1. As of late Kawika and I have been taking advantage of whatever sunshine we have left and taking some long walks around the neighborhood. There's a relatively steep hill beside us with ramps so I try to get a little workout in by pushing him up it. I am loving the weather and hoping the cold holds off for a few more weeks.
2. We took our Elders out for lunch to Shake Shack and they loved it! We went with Elder Clark (from Alberta) and Elder Richards (from Arizona). Small world! We had a great time but unfortunately I forgot to take any pictures...sorry.
3. After we put Kawika down for the night, Jordan and I have been playing a lot of Rummy, Backgammon, and Checkers. A side note, we shouldn't be allowed to play games. It is SO much fun but we get way too competitive. Luckily our "fights" have been playful but sometimes I really just want to punch him in the face...
4. Jordan and I are currently watching Blacklist and Arrow together. We can't wait for more episodes of White Collar, Big Bang Theory, and Suits to come out. On the side I catch up on old lame tv shows that I should have watched 10 years ago...like One Tree Hill and The O.C. I think I'm going to start Smallville soon. Any other suggestions...?
5. Lately Kawika hasn't been sleeping through the night. I'm not sure what's going on but I think I'm more cranky about it than he is. Maybe he's getting his teeth in?
6. Yesterday was "cookie Sunday" and Jordan graciously shared his favorite no bake cookies with the Branch. Since we can't just buy our cookie ingredients here (my mom sent them in a care package), it was a big deal for us to share them haha it was worth it though because the Elders thanked us and said it tasted just like their moms cooking and it reminded them of home. There was also one Turkish man in the ward that told me it was the most delicious thing he had ever tasted. So that felt good :) thanks mom for the ingredients, the recipe, and teaching me how to make these.
7. While we mention my mom...its her BIRTHDAY tomorrow! So wish her a happy birthday because she is awesome. My mom is coming into town soon and I'm so thrilled. We are going to go sight seeing, go on long walks, swim laps in the pool downstairs, shop, bake and cook together. Oh and while she's here I intend on dating my husband. This is going to be legend...wait for it...dary.
8. I've been asked to teach Gospel Doctrine at church and I feel unqualified to be doing so BUT so far I have really enjoyed it. Besides just reading the scriptures to Kawika in the evenings, its nice to almost be forced to set aside time to really study them. I've learned so much more about the gospel and my testimony has only strengthened.
9. The team had us return our VW rental and exchange it for a brand new car called a "Skoda". Apparently its great on gas mileage because the engine turns off whenever you're not moving. But there's two things I really love about the car...1: Jordan fits in it and 2: its an automatic transmission
10. We've been ordering a lot of delivery lately. I'm not sure if I love or hate this fact more but I do know I'm disappointed with myself for not cooking dinner lately. There's a great website here called "YemekSepeti" and it allows you to order all kinds of foods and have it delivered to your door. Its extremely convenient for us because the website is in English which means we know what we're getting and we don't have to struggle communicating it to someone else. And obviously...its delicious prepared food that's instantly delivered to our door so it's convenient.
Overall, if I may say so myself, I think we're adjusting pretty well to life with a babe in a foreign country. At first I felt like it was more about survival than anything else (and some days that's still true) but now its more about enjoying our life and this crazy adventure we are living.
As always, we miss you all.
