Great Adventure

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

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

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

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

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

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

Texas Friends Come My Way

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

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

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

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

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

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

Happy 4th, Everyone!

From Start to Finish

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

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

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

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

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

Summer's Coming!

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

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

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

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

Love,
Mattie  

Celebrations

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

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

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

Vanishing Act

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

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

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

Frantic Fun and Fatigue

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

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

WOMAD and the Weekend

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

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

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

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

He Came, We saw, He left.

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

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

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

Muscat is a Must

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

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

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

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

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

  

Here, There, and Everywhere

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

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

4 Day Getaway

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

And here we are in front of the real thing.

Our group at the Great Pyramids in Giza.

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

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

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

Today's Forecast

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

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

It Takes Time

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

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

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

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

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

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

Sandy Lou Maxey Rose  I will miss you.  Matt

    

The Boys are Back in Town

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

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

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

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

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

Blessings, Mattie

      

Blue Skies and Goodbyes

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

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

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

All Dressed Up

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

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

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

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

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

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

Mattie

Holidays Galore

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

Signing Off

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

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

It's the Little Things

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

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

Here's to more good weather. Yippee!
Mattie