Another Day, Another Adventure

After I spoke to you last, David, Dustin and I dropped Kristi at City Center for bowling with her Doha friends. Dustin decided that since we were already at the mall, he was in need of some new shoes to match his "Italia" jacket that he got from Santa. You have to know Dustin, it's very important that your shoes coordinate with your outfit. He also spotted a pretty fly purple jacket, but wasn't sure if his current clothing line would match it. We purchased the shoes and called it a night, well after grabbing some Chinese food. This morning, we headed back out to the souqs for Ryan, the photography major, to capture some Kodak moments. He found it a bit overwhelming at first because today the shops were actually open and the shopkeepers were aggressively pushing their wares as we walked through. He got over it and got down to business. A little "Chili's" to refuels us and then off to the new Islamic Art Museum that just opened up here in December, but the guard informed us that it was closed on Tuesdays. We headed home for the boys to see what a polar bear dip is like in December in Doha. It may have been a beautiful 73 degree day, but I think they found out quickly that 73 plus pool water = frigid, as Ryan's face conveys rather vividly. Dustin is as stubborn as always and opted for a second dive into the pool. The two of them headed to the hot tub rather quickly to bring their body temps back up to speed. Until next time......me.



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Boys' Day Out

Day 3 in Pics








Dustin and Ryan paid a visit to Al Jazeer Saloon for their "cultural" haircut experience. Ryan just opted for a shave, not knowing if they would know what to do with his hair in this country. Kayla, Kristi & I stood outside the window and observed for a while. It was interesting to say the least. Ryan was going through all the massage ritual while Dustin was getting his hair cut. Dustin said it took everything he had to keep from bursting into all out laughter when Ryan's chair started bouncing up and down from his vigorous massage. I'm not so sure how Ryan felt about it, but Dustin's already asked if he can get another haircut before he leaves the country.

Looking Good, Boys!










Eating "majlis" style at Isfahan Gardens
Dustin & his leg of lamb~ ~~~~~~~Time to put the shoes back on









Hanging out in the souqs



And, as usual, we arrive home and three strays are on our doorstep waiting for din din.




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Girls' Day Out

I was awakened by my 21 year old baby girl crawling in bed with me this morning. Apparently I was the last one to rise. I think the boys were up shortly after 1:00am. It doesn't help your jet lag clock readjust when you go to bed at 4:00pm. Eventually they'll get on schedule. Kayla, Kristi, and I headed out late this morning for some girl fun, aka shopping, while leaving the boys to get in a nap. Of course, to get out the door we had to promise them we'd come back and pick them up for lunch. We shopped, had a coffee, then shopped some more. Mostly window shopping, but fun just the same. How's the saying in this country go?..."Same, same, but different. We made good of our promise, called the boys to wake them and proceeded to the villa to collect them. Kayla made a quick dash in the house to feed the stray cats that were screaming at the door when we drove up. We were then off to Al Kalima Cafeteria, the new sandwich/juice stall around the corner from us. It has one table with four chairs, so I stood (Italian style). Everything was great except Ryan's vegetable club sandwich came equipped with chicken, which doesn't bode well with his vegetarian lifestyle. As it was, the egg fried rice at the Asian restaurant last night had chicken, as well. We reordered a fish sandwich for him and all was good. We all left fat and happy and discovered that the cats felt the same when we arrived back at home.

















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They Have Arrived!

We collected the kids last night a little after 11:00pm Doha time and as I had predicted, Kayla on cue asked if we could open presents when we got home. Delay of gratification never was the kids' forte. So while the girls showered off the twenty two hour journey (at my insistence), Dustin and Ryan waited patiently. The unwrapping ensued, and as always I found it amazing how they can undo what took so many hours to prepare in so little time. That's Dustin showing off his new camera that didn't quite make it in time and the "magic carpet" that he's always wanted. After our Christmas gathering, the kids crashed into never never land and were up amazingly early considering their eight thousand mile, nine time zone crossing trip. Kristi was already up when I came downstairs and one by one they filed into the kitchen for breakfast. I thought I'd never be able to sit down to my eggs and muffin. After our late breakfast, everyone got ready and we were out the door for an afternoon stroll on the corniche. "See juice stall, must stop" is Dustin's mantra. He had just eaten a bowl of cereal, a bowl of pasta salad, and two paninis for breakfast and an hour later he had to refuel with a chicken sandwich and an avocado juice concoction. I'll never be able to keep up with him this week. We called it an early evening and stopped at the kids' request at Asian Traditional Restaurant for a late lunch or early dinner. I'm thinking early dinner now that the kids are all upstairs sleeping and it's 5:50pm. That wraps up our first day with the kids. We look forward to the week to come.









Ryan was jealous that it's not "legal" for him to hold Kayla's hand in this country, so he opted for Dustin's.


So happy together :)


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Oh Fresh Christmas Tree Oh Fresh Christmas Tree!

Here I sit staring at my "fresh" Christmas tree in anticipation of the kids arrival. Yes, I did say fresh, as in REAL! After I decorated the villa with my lovely four foot fake tree from the Dream Store, I ran across the real deal while grocery shopping at Carrefour. I immediately rang David to see what he thought about my imminent purchase and of course he was agreeable as always with a "Whatever you want, dear". The florist loaded it in my basket and off I was to the checkout singing along with the Christmas carols that were being played overhead all the way. I got it home and found that David was not quite as agreeable as before, since now his services are required. The tree was absolutely gorgeous if you ignored the fact that it wouldn't stay upright in the tree stand. We loaded it up and took it back to Carrefour explaining to them that the trunk had a huge gash in it that kept it from standing. "No problem, Madame, we will deliver another one to your villa". They kept their word, and we proceeded to decorate our fresh tree with the newly purchased lights and ornaments from none other than the Dream Store, yet again. I sit here admiring my tree as David tiredly has to hear me say multiple times daily, "I LOVE my Christmas tree!" I hope the kiddos feel the same.



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Merry Christmas!

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Christmas Greetings on this Eve

Oh what a treat for me and my lady friends to run into Santa and friends at The Ritz Monday afternoon. It was fate. We arrived for tea without reservations to a lobby full of already dressed tables meaning that there was no room at the inn. But lo and behold there had just been a cancellation and the hostess promptly seated us. Hannah and Lucy had never had tea at The Ritz, so we milked every minute of it and before we knew it the minutes turned into three hours. As we begin to ask for our check, the waitress asks, "Aren't you staying for the carols?". We were then entertained by a choir of youngsters crooning a medley of holiday cheer. After wrapping up their concert with We Wish You a Merry Christmas, we heard a very healthy "HoHoHo" coming in from the distance. Could it be? Oh, yes indeed it was. The kids went crazy, jumping all over Santa as he made his way through the crowd. You know I couldn't let the moment get away. I grabbed a total stranger, handed her my camera and told her to snap my pic with the guest of honor. I just about had to tackle a few kids to get my turn. I justified that by knowing that I'm still a kid at heart myself. Christmas is alive and well in me and in Doha. MERRY CHRISTMAS!




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