Phillip and Rebecca Mefford

Ocak January Okay,we know it is finally time to take down our Christmas tree...It's just that we've been so busy-- especially Lincoln! In perfect timing during our visit at Grandpa and Grandma's this last week Lincoln popped our his seventh tooth, said his first words, "hi" and "bye," and started walking!!! Apparently he's going to try playing the piano next. Phillip had the pleasure of trying a yogurt flavor, new on the Asian markets: carrot, corn, and a meat that shall remain nameless. Mmm...? And we returned home happy and (sort of) rested. Oh, by the way, Happy Chinese New Year!

İyi Seneler Happy New Years In American culture, if a bird poops on your head it’s simply considered a gross mess. Not so in the land of the Turks—that means it’s your lucky day. If a ladybug, or uğur böceği (luck bug), lands on your hand and then flies away you supposedly get the wish you want. The evil eye, or nazar , keeps bad luck away. And that old tradition of knocking on wood—you’ll find it here too. We have even heard rumors of friends of friends annually going to buy red underwear to don on New Year’s Eve (an auspicious Spanish tradition). It is interesting how kısmet (fate) and şans (luck) have seeped into a culture that also believes in a providential God…I suppose all of us are intrigued by the mysterious. Whether or not you believe in luck, and certainly, no matter what color underwear you wore on December 31st, we sincerely wish you a very happy and very blessed New Year. İyi Seneler! **We’re taking a blog break for the next couple weeks. See you in February! **