Here is the before shot.
See all that??? And that is not all.....that I have to fit in here:
Is it gonna fit???? My little 7x7 space that will now be my art space. I have about 10 more boxes down stairs....I may have to purge again! Life has been hectic. The moving fiasco as I call, was dragged out for weeks...dealing with a shady moving company that I ended up telling to get out of my house and cancel my contract to finding a new reputable company who finally got my stuff here....safe and sound....well I guess we will see once I open the boxes. I am tired of being with out my art stuff....I am so wanting to try a new project that I have in mind but I do not have my space yet.....but this weekend...I will be working on creating a work space that is efficient AND looks good! So....hopefully soon....soon I will be able to create....Yes I know I know...I have been TERRIBLE at writing on my blog...so here is the deal... I am back from Istanbul...I came back to NYC for 10 days...went back to Vegas for 14 days to pack up my belongings...and then I have come back to NYC...started a job and found an apartment that I will be moving into this weekend....Phewwwww.....I am tired! Yes I will post more pictures of Turkey when I get a chance...yes I will post pictures of my life here in NYC....and soon...hopefully soon...my art space will be set up and I can start creating again...get back to my life....Ah....Normalness....What is normal anyways??? Who defines normal??? It is when we are in a rut? Or is it just our comfort zone....either way...I have not been in either for the last 4 months and I am ready for some comfort....
TTFN!
So after the boat cruise, I made Sandy & Gulden take me to the antique district. It was off the beaten path....
There were lots of little streets....going off in all directions....
I went into lots of little stores filled with old books and trinkets...I was in heaven. LOL I think my sister and Gulden thought I was nuts.
Of course I saw the "E" and had to take a picture of it. That's for my man....Ed.
I thought this was kinda cute...street art...graffiti...call it what you like....
Gulden went into this old record store. Sandy decided to take a sit break and I took her picture. Isn't she cute???
I couldn't resist taking this picture....they have all kinds of things in these stores...
and of course on the streets there are always little vendors selling the fruits and veggies. I just find the look of these so wonderful.
We walked thru the streets and ended up at Taksim Square....which is considered the heart of Istanbul. Food.....
Tons of people.....
It was a bustling place. Full of stores for shopping, places to eat. I was amazed at how many people were there. the trolley reminded me of San Franscisco. It was pretty cool.
As I said....you can find all kinds of stuff here...LOL
Even a Pizza Hut. They had McDonalds, Burger King, and a bunch of other places to eat....
I kinda like the street vendors. They had these all down the street...people selling hot corn on the cob...roasted actually....
After we got done walking up the street, we took a cab to Chili's and had dinner. Yes I said Chili's. It just came to Istanbul in March. It was Guldens husbands birthday. We had a nice dinner and then we went bowling....
Sandy is a pretty good bowler! It was a long day...but a good day. I saw alot of Istanbul and enjoyed it. Ok...I know I know....I have been neglectful in my blogging...lots of emotional stuff going on but I will talk about that later...Here is the 2nd part of July 4th....the Boat Cruise.... We decided to take a boat cruis of the Bopherous. It was very beautiful. I will let the pictures do the talking...
My 4th of July was not spent celebrating independence day. It was spent sightseeing in Istanbul with the best tour guides! My sister Sandy and Gulden, her friend, coworker, cousin-in-law. We took the Ferry across the Bopherous to the European side of Istanbul. 
I love taking the Ferry as the water is my favorite place to be...
Here is the Maiden’s Tower. According to the most widely-known story in Turkey, the ruler of that time dreamt that his beloved daughter was fatally bitten by a snake. In order to protect his daughter, he had a tower built in the middle of the sea and sent her to live there. However, a snake hidden in a basket of grapes sent by the ruler bit the princess who died as a result. The present-day tower was built out of stone in 1719.
This is Dolmabahçe Palace. Beautiful isn't it. I will tell more a little later.
So we got off the ferry and starting walking to Dolmabahçe Palace. It was a bit of a walk but I didn't mind as I was busy taking pictures. Sandy and Gulden had to keep stopping and waiting for me. LOL Here is just a randon street. I just love the architecture here.
And of course I love tree lined streets....
So we arrived at Dolmabahçe Palace. The palace takes up a surface area of 45,000 square meters, while its walls are covered with neoclassical, empirical and baroque decorations. Its symmetrical façade along the quayside has a total length of 284 meters. The palace has 285 rooms, four grand salons, six galleries, five main staircases, six hamams (of which the main one is pure alabaster), and 43 toilets. Fourteen tons of gold and 6 tons of silver were used to build the palace. The extensive use of glass, especially in the Camli Kösk conservatory, provides a gallery of virtually every known application of glass technology of the day. The palace is a glittering collection of Baccarat, Bohemian, and English crystal as well as Venetian glass, which was used in the construction of walls, roofs, banisters, and even a crystal piano. The chandelier in the Throne Room is the largest one in Europe at 4.5 tons, a bulk that created an engineering challenge during installation but that has withstood repeated earthquake tests. Pretty impressive huh?
They have these guards outside the palace and they are like the ones in England and they can't move. They had just had a changing of the guard and the guy walking around was fixing this soldiers uniform. Making sure his feet were in the correct spot. It is pretty amazing that they have to stand still for 2 hours straight.
We never made it inside as the tours were closed because there were too many people inside. So we decided to go grab something to eat and went down to the Bopherous again...there was shopping down by were we ate. Very cute...
No he is not dead. You know I like to take pictures of the locals...he was just resting. It was very hot. This is just something you do not see in the states is all the stray animals roaming the streets. They are very friendly...but it's just kinda sad....
Another local with some local art. I thought these were pretty cool. I think the cats of Istanbul have it so much better than the dogs....
I thought this picture of the little boy was too good not to take. He was trying to feed the pigeons and then catch them. He got close a couple of times but no luck.
I will leave you with another local...checking out his possible lunch. 
Next we headed to a boat tour of the Bopherous but that will have to wait for another day. I am tired.... I know I need to catch up on my blogging as I still have the rest of this day and then Sunday...and tomorrow is friday already and I know I will be doing something this weekend.... I said the other day that I was going to break out of this joint....well I did...right into the emergency room. I ended up getting sicker. Lets just say that I was dehydrated. So my sister and her hubby took me to the ER. Below is the entrance. 
Let me just say that I was pleasently suprised at how nice the hospital was. It was better service and care than alot of American hospitals. I walked in and they put me in a bed right away. They found an english speaking Doctor. She was very very nice. So they took blood and did some other tests....and I have some kind of stomach thing....I will spare you the details...LOL They put an IV in me and gave me anti nauesa medication and then fluids. Cengiz, my brother in law took pictures me while I was in the bed having the IV put in. If he sends them to me I might put one up here but it might be R rated as I was flipping him off when he was doing it. LOL He said I could post them to my blog.
Nice bracelet huh? I didn't figure I would get one of those here. Just a memento of my trip. I felt better when I left the hospital. I was suprised that my trip was not that expensive. In the states it would have cost and arm and a leg. I left with 3 perscriptions and a special diet... For the last 3 days I have been sick...flu or something...so no pictures...unless you want to see me in my pj's....what a scary site that would be. I have not left the apartment once in that 3 days. Tomorrow I do not care if I am not feeling well...I am breaking out of this joint! LOL I must or I will go insane. This weekend was rough on me emotionally. Got into an arguement with my boyfriend...through email....which really just sucks as a way of communicating for long distance. You can't hear tone or see body language...it's just plain old hard. But we ended up IM'ing each other and talking it out once again. This long distance thing is very much wearing on my nerves....I love him so....I just want to be with him....but I commited to this trip. I just am finding it harder emotionally than I thought it would be. I got to IM Jennifer today. She always makes me laugh and I feel so much better after talking to her...It is a joy to be her friend! I am hoping that this coming weekend I can do some sightseeing in Istanbul. I will make Goktan or someone take me! I need to explore!
Last night we went out with a few girls from the office. We went to dinner and a movie. Here is the restaurant we went to...Cafe de Paris. Not a great picture but the best I could do after we left as it was dark. 
From left to right It is Basak, my sister Sandy, Asli (I don't have the Turkish I one my keyboard so it sounds like Asla) and me. 
The we walked to the movie theater and saw The Proposal. That is my new favorite Sandra Bullock movie. She is so funny. It was a very very good movie. I will buy it what it comes out. Then we went to a little English pub for a drink and then headed home. It was a good evening. I need socialization! LOL
So yesterday, Goktan must have taken pity on me because the day before I was on the verge of crying all day. I had no sleep the night before...I was homesick and missing my kids, my boyfriend, my dog, my car....my life. He called me and asked if I had dinner plans and I said no and he said good....you are coming with me. He took me to meet some of his friends. Here he is with one of them, Pinar. Aren't they cute together...he had to bend down to take the picture because he is tall and she is short.
Anyways....they took me to Bhagdad street. It is were all the upscale shopping and restaurants on the Asian side of the Bospherous. It was very nice.
This picture I took for Jen! It's one of the first words she wanted me to learn. Indirim is Turkish for discount. LOL...yes Jen...I learned it, I know it and I will use it! LOL
Of course I always take pictures of the locals.
I am liking the city streets here. They are crazy to drive on but nice to walk.
They took me to a park by the Bopherous and let me take pictures. It was very sweet of them to wait while I took so many! Like this kissing couple! LOL I couldn't resist. I have to show that Istanbul is just like everywhere else....
With all kinds of people. My brother in law says it's like NYC and I totally agree with him.
Goktan told me history behind some of the places. It is so amazing how old some of these buildings are.
I just love the water....So pretty 
Then we went to a bar where another friend joined us and we all sat and chatted and laughed the evening away. I had to take the picture of this poster in the bar. I thought it was pretty funny to be sitting in a bar in Istanbul and see a poster about the world monopoly championship in Las Vegas....
I am glad I went instead of going home and burying my head in the pillows. I needed that. The language barrier gets to me sometimes. So....A week and a half into my experience....and I have already broken down and cried! LOL...be quite Jennifer...I know I am a crybaby!I went to bed early on Friday and woke up Saturday and it was another beautiful day out. Goktan and Basak picked me up but while I was waiting for them, I took this picture of the yard beside my sisters apartment. It is so pretty and peaceful...
Then we drove to the kennels. Here is Goktan....He is such a character. Crazy guy. He must be to like being attacked by dogs! I don't care if he does have a bite suit on!
I was shown around the kennels again. It really is a nice place. They have fruit trees in the backyard. I have no idea what kind of tree this was but I loved the bright orangy red of these flowers.
Then we went to see the puppies. They have them in all ages. They were just so cute!
Below were my favorites. They were the sweetest little things. Not so sweet when they grow up...but for now....
And here is Goktan training one of the dogs. It was very interesting to watch. 
I saw so many dogs I don't know how they keep track of who is who.....I stayed at the kennel till around 4:30 and then Goktan took me home. We had our dictionaries with us again! LOL Something I realized when talking with him during the day was how much slang we use in the States. Sometimes my choice of phrases didn't translate well so I had to figure out another word that would get my point across. It is something that we take for granted over there that people know what we are talking about. Saying something like "he flipped his lid". LOL Try explaining that one... Every day I am learning more and more Turkish. Just listening to the people and watching the commercials on TV help. We went grocery shopping yesterday too and even though I couldn't read the words...I pretty much knew what everything was because the packaging is very similar to that in the states. It was funny to go into the international isle and see the American food! LOL I can get Campbell's Chicken Noodle Soup but it's gonna cost me 5 bucks a can! Today, since I didn't have to be at the office as early as my sister, I decided that I would stay home catch a few Zzzzzzzz's and then walk to work. It was a beautiful day. Not to hot not to cold...just right....with a slight breeze. I figured I would take a few pics to show you my journey. Here is a picture of where I now live for the next few months as I was walking away from the building....
There are a ton of little stores below all the apartment buildings. I would say it is very much like New York City, except they sell way more fresh fruits and vegatables. I had some peaches last night that were so awesome! I swear I could become a vegetarian here.
This was my view walking forward to work. It's only about a mile to walk to work. Not too bad. Get a little exercise. just gotta watch out when you cross the street. Turks don't like to stop and wait for anything! They hate lines! Any kind of line, traffic, in the store....they will just cut in front of you. New York City traffic will be a breeze after being here. It is just so opposite of how it is when you meet them. They are just soooooooo nice! Friendly....makes no sense...but Cest La Vie....
I guess there is a Katy Perry concert coming....LOL I just liked the look of the wall...
Cute little traffic sign. Have no idea what it says except no parking...LOL I think we should have little heart traffic cones in the USA. LOL 
Ahhhhhh.....my final destination....where I go to work with my sister......
Today was a good day. No mall food court today. After work I walked home too. I was not in the mood to go anywhere.....so my sister and her hubby are still at work slaving away. I am going to bed as soon as I finish this post as they have wore me out for the week! TGIF!!! Well...not really cause tomorrow I head to the Kennels to check out that.....Another day in Istanbul. Hmmm...I was at work all day. We went to the mall food court again for lunch. I again went the safe route and today I ate Burger King...LOL Whopper Jr...it tastes the same as in the states. No difference. Maybe next week I will try one of the Turkish places. LOL
After work, Goktan asked my sister if he could take me to dinner to discuss K9 Business. She told him to have me home no later than 10pm. LOL and she asked where he was taking me...LOL I felt like she was my mother. So off we went. It felt weird to be out and about in Istanbul without my security blanket (my sister). So we went to a Turkish restaurant and he picked out food and I just ate what was in front of me. It was awesome! LOL I have no idea what it was but it was good. I think one thing was like a stuffed eggplant. Have no idea. I will make Goktan tell my sister tomorrow what we had and she can then tell me...LOL After dinner he drove down by the Bospherous to what we in the states would call a hooka lounge. This is where we did most of our talking. It was a sight. Me with my 3 inch English to Turkish dictionary and him with his 3 inch Turkish to English dictionary. LOL I can only imagine what people were thinking. He speaks pretty good english but some words we get stuck on. Here is the view from the lounge.
The weather was perfect. It was a good evening. After we were done talking he drove me back to where my sister was eating....my favorite place...LOL and I sat with them where I got to eat my favorite fruit! Kavun. That is Turkish for Cantalope type melon. So again....I didn't get home till 11pm. Today at lunch we went to the mall for lunch. As I was standing looking around the food court, Basak giggled at me. She said I looked totally lost. And I was....I was thinking to myself that I needed to learn Turkish fast!!! That I was totally dependent of those around me to communicate with anybody but them. It is not a good feeling for me. I have issues with feeling dependent...ask my boyfriend!! Ask my ex! That is probably the single biggest cause of our marriage breakdown is that he needed to be needed and I am totally against needing anyone. LOL I obviously have issues. So my plan of attack tomorrow is to sit down with my lessons and hit it hard all day and see what sinks in. I have about 50 or so words that I know now. But it is not enough for me. Before when I was here it was no big deal as it was only for a week at a time...but now I will be here for months....I need to take care of myself.
So anyways, here is the view from my bedroom window. It is the city life. Last night a street cleaner woke me up out of my very good sleep. It is nice to sleep with the windows open. We are high enough not to have to worry. I just didn't like it last night!!! LOL
Going to dinner now....it's almost 9pm. I am sure that we will be out late again....Ah such is the life at my little sisters! Crazy!
