Phillip and Rebecca Mefford

Mayıs May Lincoln is having a great time at Grandma and Grandpa's house and in our new neighborhood... Getting into stuff... Playing with new toys... Playing at Lion's Park... Driving the Book Mobile at the library... And trying new foods. By the way... We're going to have another one, due at  the beginning of January!

Elli 50 Nevşehir Hasan Bey After military duty I married the shy, unassuming daughter of my Uncle Ahmet. We were both accustomed to village life in the Nevşehir province, world famous Kappadokya (Cappadocia), but I knew that there wasn’t much opportunity there to provide a living for my new wife, not unless I went into carpet making or pottery, neither of which I had a knack for. We loaded our bloated suitcases on the bus and sat silently, anxiously as it weaved it’s way though the fairy chimneys, looming rock formations birthed over years of volcanic activity. I remember examining them as a child, imagining what it would have been like to be Alexander the Great riding though on his white horse, driving out the Persian warrior people who had before that conquered the Medes, who had before that conquered the Assyrians, who had taken rule over the Hittites. I always had this sense that my Nevşehir was a special place, a desired place. Now, we found ourselves on the road to İstanbul, anot

Kırkbeş 45 Manisa Mukaddes and Arzu Believe it or not, we have been friends since our childhood school days. Back then you would have called us unlikely best friends, and even more so today, but it is what it is. Despite our outer differences, we share the same sorts of emotions, dreams, and deep-dark-secrets. Mukaddes is truly from the village, growing up barefoot in the garden, helping her mother and aunties wash laundry by hand and cook with enough oil to be good tasting and too much to be good for your health. This explains, of course, why she was such a good catch, married while still in her teens. And look at the happy couple, muhtar , or local governors, of the village today. Her one sorrow is that they weren’t able to have children. She would have made a great mother. Instead, she expends all her mothering energy on me, Arzu, which I need a great deal. My own mother divorced my father when I was a child, an anomaly in Manisa, at least at the time. I lived with my mother in town

Kırkdört 44 Malatya Melek Would you like some kayısı , apricots? We just picked up a few kilos yesterday before getting on the bus to come back to İstanbul. Fresh apricots from Malatya are the best. So are the dried ones; so good they are exported all over the world. I was so afraid they would get bruised as we squashed onto the bus, a grueling 14-16 hour ride. We’ve made the journey countless times, but I remember the first time we drove into İstanbul, grand minarets piercing the skyline. I entered a mosque once for a funeral. It was quiet and plain and there were few women. But I covered my hair in respect, and waited for the men to finish their prayers. A few times, also, I’ve gone to the Christian cathedral—St. Antoine’s on İstiklal Boulevard. Each time I lit one of the delicate orange candles and made a wish to God. The art in there is strange, but colorful which I appreciate. More regularly I attend the cemevi because I am Alevi . In Malatya my entire family and almost everyone I