Weekly updates

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

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...

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

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

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

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!

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?

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)

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

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!!!