Mission Accomplished

This will be my last blog entry in Turkey.  We came, we saw, we conquered.  And now it is finally our turn to say goodbye. 

Anyone that knows me well knows that I am not the most motivated person you will meet.  I think I have plenty of ability in many areas, but not much drive to do anything with it.  So I don't have a lot of experience with setting goals and then achieving them.  I usually don't set them to begin with, actually.

Turkey changed that for me.  I was forced to set a goal: make it 2 years in a tough place without falling apart, or quitting, or having a negative attitude.  Another goal?  To make these 2 years of my son's life happy and memorable...even if it would be hard to do at times.

I did it, I did it, I did it.  And I have to say, it feels good to see your goals achieved.  To know that you did what you set out to do, even if it was hard at times.

I will always have a place in my heart for this nation and it's people, who are some of the kindest and most welcoming I have ever met.  My ears will always perk up when I hear Turkey in the news.  This place will now always be a part of my story.  And for that, I am thankful.

Time to go now.  We are coming home.

Dear America.......

Happy Birthday!!  See you in a few days.

Love,
The Stebbins

Favorite Photos

I already did a post about my favorite picture taken during our time in Turkey.  But I wanted to add a few more that represent moments and people I will always remember.

This picture represents so, so many happy afternoons in Turkey.  After naptime, we would walk over to Wendi's house (usually with Sarahbee and Peter) and hang out until dinnertime.  W would have a blast each time.  And the conversations that I had with my friends were so precious.  I drove by Wendi's old house the other day and noticed all the skid marks from bikes and big wheels in her driveway.  I got a tear in my eye because each of those marks represent an afternoon and a moment in time, watching my baby grow into a little boy.

Who would have thunk it?  These 2 ladies together in central Turkey??  Not me!!

I have always known that I lucked out in the husband department, but watching Ryan love and shepherd our family over the last 2 years has been awesome.  Our marriage is stronger and we are better individuals as well.  Love this guy and can't wait to see where our next adventure takes us.  There is no better traveling partner than Ryan!

This picture always makes me emotional.  Our friendships here were incredible.  The way we were loved, supported, and taken care of was amazing.  W had more aunts and uncles than he could count.  And to give my son the opportunity to live around people defending our freedom is something that I am proud of.  He may not remember much of it, but I sure will..and I will always have this picture to remind him.

A little blurry, but this is a stunning view of a castle from inside Neuschwanstein Castle (the Disney castle) in Germany.  This picture represents all the amazing things these eyes have seen that I never in a million years thought I would see.  My memory bank is full of postcard images just like this one.  We live in a beautiful, wonderful, amazing world....and I am so glad that I have seen so much of it.