There are a LOT more pictures people. (A lot)  So thanks for all the comments.  I hope you won't get tired of hearing about Iran before I run out of pictures and stories.

So on we go to Kangavar.  It's the town of Amir's mom's family.  Got it?  It's a cute little town and has a lovely ruin in the middle of it called Anahita.

Leila, Amir, Marzieh
It was sunny, but also cold and windy.

All these blocks have numbers on them.  I thought it was so they could restore and put things back together.
Yeah, no.  It's because the blocks tend to walk off.  Imagine one of these in your garden.
Awesome!

Ancient Greek column covered by modern Persian graffiti.

Definitely want one of these in my garden.

Post card worthy skylines.

Fire pits. Don't know if they were used for warmth, light or sacrifice.
Maybe all three.  

My favorite picture of the whole trip.
I love my husband and he loves his mom.
Precious.

Amir was in a bit of a rush here.  (We were on our way to more visiting.)  His mom, bless her heart, is not a very good walker.  He took her hand here and it was the sweetest thing EVER!

I finally got this stinky video upload to work.  (Thanks Betsy!!)
Below is our first walk in Iran.  We walked from Mohsen's condo to the Habakkuk park.  I do narrate.  And I apologize for the shakiness.  I am not a professional!  I do my best.

 More of the park itself.

Yummy yummy cupcakes...hmmm...cupcakes.

Betsy the extraordinary also introduced me to the Cake Wrecks blog.  The problem with reading it...you start craving cake.  Soft, moist, sweet, delicious cake.....

Before I get to the interesting Iranian stuff, I wanted to share my handiness.
On Saturday night our sink got plugged.  No water was flowing AT ALL.  Tried the plunger and it just made the water flow into the other sink.  (Dual sink if that wan't clear)  It was late so I figured Amir could fix it before church on Sunday.  Ox in the mire people.  The kitchen sink has to work.  But on Sunday morning Amir was very tired (and wouldn't wake up) so I thought I'd give it a try.  Yes indeedy people.  I fixed it all by my lonesome.  I unfastened and cleaned the grease trap.  (Amir dear had put hamburger grease down the drain.  We had  a little chat about what to do with hot grease.)  Yey for me!!
Ok, on to the fun stuff.
Amir's brother Mohsen and his lovely wife Fatimeh live in a town called Tuyserkan.  Seen it spelled difference ways, so can't help there.  It is famous for it's walnuts.  Yes they are delicious.  We visited a walnut grove and the smell reminded me of Grandpa Kennington's walnut tree.
Tuyserkan's other claim to fame- it is the resting place of Habakkuk.  Yes, the Habakkuk from the bible.

So cool!! I had no idea biblical prophets hung out in Iran.  I guess it wasn't Iran back then, but still.
By the way, I love taking pictures of signs.  Mostly because I love to see the way signs are translated into English.  Seriously, click on the pic and read.  It's AWESOME!
By the way, I had to look up Habakkuk because...its Habakkuk.  But I did have two verses marked.  I will share one H-3:18 "Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation." Again AWESOME!
On our walk to the park we met up with Amir's other sister Somayeh and her husband Sohrab.  (You pronounce the H in Sohrab and it is the coolest sounding name in Farsi.  Just saying.)  They live in Kangavar (more on this town later).  And they brought yummy yummy cupcakes filled with even yummier pudding.  I felt so loved!!

Standing (left to right) Amir, Sohrab, Leila, Mohsen, me, Marzieh (Amir's mom)
Squatting- Somayeh, Fatimeh

Left to right- Leila, Somayeh, Fatimeh, Marzieh

Habakkuk's tomb

Sunset- sorry about the construction in the foreground.
I still think it's pretty.

We arrived in Tehran at about 11:15 pm.  We had been flying for about 24 hours (including layovers).  We get to the airport and of course have to get the luggage.  Which you pick up and it goes through an x-ray machine.  So leaving and coming in it gets scanned.  Anyway.  Amir's brother, one sister and mother meet us.  Just so you know, there are close to 8 million people that live in Tehran.  They were ALL at the airport.  Believe me, that is only a slight exaggeration.
We have to drive an additional 3.5 to 4 hours to get to his brother's house.  Now, GPS is a wonderful tool,  but it has yet to come to Iran.  We got very lost.  And I learned something: culturally, Iranian men have no problem asking for directions.  Amir says if you ask two people and they say the same thing, you know you're headed the right way.  :) We literally stopped in the middle of the road and asked people in the next car, or on the street, whoever we thought might know. (And whoever happened to be out at 3 in the morning) And people were totally cool with strangers asking them directions in the middle of the night.
There was much giggling over the above situation.  I was beyond exhausted at this point, but hey, at least we were in the right country.
It took us 5 and a half hours, but WE MADE IT!!  Yey!
And our luggage was wet.  Huh!?  Yeah, somewhere, in some airport, or luggage was left outside and it got soaked.  Our clothes, our presents, shoes...you get the picture.  Ho-ray for plastic bags!  They kept some things safe at least.  And as some of you may not know, most countries outside the U.S. do not believe in dryers.  Well, they may believe in them, but they don't have them.  So, out on a rack everything went.
So if in the following pictures we look a little haggard, it's because we were.

Amir, Amir's mom, Amir's sister Leila.

Amir's brother Mohsen, Amir's mom, Amir.
Notice Mohsen is clean shaven.  In coming pictures he gets much
scruffier.  He said he didn't have time to shave.
Too many late nights and too much fun.

Me and Amir in Mohsen's living room.

Hello peoples.  Amir and I have returned from the land of his birth.  Yes it was a difficult (possibly reckless) decision.  Yes we spent a lot of time thinking and praying about it.  Yes it was nerve racking.  Yes there were a few tense moments. Yes his family was lovely. Yes we had a good time.  Yes we are tired.  And yes you will get pictures soon.
Now that that's cleared up....
First let me say, I did not go to Iran as a tourist.  I did not see Isfahan, or Shiraz or Persepolis or the big touristy things.  I went to meet and visit with my husband's family.  You also have to understand that his family is middle class.  They are not the monied elite of Tehran.  They don't drive a Mercedes and wear haute couture.   But they are also not poverty stricken. Just your basic hard working, fun having, family loving, regular people.
Iran reminded me of many places we visited and lived when I was growing up.  I guess in that sense I didn't have culture shock nearly as bad as some may have.  His brother apologized for their bathrooms on the first day.  Let's just say it was unexpected, but not shocking.
The biggest adjustment was the head scarf and coat.  Iranian women aren't required to wear the full burqa or chador.  But they are required to wear a head scarf and long coat to the knees.  In the summer it's more like a baggy shirt.  Many women did wear the full covering in the towns we visited.  Amir said that's because outside the big cities people are more conservative.  I also noticed more older women than younger wore the full covering.  It might also be a generational thing.  Amir asked me how I liked hijab. I said it made me hot.  And it did.  I can't imagine what it's like in the spring and summer.
The food was phenomenal.  YUM!!!  Fast food exists, we saw signs for burgers and pizza, but we didn't eat out.  The flat bread was awesome (purchased every day fresh from the local vendor).  The cheese was scrumptious.  Meets, veggies, fruits- all tasty.  Except, they eat ALL the time.  Maybe it was just because we were guests, but my goodness!  Tea with fruit and pastries before the meal.  Then the meal, which is always huge.  Then more tea, fruit and pastries after the meal.  Bohor, bohor.  (eat, eat)  We were always eating.  Amir says if an Iranian likes you, they try to feed you.  They must have liked us A LOT!!
When people tell you about Iranian hospitality, they aren't kidding.  People literally fought over where we slept and who got to feed us.  Tea is a huge deal there, and they were a little surprised I didn't drink it.  But after the first few offers, his family understood.  Everywhere we went, they said, no she doesn't drink tea.  And they always found me water or juice to drink.  The homes we stayed in had one or two bedrooms, but Amir and I always had a room to ourselves. Anything they could do to make us comfortable, they would do.   Everyone was beyond courteous.
I think that was my biggest impression of Iran.  The people were lovely.  I will miss Amir's family very much. I think I agree with my niece Sophia.  I wish everyone I loved could all just live on the same street.  Then we could see each other everyday.  That's my vision of heaven anyway.  One big eternal family reunion, with everyone I love right there.