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

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

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

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

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

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

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...

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

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

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

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!!!

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

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...

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

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

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?

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

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

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

Final Thoughts

The summer flew by. I knew that it would...but wow! Sallie and I were discussing our highs and lows of the summer. Obviously, being with all of our friends and family was a high but we don't count that cuz it's a no brainer...likewise saying goodbye is the low so we don't count that either. So my highs? Going to Kansas and seeing all the family, going to El Paso and being with Adrian and Diana, and going to Austin with Russell, Mike, Ryan and Phil...getting to visit with Kim and see my niece Tiffyn.

Now all that being said....there were so many wonderful memories made this summer..... Watching Wendy get married, and being with Bonnie thru the pre -wedding planning, praying with so many of my friends and being prayed for, tears and laughter and lunches and dinners, worshipping at Bent Tree again...our church home for so many years, driving without honking, grassy front yards...with big live oaks, being neighbors with Mandy again if only for a couple of weeks. Parking with easy access to the store...shoot, parking. was great! Watching Mike enjoy all his buddies, and Sallie and Robert getting such good time with all their friends, and Ryan with his friends. Yes, friends were the best part of the summer. No doubt about it. The cooler weather....hard to believe but truly did feel good to us. :) I could write forever....about how tired we were upon arrival and how our time there slowly refreshed us....how seeing everyone meant so much to us, how the hugs and smile and great questions and prayers just filled us up. It was a great summer.

Now we are back. In full swing. Well, not really...but we ARE back. :) And we are glad to be here. The Kenneys picked us up at the airport and it was so good to see them. The trip was grueling but not moreso than usual. I laughed on Wed. afternoon when Sallie woke up as a meal was being served...I asked her if she wanted a coke with it and she looked at me and said "nooo, it doesn't sound good with breakfast..." Poor girl..it was dinner they were serving.

Already have hunted for parking spaces and been honked at....but have slept thru the call to prayer both mornings...good thing there. And life goes on.

So, thank you for making us feel special by showering us with love and encouragement during our visit. Thanks for your prayers. For your friendship. For your love. We felt it. and we needed it..... Please come and see us. :) United is having cheap fares right now to Dubai. Just a thought....

The 4th!

Once again I am up before anyone else. It's ok. The quiet is wonderful. It was a busy July 4th weekend. Not crazy busy, but nice busy. Friday evening Sallie, Robert and I joined the Pearces at Vista Ridge Mall for fireworks...I calculated that we have shared fireworks with them for about 15 years or so. It was fun but also kind of sad cuz it was the second year Mike and I have been apart on the 4th. Last year he had already left for Abu Dhabi. We enjoyed the fireworks though, and just chatting with our good friends. I actually think that Mike's 4th was busier than mine! I believe they spent the day at the new public beach grilling and playing bocci ball. We did have hamburgers and watermelon though...cooked by Wendy and her soon to be hubby Quentin. Very tasty....there's just something about a good hamburger on the 4 th of July. :)

I returned from Carlsbad late Monday nite. Diana, Adrian and I were able to get everything done. The house and the rest of the furnisings will now be sold by the bank. For such a hard thing it all went so smoothly. The three of us had a good time together and we were so blessed to have Pam and Justin Johnson, our friends from Abu Dhabi, in town to help us. Adrian could not have loaded that truck without Justin. Pam, bless her heart, has a cast on her leg, but she wrapped a whole bunch of dishes for us....such a blessing!!!! So all in all...thank you for praying. Both Diana and I feel good about everything...and as we set up Mom's stuff at Diana's it was healing to polish it and laugh about old memories. We could hear Mama saying..did you dust the legs? You're done too fast...did you get everything? :) Yes, Mom..we got it all.... thanks to all of you who were praying. It was a special time.

Ryan also arrived back from Pawleys Island. He headed out to a lake house with his friend Clayton right after he got here...but I was able to hear that he had a great time and has no regrets about taking two weeks to go on the trip. It was a hard choice for him but I think he really had fun. I have yet to hear about his adventures...but I did hear about how he got 4 stitches in his hand....Oh well. :) He seems fine....

Russell is having a weekend break before the next team arrives in Costa Rica. He said on the phone that it is the hardest thing he has ever done...but that it has been a good summer. I am so anxious to see him. And Mike gets here in less than two weeks...Yay!!!

Happy 4th of July Everyone!

Beautiful Skies

We arrived one week ago today. As I write this I am sitting on my sister's porch in El Paso. She and Adrian have this wonderful home on the side of the Hondo pass with a panoramic view of the whole valley. What I'm enjoying most is the wonderful breeze, the smell of Adrian's fajitas on the grill, and the painted sky as the sun sets. There are clouds and colors everywhere. I think I appreciate it more because in Abu Dhabi we don't usually have cloudy skies or even cool breezes in the summer. :)
I just got here today. We will spend the next few days in Carlsbad closing up my parents' home and perhaps, I hope, spending a little time saying goodbye to them. I am not looking forward to the drive into Carlsbad knowing Mom and Dad are not waiting for the banging of the door and the sound of laughter as we all pile out of the car to cause chaos for a few days....(the sky just turned pink over the mountaintops..it's so pretty.)
Our first week in Dallas has been filled with seeing old friends, telling stories of our adventures, and getting over jetlag...with which I am still not quite done ...ugh.... Although Sallie and Robert are doing great..lucky kids. :) Ryan left last Saturday morning for Pawley's Island, SC. He was asked to fill in at the last minute for a boy who could not make it on the Mission Trip. I'm excited for him and to hear how it all went. He gets home next Saturday. or Sunday. Not even sure...No, no...it's Friday cuz he will be here for July 4th. Anyway, the kids and I are all doing well and so glad to be here. The weather is great and the fellowship even better.... can't wait until Mike is here to share it.
Will write more later....
Hope you are having a great summer.
We are.
Please remember to pray for Russell in Costa Rica. And Ryan in Pawleys Island.
Thank you everyone.
Mattie

Adventures in Laser Tag

I'm thinking that this will be my last entry until I am stateside...maybe Mike will add some while we're gone. He is dreading our departure on Monday nite. Bless his heart. I keep trying to tell him it won't be near as bad as last July...we have friends now, he knows his way around, work is a bit better, we have friends now, internet, tv, a good church, we have friends now....You get the picture. :)
We've had lots to do these last few weeks. Not just getting ready for our trip but also trying to get the kids ready for their next school year and just finish things up here that needed to be done. We've also done a lot with our homeschool group. I wrote about the field trip on Sunday to the Museum in Dubai...quite an adventure..but I haven't told you about our bowling/arcade experience right here in Abu Dhabi!
Last Wed. we met our friends at one of the oldest malls in AD. On the top floor they have a bowlng alley and down below that they have an arcade. After bowling we went down to the arcade and used the newly opened bumper cars. Our kids had a ball ramming each other and then playing some games. While we were standing there one of the staff came up and invited us to play Laser Tag at the newly opened Shoot n Shoot...FOR FREE! :) Now I'm pretty sure we were the guinea pigs there...our kids suited up, music was playing, smoke was drifting from room...and then about 4 guys in dishdashes(the white arab traditional clothing) came in and suited up...Ok, if you know laser tag you know it is played under blacklights...I was so wishing for my camera! They were like glowing targets as the kids chased each other in and out of the obstacles..yelling and screaming...= I honestly think that that was the most fun my kids have had here...By the way, the westerners..all of them quite a bit younger...creamed everyone else. :) I'm afraid to say that did add to the fun.....:) We also had a secret weapon...Mackenzie Heath...5 years old and fearless..she had them all on the run...:) Simply said, it was pure unadulterated fun for everyone. Everyone..when it was all said and done...about 20 kids from all over the world..came out smiling and yammering. The smile never left my face. What a memory.
And so, on that note, our bags are nearly packed. We're ready to go...We're leaving on a jet plane in 3 days(counting today) and we are very excited... If you happen to think of us on Monday evening your time..about 7pm and then for the next 24 hours...We'd appreciate your prayers. We arrive in Dallas at 7:45 pm on Tues. nite. None of us is looking forward to that 24 hours..but we are definitely excited about the end result!!!
Here we come!

Field Trip Frenzy

The wind is blowing today...so the sand is whipping as well. These are the days when I'm really glad I didn't have my car washed. You really can't keep your car clean here but you can make it so you can see better. :) The sand just covers the cars and by about the 3rd or 4th day they are filthy again. Then if the window washers are at work And the wind is blowing...It's just not a pretty site. :)

Yesterday, Sallie, Robert and I joined with several friends to go to Dubai and visit the Children's Museum. It's always miserable driving in Dubai but especially difficult in a caravan of 5 cars with a broad spectrum of driver experience...from "been driving here 4 years and want to get there" to" just started driving here last month"...hmmm...:) And then, the car I was in with my friend Rebecca and 5 kids... suddenly beeped...TIRE VERY LOW...Let me draw a picture here..We were in the middle of 5 lanes of bumper to bumper traffic and it beeps! She looks down at her tire in the rearview mirror and it IS FLAT! So she looks at me...I say get off of this highway. Thank the Lord there was an exit. I roll down the window and begin waving at the other cars...we had to get out of there. So we weave thru the cars and pull off. Our friend Michele was there and exited with us..Another Thank the Lord. She is good at changing tires! Yeay. Mike has shown me several times but it doesn't really stick. (no comments from ANYONE here...) So it is probably 100 or higher outside, with Michele's kids and ours we have 8 kids there, and we are changing a tire by this big bank building which was at the exit. Which was nice as it provided shade and a bathroom to clean up in...:) Anyway a local guy (Emirati) helped us get the spare off and a Yugoslavian guy also stopped and helped us. So, all in all, it was not NEARLY as bad as it could have been and we still got to the museum to play. Granted it did make for a very long day...the 2 hour drive to the museum took 4...but hey! We made it safe and sound! Amen!
So, that was our field trip. The museum was fun and we all made it home safely. Whew. May I just say..God is good. He sent his angels. And we have another story to tell....Our First Flat Tire.

My Birthday

Well, Mike's busiest month is over...Mother's Day, our anniversary and my birthday! Poor guy. Every year he is swamped in celebrations in May(well, my birthday is June 1 but same difference). :) My birthday was very nice. Mike brought me flowers and we all went to eat at our new Tex Mex restaurant Cantina Laredo. Sallie and Robert picked out earrings for me and I also got a beautiful necklace from my friend Bushra and a leather camel from Ryan and Mike. I told Mike I wanted something local...:) We only have one holiday celebration left for our first year here...Father's Day. I'm so glad that we won't leave until after the 15th as I hated the thought of Mike being here without us.
Ryan is finished with school. He is now officially a senior. Wow.
It was a sad day here in the UAE. The Sheikh's younger brother was killed last nite in a helicopter accident. The flags are all at half mast and the radio stations are playing classical music. Apparently the country will be in mourning for 3 days. It came at an interesting time for Mike as well. The Sheikh had scheduled a visit to the jobsite today. This meant that a whole new road was paved so he wouldnt' be driving in sand....and it will then be torn out...and it also meant that no work was done today. The whole job site was closed for his visit. Never in Mike's 23 years in construction has he ever been told to shut a job down because of a visitor.....Never. :) Ah well.... We continue to learn new things and navigate unknown territory. :)
Hope everyone is having a great summer. See you soon.

Silver Celebration

25 Years!!!!

Yes, it's true...This week was our 25th Anniversary.

Our celebration actually began last Sat. when our small group threw us a surprise party at Jeff and Mary's house...our friends pictured above. Krista and Mary plotted and schemed behind our backs and really got us good. We just didn't expect it and were so blessed by it...

Then on the day itself Mike took me to see Indiana Jones. We enjoyed it. Last nite Jeff and Mary joined us at a Moroccan restaurant here in town. Everything was just right...well, the dinner was tasty...It was just kind of funny cuz at this expensive restaurant was also hosting a Women's Club dinner and seated them right in the center of the restaurant....with the microphone going and everything...:) They don't really have separate rooms here for big groups, I guess. but they could have mentioned it when we made the reservations.....hmmm...

Anyway, Mike and I are blessed to have these 25 years together. We never dreamed we would be celebrating number 25 in the Middle East. Life is full of surprises....It has been bitter sweet as well for me. I can't count how many times I've thought of my folks this week. I remember their 25th in Bolivia, and how my mom never, ever forgot to send us an anniversary card For our Daughter and "Son"... and again wishing I could just talk to them on the phone again. But I hear her voice and daddy's too....Honey. we're so proud of you both. I can just hear them.

May Fun

Obviously May has flown by for us. My friend, Mary Hone, told me she checked my blog but I hadn't written on it since Mother's Day...Oops. :) This month like most everyone elses has been filled with end of the year school activities and everything else that piles up in May...On top of that we are hitting hundreds everyday and it is getting old already. Ugh.

Last nite was the American Community School Prom. Ryan took his friend Megan. Although he has not emerged from his room yet this morning, he did tell me that they had a good time. He is ready for school to be out...last day June 4th. Yay!

Sallie, Robert and I are spending more time at the beach these days...in the afternoons it is a bit cooler and the water is just right. We moved to the beach from the park as the park was getting too hot. I've also started giving swim lessons to some of the kids as everyone wants to work on skills and things. We started last Wed. and I was glad that my new friend Johnni, from Missouri, married to an Emirati, was able to bring her son Hassan for the lessons. Not sure how far we will go but the kids seemed to enjoy the lessons.

Last nite our friends Brad and Sharon had a 25th Anniversary party at their apt. They were married one week before us...It was a fun party. Mike and I were chosen for the oldywed game that the Kerrs cooked up...we tied for 3rd/last place. Sigh...but actually were very happy with our answers and scores. It was really a fun evening.

So, we are getting ready for our trip to the US...countdown....less than one month. Can't wait.....

Mother's Day

For many of you your Mother's Day is still going on. It's Monday over here so I can officially say my first Mother's Day is completely finished. I think most of the day I was having a pity party and although everyone was invited no one came....just me...Sigh. Because Sunday is a work/school day it was business as usual. The pity party was mostly because I kept thinking of all my friends back in the States having brunch or whatever and here we were...no big deal. So pretty depressing, huh? Well, my sweet kids came thru for me. Bless their hearts. Russell called Sat. nite his time so I had his phone call on Sunday morning and then yesterday afternoon Ryan, Sallie and Robert made me a fancy computerized Mother's Day Card video which I will treasure forever. Ryan downloaded the most recent episodes of Lost, Mike ordered pizza, and we just hung out together.
On top of that, I had a surprise phone call. My dear friend, Ramon, from Cuba called us. He moved to Dallas last week and wanted to catch up with us. He was a friend who translated for all but one of my trips to Cuba and we had some great conversations over the years. I could not believe it was him. Course I had to explain that he was talking to me from halfway around the world, but we are all planning to get together this summer when we are in the States. He also translated for one of Mike's trips so it will be a great reunion when we get back. So great to hear his voice and catch up.
So, I had a nice Mother's Day..Hope all my mom friends have had a good one as well. I do miss everyone, but it was a nice day.
Love,
Mattie

Cinco de Mayo..Abu Dhabi style

Robert's birthday was yesterday. Number 10. I put a picture on the fridge...of the week we brought him home from the hospital. The picture we sent out in the baby announcements. Mike and I stood there and smiled...Russell was 10 when Robert came home. The kids were so little. Another lifetime ago. :) We went to the park and took cupcakes. (Park days are fast coming to a close...) and last nite the Kenneys joined us at the new Cantina Laredo for Tex-Mex. It was very good!! Yay!! Robert chose not to have a big party. Mike is taking the kids to Wild Wadi Water Park in Dubai next Sat., instead of the party deal....It will be Robert, Sallie and Billy. Robert is beside himself happy with his Nintendo DS...a replacement from the one he got for the move here that was lost in the airport. Ugh. :) He cried when he opened the games from Wil Anderson. Not over the gift either. He misses his friends. We are so thankful for Billy and Ben here in Abu Dhabi.

Yesterday was English club...we learned to Salsa at Maria's house. It was so fun. My sweet friends also presented me with a beautiful gold necklace as a thank you for getting all this started. I was surprised and teared up...They are the sweetest friends. It was very special. Thurs. we are all going shopping together to buy baby clothes for our building guard(Nassar)..He is returning to India for 6 months to see the son he has never seen...The baby is about 13 months old. This is the story of just about eveyone you meet here in any of the laborer positions...My lady who cuts my hair had not seen her children for two years. They just send the money home. Heartwrenching. Anyway, we are giving him money and sending clothes home with him. It's a surprise and we are excited.

So that was our Cinco de Mayo...Actually quite appropriate...Salsa, and Cantina Laredo. :) It was a fun day. And now my baby is 10....sigh. Wow.

Ants In Our Pants

Last nite we finished our 15 week Perspectives course at church. I am so glad Mike and I got to participate in the class...I can't believe it is over. Although we helped with the class several times at Bent Tree, taking it over here seemed like we were hearing so much of it for the first time. I loved seeing how truth transcends all cultural barriers...and last nite as we heard the different students share what they had learned...we knew that the 15 weeks and grading quiz after quiz had been well worth it. We also made some wonderful friends thru it. Although it will be nice to have our Tues. evenings free I think we will miss it, too.
At the park on Monday we found out at the Abu Dhabi is more like Texas than we thought. Yep! My friend Krista had her first taste of Fire Ants!!! Once the burning calmed down I was able to tell several fire ant stories...like the time when my nephew was just a toddler and stepped in them... Yes, lots of fun stories.
Last Saturday we had some guests for dinner..he is from Washington state and she is from Malaysia. They have two beautiful girls. Our church does a week of Adventures in Fellowship every fall and spring. You may remember my blog about our visit last fall with a sweet Filipina woman who cooked for us. Well, we served tacos, refried beans, and a mexican casserole. I think a good time was had by all.
Things are going well with English Club. We are going to learn to dance the Salsa next week. I cannot wait. The kids are doing well. Anxious to head to the States to see their friends...and Robert is excited cuz next week he turns 10!!!
Love ya!!
Mattie

A New Normal or It's NOT my fault....

It's kind of funny. I don't blog as often as I used to because things seem more normal now. That phrase "a new normal" keeps popping in my head. Of course, as soon as I wrote normal down I kind of snickered. Normal...no, not really...but less surprising maybe. Like this morning for instance...I helped take my friend Debbie and her family to the airport at 4:30 to catch their flight back to the US for the summer. I parked in front of her building, had my hazards on, no cars on the road...and wham!!! a car comes and just pops my drivers sideview mirror! It sounded like a gunshot. He was flying and didn't even slow down(not surprising) and sure as heck didn't come back to exchange numbers(also not surprising). Ok, so 2 things...a) door could have been open..there were NO cars around, or b) I could have been standing there or gettng out of the car... So I'm really ticked about the mirror but also very thankful. My thoughts while driving to the airport centered around...How do I write this and make sure NO ONE thinks it was my fault.?..our first car damage over here. :)
Don't really like this time of year. Temperature is getting hotter...100 yesterday. Also, we are saying goodbyes to people.It just isn't fun. Like the Millers who left this morning for Colorado for the summer. Ben is one of Robert's very close friends and we will sure miss him. We have spent so much time in the park together this spring. It will be lonely with their family gone all summer. And the Pages left for Arizona a couple of weeks ago. They will be back in May we hope...but Joe is having back surgery so we're not exactly sure about when. People come and go a lot around here. Which is part of the Normal.....just not a fun part.
Another not fun part of the Normal here, is being so far away from family and friends when they are hurting. It is hard to want to do something...and not be able to do it. So we pray a lot which is good, I know, but it's hard when you want to be there physically as well.
But, there are fun new normals, too....like sunny days all the time...:), and Burger King delivers to our apt. as does Chilis, and trips to Istanbul to see good friends, and new friends, and a church with the whole world in attendance every week, and no rent houses to care for every weekend, and great vegetable produce and bakery goods....AND really CHEAP GAS!!!

But that mirror thing really ticks me off.....:)
Have a great day!

Ancient Basilicas, Airport Blunders

How can I tell you about our trip to Istanbul? Pictures and lots and lots of words, I guess. :)

We had so much fun. Our flight left at 2am or so last Sunday morning. Although we were tired, we were so excited to go that it didn't matter. Eric and Becky were at the airport to greet us. We have known them for many years but it had been 7 years since our last visit with each other.

Our visit was filled with touring Istanbul, delicious Turkish food, lots of chatter and laughter, friendships forming with all of our kids, more food and more touring. :)

We saw the Blue Mosque, the Haggia Sofia(circa 527AD), the Underground Cisterns, Topkapi Palace(1400s) and so on and so on. Mike, Ryan and I flew to Izmir for a day in Ephesus while Becky graciously watched Sallie and Robert(who quickly got tired of ancient churches, mosques and statues, anyway).

While we were in Ephesus we also got to see St. John's Basilica where the apostle John is buried. Although all of Ephesus is amazing...with only 20 percent excavated..it is the largest outdoor museum in the world(I believe the guide told us that....), I think St. John's was my favorite. It has not been rebuilt but is still a peaceful, beautiful place to visit. To stand at his tomb and know that he walked and talked with Jesus in the flesh....while you overlooked the countryside surrounding Ephesus....I don't know. I kind of couldn't breathe..You know?

While in Istanbul, we also took a boat on the Bosphorous and absorbed the beauty and history of Asia Minor..the land of the 7 churches. One day we would like to return and tour all 7. Or we could take the tour of Paul's Missionary journeys. I'm telling you..It was so cool.

We had our usual Hildebrand mishaps on the journey....Like Ryan forgetting to remove his pocket knife(actually a Leatherman...ugh)from his backpack, so that is gone forever. Or me...Let's see before we even got off the plane in Ephesus I had lost the cell phone Becky gave us for the day..fortuneately, they had it for us at the airport that nite when we got there. But best of all, was on Friday when Becky asked Mike, "Now exactly what time does your plane leave? We had been saying 10:30pm all week...but she wanted the exact time because she was in charge of a surprise party for a friend of hers on Friday evening...Oops. When we checked it was actually leaving at 8:30pm. We were ready to go so we hopped in the car...she dropped us off and headed to her party. About 20 minutes later we call her to tell her that we don't leave on Friday..but Saturday. (Are you believing this? Ryan's other title for my blog was Knock, Knock..Who's there? It's me again....) By this time most people would want to shoot us but not Becky. She came back and got us. Then the boys went to the mall and Sallie and I joined the ladies at the Party! (Where we ate wonderful Iranian food...and I impressed our hostess with my one phrase from farsi...thank you...haley mam noon...and I have no idea how to spell it...:)). Oh well, other than realizing that we would get home in the wee hours of Sunday morning and Mike and Ryan would have to be at school and work...one more day in Istanbul, Turkey, with great friends, is not such a bad thing. :)

Some other memorable things...the Grand Bazaar, the Spice Bazaar, Becky's neighborhood bazaar, Robert going to a birthday party with Seth on Saturday with Seth's Turkish friends, Mike, Eric, Becky and I laughing over old memories, Robert eating bread a lot..and not a whole lot of anything else, attending the Palmquist's church, walking the streets of Istanbul, getting to know their kids...playing Boggle and other games, sharing life with them if only for a short time..and just being together.

All in all...it was terrific. Now we are back at home...doing laundry..and more laundry...but enjoying the memories. :)By the way, Eric left on Wed. as he had a conference in Israel, but we made the most of our 3 days together....Next time we will all have more time together. It is their turn to come here....We'll show them lots of sand...and...malls...:)

That's all for now....The dryer calls...

Love, Mattie

Parties and Carnivals

Friday Robert and I joined my friend Tanja and her two boys at their school carnival. Robert and the boys played some games...beanbag toss, arm wrestling, wet sponge toss, and stuff like that. I wanted Robert to get to know her boys and plus I got to spend time with Tanja(from Serbia). We have fun together. By the way, at the carnival they even had a camel race. Not your everyday school carnival. :)

We had Sallie's birthday party yesterday. Some of her friends will be gone next weekend so we wanted to be sure all of them could make it. We did manicures at Violet Flower Salon and then went to the mall for Papa Johns Pizza and Baskin Robbins ice cream. Mike and Robert and Ryan stayed away...imagine that. :) Mike was tired anyway because he woke up Sat. morning at 3:30 to watch basketball with his friend Brad who went to Davidson. Brad was happy and so was I when I heard the Horns are still in it. :)

This week we are wrapping up some school before Spring Break . We are excited because on Sunday we will be heading to Istanbul to see our friends the Palmquists for a few days. I have wanted to go there for a long time. I can't wait!

Middle East Easter

Feeding the camels on the way to the desert picnic. Sallie and Robert playing on the dunes.

Below..Church Easter picnic. Bottom right...Me, Nadia and her daughter Rachel at Friday breakfast after church.

It's Sunday morning and our Easter is over. Mike is ready for work and I have started my day. We had a very nice weekend though...albeit it is strange not going to Easter services today. Actually, we could have gone early this morning to a sunrise service but we just couldn't get out of bed. (pretty lame, i know...) Yesterday we were went to a desert picnic with some friends of ours and we were beat this morning.

So the weekend began with Good Friday church. When the guests stood up to say their names and country of origin, we had people from Malaysia, Phillipines, Myanmar(Burma), South Africa, Korea, and Nigeria. I love that. You could hear the different accents as we sang "Christ the Lord is risen today..." Pangs of homesickness did wash over me. I can't deny that, especially when the special music was Via Dolorosa...lots of memories from Tres Dias. But it was beautiful and kind of cool to be here and sing of the Resurrection...Loud and clear. I love that.

After church we joined our friends the Philips for lunch. We originally wanted to have brunch but the hotels closed their brunch lines at 10:30 and we got there at 10:40..so they don't serve again until 12:00...I confess we were all a bit frustrated but we headed to a little place that was serving breakfast still..The only place in the city. :) We all had a nice time together. Tom and Nadia have been so kind to us. (Good grief...everyone here has been great...) She had Mike and the kids over when I was in the States at Thanksgiving with my mom and sister. According to Mike she is a great cook. :)

Friday evening we had an all-church Easter egg hunt at a park in the city. A new couple was there. She arrived 3 weeks ago. She is from Chiapas, Mexico...he is Palestinian from Lebanon...but both have lived in the US forever. Two young boys and they homeschool. The best part is they live around the corner from us. Lots of the homeschool moms were at the picnic so she got to meet them and connect. This is her first foray into the realm of homeschooling so she was relieved to see she wasn't alone. :) He works at a bank here...in the Islamic finances department or something like that. I think that will be a very cool place to work. Considering his background and all...enough said.

Saturday was off to the desert. We joined Brad and Sharon Kerr and some friends of theirs from Kuwait. The gang went to Dune Bashing(SUVs driving up and down the dunes...sort of like fourwheeling but in big cars...:)) Sallie and Robert wanted to just play on the dunes so they stayed with Sharon and me at the picnic sight. Apparently, not long after the cars left, they got stuck....both of them. Ok, so middle of the desert...hmmm...BUT out of nowhere comes a local guy..Ali who knew exactly what to do and bam! they were free. He invited everyone back to his place where they had tea and met his wife and 8 kids. Got to watch them milk the camels, drink some camel milk and make new friends. Ali is from Abu Dhabi but that tent is their county retreat...you know, just like some folks have in Dallas, a place to get away from the city:). I don't have pictures yet, but I will soon. When they got back we started the grill, had our picnic and sat by the fire while we watched the moon rise over the sand dunes. It really was amazing. On the way back home we had sort of a detour...We're following Brad who was whipping thru this Camel farm community(the camel race track stables is our best guess) and he zips thru this one gate and WHOA we have just turned into the camel corral. I mean, there were a bunch of camels just staring at us...not to mention the camel guys who saw us go in their...I'm sure they were thingking..Where are those crazies going??? Backing up to get out Brad beeped at us...and Mike said why is he honking at me..Sallie looked back and said.."Oh, cuz you are about to back over a camel...":) The guy was just sitting their looking at us with VERY WIDE eyes. :) The fine is only about 80,000 dollars...actually we don't know but we are really glad we didn't need to find out.... Eventually we found our way thru the maze and arrived back home sandy but safe.

It was a wonderful Easter. Different for sure...but very special.

Robert just woke up...Time to go.

Blessings,

Mattie and the Gang