years for This!

Well, it happened! I FINALLY turned 25 on June 25th! And it seems like things just fell into place. For one, our department picnic was the same day. The only thing better then having the day off work is only having to go to work for 2 hours and then getting to spend of the day playing outside. I was really surprised how much people got involved in the activities. There was softball, kickball, volleyball, and corn hole! Though rain was predicted, it never came and though it was hot, it was a really fun day! Even I went out and attempted to see if I had somehow become a natural at volleyball even though I hadn't played since sophomore year gym class. Turns out, I should stick to tennis.
Look at that amazing form!!
Mommy took me to dinner at Ocean World for my official birthday dinner. They even brought me some green tea ice cream with a candle in it!

Friday afternoon, Damla flew into town. Then Damla, Mommy, and I all went to Fogo de Chao for dinner for yet another birthday celebration. Of course, I'm making the celebrations last as long as possible! The food at Fogo was delicious and the atmosphere was just as fun as I remember!Saturday the Chicago girls came down for some more celebrating! I've never not had a good time with so many of us in one place! I wish that one day we could all live in one giant house again but just as grownups. Or maybe just all live in the same city. We had a little pre-party on the patio and enjoyed the functionality of our newly purchased patio furniture. Then we headed out to all the rest of Broadripple to enjoy our company.

Sunday began with our traditional breakfast at Einstein and then after that it was time for the Chicago girls to drive home. I didn't want the girls to have to leave but at the same time I was really happy that for once I didn't have to make the dreaded 5 hour drive back to Midland after a fun weekend. I think sometimes I still have a hard time grasping that I'm back in Indianapolis.

Sunday was also filled with another fun event--drinks with Roski! He was in town doing some wedding preparations for his wedding in September but was able to squeeze in some Emel time. It's always good to see old friends!

I'd have to say this was a WONDERFUL birthday and thank you to everyone who came out on Saturday to spend it with me!

Triple Triples

Somehow I've only been to Broadripple twice since I've moved here. The weekends are just busy in the summer and we haven't had a chance to make our visits as frequently as we would wish. However, I would have to say that my first visit was a good initiation and I'd like to put in a little tidbit about it.

We started off the night with dinner at Canal Point (which used to be the Seafood Shack). Afterwards we decided to continue enjoying the beautiful weather and went to Brugge to sit on the deck. Brugge brews 3 of it's own beers. The black, white, and triple. We were told the Triple is quite good and ordered a round of those. I would have to agree that it does have a nice taste. We each drank 2 and were informed that 2 is the limit. 2 Triples = 1.5 bottles of wine! Yikes! Needless to say, I did not feel amazing on Sunday and probably won't be drinking any more triples in the near future...or at least not in combination with anything else!

I want to quit the gym

Well, life is continuing to go well! I'm finding my job to be a good challenge. There is a lot to do and it's tough to distinguish what I should be doing first but I just try to cross off a few things on my to do list every day. At the very least, I like what I'm doing so I can't complain. Due to some reorganization, I already have a new boss but I find him to be very straight forward so the change was not upsetting.

The apartment continues to be my favorite place I've lived since KKG! Kamm and Farley have proven to be quite good influences. They are both avid runners to say the least and though I'm not as into running as they are, I at least consider the fact that they're probably out running and not at home after work so I might as well go work out rather then sit at home by myself.

Upon moving to Indy, I joined LA Fitness. They just built one close to work and there is also another one close to home so I figured it was a no brainer. When you sign up, they give you a free personal training session with a guy who convinces you that personal training is the one and only thing that is missing to making your life complete and full of happiness. So being the sucker for informercials that I am, I signed up. That's where all the problems started.

They started off my charging my card incorrectly. Then when they tried to correct it, they instead charged another fee to it. Apparently all you need to work at a gym is a relatively good body. No brain or computer skills required. The gym has continued to give me the run around for the last month saying they have escalated my issue to corporate. Well, apparently corporate is filled with idiots too. Supposedly their vice president is supposed to enter the credit himself. What kind of VP makes accounting entries? I doubt that the VPs at my company even have access to our accounting system. I've never seen a business with such poor customer service. At first I was amazed that theyr'e still in business and then I just remember that they steal other people's money.

I have tried to cancel the training membership but apparently that's something that's not in the instruction manual of the computer so they can't figure that out either. In the meantime, the trainer keeps offering to let me train "for free" until all these issues are sorted out. I refuse because I know that later they'll say that they can't refund me because I've been using their services.

There isn't a whole lot I can do to help myself at the moment, but I'm passing this experience on to you so that you don't make the same mistake. You would think that having seen the friends episode where Chandler tries to quit the gym that I would have realized what kind of scam artists work at the gym but you would be wrong.

Once I do get this all sorted out, I will start using the over 100 personal training sessions have managed to earn at no cost to myself. I made sure to get this all in writing because frankly I don't trust a single person at the gym. So, the next step is to start my petition to get American Gladiator's back on the air. I'd appreciate some suggestions on what my Gladiator name should be!On a lighter note, we went to go see The Hangover last night. If you haven't seen it yet, put it on your to do list because it is HILARIOUS!! And I have a new found love for Bradley Cooper. Maybe it's because I've seen 2 of his movies in the last 2 weeks...or maybe because he has super dreamy hair. Either way, the movie is fantastic you'll probably be the only person who doesn't get all of your friends jokes if you don't go see it soon.

Decorating 101

So, I have never claimed decorating to be one of my fortes.  At times though, I wish that it was. My room, though clean, is pretty dull at the moment.  The first thing I need to do is get a rug.  I found two.  The first one is from Anthropologie and the other is from Urban Outfitters.  I really like them both but unfortunately the one from Urban only comes in a 3 x 5 size and I have a relatively large area to cover.  You can refer to the picture a few posts ago of my room to see what I'm talking about.   I actually have room for both I think that might be a bit too much! 

If anyone has seen any other cute 5 x 7 rugs, feel free to let me know.  I'm still not completely sold on the Anthropologie one...I'm kind of hoping it goes on sale just a little bit more...

So that's the first step.  Next I need to get some stuff on the wall.  I have some picture frames and such but I think it's time to update my pictures.  Remember the days when you printed all your pictures so updating pictures just required pulling out your newest prints?  Oh, sometimes I miss those days.  

Side note: I changed the name of my blog...again.  But the address remains the same unless I change that too so I figure I can change the as much as I want.  :)  

Also, I have a new favorite song...well, I don't know if I'd call it my favorite, but I really like it.  It's called Starstrukk by 3OH!3.  Apparently they named their band after an area code in Colorado.  Their big song on the radio right now is Don't Trust Me which I like up to a certain point. 

 I recommend listening to this song though.  I mean, I also put Pokerface on here and look at what a hit that turned out to be.  Oh if only Lady Gaga knew how much I supported her.  And speaking of Lady Gaga, I love her song called Starstruck too.  

Lake house fun!

Over the weekend we went to Monticello, Indiana to go to Colleen's lake house.  This is the 3rd time I've been to the house and every time always ends up being a great one.  This weekend was no exception. 

First off, Colleen's lake house is super cute so I thought I'd include some pictures of the house and the view.  

Also in attendance were Farley, Kamm, Stacey, Lynn & Todd, Kylie & Randy, Cameron, Flynn, Titus & Trey, and Neal.  The day was complete with corn hole, boat rides, 3-legged races, tons of delicious food, and Dunkaroos which was a new game showed to us by Cameron.  Only the brave ones played this game.  

I bet you guys thought Colleen was joking about the potato sack races, but here are the sacks to prove it. 

I don't think I can write about all the fun so here are just a couple more pictures.  This is definitely an event that needs to occur more often.