Casting Crowns

Mike on the Dhow cruise. In the background is the project he is working on. 

April flew by for us this year.  We celebrated Resurrection Sunday. or Easter, on a Dhow boat with good friends. Mike took the week off so he was able to join us on Sunday, what is usually a work day in this part of the world. Robert was on his spring break.  It was a gorgeous day filled with relaxation, prayer and laughter. Most of us signed up to do it again next year. A new tradition? I hope so.  

Also, we are excited to announce that we have located a good dentist over here! This is no easy task. My neighbor's husband came home last week after seeing a guy who didn't know how to do a root canal. I gladly gave her our new guy's number. :)  As Dr. Rami examined my teeth he coninually commented on all my crowns...which, by the way, are in good condition.(.Thank you, Dr. Hank Campbell, in Carrollton, Texas. Friend and dentist for about 25 years! )It is nice to have found someone here who is up to date on the latest technology and trustworthy.  Especially as I have a cavity. :)

We squeezed in a visit to Abu Dhabi this week as well. Many of our friends will be leaving this summer and we wanted to see them before they pack up and head to other places. We also had breakfast with Russell's good friend, Talitha.  Always fun to catch up with her, even with Russell being in the US right now. 

I imagine May and June will fly by as well.  Robert finishes school on June 19. He is counting the days.   

  

Although we had no April showers we did have some flowers bloom on our back patio..So enjoying our desert rose.

Desert Sand and Sea

Although Qatar is small there are many ways we have fun over here. One fun activity which we did many times in the UAE, is picnicking in the desert.  Last weekend was the first time we went out here in Qatar.  It was a beautiful day with good friends and peaceful scenery.  It's called the Inland Sea. Water, surrounded by sand dunes in every direction. It was a great day.  A much needed getaway.

 Our day was filled with dune bashing, swimming, clams found in the sea by our tents, and even the call to prayer on the sand dunes above us. With the weather heating up, and air conditioners running full blast,  this will be the last trip until next fall.

The Facts of Life

The longer we live over here in the Gulf Region of the Middle East the less surprised we are at the things we come across.  In fact, things are just normal now.  Camels, goats in trucks, women in black, men in white, etc.  But last week I nearly drove off the road at what I saw.

Robert and I were driving to visit friends in Education City.  (This is where several western universities are located..Texas A&M Qatar, Carnegie Mellon Qatar, Virginia Commonwealth and others. A cool area here in Doha.) We drove passed this building that reminds me of the Sydney Opera House.  A very pretty building and as it turns out it is going to be a hospital.

Out front were these sculptures...13 to be precise. Large bronze shapes.  But I could not make them out...Until we got closer.  Yes. It's a baby.  Oh wait, next to it was a baby earlier in the pregnancy. And earlier. Oh my gosh...Yes. The entire 9 months in separate huge sculptures. Let me frank here... I am pro life to the core. I have been most of my life...but these are the strangest things. And maybe it is just that they are huge and on display in a country where kissing is removed from movies.  I don't know, but if they had added one more statue at the front of these things it would have to be censored.

So, yes. We are pretty comfortable living in the Middle East, but yes, there are still things that sneak up on us and surprise us. We all laughed though at the timing of our discovery. It was the day before Sallie's 19th birthday. We were missing her a lot that day...  So it was fun to laugh over the strange sightings. :)   OH and yes. It is a maternity hospital.  but still....

                                       Happy Birthday, Sallie!  We love and miss you!