The Snuggle Bear fixed the laptop

I have not been writing for the last week because I have been going nuts. 
  My keyboard was going all whacky and I could not type anything without wanting to throw the laptop out of the window. If dawned on the Snuggle that I might have a virus. This is how it was fixed. We opened up all hidden files and then we bought Norton. (I love Norton!) We scanned it and found out we had about 10 viruses. One was called DC. This virus would not let me type anything.  It was not letting me use the caps and I could not get into any place that required a passcode easily.  Sometimes my caps lock would be on when I had little letters and vise versa. I was going nuts. I think I just the virus from my work. I had a jump drive I used for CD Listening. We have to listen to them as a class. I had forgotten my jump drive there and had been looking for my jump drive... Yeah... whom ever thought it would be lovely to take my jump drive... You gave me the virus. Anyway... The jump drive is doing great now too, all is well that ends well

My unfortunate mishap part II

I just wanted to post some pics to prove I had my camera before I found it was teleported out of my purse. Erkan and I know in turkey there are some of the most professional pick pocketers... Anyway... Here is pic evidence.

Notice how discreetly I was taking pics of the Tea Garden by the sea side... Smart ehy???

 The Snuggle and me having fun before we left the Tea Garden. (Ok... I had to sneak this one in)

 Below, trying to take pics of the cute little Turkish Family

 Here I am taking another pic of the family. You can't even tell... I know! I am so amazing

Just stopping in to say...

It has been a week since my camera s missing and I am being called a camera killer. Should I be more upset that the perpetrator doesn't read my blog and try to figure out how to return a camera or that I will never beloved see my beloved camera again or that I have not been able to save money as wisely as I wanted and now have hardly any money to replace it when I get back to USA? All of which are very rational reasons for being upset. 
   I still am trying to figure out how it was missing and so fast. It doesn't make sense to me as if I dropped it I certainly would have known because it was around my wrist. Also I never would have heard the end of it from The Snuggle. I am so saddened as I went t work this past week in another city. I seriously saw a man working at a marble place that sells all kinds of tiles for homes and he was out side doused in marble dust or something when he decided that along the highway no one will see him as he removes his clothes but not his underwear and shook off the dust, putting him in a white cloud of dust and his green underwear with white trim and yes... they were tighties!!! Yes it was quite a funny sight. I am missing that camera a lot. I will have to figure out something. İ can not stop taking pictures.I have nothing more to say. I will fix a bathroom sink and not be able to take pics to prove to everyone that I am doing it. Until next time...

My unfortunate mishap

So, as I write this I am truly saddened. I had to unexpectedly say good bye to a dear dear friend. This friend i not the conventional type at all. Rather, a machine. Let me tell you what happened. I am a huge camera freak. I love them and I love taking pictures more than anything. I have always had a camera kept on me because you just really never know when you will have to have one and here in Turkey it is times 100 that I see something that I need to take a picture. Sunday I went to see the snuggle in Silivri. I of course took my camera, rather because of a terrible death of my 6 year old Nikon Coolpix that I loved dearly, the snuggles Sony was the one I used from COOLPIX demise until the fateful day. We were walking around and I got some amazing photos with the camera. Snuggle loved them so much and I had a wonderful blog in my mind and everything. Snuggle said that because I love taking pictures so much I could use the Sony to go to U.S.A. this Summer. I finished a video of us at a Çay Bahaçe when snuggle took more pictures of me... I was holding Sony and discreetly taking pictures of a family that was so cute, (proof that I did not leave the Bahaçe with out the Sony) and we went walking along the sea side some more. We sat down and were talking, when snuggle's brother, Buggle (since Snuggle's name rhymes in real life with his brother's name in real life I thought it would be really nice to have his brother name rhyme in my blog...)came walking by. Buggle was with his lady friend. We talked for a few minutes and then they walked on so we got up. I do not know what happened at that point but 15-20 minutes later we found ourselves in a café and wanting to look at our Sony pictures and take pictures of Snuggle when lo, to my dismay found that I had not Sony in my purse. I ran back to the scene of the crime where our beloved Sony was kidnapped and being held hostage by now  a new Turkish owner that will no doubt drop him and get him dirty and not take care of him and love taking picture with him the way I ever could!!! As you can clearly see... I am still emotional about the kidnap and implore anyone that was on the seaside near the Öğertmenler Evi and the  Balık Merkezi to please please turn in the Sony because you will never ever love and appreciate something that is not rightfully yours to begin with and if you do not I hope that Zombies eat you alive and you are in  terrible pain for not returning Sony to the Polis. You know who you are too. Oh yeah... If I see you with Sony I will push you in the Limon. Anyway... I really am so sad because I will not be able to post cool pictures for a while like I want unless I  post older ones. Please forgive me for posting older one and now you will know why. The Snuggle is resting right now after 10 days of non-stop working but as soon as he is not I will post evidence that I do carry Sony with me and care for him and love him. You will see how I was discreetly taking pictures of a cute Turkish family too. Peace out for now  :D

A little Short

Just the other day I went to Silivri to visit The Snuggle Bear. This is the video I made from that day.

Yes... I wish we took our dog with us.

Thank you!

I wanted to try to write a new font and new color to mix things up a bit. 
  I have been really tired this last week and cold. So stinking cold out of my brains cold. I don't know why I have been so cold. It feels like Spring in the U.K. when I lived there and Heaven Sakes I much say... If I believed in Global Warming... I love it about now. Anyway there is a family that lives across the street from me. They are the cutest family ever. The mother is about 10 years older than me is so pretty. I see her a lot with her Grandson who is now about 2 years old and just is the cutest thing! He reminds me of my younger brother Bridger: thick Curly hair (although Bridger was bald) OK... wait... He looks nothing like Bridger nor Kendal... But he is sooooo cute. This woman also has a son named Emre. Emre is about Snuggle Bear's age. He has Down Syndrome. Emre is just the nicest guy and really so sweet. He has red hair and glasses and rides his bike. People are mean to him sometimes. It makes me SO angry. But I love Emre and his mom and this sweet family. I had to work today and of course I am lazy and always last minute running around. But Emre and his mom came by. It was Mother's Day yesterday and they wanted to bring us each a gift to tell us thank you for being kind to thier family. They brought me a gift. I wanted to cry it was so touching for me. I love their thoughtfulness and how sweet they were. They gave me a pair of Capri cotton pants::

Just like the ones in the picture... Wow cute huh??? And I know what I want to buy to go with these too!!! And I know what I can wear with these once I get to my storage in USA... Yes... They are so thoughtful and SOOOOO Sweet!!! The shirt they gave me is really adorable too. I wanted to cry but I did not have time and I wanted so much to visit with them but I did not have to for that either! :( But I will do something for them in USA. I will bring them back something. I want to find Emre and his Nephew matching B.Y.U. tee-shirts. I will buy the family Salt water Taffy, Also. And I will find something for this precious mother. she is always so kind to me. I am amazed how kind people are or can be in this hard world. 
Thank you Sweet family for being so kind to me and I will never forget how adorable you are! 

The Turkish Prime Minister is a Great Guy

I do not want to cause any fights. I don't want to make anyone upset. I think the Turkish PM is a great guy. He has helped this country a lot. He has brought  the İsrealis and the Middle Easterners together and then influenced them to not talk about peace and then influenced them again to talk about peace. When he is angry, he keeps his head cool. I like that in a Prime Minister. I like him so much, in fact, here is a pic of him.

 See? He loves his country. He has the nice Turkish flag behind him. and he is sitting at his desk ready to pass laws. Like the new internet law. That law is really... Well because I want to keep my blog opened, That law is great. If he does not like something he has a lot of power. He can just block it. For example You Tube. Or, Facebook. Which is not a big deal to many people but it is if you have family far away, and you want to listen to some nice music but you can not afford to buy CD's because pirating is illegal you can go to You Tube to listen to it.
   Now if you are the Turkish PM... If you dislike something, you are so cool you can get out some bad A fist and block something on YouTube, like a whole website so no one in your country can see it he is so cool, he can just block it and not one person in Turkey can watch it. That works good for porn or for perverted sites. I agree. I hate pornography and there are so man perverts out there, I wish all internet porn could be blocked forever. But, Facebook is not pornography and I have many friends that I do not get to see. I have family that with out the internet and without Facebook I would never get to see them and know what they are doing every 30 minutes at their jobs when they update their Facebook status. I would not know how Heidi Sterling messed up an account at work and was scared of getting fired. I would have missed out on my uncle's babysitting experience with three kids and how he was changing a poopy diaper and how all three kids slipped and fell on a floor covered in pee. He even was giving us updates with no picture (sad!) on FB while he was trying to clean up the poop.  I would have missed out on a lot over the last year, and come to think of it I will miss out on more if the internet law passes on August 22nd.
  I hope that this Prime Minister likes Facebook enough to allow me to keep talking to my friends and family in USA. I hope that he also does not throw me out of Turkey for writing this either!
   Maybe if I tell him how awesome he is he will not kick me out and he will not close my blog and he will not close Facebook. OK... So I watch Fox News of You Tube but I can let that one go. What about TiVibu though? Hmmmm... OK... But not Google nor Google Video... I hear that Turkey as of 22 August will be more strict than China... Do I need to pull out the tissues and cry yet? We will see.
In the meantime, I think everyone should invite Mr Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Facebook as his friend and make sure you say the nicest things about him too.
  I want to tell this Prime Minister thanks for controlling me on the internet, but how can I do that in a way that he can see how sincere and thoughtful I am? do I send him Congratulations flowers? A box of Turkish Delight? do I have him over for Tea and Cake? Maybe send him a Utah Jazz Jersey? Autographed copies for PM not pulling the plug on You Tube.
 The Snuggle Bear agrees with me and yet does not want any conflict. We want to be able to stay in Turkey. And it is a great place to live.

Just saying...

Peace Out

My adventure to Kıyıkoy Last week

I want to write about going to Kıyıköy today. Kıyıköy is an old Greek Village nestled on the Black Sea and about 2 hours North West of the city I live in named Çorlu. I went with Snuggle Bear's Mom and Grandma. Kıyıköy is mentioned in Greek Mythology in Salmydessus and is other wise known as Medea in medieval days.
  It used to be predominantly Roman Catholic and there was an old Monastery there.

  Getting to Çerkezköy and Saray was a piece of cake because it was all highway and somewhat faster, however once we got through Saray  it is only a two lane road and is very twisty. The slightly added dimension was that from time to time the visibility was about 10 meters or less ahead of us because it was raining and to there was a lot of fog. I slowed down a little because I was not sure how icy the roads could be but I would say that the actual condition of the road is as good as the road driving through Jacobs Lake if anyone has been there (yes: The one near the North Rim of The Grand Canyon :)  That road comparably is twisty and narrow and lots of forest, also.)  There are a lot of farmland in that area and it was nice to see the cattle on the side of the road with warning signs all over about cattle. Watch dogs protect the heard and they are really good watch dogs. I was really impressed with how well they care for the cattle. There were a lot of sheep also. Coming from Utah, when I thought of forest I thought of Aspen and Evergreens and a lot of sage. The forest we drove through was Oak but different than the Oak in Utah, and there was a type of tree I did not recognize. I asked Snuggle Bears mom and Grandma about this type tree and they said they did not know either. Snuggle Bear at first said, "I don't know." and when I asked him to ask his mom she laughed and said she was thinking the same thing.  Before entering this little village on the top of a hill there was a home and the hillside had about 65 sheep and two dogs with a shepard. I stopped and took the picture above.

We then drove up a hill and there was Kıyıkoy! This is what I came to... this wall thousands of years old... OK... 1,600 years old. That is a lot of years though :)  This little village captured my heart like no other little village. The people were friendly,and such a quaint little village. The second picture is the Black Sea.
  It was really cold and rainy. If It were just Snuggle and I we would have liked to park the car and just walk around the city. We felt safe enough to do so. But we were with other people and it was rather cold. We did find :which was quite easy to find St Nicolas Monastery! I was thrilled.
  St. Nicolas Monastery is located a km outside the city wall and up a river. There was a man to greet us and tell us that he was caring for it but that he was not getting paid. If you go, I suggest to take your own flash light and good batteries. The kind volunteer was willing to loan us his but the batteries were so low and I forgot my handy dandy 3 dollar but wonderful B.Y.U. Bookstore bought pocket flash light. Make sure you have a good flash on your camera, You will want to take pictures! This place was awesome! I will post a few pictures from this 1,500 + Monastery

Above is a view of the Alter. I assume it is an alter. If it is not, It would be a perfect place to put tons of candles.

Look how cute Snuggle Bear is. I can not stop taking his picture. Even when he asks me to stop

This is looking down from a hill.

The Snuggle Bear and I were saddened to see so many people vandalize the beautiful Monastery. We are happy that the Gypsy man is there to take care of it.

We were here for about a good 40 minutes and then, because Snuggle and I had to pee so bad that we could not hold it any longer, we decided to go eat and eat at a place with a toilet.
We ate at The Marina Restaurant and it is easy to find. It was really really good food and really awesome service!

  what a wonderful day we spent and although it was somewhat cold it sure was worth it going to this beautiful little village. I hope you enjoy the pictures. Yes I w ill be visiting this village again, and I will be visitng it in the Summer and hanging on the beach. More pictures to come!

How come I am writing a blog?

I am sure many of you are wondering why I am posting a blog. 
  Of course, the answer could be that I am succumbing to the 21st Century and everyone who is anyone now blogs. However, I am doing this because I have a lot to say and I love writing and I have a lot in my mind: All the time. I proposed my blogging idea a long time ago to myself in Utah a few years ago and and I actually had one for a while. But then I closed that account and have been thinking since I have been living here in Turkey. I have been thinking about a lot of things and one of the things I thought about was how can the world understand me and understand what I feel and what I think and how is it that I do the things I do. 
  I proposed this newer blog and idea to my now beloved fiancee whose wish is to remain nameless so I will call him: The Snuggle Bear. I asked The Snuggle Bear how he felt about this idea and his reply was, "You really need to write a book but please, don't mention my name." So, with that in mind I have to agree to his terms but he never said I would not be allowed to post a handsome picture of us two.  :D I have to have some bragging rights to capture the heart of The Snuggle Bear publicly, right? (I think so!) And so, I bid all my family and friends and people that chose to follow me on my new venture to my creative outlet: Hello and I hope you learn from me as I hope to learn from you.  

Me Myself and My Mom

My mom and I have a very special relationship. As I have over the last year been living here in Turkey and my mom is in USA, I have grown to appreciate and love and miss her more than I have all my life. You know the saying, "Don't take advantage of something you have because once it's gone you will miss it more"? OK, so maybe that is not exactly the real saying but there is something about missing it more once you lose something... Right? (Right) So... My mom is far far away from me and since in a couple days it will be Mother's Day I thought it is most important to write about my mom and me.
   I was born in the early 1970's and my mom was a single mother. Of course, it is all too common to be a single mother now, but it was not all that common when I was growing up and it is not easy in any universe to be a single mother at anytime. Such was the case for my mom. My mom was 20 when I was born and she did not chose to be a single mother. Her husband was not really nice to her and he pretty much just took off and come to think of it, although as a child I very much wanted a father in the home, I had mom and that was all the warmth and love I needed. My mom was very good to us. I had a younger sister too and an older one. It was us 4 always doing things. My mom took us to the beach often. My mom loved the beach and we lived in San Diego California. I loved it there. My mom always read to us. My mom loved books and would read and read for us. At night, she would read to us a story, sing us a song and kiss us good night. My mom always smelled so good.
  Mom married when I was 10 and for a couple of years I tried testing this new man's patience. They are still married to this day so they are still deeply in love.
  My mom never has said anything about anyone in a gossipy way. Mom NEVER EVER gossips. I have never heard my mom say anything negative either. The one thing I know mom hates are rats and mice. She will TOLERATE Guinea Pigs... for one year: Because I had one. She will not go in any room knowingly if there is a rodent in the room... But looking back, Guinea Pigs are supposed to have a life span of  5-7 years but I think mom thought that they had the same as a mouse which is a lot less like one or two years and so after Valentine was 2 years old, she talked me into trading her for a Bird. Come to think of it, my dad did not allow the pet shop owner to let me walk out the front door with the Guinea Pig. I am sure my dad had to pay the owner of the shop to take my Guinea pig... I will have to blog that story one day... this is about my mom.
   Mom never said anything bad about a neighbor of ours that used to watch us from across the street with binoculars. Another blog for another day. And mom never said anything bad about anyone in her family which she had the right to do. Mom used to dance around the kitchen with us and sing with us. My mom took me to my first concert: Neil Diamond. My mom always taught me about God. She taught me to pray and she always said nothing is impossible with God. My mom always taught me with a soft heart and soft words, any argument can be settled. My mom never ever yelled at me. Nor my other siblings. My mom hated lying, and crudeness. I had a tenancy to use potty words when I was upset or annoyed. My mom taught me to use proper words and not potty words. My mom taught me about woman's rights too. My mom was a feminist in the sense that women deserve to be treated in a loving and kind way. My mom is all about women being treated right in a bad and harsh and men world. My mom taught me how to love. My mom had a really hard life and faced adversity in her life. However, my mom used grace, love, forgiveness, kindness and honor and sophistication to become a more beautiful more kind and generous person. My mom is the person I hope to be one day. I am grateful for my mom and all she sacrificed for a better life for me. My mom is my best friend, biggest fan, and the one that listens to me when it feels like no one else wants to hear me. Thanks mom for being so awesome! How lucky I am to have such a beautiful person raise me to be the best person I can be! Thank you mom for believing in me and Thanks mom for being my chauffeur, cook, nurse, fashion consultant, vacation partner, beach buddy, walking partner, shopping buddy , craft friend, and anything else you did for me I did not mention! I love you Mom!