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Amir has to do projects for school.  He had to model a system, for something or other.  He never really explains the details.  He wanted a fish tank.  I was thinking something small and modest, maybe five gallons. We got a 30 gallon tank on Craigslist. (I had to help move it twice. That thing weighs a tonne!!  The fish had quite the adventures.)  He hooked it up to these plants and pipes.  The pipes are hanging from the ceiling in his school. The video is not the greatest.  I keep telling Amir he needs to pan more slowly and pull back so we can see the whole thing. But you get the gist. They fish did not come home with us. Amir's professor has them.  Molly is not sad about this.

 Hmmm...what else.
Our friends from Idaho LOVE Amir's barbecue.  We did a little something different and tried a variety of sausages.  I think Aidells pineapple bacon are now my favorite. (available at your local Costco)  YUM!

Amir's office at work has been undergoing some renovations. As in move a few walls, pull up the floor, redo the kitchenette entirely, new furniture; simple things really.  But in the middle of the construction, they had to find a place to put the fridge. Bathroom is totally the first place that springs to my mind.  I thought it was hysterical.  Then I thought it was GENIUS!  

Our little puppy really isn't sad.  But she always has a pitiful expression on her face.  How could you ever say no to that adorable mug?

Long time no blog

I have been promising to blog, but have not had the time.  As to why I have not had time..I went back to school.  Why?  Figured I might as well.  Amir and I should finish around the same time.  Make a nice shift in my job; new field, new people to annoy.
And since it seems I failed to mention to my mother- I learned to ride a motorcycle too.  Amir started riding to save on gas. School and work makes for a loooong commute.  I thought, since I'm starting school, I should get a scooter. Something small I can use just for school.  I asked Amir and he said, why don't you learn to ride a motorcycle?  He kept pushing.  I had NO desire to learn.  Yeah.  He had ulterior motives; he wanted a new bike.  Bigger motor, more power.  Sneaky husband!
So you get a video of my...third time on a bike.  Don't laugh.  I had never even shifted out of 2nd gear!  It was way scary at first. But I am getting better.  Traffic is a nightmare, but I'm a ridiculously cautious driver.

Have been having fun with our little puppy.  We took her to a park and Amir found this rope in a tree.  Not being one to pass up a good rope, he tried it out.

This was not his first swing.  The others were a a little more graceful.

Wow

OK, so Amir has been thinking about getting braces for a while now.  (He does not have American teeth.)  But Jose just recently had them put on.  Go Jose! Today Amir had an appointment to speak with an orthodontist.  I thought it was just a consultation.

He came home like this:

I dunno.  Words fail me.

New member of the household

So...yeah...this happened.

Her name is Harley and she's a schnauzer mix.  Isn't that an adorable face?  And the dog's not bad either.

Happiness

I was pondering on the nature of happiness. Why so elusive?  Ephemeral? Dunno.  We cannot choose all the things that come into our lives.  Things happen beyond our control.  But we choose how we react to them.  Let's be honest, life can be pretty crappy.  But my dear family has what we call mock therapy.  We, as a group, choose humor.  Maybe that's why I need to call my dear family- to get perspective- and to laugh.  My mother always quotes Abraham Lincoln "Most folks are just about as happy as they make their minds up to be."  Reading a book on Martha Washington I came across a quote from one of her letters- "I am still determined to be cheerful and to be happy in whatever situation I may be, for I have also learnt from experience that the greater part of our happiness or misery depends upon our dispositions, and not upon our circumstances: we carry the seeds of the one, or the other about with us, in our minds, wherever we go." 
This has been a lesson I have needed to learn.  My dear mother, bless her heart, tried to pound it into me when I was younger. I suppose I am finally ready to listen.  

Smartness

Ok people...this is just a brag (not even a humble-brag) concerning my dear darling husband.  He got straight A's this term. Yes indeedy.  Another reason he is the bestest.
Also..sent this to a realtive already, but couldn't resist posting here.  Reading a book on Elizabeth I of England and came upon a picture of a French prince.  Tell me who YOU think it looks like?


I know, right?

Last of the pics

Alright...so this isn't all the pictures I took.  But close.  These are from the airport in Tehran.  (On our way home.)  This is one of Amir's cousins.  The son of one of the aunties from Kangavar.  (And of course Mohsen.)

And something I learned while in the airport.  Tehran is THE place to go for nose jobs.  Holy nose bandages!!  Every other person had a bandage.  And not just the women.  Men too.  Yes I shouldn't laugh, but ever time I saw a new one I couldn't help it.  One of Amir's male cousins got a nose job and I asked him why?  I love my husband's nose.  It has such character.  I told him it's his heritage right on the end of his face.

To each his own I guess.  Amir said plastic surgery was big in Iran and not terribly expensive   So if you're in the market for good work and reasonable prices....

All in all though, we had a delightful time. Yes I cried in the airport.  These people are all my family now.  Wish we could have stayed longer.  Amir's family also says we need to come in the spring when it's pretty and not so cold.  

As a wise man once said, it's not the places, it's the people you miss.  

Hamedan

Amir's family has decided if we visit again, it has to be in spring or summer. I have to concur, as it was cold.  And Hamedan was the coldest!
One of Amir's uncles (mom's brother) lives in Hamedan.  He and his wife are lovely lovely people.  One of his sons is another one of the Amirs.
So Hamedan has TONS of history, but we didn't get to see a lot.  Wikipedia it it if you have a burning desire.  Again, could spend weeks there and not see everything I want.
We went to see the Ganjnameh inscriptions as well as a ski resort.  No one was at the resort.  I guess its a summer thing.  But it was a lovely view of the city.

Hamedan skyline.

Cold cold mountains.
Obviously not enough snow for skiing.

This is one of Amir's uncles construction projects.  It's an apartment building.  I wanted to show how things are built.

A construction close up. 

The Ganjnameh inscriptions.
I think its an odd place for inscriptions.  I guess its good to be the king.

By now you know I love me some signage.

Awesome park near the Ganjnameh inscriptions. 

The park was like an M.C Escher drawing.  It had different levels and steps and ramps and water and ice.  It must be gorgeous in the summer.

This water fall was just up from the inscriptions.  It gives you an idea of how cold it was.

I was worried Amir would slip and break something.
I shouldn't have worried; he is a sure footed mountain goat.

They had these odd hiker statues and benches made out of ...I'm guessing gravel or ash or something.  I hate to say it, but it reminded my of kitty litter.   (SNL Litter Critters)

Terraced fields are so terribly evocative.
This is the only picture I have, but they were all over.

Cousins

Amir and Amir

Somayeh and Sohrab came to Hamedan to visit too.

Amir, his uncle and aunt.  (I think it's Gahfoor and Mahri)

Aren't they sweet?

Brief Albuquerque Interlude

Amir and I live in, lets say, a lower lower middle class neighborhood.  Today we had eight cop cars, a swat team and a helicopter down the street.  Just a typical Friday really.  But I text-ed Amir to let him know.  (Not because he would worry, but so he wouldn't get stuck trying to get home.)  This is what he text-ed back: "Yeah there was a chihuahua off leash."  This right here is why I love this man!!

Something Fishy in Iran

Just so you know, I have not abandoned my blog.  I have been working extra shifts and am very tired.  This is nothing new.  My mother says ninety percent of the work in this world gets done by very tired women.  That's why my grandpa says there is no such thing as a bad nap :)  Some naps are better than others, of course. Isn't it the British royal family that says never miss an opportunity to sit down or go to the bathroom?  I would add, never miss and opportunity for a nap.  Seriously.
Do I have more Iran stories and pictures?  Of course I do!  Do you even need to ask?
We are going on to Mohsen's fish.  Don't ask me what kind of fish because I have no idea.  Fish for eating.  Does that help?  Mohsen has a small plot of land on a little river outside Kangavar.  On it he has little fish ponds. He buys the baby fish.  His workers feeds the fish. He then takes the fish and sells them.  (It's not that complicated people.)
There is a little hut where the workers sit.  It's one room.  Propane heat.  No bathroom.  But a T.V. and satellite.  I love it!!  No matter how humble, everyone has a T.V.
The workers made us delicious fresh fish for lunch.  Yummy.  Lots of bones though.

Sitting around the heater.
The TV is in the corner behind me.

North

Mohsen's wife Fatimeh is from the north; close to the Caspian Sea.  It was so warm and beautiful.  Sadly we didn't get to the actual beach until after sundown, which means no pics.  We saw night fishermen but that wasn't photo worthy.  Amir did have a seashell at one time...but it got lost somewhere.  I guess technically it's a big lake shell.
The city where Fatimeh's family lives has citrus trees all along the streets.  But they said people don't pick them. The fruit ends up falling and rotting and the city has to clean it up.  Are you kidding me?  I would be all over that.
On the drive there we crossed over mountain ranges covered with snow.  Amir says people do ski.  We saw some sledding too.  Sadly, we did not stop to participate.
It was exhausting doing so much driving, but it was nice to see so much of Iran.  It really is a big country.  I could spend months there and not see everything I want to see. <<sigh>>  Some day.

We stopped at a rest area that had this old Christian church.  (Yeah. Still there.)
It's probably Latin under the cross, but I can't figure out what it means.

Train tracks built into the mountain.
Are you totally feeling the epic ambiance?

Cuties in the mountains.

Fatimeh and Mohsen.

Citrus trees on the streets.  

Palm trees in Iran.  Awesome!

Angry birds are EVERYWHERE!!
They really are a world-wide phenomenon.

Amir playing at the Caspian Sea.
(The water is behind him, you just can't see it.)

Fatimeh's mom and brothers.
(We stayed at her sister's house outside of Tehran, but I didn't get  pictures.)

Pretty snowy mountains.

Kabobs

Sohrab's skewers didn't have handles, but you get the idea.
Picture is from mypersiankitchen.com

As some of you may have experienced, Amir makes delicious barbecue. Sohrab (Somayeh's husband) also makes delectable kabob. He made us kabob with barbecue swords like Amir.  Well, I call them swords because they are very wide and look like the could impale any type of meat.  And Sohrab has the coolest container for his swords; it's like a metal pipe with detachable lid and handle.  That's really the only way to describe it.  Amir wants to make a holder out of PVC pipe now.  Of course Amir had to purchase more swords and bring them home.  I was a little worried about customs, but they made it through ok.

I love how the grill is the perfect shape for the skewers.

Such excellent helpers.  Its funny how in every country, when the barbecue starts,
the men all end up outside around the grill.

Somayeh also took me to visit one of her friends who owns a beauty salon.  I'm sorry I don't have pictures.  But it was an interesting experience in that it was a women only establishment.  It had paint on the windows and a dark curtain over the door.  Amir and Sohrab could not come in; even though there were no customers.  I also went to visit a gym with Leila and the same rules applied.  The gym had time for men and time for women, and during the women's time, no men are allowed.  I kinda liked it.

More Kangavar

Amir's sister Somayeh and her husband Sohrab live in Kangavar.  It's a city between Tuyserkhan and Kermanshah.  Amir's mom's sister also lives there.  The video is her house.

Fatimeh and Nemah.
Fatimeh and Mohsen brought potato chips. They are definitely the favorite cousins.

Amir and his Aunt Sakineh.

Farzaneh and Farhad.

A cute little Amir.

Nemah, Amir and Amir.

A deck of cards are a great way to break the language barrier.  I taught everyone Slap Jack and Go Fish.  Fatimeh is very fast.  Mohsen is a wee bit competitive and he likes to cheat.  Nemah is a bit of a card shark. But the video shows the basics.  I liked it simply because I know the numbers in Farsi and could actually communicate.  Yey!  Mohsen also wanted to play trumps.  Nemah and I were partners, and I was doing just fine, thank you very much.  But Amir said I did not know how to play.  So he took over.  (Amir is a wee bit competitive too.  Must run in the family)   

Grandma and Grandpa Garner gave us Monopoly for Christmas.  It arrived the day before we left, so Amir said, let's bring it with us.  I thought that was an odd idea, but why not?  Amir's family caught onto the nuances of the game very quickly.  I wish I had taken a video of the haggling and negotiating.  It was amazing!! Nemah and Farhad stayed very late and played with us.  Mohsen said on the way home Nemah fell asleep and was saying "I want to sell.  I want to buy," in his sleep.  

I think a deck of playing cards will now travel with me wherever I go.  That and UNO.  That's another good game.  I know colors in Farsi too.