Count Down to African Adventure

It's been a dream of mine for as long as I remember to go on safari in Africa.  That dream will become a reality in less than 2 weeks!  This is one of the benefits of living in this part of the world.  Proximity to continents that are so far from home. 

Jack includes a prayer for a "good trip to Africa" in each of his prayers.  He told me the other day that we will see elephants tearing down trees.  According to him they do this so the other elephants can eat the trees.  It sounds logical. 

We will travel for 7 days.  Five of those days will be spent on safari.  We will migrate around to different camp sites following herds of animals in an attempt to see the most of everything. 

 Time is passing so quickly.

We depart on the 24th, Cairo's 9th birthday.  After we return we celebrate Jack and Charlie's 6th!  Then, I'm off to Utah to meet my new niece and hopefully find us a place to call home in Cedar City.

Before long this Abu Dhabi experience will be just fond memories.  And we'll be off on a new adventure making new memories together.

HAPPY EASTER from ABU DHABI

We even have a family of birds living in our garden.  Isn't that a perfect backdrop for decorating

EASTER EGGS?

Yoca and Louis Throw a Great Party

Nobody can dispute that Yoca and Louis know how to throw a great party.  The have the perfect house for entertaining complete with a bar, a dance floor and Louis' DJ skills and music collection.

(Molly and Brad..definitely talking health and fitness just before a big dinner.)

Last month they threw a paella party.  It was a beautiful evening and with their indoor-outdoor floor plan it was simply magical.  Yoca cooked the paella on the outdoor grill in a giant stainless steel pan.  The entire ambiance, food and company were beyond compare.  This fabulous couple would make Martha Stewart proud.

(Yoca the chef)

(Dana and Becky posing for the requisite photo)

Thanks Yoca and Louis!  We are going to miss these fun get-together's and the great crowd you always pull together.

And They're Off...

After being postponed for a week because the President of the country couldn't make it on the previously scheduled week, the final camel races of the year are under way.

These white SUV's are following the camels around the track.  The camels are fitted with blue tooth technology in their ears and robots on their backs so the owners in the trucks can urge them on to victory.

Cairo Reaches Another Goal

ACS requires the elementary students to set a non-academic goal to work on throughout the school year.

Cairo set a goal to learn how to sew and to make a tote bag.  Finally, after months of her practicing sewing straight lines, she convinced me to help her make her bag.  We got it done in just a few days and it turned out so great.  Hers is the brown and pink one in the front.  The one behind is one I had made by a tailor here in Abu Dhabi.

Didn't she do a great job.  This will be her new school bag as soon as she presents her "Goal Setting" achievement to her class at school.

It Has Started!

I knew the day would come when the boys started asking for a certain "brand" of running shoes.  The Heely's were a little different because they have an aspect of "fun" associated with them.  

A few weeks ago Jack got it in his head that he needed Sketchers.  Just like his desire for the Heely's he talked about them for a few days and before long he showed up at home with a pair of Sketchers that were 3-4 sizes too big.  Kalvin, a neighbor, had generously given Jack an old pair of his Sketchers. (Just as he had with some old Heely's.)  Jack was fine wearing the "too-big" shoes.  After his first day at school in the shoes I decided we had better get him some that fit or we may wind up in the E.R. with another broken limb due to a trip-and-fall.

Charlie quickly caught on and decided he needed some new shoes too.  They had a day off school last Sunday while Sam and Cairo still had class.  So the 3 of us took off for a fun time at the mall.  We found Sketchers for each of them.  Jack tried on several pair before he decided on the mostly black pair (on the right) and Charlie just picked up the first pair he saw and was happy with them (on the left).  

Both boys can run faster and jump higher than they ever have thanks to Sketchers!  Charlie, however, loses the "cool factor" when he insists on wearing church socks every day.  (Where did that come from?)