Yesterday we celebrated our 16^th wedding anniversary. We actually met 21 years ago. That is more than 2 decades! Wow the time has flown. On Thursday when Cody got home from work we went for a walk and ended up at a beautiful nursery where he wanted to take me to pick out a bunch of flowers to plant as a gift. We didn’t do this because we have no residency permits yet and didn’t want to spend the money if we don’t get more permanent visas. It was a nice visionary visit though. The place is laid out beautifully with different sections and in one section they had a cage with about 40 finches inside. Noah thought those were pretty cool and sat staring at them for awhile. There was a duck that came quacking up to him in the stroller looking for food and he thought that was pretty cool as well. We left the nursery and walked some more and ended up at a bakery where I discovered is the only place to find powdered sugar, so I bought some. We returned home around 7:30 and shortly after, a delivery man came with some flowers from Rahim and Nosrat for our anniversary. Right before they came up I told Cody that they wouldn’t rival his bouquet he got me that morning. His was full of an assortment that I love and he picked each one out specially for me, and pointed out that there were 16 flowers in the bouquet (that were open). It was gorgeous. So, as pretty as the ones they got were, the ones he got me were better. Afterwards, we watched a movie. As they were setting up the computer for our viewing, I came in the room after putting Noah down in the other room and I smelled smoke. I noted that it was only from that corner of the room and when I made the rounds to confirm that I saw smoke coming up past the living room window. We all saw it and I told Taylor to go get Noah and I opened the window to see where it was coming from. It was down below on the ground, so we all calmed down a bit and settled in to watch. It was a bit frightening since we are eight floors up and everything we own that isn’t in storage is here with us. I think I freaked out more afterwards at what could’ve been. Do you ever do that?

So, back to yesterday. We spent a lazy, relaxing day at home and then headed up to the mountain for dinner at a nice restaurant named Koohpayeh, which means foot of the mountain. It was raining really hard but we were warm under a heater and an awning, sitting beside the canal that was full of rushing water –melted snow. We waited until the rain lessened and walked down the mountain and into the city where we caught a taxi home. It was a great day, and we spent it as a family.

Today, it was sunny and only slightly cloudy so Taylor and I headed out in search of a birthday gift for Samira’s sister. She got invited to attend her birthday party tonight so we need to get a gift. We headed down the hill, crossed the main roads 3 times with the stroller and scary traffic. Once, I had just pushed Noah across and was about to get him up on the sidewalk when the car we were behind started rolling backwards 2 feet and almost hit the stroller before they drove forward. The majority of the vehicles here are manual and with all the hills it makes for interesting traffic. Anyways, that was avoided and I gave thanks to God for watching out for us. We found a little grocery store and went in to get some stuff and discovered lots of little treasures like Italian dressing and Barbeque sauce! They had Ranch dressing too, but it was $6 for the bottle, and since I don’t eat it and Cody likes the local alternatives I didn’t get it. They also had syrup, which Debra discovered at a store by her, so it is nice to know where else to get it. The best find was mint chocolate chip icecream, my favorite, and it is a local brand and only cost $1.25 for the container. Yummy. While we were in the store, Cody called to say that it was hailing at his office and moving quickly our direction and that we should either hurry home or stay put until it passed. Taylor came in at the same time and said it looked liked doomsday outside. By the time I was checking out 3 minutes later, it was raining heavily and hailing where we were at as well, which is many miles away. It was over just as quickly and moved on south and east of where we were. I found out later that Debra and Tad were stuck in it but a nice stranger offered them a ride home. It was sunny again and so we started our trek back up the steep hill to our home. I didn’t realize how steep it was until I was pushing Noah in the stroller with 3 bags of groceries attached, uphill, in the street while trying to avoid the muddy river that was running down the middle and other side of the street. It was amazing how much water there was with just 3 minutes of rain! At least this city is equipped for rain runoff. We made it back in one piece and were so sweaty and hot because the sun had come out again. The bad news was that we didn’t find a good gift so Taylor had to walk out to the little bazaar to find something an hour later. All in all, it has been a good three days and I wanted to share them with you.

Today I gave Noah a bath in the sink, because he was beginning to stink, and his daddy wasn’t around to give him a shower. He sure enjoys himself when he is getting bathed. It is very cute and most enjoyable for us both.

Taylor has already begun her torture of her little brother by dressing him as a girl. Well, she put her scarf on him and he looks like a Russian babushka. He will rue this day later on in his life, but for now he is oblivious and his sister is having a good laugh. It made me think of my poor brother who had to suffer with not one sister, but three, to torture and torment him. Poor Tommy, but he survived and so will Noah.

Last night we started our first Farsi class and it went really well. On Saturday night we went to the beginner’s class and he tested each of us to see which level we were at and which class to put us in. Taylor stayed for that class and he sent Cody and I to the more advanced class which meets on Sundays and Wednesdays from 5:00-6:30. Taylor’s class meets on Saturdays and Wednesdays from 6:30-8:00. It works out well for Taylor to watch Noah while we are in class and since we can walk to the class in 5-8 minutes she is close if need be. We were just going to bring Noah to the class with us, but now don’t have to. The class is good and the teacher is great and only speaks to us in Farsi. It is very hard but good for us to be immersed that way. It is held in a building in the middle of a beautiful park that we went to two weeks ago, and the walk is up a steep hill and then down a sleep hill. On the way back it is up a steep hill and then down a steep hill. Or as our grandfathers used to say, “Up hill both ways”.

We are doing well after the theft we encountered on April 12^th. God is going to provide and we trust Him completely to do so. We still haven’t received our residency permits but we might hear something about it tomorrow. If we don’t get them by the 30^th we will have to leave Iran and we may not come back. We will keep you posted.

Home. Where is that exactly? Is it where you grew up? Is it where your parents live? I was listening to Fernando Ortega today and his song ‘Traveler’ made me think. The chorus is, “Heavenly Father, remember the travelers, bring us safely home”. In essence I have prayed that prayer many times. We have been traveling and we haven’t had a home for a few years and sometimes it has seemed like God has forgotten us. Today, as I stood looking out the window on the city of Tehran, I prayed for the people of this country, that God would bless them, and I thanked Him for bringing us here.

Home. In America we have a saying, “home is where the heart is”, but unless you have been homeless that is just a nice saying that gives you warm fuzzies as you read it. Now, after struggling with being homeless and all that goes with it, I realize that this sentiment is true. Home is where the heart is and my heart is here in Iran, and has been for years. Moreover, my heart is in heaven with Christ and my true home is there with Him, so any earthly home is temporary anyways. In Fernando’s song he says, “I long for my friends and family to remind me where I have been, where I am going and where I come from.” What a wonderful concept to dwell on. How often do you remember where you’ve been, where you’re going and where you come from? I know where I’ve been. I have been in the deepest depths of despair, in the dark, lonely, selfish, prideful, angry, impatient and many more woeful things. I know that I am going to a better place, one that God has made for me and will bring me to when it is the end of my days. One where all the things I have been will be no more. I know where I come from – a life of sin and regret, a childhood full of hurt, a country full of shame that used to embrace God and is now turning away from Him and His statutes. I know also who I am today. I am free. I am covered in grace given through the spilled blood of Christ and humbly accepted when I recognized my need for it. I know I have great friends and family that will remind me of these things. Reliant K has another song I heard lately and the chorus of one song really stuck in my head, “Who I am hates who I’ve been”. This is a trustworthy saying (had to put this in, been reading Paul’s epistles lately). May that always be the case. I am striving to live in such a way that I will be an old woman with no regrets. Is that even possible? I know that love covers over a multitude of sins, and I am thankful for Christ’s love and that he has surrounded me with people that love me and are gracious towards my shortcomings. What things do you know for sure?

Home. Now, when I think of home, I only have to look around me, into my heart, and towards heaven, and I am home. That doesn’t mean I won’t miss places or people where I have lived before, it just means I know where I am going, and that I have hope because of it.

We celebrated Easter with the Reimers and our new friend Samira, who works for Rahim in the same office as Cody and Jeff. She is so sweet and was very charming. She speaks English superbly and is willing to help us with our Farsi. Last night she offered to take us shopping for scarves and manteaus and so she picked us up around 7:30 and we headed through the busy streets to the south of Tehran for some stores where there are good sales. She said her friend told her to take us to a mall in Tajrish, but I told her it was too expensive and asked if there was somewhere cheaper. She laughed and said her friend told her not to take us to Fatemi Square because it was too cheap for Americans and that we would like somewhere more expensive. I told her that Americans like a good bargain and that we aren’t all like what is portrayed on television - all glitz and glamour. So, that is exactly where we headed to and we were successful in our endeavors. I came away with two manteaus and two scarves, Taylor had two scarves leaving the manteaus for another place that caters to teenagers, and Debra got one manteau and I think one scarf. So, we were all pretty grateful for her help in finding us cheap prices for good quality, for translating, for inspecting the stitching and telling us what was too much or what wasn’t good quality, etc. She is very kind and I really enjoyed my time with her. She is courteous as well and always enquired as to how we were doing each step of the way. I am thankful that God brought her into my life and that she is eager to help us settle in to her country. When I mentioned that I used to do the same thing for international students when they came to America, she said, “This is God bringing me to you because of what you did”, and yes, that is what I believe to be true. God is blessing me for being a blessing in the past, and He will continue to bless me so that I will be a blessing in the future.

Since I don’t have any pictures of our Easter dinner or our time yesterday, I will throw in some of Noah in the shower (did I mention how much he loves his showers?) for the grandparents and anyone else who wants to see pictures of him. Can’t resist… Oh, and I must mention that I bought a leg of lamb at the butcher shop and communicated all in Farsi. That was an adventure. So was cooking it. We live and learn and each day is a new opportunity to gain new knowledge.

Oh, one funny thing that happened yesterday while we were out walking our neighborhood as a family I just have to mention: a young guy was walking by us and said, “Hello. I am fine, thank you”, just like that. It was pretty funny and seemed to be the only English he knew.

I am sitting at a desk in our 7^th floor apartment that overlooks the snow-capped Elburz Mountains. This picture shows the snow already melted off from when we first moved in. We are on the 8^th floor really because they don’t count the ground floor. Noah is napping and Taylor is doing school in her room. We are getting settled and learning our way around here. We have been making trips up the hill to the little bazaar that has two little stores and a fruit and vegetable stand in it. By little, I mean little. The stores are about 12ft x 12ft, and stuffed to the ceiling with all sorts of products. There are things piled on the floors and spilling out into the hallway beyond. Interesting and eye-catching. If you don’t take in everything you just might miss something you needed. The Reimers found a big supermarket and told us about it so we were able to go to that 2 nights ago after we had dinner with them in their new place. So, now we have food in our fridge, and some in the pantry, but I still need some basics and need to plan some menus with the food we have. Lunches are the hardest to plan for since there isn’t much in that department. I think people just have leftovers or go to fast food for lunch. We will probably have leftovers too, once I start cooking. We have pasta in there now, but no microwave to heat it up with. I will have to do it the old-fashioned way – on the stove or in the oven. Sheesh….what is this world coming to. J My Scottish friend, Eilidh, is probably laughing at me right now because she has never had a microwave and is used to this. One great thing about the shopping is that there aren’t a whole lot of processed food options. No easy fixes for dinner, which is both good and bad. Good because it is healthy and we will be better for it, bad because I will be in the kitchen a lot longer. I am going to get a food processor though, and that should cut down on some of the chopping time, and I will have it for when I make baby food later. I am looking forward to my garlic press to come with our stuff. In fact, life would be nicer with our stuff, especially in the kitchen. Some day soon that will happen. In the meantime, we make do.

Yesterday we went for a walk up the hill about 20 minutes and found a wonderful little Italian restaurant to eat at for lunch. The whole meal cost us $11 and was the best pizza we’ve had here in Iran, and the ambiance was great. Afterwards we walked another 20 minutes or so and arrived at a park and walked around there for awhile. I took some time out to feed Noah, which was my first experience in a public place in the daylight. It went well and no one seemed to think it odd. So far, I have done so in taxis at night while going from here to there and back. Kind of crazy, but it worked out well, even with the way people drive here. The park was beautiful and the weather was wonderful yesterday, blue sky, with the sun shining down. It was much warmer than the day before, but still had a slight chill in the air. It sure was a shock to arrive here and the weather is still cold and rainy, having just snowed the day before. In fact, it snowed again two days ago, but just up on the mountains, with only rain coming down on us. It left a fresh layer of white on the mountain peaks, which is just breath-taking to behold. After the park we walked back through the neighborhood and went to some little stores for some more things we didn’t get at the big store the night before. It is hard to shop here with a clear head. It is overwhelming at times and especially with the crowds it was harder to shop. All the prices and descriptions are in Farsi, so sometimes unless there is a picture, I am lost and have to ask the nearest shopper for help. That works sometimes if they speak English or if I know what to ask in Farsi. For example, the meat department has some packages of ground beef mixed with ground lamb. I have no idea how they mix it, but it is there. It looks like ground beef, which is what I was wanting, but the Reimers had warned us of just such a package. So I asked this woman that was getting some and she told me in Farsi that it was both. I then asked her if there was some that was just beef (“only cow, where?”) and she smiled and helped me find some. There were two packages and so I grabbed them both. Now I need to write down on my grocery list what it is in Farsi so I will remember for next time. At least the chicken was pretty self explanatory! One thing we are missing is cheddar cheese. I asked for some at the little store and they brought out a container with 8 tiny wedges of processed cheddar and told me that was all they had. I did find some gouda and we may just have to get used to that on our Mexican food and in everything else we eat with cheddar. We eat a lot of cheddar so this should be interesting…

Well, I need to go get Noah. I hear him waking up. He and his sister are napping on her bed. I will blog again soon and keep you informed of what is going on. Tomorrow is Easter and that will be interesting to celebrate here in Iran. Reza may be coming to Tehran on Tuesday so we might get to see him again. He hasn’t seen Noah yet, since he moved to Kuwait before Noah was born. He is looking forward to meeting him and we can’t wait to introduce him to his godson. All for now, I am being beckoned. Grace and peace to you all.

I am sitting in the hotel room, having been here in Tehran for 2 days now. I am listening to Cody read Jules Verne to Taylor, who is sick in bed having vomited 11 times in the last 6 hours! Poor thing. Noah is sleeping soundly next to me on the bed, having eaten and spent time laughing at his daddy. We arrived at 1:30 a.m. in Iran yesterday and it was SO cold here, having just snowed the day before. It was 5 degrees Celsius (so about 36 degrees Fahrenheit) and we had to wrap Noah tightly in blankets to walk to the car. Rahim and Nosrat met us at the airport with a bouquet of flowers and with hugs, having arranged for our transportation and hotel ahead of time. It was so nice to see them and by the time we arrived at our hotel it was 4:00 a.m. and all of us were exhausted! We slept for awhile and then called a realtor that we had communicated with over the internet, and she came and met us at 2:00 to show us some apartments. Her name is Melika, but it could have been Maria Andretti with the way she drives! Wow, I’ve never met a woman driver quite like her. She is a good driver, but very fast. One time we were going backwards on a one way street with someone going the correct way about 6 feet from our front bumper and approximately 25 miles per hour! It was like something from a movie. Anyways, we looked at several places and then went back to the hotel for another nap. I woke up around 7:00 p.m. to find that Cody and Taylor had left and gone out in the rain to find an internet card but came back with sweets from a bakery and a DVD instead. We headed out the other way up the street with Noah tied up in a shawl around my neck and back and under a raincoat and umbrella. Everything was closed because of the holiday, National Day, so we just ate at a little restaurant and came back to watch the movie and go to sleep.

Yesterday we went by taxi to Rahim’s house and stayed there the whole day, returning to the hotel at 10:00 p.m. We had a really nice time with them celebrating Seezdah Bedar and we even ventured out into the rain to the local park where there were lots of people trying to celebrate in spite of the wet weather. We ate some traditional food served during Noruz, including bean pods. You squeeze out the bean from the pod, dip it in salt and sumac, then squeeze the inside bean in your mouth and leave the skin behind. Lots of work, but they weren’t bad. The men spent time looking in the paper for apartments and trying to call a few of the ones listed. Nosrat spent most of the time in the kitchen preparing the meal, so I hung out with Noah, Debra and Tad. Anahita held Noah for awhile and then went to nap due to a headache she had. Taylor and Farzin played computer games for a few hours and had a good time. It is absolutely breathtaking here with lots of snow on the mountains and a chill in the air. The trees have new little leaves and buds on them and flowers are everywhere! Pansies, Primrose, Gerbera Daisies, Stock, Tulips, etc, which are some of my favorites, are planted all over. The flower shops have beautiful daffodils and calla lilies and lots of gorgeous looking flowers, unlike the wilted ones in Bahrain. It is amazing and refreshing to see. Anyways, we played games with the family and ate a huge lunch and had leftovers for dinner, along with lots of trays of sweets and nuts to snack on between meals. It was a nice and relaxing day and we are so thankful to be here in Iran with our good friends and good weather.

Today Cody got up and went to the office to begin the long journey of getting our business visas and finding us a temporary place to live, outside of this hotel. He did find one and we are moving in tomorrow morning. Taylor, Noah and I slept in and then got up and went out with Debra and Tad, walking around the neighborhood trying to find a baby store. We weren’t successful, but we asked directions using our Farsi, and got braver about crossing the street and getting around. We returned to the hotel and had lunch, planning to head out to a big park up north where there are two baby stores but Taylor started feeling poorly so we came back to the room and she began her vomiting then. We ordered in because she didn’t want us to leave her and after Cody ate, he headed up the street to some baby stores that he had heard of. Now, as I am finishing this blog, she has vomited 12 times, but is finally feeling better and it has been longer than 20 minutes between. She even slept some and is propped up reading a book. Praise God for a speedy recovery. Well, I need to get some sleep and feed Noah, not in that order. Hopefully I can find internet to send this blog soon. I will blog again regardless of when they get sent. Good night for now!