Walking where Paul walked

Today, we took a day trip to visit the ancient city of Ephesus.We had a great day. The weather was amazing. Really. In February, it is unheard of to see the kind of weather we saw today. The skies were blue as we strolled the marble streets of Ephesus, recalling Acts 19 and other stories from the Bible that mentioned this ancient place. We woke early to catch a flight down to Izmir where Cem, (pronounced Jim. . .) met us to serve as our tour guide for the day. He knows his stuff!

We'll try to post some pictures tomorrow morning. Check back!

Day Three and Four

We are having so much fun! We are pretty tired at the end of the day, so we haven't been able to blog the past two days. But here's a quick re-cap . . .

We spent most of Saturday with my sweet friend Melda and her son Ahmet Taha. We had lunch at a very cool place with an incredible view and then traveled to more ruins from a castle. Mark will have to fill you in on the history if you want . . .

Here are a few pictures:
Mandy and Melda

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Mark and Ahmet Taha

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Mandy and Mark at Anadolu Kavagi - and the entrance to the Black Sea

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Saturday night was wonderful as well. We had dinner with the Louisiana crowd. Mark finally was introcuced to John and Jen and Maggie and Molly. Mike and Mary B met us for dinner too. It was so great to visit with them all. What sweet memories, what sweet friends. Here's a picture of all of us . . .

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Today (Sunday) we went to church at Hope and were able to say hello to many many old friends. We had lunch at the second largest mall in Europe and were then able to spend the afternoon with Chad and Deanna H. It was fun to be tourists with them!

Tomorrow we travel to Ephesus. It is going to be a wonderful day. We'll post more later.

Day Two Istanbul

We began a lazy Istanbul day with a trip to Rumeli Hisari. Rumeli was a fortress built in four months in the 1400s to stave off reinforcements coming from the Black Sea to overtake Constantinople during the 4th crusade. It is an incredible remnant from the Byzantine/Roman empire. We were able to visit the ruins with our Iowa pal Jodi and with two of our favorite Johnson girls, Elizabeth and Bailey. Here are a few pics from the climb around the "castle."


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The Stenbergs at Rumeli


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Mark climbing around the walls of the fortress


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Rumeli Hisari with the second Bosphorus bridge in the background

After Rumeli, we traveled to Ortakoy - a quaint "village" on the edge of the Bosphorus. We ate lunch here and shopped around a bit. The mosque located in Ortakoy has been featured in a few movies - Armageddon and James Bond - The World is Not Enough. It was another BEAUTIFUL day in Istanbul. The weather has been perfect, unbelievable really for February. I take it as a true answer to prayer. We spent the evening with Jodi and taking care of Miss Bailey Johnson while our hosts Billy and Elizabeth are enjoying their first night away since Bailey's birthday almost a year ago. It is a joy for us to serve them this way.

Here are some more pics from the day. Keep checking back. We'll keep you updated.

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Ortakoy Camii (Mosque)


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Shops and apartments in Ortakoy


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How's this for a lake house? Across the Bosphorus, a sultan's summer palace . . .


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And finally . . . Mimi and Bailey pose for their first picture!

What a day!

Day One Istanbul

We had a wonderful first day in Istanbul! It began with a wonderful introduction to one Miss Bailey Johnson. And yes, for all who care to know, she is just as amazingly beautiful in person as she is on her website. I love her already. Mark does too!

Queen Elizabeth made a wonderful breakfast for us before we set out on our day's journey. We made our way to the office with Billy to give Mustafa Bey (my language teacher) a gift - a Dr. Pepper. He loved it of course. He says "selam" to Angie Shepherd.


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This picture was taken at the Hagia Sophia.

We then traveled to Sultanahmet, where we visited the Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia, and had lunch at the House of Medusa. Mmmmmmmmm, good stuff. Then, really by God's hand, we stumbled upon a dear friend of mine who used to work at the Grand Bazaar, Bektas, the calligrapher. I did not know where his new shop was, but Mark and I walked RIGHT by it on our way to the tram. I could NOT believe it. We took these great pictures from the balcony of his new shop. Soooooooooooo cool.


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Mark and I from Bektas's balcony; Blue Mosque is behind us.


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Blue Mosque

We then went to the Grand Bazaar and renewed friendships there too. It was so much fun for me to introduce Mark to those friends. I'll put more pictures up as we go.


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VURAL! and Mandy and Mark

Leaving on a jet plane . . .

Finally! The day is almost here. Mark and I are headed to Turkey! I can't wait to introduce him to all my pals there! We will be real tourists, taking in all the sights with of course some inside information. My sweet friend Melda has plans to come hang out with us for a day too! It will be so much fun.

Things I'm looking forward to the most: meeting Bailey Johnson, hanging out at the Grand Bazaar, introducing Mark to friends and former co-workers, seeing the sights for the "first time" through Mark's eyes. It will be a great trip.

Pray for us as we travel and while we are away. Pray that we'll be ready for any special appointments God sets up for us! Pray that we'll be encouragers to friends we spend time with.

I hope to be able to post some while I'm there, pictures and all. So, check back over the next few days and you can journey with us!

SNOW!

Snow in Ames! It was a beautiful sight after a pretty warm winter. I mean, come on, this southern girl fully believes if the temps are going to be low, there had better be some white stuff falling! So finally, we got it! It snowed all day Sunday and we woke to a very pretty sight today. Of course, these folks just keep driving in it, so no school or work cancellation, but it sure it pretty! Enjoy these pics of our home on Grand!

Oh mom!

She just couldn't resist. Thanks mom for the cake and flowers. My co-workers LOVE my birthday as much as me cause mom has sent a cake here to work for the past 4 years and they get to share in the goodies! She sent it a day early so they could enjoy and help partake of the calories! FUN FUN FUN

Mark and I are going to celebrate the big day tomorrow at his parent's lake house. No big party this year . . . . just me and my sweet husband. I will of course be taking phone calls from all the well-wishers (hint, hint).




Here are photos of the cake and the flowers.

I love you mom.

New Year's Eve

Here are a few quick shots of me and my sweetie on New Year's Eve. That's our "New Year's" tree in the background too! (It is just our Christmas tree without any decorations! Why not enjoy it a few more days. I ended up with the quick onset of strep shortly into the evening and din't feel much like celebrating. But it was exciting to think about a new year ahead nonetheless. Things to come in 2007: my birthday! A trip to Turkey (February), Mark's Birthday (April) and more! More to come soon.

We also had a holiday visitor! Catie Blunt from Ruston came to reconnect with the friends she made during her summer internship with me at Cornerstone. It was fun to see her and to have her as our first overnight guest at 1115 Grand! This is a picture of Catie and her buddy Timothy.

Iowa Christmas

Our church staff gathered for a REALLY fun party on December 19. There was great food, lots of laughs, sweet worship, and did I mention laughs? Jeff came up with a super fun game - jeopardy style trivia, including a category just for Troy - our resident self proclaimed red-neck. It is a blessing to work with these folks through the year and always fun to gather together to celebrate Christmas.

Mark and Mandy Stenberg - enjoying the party!

This is "my mexican" Joy. She's the preschool coordinator at Cornerstone. We have a ton of fun together.

December 25

Ames, Iowa

Stenbergs

We aren't exchanging gifts with Mark's family until January 6, but we had lunch at Red and Marilyn's for anyone in the family who could make it. We spent the day there with family and friends. It was fun. Below are some pictures from the day.

1) Elliot Stenberg

2) Noah Stenberg

3) Mark and Hattie

Merry Christmas from The Stenbergs

Dad's 60th Birthday

Thank you to everyone who helped make my dad's surprise party so much fun! It was great to see him so surprised and so excited!

The day began with a phone call to Dad from Mark and I who were "supposedly" in cold, cold Iowa. Dad kept commenting on how cold it must be up here for us. How were we supposed to know? We were 15 miles down the road from him in Waverly. But he didn't know that! I just played along, telling him how we wished we could be there to celebrate with him.

We rode with Angie B to the camp to see Dad. We stopped right outside the camp for me to jump in the backseat for the surprise. Angie pulled right up to Dad where he was outside visiting with his friend Charles. He never saw us in the backseat. So we popped out and said, "HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" Of course he laughed, he cried, he hee-hawed! It was fun! He just couldn't believe it.

So, we made our way to Monroe where he thought he was having a nice, simple dinner with Ginger and Buddy and us. But WOW, was he surprised and overwhelmed! Even we were a bit stunned at the number of people who gathered to honor Dad.

It was awesome!

Here are some pictures! For more pictures visit http://photos.yahoo.com/missmandybee and check out the "Tom's 60th Birthday" album.

MandyBee Photography

I had THREE photo shoots this week. I really do love this photography thing. Sure hope it turns into something! Enjoy a few of the shots . . . .

NEW NAME!

well, after much deliberation, I have officially changed the name of the blog. I want to keep the "B" - it is like an old friend that has been with me for a really long time. It is who I am really - Mandy B. But with all the proper pride I can muster, I want to wear the Stenberg name like a shiny badge. So we'll just incorporate the two together. Really, say it a few times. It has a nice ring to it . . . . Mandy B Stenberg.

no, I'm not hyphenating. I'm not even normally including the "B" when I sign things. But for here, and for those who just can't stop saying "Mandy B" well, it is there. Mark's OK with that. He knows who he married! And he knows I'm super proud to wear his name.

I've been a little slow in getting new posts up. But for the two of you who read this, thanks for waiting! HA HA HA

Life is good. Our house is so much fun! We are still working on places to put things. Some more Pottery Barn stuff arrived today. We'll put that up later this week I'm sure. FUN STUFF.

Mark's parents are coming for dinner tomorrow night. YIKES. Cooking dinner for the in-laws. It will be fun to show our place to them. They haven't seen it all put together yet. So that will be a fun thing.

Work is going well. We are in the middle of a big campaign - YOUR MOVE. Check out the fun stuff at http://www.whatisyourmove.com . I would HIGHLY encourage you to check out the God STORIES section. You'll findat least TWO people in there you know - both under the name of STENBERG. As a part of the campaign, our church printed a nice magazine full of the stories of what God is doing in the lives of His people. It is very cool.

I'm hoping to put some more pictures up soon. I have a TON from the reception in Ruston. I'll get them up when I can.

here's hoping you are all doing well. Please drop in and leave me a note. I'd love to hear from you.

New name, need a new blog title

Friends and faithful readers:

I'm back! Back from the wedding, honeymoon, shower in Dermott, Arkansas, shower in Tallulah, Louisiana, and reception in Ruston, Louisiana.

And it was ALL GLORIOUS!

I'm back with a new name too!
Officially, I'm Mandy Bartholomew Stenberg.

Most days, the signature will read . . . .Mandy B. Stenberg.

But now I need a new blog title.
MandyBee just doesn't cut it. Do you think? PLEASE weigh in and let me know if I can still be known as MandyBee. I know, I'll always be MandyBee. But can my blog stay that or do I need to change it?

I put some pictures on my yahoo album page. Feel free to visit http://photos.yahoo.com/missmandybee. There aren't any "real" wedding pics up there yet. Those are still to come. But you'll see many albums titled "A WEDDING:..." and those albums cover pre-events and parts of the honeymoon.

If you have any photos from any of the shin digs . . . . please send them to me! I'd love to see them. If ANYONE happened to get a picture of my wedding cake, I'd really like to have a copy of that. Seems we didn't get that captured on any film anywhere!

By the way, did I tell you that it all went GREAT? Flowers by angiebevents (www.angiebevents.com) were beautiful. Music was great. Preaching was out of this world. It was great to see so many friends and family - thanks for the surprise Kristie J. And thanks Tiff for EVERYTHING.

TOOOOO many people went above and beyond the call of duty. Two words for Jen Lee: ROCK STAR. Eve Doi - I don't think I'll ever know all that you did. Becky J - my friend, my hero! Angie Shepherd - always there to keep me in proper perspective.

I'm back at work. BUMMER. Hard to concentrate. Yep, still floating. Married life is good. What a great idea God had!

More to come soon.

Mandy Stenberg

FAQs

Q. "Are you getting excited about your wedding?"
A. Um, yeah.

Q. "Are you getting nervous?"
A. Nope. Not one little tinge of nervousness.

Q. "Are you leaving right away on your honeymoon?"
A. Saturday morning departure for Boston, headed to Cape Cod! FUN FUN FUN

Just thought I'd clear some of that up for you all!

I have absolutely loved the last three weeks or so. I feel such ease and joy as Mark and I approach our wedding day. What a joy it will be to share it with so many of you, here at the Ames Shin Dig and in Ruston where we'll celebrate all over again! AND I look forward to re-living it all with those of you who can't be here.

To my Turkey friends: You will be missed. I hope Jen puts together the "Mandy wedding party" on Friday. You guys should TOTALLY get together on the 15th and have a party in honor of the nuptials that will take place later in the day. I would LOVE knowing that you were celebrating an ocean away (and that you have prayed for me too!)

I'm feeling a bit nostalgic. Just thinking about my past and how so many of you have been a part of who I am today, of the woman Mark will spend the rest of his life with. Thanks for being a part of my life. Thanks for pushing me to follow Jesus. Thanks for loving me. Mark thanks you too, but he just doesn't know all of you yet to tell you!

Pictures soon, I promise!

Showers and more fun

I know, I know. I'm a bit behind. But let me see if I can catch you up.

I had a very fun shower hosted by Eve Doi, Darlene Lubinus, Marie Nesbitt, Jen Lee, and Becky Jones here at Cornerstone on August 12. We had so much fun! They had arranged for my friend Alissa Dietz to choreograph a brand new "line dance" for our reception. She came to the shower and taught it to all the ladies. It was so much fun. Eve had put together a quiz entitled "Mark and Mandy 101." It was a multiple choice quiz with 101 questions about Mark and I. Some of them were hilarious! I felt very loved and had a wonderful time.

Feel free to visit http://photos.yahoo.com/missmandybee to see pictures from this and other showers. I'm having trouble loading photos to blogger. I'll mark them in individual albums starting with "WEDDING"!

The Friday after the Cornerstone shower, we were honored with a couples shower hosted by some of Mark's closest friends, the White family. Lynn White, her sons and daughter (Mark, Paul, Greg, and Amy) and their significant others (Jamie, Amy, Katie, and Rod) hosted an incredibly fun BBQ at the Ames Golf and Country Club. There was a WONDERFUL group gift of a BBQ grill, cover, and tank given to Mark and I. We also received several other fun gifts. It was a great night.

On Tuesday night of this week, I was given a Pampered Chef Bridal Shower. Talk about fun! We got to register for some GREAT pampered chef products and by the closing of the show will receive ALL of them plus some. This shower was hosted by Mark's mom's friends - Nancy Bundy, Genee Johnson, and Kay Stephan. It was really fun, and I got so much fun kitchen advice.

Mark and I have been working hard on our house. We are moving into 1115 Grand this weekend. I'm putting all my stuff there and then staying with some friends from church for a few weeks. Mark will go ahead and move into the house.

Let me just tell you . . . that man has worked hard to make our house a beautiful home. I can't wait for you to see it. He has made me a very happy woman!

We are on the fast track to September 15. If you are planning to attend the wedding OR Ruston reception and haven't yet RSVP'd . . . please take a minute to send me an email mailto: thestenbergs@gmail.com

Thanks for your prayers and encouragement in the coming weeks!

My good lookin' sweetie

Our church is doing a campaign called "your move" this fall. We are doing a magazine full of God stories. It is very cool. I've been helping out with some of the stories with writing and photography. I got to do Mark's story AND his photo shoot. Boy, the shoot was fun! I took a ton of photos. Here are some of my favorites. Isn't he cute?

We took them at our new house, which is in the process of a major overhaul. Mark's story is entitled "A Fresh Start" and that's how we feel about our marriage. God is so good!

Fourth of July

Hey. Here's a quick pic from July 4. Mark and I worked for Eve Doi at the Ames Old Fashioned Flag Waving Fourth of July parade. It was fun.

Summertime and the living is NOT easy

Whoever wrote that song did NOT work in children's ministry. Who plans these summer schedules anyway? Oh, right. Me. So I really can't complain can I???

Here's the scoop from Mandy B.
We made it through VBS (barely) and are now in full swing towards a four-day Day camp which begins on Tuesday, July 11. I did have a nice break over the weekend. I was up at Clear Lake (about 1.5 hours from Ames) with Mark and his family. It was nice to relax. We came back into town on Sunday night so that I could volunteer at the National Special Olympics on Monday. I was a softball announcer. It was fun!

So we (my summer intern and I) are now sort of in coast mode. Major decisions for Day Camp and Kids Camp in August have been made. So, now it is just the carrying out of those decisions. Which in reality is pretty easy.

Wedding stuff is going well. I got the fun phone call this week that my dress has arrived! It is in early! How fun! I'll have my first fitting on Tuesday, July 18. That will be a really fun day.

Mark and I picked out tuxes yesterday. Those boys will look NICE.

Next on the list is printing and stuffing invitations. Then we'll start the process of receiving RSVPs and getting ready for showers. Wow. It is all fun.

That's it for me. Would love to hear from you . . .

WORK WORK WORK

Well, Bailey and her mom asked me for updates on the blog. So, here goes.

I've been super busy at work. Not much wedding planning going on. VBS starts on Monday here at Cornerstone, so pretty much that has been my focus for the past few weeks. Admittedly, I feel a bit behind even in that. Not because of wedding plans, ok, maybe a little. But mostly I feel as though the summer has just snuck up on me!

We are doing TWO sessions of VBS this year, a morning session and an evening session. I told Mark last night: "See you at the lake July 4 weekend!" It really won't be that bad, but practically speaking I won't get to spend much time with him until after VBS. And that is a real bummer!

Wedding plans are coming along. We have a band for the Ruston reception. If you are in the Ruston area and are NOT planning to come to the reception on September 23, YOU ARE CRAZY cause it is going to be so much fun!

We are working on ceremony stuff too. It is fun to dream about making that a very fun ceremony with lots of "unexpected" ideas and with a big focus on the ONE who brought Mark and I together.

I bought Mark's wedding band last week. Oh, how I can't wait to put that on his finger and call him my husband!

My dear friend Eve is hard at work designing our invitations. She is a very talented and creative gal. I can't wait to see what she comes up with.

There is lots of talk too about wedding showers. How fun! You all know how I love a party. The next few months are really just going to be one party after another - and they are all about Mark and I!

I'd love to hear from you. Drop me a note. Give me some wedding planning advice.

Love you all.

We're on The Knot!

So, my plans are to keep this blog up to date. But we did go ahead and make a "Knot" website for registry info, rsvp, and so forth. So check it out:
www.theknot.com/ourwedding/MandyBartholomew&MarkStenberg


Have I mentioned that this is all so much fun?