5 days to go...

So we have about 5 days left here in Abu Dhabi before we head home for the summer. I thought I would be a bit more anxious about leaving and going back to the USA. Maybe I'm thinking of all the good people we have met and become friends with here. Maybe it is the fact that Quin will stay behind and work for a few more weeks. Maybe I will miss the magical rosey-orange sunsets that only the Middle East has. Maybe I will just miss being here.

Whatever the reason- there are definitely things I know I am going to enjoy once we get to Utah. And I am getting more excited with each advancing day.

TOP TEN THINGS I AM LOOKING FORWARD TO IN THE USA-

1. Garbage disposal - seriously! You cannot imagine the decomposing junk I fish out of my sink drain EVERY SINGLE NIGHT. I can not wait to dump something down the drain and flick on that switch!

2. Sleeping with an open window. Okay- that's not fair to say, we actually have done that here in the winter. But to have that cool, crisp mountain air come in on the breeze...

3. Going to the public library. The kids and I are going to wear out our library card. All the money we have saved living here has been spent in one of three bookstores :).

4. Good lunch bread. There is amazing food here - sandwich bread is not one of them.

5. Legos - we'll be stocking up on legos. Legos are seriously 3-4 times the price here in Abu Dhabi that in the US.

6. Seeing old friends and family! It's hard to imagine how much we have missed each of you!

7. Bike riding in the summer - yes, we have bikes here but it is brutally hot now. Can not wait to get on the bikes with the kids and go for a trail ride, ride to the corner store, snow cone shack, library, splash pad, friends house, parks, etc.

8. Raspberries! We have not had a single raspberry since we got here! They are crazy expensive! I do splurge on Strawberries - have yet to do that on raspberries! Can't wait to pick our own from our backyard patch! And I should add we are anxious to eat local fruit, especially Utah peaches!

9. Did I say babysitter? I am so looking forward to going out on a date with Quin! (We have used Audrey a few times for very short periods) It will be so nice - the maid/nanny thing is looking better and better to me in September when we come back. I just want one night a week with Quin

10. Walmart and Costco baby. Enough said.

And now for some love for the Middle East:

THINGS I AM GOING TO MISS ABOUT ABU DHABI-

1. The Beach. I have never lived near the ocean before. It was a lot of fun to just pack up and go - let the kids enjoy the sand, sun, and water. Actually I don't know who loved it more - me or the kids.

2. My Primary Chorister calling - yes, it's true. I absolutely love that calling. There is nothing that beats singing with the kids and hearing their voices sing about things they know are true.

3. Shwarma - the equivilent of a great burger in the USA. Even Ikea has good shwarma. Especially when they have pickles and french fries stuffed into them :).

4. Our little family pool- I think that is a given, considering how many pictures and blog posts have been themed around our pool.

5. Quinton. Missing him and having the kids miss him until he joins us in Utah in a few weeks. Thank goodness for SKYPE. And missing him is actually the first on my list even though I posted it as #5...

6. Good friends that we have made here. However they are also getting the heck out of Abu Dhabi for the summer. Just too dang hot here!

7. Emirates Discount Market. If you live here you know what I am talking about - and you are laughing out loud as you read this!

8. Exploring Abu Dhabi, Dubai and the UAE. Fun to just go and sight-see and enjoy the cultures and flavors of this country.

9. The radio- They play awesome 80's stuff here. All the American and British charts! We have rocked out to Bon Jovi, Madonna, of course Michael Jackson, Taylor Swift, The English Beat...you name it, they play it.

10. Hearing the call to prayer. There is just something about it - makes you stop and think, reminds you about how long it's been since you've said your own prayers. I welcome hearing it first thing in the morning (5:30-ish)- loved it in Cairo, love it here.

Things to love about Raha International School

Can I just say we "Love, love, love" Raha International School!
Every month each elementary grade hosts an assembly- Last month 2nd Grade presented songs, art and letters about Endangered Species. They sang songs about Mother Earth and going to the zoo. The kids all played xylophones and sang their hearts out! The students also unveiled a mural they had painted in the stairway. It was so cute! Grace painted a grass hopper and all the 2nd graders signed their names. They were so proud of their work!

Grace and her amazing Music teacher!

Outside in the parking lot. It is getting hotter!

Inside waitng for the assembly to start.

Audrey's 4th grade assembly. The topic was "Our Heros". Heros included Superman, Michael Jackson, Muhammed Ali, Anne Frank, Joan of Arc, Martin Luther King, Monet, Christopher Columbus (Audrey playing him), etc.

After the assembly we gathered in the class rooms to meet each of the heros. The children had to reaserch and dress up for a living "Wax Museum". This is Sullivan with Tony Hawk!

Sullivan with none other that "The Crocodile Hunter"- Steve Irwin!

Audrey as Helen Keller! She was so cute!

Easter

We celebrated Easter a few days late this year. Lame - but hey, we did celebrate a Christian holiday in the Middle East. It wasn't as tricky as I thought to find the stuff-able plastic eggs. And much to my surprise there were lots of chocolate bunnies, easter cream eggs and jelly beans in most grocery stores. They were available for a price. I did splurge on some chocolate peanut butter eggs, but then got creative. A few dinosaurs were the same price as the bunnies and Hazel's new doll stroller was about as much as a bag of jelly beans.

Easter started with a traditional egg hunt, but ended up like a mini Christmas with a pet store twist.

The egg hunt was planned during spring break. The kids rolled out of bed and hunted through the garden for eggs before Quin left for work.

A few of their finds!

No, he was not in an egg...

Audrey's pet surprise. This little guy was barely keeping his nose above water when we found him.

Audrey and Quin coming back from their rescue. They dropped the drenched mouse off in the park. He's probably enjoying someone else's pool by now.

Our Abu Dhabi version of Easter Baskets.

Food stuff

This has become one of my main dinner staples. It's called fattoush- and yes, it is worth making and eating night after night! So delicious!

Fattoush-

5 ripe tomatoes
1 cucumber
1 green pepper
1 red pepper
1/2 red onion


Dressing-

1 garlic clove, crushed
4 tablespoons lemon juice
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley (or cilantro)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint


Chop all salad ingredients together. Toss. Mix dressing- whisk and toss carefully. Add fresh ground sumac- yes, if you can not find this you will find the flavor a bit lacking, but still good. Garnish with croutons or toasted pita bread. So yummy!

I will make a ton of this when I get to Utah. For sure our side at the neighborhood BBQ!
You can not stop eating it!

Enjoy!

My kind of Oasis!

The kids going Wild at Wild wadi water park!

We finally had an "official sleepover". We invited the Franks to use our guest room- they really don't live too far, just downtown Abu Dhabi. We wanted an early start for the day, so they decided just to crash here. We got up early, had a big breakfast of french toast, eggs and toast and headed out to Dubai. This is Julie and I excited to be there!
This picture cracks me up- yes, that is Sullivan's hair!

The Jumeriah- Scareah was awesome- that is of course what I hear! Quin, Jason, Sullivan, Grace and a few others dared this ride! They loved it. Best of all was the height requirements- only 110 cm to ride all the thrill water slides. Sullivan was tall enough by about 7 cm!


Most of the crew!
View from outside the park! Highly recommend Wild Wadi!

Back in the yard....

"Forget not that the earth delights to feel your bare feet and the winds long to play with your hair." Kahlil Gibran

"What makes the desert beautiful is that somewhere it hides a well." Antonine de Saint- Exupery.

I have always dreamed of having a swimming pool. Well, first a nice cozy yard, and then a swimming pool, well and a few fruit trees, and sweet jasmine, some musky gardenias, suculents, and strawberries...okay I dream of gardening. My great grandparents were prize gardeners, my grandmother had an orchard and enormous berry crop in her yard. My mother taught me the practical side of gardening and how to survive off your own crops. I have always felt one with the earth. I find beauty in each season and love that God has created these vastly different landscapes for us to enjoy. There is something so good for the soul in getting "dirty".
We have had grass and basic landscaping for the last 3 months now. What a difference that has made in living here. You walk in through our front gate and feel like you have stepped into your own secret garden. There are birds and bees and flowers blooming here. Not only does it smell heavenly from the jasmine and gardenias but you can smell organic soil- the decomposing and wetness of freshly watered earth. There is life here - and it makes me smile.
There is also the sounds of laughter and friends visiting. It has made our home one that is inviting and relaxing for friends. We can entertain and let the kids have their own roaming space. We have room outdoors for us and our dear friends to enjoy. This has been one of the many blessings from Heavenly Father while living here. I am so glad Quin found this villa. I am praying we are able to stay here next year.
Here in Abu Dhabi you are able to lease a villa /apartment for a year at a time. Foreigners are allowed to own if they want to buy a place; however, we are renting while we live here. Anyhow - our landlord is selling our villa. Depending on who buys - could be another investor who wants to rent it or maybe a family who wants to live here as soon as our lease is up - determines whether or not we will be living in Golf Gardens next year. I hope we can sign again. The upside is there are more and more villas becoming available to rent. I just love this one. I also like knowing where we will be calling "Home" for the next few years.