Feeling Tired But Feeling Good

I think it's Monday here in Dubai.  I can't seem to be able to keep track!  This morning after breakfast I took a friend and her daughter to Mushrif Park here in Mirdif on Al Khawaneej Road.  Go ahead, take a guess at how to pronounce that word!  It means 'The Blossom'.

It was a  warm day so we attempted to stay in the shade. The park is pretty big with swimming pools for men and women, tennis courts, hiking/running paths (lighted so you can walk at night after the heat of the day), equestrian areas, a little kid amusement park, several picnicking areas, and a section of miniature play houses from countries around the world called International  Village.  We saw construction on a new building where you will be able to view the heavens and enjoy a planetarium.  

We started our outing at the International Village and my young friend just loved it.  She is five and was very shy a few days ago.  Today she was very talkative and animated!  

Last year I explored the Village by myself, but it was more fun with a little one who wanted to have her picture taken at all 13 houses.

 

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The Arabic House was the first one.  As you can see, the park is very sandy.  Dirty feet instantly!

 

 

Thailand and Burma were next...or maybe you could figure that out all by yourself!

 

 

She was pretending she was on a trip around the world.  This was a stop in England...

 

Across the road was the Smurf area ... but no snurfs showed up...

 

Does anyone recognize this bie nosed character?  None of us knew.

Loved the ride with camels rather than airplanes!

 

After lunch I spent the afternoon sorting through Christmas decorations and decorating the upstairs and downstairs lobbies as well as the children's play room.  It was fun and frustrating.  Much of the stuff was pretty old and tired.  Plus there are not a lot of places to safely place things.  But it was fun making the house begin to feel like Christmas is coming.  Andy had Christmas CDs on while I worked.

 

The tree in the lobby...and the view coming down the stairs...

 

 

Simple with several crèche sets...

 

 

 

The upstairs - I plan to have additional ornaments for children to add to the tree when they come by...

 

The play room - all unbreakabke  stuff...

 

 

We had company for dinner tonight!  Got to see Bret again!  We eat outside every evening.  Yesterday it was 88 degrees but by six it was still pleasant to eat in the courtyard.  Today they predicted it would be 90 but it didn't seem to get that hot...  I don't think we are breaking records but it is warner than usual for this time of the year.

A good day, don't you think?  A little play and a little work.  Still seems like I'm really tired by 10 every night!  

Did you have a little play and a little work today?  Hope it was a good day anyway you spent it!

A string of activities...

It's 10 pm in Dubai and I'm more than ready to go to bed.  I'll be short and to the point today.  Up at 6:30, ironing done before devotions together at 8:00,  breakfast on the table at 9:00 and grocery shopping from 10:00 to 12:00.  After a quick lunch,  JoAnn and I were off to Sharjah to shop at the beautiful Blue Souq. Found a few gifts and some supplies for the house.  It was a fun outing...  We don't serve supper on Sunday night so a few of us had some leftovers.  Then we decorated for Christmas - I should say we got a good start on that.  Sorting through boxes, finding strands of lights that don't work, cleaning up the green needles that drop off when you decorate the tree - nothing new and different there!

 

We had some good help!

The next few days should be a little more relaxed...  if I could get a good nights sleep, it would help a lot!

Oh, yes....you will never guess who packed up my groceries and took them to my car!!!  The young Pakistani man who helped me last year when I could not find my car in the parking lot!!! Do you remember that episode!?!  When I saw him I asked him if he remembered me....he laughed and said he did!  MDe my day!

Hope you have enjoyed a great Sunday!  Oops...just dozed off mid sentence.  Better turn off the light and go to sleep!  Love to each one...thanks for your prayers and for keeping up with me!  

Things I'm noticing...

My feet are dirty most of the time....I wear Sandals all the time and the dust and sand is always with me...

The toilet in our bathroom makes a fog horn sound for 10 to 15 seconds after every flush.  Then it hummms for a few seconds.

The fan in our room sounds like the clippity clip of a horse's hooves ~ only very faint.

I start looking forward to going to bed by about 8 pm.

      To be continued.......

The other day I had an I cream cone at McDonalds.  Prices in the states have gone up for a cone at McDonalds so I thot maybe they had here.  Nope - they are still 1 dirham which is 27 cents.

There are a lot more men riding bicycles this time of the year.  I hardly saw any in the summer - they walked to work in the summer.

If no cross traffic coming, stop signs are completely ignored by the locals.

So far Krispy Kreme and KFC have been in every mall we have visited plus Global Village.  The locals must love donuts and greasy chicken!  There was a KK at the Miracle Garden, too.

Long day standing on hard tile floor...

Breakfast on the table at 9, 3 loaves of banana nut bread baked by 11 (thanks to 6 overripe bananas),  pork cubes (yes, you read that right, cubes) in the crockpot cooking for supper by noon...and so it goes.  I got to sit for awhile writing menus and making a grocery list.

Finally at 4:10 I had a chance to go for a 2 Mile walk around the neighborhood.  The first since we arrived.  Was nice!

 

This house is new to the neighborhood since we were here last year.  Nice, huh!

 

Don't see many of these around town...Emirates generally like large SUVs...  It's pretty sporty tho.  Right up there with the Porsche's,, Jaguars, and Lamborghini's!

 

The neighborhood mosque on 83rd Street.  You will find a mosque every 6-8 blocks in any direction so the men can walk there easily 5 times a day for prayers.

 

New since last year ~ these apartments are all 'To Let'. As we drive by a place to rent it always makes me think there is a toilet instead of 'To Let'.

 

Here's a property between two villas where you could build one for yourself!

 

Vine like  plants that grow over the walls around villas...  It's quite colorful here right now!  They even have miles of  marigolds along the roads.  And petunias in gardens.  Somehow they look funny in the dessert.  About the only thing that actually grows in the dessert around here is acacia trees.

 

 

This house had a massive UAE flag draped on his roof for the National Day that actually lasts 3 days.

 

A fairly new housing area ~ a whole square block with these same homes...

 

Don't know if this building has apartments or condos,  but it's a cool building.  Sort of a Santa Fe feel to it...

 

Can you tell from this picture how far out into the street this car is parked?  This one is on a quiet side street,  but there are also cars parked like this on busy streets where cars fly by at 50 mph.  I'm surprised more don't get hit!

It's hard to get the perspective by one guy owns this whole block with his home at the end of the block.

 

The landscaping is spectacular all the way down the block...

 

Just around the block,  this home is under construction - you can get an idea of there cement/block construction...

 

Nice entrance, eh?

 

Another new home across the street from our villa...and I'm back home...in time to get the table ready and the buffet table set up.

So,  the pork and noodle dinner was well received and very little was left over...  JoAnn was jazzed about putting the Christmas tree together tonight.  I sat in a chair and watched her do it!  I was beat and now headed for bed.  It's 10 pm...good night all!

Enjoyed a great Sabbath day

Enjoyed a wonderful morning of worship this morning at Redeemer Church of Dubai.  The music was worshipful and touched my heart in several ways.  A guitar and small mid eastern drums were the only instruments.  The congregation at Redeemer loves to sing out with meaning and power.  We sang 2 traditional hymns and then 'Speak O Lord' by Getty and Townsend, which I love.  Two songs new to me had great lyrics ~ 'Hallelujah for the Cross' and  'Never Cease to Praise'.  It was also special to us because a dear friend from West Point days joined us ~ Bret Dalton.  What fun to be together in worship again!

A guest pastor, Garrett Kell, from Alexandria VA preached on How the Church Helps Us Persevere in Our Faith.  3 kinds of relationships you need to keep the faith - Protecting Relationships (Hebrews 3:-2-14), Provoking Relationships (Hebrews 10:24-25), and Pastoral Relationships (Hebrew 13:11).  Check it out ~ insightful, practical, and needful...

After church Bret took us out for lunch.  We sat outside at one of our favorite Restaurants in the Uptown Mall.

For all you foodies out there I took some pictures...

 

 

 

 

 

Bret came back to the house with us and we talked some more...a great day together.  Hoping to see him again before we leave! 

 

 

We ordered Forsan chicken with salad, flatbread and hummus.  I made Arab rice to round out the meal...a Friday night favorite at the house.  I made a simple bundt cake and added a little chocolate ice cream for dessert.  

Actually, I just ate an apple - I was still full from lunch!  A good day.  I wish I could say I feel rested.  It was relaxing and enjoyable but I didn't sleep well last night so about 8:00 I got ready for bed and  am headed that way soon!  Praying for a good night of sleep!

Tomorrow I need to make arrangements for our visa run on December 14th and 15th..  After 30 days our tourist visa runs out and we have to leave the country. We hope to take a bus up to the most northern part of Oman on Wednesday afternoon and spend the night.  It's about 2 1/2 hours away.  We will spend the day Thursday enjoying a boat ride and do some snorkeling. Should be fun.

Hope you are having  a good day!  Those of you in Wisconsin are about 9 hours earlier than us...

A God thing...

At the end of the boat ride we walked along the canal for close to a mile.  Eventually the walkway will go all along the canal ~ several miles.  Won't that be fun!

 

There were two very different bridges across the canal.

 

Our destination was Al Safa Park.

 

We had been told there was a restaurant in the park.  It was about 2:15 when we reached the entrance where we found out the restaurant closed YESTERDAY for renovations!  We. Were. Hungry.

At a snack bar they had cold drinks, cans of Pringles, and ice cream bars.  That's it!  So we had ice cream and water.  Andy was a bit grumpy.

 

The park was quite large and very pretty.  Hundreds of people were there picnicking and grilling all sorts of tasty things. 

 

I sat in the grass eating my ice cream not far from this young family.

Then we were walking through the park...still hungry.  I stopped to ask directions and in the process we had a God sighting encounter.

The family I talked with was Syrian and very friendly.  They were grilling some good smelling meat and Andy leaned over, making movement with his hands so the smell would rise for him to enjoy.

Immediately, the man offered us a taste.  Then a sandwich of sorts.  And then a salad.  It. Was. Amazing.

 

Our need for food was met...

 

It was a traditional recipe handed down from generation to generation.  You cannot find anything close to it in restaurants we were told.

I think they were actually preparing for supper because the women were at a table still making food.

 

 

Andy wasn't grumpy anymore...he was energized and excited.

 

We stood there talking and eating for quite some time, learning some lessons about generous hospitality along the way.

Did I say,    It. was. Amazing.

 

Finally we were on our way up the path, making our way to the metro line to get back to the car...still talking about the incredible encounter.

We walked about 4 1/2 to 5 miles but it was well worth the experience!

 

We had to change trains from the red line to the green line ~ these chandeliers were in the stairwell in the train station...and before we knew it, we were 'home'.

A nice day out and about...

I could add much more about our conversation with this delightful family but I need to get to bed.  You'll have to ask about it next time we see you!

A Fun Day in Dubai

Today we had a chance to get out and about a bit.  We stopped by ACE hardware to get some supplies for Andy to refinish a patio table and chairs and then went to IKEA for a few things, including a set of Advent Candles to celebrate the next 4 Fridays.  

 

The trees and shrubs really dress up the IKEA store...and the covers in the parking lot help with the sun beating down.

Then we made our way over the Business Bay Bridge to the Creek stop at the end of the Green Metro line near Al Jaddaf.  Just a block away on the water is a new ferry stop on the Dubai Water Canal.

They have developed a new canal that connects with the Creek so now downtown Dubai is technically an island.  The boat has only been running for a short while.  The city now has 10 of these very nice taxi/tour boats.

 

 

A couple of boats were in the water near the launch.  Can you imagine how much varnish is needed to keep them looking nice?!?

 

There were great views of the downtown along the way.

 

 

 

The ride took about 1 1/2 hours and made three stops along the way.

 

This was a new bridge and flyovers being built near downtown...not your ordinary utilitarian support system.

 

We are really close to the buildings in the canal as we are right downtown.  The sun was shining on the  Burj Khalifa ~ a building that draws you in it's so beautiful and interesting.

There are about 3 sets of identical buildings ~ but it was decided there would be no more.  From then, all buildings have to be different and quite unusual.

 

The cost of the boat ride was 40 dirham ~ about $11.

 

This round fairly skinny building was fascinating.

You can see it was a very pretty day!

We ended up at the Sheikh Zayed Road stop.  You could go one more stop down at the Dubai Canal stop right at the Persian Gulf.  From there you can take a water taxi to the Dubai Marina Mall or to Al Ghubaiba but we had taken that ride last year.  

 

One of workers on the boat insisted I needed my picture taken...