Family Weekend

A couple weeks ago we had a family weekend up in Portland with my mom and Steve, and *most* of my siblings on that side. It was great to get together so soon after coming home from Azerbaijan. We stayed at the Vintage Plaza downtown and had lots of good times.

We took some special time out of the weekend to celebrate Jen and Kyle's new baby boy coming this September and Ben and Devon's wedding next month! We are all so happy that our family is growing so quickly and missed everyone who wasn't here this year.

We of course had breakfast at Sckavones.

We got to meet our lovely new nephew Antonio.

And catch up with our other nephew Drew.
We went to the Japanese Gardens which was totally beautiful. Here's all the girls (#1 baby boy).
Devon, Mom, Jen, Me, Nio and Heather.
Here's our lovely parents who generously plan these weekends and bring us all together!
Thanks, guys!
We love being back in Oregon where everything is green and beautiful!
On Saturday night we went to a fancy dinner at Pazzo's at the Vintage Plaza. It's fun to get all dressed up and have yummy drinks and food!The boys.
Kyle, Drew, Steve, Jesse, Ben, Erik and Antonio

The Girls.
Devon, Mom, Carolyn, Heather and Jen

Jesse just loves falling water!!! YAY!!!

Back in Eugene... AKA Finley

We've been back in Eugene for two weeks now. Yesterday was my 1 month mark since my surgery. Things sure seem to be happening fast!

When we got into town we went to Papa's Pizza to surprise our great friends Kenton, Katrina and Finley. We got to hang out with all Katrina's sisters and their families while we waited. They were totally surprised and it was wonderful to see them again!

Finn and his cousins playing at Papa's.

It was great to catch up and it felt like hadn't been away at all, except that Finn is a little boy now instead of a baby!

Brave Finn going down the BIG slide
In the two weeks we've been home, I think we've seen Katrina and Finn (and sometimes Kenton) at least 9 days! We went to the Riverplay park, fed the ducks, played games, scrapbooked... we've done it all!

Here's Jesse with some friends he made at the park. They were digging for bones.

Finley with a friend he made at the park. They were digging for moles.

A couple nights ago we tried to make an Azeri dinner for Dad and Deena. The plov (pictured below with my parents) turned out pretty well and the dolma didn't turn out quite so well. It was fun to try and now we have some ideas of how to make it better and more authentic!

Finley being followed by geese. He loves animals!

He's such a big kid!

Sitting on the sun!

It's good to be back!!

New FAQs and another blog coming...

Hi all, I just wanted to let everyone know that we're still alive and I've updated the Peace Corps Azerbaijan FAQ and we've got another blog in the works. And if anyone knows of any really good job openings, let us know!!!

I do not look upon these United States as a finished product. We are still in the making. - FDR

Hey all!

Carolyn here! I'm back in the world of the living after spending a week and a half sequestered to my hotel room!! Yahoo!!

Last Thursday we went back to see my amazing, wonderul, talented neurosurgeon and he reassured us that everything went perfectly and that I'm healing just right. He took out the 25 stitches (phew!) and we were off! We headed to the Peace Corps Headquarters where we talked to our nurse about what will happen next. We still have some medical stuff and paperwork, but we should be heading back to Eugene pretty soon!

The man who made it so I won't end up paralyzed (right). Kind of amazing, huh?

That afternoon we were really lucky because Dad and Deena were coming into DC to see my step-brother was singing with his group Cantus at the Kennedy Center! They had planned their trip even before they knew we would be here! We had planned that Dad, Deena and Adam would come to our hotel for dinner, but I was feeling so good we decided to surprise them at the airport! We thought they were coming in at about 5 so we got to the airport super early - about 3:55. We sat down at a TGI Fridays that was right where everyone from domestic flights comes through. We ordered drinks and were waiting for them when I saw Deena and Dad walking up!! Deena's jaw dropped and Dad looked confused then happy to see us! Good thing we got there so early since their flight actually got there at 4! It was so much fun! We had some drinks and headed to their hotel where we met up with Adam and his friend Tim for dinner.

On Saturday morning Dad and Deena came over to Arlington and we walked down to the Iwo Jima Marine memorial on our way to Arlington National Cemetary. What an amazing place. It's astonishing to see all the white headstones lined up so perfectly. Being in Washington has really impacted my life. America might not be the best country in the world, but the foundations of our government are so beautiful - reading Jefferson's words at this monument and FDR's inspriring words at his memorial - it makes me really happy and proud to be from a country based on freedom, equality and democracy. I feel that everyone coming home from the military or Peace Corps should be given a paid weekend in DC to reconnect with the roots of our country. It's impressive. But I digress - Arlington - It's very humbling to see the rows and rows honoring the men and women who sacrificed so much for the things that Thomas Jefferson, Abe Lincoln and FDR were so passionate about. It's realy very touching.
We went up to the Kennedy grave again, then went on to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. We were there for the Changing of the Guard which was a beautiful ceremony. I really love how the Old Guard is there to protect the nameless soldiers instead of Kennedy, Taft or any of the other famous leaders burried there. It shows so much respect to the vetrans, families and soldiers who died in American wars.Notice in the photo above how dark the clouds are.... right as we got on the shuttle that goes around the cemetary the skies literally opened up and dropped buckets of water along with lightening right above us! It was almost perfect timing since we were already heading back to the hotel. Almost perfect timing because the shuttle doesn't have very efficient window system and we managed to get soaked!We dried off, Dad and Deena went off to a museum and we met up later for dinner at a restaurant my good friend Bonnie (she's still in Azerbaijan) recommended. Jaleo was a fun Spanish tapas place with good sangria and mojitos and even better paella. Yumm, yumm and yummm! We had a great time with Dad and Deena and we were all so happy I was feeling well enough to spend some time with them! Thanks, Dad and Deena for visiting!

I also want to thank my mom for coming out, spending some time with me and Jesse before my surgery and lots of time with Jesse during and after my surgery! Thanks mamsie!

Me and Mom at the World War II memorial. Note: all the bronze at this memorial was forged in Oregon. Rock on, Oregon!

Update-O-Rama!

Hi all! Sorry it's been so long since our last update. Carolyn's surgery went well, we got home from the hospital on Wednesday and have been hanging out in the hotel room since. So since there isn't really too much new stuff happening, I'll catch you up on some of the stuff that we got to do before her surgery.

Carolyn doing her best "America's Next Top Model" impression in front of the Jefferson Memorial. It was a beautiful day and we learned a lot about Mr. Jefferson. It's really amazing to be back in a country that was built on freedom as a cornerstone.

Carolyn sitting on the steps of the Jefferson Memorial. From here we went to the FDR Memorial, but didn't take any pictures there.

In honor of JFK's birthday the Peace Corps had a small ceremony to celebrate the creation of the Peace Corps. It was really nice and quiet. The director even came to speak.

Carolyn's mom came the day before her surgery to help out, so we took advantage of it and got out to see the monuments.

Carolyn and her mom at the WWII Memorial. We were both very thankful to have her here to help out.

Today (Memorial Day) I walked down to Arlington Cemetary for a ceremony. I got there about an hour early and they weren't letting any more people in. Turns out it is because the president was giving a speech, so I waited around and got to see him has he drove by. It's funny, no matter how many times you see someone on TV, it's always weird to see them in person.

So that's whats new today. We are both very thankful for the sacrifices that men and women have made to protect our country, hopefully they will not be forgotten.

Busy as the Beavers that we are!

We had all weekend off, so we decided to take advantage of it. Washington DC has tons of free museums, which is really nice since we are on a bit of a budget. Friday we went to the National Art Museum and the Capitol building. Saturday we went to the Holocaust Memorial and yesterday we went to the Air and Space Museum and the National Archives.

Spitting image, don't you think? Outside the National Archives.

Oh my little pilgrim!

Carolyn in front of the Wright Brother's Flyer.

I knew they pretty much owned Eugene, but I guess they are expanding!

Looking up at the dome in the Capitol building.

And Carolyn got the first non-self haircut she's had in a long time. Looks good, huh?

And finally some things we are amazed by:

• Landscaping: You mean people actually want to keep things green?
• Inside bathrooms: No more putting on your rain jacket to go to the bathrooms!
• Pizza delivery: We still can't believe how fast it comes!
• Dishwashers: Actually we've only used it once. Turns out washing by hand isn't all that bad!

Thanks for everyone's well wishes, we'll keep everyone up to date on the developments.

Shop Til You Drop

Yesterday between appointments we took the metro out to the amazing Prince George's Plaza (or as we like to call it Prince George's Banana Boat). You aren't going to believe this, but it was a magical place where you could buy practically anything you want! They had a Target, Old Navy, Gap and even a Cinabon! Wahoo! We went to town and were actually a bit overwhelmed. We have a friend who gets a bit overwhelmed at the selection in the cereal asile in grocery stores, now we can totally relate. We went from having a 10 ft by 10 ft clothing selection to target's insane selection. Woo!

So, for yesterday here are the things we are amazed by:

• Cosi Sandwiches: Now, we might not be the best judges since we just got back, but these are the best sandwiches in the universe.
• Two words: Tar-Get. Nuff said.
• Sushi: Last night we went to dinner at Cafe Asia. A-Maz-Ing. But sushi still amazes me how I could literally eat my self into abject poverty and still not be full. At least I would be happy :)
  

America The Beautiful

Hi everyone! We are enjoying our time here in DC and thought I'd try to update pretty frequently since we have good internet. Since a blog is a very public thing, we won't be posting updates to Carolyn's medical situation on here. She will send out periodic e-mail updates on her situation to friends, family and other interested parties. She sent out an e-mail this morning, so if you did not receive it and would like to be added to the list, please e-mail her at the address to the right. So, with that out of the way, let's talk about fun stuff!

Since our appointments are made with respect to the doctor's availability, it has allowed us some free time to explore the city. Yesterday we were able to go see the White House, Washington Monument, WWII Memorial, Lincoln Memorial and Vietnam Memorial. The Peace Corps office is close to the National Mall, so we were able to walk to all those places.

It's amazing to be in such a historic city to be reintroduced to America. We both realized that living overseas really makes you aware of how great America really is. It also makes you really appreciate the sacrifice that the generations before us and all the soldiers right now are giving to protect our way of life. So, I'd like to thank all of my friends and family who have served and are currently serving in the military.

Secondly, I want to try and keep a list of the little things that make America great and things that we never noticed before we didn't have them. So, here goes the first installation:

• Transportation: Paved, quiet roads, no honking, yielding to pedestrians, stop lights, clean efficient metro, TAXI METERS, crosswalks, sidewalks.
• Grocery Stores: What do you mean I don't have to go to 5 different stores to get dinner?
• Food Delivery: Yeah, I can get used to this.Hot running water whenever you want it. No waiting for the water to heat up to take a shower. And you can drink it to boot!
• Toilet paper and flush toliets...EVERYWHERE!
• Friendly strangers (not that they weren't in AZ, it's just different)

Well, that's about it for now, I can't wait to have more to write about today!

Drinking tap water...

That's right, folks! I am currently drinking a glass of water I got straight from a tap! I didn't boil it! I didn't run the boiled water through a filter! I'm drinking it straight!

Why - you may ask. Well, about 25 hours ago we got on a plane in Baku and about 1 hour ago we landed in Washington DC. I (Carolyn) have been having some back trouble and the Peace Corps medical office decided it would be a good idea to send me (and my dear husband) to DC to have it checked out. We will go see the doctors tomorrow morning, and won't really know much until then. Tonight we're going to go to Safeway (!!!!), do laundry (!!!!!!!!), take baths (!!!!!!!!!!!) and go to bed early - a really nice bed (!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!). We are excited about these plans. :)

I've never been to DC and I think we'll get a lot of time between meetings and appointments to do some sight seeing. That will be fun!!

If it isn't obvious, we are really positive and I'm feeling pretty good! So, don't worry about us, but keep us in your prayers! We will keep you updated!

Spring Sprang!

I hear it's just getting to be Spring back in the good old Willamette Valley! Well... it's Summer here, so I thought I'd post some pictures of our Spring here in Mingechevir!

Spring was full of friends, family and fire!

My mom and step dad came for a visit in March... pictures of that will follow in a blog when I get a package with photos from mom...

We went up to Qebala to visit a friend and got to see what life is like in the village. Some of you might remember last summer when Russia wanted the US to use a radar station in Azerbaijan instead of Poland or wherever it ended up. The radar station is in Qebala and you might be able to see it in the photo of me and Gulnaz...

Novruz is THE holiday in Azerbaijan. It is the Azeri New Year. I think it's Muslim as well. It is made up of the four Thursdays before the Equinox and the Equinox itself. Every Thursday represents either fire, water, wind or earth. People jump over fires to leave all their troubles behind them in the old year. We had a great dinner with our family while mom and Steve were here, and yes, we did jump over the fire! We also had a fun dinner with our friend Elvin and jumped over more fires. We went to some celebrations in town, ate lots of baklava and did some heavy duty egg fighting...

We also had the Writing Olympics. I'm on the committee for this, so I wanted to be sure Mingechevir had a good turn out. And did we ever! We had 65 students from 12 different schools come to participate! We also had 6 university students particpate. Out of those 71 kids, we had 13 regional winners, 3 national winners and our friend Elvin placed 3rd in the national contest! Yay Elvin!! I was really proud of my students and happy that Mingechevir will be well represented in the book we publish of all the winners from Azerbaijan, Georgia and Armenia.

That's pretty much our Spring in a nutshell... check out our Picasa album for all the photos!!

Happy Spring!!