Hello. It's February!

Hello everyone. It is now February, and it is a beautiful time to be in Ankara. We still have a ton of snow on the ground (it has been here since we got back....the entire month of January). We are surviving though! Kendall, who is no fan of cold weather, has been a trooper. We bundle up and go for walks even when its freezing. This morning is was -5 Fahrenheit when we woke up. Luckily our building has pretty awesome radiator heat, so it is toasty. Additionally, we got ourselves an itouch for Christmas since it is a perfect travel companion. The great thing is that I now have a camera on me at all times to take pictures of good things and ridiculousness.

Turks love tweens. Actually this is a brand, but I think it is too funny. 

Tween Tween Tween Tween Tween Tween Tween

We both freaked out when we say honey nut cheerios. It's funny how much we value things like this now. We don't have as many options here, so it is always exciting when we find something awesome. 

Like this Schlotzsky's menu. Chipotle Guaca-Beefsky. Beefy Smoke Cheezy. Philly Dilly. 

Seeing those menu items, we decided to go out on a nice date to Hacıbaba (pronounced Haji-Baba).

Please note the stylish waiters behind my beautiful wife.

I got some döner , which is oh so delicious. 

Kendall rocked this. I can't remember exactly what it is, looks like kofte. 

Just getting some post-meal çay (pronounced chai) which is traditional Turkish tea.

Kendall in front of a beautiful assortment of Muslim prayer beads.

Kendall's room at the end of the day. 

She is past the letter R now. Please note her artistry.

She is also punny.

This is us AT THE BANK. It might not be a big deal to you, but it is huge. We are now fully documented and legal in every way and can now have a Turkish bank account. Also, hot tea everywhere, all the time. 

These are photos from some class projects my 8th graders completed in Character class. Character is a Bible alternative in which we use books and other things to discuss what makes strong character. These dioramas are showing scenes from our book Teknon and the Champion Warriors which we have been reading since the fall. The kids love it since it is a coming of age sci-fi tale, and it is honestly very fun to teach. Each of them got a scene and had to write a paper explaining the scene and the character trait being shown. It turned out really well. 

Troll baby Teknon. 

Some androids and the champion warriors on the Ergonaut, which is in the sea of Perasmos. 

Teknon and his father having a run in with the Harpax gang and their evil leader, Rhegma. 

Ouch. Rhegma down. 

I wish you could see how fluffy and powdery the snow is here. It sits on top of the branches in the marshmellowy clumps. It's really fun to smack a branch as someone walks under it. 

We've had a ton of snow. Here is an alien-snowman that is dwarfing David. 

We helped dog-sit last week. It was great, and a really good excuse to take some walks through the forrest. 

Kweezy and Seydi (Sadie).

That's like 8 inches deep.

Here is Kendall being a red-carpet model. They put these anti-slip carpets everywhere so you don't fall.

We went to a new restaurant near us on Saturday. It was really delicious, and they have these (literally) 40 foot tall umbrellas outside on the porch. I can't wait til it is warm so we can go and eat breakfast outside. 

Food here is always as beautiful as it is delicious. 

This is a little nod out there to my buddy David. David is not the most organized, and does not have the best handwriting. However, he is one of the most diligent, hardworking, and creative people I know. See this lamp with a ruler duct taped to it? It has a camera taped to it. Dave uses this to project in real time on his wall. It is easier for him to write things and graph things from his desk. It cracks me up but is super great. The kids love him, and so do we...since he teaches 5 straight math courses in the day. 

His projector hookup on the roof. 

This is a poor shot, but I wanted to tell everyone something we are doing. It's silly and embarrassing, but also really fun. We've joined a dance class (taught in Turkish) and are learning salsa, tango, and other dances. It's pretty hilarious since we are not the best dancers, plus the language barrier makes us look even more ridiculous. Still, it is really fun and we are going with some other teachers once a week. I would like to now put a shout out to my brother: "Look out. There is a new dancer in the family."

Our class full of Turks. 

This was at the dance studio, but I think I am gonna wear it to winter formal. 

This is a movie poster I saw here. I just think its funny and makes a statement about the world and movies.

Regardless of where you are in the world.... fat man + ridiculous situation + annoying family = hit movie. 

AINT NO SUCH THANNNGG. This was on a tshirt, but reminded me of something Jeff and I would say.

Also, my brother in law has a store here.

    We miss you all and love you very much. We have some funny stories to tell and will be updating soon.

 Remember: Keep cool. Don't lose your heads.

Love,

B+K