The World From Above

So, I was going through the pictures on my camera and I noticed that I have a lot of pictures that I took from the airplane. However, I don't really remember when took them so I can't really tell you what exactly you're looking at but I tried to put in some captions. But I find them enjoyable so I figured the blog would be the best place to post them. Enjoy!Somewhere between Amsterdam and Istanbul...I actually think this one is as I landed in Minneapolis. The city of 1,000 lakes!!
Ok, I know this one isn't from an airplane but this was the scene outside the window on our way to our summer house in Turkey. I mean, how could I not post it! It's like a postcard!
I can tell you the below picture is Istanbul from above.

If they lived here, they wouldn't have to visit!

So this weekend I went to the Dave Matthews Band concert with my friends Roski and Katie as well as Roski's cousin Kevin. It was so good to see Roski and Katie again! I have know Roski for years since we had all of our accounting classes together at Purdue. He might actually be the sole reason I enjoyed going to class. I met Katie (Roski's fiance and a fellow Boilermaker) through Roski and thank goodness because we were meant to be friends! They both live in Chicago and I don't get to see them often enough so now I'm just keeping my fingers crossed that they move to Indiana sooner then later!

Roski is a huge Dave fan and got us some great seats! This was the first time I had been back under the pavilion since my high school graduation in 2002. I have to say there is HUGE difference from being in the lawn compared to being in pavilion seating. People in the lawn are there because they like the band but really just wanted to come and socialize with their friends in a different setting. And they can get away with more stuff b/c security isn't as stiff--though the security didn't stop the people a few rows in front of us...

People in the pavilion however paid more for their seats and actually came to see the band. Every person around me knew all the words to every song, they were all singing along and really enjoying themselves. One girl was even keeping track of all the songs by writing them down as they played! (Clearly she doesn't have your sweet application Roski!) No one was stumbling around or puking. I might have to swing for pavilion seating the next time I head to Deer Creek! It was also nice that Roski is such a fan because he could tell us whether the song was old or new and if we really liked it, what it was called. I have to say that I like the stuff on Dave's newest CD better then what was on his last two. I highly recommend obtaining a copy in one way or another. SO MANY people in the lawn!! The next concert I'm going to is Jason Mraz with G-love and Special Sauce in 2 weeks at White River State Park!

Other exciting things from the weekend, I bought my first long dress! I'm pretty excited about it. I didn't think I could wear one since I'm pretty short but I really like this one and I think I'm going to keep it. I've included a picture for your viewing pleasure.
I also got new tires on my car this weekend. I won't include a picture of those. They're not as exciting.

Brigid was also in town visiting this weekend from Dallas! It was so good to catch up! Unfortunately I didn't have my camera on Friday night so I don't have any pictures. All the more reason for her to come back and visit again!!

In other unrelated news, my trainer is starting grad school in a few weeks so I now have to find a new one. I had a session with one of the other guys last night. While the workout was okay, I didn't love training with him. My current trainer makes fun of me on a personal level but is always very encouraging on a training level. This new trainer, while very nice, is not as encouraging. And he's not as funny. Nor is he as cute but it was a fluke accident that my current trainer is cute because I picked him purely based on his name. I think I'm going to have to try out someone else. Or start traveling to Bloomington twice a week! Part of this aversion to my new trainer might be that I don't really like change when I've found something I like. Kind of like me and Tempura Udon at Ocean World. I highly recommend it.

This weekend we're heading up to Munster for Holly's Bridal Shower! And afterwards, stopping in Crown Point for a delicious dinner at Fiesta Mexico (which I so lovingly call Little Mexico b/c I can never remember the real name). I'm sure there will be lots of pictures to come! I'll try to avoid putting up ones of just gift opening.

I Learned a New Word Today

Over the course of the last 2 days I have heard the word "swag" twice. I once heard on an episode of the office from Michael Scott that swag is an acronym for Stuff We All Get. Unfortunately that definition did not work in either case. I looked it up in the dictionary but unfortunately the top drapey part of curtains are also called swag...so that didn't really help my situation either. I found that this morning that it means "an estimate". Who knew!?

In other news, I have recently moved to a new cube at work. If we were allowed to have cameras on the premises, I would have taken a picture. I like to think this is an upgrade from my last cube b/c I can at least now see the sky through some windows near me. Maybe my next move will have a full window view...or what I really want...a skylight. I mean, not many companies even have skylights at the corporate offices so I figure I should try to take advantage of the fact that we do.

I've had some visitors to my new cube and they have told me that I need to bring in some things to make my office more festive. As of now, all I have is two severely old pictures of KKG from 2005 Bid Night and the plaque I received when I left auditing. I did have pictures in my old office in Midland but I also had shelves to put them on. Here I only have counter space. Pictures on counter space = clutter in my eyes. But I don't want people to think I'm some weirdo who has no photo documents of her life so I'll probably bring some in soon. And maybe I'll actually take one of the books I was given on the company out of it's shrink wrap so that it looks like I actually read it...or at least perused through it.

I have also been told that I was recently nominated Social Chair of the Finance group. It sounds impressive but I'm the chair of a committee of one. The good news is that all it requires me to do is send a meeting notice every once in a while for a social gathering of sorts after work. Those who work with me know that there is nothing I love more then meeting notices for social gatherings. :)

Upcoming excitement: Dave concert this weekend! And a potential Chicago weekend is in the works!

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!