March Madness

No, I'm not talking about basketball. I'm talking about the crazy month of March! We had a lot going on, and the month FLEW by! First of all, it was a very important time for the base. One word - INSPECTIONS! The hospital took part in a mass casualty exercise, which was kind of chaotic but fun. People on base were on edge, active duty members were working long hours, and there were a lot of strange inspectors roaming around. We're glad they're gone now. :)

Shane and I also kept really busy in March. I returned to Pozanti (where the marriage retreat was) for a Protestant women's retreat. It was really great! I got to know several ladies that I hadn't known as well before. I shared a room with my friend Lindsay, and we stayed up talking both nights - like a slumber party. It was really fun to have some girl time, but more importantly some God time. And it was nice to re-visit Bonnie's birthplace! It made me miss her, being in the place where we got her from. It was my first weekend trip away from her, and I was SOOOO happy to see her when I got back (oh - and I was happy to see my husband too, hehe).

The last part of March, my dear friend Jamie came to visit. She was my roommate in college, and remains one of my best friends to this day - almost like a sister. She is stationed in Germany, so it was a short flight. I was lucky enough to get my leave approved (during the inspection, no less!) so I had 3 full days to spend with her. We took her to some of our favorite spots here in the Adana area. The first day we went hiking at Anavarsa. We took Bonnie as well, and she did great. It was a gorgeous day and a fun, easy hike. Jamie and I took lots of pictures, and as per usual for us, we took some goofy ones (like Jamie pretending to fall off one of the castle walls). Then we went to a carpet party at our favorite carpet store, owned by a guy named Gokay. Shane knew him when he was stationed here before (and bought a carpet from him back then) and we have since bought 2 carpets from him. He's really nice, and a good salesman. So he hosted this carpet party, which was a lot of fun. Jamie ended up buying 3 carpets - I was so proud of her for taking the plunge and buying Turkish carpets!! I told her she made a great investment. Turkish carpets are so beautiful and handcrafted - they can be family heirlooms. The other places we took Jamie were Tarsus and Kizkalesi. We had a wonderful time touring around those sites, looking at St. Paul's well and exploring castle ruins. We finished up with a nice dinner by the Mediterranean Sea. I miss her already, but Germany is not too far so I'm sure we'll see each other again soon.

April will be crazy too, but fun! We started off with the Amazing Race today, hosted by the base youth group called Club Beyond. There were 12 events, including: bowling, paintball, tricycles, golfing, and climbing a tower. You could pay $5 to "buy out", so we ended up buying out of 4 events. We rode bikes from each place to the next, and it was all over the base with a pretty steady headwind most of the way. Needless to say, Shane and I are both WHIPPED. It was a lot of fun, and for a great cause. I'm really impressed with the youth group here on base. They do some great things for the kids.

We also have an amazing trip coming up, which we will blog about later. Pray for safe travels and an enlightening, educational, and enjoyable time. We'll write again soon!