Jud read my blog last night and I asked him his opinion on if I had missed something. He said "Bread Heaven".
"Bread Heaven" is the display of international breads during the breakfast buffet hours. Our daughter Ellie loves all things bread. When she saw that display of breads during our first breakfast she just stood there with her jaw on the floor. She was in awe.
So, this morning, I decided to take a picture of the bread display for this post. Just as I was pulling out the camera, Ellie had put a croissant into the toaster. Apparently, it was the wrong part of the toaster because when she frantically called her dad over to the toaster oven, flames shot out! The waitress and the omelette chef rushed over to assist them. The croissant that she was just trying to warm up came out in ashes.
It was quite smokey in the restaurant. But really it was just a little fire because it did not set off the fire suppression system overhead. Thank God!
~~Joan
Friday, August 26, 2011
First Impressions
It's hard to believe that we have only been here a day and a half and I already feel I am behind on my blog. Lots of things are happening all at once. I'll try and give you the good stuff.
We landed in Dubai after our 15 hour flight and then had to drive an hour to Abu Dhabi. It took 3 Volvo sedans to move all of us and our luggage from one city to the next. It was quite a circus and I'll spare you the details. We arrived in Abu Dhabi around 2 or 3 in the afternoon on Thursday, August 25. My concept of time was totally off so I can't remember exactly what time it was.
This suite is well suited for our family for a short stay. Jud and I have a large room all to ourself with our own full bath. The girls are in a room with two double beds and they also have a full bath. Poor Jethro's stuck out on the rollaway in the living room but I think he likes it that way so he can do what he wants to do after we are all in bed. We're on the 25th floor and have a fantastic view of the Corniche (reminds me of the Seawall in Galveston, only nicer). My only complaint is that the air is rather stale.
Tomorrow afternoon, we will move into some better, long term accommodations that will be more comfortable for us as we wait to find a villa. It's more like an efficiency apartment and is fully furnished. It even has pots and pans. It will be really nice to start cooking our own food again and getting settled.
This evening, we had dinner at Jud's boss's house. We'll call him Billy. Billy's wife and daughter were not at home yet. They're still stateside. Another of Jud's coworkers came. He's JJ. I met JJ years ago when Jud had to spend a few days in Louisiana working on a special drilling tool. That's when he worked with JJ in Nigeria. We had a great time getting to know everyone. We took a tour of Billy's villa because it's very similar to what we will be looking at in a few weeks for our own home.
Everybody is settling in quite nicely. Jud's so excited he can barely contain himself. I'm excited and anxious at the same time. As a woman, the culture is very different for me than it is for Jud. The girls are doing well as long as we manage the jet lag proactively. Jethro is making friends quickly. I think as long as he stays busy, he'll be OK. We will meet one family tomorrow that he met through Facebook. It turns out, they live across the street from our new hotel!
The whole country is taking a week off to celebrate the end of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan. This delays a lot of our forward processing to get a house, to get our visas, etc. I hope we can take advantage of the time and enjoy our new home in Abu Dhabi.
With love,
Joan
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
At the airport
I'm writing from the Houston airport. We are resting in the lounge and have about an hour before we get on the plane. We will fly 15 hours direct to Dubai and then drive an hour to Abu Dhabi.
Our morning went very well. We somehow managed to get all the last minute things stuffed into the suitcases. Jethro's girlfriend came over to say goodbye. My heart really went out to her. After she left, we waited just a few minutes before our ride came to load up our 16 bags of luggage and take us to the airport.
After such a long wait to get this move over with, Jed and I are very excited. It feels so good to have just our carryon luggage to worry about at the moment. The girls have already made a friend in the lounge but still have Geary moments. Jethro is just happy to have Internet to maintain contact with his girlfriend until we take off.
We have had so many messages of prayers and well wishes. Right now, they are sustaining me. Love to all.
Joan
Our morning went very well. We somehow managed to get all the last minute things stuffed into the suitcases. Jethro's girlfriend came over to say goodbye. My heart really went out to her. After she left, we waited just a few minutes before our ride came to load up our 16 bags of luggage and take us to the airport.
After such a long wait to get this move over with, Jed and I are very excited. It feels so good to have just our carryon luggage to worry about at the moment. The girls have already made a friend in the lounge but still have Geary moments. Jethro is just happy to have Internet to maintain contact with his girlfriend until we take off.
We have had so many messages of prayers and well wishes. Right now, they are sustaining me. Love to all.
Joan
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Monday, August 22, 2011
If you need me, I'll be in the lazy river...
This past week has been so intense, I haven't had a minute to write. The last few days in our house were really emotional. So many lasts... but when Friday morning came around and we awoke for the last time in our house and were anticipating the movers, it was such a relief. All the prep, sorting, packing, etc. was over. Relief!
The packers and movers got there around 8:30 and they were gone with all over our things by 5:00. We moved into the hotel and have been chasing all of the last minute before you move things for days. Cell phones, cable, trash, mail, etc. Just a circus.
So, tomorrow, we are going to a water park to just escape our world for a moment. So, if you need us, we'll be in the water park's lazy river sippin lemonade and trying to relax and not think so much that within 24 hours of that time, we'll be on a plane to the other side of the world.
The packers and movers got there around 8:30 and they were gone with all over our things by 5:00. We moved into the hotel and have been chasing all of the last minute before you move things for days. Cell phones, cable, trash, mail, etc. Just a circus.
So, tomorrow, we are going to a water park to just escape our world for a moment. So, if you need us, we'll be in the water park's lazy river sippin lemonade and trying to relax and not think so much that within 24 hours of that time, we'll be on a plane to the other side of the world.
Saturday, August 13, 2011
The making of a memory
Before I start writing this blog, I need to get a hold of my sister. This post is about our day together and she needs a "Hillbilly Name"....
Ok. After quickly messaging her... she turned down Minnie Pearl and has decided to be "Mary Ellen" of the Walton variety.
I called my sister the other day to ask her when we might be able to spend some time together. We worked it out to go shopping today. We went out to the Outlets with our daughters for school clothes all around and just had the best time. It seems like yesterday that we would have been in Gymboree and Carter's for babies clothes. But this trip included grown-up stores, Shoes for Mae's size 10W feet and a treat from Starbucks and we all had the same drink.
There's a lot of history with my sister and her family while we have lived down here. And if things weren't so well off with our families, leaving her just wouldn't feel right. But we feel we have a Divine Appointment in Abu Dhabi as much as we had a Divine Appointment to live in Houston not just for ourselves, but for my sister's family as well. And now that those "obligations" have been met... it's now time for us to move on.
We've planned on leaving this area for a very long time. But the truth is, this major move is what it was going to take for it to happen because it's been so comfortable to stay here in the close proximity of my sister and our church. (Mary Ellen and I go to the same church.) This opportunity in Abu Dhabi is what took to get us out of our comfort zone here. But it's only that it's the right time that it's happening.
I'm gonna miss you sis. Second to leaving our church, it's the hardest part.
~Joan
Ok. After quickly messaging her... she turned down Minnie Pearl and has decided to be "Mary Ellen" of the Walton variety.
I called my sister the other day to ask her when we might be able to spend some time together. We worked it out to go shopping today. We went out to the Outlets with our daughters for school clothes all around and just had the best time. It seems like yesterday that we would have been in Gymboree and Carter's for babies clothes. But this trip included grown-up stores, Shoes for Mae's size 10W feet and a treat from Starbucks and we all had the same drink.
There's a lot of history with my sister and her family while we have lived down here. And if things weren't so well off with our families, leaving her just wouldn't feel right. But we feel we have a Divine Appointment in Abu Dhabi as much as we had a Divine Appointment to live in Houston not just for ourselves, but for my sister's family as well. And now that those "obligations" have been met... it's now time for us to move on.
We've planned on leaving this area for a very long time. But the truth is, this major move is what it was going to take for it to happen because it's been so comfortable to stay here in the close proximity of my sister and our church. (Mary Ellen and I go to the same church.) This opportunity in Abu Dhabi is what took to get us out of our comfort zone here. But it's only that it's the right time that it's happening.
I'm gonna miss you sis. Second to leaving our church, it's the hardest part.
~Joan
Sunday, August 7, 2011
The Goodbyes have Begun
What a difference two weeks makes.
Since I last posted, we've finished and turned in our physicals. We have been to the travel clinic and just today we finished our last dose of oral Typhoid. I will be glad when that is out of our system. It made me very tired and some unpleasant intestinal upset. Mae has had a headache and maybe even a mild fever all week. Ellie seems unaffected by it. Kernel opted for the injection and was spared some of these unpleasant side effects. But his vaccination is good for just two years whereas the girls and I have immunity for 5 years. When we get to Abu Dhabi we will probably start taking Rabies vaccine as well.
Our house is now on the market and we had our first showing today. That was a scramble to get the house ready for that! But today was very nice and relaxing until we got the call that somebody wanted to see the house. I've never been through a house sale in my entire life.
But Saturday night was our going away party. Our dear friends had offered to host it in their home for us. We had just about 50 friends and family there. The biggest surprise was that my mom flew in for it. That was a great surprise to have "Granny from Pennsyltucky" there (I'm hoping that gets a giggle out of them. It was her idea for our aliases and now that she is part of the blog, she needs one too.)
Our party was really wonderful. The only bad part was that it was the big start to all the goodbyes that we will have ultimately say as we prepare to leave Texas as our home state. It is not our intention to come back here after our time in Abu Dhabi is over. But we enjoyed having a wonderful BBQ with our friends and visiting with them for hours before some of them had to go home. Most of them are from church and so we will see them for the next two Sundays but some of them we genuine goodbyes and we all came back home feeling very loved, but heavy hearted for those we said goodbye to.
The kids seem to be doing ok right now. We all have had some stressful and teary moments. But for the most part, they are doing ok. Our youngest, Mae seems to be having the most outwardly emotional struggles. We all just can't wait to have this stressful time behind us.
This week sees us finishing up the visit with my mom. She goes back home early Wednesday morning. I hope we can do something fun with her. Judd has his last full week at work as he only works 4 days the following week and then the week after that, we leave. We should also get our guaranteed buy offer (this is where the company buys our house from us, but for less than the ideal price) and I think that if it is a reasonable amount, we are just going to take it. We also need to get our air freight shipment together so that it is ready to go a week from today. That's starting to look like a 500lb. camping-in-our-house kit.
Since I last posted, we've finished and turned in our physicals. We have been to the travel clinic and just today we finished our last dose of oral Typhoid. I will be glad when that is out of our system. It made me very tired and some unpleasant intestinal upset. Mae has had a headache and maybe even a mild fever all week. Ellie seems unaffected by it. Kernel opted for the injection and was spared some of these unpleasant side effects. But his vaccination is good for just two years whereas the girls and I have immunity for 5 years. When we get to Abu Dhabi we will probably start taking Rabies vaccine as well.
Our house is now on the market and we had our first showing today. That was a scramble to get the house ready for that! But today was very nice and relaxing until we got the call that somebody wanted to see the house. I've never been through a house sale in my entire life.
But Saturday night was our going away party. Our dear friends had offered to host it in their home for us. We had just about 50 friends and family there. The biggest surprise was that my mom flew in for it. That was a great surprise to have "Granny from Pennsyltucky" there (I'm hoping that gets a giggle out of them. It was her idea for our aliases and now that she is part of the blog, she needs one too.)
Our party was really wonderful. The only bad part was that it was the big start to all the goodbyes that we will have ultimately say as we prepare to leave Texas as our home state. It is not our intention to come back here after our time in Abu Dhabi is over. But we enjoyed having a wonderful BBQ with our friends and visiting with them for hours before some of them had to go home. Most of them are from church and so we will see them for the next two Sundays but some of them we genuine goodbyes and we all came back home feeling very loved, but heavy hearted for those we said goodbye to.
The kids seem to be doing ok right now. We all have had some stressful and teary moments. But for the most part, they are doing ok. Our youngest, Mae seems to be having the most outwardly emotional struggles. We all just can't wait to have this stressful time behind us.
This week sees us finishing up the visit with my mom. She goes back home early Wednesday morning. I hope we can do something fun with her. Judd has his last full week at work as he only works 4 days the following week and then the week after that, we leave. We should also get our guaranteed buy offer (this is where the company buys our house from us, but for less than the ideal price) and I think that if it is a reasonable amount, we are just going to take it. We also need to get our air freight shipment together so that it is ready to go a week from today. That's starting to look like a 500lb. camping-in-our-house kit.
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