Inauguration Night

Top 3

top 3 pet peeves this week
1. scratchy kleenex
2. my addiction to coffee
3. no internet in my building... STILL!

top 3 loves this week
1. the weather
2. new friends
3. coffee

finished quilt!

finished and in progress pics- sorry for the blur- that one was a thumbnail i made bigger really fast...will get a better one soon.

we raised over 5000 dirhams for the women's shelter! that's over 1300 dollars! woo-hoo! will go a long way towards their housing bills.

11 days since my last post!

sorry about that!

haven't done much since then- besides normal stuff that no one wants to read about, lol. Dubai is still interesting and fun- enjoying the weather immensely (while it lasts) and getting to know
people better.The charity project the knitting group is working on is almost finished- with only a few stitches left in the quilt to do, photos around town on Thursday, and media with presentation of the quilt and funds raised to the shelter on Friday. It's really cute, so many new knitters with their first squares makes it really adorable and endearing to me. we all remember our first squares, right? lol.
pics are: Clear evidence that you can party in Dubai just like in the States! (friends party to celebrate their engagement)...Me and new friend Camilla at other new friend Buffi's fashion show- more pics of that to follow...the Burg Al Arab before the New Year's fog set in...the Burg after the fog came in (made me miss SF so much!) ...Jes and I at our Anniversary Lunch :-)

lack of blogging time...

i have had a heck of a time getting on here and updating- sorry about that to the few folks who visit occasionally to see if i have dropped by. 

we are still waiting for our building to have wi-fi available- so we have to go to coffee shops for internet access, which can be difficult with spotty availability and on top of that, usually i am focused on 

two things: paying bills and checking email. Often i only have time for those two things and not even replying to the emails i read! Sucks, but such is life when you have irregular access. we have been told since october that it will be one month until we have it at home...and you see how that is working out! I expect by March we will have it and it will work reliably. :-)

Christmas was nice here, lots of decorations for sale everywhere, so we had a little tree, lights, and other stuff- Jes got me a stocking with a stuffed camel on front holding a present sack that says UAE  on it! so cute. Haven't yet sent out the presents we got for family, since i am not even sure how to mail anything except documents, dhl is what i use for that, but they are extremely expensive for packages and there are other options, i just haven't found the locations yet. Folks should get their gifts by the end of Jan. lol. 

We enjoyed our first overseas Christmas with a traditional dinner, turkey and all the fixin's- turned out really good and we stuffed ourselves silly. Santa even managed to find us in our new place and we got some great gifts :-)

New Years is coming, and it is also our anniversary, 9 years! I don't know the plans- jes hasn't told me yet, but i am sure it will be fun. Today is the Muslim New Year, so he is off work today. We are hanging out near the beach and may take a walk after i finish this post. the weather is really nice- very temperate and comfortable- i need a light sweater in the evening, and have occasionally used my shawls to cover my head (found out really quick it's easier than bringing a warm hat, and keeps you really warm!) 

We may be attending a local wedding soon- and I will need to wear an abaya- looking forward to shopping for it with a friend who will help me navigate that process and then experiencing a traditional Muslim wedding. 

I will be looking for a job soon (finally!) since my residency should be completed by next week- that will be fun and I am looking forward to having something to do!

Merry  Christmas and Happy New Year! xoxo to all- keep in touch!

d

more pics

pic 1:
home in the morning

pic 2:
the shopping carts (some of the stores, not all) have a slot that you put a dirham (like a quarter/dollar coin) into, and it releases a short chain that connects each cart to another in the corrall area. you shop, then unload groceries into your car, take the cart back, insert the chain into another cart or the corrall gate, and you get your coin back! Brilliant! no carts left in the lot- since those who are too lazy to get their coin back and do leave it- someone else gets the coin! nice ;-) one of the little things i love...

dubai photos

one to get the ball rolling- the view from my apartment