Happy Birthday to ME!

Today is my birthday and it is so bittersweet. I've always loved b'days and enjoyed celebrating mine and my families through the years. This year is different because my family isn't here to make wise cracks about me getting old- never thought I would miss that! But I did speak with each of my lovely daughters and will Skype with my mom later today. I'll take them however I can get them, even if it is only over an Internet connection, and be grateful. My sweet Jimmy got me exactly what I wanted for my b'day- a metal detector! Yeah, I'm a nerd. I look out the window at the beach everyday and I believe there is buried treasure just waiting to be found! OK, maybe that is a bit much but seriously how can there not be at least something?! I need a hobby and this sounds as good as any. It's a very nice detector that senses if a found item is a bottle cap or coin or jewelry before you even dig up. I can't wait to try it out! Metal detecting is legal here but you must be on public property and are likely to draw some attention because it is very uncommon. Wish me luck!!


I've had several people ask me to post pics of me wearing my abaya.

I know its not flattering- I'm really not THAT big! Abaya's are supposed to be very loose so as not to reveal the female form. Notice the cuffs- they are really unique.

Very comfortable. I'm usually freezing in conference rooms and other peoples offices but this keeps me warm with being hot.

Gotcha' the crab is doing very well. Jimmy went to a pet store in Abu Dhabi and bought him a real "crabitat". We go to the beach every weekend and get fresh wet sand and plenty of fresh salt water. We throw out the old sand and water and put in the new. I believe there is plankton and stuff in the sand and water he needs to survive. Jimmy also bought him "crablets"- crab food tablets to make sure he has a balanced diet. We must be doing something right because he is thriving. He also seems to e getting used to us because he doesn't curl up into his shell everytime we approach his crabitat; sometimes but not always. Here are some pics-

Jimmy getting Gotcha'. This pic was taken before we did his weekly housekeeping.

The sand and the water are deeper now.

Jimmy picked him up completely out of the water and he didn't hide in his shell!  Jimmy does have a way with animals I just didn't know it extended to crustaceans!

I told you all in my last post about Covenant Garden; the vendors that set up booths in our area of The Walk. There are approximately 50-60 individual booths selling a wide variety of items. Here are some pics-

 This is the water fountain located immediately when you exit the parking garage from where we live onto The Walk. You can see there are lots of people milling about and stopping for a moment to enjoy the fountain with thier children or catch up on emails! There are many, many water fountains and water features all along The Walk.

One of the vendor booths displaying colorful and unique dresses.

Jewelry booth.

Random shot of another jewelry booth. I think the booth in the background had masks on display.

Looking at the area where some of the vendors are set up. Lots of people enjoying the mild temperatures and wandering among the booths.

Long dresses, short dresses and tops. It has been really windy the past several days as you can see by the dresses billowing in the breeze.

This pic is for my mom-she loves all things Egyptian! This booth has Egyptian style items for sale. Alot of the items are very good quality, handmade and imported so it is not all "flea market" tourist trap type stuff.

More jewelry and other items- not sure of the country of origin for this booth.

This is a ground level open type fountain in front of the main entrance of the Sofitel. The water randomly shoots upwards from the spigots. As you can see this is a favorite with the children!

Did you notice the car in the background from the last pic? This is a Rolls Royce parked in front of the main entrance of the Sofitel. It was totally loaded, and I mean LOADED, and a convertable! Probably about $500k USD.

Another cool water feature!

Just a little further down and there is another fountain!

This water feature is in front of the main entrance of the Rountana hotel. Water flows in from the fountains at either end and sprays upwards from the spigots in the center.

Last water feature for this post. This a large fountain located in a roundabout along The Walk. It is lit up at night and is especially beautiful because of the discoloration of the metal it is made from due to weathering.

Walking back towards the Covenant Garden area and this Ferrari caught my eye. Hot cars are seen quite often on The Walk, especially cruising after dark. This young man didn't wait for sundown to show off his cool ride and who could blame him! He was actually driving past when he saw I was trying to take his pic and stopped for the photo op.

Passing back through Covenant Garden I couldn't resist this shot of these sky high heels in every color and pattern you can imagine. The red one on the left is sequined. Not exactly the ruby red slippers Dorothy wore in Wizard of Oz but she could have busted a move along the yellow brick road wearing those! Munchkins beware!

So we are almost done taking pics and enjoying a lovely evening on The Walk when Jimmy sees something. In the vase is a beta fish and the plant suspended in a basket at the opening is a bonsai. So now we have two pets! Yes, the vendors are wearing Mickey Mouse ears and a Minnie Mouse bow but they weren't selling anything Disney. It just makes them friendly and approachable and standout from the other vendors. They loved it when I asked for them to be in the pic!

This is our beta fish Cosmo! Jimmy and both grew up with pets and love animals and miss the pets we left behind in Bama. We aren't allowed to have "real" pets like a cat or dog in our apartment so we have to think outside the fur! It is good to have other living things around you so we have a couple of small contained "pets" and a few plants. It's things like that that make a house a home.

Jimmy just got home from work (late meeting) and brought me flowers! Fresh flowers are kind of expensive here so this is a real treat. He does spoil me so! The card was sweet and made me cry...again. I've wept on and off throughout the day because of missing my family so much on a special day. One minute I'm happy as a crab (haha!) and the next I'm sniveling like a school girl. It's not easy being a girl!! Jimmy knows this and dries my tears and makes me smile again. I'm so very lucky to have such a great guy!

Can't wait to Skype with my mom in just a few hours! Much love to every one. You know I miss you and love you. Thanks for all of your support and love.

M&J

PS In case you were wondering and manged to get through this whole post- I'm 49 today.

Gotcha'!!

Hello all! Wow what a difference a couple of weeks makes! The weather has cooled to the low 90's during the day and the water in the Gulf has cooled considerably. During the week the beach is pretty busy and it is packed on the weekends. We usually go right when we get home from work at about 3 pm and stay about an hour. We are early risers even on the weekends so we get down there before the crowds get too thick. Last week the waves were pretty rough. One hit me and knocked me backwards off my feet. I crashed into Jimmy and almost took him down with me. Kids were crying and intimidated by the strong tide coming in. Today is perfect! The water is calm and crystal clear and the the tide is way out allowing for lots of shallow areas for the little ones to splash and play in. We were surrounded by families and not one child cried or was unhappy at all. Because it was early it wasn't too hot and there was a lovely breeze. Heaven on earth! There's lots of activity as well. There is a seasonal event called Covenant Garden that takes place on The Walk. It consists of lots of vendors booths set up Wed. - Sat. selling all kinds of items to the tourists. You can buy shoes, dresses, jewelry, childrens toys and lots of trinkets. I'm posting pics today I took from the bedroom window looking down at the set up but I will post pics of the action up close and personal tomorrow. There is also a staging area being erected on the beach. The Walk has a presence on Facebook and I asked if anyone could tell me what is going on but no news yet. It appears to have four rather large stadium type seating areas facing a center stage and two smaller ones for a different stage. Its still being constructed but I'll keep you all posted. As a side note Janet Jackson performed in Abu Dhabi last night and Kim Kardashian is in Dubai. We didn't go to Janet but there are lots of concerts coming up and we are looking forward to seeing some good acts.

Jimmy and I were enjoying the beach this morning frolicking (me anyway!) in the water and we found a crab! I stayed in the water and followed the crab while Jimmy went to our beach site to get his underwater eyeballs (goggles!). He came back and caught the crab. Jimmy named him Gotcha' and we brought him home with us. We even brought home sand and water from the beach so he wouldn't go into shock or freak out. Jimmy Googled info about crabs and feels confident we can give him a good home and care for him properly. We went to the mall and bought everything we need to make him a nice home. He lives on the balcony in his own little habitat and seems to be OK. We gave him turtle food- dried shrimp so he will be eating well. I keep going to the door and checking on him. He goes up on the beach area we made and then into the water so I guess he is getting acclimated to his new environment. He's moving around and I take that as a good sign.

Remember last post I told you we found breakfast sausage? This is our lovely breakfast on the balcony featuring sausage, eggs, biscuits and gravy. Don't you just love the paper doily place mats?! They add a touch of elegance to our meals!

Gotcha' in his temporary home until we bought him a bigger habitat.

Close up of Gotcha' in his new home. Those two bumps along the top of his shell are his eyes poking out .

Gotcha' in his new home. We made a beach so he can get out of the water and he has water so he can swim around too.

We bought a small table to set his habitat on. He is right outside the door but out of the way so he won't get bumped or knocked over. He is also not in direct sunlight so he won't fry.

Staging area being erected on the beach. You can also see there are alot of cars in the public parking lot and all those spots near the water are people.

Taken from the bedroom window- more of the staging area and you can see there isn't a parking space to be found! This is less than half of the parking area for the beach and every space is taken and cars are circling like vultures for a space to open up. It is almost 6 pm here right now and it is crazy busy!

Taken from the bedroom window looking down on The Walk. All those umbrellas are the booths the vendors set up for Covenant Garden. This is less than half of the whole set up.

Again from the bedroom window- more vendors booths. So much to do and see on The Walk!

I want to give a shout out to my neighbor and financial advisor Kyle. So glad to know you are checking out the blog. Thanks for the email and we will stay in touch for sure. A big hello to Shae- you are a beautiful pregnant lady! Bob, Judy and my other friends who have sent Jimmy & I messages- we miss you all and can't wait to see you at Christmas.

As always- much love to my beautiful girls Ashley, Dara & Tara. I miss you like the dessert misses the rain (haha). Tara- tell John I said Ahalan - Pronounciation: Ah-Ha -Lahn (hello). Mom, Pam & Amy- Miss you so so very much. Christmas is coming!

To all my readers - salam alakom (peace be upon you)!

Peace, love and happiness to all-

M&J

Breakfast Suasage!!!

Hot damn I found it! Actual breakfast sausage! I have been searching for this for the past 6 months. Breakfast sausage in the US is ground (minced) pork seasoned with sage and other spices. It is usually formed into patties and fried and served with breakfast but it has many, many uses. In Dubai most of the grocery stores and smaller grocery marts have a seperate room where pork items are sold. While we usually shop at out regular Spinney's location we have been to many stores and smaller marts seeking items we cannot find at our Spinney's. One of those items is breakfast sausage. Every time we go I diligently look for this elusive item but to no avail. Jimmy teases me for being so persistent. But today I am victorious! At our own little Chorthrams, that I walk to several times a week, I dutifully went to pork room even though I wasn't shopping for pork. And there it was! It is a very good American brand so I know it will be yummy. I can't wait to make biscuits and sausage gravy for my sweetie in the morning! Just had to share this moment with my readers. Great day in Dubai!! Oh, I also went downtown to get my National ID card this morning. They take fingerprints using a scanner so no messy ink and also take your picture. Everyone told me to be prepared for long wait and even the web site says it could take up an hour and a half. But I was in and out in less than half hour. I really am on a roll today!  Sure wish they had the lottery here- I'm feeling very lucky today! Hope all my readers and friends and family are doing well, too. Love you all!

M&J

General Update

I’m now working everyday! The headquarters is located in Abu Dhabi; one hour from where I live in. It sounds pretty bad but not really. Thanks to my best bud Christie I have great music for the ride! She has the best taste in music and I love the CD’s she so painstakingly burns for me. If it weren’t for that it would be a long boring drive. By the way, Christie, I’m going to need a lot more of your custom burned CD’s when I come home at Christmas. It’s worth the hour drive to live in Dubai on The Walk when you have good music to jam to along the way.

I started work at the onset of Ramadan ( August) so the work hours were shortened from 8-4 to 9-3. Also, it is customary for locals to take lots of time off during Ramadan so there was a skeleton staff at best. Everything slows down or essentially shuts down during Ramadan so there wasn’t much to do but I finally have the necessary credentials to access the company network.  Also, during Eid, the end of Ramadan, the company completely shut down for a week.   So I got abbreviated hours for the first month and a week off with full pay to start.

I was working at GAL headquarters but I have been moved to a military base. I really like it out there and am finally actually getting to do some work. There are almost no other women working in my particular area so I have elected to wear an abaya. The military base is very conservative and I will be in meetings with upper brass types. I was told if anyone complained about my attire I would not be allowed back on the base so I am covered from neck to ankles in black; I don’t wear the headscarf. It’s not so bad really. I would have to wear slacks or a dress length below my knees and shoulders must be covered. The abaya is loose fitting and very comfortable. And if I don’t anticipate having to go to GAL HQ then I can wear leggings and a tank top underneath and no one would know the difference. I was told by a couple of the Arabic men I work with I didn’t have to wear an abaya but I don’t want to do anything to risk  offending anyone so I eliminated the risk. They seemed impressed that I respect the culture and would go so far to stay within the dress guidelines. The work hours are from 7-2 so with the hour drive I am working 6-3 just like my former job in the states. Jimmy & I love getting home at three and going to beach in the afternoon- that has been very cool. Well, sort of.

The water in the Gulf is almost as hot as my shower temp- really, that warm. It’s not very refreshing but still better than sitting on the beach under blazing skies at 108 degrees! It’s still nice and because the beach is just across the street we can go for an hour and be back home in the AC pretty quick. In the evening after dinner we try to watch some TV. I say try because that is truly a challenge. There are 8-10 English channels but the problem is the program guide. It may say XXX show starts at 7pm but it is always 10-20 minutes late and may not be the show the guide says will be on. Also, the programs we watched (lots of CSI type shows and comedies- Friends, etc.) disappeared! One day we are watching our regular line up of programs and literally the next they are gone! All of them- not just one or two! The shows that replaced them are really not good and change every day. We never know what show is going to be on what channel from one day to the next. Very frustrating!

Overall we are doing very well. Jimmy gets frustrated at work because it is so difficult and time consuming to get anything done. Paralysis by analysis. It’s the local way to beat everything to death and after a decision has finally been made- to change it. I keep telling him to relax and go with it- we are getting paid the same whether an action takes a week or six months to execute but he is a man of action and can’t stand the wasted time and effort to get even a simple action executed. He is doing better now that I am on the base working with him- I have calming effect on him I guess! And we are making progress on some items.

So here I am a week later finally finishing this post. The weather has cooled to the upper/mid 90’s and the water in the Gulf temp has cooled to about the same as you would bathe a baby. We go to the beach almost every day now after work and it has been great. The TV programming is still screwed up-bad! We finally bought some DVD’s to fill in the gaps- like almost every day!  I love my abaya! I know it may sound crazy but wouldn’t you love to wear shorts and a tank to work and cover up with what is essentially a big nightgown?! I keep a dress and shoes in my car in case I have to go to GAL HQ and wear anything I want every day.

Some shout outs-

Denny- I hope your taking care of yourself! Did you go on your camping trip this year? How is Denver & Jeremy?  I miss you bunches. Tell Tracey I said hey and thanks for taking care of Spike!

Jack & Kay- It was great hearing from you a while back. I hope your health continues to improve, Jack. I sure hope you & Kay have to opportunity to come here someday; we would love to see some friendly faces. Jack- I really miss your leadership. They could learn some lessons from your play book on how to effectively manage and execute a program. The leadership here has good intentions and truly want to make things happen but the process is cumbersome, tedious and time consuming. There doesn’t seem to be a way to cut through the BS as that is an integral part of the process.

John Wilson & ILS buddies- I hope you’re doing well. I miss you a lot!

Bob & Carole- It never took you 6 months to do a scope of work! That is our challenge- sure could use you! Carole you would love it here!

LTPO- Mary, Kate, Tammy, Lisa, Larry, Troy, Steve, Max, Jim, Lupe, Carolyne & Angela- I miss working with such a great team! Like I said earlier- getting things done here is a major exercise in patience and tenacity. You all are such professionals and execute your programs with proficiency. I work with very nice people now but, again, the process is the problem.

Texas & Penn.- Bobby, Joe B., Dave, Jody, Kandis, Crystal, Joe S., James, Bob, Rob,  Ken- Same as above goes for you guys! Can’t is not in your vocabulary- you just find another way to get ‘er done!

Wayne- You are in our prayers; we think of you often and wish you all the best.

Ya’ll keep in touch and don’t forget to check out my blog- heretodaydubaitomorrow@blogspot.com.  I have lots of pics and stuff about living in Dubai. Just a simple country girls view.

Jimmy & I are doing great and happy. We just miss our friends and family so very much! You have a place to stay if anyone wants to visit!

Peace, Love and Happiness to all-

J&M

Good day all! Wow, it is like someone opened a gate and the people are back! During the month of Ramadan (August) The Walk has been like a ghost town. The Walk has been eerily empty and nearly completely devoid of activity. It was rare to see more than 15-20 people on the beach at any given time. All the restaurants have been closed until after 8 pm but by that time I am winding down my day so we didn't eat out the whole month. What a difference a day makes! Literally! On Thursday, 1 Sep. it was a whole different story. The beach is once again filled with teens and families enjoying the beautiful warm water, people are strolling The Walk, stores and restaurants are open and buzzing with activity! I expected things to pick up after Ramadan but not in one day! It is not up to the level of activity during the spring months but it certainly is a complete turn around from the past four weeks. Jimmy & I went to the beach this week for the first time in a long time. The water is very warm. Not quite as hot as bath water but much warmer than any beach or pool I have ever been to. We swam and floated and froliced in the waves (Jimmy doesn't frolic much so that was mostly me!) and it was lovely. The best part of going to the beach are the children. Some are intimidated by the water and the waves and the sheer vastness of the Gulf; they stay very close to mama & papa and mostly play in the sand just close enough to the water so the waves can gently lap around them and they can splash around a bit. Some children run directly into the waves as if they are returning home. They run through the water and are fearless of the waves and depths beyond. It's good the see life return to Dubai.

Jimmy & I went to Atlantis for lunch one day. Atlantis is located at the crest of The Palm and I can see it from where I sit at my computer in our apartment. It is a huge hotel/water park/aquarium with more activities and amenities than I can list. You can Google the details; I can only offer my experience. The main entrance is quite oppulant and grand. There is a virtual army of valets and attendants to assist the guests with loading/unloading luggage and keep cars moving. Atlantis offers numerous shopping venues like jewelry stores, clothing shops, and other unique boutiques. The corridors are very wide and made of granite, marble and tile. There are places along the corridors that have viewing panels of the aquarium which makes you feel as if you are under the sea. There are several restaurants as well. We chose Kaleidescope because it offers an international buffet.

View from the car as we are approaching Atlantis. This is the view from Dubai city.

View of the main entrance. This is the view from the gulf;opposite side that faces Dubai city.

Main entrance to Atlantis. This is outside looking at the main entry doors. Behind me valets and attendants are busily assisting guests.

Water feature to the right of the main entry doors. The same water feature is also on the left of the entry.

Valet parking area at main entrance.

Main lobby of Atlantis. Very elegant and posh. The glass (?) sculpture in the center is beautiful and whimsical. All around us people are checking in/out and getting information, etc. Quite the hub of activity!

Closer view of the sculpture and the people milling about.

Behind the sculpture is a sitting area that looks over the outdoor facilities. The "pearls" in the center of each clam spin as water cascades down into pool below. There are four of these in this seating area.

One of the numerous corridors leading to reastaurants, Atlantis water park or other areas. The corridors are lined with shops and boutiques.

Different corridor. We are wandering around getting hungry looking for the restaurant.

Surprise! At the end of the corridor was a two story viewing panel into the aquarium.

Me in front of the viewing panel.

Different aquarium veiwing panel. This one has a large bowl like structure with a jet stream of water spraying upwards in the center. The scene is set like an ancient site swallowed up into the depths of the ocean. Very cool. There are several of these smaller viewing panels along some of the corridors.

Finally we get the restaurant! Starving after all that meandering around. Like I said Kaliedescope is an international buffet with several serving stations offering different cuisines and the dessert bar was nothing short of AMAZING!!

One serving areas.

Another serving area.

Serving area- this has kid friendly foods.

The dessert area is in the center surrounded by the other serving stations and has three sides. This is one side offering yummy treats to tempt even the most strict dieter!

Close up of the Red Velvet cake surrounded by her friends Tiramisu and Mousse!

One side of the dessert area has a chocolate fountain with a variety of treats waiting to be coated in warm chocolate. The hand rails you see are steps so children can make thier own selections and hold the skewer as the chocolate flows over the treat. The coolest part by far!

After a lovely lunch we went for a stroll on the grounds. Because we weren't guests we weren't allowed in certain areas but we did get to see quite a bit.This is a vew into the Royal Pool area. It's an wonderful oasis with a huge sprawling pool of varying depths. There are plenty of lounging chairs and even private cabanas that can be rented. The cabanas are canvas covered square rooms open on one side. There is seating in each one. It doesn't offer a cooling system but it doesn't provide more privacy and respite from the blazing sun.

Another look inside the Royal Pool area. I inadvertantly got two women in this pic. Can you imagine being covered head to toe in 116 degree weather?! But they were smiling and happy so I can only respect thier choice. Amazing!

Another view. Those are lounging chairs; each one has its own awning type cover that can be opened and provide some shade from the sun.

Remember the clam seating area in the main lobby? This wonderful waterfall is outside those windows. This is the entrance to the main lobby from the Royal Pool area.

I know it is hard to see but that is the temperature gauge in the car reflecting the outdoor temp is 116 degrees fahrenheit/ 46 Celsius. A bit warm!

There is a lot to see on The Palm and I will share more when the activity picks up. I've noticed fewer hits on my blog and I know that is my fault. Rule one of having a blog is to update it often; otherwise you lose your audience. I will make a concerted effort in the future to be more diligent and not wait so long between posts. I hope none of you give up on me! Please let me know if there is something specific you would like to know. As always- love to my family and friends. I miss you and can hardly wait until Christmas to see you again. Take care of each other. Peace, love and happiness-M&J