Oh, yes I did!

Everything is Fine...

Every time I call home I am reassured that everything is okay. "Oh yeah, everything is great hun...We are just fine...No problems here...Nope, not at all."

Minutes later, I receive a photo like this from Axel:

btw- That is oil paint you see.

Where your gas dollars are going...

I have been in Dubai for the past 10 days consulting. It is so tough being away from the family. I miss my kids immensely.

I typically put in long hours in the office, but Fridays are my day off. The first thing I did today was go up the Burj Khalifa and faced my fear of heights. It wasn't bad, but I did find a deeper appreciation for all those blue suit workers I used to see working on the Burj when we lived in Dubai. A lot of them were harnessed on the side of the building in the open air (and only paid roughly $4USD a day, I might add). Truthfully, that is my description of hell.

Little know facts about the Burj:

1. It is the tallest building in the world (free standing and man-made).

2. Burj means building in Arabic.

3. The exact height was kept a secret until it was finally built.

4. It has 162 floors.

5. It has the highest elevator installation and the highest mosque.

6. It has the fastest elevator speed 64km/hour.

7. The top spire can be seen 94 km away.

8. Construction began September 2004, and the grand opening was on January 4th, 2010.

Sheik Zayed Road

9. The concrete that was used was enough to lay a 2,065 km-long pavement; and equivalent to the weight of 100,000 elephants.

10. Total cost to build was $1.5 billion.

11. It is about twice the height of the Empire State Building.

12. The outdoor temperature at the top is 10 degrees cooler than the bottom.

13. The price for office space is around $4000. a square foot.

14. It uses approx 954, 000 litres of water per day.

15. Only hours before the opening ceremony, Sheik Maktoum, the ruler of Dubai, was told to rename the 'Burj Dubai' to 'Burj Khalifa' by Sheik Khalifa of oil-rich Abu Dhabi because Khalifa had bailed the Dubai Emirate out of financial distress.

Somehow this makes me want to ride a bike or buy a Smart car.

Disappointed

...that he keeps getting caught writing on the walls and couches.

'Why don't they understand my artistic expression?'

In his defense, all of this could have stemmed from my first response to his favorite past time. So much for positive reinforcement.

Last Minute Souq'n

Brad's last night with us was spent at the souq trying to buy authentic goods to bring back home. This is no easy feat. Buying something that is authentically Qatari is nearly an impossible task. This is how Brad fared:

If he could have, Brad would have brought one of these Middle Eastern pancakes home. Inside is cream cheese laced with the maximum amount fat, mixed with a super sweet honey. It is one little heart attack packaged in an innocent crepe-like cover. De-lish.

Brad also entertained the thought of quickly wrapping a burlap bag around one of these tiny wrinkled desert men, but they are speedier with their wheelbarrows than one would expect. In fact, you simply have to pull out a camera and point it in their direction and watch them run.

Most Muslims do not use alcohol based perfumes because of the alcohol content. It's haram. In response, merchants have made oil perfumes that mimic most popular scents. It is a lovely gift to bring back home because the smell is highly concentrated and can be mixed with any lotion or oil. As Brad tested the various fragrances, he was tempted to take this one home. Then he realized he can provide this scent naturally. Almost on command. Trust me.

Brad was tempted to bring home a mosaic from the wall of this lovely Isfahan restaurant. His attempt was in vain because it only took moments in this hall before he suffered from temporary blindness.

Brad's final purchase was a kufi. The conversion to Islam did not follow. Not enough time.

Xay's Talk

Typically, our Doha primary consists of over 60 kids. During the summer, it diminishes to about 10% of that number. As a result of the dwindling numbers, Xavier gave a talk this past Friday and Heavah is in line for next week. The following Friday I will be RS President, YW President, Nursery Leader, Activities Chairperson, and Parking Coordinator. It is hard not to overuse the members during the summer. I suppose they think if you are crazy enough to stay, you deserve the 50 callings.

I wasn't present during Xavier's talk because I am currently consulting in Dubai. Axel's tough love approach in helping Xavier with his talk was to simply enlist Heavah as his mentor. Apparently, the dialogue was heartwarming and sweet sounding to any parent's ears; and on the day of the talk, Heavah even stood at the podium with Xavier in case he needed any help.

Axel sent me these photos. Not only does it melt my heart, but it is also proof to them that they love each other very, very much. Sometimes they could use a wee reminder.

Have you ever been THIS tired????

From the archives....

When we first moved to Doha there was so much running around and purchasing going on the kids could barely keep up. Our maid was still in Nepal so our four kids were dragged from one store to the next. After a week of very little rest, Sedona finally succumbed to the fatigue...

Axel's Oil Paintings #2

This is Axel again. Round 2 of oil paintings, not in the order I painted them. Terah put the pictures up so I'll add some text. The above is a picture VG did that I really loved because I think he got the bark of the pine tree so right. The picture doesn't show how yellow the grass is, but I think it brings out the blue. Of course Terah mixed all the colors. Which has made all the difference. Almost all of the following pictures Terah did the color mixing for me. Which is amazing how much better the paintings look. I am terrible with color coordination. As witnessed in pretty much everything I do (shirts and ties being the worst offenders... Terah still says yes or no and now if I leave the house and she doesn't say anything she is forbidden from telling me the two don't work together so I can be in blissful ignorance). It is amazing how much better a painting is when Terah does the colors.
Van Goghs sunflowers. Actually I did these colors. I am going to send this one to my mom.
Van Gogh's Almond Blossums. Man I love painting trees. This is the first one Terah did the colors on and I loved it. This is a huge painting. It is like 4 feet by 3 feet big. We have it in our room.
Close up.
I have always loved the Orientalist artwork. It started after the French took Egypt and it really influenced their art. After all, if you paint naked harem or slave settings it isn't because you want to paint naked women looking all submissive, but because you want to show the culture of the Middle East. I am serious, google search some Orientalist works and you will see every third one was probably as bad as could be for the time.

I chose to do a painting of Sir Richard Burton who is my hero. I got the picture from the internet. It is of him in Oman, and I love Oman. I did all the background stuff. Here is why I love the guy and he is just about my number one hero:

Sir Richard Burton, spoke at one time over 39 languages. He traveled, fenced and was a great shot. At the age of 39, he had fought in the Crimean War and in India; had explored Africa with an expedition that found the principal source of the Nile River; and, disguised as an Arab, had slipped into the Moslem forbidden holy city of Mecca.

In his role as a man of letters, Sir Richard wrote books and articles on almost every conceivable subject, from falconry to military tactics to the folkways of African tribes. He published thirty-nine volumes on his travels and explorations, three grammars of Oriental languages, five volumes of folklore and achieved enduring fame with his great sixteen-volume edition of The Arabian Nights as well as the Kama Sutra, which is still the handbook of how to do *it*. Can you imagine what it was like back then?

In 1860, Burton followed the overland route from the East to Salt Lake City where he spent three weeks. While there he met Brigham Young and both men impressed each other. This is after traveling up through the rivers in Brazil in a canoe and adding Spanish and Portuguese to his list... He even died in Trieste, Croatia after spending many years in the Middle East. I would like to say he and I have much in common, but that is way too presumtious. Let's just say I am a big fan and have an awful lot of respect for the guy. Two of his greatest quotes I love that seem I would say are my own are:

• "Of the gladest moments in human life, methinks is the departure upon a distant journey to unknown lands. Shaking off with one mighty effort the fetters of habit, the leaden weight of Routine, the cloak of many Cares and the Slavery of Home, man feels once more happy. The blood flows with the fast circulation of childhood....afresh dawns the morn of life... "
  Journal Entry (2 December 1856)
• "Conquer thyself, till thou hast done this, thou art but a slave; for it is almost as well to be subjected to another's appetite as to thine own."

I have my Burton painting hanging in my office. The sword of life and death hangs just behind each of us - regardless of your prayers and their beads... In life and business...

One I made up and don't like it. Too much going on and I did all the colors..
One I saw on a book and tried. It was the shadows I tried to get right. It is the bushes I like the best.
Did this one for Anna. It is big and I love it. The paint flows and it is going to be hard to get rid of it. No other Cypress has worked like this one did. I need to figure out a way to get it to her. She wanted it because she just had twins. A boy and a girl, who are as yet not named. I am pushing for the boy to be named Axel.
I did this one in a half an hour and I really like it. It was from a picture I saw on the web and I tried it. I think the fact that I did it so fast helped the picture keep that feeling.

I have a few more, and will try to add them later!

Summer Survival

If it means they cover themselves with stickers to burn up 20 minutes, why the hell not?

Is it just me or does the summer suck the blogging life out of you? It seems like blogging is the LAST thing I want to do. And yet, people are writing me wondering if I have somehow been stranded in the desert with no water. Um, yes.

To be truthful, I haven't written in so long because I have actually been enjoying the summer. I was on autopilot for the entire month just coasting through life. It was marvelous. Here are the things I let go of for the past month:

1. Kids can wear anything they want to as long as it doesn't show butt crack.

2. After chores and schoolwork, video games can be played until their mushy brains ooze out their ears.

3. Water play in any form for any duration of time is okay.

4. Popsicles can be excessively eaten throughout the day.

5. Craziness is expected at the pool because all wiggles must be expended by the end of the day. No lying down on floaties. Running, jumping, and screaming are all required behavior.

6. Bedtime is decided not by hour, but by the level of naughtiness.

7. Children are praised for sleeping in and given rewards for doing so.

8. Piles throughout the house are acceptable and no maid must feel required to clean anything that will be messy again in mere minutes.

9. Any activity is worth any price in Qatar. Pay top dollar for fun, even if it pains you.

10. Sit, relax, and enjoy the fact that you have your 4 kids around you all day long. It won't last forever.

Why I Like Doha - Reason #2

It is no secret that one of the best parts about living overseas is the fact that you can have live-in help. When I first moved overseas I was hesitant about hiring extra help. It seemed wimpy and in my Mormon-wired brain I thought I was less of a woman if someone else did the cooking and laundry. It took me a day to get over it.

I have been through a few maids but when I find a keeper, life could not be better. Sarita, our maid from Nepal, has been with our family for two years now and I am SO thankful for her in our lives. She has been a source of strength and love in our home. She is exceptional at her job and is always the calm amongst the chaos. I don't know how she does it. She used to work for a Kuwaiti family who had 10 children (and that is just the beginning of the horror) for 5 years in Kuwait. She was on her holiday in Nepal when we found her. She was supposed to return to Kuwait, but we caught her just in time. How fortunate we were.

Our maid/nanny lives in our home 24/7. It takes some getting used to and for many people, it is too weird having extra bodies in the house. I don't notice it and considering they are there to help, I am just fine with it. Having maids also requires me to release all those control issues I have. I don't care if there is some dust in the corner because it isn't my job. I don't mind the messes because I know eventually, it will get cleaned. Sometimes clothing that shouldn't be put in the dyer does, or my clothing isn't put away in its proper order, but in the end, I don't care. It is getting done and it isn't me doing it. It is funny how having a maid has allowed me to accept imperfections a little more and keeps me a lot less stressed about the messes my kids make. Instead, I can engage in the messes without having to worry about the clean up. That is the best part.

People wonder what I do all day since I have two maids. I find this to be a rather funny question, because I am still a mother of 4 kids. Having maids just means that I have more time for them and myself. There are many opportunities to calmly sit and read to my children, or bake cookies, or teach them a new skill. I can also spend 2 hours in the gym with the ease of knowing my son is taking a nap and Sedona is playing with her ponies. Living overseas is very different from living back in the states and people expect you to have a maid. If you don't, your life would be infinitely more difficult. When in Rome....

There are times I miss doing the housework. This mainly happens when I feel out of control in my life. If I am frustrated or annoyed, I will pick up a mop or cook a meal. Housework is actually fun when it is a choice. I really noticed this when I was living without a maid for 5 months when we first moved to Doha.

I still require my children to help clean their messes and make their beds. Part of the maid's job is to ensure that they do not do things for my children that my children can do for themselves. My kids hate this part. They see so many other maids constantly picking up after the children. If my kids can do some of the work, they will. I also insist that my children respect our nanny and maid. This is a hard one for most children in the Middle East.

There are a lot of downsides to maids, especially if you get the wrong one. They can be the source of great frustration and mistrust. Maids are the central point of discussion amongst expat women. Whether they are looking for one, or dislike the one they have, there are always issues to discuss. You also hear horror stories of maids sleeping around with the maintenance man, or leaving your children unattended while they engage in illegal behavior. That is why when you find one you trust and like, you must do everything to keep her.

It is rare to have two maids, but since we started having two maids three years ago, it is hard to go back. It is nice to know that they can support each other and they have a friend to talk to. It is nice that they can work in tandem and have a break every now and then. It works well for us for a number of reasons. In the past we have had difficulties finding a second maid, but I am so thankful that we inherited Meena. (Thanks, Amber). Sarita and her have great synergy.

Maids are not for everyone, but I am thankful I have two and it works well in my home. I am especially glad that I have the help while raising small children. It is a beautiful thing.

Mancation

Axel's friend, Brad, came to visit us during his summer break. He just graduated from the Air Force Academy and needed some downtime. It has been really fun having him around. Axel and Brad were going to take off to Afghanistan and then decided on Pakistan. Both trips didn't work out for various reasons so instead, they did an impromptu visit to Dubai. Here are some photos:Skiing at Ski Dubai:



Cruising around in the Ibn Battuta Mall starting at the Egyptian pavilion.
On to Persia...
Ending in China.

Axel picked up some pork because we live in a pork free country. Then he found out he could have been put in jail if he was caught. Is jail time worth fresh bacon in the morning? I am still trying to decide.
Their final stop was the Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world. In a way I am glad they did this one without me. I know I will go up eventually, but I am working up to it. The pictures didn't reassure me.


Their trip was short, but it seemed to be fun. They did a bunch more, but I think it is top secret. What do boys talk about when women aren't present? I am still trying to find out.

Guess Who Crossed My Path?

In the summer it is really common to see stray animals out on the streets. All the expats realize that they can't care for their animals during the summer so they open the doors and hope for the best. I am not sure how many cats I have seen in the middle of the highway or squashed on the side of the road.

A couple of days ago we were going out for dinner with Brad when this little kitty crossed my path. I picked it up and brought it home. We fed it, pulled its tail, gave it milk, pulled its tail, gave it kitty litter, and yanked its tail. Then we all realized - except for Heavah - that we didn't really like cats.

Our next door neighbors took mercy on the feline and adopted her. Heavah cried, but realized the cat will be a frequent visitor. Especially if she is looking for a tail pull from Asa.