I've been absent from the blogging world for almost three weeks now, but for a good reason.
Or, perhaps, for several good reasons.
The last week of October was busy, as I had visits, homework, accountability, and walks on top of the normal school and house work schedule.
The first week of November, I came down with a cold and was pretty much useless. Anyone else out there useless when they are sick? I'm not proud of it, but it is what it is.
And here is where your guesses from the last post come in... No, we didn't go to India or Morocco (I wish!) Instead we went to Turkey!
Ian had a work conference and we got to spend the time at a beautiful resort on the Mediterranean.
Ian's work provided child care all week so Grace was in great hands during the day. I would drop her off after breakfast, go back during the day to nurse, and pick her up in the late afternoon. One evening, one of the ladies came to our room to provide babysitting for a much needed date night. It was marvelous.
Ian and I were able to go out for dessert one evening, attend a Turkish dance performance, and play games with other couples. What a blessing to be able to have some normalcy in our lives!
I attended most of the conference and LOVED hanging out with the other wives. There were a couple of break out sessions just for the women, since we all live overseas, we had alot in common, no matter where we were from. I got to meet and chat with a bunch of women I had heard about but hadn't met.
I also really began thinking about how I could use my talents while I am over here. Right now, language school is a priority, even if I would rather it not be. When we are finished though (in 7 months!!) I get to be a stay at home mom, and I am so ready for that! I am also ready to figure out how to best use my talents and gifts to bless others.
There were other believers there too, so we had a great time of fellowship, study of God's Word, and worship together. Can you believe it has been over a year and a half since I've gotten to experience corporate (group) worship?! I actually cried several times, because it was so special to hear all of those people lifting their voices in worship to the one true God. What unity and togetherness!
The food was amazing! The resort had one buffet restaurant that was open for all of the meals, and we would just hop from one platter to the next seeing what was available. No pork, of course, because it is still Turkey, but I got to have a ton of grilled meat and veggies. It made me excited for our next move, because we will be buying a good grill for our next home.
Our travel was both good and bad. We left for Turkey on a 3:30 am flight, which meant we had to cross our border and start driving for the airport at 8:30 pm on the previous night. Right at Grace's bedtime! Needless to say, it was a long night, and Grace didn't do great on the first long flight. She slept for about 2 and a half hours on the second flight but the rest of the day at the resort, she was a mess. That first night, I was the most tired I had EVER been. We put Grace down around 8 pm, and let her just cry for the next hour. (Grace slept on a crib mattress on the floor of the hotel bathroom, since she and I can't sleep when we are in the same room together, ha!) Ian and I sat on our bed praying together and (me) crying for Grace to get some sleep, and she fell asleep around 9 pm for the night. Every night she would wake up several times, which was unusual for her, but it was manageable. Our flights home were much better and she slept more comfortably. She was so excited to walk into our home and for us to put her down in her own crib at night!
