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
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Friday, June 13, 2008
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!
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!
Sunday, June 8, 2008
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.
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.
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
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.
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.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)