At the Fairmont

Ryan is about 4 weeks into his internship at the Fairmont.  Already he has met some great people and he is learning a lot everyday.   In fact, an added bonus has been his new Indian coworkers who want to teach him Hindi.   It is fun having him back home with us.  I keep trying to figure out a way to get Russell here, too.  A bonus for us is that I think we get a discount for the restaurants out there.  And they are great restaurants.    

Ryan heading in to the employee entrance.

Rainy Days and Mondays

 Monday was a big day for those of us from our homeschooling crowd who hit the park every Monday. It RAINED!  I think I can remember only 2 other times when we have had rain on a  Monday. Actually, I am pretty sure I can count on my two hands how many times it has rained since we moved here nearly 5 years ago! At least when it has rained in the day time. Some of us dashed to the lighthouse observation tower for cover. Some of us, like Krista and Pattie,  just used a picnic matt to cover up. As it only rained for about 5 minutes they stayed quite dry. Others of us, like the kids, rain around laughiing and playing.  Rain is a big deal. :) Rebecca just covered up with a chair cover.  Melissa had an umbrella...hmmm..how did she manage that??

It only took about 5 minutes for the ground to dry and everything was back to normal.  But it was fun while it lasted.

FYI.  Yes. The car had been washed that day.  

The Forecast

The cloud cover was unusual for us on Saturday morning.  Just plain cloud cover. A bit gray, no sand. A light breeze. We decided to go to Cafe Arabia and have coffee outside. It was  relaxing. Unlike the weather for the last few weeks which has been sandstorm after sandstorm. Ok, not quite as bad as the sandstorm from the newest Mission Impossible movie but still very annoying.  In fact a windstorm blew in last Thursday that nearly knocked me off my feet.  My friend actually saw a Filipina gal hanging onto a stop sign..and her feet were being lifted off the ground. NOT KIDDING. It really felt like a hurricane was blowing in. I looked up as I was fighting to get out of my car and saw a small flying carpet. Really wish I had my camera handy for that one. :) Yesterday I was captivated by the weather again..but this time the weather in Kansas. Tornadoes all over the place. Many of them sighted near our family members who live in Kansas.  Not fun to be watching from clear over here. Really not fun for them!  Thankful that everyone is ok.

Ryan tells me I need to write more often. I had to smile. Sometimes there just isn't anything to say!  He has settled in at the Fairmount for his internship. We all had a laugh last night.  An Arab guest complained about his pancakes being too fluffy.  The Canadian chef questioned how much he could know about pancakes....  It made us smile. Kind of like us complaining about hummous or something. :)  In just a few days he has learned a lot and has met many great coworkers.  I'm sure he will have amazing stories to tell by the end of the summer.

I just saw that most of the storms in the midwest are abating. That's good news for everyone. Guess I can turn off the weather channel now.
Oh, by the way, our forecast is 90s all week.

 Summer's comin'.
   

An Abu Dhabi Spring

 

Sallie and I visited Mary, Kyra and Jeff in Oman.  They moved there in they January. We miss them. 

  

  Along with the arrival of Spring in Abu Dhabi came sandstorms,  a trip to Oman, an almost trip to Oman, visitors, and an internship for Ryan.  Sallie and I went to see the Kenneys in Oman a couple of weeks ago.  Mary and Kyra were invited to an Omani wedding and we tagged along.  It was Sallie's first Arab wedding. The glamour, loud music, and festive dancing had all of us smiling and commenting on how different weddings are in this part of the world. Not to mention the absence of any men. At all.
Our "almost trip to Oman" didn't happen two days after Ryan got here. He arrived on Monday, as did our dear friend Lolo(Sallie's very close friend from forever). Mike took a few days off so we could all relax at the Kenneys, and Ryan and Lolo could see Oman. However, at the border we were stopped. Ryan and Mike spent an hour discussing the problem with the border agents.  Apparently, on Ryan's last exit they did not enter it in the computer, eventhough the passport had the stamp in it. And on his reentry the same thing happened.  So, they told Mike we owed 6000 dirhams because Ryan had not left the country and stayed too long." Umm, nope. There is the stamp. He left. Not our problem." That however, did not mean they would let us go to Oman. So, after being in the car about 3 hours, we ended up back in Al Ain and went to the zoo. :) Lolo didn't get to see Oman but she did get to visit an Emirati zoo.    
Laurel's visit was too fast but so fun. She got to meet all of Sallie's good friends, visit her youth group, and do life with her. It is special when lifelong friends come here and share our lives with us. Helps make connections in our hearts with both of our worlds.   Our very good friends, Gary, Candice and Joel arrived from the States Thurs.
just before Laurel flew home on Sunday.  Again, reconnecting and being with them is a blessing. They lived in Abu Dhabi a year ago, but only for 5 months. In a short time they left deep impressions. Great to have them here for a few days.   They are trying to squeeze in all their favorite haunts and restaurants as well as time with friends.
And today, Ryan started at the Fairmount Bab al Bahr.  We are excited to hear how the first day goes. Thankful he had a few days to recover from jet lag.
 So, spring has spring here in the Arab world.  This weekend we will have our Good Friday/ Easter Sunday church service.
Thankful for His Resurrection and forgiveness. Thankful for His many blessings in our lives, this Springtime and always.

At the Al Ain Zoo 

  

  

Sallie and Lolo at Ski Dubai

   

At Last

It took 15 years. Yes. 15 years.  I finally made it to India.  I remember when my friend Marganne asked me to pray for her on her first trip..and I am pretty sure it was 15 years ago. Maybe even longer!  When she came back she and I dreamed about being able to go together but it never happened.  In that time many of my friends  visited that huge, amazing, vibrant country.  On March 2(what would have been my parents 60th wedding anniversary) I finally got the chance to see and experience some of what they talked about.  Priscilla, Pattie and I  left Abu Dhabi on Friday to visit missionaries that our church has in Tamil Nadu.  We landed in Trivandrum and the next day we headed to the village of Erakuchelum.  People, gods, goddesses, trash, colors, trees, horns, people, animals, temples, cars, tuk tuks, ....people...  You get the picture.  All of this lined our journey to the home of our friends and the school they started 10 years ago.  The trip was quick. Only stayed there from Friday to Wednesday morning.  We played with children. Visited classrooms and a couple of homes. Shared the  good news of Jesus Christ with the Hindu teachers. Tried to stay cool. Watched the chickens and the turkeys in the compound yard. Laughed. Prayed. Encouraged. Learned. Came home.  It was a fun trip. Being with Pattie and Priscilla(our Director of Children's Ministry) made everything just that much better. I liked India. I'm not sure I want to live there ever, but I loved the smiles on those kids faces. It was special. Mike needs to go next. I believe his friends have been bugging him, too. :)
 

It's a Big World

As of  Feb. 18th, our oldest boys are both in Texas.  I found myself truly experiencing the meaning of bitter sweet.  For two years Mike and I have, naturally, worried about Russell living where he lived. Maybe not worried, and not all the time,  but certainly we were concerned many times.  But it was wonderful to see him frequently and to be in the same time zone.  So, needless to say, when he left early last Saturday, our hearts were heavy.  There have been many times when Mike and I wonder at why we moved half way around the world, leaving our home, our families and our dear friends, but never more than when we have to hug our boys and put them on a plane headed across 9 time zones or approximately 8, 060 miles.(Dallas)  So, Russell arrived. He is in Austin.  Ryan arrived a couple of weeks earlier. He is in Lubbock.  And we are here.

Also on the agenda this week is my little girl.  Sallie calls me frantically from school yesterday. "Mom, we are heading into the gym to pick my classes for my senior year..."  Whoa..  I simply cannot get my head around that, and she was frantic cuz she has no idea what she needs to take. Ha ha. So, I am off to school to meet with Sallie and the High School Counselor to make sure she gets what she needs to G R A D U A T E.  What are Mike and Robert and I going to do when she leaves next year???  I really can't go there in my head. That 8000 miles thing is just a bit too much to handle.

Although I will say, that the illusion of control that parents entertain when it comes to their kids is just that...An illusion.   Prayer becomes more and more the means to life and peace. And Mike and I are learning to pray without ceasing.  Yes. yes, we are.
   

There and Back Again

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

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

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!!

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

               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

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

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

 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

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

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. :)