A Year of Silence??

Well, I've just copied over all my old blogs to this new site... I've gotten so much spam and some rather interesting invites for naughty acts; I wanted to get off of blog.com!  So here we are... it's been twelve months since I've posted anything!  I had a busy year keeping Facebook updated, hahah!!  And to be fair, I really loved posting on Caringbridge instead,  to keep all our friends and family updated on Allyson's progress.

We've had a heck of a year... Allyson's illness, treatment and recovery, Zachy's ADHD diagnosis and month of hospitals, a trip to Finland to meet the REAL Santa Claus and his trusty elves, and a first time visit to London for the kids and I (John has been before).  Zach was continuing to struggle at school but thanks to a very caring teacher, has come leaps and bounds!  Abby..... well, I guess it's fair to say she's gone from a baby to a big kid.  She's so independent~ I sometimes wonder if she isn't secretly applying to colleges on her computer when I'm not looking!  Both kids have gotten back into horse back riding and are having lots of fun.

John's Mom and Dad made a first time visit to the UAE.  We showed them around Dubai and Abu and then we headed off to explore Jordan.  What a great experience!  We landed in Amman, and not so smartly declined the GPS from the rental car agency (rental car man: ahh, you don't need! one road! so easy!).  Not one road, 4 hours of pouring rain, not so easy!!  But we eventually made it down to Petra.  It was still raining and cold so we only stayed one night, instead going to the Dead Sea a little earlier than planned.  The Dead sea was absolutely GORGEOUS!  The sun made the water literally shimmer like diamonds.  We mudded up and floated, as you do!  Zach and I were a little nervous but we both made it through the experience :) The six of us also went to see the River Jordan, where Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist.  Very cool site.  We dipped our toes in the River, and blessed ourselves with the holy water that sits in a huge bowl right before the water.  Heading back down to Petra, we were met with much clearer skies and warmer temps.  Petra was like nothing we've seen before.  We climbed up all the steps to the top (where, ironically, the shop sells Dr. Pepper, much to John's delight! Why UAE can't sell it in Carrefour, but Jordan can get it up 800 steps to a dusty snack bar, we don't know!).  We rode donkey's and horses in Petra and took in all the ancient buildings. Petra is a must see! We had such a great visit with Grandma and Grandpa on a trip that we will not soon forget.

The rest of the year has been pretty good!  We've been hanging out a lot with our amazing group of Abu Dhabi friends. I've met some new people this year who have brought lots of laughs into my life!  

As I write, we are back in the USA!  We arrived back July 3rd, just in time to have a family BBQ for the 4th.  It was a great way to open our summer back home.  I am LOVING being in my own house, the kids are loving having a big green back yard to run and play in and John is loving being on vacation!  John and I just got back from an anniversary trip to Colorado.  We had the best time ever!  Colorado is so beautiful... I don't know how it's not even more populated!  We would absolutely love to live out there.  John and I went on a long hike on our last day in Eagle Co... it was up 3000 feet to Booth Lake, elev 11500.  For people that live below sea level, the air was a bit thin for us, ha!  We made it to the top, though, and the lake, the mountains, the snow:  all beautiful.  The other cool part was that we were completely alone.  We passed some people on their way down just as we passed Booth Falls, but other than those few, we saw no one for hours.  What lucky timing~ it made the hike and the experience that much more wonderful. I did learn that I must never, ever hike on my own... I lose the trail approximately every five minutes!  Me:  veering off to the right, John: Um, Eileen.... trail is over on the left.  Oops!  So, no solo missions for moi! 

Up next:  A night in Nantucket, which will be a first for us!  Then a week in Sea Isle City with our cousins, and then sadly, John goes back to AD.  I can't believe how fast summer is going.  Slow down summer!!!!  I'll be praying for the month of August to crawl by ;)  

Love,

E x

Pics below~













Jordan:

Dead Sea:


Colorado:

Copied Blog: Lady OH MY GOD Ga! Orig Post: 2010 JULY 8

I can admit I don’t exactly have my finger on the pulse of today’s music.  My favorite song is an Indigo Girls song from 1992… my favorites as a kid were REM (obsessively so), Violent Femmes, The Cure,  INXS,  Bread, U2, but only until Joshua Tree, then they got too cool for me… and then the slightly more main steam, but MUCH less popular with my particular age bracket: Air Supply, Barry Mannilow, Johnny Mathis, etc.  When I went into the Air Force, the radio stations offered bible reading and country music.  No offense to God but I chose country and eventually went full on to the dark side.  Once iPods came to be, I was able to join all my crazy, unpopular genre’s together on one little memory drive!  The point is,  and probably needless to say, I’ve never been much of a Top 40 kind of listener.

My daughter, on the other hand, is the epitome of a Top 40 listener.  Although she does like a lot of Broadway music (much to the chagrin of her father) and she’s down with Fleetwood Mac, the majority of her musical interests fall between Jonas and Justin, Miley and Taylor.   She came home recently and told me that she and a friend were going to perform “Poker Face” for her class… I said no, not knowing the lyrics but assuming the worst.  Then she found a song on my iPod by Laura Brannigan (An old co-worker once described my play list as the most horrific compilation of music EVER), “Gloria.”  I listened to Gloria and told her no on that one too.  ”A-ha-ha, a-ha-ha, Gloria, how’s it gonna go down?  Will you meet him on the main line, or will you catch him on the rebound?  Will you marry for the money, take a lover in the afternoon?  Feel your innocence slipping away, don’t believe it’s comin’ back soon….”  Um, no for an 8 yr old.   Eventually they decided on a Taylor Swift song.  When I really start listening to the lyrics of the songs she listens to, I realize the content is so way beyond her maturity level.

We had a party recently and I wanted something playing in the background that wouldn’t kill the vibe instantly (as only “Joey” by Concrete Blonde can do, lol!)  so I knew my song selection wasn’t going to cut it.  I went onto iTunes and downloaded what I thought were good party background songs.  I put some Black Eyed Peas, Beyonce, Daniel Powter, etc.  I broke down and added Lady Gaga too, after hearing Abby raving about her for months.  I will admit I like the beat of her songs and I never paid too much attention to the words.

The other day Abby and I were riding along in the car and Poker Face came on the iPod.  She was singing along.  I was kind of tuning in and out… then all of a sudden I heard my 8 year old child sing, “Get him hard, show him what I’ve got”  and I nearly crashed into the car in front of me.  I sat at the red light madly trying to google the lyrics on my blackberry and was only mildly relieved to read it actually said, “Get him hot and show him what I’ve got.”   I guess it’s better because it rhymes? I don’t know… either way it’s horrifying, really.  I know these are concepts that are way beyond her little brain at the moment  but still, in the not too distant future she may understand.  So many of her little friends love Lady Gaga…  it seems very, very WRONG!!!

On a positive note, I have found a new love love love song among my Top 40 downloads!  ”If I Were A Boy” by Beyonce.  I have never owned anything by her but I just might try expanding my horizons….

In the meantime, how do I manage all the influences coming in from the radio??  I can’t screen everything she watches or hears, especially as her time away from me/ independence increases constantly!  I can’t believe these words are coming out of my mouth but I can’t express how much I miss The Wiggles!!   Anthony, Murray, Jeff, and Greg:  I miss knowing I can leave the room and you won’t be embedding profane references into my baby’s head =)

Copied Blog: A Blessing and a Curse… Orig Post: 2010 JANUARY 11

Abigail is eight years old.  For whatever reason, this seems to be the age of the sleepover.  Or maybe it’s an Abu Dhabi thing… Regardless, I hate sleepovers.  Especially at eight.  Especially in a new country.

Another sleepover invitation has come home today.  This one isn’t even for a classmate.  This is for the sibling of a classmate.  Seriously?  Abby is excited… poor thing, she never gives up hope!  She, of course, cries when I say I am not comfortable with the sleepover.  Here’s the thing… first, I don’t know these people.  Never met ‘em.  Secondly, I don’t know exactly where they live but I know it’s in the city somewhere… as in not 5 minutes away.  Thirdly, I just don’t get it.  Why can’t kids just have a normal party at this age?  I mean,  thirteen or fourteen years old: OK.  But Eight???

She’s crying… I feel bad… rewind, replay for every other invite that she has received.  Time for a different approach. 

Me:  “Abby, imagine if you had a huge, shiny, beautiful diamond.  You loved this diamond and it was worth millions of billions of dollars.   Now imagine if someone sent you a note to your home asking if they could borrow the diamond from you to keep overnight.  You don’t know the people who sent the note, you don’t know where they would be taking the diamond.  Would you let them borrow the diamond?”

Abby: Sniffled “No” from the backseat. 

Me: “Ok,” I say… “Well you are my diamond.  Except you are even more beautiful and worth even more than any diamond in the whole world.  This is why I cannot send you to someone else’s home to be taken care of, looked after.  I cannot let someone that I do not know, be responsible for you, just like you wouldn’t send your diamond off with a stranger either.”  

Abby:  (After some processing of this info, through her tears) “I am still upset that I cannot go but I do understand what you are saying.” 

Me: ”Sometimes having a Mom that loves you more than anything can be a blessing and a curse.”‘

Abby:  ”MOM! Am I ever a curse to you?”

Me: “No babe, you are only ever a blessing to me.” 

Abby:  In her sweetest voice ever… ”Mom, it’s true, you are kind of a curse to me.”

Me: (punch to the gut!) “Gee thanks Ab!”

Abby:  (back pedaling, LOL!) “Well you are mostly a blessing but I really want to go to sleepovers so that part is kind of a curse” 

Me: Laughing… cursing myself for teaching her the blessing and curse stuff!

She wanted to talk more about it.  The horse was not dead quite yet in Abby’s eyes.

Me: “Ab, there are so many things in this world that can go wrong.  Those things are for adults to worry about.  Someday when you get big you will understand.  In the meantime,  I would rather you be frustrated with me than know about all the bad things out there.  You will have to trust me.”

I know there is like a ridiculously small chance of anything happening to her at a sleepover.  And I have let her sleepover at a party earlier this year.  The mother sent a note, explaining the party details, explaining the small amount of children, giving a background of her and her husband, etc.  I was able to meet the mother before the party… I still almost said no, but I relented at the last minute… I had a good vibe from the situation.  And I am not saying I will never let it happen again.  However, I seriously cannot imagine sending a blanket invite to a class…expecting people I do not know to send me their daughter’s over night.  What is the matter with these people?  I know some will disagree with this stance.   I can’t worry about what other people think.  I can’t worry if Abby or her friend’s think I’m not a cool mom.  In the grand scheme of life, sleepovers, or the lack thereof, at eight years old are not going to break her.  But her, my, life changing forever or ceasing to exist only takes a split second.  That’s not a risk/reward I am willing to chance.  I guess I am stuck with my mean mommy name tag for a little while longer!

Copied Blog: Jet ($%^ing) Lag Orig Post: 2010 JANUARY 3

I lived in California and traveled to and from the East Coast numerous times… both as a child and as an adult.  I always hear people complain about the jet lag after these flights.  Honestly, I was never bothered by a three hour difference.  Maybe woke up a little earlier or went to sleep a little later but nothing to make a fuss about.  Even when we came to visit AD for the first time, we were fine really.  Eight hours time difference is a big deal to the body but it was actually kind of nice… the kids slept in until 11 am for the first time in their little lives!  I think the hotel made a difference, looking back, because it was very quiet, and the curtains enabled the room to be extremely dark.   Upon arriving here in June, again, there were no real issues.  The kids slept in late, we stayed up a little later than normal but no big deal.  It took a week or maybe two to feel truly on schedule.

This trip, however, is nothing like those last two.  I think my kids have been bitten by some sleep deprived gremlin who enjoys seeing me overly exhausted… and now overly emotional (I almost started to cry when I was asking a school administrator to please let Zach’s teacher know he was definitely going to fall asleep in school today).

Ok, so Day One:  We get in around 8:30.  Unpacked some, by the time we realized the time, it was after midnight.   Hurried everyone into bed.  Kids are wide awake at 4:30 in the morning.  No, I say. This can’t be… you guys always sleep in when we return.  Not only are they awake, but they are AWAKE.  Giggling, chatty, let’s go ride bikes kind of awake.  Fine.  I give in. I get up.

Day Two:   Today is New Year’s Eve so I think I better take a nap or I am so not gonna make it til midnight.   I fall asleep at 2, wake up at 6.  Kids, no nap.  I am not lying… they have been body snatched.  OK.  So NYE, we go to a friend’s house, the kids play upstairs.  I think they will fall asleep up there for sure.  NO.   We all head home, in bed sometime around 2 am.  2 AM.  Surely, they must be so exhausted by now, they will sleep all day tomorrow, right?

Day Three:  5:30 am.  Yes. No lie. We convince Abby to go back to sleep, which she does for a long while.  It’s the little crazy one who won’t sleep.   John and I did sleep in this day…gotta be grateful for that.  Zach played with his new toys and only woke us once an hour-ish… so charitable.   We watch a family movie at night and get everyone to bed around 9:00 pm (afraid to let them go too early b/c can’t handle earlier than 5:30 wake up again!)

Day Four/ Five:  January 2nd.  Getting down to the wire… school/ work resumes tomorrow.  No joke, we must sleep.  But instead we wake up at 5:20 am.  I hear them off and on and when I finally stumble downstairs around 7, they are ending a movie.  NO ONE should be ENDING a movie at 7 am.  We decide they should take a nap.  Lay them down, John and I run some errands.  Called home to make sure they were up… language barrier, no wake up takes place.  OK.  So now they have slept for three hours during the day.  I had that sick feeling in my stomach… this could not be good.  At 6:00 pm I personally can’t take it anymore.   I fall asleep replying to an email.  Never a good sign.  Can I please go to bed, I plead with John?  Off I go.  Certainly I will sleep through til tomorrow after all this deprivation.  At ten pm my eyes pop open like a someone has just set a firecracker off in my room.  And that’s how they stay for the next 6.5 hours.  But no need to feel bad for me up at 4:30 am… I had company.  Oh yes.  It started with one, I heard little feet on the stairs.  We must go to bed Abby, I told her around 2 am.  We traipsed up the stairs, and what do I hear but my least favorite word between the hours of midnight – 7 am???  “MOM”  Zach hasn’t slept at all yet.  Partially amazed he hasn’t gotten out of bed 1100 times, I decide to lay with him for a bit.  Then comes Abby again… now there are three of us in the twin bed.  At 3:30 I tried again… c’mon guys! We have to get up in 3 hours!!  No sympathy for the old, tired woman, they just wanted to have a sleepover they said. (Me thinking that ship has sailed!!!) Everyone in their own beds, I head back to mine.  At 4:30, just as my eyes finally close,  my two little friends are back to visit.  Can’t be, I say.  PLEASE, GO AWAY!  Being “best mom ever” is not priority at 4:30 am.  I finally got to sleep for about two hours.  I get up, go to wake Zach for school and he is sitting up, wide eyed in the bed.  “MOM, I was petting Tucker, I was petting him this way, then I was petting him that way, he likes me, MOM I think he likes this pet the best, MOM why do I have to take a shower, MOM you never read me this book, MOM, remember MOM you said you would read it to me yesterday.”   Me:   “Zach, let’s go… for real… they are closing the school gate earlier starting today because they want you in your seat earlier.”   Zach: “Really MOM? What happens if you get there after the gate shuts?”   I explain that we would have to go around to the front of the building and get a late slip, seems to understands, shuts shower door.  Ahhhhh, peace.  Then, shower door bursts open as my toe crosses the threshold of the bathroom (sooo close!) “MOOOMMMM!!! I KNOW! If we are late then you can just teach us school today.”    Tears well in my eyes, “No, honey, I don’t think so.”

I have absolutely *no doubt* that Zach is going to fall asleep at school today.  Abby will just cry over everything that happens (no idea where she might get that) but Zach is going to literally fall face first asleep into his lunch.  What then?  Do they call you to pick up your sleeping kid?

Dear Lord in heaven, please let this family sleep tonight. Please, please, please.  I can’t take it no mo’!!!!!!!!!!

Copied Blog: Convo with Abigail Orig posted: 2 Jan 2010

There are times that discrepancy between what I think of my child is capable of and what my child is actually capable of,  hits me like a ton of bricks.   There are little things, like when I was holding the baby bottle for her to drink and then she suddenly would push me away and hold it just fine herself, or when I was tying her shoes in kindergarten and she explained with hands on hips that she could do that herself.  As a parent, of course I think my kids are capable of anything, on the other hand, I am not always up to date on what they no longer need me to do for them.  Zach is still my baby… I think it’s possible he may NEVER push me away while tying his shoes… like possibly even for his college graduation.  Abby, however, is growing so fast, is able to do so much more each day.  I am proud, certainly, but I am also a little sad.  This time it was not shoe laces or Advent bottles but instead, it was Microsoft Office!

As we were about to board the plane from JFK to Abu Dhabi, we learned that Allyson was upgraded to First Class.  Abby’s jaw hit the ground.  She just kept saying,  “Allyson is in first class,”  like she couldn’t make sense of it.  Abby and I sat in our lovely business class seats together, in our own little pod.  The rack rate for each of our seats is in the $8000 range (thank you SRA!) but she was acting like we were strapped to the top of the plane compared to First Class.  Don’t get me wrong, she wasn’t being bratty,  but the adoration in her voice about the seats 20 feet away was a little disturbing.  “Abby!,” I said, “For goodness sakes! I am sure the seats up there are very similar.”  That’s when my own jaw began to drop.  She went on a ten minute MONOlogue about the features in First Class.  The larger seats, the pajamas they give you, etc.  My eyes wide, “How do you know this?,”  I asked her.  Her response:  “OOOOO, because this morning I went on Etihadairways.com and clicked on some of the images.  Then I opened a word document and cut and pasted a bunch of the pictures into word.  Then I cut a bunch of the words and made a paper on First Class.  Also, there is luxurious service and you can turn your seats all the way around. OH and I was a little worried about the weather with all these storms ‘they’ve’ been talking about and so I checked the weather on weather.com.  The weather in the Arabian Sea… I mean Gulf, is totally clear, no problem.  We should be fine.”  She sat for a while, then wistfully said, “Allyson is the luckiest girl in the world… (long pause), well… in our family at least”  I guess she didn’t get the memo that our other cousin is off to New Zealand on an awesome adventure.    As she was rambling on about Etihad, I began to get a knot in my stomach.  Not because Abby is becoming more proficient on the computer but because I now realize we have to set parental controls, etc.  She was excited thinking about first class service and I was mortified wondering what kind of results she could get on google.  Another milestone… another chip away at the “little girl-ness” of my little girl!  It’s not right!!  How do I have a little kid who needs my help to log her into Webkinz one day and then suddenly is making informational pamphlets on the features offered on a  Middle Eastern Airlines??   :)

Copied Blog: Resolutions Orig Posted 31 Dec 2009

As it would seem, this blog is less a daily, or even weekly chronicle of our time overseas, but more of a quarterly review.  Oops!  I would like to say I am just SO busy, busy, busy but that would not really be true.  When we lived in Maryland, my calendar was very full, I was squeezing in new commitments on the diagonal, crossing date lines, etc.  I vowed to not lead that life after we moved here and I have, in large part, kept that promise to myself.  I am the kids class parent, and a library volunteer but other than those few obligations… not so much happening.  I should have enough time to literally write a novel!  Yet, somehow time slips away.  Thoughts about good things to write come and go.  And apparently I would rather read about other people’s day at work, or their lack of sleep or cook up a new recipe on the Facebook cafe than write a blog.  The latter being a low point for me. Since I don’t actually cook very often for my own family, the fact that I am whipping up 850 servings of virtual pot roast is both ironic and yes, quite atrocious.

Then there is the question of presuming that other people care what the heck I have to say.  This is actually a big deal to me.  I am not a fan of the holiday letter (please, dozen or so of our friends who send them to us, do not be offended as your letters are often sweet, funny and interesting, but not my style to write myself) so sometimes the idea of a blog feels like a holiday letter that never ends!  On the other hand, I am quite a chatty person (the loquaciousness gene being tightly woven in my DNA) and my kids are also chatty.  John: not so chatty, but his bi-annual comedic zingers keep us giggling for months.    To that end, I want to save some of those moments, conversations, the little things that slip away as life moves on.  When I am so old that I can’t find my teeth, I want a record to read and remember.  (Note: I will definitely be losing my teeth someday if the frequency of which I lose my keys is any indication.)  Therefore, my #1 resolution for 2101 to is be less lazy about writing and also to remember I am my own audience.  I am doing this for myself.   Of course, I will share it out and if someone else wants to read it, great.  But if no one ever does, it is still worth doing.

Other 2010 Resolutions:

#2 Let less aggravate me (it’s good to dream)

#3 Be grateful for this amazing opportunity even in the moments I would rather be anywhere but here

#4 Maintain a healthier weight (the resolution that never ends!!! UGHHHHH)

#5 Invent something super cool… like possibly a way to awaken my comatose metabolism!

#6 Be more patient with… (changes daily, see #2)

Copied Blog: While This is On My Mind Orig Post: 17 Sep 2009

I have tons to catch up on… Z’s birthday dune bashing, the kids dealing with the death of Sophie, Abby’s amazing Atlantis/ dolphin meeting birthday weekend, getting our visa’s… and so on.  But, while this is fresh in my head I just wanted to get it down so I don’t forget how I feel in this moment.

Last year this time, the kids were settling in to school… I was neck deep in three college classes trying to get transferred over to the Accelerated College… John was working crazy hours and frequently getting home after the kids were in bed.  We wanted to do something different with our lives but couldn’t quite figure out what.  John was looking into overseas opportunities with his company and then all of a sudden this project in the UAE came up.  On Halloween we found out that we were going to be making this trip for sure.  I was nervous, excited, sad and thrilled simultaneously.  Abby was really upset to leave her friends and Zach, Mr. NO change, was surprisingly on board!!  John hoped he was doing the right thing for our family.

I have been all over the place with whether or not I like the UAE.  It’s a  place that is inconvenient and convenient at the same time depending on what you are trying to do (i.e. visas= not convenient, inexpensive/ one of a kind weekend trips= convenient).    I am not going to say that suddenly I love it.  What I will say is that on this trip to Paris I have realized that I love that we were willing to run with the opportunity presented to us.  I know some may think we were crazy (Maureen and Yvonne, hehe) but maybe it takes a touch of crazy to get the most out of life.  Can you stay in one place your whole life and still have a great life?  Absolutely, I am sure!  But for us, it has been an amazing life-enhancing journey and we’ve only just begun!  Actually, the craziest thing of all is that Paris is half way between US and UAE.  So why did we never think to take a trip here before??  We are suddenly tuned into the world outside North America.  Some Americans are just that way to begin with but I was definitely not.  It took moving to Abu Dhabi to learn that I could be comfortable with  foreign language, cultural differences, not always knowing exactly how to get somewhere, etc.   Surprisingly, I have been able to communicate with French only speakers really well here considering my last French class was in 1991 (well, everyone except for the metro ticket guy but I am sure he was already grumpy before I arrived!)  Prior to moving, I think I would have been too intimidated, too insecure to pick up the kids and head off to a non-English speaking country!  I admire Americans who just naturally have the confidence to travel abroad without thinking twice!  I am getting there.

I miss my family, my friends and my home so, so much…  On the other hand, I am not ready to come back.  I do not know if or when we will come back.  If I have learned nothing else it is that as I was writing a paper for my fine arts class, I could have never imagined I would be watching my children’s eyes wide with wonder as we walked through the Louvre one year later.  I can not wait to see what’s next…

Copied Blog: What A Weekend! Orig Post: 11 Aug 2009

Sometimes living here just feels like an extended stay at the beach.  Which is a nice thing, not complaining… but the feeling is kind of odd.  At the real beach I spend the first half feeling like I just got there and the second half feeling like the time flew.  Many days we wake up here and just put suits on in the morning like we would at LBI or Jupiter… I guess not having a pool in the yard at home makes this place seem more vacation-y!  I do feel like we just got here and I am sure in two years we will wonder how the heck it went so fast.

Last weekend was G-R-E-A-T!  We started off with an adult only dinner at Chamas… affectionately renamed, “Death by Meat” by the guys over here.  It’s a Brazilian Steakhouse where they bring around huge amounts of meat on skewers and cut off pieces.  Customers all have little tongs to take the meat off the skewer and a coaster looking thing with red/green sides to let them know whether more meat should be offered.

The food was AHH-mazing!!!!  I was happy to sit by Erika who I have been hoping to get to know better AND who tried just about everything that came along.  I am so not a “try-er” of things but she inspired me… I just could not do the chicken hearts… sorry girl!  We ate lots of red meat (John discouraged my trip to the salad bar as “needless filler”) and I drank LOTS of red wine.  I am ashamed to admit I can now report on how those two items look mixed after the fact, hehehe. NOT pretty, that’s fo’ sho’.  Regardless of my own after-party foul, we had a great time with everyone!!  I can not step foot back in that place for at least six months but I will give it huge props for being an outstanding establishment!!

Earlier that morning we made a last minute decision to go to Dubai over night the following day.  Allyson and Erika were up for the trip so we found some inexpensive rooms and packed our stuff.  We were supposed to leave bright and early Friday morning but neglected to remember that we are now old and can not recover from red meat and red wine so quickly…  Also neglected to factor in “Allyson time” which is a good hour or more behind the rest of us.  I was soooo hungry waiting for her to arrive so we could get on the road and get some food!  When she finally showed at noon WITH AN EMPTY McDONALD’S BAG I was none too pleased!  But staying mad at Allyson is like staying mad at a piece of cake.  It just doesn’t work.  We headed off to Dubai…

Aquaventure is the waterpark located at Atlantis in Dubai.  It’s relatively new and a very cool place.  We started off in the lazy river which was by far, THE best lazy river ever.  It has rapids, conveyor belts, lagoons to stop off in, etc.  One could easily just float around the lazy river for a day or two!  After the lazy river we checked out the water rides which are really the bread and butter of Aquaventure.  The park does not have large quantity of actual rides but it def has quality rides.  Allyson, Erika, John and Abby went on some wild water slides while Zach and I waited at the shark lagoon to see them come through the tunnel.  Then the four girls decided to give the “Leap of Faith” a try.  The LoF is literally a 3 second water slide.  However, let me assure you that many, many thoughts can race through a brain in 3 seconds!  Abby went before me and I actually started to have a slight panic attack that she was so light she would fall off the slide and go right into the sharks!!!  I kept saying, “…is she safe, is she safe,” to the bare bones English speaking attendant.  Another attendant with much better English came up and assured me she was OK!  I was up next and off I went.  I wanted to keep my eyes open but gravity and/or pure fear sealed them shut so I saw nothing!  I was still shaking after the ride for a good five-ten minutes!  Abby LOVED the Leap of Faith and wanted to go again!!  Crazy kid.  Later that night I read an article about a shark that jumped out of the lagoon and onto the slide, sliding down through the tunnel and into the wading pool at the bottom.  If I had read that prior to my time at Aquaventure, I am not so sure we would have tried the ol’ Leap of Faith.  But now it’s over… I can look at the picture of that thing on the internet and say I DID THAT!

After the park we wandered around Atlantis, which really is an amazing structure!  One of the rooms in the hotel is three stories and in the master bedroom has a wall of glass which looks into the aquarium.  I can not even imagine how much that might be a night!  We checked out all the water walls… they have huge sharks, sting rays, the biggest fish I have ever seen and lots of other cool marine life in the tanks.  An Arab falcon handler was walking around the lobby so we got to pet a falcon!  This was amazing… the bird was spectacular and he was smooth as silk.  At first he had his little leather helmet on but the man took it off for us and the kids got to stroke the top of his head.  The handler was very kind and the kids were able to spend a half decent amount of time with the falcon.

The next morning was a little crazy.  Zach was in the bathroom in the kid’s room so Abby ran over to our room to use the toilet.  In her rush, she sat on the first thing that looked toilet-like… except it was a bidet and she was NOT peeing.  Not sure why so many of my blogs include defecation but here we go again…  First, let me say that if this had happened to Zach we would have heard screaming at the very first millisecond that he realized his mistake.  But not Abby.  She is self sufficient (or so she likes to think) and tries to clean up her own messes before she tells us about them.  In this case: not a great idea.  She tried to relocate the poop into the toilet, but missed.  She then tried to clean up the floor but used so many pieces of toilet paper that she clogged the real toilet and flooded the floor.  I was lying in bed thinking she’d been in there a while and so I yelled in to see how things were going.  She opened the door with a filled up eyes and said, “I need help.”  We felt so bad for the girl we couldn’t even be mad!   Poor kid!  John went in with his t-shirt up over his nose and cleaned it up, God bless the man.  Needless to say, we used the other bathroom for the rest of our time at the Rotana!

Saturday was a full on shopping extravaganza!!!!!!  John took Zach to the aquarium at the Mall of Dubai and the four girls hit the shops.  Erika actually purchased thirteen shirts in one store if I am remembering correctly!  I splurged on a new Coach bag which I have not done in a few years and found lots of cool accessories and clothes at the mall.  Abby was ecstatic to see the great big “Justice” over here and she picked up a couple new bathing suits and a shirt reminiscent of a Debbie Gibson video~ when did the 80′s come back??    Allyson is typically in a league of her own (and so she should be!  Great job, no kids, no debt… damn girl, let’s trade!), but I think Erika may have taken home the prize for most purchased.  We all made out very, very well.  When we got in the car to head home, John handed me a bag with a wrapped present in it.  I opened it to find the watch that I was admiring the night before…way to go John!  Those who know John well know that as amazing as a guy/husband/dad he is, he is not the most romantic dude you will ever find, so this was even more special!  It was the perfect ending to an obscenely fun weekend.  I am sure we have now reset the bar on our weekend fun!

At the aquarium they allow people to dive with the sharks… John, who also never, ever asks for anything, declared last night he would love to do this!  Abby is dying to swim with the dolphins at Atlantis… they have a shallow water and a deep water interaction.  So I am off to look into these things.  Abby’s birthday is quickly approaching… how great would it be to get to play with dolphins on your eighth birthday?!

This Saturday is Zach’s birthday… I am sure it will make me even more homesick that I already am to not share this day with family and friends.   Yvonne:  Zach wants Nicholas here for his birthday party, awww!  I feel bad for him.  As many cool things that are here, what is not here is all of you!  I hope everyone is doing well… miss you and can not wait until December!

More later!

E

Copied Blog: Catching up… 2009 JULY 31

With Puff gone and life back to normal we have had some fun times over the last two weeks!  First let me say, can it be possible that tomorrow is AUGUST??  Where has this summer gone?  Why does it seem that every summer gets faster… my “babies” will be six and eight in the next month!  Everyone with older kids says how quickly the time goes.  However, no one can really understand the speed til the baby you held what seems like yesterday is saying, “You are SO missing my point!!!”  and stomping out of the room, lol!  Also on the subject of age, my godson will be 21 tomorrow… so def feeling a little old these days!!!

John and I headed out to Dubai last weekend for our 10th wedding anniversary!  It was SO much fun!  We had a great weekend… enjoyed a nice Italian dinner the first night, took a city tour on Friday and then a dinner cruise on Friday night.  Saturday morning we hung out at the ginormous Mall of Dubai.  There are really no words to describe Dubai Mall~ there’s an aquarium within the mall.  Here’s an extract from the website (www.thedubaimall.com):

“A key centerpiece is Dubai Aquarium,  one of the of the largest tanks in the world at 51m x 20m x 11m and featuring the world’s largest viewing panel at 32.8m wide and 8.3m high. Over time, Dubai Aquarium will have more than 33,000 living animals, representing more than 85 species including over 400 sharks and rays combined.”

There is something about being the tallest/largest/biggest that apparently really appeals to Dubai.  It’s like middle child syndrome I think.

Saturday afternoon was the best part of the weekend… we went Dune Bashing!  I have never even so much as ridden a four wheeler in a flat dirt field so needless to say, this was out of my comfort zone, lol!  As a control freak I was a little unnerved at the up/down/pretty-sure-this-thing-is- going-to-flip over-ness of the trip!  We were with a family of four in the car so I was trying to not be … myself, haha!  At one point I wanted to ask the driver fifty different questions ranging from “Does this thing ever go end over end?” to “Exactly how many deaths a year are dune bashing related?” Since I was sitting behind little kids and did not care to traumatize them, I finally found it acceptable to spit out, “UHHHH do you ever get stuck?”  The kids were yelling “Faster Faster” in their not so adorable in the moment British accents. I did get a little car sick… the driver warned us the back seat was the roughest ride… but then we stopped for a photo break.  I was able to catch a breath, regroup and felt way better after that.  We got some cool pictures in the desert with my anniversary present… a new 150-500mm lens!  All summer long UAE has kind of a haze that hangs in the air so I have to Photoshop it out in my pics.  I am looking forward to getting better with the new lens and taking some clearer shots after October/ November.

After the dune bashing part of the excursion, we headed to a camp set up with tables and lots of fun Middle Eastern activities.  There was a station to have your picture taken in traditional dress, an area set up with the shisha smokers, a woman doing henna tattoos, camel riding and more.  We loved it!  John is thinking it would be a great activity for the work team to do one night.  I got a henna tattoo which is the closest to the real thing I will probably ever get!  It’s not actually fading at all so I am kind of curious as to how “semi-permanent” this thing is!  I have been swimming almost every day and still as bright as ever!!!  The night was capped off with a belly dancing show which was quite impressive! They also have an over night version of the dune bashing so we will take the kids back when it gets cooler and camp out in the desert.

We rushed home on Sunday to pick up the kids from camp.  As much fun as we had in Dubai we missed seeing them so we headed out straight to lunch.  We got loads of info about their weekend… Allyson broke a bottle, Allyson fed us junk all weekend, Allyson let us stay up and watch movies all night!!  Allyson told the kids, if you want to have ice cream for dinner ever again you better not tell your Mom about this.  Of course it was *the* first thing out of Zach’s mouth    Abby announced the only healthy food came to them at the Price’s house… our friends who moved here from MD as well.  In all fairness to Allyson, she really did take excellent care of them, and with the exception of the formation of a cavity or two they were in fine shape when we returned!  Needless to say, I think she is quickly moving up the favorite family member list in the kiddo’s eyes!

This week I discovered the fish and veggie markets at the Port with two of the other SRA wives out here, Angie and Jessica.  The fish market was wet and smelly but also interesting in that every single vendor had basically the same product offering but was hustling you in like they had the only shrimp left on the planet! The vegetable market had lots of great stuff and very, very cheap.  Angie went back and bought the world’s largest watermelon!  Seriously, I should take a picture of it b/c it’s taking up the majority of my hall way into the kitchen right now, lol!

Last night we had the people from John’s work over for dinner.  We enjoyed having everyone over and I am looking forward to many more gatherings in the future.  I take comfort in being over here with such a nice group of people.  Meeting new people from all over the world has been fun but also having friends from the US is great too. I can not wait for family and friends to start visiting.  When we first came out here in April, I thought there is no way this is a long term undertaking.  I could not imagine us ever liking living in this country but I have to admit this place grows on a girl!  Hopefully we will continue to discover new things to do in UAE and get in as much travel abroad as we can.  I can not express how much I am excited for Paris in September!  My Paris diet starts tomorrow, LOL!

That’s all for now… missing everyone 

Copied Blog: Plz add: Puff Eats Knickers. 2009 JULY 21

Things have been a little crazy around here thus no recent posts.  Here are a few happenings over the last couple of days:

#1.  We went out to dinner the other night in AD.  We made reservations for 6:45 but arrived at 6:30 (pretty happy about getting somewhere early for once!).  As we approached the door to the restaurant the hostess said, “Mr. John?”  Hmmm… not an early dinner crowd these Abu Dhabians.  Then it got a little weird.  “Mr. John, right this way, Mr. John, your menu, Mr. John what can I get you to drink?”  A little wave from me caught her attention… uh, Mrs. John would like a glass of wine.  The service in AD really is noteable.  You feel well taken care of… it’s very, very slow but not slow like Susie is texting her bff instead of serving you but slow as in, why rush??  For a neurotic- let’s go- can’t be late but always am person, that took some getting used to.  Now I kind of like it.   Dinner overall was terrific… not -ish at all like most meals here in AD (looks like it, smells like it but just doesn’t quite taste like it).  It was a hibachi steak house, the chef was not only great at his craft but a comedian as well and the kids belly laughed through the whole meal… priceless 

#2.  Puff, Puff, Puff.  Don’t know where to begin.  Puff gets less cute with every pee on my floor.  Today I sat in her pee and walked around with her big yellow pee stain on the butt of my white cotton shorts for God knows how long.  How could I not know I sat in pee?  It was by the pool… I just thought it was pool water!  We have literally used at least 4 roles of paper towels cleaning up her puddles.  I am starting to see yellow puddles even where there are none!  Today she began to eat my shorts (the pee-pee ones) but I caught her before she got all the way thru the material.  She ate straight down the middle of Zach’s Lego Star Wars shirt which apparently is the worst thing that could ever happen.  EVER!  Her little spikes (aka puppy teeth) have punctured almost every inflatable pool item that we own and to add insult to injury tonight she destroyed the air pump that we used to inflate them in the first place.  However, I can handle all that compared to finding Abby’s underwear regurgitated in three parts tucked into Puff’s little bed yesterday morning.  Really Puff?  Clearly she didn’t read the manual whereby dogs typically only shred the crotch of the underwear… no.  She swallowed ‘em up whole.  Also, apparently again they were Abby’s *favorite* panties.  The child prob has 30 pair, but those were the fave’s.  Right.

#3.  Last night John asked if he should stop and pick up some food at the Lebanese Flower.  I gulped but agreed.  I am not really good at trying new foods but I am trying to get better since I wasted all those years not knowing I liked calamari or sour cream!  I worried for Zach too because it wasn’t a hotdog or macaroni and cheese.  However, I am happy to report that we all *really* liked the food!  We really drilled home that it was authentic Abu Dhabi food to the kids since they seem memorized by all things UAE (sorry Lebanon!).   Zach did a cheer at dinner: One, Two, Three Abu Dhabi is the best!!!   His school apparently did not focus on rhyming.  Anyway, I was really surprised but pleasantly so.  He even ate hummus!  So tonight when I told them I was about to make dinner he told me no American food please.  Great.  I brought the baked chicken and spaghetti w/ Ragu to the table and he was less than pleased.  No, No, I told him.  This is not American chicken!  This is authentic Abu Dhabi chicken.  How do they make it, he asked??  Oh, with lots of fine spices (Marie Callender’s Italian Vinaigrette) I explained!  So he ate every bite.  Score one for Mom.

That’s it for now.  John and I are off to Dubai to celebrate our 10th anniversary on Thursday and Allyson will be hanging out with the kids all weekend.  I am very excited, I am sure she is not so, haha!  I will report back when we return.

Love,

E

Copied Blog: Pina Coladas and Poop

Original Post: 16 July 2009

Not much to write over the last few days.  However, Zachary was fairly entertaining today so I thought I would share his antics.

This morning Zach informed me that he could not go to camp because he needed to poop.  He could not poop at camp because they have no toilet paper and the kids have to use the “butt sprayers” (as we have so eloquently named them).  For anyone who does not know, Arabs believe that the use of toilet paper is unclean, therefore every bathroom is equipped with a hose and sprayer… a bidet on the wall.  Every bathroom in our house has a hose.  The hose actually makes it quite convenient for rinsing out the soft scrub! (That’s a joke, I don’t clean).  Ok, so I told Zach that he in fact was not going to miss camp just because he had to poop.  I said, “Dude! No worries, we will just go late.  Take your time and we will leave when you are finished.”  He continued talking to me like he feels necessary whenever using the bathroom… he’s a chatty, whistling pooper.  He then says, “Can you please call them and tell them I will be late? Because I am wondering if we have art first. Because if we have art first I might have to take a long poop but if we have swimming first I will be finished really soon.”  Hmmmm.

Later this afternoon, we were driving in the car while the kids were talking to my Mom on the cell.  I said, “Hey Zach, tell Gram why you can’t use the bathroom at camp.”  So he tells her the story and then he says… “You know Gram they have those butt sprayers, those…. Pina Coladas.”  I could only hear one side but I was assuming she was speechless anyway.  I asked him where on earth he heard that but I guess also my Mom was also asking him who calls them Pina Colada’s???  He goes, “GRAM, the Abu Dhabi people call them that… you know Piiiiiina Colaaaaadas??!!”  I seriously have no idea…. Then Abby piped in with how they are bidets and how could he ever think that (she really loves pina coladas) then she started whining about how could she ever drink another pina colada since he called the bidet one?  Plus, he was dead serious.  When he got off the phone, Abby started in on him and he just screeched at her, “I AM ONLY 5!!!  I don’t know fancy words like bidet! If you want me to know “bidet” you have to teach it to me.”  And she just “humphed” and looked out the window.  These are the people I hang out with.  Every day.

While the kids were at camp Angie and I went around the city trying to take some pics.  I will try to get them uploaded tonight.  It is basically hazy here from June-September so the cityscape pics are pretty bad but at least there’s a sense of how it looks here.  Some of the pictures were taken at around 30 mph so again, not the best ever, lol!  I got a picture of the Presidential Palace gate but then as I got closer I realized there was a tank in front of it with an armed man pointing his turret looking weapon right at our vehicle.  So that was a little unnerving.  They do get a little funny about picture taking here but hopefully that gun pointing thing is just something they do in general.  In terms of the heat today, I am pretty sure I lost 10 or so pounds of water weight in sweat while we were out… no worries tho, I ate them back    It was only 99 today but the humidity (thus the haze) is just unbearable.   I have never ever experienced anything like it.  My face was so red, I thought I was going to faint by the time we got back to the car after our second outing, lol!

So that’s all for the moment.  We are going to ADNEC (AD National Exhibition Center) for Summer in Abu Dhabi tomorrow with the kids.  Friday and Saturday are the weekends here and this week Sunday is a holiday so we have a nice three day-er thanks to some prophet’s feast day!

The website for this carnival extraordinaire is http://www.summerinabudhabi.com

if you want to check it out.  Of course it doesn’t open til 2 pm because UAE simply doesn’t believe in getting an early start to the day.  Actually tomorrow is Friday so nothing is open much earlier than that as Friday  is the sabbath but ADNEC doesn’t open til 2 on any of the days.  Back home I could drop the kids off at 8… go to the gym, go to the grocery store… have all the annoying stuff out of the way before noon you know?!  But not here.  It’s a night life city… I guess that may be due to the fact that the sun isn’t burning a hole thru your skin at night!

More later!

Love,

E

Copied Blog: Meet Puff. Puff can run. Puff can chew. Puff can swim.

Original Post: 13 July 2011

Hi!  Yesterday was an interesting day!  I was reading the local message board that I belong to over here in AD when I saw that a woman was looking for a temporary home for her puppy.  The little thing was an abandoned pup that fit into the palm of her hand when she first found her. The owner is currently in China and the person watching Puff for her has been called out of the country as well.  So we met up with her friend last night and took over temporary custody of the puppy.  I explained to the kids all day that she was JUST TEMPORARY and that we were just helping out someone who needed our help.  They keep telling me they are mostly worried that *she* will get too attached to *them* haha!

Of course, I never told John about the dog til it was time to leave to meet him at the mall.  Not on purpose!  Just didn’t think of it.  In my defense, he had previously agreed that I could dog sit or help with fostering since we couldn’t bring our dogs here, lol!  He was a little surprised but took it well, I thought. Honestly, nothing should really shock the man at this point.    Before we got the puppy we went to try to find a crate.  No crate.  Nothing is just simple to find here.  No Petsmart, no Walmart, no Target.  Nothing that helps you by consolidating a wide range of products into one setting.  In the end we decided to try this pet store on the main road  that runs on and off the island.  So at 8 something at night (when life begins in AD) we went to a veterinarian/ pet supply store in the middle of the city.  We brought Puff in with us and he checked her out, etc.  The vet called “a friend” to have someone bring over a crate we could buy.  While we were waiting (30-40 min?) we sat on a couch talking to the guy. Then he jumped up and informed Zachary that he needed juice.  When the vet asked Zach what kind of juice he wanted, orange, pineapple, mango my darling son replied, “No thanks I only like American juice.”  Thankfully the man found this incredibly humorous and not incredibly rude (like it was).  He runs out of the door and comes back five minutes later with big bottles of water for each of us and a juice for each of us.  He handed me o.j. and Zachary mango.  Zach whispered to me, I don’t like mango MOMMMMM.  So I tried to quick switch the mango for the oj but the guy was on it.  He snatched it back from me, NO! I will exchange! You will have what you like!  So out he goes and comes back with another orange juice.  Eventually the phone rings and he is told the crate has a “fractured” door so he will call us tomorrow when he gets one in.  As he was on the phone Abby leans over and says of her mango juice, “I kind of like it and I kind of don’t!”  I hissed back, “JUST FOCUS ON THE PART YOU LIKE!!!!”  She then smiled and loudly said, “This is the best drink I have EVER had!”  Ugh.  So off we went with our eight beverages, little puppy and a promise of a “good deal, good deal” on the crate tomorrow.

When we arrived home with Puff (only after nearly getting into 3 car accidents and almost causing a 4th~ but that’s for another day!)  she took a quick liking to the backyard.  Specifically, the pool.  The kids left a little inflatable basketball floating around in there and she just leapt right for it.  So while Zach was traumatized at the sight of the quickly sinking dog, the good news is she recovered quickly and we now know Puff can swim.  She can also run like crazy woman and she chews everything in site.  She ran around the house with Zach’s shoe, Zach in tow, for a bit last night. 

So after a few hours with Puff this morning, I can now say that I am pretty sure the dog sitter had no job abroad.  He just wanted a break from cleaning up pee.  This dog has no kidneys, no bladder… no urine processing or reserve of any kind.  She literally drinks and pees with in seconds!  On the bright side, she must not be dehydrated.  On the downside, this entry is taking me twice as long and I am down one roll of paper towels already!  My exercise for the day will be bending down to wipe up puppy pee… LOL! Better than nothing I guess!

Two other non-dog realted points:  1.  The injured bird is gone so hopefully he recovered and flew away (that’s what I am going with!),   2.  Laban is NOT milk.  It may be white and have a cow picture on the label but it is def not good with cheerios.  Don’t ask…  just don’t make the same mistake!

Bye for now!  I just noticed that Puff is actually sleeping  at my feet so I am going to try to figure out a way to crawl off the back of my couch so I don’t awaken her, haha!!

Love, E

Copied Blog: Tips and Toes!

Original Post: 11 July 2011

So Allyson has been talking about this place she goes every Saturday… Tips and Toes.  It’s a nail salon/ mini spa.  They do facials, etc but I think the bulk of the business is in fingers and toes.  When we walked in with no appointment I was worried that we would be waiting a long time, but no, we were almost immediately escorted back to large wooden chairs with lots of fluffy pillows.  One woman began working on my feet, another on my hands at the same time.  The nail lady had to stop a minute so that another woman could begin the head/neck/back massage.  They place a towel in front of you and you remove your shirt and tuck your bra straps down inside the towel.  They use oils and give an amazing massage somewhere between deep tissue and swedish.  She asked if the pressure was adequate so I think she would have gone lighter/harder at my request.  At first I was a little overwhelmed/ disconcerted but then I looked over at Allyson who seemed to be five minutes into a nap and I realized I better just lighten up and enjoy!  She worked my back, neck, shoulders,  throat, chin, face, sinuses, temples, etc etc.  Then the scalp massage started about the time the manicurist was massaging my arms, lol!  It was like paradise in a chair!  She did this weird hair pulling/ flicking thing at the end of each stroke that  felt oddly wonderful, haha!  I would say it lasted about 40 minutes but I will have to check with A.  By now I had sunk back into the chair and relaxed a bit.  Of course that’s when the evil threading woman arrived and ripped my hair from the follicle with thread!  Plus she still plucked for like 5 minutes extra on each eye!  WTH??  Waxing may just as painful but at least it’s fast!  Maybe I will get used to it but they do have some places that wax here so I may look into that a little further.  In the future I may request the threading first so I can get it out of the way!

One of the strangest parts of the experience was the other clients.  When we walked in I saw this cute mom to be with a little bun and a cute shirt and jeans on.  She and her friend were laughing and getting their nails done together.  When I looked back, there she was ready to walk out the door and she was all wrapped back up in black with little showing on her face.  I guess I see these women in traditional dress looking so mysterious and exotic but underneath they look like someone I would get Starbucks with at the mall!  The same held true for every other client in there besides Allyson and I… they came in wrapped up, they sat in there looking like any American in any nail salon and then they put their dress and scarves back on.

I definitely want to take anyone that comes to visit to Tips and Toes!!  And I told Allyson she better never go without me again!  OOO, the best part is that the whole thing cost 205 dhs (55 usd!)

More later!

Love,

E

Copied Blog: Good or Bad, Here We Are!

Original Posting: 10 July 2009

This has been the most interesting three weeks I think I have ever experienced.  There are a lot of ups and downs to living here... two weeks ago I would have said way more downs but I think as we settle in, there is a more even balance.  I thought California was like living in a foreign country after spending most of my life on the East Coast but alas, Cali oddities have nothing on Abu Dhabi.  More liberals... that's about it, haha!
So in all fairness to the country it is only in it's late thirties.  Thirty eight, I think!  Which makes the UAE only two years older than I am!  As I told someone this morning, as I fume over the inefficiencies of this place, I don't have everything figured out yet at thirty-six,  so maybe I should give the UAE a break.  That being said, the city planning here is bonkers.  There are roads that do not allow drivers to turn left for MILES!  Unfortunately, one of those roads is the one outside our development!  Fortunately, a back gate was opened last week so now we only have to go slightly out of our way as opposed to ridiculously out.  I am a person that does not like to go south to go north if you know what I mean.  This pet peeve will have to change here or I will end up with a stroke.
There are some nice things about UAE though, too.  For instance, you basically do nothing for yourself.  This may annoy some but I have definitely adjusted well to this aspect, lol!  My cousin Allyson pointed out today that she can go into the store, point at what she wants, someone takes it to the counter, bags it, someone else takes it to her car.  She then drives up to her building where someone takes it from her car and delivers it to her apartment.  When I leave the mall I am stalked by guys who want to carry my things and put them in my car for me (granted these guys want a tip but jump at 5 dhs (1.36 usd).  Labor is so inexpensive that we have people come once a week to take care of the yard, twice a week for the pool and the house cleaning.  These are all things that John and I (err, John) used to do :)  Now there's more time to do things with  the kids, etc.  Also, UAE is very safe.  The US media gives all of the mideast a bad rep but in truth there are some very nice countries around here.  UAE, Oman, Qatar, and others have nice vacation spots and very friendly people from what I have heard and read.  The people in AD are very polite and very nice, service ppl want to talk to the kids, always yes m'am, no sir.  The kids tend to run wild (not mine!) but I am getting used to it.  If you think those damn wheeled sneakers are a problem in the US, you have no idea!  They are everywhere and kids are constantly running into people in the malls, grocery stores, etc.  Kids definitely have free reign over here.  Keeping my kids away from that mentality will be a challenge.
Abby and Zach will most likely come home with accents.  I say most likely because Abby practices her Australian/ British accent every day. She sounds Bristralian!  There are no other Americans in her summer camp and so now at the end of week two, she thinks she's one of them!  There are A LOT of Brits and Aussies around here.  The Brits I get, I believe England used to own this country but it seems odd that so many Australians come here.  I could seriously listen to an Aussie talk all day.  Maybe I will try to alter my accent as well, lol!  At the school they will attend in the fall there are very few Americans.  Actually, there really are not a lot of people from the States here at all.  The only people from the USA I have met are affiliated with John's company.
So that's kind of an abbreviated version of what I have noticed here.  There is lots more but I will save that for another blog.  I got the most incredible mani/pedi/massage/brow threading today (well, not that part... threading is horrible!) that I will tell you all about tomorrow.  I am not sure I can ever be satisfied with another US mani/pedi now, lol!  As I was sitting there, I had an idea!  We are planning on doing a lot of traveling while we are here so I think I should rate mani/pedi's all over the world!!  Fantastic thought, right??
Signing off for now (poor Zachy is sick with a fever and throwing up all night!)  so I can go check in on my boy.  Keep in touch and keep reading!
Love,
E