Friday Brunch - Villa Style

My friend Yasmijn invited us to a Christmas brunch at her house on Friday. She lives in a villa...so she has a yard....with grass....and flowers! Colin acted like he'd never seen a flower before. Then his little friend Nicholas came over to see. I know Yasmijn, her son Devin, Nicholas, and his mommy Jessica through the Baby Angels Class we attended on Tuesdays at Dubai Marina Mall. Sadly, the class is over until further notice while the owner heads to South Africa to have her baby boy. (That reminds me, I need to post some pics from Baby Angels Class!)

The Colin took a liking to climbing up and down the steps. Over and over. And over.

He got so sweaty from all that climbing!

The food was absolutely delicious, but I forgot to take a picture, of course.

Colin and the kiddos (Devin's wearing the white top) painted Christmas ornaments after the meal, although Colin swiped it with the paint brush about 2 times and then ran back to the stairs.

Here's what was left of my fruit trays with maple whipped cream. Yummy.

See that? Right there in the middle of the bar? That's eggnog. And I had some, and really liked it! I get it now :)

We're so appreciative to Yasmijn and her husband Pawan for having us over. It was a nice way to start Christmas.

Brunch!

Friday brunches are a popular activity here in Dubai. (Remember, the weekends are Friday and Saturday here) Almost every restaurant offers a brunch of some sort, most with free-flowing champagne. These brunches are not cheap, but tend to be worth the money. Joe's been to three so far, and I've been to one.

In November, we joined Pete, Simone, one of Pete's friends from Abu Dhabi, and two of Simone's friends from the UK (fresh off the plane, literally) for a brunch at the Observatory. It's on the fifty-something-est floor of the Marriott in the Marina. The view was stunning. See the fronds from the Palm Jumeirah? I neglected to photograph the food (next time, for sure) but I can tell you it was incredibly delicious. I had my first taste of Yorkshire Pudding. Mmmm..

Here are the girls: Gayle and I are standing, Kate and Simone sitting. I had great fun with these ladies while they were in town.

Really looking forward to our next brunch....whenever we might be able to afford it!

P.S. I'm sorry for the late posting...about to post 3 more!!

A Different Kind of Thankful

I just finished reading my friend Brynn's blog, Coconut Water. The post is entitled "Expat Mashochists." Certainly something I can relate to right now.

To give you a little background, Brynn and I have been friends since we were about 13. We went out separate ways in college - she to American University in D.C., and I went to Wesleyan College in Macon. She got further and further away from home...had a summer in Croatia, a semester in Morocco, and a semester in India. I got closer and closer to home...moved to Milledgeville, then back in with my parents for nursing school. Brynn and I met over chips and queso dip at Frontera in the summertime and discuss her worldly adventures.

Towards the end of her time at AU, she met a handsome Brazilian fellow, fell in love, and moved to Brazil...then they got married :) So, she's a total hardcore expat. She made a permanent move to a place where she didn't know the language. I'm kind of an Expat Light. We're here temporarily, and almost everyone speaks English. My admiration for her has grown tremendously since we moved here!

In her most recent blog post, she talks about "volunteering for banishment." People always tell me "I could never move that far away from my family." You know what? I bet you could. I don't possess a super power that enables this be to easy. Joe and I love our families just as much as you love your families.

The difference in our situations? We had a need to fulfill, we saw an opportunity, prayed about it, stepped over the imaginary boundaries we'd created for ourselves, and just kept moving forward.

The pains of separation really set in around Halloween. The pictures of pumpkin patches, carving jack-o-lanterns, and trick or treating made me sad that we wouldn't get to partake in any of those activities this year. 4 days later was my birthday. Then the weather started getting cooler at home. I imagined seeing Colin run around in our back yard, crunching the leaves and chasing Dakota. Now it's the week of Thanksgiving and I'm really feeling the homesickness.

Is it better here than at home? I choose not to ponder that question.

I have moments where I want to, but I refrain. I have moments of satisfaction that I've been resourceful or creative in ways I never would have experienced at home. I have teary moments. I have a tiny human who smiles and makes it all ok. I have a husband who I like to spend time with. I have a desert on one side, a beach on the other, and a list of things to see and do that most people will never experience in their lifetime.

I keep going back to the notion that the right thing isn't always the easiest thing.

This Thanksgiving, I'm grateful for something I've always taken for granted: the chance for the whole family to gather around one table.

I'm thankful that the country we call home allows me to walk around wearing whatever I please, worship wherever I please, kiss my husband wherever I please, and buy a bottle of wine whenever I please. I will no longer gripe about the ban on Sunday alcohol sales.

I'm thankful that family and friends have always been within driving distance. New Jersey, Brownsville, Charlotte, Fayetteville, Murfreesboro, Ft. Walton Beach, Tampa, and Tallahassee don't seem so far away anymore.

I'm thankful for the awesome opportunity to stay home with Colin for these few months.

I won't ask anyone to understand our reasons for moving 8,000 miles away, because I don't think we fully understand, either. However, I hope that our journey will inspire you to look beyond your comfort zone, and experience things that make you really appreciate how much you have waiting for you when you come back home.

Happy Thanksgiving from Dubai!

My birthday, Dubai style

I had an absolutely fantastic birthday this year! Joe bought the most delicious cake from a place called Gateaux in the Marina. Gateaux means cake in French. I learn something new every day! Despite what the candles may indicate, I did not turn 82 this year...I turned 28...but Joe thought it would be clever to switch the candles around since I was born in 1982. Did I mention that the cake was delicious?? It was a strawberries and cream cake, with fresh strawberries and fresh cream and white chocolate and boy, was it good!I got a birthday card all the way from Clarkston, Georgia...and Colin got a goody box from Great-Grandaddy and Great-Grandmother Owen! Thank you for thinking of us!

These are pretty flowers are from my parents:

The rest of the birthday loot - a pressurized wine cork, reference cards for homemade cleaners (more on that later), an iPad cover to pacify me until we can afford to get an actual iPad, and a gift certificate to the Virgin Megastore from Pete & Simone.

Pete & Simone came over to celebrate, eat dinner with us (lemon rosemary chicken with rice and fresh green beans a la Joe), then they listened out for Colin so Joe and I could have our first night out together since arriving in Dubai. What great friends they are!

Joe and I just before heading out:

We ended up at the Marina Yacht Club sports bar.

Then we headed outside to sit on the deck for awhile.

Afterwards we walked across the marina and down to the beach. Nothing like an evening stroll through the sand and surf with the one you love :)

Thanks to everyone that made my birthday so special!