I am lucky...

Today I had a life changing experience. I will remember this day forever. I was able to go with the Humanitarian Missionaries to deliver about 50 of 250 wheelchairs that LDS Charities sent to Turkey. The people that received the wheelchairs all have some sort of handicap that you will see in the pictures below. These pictures don't even do these amazing people justice. They are so happy, outgoing, energetic and such sweet people. They act as though they have nothing to complain about. They get around in different ways and have just learned to adapt to their handicaps and make the best of them. Not only are the people with the handicap amazing but also their families which help to take care of them and practice constant patience.

These are the wheelchairs being unloaded off the truck.

These are some of the people that are members of the wheelchair Basketball team. They were here to support the charity and were so excited for the people receiving the wheelchairs. If you notice the man down on his knees his feet have been amputated. He makes the best of this by walking around on knee pads that he hand built for himself. He plays on the wheelchair Basketball team and is married to one of the woman that got a wheelchair today!

This sweet man scoots himself around on his hands and bum. He doesn't ask anyone for help and gets around as if there is nothing wrong with him. He even lifted himself up onto this bench.

Some of the family and friends of the people receiving wheelchairs today.

She is the head of one of the charities that arranges activities for people with handicaps. She is an amazing lady and you would never even guess there is anything wrong with her by the way she manages to get around and take care of everyone else.

She would call me "sister" today because we both have blonde hair! She is so sweet and is my same age!

She is still in a wheelchair from when she was a young child. It is way too small for her and it hurts her back to sit in such a small chair so she was ecstatic to be receiving a new wheelchair that will actually fit her!

HE GOT HIS WHEELCHAIR!! He was so cute and grateful. He was raising his hands up in the air and clapping when they lifted him up into the chair.

One of the guys from the wheelchair Basketball team putting together a new wheelchair for someone to receive.

This dad has carried around his son for 18 years everywhere they go because he hasn't had a wheelchair. The whole family was so excited and grateful to get this wheelchair so that it will be easier to take him out places!

The girl in the wheelchair is married to the guy on the left that wears the kneepads to get around. They are the cutest and happiest couple. They take such great care of each other.

I am so happy that I was able to go with the Humanitarian Missionaries today. I have realized through experiences like this that Ryan and I haven't been sent to Turkey just for Basketball. I am learning everyday that I have so much to be thankful for! I feel like the people that we are able to help end up changing and inspiring me more then we change/help them!

Who is 25!? RYAN

Ryan had a Birthday! Yesterday was the big guys Birthday and it was a great day! Well, the party started the night before when the team had a great win and Ryan had 24 points with a sweet dunk! After the game we went to Paprika an italian restaurant for dinner and then hung out with team mates til the "wee" hours of the night. We haven't done that in a long time! Then the actual "Day of Birth" began...

with German Pancakes for breakfast. It's always Ryan's breakfast request!

My sister Kim made us this adorable banner. WE LOVE IT!! Thanks Kim!

I know I look scary but this is the

only picture of us on his Birthday. For dinner Ryan wanted Chicken and Salsa Verde Enchiladas. I had brought some salsa verde from home so he was lucky! Then after dinner we had a party with Ryan's American team mates and a couple

of his Turkish team mates. We had tons of desserts and played games. It was definitely a success!

All of the desserts were requested by Ryan. Vanilla cupcakes with Raspberry frosting,

Powdered Sugar Donut Holes, Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Bars, Lemon Bars and Fruit Pizza (thanks to Emily for the fruit pizza!)

Happy Birthday Ryan! I hope it was a good one!

Entertaining game

The last home game was against a team called Fenerbahce. They are tied for #1 in the league right now. Karsiyaka played them at home last week and it was VERY entertaining. The first time they played them at Fenerbahce they actually won! Yes, we ended up losing this time but not without a fight. I literally mean a fight. I of course only got the after drama recorded but I can give you a good little description. We were running back for offense when one of the Fenerbahce players wrapped his arms through Andre's and help him behind his back. Andre of course flung him off and the fight began. Swings and all! It was a full out brawl. This is when it gets crazy! The fans started throwing everything you can think of out onto the court. Water bottles, keys, coins, cell phones, pens and plenty of random objects. It was insane! LOYAL KSK FANS! We were ducking for cover! The Fener players were getting pelted with everything! The KSK players ran out of the gym and into the locker room to avoid getting hurt. The glass protecting shield that is behind the opponents bench got shattered and there was stuff everywhere! It took a good half hour for everything to be picked up and cleaned up. Ryan came out and started picking stuff up off the floor himself because he was sick of waiting. You are probably wondering if I was scared. Nope! There were plenty of police around us and honestly if you are in the KSK arena FOR KSK you are perfectly safe!

Here is a picture of Ryan and Andre cleaning up the floor.

If you look close you can see all the police with their helmets on and all the KSK fans trying to rush them in order to get to the Fenerbahce fans. It was intense!

Emily and I were completely entertained through the whole thing. We actually thought it was pretty funny except for the fact that she obviously didn't want Andre to get hurt. The video below isn't anything too exciting it's pretty much after all the drama. It was a fun game even with a loss! Of course, it would have been even better with a win.

A Day Off

FINALLY!! Ryan had a day off and we were able to go do something outside of Karsiyaka. We went across the water to Alsancak to walk around and go to the Kemeralti Bazarre. It was such a fun day and it was getting to the point that both of us NEEDED to get out and do something. I can go do whatever I want because I have so much free time but it isn't at all the same without Ryan.

I saw this cute little pastry that was pink and so we decided to give it a try! It was a major disappointment!! It looked so cute and yummy but it definitely put on a good disguise. It was just a dry white cake that gave you cotton mouth. We had one bite and threw it away. At least it was only 1 lira!

On the ferry riding across the water. Ryan won't ever let me take pictures of him so I have to make due with a lot of "back of the head" pictures! I still love this picture and he does a very good pose from the back!

At the end of the day we were trying to decide where to eat. There are a lot of really nice restaurants on the other side of the water but we weren't sure which one to choose. Then we came across a KFC! Yes, we chose KFC over any other restaurant. I'll tell you what folks, sometimes some greasy, fried, American food just sounds amazing! And amazing it was!! Also, when Ryan does let me take pictures of him he gives me this face. It's like trying to get a little kid to smile! "SAY CHEESE!"

I couldn't help myself...I had to take a picture of this! Look at all that fabric! My goodness. It looks like a 3 tiered cake! Sorry if your wedding dress looked like this...I am sure you made this dress look good!

Bake some Cake!

This weekend Ryan had an away game. What does this mean? I bake! When he is gone I think of reasons I need to bake things in order to occupy my time! This weekend it was "Karsiyaka" Cupcakes and Carrot Cake. I made the cupcakes for a boy named Emre that is in our Branch. It was his Birthday on Saturday and he turned 12! His whole family is HUGE Karsiyaka fans so I did Red and Green...they were YUMMY! The recipe for the vanilla cupcakes was really easy and they were incredibly moist. Emre loved them!

I made the Carrot Cake for a little party that we had today. All of us wives/girlfriends of the players got together to watch the game. I asked everyone what they wanted me to bake and randomly they chose Carrot Cake. It was my first time ever making one so I was nervous but I won't lie...it was AMAZING! The girls all loved it and it's a good thing I left some at home for Ryan because there weren't any leftovers at the party! I know the picture doesn't look all that great but it was really delicious!

Here is a random picture of the TV screen. Every time I watch a game on TV I think it's so weird to see Ryan. He looks so cute! It's just weird to see him on TV.

Turkish Cup

Last weekend was the Turkish Cup. Karsiyaka qualified earlier in the season and was one out of eight teams to be there. It was a single elimination tournament. Luckily this trip the team allowed us girls to come along! They flew us to Adana and we were able to go to the game. It was really fun to be able to actually travel to an away game! We can always travel to the games if we choose but it has to be on our own so we never go. The game was really intense and really close but we ended up with a loss. It was really sad but at least it was fun to be able to see the game and travel!

Also Ryan was picked to be in the magazine that was made for the tournament. They chose 8 guys out of the whole Turkish League to interview and get their own page in the magazine. Obviously the article is in Turkish so we can't read it but at least he was chosen! They asked him about 25 questions so we don't even know what parts are in there. One of the funny questions they asked him was- Did you think getting married so young would make your Basketball career worse? Random. But Ryan gave a good response. He said that getting married has made him a better player because now he is even more motivated to work hard. Now he doesn't play only for him but for his wife and future family. He has to focus on providing a living and it makes him want to improve more and more. Before he was married it was all for him and he didn't have to take it as seriously. Good answer Ryan. He scored brownie points with me! But at the same time, what is he supposed to say? Yes, being married is the worst!! I am so bad at Basketball now because of my wife. Listen up fellow players...never get married! haha

On the top right side by his name it says "Chosen as the tournaments favorite player." Pretty cool if you ask me! Way to go Ryan!

Drama...Drama...

Here is yet another funny story. This story is actually quite the insult to me but I think it is something great to laugh about. I have a gym pass here to a really great gym called Sports International. I love this gym! It is huge, great classes, good equipment and I have made some good friends because of the gym. Luckily Ryan's teammate Dre has a girlfriend that I love! We get along perfect! We go to the gym together every single day and it is so nice to have a little gym buddy. Now let me give you a little background info. Emily (Dre's girlfriend) is in impeccable shape. I mean six pack, really thin but really toned, amazing cardio ability and is in the best shape of anyone at the gym. She is a personal trainer in Omaha and has a booked schedule from morning to night. She graduated in Exercise Science with a minor in Nutrition. This girl knows her stuff! A few months ago when Emily was here in October we went to the gym. We were doing Cardio when a trainer at the gym came up to her and told her that she doesn't get her heart rate up high enough when she does Cardio. She was really nice and told him that she knows what her heart rate should be and also she was doing interval training so it would change a lot. He proceeded to tell her that she was wrong and that she isn't working out right. Then she got a little annoyed and so was I. She started getting "textbook" on him and explaining why she was right and that he was wrong. He wasn't budging so eventually she just told him thanks for the input but she'll just do what she prefers. We were both really confused about where he thought he had the right to tell her what to do when these trainers haven't even studied anything about fitness. We moved on and honestly had forgotten that this even happened and actually found it pretty funny.

THEN there is today. Emily is back now for the rest of the season. We have been going to the gym everyday like we used to and it is so much fun to workout together. We were doing circuit training today and a little bit of Cardio. At one point one of us would do a few upper body workouts and then we would switch and one person would do Hamstring curls. It was my turn to do Hamstring curls and so I am laying down doing my set when the same trainer from the experience before comes up and said "Are you doing this to get rid of your cellulite?" I was really confused. Yes, I won't lie. I do have cellulite on the backs of my legs but come on...you don't have to TELL me that. I stood up off the machine and said "Excuse me?" He again replied with "Are you trying to get rid of your cellulite on the behind of your legs?" I was so irritated but wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt so I asked "Do you understand what you're saying?" I wasn't sure if he was confused because of the language barrier but this guy knows English! He said "Yes, I understand. You have cellulite on the backs of your legs. You are needing to get rid of this. You do Hamstring curls to get rid of your fat." OH NO YOU DIDN'T BOY! haha I was so offended! I looked at him and I said as polite as I possibly could "You don't ever say that to girls. I don't know if this is acceptable in Turkey but it isn't ok with me. Don't look at me this way and I don't appreciate you telling me things that are wrong with my body." And I walked away. He is lucky I am happy with the way I look. Yes, it was rude and I was a little offended but most of all I thought it was really weird he felt this was acceptable. He should be grateful I'm not the type that is now going to stop eating and begin researching for new cellulite creams. I walked over to Emily and told her what happened. She was SO mad. She is the sweetest girl and she couldn't stop telling me how great of shape I am in etc. trying to make me feel ok about what happened. I just know she didn't want my feelings to be hurt. We finished our workout and on the way down we both gave him the evil eye. I won't lie, it made me feel better. (I know you might be thinking I'm dramatic but come on. Don't tell me you would be all smiles and invite him over for dinner if someone said that to you.) The story isn't over. Ryan called me. He was coming to the gym to meet up with me to go to the Bizarre. I told him on the phone what had happened. He was NOT happy. For those of you that know Ryan you would most likely agree he is the sweetest person ever unless you do something to offend ME. He will protect me or anyone he cares about until the end. Along with being protective of me he is very "witty" with his comments. He was more mad that this trainer was checking my legs out when I was doing Hamstring curls and that he felt like it was OK to talk to me that way. (Just so those of you that are reading this don't think I was working out in underwear I want to let you know that I was wearing Nike running shorts that are fitted but are only about 4 inches above my knee. These aren't booty shorts and actually qualify as "knee lengths.") Ryan showed up at the gym. He wanted to go inside and have a little chat with the trainer. I refused to go back into the gym and show him who it was but Emily was mad so she was more then happy to go inside and show him. I was so nervous. About ten minutes later Ryan came walking out and all he said to me was "He won't be talking or looking at you ever again." That was that. But then of course Emily and Dre wanted to know what he said! I wasn't inside so I don't know exact words but this is Ryan's recap. "You know my wife Jessica? You are to never talk, look, or come near her ever again. You have no right to tell her there is something wrong with her when she is perfect just the way she is. I swear if you ever say one more inappropriate thing to her or Emily you will dread the day Dre or I hear about it. Mind your own business and they will mind theirs." TAKE THAT JERK! I am not going to lie. It was nice to know that I have a husband that will stick up for me! This whole story probably sounds so dramatic and blown out of proportion but I guess you may have had to be there. It really was inappropriate and I truly was offended. Later today the Head Manager of the gym called and apologized to both of us for what happened. I said that I didn't want him to be in trouble or anything but he needs to know how to treat and talk to customers of the gym. The manager agreed 100% and said nothing like this would ever happen again. So anyway folks! Here is another funny but more embarrassing story for you! Next time I see you I'll notice if you're trying to look at the cellulite on my hamstrings!