Monday evening update...

Update on Hakan and Turan

Here's the lastest from a friend...

The trial went very well today and without incident. The police were ready and made plans to get Hakan and Turan in and out of the courthouse without problems. Several reporters and a few dozen nationalists were waiting outside the courthouse while the trial went on for an hour (like last time, no press or visitors were allowed in the courtroom). After the trial, and unbeknownst to the press and nationalists (but known to us), the police escorted Hakan, Turan, and their lawyer out the back door of the courthouse and safely to their car before anyone knew about it. A few minutes later, the prosecuter, Kerincsiz, and his followers came out the front door and left without giving a press conference. They appeared to be angry and it was probably because things had not gone so well for them in the courtroom. We learned that the prosecution’s main witness had been caught lying and even Kerincsiz was caught in a lie. When asked where the other two witnesses were, Kerincsiz told the judge that they could not get permission to leave their high school to be there. The judge responded that the schools are on winter break. Reports are that Kerincsiz was glowing like Rudolf’s nose.

Unfortunately the case was not thrown out, so Hakan and Turan will be back in court on April 18th. However, despite this bit of bad news, today’s trial did go well on all other counts and we can be thankful that there was no violence or other incidents.

Thank you for your prayers.

There will likely be a newspaper write up about it tomorrow which I will post a link to if you are interested in reading more about it.

Please pray

Pray for our Friends

Please intercede for Hakan and Turan, two Turkish Christians who face their second trial on Monday, January 29. There have been no new developments in regards to the actual trial—no new evidence (which means no evidence at all), no new charges, and no acquittal. However, Kemal Kerincsiz, the infamous ultranational lawyer who was at the last trial, is getting much bad press in light of the murder of the Turkish/Armenian journalist, Hrant Dink, in Istanbul last week. Kerincsiz had brought Article 301 charges (insulting Turkishness) against Dink in the past few years and many blame him for fanning the flames of hatred toward Armenians and other minorities that resulted in this murder. Unfortunately, Hakan and Turan have a connection with Dink in that they too are minorities being harassed with Article 301 charges by Kerincsiz. This could also make them a target of ultranational violence. This is not meant to be alarmist, but to call everyone to fervent prayer for all aspects of this trial.

A few prayer points:
Pray that God would use this trial for His good.

Pray that Hakan and Turan would stand strong in the face of lies, intimidation, persecution, and insult.

Pray that Hakan’s wife, Esay, would have peace and endurance throughout the trial.

Pray that justice would prevail and they would be acquitted on Monday.

Pray that there would be no escalation of violence or protests after the trial.

Pray that God would use this trial for His good.

We all hope that God would work in ways we cannot imagine and that He would accomplish great things for His glory as a result of this trial.

Thank you for your prayers.

*I borrowed this from a friend.

Turkey

Cok Guzeldi! I had an incredible trip to Turkey over the week of Thanksgiving. It was wonderful spending time with some of my favorite folks, eating fabulous Turkish food, enjoying the Bosphorous, tromping around my Besiktas, and more or less just soaking in all that is Turkey. Gosh, I miss that place (at least most things!) Here's just a sample of pics...

Cute as cute could be!

I miss you Jen - especially walking arm in arm and having people try to talk to us in English!

Jen and Semih about to enjoy delish Iskender!

I'm praying for you ladies!

7 Rebes plus 3 Paulds plus 2 Blays equals way too much fun decorating gingerbread cookies!

One of my original Adapazari friends, Seyfi - except now he's all grown up and dignified! It was so much fun to see him!

S'mores and more s'mores and even more laughs!

I seriously heart these two! They're kids are cute as ever except lots lots taller. :)

My dear dear friend Selma and her cok tatli nephew! I love you Selma and am praying for you!

Saved the best for last...My hero, Lynette and I on the lovely boat ride to Eminonu. I had such a wonderful time sharing life with you and the fam for a week. Love.

All about Clay

Well, it's about time I told you about Clay. It doesn't get much better than Clay. He's for sure, one of my favs. I mean , I wasn't lucky enough to get him to be my date for Retro Prom, but still he was sweet enough to take a couple pictures with me. Look how excited I am! Let me give you just a taste of the stud that is Clay...

• He's super smart (especially about really obtuse trivia)
• And he's ohso funny
  
• And he's amazing at karaoke
• And he's a fabuloso dancer
• And let's just say he looks INCREDIBLE in polyester - and let's face it, not many men do.

All in all, I heart Clay. In fact, I wish I could get jars of him. I mean, if they sold jars of Clay, I'd buy them by the dozen.

I must be dreaming of Clay in this photo!

Errrrggggghhhh! Clay with the other woman! That hussy, thinking she can woo him
with that blue eye shadow!

Arkadaslarim, Teksas'a sonbahar geldi!

Woooohoooo, my friends, autumn has finally come to Texas! Oh, today is a glorious day with the crisp wind blowing, oh it is simply marvelous. A wonderful day all around really. It began with me hitting the snooze at least three times, which not that I wanted to get up even then at 6:40 a.m., but it was only because I had a great time catching up with two girlfriends last night till after midnight which was so good. So, it kind of made it worth it that I was so tired this morning. Then, thankfully I figured out something to wear that didn't need to be ironed and didn't require a lot of thinking. One of those blessed days when the very first outfit you try works perfectly. Somedays you try three different options and it's still not perfect, other days after several tries you finally reach perfection, and 90% of the days you don't really feel cute, but you've got to get to work anyways and really, who else cares? But, alas today was an easy one. Feeling cute definitely helps the day start out right. Oh, and since it's FALL, I'm wearing my boots which also makes me happy. This is especially so since we have dubbed Thursdays as Western Thursdays. I really think I should get a prize today for wearing my boots.

Let's see what else, so it's been an enjoyable day in the office with not too much craziness going on. One of those days where it's such a joy to work with so many friends! For lunch several of us went to Olive Garden where I had soup, salad, and breadsticks and we talked about boys. That's always a good time (honestly, it's not always a good time, but today it was.) And now I'm back in the office and avoiding work by updating my blog. And...tonight I have no plans, no where to be, no agenda and that makes me very very happy. Sometimes I just love to be home w/my pooch and get to bed early. Boring, I know, but sometimes I'm just a homebody.
Oh, and while this is not on the topic of today, I must tell you about last weekend. To show my sister how thankful I am that she was born, I planned a surprise Tea Party just for us and then tickets to an amazing dance performance downtown. (Hubbard Street Dance Chicago is AMAZING!) Wow, we had so much fun. Everything was perfect. Especially the scones and clotted cream, and let's not forget the tea sandwiches in leaf shapes. Oh, and cheese crisps and spinach artichoke bruschetta and pumpkin cake and did I forget to mention the tea?

Hip Hop, Autumn, Surprise visits

Yes friends, thanks for the reminder that it's time to post. I can't believe it's been a month! And I cannot believe it's October - oh my goodness gracious! I absolutely love the fall. I love the word "autumnal." I just love the idea of it, ya know. It's a good thing that I can love the idea of it in my head, because it doesn't really exist in real life here in Houston. It is still 92% F and no I'm not kidding and humid as all get out. But alas, I do have my candy jar on my desk full (well by this point only half full) of candy corn and mellowcreme pumpkins. Oh the goodness of the sugar wax that is those pumpkins. And I'm thinking about going to Hobby Lobby and getting some fake leaves to staple all in my cubicle. Wouldn't that be delightful. Actually, we did have a couple beautiful days a few weeks ago and we ate lunch at the park a few days. That was amazing!

Janelle and Dave on the swings. Kasey and I didn't attempt it in our skirts...instead we chose to just sit and be beautiful!
What else, ah yes, hip hop. A couple friends and I have started taking hip hop classes on Monday nights. Last night was our fourth time. I no longer feel like throwing up afterwards which is a good sign that I'm improving, or at least getting into better shape. The teacher is so incredibly good although he's pretty hardcore. Actually, that's probably what makes him such a good teacher. We spend about 30-45 minutes stretching and just working out doing stomach crunches, sit-ups, etc. and then an hour learning hip hop combinations that really get your heart pumping. Oh my gosh, I don't have too much funk in me, but I'm working on it. Last night I almost passed out because the teacher doesn't like to have airconditioning which sounds all well and good except there is absolutely no airflow. After about an hour of breathing in all of my friends' exhaled air, I actually almost passed out. When the teach saw how pale I was (and the fact that I almost keeled over) he told me to step outside and get some fresh air. Of course I did, but the air outside wasn't fresh either - oh the Houston humidity. But, I did survive and I love it. It really is so much fun, despite all the sweating. :)

And, for about 4 days, one of my favorite friends, Kristi, who was here this summer showed up for a surprise visit from Ohio - way to go Will! It was so much fun to be with her again for a few days! Here's Janelle, Kasey and I with her Cedarville Lady's basketball shirts that Kristi brought us!

Oh, and in more exciting news......drumroll please.......I'm now on facebook! I know I'm really too old to be, but the problem is so many of my friends are just babes I tell ya. I have 12 friends so far - wooohooo!

few more pics from Will

Yes, Will is full of himself and keeps sending me photos to post - apparently he doesn't have tons of work to do either! Actually, he sent some photos of other people beside himself also.