Home

Well, we've been home for two and a half weeks and it's starting to feel like home again!
We spent the first two weeks going back and forth with the shipping company (stationed in Abu Dhabi) about the surprise charges. They sent us the cost of everything and we were thrown for a loop. There were several charges that we did not expect so we had to work against the time difference to get everything settled. For two weeks our boxes sat in a warehouse somewhere but finally we came to an agreement and we received our boxes on Friday! It has been great to unpack and get settled in :)

The weeks have already been packed with activities. I started my new job the Monday after we returned. It made for a tiring week, trying to get re-adjusted to the time difference and creating a new schedule. So far I am really enjoying the new job though and with all the budget cuts within the schools I am glad to have nailed down a job before the new school year.

Some family and friends got together to watch the NFL Super Bowl the weekend after our return. We have never watched the game in a public place before, but this year we decided to meet at a bar. It turned out to be a lot of fun especially with severals groups of people routing for different teams!

Below is a picture of my neice. We put a beer cozy over her milk cup - good times!


The day before the Super Bowl we celebrated ThickBlackGlasses's Birthday at Dave and Busters. Several friends and family members showed up to play some pool and shuffle board...

We have had lots of time to spend with my two neices, Artia and Vayle, and we hope to spend some more time with ThickBlackGlasses's neices and nephews in the coming weeks.

One of the most fun things we have been able to do upon our return is to make our own beer. ThickBlackGlasses and his friend went to a speciality store and bought a beer kit to make us some homemade hooch! We have about 7 days until it is finished and we will be sure to send out an update and it's taste!

Although we have left Abu Dhabi we plan to have many more adventures. Keep an eye out for Pepe as he sneaks away with us!

"Home" Lyrics by Chris Daughtry

As our departure date is drawing nearer I thought that most of these lyrics fit how I was feeling about leaving. I don't regret a thing, but things are getting a bit old. I will miss some things about the UAE, but I am so happy to be returning home so very soon!

(These lyrics have been edited, I chose what I felt was true...)

"Home"

I'm staring out into the night,
Trying to hide the pain.
I'm going to the place where love
And feeling good don't ever cost a thing.
And the pain you feel's a different kind of pain.

Well I'm going home,
Back to the place where I belong,
And where your love has always been enough for me.
I'm not running from.
No, I think you got me all wrong...
But these places and these faces are getting old,
So I'm going home.
Well I'm going home.

Be careful what you wish for,
'Cause you just might get it all.
You just might get it all,
And then some you don't want.
Be careful what you wish for,
'Cause you just might get it all.
You just might get it all, yeah.

A Night Out

Last Thursday we spent the night in Abu Dhabi. We hooked up with a friend at Trader Vic's.

The first weird thing of the night was seeing a bar fight. Not so unusual? Well, that's the first bar fight I have seen in the UAE. I wondered what happens to people that are turned into the police starting a bar fight in the UAE, but we didn't get that chance. The bar staff was quick to react once the fighters knocked over glasses on a nearby table. They managed to push the fighters and their friends out the front door. The group was outside and as bar patrons looked on the fight moved back into the doorway. Eventually the whole thing was broke up and we moved on. How curious?!?

Later on in the night we were driving home. A line of cars were going through a green light when the light began to flash (an indication that the light will quickly turn yellow). The taxi in front of me thought it was a good time to stop, but half-way along the crosswalk (and Abu Dhabi gives tickets to cars over the line). I was far enough back from the taxi, so I knew he had enough room to move back. He put on his reverse lights and kept reversing, even while I was honking my horn (as a warning that he was too close) and then backed right into me! He sat in his car and did not even realize for a good 5 seconds that he had hit me, but then pulled forward a bit. I got out of the car to check for damage and he just quietly sat inside his car and watched me. Of course he was not going too fast so there was no damage, but there was no reaction from him, I couldn't believe it! I got back into the car and the driver finally leaned out of his car a little with his hands raised! What an idiot! He may be new to the country and maybe that was his second day driving, so hopefully he figures out how far back he can go next time! Grrrrrr....

Celebration in Dubai!

Here I am writing about the Burj Dubai (alternately called the Burj Khalifa) again!
Yesterday was the Grand Opening of the building and ThickBlackGlasses and I were lucky enough to fight the crowds to attend the ceremony.


Most everyone headed to Dubai Mall - mostly because the parking was ideal and the location perfect. Here we caught a great photo of the masses trying to use the escalator to the lower ground leading to the outside of the mall. We decided to go the long way and find a less busy escalator (after the escalator collapse at Coors Field in Denver Colorado we decided not to take our chances).

Everyone was at the ready! We found a spot along the outside of the mall, but far back from the water fountain and the festivities. We could see a sea of people in front of us, but we had a great view of the amazing fireworks show that was about to happen.

Check out a video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yRxxv6AZ_xg

Here's a shot of the Burj after the fireworks - the lighting is incredible up and down this building!

After the festivities we found out that where we were standing was ideal. The sheiks and other VIPs were exiting right by us. The picture above is the vehicle transporting Sheik Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Ruler of Dubai and Vice President of the UAE.

Tonight we bought tickets to ride to the top! At only 100 Dhs (about $27 US) it was priced about right for a tourist attraction.

First, you ride along a travalator and see a screen filled with images of the UAE over time.

Then you ride an elevator from the Ground floor to the 124th floor. The ride takes about 60 seconds and then you arrive at the top of the world.

Here is a view of Sheik Zayed Road that goes right through the middle of the city. I have only ever seen this in pictures and could not believe I was seeing it in "real life" !!!!

I have written before (December 9th, to be exact) about how amazing this building is and what it represents to the UAE and to the world. It may be a long time before another building even attempts to beat the height of the Burj Dubai and if you ever get a chance I highly recommend a visit.

Burj Dubai

Everyday I see this beautiful building reflected in my rearview mirror. Usually the sun has just risen and it's golden rays are bouncing off the gleaming windows. This building is the Burj Dubai (or Dubai Tower) and it rises almost half a mile above the city It now stands as the tallest building in the world and certainly most impressive to stand beside and look up at (maybe soon observation platforms will open!).

Today as I was driving home this structure loomed up from the other buildings definitely making a statement. The sky was a little hazy after the morning rain, but it made the skyline look so much more impressive. I have to give praise to such a human-made ediface. Remember when God struck down the Babylonians for creating such a tower? And here we are today, continuing that uncompleted feat of our forefathers, what an amazing time to live in!

Turkey Day

Well this Turkey Day was rather hard on us. Since the government declared a 10-day holiday for Eid and National Day our co-workers fled the country and we were left to create our own fun - which we did! As you can see we had a whole table full of yummy traditions to tackle!!!

I took the opportunity this year to make my own pumpkin pie from scratch. We had bought two pumpkins to carve for Halloween but we didn't get around to it and I thought it would be a waste to not do something with them. I did some internet research and found that it's fairly simple to bake the pumpkin and go from there. Most sites recommended not using the "Jack-o-Latern" because it's too stringy but I had no choice and here's what happened:

I cut the pumpkin in two and cut out the seeds, then I placed it on a flat pan with about 1/4 inch of water and cooked it on 350 for a little over an hour...
Once it was cooked and mushy I scooped out the shells and pureed the pumpkin as best I could without a blender (the internet was right, it was a bit stringy but seemed like it would work)...

I made a pie crust, but I always have a hard time rolling it out and placing it in the pan, but as you can see below I managed to make it work!

Here's the pie crust and the filling ready to be placed in the oven.

Cooking away!!!! Yummy!

The final cooked product - not too bad!

The Wandering Monkey, Pepe, seemed to love it. He couldn't keep his paws off of it!

A New Highway

Well, we've been laying low for the last month. I guess a lot is due to the fact that we're really homesick right now and so we haven't really been exploring Dubai as much as we should. Sassafrass' Sister is coming in December, so we'll get a chance to see more and do some exploring to boot.

On the up side though, I did get a chance to drive over the new expressway linking Abu Dhabi island, Yas Island, and Saadiyat Island on Monday night. I drove in for a meeting on Monday and then my uncle suggested I try the new expressway over the water and "island hop" as he called it. It was dark so I didn't get to see the water, but it is a huge highway that cut right around all of the busy traffic in the city and took me straight to the highway to Dubai!

After you leave the island of Abu Dhabi you drive over 1.4 km of Sheikh Khalifa Bridge (http://www.thenational.ae/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20091014/NATIONAL/910149971/1021) to Saadiyat Island. This is where they are building all sorts of amazing museums - a branch of the Louve and a Guggenheim masterpeice (just like we have in Denver). To read more about it just click the link: http://www.saadiyat.ae/en/ It should be amazing when it's all completed!!!

There is another small bridge that takes you to Yas Island. Yas Island is where they just ran the Formula One Grand Prix. An incredible event for those that love F1 racing. After looking at the website I found that many other things are to be built on the island over the next year or so - including a Warner Bros. Theme Park! Check out the link to see some pictures and find out what else it will have to offer: http://yasisland.ae/Default_en_gb.html The picture at the top of my blog is from the Yas Island website and portrays the Yas Hotel, which was lit up when I drove past so I was able to see it.

When I returned home that evening I told ThickBlackGlasses that we must go to Abu Dhabi soon and take that drive in the daytime. If we do you can be sure that pictures will follow :)