Halloween Cards

I bought the most awesome Halloween Cards today at Target.They come as a pack of 8 and along side with that I bought stickers. I plan to give them out to the family I nanny for, our physicians and our property managers, along with some friends and people we use their services often.

It's a nice gesture and even more so, a wonderful way to celebrate Halloween :)

Now, to write them all!

Devil's Lake

As a family, with my brother included and our friends, we've made our way to Devil's Lake, to celebrate both moving and the extremely nice weather in August. Celebrate while you can and worry about the rest later.

The water was crystal, pristine and warm. Jumping off our rock has to be S's favorite thing, well, maybe besides eating the grilled meat.We are thorough omnivores and nothing gets between us and our meat. This isn't always good, but it's better than none at all as I always say.

A time to take back and be out there in the world, is all I can ask.

P and I

I in this title is not the pronoun I. It's the capitalized letter of a person. P and I are a couple friend we have made through the matchmaking of MK and SN. This couple is from Turkey as well, and are in the same age group as us. They're here for an education time and on a mission. It seems like the two are determined and on a mission to complete and return. A life or any kind of delay in U.S. is not something they wish or are seeking.

However, they're similar to us. Young, hopeful, newly married couple. They too are trying to make it work and navigating uncharted personal oceans. They're humorous, generous and kind people with an open heart. While, unfortunately this friendship is on a timer, we seem to be enjoying spending time with them that they've become a stable of our lives already.

Sneaking Departure Time

MK and SN will be leaving in about two weeks. Each brings another cold fact and truth to our doors. We are faced with even more difficulties. Losing MK and SN will be like losing family. We will be mourning their loss.

While they are still Stateside though, everyday seems like an activity that seems to be saying farewell. Another farewell, another group of friends. At least we're getting to see them plenty before they leave, giving us enough memories to hold on to.

E

E is good friends with my husband, S. He's been living in the Southern part of the country for the past seven years or so. He's married and is expecting his first child in June. He came to visit us recently.

It got me to think a lot. He has all these grand ideas about business, making money. He thinks everything is easy and he is after big but also easy money. As if there was such a thing. Somehow, he still hasn't finished his school, I don't particularly understand what he does for living as it continually changes. He doesn't instill a promising future to me. I have no doubt he's a good person. He seems very kind, but his arrogance irritates me in the wrong way. He is a typical Turk in the sense that he thinks just because action A worked for person A, under  unknown circumstances that it will work for everyone. He doesn't understand that situations are relative and one answer, or solution is not universal. There are different versions, like drafts of essays, editions of comic books.

I don't wholly understand his choice of the partner he has decided to be with. Of course, I don't know her well, but she seems shallow, and a bit too snobby for my taste. I am waiting to hear from them once we get married. If we don't get some sort of congratulatory remark from them as a couple, I will come to know where she stands with S and us as a relationship. I will also edit my actions according to her behavior. After all, it is a world of give and take.

Overall, I just wish he'd keep his grand ideas of us opening stores and closing stalls to himself. It's tiring to hear other people make dreams  out of our lives without consultingus.

MK and SN

It's always great to see MK and SN. True, they're much older than we are. But they are wonderful people individually and as a couple. Always so understanding, caring and giving. The only thing they want to get out of anyone is their warm heart and friendship. There just aren't enough people like that in the world. S and I are happy that MK found someone like SN. They truly belong to one another, although it doesn't seem like MK understand that just yet.

I think they're doing better now then they were originally, when SN first came here from Turkey. She seems less out of place and more adapted then before. She also seems to have removed English as an obstacle from her list. I wish I had her patience.

It's good to see good people marrying good people. Especially when they're so close to your heart.

Thanksgiving 2012

As apparent, this will be our year of firsts. First anniversary, first new years, first birthdays, first Valentine's day, first Christmas, first Halloween and first Thanksgiving.

Having our first Thanksgiving, despite the fact that it's the genocide of Native Americans, was something I was looking forward to this year. Although away from our families, this became a time where we could learn to appreciate what we do have, though that may not be much, certainly a lot less then many, but however, the same of the opposite can be said.

We had a few of our friends over where we celebrated Thanksgiving, quite the immigrant way. Most of our friends were away and we were selective of the ones that did remain, as we wanted to refrain from some of them. I think the last decent Thanksgiving I had was, well, since never since my family never celebrates the American holiday and since 2009 I didn't have anyone to celebrate it with. All of these are entirely different blog posts at another time.

But we did have turkey, we had pumpkin pie, and we had wine, and beer and a long time gathered around the table, conversing into the wee hours of the night that well, didn't pertain to any singular topic, especially not Thanksgiving favorite topics.

It was ours, and for that it was special.