Saturday, Sunday and now Monday 9/29/2025

 Natasha's 68 birthday came and gone.

Kevin's accident  date came and wennt

I had yoga class, then  went cycling, and sleep score 33  DANG that is bad

Sunday KR had church  duty  as usher #1 so Kurt and I stayed and zoomed.  I coughed for hours on  end, would not stop.  Nose sprays and Allegra nope, four hours of coughing.  I have been trying to stretch first thing in the morning to limber up a little.  Seems to help a bit.  I went  cycling, and sleep score 34  GAD BAD DANG

I also went to Prayer and Worship, and it was great ad powerful.  HOWEVER, I must have ran a red light and got stopped by the cops on Plaza Del Amo.  First thing they said was to roll down ALL FOUR WINDOWS, as they ran KR's plate and sees that there is a CCW connected to the car and didnn't want me to pull a fast one.

I was such  wreck that I started crying like mad and they ended up giving me a warning and I went on home and told KR  what  happened.  He was already in bed dowstairs wiith Angel.  She is  doing better, running up the stairs if we don't have the 'gate' put up.

It was a bit cloudy today, Monday.  Kurt spent the night at Corrinna's and I ran, YUP went running about 7 am annd almost 14 minute mile for 2.3 miles.  HOW ABOUT THAT.  I also found a bunch of drinks, beer annd soft drinks.  KR had two of the IPA's.  He was gonna go surfing with Flip but there was no surf.  Sleep score 45  BAD BAD  I went riding to get the frig filter.  KR picked up half bottle of hair connditioner I would like to try.

I cooked VERY good shrimp and scallops for his lunch.  He weedwhacked annd cleaned up the yard.  Kurt worked all day.  Tomorrow should be a better day

Friday and the BRIDGE DOES NOT fit

 So I was scheduled to pick up the bridge from Jason at Louie's.  KR took the pup for a walk and picked up for me.  He had tried to go surfig with his NEW surf board that he picked up last night but no go so he came back.

Angel and he had a good night last ight downn stairs.

I had a bad sleep score.

I went to the bank, Wells, but forgot to bring the Chase James' credit card statement so  I could not go to Chase.  Then I went to El Super and picked up 76 dollars worth of meat.  The bridge would NOT seat annd I just don't know why.

I finnally took a another impression and went to Jasonn's to ask what the problem was.  Maribel also brought David to see if they can take the braces off next month.  Well, the right bicuspids don't touch annd the frotn space is not quiet eve.

I came home and KR went to nap and I went for a ride and I was so so  hungry that I  came home and ate a WHOLE tendonn  and soup annd felt so so bloated.  Well I also ate some chocolate ad some chips.  I just laid around and moaned all afternoon.

Kurt came home and went to Corrina's

KR went to Friday  night light annd I went to bed

Thursday 9/25/2025

 WELL,  I had a g reat  sleep  score.  Combo of  MAD and tape and 75, really?

KR slept downstairs with Angel.  I went to Cardio class while   he  took  Angel to the beach.   Thenn he ate and  went  to  Valor meeting, which started  at 11 30 and it is now 3 30 and he is nnot back  I did a lot of paperwork downstairs, so that Anngel won't be lonely.  She is still convalescing with the surgery.  She did eat though and I gave  her  the pills with cream cheese.

Maybe because of the sleep score, I did NOT feel like a zombie during the  day,  and did not want a  nap.  I  went to the 4 pm yoga class.  My  knees are a  little  wonky.   The vertigo is ot too bad, not like last Friday.

The week of Angel's surgery

 So  we got  back  Monday  and Tuesday the  jetlag  is  not bad  but Wednesday,  oh  man,   complete fog and had  to nap in  the  afternoon.   This  computer  keys  are  driving me crazy.     Guess  I  either  get a  new one or  just  clean it up and get  a new battery.    

KR went to FM and  we had a little pickle ball in the morning. I did only 25 min and it was enough.  KR had bible study in   the mornnig and we had bible study here at  night.   KR was so so  tired that he fell  asleep a little and I threw  a  battery at his   arm  and  he  didn't eve  feel it and  George thought we better cut i t short as the  jetlag is bad.

So w e  did

Wednesday another  day  of jet  lag, but  we hung in there.  KR went to  play pickleball,  with  Johann's  group.  He also took Angel to  ACCESS vet  and had the  connsultatio  with  Dr Laurent Guiot DVMwho  had  a cancellation  for surgery TOMORROW !!!!   YIKES  I  didn't feel well enough to go to Job  with Dan Parkins.  DARN

Thursday I  went to work annd  KR dropped  Angel off  at the  vet.  I g ot  home and  we went to pick  her up.  She was so so groggy  and would  nnot put weigh  on her right foot.  All  kinds of meds and innsntructions and we are  home, trying  to  make sure  she  does  not  go up and  down stairs.

We brought  the full size bed to the  living room and slept with  her there all nnight.

Friday I felt TERRIBLE.  Tuesday through Thursday felt like the VERTIGO WAS GONE, but maybe the stress made me so so dizzy adn  not good.  Kathleen  came over with s ome  dog  food  and  I  did NOT get off the bed.  Angel  is still groggy.   KR went  to  Friday nnight  Light.  

Saturday  was laying around all day  and KR  went to FM.  Marie is on vacation.  We got  some food. 

Sunday KR  was usher so Kurt and I did  Zoom at home with Angel.  We also put the bed downstairs.  I CANNOT get up off the floor to pee in the middle  of  the nnight.  So  I slept  upstairs and KR slept in the living room.

We also decided to put the  mattress back in the  downstairs room and KR and Angel sleep there at night.   It was too hard to keep clean.

Anngel is also not likign her   pills.  First the meat balls then the sliced turkey, we settled on  BUTTER, goes down  smoother.

Monday KR went to play pickleball and I went to  yoga ad   cycled a bit with poor  sleep score of 35  SHEESH

Tuesday  KR wentto  FM and got  a LOT of  cornn and cantaloupe   Plus wepicked up fish  from Jeff.  Rita McKenna  was there.  I did yoga and the cycled a bit.  

Wednesday today, I did yoga when I woke  up in  bed ad then  Cardio Dance at  8 30 and then some weighs ad KR took Angel down to the  beach.  Sleep o good at 37.  I kept waking up to pee.  I had pilates  at 11 also.  KR did't play  pickleball.  We tried to orgaized the photos for the   slide show, annd went through a lot of pics.  KR also had traiinng for TRAK i  PV, nnot at Kinngs Harbor, with dinner.    

Our Triip to Iraq, Turkey and Greece

 It is over a  week  sinnce we returned  from our trip, and I am  just starting  to  recount the amazinng  two weeks with  John and  Yvonne.

The  flight to Istabul  was   9/1/2025  LAX and Kurt took  us  there.  We sampled the  lounge food.  KR had  pho.   The plane took off about 7, Turkish Airline.  Should have taken anothere.  We realized KLM busiess has a 1-2-1 connfiguration while Turkish  has a 2-3-2 nnno wonder the  space was so much smaller.  Dinner was GOOD !!!  And  of course I  kept the salt and pepper shakers.

We went to the Turkish Lounge ad it  is NOT the s ame one as the  one  I was in  2018.  They had built a new airport and now there is no race car drivingn and no  golf, but the masseuse was still  there  and I got a massage and so   did KR  Six  hour  layover ad we flew to  Athens.   

Then  it  was a  cheesy  Athens Lounge, that   opens at 4 30 am.  We flew Austrian Air  from Athens to Vienna, then  the  Austrian  lounge then another  flight  to Erbil.  John picked us up after we took the bus down to where the  people get picked up.  It was at least 105 HOT HOT HOT

We drove to Duhok and had dinner at the mall  We were very tired.  It was abougt 2 hour drive.  I thenn rode with  Laurenn who was comingn to the village to visit friends with her son,  Ziles, who cried half of the time in the 2  hour  ride.   We  went on to Johnn's house  and they  gave  us  their bedroom.  We went to sleep.  End of 9-3-2025

KR's 68 BIRTHDAY  !!!   Last year we   were  in  Kenya and this year in  Iraq.   I  had  brought  a  bunch o f  birthday  decorations and Yvonne put  them up.  We had graduation to  go to tomorrow so KR picked grapes   We wnet  to the Learning  Center  and  hten  tot he camp where I  did the volunteering   years ago.  We then went to the Tigris River where the three countries meet Syria, Turkey and Iraq and saw the  catacomb of the  Fiirst  Church.  That night  we  wennt to  Zakho  to s ee the  new park  and bridge.   It was beautiful with  boat  rides inn the river and lights and people all around.  We brought  food home and had birthday celebration, with Lauren too.  She had come over with Zilas

The next morning, a friend of Johns came over for prayer adn then we packed up and went to Happy Park for graduationn in the afternoon.  It was an amazing event hosted by Yvonne.  She has so much energy and the  girls are so amazinng.  There was a kissing scene in which I didnn't kow many  girls don't kiss their mothers in Iraq but i made a  lot of them do it.  Praying also that I was not Covid Mary  hahahaha   We had so much  food, pizza and cake and all kinds of stuff the mothers made.

Next day, Saturday was church and it  was very interesting.   We went out  to  eat after   The  rest of the day of sending off another class at the Learning Center.  We just could nnont pack the house and go to Happy Park again for another graduationn.  We all  went to bed late.  Tomorrow is the TRIP

Sunday we rushed around and got the house closed and started driving with Odometer  reading of 1108368 KM

The Iraq/Turkey border was  so so tedious.  There were evenn  a  mechanic hole innn  the ground to inspect the under carriage of the car.  PLUS  at least six checks of registratioins and passport.   The car  was packed to the  gill as J &   Y have to go to France for a wedding  after they d rive back to Switzerland.  The  first stop of  Torihi  Kiwex, shitorical Kiwex Garden  where the Yazidis had an abandoned village.  Some Germans are tryingn t o  restore it.  We had a nice picniic there.  Y  and  I  sat in the back  the whole trip.  I slowly  jogged  to the top of the hill where  the peacock temple was.  

Next stop was  Mardin.  We stopped at a monastery annd thento our hotel IMS Carsi otel  What a dump.  We dropped our stuff and went out  to eat and happens to notice                                                                         THE TOTAL ECLIPSE OF THE MOON

Next morning we drove to  Halepli Bahce Park, whre there are bunch of   Christian ruinns and had a great lunch at the diner inn the park, for only  less than TWO DOLLARS   Then  we  drove to the  beach  but we  didn't like  the  look of  the restaurant so  we drove on to Adana and had a great dinner, then crashed at the Ibis  Adana hotel

Brekkie next morning was great.  

We  drove  out o f  Adana and the  highway  had a HUGE traffic jam.  We took  the side street  after KR started on the main highway,  he actually reversed and drove  the  wrong  way on  the highway t o get  out.  We went through the mainn townn and it was nice to see rural life of Turkey.  We arrived at the Derinkuyu  Underground City a nd t ook a  tour.  Then  it was otel Ihlara Cappadocia.  Our room had the onnly jacuzzi,  even though it  leaked a little, we used it.   We had dinner at a  charming little restaurant in town.  Ailem Lokanta  &   Pida & Kahvalti,  whatever that means.  Nnext morning we  had a  charming breakfast  before gettig on the road.

We stopped by another underground city  but  did not  go inn.   Too early.   

We  arrived at Ihlara Valley Cave Churches annd it  was  a  long walk but we only did  a few churches.  We drove through the Cone dwellings off the side of the mountain.  It was bed at Pamukkale nices econdn  floor  room.  WE ATE  AT  OPET DIENR ON T HE  W AY.    I didn't order.  Too much  food. with three orders.

Next morning 9/11/2025 we had a  great breakfast andn met  our guide,   and drove to Laodicia, as the  locals say it.   There were  many  amazing r uins and it was HOT HOT and HOT>  

We then drove to Ayvalik where we could NOT get insurance for the EU with  Iraq plate as John  did  not buy insurance in  Iraq as he  could not  find it.  We stayed at the Antikhan Guest House where J &   Y's  shower was about two inches above their heads.  We had a great dinner at Tik Mustafa'nin Yeri with many good reviews.   Food  was great.   

Next  mornning breakfast was great,  even  though everyone smoke in Greece annd Turkey.  We started driving to  Greece as we could  not take the ferry.

We were afraid that we would nnot be admitted without insurance, but alas GOD IS GREAT, we crossed and drove estra 12 hours to Athens.  On the way, we stayed in Kavala at the Blue Apartment adn had a great dinner by the sea.  Apiko on the main water fronnt drag.

We drove to Tessalonikii, Greece and stopped  at Church of St Dimitrios,  Patron of Thessaloniki  We  then went to t he  water a little swim at I think Leptokarya, all three of   us except Yvonne.  It was Asproneri Beach  at Kamena.  Onward to Athens.

We got to  the AirBnB and settled into apartment 3.  Very nice two bedroom and KR and  I went  to get din er.  We decided on Chiese.  We  wennt to bed.

9/14 was all   Hop  on adn Hop off  Bus.  It was great not having t o drive and park.  We  had dinnenr at a great restaurant called A Taste of Home.  We fell asleep adn took an Uber to the airport at 1 am.  Y & J slept onn.  The flight to Istanbul  was uneventful.  I appropriated about 2-3 pounds of baklava from the lounge to bring home.  They  were 25 euros at the airport per small  box and  I  was NOT  gonna buy any.  Alan brought us home and we cleaned up and KR took him to the airport for his flight home that inght.