Put on your dancing shoes, snowballs are here, and Christmas is coming!

Last week, the Diplo-hubby had his first going away lunch with most of his co-workers.  They presented him with a plaque and a wonderful Turkish carpet with his name created in the center.  It was a truly wonderful gift and a great way to say goodbye to friends he has made while he has been here.  I know he is happy that he will be able to return to Turkey during breaks from Afghanistan and visit with friends.

And, as his tour here winds down, Diplo-hubby and I had another grand adventure with friends out to a local restaurant and show last week.  We are usually not late-night owls, so we planned on being proud of ourselves if we managed to make it past 10-we made it ‘till 12:30ish...go us!   The location was chosen by one of our wonderful local staff members-and she picked a great spot. The restaurant specialized in Lebanese food and the interior was eclectically decorated with everything from large pink Christmas trees to beautiful pieces of Turkish glass/ceramic ware.

Dinner Date!

The food was amazing and much more than we could put in our tummies.  For appetizers, there were stuffed peppers, hummus, spicy pepper dips, rolled/stuffed grape leaves, cheeses, and plenty of "poufy" yummy bread.  For the main course, there were several different kinds of kebab, peppers, and tasty spiced roasted potatoes.  As if we were not all full after all the amazing food, they brought out dessert bowls overflowing with fruit and platters with several types of dessert. 

In between huge munching sessions, there were several different performance by belly dancers-including male belly dancers! Never thought I’d see that!  The restaurant would also play music between performances and food being delivered, so the place quickly turned into a dance party around all the tables.  One of my awesome Turkish co-workers (who is also an amazing dancing gal!) jumped up right away and pulled Diplo-hubby and I up to dance.  She was awesome and with much laughter, giggling, and I’m sure messing it up royally, I had my first Turkish dance lesson.  She was awesome and great fun to learn from. 

It was a wonderful evening with friends with plenty of laughter, dancing, and more food than I could comprehend.  I know the hubby will miss everyone and all our hilarious adventuring when he leaves in two weeks-it was the perfect night-out send off.

Our current week has gone by in the blink of an eye, but I’m happy to report that we woke up to snow this morning.  I love the first snow of the season and I can’t wait to see the snow whirl around the Bosphorus.  I’m looking forward to settling in for the holiday long weekend and can’t wait to get started with some holiday baking.