Turkey – Cappadocia Day 2: The rest of the day

Following our balloon ride we headed to the Goreme Open Air Museum. I thought this somehow was going to have historic airplanes or talk about the Turkish air force; that it was going to be something like the beloved Air Force Museum in Dayton. Silly, I know. Who would have thought by the name that it was a Byzantine monastic settlement made up of clusters of rock-cut churches, chapels, and monasteries?
These churches were a popular sanctuary in the 17th century. The roads are all original cobblestone which were charming but not so good for comfortable walking. I can’t say enough how much I loved my new Keens! The chapels were again amazing; just to contemplate how they constructed these churches out of the rock and how they painted, again, so many frescos that have withstood the forces of nature for hundreds of years.

After hiking through the Open Air Museum for a couple of hours both Abigail and my ankles had had enough. We gave it quite a bit of thought and decided it would be best for us if we headed back to the cave house for a rest. We enjoyed a really good Turkish lunch with some people in our tour group and then Abby and I took a cab back. I think it was the right move as she took a five hour nap. By the time Dano and the kids returned, my elephantitis had subsided and my feet fit back in my shoes.

However, with our compromise we missed out on quite a few neat sites. After lunch the group went hiking through some cool valleys. One was Pigeon Valley. Here the natives carved thousands of houses in the rocks for pigeons. Imagine wanting to attract pigeons! The people provided this shelter in order to collect the birds’ feces which they had realized was wonderful fertilizer. They also hiked through Devrent Valley made up of volcanic stones which appear to be stacked and balanced on each other. Many of them seemed to form animal shapes.
They also saw many examples of the most distinctive geological feature of Cappadocia which are called Fairy Chimneys. This is an odd name, yet perfectly suited for the stone formations throughout this region. These unique structures were formed by three phases of natural processes. First, volcanic ash filled the valleys of Cappadocia from the three major volcanoes and many active craters in the region. The volcanoes then deposited harder stone on top of the ash. Much of the harder stone was basalt. The next process was many years of pressure turning the ash into a soft stone. Lastly, wind and water did what it does and eroded the softer stone where it was not protected by harder stone on the top layer. This process left these great Fairy Chimneys. The soft stone formed by the compressed ash is also what allowed thousands of years of civilization to carve homes, churches, pigeon houses, and even our hotel.
From there they headed back to Avanos where we had toured the ceramic shop. This time they were able to tour a weaving shop. Turkey is known for their amazingly beautiful rugs. At this particular workshop they had seventeen thousand rugs. Here the kids were given an opportunity to help tie knots in a rug-in-the-making. They each loved this. The ornate rugs the kids helped with will eventually be approximately 2 feet by 3 feet and will take these women up to six months to weave them, explaining the significant cost of rugs.
They were also shown how they harvested the silk from the silk worms and spun it into yarn.
They told the kids that they are able to harvest about a mile of thread from each worm. Many of the rugs are made from silk and are soft and have a beautiful sheen. They also make rugs from wool and cotton.

While we were out we saw many of these ice cream peddlers. Dano and the kids decided to give Turkish ice cream a try. You can tell by the facial expressions that the peddler was hilarious. He teased the kids unmercifully. Ethan told me he almost dumped the ice cream on his head. They all loved the ice cream. It was the first time they had tasted ice cream made with camel milk.
That evening we walked a little ways from our hotel to a restaurant and enjoyed a really fun dinner together. The evenings were quite mild (though not mild enough to cool off our cave room) and the air was clean and refreshing. We felt so blessed to be able to spend time together in a wonderful little part of Turkey.

Turkey – Cappadocia Day 2: The balloon ride

We were up early (too early for those who still had a little jet-lag) the next morning. A driver picked us up to take us to Goreme for a dawn-breaking balloon ride over the Cappadocia region.
There were over fifty balloons going up that morning. Obviously, it’s a very popular attraction. The balloons began to slowly but beautifully light up in the darkness. We lifted off the ground and slowly ascended to a height of five thousand feet. It was such a fabulous way to begin the day. The views were incredible. I don’t think anyone can truly appreciate the complexity of the landscaping in Cappadocia until they get above it. We marveled at the many fairy chimneys and such uniquely diverse topography. Here are a few pictures to speak for themselves.


Back in the basket, back to the more realistic part…our group was made up mostly of people from Spain. Fortunately our balloon pilot spoke Spanish. Unfortunately, we were the only English speaking passengers. The pilot was very kind to frequently tell us what he was telling everyone else. I don’t think it mattered much as we were all captivated with the ride, the scenery, and how well the pilot navigated the balloon down low into the valleys and then back up along the cliffs. We were not to hold Abby as this posed a dangerous risk. There were little peepholes through which she could look out. We’re still not sure if it was the motion, the jet-lag, or the near liter of water she downed before the ride, but she began to vomit. Of course I’m concerned about her as she very rarely gets sick, but I have to confess I was more worried about what the balloon pilot and other passengers would be saying. Luckily we had a few things working for us. One, we were in our own section of the basket so it was only on our feet. Two, there were slight openings in the bottom of the balloon basket so when we tipped just the right way, the vomit would run out. (Fortunately we were not flying over houses or any inhabited area in which people would get doused.) Third, between the Spanish chatter and the whooshing of the balloon flames, I don’t think anyone heard the gagging sounds. Of course, for all I know, the Spanish chatter could have been, “That’s so disgusting!” “Boy I’m glad I’m not in their basket section.” “Why would someone bring a sick child on a balloon ride?” “Oooo! What is that smell?” Well, thankfully that was all she needed and she was back to normal.
Our landing party greeted our balloon after a memorable hour-long balloon ride with the traditional champagne toast. Our pilot explained the historical significance of the toast. Kindly, they also brought really good orange juice for the non-drinkers. All the way around, it was a truly wonderful experience…a first for all of these Listers.

Would a good parent do this?

Last weekend Kennedy attended her first activity with other LDS youth in the region. She had really been looking forward to this for several weeks. I, on the other hand was a little nervous. Why? Because this particular activity was taking place in Bahrain, a country neither Dano nor I have ever been to nor were we going. Would a good parent really send their twelve year old daughter to another country in the Middle East? I couldn’t go because of my bulging belly. Dano couldn’t go because of his obligations here and, well, also because of me. There was also a young man from Jeddah going and his mother agreed to chaperone. To leave the country, Kennedy needed to get an exit and re-entrance visa from our sponsors. We also needed to have a parental letter of authorization for her to travel without us. Dano then had a friend translate it into Arabic.

Kennedy flew into Dammam, a city on the eastern region of Saudi occupied mostly by Aramco (Arabian American Oil Company) employees. As the activity didn’t begin until later that afternoon, she was welcomed into a family’s home. She helped make snickerdoodles and attended a scout court of honor before they all headed to Bahrain. Bahrain is a country made up of thirty-three islands situated just east of Saudi Arabia. They drove several miles over a causeway connecting the two countries. Her Jeddah chaperone had an incorrect visa and therefore was not permitted to leave Saudi Arabia and had to return to the home of the family in Dammam.

Kennedy had a really great time meeting some of the other youth in our area. We were wondering why the activity was held at the time it was held. The time prevented Kennedy from getting a flight home Thursday evening. We figured out later that it’s because Bahrain's weekend is Friday and Saturday unlike ours that is Thursday and Friday. They changed it a few years ago as have several other Middle Eastern countries. (We’re wishing Saudi would follow suit.) So, some of the kids attending this activity were in still in school during the day on Thursday. She and the other two from Jeddah flew home Friday morning, exhausted. I think Dano and I were both relieved to have her back with us safe and sound. Aside from the fact that it’s just such a different experience with travel, schedule, and other facets we’d never have to take into consideration in the States, we’re enjoying the diversity of it all.

(I failed to send Dano to the airport with the camera or even ask him to take a picture of Kennedy. Therefore, I’ve got nothing. Kennedy will be posting a blog about her trip and has some pictures she took. Tune in soon!)

Turkey – Cappadocia Day 1

When we left Jeddah in July we planned that our return trip would include a stopover in Europe. Then Dano learned he had meetings in Turkey. We thought we would accompany him and during the couple of days of meetings the kids and I could explore Istanbul. Then a week before we left Ohio my wonderful brother came to visit and we spent an evening talking about his two-week Turkey trip a few years ago. He convinced us of the spectacularity of this country. We quickly scrapped the Europe portion in order to devote our entire time to Turkey. Let it be said from the beginning, one week was not enough!

We had great flights from DC to Frankfurt and then to Istanbul. We spent a very quick night there and early the next morning caught a plane to Cappadocia. This is the same Cappadocia area referred to in the New Testament where Christ's apostles taught. Geographically speaking, Turkey spans a wide area (larger than I had previously realized), approximately the size of the southeastern United States. From Istanbul, we flew for about an hour to reach Kayseri, located in central Turkey. The airport was small and quick to navigate. From Kayseri a driver drove us an hour west to the city of Urgup in the Cappadocia region. We traveled like a true Middle Eastern family, six people plus a driver in a very small taxi.

We had arranged to stay at a cave house in Urgup. They are quite popular there. Most cave house hotels are owned by local people and offer five to ten rooms. Our hostess was a Turkish woman who spent her high school years in California so, needless to say, she spoke English fluently, very helpful to a unilingual American family. It was beautiful and the most unique hotel we have ever stayed in. The hostess and her familial staff treated us like family. We interacted with the other guests intimately on the hotel property, meeting some from Australia, some from the states. The caves are manmade dating back to the Hittites who settled the area between 1800 BC and 1200 BC. Prehistorically there were three large volcanoes and multiple volcano craters. The stone caves are comprised of soft stone formed from compressed ash from the volcanic eruptions.

Our room was under the arched doorway.

Our first day we took a tour to several sites. The first was Nicholas’ church in the city of Mustafapasa, an area that contains several Greek stone churches dating from the eighth to tenth centuries. The frescos were beautiful and quite well preserved depicting the Godhead, the twelve apostles, and Mary and the baby Jesus.

Who would guess this was once a church?

The kids stand in one of the front rooms of the church.

After climbing around the church grounds we left for the Keslik monastery. This was a Byzantine monastery with multiple churches built into the rock. This is where I took a nap and rested my feet (in the van, not in the monastery). There was a large refectory that served a couple hundred monks indicating this was a large monastery.

The kids attempt to push the stone that at one time covered the entrance.The monastery's refectory
Abby with one of her many friends. We happened to follow this couple from site to site. She really liked Abby and gave her a pin with the Turkish eye. It is a tradition to give someone an eye. It is believed to protect them from evil.

Erin and Abby sit atop the hill of the monastery.

From there we travelled to Sobesos where there are ruins of a Roman city built in the fourth century AD containing Roman baths and an incredibly large mosaic which has been partially excavated and preserved.
Our next stop was to one of the three major underground cities. These cities were also constructed by the Hittites, the very short Hittites. This venture was not for the claustrophobic. They were built as far back as 4000 years BC as a way to hide from their enemies, perhaps the Persians. We hiked and crawled through only a tenth of the city and that took us nearly an hour. The cities' passages are quite intricate. We would, no doubt, have been lost without our guide. We saw how these people survived underground in hiding. We hiked down about forty meters although the cities are built as deep as one hundred meters below ground. There were some places where Dano was crawling through the passages on his hands and knees.

This was one of the meeting rooms in the underground city.

We saw how they stored water, cooked, and even resolved their toileting issues. (You can ask us how if you’re really interested. We think this was our guide’s favorite part as he repeated it to us three or four times!)

Our final stop was Avanos where we toured a ceramics workshop. This was beautiful! We were toured around by a gentleman whose family has been in the business for several generations. The three older children were each given the opportunity to throw a pot on a foot-operated potter’s wheel, meaning you kick it repeatedly to keep the wheel turning. What a great leg workout! The patterns of the ceramics are so detailed and precise; some projects take months to complete and cost quite a pretty Lira.

We spent the remainder of the early evening hanging out and playing cards at the villa. We watched a beautiful sun set over the Cappadocian region of Turkey. It was just so serene. We needed to get a good night’s sleep, as our next day would begin quite early.

The Feeling I Dislike the Most

For several years I have suffered from migraines. They have progressively worsened over the past few years. They are excruciating and debilitating. However, this is not the feeling I dislike most. Most recently I have felt the many discomforts that accompany pregnancy including but not limited to sciatica, heartburn, leg and foot cramps, and swollen feet. Yet these are not the feelings I dislike most. I have experienced natural childbirth three times. But again, this is not the feeling I dislike most. The feeling I dislike most is not necessarily physical though the effect causes a terrible physical anxiety. The feeling I dislike most is being lost. With almost every discomfort or pain, you know there is an end somewhere in sight. However, with being lost, you never know when you’re going to be found or find your way out. There is a helplessness in not being in control.

I can recall several times I have been lost. The life-changing one was a few years ago after we moved to Ohio. I was trying to take the kids to school on their first day of school. My normal route was closed, but I was sure I knew an alternative route. (Keep in mind the school is nine twisty miles from our house.) Twenty minutes later when still no streets were looking familiar and the kids were ten minutes late for school we crossed a county line into a city I knew was clearly not where I wanted to be. I phoned Dano in our “emergency calling” code. He asked what my whereabouts were. Being a not-so-sunny day, all I could tell him was what town we were in and that there were fields on both sides of us. Skipping to the end: the kids eventually made it to school, the secretary answered my disheveled look with an understanding smile, and a week later Dano brought home a gift…my very own GPS! Life-changing indeed! (I had previously told him I didn’t need one…kind of like I had told him a couple years before that I didn’t need a minivan.) That little darling that sits atop my dash has kept me on the right path ever since.

So, what do you do when you’re lost and not in the car? Our trek back to Jeddah began with a stop in Washington, D.C. Dano had meetings in West Virginia so the kids and I were going to stay with my sister for a few days. So conveniently fun! On our way to drop Dano off in West Virginia, we had a little extra time so we decided to stop at Harper’s Ferry. Kennedy had been there with her leadership conference back in April and was anxious to have us visit. We followed the park ranger’s suggestion of going down to Lower Town. However, she failed to tell us there was a shuttle to Lower Town. We found the hiking trail pointing to Lower Town and with Abby on Dano’s back in the carrier, we set off on the park-labeled “vigorous” hike. The scenery was beautiful. The hike was steep with wonderful shale rock everywhere.We reached the bottom of the hill with no sight of Lower Town. We crossed the highway and picked up the faint trail. It led us to a serene river. Then the trail seemed to disappear. We forged our own trail, every now and then finding hints of what could be the actual trail. After about twenty minutes more of walking we decided we’d fare better if we followed the train tracks. Surely they would lead to the town. We walked on the railroad tracks listening intently for any oncoming trains. I could envision the whistle blowing and our family dodging off the tracks, rolling down the gravel toward the river. It seems so many of my images come from what I’d find in a movie!
We could see the highway up a hill of trees and brush to our left but there was no shoulder on which to walk and surely no one would pick up six hitchhikers! So on we blazed. At this point we’d been hiking for well over an hour with no end in sight. That terrible feeling of being lost began to set in. Finally after a family prayer and some divine intervention we decided to go ahead and leave the train tracks and head to the road. Where we had decided to pick up on the road happened to be shortly after a walkway beside the road had begun. We followed it, with many looks from drivers, for about another half a mile until we reached Lower Town.

Along the way we passed the remains of a pulp mill from the late 1800s and a wonderful old wooden truss bridge used for access to factories or to escape from floods.
Lower Town led to a point where Virginia, West Virginia, and Maryland all meet at the convergence of the Potomac and Shenandoah Rivers.
Unfortunately after two hours and two miles of hiking we were all too pooped and sore (and out of time) to tour much around Harper’s Ferry. Kennedy gave us the condensed historical significance and we headed toward the shuttle, the glorious shuttle!

Speaking of this time of being lost, at least we were lost together as a family, the scenery was beautiful, and we’d been taught what the best thing is to do when you’re lost. We know that Heavenly Father always knows the way out if we just ask. He’ll direct us.

All Good Things Must End

Summer came and went much too quickly for our little family. We arrived home on the evening of July 9th after a little more than 24 hours of travelling, four of which Abby slept. I was a little apprehensive taking a newly-potty-trained two year old on the long trip, but she didn’t cease to amaze. She was delightful for about the entire trip. The leg from Frankfurt to DC was long (after a six hour flight from Jeddah to Frankfurt and an additional three hours sitting on the tarmack waiting for repairs). Toward the last two hours she was done sitting in her carseat. I really couldn’t fight her on it, afterall, she had been such a good little passenger. I scanned the passengers and realized, “We don’t know anyone here. Chances are, we’ll never see any of them again. What the heck?” I unbuckled her and allowed her to stretch her little legs. She is mostly trustworthy and just visited Kennedy and Erin’s seats and then up to Dano and Ethan’s seats. Back and forth she went for the better part of an hour, not bothering anyone else, thank goodness.

Ohio had received quite a bit of rain the end of June/beginning of July so it was delightfully green – although, Phoenix might have looked green to us at this point. Upon arrival over Columbus each of us just kept repeating, “It’s so greeeeen!” We were so happy to see our home again. It looked so beautiful. Our good friends, the Porters, had taped up ‘welcome home’ signs in our kitchen eating area which we left up for about three weeks! We had picked up a Papa Murphy’s pizza on the way home and called it an early night…though what’s early after you’ve been up for 36 hours?

The pool was uncovered the next day. Again, it could be heard amongst us, “It’s so greeeen!” (We'll spare you any pictures of the swamp!) Fortunately there were no living creatures (visible anyway). Our pool man told us it was due to the very hot, humid weather Ohio had had in May and June. It took us an entire week of chemical treatments and vacuuming to get it swimable. However, when we did, there were not many days we didn’t get in it.
As part of Erin’s birthday, we sent her off to DC to stay with my sister and her husband for a few days. I was a little nervous about Erin travelling by herself, but the flight was not long and she appeared to be calm and brave about it. She’s the only one of our children to ever fly unaccompanied…so far.
It was a very special experience for her to enjoy some quality time with Aunt Jen and Uncle Chris. She brought Aunt Jen back to Ohio with her.

We enjoyed visits from family members nearly every week we were home. We had a great time hanging out with Aunt Jen and Uncle Chris when he arrived a few days later.
The exciting part is my sister is due to have her first baby just four weeks after ours. The downside is…we’re going to be half way around the world. I’ve had a hard time coming to terms with this, but such is life. We’ll get through.
During their visit, my mom arrived for a two week stay. She sufficiently spoiled the kids. The girls enjoyed pampering each other and Lindy with pedicures. We were sad that Papa could not make the trip this time and missed him.
A few days after Lindy left, Dano’s parents arrived. During all of this, Dano returned to Jeddah for two and a half weeks. He made it back to spend a few days with his parents before they left. They taught the kids some new card games. It’s becoming fun that we are now having real card games amongst our family, including Five Crowns, a family favorite.
A day after they left my brother arrived. We had a super week playing with him that went by too quickly. I have no idea how we let the time get by without one picture with Uncle David. Shame on me!

Amidst all the family visits we were able to spend time with friends, go peach picking (a favorite family event),

donate some more hair to Locks of Love,


attend a Cleveland Indians game and a Cincinnati Reds game (and make it on the jumbotron!),




devour some pulled pork and ribs, have a birthday party,

enjoy a long stint of not wearing an abbaya, relish in going where I want, when I want, and actually driving myself there, and get a hefty dose (okay, several doses!) of Graeters Ice Cream.

One final event of the summer - Dano participated with several friends from work in Columbus' Pelatonia bike ride which raises money for cancer research. Dano rode the 102 mile leg. We were all very proud of him. I'd post a picture of it, but it turned out to be a very rainy day and during our hour-long wait at the finish line, our camera became water-logged and drowned. (I guess that could explain also why we have no pics with Uncle David...) It was a great experience; one he's looking forward to participating in it again next year.

After a wonderful eight weeks I admittedly was not looking forward to leaving friends, family, Ohio, and America again. However, by the time we got closer to Jeddah, I was happily anticipating getting back and picking up our life in KSA which does feel like home. I considered that a blessing. I don’t think I can ever say it too frequently…we are so blessed with all that we have in the United States.

Celebrating Erin

Seven years ago our third-born threatened an attempt to make an early appearance. Then at four weeks she taught us great lessons in faith as we watched her suffer from spinal meningitis and other health issues. Today Erin shows no negative effects from her jumpy start to life. On the contrary, she is full of bounce and life. Here are some of the things she enjoys about life and that we enjoy about her:

When Erin laughs it is contagious. She is capable of having such a riotous giggle that you can’t help but join in. Her smile lights up a room.

Erin loves to be in the kitchen and I love having her help me. She is quick to volunteer for anything of the culinary nature which makes me wish I was a better cook who could offer her a broader set of experiences. Oh well, she’s happy to settle for enjoying making baked goodies and breads (especially if they’re “Sister Dunford rolls”!)

Erin is a determined little girl and can accomplish anything she sets her mind to. The dilemma….setting her mind to it. Being in the middle has its challenges especially when you’ve put yourself in the footsteps of an older brother and sister. Erin has been blessed with an abundance of ability. She uses this to quietly overcome challenges. She is a very bright girl who has, by nature of our situation, been thrust into an educational upheaval. Though there were several days of tears, she managed to smile and push through. It’s difficult as a parent to watch your child grow through adversity. There have been times I have just wanted to remove her from the frustrations and home-school her. She finished out the school year quite well with glowing praise from her teachers and headmaster and was awarded one of three awards handed out at her grade – person with the best influence. We’re anxious to see what second grade holds in store for this little one.

Erin is a delightfully talented artist who loves to write stories, create pictures, and engage in all forms of creativity. At a recent visit to a ceramics gallery, Erin showed her gentle, patient touch by creating a clay pot thrown on a wheel. She has been improving her knitting skills, having been taught by Kennedy and my mother, and is making a wonderfully beautiful washcloth for the baby. I am amazed at how even and tight her stitches are. She is truly naturally gifted.

Erin is a true friend. She values her friendships and relationships with her peers. She is quick to notice someone left out. She is also capable of recognizing false friends, a characteristic I just recently learned about her; a trait which will serve her well throughout her life. She has taken the age-old adage to heart: to have a friend you must be a friend.

Erin is a super sister. She loves to do quiet, kind deeds for her brother and sisters. As Abby is getting older she is seeing this wonderful friend in her sister, Erin and loves to play with her. Most recently it has been music to my ears to hear her little voice call out “Ewiiiiiinnn!” As a middle child, Erin has always shared a room with Kennedy or Ethan. I love hearing the nighttime giggling between her and either of these siblings. Whether she’s role playing or just girl-talking with Kennedy or building secret forts with Ethan, Erin is a fun girl to share a room with. While we were back in Ohio this summer I think there were more nights of them wanting to all sleep together than in their respective rooms. I asked Dano why we even have separate bedrooms for them. We just need to modify what we have to make one huge bedroom for all the kids!

Erin loves little children. It has been sweet to watch recently as Erin will approach a little child at church or a park or in any setting and get down on their level and talk to them. It really makes her seem older. She is so anxiously excited about this new baby, she can hardly stand it. I know it will be just as sweet to watch her interact with and care for her new sister.

Erin is a great athlete. Again, any sport Erin attempts, she succeeds. She has been blessed with terrific speed and coordination. She has been a beautiful dancer, a soccer star, and most recently is enjoying perfecting her jumproping skills and tricks. When her year played an interhouse basketball game, it was great to watch Erin be able to shoot baskets as well as be aware of her teammates and opportunities to pass to them. She is very agile in the water and loves to swim. Watching her, I don’t know where she gets that set of lungs!

Erin is a great blessing to our little family. She fills our lives with her wonderful piano playing and beautiful singing. I am anxious to watch the next seven years unfold and mold her into an even more terrific girl.