We had a wonderful holiday vacation. Two of our three adult kids came home to Istanbul. Sadly, our soldier son wasn’t able to come home. We missed him dearly.

The other five of our Six Abroad family enjoyed site seeing around Istanbul and southwestern Turkey. Here are a few of the highlights:

Another highlight was when a rug seller suckered us into purchasing this rug. Rug sellers in Istanbul are the world’s best at getting unsuspecting Americans to purchase rubbish they don’t need. Seriously, they’ve turned it into an art form.

Early this morning, my college kids headed back to the US. I’ll admit, the house is much more quiet without them. When they were here, there were lots of words in this apartment. Words everywhere. And in that vein, the following are my favorite quotes from the holiday (in order of greatness). I have chosen not to offer any context to the quotes, because honestly, their greatness needs no context. Their brilliance stands on their own:

#3: From 22 year old Cecily: “Don’t let Mom keep my shoes!”

#2: From 20 year old Ben: “Anything for big, wooly Ben?”

#1: And the winner of the best quote from Six Abroad Holiday Vacation 2018, goes to 14 year old Elizabeth: “It’s called sarcasm, Doof Wad!”

God bless them every one!

Dear Grandma Hale and Grandma Parker,

We wanted to let you know that we arrived safely in Istanbul. The Turks greeted us warmly upon our arrival.

We arrived at our new apartment safe and sound.

And discovered that our complex has an amazing view of the Bosporus.

Yes, the Turks are feeding us well.

And yes, we’re eating our produce.

Your granddaughter has started school.

And like a good Mormon girl, she’s enrolled in seminary.

And she seems to be thriving in her new environment.

So you can rest assured that your children are doing well in Turkey. And just in case you’re wondering, THIS PLACE IS COMPLETELY AWESOME AND WE CAN’T BELIEVE WE GET TO LIVE HERE!!!

Love always,

Jason, Erin, and Ellie