Merry Christmas!

Finding time to think about the past year is about the hardest thing to do right now as Michelle and I put all our energies into thinking about the next two years or more. It is high season right now for International Schools recruiting, which consumes most of our waking free hours. Yes we have decided to move on from Asia Minor and find a new patch of terra to explore. However this last year has indeed been one to remember, celebrate, and share with you.

The start of 2009 saw us take our first vacation in over a year. We went back to Thailand to enjoy the oils; sun tan oil on the beach, peanut oil in the wok, and massage oil on the body. Renting a scooter, cooking class, and Ni-harn Beach were the high points. We also finally came to the conclusion that we could indeed live here for a time as the food fits Michelle’s lactose & wheat free diet, and my coconut, curry, and mango dietary requirements.

Resting in SE Asia steeled Michelle to endure the final push towards graduation from University of Pittsburgh with her Masters in Library Science! I am so proud of her for accomplishing this online program. We will miss the combined postings where I would add my two cents to the questions. Gone now are the three month mandatory visits to campus, and my resupply wish lists for shopping. Praise the Lord we will no longer have the 4:00am online chats as the alarm clock sits on my side of the bed. Michelle made some great friends and colleagues in the program and we look forward to reconnecting with them whenever the opportunity presents itself.

Returning from our trip to Pittsburgh for Michelle’s graduation, we had all of about two weeks to rest before we began the push to buy our first house together. With interest rates low, prices at rock bottom, and Obama’s desire to give us $8,000 if we bought a house, it was “the perfect storm or reality” according to our good friend and realtor Ralph Jubb. We looked and looked and looked online at properties in Portland and came equipped with our short list when we landed in PDX. I think the house we ended up buying was perhaps the second or third place we saw, and we peeked, crawled, and perused many a home in two weeks time. The financing however didn’t take two weeks, and I hope Wells Fargo has a nice warm feeling hoarding all that bailout money they refuse to trickle down to the masses. Don’t get me started…

Anyhoo, our summer in Portland was great indeed! Michelle did a great job of taking the opportunity to eat all the healthy things she missed, and I tried my best to avoid a swine flu epidemic by eating any and all pork products I could find. Sadly I failed in my mission, put on 10 lbs, meanwhile Michelle lost inches and has kept up the good work even upon return to Turkey. While home, I think we met with a different friend or group of friends each and every day and of course shared a meal. It was our summer of eating. We were both ecstatic to be able to reconnect to each of our friends we were able to meet up with and hope to meet with those we missed on our next run through.

Marie was able to come up to Portland and be with Michelle for a few days and they had a girls romp through Portland. It is indeed a romp ready city. We were also able to meet up with my family and see Jennifer’s babies Reina and Ryan and spend some much needed time with them. Reina is starting to become a little person, and Ryan is starting to walk, and they both keep mom, dad, grandpa, and grandma busy. While Michelle spent time with her mom, I was able to head off to DeMolay Leadership Camp after a five or six year absence. It was indeed a great time to be back with the fraternity I grew up with and see to the continuance of such a great program.

On my return to Turkey three weeks after Michelle, who had to be back to work early, I was able to represent the Masonic Grand Lodge of Washington at Turkey’s centennial Grand Lodge celebration. It was a high honor for me, and a fabulous event to witness. However, immediately after the Grand Lodge of Turkey, school resumed, and less than a month later our job hunt began. We are still chasing our tail and this year has been a non-stop run towards a finish line that keeps moving. Yet, here we are, still running and loving it. We do hope to return for good to Portland to enjoy our home, our family, our friends, and the country we love. It just won’t be in 2010 and doubtful in 2011.

For now, we’re keeping busy with new friends as a large new group of American teachers were hired this year. It’s great to have a positive group of people excited to discover the Turkey we already know and love. It’s been great fun to watch them and rediscover this magical country through their eyes. Trips around Turkey to explore, pork and coffee runs to Chios Greece, and an enormous multicultural Thanksgiving celebration – what more could we ask for. Christmas will be at a slower pace, the gang will be hanging out at a mandatory pajama party, complete with carols, good food, and movies. Let the good times roll.

As for the job hunt… so far so good. The positions we are most intrigued by include Moscow, Bangkok, Bali, Bucharest, Dominican Republic, and Luxemburg. There are so many places to see and we’re ready to hit them all. We’ll keep you posted on the job hunt and feel free to chime in with your choice, since of course, you have a way in where you might come to visit us :)

Love to all our families and friends, and may you have all you need in 2010.