Blessings

“You are my Lord; all the good things I have come from you.”  -Psalm 16:2

This past weekend, Otto and I were able to share our time and talents (what little we have) and we helped J and Corynn paint the nursery for 'baby Stuck'!  They chose two subtle pinks for stripes on the bottom and a taupe/grey for the top with a white chair rail as the divider.  I must admit, I really didn't do too much until Sunday am when J and I measured for the stripes on the lower half of the wall. 

 

And, as an added bonus, Corynn had a 3D Imaging scheduled for Saturday, so the guys took a break and we headed to Costa Mesa to catch a glimpse of 'baby Stuck'!  She was a little shy and hid most of the ultrasound, but we did catch a glimpse of an eye, her hand and leg.  She even stuck out her tongue!  The tech offered for them to return on Tuesday to try again.  We were bummed we didn't get better live pics of the princess, but headed off to brunch at Mi Ranchito in celebration of a good attempt!

Back home, the guys finished off the base painting including the closet and doors.  An overnight wait and then the stripes and chair rail on Sunday.

 We all showered and headed over the the Van Dieren's for dinner and a little egg coloring.  We enjoyed two different salads and baked potatoes with all the toppings!  Yummy!  

 

Dessert was a choice from two pies or cheesecake, I'll have cheesecake, please!  Then some of us enjoyed a little spa time and visiting with the fam!

Sunday we woke up to a light rain which didn't last long and the guys headed to Lowe's one last time for proper nails to hang the chair rail.  J and I measured the room for the stripes and Otto followed along painting the darker pink along the way.  It was truly a family affair when Corynn grabbed a paint brush and did a little touch up to the walls.  The guys installed the chair rail and, ta da, the room is finished.  J still needs to add the hardware to the closet doors; get them hung up, remove and replace the ceiling fan and hang a new door.  But, the painting is complete and looks fantastic!

What a blessed weekend we had!  It was so nice to be able to help out the kids and to see the family in one weekend.  We must not forget that all these things come from Christ, and that he died for our sins and rose on this blessed day.  Alleluia, He is Risen! 

Urla Winery

Day Three....cont'd.

 After we ate breakfast we headed on the road home and came across a sign that said "Urla Winery" so we drove down the drive to this amazing sight.

 Rows and rows of grape vines covered the hills, and this beautiful building with rolling grass covered hills, palm trees and gorgeous plants.  Didn't see anyone on our first drive around, then a car pulled up and this guy from France gets out and says he just saw us at kahvalti and was going to invite us over to the winery, but didn't.  Fate.  They gave us a tour and wine tasting free of charge!  It was a wonderful day!

 Here are some oak barrels from France.  This is their first year of grapes that they've made some great wine from.  We bought a couple of bottles to bring home!

Here is Leanna, Jared, Otto and me in the tasting room.
After we finished tasting, oohing and ahhing over the property, we headed home for some awesome ribs - and more cards, then a movie and bed.  Another wonderful day in Urla!

Turkey

We arrived safely after 15 hours of flying, 5 hours of layovers and 3 different countries, finally landing in Izmir about 5pm Friday night - Leanna and Jared picked us up from the airport and arrived home to a home cooked Italian dinner of lasagna, salad and bread - we snacked on oatmeal peanut butter cookies, carrot cake and banana bread while we played cards until bedtime.  It was such a great day, looking forward to all that is in store for us this week!

Day Two - I got up early and made some of Framma's coffee cake and we hung out in our jammies and watched Megamind until Willie had football practice, then got dressed and drove to the Goztepe Academy in Izmir to watch him workout.  It had rained all morning, but let up just in time so we could check out his mad skills on the pitch (soccer field).  It was well worth it as he scored a hat trick, and then added a fourth for good measure!  What fun.  After practice we headed to Agora, the mall.  We had a Starbucks and walked around - they had some recognizable stores and some we've never heard of.  There were a ton of people and it was pouring rain, so we didn't stay long.  We headed home to have dinner and play cards.  Potato and Tomato soup was on the menu as was Calzones, all homemade by Lani.  It was all delicious!

Day Three

We started off the day with some coffee, fruit and banana bread, then Jared, Leanna, Otto, Gillie and I headed out for a walk to the sea!  It was beautiful especially after the rain and the sky cleared of clouds.
After a quick shower we headed to Yoruk for kahvalti (breakfast).  The drive was beautiful, along the coast for a bit, then inland to Urla and the restaurant.  It was nestled along a small roadway, in the pines and  a meadow full of green grass and wildflowers.  We let Jared and Leanna order and just sat and talked while we waited in anticipation for fresh cream and honey, fruit, cheese, olives and other delicacies to be delivered to our table.

Above you will see some of the great food - blackberries and cheese, a pepper paster, olives and cheese.  To say it was wonderful would be an understatement.  Definitely will be back for more of this during the week.  

Outside the restaurant.