so i finally made it back to the good ol' US of A!!! bam babY! the trip was long. so so so long. Traveling over a day is not my most favorite thing to do. Actually i really hate traveling, but i love to travel. contradictory i know but its the truth. mormons honor. :)
So yeah i go to the baggage claim to find that both handles had been broken on my suitcase as well as a huge gash ripped in the side making a huge hole! i was so pissed and so tired.
I have a great time talking to my dad until way late and then the next morning with my grandma and aunt. After running some errands and unpacking i met up with Jill and Chelsea!!! Great night of eating fro yo and talking super loud and laughing more than i have for months!!! we discovered that our fro yo and choice of toppings describes us perfectly! :)
The next day we drove together to Rexburg which didnt look like Rexburg since there was only patches of snow and it was not up to my shoulders! BYUI has changed soooo much! Chelsea Jill and I have not been there for months so we were all freaking out!
We were hanging out in the library and talking to a bunch of friends when Chelsea looks over and sees Scott!!! Tanaes fiance!! He was working there still even though Tanae was in Pocky so i called her, freaking out, and told her we were just about to see him. in her words "not fair! you are meeting him and i am not even there!" but it was good to finally meet him and he knew who i was! haha so we talked for a while and then i called up Tanae and we all talked. It was great fun.
When i saw Tanae after she came out of the temple i just started to bawl! the tears were pouring out and there was no stopping them! jill and chelsea and Tanaes mom started tearing up because how much i was crying. Every time I thought about how beautiful she looked or how happy they were i would begin to cry.
We ended up going to three receptions that night. crazy right? i know. i wrote a song for Tanae and she wanted me to play it for her that night at 8 at her reception. We ended up being late and so i was not able to play it in front of everyone (which i was happy about actually since i was shaking) and i just played it for Tanae and Scott in a little side room before they jetted off to their wedding night....
it went really well. they held each other as i played and we all cried. it was a sweet sweet moment i was so grateful to have gotten with them on such a big day.
I also got to see my good friend Tod! it was really good to see him again for a bit.
Today was also Alyssa's mission farewell. I cried during that too. she did a really good job and there was a talk after that was super good as well. We went to her house after and I got to meet a ton of her family. All of them were super nice and so easy to talk to.I really like her family. I got to see Diana again which was great. i love that girl. and I got so see her big beautiful house and meet her brothers who i had not met yet.
Anyways it was a great day with my wonderful Alyssa and Diana and it was sad to say goodbye for now to Tanae and Jill and Chelsea.
NOw my Dad is picking up my sister Emi tonight and my mom and Little Sister Elina is driving here tonight or tomorrow. I am so excited!! BRING ON THE HOLIDAYS!! :)
pictures soon!
Sunday, December 18, 2011
Sunday, December 11, 2011
The End
Tomorrow is my last day in Turkey. wow i cannot believe it is here. I have been amazingly blessed in my time here are i am so grateful for this experience. For the people I have met, the great kids i have taken care of, the Church here, my new best friends i have made, my host family the Oguts, and the lessons i have learned.
I really cannot express how lucky I have been and how blessed. I am thanking my Heavenly Father constantly for all that he has done for me during my time here, he has really been watching out for me. I have been trying not to cry but tomorrow i know i will just loose it. It is going to be so hard to say goodbye to Derin, i love her and she loves me so much. I also love this family so much, they have taken such good care of me and I really feel comfortable with them and i am happy. Tonight they took me to this super nice restaurant to say goodbye.
They also got me (it was "From" Derin even though her mom paid for it) a really cute simple ring from this nice store. I got to pick it out and I choose the one that says love. It was really so sweet of them. I really do hope that I stay close with them and I can visit them and they can visit me. :) With my parents moving to Spain it will be easier to do this.
Anyways lots of packing to do, trying to fit all my stuff. I also need to finish a bunch of stuff and get my finals for my classes done and get last min things to bring back all tomorrow. so much to do so i better go.
I will miss you Istanbul, my love, canum.
I really cannot express how lucky I have been and how blessed. I am thanking my Heavenly Father constantly for all that he has done for me during my time here, he has really been watching out for me. I have been trying not to cry but tomorrow i know i will just loose it. It is going to be so hard to say goodbye to Derin, i love her and she loves me so much. I also love this family so much, they have taken such good care of me and I really feel comfortable with them and i am happy. Tonight they took me to this super nice restaurant to say goodbye.
They also got me (it was "From" Derin even though her mom paid for it) a really cute simple ring from this nice store. I got to pick it out and I choose the one that says love. It was really so sweet of them. I really do hope that I stay close with them and I can visit them and they can visit me. :) With my parents moving to Spain it will be easier to do this.
Anyways lots of packing to do, trying to fit all my stuff. I also need to finish a bunch of stuff and get my finals for my classes done and get last min things to bring back all tomorrow. so much to do so i better go.
I will miss you Istanbul, my love, canum.
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Amazing videos of the day
hey folks
here are some really awesome videos i have been putting off sleep watching
enjoy!!
completely and utterly awesome! if i could somehow pull this off for a talent show it would be the best! maybe i will just go up and show this and other videos of people who are talented,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yvsCfRZXeIk&sns=fb
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sw0fT3M-CLs&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VTdLzQkkJLQ&feature=related
ok thats all for now. i need some sleep
night!
take care!
here are some really awesome videos i have been putting off sleep watching
enjoy!!
completely and utterly awesome! if i could somehow pull this off for a talent show it would be the best! maybe i will just go up and show this and other videos of people who are talented,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yvsCfRZXeIk&sns=fb
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sw0fT3M-CLs&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VTdLzQkkJLQ&feature=related
ok thats all for now. i need some sleep
night!
take care!
Sunday, November 27, 2011
RockStar Diaries interview
Hey so there is this blog that i love reading that was introduced to me by the lovely miss Alyssa. Its is written by Naomi Davis this Mormon girl who lives in DC with her husband dog and uber cute little girl Eleanor. I really love this blog and a lot of other people do too.
The Washington Examiner had an interview with her and did a little story on her, her blog, and her religion. It is really good and i was very impressed on how she answered the questions. Its a good short read so dont be shy! :)
http://washingtonexaminer.com/local/people/2011/11/credo-naomi-davis#disqus_thread
Take care!!
pictures soon i promise
The Washington Examiner had an interview with her and did a little story on her, her blog, and her religion. It is really good and i was very impressed on how she answered the questions. Its a good short read so dont be shy! :)
http://washingtonexaminer.com/local/people/2011/11/credo-naomi-davis#disqus_thread
Take care!!
pictures soon i promise
Monday, November 21, 2011
Nearing the End
Its down to the last three weeks of my time here in Turkey. It has been a crazy, exciting, hard, and great 7 months!
I am so excited to get home and be with my family and see my friends again. I am so grateful that I will be back for Christmas and as soon as i get back I get to go to Tanaes wedding with Jill and Chelsea!! I love these girls so much and I have missed them a lot. I have also missed many of my other close and good friends such as bro/Corey and Alyssa (i will be going to her mission farewell the day after Tanaes wedding! )
I am sad I dont get to see my Turkish best friends especially miss Kelly Donkersgood. I have missed having her here in Turkey with me.
I cannot wait to see my family and go back to school! I even miss snow!! not the cold but yes the snow! I am sure this will change after the first couple weeks.
Anyways I am going to miss Turkey dearly, especially my dear sweet Derin who I love spending my days with. I also miss my first sweetheart Zeynep and I hope that I can see her before I leave.
The good news is that my parents are moving to Barcelona Spain in January if the visas go through in time so I can visit them and then it will be easier to make a trip over to Turkey.
Dad and I had a great two weeks together and it was so nice to spend that time with him and travel together to Italy and Spain and in Turkey. We have seen soooo many rocks!! at least they were cool rocks from ruins and ancient art and such but still in the end a rock is a rock and we saw tons and tons of them!
I will write more on that later.
This week is Thanksgiving and I am planning to cook a few (with Derins help) traditional dishes for my host family. I hope it all goes well and I am excited because I looked up a bunch of fun stuff for Derin and I to do to learn about thanksgiving.
We also started to read one of my favorite books Ella Enchanted and I am super excited. It is a little advanced for her but its a good change for us to go over new words.
So three weeks and counting down. Derin is sad but I need to keep it in mind so we can make the most of our time. I am so excited to get back into my own country where i will understand the people around me! its going to be weird and i am sure my brain will fry but its so worth it.
I am going to miss Turkey
Adieu for now!!
I am so excited to get home and be with my family and see my friends again. I am so grateful that I will be back for Christmas and as soon as i get back I get to go to Tanaes wedding with Jill and Chelsea!! I love these girls so much and I have missed them a lot. I have also missed many of my other close and good friends such as bro/Corey and Alyssa (i will be going to her mission farewell the day after Tanaes wedding! )
I am sad I dont get to see my Turkish best friends especially miss Kelly Donkersgood. I have missed having her here in Turkey with me.
I cannot wait to see my family and go back to school! I even miss snow!! not the cold but yes the snow! I am sure this will change after the first couple weeks.
Anyways I am going to miss Turkey dearly, especially my dear sweet Derin who I love spending my days with. I also miss my first sweetheart Zeynep and I hope that I can see her before I leave.
The good news is that my parents are moving to Barcelona Spain in January if the visas go through in time so I can visit them and then it will be easier to make a trip over to Turkey.
Dad and I had a great two weeks together and it was so nice to spend that time with him and travel together to Italy and Spain and in Turkey. We have seen soooo many rocks!! at least they were cool rocks from ruins and ancient art and such but still in the end a rock is a rock and we saw tons and tons of them!
I will write more on that later.
This week is Thanksgiving and I am planning to cook a few (with Derins help) traditional dishes for my host family. I hope it all goes well and I am excited because I looked up a bunch of fun stuff for Derin and I to do to learn about thanksgiving.
We also started to read one of my favorite books Ella Enchanted and I am super excited. It is a little advanced for her but its a good change for us to go over new words.
So three weeks and counting down. Derin is sad but I need to keep it in mind so we can make the most of our time. I am so excited to get back into my own country where i will understand the people around me! its going to be weird and i am sure my brain will fry but its so worth it.
I am going to miss Turkey
Adieu for now!!
Friday, November 11, 2011
3 Countries in 3 days....
here is a quicky post. i have not posted in FOREVER cuz sheer laziness and getting preoccupied by either my online classes, Derin, Dad coming to visit, the fact that I am going home in a month, or pinrest. Yes. I am addicted!
Dad has been here for a week today! First what happened is I stayed up late thursday night getting things done for when he got there at 1pm the next day. I also got a chance to talk to both my sisters on skype (which has not happened since summer). I finally got to be around 2am only to be woken up by a small knock on my door. It was my host dad saying, "your dad is here in Turkey and he called Sanem since you were not there and your phone number was not working. He is on his way and should be here soon."
WHAT THE?!?! You can imagine my surprise and confusion. Apparently i completely didnt notice that his flight came in at 1am and not 1pm!
I felt so bad that i forgot my dad! Not only that but he wrote down my number wrong but i had given him my host mom Sanems number before and he called her at 2:30am! Luckily my host dad was still up doing work so he helped get everything ready for when my dad got there. We waited and waited but he didnt come. Something was wrong. I was completely freaking out, tired, and so sorry.
Dad finally got there. The taxi driver couldnt find the place and they had even driven accross the bridge to Asia trying to find it! BUt finally he was there and in one piece.
My host parents were super great about the whole thing and even found it humorous. They were really nice and great helping us our a bunch.
We spent the night by the Cora church taking time to walk around and explore the ancient wall that was in the area and the next day we explored the Blue mosque, grand and spice bazaar, and the Basilica Cistern. It was fun just catching up with him. After 6 or so hours of planning and looking things up we finally got the flights for the rest of our trip too.
Plan was to fly to Izmir and go to Ephesus for two days
Fly back to Istanbul for a day
Fly to Rome for a day then the next night
Fly to Barcelona Spain.
Crazy right!
It was and I am not extremely exhausted!
But thats not all
After Spain for 6 days We are flying to Naples Italy to see pompeii!!!!
Then two days later fly back to Istanbul for another day or so and then dad flys back to the states.
After dad leaves i will only have 3 more weeks in Turkey! I am so ready to go home!!!!
Anyways I have been inside all day getting this weeks hw done for my online classes...suck my first day in Barcelona and i am inside but its ok, i will get to enjoy the rest of my days :)
Well take care yall!!
Dad has been here for a week today! First what happened is I stayed up late thursday night getting things done for when he got there at 1pm the next day. I also got a chance to talk to both my sisters on skype (which has not happened since summer). I finally got to be around 2am only to be woken up by a small knock on my door. It was my host dad saying, "your dad is here in Turkey and he called Sanem since you were not there and your phone number was not working. He is on his way and should be here soon."
WHAT THE?!?! You can imagine my surprise and confusion. Apparently i completely didnt notice that his flight came in at 1am and not 1pm!
I felt so bad that i forgot my dad! Not only that but he wrote down my number wrong but i had given him my host mom Sanems number before and he called her at 2:30am! Luckily my host dad was still up doing work so he helped get everything ready for when my dad got there. We waited and waited but he didnt come. Something was wrong. I was completely freaking out, tired, and so sorry.
Dad finally got there. The taxi driver couldnt find the place and they had even driven accross the bridge to Asia trying to find it! BUt finally he was there and in one piece.
My host parents were super great about the whole thing and even found it humorous. They were really nice and great helping us our a bunch.
We spent the night by the Cora church taking time to walk around and explore the ancient wall that was in the area and the next day we explored the Blue mosque, grand and spice bazaar, and the Basilica Cistern. It was fun just catching up with him. After 6 or so hours of planning and looking things up we finally got the flights for the rest of our trip too.
Plan was to fly to Izmir and go to Ephesus for two days
Fly back to Istanbul for a day
Fly to Rome for a day then the next night
Fly to Barcelona Spain.
Crazy right!
It was and I am not extremely exhausted!
But thats not all
After Spain for 6 days We are flying to Naples Italy to see pompeii!!!!
Then two days later fly back to Istanbul for another day or so and then dad flys back to the states.
After dad leaves i will only have 3 more weeks in Turkey! I am so ready to go home!!!!
Anyways I have been inside all day getting this weeks hw done for my online classes...suck my first day in Barcelona and i am inside but its ok, i will get to enjoy the rest of my days :)
Well take care yall!!
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Love this
so i saw many people post this video on facebook and I wanted to watch it but it took me a while to get around to it. well i finally saw it and can i say...AMAZING!!! It makes me so happy and proud to be a Mormon! Living in another country has made the spirit and love of gospel burn so bright. Brandon is so right and amazing. we love all and we welcome all!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4PF0h7oqUEQ&feature=share
my name is Ana Bushman I am a student, sister, and friend and I am a Mormon. :)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4PF0h7oqUEQ&feature=share
my name is Ana Bushman I am a student, sister, and friend and I am a Mormon. :)
Sunday, October 23, 2011
Turkey Earthquake
Today at 1:41 this afternoon (while i was in relief society) a huge earthquake of 7.2 hit the region of Van in Eastern Turkey. Please pray for those suffering from this disaster. As of right now 87 people are dead and over 10000 are injured. This is only those that have been brought to the hospital and many more lay dead and trapped in the rubble. Sweet sweet Derin was tearing up while watching the news tonight. It is a sad thing. I am just grateful that it did not hit Istanbul. It would have been so much worse in this huge and extremely populated old city. What a blessing. Please keep Turkey in your thoughts and prayers! Thank you.
CNN report from earlyer
http://www.cnn.com/2011/10/23/world/europe/turkey-earthquake/index.html?hpt=hp_t1
CNN report from earlyer
http://www.cnn.com/2011/10/23/world/europe/turkey-earthquake/index.html?hpt=hp_t1
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Truth, Love, and Life
Life is crazy. I have no idea where it will take me. The only thing I do know is that I have the Lord and his church and it will always be there no matter where i am. I also know that he has promised me the most incredible blessings if I live in His name. Even though everything around me is constantly changing I have something I know is truth and that I can hold on to. This is what gets me through every day.
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Sunday, October 16, 2011
French Dreaming
Well its done. i am officially completely in love with France. From the moment i stepped off that plane everything was absolutely amazing. I was surrounded by beautiful things, and cute little French houses with bright vibrant flowers hanging from every window. It all seemed natural and organic :) funny way of putting it but its true. Most of the houses are really old, not like the states bound one that are made of wood, these are made of brick, stone or concrete which means they last for hundreds of years! Outside nature was getting fall on and turning all kinds of pretty oranges, browns, and yellow but you still had the vibrant green everywhere. Amazing.
Now this is my new dream. When i am older with my hubby and when the kids are all moved out I want to buy a little house in the French countryside with a little French garden in the back. Yupp thats the dream :) pretty good i think.
I am telling you France was enchanting!
I got to go to an actual ward which was awesome! And we got to hang out with some of the best missionaries. it was so nice to be around the gospel again and around a bunch of people my own age :) we had so much fun
i might give you more details later but at this point i have so much to catch up on this is what you get. I will post more photos later after i go through them. I only took about 1000 so it is taking me a while lol
Well take care! :)
Now this is my new dream. When i am older with my hubby and when the kids are all moved out I want to buy a little house in the French countryside with a little French garden in the back. Yupp thats the dream :) pretty good i think.
I am telling you France was enchanting!
I got to go to an actual ward which was awesome! And we got to hang out with some of the best missionaries. it was so nice to be around the gospel again and around a bunch of people my own age :) we had so much fun
i might give you more details later but at this point i have so much to catch up on this is what you get. I will post more photos later after i go through them. I only took about 1000 so it is taking me a while lol
Well take care! :)
Friday, October 7, 2011
Bonjour!!
Hey in a few hours i will be on a plane to Paris France!! i am so super stoked! I am meeting my good friend and FHE brother from school Ben and he is going to show me around, in face he planned everything! he is awesome! so this will be a great surprise! :) i am so excited!
sad part is that i said goodbye to derin and she was crying, upset that i had to leave. I love that little girl. its going to be so hard when i have to say goodbye and go home.
Paris here i come!! :)
sad part is that i said goodbye to derin and she was crying, upset that i had to leave. I love that little girl. its going to be so hard when i have to say goodbye and go home.
Paris here i come!! :)
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
We Bought a Zoo
I just saw this trailer and it looks like an amazing movie, not to mention a dream come true!!! I know my little sister Elina would LOVE living in a zoo!! so cool!
here is the trailer to We Bought a Zoo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=STXvAhrVP0U
here is the trailer to We Bought a Zoo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=STXvAhrVP0U
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Besiktas Football
On Sunday I had the awesome opportunity to go to the Besiktas game with April and her friend Ali. he is a huge football fan of Besiktas so it was a lot of fun. People get super into football here. Even though they played bad (we won) it was still tons of fun and i hope i get to go again soon! :) (Besiktas is said like Beshiktash).
Here are a few photos of the fun.
Here are a few photos of the fun.
Summer Nails
I havent posted in quite a while...sorry
i also need to catch up on my journal writing. dang.
but i wanted to post something real quick for now that i have needed to for a month and just have not gotten around to. my bad.
Its just about a little fun i had with my nails this summer. I never really do too much with my nails since i easily get fed up with them but this was an experiment and it surprisingly turned out great i think. I figured this out at the end of summer which was a bit sad since now i am into fall colors. I have gotten a bunch of new colors and i plan to get even more fall and winter colors. I guess i have gotten polish happy but i cannot help it. In Turkey they literally have heaps and piles of nail polish of so many wonderful colors!
Here are a few pics of my summer nails and new colors! :)
i also need to catch up on my journal writing. dang.
but i wanted to post something real quick for now that i have needed to for a month and just have not gotten around to. my bad.
Its just about a little fun i had with my nails this summer. I never really do too much with my nails since i easily get fed up with them but this was an experiment and it surprisingly turned out great i think. I figured this out at the end of summer which was a bit sad since now i am into fall colors. I have gotten a bunch of new colors and i plan to get even more fall and winter colors. I guess i have gotten polish happy but i cannot help it. In Turkey they literally have heaps and piles of nail polish of so many wonderful colors!
Here are a few pics of my summer nails and new colors! :)
Monday, September 19, 2011
Welcome to Turkey!
Tomorrow is a very special day!! it is the day that the first Mediterranean Tour from BYU Idaho is coming to Istanbul!!!!! And guess who is coming!?! Tanae Clayson and another awesome friend Christine! Also Brother Palmer, the tour director from the Meso American tour i went on is coming too!! :) i couldnt be more excited!!! this is so freakin great! They will be here for only about 3 days which is sad and then they will visit the rest of Turkey and then go into Greece. I cannot wait to see them and show them around my city! This tour is part of the reason why i chose to come to Turkey. I wanted to go on the tour super bad but i need to work and not spend my money so when Turkey came up it had my interest! What an excellent choice it was too. I get to see my friends and fellow classmates and Tanae!! Especially awesome since she just got engaged! :)
I hope i can impress them with my Turkish skills but if not i know how to get around and buy things so i can help them out. I am going to meet them at the airport in the morning so i have to leave pretty early. I hope i can find them! that would be bad if i missed them .... i dont want the think about it. but things will be good. i know it!
I need to get some sleep so i can wake up and get there. They are in the air right now on there way here!!! i still cannot believe todays the day! :) gah!!!!! i think i am going to tackle tanae when i see her.....i think its a good idea...i dont think i can be stopped :)
well nighty night! :) one happy camper going to bed to wake up to a great day!!!
take care!!!
I hope i can impress them with my Turkish skills but if not i know how to get around and buy things so i can help them out. I am going to meet them at the airport in the morning so i have to leave pretty early. I hope i can find them! that would be bad if i missed them .... i dont want the think about it. but things will be good. i know it!
I need to get some sleep so i can wake up and get there. They are in the air right now on there way here!!! i still cannot believe todays the day! :) gah!!!!! i think i am going to tackle tanae when i see her.....i think its a good idea...i dont think i can be stopped :)
well nighty night! :) one happy camper going to bed to wake up to a great day!!!
take care!!!
You cant spell Tanae without Ana
Tanae Clayson is one of my most favorite people in my life! seriously she was one of my first roommates and we lived together for two years. During those two years we were best friend and we have been super close since. All that time together we were both new to the college life and agreed that we were not ready for marriage. Now that we are starting our fourth year at BYU Idaho we are both at the point where we are ready. Even though this seems natural for me to feel i never completely thought about what if Tanae got married. She has always been there for me and I have known all her boyfriends and such. I mean most times i was really good friends with them too! we would all hang out together and even though they would be dating it would not be super awkward.
I always thought that when she did find the right guy i would have been there through the whole thing. I would have been waiting to hear everything when she came back from her first date, i would have hung out with them both and been good friends, i would have helped him plan everything for when he would ask her to marry her, i would be there freaking out completely and she would do her Tanae thing and tell me to calm down. Then after the big question i would help her plan her wedding and everything!
So of course in the few months i am in Turkey she meets the one! i missed everything! let me tell you its been hard for me. When it comes down to it i am so freakin happy for her! and i know he must be an awesome guy since he chose her since she is so amazing! and i basically know how he is just because i know her so well. I am just so happy that i will get to see her this week and that i will be able to go to her wedding as soon as i get back stateside (no really the wedding is 3 days after i get back).
Tanae and I used to joke that you cannot spell tANAe without Ana which is true but now i have to pass my name on to her fiance, and i do so happily. He is the one who completes her. I cannot wait to met this guy!!! haha
So this is to you Tanae! You are one of my bestest friends! I love you so so so much! even though we have been through hard times it was all worth it. You are amazing and talented and beautiful and so much fun! I am so excited for you. I wish you all the best and more! I cannot wait to see you tomorrow and then see (at least be waiting outside the temple doors) you get married to the man of your dreams for all eternity when i get back.
You are my roomie forever and always! Tanae, i wish there was a way i could relive these last three years of my life with you because they were my best so far!
Love you nae nae!!!
Take Care everyone
Ana
I always thought that when she did find the right guy i would have been there through the whole thing. I would have been waiting to hear everything when she came back from her first date, i would have hung out with them both and been good friends, i would have helped him plan everything for when he would ask her to marry her, i would be there freaking out completely and she would do her Tanae thing and tell me to calm down. Then after the big question i would help her plan her wedding and everything!
So of course in the few months i am in Turkey she meets the one! i missed everything! let me tell you its been hard for me. When it comes down to it i am so freakin happy for her! and i know he must be an awesome guy since he chose her since she is so amazing! and i basically know how he is just because i know her so well. I am just so happy that i will get to see her this week and that i will be able to go to her wedding as soon as i get back stateside (no really the wedding is 3 days after i get back).
Tanae and I used to joke that you cannot spell tANAe without Ana which is true but now i have to pass my name on to her fiance, and i do so happily. He is the one who completes her. I cannot wait to met this guy!!! haha
So this is to you Tanae! You are one of my bestest friends! I love you so so so much! even though we have been through hard times it was all worth it. You are amazing and talented and beautiful and so much fun! I am so excited for you. I wish you all the best and more! I cannot wait to see you tomorrow and then see (at least be waiting outside the temple doors) you get married to the man of your dreams for all eternity when i get back.
You are my roomie forever and always! Tanae, i wish there was a way i could relive these last three years of my life with you because they were my best so far!
Love you nae nae!!!
Take Care everyone
Ana
Saturday, September 17, 2011
Meso America 2010 slide show
Last summer i had one of the most amazing experiences of my life. i went on the meso american tour 2010 with my school. Tanae clayson went weith me and i made so of the best friends i have on the tour. i wanted to help make the slideshow so i made one before but the program i used expired so it didnt work anymore. lame right. i had to remake it but i put it off for months and months and now the Mediterranean tour is coming to Istanbul and the tour director from the Meso American tour Brother Palmer is going on this tour as well. I decided now was the time to get it done. so i finally finished it now! i hope this works. i am going to try and post it here! it is not as great as i hoped it could be but this is what i got and what i could do with what i had! :)
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Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Hope
Lately I have been super stressed. once one thing stresses me out, then everything else that could stress me out crashes over me and i have a meltdown.. this is good sometimes so i can get back on track with everything but it still sucks. Saturday night i was feeling just terrible and i went to bed early but i could not fall asleep for the life of me because the stress thing happened. the way i get things like this off my mind so i can sleep peacefully is by writing it down and so i was up and down writing things and sitting in my destressing position on the floor in the dark (sitting on my shoulders with my legs and butt in the air) but nothing was really working. it did give me time to think through a lot of things. Anyways i have been freaking out about everything since but slowly (especially with the help of my family, namely my amazing mother) taking it one day at a time i am figuring things out. I have been blessed that some amazing things have happened and pulled through such as my host family helping me with my trip to France to get my vise renewed, and my host mom working with a guy who needs to practice his english and is going to pay me pretty well for a few hours of working with him a week. Well my branch president talked to me and advised me to study topics in my studies instead of just reading through the scriptures. this week we decided i was to study hope since i have been stressing out about so many things. tonight i read an amazing talk by President Uchtdorf about it. I suggest anyone and everyone to read it. He is an amazing speaker and I always love hearing his words and stories. http://lds.org/general-conference/2008/10/the-infinite-power-of-hope?lang=eng&query=hope
Here is also a great scripture in the Book of Mormon that i looked at and i love Ether 12:4
take care! i will write more soon!
Ana
Here is also a great scripture in the Book of Mormon that i looked at and i love Ether 12:4
take care! i will write more soon!
Ana
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Sunglasses and Turkish commercials
So.... a few weeks ago i met this German girl who is living in Istanbul at the hostel i was staying at. We talked and became friends and the next day she came back and asked me if i wanted to be in an eyewear commercial. Of course i wanted to do it but it turns out that I was going to be in Cesme when they were going to shoot. Dang it right! but this commercial was for the brand Karen Walker and this was their opening into the Turkish market so they wanted a Turkish commercial with no Turkish people in it. Weird but ok. So even though i could not be in it i know quite a few foreigners here in Istanbul who are Aupairs, church members, on the Turkish language groups and such so i said i would help them find more people. Turns out I was able to help them alot so i got to see several of my friends be on the commercial!!! here is the finished product which is so amazing!! i love it!
I was able to meet the director and producer and become friends with them so hopefully they will have another project that I can work with them on again.
ok ok here is the Karen Walker Video!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9A3JQYMxNFY
I was able to meet the director and producer and become friends with them so hopefully they will have another project that I can work with them on again.
ok ok here is the Karen Walker Video!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9A3JQYMxNFY
Sunday, September 11, 2011
9/11 one for the History Books
You can ask almost any American what they remember about 9/11 2001 and I bet they could tell you exactly where they were when they found out. This was one of those moments along with Steve Irwin and Michael Jacksons that you never forget.
for me.....
I remember waking up and going downstairs to see my two sisters sitting in front of the TV freaking out about something to do with planes and such. At that point i didnt really care to be honest, i just wanted to get to school on time. It was not until I was in my third period Earth Science Class with Mrs Adams did i really understand what was going on. By that point the towers had been hit and my teacher turned the tv on (which was hardly ever used) and we watched the tower get hit again and again as the news channel replayed the footage they had. we sat there watching the towers burn not really believing or understanding just how big of a deal this really was (we were little 6th graders). I was baffled. I think i might have even cried (i was an emotional child). Our teacher told us that she thinks she is not supposed to show us this but her interest is too drawn to turn it off, and we didnt want her to.
Later on that day things only got worse. My Dad worked for NASA and his building was in Edwards Airforce Base. When we got home from school no one was there. My older sister tried and tried to call my dad but he was impossible to reach. You can say that the three of us were freaking out. I think my mom had tried to go to the base to see him or something. I am not sure. I just remember wondering what had happened to my dad and thinking of all the things that could be happening. Finally the call from him came. Turns out that they were not letting anyone out of the base and when they finally did it was a slow process to get out. I was so scarred. And yet it was not over. over the next months hell and hope were everywhere. It was a pain to get in and out of the base or fly. you kept hearing stories about another bomber being discovered on a plane trying to light his shoelace or something. Fear was a disease. Innocent people were being persecuted and tried and hurt mostly just because they were Muslim or from the Middle East. I felt so bad for them, it was not them that were wrong but it was us, we became the terrorist in our own country to our own members. Even though it has greatly improved there is still hate against Muslims. I am sad to say that my church seems to have many people who feel this way including my own grandmother and other extended family members. They were afraid and worried about me going to a Muslim country to live and work but I am proud to say that I would not trade being here for the 10th anniversary of that dreadful day. I think it could not have been a more appropriate place that after 10 years and 2 wars and countless hours, deaths, and money spent in cause of this event I am here in Turkey seeing first hand how amazing and wonderful these people are. We all have enemy's, we all have struggles, but lets not let that distract us from the beauty of the people and the world around us. After 10 years its time to heal. There is good and bad in everything, lets find the good again. All of my love and prayers go out to all those who were affected by what happened today 10 years ago. We shouldnt have to be remembering this day. But we cannot control it. To all those brave people who dies and fought and families who were affected God Bless. I am proud to be an American.
Take care
Ana
for me.....
I remember waking up and going downstairs to see my two sisters sitting in front of the TV freaking out about something to do with planes and such. At that point i didnt really care to be honest, i just wanted to get to school on time. It was not until I was in my third period Earth Science Class with Mrs Adams did i really understand what was going on. By that point the towers had been hit and my teacher turned the tv on (which was hardly ever used) and we watched the tower get hit again and again as the news channel replayed the footage they had. we sat there watching the towers burn not really believing or understanding just how big of a deal this really was (we were little 6th graders). I was baffled. I think i might have even cried (i was an emotional child). Our teacher told us that she thinks she is not supposed to show us this but her interest is too drawn to turn it off, and we didnt want her to.
Later on that day things only got worse. My Dad worked for NASA and his building was in Edwards Airforce Base. When we got home from school no one was there. My older sister tried and tried to call my dad but he was impossible to reach. You can say that the three of us were freaking out. I think my mom had tried to go to the base to see him or something. I am not sure. I just remember wondering what had happened to my dad and thinking of all the things that could be happening. Finally the call from him came. Turns out that they were not letting anyone out of the base and when they finally did it was a slow process to get out. I was so scarred. And yet it was not over. over the next months hell and hope were everywhere. It was a pain to get in and out of the base or fly. you kept hearing stories about another bomber being discovered on a plane trying to light his shoelace or something. Fear was a disease. Innocent people were being persecuted and tried and hurt mostly just because they were Muslim or from the Middle East. I felt so bad for them, it was not them that were wrong but it was us, we became the terrorist in our own country to our own members. Even though it has greatly improved there is still hate against Muslims. I am sad to say that my church seems to have many people who feel this way including my own grandmother and other extended family members. They were afraid and worried about me going to a Muslim country to live and work but I am proud to say that I would not trade being here for the 10th anniversary of that dreadful day. I think it could not have been a more appropriate place that after 10 years and 2 wars and countless hours, deaths, and money spent in cause of this event I am here in Turkey seeing first hand how amazing and wonderful these people are. We all have enemy's, we all have struggles, but lets not let that distract us from the beauty of the people and the world around us. After 10 years its time to heal. There is good and bad in everything, lets find the good again. All of my love and prayers go out to all those who were affected by what happened today 10 years ago. We shouldnt have to be remembering this day. But we cannot control it. To all those brave people who dies and fought and families who were affected God Bless. I am proud to be an American.
Take care
Ana
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Ramadan
hey so i posted a big post about ramazan and ebru art on my other blog Turkish delight if you want to take a look. here is the link http://turkishdelight-ana.blogspot.com/2011/08/ramazan.html
and here are a few pics to entice you to go see more!
check it out and i will post on Chios the greek island soon so until then take care!
and here are a few pics to entice you to go see more!
check it out and i will post on Chios the greek island soon so until then take care!
Saturday, August 27, 2011
The Birthdays
Hey so this week was my 21st birthday as well as my little sister Elinas birthday! She turned 19 today! Crazy they grow up so fast!
i love that girl to pieces. my sister elina has one of the biggest hearts of anyone i know. her really does care so much about other people. She is always there when i need her and if i need anything at all she offers it without hesitation. she is my sister, my friend. i love you elina!! happy birthday!
now to tell you about my big day....
well i woke up spent the rest of the morning on facebook answering the numerous birthday posts. It always interests me who will write on my wall or not. Then i read and relaxed until we went to the beach. This was one we have not gone to but it was way cool. the sea was beautiful and it was a much more "hip" (i cannot believe i just used that word) beach with chill music, big pillows to sit on, umbrellas, and lots of different activities. one such was a sand football (soccer) field which made me realize once more that i am in Turkey. if i was back in California it would be volleyball, which i would have loved to do on my birthday. but we later did find a volleyball court, it was just in the back corner of the place, hard ground, and plenty of spiky weeds. in face my game with the kids was cut short after Derin stepped on some goatheads and i had to carry her to safety. My host dad kept kind of teasing me since it was the big 21 (in the states, Turkey the drinking age is 18) and i dont even drink. he asked if i wanted something to drink and i said water but he said you can go all out, its your 21st! he ended up ordering me a strawberry smoothie which was delicious! Later the kids were getting ice cream and he said i was welcome to get one too, it was ok to got all out and crazy on my 21st. it was fun. The place sold cool t-shirts since it was a music centered place (they have concerts there and stuff) so they got me a few shirts which was way nice. They also got me a cake! it was tasty! i will put up pics of it all later. They had been invited to dinner but Berfin said that us girls could go out to dinner, so she took me to this great place she used to work out in the village. It was so much fun and it was great to get to know her better. she is a great girl and i want to become friends with her. we had fun and Derin was so funny, this girl is incredibly talkative with this amazing imagination! she was the entertainment of the night. they also basically forced me to pick out something they could get me. so they bought me two bracelets that are adorable! i will post pics later. it was really sweet. my host family made it alot easier to be away from my family and friends on my birthday. all in all it was a good birthday. The celebration does not end there either, when i get back Engin and i will celebrate our birthday together and some of my amazing friends back home want to celebrate with me when i get back to the states as well. I really cannot complain about much i mean i spent my birthday on a beach in Turkey! way cool! even though it was hard at times i can look back at this and only smile :) so goodnight folks, i have to wake up early tomorrow since we are going to a Greek island for a few days!!! eeeekkkk!!!! i am super excited! :)
take care!
Ana
i love that girl to pieces. my sister elina has one of the biggest hearts of anyone i know. her really does care so much about other people. She is always there when i need her and if i need anything at all she offers it without hesitation. she is my sister, my friend. i love you elina!! happy birthday!
now to tell you about my big day....
well i woke up spent the rest of the morning on facebook answering the numerous birthday posts. It always interests me who will write on my wall or not. Then i read and relaxed until we went to the beach. This was one we have not gone to but it was way cool. the sea was beautiful and it was a much more "hip" (i cannot believe i just used that word) beach with chill music, big pillows to sit on, umbrellas, and lots of different activities. one such was a sand football (soccer) field which made me realize once more that i am in Turkey. if i was back in California it would be volleyball, which i would have loved to do on my birthday. but we later did find a volleyball court, it was just in the back corner of the place, hard ground, and plenty of spiky weeds. in face my game with the kids was cut short after Derin stepped on some goatheads and i had to carry her to safety. My host dad kept kind of teasing me since it was the big 21 (in the states, Turkey the drinking age is 18) and i dont even drink. he asked if i wanted something to drink and i said water but he said you can go all out, its your 21st! he ended up ordering me a strawberry smoothie which was delicious! Later the kids were getting ice cream and he said i was welcome to get one too, it was ok to got all out and crazy on my 21st. it was fun. The place sold cool t-shirts since it was a music centered place (they have concerts there and stuff) so they got me a few shirts which was way nice. They also got me a cake! it was tasty! i will put up pics of it all later. They had been invited to dinner but Berfin said that us girls could go out to dinner, so she took me to this great place she used to work out in the village. It was so much fun and it was great to get to know her better. she is a great girl and i want to become friends with her. we had fun and Derin was so funny, this girl is incredibly talkative with this amazing imagination! she was the entertainment of the night. they also basically forced me to pick out something they could get me. so they bought me two bracelets that are adorable! i will post pics later. it was really sweet. my host family made it alot easier to be away from my family and friends on my birthday. all in all it was a good birthday. The celebration does not end there either, when i get back Engin and i will celebrate our birthday together and some of my amazing friends back home want to celebrate with me when i get back to the states as well. I really cannot complain about much i mean i spent my birthday on a beach in Turkey! way cool! even though it was hard at times i can look back at this and only smile :) so goodnight folks, i have to wake up early tomorrow since we are going to a Greek island for a few days!!! eeeekkkk!!!! i am super excited! :)
take care!
Ana
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
cool new stuff!
so my friend monique got me hooked on this site that is the ultimate time killer/ procrastinator called stumble upon
through is i have found some amazing stuff, one of these sites i have found if called How About Orange http://howaboutorange.blogspot.com/
On this site i found the coolest thing ever that i have to get! so if anyone is wanting to get me a birthday gift this would be an excellent one! ;)
It is called Inkodye it is light sensitive so you can make patterns on fabric, even leather with it.
here is a picture of Oranges use of the product. Its it so cute!!!
here is the product website! http://inkodye.com/
through is i have found some amazing stuff, one of these sites i have found if called How About Orange http://howaboutorange.blogspot.com/
On this site i found the coolest thing ever that i have to get! so if anyone is wanting to get me a birthday gift this would be an excellent one! ;)
It is called Inkodye it is light sensitive so you can make patterns on fabric, even leather with it.
here is the product website! http://inkodye.com/
Year 20 is going, going, gone
Only a few more hours left as a 20 year old! It is amazing to think of all that has happened this year, especially as i listen to the call to prayer outside.
I was really sad to think that i would miss my birthday with my friends and family back home. Last year my mom made the most amazing Japanese dinner complete with tons of sushi, fried rice, noodles, egg rolls, goza, miso soup, and asian pumpkin! it was incredible delicious! My dad also got me a HUGE tres leche cake!! It was the best birthday dinner ever! This year i am not only in a foreign country but i am not even going to be in Istanbul where my few friends who are still in Turkey are at! I am in Cesme which is beautiful and great but i dont have any friends here. i made one friend but she flew today to Istanbul, ironic right. Its terrible because my boyfriend has the same birthday and i am missing it for him too! what luck!
Anyways instead of celebrating my last few hours with people i love and friends i am sitting on the couch in the guest house alone because the family went to dinner with their Turkish friends. So far i have ate leftover kabab and dolma, watched tv, browsed the internet, had a personal mini photoshoot, and now i am writing about it on my blog. What a great way to spend my last time as a 20 year old... (if you didnt get it i am being highly sarcastic). But hey, its ok, not too bad. At least i get to relax in a beautiful little village by the sea in Turkey right....right.
So what happened in my 20th year of life??
i got a new computer!
I was dating Spencer, a dream come true until I became one of the least important things in his life
i met Alyssa, one of my most favorite people in the world
went to New York for Christmas break with my sisters
roomed with jill and chelsea and they graduated
parents divorce scare
grandma got her breast removed, knee replaced, and dementia
chopped 12in of my hair off to Donate to locks of love
Elina got a football sized tumor removed, that we were afraid it might be cancer but it turned out to have hair and a bone in it, her unborn twin
moved to Istanbul Turkey
met Kelly (i freakin love this girl! i would not have survived here without her), Aley and some other amazing people
traveled to Bulgaria, Greek Islands, and soon to be many more places
Its been a good year, i have learned so much and done some amazing things. I hope that i can expand on that even more this next year.
here are a few pics from all my fun tonight lol kind of lame but hey i have been in this house for the last 5 days!
Lets see what 21 brings!!! :)
love you
take care
Ana
I was really sad to think that i would miss my birthday with my friends and family back home. Last year my mom made the most amazing Japanese dinner complete with tons of sushi, fried rice, noodles, egg rolls, goza, miso soup, and asian pumpkin! it was incredible delicious! My dad also got me a HUGE tres leche cake!! It was the best birthday dinner ever! This year i am not only in a foreign country but i am not even going to be in Istanbul where my few friends who are still in Turkey are at! I am in Cesme which is beautiful and great but i dont have any friends here. i made one friend but she flew today to Istanbul, ironic right. Its terrible because my boyfriend has the same birthday and i am missing it for him too! what luck!
Anyways instead of celebrating my last few hours with people i love and friends i am sitting on the couch in the guest house alone because the family went to dinner with their Turkish friends. So far i have ate leftover kabab and dolma, watched tv, browsed the internet, had a personal mini photoshoot, and now i am writing about it on my blog. What a great way to spend my last time as a 20 year old... (if you didnt get it i am being highly sarcastic). But hey, its ok, not too bad. At least i get to relax in a beautiful little village by the sea in Turkey right....right.
So what happened in my 20th year of life??
i got a new computer!
I was dating Spencer, a dream come true until I became one of the least important things in his life
i met Alyssa, one of my most favorite people in the world
went to New York for Christmas break with my sisters
roomed with jill and chelsea and they graduated
parents divorce scare
grandma got her breast removed, knee replaced, and dementia
chopped 12in of my hair off to Donate to locks of love
Elina got a football sized tumor removed, that we were afraid it might be cancer but it turned out to have hair and a bone in it, her unborn twin
moved to Istanbul Turkey
met Kelly (i freakin love this girl! i would not have survived here without her), Aley and some other amazing people
traveled to Bulgaria, Greek Islands, and soon to be many more places
Its been a good year, i have learned so much and done some amazing things. I hope that i can expand on that even more this next year.
here are a few pics from all my fun tonight lol kind of lame but hey i have been in this house for the last 5 days!
Lets see what 21 brings!!! :)
love you
take care
Saturday, August 20, 2011
Cesme
Cesme is beautiful, i walked through the village tonight on my own at which point i almost got eaten by a bear, or a rabbit, not sure i am still debating which one since it was dark. I also managed to trip over a cobblestone just as i rounded a corner and found myself in front of 10 or so very confused and amused looking Turkish people sitting outside. When i reached modern civilization there were all these little antique shops i was just gawking at! they were amazing and i wanted to go through but i had so much more to see. I have two weeks here, i have time to later go through them, after i get paid. :)
On the main street there was this man with a big bunny and a baby bunny and so of course i had to stare and squeal with delight until the man shoved the baby bunny at me. He then got the momma bunny to pick out a fortune out for me and wanted to be my "friend". I just smiled acting confused until he asked me to go out for drinks and i said no, gave him the bunny, and walked away.
Interesting, but good news! i found my way back exactly! :) i was proud of myself i am not going to lie. I was proud i found the main street in the first place!
Well it was a fun night. oh and i love my family! they all slept in till 9!
I cannot wait to take photos of the village and i will post them as soon as i can! its amazing here! I just wish i had some friends here. we will see :)
I finally got to talk to Emi the other day but not only her also my dad, grandma, and aunt!!! it was one of the best skype dates ever! skype is one of the best inventions ever let me tell you! it has made living halfway across the world that much easier. My grandma is making a special birthday dinner for me which everyone else will get to eat and i got to choose it! I also got to choose my cake! Lemon with raspberry and white chocolate frosting/filling! yumm! :p i will make one for myself when i get back!
ok thats all for now...
take care!
On the main street there was this man with a big bunny and a baby bunny and so of course i had to stare and squeal with delight until the man shoved the baby bunny at me. He then got the momma bunny to pick out a fortune out for me and wanted to be my "friend". I just smiled acting confused until he asked me to go out for drinks and i said no, gave him the bunny, and walked away.
Interesting, but good news! i found my way back exactly! :) i was proud of myself i am not going to lie. I was proud i found the main street in the first place!
Well it was a fun night. oh and i love my family! they all slept in till 9!
I cannot wait to take photos of the village and i will post them as soon as i can! its amazing here! I just wish i had some friends here. we will see :)
I finally got to talk to Emi the other day but not only her also my dad, grandma, and aunt!!! it was one of the best skype dates ever! skype is one of the best inventions ever let me tell you! it has made living halfway across the world that much easier. My grandma is making a special birthday dinner for me which everyone else will get to eat and i got to choose it! I also got to choose my cake! Lemon with raspberry and white chocolate frosting/filling! yumm! :p i will make one for myself when i get back!
ok thats all for now...
take care!
Thursday, August 18, 2011
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