Hildebrands in Sandyland

There and Back Again

2012-01-31T21:05:00.000-08:00

I started out this morning with the comment..Is it really February 1??? I can't believe it.( And then I realized that I sounded like my mom. OH boy. ) I haven't felt much like writing lately. Sallie is in the middle of exams. Ryan finished up his term at SHMS in Caux with finals and projects. He is in the middle of an intense search for an internship to complete his SHMS diploma. Before he returns to Texas he is visiting a friend's family in Prague. (This is also on our top ten places we'd like to visit. Don't know if it will happen but we hope so.) Then, only a few days after Russell solved some visa problems and returned to his office, he showed up back at our door. It was interesting when Russell came thru the door with one large suitcase and his "grab" back full of his essentials in case he had to leave quickly with only one bag. Not something any mom wants to hear when their son arrives unexpectedly at her door. Mike and I helped arrange places to stay for Russell and some coworkers and that has pretty much been our schedule for the last week. So Robert is sharing his room again. Mattress on the floor. Suitcase and back pack in the corner. He is a good sport and always likes it when either of his brothers are around.
Russell is playing the host for lunch time everyday. Making sure his friends eat at all of his and Ryan's favorite places. Mike and I try to join them when we can. A couple of nights ago one of the families who are helping house some of the guys served up great hamburgers for everyone. Another night we had them all over for Texas Chili. Although they are here unexpectedly we are enjoying getting to know everyone and thankful we can be here to help out.
Huh. So that is January. Wonder what February will be like.....

Happy 2012

2012-01-06T23:11:00.000-08:00

A walk in the park.

Our Christmas holidays were filled with friends, family and lots of food. :) Ryan reconnected with many of his high school friends but also had plenty of time with all of us. He and Russell took an entire day to explore the Wadis in Oman with a tour guide and in the process saw most of the UAE. The boys said that most of the time was spent driving thru the emirates..with stops here and there to get out and see things. Ryan has those pictures so they won't be on the blog. They had fun together. Another fun event was the New Year's Eve concert the kids all went to...Coldplay. Crowded and crazy but fun. In between the big times were meals together, walks in the park, and hanging in the house. Sallie had her Christmas conference with the Youth for Christ Arabian Gulf. Desert Challenge is held in Dubai every year. This year she was on the worship team helping with the media. She ran the projector for the speakers and for the songs. She learned a lot..not just about running the stuff..but about working with people and changing things at the last minute. It tested her endurance..hanging in there with all the cues and never turning her brain off. :) As she jokingly says, "Kind of funny cuz the theme of the conference this year was ENDURE..." We didn't see a lot of Sallie as she was in and out with her friends. Her big brothers laughed as they were reminded of themselves at 16/17. Robert loved having his brothers home. It's pretty stinky when they leave though, although he does get his bedroom back. That's on the plus side. The maid/storage/junk room gets a bit cramped. But he's a good sport.

The boys have left now. House is empty of Christmas decorations. The New Year has begun. Thankful for 2011 and looking forward to God's plans for 2012. Thankful for His continued faithfulness in our lives and the blessings of our wonderful family and friends.

Coldplay bound

One of our favorite places to relax.

Lunch after church on Friday

Tree Sightings

2012-01-06T22:37:00.000-08:00

Tree at the Sheraton Hotel

Look at all the Christmas trees in Abu Dhabi. Seriously, they are everywhere! Way more than when we moved here 5 Christmases ago. Christmas is tomorrow and we have enjoyed the month leading up to it.

There was the International Carol Sing at church, the Kid's Choir at the Millenium Hotel, and new this year: a ladies Christmas Cookie Exchange at Pattie's house as well as a citywide Christmas celebration with several churches in Abu Dhabi.
6 churches from Abu Dhabi came together at the National Theater. St. Andrew's Church, the Arabic Evangelical Church, St. Georges Indian Orthodox Church, Mar Thoma Church and our church the Evangelical Church. Each church prepared something for the celebration..songs, drama, dance. The guest of honor was HH Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, the minister of Education in the UAW. He spoke about tolerance and diversity. It was the first time ever for something like this in AD and I loved having our family be a part of it.

Nadia, Drew, Sallie, David and Robert

Small group Christmas party at the Pages

Cantina Laredo's Tree

The Spirit of the Union..40 years Old!!

2011-12-22T21:10:00.000-08:00

Mike attacked by Robert, Sallie and friends with cans of silly string.Don't worry, he got even.

Denise and Steve from the UK. This was their first National Day here.

On December 2nd we had our annual chili party to celebrate 40 years since the UAE's creation. Nearby neighbors came over for chili, cornbread, brownies and cookies. I say nearby neighbors as no one really wants to drive on National Day. Roads are packed with crazy cars and celebrating families! It can take hours to drive what would normally take 15-20 minutes. After our dinner we walked to the Corniche to take in the festivities. People from all over the world joined in the birthday celebration. I look forward to this holiday every year.... Good times!!!

Thanksgivng Again

2011-12-11T00:06:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving Table 2011

Ligia and Mary

Once again the Kenneys hosted Thanksgiving at their villa. This is our traditon now. Sadly, it was their last one in Abu Dhabi. After working here for 6 years, making many friends, and being a blessing to all of us, they are moving to Oman. As I have mentioned before, the good byes over here are very hard. On the bright side, we love Oman and expect to visit them often after they are settled. We also expect that Jeff and Mary will pop in over here periodically, as well. :) I'm not sure how we will do Thanksgiving without them....maybe our gang will have to rent a bus and head to Oman next year. We shall see.

Setting up for the Celebration

2011-12-10T23:48:00.000-08:00

Getting ready for the big day!

Inside all the malls are decorated.

And outside too! The Royal Family.

All over the city preparations are underway for the big day! The UAE's 40th birthday. For those of us who celebrate Christmas, it is double fun. Lights going up. Malls decorated. And everything in green, red, white, and black. :) This is our 5th National Day here, but this one is over the top. Jets have been flying over with streams of flag colors winding out behind them. Buildings covered in banners and flags. Little girls wearing patriotic dresses. And the cars.... Rumor has it that one lady spent 150,000 dirhams to decorate her car. That's over 40,000 dollars. On Friday night these crazy cars will be parading through town, honking horns, racing engines and generally making lots of noise. Tomorrow is a national holiday but the real day is Dec. 2. Sallie's school will have parties all day long today. No uniforms today. But the kids are required to wear the right colors....You got it. Green, Red, White and Black. More pictures to come.

Sorry about the slow entry on this one. I have had "technical difficulties" with my pictures.

Many Things, Many Thanks

2011-11-14T23:30:00.000-08:00

Phil, Russell and Jordan: off to tour the Grand Mosque.

Russell wanted some Texas Roadhouse when we were at Dubai Mall.

Jeff and Mary joined us in Montreux for a couple of days.

We can go for weeks without much happening over here. Just the daily life things...school, work, church, life. Then there are months like this last one. From my last blog entry until today: busy, busy, busy. :) Hence the obvious lack of blogging.
Why were these last weeks so busy?
- Starting after my return from Kabul, we had the Abu Dhabi Film Festival. One of my favorite events held over here. Lots of movies from all over the world, at reduced rates and at times that go all day and into the night. (My other favorite event is WOMAD that comes in the spring...come visit us then. It is so fun. Music on the beach. ).
-Tom and Bonnie Wright arrived on Oct. 27 for a week. Tom actually went to Kabul to hang with Russell for a few days and then was back here. Coffee, a little sightseeing, laughing, sharing, catching up... We love having them here. On Nov. 20th they come back thru for a day. They are on their way back to Dallas from India. I am glad we get to see them one more time.
-At the same time, Russell and Tom show up from Kabul and two of Russell's good buddies as well. Jordan Hawley and Phil Santoro came for 5 days to see our life here and be with Russell. Originally they had planned to see Russell in Kabul but this worked better for them, and we
got the added blessing of being with them, too. :) Russell is blessed with many good friends.
-Then on Friday Nov. 4 we headed out at CSD (crack of stinking dawn) for Geneva to see Ryan. We left Phil and Jordan to fend for themselves and off we went. 8 days in Switzerland. 8 days of cool weather, fall colors, mountain and lake views, family time with all 6 of us, great food, and fresh air. Wonderful.

Realizing that I cannot blog on everything covered in this month, I will simply add pictures. But before I do, a couple of things... It was one year ago that Mike was hired at this job that he is on now. I thank God for His provision these last 12 months. Ryan being able to have this year in Switzerland, and us being able to visit him. Sallie being able to attend AISA, and serve in Thailand this summer. Every time we get to be with Russell because we live this close to him, and for us being able to see his life in Kabul as well. Robert and the great friends he has made over here, and all he has learned over the last year.(still praying for good friends this year...) This year we have spent time with many friends in the US and over here. We have had time to deepen friendships over here and see God work. There are no guarantees on the future. Where we will be, or what is next, but we are thankful for this past 12 months, especially when we thought our time was done here.
Seeing how it is almost Thanksgiving, I guess it is a good time to remember all these things. I really miss Thanksgiving over there...Hope you all have a great one.

Ryan's school in Caux, Switzerland.

Our four, fantastic kids

My Boys.

3 Days in Kabul

2011-10-13T06:20:00.000-07:00

It was just a week ago that Russell took me to these beautiful gardens in Kabul. A group of us were there. We had a picnic and talked about life in Afghanistan. Except for Pattie, Linda, and me, everyone was under 30. Way under. Russell, wanting to show Pattie and me as much of his life as possible(in 3 short days) planned the picnic, bought the food, got the drivers, and invited his friends. I ate up every minute of our time together. His obvious love for the Afghan people, and his desire to see healing and peace in their country, gripped me for my whole visit.

Linda, having just moved into her new flat 4 days earlier, hosted Pattie and me for our visit. She also hosted Russell, who slept on the floor next to my bed for the entire visit. It was great as it allowed for extra time together to talk and just hang out. Linda faces challenges settling into her new place. No water pressure.. A leak on the street in front of her house which keeps the dirt road nice and muddy. But it is spacious and new, with lots of sunlight and a great view of the surrounding mountains and the city. Ok, the four flights of stairs was a challenge at 6000 feet but great exercise!!!

Two of Russell's friends were married on Friday. We loved meeting many of his friends there. Pattie and I nearly froze as the temperature was dropping and it was an outside wedding. However, the colors of all the beautiful Punjabis and long dresses were wonderful. Blessings to Dan and Oksana.

Russell's front yard. I loved the roses!!

Some coworkers at SRS. What a wonderful group of people.

My time in Kabul, though short, was wonderful. I loved being a part of Russell's life. I loved seeing his day to day challenges and meeting his friends. I'm glad Pattie went with me so we can laugh together about our adventures. I don't know if I will get another chance to visit but I hope so. For now I am counting the days until Russell comes to see us ...just 3 weeks.

Rise and Shine

2011-09-25T21:33:00.000-07:00

First day of school. Only day to have cool lunch box. Forgot it at school and it disappeared. :)

Sallie is in her 4th week of classes at AISA. All of her teachers except for French and Chemistry are American. Her French teacher is from France...and her Chemistry is Turkish. So far she is doing well and we are happy with our decision to go there.
High point for Sallie? She loves the Drama Club! She finds out today what part she will have in the school play. A promise to text me as soon as she hears was made this morning. Although grades 6 thru 12 are separated boys and girls, the Drama club is coed. She said the kids in the club are lots of fun. It's also been fun to be in school with Nadia. They have been friends since we moved here. Certainly helps the transition when you already know people. :)
High point for me? It took one week of driving every possible route before I settled on the best way to the school. Even though we leave by 7 am. to get there by 7:45, the traffic is already slowing down so it took some planning to pick the best way. Up 2nd. Left on 11. Right on 8th. Right on 29th. U turn on 2nd. And we are there. 26 min. Love it. Another high point? Replaced lost, cool lunch box with 2 dollar lunch box from Daiso the Japanese "Dollar Genearal" store. And it is working out just fine. :)

Week four of school. Giving good friends Nadia and David a ride home.

Ramadan is Over

2011-09-02T22:46:00.000-07:00

So the day before Ramadan ended I took Sallie and Robert and Jessica (she was staying with us while her mom and dad went to Oman) to the NEW mall in Abu Dhabi. Mushrif Mall. Not that we needed a new mall here but this one has a WENDYS in it. There is a also a great candy/sweet shop. Here is Robert sneaking a bite of cookie from the store since it was still Ramadan..

Happy to have a Wendy's in town...and Happy that Ramadan is done!

And Russell came through Dubai on his way back from Cyprus to Kabul. We stole a couple of hours with him during his layover. It is always a relief when Ramadan ends over here. It's like we all catch our breath again. Sallie starts school on Sunday. Ryan is about to start his year in Switzerland and soon the hot weather will break. And now we can eat and drink in public all day long. :)

Done, Done, Done

2011-08-24T02:36:00.000-07:00

Chicago-done. Kansas-done. Maryland, Virginia-done. Dallas-done.

Joel, Robert, and Sallie at the aquarium in Chicago.

Abby and Bella let us stay in their home for the last two weeks of our visit..OH. and Darren and Pat did, too.

It is getting harder and harder to fit the whole Kansas Clan into one picture. We were only missing two of the gang.Matt and Laurie.

Sallie and Lolo had a whole week together. That was fun!

Grandma, Josh and Ryan catching up in Kansas.

In my previous post I mentioned about all the Hellos we were looking forward to. They were wonderful. In Chicago we got to say hello to Gary, Candice and Joel..and to American soil. After two years the anticipation was fun as we waited for the wheels to touch down. Although the time was short there, we had a ball. All of us fell in love with Chicago and want to go back!!
In Dallas, my good friends, Marganne and Pat took me directly to a ranch for two days. Our hellos were filled with laughter, tears, stories and lots of hugs. I think we will make this a habit if we can. There is a lot of life to catch up on, even with skype, email, facebook and everything else. :) And on my return to Dallas there were great hellos after great hellos. It is fun returning to the place we lived for 20 plus years, people who know us and knew us when.....
And then our trip to Kansas. Our nieces and nephews, all growing up or grown up, even. Brothers, sisters, FAMILY. What a blessing. Ryan wrote a poem on facebook about Stafford. I think my kids appreciate roots more than before. As a kid I never had them so I love going to Kansas and just being there. My kids are learning about that. Mom Hildebrand looked great and as usual opened her doors wide and let us pour out all over the house. We love our family!!
Several friends flew in from other places to see us. My friend, Anita, came in from Missouri, and the Hones all came in from Phoenix. I've known Anita since I was 15. She has some stories to tell on me, but she behaved herself. :) Laurel Hone is one of Sallie's oldest and dearest friends. So it was great for the girls to be together. Robert enjoyed his buddies as well, and all his favorite foods.
In Maryland we reunited with some of our oldest friends. Greg was Mike's roommate when he worked at OU. He and Mary Kaye got married two weeks before us and we have been friends forever! In Virginia we attended a wedding of the daughter of our dear friends from Abu Dhabi, and then also had lunch with the Pritz's who lived in AD for two years and are so much fun! It was a summer of wonderful celebrations and reunions.
Driving the roads from here to there and back again, I found myself smiling at all the memories. Stores, restaurants, even intersections sometimes would jog a memory to the front. Old friends who were amazed at the kids and the changes. Ryan, unfolding himself from a chair, to hug our old neighbors, Sallie and Robert answering questions about life in Abu Dhabi, worshiping at our old church and remembering many wonderful times but then recognizing that our church home now is halfway across the world: all of these things were part of a summer we won't forget.

Now we are back in Abu Dhabi. School started for Robert. Ramadan is nearly done...one more week. And life is moving on. It's good to be home. And it was good to be home in Texas, too.

And It's Goodbye Again

2011-06-19T21:35:00.000-07:00

Rebecca-leaving, Sarah-leaving, Emily, Jessica and Mackenzie-missing them already.

June is normally a time of great fun and summer plans.So why am I so sad these days? It's like I am walking around in a fog. Maybe it is the heat, unrelenting, night and day, living in sauna. Yes, it could be that. But it is more than that. It is all the good byes that happen this time of year. I try to focus on how in August more people will be here..new friends, new fun. But no, it isn't helping. We have 8 families leaving from our homeschool community. And several more leaving from the church. My poor friend's daughter (they have been here 7 years) has cried herself to sleep for two weeks now with all the goodbyes she has had to say. One week we had 3 good bye parties. Ugh.

Judy, smiling in the front in the picture on the left, packed up after 5 years here and like 16 in the Middle East. We will also say goodbye to two of Robert's best friends and their families. One to Canada the other to the US. And the Harmons, the Bazzis, the Reillys, the Bakers(who left in April) , the Millers, the Hendrickse(back to South Aftica after years and years here) and Ian and Chris who have served in our church for 12 years. It's been one good bye after another. I know we will recover but the process is not fun.

Daniel-leaving, John-leaving, Jerusha, Sallie-missing them already, Sarah-leaving

My kids are grabbing what time they have with each departing friend. Having done this good bye thing so much growing up, I feel for them. Trying to create fun memories for them and help them to process the good and the hard. Very glad there is facebook now. And skype. It really helps. :)

Another goodbye is to Sallie, Jerusha, Ethan and Jared. This is a fun one though. On Wednesday they head to Thailand to work in an orphanage for 10 days. They are going with Arabian Gulf Youth for Christ. They will be with more students from Al Ain and 4 staff, including our leaders from here. Sallie is excited to experience a trip like this as she has heard about her brothers' many adventures!

Good-bye. Talk to you soon. Here's to the hellos that follow the hard goodbyes...
Mattie

Turning 50-It's My Party!!

2011-06-07T04:41:00.000-07:00

Bill, Pat, Mike and Me!

For days I looked forward to my party. Mike and Pattie, and several others, were plotting and planning. I didn't want a surprise. I wanted to look forward to time with friends and laughter. I was not disappointed. The party, held at an Asian restaurant in Abu Dhabi, was a blast. We had good food, lots of friends, an cake with chocolate and strawberries, and lots and lots of talking and laughing. The hardest part was limiting the guest list. We are so blessed in Abu Dhabi with many wonderful friends.(I was never good with that with my kids' parties either. :))

Wes, Chandra, Rita and Ray

Mylinda, Jaye, Todd and Kara

I suppose the pinnacle of the evening came when Krista blindsided me with the command to ride a stick horse around the restaurant. Not very dignified for a newly turned 50 year old. ( Just a few days earlier, Mike was telling Pattie how I made him do that on his THIRTIETH birthday..yes, 22 years ago...and he just can't get passed it. And I didn't do it, the restaurant did. Ok there were probably 200 complete strangers there, but still...It's been 22 years!! )(and Pattie did not actually tell Mike she was doing this, so technically he is off the hook.)

Gilbert, Anwar, Julene, Bill and Marty

Rocky, Pam, Tom, Judy and Dave

Wael, Ligia, Jeni and Steve

Jean, Joe, Mary Kenney and Mike Tush

It was a wonderful evening. One of my top 10 events in my life. The down side was missing the friends who could not be there. (This included Pattie and Barry who had an emergency trip to the US. She missed the pay off of all her hard work. ) Mmany times during the evening I thought of my great friends on the other side of the ocean, and my amazing family as well. I will say that I bet that stick horse shows up again in the near future...Just sayin.

Good news/Bad news

2011-05-25T06:05:00.000-07:00

May is flying by!!! Russell buzzed through on his way to Austin for his second time as best man. He and Ryan are grabbing every minute they can while he is there. He will return through Abu Dhabi on May 29 and stay a couple of days. We like living here for many reasons, not the least is the chance to see Russell as often as we do!!

May also is Sallie's last month of school. She is working hard to wrap it up. We are looking into enrolling her in one of the schools here for next year. They have the paperwork. We are just waiting to hear. Apparently people are still moving here in large numbers. There are waiting lists at many of the schools.

Although people are apparently moving here, we are also saying goodbye to a bunch. In our homeschooling group alone 5 families are leaving. Included in this group are two of Robert's best buddies. It was a tough day when we learned they were leaving. Not to mention their moms are very good friends of mine. Yuck. In fact, we are friends with all of these families and this is not fun.

We have been watching the weather news on TV. It is heartbreaking to see all the devastation. Missouri, Oklahoma, and all over the Mississippi River Valley... so hard to see all of this. Lots to pray for. All over the place.

On Saturday, Mike and I celebrate 28 years together. Now that is some good news! Cannot believe it. And then on June 1 I turn 50. Hmmm.....well, ok, not great news but still...Mike and my friend Pattie have planned a fun party for me. That will make it better. Will post pictures.

Have a great Memorial Day. We tend to forget about those holidays over here. Until everyone goes on and on about not being at work. :)

Malls and Milk Shakes

2011-05-12T04:46:00.000-07:00

Eventhough we have lived here nearly 4 years now, we still find things to laugh about. Or things that seem surreal to us. :) Like yesterday, when I parked on the street, in front of the dumpsters and beside a toilet someone was throwing away. And my thoughts?? Woo hoo. A+ parking place. And the other day, driving to the mall, we were all wondering why I didn't get a ticket while parked on the street and other people did. Robert said maybe it was because I have a parking permit, and Sallie said that made sense. Then we all looked at each other and said..If it makes sense we are probably wrong. Wow. How sad is that?? We are still laughing about that one.

Robert had a busy birthday on the 5th-My cinco de Mayo boy. He spent the morning with his buddies at the Dubai Mall in a place called Kidzania. The evening was a Youth group pool party where they sang Happy Birthday, ate Krispy Kreme Donuts and threw Robert in the pool. So our youngest is 13.

A couple of days ago, Robert made an announcement in the car. At first I stared at him blankly. What? What are you talking about? "Hey Mom..They just put a Shake Shack in Mall of the Emirates. " For several seconds I was thinking Sheikh Shack. What in the heck is a Sheikh doing with a shack in the mall or anywhere? Just so you know..that was what Mike and Sallie pictured first as well. (Yep. 4 years.) I am looking forward to trying it out though. :) Hope the shakes are good.

A Multi-Cultural Mix

2011-05-03T05:01:00.000-07:00

It is Tuesday morning here. I am having the hardest time with this blog. The last two weeks were great. Russell's visit, Easter, the Royal Wedding(fun because I got to watch it with some British friends), a Japanese fund raiser for the Tsunami victims sponsored by the Japanese school here, and even alittle bit of Sweden at the new largest Ikea in the Middle East.
And then the news yesterday, which is why it is awkward writing this blog. We woke up to the breaking headlines...Osama bin Laden is dead. Wow. After all these years. I know how we process all of this, as Americans, is personal. For me, it brought back memories of that day. Watching the TV, buildings collapsing, people running, falling, crying. And nightmares. Even writing this I feel the tears behind my eyes..the lump in my throat. So much sadness. Pain. Grief. Fear. BUT I must be honest. I'm not jumping up and down over this man's death. Maybe it is where I live. Surrounded by the lost EVERYWHERE. There is just too much to do to sit and celebrate death. Too many dying. Too many without hope. Sure, I am relieved. And yes, justice has been served. I'm glad. BUT all the partying just feels weird to me. So that's just me. We all have a hundred reasons for our responses. And naturally, with Russell living in Kabul and us living here, well, it does make for some interesting days.

Sunrise Service

Russell sharing with friends about his job in Kabul. He did a great job. We are so proud of him.

Tea and Tiaras- watching the Royal wedding. My friend Pat, from Northern Ireland and London had a poster that said, Love is in the Heir.

Enjoying a snack at the swedish cafeteria in the new Ikea.

People wrote their wishes and prayers for tsunami victims and hung them on the bamboo tree . My friend said they raised about 20,000 dirhams for the Japanese Red Cross and Red Crescent. (about 5500 dollars) She was so happy. She is from Japan and said "We are way over here. We need to help anyway we can. "

April brings Visitors!

2011-04-18T23:38:00.000-07:00

At church last Friday we met Mike. Had been here about 10 days. We took him with us to the Mesopotamia exhibit. Mike is from Kansas City. Graduated from KState the same year as my Mike!!

This month we also met a young performer from west Africa. He was here for WOMAD. The World of Music Arts and Dance. He came and did a workshop with the kids. Here he demonstrates the Kousa. or African harp. We got to see him perform at the beach as well. The group is the African-Celt Sound System. Irish and Afirican music. AMAZING!!

Look closely. 3 tired young men. They spent the whole night watching Lord of the Rings. Finally at around 5 am they passed out.

Our friend Katie Pritz popped into Abu Dhabi on her way home to US from visiting her hubby Kevin in Djakarta. We had coffee on Pattie's porch and freinds popped in to see her.

So April has been a busy month so far. And Russell is coming on Friday. More pictures to come!

Surprise!! Sallie is 16!!

2011-04-12T04:38:00.000-07:00

Historically, I worked hard to give fun birthday parties for my kids. My friend Cindy and I talked about how we should start a birthday party business. We never did, but we did have fun with our own kids' birthdays. One year Russell had big Texas party..with an Alamo cake. Another year he had a lego party and my friend Rhonda made big lego blocks for the cake. Ryan had a superhero party and all the kids came as Batman, except his one friend, Josh. He came as Robin. Made for great pictures. :) Sallie had a bug party one year and we hid plastic bugs in the park. The kids were all given bug nets and had to hunt for them. For Robert's first birthday we did a smiley face theme. His cake was big and yellow and happy. :) He also had a Buzz Lightyear Party one year.

So we just finished Sallie's 16th birthday. In her own words.."Best Party Ever, Mom...well, except for maybe my Moosie party when I turned 11." (We played Dog Dog Moose, and our sweet dog Moose sat in the middle of the circle the whole time. We miss him. ) Anyway, this year Sallie's friends Nadia and Jerusha surprised her at the park. They invited her friends and she had a blast. Mike and I are having trouble with the fact that our little girl is 16, but other than that we are glad it was a good day for her. Next month Robert turns 13 (NO WAY) and no, I don't have any idea what we will do for his big day. :)

On a side note, summer is here. Ugh. This week we have been hitting 100s. So glad Sallie's day was nice. This evening after I dropped Robert off at church for some teacher training, it started to sprinkle. I rolled down my window just to feel the drops. The "rain" only managed to make my car filthier but there is hope for more. Hah.

Been missing Ryan and Russell lately. Russell is coming for Easter but we won't see Ryan until July. The hardest part of living over here......

Off to clean up the kitchen.
More later.

Jason, Josh, Sallie, Emma, Laurie, Emery, Meghan, Nancy and Kaityn-at Sallie's 5th birthday

Sri Lanka in the Spring

2011-03-26T01:16:00.000-07:00

As sort of a mini spring break, Mike and I went to Sri Lanka with our friends Barry and Pattie last week. It was a fantastic 4 days. We stayed at a boutique hotel with only 7 rooms. Decorated to the nth degree. Tranquil. Green. On the ocean. Coconut palms. Hammocks. Masseuse. Infinity pool. Mouthwatering meals. Yep. Four days of relaxation. Oh, and elephant rides, too. We really wanted to relax, which is what we did, but we also toured a little bit. Not too much but a little bit. Sri Lanka, formerly Ceylon, until the early 70s, is a beautiful island. Full of tea plantations, sunny beaches, and smiling faces, it was a fun, beautiful place to visit. We went to a turtle hatchery and to a castle/ plantation home built in 1903. Time flew by and we are really thinking about a return trip, this time with Sallie and Robert(who are very upset that they were left out... :) oh, and Russell and Ryan were a bit jealous, too....) Maybe we could go back someday with all the kids. Now that would be a great time. I miss being able to do things with all 6 of us.

If I ever questioned how fast things change, which I really haven't, but if I did..There's no question now. I kind of wish I hadn't posted my Bahrain blog until the next week. I was shocked to see the Saudi tanks roll into Manama on the news, not even 3 days after we got back from there. Also, since we made so many friends there, many of whom are unhappy with the current government, I was worried for them. We keep praying for them and for the people of Libya, and Syria, and Jordan, and Yemen and Japan. It is hard even to turn on the news.

We are feeling the temperatures heating up this week. You can see the fear in people's eyes. Oh no. Here it comes. A couple of days we hit the 100s already. We are planning to visit the US this summer. It has been two years so we are excited to see our family and friends..and get a break from the high summer temps. Always on the lookout for relief from the heat. :)

Bahrain

2011-03-12T20:33:00.000-08:00

The Pearl roundabaout, Manama, Bahrain

On Tuesday, last week, my friend Nadia and I flew to Manama, Bahrain to visit her brother and his family. This was my first time in Bahrain but I hope it was not my last. I loved meeting several Bahrainis and enjoyed Nadia's family. Great people who love the Lord and made me feel so welcome. We also got to visit the Bahrain Evangelical Church, the American Mission Hospital, and several times we drove around the Pearl roundabout where the protesters are camping out until changes are made in Bahrain.

I was surprised at how calm and quiet the city was. From the news it seems like everything is in turmoil there but the truth is..well, it's not. The Bahraini people are serious about the need for government change but they are not being violent at all. During the day the roundabout felt more like one unending picnic. Hani(Nadia's brother) said at night it swells up to 10,000 people, but during the day it was very quiet. We also saw several marches from day to day but again, it felt more like National Day in Abu Dhabi and not really negative at all. I had an opportunity to speak with a young man who goes to the roundabout every evening. I could hear the frustration in his voice as he explained how and why the government needs to do more and make changes. I don't know how things will change but I do know it is important to pray for Bahrain and for all the countries in the Middle East right now.

Nadia and I returned on Thursday night. It was just in time to make sure Robert was all packed up for another Boy Scout campout early Friday morning. He had a great time in the mountains on the border of Oman. His last campout of the year. Apparently they made a Monkey Bridge... :)

Wednesday, Mike and I are flying to Sri Lanka with Barry and Pattie for a 3 day RnR on the beach. Pictures will be coming soon.!

Educational Opportunities :)

2011-03-06T20:11:00.000-08:00

Honestly, since Russell left, I don't know where the time has gone! On the Friday after he left the youth group at church did the service. Ushering, Music, Dance, and Sermon. I knew Sallie was in it but she never really told me what her part was. Mike and I were both surprised when she and her two friends did an interpretive dance with music and sign language. They all looked graceful and it was very good. :)

Other than that, my friend Pattie's mom, Barbara, was here so we did several things with her. One day we had lunch at the Sorbonne...Abu Dhabi. 'This is quite unique. We had to have special permission to go on the campus. Pattie's husband, who was project manager, got us the permission and we had a nice time eating in France. :)

We also squeezed in a trip to another educational location just before Barbara left. We went out to Masdar Institute. A couple of years ago Abu Dhabi was in the news with this Green City, zero carbon footprint, and so on..that they were building. The project is pretty much dead in the water, but they did finish the institute. At one time the city would be totally connected by these magnetic cars. A very futuristic concept. No cars at all in the whole city. Ok, so they have one building. And the cool cars run you to a parking garage and back. Not exactly the vision but fun for a morning outing. We had dear friends who lived here before that worked on that project. It was fun to see it and retell his "funny" stories about trying to get it built. Our favorite was about the Mayor of the city, when he was looking at the plans..with no parking places for cars cuz there were no cars allowed in....Yes Yes , all very good. But where do I park my Hummer??? Well, sir, the PRT(magnetic cars) will take you from the garages outside the city to your home, office..whereever. Yes, I know this, but where do I park MY hummer?? I am the Mayor. Just not getting it, I'm thinking. But we did have an enjoyable morning.

Inside the PRT...magnetic car

At Masdar they have and Organic food store.

the PRT

the road for the PRTon the way to and from the parking garage

yesterday... we took a trip to EMEG. This place is fighting tooth and nail to save the oceans and water wildlife around the UAE. And obviously, as you can see from the above statement, it is one heck of a fight. They are doing great things though. They have fish hatcheries to breed Hammour(Grouper) which is an endangered fish from being a favorite fish dinner here. They plant Mangrove trees..also in trouble from all the construction along the shoreline, and educate people on what we can do to help. The kids love it every time we go. It is one of the prettiest places around here. (This trip made me homesick. Last time we went our family was here...made me think of Don, Laurie, and Josh.)

Yes, we've been busy. Trying to store up the wonderful cool weather before the heat hits. Last week we had a few days in the 90s. I almost hyperventilated thinking the cool weather was gone. Just couldn't catch my breath...:) but it cooled back down. So, I am good for a while longer.

Five Days

2011-02-18T22:57:00.000-08:00

Day 1: Monday: Russell's ETA 11:20 AM in Dubai. Russell's actual arrival 2:20pm. Huh. Not really a big deal except no one could actually tell me when his flight was coming in. Called the airline. Asked them about the delay. No madam. arrival 11:20 am. in Dubai. Umm..no...my son just told me he is delayed by 3 hours. No madam. Call the airport. They will know. I call. No madam. Arrives 11:20. I wait two hours thinking by then they will have updated the plane's status. Umm..nope. Still says 11:20 but according to Russell he is still in the Kabul airport. And so it went. When I finally called at 2pm they guy told me it would land at 1am. And then he told me it had landed at 11:20. Ok, so at this point I am wondering..DOES ANYONE KNOW where this plane is???? At 2:30 Russell texts me that he has landed. Ha ha ha. So he got a driver to Abu Dhabi and we walked in the door at 5pm. I was so frustrated by the end of that day. Glad the rest of the visit went better, though.

Anwar, Russell, Mike and Aziz discussing current events in Kabul

Day 2: Russell soaked up the warmth. While Sallie and Robert had piano lessons we walked in the park and caught up on life in Kabul and the news in Abu Dhabi. We even sat on the swings for a bit and laughed about he loved to swing as a baby and Mike would push him sooo high. We decided that even as a baby he loved that adrenalin rush..and pushing himself out there. :) That night we had a birthday party for him, celebrating 23 years!! We invited the families that were in Lebanon with us and it was a nice evening. It is actually easier to have people over now because they can park in the new Central Market Souk next door. So now they can park and come see us!

Day 3: Russell went to the park and and studied Dari. Robert quizzed him with his flash cards. That was fun to watch.Sallie and Russell walked to Starbucks and just hung out for awhile. Then we joined Mike for lunch at a Lebanese restaurant. (Love spoiling Russell while he is here..all his favorite foods and warm showers and clean laundry that doesn't smell smoky...:) ) Mike, Sallie and Russell see The King's Speech.

Father and Son ready to go kayaking!

Day 4: Mike and Russell kayaked thru the Mangrove areas around Abu Dhabi. They had fun and only flipped once. :) We had beautiful weather this week. So glad Thurs. was Mohammed's birthday, big holiday, so Mike and Russell had extra time to hang out. Went for Vietnamese food with the Gardebleds that night.

Day 5: Last Day.Friday. Church. Lunch at the Mall with friends. True Grit in the afternoon. Dinner at a Mexican restaurant. Home to pack and wait for the 1 am driver to pick Russell up for the airport. Robert tries every time to wait up with him. This time he fell asleep on the couch next to him.

One of the many blessings we have by living here is the opportunity to have these quick visits with Russell. This was a great week. He soaked up the sun and we soaked up time with our boy. We missed having Ryan here, but hopefully this summer we will ALL be together. This living on different continents stinks sometimes but maybe we do what we can to make it work.

Winter Weather ?

2011-02-02T10:38:00.000-08:00

While snowstorms are raging across the US we are battling sandstorms over here. Sidewalks covered in sand. Sand blowing across the roads. The skyline obscured by sand. No, we aren't having rolling blackouts but we are tired of the sand covering our cars. The kids are ticked that they are missing the snow days and the slipping down the sidewalks in Carrollton. Oh well. Maybe another time.

Just before the sandstorm blew in, Mike and I took a break in the Empty Quarter. A huge desert about two hours from here. Sallie had a youth retreat and Robert was at a Boy Scout camp out in the same desert. So with a free Friday night, Mike and I spent the night at a resort-Qasr al Sarab. It was beautiful. Breathtaking. Having lived here for 3 1/2 years means we have seen a lot of desert, but this went on forever and the silence blanketed us. (We are pretty excited about silence since the construction is still going on outside our windows.)

Sallie's weekend retreat was great. Robert's camping in the desert was a bit more rustic than our experience. Wind blew all night. It was cold. Sand. No pool. No huge round bath tub. No room service. No sleeping bag, He forgot it in the back of the car before they hiked in. (Bet he doesn't do that again. Ugh. )

Today I thought we were done with the sandstorm so I washed my car. I jumped the gun. Not two hours later it is all gray again..and spotted, too. I drove under some window washers. Sigh. . Maybe tomorrow the weather will clear, here and in Texas!.

A Visitor from Home

2011-01-25T20:43:00.000-08:00

Oh goody. More construction out our bedroom window.

All I can say is I'm glad Colleen did not stay another night. The day after my dear friend got on the plane back to Jordan, the construction barricades went up in front of our building and out came the bulldozer and the back hoe! That night, from 12 to 5 am the pounding and banging began. And today is Day 4. Since the building out my window was finished it has been so nice..but here we go again!!

Tea at Emirates's palace

Al Ain Palace Museum

Sallie, Sophia and Joey walking thru the Oasis in Al Ain

But Colleen's visit was fun! We went to tea at Emirate's Palace with three other friends. She saw the gold ATM machine(put in money, out comes gold) and walked thru the exhibition of all the museums coming to Abu Dhabi. Didn't get to the Grand Mosque but she took pictures as we drove by on our way to Al Ain. There she saw Sheikh Zayed's palace where he received visitors in the early years as ruler of Al Ain-from 1937-1966. We also went to the Oasis, walked thru all the palm trees and then had lunch at a park near by.

Fortunately, the rain held off.( That was frustrating. We get rain maybe twice a year and it comes when we have a guest! ugh.) Colleen also got to go to a birthday party with Sallie and me while she was here. My friend Huda, Egyptian but lived here all her life, has a daughter who turned 10. We had a party for her and Colleen joined us. It was so fun. Ingie is darling and she loved having all of us there to celebrate. When we came out it was raining but Mike picked us up. I managed to slip and nearly break my back FIRST, but he showed up before I could fall a second time. Granite sidewalks are not the best for walking on in the rain. Colleen's visit was fun. It's nice to have someone come from home and it's nice that she lives close. No jet lag. :) Our countries share some similar things..like crazy driving and circular reasoning but they have fun differences, too.
I'm pretty sure when we drove up to the airport in Amman last summer I didn't say, "Wow. Even the airport looks like a mall."
Hope she comes back soon. Or maybe we will take Sallie and Robert to Jordan. The rest of the family is anxious to see Petra, so maybe that will be next.

A New Year

2011-01-11T21:11:00.000-08:00

We just finished our fourth Christmas holidays in Abu Dhabi. Hard to believe it's been that long. Ryan stayed for nearly 3 weeks, but Russell only had a couple days with us. Still we made the best of it and thoroughly enjoyed our time together. I think in the years ahead there will be a couple of stories that are repeated around the family dinner table.

On Thurs. Jan. 6, Ryan checked Russell's flight info. "Oh Mom! Russell gets in tonight at 8". "ÖK, I thought it was Friday, but I will call your dad." ...Guess where this is going? Yep. Mike, Ryan and I drove to Dubai after work, only to discover that we arrived a day early to get our boy. Ryan's face was priceless as we stood under the TV screens and I asked him if he happened to notice on the info the words...NEXT DAY. Mike's face..not so priceless. So yes, we were anxious to see Russell. So anxious that we got there a day early. :) But in order to not make the drive a total loss we drove to the hotel by Burj al Arab(sailboat hotel), ordered coffee and enjoyed watching the Burj turn colors. On Friday, the Kenneys picked Russell up at the airport. They were in Dubai for the day. Whew. We were glad. By the way, we hadn't checked the airline either..so not only were we there on the wrong night, but we were in the wrong terminal. Next time Mike will make sure Russell sends the info to him directly. Oops.

On Sat. we went to a coffee place by the beach. We sat outside in the gorgeous weather and Ryan taught us a card game. He doesn't play a lot of cards but his local friends here taught him this game. It's an Arabic game which is a lot like Spades but the trump changes. After I dealt I looked at Ryan on my left waiting for him to bid. He said it was Russell's turn, who was sitting on my right. Apparently he learned to go counterclockwise. It really is an Arabic card game. But the best part is that after two hours of playing the score was 0 to 0. Two hours and we didn't get anywhere....

Robert had fun over the holidays riding bikes with his friend, Evan, and playing his new video games with his buddies. Sallie and her friends sang in the International Carol Sing, had a Christmas party, went to the Youth For Christ Christmas conference-Desert Challenge, and hung out.

Next week we have a friend coming to see us from Jordan. That will be fun. We will show her the sights.

Happy 2011.

Pix and Gifts

2010-12-15T04:25:00.000-08:00

Robert and Jared prepared for their evening debut as shepherds in the Christmas Walk presented by our church for the community. Costumes easy to come by over here....Just walk to the neighborhood store. Mike joined the Wise Men for this year's Walk. Obviously type casting. Looks very wise to me.

The toddler Jesus ready to receive the gifts from the Magi. Although only two and a half, after the first few groups walked thru he would receive his gifts with a great big thank you. He then bade them farewell with a hearty..Thank you for coming!!

Sallie and Robert and I waited for Russell to come thru Dubai last night. He was on his way to Texas. Here Sallie looks at the Dancing fountains, and Robert poses under Burj Khalifa.

We took presents to Russell and decorated the hotel room to surprise him.

Ready for Christmas. Sallie named the snowman..Robert Frost. Frosty is just too boring.

We were blessed to have a short visit with Russell last night. Mike couldn't go due to work commitments but the kids and I enjoyed our time with him.. In fact, he is now in the air heading to Newark from London, and then on to Dallas. In 5 days, Ryan will be here. I'm sure I will have more to write about Christmas. We'll see if I actually do it.
There is one last thing I want to incluede, though. My friend, Pattie, was in a taxi the other day. Her taxi driver was Pakistani. She asked him how he was doing. His answer..Ït is very hard here. I work hard all day to make the quota(her word not his). It is very hard. I want to go home but if I go home it is hard for 10. If I stay here it is hard for 1 but if I go home, it is easy for me and hard for 10. I stay so it is better for the 10. They go to school. It is good for them. When Pattie gave him a generous tip, she looked him in the eye and said, "This is for the 1..not the 10. Go and have a good meal." He left with what might have been watery eyes..and Pattie walked away reminded of what is really important this season.

It's December!

2010-12-10T19:36:00.000-08:00

Mike has been at his new job for a month now. Everyday I find myself thanking God for His provision. During my walks in the park every morning, I find myself smiling that we don't have to leave. At the park on Mondays with my homeschooling friends, I find myself just looking around the group so glad I won't be saying goodbye. Last night our small group from church had a spontaneous Christmas Party and I found myself full of thankfullness for their love and support through the recent craziness. ( I also find myself urgently praying for our other friends here who are going thru the same thing. )

On December 2nd, the UAE turned 39 years old. To celebrate(not just the holiday itself but also that we got to be HERE for it) I invited our friends in walking distance to come over for chili and cornbread. Has to be walking distance cuz no sane person drives on that day. It's like a 6 hour long parade with no rules all over the city. We had fun watching the crazy cars go by and the kids had fun coating everyone in canned snow and silly string.

One of our favorites, but by no means the fanciest.

Those of us who love Christmas are glad that the UAE decorates with their flags colors...and the lights stays up all December.

Having chili before heading out to the Corniche to watch the fun. Sallie's friend making the peace sign. :) Ligia from Mexico originally, and Pat from Northern Ireland gave my chili two thumbs up.

This morning, the rest of the family is still snoozing. The light is just coming thru the living room windows. The tree is up. I have candles in the windows...and beautiful Christmas music playing as I write. Russell will fly thru Dubai on Tues. and we will hug his neck for a few hours before he ventures to the US. Ryan arrives on Dec. 20th to be with us. Christmas is coming, for sure. Every year it sneaks up, but this year I find myself more thoughtful...really contemplating Christ's reason for coming. His birth, His sacrifice and His love. Maybe, after 36 years as a follower of Jesus Christ, I am finally understanding alittle bit better how much it cost Him to be born to die. For me. A sinner saved by His grace. Forever grateful.
The reason to celebrate.

Eid

2010-11-17T06:14:00.000-08:00

We are celebrating Mike's new job. What a relief this week to not have to be working on figuring out our next move. Mike worked for two hours on Thursday and then began a week of vacation. It is Eid al Adha. The Festival of Sacrifice where Muslims remember Abraham's test to sacrifice his son. We are also enjoying a visit from Russell. So glad to have him here. He planned to go to Tajikistan but decided at the last minute to come here instead. I think all my references to the wonderful weather convinced him. :)

Along the Abu Dhabi Road

2010-11-06T01:50:00.000-07:00

The view from Alice's new flat.

Early this morning I walked thru the park by our house and along the Corniche-or beach sidewalk(in Cuba we call it the Malecon, in New Jersey the Boardwalk.) The weather is finally cool enough to go a bit later in the mornings which is nice. I saw some men fishing. They looked Sri Lankan. I passed by other early walkers-Indian, Arab, Asian and more. I found myself smiling. Nice weather. The Arabian Gulf. Cool breezes. The whole world walking by. Sometimes I am amazed at what it means to live here.

Pictures of the last couple of months ran thru my mind. Images of new friends just being introduced to life over here...All the times they ask why this or why that and we just laugh. Teaching English to an Ethipian, a Filipina, an Indian and an Emirati. Learning more from them than they learn from me. Observing Sallie while she leans forward to tell the Bible story to the 3 year olds in Friday School at church. Their little faces...Indian, Vietnamese, American, South African all turned toward her expectantly. Mike and I laughing with friends while we ate dinner at a beach front restaurant. Friends standing by us as we face the future. Taking Mike to lunch. Paying for our dinners. Beating the bushes for us in search of some way to stay. Mike and I attending 3 films from the Abu Dhabi Film Festival is another image I reflect on. So fun to see these movies from places like Lebanon, Pakistan and Cuba.

We met some wonderful believers from the persecuted church in another country as well recently. Overwhelming really. It took my breath away to hear the stories of how God is working. What a privilege to be a part of that. We also said good bye to our friends in the building..Armenian/British. They got fed up with the parking and moved to this new building down by Emirates Palace. Let me just say..I'd live there too, if I could. But Alice and Wahe had us up to their place for a delicious meal..along with our Japanese and Serbian friends, before they moved. We will miss running into them in the lobby but we plan on bugging them often for coffee on the balcony with the Palace view. :)

Mike had a good interview last week. Hopefully we will know something soon about a job here. He also had an interview in Saudi but we have decided that is not best for our family. Better to return to Texas without a job then move to a questionable position in a much harder place.

Parking update: Just for fun......
I think I mentioned that AD has installed paid meters for parking. Our sector has them. But we have had so many complaints that there aren't enough spaces for our area that we are not getting tickets anymore. So let me see...illegal parking that was legal, became illegal, but now illegal parking is legal again but only in our neighborhood.Everywhere else it is still illegal. Meanwhile, we have an empty mall parking garage with over 1300 parking spaces which would solve all the problems but well...not an option. Please don't ask WHY.

Hope to have some good news soon.
Thank you again for all your prayers.

Mattie

The Most Foreign Country I Ever Lived In....

2010-10-08T06:20:00.000-07:00

It's been forever since I wrote two blogs back to back, but I didn't want to forget this one. :)
Every Friday we eat at the Al Wahda Mall after church. Most Fridays we are joined by about 30 other friends from church and today was no different. We all catch up, eat, laugh and generally, just hang out. Most Fridays the parents of teenagers stay until Youth Group gets out, then we head back to church to pick the kids up. Today, while visiting with some friends, the conversation turned to the introductions that we do at the end of church. I know I mentioned before how we have like 60 nationalities that worship in the services and every week new people come. The introduction is always, Name, and Country of Origin. Usually, although NOT ALWAYS the Americans don't say "Ï'm from the US" but will say "I'm from Georgia. Colorado. and yes..Texas." So anyway, my Canadian friend leans over to me at lunch and says something about "When did Texas become it's own country?" Ha ha..blah blah blah...:) But here is what got me laughing...From across the table my friend, Sharon, also from the US(New Jersey) says, "You know, Texas was the most foreign country I ever lived in...." Naturally, I laughed out loud as she went on to explain herself.

As soon as I opened my mouth they knew I wasn't from there.
The food was strange. One night we sat down to a huge pile of crawdads and I didn't know what they were or how to eat them..It was the only thing on the table.
There were GUNS in truck windows.
I was introduced as Sharon, she's a Yankee.
There were tumbleweeds and sandstorms.
And last but not least...They expected me to know Texas history. I didn't even know what the Alamo was!!!
Sharon and Brad have lived internationally for the last 18 years in Holland, England, Singapore and the UAE-

I'm still smiling.
bye, ya'll

It's Not Easy

2010-10-06T04:04:00.000-07:00

Obviously, it has been hard to write this month. Job hunting has pretty much consumed our thoughts and time. Still nothing to report in that arena, except that there is not a whole lot out there. Sigh.

Even so, this month we managed to have fun. Park Day resumed about 3 weeks ago. We have pushed that a bit as it is still very, very humid and still hitting the hundreds but we were all anxious to get back out there. This week my friend, Huda, from Egypt joined us. She brings her 3 precious kids and we all sit and talk. Many of the old faces are gone, and missed, but new faces have come. Such is the life in this very transient city. On Sunday nights Mike and I eat out while Robert is at Boy Scouts. Last week we went to the beach and ate at an Italian restaurant. That is always fun, especially when our friends Jeff and Mary join us. Tomorrow the Homeschool group is headed to Emirates Palace for another classical concert. I think the orchestra is from Holland this time. I told Mike to come, too. He has yet to experience the theater there. And we get to attend for free. Cool, huh? It's also been fun this month as I started teaching English to a lady I met at an Emirati wedding a couple of weeks ago(her English is great but she wants to improve her writing.) We talk and laugh and I enjoy our time so much.

Overall, yes, it has been a hard month. We really want a job and we really want to stay here. But we know that His plan is perfect. We will pursue any open doors and trust that those that are closed are for the best. I CAN tell you though, that we feel the prayers of all of our dear friends and family..on this side of world and on the other side, as well.

Will let you know what is next for the Hildebrands in Sandyland, once we know. :)

Keep those prayers going. Thanks!!

Time to Eat

2010-09-10T00:28:00.000-07:00

Window display for Ramadan

I did not know when I wrote the last sentence on my previous entry "Who knows what the next 3 years will look like?" that it would include Mike losing his job. Yes. It is true. Thursday morning on the way to work, Mike's boss called. This is your 30 day notice,etc. etc.( His boss has yet to speak to him in person, but don't get me started. ) So, once again, we are at the "what next?"stage. At least this time we know the drill. And Ryan is not in the middle of his senior year. Nor do we owe so much on our cars. It is better. Not great by any means, but better. We also know many, many friends are praying for us. Please don't stop.

Today Ramadan is over. Hooray!! This means we can eat in public. We can drink in public. And we can even chew gum in public. All of this during the daylight hours even. We are almost giddy. Our kids were so chatty on the way to church that it reminded me of how excited we get before Christmas. :) Robert said at least 6 times.".We get to eat lunch at the mall after church today!!! yay!! "! We also feel a break in the heat. It is only in the low 100s today. Sounds weird but feels way better to us. So we have complete our 4th Ramadan in the Middle East. Kind of feels normal.

With the end of Ramadan the schools will now start up. Church activities will return as well. Highschool Youth Group for Sallie. Junior High group for Robert. I am going to teach in the Kid's Friday school classes this year as well. Am praying that it is for a long time.... :)

Time to head to the mall. I think I will have Thai Express fast food today. Mike will, too, or maybe Indian Butter chicken from Tandoori. Sallie is going to have KFC with a Hardees chocolate milk shake. Robert's going for Burger King. No surprise there. But the best part is..it's during the day!!! in public!! Woo hoo!!

Bye for now..

Three Years In

2010-08-23T20:49:00.000-07:00

Can it really be 3 years since we moved here? That's what goes thru my head on some days. Then, on other days, it's more like Have we ever lived anywhere else? :) It was in August 2007, when Mike picked up his bedraggled family, some time after midnite, and drove us to the villa he where he was staying. People I never met opened their home to us until the following week when we moved into our 1400 square foot apt. in downtown Abu Dhabi. And so it began...

Driving in a land filled with drivers from everywhere.(with lots of different opinions on how to get from one place to another...)
Eating new foods
Making new friends, then saying goodbye one or two years later
Attending church with believers from all over the world. One Friday when the visitors were introduced 12 different countries were represented..Nepal, China, South Africa, Philippines, Myanmar, Nigeria and more
Learning how to communicate in English with people who speak English but don''t understand it, because there are so many different people who speak different languages and work here that English is the working language.(If this sentence confuses you..welcome to our world.)
Having Burger King, Chilis, Texas Chicken(Church's Chicken but name is changed..:).. and others deliver to the door
Dry cleaninig delivers too. Good thing cuz Mike wears a suit every single day to work.
Parking at home in Texas was easy with at least 12 choices on any given day. For the last three years we have parked on barricades, by dumpsters, in major intersections, on crosswalks, up on sidewalks, and down the middle of street . Sometimes we just throw the hazard lights on and leave a phone number in the window to call. (Update on parking.Now it is all paid parking. Can't do any of the above mentioned parking solutions where the paid parking meters have been introduced. Problem is there aren't enough spaces for all the cars. Hard to explain. Very frustrating. All would be solved if the apt. buildings had parking garages. We have one but it only has 10 spaces....)
Adjusting to a landscape that looked pretty much like Mars. When Mike arrived by himself in July of 07 he really felt like he had landed on another planet. Maybe Tatooine or something. Lots of desert and sand and then pockets of trees and lights. Then you come over the bridge and see one of the biggest mosques in the world sometimes lit up in purple. Takes some adjusting.

Obviously I could go on and on..but you get the picture. Or at least some of it. Our lives changed a lot. Perhaps one of the biggest changes is in Mike's world, though. The professional, "try and get a job done", world. It is definitely not limited to the construction world, though. The challenges facing any professional are immense. It is way too complicated to explain here, and really, you wouldn't believe me. I'll just give you one example of how it is. Our friend mentioned that on his job sight they were having a rodent problem. Those large box traps were places all around the wall perimeter of the building. The men came to lay the pavers for the sidewalk. They cut each paver to fit around the mouse traps. All around the building. Hmmm...It is not easy to do things here. From the top executives to the paver guys, you could say there is something lost in translation. :)

As I close, I want to tell you about the most recent great thing about living here. It's being closer to Russell. He just spent 10 days here with us. His office had some training in Dubai so he came early. He attended the training and then came back to our place for a couple more days. We all got to hug on him and hear his story. We were able to meet his coworkers and have dinner with them. What a blessing. Now, were we still living in Dallas with our 12 parking places, and green grass and trees, we would have missed that. Somethings are just irreplaceable!

I wonder how the next three years will look? :)

Back Home

2010-08-10T00:02:00.000-07:00

3500 year old cedar tree.

Robert looks out over the valley.

The day Russell was leaving.

While we were in Lebanon I had many fun ideas for my blog. Now I am finding it hard to write. We visited amazing places and were stunned by the beauty of the countryside, as well as the friendliness and hospitality of the Lebanese people. I even daydreamed about actually owning a vacation home near our friends so we could return there regularly. Having all 6 of us together in such a wonderful place was a dream come true for this mom.

Russell and Mike left after the first week. Ryan stayed until July 31st then returned to Abu Dhabi. Sallie, Robert and I flew home on August 6th. Naturally touring the ancient ruins and the cedar forests was beautiful. Walking the streets of Beirut, seeing bullet holes from the civil war was thought provoking and sobering. The new buildings and restored areas, however, gave cause for hope. Many days we just hung out in Dhour Choueir( our host Anwar's boyhood town) and played games, took walks, laughed and talked. With 30 people there(6 families) there was lots to talk about and lots of meals to prepare. :) The town itself is several hundred years old. One night Anwar and his sweet mom showed me an old part of the village...from the 1500s, or so. If the walls could talk.....

So you see, I have so many great ideas for my blog. But then, when I got home, I got a call from Russell. It was Saturday and he told me how his good friend had been killed in the countryside of Afghanistan, working in a clinic. What does a mom say to her boy when he shares news like that? I am afraid I failed miserably. No great theological truths...just tears and wishes that I could hold him again like I used to when he was a boy and needed a hug. And what about this young man's parents? And all the other people who lost loved ones that day? I guess we just keep leaning in...leaning into His arms. Trusting. Knowing that in the end there is victory. There is joy.

A Taste of Lebanon

2010-07-26T09:42:00.000-07:00

After the trials of getting my visa in order to get here, I am so glad I made it. As we prepared for this trip to visit Anwar's hometown in Lebanon, Dhour el Choueir, his face would light up. We all love our home countries but whenever Anwar talked it was like we were going to be visiting heaven. :) It is beautiful here. We have seen Roman ruins built on the temple of Baal. We have driven thru mountains and gazed at vistas that stretch forever. Today we walked through 2 million cedars. Some as old as 3000 years. There were times when I wanted to sneak away and simply sit in awe of God and His amazing creation. In fact, Ryan was able to do just that. The weather is glorious. The people are friendly. And I think I want to move here.

I will write more later and add pictures but I wanted to send a quick update. Lebanon is amazing. More later!!!

Family Circus

2010-07-19T06:31:00.000-07:00

I taught English to adults for many years. One of my fun things to use were the comic strips from Family Circus. Remember the ones where the son would meander all over the place before he got to his destination? To go to school he would chase a dog, play in the park, up the slide down the slide, around the swings and on the merry go round. Over he'd go to the ice cream truck and on and on...

That's what the last 48 hours has been for me. Saturday night at the airport, my second passport turned up missing. This is the one that has the residency visa in it...the one needed to leave the country and reenter the country. Yep. Not there. So I raced home to frantically search the apt. Nothing. I raced back to the airport to make sure it hadn't turned up in lost and found. Mike, Sallie and Robert went thru security and flew to Lebanon ahead of me. Russell and Ryan had flown out on a morning flight.

Naturally, that night I searched and searched. I slept a bit, but mostly prayed and racked my brains. First thing Sunday morning I drove to Mike's office to ask what I needed to do. As all expats are sponsored by their employers, this is the place to start. And so began my "adventure"(see previous post) into immigration, lost passports, and residency visas. From 9am until 4pm I traveled up and down stairs, in and out of offices, in and out of buildings, and even to the other side of town several other offices in two other buildings. I got stamps and signatures and bad directions from just about wherever I went. Finally, at the end of the Sunday I could see the end in sight. So up again this morning to finish up. Once again...up and down, in and out, go here, no go there, no that is not right. At 1 pm when the lady said "We can't do without photo," I thought I would scream. Not one person had mentioned photo up until that point. It turns out I didn't need one. And so it goes.

Finally, at 4 pm today I got my passport and my new residency visa right there in it. I will hopefully be on my way to the airport, to join my family and friends who are having lots of fun, in less than an hour.

By the way, all of our visas expire in November. Ha ha ha ha ha...Then it happens all over again. I'm thinking the guy at Mike's office might do it this time. I'm done.

On a side note, it sure is nice to have friends who are around when things get rough. Pattie peeled me off the ceiling a few times. And my friend, Wael, talked me thru several steps and made phone calls to help me. So thankful for great friends!!!

Great Adventure

2010-07-12T05:13:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure if I have shared how Robert and Sallie hate the word...ADVENTURE. "Mom," they say,"it usually means either you are lost or we are going to be bored silly." I just laugh at them and we keep going. (Most of the time they are right, but NOT always.)

Today, I dropped Sallie off with her friends to see a movie. Then I went shopping. I don't like shopping, but as I was at the mall, I thought I would run in a couple of stores. ( I especially don't like shopping in 115 degree heat and 300 percent humidity or whatever it is today. After awhile you quit checking. It's too depressing)

I answer my cell. My friend (who loves shopping) laughs when she hears I quit after two stores. But here is what I love. "Did I tell you about my taxi ride?" "No,"(but please do, I am thinking, this will distract me from the incredibly hot walk to my car that must be parked in Saudi Arabia). "I called my new guy that I have been using. You know, the one from Ethiopia. He is so nice and comes right away. Anyway, we are chatting and I am giving him short cut tips to some places as he has only been here a few months. A car just about hit us and he swerved and did a good job of not getting hit. I told him that it is crazy here. He said, 'Yes, it is.' Then I blurted out, but wait until Ramadan. Oh no, did I say something that would offend him? So quickly I said..you know, everyone is cranky from not eating or drinking all day. And it comes out in the driving. I don't mean to offend you. I am cranky too during Ramadan..etc. etc. He said he wasn't offended. Then I asked him if he was muslim. 'No, madam. I am a Christian. I am from the first church. My great great great great great...and however many..were all Christians. I follow Jesus."

My friend and I shared a moment of thankfulness. Some things just stop us in our tracks. And a taxi ride can be a cool adventure.

My kids aren't convinced. But I know better. I put my music on in my car and the CD song that came on was..You guessed it. "Saddle up your horses, we got a trail to blaze, thru the wild blue yonder with God's amazing grace. We'll follow our leader into the glorious unknown.....this is the Great Adventure!!"

Picking up Ryan tonight. Russell on Wednesday. And off to Lebanon on Saturday. Now I am sure that will be an adventure.
Oh boy!!!

Texas Friends Come My Way

2010-07-03T07:22:00.000-07:00

June 19th I landed in Amman, Jordan. My friend, Colleen, was their to greet me. That evening we picked up 5 other friends at the airport. Granted we were waiting for them at the wrong terminal, but hey..Welcome to the Middle East. :) After many delays and long hours of flying, we were all together. They actually looked quite good. Especially to me. Since I'm not going to Texas this summer, I joined some of Texas in Jordan.

We spent 8 days together. During that time we laughed, cried, shared, taught, and experienced the Lord working in so many ways. We started in Amman. Visited a couple of churches to encourage ladies there, then traveled from the south in Aqaba(where we toured Petra, amazing!). Later we traveled north to Husn passing by the mountain where Jacob wrestled and coming very near to the Sea of Galilee. The whole trip felt surreal. The History, the beauty, the churches all over the place..and being with such great friends, all blessed me so deeply. I can't wait to take Mike and the kids to see it as well. And to visit my new Jordanian friends.

Jordan is much like here. But oh, it was sooo much cooler. I wanted to bottle up the weather and bring it back with me. It felt like Colorado. Sigh. The Jordanians were talking of the heat. But it didn't feel that way to me.

The 8 days flew by. I tried to stop the clock from ticking. But, alas, it was over before I knew it. Colleen and I waved our team, Margaret, Sheryl, Sheila, Marguerite and Kelly goodbye last Sunday. Then she walked me to my flight. A quick movie and I was home. I think I had made dinner, slept, finished my laundry..and more, before my sweet buddies made it home. Oh well. That's life. :)

Colleen has promised to come visit soon. She is jealous that we can get Blue Bell ice cream here. Can't wait for her to come.

So now, we are going to get ready to celebrate the 4th of July at the beach tomorrow. Sure am missing Mr. Pearce's homemade ice cream. But maybe we will dish up some Blue Bell and pretend.

Happy 4th, Everyone!

From Start to Finish

2010-06-15T04:25:00.000-07:00

At first it was a parking lot...sigh. Those were the days. We had no idea that in less than 3 months the trucks would move in, and the parking spaces would disappear.

In February 2008, our friends from our church in Dallas watched from our bedroom window as truck after truck drove away with sand and more sand. 24 hours a day, 6 days a week. Lots and lots of sand.

After the trucks were done hauling the sand, the cranes moved in. This crane was right outside our bedroom window. We could have had tea with the operator and never left the room. :)

Spring 2009. Scaffolding and clanging and banging.The building takes shape. The concrete pours were the loudest. All night long the trucks would come in. Even earplugs didn't help.

Took this picture today from my bedroom window. They are finishing the streets up. Not sure when the building will have power, but Mike says this summer should do it.

Summer's Coming!

2010-06-10T05:32:00.000-07:00

June 16th, Sallie finishes up with school. Robert is basically done. On June 19th, I fly to Amman, Jordan to join my friends from Dallas for a week of teaching and touring. I cannot wait. I have been preparing my lesson and even got some help from by Arabic teacher with some words. She was born here but is Egyptian because you can't have citizenship here unless like your great grandparents or something were Emirati. Makes it difficult for lots of people. She has an Egyptian passport but has hardly ever been there. Sheesh. Anyway, she is such a dear and helped me prepare some props I will be using for my lesson in Amman.

This morning I met a young mother who needs an English teacher for her driver, housemaid, and business employee, from India, Ethiopia, and the Philippines, respectively. I am replacing a dear friend of mine who is moving away at the end of June. I will really miss her and her family. But the best surprise? This young mom..is half Colombian... and she owns the cutest 9 mth old golden retriever. She already said Sallie and Robert can come meet him. They are happy.

Next week, we will say goodbye to the Pritz family as well as the Phillips and the Novacks. Not going to be easy. They have all been such wonderful friends these past few years. I look forward to future visits and lots of fun times whenever we get back together. I find myself reliving a lot of my childhood with all of these goodbyes. Once again wondering how my parents did it....

So, there is the good and the hard. But always, there is the choice to trust that God is in control and His ways are best. Glad it is almost summer break. Bet you are too!

Love,
Mattie

Celebrations

2010-06-10T05:18:00.000-07:00

My birthday was yesterday. The last official birthday in my 40s. It was such a fun day. I had lunch with friends. Got flowers and gifts. And tons of birthday greetings from facebook and email. My friends all know how I love birthdays. Robert even baked me a birthday cake. And Sallie and Robert both cleaned the apartment. Mike made the bed and brought me flowers.. I mean, talk about a great birthday. We also just celebrated our 27th anniversary. And on top of all of these fun times, Robert earned his next rank in Boy Scouts. He is now a second class scout and will work hard next year to move into first class. And it IS hard work. :)

The kids will finish school soon. We are all ready for a break. My friend, Pattie, and I went to look at Villas as possble residences next year, but for the price we can afford they would be way too far out. Mike and I just aren't sure the pros...parking, quiet, more space, and so on..outweigh the cons. Distance, maintenance, money, etc. So we keep praying that maybe something will open up on the island that we can afford. We'll see.

So, I wrote this a couple of weeks ago but then for some reason it didn't post. I will try again. :)

Vanishing Act

2010-05-19T22:34:00.000-07:00

I woke up the other morning and a strange sight greeted me out our living room windows. It took me a minute to figure out what was wrong. There were NO cars parked on the street across from us. I called Sallie and Robert over and we all stood there in shock. Now, we have known for months that they would soon put in paid parking meters over there, but to have the cars gone overnight was bizarre. When we went to bed the night before, the usual 50 cars were parked up and down the street and presto..at 7 am they had disappeared. For the following three days these weird events continued. We knew our time was short for our usual parking places next to the aromatic dumpsters.

So, that Saturday Mike and I drove to the Parking Permit office in central Abu Dhabi. I say Mike and I because I had to drive him there as there is no place to park. I know, hard to believe. Anyway, I put my flashers on and waited for Mike in the taxi pull out section of the road. People don't like that but you gotta do what you gotta do. I waited for about 15 minutes. He comes out with empty hands. No parking permit. These permits are a yearly pass for the paid spots along only your section of residence. They cost about 400 dollars and they don't guarantee you a spot . If there IS a spot you can use it and not get a ticket. "Honey, what did they say? Did you get a permit for us?" "Nope, apparently we don't have a parking problem in our section." ????????????????????????????? Anyway, because the paid parking is not on our side of the street and won't be for TEN months we can't have a permit. Only those people across from us will have access to the 25 paid spots. It's ok to laugh. What else can you do? :)

For a couple more days we were able to park on our side of the street, in the street. Then the tickets started showing up. We did find a solution though. There is valet parking for our building under the building that is behind us that is not finished. We used it for awhile but then, when they scraped off the paint along the left side of Mike's car, and it cost us about 2000 dollars to get if fixed, we quit using it. Perhaps the men parking the cars are better now as they have had more practice. But what choice do we have? I WILL say it helps traffic along our road. And the car is a bit cooled off by the time they bring it to us. I'm sure we will get used to it, but the street still looks very strange.....

Frantic Fun and Fatigue

2010-05-08T04:46:00.000-07:00

   Beauty and the Beast, Boy Scouts and Bogota...what do these have in common? Only that we have been running from here to there for these events. Ok, I cheated with Bogota, as in Colombia. We were at the Kenneys last night and I met two of the nicest ladies from there. They didn't speak English so it was fun to use my Spanish and laugh with them. I really am Latin at heart. :)
   As for Beauty and the Beast, Sallie has worked about 50 hours with my friend Pattie, the costume director, since February. Last Wednesday the play opened and it was a big hit. We won't miss the running around or the long hours(which don't even come close to all the hours Pattie put into it) but it was fun to see it all come together yesterday. Sallie is at her performance right now.
   And Boy Scouts? Robert will receive his next rank at the Court of Honor at the end of this month. He is very excited. He actually ushered yesterday at the play to get some service hours in. Those are kind of hard to come by here. Needless to say, we have been scurrying and squeezing in last minute hikes and all to make sure he has all the requirements. Mission accomplished. We can breathe.

I think Abu Dhabi fatigue is setting in. This is similar to Chronic Fatigue Syndrome but usually manifests itself in increased conversations with whacko drivers, lower tolerance for red tape, and total depression over the lack of parking. And don't get me started on my phone that was stolen...went to get a new sim card. Office closed. Went back. Office open. Not the right paperwork. Get Mike's signature to prove I CAN replace my Sim card. Go back a third time. Get Sim card....but ......wait for it....Has Mike's phone number. So for the whole day he is stuck in Dubai with no phone...Oh my gosh. Will this never end. Actually, it did. The next morning. Back at the phone office, all straightened out. But ..well...ADF is in full swing.
And Robert turned 12 this week, too. His third birthday celebrated here in the UAE. Sometimes I am dumbfounded at how fast the years have gone. And then I get stuck in traffic and I feel every one of those years. :)
Here's to summer break. Just around the corner.

WOMAD and the Weekend

2010-04-24T00:28:00.000-07:00

WOMAD. World of Music Abu Dhabi. Bands from all over the world come for a three day concert on the beach. The beach is transformed with huge stages, lights, speakers, flags and thousands of people. It's really something. And it's free. Last night we heard bands from Iran, Sudan, and here. (We missed Cuba. They didn't start until midnight or so. :) ) . The night before it was Burundi, Palestine and Egypt. Bands from India, France, China and Spain are also here. It is amazing. We grabbed our camp chairs and just walked along the beach to each stage along with everyone else in the city, or so it seemed. The night began with fireworks. They really like fireworks here. Several of our friends were there so we did the trek from stage to stage with them. It was a great evening.

Today Robert is off to a sailing expedition with the boy scouts. I am quite jealous. Sallie is spending the day helping my friend, Pattie, with the costumes for Beauty and The Beast. This is the musical that the Abu Dhabi Choral Society is presenting the first week of May. Our friend, Katie, is Belle. Pattie and Sallie have lots of great stories. I think Pattie has been to at least a dozen tailors in order to get the costumes made and at least 6 or 7 are making the various items. At one rehearsal a guy started to strip down in front of them and poor Sallie's eyes bugged out. Pattie quickly said to change behind the curtain...Sallie: " I don't even know him!" Pattie: "You DO NOW. " They both ended up laughing a lot that night.

WOMAD was fun but we sure missed Ryan. Last year we sat with him. So, Mike, knowing that I missed him called him from his cell phone not caring about the cost. We only talked for a minute or so, but it helped. Some things are still bittersweet.

Hope you have a good weekend, too. Ours is almost over.

He Came, We saw, He left.

2010-04-13T08:06:00.000-07:00

Russell flew through here last week. On his way to his new job in Kabul, Afghanistan. And I mean..FLEW. He arrived Monday night at around 8pm. He left our apartment at 2 am Thursday morning to catch a 6:30am flight in Dubai. It felt surreal. Went by way too fast. The week before he came I counted down the days and even hours. We went to see Il Divo in concert at Emirate's Palace on Sat. and I kept thinking about Russell coming. At the park on Monday I thought about Russell coming... And I thought Mike would never get back from the airport on Monday night! :) But the time was way too fast.

While he was here we celebrated sweet Sallie's 15th birthday and even had a few late gifts for Russell from his 22nd birthday in February. We hung out. Talked. Laughed. And ate at his favorite places like Arab Udupi and Lebanese Flower. It did feel strange not to have Ryan here though. Just not complete. Robert pretty much stayed glued to Russell the whole 50 hours. Then he was gone. But you know what? He is basically in the same time zone!!! Only a 30 minute difference from us. I love that. Course not really excited about the Kabul thing, but it keeps us praying and trusting. And we love that he is doing exactly what he wants and that he is trusting the Lord to lead him.

If you would like to read more about his adventures he also has a blog....russellhildebrand.wordpress.com He's already told us some fun stories.....Not sure if they will make the blog though. :)

Muscat is a Must

2010-03-31T01:03:00.000-07:00

So...how did this faith muscle stretching thing go? Great. Sallie had a wonderful time in Paris with the Hones. Definitely a trip she will always remember. Ryan and his two friends also had an amazing time driving from Lubbock to San Diego and back. Definitely a trip he will remember but perhaps for different reasons. And Russell, his trip is about to begin. He arrives on Monday and will be here a few days before he heads to Kabul. He already said his goodbyes in Austin and is in Dallas right now doing the same thing. I've been praying for him a lot. I remember those feelings and the sadness mixed with anticipation.

We also just finished a trip. Our first road trip of any significance. We followed Jeff and Mary Kenney and family to Muscat, Oman. What a wonderful place. The people are sooooo friendly. And the beauty...very appreciated. It was about a 6 hour drive and included our first international border crossing by car. Actually, things went quite smoothly. We were pleasantly surprised. :) 3 Days at the Intercontinental on the beach. Two nice pools. Great gym. Just enough sightseeing to get the feel of the country. And back home again. Did I mention how friendly the people are? First morning there...walking across the hotel parking lot...and from the far corner a taxi driver yells..GOOD MORNING!!! A taxi driver!! Our whole family stood with mouths opened..is he talking to US??? We smiled and yelled our "Good Morning." It was great.

Mike enjoyed the breather from the chaos of working here, and we enjoyed the break from school and stuff.

I laughed coming back into town.. As we approached the Mussaffah bridge onto Abu Dhabi island, Robert looks up and says, "Oh GOOD! There's the Grand Mosque. We are almost home. " Ha ha. Never in my wildest dreams did I ever imagine anyone saying that. :) It was a good trip. And it's good to be home.

We are looking forward to celebrating our Risen Saviour this weekend. Blessings to you all.
He is Risen,
He is Risen indeed!

Here, There, and Everywhere

2010-03-14T01:47:00.000-08:00

We stood together at 6am this morning. Sallie edgy with excitement, Mike and I queasy with nerves. Mike prayed for Sallie, her flight and her visit with the Hones in Paris. When he was done, I smiled and said this gives us all a chance to stretch our faith muscles. Although, I think Sallie was fine with travelling by herself internationally, it was Mike and I who were/are feeling s t r e t c h e d. :) The Hones' flight is to land two hours before Sallie's. I'm sure it will all be fine.
As I drove Sallie to her flight I thought about that faith thing...How life is full of opportunities to trust God, big ones and little ones. How we sometimes think we are in control, when we really aren't. And how things come around that remind us of that. I smiled because as parents we want to protect our kids from making mistakes and we are just sure that if we are right there with them everything will be all right. Hmmmm.... But the truth is we can't always be there, nor can we always make things turn out right. So we learn to trust.
Right now we have Ryan travelling across the US with two friends, praying and sharing the love of Jesus with those they encounter.(gonefishin2010.blogspot.com). We have Sallie en route to France and we have Russell preparing for a two year adventure in another Middle Eastern country where the Lord has led him.
This faith muscle- stretch- thing is not easy. Sheesh. But you know what? I'm glad my kids are who they are. I'm thankful they are learning about their own faith muscles. And I'm especially thankful that my God loves them more than I ever could and He will fulfill His purposes for them.
'

ps. I'm also thankful that I can see Robert sitting on the couch right here in front of me. :)

4 Day Getaway

2010-02-26T04:38:00.000-08:00

Mike and I spent 4 great days in Egypt last week. This picture is from the front of the National Museum in Cairo. It was a great trip.

And here we are in front of the real thing.

Our group at the Great Pyramids in Giza.

We did all the fun tourist things. Dinner on the Nile River was wonderful and included a show with a belly dancer and a sufi dancer. Sufi dancers are male. They wear huge skirts and spin and spin for long periods of time while doing tricks with the skirts. It's really amazing. After the show we sat on the deck and watched the Nile go by. Before we left on Saturday we spent the morning at the market..Khana Khalili(spelling?) Although it was fun, well, shopping isn't my thing. :) And truthfully, after having been to the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul and to the Medina in Fez several years ago...well, it's a big market. What can I say? :)I did laugh though when my friend Pattie came up to me with this brilliant smile and said "Now this really energizes me!!" I smiled back and said, "Uh huh, it sucks me dry."

But the trip filled me up. Lots of fun and laughter. When I got back to Abu Dhabi I pulled out Sallie and Robert's history books to read about Egypt's history. (It'd been awhile, should have done that before we left.)

We are so thankful we got to go. Memories that will last forever. And next time we want to go to Luxor and Alexandria. Course, don't know when that will be, but we can dream.

Today's Forecast

2010-02-01T02:49:00.000-08:00

The weather here can be fairly predictable. In the summer..hot, hotter and "drop dead get me out of here". A common conversation for those of us leaving for the summer is how we want to beat the heat and so on. Now the winter is a different story. 70s and 80s are the temps of the season. Really beautiful. We head to the beach. We walk to the park. The whole population moves outside. Even so, because there is little change, well, it gets kind of boring. :) I mean, how sad is it when you hear a kid say, "Hey look, mom, clouds!!" Although, the truth is, the adults may say it more than the kids. And on the four days it rains...well, hang on. Like the flood pictures I posted a couple of entries ago, it was exciting.

Today, I joined my friend Kara on the Corniche to walk. Several days a week there are a few of us moms who are walking along the newly renovated beach boardwalk. It's been so nice. But today, there was FOG! It was a fun change. Kara moved here in September so everything is still new to her. She mentioned how it felt so sticky and all. I just smiled and said, " Ënjoy the change." I tried to take a pictue with my phone. Not sure it gives the full effect but you get the idea. :)

It Takes Time

2010-01-20T19:38:00.000-08:00

On my bed I keep a pillow that says "IT TAKES TIME TO GROW AN OLD FRIEND". I stuffed it in one of my suitcases as I was packing up the house two and a half years ago to move here. It's a gift for my 40th birthday, from my friend Sandy. She surprised me that day when she flew down from Ohio to celebrate with me.

This pillow has lots of meaning for me. Sandy and I have been friends for 45 years. We met when we were little girls in New Mexico. Our dads worked for Arthur G. Mckee. I remember I was fascinated with her long hair. All the way down her back. My mom always had me in a pixie hair cut...much like Tinkerbell's. And so began a wonderful friendship. At age 5 we ended up in Salem, Missouri together. She was at the surprise party my mom had for me when I turned 6. Sandy used to tell me that all Sunday morning during Sunday school class my mom was watching her making sure she didn't spill the beans. She didn't!! (My mom's stare could be pretty scary...) We lost touch after Salem and then in 1972 dad came back from a trip,"Guess who lives in Aruba?"(our next location)...I had NOOO idea. And it was Sandy.

So, 6th, 7th, and 8th grade we had together. And then high school we were apart..but by then we could make long distance phone calls and were able to write(she was horrible at that but we managed). All our lives her mom would say to us..Silly Girls. We laughed and giggled all the time. Sharing secrets little girls share and then big girls. I was in her wedding after college. About ready to have my second child, and she put me next to her size 1 sister in law. Wanted to kill her. But we just laughed.

Moving and saying so many goodbyes and hellos and goodbyes, it makes a person appreciate old friends. Like Sandy Lou. My parents were like hers and vice versa. Sharing so many memories, and deep conversations about life and faith and marriage and kids, well, it takes time to grow an old friend.

The Lord brought Sandy home to be with him on January 18th. After several years of battling cancer, she is at peace. We saw each other this summer in El Paso. Her sweet sister Sue, who treasures our friendship as much as we do..did..do, made it happen. Packed her up and brought her down to see me at my sister's house. We were altogether. Laughing. Sharing. Remembering. It was the best. And I am so thankful.

Her beautiful hair. Her sweet smile. When I get there one day, Oh the laughter we will share. Silly Girls.

Sandy Lou Maxey Rose I will miss you. Matt

The Boys are Back in Town

2010-01-15T10:25:00.000-08:00

Our Christmas holiday was filled with lots of family time, laughter and even some adventure. Obviously, blogging wasn't on the agenda. :) Ryan and Russell arrived on the same flight, but a later than expected as they missed their connection in Paris. We spent their three weeks here going to the beach, eating at some of Ryan and Mike's favorite restaurants, and even going up into the top of the tallest building in the world...The Burj Khalifa, known previously as the Burj Dubai. (We think the name change could be because Abu Dhabi bailed them out...hmmmm) Mike loved having the boys here as one or both of them met him for lunch everyday at nearby favorite eateries. I don't really like them cuz the food is pretty spicy. :) Ryan had fun reconnecting with his old friends and Sallie and Robert loved having their brothers here.

Going up in the Burj was definitely a highlight. The observation tower is on the 124th floor. The elevator is one of the fastest in the world(of course it is)so you don't realize how high up you are going. I heard a rumor that in the first three days of opening the Burj already made 1 million dirhams in entrance fees. Wow. It was kind of scary to come face to face with a window washer up there. Whew. Would not want that job.

The boys flew out a week ago. It was hard to watch them walk thru the gate. We all miss them. And today is Ryan's 19th birthday. Sigh.

So life is back to "normal"now. One Abu Dhabi story before I go. Mike called me from work the other day. He was frustrated because this parking garage that had been approved is now being blocked.by the Dept. of Transportation..supposedly it will mess up the traffic flow for the street...Uh huh. Right. So let's just leave all the cars on the street..really???Oh well, whatever. :)

Hope you all had a great holdiay as well. I'll be writing more now.

Blessings, Mattie

Blue Skies and Goodbyes

2009-12-15T02:49:00.000-08:00

What a week!!! 4 inches of rain in 2 days. So Saturday and Sunday...Yuck. By Monday, though, the skies were brilliant blue and we had Park day. I love it cuz the trees are all washed clean of the months and months and layers and layers of sand. It was gorgeous.

Park day was bittersweet, though, even with the sunshine. Our dear friends...the Millers, are heading back to Colorado on Saturday. If you look thru my blog you will see many pictures of Robert, Ben and Billy..the three musqueteers of Abu Dhabi. :) They will be one short now. Ben is the guy in the sunglasses( second picture from the bottom). The Millers..Richard, Debbie, David, Josh, Ben and Hannah will leave a huge hole in our community. Living overseas you form friendships fast...time is short and we are thrown together in "challenging" ,stressful, and unique ways. We will miss them very much.

ps...the top photo? well traveled main road (obviously not well traveled that day...)

All Dressed Up

2009-12-10T19:25:00.000-08:00

One of my friends asked me what it's like to celebrate Christmas here. On the outside, I think most people would be surprised. Because of all the lights and decorations used for December 2. National Day, it looks like Christmas. The colors are all white, green and red, even. If you're from Dallas..it could be compared to an entire city dressed up like Highland Park or Swiss Avenue. :)
The Malls have lights and decorations as well. This year we even hear carols in the stores sometimes. In fact, we see and hear Merry Christmas a lot. (It's actually ok to say that here..go figure. )

Our church is having all kinds of events as well. We'll be attending a Walk thru the Christmas story at church and we hope our neighbors from Australia will join us. Tonight we are going to the desert to sing carols and have a picnic. We have invited our friends from Serbia and Japan. I hope they can come.

So, all in all, the season is dressed up like Christmas. But it isn't.. it just doesn't feel the same. Eventhough there are lights on all the buildings we know they aren't there for Christmas..It's an empty substitute.

As I write about the things going on here , I realize that the real meaning of Christmas is in our choices, our actions, our reflection of our Saviour... What is my focus? Am I settling for that empty substitute?

If we could get a true glimpse of Christmas, we would swallow hard at the reality of what Christ began on that starry night. It is summed up in Hebrews 12:2: "Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning the shame, and sat down at the right of the throne of God." Ron DiCianni

So, tonight, when many of our good friends are gathered around the fire, under the desert stars, singing "Silent Night", I'll think about that. The real meaning of Christmas. Maybe you will, too. Love,

Mattie

Holidays Galore

2009-11-28T21:00:00.000-08:00

Along with having a wonderful Thanksgiving at the Kenneys, we are gearing up for another holiday..National Day. "38 Years of Unity, 38 Days of Celebration" They love their National Day! Take a look at some of the decorations springing up all over. Right now is also Eid for the Muslim world. This is the big celebration honoring Abraham and Ishmael.With Christmas around the corner, things are really hopping!

Signing Off

2009-11-18T05:16:00.000-08:00

Mike and I love finding fun signs posted around the city. So here are a few of our favorites. Like No honking for instance. Hah!! Waste of paint. That's for sure. Or the one right under our living room window with parking regulations in 3 languages. You can see that one is effective, too. The one with the 39 on it was up in the window of the gas station. It is advertising a license plate being auctioned off. Remember the one a couple of years ago that sold for several million dollars??? The headstone are actually markers for the electricity cables. Very eerie around Halloween. And then there is my personal favorite...Take good care of your children. Posted all over the city in the various parks. Just in case you forget...take good care of them!! :)

Mike will be in the States for a few days in December to celebrate with Russell and attend his college graduation!! I'll stay here and take good care of Sallie and Robert. We are so proud of Russell. I can't believe he is graduating already!

It's the Little Things

2009-11-04T01:50:00.000-08:00

After months of summer heat..Park Day returned!!! On top of that, the public water park is working now, too! The kids are having a ball running thru all the sprinkler activities in a park that hasn't worked since we got here. Moms have been catching up with each other. All of us look forward to Monday park days. So finally, now that November is here, we are outside and loving it.

Something else I got excited about today? Real honest- to- goodness napkin dispensers at a restaurant. I got so excited when I saw that the kleenex boxes had been replaced that I choked on my lebanese grilled chicken. It's the little things that make life good. :)

Here's to more good weather. Yippee!
Mattie

Gentlemen, Start Your Engines!!

2009-10-30T20:54:00.000-07:00

The Formula 1 Race arrived this weekend. Months of preparation finally paid off. An entire racetrack was built on a neighboring island. A billboard on the corniche counted the days. Where will you be on November 1st? The malls contained special exhibits. Race cars with virtual simulators were set up for all to experience. It's been quite a "ride". :) Here you see an Emirati father giving his son driving lessons at one of the displays. Yes, well, as they say, A picture is worth a thousand words.

By the way, good friends of ours attended the opening night of the 3 day event Beyonce performed. 30,000 people were said to have attended. Not a single bathroom was open. Don't know if that lasted the whole night..but apparently at least for awhile there were no bathrooms available. Just a few glitches. :) He did say the show was incredible.

Today we may walk to the beach and see what it is happening there. The screens are set up so you can watch the races while sitting under the palm trees. Might be fun.

The View

2009-10-23T20:35:00.000-07:00

Everyday, except for some Fridays, approximately 3,000 workers travel two and from the construction sites outside our apt. building. The buses line up on the street down below our living room window and at the end of the day the men run from the side of the building to catch their transportation back to the labor camps where they live. Most men carry a tin bucket that is packed with their lunch for the day, provided by their employer, who also provides their living quarters in the camp. You can just see the bucket in the 3rd picture I posted. Usually this mass movement of people happens 4 times a day. Morning and evening shifts arriving and leaving. We try to avoid trips to the car around those times. When we first moved here, being novices at the whole thing, we nearly got run over a couple of times. It's also difficult to park when the 20 buses that park outside, line up on the street. :) In this picture you only see a few as they also park around the side of the building. The two construction sights have been in process the whole time we have lived here. One is right oustide our bedroom window. The other, the skyscraper, which will one day be a huge a mall, hotel and apartments and whatever..is on the other side of our building.

When my brother in law, Don, was here, I would catch him standing at the window watching the laborers come and go. We have gotten used to the sight, but at first it was pretty fascinating.

Mike and Robert are on their first Boy Scout campout right now. It will be peaceful and beautiful An undeveloped beach only an hour from here. Can't wait to hear about it. :)

When You Live in Abu Dhabi

2009-10-09T23:09:00.000-07:00

It occurred to me that my posts gradually are slowing down. My friend, Susan, mentioned to me that she checked the blog and realized things must be "normal" because I am not posting as much. She's right. There are still funny things that catch my attention, but not as many. Like the fact that the city is going to implement the use of parking meters next month. ..yep. Parking meters. Where are they going to start? Right outside our building. So not only will we be charged now to park but we will get more fines for parking in illegal spots. Which, as you saw in previous posts, is basically all that is available. Don't ask what we will do. We have no idea.

Next week we will be a part of the Formula 1 Racing..It's coming to town. In honor of the special event, traffic on the Corniche(main road along the water) has been shut down. The beach..which only opened a year ago..has been totally redone, and some new major light posts have been installed on one of our main thoroughfares. It's all supposed to be finished by next weekend. Who knows. Maybe it will be done. I think the Hildebrands will hibernate all weekend. :)

Sallie and Robert are taking speech with our friend Katie. Next week is the impromptu speech. Katie gave the kids about 20 topics that they will choose from(pull out of a hat sort of thing). One of them is you know you have lived in Abu Dhabi when... The kids were laughing in the car as they threw out ideas. When: you see a Lamborghini and don't notice it..ho hum. but you do get excited when you find a parking place! when: you get surprised that someone understands your directions the first time, or: you find yourself repeating yourself several times to someone who speaks perfect English. When; you pull out the sweatshirts because the temp. dipped into the 80s(this does not apply to Sallie cuz she wears hers ALL the time now. :)...even at 115 degrees.) Anyway, I hope Sallie or Robert draws that one..but we'll see. The kids are having fun with the class. There are about 11 other homeschoolers in it. Last week we had our Fall kick off for the homeschool group here. About 60 people met at the bowling alley. And that wasn't everyone. It's really growing.

That's all for now.

Hope you are all enjoying your fall weather.

We'll let you know when we have some. :)

Greece in Pictures

2009-09-26T18:46:00.001-07:00

Our first dinner in Greece..waiting for the ferry to Zakynthos.
The ferry ride took about an hour and a half.
The view from our room at the resort in Zakynthos.
Touring the Blue Caves.
Another great meal.
Snorkelling fun.

Sallie and Kyra on our boat trip to the Blue Caves.

Touring the ruins of Delphi with the Kenneys and the Weldons.
Sallie in front of the Taverna on our last evening.

Beach Day!
The mountainside in Delphi.

Now you have some pictures of our trip. We have stored away wonderful memories and all of us said we would love to go back. I hope we have more fun trips with the Kenneys and the Weldons in the future! :)

Blessings!

Mattie

Our Big Fat Greek Vacation!

2009-09-26T10:00:00.000-07:00

Last week I didn't have a lot to say. But this week is a different story. :) Greece was amazing. As our wonderful hostess, Martha Weldon, repeatedly said..It was GOORORGEOUS. Martha and Glen have loved Greece for years and I think it took us about 10 minutes to understand why!! We were welcomed at the airport with big hugs and cool, sunny temperatures. Woo Hoo!!

From the Athens airport we travelled about 2 and a half hours to a ferry which took us to Zakynthos. And so began our wonderful visit to Greece. The week was full of laughter, relaxation, games, amazing vistas, and incredible food. On the agenda was a boat ride with snorkelling in the Ionian Sea, magnificent mountain views, brilliant blue waters, and more great food. :) We visited the ancient ruins of Delphi and spent a day at beautiful beach near Patras, where the Weldons live. We loved everything about Greece, but the food topped the charts!!! Greece is certainly one place that we could go back to over and over again.

I'm sorry I don't have pictures. I tried to upload them to the blog but for some reason it isn't working. I will add them later.

And the winner is....

2009-09-11T03:55:00.000-07:00

My friend Katie, who wins contests all the time, won an electric piano for Robert. It's great cuz now Robert doesn't have to go up to my Japanese friend's house to practice. What was the contest? Well, kids 8 an under called into the radio and sang a song. Katie's 4 year old daughter sang I Love Rock and Roll and won!!! We have a piano now. Too fun. Katie will also be teaching Sallie voice lessons..and both Sallie and Robert are taking speech from her as well. It's going to be a busy year.

I'm not blogging a lot. Truth is, this week has been pretty routine. Strange that this feels so much like home. When we got here two years ago I never thought it would be hard to think of things to blog about. I did chuckle on the way home from trying to buy a piano stand, though. I was casually waiting for the light to change. As I stared at the car in front me I realized that I was staring at a sunvisor spread across the back windshield. Yep. The funny thing was..it took me awhile to even register that it was there!! :) I sure enjoyed driving in Texas this summer. Ahhh, the good ol' days.

Ramadan ends next week. And we will be taking a week in Greece visiting friends. I will have lots to write about then. :)

Reunited!!

2009-08-29T02:21:00.000-07:00

Sallie and Diana
Ryan with our friends Mark and Marganne.
The neighborhood gang...Cindy, me, Pat, Marla and Jeannie..Marganne had left already.
Austin, Josh Helmreich and Robert
My Tres Dias girlfriends...Pat, Kathy, Candy, Carol and me

After 60 days back in the US, we returned to Abu Dhabi. I'm still thinking about everything we did this summer and for me, I can sum it up in one word: Reunions.

In June we had our reunion with Hildebrands at our nephew Kent's wedding and Mom Hildebrand's birthday party. Thru out the summer I was blessed to see so many friends. From Austin,, with my dear college friend Kim, and my terrific son Russell, to El Paso where I saw my sister and Adrian as well as my oldest friend Sandy and her sister who joined me there. Back in Dallas my girlfriends from my old neighborhood gathered for the first time in 3 years and we spent two nights together talking nonstop. There was Ryan's graduation party where many of our friends gathered to celebrate with us. And everyday I was reunited with old friends. It was a wonderful two months! Naturally, staying with the Fords was a great reunion! It takes some special people to open their home to guests for two months, especially as they had only been in the US for three weeks themselves. We all had so much fun together.

Now we are back in Abu Dhabi. It was hard to leave all my friends. It was hard to leave my two babies..ok, college boys, back on another continent. It was hard to leave the mild Texas weather and the mild days in the Ford's backyard pool. But all that being said..It's been wonderful being

reunited with Mike. He was waiting for us at the airport and it is great being together again.

So now I am back to blogging...

Hope you all had a wonderful summer, too!!

There's a Red Raider in the House

2009-07-23T14:23:00.000-07:00

One difficult thing about living halfway around the world is leaving our kids over here. Being so far from Russell these last two years has sometimes been really, really hard. Having friends here who let him crash at a moments notice in their extra bedroom, and feed him real meals when he comes through makes it a bit easier when we say our goodbyes. Another thing that helps is Russell loves Austin and the University of Texas.

This summer when we say goodbye, it will be to Russell AND Ryan. Oh boy. Ryan returned from Lubbock and Texas Tech orientation on Tuesday evening. He came carrying Tech paraphernalia and lots of fun details about his future residence. In other words, he sounded excited about his eminent move to the far west. Again, Mike and I are thankful for this and for an old friend of Ryan's who lives in Lubbock and made him feel so welcome when he went up there!! It makes it easier knowing they will be there for him.

As for our summer? Still having fun with friends. Still missing Mike a lot. Still very thankful for this wonderful home to stay in with our dear friends...

So we've been here a month. One month to go.

Hope everyone is having a good summer.

The Other Side of Normal

2009-07-09T15:26:00.001-07:00

I parked at the gas pump and waited for the man to come fill my car and clean my windshield. I stared at the pump trying to remember how to put in the credit card. I hesitated on turning left..could I do that there? But I didn't hesitate to blast my horn at a big semi that about to cut me off. Back off, Jack. But the big question is....can I make it through the car wash on my own? without the guy there to tell me go..stop...? I just don't know.

Just some funny things from our second week here, but generally we've moved right back into our routine. The kids have had time with their friends. I've had time with mine. Early mornings are the best. I hear birds and crickets, not water pumps and cement trucks. The breeze is refreshing and does not bring truckloads of sand with it. Cars stay in their lanes. And most of the time I can ask a question or change my mind and the whole place does not go into a tailspin. :)

But you know what? I miss Abu Dhabi. Not the heat. or the noise. But the people. Our friends there and our routines there. I think all of us miss it a bit. I guess that's how it needs to be or we wouldn't go back. Course it would be easier if Ryan and Russell were with us. Or if Mike were here and not way over there right now. But we're having a good summer. Blessed to be here with the Fords. Looking forward to the rest of the time with friends. It's all good.

Family

2009-07-05T13:05:00.000-07:00

The harvest.
Sallie and Robert.
Cousins
Grandma's front porch
Birthday celebration
Kent and Bekah
The Macarena :)
Cousins

On June 25th we landed in Dallas. Hugged the Fords. Hugged the Pearces. Hugged Ryan and a bit later hugged Russell. Friday morning we loaded into the car and headed to Kansas. Hugged Grandma at the hotel in Junction City and pretty soon after that crashed into bed. :)

Saturday was Kent's(Mike's oldest brother's oldest son) wedding. Saw many relatives and old friends and danced at the reception. Well, Russell and Robert and Sallie danced. Mike and I smiled and visited with family and new friends, who will be moving to Abu Dhabi to teach.

Sunday we were on the road again, headed to Stafford and Grandma Hildebrand's 80th birthday!!!Stories, laughter, tears and more stories filled the evening. Appreciation for the blessings we have experienced as a family confirmed to us that making that long trip was worth it ten times over.

Monday was filled with some of my favorite things....visiting and coffee on Grandma's front porch, cousins playing and hanging out, and Sallie and Robert riding on the Combine while the wheat was harvested. (i had to MAKE them do this but it is an experience i just think they had to have. :) and they both had fun, too! )

I'm a relative newcomer to the farming world. Just ask Mike's great family...:)...but over the years I have grown to love that part of my life. To stare over the endless wheatfields, to watch those huge, powerful machines cut acre after acre of wheat takes my breath away. It was good to be there.

Mike is back in Abu Dhabi now. It is not as fun with him gone. I'll write about Dallas later.

Mattie

Maybe Later

2009-06-15T03:25:00.000-07:00

My friend Pattie smiled at me yesterday and said, "Hey, I was thinking about going to Dubai this weekend. Want to come? " My eyes pop open wide, Oh man, good friend... but DUBAI???? Please not that. Even with Abu Dhabi slowly emptying of all our friends, I just could not stomach another visit to Dubai.

Not that my last visit to Dubai with my family here wasn't great. Or the weekend with all the ladies in April. Or the visit with my Kansas family in March..All of those visits were wonderful. I just could not go again, so soon. :) Maybe when we have more visitors I'll go back. Maybe.

Right now I'm getting geared up for our own summer evacuation. Won't be long now. But really, if anyone comes to see us, I'll take them to Dubai again. I'm getting pretty good at the tour. Dancing fountains by the Burj Al Arab. Atlantis hotel and aquarium on the Palm. And of course, Ski Dubai. But for now, I just can't wait to hug my boys in Texas and catch up with all our family and friends.

2009-06-07T20:01:00.000-07:00

It was a whirlwind week for us. Diana, Adrian and Martin showed up on Sunday evening and things started happening. I remember telling my friend Pat, when she moved to Bulgaria, that one of the best things about moving away was having people come see you and waiting for them to get off the plane. Those feelings of anticipation, the smiles on everyone's faces, and the hugs are just the best. And Sunday night we had it in spades. It was especially great because they were here for Ryan's graduation.

What a week! We toured Abu Dhabi. We toured Dubai. We toured Al Ain. For only being here 6 full days. They saw a lot! :) But for me? The highlight was sharing Ryan's special day with my family. They got to hear his speech as Senior class president. They were with us to host his senior party at the Kenney's(who graciously allowed us to use their villa for the party). Adrian and Diana cooked fajitas, carrying on the tradition that was started at Russell's party 3 years ago. (Has it only been 3 years?????) Present at the party were many of the friends who have made this last two years so very special...what a gift. I love that my family got to connect with our life over here. Now we have had Hildebrands and Deahls experience the "exotic life of Arabia"...hah. :)

Watching our second son complete this important milestone and finish strong filled us with pride. His speech as Senior Class president challenged not only the kids on that stage but many of the parents as well. Including his mom and dad. And he gave it in his own Ryanesque way..leaning over the podium(as it was too short for him), relaxed, poking fun at himself. My tears came later, but Diana said she cried enough for the both of us. Many other moms came up and said they cried,too. I can say, as did my sister, that it was the best graduation we ever attended. There was no keynote speaker. The principal shared a few words, as did the Superintendent, but most of the ceremony was done by the students. Well done.

I also shared with Pat, that one of the hardest things about living overseas is watching the people who come visit you walk thru the gate to leave. Well, Ryan left with Diana and Adrian and Martin Saturday nite. And suffice it to say...Mike and I are still reeling. He leaves a hole over here that cannot be filled. I'm glad that waiting in Dallas..after his quick trip to Ireland, are many who await him with anticipation, and smiles and hugs. Including that other special son of ours....

And Mike and I? We keep leaning in to Jesus, knowing His love is greater still and His plan perfect. So very thankful for the privilege of shepherding our kids and sharing in their journeys.

Prom Night

2009-05-30T19:09:00.000-07:00

Ryan went to his senior prom on Friday night. He had a ball. Someone stop the train. I want to get off. But I guess I better hang on...pretty soon it will be Robert. Yikes.

Heating Up

2009-05-29T04:21:00.000-07:00

We have been busy these last few weeks. As the weather heats up...so does our life! Many times I have thought, I need to blog about that, but then another activity springs up and I forget.

I decided today to get something done before my sister, brother in law and nephew arrive on Sunday.(Which I am very excited about!)

Here are some pictures of what we have been doing. Our new friends the Millers from Illinois moved here in Feb. for only 4 months. These last two weeks Kathy wanted to do a lot with her kids so we went along for the ride. :) Here are the 3 boys with Sallie and Robert, just before they all hit the slopes at Ski Dubai. After that we went to Dubai Mall-the biggest mall in the world, next to the tallest building in the world, with the largest singing fountains in the world..blah blah blah. Anyway, it was fun. :) I have mentioned in a previous blog that Robert likes the Dubai Mall for one reason..Taco Bell. He was happy.

We also attended a field trip with the Millers in Sharjah( got lost coming home. driving there is like driving in a black hole.) last week. The Islamic Civilization museum. The picture below is Sallie building a mosque with a new friend from Dubai. All the kids built mosques, not something we ever did in North Dallas.....:)

And Sallie finished up her watercolor painting class for the semester. The last picture is her art show day. My friend Marty Stewart taught several kids this spring and Sallie loved every minute of it.

Not shown: pictures of our new curtains. Woo hoo! or the night at the Cuban Salsa concert with our friends Chris and Moira. I still would love to move to Cuba. Sigh. or pictures of our 26th anniversary...yesterday.

And soon to come? Pictures of Ryan's prom and graduation!

By the way, hitting 113 degrees pretty regularly now. Yep. Texas may feel chilly. :)

Cooking with Andrew

2009-05-03T19:48:00.000-07:00

I remember years ago hearing a sermon using the words New Normal. You know, how you get used to certain things and they become normal to you and that becomes your new normal, or something like that. Well, in August, we will have lived here for 2 years so some things really have become normal to us. Daily life: taking Ryan to school, buying groceries, teaching Sallie and Robert, going to church, eating out with friends, going shopping( for some people that's normal....) going to work, attempting to build buildings and so on.

And then SATURDAY happens! Our small group planned a luncheon not just for ourselves but to invite new friends to. People we have met at work or thru school or homeschooling, or where we live. We called it a mixer. And we had our friend Andrew cook. Andrew is a chef from Kenya who we met at church. He came to AD as a chef at the Emirates Palace. When he got here they cancelled that position and hired him as a security guard. He lives in a labor camp. He loves Jesus. His smile lights up the room and his heart, well, forgive me, but it's bigger than Dallas. :) You see, Andrew sends his money back to Kenya to support his family and they need a cow. If they had a cow his wife could move to some land they have in the country with the children and support themselves. Then they wouldn't have to be in the city. So we asked Andrew to cook for our luncheon. For 6 hours he and his Sous chef..Ryan Hildebrand...chopped and grilled and stirred and blessed us with some amazing food. It was a banquet(no surprise there..Andrew has cooked for the vice president of Kenya, yeesh). We took up donations and Andrew is able to buy his cow with some left over to buy some tea trees to plant as well.

So as we were leaving the Kenneys that evening after cleaning up, Andrew, who had just called his wife in Kenya, came over to all of us. With that beautiful grin stretching from ear to ear he said, " God He is moving here today. I see God in all of you. He is moving. I'm so happy. " and more...with tears almost spilling over. From his eyes and ours.

I love that kind of normal. Have a great day.

2009-04-28T04:31:00.000-07:00

Sallie turned 14 this month. We had our family dinner celebration. She chose stroganoff with a strawberry cheesecake for dessert. Naturally, like all parents we have a hard time accepting the passage of time and that our little girl is growing up. We are very blessed with 4 amazing kids....but could they please stop growing so fast??? Russell is 21!!! No way!! Ryan graduating from high school and headed to be a Red Raider! Really??? Already??? And then we have Robert..turning 11 in one week. Stop! I want to get off. :)

For a party for Sallie we invited friends to show up at the beach. I brought cupcakes and drinks. We spent the day hanging out. Kids swam and played Red Rover. Then we watched the Red Bull Air races over the water. Fun day.

Mike and I took a walk the other day. Laughingly, we talked about what we don't take for granted anymore. Clean windows. Parking spaces. Green grass. Quiet nights. Seeing family and old friends without jet lag kicking us or them. Cars that don't honk at us. And then, we were honest with ourselves....what we would miss about living here: Chilis and everyone else who delivers to our front door. Walking along the beach a block from our apt. Making friends with people from all over the world. Full service gas stations. Every once in awhile it is good to count your blessings. :)

So, one more blessing? Perspectives finished last night. 20 people completed the 15 week course. It was good. I've included a picture of the signs my friends, Patty and Marty, painted for the class. The words represent each week's theme.

By the way, 104 degrees today. Kind of miss those April showers bringing May flowers. :)

Abu Dhabi's Finest

2009-04-16T20:08:00.000-07:00

Had my first experience with the police this week. I got a call Monday evening after Perspectives from my friend Patty. Her car was hit at a stoplight by a driver who turned too widely from the side road and then smacked Patty's bumper. He then waved at her as if to say "Oh, it's nothing!" and drove off. You know what? He was right. Just a ding and scratch. Unless you are driving a rental car. If that is the case, as with Patty and Barry, then you MUST have a police report or you have to pay for the repairs. With a report the rental agency takes care of it. Not a bad deal. Unless you are the one trying to get the police to come and write up the report. Needless to say, Barry and Patty spent the next 2 hours trying to chase down the police to get the report. They called the number and after waiting awhile were sent out to a police station, who then sent them back to the scene to wait some more. By then they were starving. They went to eat. Barry went home(early early day the next day) and Patty called me to come sit with her as it was getting late, and she did not want to sit outside alone waiting. We sat outside waiting for the police. I guess we were there about an hour before they came. Patty drew and acted out the accident. I was there for moral support and comic relief. :) The English was minimal so it was pretty entertaining.....
Got the report and were told to go to another station with it. Which we did. By now it is 10:30 or so. No other women around. Awkward. As Patty gets her turn, the policeman says..You have No objection Letter? Uh..no. Come back tomorrow with letter from Insurance. Sigh. Ok.
End of my story?
Nope. Next day Mike gets scratched all the way down the side of his car. Could be somebody keyed him. Not sure. Can't get any repairs here without that police report. He calls. He waits. Then is sent to police station. I ride with him. Can't find it. Calls again. Sent back to scene. We wait. and wait. We leave. He calls again. Go to this station. Ok. We will...another day. :)
By the way. Patty was told at the Rental agency that they take care of all of it. Just give them the papers. And here's a different car. Now THAT was good news!!!! :) Our issue not resolved yet. But, oh well!
Happy Spring ,Everyone. We're off to church and then tomorrow to the beach for an informal birthday party for Sallie. Everyone is invited. I'm just bringing cupcakes. :)

Sign on the Dotted Line!

2009-03-27T21:53:00.000-07:00

We have had so many people ask us how we are doing. It is wonderful to feel so much love and support. We are doing well. Trying to prepare for Ryan's graduation and our summer plans. Enjoying the fact that Mike has a new job.! Oh, but wait! There is this small matter of a PAYCHECK.

So, here's the story.

Mike is "made redundant" (term they use here-good grief!) on Jan. 20.

Bank is generously notified that Mike is no longer employed and will no longer be receiving compensation.

Mike rushes to withdraw savings we have stashed away to pay this year's rent (remember, rent paid by the year here, up front) , so we have something to live on-If in fact the rumors are true and our bank account may be frozen.

Meanwhile, Mike contacts everyone and anyone for job leads.

Ryan's tuition is due. As are two car payments. (Rent is not due. Good thing we pay by the year!?)

After 4 weeks of searching and great friends helping, Parsons, International offers Mike a job.

2 days later: Mike unable to get into our bank account to pay car payments-Account is NOW frozen(interesting concept...frozen AFTER employed). Sidenote: car loans are at the same bank. we left money in the bank to pay notes. we receive an interest fee charge for late payment????? they have the money. they control the account. Hmmm....

Mike is told bank account will be accessible again when he receives his first electronic paycheck. Parsons pays monthly and sometimes every 5 weeks. This is a 5 week cycle. (oh boy.)

Continue using cash withdrawn earlier. Ryan goes to China. Amazing experience. Envelope with cash gets skinnier. Family comes from Kansas. We all have a blast.

March 8: Hill pays Mike last payment. Unable to deposit it because account is frozen(another interesting concept, bank NOT wanting your money). Mike follows courier around the bank for hour and a half until it is deposited. (We can't touch it, but at least Mike is officially done with Hill at this point.) ( He puts it this way, "finally got their claws dug out of me.")

March 26: First PAYCHECK!!! But wait... can't deposit it. Bank will not take it unless it is electronic. Parsons does not issue the first paycheck electronically. Mike has a piece of paper with ink on it. Mike goes to bank for 5th time to unfreeze account. Has all the paperwork. The banker he usually works with is OUT that day. The lady he talks to says, But sir, your account is not frozen. Mike has visions of going postal. "Then why can't I access it online or withdraw money?" Blank stare. Further investigation reveals that Microsoft Explorer no longer works with NBAD..only Mozilla. Ok, thanks for the heads up. Also, only up to 30,000 dollars is frozen and Mike hates them. :) ( He just added that out loud to me. )

And there is the journey of the paycheck. No, it is not yet deposited as it is still PAPER but we are hopeful that this week we will have victory!!!

I know this was long and convoluted..but that's nothing to walking it out. :)

Here's to Jehovah Jireh. The God who provides.

We are truly thankful.

Lots of love,

The Hildebrands

Kansas Cousins and Ryan's Home!

2009-03-16T21:17:00.000-07:00

Family dinner.

Jet lag wins.

Dressed for the Mosque.

Sunny day at the beach.

Ryan returned last nite from China. Safe and sound. Josh, our still jetlagging nephew, woke up to ride with me to pick him up, at 1am, at the school. Bless his heart. His suitcase is full of Chinese bargains and, although we were all pretty beat, he did tell us that the trip was great. We, too, have a great week with Don and Laurie and Josh here. We are getting plenty of touring in...the Grand Mosque, Emirates Palace, the Beach, etc. as well as just time to laugh, talk, and reminisce.

It was one of the better trips I have had to the Mosque. We latched onto a tour guide and heard some new things from her. There was also a ladies college visiting, so the mosque was filled with local Emirati women giggling in their black abayas and snapping pictures. Although from a distance it was hard to differentiate between the expats who have to cover in black when visiting the Mosque and the local gals who were there, when you got close there was no comparison. They are so graceful and wear their abayas so naturally. We spent the time battling with the shayla scarfs that cover our heads, trying to keep them on...They didn't have that problem. :) By the way, our trip to the Mosque was actually the second try. The first day we arrived too late and only Muslims could go in. Oh well. I appreciated the good attitude and flexiblity of our visitors. It makes it easier when people just go with the flow. :)

Before everyone arrived I told my friend Jill that I wanted to be sure that our Kansas family had fun on their visit. She laughed and said "Mattie, they will enjoy looking out your window! So many different sights." It proved to be prophetic. We have had some great conversations about all the activity outside the window! :) The parking, the laborers arriving and leaving from work, kids heading to school and just city life here. I am actually glad for our bustling location. Sometimes. :)

So we still have a few days. Coming up. Visit to Dubai, field trip to a nature preserve, Arabic food, and I imagine other adventures. Now that Ryan is here he will have several things he wants his cousins to do and see. :)

What a blessing to have them here. They should be over Jet lag about the time they climb back on the plane on Friday.

More updates later.

Have a great day!

Just the Usual. What a relief!

2009-03-11T20:21:00.000-07:00

As I have the morning off from taking Ryan to school, I decided to update the blog. I think I sort of stalled out for awhile with all the stuff going on. Just couldn't live it and write about it at the same time.
But life is "calmer" now. Just the usual..no place to park, so I sat for 30 minutes for someone to pull out and then...get out of my way! I was in there. Or getting my hair cut but having to map a new way there cuz they have closed the street down completely for the next 2 years or so. No big deal..just a 6 lane major street thru the city. Ho hum. Bought a floor fan to possibly drown the 24 hour construction in my bedroom. It has helped. Amen! When I say, in my bedroom, it really is right there. Just ask the friends who have been here. :) Or the honking if you don't floor it right when the light turns green. Heaven forbid you have to sit for 2 seconds. Course, I can't complain. My friend got ticketed for a 1% tinted front window that apparently is against a law that no one had heard about. Something like 10,000 dirhams...divide by 3.6. Can't have his license back until he pays. Yep. Can't complain!
Ryan did get off to China ok last nite. He will be there 6 days for the Model United Nations conference. Students from all over the Middle and Far East will be attending. An amazing opportunity. They also get to see the Great Wall and Forbidden City. And shop. :) There are 12 kids going from ACS and many of them are Ryan's good friends. 4 from the basketball team, which makes it doubly fun for him. Now the kids were told to take swim goggles to wear to keep out the smog. Just could not picture that for my Ryan. We settled on good sunglasses. :)

And for us, 3 of our numerous Kansas family members are coming to see us tomorrow!!! We are so excited. Mike's brother Don, and our niece and nephew..Laurie and Josh..both on Spring Break from Kansas State are making the long haul over here. We are all very excited. Ryan will be back for the second part of their visit so it works out great! (He'll be beat, but hey! He's young..no big deal. )

And work, you ask? Mike and I are happy he is fully employed by a US based multinational company right here in Abu Dhabi. He completes his 3rd week today. Should be getting a paycheck soon. We hope. :) Sallie and Robert are doing well, too. Sallie is taking art lessons and somehow she is very good! Not from my side of the family. That's for sure. Robert started piano lessons with our friend Katie. He remembers quite a bit from his lessons in the States several years ago.

We head to the US in June. Our nephew Kent is getting married, and Ryan will be starting college. ALL of us are looking forward to that.

Stay tuned for more news from Sandyland.
Mattie, for the gang!

Rollercoaster Journey

2009-02-24T18:29:00.000-08:00

It is now more than a month since Mike walked into the corporate office of Hill International and was told, "You've been terminated. Sign here" Five simple words that sent our world spinning dizzily out of control. Or so it felt. As Mike told me about it that evening, the first night of the Perspectives class, the anniversary of Mom's death, I thought I was going to throw up. He told me that when he asked them, "What about my family? What do we do now? My son graduates in June. What do we do?" He was met with a blank stare and a shoulder shrug. All righty then....

And so began many days and nights of prayer, mornings of waking up in a panic, talking and talking and talking to other companies, to friends here and friends in the US, to previous co-workers and bosses, and more prayer.

Of course, losing a job anywhere is a very, very difficult thing. Here in the UAE, though, the ramifications of being jobless can be tramatic in different ways. Visas are cancelled, bank accounts can be frozen, and so on. We felt this looming black hole approaching to swallow us at such a speed that we couldn't get our breath. Combine that with the global economic crisis and the construction business plummeting..and well, you have panic. In Dubai right now, Mike guesses that one quarter to one half of the cranes are shut down. Projects are being closed down and people laid off at an alarming rate. And all their resumes are coming to Abu Dhabi. Oh boy. And it doesn't look good here, either. At Mike's previous project, just after he was let go, about 80 more people followed. So far.

During this job hunting time(more like frantic search) we have had many false starts and confusing messages. One company hired Mike for a project but the client then turned around and said no. "He's too senior." The company then went back to the client to ask them to approve him AGAIN and we have heard that he is still not approved. We still, however, get conflicting stories from that. Mike talked to another company. They hired him, an answer. In this case, however, we needed more documentation. His diplomas needed to be stamped by a notary, then the State of Kansas and Texas, then the State Dept. and then the UAE embassy in the US. Although even with that, we heard different stories. He immediately started getting that done, not easy to do from over here and was also told different processes to do it, BUT the new company, Parsons. needed him at work except he couldn't be official until the doc. was done. Wow. Finally, after a week working at Parsons, he is signing a contract today. Officially he is hired. Though we are still waiting on the documents. The Hildebrands are just relieved to know that we will not be kicked out of the country. That Ryan will be able to graduate from high school here. That we do not need to borrow money to pay off the cars so our bank account isn't frozen. That, at least for now, Mom Hildebrand doesn't need to clean out the closet for 5 extra boarders!:) And that perhaps our purpose for being here is still in process. For the last month and more, we truly wondered if 18 months was all He wanted...and just exactly what did that mean?

Mike just called. Good news. He has an employee number and that means he's on the payroll! Hallelujah.

Praising God for new beginnings and friends who prayed along side us.

Mattie

Face to Faith

2009-02-07T09:31:00.000-08:00

Haven't felt much like writing for the past two weeks. I probably should have, but just didn't feel like talking about it. I did write quite a bit in my journal. I don't want to forget these last couple of weeks..nor do I ever really want to live thru them again...and I sure want all of this to be done.
I've been trying to think of some catchy way to describe this journey of joblessness and nothing comes up. We have worked thru feelings of betrayal, fear, hope, despair, panic, fear, hope, despair, betrayal, and on and on. I remember doing the Walk thru the Bible seminar years ago and learning about the tests that God's people were put thru and they constantly came up with an F. So the next test...and so on. The guy leading the class used an overhead and as he described each test...not going in when it was promised to them, etc. He would draw a big red F on the overhead. Somedays I feel like this is our test. I am absolutely terrified of that big red F. Am I being silly? Maybe..but I believe God does use circumstances to strengthen and yes to test us. Do we..DO I really believe His promises? What' s the deal God? Why bring us all the way over here and then both my parents die? and then Mike loses his job???? Hellooooo? Anybody there? So we're sitting here helping lead Perspectives for the umpteenth time and in the first week we are learning about God's glory and everything, and boom..we're fired! Wow. Failing that test, God. Big time.
BUT..... I bet if anyone is reading this they are glad to see that word there. Cuz, well, just because you don't want to hear that we are stuck in the dark pit, in the lion's den with no special guest, facing Goliath with no slingshot, at the Red Sea with no Moses and his staff...:) (Believe me, every one of these analogies and a bunch more have run thru our minds these last 14 days or so.) BUT we have felt the power of prayer lifting us up before the throne of grace almost constantly since this all started. From the moment I let people know, and that was almost immediately after Mike walked into the corporate office and was told, "Mike you have been terminated. Sign here. You have 30 days.." we have felt everyone's prayers. And our friends on this side of the world, people we have only known for 18 months offering to pay off our cars, loan us money, keep Ryan so he can stay and finish high school here. And so much more from both sides of the globe. Honestly, it is HARD being so darn needy all the time. Really, it is, BUT to feel this love and to see the Body come together and support us. Well, we have seen Jesus and He is here. And there. And with us.

Hope you can all understand why it has been hard to blog again. How in the world do we explain the craziness of this right now? BUT in closing, God has been speaking to us. Though muffled on many days, we are hearing Him. Like through Pslam 145, the whole thing really, but particularly vs. 11 and 12:
They will tell of the glory of your kingdom and speak of your might, SO THAT all men may know of your mighty acts and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.
and vs 14:
The Lord upholds all those who fall and lifts up all who are bowed down.
and vs.17:
The Lord is righteous in all his ways and loving toward all he has made.

There is no job yet, BUT Hill has not cancelled the visa yet so we are not feeling a rush to leave. We have yet to hear back from a good offer, BUT we are hopeful that maybe this week. or next we will know more. We have no bank account right now, BUT we do have our money so we aren't desperate. We still wake up panicked some mornings, BUT we are trusting for God to provide..and that's good. :)

and vs.21
My mouth will speak in praise of the LORD. Let every creature praise his holy name for ever and ever.
Amen and Amen.
Grateful for all the prayers and love being sent our way.
The Hildebrands...sticking in out in Sandyland...:)

Forever Love

2009-01-20T18:37:00.000-08:00

In memory of my parents.
(Written on their 40th anniversary....1992)

Forever Love

They celebrate 40 years today_
A blessing to be sure.
Thru hard times and good times,
With a love that did endure.

A borrowed glass, began their journey
At least, that's what we're told.
And matchmaking parents soon encouraged,
a wedding band of gold.

It certainly wasn't easy,
the changes that came their way,
A fishing cabin Idaho,
brought Diana Beth in May.

Four years later, and a couple of moves,
landed them in Grants.
Baby Scott came on the scene,
to the rhythm of indian chants.

Not ones to let their roots grow long,
they packed again and moved along.
Between here and there, and who knows where_
came little Mattie in Pierre.

To some already, they'd done their share
of packing, boxing, and hauling with care.
But not the Deahls, no, not them....
They moved again,again and again!

This country was not big enough to hold this family in.
So off to Argentina, and then Brazil they went!
They also hit Aruba, where Don, he was in heaven!
But Nan, not quite the water buff, was ready to get movin!

They headed to Bolivia,
and faced a coup d'etat.
Then back again to the USA,
This time they planned to stay.

There love has covered many things in all these 40 years.
Births and deaths, smiles and tears, and grandkids everywhere.

And so no matter where they go,
I think it's safe to say...
Their love goes with them everywhere
Forever and a Day.

Lovingly, Mattie
March 1992

My first year of grieving has come to a close. And yes, time has helped. As have the prayers and support of my many, many friends and family. And they continue to be such a blessing and support to us as we face Mike's job loss and the uncertain future. Truly, we feel His peace and protection at this time as a result of your prayers.
Thank you everyone,
Mattie and Mike

Miss Him Already

2009-01-14T20:50:00.001-08:00

Camel Races

Grand Mosque

Ryan's Birthday Dinner..Russell's last night here.

Having grown up a TCK..or Third Culture Kid, I became very used to goodbyes and hellos. Anxiously awaiting the arrival of loved ones for a visit tops some of my favorite memories. That first glimpse as they came thru customs was the best. Of course, back then the world wasn't quite so connected either..We talked to my sister very rarely after she left home to attend nursing school, while we moved from Argentina, to Brazil and then a year later to Aruba. But oh! when she came to visit! Nothing beat it. Scott and I would vie for her attention and we made some great memories. I just loved the hellos...but oh! those goodbyes!...They were so hard. And, although I became used to them, they didn't get any easier.

So there we were last nite. Another goodbye to put in my heart. Our time with Russell was so good. I'm thankful for his long visit. It was like he experienced our real life here...not just a snippet of this and that. Sure, we did fun things...dune bashing, skiing, touring the Grand Mosque and so on...but mostly we hung out. He met Ryan's friends. He met our friends. Played Laser tag with Sallie and Robert. Saw one of Ryan's basketball games. Did the grocery shopping with me. And more grocery shopping. Saw what Sallie and Robert do for school. Hung out with Mike as he navigated the maze of trying to get the very simple problem with the license plate repaired(a casualty of dune bashing). Ordered shirts from our Hindu tailor around the corner...AND felt the satisfaction of actually getting what he wanted...:) Simply put...He lived life with us and it felt great.

Today though, I am dealing with the goodbyes...I woke up and his big ol' shoes aren't by the door. His toothbrush is gone from the counter. The book that he left for us to read, is sitting on the couch. It feels empty. As I watched him walk thru customs last nite, I wanted to run and hug him one more time. The goodbyes...man, they are hard.

And if we are here next year...and I'm saying goodbye to both Ryan and Russell. Well, let me tell you...It will not be a pretty picture. Not at all.

By the way, today Ryan is 18. We are so blessed. He is such a wonderful son. Like I said, I don't even want to think about him not being here next year...nope! I'll leave that goodbye for later.

See you later...

Mattie

Dubai can Do Anything You Can Do, Better. Dubai Can Do Anything Better Than You.

2009-01-06T19:04:00.000-08:00

I was shocked to see that it has been so long since I last made an entry on my blog. Russell arrived on the 21st..so I guess that explains part of it. Our days have been filled with Christmas, and New Year's, and sightseeing, and just hanging out. I kind of feel badly...I probably should have set his tickets up for this Thurs. instead of next Thurs. so he could have time in Dallas with his friends...Selfish me. I admit, it is a bit slow with Ryan back in school and "normal" routine setting in, but all that being said, we love having him here. So, we buy the tickets..we get the boy!

Beyond the usual holiday dinners and celebrations, the boys went Dune bashing with their dad and some other men. This is a common activity here...Men take out their 4 wheel drives, strap on their testosterone and fly thru the desert sand dunes...Up and down...sometimes way up and way down...they go across the dunes. Laughing all the way...until the bumper comes off or the gas tank gets cracked...or...or...they get STUCK. all the time...:) But they have fun. And then you take the car to the car wash where they remove sand from everywhere...even with windows up and doors closed the sand ends up covering the inside of your cars. Good times. Good times.

Russell wanted to experience Ski Dubai. So, off we went last Saturday. When he visited last year we just could not face the Dubai traffic but this year we are a little stronger and Saturday was our day in Dubai. Mike and Russell skied in the ONLY indoor ski mountain in the world,while Sallie and Robert and I walked around the Mall. We then all headed to the Dubai Mall, the BIGGEST mall in the world..for Taco Bell(first in the UAE)and the new aquarium. On our way there we passed the TALLEST building in the world. (Feel free to read this with any inflection you like...thrilling, cynical, factual...yes, however you like.... ) The only thing missing was Ryan...he was not feeling great when we left so he stayed home. But he'll have another chance.

Last nite we watched the recorded Fiesta Bowl with some friends. Katie and Kevin invited us over for Mexican food...and we actually managed to NOT know the outcome of the game...A difficult feat with facebook and all. So, there were some happy Longhorns last nite.

We might get to see some camel races this week...Now won't that be something? Trying to set it up before Russell leaves. Also, Ryan turns 18 on the 15th..Maybe a Camel Racing party..hmmmmm....

2008 has been pretty interesting..wonder what's next...

Be Our Guest, Be Our Guest...put our cookies to the test!.

2008-12-22T20:46:00.000-08:00

Although we find it kind of hard to get into the Christmas spirit over here...We have had some fun activities lately...

There was Christmas carolling in the desert last Friday nite..The stars stretched on forever and the bonfire lit up the nite sky. It was even cold enough to wear sweaters and jackets. Very nice. And last nite...all 6 of us sat and watched It's a Wonderful Life. This is actually Russell's tradition...and there we all were. It was great. I've had Christmas Carols on the computer almost constantly...including Dallas weather updates..which is pretty fun, too. :) The kids and I baked cookies, Russell played Santa and brought lots of stuff from home, and...

We hosted the now 2nd annual Christmas party for the apartment building. This year it was for the kids. One day in November I noticed several kids unloading from the buses after school and going into our building. And it just popped in my head...:)...hey this year I won't have a Holiday tea just for the ladies...It will be a party for the kids. About 20 people came..from Pakistan, India, England, Denmark, Serbia and Japan. We decorated Christmas cookies that my friend Jean Page graciously baked, played a British Christmas game called Pass the Parcel sort of Hot Potato with music, and surprises inside. Ate lots of snacks and then heard the Christmas story. Truth? I feel like I fumbled thru the story...BUT am not going to dwell on that.

It was fun and lots of the ladies want to have coffee. Sallie and Robert liked meeting more kids in the building...So overall, a good time was had by all. My neighbors from across the hall even came...They brought us the coolest gift...a cap from the Pakistani Navy Ship that her husband works on. Now THAT'S a keeper.

No, it's not the same as being with all of you this holiday season. Mike will probably be going into the office some on Christmas day, and we miss our friends and family..But God is good and we are reminded that He truly is the reason for the Season.

To God be the glory...Great things He has done.

Merry Christmas 2008, Everyone.

The Hildebrands

Photos from Bulgaria

2008-12-22T19:47:00.000-08:00

Lunch at the ski resort...please ignore green sign...WE just had LUNCH!

Ryan's snowman...very international.

Daddy and daughter...fun times.

All the kids...cold and happy...Sallie, Austin, Robert, Jared, Ryan and Jason.

Dinner with our dearest buddies....

Athens Adventures

2008-12-17T18:16:00.000-08:00

On our return trip...Sofia to Abu Dhabi, we had to stay one nite in Athens. Initially we were excited about this because we would have one day to see the city. Our excitement, however, waned a bit as the rioting in Athens kicked up just before our flight. Ugh. At one point we wondered if we would be stranded in Sofia...not that that would have been a bad thing at all..except that the Fords have life to do and with 5 extra people invading their home...well, you get the picture. But our flight left on time and we arrived in Athens that evening. The airline provided a hotel for us as they had cancelled our original flight and that is why we had that nite in Athens.
The next morning we decided to brave the city tram and rode it all the way into the town center. Well, actually, we got off one stop before the final turnaround. We were told to get off there as at the last stop it was all burnt out from the rioting. Despite some misgivings about going into the city...we did not feel unsafe at all. Life pretty much seemed normal. We did see banks with shattered windows..but on the whole, it was just a beautiful day in Greece.
As the tram approached the last stop...the Acropolis loomed into view...It absolutely took my breath away. The sky was a bright blue(it had stormed the nite before, so everything was washed clean) and there it was..perched high on a hilltop cliff. It really was a case of taking my breath away. We disembarked at wandered around the area. We did not have enough time to actually go to the Acropolis..but we did wander thru the Temple of Zeus...
Yes, our time was way too short..but we decided we'll try and return ...There is just so much to see. The tram ride just tickled our appetite...on one side the beautiful waves crashing on the beaches and on the other the mountains rising the the distance...
One scary thing happened during our quick visit. The McDonalds we passed on the way into the city..well, on the way back to our hotel we saw policemen, firetrucks, and people hovering around it. Black, soot covered, and a big hole in the front wall. Just two hours earlier Robert said he wanted to go there for lunch...hmmm. Thank You, Lord.
Our flight home that afternoon was uneventful. We are now gearing up for Russell's visit and the upcoming holiday events. Tomorrow nite we are going to the desert with a group of friends to sing Christmas carols. Sunday, Sallie and Robert and I are hosting a Children's Christmas party for the kids in our building. Then, next week we have parties and a trip to the Labor camp to deliver care packages.
Merry Christmas everyone...
We miss you.
Mattie and The Gang

Fun, Food and Frost with the Fordebrands

2008-12-14T06:41:00.000-08:00

The travelling Hildebrands, after a wonderful visit to Bulgaria, have returned to their apartment in sunny Abu Dhabi. I tried several times to blog while in Sofia, to no avail. The blog page kept coming up in Bulgarian and no one was able to help me sign in.(although I have figured out the Arabic sign in page...Bulgarian was not working for me. :))
Our days with the Fords were filled with laughter, adventures, stories, good food and more laughter.
All 5 Fords met us at the airport on Thurs. evening. We headed to their cozy home of the last 3 1/2 years for Pat's delicious spaghetti and lots of talking and catching up. Austin graciously gave up his bedroom to us...and all 10 of us squeezed together for the next 7 days. It was truly a testimony to our family connections...the Fordebrands or the Hildefords... One shower...10 people..no problem..:) The washer and dryer pretty much ran nonstop..as did the dishwasher...but nobody cared.:)
During our visit we toured Sofia, Ryan and Sallie visited the boys' school(where Darren is headmaster), experienced grocery shopping a couple of times, had coffee at Starbucks, went to the movies, attended a Bulgarian wedding at their home church, made some new friends and saw some old friends from our time in Michigan, and generally had a blast.
Perhaps the highlights...of which there are many...was the trip thru the countryside to see Borovets, the ski resort..playing in the snow..with beautiful medieval forests all around us..eating outside in the crisp air..and laughing at the huge icicles that the kids were grabbing from the eaves. Or maybe it was visiting with Pat and Darren's landlords who live on the top floor of the building..Marin and Borianna..and laughing with them...mostly at their pet pigeon, Google, that swooped down and landed on Mike's shoulder...( I kid you not...). Or perhaps is was the evening we all were hanging out in the living room playing Signs and laughing... and then there were the great homemade biscuits Pat made, or her tortillas and salsa..and her pancakes made from scratch..Yep...all those are highlights. :)
I could go on and on..but I think that's all for now. And Darren loved his camelhead key holder...Ok, I'll stop.
Sallie summed it up best when she looked at me on Thursday afternoon while we were shoving things in our suitcases...and said, "Mom, it doesn't feel like we're heading home..it feels like we're leaving it."
She's right.
I'll write about Athens tomorrow or soon. :)

Holidays

2008-12-01T06:24:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving weekend is over. The many pictures racing through my mind make me smile. Mary Kenney hosted about 30 people at her home on Thursday nite. Somehow we managed to have places for everyone and there was plenty of delicious food for all who came. Really, too much food..as usual. Some traditions are the same no matter where you are.....:) I helped with the table settings and decor...along with Katie Pritz who had great ideas for centerpieces, etc. And the tables all looked great...:) Mary and her mom made some great pies..kids running and laughing...Katie and Kevin teaching me to play some pool table game called Crud....talking with Pilar, Mary's friend from Colombia, relaxing and chatting..., My friend Johnni came and some of Mary's coworkers and friends, as well as all of us and the Pritzes. (Katie and Kevin are new this year...she is the gal who had her baby here...3 weeks after arriving....) Memories of old Thanksgiving holidays sometimes caught me up....our times in the Hood with the Pearces and the Fords, or at my folks' house...the last time we were all together. One unexpected moment came when I opened the oven door to pull out the turkey...and was overwhelmed with missing my mom. But overall, it was truly a wonderful day and one for the memory banks as well.

Although we didn't have football on Thurs., we did get to watch it on Friday with the Pages...our Aggie friends...heh heh...and several other friends. Mike and I thought it was a great game....:)More desserts and snacking....and of course...winning...made it a great afternoon.

As the holiday season is on in full force...National Day for the United Arab Emirates is tomorrow...(see Dec. 2007 blog entrys...:)) and Christmas fast approaching...I've had several things make me smile...and some that make me shake my head in amazement. Like feeling cold this evening in the park at 80 degrees, or driving to the ladies Christmas seminar at church...with my reindeer shirt on..and black capris, and my windows down with Christmas carols blaring as I drove past the corner mosque....( Some things feel really surreal..even after 15 months here. ) Katie and I shopping for fabric to cover the converted pool table/dining table made me smile... I love seeing Christmas fabrics(they seem so out of place) here and baby Ella is always fun to be with... Or decorateing our tree on Sat. with Sallie, Robert and Ryan...once again missing Russell, but feeling more like home this time. Perhaps it is doing it for the second time...sort of feels normal now. It was sad though, to pull out mom's ornaments that I picked up when I was with her last year at Thanksgiving... (The truth is, I wanted to be alone by the tree and cry like crazy...but life goes on and there just wasn't anyway to do that. )

So the tree is up...the stockings are hung by the window with care...and we are all doing well. Wednesday nite we head to Dubai to catch our flight to Bulgaria...and then, hopefully, I will have lots of fun things to share about playing in the snow and freezing our tails off!!!

Mike's home! Time to go.
Love, Mattie

Sweet Saturdays

2008-11-21T21:15:00.000-08:00

It's Saturday morning and we are quietly working at the computers, playing Wii and in Ryan's case...still snoozing...the life of a highschool senior.
Today we will run errands and hopefully go see our friends compete in a swim meet as well. The Miller kids all joined a swim club here in Abu Dhabi and this is their first meet of the season. Debbie told us that it is run very differently than back in Colorado(no surprise there) ...certainly an experience for her kids. I'm looking forward to watching it today.
Jeff and Mary Kenney invited us to their home for Thanksgiving on Thursday. We are looking forward to it. Although Ryan does have the day off from school, for Mike it is a workday. We have been scouring the stores for Thanksgiving items....still on the hunt for green beans for the casserole..:) and we probably need some more Stove Top stuffing. My sister would cringe but as she is not here to make her delicious stuffing...this will have to do. :) Neither Mary nor I claim to be Martha Stewart...good food, lots of it...and hey! We call it a day.
In less than two weeks we are heading to Sofia, Bulgaria to visit the Ford family. Affectionately known as the Hildefords..or Fordebrands..depends on which set of kids you ask. We are extremely excited to see them. Mike is whining a bit about the cold but the rest of us are hoping for lots of snow!!!!(One of the sheikhs must be looking at something..his helicopter keeps circling around our building. It always makes me think of that movie, Red Dawn..yeesh.)
Then, after we get back from the Fords... Russell will be coming....Yay!!
Not a whole lot to report today. Time to do our errands. Maybe grab some coffee at Starbucks. God Bless you and yours this Thanksgiving.
Mattie

Miss You...

2008-11-11T10:03:00.000-08:00

Periodically, over the past week, I've struggled with mom and dad's deaths. Today is the one year anniversary of daddy dying and also this week, a year ago, was the last time I saw my mom. If I don't think too long about it..I'm fine. But when I stop and see Momma waving goodbye from the Luby's where we had that last Thanksgiving dinner...her favorite holiday, then it's hard. I've had more dreams lately, too. I still see daddy's face, when I was leaving after seeing them to say goodbye, before moving here. I know he knew it was our final goobye..I just know it. But I wouldn't go there...just couldn't. I really had no idea that last year was my final goodbye to mom.... Sometimes it is so stinkin' hard. You know? I thought maybe I would mark this day in some way...like sit at the beach and cry or something. Daddy loved the water and instilled that same love in each of us, but I didn't go today. Maybe another day...but not today. I'm glad the first year is over. The first birthday, and Christmas, and the kids birthdays and so on. Glad that's over. I guess I'll never know if the the hardest stuff last year was grief, culture shock or what...or both...both, I suppose.
This year has been much better....Thank the Lord. Good news coming from the States like new babies as well as a newly engaged nephew. That's nice. Makes me smile. And it's nice that we get to go see the Fords in December...and our friendships here continue to deepen. Yes. It is all good.
Just some days are hard..some days I want to tell them something...hear them laugh or say, "Hi honey."... "I love you, Matt." "How are the kids?" "Have you heard from your sister?" "We're watching JAG..." "Got a letter from your Aunt Sally. The kids are doing well." "Miss you sweetheart."
Me too...

Made In Mexico

2008-10-31T21:16:00.000-07:00

One thing about living overseas...are the constant surprises. Imagine our surprise when Ryan and I went on a hunt for Ryan's costume for a party last nite. He decided to be a Mexican bandito..now this is an easy task when you live in TEXAS, but we had our doubts about finding the accessories here. :) I brought a great poncho from El Paso..so we had that...but we were doubtful about finding a sombrero, etc. We headed to this store called Posters..unfamiliar to us but we were told it had some costumes. What a surprise when we walked in the door...it was full of costumes and party goods!! Almost felt like Party City. Not only did we find the sombrero but also the bullet belt! Actually turned out to be a good costume. Also pretty surprising to see two folks dressed like Santa Claus last nite walking down the street.....hmmm...:) And then there was the surprise of seeing a guy DRIVING down the Corniche(waterfront road) with a small brazier grill thing filled with lit, hot coals...in his lap! Yep. That was a surprise, too. :)

We also had a week full of fun and surprises with the Belsons..who left on Thurs. So wonderful to have them here. They brought some fun things from home...more surprises..and we spent the time talking and seeing the sights. Sheryl got to meet my English Club ladies and both Sheryl and Maynard got to attend our Sunday nite family class as well as meet many friends from our Friday nite small group. They spent time in the park with the moms and met Johnni(my American friend married to an Emirati) one afternoon at the beach. Maynard spent Wednesday afternoon walking the job site with Mike and visited with some of the guys there. All in all, it was great! Hard to say good-bye, tears and hugs...but so blessed to have had time with them.

And by the way, thanks to many of you for sending surprises with them. We really appreciate it. A lot.

Here's to surprises...especially the good ones!

Love, Mattie

Here we are at Ski Dubai.

This and That

2008-10-22T03:47:00.000-07:00

I told my niece, Katie, that I needed to update my blog. She agreed rather quickly so I thought I would write something before I headed out to pick up Ryan from school.
Somehow I seem to be writing a lot about my English Club these days...and today is no different. :) We met on Monday, and for this meeting we had Junko teach us origami. Picture it if you can....a very detailed process being taught to people from several different backgrounds..not to mention languages..from someone using their minimum English. Laughter filled the room and somthing resembling little cranes emerged..eventually. Poor Junko kept telling us how the folds are so important..and make them very tight...It takes a lot of patience. Sallie actually ended up with the best Crane. An added ingredient this week is our new friend..Huda, who is Egyptian and wants to improve her English as well. Poor thing. I hope we didn't scare her to death with all of our laughter....although she was definitely a good sport and hung right there with us. All of them are invited to join some other friends for a desert barbecue this Friday. Huda said she may come and perhaps some others will too.
Last weekend Mike and I attended a training session in Dubai for becoming Perspectives coordinators over here. It was a privilege to be with about 20 other folks from all over the UAE who also want to see great things happen. The training was long but well worth it. Our friend Matt organized it (he lead the classes last Fall)as well as two others from the UK and the US. We were encouraged and challenged. And now we are also official. :)
Right now we are looking forward to two great friends coming to visit us this Saturday! Maynard and Sheryl Belson, who traveled with us to Morocco in 2005, are coming and we cannot wait! They will be here for several days. I'm sure I will have interesting tales to tell....
Blessings!
Mattie

Out of the Frying Pan but still in the Fire

2008-10-14T19:41:00.000-07:00

So I'm trying to play around with the blog and figure out new things...Not sure if I figured anything out yet...but...:) oh well... The weather is cooling off enough now that we can go to the beach and not fry. Last Saturday I texted my friends and said to join us there...It was such a nice afternoon. Here are a couple of pictures...Billy, Robert and Ben..the Three Musketeers deep in conversation and I have no idea about what. :)

and here are Mike, Sallie and Kyra Kenney contemplating the blue waters of the Arabian Gulf.

For English Club Junko took us to a great Japanese restaurant here in Abu Dhabi and included a lesson on using chopsticks.... I think she should be a model. As beautiful on the inside as on the outside.

Here Sallie and Stephanie Page attempt synchronized diving at the pool.

It is very nice that the weather is cooling off. We don't feel so tied to the airconditioning now.

The kids are doing well in school. Ryan is in full college search mode. He has the SAT's on Saturday. Sallie and Robert are doing well in the K12 Online School..learning lots. as am I. :)

Mike and I continue to be refined in the furnace, so to speak. Learning, leaning, ...stuggling and surrendering again. Not fun, but certainly biblical. :) We appreciate your prayers...and recognize as well that many of you are going thru so much as well. And we are praying.

And we still find things to laugh about...like our friend's story last week about his meeting with the Department of Transportation for Abu Dhabi....There was no parking. :) or the fact that our windows have not been washed since last MAY and when we asked about it we were told "2 months more...insh'allah..." UGH. By then we will need a firetruck hose to clean the stuff off...oh wait...that won't work...My friend told me that she watched a fire in the building next to hers a couple of months ago and they were pointing the hose in the wrong direction! Finally a Brit came out and showed them how to use the rescue bucket and the equipment. Thank the Lord no one died...(and that we live on the first floor) but as for my windows.....hmmmm....:)

Rama-Done!!!

2008-10-04T20:09:00.000-07:00

Soon the holiday decorations at the malls will be coming down....You are actually looking at is normally a clear glass wall covered in "wallpaper".

All church lunch at Al Wahda Mall...We can eat in public during the day!!!

Someone decided to take a boat ride to celebrate Eid......Nice, huh? :) We, however, just went on a desert picnic...but had lots of fun!

As our first full week of post Ramadan/Eid starts, I just wanted to post a few pictures from the events of the week. Needless to say...we are happy to be back to "normal". :)

Mom's Night Out

2008-09-24T18:32:00.000-07:00

English club back in full swing. Homeschool moms planning the year.

I tried new food last nite. There is a Vietnamese Restaurant right down the block from us and the Homeschool moms all met there for dinner and planning. It's quite a big group now. Rebecca LaValle was the first and she was soon joined by Krista Heath and Jean Page...All of these ladies are now going on 5 and 6 years here. Now we have around 15 families so we are figuring out how to best encourage each other and keep things going...like field trips, should we do some combined classes....and so on. It's a fun bunch of ladies and always encouraging to be with them. And I found out I really like Vietnamese food...within walking distance as well..so we wouldn't lose our parking place. (a very big consideration at nite...all these things factor in, you know :)).

Ramadan is nearly over. Everyday, at the intersection out our window, we hear tires screeching and many times a huge bang follows. Driving during Ramadan is intense. Not sure if it is the heat or the hunger or the combination but there are accidents all the time. Very nervewracking. Stores will soon be open normal hours and traffic will resume its more normal patterns.... We had friends trying to move in this month and its been very challenging to shop and furnish their apt. as shops are open 8pm to 1am and they have 2 very young children and a 2 week old newborn. They are really ready for Ramadan to be over! :)

In closing, last Sunday was our first Parenting Class at church. We are doing Homes of Honor, a Gary Smalley series. It is held during AWANA and we had no idea how many parents we would have. 26 people came! Many of you know that Mike and I facilitated various parenting classes in Texas....but it is exciting to tell you that none of them EVER looked like this... Families from Africa, Australia, Canada, South Africa, the US, England ..etc. joined us. Although Mike and I are familiar with the material...personalities...golden retriever, otter, beaver, and lion...We are very sure that this class will bring a lot more to the table than we have ever learned before. :) By the way, a young couple is helping us facilitate...Brian and Mary Rotunno. Chris LaRue, a friend of ours, was her youth pastor in high school. Ok, how's that for a small world story? :)

So, another week of things getting started back up...and Ramadan finishing up. It's been busy, but good.

Enjoy the cool weather coming your way....sigh.

Love, Mattie

Not Too Stunning...

2008-09-19T04:01:00.000-07:00

It's a quiet Friday afternoon. I love Friday afternoons here...traffic is lighter on Fridays and our day is more relaxing overall. Enjoyed church today. It's always fun to see who will be leading music. Today our friend Peter Heath(married to my fun friend Krista, who bascially runs our homeschooling group) from Canada was joined by two other singers...a South African gal and I believe the other from Nigeria..and 3 amazing Filipino musicians... Terrific music. I think it was the first time that someone did not stand up as new to the church...and say...I'm from Malaysia, or Kenya, or Lebanon, or Myanmar...( Now, we must be adjusting... when it's ABNORMAL to us that someone isn't standing up and introducing themselves in a wonderful accent... ).
Had another first this week. .Our friend from Austrailia..Tess was in the hospital with pneumonia. First of all they kept her 5 days. That struck us as odd as in the US we get drugs and bam! head on home ASAP. Anyway, Mike and I went to see her. ( I didn't want to go alone as I'd never been to the hospital and it was kind of daunting to think about parking, and finding the room and all.) So we set out....We spent about 30 minutes with Tess. The hospital, although new, actually reminded us of the 60's in the US. Lots of drab, vinyl tiles. marked walls, chipped doors and so on. She didn't have a TV in her room...newspapers were piled beside her. She related to us that during the day two workers came in and were sanding the walls to paint...leaving the debris on the floor when they left...All of this happening while she and her roommate are convalescing...right there!!! Hmmm.. Of course the real oddity of all of this is better understood if you compare the outside of this new building to what we saw inside. The building is beautiful. It is covered in carved stone Islamic latticework. I was really kind of shocked at the disparity between the inside and outside...(ok, so obviously, in some things I'm a slow learner...I believe I've mentioned before about Hollywood and studio movie lots around here ....)
By the way, we also visited another friend who is in for a week...She shares her room with 2 others not just 1. They had a TV...on one wall, not sure how all 3 could see it as their beds were at strange angles. Her adventure included several Arab women showing up at about 11pm to chat for three hours.They came in after the security guard left...She didn't sleep well. :)
Before we left Tess...I asked her, "How's the food in here?" Tess, always polite..in her soft Austrailian accent..."Ohhh, the foooddd....well, Not too stunning actually." Mike and I just laughed out loud....I bet it isn't too stunning. I just bet.
Tess is home now. Doing much better. My friend Jill should get out early next week. Sure am praying we stay healthy. :)

ps. if i get by the hospital and have the camera with me..i'll get a picture for you all. that will require remembering..but i'll try.

Mattie

Starting Up

2008-09-14T04:53:00.000-07:00

Ramadan week 3 is nearly upon us. Sort of the hump time for everyone. Life sort of moves into a pattern and then soon...please soon....it will be over.
Everything is starting up. My English Club apt. friends are all back from their various summer travels...Monte Negro, Japan, Finland, England, France and so on. We met last Monday to catch up....A fun reunion. Tanja brought us Serbian turkish delight and a handmade lace doily. Tejia, from Finland, brought us homemade angel pinecones that her neighbor makes....and from Japan we all got beautiful handpainted compact mirrors for our purses. I was excited to hand out the books I brought everyone from the States. My friend had access to books from Josh M. in all their native languages and they seemed very excited to get them..... We snacked and talked and even teared up together as two of my friends have ailing parents and spent much of the summer caring for their fathers. They were so sweet asking about my time at home with my sister..finishing up stuff at mom and dad's place. It's good to be together again...They have even invited some more neighbors to join us...hmmm... We meet tomorrow...I'm so excited.

Also starting up are the church classes. Mike and I will be joined by another couple to help lead the Adult Ed. classes that are offered on Sunday nites during AWANA. Perspectives doesn't start until Jan. and we wanted to serve in some capacity. So we will be teaching Homes of Honor by Gary Smalley...the parenting one on personalities...(at least we know the material..thanks to Brent and Betty Kesterson and our class so many years ago....:) )

So with school and friends and life...we are busy. But it is a good busy. I'll be glad when this month is over but it has been easier this year then last year...duh. :) Did I tell you that Ryan is Senior Class Pres.? Already he has had some interesting experiences...:)

We do watch the news a lot these days....Hurricane Ike was on the TV quite a lot... Am glad it is over but, man!!! a lot of clean up... They said it had been 25 years since the last one to directly hit Galveston...My parents rode that one out in Clear Lake City...and my brother stayed on our sailboat...letting out the lines...Hurricane Alicia, I believe...Funny how even a hurricane can make you homesick. And of course, there is quite a lot happening on our side of the world as well. Please keep us in your prayers...It's a great place to live unless you look at a map.....
Mattie

Ramadan 2008

2008-09-06T19:59:00.000-07:00

My friend Laurel asked me to write about daily life during Ramadan. Of course, it is different for Mike than it is for me. and then for Ryan as well.
To begin with, the hours all change. During Ramadan it is forbidden for Muslims to eat or drink between the first light of dawn and sunset. So, the restaurants and cafes are all closed during the day. Muslim families plan dinners during the evenings to break their fast. They stay up very late. Then sleep they sleep in and start their days later. Truly what it becomes is just changing the nites and days...Ryan goes to school from 8:40 to 2 instead of 8 to 3 and most offices start sometime after 9 and close at 2 or 3. The shops open around 10 am and close at around 2 and then open back up at 8pm and stay open until 11, 12 or even 1 am.
For Mike it is difficult for any work to get done. For Ryan, he loves the shorter hours. :) For me, not so much changes except no coffee with moms after school drop off..and no lunch on Fridays at the Mall..after church. The grocery stores are open so I go early in the day before the evening rush... It's like the month before Christmas at the malls here during Ramadan..ugh. I avoid them at all costs in the later evening...No way. :)
Naturally the traffic patterns are different as well. From about 5:30 until about 8pm, when the stores reopen there are no cars on the road..everyone is breaking their fast. That is called Iftar dinner. It's like a party every nite. The hotels serve huge buffets and the food just keeps on coming. Mike and I went to one the other nite at a hotel with some folks from his office and WOW!! Lots of food..More than a Kansas Potluck at church...:)
People do seem more irritable during the day. Lots of car accidents pop up all over. Workers are aloud to drink on the jobsites(cuz of deaths in the past from dehydration...) but they do it behind screens.
Last year everything was so new..we didn't know if we were coming or going..This year it is more routine. :) Please pray for our friends here...Many truly do seek God during this time. Please pray that they will find Him. And that Mike and I and the kids will be salt and light to all we meet.
Robert is doing better. No more pain. Tests all came back normal. Our online school is going well. So far we really like it...although it will be better when we get the materials. :) We are sort of winging it right now. If you want to know what we are doing you can check it out at k12.com. Also, if you would like to read some interesting articles in the paper here...go to Gulfnews.com, and read the articles on Who will speak for Islam? Another book I want to get is Jesus through Middle Eastern Eyes by Kenneth Bailey.
Hope you are all well.
Love, Mattie

Is this for Real?

2008-08-29T20:26:00.000-07:00

I guess it's normal that the longer we are here the more "normal" everything feels. Obviously that is one way to actually stay in a place different from your home country...you adjust and get used to it. Then there are the times when something comes at you and you remember..wow. This is different. Like the lunch with our new Lebanese Palestinian friend that I wrote about in my last blog...or like what we experienced this week....I told Mike it kind of felt like and out of body experience. You know, in your head you're asking yourself..wow, am i really sitting here having this conversation...

Robert was not feeling well this week. In fact, for a couple of weeks he has had this pain in his right side...waking him up at weird times from sound sleep or just popping up during the day... So, after some middle of the night talks with Marsha and my sister I took him to the doctor. :) (It's nice...a)to have wonderful medical friends and family..and b) that they are awake when all your neighbor medical friends are snoozing....:)) So, to the doctor we went.( I don't want to go into all the details...suffice it to say, haven't found appendicitis, place was very clean and we are glad to have a doctor's office we can trust. :))

But, here is what happened...the doctor who did the ultrasound spoke English perfectly..thank You, Jesus. But he was obviously Arab..."So, where are you from?" "Iraq" oh boy. what do i say now..."That's nice" great comeback, huh. "No, it is not nice. I am a refugee from my country. It is never nice to have to be a refugee. They tell me leave or die. They tell me leave or they kill my family..." Ummm... so I am standing there..my little blond boy is on the table and I am thinking Oh man..WHO is THEY???? Does this guy hate me? "I'm so sorry." How long have you been here. ?" Since March. Oh. "I'm so sorry." So is the family here? No. They all live in Jordan. Can't get visas to bring them to UAE. As you can see it is difficult here to know how to navigate certain waters...some hate us, some love us and you really don't know who's who... As we finished up I sat at his desk. I thought we were done..but no, he looked at me and said.."Mistakes are made...." ok, i can take this..."But Saddam Hussein, he hated all Shiites. I am a Shiite. For 22 years I was forbidden to leave my country. No explanation..just not allowed to leave. He was evil. When the troops came into Baghdad, I went to one of the American soldiers and kissed him. " With tears in his eyes he looked at me..and said. "Be nice to Iraqis" And, with tears in mine..."I will." As we left he said "God bless you." and for that I had an answer..."Yes, God bless you as well."

So, with that I could end my blog..but I can't because yesterday Mike and I ate lunch..a 3 hour lunch with 10 Iraqis. It was so fun. Mike's coworker and his wife invited us. and his brother was there with his wife, and his cousin and his wife, and some kids and his oldest daughter...and it was amazing. They were there when the tanks rolled into Baghdad. They were holed up in Falujah..because his father was a retired general and saw the writing on the wall so to speak...and for nine months they prepared a safe house. So once again, Mike and I are not saying a whole lot...love us or hate us? This guy is a wonderful storyteller and said how it wasn't blood in the streets...etc. etc...and how all his Iranian friends said.. We are so happy for you, Saddam is gone. Now if only they would keep coming and do the same for our country. " (uh, no, that ain't gonna happen....) So we sat for 3 hours with stories...and real life...and wondering is this for real? We talked about education...they are way more educated than we are...eek. Talked about family...and sons in college..his is in Cyprus because the UAE won't let Iraqis between 18 and 30 into this country. His daughter is going to Dental school in Falujah( imagine your 20 year old daughter in college in Falujah...whew.)She is just here until Oct. and lives with an aunt and uncle in Iraq,. We laughed about the movie My Big Fat Greek Wedding...I told him that he reminded me of the dad...but for him everything is from Iraq...:) He laughed and said but yes, it's true. :) Several times he even used the words...you know where this word comes from? ..the Arabic...dah dah dah. :) What an amazing afternoon.

So we have new friends...and I just wanted to tell you about it.

Will keep you posted on Robert. Still don't know why he is having that pain...

Love you. Mattie

Birthdays and Birthplaces

2008-08-22T06:57:00.000-07:00

Mike turned 49 yesterday. It was a far cry from last year's birthday celebration. Last year I made tacos and a cake and Mike's friend Dennis came over. This year his office had a surprise party at lunch for him...getting permission for Sallie, Robert and me to come on the job site....and then we had dinner at Chilis with the Kenneys while later the Heaths and the Lavallees showed up to surprise him during dessert! He had tons of birthday wishes on facebook and several phone messages as well. It was a special day. I tried to bake a cake but my oven broke in the morning...so no cake from me, but the office had 3 delicious cakes for him. :) I think in some ways Mike would say the year flew by and in other ways....well...maybe not so much. It was fun to go to the jobsite though...and meet his coworkers..from all over the world. And just to be on one of the biggest projects in the world. It's not something I've ever done before...so it was really neat. I kept trying to tell Sallie and Robert that this is not an everyday occurence but they rolled their eyes at me...Mom, we see cranes and trucks and big ol buildings every day......:) Jaded, and so young....(OK, so there is a huge building...the second largest project... going up practically in our apt. that they see every day...but still.....)

And then today we went to lunch, as usual, after church. Ryan is joining us these days because youth group has not started yet. I was glad he was there today...We were joined today by the Johnsons...remember Pam? She and her son Justin helped pack up my mom's house. Well, they are back from cruising the Mediterranean..sigh...and then the Kenneys were there with us, the Stewarts..and two of their friends...Robby and Moses. Moses is from Kenya. He works as a Security guard. Robby(spelling?) is from Beirut. But he was born in Nazareth. His parents fled Israel in 1948. He's a Palestinian Christian. Lived thru the massacres in Beirut in the 80's and still hopes one day... Well, you get it. As we heard his story...so many of his family killed, aunts, uncles, cousins...I found myself trying not to cry and at the same time asking myself if this was real? Like I said, I'm glad Ryan got to hear him and I was glad that this summer I read a book called Esters Child by Jean Sasson. I could at least ask some questions that made sense. This book is about the complicated issues...that surround that region beginning with the holocaust. I highly recommend it, if you get the chance. Anyway, we all came away..humbled and even sad. So much we don't understand. So much pain...and suffering. And courage. And hope. It was a good lunch. Mike, Ryan and I smiled while we were driving away... We were appreciating the opportunity to have lunch with guys like Moses and Robby...
God is good...all the time.
Thought you'd like hearing about our lunch. and Mike's birthday. Thanks for your messages and phone calls.
We love you.

Mixed Up Meals and Milestones

2008-08-14T01:15:00.000-07:00

So been thinking a lot lately...about being here one year. The heat doesn't seem to knock us out as much. Yeah, it's hot...but it will pass and then it will be nice. The parking isn't so bad. I think a lot of people are gone for the summer so it is a bit easier to find places. We aren't shopping every night...we have internet and phone and television. We have friends. WE aren't the new people... Even work is better in that Mike knows how to navigate the mine fields a bit better and is more prepared for the bizarre thought processes. Although he did say again to me..."I really don't know how anything gets finished...." :)
Robert and Sallie have had fun reconnecting with their buddies. We've been swimming a lot, and went to this Summer in Abu Dhabi fair set up inside the exhibition center. ( picture) The pools here are chilled in the summer to keep them from hot tub temperatures. :) It will be a few months before we hit the beach...maybe October... We did hear that a Taco Bell is opening at one of the malls here...happy kids at our place. :)
Ryan starts school next Tues. He has a pretty easy year. I think he is looking forward to all of the rest of the kids coming back from their summer trips. Some of his friends are here but only a few.
And Mike and me? We have enjoyed catching up with everyone as well. And just knowing our way around...It is much better. Had dinner at Fuddruckers with the Kenneys last week....Kyra ordered hot dog with chili on top of it and milkshake with no whip cream or cherry.... She got a hot dog, no chili but shake had both whip cream and cherry. :)
Yep. We're Back......:)
oh and jetlag is done...hallelujah.
Mattie