A Day in My Life: Afternoon and Evening

So, lunch is over and we’re finished with school! How do we spend the rest of our day? (Hint: it includes ALOT of walking : )

Afternoon // Restraint is needed for my grocery shopping trips these days. When you can only take home what you can carry (or what your children can carry 😄) it forces you to be a more discriminating shopper. Also, a frequent shopper. Our new motto is “will walk for food.” 😏 We don't normally drive to large shopping centers for two reasons. First, they are pretty far away and second, sometimes you can't actually take a shopping cart to the car....meaning you still can only take what you can carry!

So we shop close and we shop often.

But think of the good things this does for community! I see the staff at my favorite grocery stores multiple times a week! My children know the routes through the city to reach said stores. We stop at a new cafe each Thursday afternoon, and we’ve affectionately named this habit our, “cafe of the day.” The four of us bond more, we have to chance to practice our Turkish (the kind people that we speak to don’t laugh 😆) and we help the local economy on various fronts. We buy food, coffee, pastries, (maybe roasted chestnuts??) and usually some fresh flowers. (Meg basically has an ongoing relationship with the flower sellers along our route…they know her and always try to sell her much more than we need! We come home with bundles!) 🌸💐🌻

We enjoy these afternoons out in Izmir. My children are learning resiliency and the basic skills of navigating life in a city. They love seeing and interacting with the local wildlife (our snooty cat security guards, for example 🤣.) I have been able to enjoy the fresh produce and other homemade food items. We come home happy.

Truthfully, there are times that I miss wandering the aisles of a giant Target or Walmart. I miss a shopping cart full of food for the week. I miss drive through Starbucks 😆

But this is good too.

---

Evening // Aren’t these the most adorable little olives? 🫒Even better is that I am sharing them with Paul, on a well-deserved date night. 😍

Now that the kids are old enough to stay home by themselves, date night sometimes feels less…earned. We don’t have to find a babysitter, coordinate schedules, or plan far in advance. Instead, we just go out when the mood strikes us and we’re free. So easy! Feels like cheating the system!

But this night felt special. After reading more than a few menus online and spending too much time debating our options (there are many options in Izmir!) we walked to a busy street, bustling with various eateries, and found a table at a wonderful local brasserie. We celebrated Paul’s promotion with some favorite dishes (vodka cream pappardelle for him, braised short ribs for me and bruschetta for both of us) and some good conversation peppered with laughter.

We have found that sharing a meal together is our favorite pastime as a couple. We love that in Turkey, there is no rush to finish and leave quick, quick, quickly (like in the USA, sometimes.) Instead, we can eat slowly, savoring our dishes and delighting in each other’s company.

Moving across the country, or across the world, is never easy for us. Our relationship always (always…no matter how much we try to avoid it) undergoes some wrinkles, some bumps, and some awkward, anxious, judgy, frustrated moments every time we’ve moved. We basically expect them, at this point.

The answer to this angst, in our relationship, is to be proactive about engaging with each other. Focus on those good ole love languages and work to encourage and understand. Believe each other. Empathize. Talk through whatever is percolating in our brains.

We just happen to do that best while sharing a meal at a lovely restaurant. And tonight, at least, the conversation was all focused on the ways that we see the hand of God in our lives right now. It was a perfect evening with my favorite person.

---

Night // For a blog that touts itself as being about family travel and exploration, a picture of a piano might be…unexpected. But stick with me as I write this last post in my #documentyourday series!

During that blessed 1-2 hours after our children have gone to bed, I usually read, watch TV or chat with Paul. Sometimes I call home due to the seven hour time difference : ) But there are other evenings when I find myself sitting down at the piano.

Since the Air Force packs up our home and transports it to our next assignment, my piano follows me to each new home base. And at each new place I tend to find myself using my musical abilities at whatever church or chapel that we attend. Which I love. I love to play, and I love to play for people who sing to the God that I hold dear.

Part of what helps me “take root” in a new place is finding ways to serve the people around me. Sometimes it’s by going outside my home, sometimes it’s by welcoming people into my home. Sometimes it’s giving away food or clothes to those who need it. Sometimes it’s as simple as texting a friend or praying for someone who is struggling.

But usually, my love for others ends up flowing through my fingers as they play these keys. I’ve had to learn to play from lots of different sources, too! I’ve played from a hymnal, a praisebook, and various lead sheets (we should talk about the first time I tried to play from a sheet of chords. I’m classically trained so it did not go well.) Being flexible is paramount when serving others, right?

So tonight is spent preparing to play in our small Bible assembly tomorrow morning. What a change from the last place that I found myself at a keyboard! From a congregation of a thousand spread over a few services to a gathering of fifteen to twenty-five (on a good Sunday.) But in each place I am grateful to be remembering God and his goodness with fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. As I practice, I enjoy the opportunity to give back to the people who are in my life right now. It brings me happiness and joy. I love my piano.

(The movers who show up to pack our house each PCS, on the other hand, do NOT share this love.)

---

So there you go! That's what our life in Izmir looks like in a nutshell. We don't drive much. We walk alot. Our shopping trips are more frequent and our home is much smaller. We don't speak the language. It hasn't snowed yet (if it will at all!) unlike the weather we enjoyed in Alaska. Lots has changed, but much hasn't.

Still, so much of what we do is normal. It's the daily call to love God and love others right here, where he has placed us for the next few months.