Today has turned out to be quite an interesting day! Earlier in the day we tried to go to a couple of the souks (local markets). There is a woman across the way from us who has a 12-week old boy and she has a friend in town. They invited Ashlee and I to go to the souk with them. So we all hopped in the car about 11:45 to go to the Dubai Creek near Old Dubai. Let me first say that we didn’t really know where we were going. That was not a good idea! We tried to put our destination into the GPS but, with a lot of construction here in Dubai, there are always new roads and everything changes so fast. The theme of our trip to the souk was recalculating! That’s what the GPS shouted at us every minute or so! We ended up going completely out of the way and had to turn around and it ended up taking us about an hour to get to the souk, which in reality is only about 10-15 minutes away. By this time, we only had a little bit of time before we had to leave again to go pick up Mason from school. So we walked around a little bit in the Heritage Village, not ever making it to the souk before Ashlee and I had to turn around.

 Dubai Creek. The souk we were trying to get to is around to the right.

A funny thing happened while we were walking around the village, first you need to picture 4 American women walking around, three with babies. Okay, so as we were walking, there was a large group of girls. It looked like an all-girl school on a field trip, maybe even from out of town. As we neared the group of girls, they all started oohing and aahing at us and pointing at us.  A few even stopped to ogle at the babies. Several had their cameras out taking pictures of us. A few wanted to take a picture with me, two actually did!!! I don’t understand why they were so amazed to see us. With the majority of the population in Dubai being foreigners, surely they have seen a white person before! Ashlee thought it was because I am blonde, but Marionne is blonde too. We laughed about it later when we thought about it! Lol! We wished later that we had gotten a picture of them getting pictures!! It was odd! 

Because Ashlee and I needed to go, we ended up leaving Marina and Marionne there while we went to Mason’s school.  While trying to find our car, we had to first spy the camel. Then we knew the car was that way. Ashlee said you know you are in Dubai when your marker is a camel!

So we got in the car and attempted to make our way to Mason’s school! With a few u-turns and some recalculating by the GPS, we made it to Mason’s school!  Here in Dubai it’s not uncommon to get lost or take a wrong turn. And when you get lost or take the wrong turn, it isn’t just 5 more minutes to get to your destination; it takes another 20 minutes because of how the road system works! We ended up driving all over Dubai today. It actually was nice to see some of the other areas of Dubai.

Mason started soccer today. He absolutely loved it! I think he just liked getting to run around. He did a great job! He was the goalie at one point and he blocked a really good shot!

He's the one on the far left in the goal, blocking the ball!

While Mason was finishing soccer, Ashlee gave me a little tour of his school. Here are some pictures!

This is the assembly area. Apparently the school was renovated from an old hotel or something like that.

The cafeteria.

Below is the menu. A little different than what you would see in Texas!

Here is a picture of his classroom!

Mason goes to the Collegiate American School but even though it's an American school, the class is made up of kids from all over. This is a map in the room of where the kids are from.



Not much going on lately here in Dubai. Mason is still going to school and he's on his third week, I think, in MMA (mixed martial arts) classes. Today Mom got to watch him! Ashlee said he is just like a bunny rabbit hopping around the whole place, super excited! At the end of class, they get to wrestle. Mason is always paired up with the other younger boy in class. Apparently he mauls the other boy!

The twins are doing good! They are almost 8 months old. Cash started taking a bottle a couple of days ago and he's been doing fantastic at that. Last night he even took a bottle from his mom! So we're making progress! I think we're going to try formula in the next week or so. Cash is getting his top two teeth in. He already has his bottom two. He's been just chewing and chewing trying to get his teeth to feel good! They are so close to being fully in. Jake, on the other hand, still has no teeth. He is just a puddle of drool. We go through about 6 bibs each day. If you hold him, you will leave with a soaking wet shoulder! They are making progress in crawling as well. Jake still moves backwards sometimes, but he's gotten better and is trying to move forward. Cash has started to scoot! They also love bath time!

This past Friday was a "me" day. The Friday before was a little rushed and I felt like I was running around and out all day. It didn't end up being much of a relaxing day off. It's hard because I only have a little time off and I have so many things that I want to do. It's hard to fit it all in and still get some rest! So this past Friday, I decided I just need to take the day and rest. I slept in, went to the gym, took my time to get ready, went to the mall, did some shopping, saw a movie, had me some caramel and salted popcorn, came home, watched a movie, took a bath, and went to bed early! Oh it was great! I missed hanging out with my friends here in Dubai and was sad that I didn't get to spend time with them, but I really needed the time to relax and rest. These kids are just wearing me out!

Meeting new people and making friends has proved interesting here in Dubai. I have discovered that Dubai is a melting pot for people from every part of the world. On Sunday night I went to a small group with Amy, JP and Ana. Amy picked us all up and we even picked up a couple girls that we met from South Carolina. We went to the group and it, unintentionally, became bring a friend night! The majority of the people there, were there for the first time. We went around the circle and each person told the group their name, where they were from and how many times they had come to group. Out of the almost 20 people there, 6 were from the States. 4 of the 6 were from Texas!! Representing! Some of the other places represented included: Australia, Egypt, Jordan, Kenya, Nigeria, UK, Ireland, South Africa, and Belgium! It's been so fun meeting people from all places and hear about where they are from and the different cultures. I definitely have been in a bubble in Texas. I also feel like my life is boring compared to some of the stories I have heard here. Several people I have talked to have backpacked through Europe, one girl did it by herself. One girl lived in a kibbutz in Israel. A kibbutz is a sort of commune where people work and live off the land. Several other people know two or three different languages, and many people here have done lots and lots of traveling. It makes me feel like I haven't done anything with my life. I've always wanted to travel, but being here has made me want to do it even more! It's also been good to hear about different cultures. It's opened my eyes up to how other people live. (Not everybody lives like we do in Dallas, Texas!) I've also had the opportunity to talk to several people about family and friends. The stories that I have heard have really made me sad. Stories of how they don't talk to people in their family or when they do they just argue and fight all the time. Stories of friends that give really horrible advice or who are just not very supportive or encouraging. Also the majority of the people I have talked with did not grow up in a Christian home.  I take my family for granted, for sure. I have an incredible family that loves me and cares for me. They all support and encourage me. We all get along and really and truly enjoy being around each other. We are so close that my sisters are my best friends. I know I can go to anyboby in my family with anything and they will support and encourage me, they will listen and give me advice in a loving way. I can say all the same things about my friends. Of course, it's not always perfect, we have our moments just like any other family. But I would say at least 95% of the time we enjoy each other. I have been blessed with the family and friends that I have. Being here and away from them and then hearing from people here about their families, has made me miss my family even more than I have been. So this goes out to my family! I miss you and love you!

Yesterday afternoon I got to see a different side of the city. I was invited to go out on a boat and go to a little island just a little ways off the coast for a barbecue. We went out by the Palm and the Burj Al Arab. The Burj Al Arab is also known as the only cross in the Middle East! As you can see from the picture below, if you look at the Burj from the sea, you can see a cross! Some speculate that the architect did this on purpose and had the cross in the design but nobody caught it until the building was already under construction and mostly built. The original design has the cross section part longer therefore making the cross more prominent but after catching the cross in the design they decided to make the cross section part shorter.

It was such a beautiful evening. The water was so calm. It was a little chilly when we were moving but when we were just stopped in the water, listening to the quiet and watching the sun go down, it was beautiful! It was a nice change from the hustle and bustle of the city.

Below is a picture of the Palm in Jumiera and you can see the Atlantis Hotel out on the right.

 

After the Burj Al Arab, we went out to this little island just off the coast of Dubai.

Here is a picture of the downtown Dubai skyline.

Here's a picture of Amy, Ana, and I! My Texas friends in Dubai!

We were the only ones out on the island and it was so pretty. We barbecued and visited by the fire! It started to get dark and we felt some rain drops so we left the island and it actually rained on our way back. It was really more like a mist or sprinkling but here they consider that a rain! One of the girls said that there is a storm coming in. The high is going to be in the mid-60s the next couple days. It’s probably warmer in Texas!

I wanted to share something else with you. The other night, the family and I watched a movie of the magician Dynamo. I had never heard of him but the things he does is incredible. I would love to know how he does his tricks! Here are some videos of a couple of his tricks!

Saturday night I had a little taste of home! I was invited over to my friend Amy’s apartment.  It was Chipotle night! Amy had invited some friends who are living here but are from the States. Amy and Ana were both there and they are from Texas! We had dinner, which was delicious! Then we sat around and talked for a bit! (With country music in the backgroundJ) We talked about Dubai and everybody shared what they knew of the city and the culture. It was really interesting to hear more about the people and the culture of the UAE. I didn’t participate much in the conversation because I haven’t been here long enough to know much.  After talking for a bit, we decided to play catch phrase!  It was a fun time with new friends! And it was nice to get some time away from the family. Sunday night I was also able to get out. Once we get the twins down, they are down for the night and it allows us to have some time. I went to dinner with a friend who lives out here. We went to dinner at a café at the Souk next to the mall. The Souk, the mall, and the Burj Khalifa all surround the Dubai Fountain. A lot of the restaurants at the Souk and the mall have outdoor patios where you can sit and have a view of the fountains. My friend has lived here for about a year and a half so they had a lot of knowledge of the city and what there is to do here. After dinner, we walked around the Souk a little and out by the fountains. Because the shopping festival is going on, they had some dancers out by the fountain. By the time we had made our way over, they were finished dancing though! But it was a nice time making a new friend and, again, learning more about Dubai.

We are becoming even more settled here in Dubai. Making friends and getting more involved. I think Mason is finally enjoying going to school. He doesn’t put up much of a fight in the mornings anymore. He had show-and-tell the other day and the teacher had said to bring something that is special and means something to him. He took one of his toy trucks! The teacher said it wasn’t quite what she had in mind, but the other kids really enjoyed it! Mason has also started taking mixed martial arts classes. Today he will be going to his second class. At first he didn’t want to go. Rod said the first part of the class they did a lot of calisthenics and he didn’t think Mason enjoyed that part much. But then they got to punch the bag and do some wrestling which Mason loves! He tries to wrestle with me and the twins. We have to tell him all the time to be gentle.  I think the class will be really good for him!

The twins turned 7 months last week!

They are starting to eat real food now. They love apples and pears. They tried zucchini and didn’t like it much! Cash is rocking back and forth and wants to crawl so badly! He is so close! Jake is not far behind him! He just rolls over and over! But he’s also gotten the hang of sitting on all fours and trying to move forward. He just scoots backwards now! It won't be long before both of them are moving! I don't know if Ashlee and I are ready for that yet!

Let me tell you about my tour of Dubai! (Warning: this is a long post!) First off, there was some miscommunication between the company and me about transportation to the tour. So we had emailed several times back and forth trying to figure out a place for me to meet them and a time. I also gave them my correct phone number. In the emails we had come to the decision that the driver would pick me up outside the lobby of the suites part of the hotel at 3. So I went down to the lobby 5 minutes early just so they wouldn't miss me. I got a call at 3:05 from the company telling me the driver would be there in 10. I waited and 3:20, no driver. 3:30 still no driver. 3:35 I decided to go back up to my room, thinking we had miscommunicated again and I wouldn't be going on the tour. 3:40 I get a call from the driver. He's outside. I went down to the lobby, walked outside, no driver. I called him back and asked where he was. He was outside of the hotel lobby, not the suites lobby. So I walked up to the hotel and there he was. They weren’t professional in that regard. We drove to the Dubai Creek near Old Dubai where we met up with the tour guide. It was a small group. There were only 8 of us. He let us walk around and take pictures of the Dubai Creek for about 5 minutes. The Dubai Creek separates old Dubai from new Dubai and is known for its floating restaurants. (I also lost my camera case here. I really am not having much luck with cameras lately, but at least it wasn’t the camera too!)

Then we got in the car and drove to the Dubai Museum. He gave us 25 minutes in the museum. I had heard that the museum was really cool. It was a little informative but not too impressive. I learned that Falconry is a big sport here. Falconry is where you train the bird to hunt. The falcon is the national bird of the UAE. And Falconry is one of the major sports. Camel racing and horse racing are two of the other big sports here in Dubai. I have seen camel racing on TV here. Many people use children jockeys but because of child abuse laws, the UAE banned children jockeys in 2002. Now they use robot jockeys. The robot jockeys were later designed to be more human-like because early versions of the robot confused the camels that were used to children jockeys. If you watch camel racing on TV, you will see the little robot jockeys on the camels, and then you will see the cars driving alongside the camels with the people controlling the jockeys. It’s pretty interesting! The camel is the national animal and the Palm tree is the national tree. Pearl Diving was also a big thing in Dubai. The ancient pearling industry provided the only real income for the people of what is now the UAE. Some fisherman could happen upon a pearl wading in the shallow parts of the water but to find a lot of them they had to have dive deep in the water. Bartering was a way of trade and allowed the people of the UAE to make a living. As we were leaving the museum, the tour guide pointed out the King’s court which is across the street from the museum. It’s where the king’s office is. Right next to the king’s court is the Grand Mosque, which is the biggest mosque.

As we headed to Jumiera, our next stop, the tour guide gave us some more facts about Dubai. There are 1.8 million people in Dubai and only 20% of those people the local people. The rest are people from Europe, India, Russia, Australia, United States and other places who came to work in Dubai. Another interesting fact is that the UAE does not give nationality to anybody who comes over and lives. Even if someone lives here for 50 years, they are not given citizenship. Also if you are born in Dubai but your parents are not local, you are not given citizenship. And if you marry an Emirate, you are not given citizenship but rather their citizenship is taken away. You can also not buy property in Dubai. You can rent or lease and you can lease for 99 years, but you can never own a property. We approached Jumiera and the tour guide told us it is the richest neighborhood in Dubai. There are 40 mosques in Jumiera; one every 500 meters. It’s also where all the celebrities and government officials live. You will not see any police or guards in Jumiera. It is monitored only by cameras and radars. There is zero crime in Dubai and is very taken care of. If you are seen littering, you can be fined 100 dirhams or you can get sent to jail for a night. Although they have physical punishments, most of the time the punishment is financial. There is no tax in Dubai, so they get some of their money from fines. Also, everybody is rich in Dubai. Because there is no tax and the culture is very centered on work. It is normal for somebody to work 70-80 hours a week. And also work 6 days a week, if not 7. You can also see a lot of expensive cars in Dubai because there is no import tax. There is a guy who actually has a gold plated Ferrari. The whole car is made of gold. There is also a guy with a Porsche of silver! Crazy! Gas is also very cheap here. It’s about $0.27 a liter. Water is more expensive than gas here! Next stop was the Islamic Art Center. It was a high priced market/museum. They had the gold and jeweled elephants and camels, lots of pashminas and rugs, and painted marble tables.

After the art center, we stopped at the beach by the Burj Al Arab. (Burj just means tower) It’s the world’s most luxurious hotel, the only 7-star hotel. It’s incredible. They only have suites and they have a reception desk on each floor for more convenience. They also have a Rolls-Royce fleet and several other luxury cars for use of their guests. They have a helipad. Tiger Woods has golfed off the helipad. There is also a tennis court on the helipad where Roger Federer has played. The hotel is also home to the most expensive bar. These are just a couple of the luxuries that are included in the Burj Al Arab. Next, we drove to the Palm. On the trunk of the Palm are apartments. Oprah, David Beckham, Brad Pitt, Roger Federer, Tyra Banks and many other celebrities have apartments on the Palm. On the crest of the Palm is the Atlantis Hotel. It’s the same model as the Atlantis hotel in the Bahamas. We stopped at the front of the hotel and were able to get out and get a couple pictures. It was dark at this time so it was hard to see much of the hotel or the Palm. Our last stop was the Dubai Mall. This is the mall that is right across the street from our hotel. It was the last stop and our tour guide said he wasn’t able to take us around so he just asked if anybody wanted to go in or he would take everybody back to their hotels. I was the only one who got out! I’ve already seen the mall but I got out anyways and grabbed dinner at Chili’s and walked around a little bit before walking back to my hotel. Over all, the tour wasn’t that great. On the website, it listed more places on the tour, so I was disappointed in that. I think some of the other tours are better. I must have just picked the wrong tour. And the wrong time because, like I said, it got dark so it was hard to see. But it did give me a little idea of some places that I might want to spend some more time at and then places that I don’t care to see again! So I guess it was successful in that way.

I tried adding pictures but, for some reason, it won't let me. So I'll try another time!

Hello blog readers! First off, thank you for your prayers! They are much appreciated! Second of all, I want to know how you are liking the blog. It's the first time for me to blog, so I'd like your feedback. Are you enjoying reading the blog? Is there something you would like me to change about the blog? Would you like me to write more/less about Dubai itself, more/less about the family, more/less about my experiences here. What would you like to hear? And if you want to know something specific, let me know! Thanks again!

Since I shared some pictures of Cash last time, I thought I would share some pictures of Jake! The past couple of days he hasn't been taking a good nap in the afternoon so we've had lots of time to play just he and I!

Jake and I were playing and I think Cash got jealous and decided he needed to join in on the fun!

Jake thinks it's funny punching Cash in the face!! (Jake is on the left, Cash on the right)

Here's a cool story! We have a patio and it overlooks the courtyard of the hotel complex. It is our saving grace! Whenever either one of the twins is fussy, for whatever reason, we can go out on the patio and they settle down. I don't blame them! It's really relaxing! The weather is usually great and there is a little breeze with the sound of birds, water, and the faint sound of traffic. It's our own sleeping sound machine! And it does wonders! Today it worked twice! The first time was earlier in the evening when Cash was getting a little fussy. We went outside and I sat down and he just sat in my lap for maybe 20 minutes, just staring out into the courtyard. It was great! The next time, was this evening when I was trying to feed Jake. He was upset and wouldn't take his bottle. I had tried several times but he wouldn't take the bottle he was so upset. So I stepped outside and literally a minute later, I gave him the bottle and he took the whole thing! The best part about the night is what happened next! There was a fireworks show! (I tried to include a video but it wouldn't load. I think that's happened on a couple other posts as well. And I tried taking a picture but they didn't turn out, even using the fireworks mode on my camera! Oh well!) I had mentioned before that on New Year's Eve they had a big firework show at the Burj Khalifa but I couldn't see it. I was a little disappointed that night, so God brought me some fireworks tonight!

God is great! He has proven His hand in my life many times! Yesterday was one of them. I had been researching online for a church here in Dubai. When I had looked before we came, I had found one that looked promising. But a couple days ago I had the urge to look again. This time, I found a church called Fellowship of the Emirates. I liked what I saw on their website and I agreed with the church's beliefs. I was looking through the staff pictures and read a little bit about the members of the staff. The pastor is from the States and has been here for many years. Then I noticed the student and children's director is a girl from Texas! She went to Dallas Theological Seminary and has been here for a year. I emailed her looking for more information and hoping to connect with her at the church. I didn't hear back from her but went to the church anyways. As soon as I walked in the door, a woman welcomed me and asked if it was my first time visiting. I told her I was from Texas and then she lead me to Amy, the student and children's director from Texas! I was nervous going to a new church and I was hoping to make friends. I know many of you have prayed that I would connect with people the moment I walked in the door. And that prayer was answered!  Amy is so sweet and very friendly! She introduced me to a couple other people from the States, one couple who is from Arlington! I chatted with them for a little bit before going into the service. They hold three services and I can see why. The space is not very large and we were packed in like sardines for the 11:00 service! The pastor spoke about fresh starts and told the story of Hosea. After the service, I met up with Amy again and she gave me some insight into living in Dubai. I found out that she lives right near me! The couple from Arlington lives close to me as well and they were nice enough to offer me a ride home. (I took a taxi there). Before dropping me off, they took me to lunch. They have been here for about 6 months and have made it their goal to find a good Tex-Mex place here. They have tried a few places and failed. But yesterday we tried a place called Cactus Cantina. It was pretty good! Not quite as good as some places back home, but it will do!

I know I said in my last post that I was going to go on a tour and give you some more pictures and information about other places in Dubai. I'm afraid that didn't happen. I had scheduled a tour and they were to pick me up at my hotel between 3-3:30 but I never received a call. I got an email around 3:15 saying that they tried calling my hotel and my cell but there was no answer. Apparently they had the wrong number, so by this time, it was too late to pick me up in time for the tour. So sadly I wasn't able to go yesterday. But I rescheduled for next week. So hopefully next week it will work out!

 Instead of the tour I decided to try out the Mall of the Emirates. The Mall of the Emirates is the mall with the indoor ski slope. There were so many people at the mall. For starters is was Friday which is like Saturday in the States. Secondly, it's also the beginning of the Dubai Shopping Festival. The shopping festival is held for a month, usually in January. DSF has become an annual shopping, entertainment and cultural extravaganza. Over 600 retailers participate and millions of people come to Dubai for the festival. They have street fairs, fashion shows, firework shows, kids activities, carnivals, and lots and lots of items and activities on sale. So obviously going to the mall during this month could get crazy! The mall website says that there is a DQ in the food court! I looked, but couldn't find it. And all the mall maps there didn't have it listed. I was pretty disappointed about that. But I got Pinkberry instead which was a more healthy choice! As I was leaving the mall, I caught the end of a ribbon show. Then they had some ballet dancers come out.



After the ballet dancers, these dancers came out!

It was all in all an interesting adventure to the Mall of the Emirates!

Later in the evening, Amy came and picked me up and we went to another one of the malls that is further out of the city. We grabbed a quick bite to eat and then went to see Sherlock Holmes! I was also introduced to caramel and butter popcorn. It was delicious! Amy said that the popcorn is a big draw for moviegoers! And after tasting it, I can see why! It was really great to get out and see a little more of Dubai. And also to have some fellowship with someone here outside of the family. It helped that she is from Texas, because we talked a lot about home! She is definitely an answer to prayer! Isn't God amazing?! He not only brought me some new friends, but ones from Texas! It turned out to be a great day! Very refreshing, encouraging, and energizing!

I also wanted to share some pictures from Thursday with you. Cash got up a little early from his nap and we were the only ones there so we got to play some just the two of us! Here are a few of the pictures!

He was trying to grab my hair!

It's 2012! Happy New Year! Any New Year's Resolutions? I've never really been big on making resolutions because frankly, when I did, I didn't stick to them. So no resolution for me. And New Year's Eve has never been a big deal for me. Many years in middle school and high school, I would babysit that night. The past few years have been spent with family. So this year was another low-key New Year's Eve. That morning we went to a follow-up appointment at the doctor's for the boys. Mason was getting better, but the twins were getting worse. I think they are on the mend! After the doctor's, we came back to the hotel because we knew there were going to be a lot of people out. Especially around our hotel because the Burj Khalifa was doing a huge fireworks show. So we stayed in most of the evening. Rod and Ashlee went to a friend's suite, here at the hotel, whose room faces the Burj Khalifa. So we put the twins down and then Rod and Ashlee left. A little later, I put Mason to bed. Our room faces the other way, to the courtyard. There is a pub in the courtyard and they were having a big party, playing music. It was pretty loud so the kids were not able to fully go to sleep until after midnight. We didn't get to see the fireworks, but we sure heard them! Here's a link to a video of the Burj Khalifa fireworks show! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QxueEPFA5B0&feature=player_detailpage

Mason started school this week! Yesterday he only went for part of the day because the family had to do some paperwork stuff for their visas. Today, Ashlee said that he got really upset when she left! Hopefully, he had a fun day today and will like going to school. Since the family had to work on their visas, I had some time off. I decided to go to the pool! Yes, on January 2nd, I went and layed out by the pool!

It was a beautiful 77degrees!

This was my view! The Burj Khalifa!

I'm sure you are tired of me talking about the Burj Khalifa! I'm kind of tired of it myself! I plan on going on a tour of Dubai this Friday to see more of the attractions!

I'm hoping to give you a better view of Dubai in my next post! So stay tuned!