ALASTAIR + LALEINIA

It's been about a month since we've made our move, so we should probably fill the story in a bit. We've moved to London. It's hard to believe, really. Alastair and I like to talk about the big moments that have led us to where we are, and to be honest, I never really imagined living in London. Even being married to an Englishman, I never anticipated it happening. It was a dream that I never thought would come to fruition. But it happened and it still hasn't hit me. And yet, it feels so right.  Let's back to story up to 2014. Alastair and I took a day trip on a layover from South Africa. We stayed with Hollie and spent the day doing touristy things. I got harassed by a homeless person, wore union jack beanies, and ate some crappy fish and chips. Sitting on a bench looking at my favorite building, the houses of parliament, I couldn't help but fall in love with the city. It was cool and gritty and I loved it! Scroll past a few years, 2018, and Alast

We decided to stay home for the holidays. No trips planned, just lots of things to do in London. Let me tell you, Christmas in London is pretty amazing! Store fronts decorated, streets lit up with lights, Christmas trees, Christmas markets, and carolers caroling in front of stations. It was wonderful! We wanted to do lots of Christmas activities, so we did as much as we could. We first started off Christmas by going to Fortnum and Masons for reading with Father Christmas. Emre was so worried, stressed out, on the way there. He did NOT want to see Santa. And you bet it’s because he knew he has been naughty. We were a bit late, busy tube, so we didn’t have time to process what was going on. Santa was going through each child, seeing if they were on the good list. And then it got to Emre. With tears in his eyes, he talked to Santa; heavy breathing and all. And then he said Emre was on the good list and he felt sweet relief. He was a happy kid after that! He got a goody bag and he was so

I love Iceland. Scratch that. We love Iceland. The last time we went, I was 20 something weeks pregnant with Emre. And our trip back, it was Emre’s 50 th country visited. Coming full circle, it was pretty special! For our 30 th birthdays, we wanted to have some fun; Morocco for Alastair and Iceland for me. Iceland isn’t super cheap, so we rented a van and bought groceries. It worked out because there really aren’t a lot of places to stop and eat.  When we arrived, we picked up our van, stocked up at the grocery store, and away we went!  We didn’t have much of a plan, just to try to make it all the way around the country and to stop along the way. And that’s what we did!  There aren’t many touristy things to stop and see. Really, you go there for the nature and beauty. So that’s what we enjoyed. We would drive, stop, go for a little hike, and take in all that fresh air. Emre loved it here. We would be driving and he would just say, “I love Iceland.” We could go on a trai

I ran a marathon. Not something I ever would have imagined saying, but here we are! So here's my experience.  It all started with a friend of ours from the MBA. One Monday, Alastair noticed that he looked extra tired. He looked dead during class and he was taking naps during breaks. Alastair asked why he was so tired and he said that he ran a marathon. Now, prior to running a marathon, our friend had never really run before. But he trained enough to finish a marathon. Alastair was intrigued. He thought, "if my friend could run a marathon, I bet I could." Alastair signed up for his first marathon in Geneva, trained for one month, finished the marathon with a good time, and he was hooked. And he is so good at it. I swear, Alastair is a whole other level of awesome; he is always so good at everything he does!  He had a go at a triathlon in the summer (not his best) and then ran a half marathon in Bilbao. Now, this is where I come in. We drove to Bilbao, which w

Another one of my dream destinations was Turkey, specifically Cappadocia. The hot air balloons and funky rock formations, what more could you want?! We flew to Istanbul, another cool place! We spent a few days there, walking around, eating food, and admiring the Turkish rugs (at least I was). One of my favorite parts about going to Turkey was coming across people who were friendly to Emre. His name is Turkish, which means "older brother, loving friend." He sure made a lot of friends! When Emre would share his name, they would always be surprised and say, "why does he have a Turkish name?!" My favorite moment was when we were walking around the Grand Bazar and he caught the attention of a store owner. Emre started talking about his birthday coming up, so the man gave him a bracelet with the all seeing eye, to give him protection throughout his life. It was so sweet! Another favorite moment was when we were in a tram and Emre was chatting this young lady's ea