We aren't sure how it's all going to play out but Marty, Chris and Julie have two huge suitcases full of clothing and school supplies.  It seems that since we booked our flights on two tickets (one from SF to Istanbul and the other from Istanbul to Chisinau) there is some concern we won't be able to check the luggage all the way through.  The 2nd flight is more restrictive on weight and bags so we HOPE we won't have to pay any more to get the bags there!  They also said we might need to collect the bags in Istanbul and recheck them... what a headache when we already have a tight connection.  Keep your fingers crossed for us!