Orphans & Trafficking

Back in October, I attended the "Together for Adoption Conference" here in Austin. One of the break out sessions I had registered for was on the topic of "Orphans & Trafficking". I assumed the session was going to be an explanation of why the international adoption process is so full of paperwork, red tape, etc... because countries are trying to protect orphans from being "adopted" by people with mal-intent. But once the session got rolling, I realized that it was about orphans who "age-out" of the system and are highly vulnerable to trafficking because of a complete lack of options to survive.

The simple version of a common story with Russian orphans is that...

• * they "graduate" from the orphanage at age 15...
• * they are released from the orphanage in May of that year with papers enrolling them (room & board included) in a technical school in the nearest big town...
• * they are driven to this nearest big town and dropped off at the school...
• school doesn't start until fall, and the facilities are closed for the summer...
• the kids have no where to live, no way to feed themselves...
• the result: many-- within weeks, if not days-- have been tricked into meeting up with "well-intentioned Good Samaritans" who will "help them", but in fact are wolves in sheep's clothing who then forcefully traffic the kids into slave or sex-slave industry...
• the end.

How painful is that? And how frustrating... because it could otherwise have such a simple solution: how bout releasing the children in the fall, instead of May. Geez!

The breakout session was led by Tom Davis, the CEO of Children's Hope Chest. One of the hardest things I heard during that session was, "When you go to your orphanage to pick up your kid, all the other faces you leave behind will likely end up as prostitutes because the transition out of the orphanage leaves them vulnerable." OUCH. According to Davis, in countries like Russia, traffickers target kids coming out of orphanages as their #1 supply chain.

At the conference, I purchased a novel Davis wrote called "PRICELESS". The book is a fictional account of the common story of Russian orphans who age out of the system. It takes a deep look at the dark underworld of the trafficking industry in Russia. It was a page-turner. I could not put the book down. In an interview with the author, published as an appendix to the book, Davis was asked "How much of what you wrote in Priceless is based on true events?" His response: 80%. Wow. This story is painful and frustrating-- a thriller that SHOULD be pure fiction. Instead, it is reality for thousands & thousands of girls in our world today. (I highly recommend reading this book.)

Children's Hope Chest is involved in the prevention, rescue, and restoration of trafficked orphans in places like Russia, Moldova, and India. This is only one branch of what the organization does... the main umbrella being orphan care & intervention... but it is a moving & valuable cause. One that is close to Andy's & my heart.

If you want to get involved in this tragic global issue, you can partner with Children's Hope Chest in the following ways:

• In Russia, Children's Hope Chest provides over 1,000 orphans with protective services through our Ministry Centers, Family Centers, Independent Living Center Programs, and the Young Mothers Program. Girls and boys in these programs are not only safe, but loved and cared for by our dedicated staff.

• In India, you can sponsor a classroom of orphaned & vulnerable children to help educate them to in vocational & life-skills to prepare them for independent living when they grow up.

All Children's Hope Chest programs are designed to help these children beat the odds, to become productive citizens and mature Christian adults with healthy families of their own.

Don't you want to be a part of their story too??

An Unlikely (or Unexpected) God-Story

Back in January, I was having my quiet time after New Year's and reflecting back on how incredibly different my life is in 2010 versus 2000. Lots of praising God for the immense work He's done in completely 180-ing my life in that decade. I mean, my life was ridiculous in 2000. Didn't know the Lord (for SURE!), didn't live in Austin, wasn't married, was running around with boys, a drunk, materialistic, anti-religious athiest, mom was alive, sister was alive, you name it... Anyway, I was truly marveling and how He can redeem and purify my life.

Then I started forward praying... wondering how He might change my life even more over the NEXT 10 years. What would I be celebrating after New Year's in 2020?! How could He possibly do MORE than He has already done?! (Not that I think I am "complete", but just thinking He's taken care of so many "majors".) So, as I was praying and wondering, I literally wrote: "I guess if You're gonna MAKE us have kids, that would happen sometime in the next decade cuz I am getting 'old'."

As soon as I wrote that in my prayer journal, I felt the Holy Spirit whisper... "How bout you talk to Me (God) about that?" Uhhhh, what?! I was shocked. And a little freaked out. So, I immediately started prayer-journaling (for 7pgs) about all the reasons why I didn't want kids, had never wanted kids (as in, never in my entire life), was scared to have to kids, felt called to not have kids, etc. Page after page, I poured out my heart to God with every rational and irrational excuse I could think of.

When I got the end of my pleading and talking, again I felt the Holy Spirit whisper... "Is that all? Cuz I am bigger than all of that." With eyes bulging, lump in throat, I closed my Bible & journal and went to find Andy in the other room. "Uhhh, Andy, we need to talk."

I started to tell him everything that had just happened-- the whole blow by blow-- and the entire time he's listening, he has this strange smile/smirk on his face. His response was so strange to me that I finally asked: "What's the deal?! Have you been praying for God to change my heart about all this or something?!" He adamantly denied it, saying "NO! I swear!!! ... but God started to talking to me about the same thing just a few days ago in my quiet time." I started bawling (the freak-out kind of crying). What does all this mean?!!?

So we both talked through (really, I cried through) the 100s of reasons why kids weren't for us. All our fears. All our selfishness. All our desires for how we envisioned our life together. But we ultimately couldn't deny God was speaking to us about it with a new agenda for the first time. Andy suggested we both take a week to separately explore it in prayer and the Word and talk to a few people about the potential shift. At the end of the 7 days we'd reconvene on the subject and see what we thought God was saying.

It was a strange and scary 7 days. But ultimately at its close, neither of us could deny what God was saying... He was asking us to have kids. Ouch. This was a total paradigm shift for me and completely foreign to even THINK about! But I couldn't ignore what was plain and clear, His call was real. And I (oddly) had a great peace about it... despite all my fears. If God was calling us to it, then I felt sure I could trust Him, even if it made no sense to me.

I immediately asked Andy if I could "have" 6 months to let the shift sink in before we did anything about it. But in his wisdom, Andy said if God has made His call clear, we shouldn't delay in responding. But in God's great mercy, He gave me 7 months before we actually conceived. In that time, He did a lot of work in me, helping me come to terms with a new game plan.

Now, I'm more than half way through my pregnancy. We are having a little girl in March. I still needed all the time I've gotten so far during pregnancy to continue to process. There is a LOT I am having to mourn & let go of. And there are plenty of dreams I am having to pray about assimilating our kids into. We don't feel a game change in our unique ministry calls. We certainly don't feel kids change our focus on serving the Lord FIRST. But I recognize there is a lot I am gonna have to learn as we go...

So, that's our unlikely story. But isn't it just like God?! I can only find comfort & peace when I trust & lean into Him about the whole thing.

Holy Cow! (An Indian Adventure)

In 2005, Andy & I traveled to India 3 months after the tsunami hit. We had already planned the trip to go and work with 2 orphanages in the state of Orissa through Austin non-profit, The Miracle Foundation (TMF) before the big wave. But after the tragedy, we asked to extend our trip to be able to go down to the tsunami affected region and see how TMF was meeting the needs of the devastated community.

During the first leg of our travels we were with a team of a dozen Americans who were serving alongside us. And someone brought HOLY COW: An Indian Adventure to read. The book was passed around to multiple readers, read aloud over dinner and break times, and the whole group was constantly finding release in the laughter that this book provoked. I cannot tell you if this book is as funny to someone who has never traveled to India, but to us it was affirmation that our thoughts about how crazy this country was were not, well, crazy.
The author (a native Aussie) recounted her tales of living in India for 2 years (following a fiance who was on work assignment in the country) and her constant confrontation with the diversity and chaos that makes this country so wonderful & terrible all at the same time. When we were there, I cried almost every night in our hotel room talking to Andy about the difficulty of this land. I hated it. Yet it still drew me in. By the time we were on the airplane returning to the States, I turned to Andy and confessed: "I hope God never calls me back to this country, but if He did, I would go." Andy was dumbfounded. And here I am, 5 years later, and I feel the stir to return nudging me.

In the opening pages of Holy Cow, the author shares a similar story. She had traveled around India 10 years prior with a girlfriend, and in the preface she describes her final moments at the airport as she left: "I break into a run, push onto the plane and sink into my seat. As we take off I give smog-swirled New Delhi the finger. 'Good-bye and good-riddance, India. I hate you and I'm never, never ever coming back.'" (p.3) And yet she did.

Some passages I found myself near tears with laughter as she paints the "colorful" picture of locals in the midst of everyday Indian life (including burping, drawn-out calls for chaaaaaaaaai, and the uniquely Indian head-wobble which says yes, no, and maybe all wrapped into one). Some passages I was near tears from the pain and inner conflict I felt at her portrait of the poor, the beggars, the sick that pepper every roadside in every city (including modern day lepers, burying the dead by placing them in the river, and passing never-ending slums in the heart of every city).

She explains it well when she writes, that its pointless to try and "figure out" India. "India is beyond statement, for anything you say, the opposite is also true. It's rich and poor, spiritual and material, cruel and kind, angry but peaceful, ugly and beautiful, and smart but stupid. It's all the extremes. India defies understanding... My confinement here is different-- I'm trapped by heat and by a never-ending series of juxtapositions... What's more, India's extremes are endlessly confronting." (p. 107). This is so true!

If you (a Westerner) have ever been to India, this book will make you feel normal for all the frustrations and love affairs you had in your mind while there. If you've never been to India-- but want to go-- this book will help you capture a glimpse of the wonderful, terrible confusion that lies ahead. No matter how hard I try, India will not leave my heart. And I would whole-heartedly tell anyone to travel there. Go. See it. Experience it. Love it. Hate it. And go back.

Oh ya, and read this book! It's a perfect travelogue to be your companion to a foreign land.

Valentine's Movie: OUTSOURCED

Andy & I watched Outsourced, the movie, tonight for a our Valentine's date. It got on our Netflix cue in memory of our trip to India the first year of our marriage. We probably laughed more than you would if you've never been... but the movie was delightful.

The laugh-out-load quote of the night was "You know what India stands for? I'll Never Do It Again." We laughed cuz that was what we said to each other often during our stay. But somehow, India gets under your skin. And by our plane ride home, we both looked at each other and said: "I think we'll be back someday after all."

Rise & Shine

Andy's been writing songs for a new record (which should be out in about 6 months) and he introduced one to our church yesterday: Rise & Shine. Each fall, our church goes through a Vision Series to get everybody on the same page about our call to live on mission in the CITY & for the NATIONS. This Sunday, Matt kicked off the vision series with a challenge to us from Acts 1:8. He asked: What did a 1st century Christian look like? And do we, today, look anything like that? It was convicting and powerful.

Andy thought the message was a good fit to roll out the new song because the idea of it is-- it's time for us Christians to step up and be the hands and feet of Christ. To download a free copy of the song, click here. I am so proud of Andy. This song really resonates with my spirit and where God has me lately. But I also believe it will speak to a whole generation of Christians out there who are feeling the itch to rise & shine! I also recommend you listen to Matt's sermon: Powerful Witness of the Resurrection (click here)-- you will be stirred.

Here's the lyrics to the new song too...

Rise & Shine (by Andy Melvin)
We were once Your enemy
Now displayers of Your mercy
Called from darkness into light
To be the very hands and feet of Christ
So in the Name that saves
Let Your love ignite a flame in us

We've got rise and shine
We've got to rise and shine
The light of the world alive in us
The hope of the world alive in us
We've got to rise and shine

To you repairers of the breach
To you restorers of these broken streets
For every hungry tongue
For all injustice done beneath the sun

We've got to rise and shine
The light of the world alive in us
The hope of the world alive in us
We've got to rise and shine

For the hopeless and the weary
For the broken and the needy
For Your glory, send Your Spirit
And let it rise

Same Me

Yesterday, Andy & I were looking through my childhood photo album. When he flipped the page to see this picture, he said: "Oh, I know that face!" I laughed, not sure if that was a good thing or bad thing. I can't decide what this face means.

But what I kept thinking on as the day went by was how amazing it is that I have a "look" that has been a part of my personality & person since I was that little. This picture was taken in 1979. I was three at the time. And I was expressing myself in a way that is still congruent with who I am today, 30 years later. How fascinating!

Sudan Event in Austin This Week

My good friends Missy & Dave are coming to Austin! After my trip to Sudan this summer, Andy and I felt compelled to pitch in and spread awareness about the issues that are affecting the southern part of the country. Both spiritual and physical poverty are everywhere. And Missy & Dave are trying to do something about it. So we invited them to come tell their story to my friends living in Austin.

YOU'RE INVITED, if you live in Austin, to join us THIS THURSDAY (Aug 27) at Mercury Hall at 7pm.

We'd love to have as many people there to hear about what's currently happening in Sudan, and how Seed Effect (Missy & Dave's microfinance company) is working to alleviate poverty while at the same time spreading the gospel!

Andy & I are excited about the work God is doing among the poor in Sudan and we want YOU to have the chance to participate... Don't you want to impact poverty?

Andy's "Nothing Compares" Video

I am so proud of my sweet husband, Andy Melvin... He has given his life to the service of the Church by using his talents as a musician & songwriter to lead believers in worship through song! This is a video of one of the church services at Austin Stone Community Church this summer. The song is one of Andy's originals off his most recent album, The Human Engine Waits (available on itunes). This video captures our church body in praise as we corporately sing "Nothing Compares."

Here are the lyrics...

Forgive me Lord when I rely
On anything else but Your life in mine
All the vain things I held so high
I count it as loss

Nothing compares to the greatness of knowing You
Nothing compares to the greatness of knowing You
And it keeps drawing me in
And it's stirring my soul to know You more

Forgetting what lies behind
I'm reaching for the prize
The upward call of Christ
I'm reaching for You

Nothing compares to the greatness of knowing You
Nothing compares to the greatness of knowing You
And it keeps drawing me in
And it's stirring my soul to know You more

Cause You're my hope, You're my goal
You're all I'm striving for
You're my strength and my peace
You're everything I need
Nothing compares to You

Feel free to put the video up on your blog, or Facebook, etc... you can get the embed-code off youtube.com or vimeo.com.

My In-Laws

Here are Joe & Kay singing karaoke at their 4th of July party in Houston. These are my in-laws... Andy's blood. I LOVE this picture of them because it just captures their charisma so well! Here's a short-list of things they are famous for:

1. wearing matching outfits everyday (every.)
2. karaoke (they own their own K.J. business called Lone Star Karaoke and gig several nights a week; they also have a permanent system set up in the family living room for whenever the itch arises.)
3. character (they are full of energy and always keep things interesting, full of great stories)
4. love of their kids (they SERIOUSLY love their 4 kids! And you can see a bit of that from their generous memorials to every child in photos on the wall.)

To drive home just how unique and awesome they are, here's also a short list (I promise this is just a sampling!) of hobbies or extra jobs they've held over the years:

1. trail ride captains for the Sam Houston Rodeo
2. exotic bird pet shop owners
3. square dance caller & square dance queen
4. 300 game bowlers
5. disco fever partiers
6. hosts of their own rodeo at Circle M Ranch (their home)
   
7. piano player & choir singer
8. daytime court TV stars
9. band booster club presidents
   
10. cell phone tower pimps
    
11. Lake Conroe sailboaters
12. early '80s home satellite dish entrepreneurs

Just wanted you all to meet them... in the web-world sort of way. :)

Songwriter vs Writer

"The difference between you and me is that I want to write one sentence and have someone ponder it for two hours... and you want to write something that a person would have to read for two hours."
- Andy Melvin, my wonderful husband

From his thoughts on the difference between being a songwriting and a writer-writer.

It's funny, cuz it's true!

The Road to Turkey (A Journey Delayed)

Today was our departure for Turkey. But here I sit in Dominican Joe’s sipping my favorite vanilla latte and checking emails. I haven’t written much about our trip to Turkey on this blog because, well, there’s not a whole lot I can say (so excuse me if even this post seems incomplete in explanation). Bottom line, Andy & the band (Rufus McGovern) were going over to play some concerts in clubs (or as a Turk would call ‘em, “Rock Bars”) and we made the decision to post-pone our trip after Joe (the guitar player) was in an accident Sunday that left him with a broken arm.

We’ve been working with our Turkish friends, planning this trip since spring. So today is bittersweet, knowing that the plane we were to be on is now flying en route to the land that we have been longing for. The verse I have been clinging to from the Bible is Proverbs 16:9—“In his heart, a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps.”

There has been a lot of turmoil surrounding this trip for the last 6 weeks and I feel I have inappropriately questioned God through it. I repeatedly wondered, “Is this God trying tell us to delay our trip for our own good, or is this the enemy trying to prevent us from going?” However, that mindset negates that God is ALWAYS in control. Today, I can tell God I am sorry for questioning Him, and ask Him to refuel my trust in His plans for my life.

If we had just been experiencing these trials in general daily life (without a trip on the horizon), I wonder if I would have been filtering them the same way? I think the fact that we had a decision to make—“to go or to not go?”—really muddied my interpretation of the attacks we were experiencing. Because I kept wondering, “should THIS affect our decision?” or “is THIS supposed to change our plans?” etc, I was forgetting to FIRST apply the truth that I believe as a follower of Christ, which is: God is the author of all things.

As Michelle gently reminded me on Sunday, “it would be ‘mystical’ to wonder who was causing these things to happen, and followers of Jesus are not mystics—we believe He is always, sovereignly, in control.” Her comment helped to redirect my affections to God. Instead of wondering, “By what hand are these afflictions?” and having that influence our choices, our doubt, and even our joy, I should have grounded myself in who I know God to be.

I went to the Desiring God Regional Conference this weekend, on the subject of JOB: When the Righteous Suffer. A few things that stood out to me, and NOW feel I could apply to these current circumstances, are this:

1) Even if God allows Satan to test us, the enemy is ultimately only the middle man (for lack of a better description). I had always read the book of Job thinking it was the enemy afflicting Job with God’s permission. But even JOB, himself, viewed GOD as the author of his trials.

2) Suffering: the devil uses it to accomplish his goal of ruining your faith, and God uses it to accomplish His goal of strengthening your faith.

3) “Shall we receive good at the hand of the Lord and not receive adversity?” (from Job 2:10)

4) Spoken from God’s perspective: I don’t use my power capriciously—I have a purpose in all that I do.

5) God is doing 10,000+ things in your life at one time—not just one or two. Even though you may only see one or two or ten at a time, He’s still doing 10,000+. When you are suffering, consider that you only have a glimpse of God’s big picture for you.

My friend, Fabs, also sent me an encouraging email reminding me of good truths in the midst of things that are hard to understand: “I’m sure you feel like all your plans are slipping away… but no plan has been lost. God is on His throne and all plans are just being executed by a hand too mighty to be seen and too kind to let us make our own plans… God has prepared good works for us to do, and He will be faithful to see that we do them to the best of our ability…” I can only add: IN HIS TIMING He will work in us to accomplish the plans He’s set aside for us to accomplish. Not my timing.

For now, we are left to increase our affections for Turkey from right here in Austin.

A Year And A Day

A family portrait for my birthday yesterday.

Everytime we tried to self-timer the dogs would jump on us...
Only ONE obedient dog pic... the only problem is their backs are to the camera.
Just mom and the kids on her birthday.
Ditto.
Andy and I out at dinner celebrating my big 3-2!

Chick-Fil-A

I am wondering how many of you out there (who go to the Stone) have been tempted to go out and have a Chicken Biscuit yet this week? With Matt talking about it on Sunday AND putting a picture on the screen, we were all were doomed...

Andy woke me up this morning at 10:15 saying, "wanna go get breakfast with me?" (FYI, I sleept 19x later than Andy each day and he's always having to peel me out of bed after he's been working for several hours already and is ready for a break.) I sleepily replied, "okay, where?" To which he says, "I don't know...hmm...what about Chick-fil-a?" Ahhh-haaa! Subliminal advertising DOES work!

Long story short, Chick-fil-a serves up another satisfied customer. Thanks Matt-- my diet got a hiatus this morning!

Feeling Too Lame for My Musician Husband

Today, Andy put iTunes on my computer and sync'd my baby ipod. He gave me an ipod last year for my birthday in an effort to get me up to date with this generation. I loaded a bunch of old sermon CDs I had in my bookcase onto it and that was it. But today, he wanted to teach me how to input music CDs in case I decide I want to have some of my old CDs on this fancy ipod thingy.

Now, as if I wasn't already feeling pretty uncool because I am married to a musician and never listen to music... now I was outed that I only had sermons on my ipod... and thirdly-- and this is the worst part-- I flipped through my old (pre-wedding) CD wallet to find a CD I wanted to import during Andy's teaching demo for me and I was flat out imbarrassed! Mind you, I have never been a big music person. Always perferred movies to music, but for your laughing-pleasure, here is a sampling:

• The Wedding Singer, soundtrack
• Dido, no angel (not sure I've even listened to it)
• Jack Ingram, jack ingram
• 10,000 Maniacs, our time in eden
• Pretty Woman, soundtrack
• Madonna, ray of light
• The Wedding Singer, additional soundtrack
• Dirty Dancing, soundtrack
• Will Smith, willenium (funny side-story about karoke-ing this in front of Andy's parents the second time I'd ever met them... a story for another day)
• Footloose, soundtrack
• Singles, soundtrack
• Jerry Maguire, soundtrack
• Titanic, soundtrack
• The Bodyguard, soundtrack
• Red Hot Chili Peppers, californication
• Some Kind of Wonderful, soundtrack (yes, the movie from 1987)
• My Best Friend's Wedding, soundtrack

Are you all laughing yet? Cuz, you should be. Let me continue...

• Austin Powers, soundtrack
• Forest Gump, soundtrack
• Charlies Angels, soundtrack
• Natalie Merchant, tigerlily
• Moulin Rouge, soundtrack
• GoGo's, greatest hits
• Field of Dreams, soundtrack
• The Living Sea, (IMAX) soundtrack
• Dixie Chicks, fly
• INXS, welcome to wherever you are (font is old school dos format)
• The Cranberries, everybody else is doing it (i cannot even tell you one song on this album)
• Elton John, CD single of "The One"
• Pretenders, last of the independants (I think I saw them on SNL one time)
• Dave Matthews, under the table dreaming
• Rusted Root, when i woke (I am not even sure I remember who they are)
• Honeymoon in Vegas, soundtrack
• Reality Bites, soundtrack
• Dazed and Confused, soundtrack

There. I am a musical D-O-R-K. Just for your laughing pleasure.

Boy Bonding

We had a band retreat this weekend at the lake (I was the honorary girl/non-band member) and I just have to laugh at the way boys bond sometimes. What did they do? Played pool, fished, beat up their bodies by pulling each other on the tube behind the boat, as band-boys they play songs for each other, and... they play on the internet, together. Two of the guys stayed up till almost 5am showing each other funny videos on Youtube. I busted Joe and Andy at one point with both laptops on the arcade console Facebooking (each other). It reminded me of a picture I caught of them 2 weeks ago in our living room... sitting in the same room, both laptopping. It cracks me up. Girls just don't bond this way.

This weekend.
Two weeks ago.

Side story-- our two boy dogs copy each other in their expressions and poses. It's not exactly "bonding", but it's two boys so there is the similarity in theme. ??? Here are some random pictures to show you what I mean.

My Elderly Boyfriend Died

I am having a hard time with the changing face of our neighborhood. Last weekend, I was driving down our street only to find an estate sale going on at one of the houses. I knew this meant bad news. It was the house of one of my favorite old folks... our neighborhood is full of 'em. I'd regularly drive by seeing him out on his front porch smoking and waving at the cars. He was precious and, in my head, was the sweetest old man there was. Andy dubbed him my "boyfriend" and would tease me saying that I would one day leave him for this old man.
So last weekend, I walked through his empty house (pictured above). The estate sale workers confirmed he had passed away last month. I knew I hadn't seen him out smoking in a while, but we've been gone a lot this summer. Each room was full of old people furniture and nick-nacks. I found a stack of old records selling for a dollar. I bought a bunch that were of old organ playing and hymns. He even had an ooooollllldddddd Billy Graham crusade on LP. I got that too. Then I found his stash of pipes. There were about 30 of them. I bought the cleanest looking one for Andy to remember my old boyfriend by.

As I drove away, I got even more sad. Not just because the sweet old man had died. It was that, PLUS what it represented in our neighborhood. Change. Like I said, our neighborhood is full of elderly people living in their old houses on big lots of land. Our street is old farm land complete with 80 yrs old green trees and a big creek winding through it. The houses are on average 1000 square feet. But the land is cause enough for circling buzzards in the form of real estate speculators. Especially given we are less than 5 miles from downtown.

A house not one block from the old man was torn down the year we moved in and NINETEEN homes were put in its place (complete with a skinny road splitting the property down the middle to gain access to all these new homes). Pictured below, this land went from ONE to 19. It not only squeezed every square inch possible into the development, it also paid no mind to the required 5 foot-to-lot-line rule.
Last year, a tiny old house was bought and "added onto," making it one of FOUR houses in the line of a single driveway. They advertised it as "Luxury Homes in the Trees," even though after construction I can only count 2 trees on the once copious lot. Then earlier this year, the cutest little farm house on our whole street was bought. The developers promised to ship the house to a new place, but one day we drove by to see it being dismantled in a way it could never be rebuilt. Today, it is a construction zone for a major development of town homes. Here's the link to the site plan: http://solacityhomes.com/default.asp?contentID=594 where you can see how many homes they are placing on a lot that used to be one precious farm house. Pictured below is the construction in progress.

I know times change, but this just makes me sad. Plus, Robin had always planned to one-day buy that little farm house so we could be neighbors.

The lot next door to the old man who died is the latest victim on our street. It was an 800 sq foot home with an equally old lady living there, but the land was well over an acre. She died this year. The "house" was sold, immeidately torn down, now the land has been cleared and a new sign announces the coming of "SIX Unique Luxury Homes" and the development is called "The Park". Pictured below is the cleared lot, ready for building now. I am scared my boyrfriend's house will be next on the chopping block (he's on at least 2 acres).

It feels like pretty soon Andy and I will be defending our old pecan farm from the vultures as well. Not that the vibe of our street will be worth fighting for anymore after the evolution continues to suck the life out it.

Feeling Nostalgic for Harwood

Today I went to show our rent house to a potential new tenant. Since we've started renting it out, I never get to step inside; but today, I took full advantage. Walking through the empty house was like a walk down memory lane for me. Andy lived in this house when we first met and all throughout our dating years. I can still remember where all the furniture was set up, I remember his dishes and hysterically boyish pantry items. When we married, he moved. But it was only after many hours spent together laboring in love to make this charming little house what it is today.

When Andy bought the house years ago, it was already a project waiting to happen. As a single fella he took his time working on one bit at a time. He redid the kitchen, added a laundry room, ripped up the floors, among other things before he met me.

My favorite story is of Andy opening up the giant box in his front yard one day to find his latest ebay purchase: a claw-foot tub to match the 1940s vibe of the house. It was well after dark and he was just getting home after a late night at work followed by some music at S. Congress clubs. Knowing he wouldn't be able to move it alone (and no one would help at 2am), he decided to at least climb in (fully clothed) to see how comfy it was. The answer must have been "pretty comfy" because he fell asleep and didn't wake up till his neighbors were all headed out to work the next day, pointing fingers at their crazy new neighbor who sleeps in bathtubs in the front lawn.
Once I became his girlfriend, I was looped into the project too. Thus sweet and funny memories were created. As I stood in the "red" room today, I remember the first time I realized what a perfectionist Andy was when--as I helped him paint the room red--my lines along the trim were not quite straight enough. Standing on the back deck, I remembered his absolute need to paint the ceiling white-- at 11pm one night. So there we stood, illuminated by a single flourescent bulb from a floor lamp, cricking our necks back and roller painting the ceiling--with drips falling all over our faces.
As I tried to explain the color of the exterior to the renter in question, I found myself laughing at the debacle that was our paint choice. We had hoped for a nice soft green for the siding and a complementary grass green trim. But after hundreds of dollars of already purchased paint and several hours of hard labor, we took a step back only to realize the house was now a lovely tennis ball/highlighter yellow-green with pea soup trim. But we were already committed at that point and so it stands today (luckily it has faded with time). Then I remembered the day before we left for Australia, furiously trying to finish the last minute painting, when Andy droped a bucket of paint on my head from the ladder above my designated painting spot. I had flourescent green paint in my hair almost the entire month we travelled abroad.
I certainly love where we moved after getting married. But I do love the memories of that old house.

Turkey in Pictures

I thought posting some of my favorite pictures from our trip would be a cool way to share our trip with you. Turkey is beautiful and we loved spending time with old friends while we were there... and making lots of new friends too! The rumors are so true-- Turks are the most hospitable people on the planet! Enjoy the snapshots...

This is the view out the window of our hotel in Izmir.

This is the sunset view over the Bosphorus from the rooftop resturant in our hotel in Istanbul.

Andy walking into the church of our good friends in Izmir for a Sunday service.

Andy and Umut hitting the music stores to check out gear that we could maybe rent in Izmir.

A tile mural of Izmir's coastline at the ferry station.

The Turkish flag is EVERYWHERE in Turkey. This one is hanging off the back of the ferry boat in Izmir.

Anna with Umut's mom when she had us over for afternoon tea and looking through Umut's baby pictures! (Izmir)

Andy and Anna with our new friends from Izmir, Ugur and Bahar! They joined us for several nights of hitting the rock bars looking for live Turkish music and also had us over one afternoon for lunch in their home.

Andy leaving the underground office of a rock bar in Izmir where he was meeting with the club owner. It was a tiny gnome door beneath the club itself. You couldn't even stand up straight in the little room.

Our friend Fikret getting mad at Andy for putting on a Galatasary hat at dinner. (see post on "Andy Found Himself in the Middle of a War").

Hakan and Nemruze were some friends we made while in Izmir. They had just gotten married 3 days ago! Here, I captured them flirting with each other in young love. They joined us one night to go hear live music.

The view from our hotel balcony in Izmir provided us a bird's eye view of a Turkish wedding one night on the roof of the parking garage across the street. The service area was on the floor beneath. The reception lasted well into the night. We were so glad to get to at least see this from afar.

A busy street scene in the Beyoglu area of Istanbul. This was Monday night at 10:30pm and it was bustling with people and life!

The view out of our hotel room in Istanbul. You can see the famous Bosphorus in the background.

Candid capture of Umut during a meeting with a rock bar owner in Istanbul. He was SUCH A HELP to us while we were there!

A cityview of the Bazaar Quarter area of Istanbul as seen from our hotel restaurant. Pictured in the foreground is the "Suleymaniye Mosque".

On our ferry ride to the "Asian Side" of Istanbul (from the "European Side" where we stayed).

Andy and I in front of the Galata Tower just in front of our hotel in Istanbul. This is the famed Tower where the first man who attached wings to his arms to test out flying jumped from in the 1700s.

Galata Tower lit at night through the glass roof of the resturant in our hotel. (Istanbul)

Andy and Umut EXHAUSTED and waiting for our flight in the Istanbul airport. This is the day before our return to the states and we had worn ourselves out!