I love seeing camels in town

He's kinda cute, isn't he?

Diddle, Diddle, Dumpling

My son John

Rode his rip stick with his trousers on

One shoe off and one shoe on

Diddle, diddle, dumpling

My son John

Live in my world

and experience the ridiculous.

What I love about our new compound...

I said I would do it, name the things I like about our new place:

There are so many kids in this compound, that my boys disappear all day long, and I don't know where they are. This is good. This is small town living.

We are now 10-12 minutes max from the school.

The compound clubhouse has its own mini-market, so buying bread, eggs, milk, candy, chips, juices, donuts and yes, the occasional fruit or vegetable no longer requires getting in the car.

The clubhouse has its own gym, literally 50 feet from my house, making it impossible for me to not workout. It also has a "library" of donated books, a mail room, and one day, a coffee shop. Ahh.

See - I told you. It's not all bad.

Our New Home

We had to move this summer. Remember the villa drawing? Turns out the villa we drew was not the one we ended up in (damn those dangling prepositions). We received lots of lovely furniture and neighbors so close I can practically touch them while sitting on my back patio. So here our some pictures, for it's my job as family chronicler to document this, right?

Here we go:

View from the front door. Yes. Cavernous. Is that what came to mind?

And look at all that white tile on the floor! Love it.

Lovely white leather sectional sofa. S0 easy to keep clean.

I get to watch my neighbors drive right by my kitchen window. I wave.

Have I mentioned we all work for the same company?

This lovely leather couch and love seat is at least not white.

Hello neighbor number one. Yes. Our backyards abut each other.

Oh, hello neighbor number two! Didn't mean to leave you out.

Wait! More neighbors! View from the upstairs balcony.

Our new home. Sorry, not a home. Not yet. It is simply a villa. In a compound.

Okay - it's not all bad. But I miss our privacy. I miss the lovely, large green space where the kids played. I miss our lagoon beach. I miss hearing the birds. All I hear now is air conditioners humming. But it's not all bad. I'll focus on the good stuff another time.

A Promise Kept, And a Shout Out to Charlotte.

This summer I got to see some of my dearest friends in the world again. There was a time when all of us worked for the same bank (or our spouse did, heh Lisa?), back in the early days of bank failures and bank consolidations in Texas, circa the late 80's. Funny thing is, not one of us actually lives in Dallas, Texas anymore, even though Kathleen and Terri still commute there every day. We have been friends for over 20 years, taken trips together to Mexico, New York and Vegas, witnessed weddings, babies, and moves near and far. We missed you Charlotte Segovia. I expect to see you very soon.

So here's to Lisa, Terri, Kathleen, Gail, Denise, and Charlotte. I promised I'd blog about you. And I'm so glad I did.

One Week In...

One week of school under our belts. It has taken me this long to get it together enough to finally post these pictures. Between the jet lag and the new villa (another blog post of its own), and Qtel's abominable upload speed, I just couldn't manage this post any sooner.

Anyway - here we are. First (and second and third) day of school pics for all to enjoy:

Kaylie (8th grade), ready and eager for school, riding the bus, first day.

And because I drove the boys to school the first day, I forgot their picture, so had to take Scott's picture (5th grade) the second day.

And then there's John (3rd grade), who finally made it to the bus the third day. Little stinker. I love him so, but that kid never wants to go to school. So I drove him the first two days. How nice to be so much closer to school.

I, the dutiful mother, walked the kids to the bus stop. We are used to having the bus come to our front door, but those days are gone. Buses were there waiting. And that has been the only time so far I have walked them to the bus stop. Instead, I stand outside in my pajamas, tea in hand and watch them walk away, waving and proclaiming my love down the street.

And finally, all is well in the world.

We took a trip, revoltuion be damned.

We saw some kinda cool things...

And we did some kinda cool things...

Where are the pics from Tahir Square, you ask? Apparently we have limits.

A view of Expat Life

Being an expat sometimes means not being in charge of your own housing. Not in Qatar. No choice. And, after 3 years in one villa, we are being moved to another villa. Here's how it works:

1. Show up at a "town hall" meeting. This is a nice euphemism for "villa drawing."

2. WAIT, and wait, and wait for your name to be drawn out of a hat.

3. Proceed to the next table where there is a bowl with only 4 slips of paper left, reach in and voila! Your new home has been determined.

4. Proceed to the compound map where every single person who has drawn before you is still standing, visualizing where your new villa will be, and marvel at the "villa-trading" taking place before your eyes. Realize how many people will be living in the new compound, all of whom WORK FOR THE SAME COMPANY! Wonder how successful you will be at staying out of compound politics.

5. Rejoice in the multicolored hues of your new villa, no sandstone-villas here, and admire the very modern lighting fixtures you will enjoy.

And just like that, you have a new home. Welcome to Qatar.

Not to be Outdone

Her brothers may have won trophies at their "little wooden car race", but this older sister can claim a championship of her own.

Little League Softball for girls of almost all ages, at least 5th through 8th graders. 4 Qatar teams playing each Saturday for fun and bragging rights. And from that, then, a tournament team put together to take to Dubai. 4 teams there - Qatar, two from Dubai, and one from Kuwait.

Qatar got themselves some Champions. Way to go, girls!

(Cuz who says athletes can't also be cute?)

It was a Two-fer!

Pinewood Derby Day for Cub Scouts. We were rookies. Didn't know what to expect. Steve and the boys worked hard on those cars. But were we really ready? Lots of preparataion, "We are here to have fun... It's not about winning... Right?" Right.

But look at my boys, winners, both of them.

: