The Stover Family Blog

Earthquake rocks Iran...and Dubai

2008-09-10T19:57:00.002+04:00

Today a 6.2 earthquake hit Iran around 3:00ish and aftershocks were felt in Dubai and other northern UAE areas measuring around 4.8. Lisa was at the Dubai Community Theatre with Kaleigh and Ashlyn waiting on their first drama lesson to start. Dwayne was at work in Dubai's Internet City. We were all completely oblivious to the aftershocks that evidently forced evacuations of thousands of people from Dubai's high rises and office buildings here! Iran is very susceptible to earthquakes and they happen frequently there...just not to this magnitude. It's amazing that Dubai doesn't get the aftershocks more often...we are so close to Iran...barely a stone's throw! Maybe a little too close...

Just wanted to say that everyone here is fine. Ignorance IS bliss, after all!

Dubai Heat Jokes

2008-09-04T11:24:00.002+04:00

You know...it's so hot here that you really have to have a sense of humor about it. While we could have made up most of these based on experience, a few of them came from a Phoenix, Arizona jokester. Seems as though Phoenix and Dubai have a lot in common...weather wise!

90% of the below statements are actually true and we have experienced them!

The potatoes cook underground, and all you have to do to have lunch is to pull one out and add butter, salt and pepper.

It is normal to take a soft-cooler bag to the grocery store for your cold/frozen items.

Long sleeves actually do make sense in the sun.

The trees are whistling for the dogs.

You no longer associate bridges with water.

You can say 113 degrees without fainting.

You can make instant sun tea.

You learn that a seat belt makes a pretty good branding iron.

The temperature drops below 95, you feel a bit chilly.

Even the water in the toilet is hot.

You would give anything to be able to splash cold water on your face. Can't get it from the faucet!

The 4 seasons are: tolerable, hot, really hot, and ARE YOU KIDDING ME??!!

You discover that during June - September, it takes only 2 fingers to drive your car.

You discover that you can get a sunburn through your car window. Even at maximum legal tinting.

You notice the best parking place is determined by shade instead of distance.

Hot water now comes out of both taps. You have hot water and hotter water.

It's noon in July, kids are on summer vacation, and not one person is out on the streets.

You actually burn your hand opening the car door.

If the swimming pool doesn't have a cooler, you don't want to get in it.

You break a sweat the instant you step outside at 7:30 a.m. before work.

No one would dream of putting vinyl upholstery in a car or not having air conditioning because you would be seriously burned or possibly die.

You realize that asphalt has a liquid state.

Your children ask what that wet stuff is on the windshield because they don't remember rain.

You never check the weather status...because it is always the same. Except for that rain on the windshield during January.

Ramadan

2008-09-01T07:11:00.008+04:00

Today marks the first day of Ramadan for Muslims around the world. For those of us who live in a Muslim country, it impacts us too. Each Muslim country treats non-Muslims differently - - as far as what is expected of us during Ramadan. Some do not expect us to fast since we do not observe the Holiday. In the United Arab Emirates, non-Muslims must observe the fasting schedule in public. Wherever you are, there are aspects of Ramadan that you can celebrate as well, whether you are Muslim or not.

In Dubai, the next month for Muslims and non-Muslims alike can be a tough one. With temperatures soaring into the 110-115 degree range (43-47 C), frequent intake of water is essential. During Ramadan, no one (including us) is allowed to eat, drink, chew gum, etc. in public from dawn until sunset.

This means very few restaurants are open and most businesses have reduced working hours. The restaurants that are open offer take-away (take-out) only. But don't eat that meal in your car...you can get arrested. You must wait (for non-Muslims) until you are in your own home before eating. Many non-Muslim women typically have bottles of water in their purses which can be consumed in a dressing room or other "private" area such as a restroom stall. Also, if you purchase food items at a store, you must carry them in a bag that does not show the contents. Last year, Lisa was completely unaware of this rule and was guilty of walking across the street with a bottle of Diet Pepsi. She noticed the stares of some passersby and Dwayne graciously educated her on the "rule." Having this bottle of uncovered Diet Pepsi is a temptation to Muslims and is also a sign of disrespect.

Now, the above rules regarding eating and drinking do not affect children. While age ranges vary, most Muslims consider the age of 10 as the age when they can start fasting.

Many non-Muslims here use this month as a period in which they try to purify themselves physically and emotionally - whether through diet, prayer, or other means. Many Christian churches around the world have a specified prayer schedule (including ours) of certain things to focus on during this month.

Lisa has chosen to give up all sweets this month...even mints and juices. Gum is still on the menu, however. Just not in public.

Just for fun...here are some Ramadan ads. It's commercialized, also.

Burger King: http://www.thedubailife.com/images/RamadanBK.jpg

Coke: http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2353/2085301152_3177151086.jpg?v=0

Lexus: http://www.thedubailife.com/images/ramadan_ad_lexus.jpg

McDonald's: http://www.thedubailife.com/images/macramadanad.jpg

Pepsi: http://smile93.files.wordpress.com/2007/09/pepsi-001.JPG

Why did God make sand, Mommy?

2008-08-29T10:45:00.000+04:00

Why do apples have juice in them?

Why are the guinea pigs so soft?

Why did God make the big trucks so slow?

Why is it so hot in Dubai?

Why does Ms. Cabbie not live here anymore?

Why why why...

These are just some of the questions posed by Ashlyn this week...usually on the way to school as

she is observing what is going on around her. We just love answering these questions...doing our best to be accurate and creative when necessary! This is how our children learn...by asking and watching and doing. They watch everything we do. Everything! It's only when you are observing your own children that you become aware of some of your own habits!!

For example, Lisa has become aware of her own somewhat obsessive need for organization when she watched Ashlyn line up her Christmas stocking candy on the floor. The scary thing was...Lisa actually appreciated what Ashlyn was doing. Kaleigh dumped hers out in a big pile on the floor (like most people would do) and Ashlyn wanted to organize it for her. Ha ha! Kaleigh has Dwayne's tv-watching habit. It's not that she watches a lot of tv...because we really limit it. It's just that when she does watch it...she is unable to hear anything that you say to her because she becomes a "part" of the program...just like her Daddy. ;)

Dubai Dolphinarium

2008-08-23T14:33:00.005+04:00

Today we went to the Dubai Dolphinarium. Lisa was honestly a bit skeptical about the quality of the show and the condition of the animals. These reservations were quickly shattered as we entered the facility. While it's certainly not the size of SeaWorld (just wait...someday it will be...we are sure!) yet, it was a fabulous arena for the three dolphins that perform and the four seals. The dolphin trainers obviously know what they are doing because the show was simply amazing! It was 45 minutes of jumping, dancing, singing, leaping, and ball-throwing/catching dolphins and seals. If you live in Dubai, this is a must see show for animal lovers! We had terrific seats (front row) and even were splashed by the dolphins a couple of times. At one point, one of the dolphins actually painted a picture and it was then auctioned off to the audience for a price much higher than we wanted to pay!! All four of us pretty much smiled and laughed throughout the entire show and just loved it. Fabulous.

London: Day 4 and Ireland: Day 1

2008-08-04T20:22:00.008+04:00

Our last morning in London was filled with the very fun activity of re-packing every single suitcase we had…leaving some in London and taking rest to Ireland. High fees for overweight bags forced this action. We had flights booked via RyanAir and evidently almost everyone's bags are considered overweight since their weight limits are fairly light. Lucky for us, our next booked hotel in London allowed us to keep our extra bags (mostly stuff from the US and clothing that we couldn't wear in colder, rainy Ireland) in their luggage room.

The flight to Shannon, Ireland was nice enough. We were a little surprised by the “open seating” aspect of the flight. It basically means first come…first served on seats. Odd but it seemed to work. Also, if you wanted a beverage (even non-alcoholic) or snack on the plane...you had to pay for it. Not that you really need a drink or snack during a flight that lasted less than an hour!! We had rented a minivan at the airport and Dwayne bravely drove on the "wrong" side of the road while Lisa navigated. That was an odd feeling...you are both driving on the other side of the road AND the steering wheel is on the right side of the car. We made it safely to our Bed and Breakfast...the Ashgrove House. It was absolutely lovely and was located on a road that led to the Bunratty Castle and Durty Nellie's. If you ever want to visit the Irish countryside and see the "real" Ireland...stay at this B&B. We had one of the best dinners ever at Durty Nellie’s that night and even took a horse-drawn carriage ride around the Bunratty Castle area.

London: Day 3

2008-08-03T15:22:00.008+04:00

Our third day started off properly with an audio-guided tour of the Royal Mews of Buckingham Palace, a brief break at a local eatery for some fish & chips, then off to Buckingham Palace for our 2008 visit. The tour changes every year, and our 2008 tour was much shorter than the one we took during the summer of 2007. We were able to see how they set the grand ballroom for a State dinner (wow)…everything is measured…but weren’t able to show Nana the Queen’s royal jewels (Lisa’s favorite part of last year’s tour). At the end, Kaleigh and Ashlyn drew a picture for the Queen. Their picture was rolled up into a scroll and the attendant tied a small red ribbon onto each one.

We walked back to hotel through St. James’ Park where a marathon session of pigeon chasing ensued with Ashlyn in hot pursuit of the especially plump and slow British pigeons.

Dwayne and Lisa walked down to Piccadilly Circus to catch dinner at Planet Hollywood. Somehow, we got lost on the way back to the hotel…it was a nice diversion onto a street filled with Cartier, Gucci, D&G, etc. You know...a man's worst nightmare. Not that we actually shopped in these stores...but it was nice to look! It was a easy day all-in-all...trying to show Nana the biggest tourist spots in London...in three days...that's a tall order!

London: Day 2

2008-08-02T14:51:00.007+04:00

We took an Evan Evans bus tour to Windsor Castle, the town of Windsor, the city of Bath, and Stonehenge. Whirlwind tour may be a better description! It was a lovely way to learn a little bit about each place…say you’ve been there…and make a decision on whether you’d like to invest more time at each place or not. We found out that Nicholas Cage has purchased a villa in Bath and we fell in love with the quaintness and beauty of the area. We visited the Roman Baths…hence the name BATH. We were warned not to touch or drink the water as it is not treated. What did we see as we descended down to the baths? People practically taking a bath in the baths. They are exceedingly hot and smell of sulphur and supposedly still have medicinal powers. We bought a small vial of the water to take home and place next to our St. Augustine water instead. Stonehenge…wow. Not on a hill like we thought, but still just as magnificent. Stonehenge is far out into the countryside, as you would imagine, but the road passes right next to it. We were shocked to see it just outside our bus window! We parked at the car park and we in such awe of the structures as we approached. The reason why we never take tours is this...you are on someone else's time. We did it this time because we had a lot that we wanted to see in one day and this was the most logical way to do it. We were only left with 40 minutes at Stonehenge and we felt exceedingly rushed. We were able to walk around Stonehenge but didn't have the time to sit and gape and reflect as we had dreamed. We will go back one day and are very thankful we were able to see it, nevertheless!

London: Day 1

2008-08-01T19:13:00.000+04:00

Well, it is finally time to start our adventure home to Dubai. We are meeting up with Dwayne in London for a few days, then we will all travel to Ireland, back to London for a day, then over to Paris before heading home to Dubai. We met a great family from Charleston SC at the Atlanta Hartsfield Airport. We chatted furiously about Dubai…they had lots of questions and as usual, Lisa enjoyed being a virtual Dubai information officer. Due to mechanical problems (always make you feel confident in the flight, now doesn't it?) and severe weather, our flight left Atlanta at 9:15 pm instead of 6:40 pm. Our 8-hour flight arrived at the Gatwick airport around 10:30 am London time. Instead of settling down for a much needed rest, we headed out for some tourist attractions to get Nana (Dwayne's mom) acclimated to London. We took her over to the London Eye, rode a double decker red bus tour (The Original tour), and finished up our afternoon at the Hard Rock Café (which was good because it was insanely busy every other night we went by there). We stocked up on Hard Rock goodies and continued our “if there’s a Hard Rock..we will come” tradition.

Has it really been a month since the last blog?

2008-07-30T06:12:00.001+04:00

Wow...it was definitely an unintended break. Check back soon...there will be lots to talk about!

You must really be glad...

2008-06-26T03:54:00.004+04:00

to be back in Roanoke...we keep hearing! Our family moved to Dubai over a year ago now and when you live in a place that long...that new place becomes a home to you. We are now an expatriate family...a family that is "from" one place but now has a new home, well, as least temporarily (?). It presents quite an emotional quandry at times...where is "home?" The old saying goes that "Home is where you hang your hat."

Now that we (Lisa, Kaleigh and Ashlyn) are "home" for the summer...home means Roanoke, VA. We are obviously happy to be "back" around our family and friends, since we love them very much. We are able to spend a lot of quality face-time with those who want to spend time with us...and that means so much. It's very easy to immerse yourself in the familiar surroundings of where you grew up and sink back into a familiar flow. It's fantastic to feast our eyes on the beauty of the Blue Ridge mountains by glancing out the window or by taking a leisurely drive along the Blue Ridge parkway. Driving in Roanoke is a delight compared to Dubai's hectic-schmectic construction-crazy 12-14 lane highways. No one is trying to cut us off in traffic.

Today, our 4-year old (Ashlyn) said she wanted to go home. To her, home is Dubai. That is the place most active in her memory...the place she knows best. It is where her friends are (well, other than Sam) and it's really all she remembers. Roanoke feels less like home now than it did 14 months ago and it's a perplexing emotion to consider. It is becoming a place to visit...a place in which we no longer live but still have many connections. It's where we are "from," but not where we currently "belong."

Dots

2008-06-17T05:31:00.002+04:00

Tonight...after tucking our sweet girls into bed, Lisa heard little footsteps pounding down the hall. She looked up to find Ashlyn staring at her with terrified eyes and Kaleigh as her moral support. Ashlyn said there were "dots" on the ceiling and that she was very scared. Lisa's first inclination was to say "everything is okay, Sweetie...now go back to bed." But, Ashlyn genuinely looked terrified so Lisa took her by the hand (with Kaleigh close behind) and got into Ashlyn's bed for an up-close look at these dots. Now, Lisa does believe in supernatural beings and that children's innocence may allow them to see things that adults can't see (angels, etc.) Ashlyn was shaking and said that she just knew something was in the room and was asking Kaleigh to back her up. A gentle thunderstorm started rumbling outside and the pitter patter of raindrops on the rooftop provided a much-needed distraction.
Lisa soon realized after her eyes adjusted to the dark that the dots Ashlyn was seeing actually were dots...three small circles of light caused by a reflection of moonlight on the ceiling fan's brass exterior. She was indeed seeing dots. Even as Lisa explained what the dots were to Ashlyn, her little hand gripped her mommy's arm tighter. Then her fear subsided into peaceful sleep. There is nothing sweeter than a sleeping child...so precious!

Weekly updates

2008-06-08T21:43:00.003+04:00

Well, we're fully into the swing of life back in the States. We've joined the Botetourt Athletic Club for the summer, so we will have access to a fantastic outdoor pool as well as all of the fitness equipment and indoor pools. Living in Dubai has changed our lifestyle in that we are much more active in the water, so having pool access was essential! Kaleigh and Ashlyn will begin swimming lessons tomorrow. We're having a cookout (or barbeque for the rest of ya) today for some friends that we haven't been able to see since Christmas and we're really looking forward to it. It seems that we've brought the Dubai heat home with us, as Roanoke has been setting record temperatures almost daily. Temperatures in the upper 30s (celsius) or mid 90s (fahrenheit) don't bother us now and our family can't believe it when we're sitting outside or (gasp!) playing in the heat. Dwayne heads back to the Middle East next weekend, so we're trying to make the most of our time with him here. We've never been apart for 6 weeks before...the longest has been one month.

Dwayne and Lisa caught the Prince Caspian movie and it is fantastic. The girls are begging to see Wall-E. Lisa really loves the Pixar films and even has a collection of all of their shorts, but this particular film isn't looking too promising. We'll just have to go and check it out!

To those of you in Dubai who are reading this, the school year is almost over! We are thinking of you all daily and miss you very much. Soon you'll also be off on your holidays and will get a reprieve from that crazy heat! Please keep in touch over the summer and check in with us here! We love getting your comments and emails!

Crazy trip home

2008-06-07T21:49:00.006+04:00

Have you ever had one of those days where you think, " What ELSE could go wrong?!" Well, we had several days in a row like that! On our last day in Dubai, Dwayne went to the US Embassy to pick up a second passport that he had requested. Well, they mistakenly cancelled his first passport and even put the obligatory punch-holes right through it. This meant he now would have lots of issues getting back to work in Saudi in mid-June (upon return from the US). He was completely disgusted with this situation. We left Dubai at 2:45 am on June 2 and landed in London (Gatwick) about 6-7 hours later. We had about a 3 hour layover there...which is just about perfect when you want to grab a meal, and let the kids run around a bit to get the extra energy out of their legs. When we checked it, they hand-wrote our gate number on our boarding passes and it said Gate 57. Not a problem. We ate, shopped around a bit, and headed down to Gate 57 about 1.5 hours early. We sat there and sat there...just waiting like you do at the airports. Well, the gate still had not opened and it was time for our flight to leave. We didn't question it because when you travel, this kind of thing happens all the time - - flights are late.

Well, Dwayne went up a floor to check the flight boards and it said our flight was at Gate 51! We ran as fast as we could with all of our carry-on luggage to the Gate and upon arrival they would not let us board. We showed them our boarding pass and they said they could understand how we would think it was 57 (because that IS what it said!). We were devastated because that was the only flight to Cincinnati that day. A pretty ambivalent employee escorted us down to retrieve our bags (which had been pulled from the plane) and then took us to ticketing. We had a very unpleasant experience with Delta employees at this airport - - all of whom were either rude or had a "we don't care" attitude with us. We have vowed at this time never to fly Delta again. We ended up having to pay 200.00 USD extra per ticket (x4) to get tickets for the next day. We booked a room at a local hotel and with heavy hearts boarded a train, then a taxi to get there. So, after overcoming the disappointment of being "stuck" in Gatwick, we made the best of it and went out to an area called Crawley Town Centre. The girls made out like Bandits at the Disney Store and we treated ourselves to some yummy comfort food chocolate chip cookies.

The next day, we flew from Gatwick to Cincinnati without delay. The flight was scheduled for about 8 hours and we immediately noticed there were no TVs on the seats...not good news for us! Trust us, having the tvs for Kaleigh and Ashlyn is nice on the looooong flights! But, they survived nicely the old fashioned way with books, coloring, and naps. ;)

We arrived at the Cincinnati airport on June 4 and were happy to be back on American soil. What a cute airport...too! We found a good Mexican restaurant and hunkered down for our meal when the airport made an announcement that we were all going to be EVACUATED for a possible tornado heading our way. Lisa, who has been involved in a tornado situation, was initially panic-stricken but quickly regained composure because the girls got nervous with her. They escorted the elderly and families with children first in a very orderly fashion into the bowels of the Cincinnati airport...even most of the airport employees were saying they had never been down that far. Imagine a dimly lit tunnel with a double-decker conveyor belt on one side of the hall for the luggage. There were hundreds of us down there without any communication. We were released after about 30 minutes. Hats off to the staff at that airport for being patient and kind to all of us.

Even after all of the flights were indefinitely delayed, God apparently had mercy on us because our flight left for Roanoke on time! We just couldn't believe our luck! We were greeted by a hailstorm and a subsequent tornado (another area in Roanoke) upon arrival in our Star City.

Being back in Roanoke has been wonderful so far...the lush green mountains are a literal feast for our desert-weary eyes. Everything is a slower pace for us for now...a much needed break from the sometimes hectic Dubai. We feel as though we have two completely separate lives...which is not necessarily a bad thing! Kaleigh and Ashlyn are enjoying the time with their doggie (Caesar) and being able to play outside (for hours at a time). When we left Dubai, it was at least 110 degrees each day...just too hot for extended playtime! We have noticed that the 90-degree days here are not such a big deal. We are after all...desert people now!!

The end is near...

2008-05-30T12:51:00.004+04:00

The end of the school year...that is! The last day of school for Kaleigh and Ashlyn is in mid-June, but we are heading back to the US for our summer break a little early. We are flying home on June 2...taking off around 2:45 am. We fly for about 8 hours to London, then board another 8-hour flight to Cincinnati, and then yet another to Roanoke. It's no small feat to fly back to the US with two little ones...but they are pretty seasoned travelers now and know what to expect. We are packing, cleaning, and spending as much time with our friends as possible before the long break! It's hard to believe that the girls only have 1 more day of school left! Ashlyn will be entering into the first year of Kindergarten in the fall and Kaleigh will now be a "grader"...a first grader! We won't be blogging for a few days (we've already been slow this week), so we'll be back on in Roanoke, VA!

See Burj al Arab being built

2008-05-27T21:18:00.004+04:00

Gulfnews.com had some great photos on their site today of the Burj al Arab being built. Check out the 10 photos here. It is truly an exquisite building and we are so fortunate to be able to see it every day. One day, we'll take out some time (and dirhams) and have the high tea there. Seeing photos of it simply doesn't do it justice. You must see it in person...from the beach and from the air. It's breathtaking!

Gulf Air gives us a cool mist facial

2008-05-26T20:46:00.000+04:00

It was so hot outside in Bahrain (our connection from Athens to Dubai), that the air conditioning was heavily visible on our Gulf Air flight.

Desert Safari & Tiny Dancers

2008-05-25T20:23:00.013+04:00

We recently went out on a desert safari with some friends from Dwayne's office and we had a blast! We all met up at the Habtoor Grand Resort & Spa and loaded up into a minibus. After over an hour on the bus, we arrived at a small middle-of-nowhere minimarket/tacky souvenirs shop where we all eagerly exited the bus and headed in to buy bottled water and snacks. It was a good thing that we picked up those Pringles because Kaleigh and Ashlyn were starving and the SUVs that would take us into the desert were late...late...late. Like...the sun was going down kind of late. After almost an hour of waiting, our desert rides arrived and we loaded up based on whether or not we wanted an "easy" dune ride or a "fast" dune ride. Sand-duning is basically riding in an SUV up, around, across, and through the dunes at speeds high enough to make it over the summit of the dunes and not get stuck in the sand. It quickly became evident that it didn't matter what we told the driver...we were going fast! We had one of our friends and her youngest child (1st grade) in the SUV with us and she laughed at Lisa when we approached our first dune. It was high and STRAIGHT UP. Lisa had butterflies in her stomach and quite the look of panic on her face! Ashlyn was in the backseat saying she wanted to go home and Kaleigh was just laughing! We climbed up to the top and WOW - - was that ever fun! Dwayne had done this before so he knew to expect.

It was a fun and insane ride over the dunes and only last about 10-12 minutes (because we were running late!). We arrived at the desert camp where Ashlyn exclaimed "That was fun!" The desert camp is literally in the middle of all the dunes and was set up in a circular format. There were some little shopping tents, a henna station, a drink station, a shisha area, an area where you could dress in National Dress (very cool), and of course the food! Fantastic...fantastic.

In the center was a stage for dancing and surrounding the stage were traditional Middle-Eastern style tables (you sit on a small cushion and the table is at about knee height). These are absolutely the best tables for kids and the style encourages conversation and intimacy because you are so close to everyone at the table. Almost immediately, Lisa, Kaleigh and Ashlyn headed over to the henna painting to have their hands painted. Lisa had henna done before at the Bab al Shams resort (another company event) and knew it took awhile to dry. It generally takes about 30 minutes to 1 hour. After it dries, you can wipe away the dried plant-based paint and you are left with a semi-permanent tattoo which lasts about 2 weeks. It's quite beautiful! Kaleigh and Ashlyn then took off and started running around the camp with friends they had made and simply were having good old-fashioned fun. The girls are very accustomed to hearing Middle Eastern music and they knew a belly dancer would be performing later. Check out their moves!

Just before dinner was served, Lisa and the girls decided to see what they would look like in the National Dress. Ashlyn then refused to put on an abaya or head scarf, so here are pictures of Kaleigh and Lisa! Ashlyn did have a good point...it was hot!

Happy Memorial Day Weekend!

2008-05-23T19:22:00.004+04:00

For all of you Americans out there, Happy Memorial Day weekend! Here is a really great site about the origins of Memorial Day. Since Kaleigh and Ashlyn attend an American curriculum-based school, they do not have school on Sunday (our first day of the school week here), so we will also have a three-day weekend. Whether or not you agree or disagree with the current war effort in Iraq, we all should take time to reflect and honor our soldiers (present and past) on this important holiday. Don't let it just be about a family picnic or going to the beach/lake. Make it matter...we are so fortunate to have our freedoms! You don't appreciate the freedoms you have until you no longer have them.

Is it time for Americans to think smaller?

2008-05-21T19:32:00.009+04:00

Exactly one month ago today, we posted a blog about the ever increasing price of gas back home. Today, Lisa's mom sent a new photo of the same gas station sign in Roanoke, VA and it's posted over to the left. It's just a few pennies under the national average. AAA keeps a listing of all states and their current gas prices, which is kind of interesting to read. We wanted to note that gas prices in Europe have been sky high for years now and we have noticed in London, Paris, and now Athens...that you simply don't see SUVs. Gas prices there are nearly double what the US is experiencing right now, so the world doesn't have much sympathy for the woes of Americans. People drive small cars in Europe...everyone drives small cars. This is a reality for most Europeans. Now, here in Dubai, where gas is cheaper than the US (but expensive for the Middle East), you see the SUVs. Most families (dare I say every garage in our neighborhood and all similar neighborhoods) have them. The only reason we have one is for the protection needed against the daily onslaught of poor and reckless driving here. When we return home for the summer, we will be driving a very small car. It would be an interesting study to determine the correlation between the types of vehicles driven and gas prices in that country. This last picture is of a gas station (or petrol station as they are called here) at which we frequently stop. It's located about 2 blocks from the Mall of the Emirates and there is a steady line (or queue as they say here!) for the gas pumps. The gas prices are not posted, but we pay about $1.64 per gallon of gas. Now, don't think we're getting off too easy! We can guarantee you that we are paying about 3 times as much for our groceries (especially fruit, American products, and dairy products) as you would in the United States. Remember...the United Arab Emirates produces almost none of its own food...a growing problem for this growing emirate of Dubai and the country as a whole. All of us pay for Dubai to import food and it's getting more expensive by the day.

Greece: Day Five (Athens)

2008-05-19T00:16:00.006+04:00

Today was a late sleep-in day. We didn’t even get out of our room until 11am! We are on vacation after all! We started our day by taking a taxi over to Syntagma Square and visiting the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Kaleigh and Ashlyn were ecstatic about ALL OF THE PIGEONS nearby and so we bought official Athens pigeon-feeding food for them. (Ok, ok…so it was a lady sitting at a table selling pigeon food for 1 euro…nevermind the fact that we had perfectly stale bread that we brought from the hotel in our backpack. Pigeons deserve better, right?). The police then shooed all of us back to the sidewalk because the Changing of the Guard was about to take place and there was evidently also a marching band and a group of soldiers headed our way.

After all of this excitement, we walked down to the National Garden and enjoyed more pigeons, yet again! Then we went off in search of the playground and a duckpond. The only problem was that all of the signs were in Greek…so it was all Greek to us…ha ha! We took the middle road (like the rest of the world) and wound up right where we wanted to be. Kaleigh and Ashlyn bolted into the playground and were at first overwhelmed by the sheer number of children playing there. They quickly found the swings and we played there for about 30 minutes before asking to find the duck pond. We next found a turtle pond where there must have been about 50 turtles. While we never found the duck pond, we did find what we think was some type of small zoo…there were different fenced in areas with peacocks (and pigeons), roosters/ducks/chickens (and pigeons), donkeys and small goats (and pigeons), and finally…pigeons. Did we mention that we saw some pigeons? We think that some of these pigeons have actually eaten other pigeons.

After a substantial amount of time in the park, we walked down to The Plaka for some lunch. Lisa ordered a small plate of souvlaki…Dwayne some grilled octopus (very common dish here in Athens), and the girls had spaghetti noodles sans sauce. We had planned to do a little souvenir shopping, but Ashlyn declared she was tired…which is something she rarely admits to…so we took a break and went back to the hotel. That break turned into an over 2-hour nap for Kaleigh, Ashlyn, and Dwayne. It was much needed rest for everyone. We spent the rest of the evening back down in the Plaka area…shopping and stopping for dinner at a terrific little Greek restaurant that promised live music! Dwayne bought Lisa a beautiful contemporary painting depicting the Mother and Child that Lisa really liked for the expression and colors used in the painting. Today Lisa officially has earned her Master's degree from Hollins University...so it was a little bonus gift for Lisa (other than the trip to Greece!).

KISS is in Athens today

2008-05-18T16:57:00.003+04:00

We found out that KISS is in Athens today and from the looks of things...may very well be staying in our hotel. Now, Dwayne is quite excited by the prospect of breathing the same air as these guys with all the make-up and big hair (hmmmm...), but Lisa is pretty indifferent about it. That's not to say she wouldn't run after them with her Nokia N95 if she had the chance...just to prove she saw them in person. In fact, Lisa wasn't able to name one single KISS song when asked. But, we decided that we would probably rather see them with their make-up on...than without it!!!

Greece: Day Four (Poros Island)

2008-05-17T17:08:00.004+04:00

Our fourth day in Greece was mainly spent on Poros Island, which is about a one hour hydrofoil trip from Athens. What we immediately noticed was that there were cars and motorscooters on Poros, unlike Hydra from the day before. Poros is also much larger than Hydra and the vehicles do lend noise to the otherwise very tranquil atmosphere of the area. You need to be careful when walking around the corners because there just might be a motorscooter there to run over your feet! They come up quickly! We literally walked from one side of the island to the other (at least the parts that connect to the ports) and spent the entire day just exploring the island. After eating lunch, we went into a cute kids' clothing store that Ashlyn found and the girls tried on some swimsuits. They both ended up getting one each...they were just too adorable and we just couldn't say no. Dwayne thinks it's pretty funny how both Kaleigh and Ashlyn act like their Mommy when shopping...talking about fabrics and good colors...so grown up-sounding. Kaleigh and Ashlyn wanted to be the "line leaders" and would take us off onto a narrow backstreet adventure...saying they had been there before and "Oh...aren't the colors just beautiful!". Ashlyn is very "into" mermaids and we found a beautiful mermaid fountain where the girls had a great time splashing the water on us and posing for silly pictures. We then met a nice old dog who just followed us around for a bit and wanted us to rub her tummy. Of course we indulged her. Hydra was filled with cats...cats cats cats. Poros had dogs, mostly...but not so many.

We decided that next time we come to Greece, we will stay on one of the islands. Our vacation style is to just relax and explore what is naturally around you...rather than searching out things to do. That's why one of our favorite places to vacation back home is the Outer Banks of North Carolina...mostly Avon and Ocracoke. These Greek islands reminded us very much of Ocracoke...so relaxed, beautiful, and full of interesting people who love the water and nature as much as we do. At the end of the day, we boarded back onto the Flying Dolphin hydrofoil and headed back to Athens. Even though we were all pretty tired, we decided to make our way over to the Hard Rock Cafe for dinner and we were really glad that we did! It wasn't crowded (most Europeans eat dinner much later than we do) and we literally had a room all to ourselves...the non-smoking floor! Lots of smokers here in Greece...so it's nice that you can usually eat outside where you can somewhat escape it. Dwayne and Lisa split an order of Souvlaki and the girls enjoyed good old-fashioned macaroni & cheese. Then we went down and splurged in the Hard Rock cafe store before heading back to the hotel.

Greece: Day Three (Hydra Island)

2008-05-16T10:15:00.002+04:00

Hydra Island was our destination for our third day in Greece and it was absolutely stunning. It was about a 1.5 hour hydrofoil trip. All motorized transportation is banned on the island (cars, motor scooters, etc.), so what you end up with is complete tranquility. We spent the entire day walking around, riding burros/horses, shopping, exploring, and grabbing quick bites to eat. We chatted with local shop owners, artists, and even met some people from Seattle (one who has a sister in Roanoke, VA!). Our pictures and videos below will honor the beauty and quiet of the island more than our words could explain...so enjoy!

Greece: Day Two (Athens)

2008-05-15T18:11:00.018+04:00

On our second day in Athens, we started out at Hadrian's Gate and worked our way around the park to a Roman Bath and then over to Z eus' Temple. While Dwayne and Lisa were amazed to be standing in such an OLD place and were in awe of the fact that any architecture remains, Kaleigh and Ashlyn turned our morning into a nature hike and found delight in the rocks, large pigeons (think Cornish game hen), butterflies and seemingly thousands of snails! We left this area after about an hour and walked through The Plaka and started our ascent to the Acropolis. The paths were easily walkable and took us past the Theater of Dionysos, the Stage of Dionysos, and then eventually we reached the summit of the Acropolis. Words simply cannot adequately describe the feeling of being surrounded by such magnificent ruins. You feel completely diminished by the enormity of the structures and are awestruck by the view that awaits you when you peer over the edge of the Acropolis. Unbelievable. We spent about 2 hours in total at the ruins and then began our descent back into The Plaka, where we hoped to find some good food for lunch and perhaps a few nice shops. We were winding our way down the "mountain" when a very excited Greek man started telling us to "Come, Come...eat at my restaurant!" It was just what we had hoped for...a local restaurant where we could eat al fresco and have authentic Greek food. Let's just say that they gave us at least four times the amount of food we could have possibly eaten - - even if we had stuffed ourselves with the first portion! The service was friendly and it was just plain fun. This was a good, good day. It ended with some shopping, ice cream, and more walking around in The Plaka. We heralded a taxi to go back to our hotel and decided to chill for a few hours before going to dinner. When that time came, we requested a taxi to take us to the Hard Rock Cafe, but we were told those roads were closed due to some government demonstrations. So, we weren't able to go there but instead took the taxi driver's advice and went to a more "local" area...where the "Greeks" eat (he said). It was another lovely, lovely dining experience at a place called Zorba's (of course!). It was right on a marina and the girls fed the fish from our table. The restaurant had glass windows facing the marina and all of the windows were open - - so you could completely enjoy the water and fresh air. Every where we go (in the world), these two precious daughters of ours are completely fussed over and spoiled rotten (except by our first taxi driver, of course...ha ha). They were treated like royalty once again by the staff at Zorba's and of course if Kaleigh and Ashlyn are happy...so are we.

Greece: Day One (Athens)

2008-05-14T19:41:00.014+04:00

We left our villa this morning at 6 am and departed the Dubai airport around 8:30 am. We will note that as Americans, you are treated very well at airports in the Middle East. If you have a US passport, you are basically as good as gold. They don't ask you any extra questions or subject you to extra security searches. In fact, when we checked in at our gate (Dubai), the security person checked our passports and then personally escorted us into the gate. He announced to his coworker "US!" The skies above opened up and a big ray of sunshine shone upon our golden locks. Rainbows and unicorns appeared and the world was all good. Ok...maybe no unicorns...but it was kind of nice! We arrived in Bahrain (connecting airport) and from there it was a "hurry up and wait" situation! While we sat on the runway for almost 45 extra minutes (no reason provided), Dwayne and Ashlyn seized the opportunity for a cat nap. This was the Stover Girls' first time flying on GulfAir...while Dwayne is an oldtimer with that airline (he now mostly flies Emirates). The girls were treated to GulfAir caps and some very cool static/sticker books. Our plane was at the most 25% occupied...which meant extra stretching room!! We arrived in Athens around 3:30 local time (4:30 Dubai). We arrived to 3 extremely long lines at Passport Control and we were summoned up to the front of the Diplomats line. We'd like to think they took mercy on us since we were the only ones there with little kids! That was a very good start to our trip! We collected our bags, found a taxi, and off we went!

Our first impression of the area was "Wow...this looks so much like Roanoke!" That's mainly because of the mountains surrounding the area and the light traffic around the airport. We then quickly realized we hadn't seen the "real" Athens yet! Also, after living in a literal global village in Dubai...the population here seems very homogenous...although it's hard to beat the multiculturalism of Dubai. Our taxi driver did not seem amused AT ALL by Kaleigh's and Ashlyn's giggling and silliness in the backseat with Mommy.

They were not misbehaving but simply had just a little too much extra energy from sitting for about 5 hours on a plane! At one point, the taxi driver slowed down on a very narrow street and pointed at Kaleigh. We thought he wanted to show her something outside (we're so used to the child-friendly environment in Dubai). But...he simply wanted to inform us that it was unacceptable for her feet to be on the seat (mind you...she was wearing Crocs...harmless shoes!) He said his taxi was clean and the "girl's" feet were on the seat...ha ha! We were hoping for a helpful tip on a local restaurant or something! Tomorrow we are headed out to the Acropolis/Parthenon, the Plaka, and the Athens Hard Rock Cafe (if they have built it...we will go!)

What we see on the way home...

2008-05-13T08:41:00.005+04:00

Hi everyone! We thought we would share a few videos of what it looks like around where we live. Keep in mind that we live in a new area of Dubai that has only begun development within the past 2-3 years. Up from a beautiful desert has sprung our sprawling neighborhood and what will be Dubailand. Located next to the Arabian Ranches (where we live) is Studio City, the Dubai Autodrome, Global Village, and Dubai Sports City. Driving in Dubai can either increase your patience (because more is certainly required of you as you wait and wait and wait behind the dump trucks, "sweet" water tankers, street sweepers, Maseratis, Land Rovers, Porsches, vegetable trucks, sheep trucks, chicken trucks...etc. etc) or make you absolutely insane. For us...it's pretty much a mixed bag!! The video below shows you what it currently looks like in the upcoming Dubailand location...just about 2-3 miles from our house. The next video shows the roundabout outside of our neighborhood and driving past the entrance to the Dubai Autodrome. And finally, we go past the Studio City entrance (all of these places are literally right next to one another) and take a left into the Ranches...home sweet home!

How rich is the Tooth Fairy?

2008-05-11T21:12:00.005+04:00

Kaleigh has another loose tooth! She's showing you in the picture which tooth is wiggling! How much money does the Tooth Fairy bring to your kids (or their friends) for a tooth? Just curious what her going rate is these days. Would love to hear from anyone with connections to the Tooth Fairy!! We have a sneaking suspicion that perhaps the Tooth Fairy was overly generous to Kaleigh for her first two teeth. Ha!

Happy Mother's Day!

2008-05-11T20:01:00.016+04:00

Hi there...it's Lisa here. I have had such a wonderful Mother's Day here in Dubai! I just wanted to share some videos from Kaleigh's and Ashlyn's school performances today. At 11:30, I joined Ashlyn's class for a very special time. The children helped Ms. Cabbie read/explain a book about mommies to all of the mommies in the class. The sweet little ones then sang a cute song about mommies (to the tune of B-I-N-G-O). Then, I was treated to a little cupcake which Ashlyn frosted for me, as well as some
Peach tea. She had one to enjoy also. ;) She then presented me with a lovely gift that she had painted herself, along with a picture she drew on the Promethean Board. The class sang another funny song that really got them moving!

At 1:30 I joined the KG2 moms in the DAA Elementary School's front lobby for a special presentation. There are about 8-9 KG2 classes, I believe. They separated the classes into three groups. After these sweet songs, Kaleigh took me by the hand and led me into her classroom. Ms. Katie had the lights turned down low and relaxation music was playing. Kaleigh took me to a chair and I sat down. She put a crown on my head and then massaged my shoulders. It was just too cute! After a few minutes, she served me a brownie, some peach juice, and a cookie. Kaleigh then presented me with some adorable Mother's Day artwork and a magnet with her picture on it that she had made in class.

Last year, we had just moved to Dubai when I celebrated Mother's Day. Dwayne wasn't here, so he sent me some beautiful white roses. This year, he is in Qatar...and he surprised me with some new sunglasses (the girls gave them to me this morning at breakfast). While I'm really hoping he can be around next year, maybe I should hold out for a puppy or a car. Ha ha!! I'm just kidding of course...the timing of his trips is off but I know he loves me!!
It was such a fun day and I am so happy to be the mommy to these two precious girls. They are my life and I can't imagine a day without them. I tell them almost everyday that they are God's gifts to me...and I really mean it. They are my treasures. I love you Kaleigh and Ashlyn!!!

And the WINNER is...

2008-05-10T19:12:00.005+04:00

DIANA! She correctly guessed where we are headed May 14-19. The guesses posted on our blog were Japan, the Holy Land, South America, Italy, Beijing, Tibet and Kuwait. All really great guesses (although some a little too far away for a 5 day visit), but we'd love to go to all of those places!!!

Let us give you some information about where we are headed. First of all, it's the home to Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle. The population is about 3.5 million and it's 3,290 kilometers from Dubai. Still haven't guessed it? It's Athens. More to come later this week when we are there!! Our hotel will overlook the Acropolis, so we're very excited about that! Like Cairo, this is one place both Dwayne and Lisa have always dreamed of going. We feel so blessed to be able to see so much of the world!

Artificial, superficial...

2008-05-08T22:21:00.002+04:00

Well, much to Lisa's dismay, the thunderstorm the other day was not sent by God. It was sent by the UAE. The clouds were seeded and the public was notified after the fact (of course). They plan to continue these experiments throughout the summer. You know, we have manmade islands here, manmade waterways, manmade grass, etc. etc. Now even the rain isn't real! Well, the rain is real...just not the cause. Nevertheless...a thunderstorm is a thunderstorm. Or is it?

Can it be...RAIN?!?

2008-05-06T13:48:00.004+04:00

Just like Lisa's inspiration to blog the past few days, it's been dry, dry, dry here in Dubai since our January floods. This morning as Lisa left school, she was stricken by how dark the sky appeared. You know how you see the sky darken...and you just KNOW it will rain? You just KNOW it's coming. Well, imagine feeling that way but only to have a sandstorm hit hours later. And sandstorms...our friends...do not include rain. :)

However, this morning there was a bolt of lightning. Then...a roar of thunder. More thunder. One raindrop...two...three...four....well, you can count them on the windshield photo above. Not much to you non-desert people...but here...this made front page news. It was a big deal. We have a polka-dotted spotted black vehicle to prove it. Lisa loves thunderstorms...not the violent "was that really a tornado" kind, but the gentle, rolling ones that occur around 3:00 on a hot summer afternoon. The kind that make the earth smell freshly scrubbed.

Do you follow the rules?

2008-04-30T20:25:00.005+04:00

What is it that you call someone who gives a person a gift and then takes it as their own? Does reading someone else's book count? Is this living biblically? Hmmm...

Lisa gave Dwayne The Year of Living Biblically - One Man's Humble Quest to Follow the Bible as Literally as Possible by A.J. Jacobs for Christmas. She had heard it was a hilarious book and thought it would be a nice break from all of those technical books Dwayne had been reading for his job. Well, the book has been sitting on the nightstand for over three months - only getting moved for dusting or perhaps to allow space for a glass of water at bedtime.

Lisa guiltily reached over and pulled the book off of Dwayne's nightstand this past week while he was in Qatar and WOW...she lost the guilt quickly. (Was that coveting?) This is a true story of how the author is trying to live by all of the rules laid out in the Bible. Right now he is mostly focusing on the Old Testament rules but the New Testament ones are working their way in also and there are obviously some conflicts going on. Read this book...read this book. Lisa is about 1/4 of the way through it and hates to put it down. It is going everywhere with her...she is mildly obsessed with it. Ha ha! The author was raised Jewish but has mostly led a secular/agnostic life. It is very interesting where this quest is taking him and it also makes you think about all those little rules that you ignore out of convenience or are simply ignorant of.

The book was actually ranked on Amazon's "best" list in September 2007. Regardless of whether you are Jewish, Christian, Muslim, whatever...you will think this is funny!!! Now, it's time to sew on some tassels to Dwayne's clothing...

Almost hot enough to cook eggs, almost...

2008-04-27T20:02:00.004+04:00

It was 39 degrees Celsius today...that's 102.2 for you English system folks. Still two months until the official first day of summer. Getting to be that time of year when you have to put on sunscreen to walk out your front door. And you know what? We don't feel like it's hot yet. Because we know better...we now know what hot REALLY is. And 102.2 is just warming up, folks...just waaarrrmmming up...

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle!

2008-04-27T19:33:00.009+04:00

Last week, all students at Dubai American Academy celebrated Earth Day in one form or another. Many of the classes made art sculptures from recyclable plastic. Ashlyn's class (along with the other Pre-K classes) performed a song called We've Got the Whole World in Our Hands (think of the Sunday School song...He's got the whole world in His hands...). Ashlyn's class is dressed in greens/blues/browns (a little break from the school uniform!) and they are seated on the right side of the stage. She is the hippie chick wearing the tie-dyed shirt in the front row just right of center-stage. They enjoyed a "Green" video from Shrek and a third-grade performance of "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle (the 3 Rs)" by Jack Johnson (love this guy!!). All of the first-year and second-year kindergartners were invited to watch, so Kaleigh was able to see the performance! We recycle at home and it's been great to have the girls actually asking questions like "How do they recycle the plastic?" "What do they make from recycled things?"

If you don't recycle now, today is a great time to start. Just start by doing something easy, like recycling your newspapers and magazines. Put those water bottles/soda bottles in a special container and take it to a recycling center on your way to dinner (if you don't have home recycling pick-up)! We no longer use the plastic shopping bags as one way to help the environment. Lisa has several jute shopping bags that she keeps in the back of the car for grocery store trips, mall trips, etc.

It's our DUBAI-AVERSARY!

2008-04-23T17:46:00.034+04:00

This week we celebrated our one year anniversary in Dubai - our Dubaiaversary! One year ago, we boarded a plane, then another, then yet another - -and flew almost halfway across the world to our new home in Dubai. It's been a fascinating experience and one that we will always treasure and remember our entire lives! We left home where it was in the 50s/60s F and arrived to a hot, humid, 90+ degree (did I mention sticky) Dubai! It was the beginning of the warming season here...what a treat! But seriously, there's little to worry about here with the heat as everything is air-conditioned and you are never far from a swimming pool. Our first place of residence here was an apartment complex called The Greens and we stayed in Al Dhafrah 1. Just trying to communicate Dhafrah with our southern-American accents was tough enough, much less trying to explain to people where we lived! After being here a week or so, Dwayne got back on his regular travel schedule and Lisa and the girls were here to find a more permanent home. After many many hot steamy days of driving around to what seemed like hundreds of villas, we settled on a neighborhood called the Arabian Ranches. It is a brand new neighborhood out in the middle of the desert...on the edge of where they are building Dubailand. That's right - - in the middle of the desert. Oh wait - - everyone here is in the desert! It just doesn't always look like it! Our boxes arrived from the United States just in time for our move to our villa and everything arrived in perfect condition (so why didn't we pack our dishes?!?). The only box marked "FRAGILE" is the one that fell off the truck on the way to our villa. Imagine an overgrown pick-up truck piled illegally high with boxes and probably underinflated tires - - yeah...that's how our boxes got to our house. Bless those drivers. After unpacking and getting settled in for a couple of weeks, we decided it was high time for some R&R. We decided to take our first vacation and we headed to London and Paris. London was a fantastic time and we probably did as many tourist attractions as humanly possible during our time there - Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, the London Zoo, London Aquarium, park visits, double decker buses, red telephone booths - - you name it...we were there and took the picture. After London, we headed on over to Paris and also took in Disneyland Paris for a few days. Dwayne's mom joined us there and was able to enjoy some time with Kaleigh and Ashlyn. Her trip was short but the time spent with us was eternally memorable. About 2 1/2 weeks after leaving Dubai, we headed back as it would be time for school to start soon. The girls started the Dubai American Academy on September 3, 2007. Ashlyn was accepted into their PKG (pre-K) program and Kaleigh started in their KG2 (second year - Kindergarten). Kindergarten starts at age 4 here, at least in the American International program. We have simply fallen in love with this school and all it offers the families and students, as well as the community. You simply won't find a more loving, nurturing environment than DAA where they actually have what they call a Culture of Kindness. It shows everyday. Lisa has gotten very involved with the school and has served on various committees and is also one of Ashlyn's homeroom parents. Since we are in a Muslim nation, DAA recognizes the mandated Islamic holidays. Ramadan is of course celebrated here and for basically the entire month of September, everyone (regardless of your faith) must adhere to the strict eating/drinking rules. Basically, you are not allowed to eat/drink in public until sundown. This means all restaurants are CLOSED...a few are open for home delivery only. If you are spotted eating, drinking, chewing gum, etc...you are subject to fines or worse. Dubai suddenly gets very religious during Ramadan, where as the rest of the year it is very relaxed. After Ramadan comes Eid...the breaking of the Fast. School was closed for a few days so we took advantage of this window and flew to Cairo. We took in the pyramids, sailed on the Nile, visited a papyrus museum and purchased some fantastic artwork, and took in a river cruise where Kaleigh even got to dance with a bellydancer! It was a quick, fun trip to Cairo and yes - - the traffic there is just like Hollywood portrays it - - maybe even worse! Thanksgiving rolled around next and we had a big party at our house for Dwayne's company (Meridium) and various other friends and neighbors. It was a great time to share this American tradition with people from all over the world - Armenia, Lebanon, Egypt, Canada, UK, South Africa, India...and many other places. Our friends here are so precious to us and we were happy to share this special time with all of them, especially since we couldn't be at home with our beloved families and friends. It was really hard to be away and it was our first big holiday away from home. Before heading home for Christmas, we took a weekend trip to Muscat, Oman. Muscat is about a 4-hour drive or a 1-hour flight from Dubai. It is so beautiful and "naturally" middle-eastern. While Dubai is beautiful in a modern, created aesthetic way, Muscat is more like your hometown desert paradise. Just lots of beautiful rocky mountains, gorgeous beaches, and very friendly people. Lisa especially loved Muscat and wants to return again soon! Our Christmas break lasted over three weeks (we took a few extra days) and it was so good to put our feet back on US soil! Don't get us wrong, we definitely like Dubai, but there is no place like your home country! We are proud to be from America and have found that so many people here just love the thought of being an American. So many people in Dubai (non-Westerners) are just fascinated that we are even here! There aren't many Americans here in the UAE, so we are somewhat of a novelty! During our return trip home, we celebrated Christmas, Kaleigh's birthday, Ashlyn's birthday (ok...a month early), New Year's and even took a short trip down to Miami, FL for the Orange Bowl with our good good friends - Dale and Sheri. We returned to Dubai and also to massive rains. It was evidently the wettest Dubai winter on record for quite some time. And we are talking massive flooding. Dangerous driving...schools were closed...disaster areas. There just isn't anywhere for all that water to go, people. It rained, and rained, and rained. And rained. Our neighborhood is at a high point in the desert, so no flooding took place for us, luckily. But, as soon as we left the Ranches, it was dangerous driving on the roads. We were very thankful for the rain, but too much is never welcomed. Once the weather warmed up a bit, we took a weekend jaunt over to Abu Dhabi, the capital of the UAE. It was a nice reprieve from Dubai's crazy traffic and construction. We strolled around Abu Dhabi's lovely parks and took in the Heritage museum where we saw some very cool Middle Eastern dances. Well, Spring break at school rolled around and off we went to Phuket, Thailand! You can read our blog about that adventure. It was fantastic and a truly gorgeous place. It was full of decadent green foliage - - a real treat for our desert eyes. So that's our past year in a rather small nutshell - it doesn't mention all of the wonderful friends we've made along the way...Lisa especially sends extra love out to Ansu, Molly, Cabbie, Sian, Helen, Tracy, Katie, Pauline, and Shirley. All of you wonderful women have been such caring spirits and selfless friends to her! We also - OF COURSE - want to thank all of our family members and friends back in the States who send us emails, videos, and their love while we are here in Dubai. Keeping in touch with us means the world - -thank you!!!!

Monster bunny is safe at home

2008-04-22T19:22:00.003+04:00

UPDATE on Monster bunny blog below: The family of the bunny returned from vacation and came over to pick up the bunny. HER name is Rabbit and she is 3 years old. The family lives right around the corner from us and they are originally from Munich, Germany but have been in Dubai for 10 years now (that's considered to be an "old timer" here!).

Need a GAS FUND jar...

2008-04-21T13:36:00.006+04:00

Lisa's mom took this photo of a local gas station sign showing us how outrageous gas prices are in Roanoke. And...Roanoke is certainly cheaper than larger cities...but it's all relative to the cost of living. Looks like a bicycle would be a good transportation option when we return for a visit this summer. Or a horse. Oh wait...it's not EVEN summer yet. The price of gas will only get worse. Oh yes, and Lisa will have to fill up her own tank of gas. Don't you feel sorry for her? In Dubai, all of the gas stations are full-service which means she doesn't even get out of the car. Of course, that is definitely a perk when it is 127 degrees outside. Thanks Dubai!

Where in the world are the Stovers?

2008-04-19T20:24:00.004+04:00

Our next adventure will be May 14-19. Dwayne has plenty of Gulf Air miles for us to take a free trip, so we're indulging in that opportunity! Post a comment on where you think we're going!! The winner is guaranteed a postcard...(we know, we know...we shouldn't tempt you like that!!)

Praise for Ashlyn

2008-04-19T20:01:00.005+04:00

We just wanted to praise Ashlyn for doing such a good job with her writing! She is writing her name quite nicely these days and wrote LISA and KALEIGH tonight at the Macaroni Grill at Festival Center. Lisa bought her a Little Mermaid journal this week and she has really taken off in her writing. We have an art easel (provided by Santa Claus) that's dry-erase on one side and chalkboard on the other side. She's been writing all over that, as well as spelling with the magentic letters on our refrigerator. Although, the spelling goes more like this - - "Mommy, what does this say?" "Ashlyn, it says DOGTHY." "OK Mommy!" Very funny!!

Busy Busy Bees

2008-04-19T19:27:00.005+04:00

Wow! It's been a really busy week! As we've gotten many emails that say "Did you get my email?" "Are you alive?"...that's a pretty good indicator of how life went this week here! Also, we've had some Google issues and that impacts our emailing and blogging capabilities. So, NO...we haven't gotten all of your emails! If you didn't get an answer, please re-send it! Enough of that boring stuff! The girls had a great week at school and stayed busy with their normal after school activities of dance, gymnastics and horseback riding. Ashlyn is still taking pony rides during Kaleigh's riding lessons, so that is a big thrill for her each week. Ashlyn and Lisa walk around the stables and visit (and feed) the horses while Kaleigh goes off on her long rides since we can't really follow her. Ashlyn's class at school resumed their swimming, so Lisa was there that day as a parent helper to play in the pool and help get the kids back into their uniforms! Loads of fun! Kaleigh and Ashlyn also had a playdate this week with some of their very good friends that you'll see in the picture below...although in the pic they are completing vegging out! Nadia (Grade 1) and Natalie (in Ashlyn's class) are from New York and live in our neighborhood. Dwayne returned from his weekly travels (this time he was in Qatar) on Thursday morning. We spent much of this weekend playing at the pool and doing a little shopping...so just some relaxing times as a family. With only two days in Dubai, we try not to overschedule too much on the weekends, but it is very hard when there's always so much to see and do! Dwayne heads out to Albuquerque, New Mexico in the morning (Sunday) for the Meridium Conference, where he also has a great opportunity to be a presenter. So, from one desert to another! He'll be there until next Saturday, where he'll start the long journey back to Dubai.

How CUTE is this?!

2008-04-16T21:11:00.003+04:00

Look who we found by the pool tonight! This gigantic bunny rabbit was in the grassy area by the pool and it was pretty obvious that it didn’t belong there! We asked the lifeguard if he knew anything and he said the neighbors in a nearby villa were on vacation and that their rabbit had escaped. So, we left a note on the neighbor's porch and after a small struggle and an armful of rabbit claw scratches, we took the monster bunny home. Less than an hour later, Lisa received an SMS from the pet sitter saying that the bunny’s owner had been so upset about her missing pet and she was happy that he was found. Our guinea pigs donated the top part of their cage - - under which the rabbit is currently resting. We had him out in the backyard, but 93 degrees (at 8:45 at night) seemed kind of hot for the big guy. His rabbit mom will be home tomorrow, so he’s ours for one night only. Needless to say, Kaleigh and Ashlyn LOVE him and want to keep him for ever and ever (and ever)!!

We Will Not Forget

2008-04-16T13:47:00.002+04:00

It was the most tragic day for all Virginia Tech Hokies worldwide - April 16, 2007. We remember and we honor all the families and friends who were affected by this terrible event.
http://www.remembrance.vt.edu/

du(de)...that's not fair!

2008-04-14T10:33:00.000+04:00

du, our internet provider here in

(Du)bai, is censoring web sites that are not in line with the values of the United Arab Emirates. They admit that innocent websites will also be blocked unintentionally and for us to let them know when and if this occurs. The process for unblocking a site could be quite lengthy; we are only guessing!! As many of you know, the UAE has blocked Skype and other similar sites from full functionality here.

Little Hard Rockers

2008-04-13T21:07:00.000+04:00

The word on the street is that the Hard Rock Cafe Dubai is being possibly torn down as the land it sits on has been sold to high-rise developers. It is dwarfed by the high rises around it and it's a really popular restaurant here among Westerners. Of course, the Hard Rock Cafes are near and dear to our hearts as well, as we have made it our mission to visit one in every country we've been to (if a Hard Rock is there...so are we!). A Hard Rock Hotel is on the way and possibly one in Dubailand - but that's just speculation. We wanted to enjoy one last hamburger and look around the rock 'n roll treasures before they are packed up for awhile!

Guinea Pig Olympics 2008

2008-04-13T09:41:00.000+04:00

Who needs Beijing when we have the Olympics right here on our front porch? Who knew our tiny little guinea pigs had such talent...such flair? Watch here as our Guinea Pig Whisperer and resident Guinea Pig expert (that would be Ashlyn) uses her specially developed technique to get Rainbow, Foo Foo, and Rose to "step climb." Forget all that nonsense about boycotting the Opening Ceremonies (after all...the Olympics is NOT a political event) and grab a front row seat for the ultimate in Cavy Competition.

A Desert Fish?

2008-04-12T21:11:00.000+04:00

While doing what must have been a fantastic runway walk in Dubai's Internet City on Thursday to get some lunch, Dwayne was approached by Desert Fish Magazine. They wanted to take a photo or two of him so they could possibly contact him in the near future for a photo shoot. He may have been discovered. Or...maybe they're trying to say he is a fish out of water? Hmmmm...keep checking this site for updates!!!

Dump truck disaster

2008-04-10T11:27:00.000+04:00

This overturned dumptruck was just outside of our neighborhood this morning. Unfortunately, this is an all-too-common scene here in Dubai. We hope the driver of this truck fared better than his vehicle. After dropping Kaleigh and Ashlyn off at school this morning, Lisa attempted to leave the neighborhood again, only to be redirected to a completely inconvenient route (like...back to the neighborhood entrance) because road workers were attempting to remove the dump truck. Dubai has dump trucks the size of which most of you have never seen. They are like Monster Dump Trucks and are almost always overloaded and underinflated! Most people drive like they're at the Dubai Autodrome, which coincidentally is located very close to our neighborhood!

Will this tempt you to come visit us in Dubai?

2008-04-09T13:52:00.000+04:00

(from Gulfnews.com): One of the world’s largest shopping and entertainment destinations, The Dubai Mall, will open on August 29, Emaar Malls Group has announced. The Dubai Mall has a total internal floor area of 5.9 million square feet and leasable space of 3.77 million square feet, which is equivalent to the size of 50 football fields put together. The mall will feature over 1,200 stores, including two anchor department stores and 120 food and beverage outlets.

The mall will be right under the Burj Dubai, the world's tallest building.

To give you an idea of how large this thing is compared to other shopping malls, the Mall of America is "only" this big!

So, who's coming shopping with us this fall?

Update on accident victim

2008-04-08T18:29:00.000+04:00

Lisa just spoke with the gentleman's wife and he has been in surgery for 5 hours. The good news is that he is alive and stable, so praise God for that. The bad news is that his back was broken and he is currently paralyzed. He has had reconstructive surgery on his face. One of his lungs was also punctured. His bike helmet definitely saved his life. Please, if you are reading this blog...always wear a bike helmet and please put one on your children, no matter how short of a distance they are riding.

Please pray for this gentleman

2008-04-08T10:45:00.000+04:00

Please pray for a gentleman here in Dubai. As Lisa was on her exercise walk this morning in the Arabian Ranches, she heard a loud crunch behind her and knew it was a car accident. She saw that a cyclist had been hit by a van and was on the ground, bleeding profusely. Lisa ran over to the man (as did 3 other women) and one of the ladies called for an ambulance and also called our neighborhood medical clinic. Meanwhile, the poor man continued to bleed and we really didn't know how to help him - - other than to try and stop his bleeding and get him to stay still. Lisa took off one of her shirts to help stop his bleeding and it helped for a few minutes, but was soaked through quickly.

We determined his name and which villa he lived in, so we went to get his wife. He just happened to live in the neighborhood outside of the security gate where the accident had happened. His wife was absolutely traumatized when she saw him, as much of his nose and upper lip were missing. His helmet definitely saved his life because his head had gone through the van window and back out again.

After almost 30 minutes, the ambulance arrived as did a helicopter. The ambulance crew and local physician had him stabilized and on an IV by that point and it appears he will be okay. Lisa will stop by the family's villa later this evening to check on that family and find out how he is doing.

It should be mentioned that Dubai has very poor response times for accidents and with the growth rate of this city/emirate, something really needs to be done. It is absolutely inexcusable that this poor man had to wait that long for an ambulance.

Definitely, Maybe!

2008-04-07T17:32:00.001+04:00

I just wanted to put a quick little note out here about this movie, Definitely, Maybe. I went to see it today with my fantastic neighbor (that's you...Tracy!) and a few other of the moms from Dubai American Academy. It was a definite treat to go to a movie during the MIDDLE OF THE DAY. If you like romance comedies, then you'll really like this cute movie. All along, you're really not quite sure how things will turn out but I'm happy to say that it ended just the way I wanted it to. I don't think there were any guys in the theatre...so this is definitely a chick flick!! But, guys...you will score big points with your sweetie if you suggest going with her. We ended the movie with a quick lunch at Japengo where I had some yummy crab sushi (aren't you proud of me...Dwayne?)

Just wanted to POINT this out...

2008-04-06T13:07:00.000+04:00

There has been a lot of press lately regarding laser pointers being aimed at cockpits while the planes are in flight, including planes here in Dubai. Did you know when Dwayne reached a certain frequent flyer level through Emirates Airlines last year that they gave him a laser pointer? Hmmmm...

Dreamland Aqua Park

2008-04-06T11:59:00.000+04:00

Splish Splash! Yesterday we went to Dreamland Aqua Park in Umm al-Quwain. Umm al-Quwain is one of the northern emirates in the United Arab Emirates. Now, we have been to 4 of the 7 emirates - Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, and Umm al-Quwain. Umm al-Quwain appeared to be mostly desert and very quiet. The sand changed from Dubai's light, fine wheat color to a more copper, coarse sand texture. We saw many camels out in the sand dunes and even several herds of goats. Umm al-Quwain is a popular destination here in the UAE for 4-wheeling as the dunes are quite high (dare I say "hill-like"). After going to Wild Wadi water park several times and spending a small fortune, Dreamland was a real treat in that it was less costly, much more age appropriate for smaller children, had more rides, and was not crowded. In addition, it was clean and located right next to the natural beaches. Kaleigh's friend Madison came along with us and we really just had a perfect day. The weather was in the mid 80s and it was sunny (of course). We stayed at the park from opening time (10:00 am) until about 3:30. With the park being about an hour from our villa, we wanted to allow the girls time to get back and get settled since the next day was a school day here. At the end of the day, we discovered an area at the park that had miniature horses, monkey, parrots, and peacocks. The animals were beautiful and looked very healthy. Lisa will take the girls again on April 22...no school on April 22-23 for parent/teacher conferences! Dwayne will miss out this time as he will be in New Mexico (US) for a Meridium conference as one of the guest speakers. But, this is going to be a popular outing for us, so we'll be back soon. With the raging heat here in late spring and during the summer, Dreamland will offer some much desired relief!!

Best Friends

2008-04-04T21:23:00.000+04:00

Kaleigh’s best friend here in Dubai (Madison) stayed the night tonight. She and Kaleigh are just

alike – silly, imaginative, and completely full of

little girl energy! They have been tight ever since the first day of school. Tonight was filled with pizza, High School Musical 2, and of course, lots of giggling. Tomorrow we plan to visit Dreamland as a family and Madison is coming with us. Stay tuned for updates!

Dubai Polo & Equestrian Club - Lesson #3

2008-04-03T21:34:00.000+04:00

Tonight, Kaleigh had her third horseback riding lesson at the Dubai Polo and Equestrian Club, which is in our neighborhood about 2 miles from our villa. Since many of the schools here are on Spring Break this week, there was only one other girl in her class (normally about 3-4), which meant more horse riding time! Their lessons right now basically focus on getting used to balancing on the horses and it's amazing what Kaleigh has accomplished in just three lessons. She can even stand up on the horse now. She has a German instructor, Christina, who is fabulous with the kids and keeps a smile on her face at all times. She is very encouraging and has lots of patience! While Kaleigh rides, Ashlyn gets to trot around on a pony for about 30 dirhams (equivalent of about 8-9 dollars). Afterwards, we have started a tradition of having dinner at one of the Polo Club cafes - - it's very casual and you can watch folks ride their horses while you eat. The kids all run around and play in the Arabic tents that surround the area. The tents are filled with cushions and have heavy curtains that provide endless places for playing hide-and-seek!

Ashlyn's new gymnastics skills

2008-04-03T20:27:00.000+04:00

Ashlyn and Kaleigh have Gymnastics on Thursdays at school. Ashlyn's class is from 12:15 - 1:00 and Kaleigh's is from 3:00 - 4:00. Ashlyn did a great job today in her class of running and jumping off the springboard! Her forward rolls were a combination of rolling and partial headstands!

Arabian Wildlife Center

2008-04-02T14:51:00.000+04:00

Today, Kaleigh's class had a fieldtrip to the Arabian Wildlife Center in Sharjah. Sharjah is an emirate just to the east of Dubai and it's the third largest emirate in the UAE. Lisa was a parent assistant on the trip, along with a Dubai American Academy graduate who is now going to school in the UK. Ashlyn was invited to come along for the day as well, which was really fantastic. Lisa's group of students for the trip turned out to be Kaleigh's best friends in the class - Noor, Arub, Madison...and Ashlyn. No coincidence there! Lisa asked the five girls what they wanted to call their group and they said the Guinea Pigs. Surprised? I think not.

It took us about 1.5 hours to arrive at the Wildlife Center and the kids excitedly walked/ran from exhibit to exhibit...checking out reptiles and rodents, birds and nocturnal animals. We also saw cheetahs, leopards, baboons, and some other large creatures. With the extremely hot temperatures here for part of the year, it is a completely enclosed Center. The very small animals are in their typical glass exhibits, while the larger animals are outside. So, the larger animals are actually looking in at people through the glass!

Favorite animals from the Guinea Pig group were the baby hedgehog, white mice, a jumping mouse, gerbils, and the desert cats. Ask girls and you will get girl answers.

After lunch we headed over to the Sharjah Natural History museum. We didn't have much time left, so we breezed through the exhibits until the kids settled on a volcano film and an area dedicated to outer space. Attention spans were pretty much nonexistent at this point!

The bus trip back to Dubai American Academy was peppered with sleeping children and talk of bats, dinosaurs, and baby animals. Kaleigh didn't get to look at all of the exhibits due to time constraints, so we plan to take Dwayne with us next time we go and let her show us around!

Mina A' Salam

2008-04-01T20:24:00.000+04:00

Today Lisa joined a group of friends at the Mina A' Salam hotel here in Dubai for lunch. Eating at Zheng He's chinese restaurant was a real treat because you have a front seat view of the Burj al Arab, the Arabian Sea, and the beautiful surroundings of the Mina A' Salam hotel. The food was delicious and let's just say they didn't serve the grotesquely large portions that you get in the US! This is probably going to be a good date restaurant for Dwayne and Lisa in the near future! There is evidently also a rescued sea turtle preservation area near the hotel, so we'll have to take Kaleigh and Ashlyn over to feed the turtles, as it is open to the public.

Phuket, Thailand

2008-04-01T09:14:00.000+04:00

Sa-wat dee! That is hello in Thai!

Our trip to Phuket, Thailand was nothing short of paradise. Our 6 hour flight to Bangkok went by quickly with unlimited movies for Kaleigh and Ashlyn to watch on our Emirates flight. Then we had a 3 hour layover before our 1 hour flight to Phuket. We stayed at the Laguna Beach Resort and really had a terrific room with a fantastic view of the Andaman Sea and of the resort's water park. The girls had traditional Thai beds to sleep on, which are basically mattresses on a raised platform in a corner of the room. Their platform was surrounded by windows, behind which they liked to hide from us! Kaleigh and Ashlyn loved visiting with the resort's resident elephants - Anna and Sara. They would sneak them food from the breakfast buffet each morning (as did almost all of the kids!) and the elephants would happily take the pineapple, watermelon, and bananas from the girls. Sara the elephant is 2 years old and still has her "baby hair," which stands up about 4" all over her.
The Easter Bunny made a special visit to Kaleigh and Ashlyn while we were in Phuket. He left them baskets and eggs to hide. He couldn't hide them the night before due to a bad thunderstorm, so we got to hide them on Sunday morning. We met a very sweet expat family from New Jersey (now living in Kobe, Japan) and we decided to go elephant trekking together. Mike, Ilena, and Lauren went with us and their son Jacob stayed at the Laguna Beach's Kids' Club. Kaleigh and Lisa paired up on one elephant on our trek and Dwayne and Ashlyn shared another. We had to climb onto a platform to "board" the elephants and then we proceeded into a creek, up a steep hill, and into the rubber tree forest. Other than the sound of the elephants crunching the ground below, the forest was completely silent. At one point Lisa/Kaleigh's elephant "driver" - who basically sat on the elephant's head - pulled off a long piece of rubber from one of the trees. It was very sticky and looked like a long piece of raw bacon. At the end of our elephant trek, we were able to visit a nearby Gibbon Rehabilitation Center. Each gibbon had his or her own very sad story as to why they had ended up at the Center. Many had missing fingers or hands, or were impaired in some other way due to being kept illegally as pets and/or mistreated. Now they can live as naturally as possible in this Center. One night, Dwayne, Lisa, Mike, and Ilena went over to Patong Beach while all the kids stayed back at the resort with their babysitting service. The kids had a great time riding on a boat, participating in a magic show, and eating as much junk food as they could cram into their mouths. Our visit to Patong Beach was entertaining as well, but perhaps in a different way! We had dinner at a fantastic restaurant on the beach - our tables were literally in the sand. After dinner the four of us walked around and decided to take a closer look at one particular area. We noticed that every restaurant started to have "poles" out in front and maybe not all of the women were actually as they seemed! We had a lot of fun looking but walked through rather quickly! A quick trip to a 7-11 quenched our thirst and we headed back in a taxi to the Laguna area. Patong Beach and Laguna Beach are definitely two different worlds...both interesting in their own ways! The rest of the week was spent playing in the waterpark, shopping and bargaining with the local vendors on the beach, visiting Phuket's Butterfly garden, and then we took a trip to the FantaSea show on Wednesday night. It was a spectactular show with magic, dancing, acrobatics, fireworks, live animals, and oh yes...the dancing elephants. Kaleigh and Ashlyn especially loved getting to pose with a baby tiger before the show started and seeing the elephants. At the butterfly garden, we were able to literally immerse ourselves in butterflies! We saw leaf butterflies...butterflies whose wings resemble the leaves amongst which they live. Those were really amazing. When their wings were closed, you wouldn't notice them. Upon opening their wings, we were amazed to see such brilliant colors! Kaleigh and Ashlyn were treated to hair braiding down by the beach. At one time, Kaleigh had 5 different ladies working on her hair! Lisa also went down to the beach for a Thai massage. She came back looking very relaxed and was feeling pretty good after that!

We left Phuket feeling very relaxed and wanting more of Thailand. The people were so kind and really just wanted us to be happy. We hope to go back again one day!