They Told Me Thanksgiving Would Be Hard...

... and it was. But February was much harder. I anticipate that (because I haven't solved my Skype issue-- internet connectivity too slow at my apartment, now) March may be, too.

There are a lot of things for which to be grateful in Bolu right now.

• My students
• The occasional sunshine
• The textbook I'm using
• The moon rise over the mountains

There are more. But it's late, and all that I really want to think about are:

• Ruby, Nora, and the rest of my family and friends
• My soccer team in Walla Walla
• Homemade preserves from Gleaner harvests
• My big book shelf
• What Erich's going to do with the rest of that facial hair
• My cats
• A lot of important birthdays that I'm going to miss
• A slice of Brooklyn Bridge pizza from Pagliacci
• A Dick's Drive-In cheeseburger and fries
• Taste of India
• Fish tacos from The Green
• My public library
• Looking at Lake Union from Gasworks Park

I miss you guys so much. I got two more letters in the mail today: one from Lynnwood, and one from Anchorage. Thank you so much for those. You are in my heart.