Blast from the past

I was going back over some of my old updates and found a couple that made me laugh. I thought I would share parts of them with you here. Some of you may have read these already, but they were worth sharing again! This one is from Aug. 22, 2004! (I have tried numerous times to double space the following paragraphs, but for some reason it never stays that way when I publish it. Sorry about that.)

Hello friends,I just wanted to write to let everyone know what is happening in our neck of the woods. Well Starbucks officially opened yesterday. On Wednesday night my friend, Dilek, invited me to the invitation only grand opening. It was so much fun.

They had free coffee and desserts for everyone. As much as we wanted! The store was packed and was so loud. They sang songs, danced, did skits, and pledged allegiance to the Starbucks coffee bean. It was crazy! In one of the skits the Starbucks was taken over by aliens who renamed it star mars. They were rude and didn't know how to make the coffee. Starbucks man....a guy with an SB made out of Starbucks stickers and his apron worn backwards as a cape....came and beat up the aliens and saved the day. It was hilarious. One of the things I have noticed about this culture is that they really know how to celebrate. Most events aren't quiet affairs. They make them celebrations. We were there for over 3 hours and the party never stopped. Then on Saturday they had the official grand opening. We went to the one in the mall closest to us first. They were packed! After having dessert and coffee Brian took the kids home and I went with a friend to the other Starbucks so that I could see Dilek. We brought her flowers and she gave us free food. That store was really busy as well. They do have ceramic Starbucks mugs with our city name on them so if you would like us to get one for you we can. They are $12 and we will be coming home for Christmas so we can deliver them then. They also have the insulated mugs with Turkey on them as well. I don't remember the exact price of them but not more than $20 I am sure. They have a flower design so they look more girly. Just let us know.

Another funny thing that happened this week....I sent Will and Jacob to get their haircuts from the barber. I have sent them alone before because it is really close to our house and they just get a buzz. This time though Will wanted to leave the top a little longer and shave the sides shorter. I said that was fine because it is the style here to have it longer on top and fixed with jel. I told him he could get it however he wanted except bald....which he also talked about. Well he came home and you can see by the picture what he looked like. He said that he wanted it dyed blue but they didn't have blue dye. They only had yellow and he didn't think that would look good. The style here is for it to be long on the top of the head....not just a strip in the middle. I am letting him keep it until school starts and then he will probably have to get it buzzed all the way. They have a dress code!

Just wanted to share! Remember these events and pictures are almost 3 years old. Will is now 11 and is into long hair...not buzzed or mohawks. And I haven't see Dilek since I have been back in Turkey. I haven't gone to the Starbucks where she worked so maybe she still works there. I do know that there are now at least 6 Starbucks in town, maybe more...and almost all are closer to my house than the one where Dilek worked. I don't recognize any of the employees anymore either. The originals must have moved on!