Istanbul, Turkey! Or as I've seen it spelled, Türkiye.

Here we go!

Here's my little bean, all tucked in on his flight out to Virginia two weeks ago. He's an excellent traveler and he's got a lot more in his near future. We all do.

We've been in beautiful downtown Arlington for two weeks now. It's been quiet and busy at the same time. We've tried most of the nearby restaurants, discovered the familiar Whole Foods and the most dismal Safeway you've ever seen, walked around in every direction and even ventured into D.C. twice.

It's quite a comfortable life. Our apartment here is convenient, spacious and tucked in between very expensive condos. The Metro is right down the street and will drop us off at dozens of museums five minutes away.

Do I want to live here forever? No. I could see ourselves settling in some more, but it lacks just that something that would allow me to feel at home. And besides, we have this unknown destination that has been in our heads for the last days, weeks and months.

It all gets revealed SOON. Then everything gets a little topsy-turvy again and hopefully, when we surface in our new spot, we have all of our limbs and pets and smiles.