New friends

Sidge & Isaac with neighbors: Jackson and Max

I still tear up when I think about Turkey sometimes.

I will often wake up and dream that Hatice (Ha-tee-jah) is hugging and singing to Abigail: "Abigail, Abigail, I love you. Abigail, Abigail, eyes they blue." That she's walking in the front door and saying, "Scooby Doo! Where are you?"

When I hear the boys saying, "Let's go to the Optimum/M1 (what they believe every mall is actually called since these are the only two malls they've ever been in)," I get nostalgic for outtings to the big Mosque park and the indor play areas where we would eat "American" fast food and let the kids get kissed by every Turk that saw them.

I long for afternoons with Stebs wandering into my driveway, water bottle in hand saying, "What's up?" (And then, she'd subsequently leave that water bottle behind on accident, and I'd have to return it to her the next day.) William running up to his friends, and refusing, at all costs, to accept that Elijah's name was Sidge.

I miss seeing Angelica pushing her kids in the stroller and hearing her beautiful Spanish accent that came to mean home to me. Her ability to "whip up" a dinner amazed me. I don't think I've ever wanted someone to invite me over to dinner as I did the Yerringtons.

Sarahbee and her gigantic smile greeting me at the jumpy castles. Peter emerging from his shy little boydom to become one of the pack.

Mr. Shane and Ms. Linda bringing Bonnie by to play and trying to quickly childproof their house every time we stopped by.

Patty and "Mr. Meal" dropping by, whenever, just to hang out, lounge around, and lament the frustrations of this definitely-not-Europe country.

Nearly eighty-year-old Ms. Barbara coming home from her second grade classroom with the craziest sweaters I ever saw.

Jake brewing beer in our kitchen. Rana making me lamachun.

So many memories. Lots of sad things. Lots of losses. But mostly just happy smiles.

Now, we are making new memories. New friends. Like Carla and her two sweet boys: Jackson (4) and Max (3) (pictured above).

A return to Nick and Kristy and their little guys Noah (4)  (who has the vocabulary of a 35-year-old) and sweet Jonah (almost 2), who reminds me so much of Isaac when he was Jonah's age -- quiet and laid back.

Red-headed Jenn and her little one-year-old Rowynn.

It's nice. It's feeling more and more comfortable.

But still, if I'm honest, Turkey is home. And I miss it.