Matt is impossibly difficult to shop for. First off he has very simple wants. Second, if there is something he needs, he'll just get it; not wait for a birthday, Father's Day or Christmas. Amazon is amazingly well stocked and is only a click away. Over the years I have learned not to have hurt feelings over the new shoes for Christmas that, after being unwrapped, still stayed in their box in his closet for a whole year, but rather, rewrap and try again. By the second time around his old running shoes were completely thrashed and he was happy with such a thoughtful gift, opened twice. Ha ha. So when an opportunity presents itself for something fun that he is actually excited about, we have to go for it! A Groupon presented just such an opportunity a month ago, and we recently arranged to use it. 75% off a day rental of an exotic car.
We didn't tell the kids. I kept them busy with jobs inside while it was being dropped off. When they finally came out, Matt was met with stunned silence rather than whoops of joy. But after it sunk in a bit, they were ready to share a fun day. Being a two seater, they had to take turns going out. There is a 10km-ish loop we became very familiar with that day. We tried to race out on a desert road, but it wasn't even close. The rental won easily every time, even after Matt turned off the AC, radio, and everything he could think of to give more power to the engine in our own car (I was driving the Lambo then).
We have our 16th anniversary coming up this week. We are using the second Groupon for a slightly less fancy car and spending more time out alone. The kids got to enjoy the flashy car. We have a reservation at a restaurant in my favorite building, the Burj al Arab. It's the one on the water that looks like a sailboat. It will be our first time inside one of Dubai's most famous hotels. I should have some pictures for next week.
We are continuing to spend more time at the dentist. Isaac and Makenna met with an orthodontist for a consultation. He advised Makenna to remove two already loose baby teeth ASAP so it will give the big teeth coming up a better chance of coming in straight. She wiggled and wiggled them, but even with a monetary bribe, they just won't come out. Yesterday I took her in so the dentist could pull them out. It was a super fast, easy appointment, which was good because we had repairmen coming to replace another water heater. Thursday night we had come back from swimming to find the ceiling in our bathroom dripping. This is number 3 since March. Nice. I called a neighbor and went to pick up his ladder. Together Matt and I turned off the water flow to the heater (he did the figuring, I did the reaching in the tight spot). We left the ladder in the bathtub for two days while waiting for an appointment and shared bathrooms with the kids. Whoever decided that every bathroom/kitchen in Dubai needs its own heater was an idiot. If the once a year projection holds true, we have two more to go before starting over again in March.
But back to dentists. Makenna doesn't have any skeletal issues, so she will wait till all her teeth come in before starting braces. Isaac only needs them on the bottom. He is going in tomorrow for x-rays and casts of his teeth. Then braces will quickly follow. The Dr. says they should only take 9-12 months, so he might be done by the time we visit next summer.
I'll be starting a new calling at the end of the summer. I have been asked and accepted, but won't be sustained for a few weeks. I'm quite glad I have the time to start prepping and planning. . . . It's going to be a busy year. I'm also going to be the wood carving counselor for Isaac's scout troop. Ha ha. I don't know a thing about it, but will be learning soon.
Makenna has still been crocheting and knitting. She designed and made her own doll clothes recently and they turned out so cute! Tank top, skirt, shawl.
I finally buckled and rehired the gardener who was working here when we first moved in. I enjoy working with the plants and being outside, but the hours and hours and hours of watering was driving me crazy. We don't have auto sprinklers and the sprinkler options we have bought and tried have failed--either broke quickly or just didn't work well. Poor quality! At first, Makenna was guilting me about being a quitter. It didn't help that the gardener mowed the grass super short and trimmed back the trees and bushes till they looked like pathetic newly shorn sheep. But after a couple weeks, I must admit it looks better than when we were in charge. And I now have two extra hours a day that are already filled up. Having a gardener is possibly the best $109 dollars we will spend each month.
And the Olympics continue. We have been caught up in most any event we have a connection to. We all follow swimming. Isaac and I were watching the 1500m races with dropped jaws knowing how long it takes us to swim that distance. And of course we have cheered for Phelps. We followed him closely 4 years ago. Amazing work ethic. The women's triathlon came down to a thrilling photo finish. The announcers thought they might give out two golds. It was THAT close. Those girls are amazing! Isaac likes the shooting. Isaac also called me at the grocery store to share his appalled panic that our men's basketball team was loosing! We came back to win by 5, so it's all good. (Matt had prepped us by sharing a documentary on the original Dream Team.) Jess is seriously considering switching from soccer to gymnastics. . . . we shall see. We haven't been able to see a USA women's soccer game yet. Matt keeps seeing them at work and says he actually enjoys watching soccer because they are that good, but they haven't been on at home. Makenna's favorite is still equestrian. This is what I came down to find after exercising one night. They were doing their own horse show. "The big monkeys are the judges."
We didn't tell the kids. I kept them busy with jobs inside while it was being dropped off. When they finally came out, Matt was met with stunned silence rather than whoops of joy. But after it sunk in a bit, they were ready to share a fun day. Being a two seater, they had to take turns going out. There is a 10km-ish loop we became very familiar with that day. We tried to race out on a desert road, but it wasn't even close. The rental won easily every time, even after Matt turned off the AC, radio, and everything he could think of to give more power to the engine in our own car (I was driving the Lambo then).
Jess was so happy the license plate was a "J".
The boys being sneaky, finishing a snack in an empty parking lot.
We have our 16th anniversary coming up this week. We are using the second Groupon for a slightly less fancy car and spending more time out alone. The kids got to enjoy the flashy car. We have a reservation at a restaurant in my favorite building, the Burj al Arab. It's the one on the water that looks like a sailboat. It will be our first time inside one of Dubai's most famous hotels. I should have some pictures for next week.
We are continuing to spend more time at the dentist. Isaac and Makenna met with an orthodontist for a consultation. He advised Makenna to remove two already loose baby teeth ASAP so it will give the big teeth coming up a better chance of coming in straight. She wiggled and wiggled them, but even with a monetary bribe, they just won't come out. Yesterday I took her in so the dentist could pull them out. It was a super fast, easy appointment, which was good because we had repairmen coming to replace another water heater. Thursday night we had come back from swimming to find the ceiling in our bathroom dripping. This is number 3 since March. Nice. I called a neighbor and went to pick up his ladder. Together Matt and I turned off the water flow to the heater (he did the figuring, I did the reaching in the tight spot). We left the ladder in the bathtub for two days while waiting for an appointment and shared bathrooms with the kids. Whoever decided that every bathroom/kitchen in Dubai needs its own heater was an idiot. If the once a year projection holds true, we have two more to go before starting over again in March.
But back to dentists. Makenna doesn't have any skeletal issues, so she will wait till all her teeth come in before starting braces. Isaac only needs them on the bottom. He is going in tomorrow for x-rays and casts of his teeth. Then braces will quickly follow. The Dr. says they should only take 9-12 months, so he might be done by the time we visit next summer.
I'll be starting a new calling at the end of the summer. I have been asked and accepted, but won't be sustained for a few weeks. I'm quite glad I have the time to start prepping and planning. . . . It's going to be a busy year. I'm also going to be the wood carving counselor for Isaac's scout troop. Ha ha. I don't know a thing about it, but will be learning soon.
Makenna has still been crocheting and knitting. She designed and made her own doll clothes recently and they turned out so cute! Tank top, skirt, shawl.
I finally buckled and rehired the gardener who was working here when we first moved in. I enjoy working with the plants and being outside, but the hours and hours and hours of watering was driving me crazy. We don't have auto sprinklers and the sprinkler options we have bought and tried have failed--either broke quickly or just didn't work well. Poor quality! At first, Makenna was guilting me about being a quitter. It didn't help that the gardener mowed the grass super short and trimmed back the trees and bushes till they looked like pathetic newly shorn sheep. But after a couple weeks, I must admit it looks better than when we were in charge. And I now have two extra hours a day that are already filled up. Having a gardener is possibly the best $109 dollars we will spend each month.
And the Olympics continue. We have been caught up in most any event we have a connection to. We all follow swimming. Isaac and I were watching the 1500m races with dropped jaws knowing how long it takes us to swim that distance. And of course we have cheered for Phelps. We followed him closely 4 years ago. Amazing work ethic. The women's triathlon came down to a thrilling photo finish. The announcers thought they might give out two golds. It was THAT close. Those girls are amazing! Isaac likes the shooting. Isaac also called me at the grocery store to share his appalled panic that our men's basketball team was loosing! We came back to win by 5, so it's all good. (Matt had prepped us by sharing a documentary on the original Dream Team.) Jess is seriously considering switching from soccer to gymnastics. . . . we shall see. We haven't been able to see a USA women's soccer game yet. Matt keeps seeing them at work and says he actually enjoys watching soccer because they are that good, but they haven't been on at home. Makenna's favorite is still equestrian. This is what I came down to find after exercising one night. They were doing their own horse show. "The big monkeys are the judges."
Watching the Olympics has made our schedule even more wacky and I have found kids in this position more and more.
That's pretty much it for my narrative, but I have a few more random pictures to share.
This is in the Mall of the Emirates. Such a backwards, Middle Eastern country, eh? We thought the 4 foot long bacon was funny though. That won't be available. Beef bacon only.
The decorations for Ramadan are beautiful.
Eels for dinner anyone?
This is a shot of Matt's favorite t-shirt store in Dragon Mart. He sometimes picks up super cheap Ferrari and Porsche shirts for airmen at work who are stuck on base for 3 month deployments. Like the "changing room" behind the dummy?
How cool!!!! What an awesome idea to rent an exotic car! Sounds like you guys are having all kinds of awesome adventures! Good to hear you're doing well!
ReplyDeleteWhat a fun birthday,driving a great car. Anniversary at the Burj al Arab? Oh, wow! our tour guide said, "if it looks like gold it probably is. He said a cup of tea may cost $34.oo maybe he didn't know. I am very anxious to see pictures and hear your report. Your kids seem very talented the crocheting looked very creative. They certainly are getting big and are getting wonderful adventures.
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