Pete and Christine

Update!

2012-01-20T00:05:00.000-07:00

Hi there! If you're still checking this blog...perhaps you don't know that I've still been blogging, just over at another address! Pete told me the other day that a few people have mentioned to him that they were disappointed that I shut this blog down. I hope that you can still keep up with our Abu Dhabi adventures over at my other address. The website is: http://abudhabimomma.wordpress.com So update your bookmarks and see you there!
Thanks,
christine :-)

Five Months

2010-11-27T22:57:00.000-07:00

This is a little overdue, but Elise turned 5 months a couple of weeks ago. Just look at that sweet girl and how big she is getting!

Also, I've been keeping another blog since she was born. This might explain my lack of posts on this one. Have a peek if you're interested: BLOG

Happy Halloween!!

2010-11-01T05:04:00.000-06:00

Elise and I hosted the Bumps and Babes group at our house for a Halloween party last week. So much fun!

Elise was so grumpy!

The E's: Elise, Eva, Erin

We lined all the babies up on the couch

Lil Punkin Elise and her momma

One, two, three, FOUR months!

2010-10-15T10:37:00.000-06:00

Elise is four months old today! As of this week, she can roll over...and boy does she love it! She can't quite sit up on her own yet. She can't crawl yet either, but she sure tries! I tried to take a similar monthly photo to the previous ones, but she will NOT stay still. Case in point:

Happy Birthday Baby Elise!

Jebel Hafeet

2010-10-10T00:49:00.000-06:00

We took a little day trip down to Al Ain this Saturday to check out Jebel Hafeet. Though it is not the highest point in the country, it is definitely the highest point anywhere nearby. There is a road that goes to the top where you can see some pretty nice views (on a clear day). I was not too impressed with it - especially the amount of trash and general unkempt look of the roadway. It was one of those things that you just have to do while you're here though, so we went. There is a hotel at the top as well as a little convenience store. Outside there are some very old looking kiddie rides and a few pathetic games.

Quick stop on the way up

There is a palace at the top

The coffee shop was closed, but we were able to get some ice cream and water at the little convenience store.

Who would play this game?! All there was to grab was old foam squares and a really old looking watch.

Elise on one of the rides! (Don't worry, it's not moving...she's not old enough for that, yet!)

The road to the palace: "No Admisition"

Hazy view from the top

Elise Hosts B&B

2010-10-10T00:27:00.000-06:00

Elise and I have been going to a weekly get-together held in our area since before she was even born! The group, called Bumps and Babes, is for pregnant and new mothers and their babies. It's a good chance to meet up with babies that are similar in age and commiserate with the other mothers. Right now, the group is made up of several babies that were all born within a few weeks of each other. It's pretty cool to watch them grow and progress together! This week, we hosted the group at our house. It was a good turn out! We cleared the living room so there would be plenty of room for the babies to play:

You can tell a couple of the babies are enthralled with Baby Einstein on the TV

Happy Birthday Pete

2010-09-24T03:57:00.001-06:00

Awhile back, Pete asked for some photos to decorate the blank walls in his office. I was pregnant at the time and too tired to really get around to it. When I was trying to think of what to get him for his birthday, this finally popped into my head! Here is the little photo collage I put together for his birthday present. Hope he enjoys it! :-)

Happy Birthday Pete!

Roll-y Suitcase

2010-09-17T06:16:00.000-06:00

The guy (Nushad) who hangs stuff up on the wall came over today to put a few shelves up. I snapped a quick pic of the little rolly bag that he brings his stuff in. I don't know why, but it cracks me up every time!

Elise's World

2010-09-17T06:11:00.000-06:00

Elise's room is finally put together, for the most part anyway. A lot of people asked to see pics when I was at home, but I didn't have any because it was still in a bit of a state when we left for Ireland. So here ya go!

Crib and rocking chair - wall decor courtesy of IKEA (and Uncle Steve)

Dresser and changing table (and bright sunshine-y window)

Every room needs a little camel.

Initials on the changing table (The animals they chose are a little random though! Elk, kookabura, and mole??? How about elephant, kangaroo, and monkey?!)

A new play area has suddenly popped up in the living room.

And finally, I just stuck these two photos in a frame together and I really love the juxtaposition of serious and happy. Too cute!

Tres Meses

2010-09-15T11:14:00.000-06:00

She sleeps through the night...and giggles! What a joy! Happy three month birthday little one - love you so so much!

Libertyville "Family"

2010-09-10T11:33:00.000-06:00

Elise and I made a quick stop in Chicago en route to Abu Dhabi. We stayed with our friends Brad and Molly for a few days and Elise got to meet her "cousins" Andrew, Linnea, and Emily. HUGE thanks to the Bacileks for having us. It was great to see you guys!

Andrew has lots of experience with baby girls!

Love this!

Emily enjoyed making funny faces at Elise. SO CUTE!

Farewell Colorado

2010-09-10T11:24:00.000-06:00

Just wanted to give an (overdue) shout out to Bryan and Angela Reid. Thanks for having such a nice BBQ for me before I left! It was such a great chance to see everyone and I know Elise had a great time too ;-) Miss you all...

Fun time at Guido's house

Mom's Bday Wish: A Hike with the Fam

2010-08-22T21:26:00.000-06:00

Elise and I spent our next-to-last weekend in the USA by taking a trip down to Farmington, NM and Durango, CO to visit my sister and my aunt and uncle. It was Leigh-leigh's birthday on Saturday, and her birthday wish was to take a hike! We went to Haviland Lake outside of Durango. The weather could not have been better and Elise enjoyed riding in the Baby Bjorn. Afterwards we headed to Uncle Robby's house for a birthday dinner of BBQ chicken and corn on the cob followed by a delicious chocolate raspberry cake. HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!

A New Blanket

2010-08-19T14:37:00.000-06:00

Elise has received many wonderful gifts in her short little lifetime. Today, she got a really cool one in the mail from my aunt, Gail, my mom's sister who lives in California. She decided to take up sewing again after not having sewed anything in the last 30 years. She just finished an adorable blanket for Elise. Not just any blanket though. This one has a story! It's made out of Hawaiian shirts and has a hand-sewn sun in the middle of it. How cool is that?! Elise just happened to be wearing a dress today that matched the blue/Hawaiian theme of the blanket. What a nice present! THANKS GAIL! :-)

El Rio Grande

2010-08-19T14:17:00.000-06:00

The Mexican food in Abu Dhabi leaves much to be desired...and let's not even TALK about the margaritas they have on offer. Every time I make a trip back to Colorado, enjoying a tasty margarita at The Rio is always on my to-do list. So, I finally made it up to Lone Tree to get one of my favorite beverages of all time with some of my favorite people of all time. YUM!

Two Months...

2010-08-16T12:37:00.001-06:00

Happy TWO MONTH birthday to my little Elise. Look how much fun we've been having in Colorado!

Bathtime with Leigh-leigh

Trip to the Shrine on Cheyenne Mountain

First trip to the ZOO!! (with your adopted Grampy Dave)

Meeting your cousin Taylor

and your Auntie Katharine

It is amazing how much it seems like you have grown up in such a short amount of time. I am starting to see some of your personality in the form of lots of funny faces and little giggles. You are getting a lot better at sleeping now, which is making me love you even more ;-) Everywhere we go, people tell me how adorable you are (and they also comment on your unique stroller quite a bit too!) I'm so looking forward to the days, weeks, and months ahead where I will get to know you a little more each day. I love you SO MUCH little one. Happy birthday!

Elise in Action

2010-08-05T19:15:00.000-06:00

These videos are mostly for Pete, since he is missing his little girl, but you can enjoy them too! She's getting so grown up!

Ireland!

2010-07-27T19:36:00.000-06:00

Here's my little video of pics from our trip. We had a blast! ENJOY! :-)

If you have any questions about where some of the pics are from, just post them in the comments.

Whilrwind

2010-07-27T13:48:00.000-06:00

Elise and I said goodbye to Pete at the Dublin airport and are now back in Colorado for a summertime visit. We had an awesome time in Ireland and Elise was on her best behavior for most of the trip! I'm working on a slideshow of our pictures...so stay tuned. Until then, here's a snapshot of our trip:

Ireland, here we come!

2010-07-16T09:26:00.000-06:00

Pete and I took Elise on her first plane ride on her 1 month birthday. We are now in Ireland to attend a wedding this Saturday and then we are taking a little road trip around the country for the next week. The wee one did an amazing job on the plane! She was chilled out the whole time and we were lucky enough to score and empty seat next to us. We had the whole row to ourselves and Elise could stretch out.

Ready for take-off - how huge does that seatbelt look compared to her?!

The family, so excited to be escaping the heat!

One Month Tomorrow

2010-07-14T01:28:00.000-06:00

My little Elise...

Is it possible that a whole month has passed already!? It has been so amazing getting to know you the last few weeks. It has been a time full of sleepless nights, gross smells, and quite a bit of spit up...but it has also included some amazing things too!

Like crazy hair days

And naps with your daddy

And meeting new friends

And a whole lot of snuggling with your momma.

I love you so much! Happy ONE MONTH Birthday little one.

She's ready to hit the road

2010-07-05T09:46:00.001-06:00

Passport photo courtesy of Steven

Introducing...Elise Katharine Molnar!!!

2010-07-02T05:53:00.002-06:00

Sorry for the er....delay...in putting pics up of our baby girl. I've been pretty busy and exhausted since her arrival. She was born at 6:55 pm on Tuesday, June 15th - weighing in at a whopping 9 lbs 13 oz! She made her debut 24 hours after (Grandma)Leigh and (Uncle)Steven got in from Colorado. After a brief stay in the NICU (due to low blood sugar...she's fine though!) we were able to bring her home that Friday afternoon. Isn't she cute??? :-)

At the hospital

Finally home, hanging out with Daddy

Sleeping in her Bugaboo

Reading books

Nesting, Part III

2010-06-11T01:06:00.001-06:00

The rest of the house is NOT inspired by the HGTV Dream Home. In fact, I liked the master bedroom so much that I never really looked at any of the other pics of the house. Anyway, here is our living room:

Before:

After:

A wedding gift: "May the warm winds of heaven blow softly on this house"

Any day now...

2010-06-10T22:44:00.000-06:00

39 weeks, 4 days:

See that look on my face? That's the holy cow, I can't believe it's already been nine months face.

Nesting, Part II

2010-06-10T03:50:00.002-06:00

I have pretty much finished decorating our Abu Dhabi "dream home". I was inspired by the pictures of the 2010 HGTV Dream Home. Here are some pics of the master bedroom...

This is my inspiration:

Source

Before:

After!

How does it look?

All of my crap - corralled in the corner, plus a little mosaic that we bought in Jordan.

Full-length mirror (and bump)

Pete's "Baby"

2010-06-07T04:40:00.002-06:00

A video of one of the projects Pete's company is working on here in Abu Dhabi. Hopefully there will be pictures of a real baby sometime soon. :-)

33 Weeks

2010-04-29T05:56:00.000-06:00

The bump got decorated this week:

Finally, PETRA!

2010-04-24T23:57:00.000-06:00

The second day of our 3 day tour with Wajdi (the driver) landed us in probably the most famous place in Jordan - Petra. It was chosen in 2007 as one of the new Seven Wonders of the World, and it definitely lives up to that designation. It is an entire city, carved into solid rock, that was first built and inhabited about 2000 years ago. We had to wake up pretty early to get a good start on the day, and we weren't really sure what to expect, but both of us were blown away with the place. Truly amazing!

One of the first things you see, a huge tomb, during the walk into Petra.

Standing at the beginning of the Siq - the only way in or out of Petra.

The Siq is a deep canyon that is about a kilometer long. Being the only way in, this is how the Nabateans who first lived in Petra were able to protect themselves from intruders.

One option to enter is by taking a ride on one of these rickety horse carriages. The ride was looking WAY too bumpy for me, so we just walked.

One you get through the Siq, the first site you see if the Treasury. It is probably the most famous of all the ruins. This entire building was carved straight into the sandstone of the canyon. It is hard to describe how impressive a sight it was!

Also...I got to meet the author of a book I just read while we were there, Marguerite van Geldermalsen. She was married to one of the bedouins who inhabited Petra more recently (They got married in the 70's). She wrote a crazy book about her experiences called Married to a Bedouin. She still lives in Jordan and keeps a shop in the canyon!

Mount Nebo, Madaba Mosaics, and a Castle

2010-04-20T09:52:00.001-06:00

On Day 3 of our trip, Pete and I were picked up by a driver in a sweet Mercedes to go on a guided tour for the next three days. Our first stop with our driver (Wajdi) was Mount Nebo - where Moses was given a view of the promised land that God was giving to the Israelites. It is also thought that Moses was buried in the area. The weather for our journey was absolutely perfect, and it was so nice to be away from the sweltering heat of Abu Dhabi.

Jordan is second in the world for producing mosaics (after Italy).

An Italian artist was commissioned to produce a sculpture for the summit of Mount Nebo. The result was this piece based on the biblical story of how Moses supposedly turned a snake into a staff.

The overpriced tourist-trap mosaic shop in Madaba. There is a foundation in Jordan that was started by the Queen to employ handicapped women in the country. The women work a max of 4 hours a day producing some pretty amazing mosaics. Unfortunately, they are sold for wayyyy too much! (We were able to get a deal on 2 when we went back to Amman)

We also stopped at Kerak Castle, which was built during the time of the Crusades. It is pretty huge and impressive, but it was insanely windy when we were there, and Pete and I realized that maybe we're not the best tourists when it comes to visiting old ruins. (This staircase led to a doorway that was a total dropoff with no guard rail or anything - probably wouldn't see that at home!)

Every place we stopped had tourist police. We're not really sure exactly what their job is, but I guess they must be necessary.

Yum!

2010-04-18T23:37:00.000-06:00

This guy is making Jordanian bread called shraak. It is reeeally thin and stretchy and delicious.

More fresh, tasty bread!

The butcher shop next to the bakery.

Roman Ruins at Jerash

2010-04-18T23:27:00.001-06:00

Just north of Amman, Jordan is the city of Jerash. We headed there for a visit on Day 3 of our trip. Neither Pete or I had ever been to see ruins such as this, so it was pretty cool...but the annoying wind and dust kind of made us ready to go home after only being there a short time!

Amphitheater where they STILL have shows (I wish I could go to one)

Did not expect to see bagpipers in Jordan

Sitting on the steps of the amphitheater

Roman columns and Pete

The old road going through the city. There were ruts where the carts used to go down the road and manholes too!

Buoyancy

2010-04-16T08:16:00.000-06:00

After we visited the baptism site, we headed towards the Dead Sea. We checked in for the day at the Holiday Inn...

Then we headed down to the beach to cover ourselves in Dead Sea MUD!

Pete and Waleed floated out to wash it all off.

I enjoyed feeling weightless for a bit. You float so much that you can't even put your feet down to touch the bottom - the water just bobs you right back up! It is a very strange feeling.

Pete had fun taking pics of the bump.

Apparently, the thing to do is to bring a magazine and take pics of yourself reading it while being held up by the water. We didn't bring one, so I just took a pic of someone else doing it. :-)

I saw this funny sign by the bathrooms at the Holiday Inn...reminded me of the things I have to look forward to.

Where Cheesus Was Baptized

2010-04-16T03:00:00.000-06:00

Waking up in Jordan on Day 2, we prepared for a day trip to the Baptism Site of Jesus (or, as our guide pronounced it: "Cheesus") and then to the Dead Sea. The baptism site is on the Jordan River, which runs along the border of Israel and Jordan. There was a lot of military presence in the area. Apparently, it was only opened to the public in the last few years because they didn't even want people visiting the area! Now there are several different churches under construction on the Jordan side of the river for those visiting this Holy Site.

The baptism site is right at the bottom of those stairs behind me...

A mosaic map detailing the area.

Pete and I in front of one of the churches.

Pete found some kittens in one of the gift shops - much to his dismay we had to leave this little guy there.

Welcome to Jordan

2010-04-15T08:00:00.000-06:00

We arrived in Jordan last Friday and were greeted by gorgeous weather and a nice change of scenery.

We stopped on the highway to buy some freshly picked chickpeas from these young lads.

Green! Trees! Hillsides! Really...amazing.

We stayed the first few nights at Ayyoub household (the family of one of Pete's coworkers). One of the son's showed of his oud-playing skills.

I Scream...

2010-04-15T07:54:00.000-06:00

You scream, we all scream, for ICE CREAM!!!
There is an ice cream man in our neighborhood now - just in time for the sweltering heat of summer. The kids even run and chase after it, just like they do at home! Soon enough, I'm gonna have to go inside to eat my ice cream, or risk having it melt down my arm in 3.7 seconds.

My Favorite Place in Dubai

2010-03-28T00:14:00.000-06:00

Since the weather is slowly deteriorating here, I thought it would be nice to fit a few activities into some of our few remaining weekends of good weather. This included taking Pete for a visit to my favorite place in Dubai. I went there around this time last year, so I knew it would be HOT, but it was well worth a visit.

We started with a delicious lunch and refreshing mint lemonade,

then we went exploring around the courtyard (this is Pete, ducking to come out of the tiny bathroom door),

after lunch we appreciated some of the artwork on display,

including this phone - covered in melted wax,

then found a shady alleyway to escape from the sun (can you see the bump?),

and we even saw a really old tree (planted in 1890)!

Last Minute BBQ

2010-03-27T23:58:00.000-06:00

We somehow managed to plan a very impromptu BBQ and birthday celebration at our villa last weekend. It was the week of Saint Patrick's Day, and also our Irish friend Dave's 33rd birthday (and the weather is still just nice enough), so we thought what the heck? Everyone who came brought a side dish, so we were all very well fed in addition to the burgers, sausages, and chicken wings that Pete grilled up.

We had to borrow a few chairs to accommodate everyone!

Happy Birthday Dave!

Pete getting in some practice with little Reuben :-)

Important Weekend Errands

2010-03-08T05:19:00.001-07:00

Pete and I had a couple of important things to do this weekend:

This included trying out the one and only Taco Bell in the UAE (located inside of Dubai Mall). It was kind of a letdown, but I'm glad we tried it anyway. It was a good attempt at getting a little piece of home right here in the Middle East.

The mall also has a really cool multi-storey fountain, a full-sized ice skating rink, and a huge aquarium (and about a million shops)!

We also stopped by Rajab, the tailor where Pete is going to get some suits made. With the exception of the local attire, most of the clothes (and shoes) in this country are not made for someone as tall as Pete, so he has a really tough time finding any ready-made items. He had a couple of suits and dress shirts made for him last year and they turned out wonderfully, so we went back for round two. By the time we leave here, Nasser and Pete will probably become very close friends...

A custom fit!

Springtime Rain

2010-03-04T06:09:00.002-07:00

In the middle of the night on Monday this week, Pete and I woke up to some crazy thunder and lightning at about 2:00 am. Having dealt with some leaky windows in our house during a rainstorm a few days before, we decided to get out of bed and check the weather. We were faced with this:

Once we shored up the water that was coming in the windows on one side of the house, we (Pete) had to tackle the odd little cubby hole located in our upstairs hallway. We're not exactly what the original intention of this thing was, but it seems that the little doorway opens up to a tube that runs straight up to a large funnel on the roof. Water was pouring in!

After the bucket filled up about 4 times in 15 minutes, we moved onto a larger container:

The rain finally started to slow down and thankfully, this bucket never overflowed. Here is a close-up of Pete's creative problem-solving:

Also, we finally got that backyard pool we've always wanted:

February Highlights

2010-02-28T05:17:00.004-07:00

The month of February has completely flown by this year! I can't believe it's already been over a month that I've been back in Abu Dhabi. Here are a few pictures from the shortest (and one of the nicest months, here at least) of the year:

The weather in Abu Dhabi is great for outdoor BBQs right now! We have been enjoying our fair share of grilled delights:

My older brother, Chas, joined facebook, so now I get to hear from Chas and see pics of my niece and nephew way more often than I did before! Miss you guys! :-)

Pete and I stayed home for Valentine's Day this year and I cooked a tasty meal to celebrate - salmon with dill, risotto, and steamed broccoli. Yummmm!

We had another ultrasound and got some pretty amazing pictures of the baby. Boy or girl? What do you think?

I got to meet Benson and Mikayla, my friend Julie's kiddos from Ethiopia. She and her husband Damian were able to bring them home on Christmas morning, but I only just met them. What beautiful babies they are! Congrats guys!

More baby-related celebration was in store as my friend Jane is preparing for the arrival of her first child sometime in March. We had a baby shower at my house to celebrate. I created a fruit pizza (among other things) for the guests.

Here's Jane at the table before the rest of the party showed up. Looking good Jane!

The Rainbow Car Museum

2010-02-13T23:23:00.001-07:00

Pete and I took a little drive out to the middle of the desert this weekend to pay a visit to the Emirates National Auto Museum. It is the private collection of H.H. Sheikh Hamad Bin Hamdan Al Nahyan. For not really being that into cars, it was still worth the visit! Check out some of the crazy vehicles this guy has!

This Mercedes greets you at the doorway.

Hello Tasmania!!! :-)

Entry into the 1993 Guinness Book of World Records...

8 bedroom, 8 bathroom, 4 car garage caravan on wheels. I'd love to take this thing out to the desert!

I'm not sure what kind of vehicle you'd need to pull it though.

"The Rainbow Sheikh"

Rainbow Mini

Do you think this truck might be large enough to pull the camper that was outside?

A cop car and a New York City taxi!

I think Lady Gaga would like to take this golfing

Pete's vehicle of choice. Only the 2nd F-350 we've seen in this country.

Check out the rainbow collection of Mercedes:

In case you were wondering...

2010-02-11T02:59:00.001-07:00

Yes, we're having a baby! The due date is June 14th.

Just the other day, I woke up and my stomach was suddenly protruding. Wanna see?

22 weeks

Nesting...

2010-02-11T02:54:00.000-07:00

Since I've been back in Abu Dhabi, I've been working on putting some finishing touches on our villa (before we tackle the baby room). My inspiration for the master bedroom is this years HGTV dream home. I'll put some more photos up once the transformation is complete!

Camel Ride

2010-02-07T04:12:00.000-07:00

A few photos Pete took on his drive to Al Ain (about an hour away) for work the other day.

Elvis camel!

Highlights from 2009

2010-01-29T21:40:00.001-07:00

New and Improved Version! :-)

Giving Thanks

2009-11-30T08:57:00.002-07:00

We celebrated an All-American holiday in Abu Dhabi last week - Thanksgiving!!! Many of our friends here had never attended a Thanksgiving feast, so we thought we'd put on a good spread and bring some of our new "family" over for dinner. (Two things I'm thankful for: Pete's mom was in town to help with do most of the cooking. Thanksgiving fell on the first day of Eid, so it was a holiday for everyone else here too!)

The table is set...

One too many cooks in the kitchen?

The gentlemen say they are thankful they don't have to cook!

Getting ready to sit down: Pam, Mandy, Aitch, Jayne, Sinead, Dave, Katia, Jane, Walid, Maria, Pete, Me, Mark (and Erik, behind the camera)

Pre-carving - 19 lb turkey

I could be wrong, but I think Thanksgiving might be Dave's new favorite holiday - I swear the man has a hollow leg!

The aftermath

Privilege Parking

2009-11-30T08:35:00.000-07:00

If I had one of these cars, I could park right up front at hotels in Dubai too!

Crash

2009-11-30T08:30:00.000-07:00

Poor abandoned car left on the side of the road near our house...

Pete's Mom at Emirates Palace

2009-11-22T09:10:00.001-07:00

Pete's mom is in town visiting for the next few days. One of the first places we went to see in Abu Dhabi was Emirates Palace. There's an exhibit there at the moment with models of the upcoming developments on Saadiyat Island (the Island of Happiness). But, there was also a short-term exhibit of art from India. Definitely glad I got to see it while it's here.

Maria - in front of the entrance

The main part of the lobby - looking up!

- - - - - Saadiyat Island - - - - -

Saadiyat Island Guggenheim

The Louvre - of course

The Marine Museum

- - - - - The Indian Exhibit - - - - -

I love this guy and his bike...

...all made out of watches

Traffic

2009-11-15T10:21:00.003-07:00

Sometimes I like to take pictures when I'm sitting at stop lights:

Ferrari

Mercedes

Bentley

I like the license plate.

I was surprised to see this bumper sticker.

Surprise Visitor

2009-11-15T10:17:00.003-07:00

This lizard somehow found his way into our villa this week. For being so small, he certainly had the ability to SCARE THE CRAP OUT OF ME! Luckily, Pete got home shortly after this pic was taken and carefully took the little guy outside.

Abu Dhabi Saturday Night

2009-11-15T10:13:00.004-07:00

I snapped this (crappy) photo of 9 young men enjoying some tasty shawarmas outside our favorite Lebanese place in Abu Dhabi, Al Rousha. Looked like they were having a great time and enjoying the nice change of weather.

Muscat, Oman

2009-11-07T10:06:00.005-07:00

The last weekend of October was dubbed Formula One Weekend by just about everybody in Abu Dhabi. I like to think of it as Halloween weekend. Or even, the weekend I can start the one-month-til-I-go-home-for-Christmas countdown. People from all over the world came to our little town to see the grand opening of Yas Island and all it had to offer - including a new Formula One race track and the Grand Prix on November 1. Pete and I had little to no interest in going to see the race, so we decided to head out of town for the weekend to Muscat, Oman. Including the time spent getting the proper slips of paper at the border, it's about a 6 hour trek from Abu Dhabs. It was absolutely wonderful to get out of town for a couple of days and just chill.

Mountains! As soon as you cross the border

The hotel we stayed at has its own little private cove on the beach. I was in heaven!

The view from my lounge chair :-)

The view of the cove from our balcony

Pete checking out one of the 2 brand new Ferraris parked in front of the hotel

The second night there we headed into the town of Muscat to go to the Mutrah Souk. There were loads of these little stalls selling frankincense. The smell was SO strong!

This guy was selling a variety of lentils, beans and kernel-y kinds of things.

The lights of a mosque we stumbled upon when we wandered out of the souk

Cooking Class

2009-10-29T01:27:00.004-06:00

Last weeks activities for me included a cooking class at an Italian restaurant near Al Bateen port called Riviera. There were 16 women in the class, which was taught by the head chef, Vittorrio. He showed us how to make homemade pasta! (That will never happen). How to simmer bolognese sauce for nine hours! (Again, probably will never happen). And how to make lasagna topped with homemade bechamel sauce. (It was actually really good! I might try it at home.) At the end of the three hour class all 16 women were completely ravenous. At this point, they showed us how to make pizza and then served up the two small pizzas. I've never seen two pizzas disappear sooooo fast. Wow. At the end we got to eat our (their) creations, but I think I was so hungry at that point that I totally forgot to take pictures of the final product. It just looked like lasagna though, so you can use your imagination. :-)

Vittorio showing us the different kinds of tomato sauce.

The assistant putting the meat into the bolognese sauce.

Getting ready to pull the pizzas out of the oven

What $10 can get you

2009-10-25T06:02:00.003-06:00

...In the produce section at Lulu's:

The apples are from "USA" (Washington), the potatoes from "China," and the bananas came all the way from "Phillippians."

Birthday Boat Cruise

2009-10-23T03:59:00.003-06:00

Months ago, my friend Sinead and I figured out that our birthdays are on the same day! We sort of had the idea to have a big party together to celebrate, but never really got around to planning anything. Fortunately, we have amazing husbands who got together and planned a surprise for us!

On Thursday night, Pete got home from work and told me we were going out to try an Arabic restaurant that was recommended by a friend from work. I got ready and we headed out to Mina Port for dinner. When we pulled into the parking area, Sinead and her husband Dave were there too. I was SO confused! What were the chances that they would be at the same restaurant as us? (I had NO IDEA I was in for a surprise!) Once we were out of the car, the four of us boarded a huge dhow boat. At this point, I thought that we were just going to join up on one of the dinner cruises that goes down the Corniche in Abu Dhabi. Then, more friends started showing up! By the time we "set sail" I had finally realized that we had the whole boat to ourselves for our very own birthday party! What an awesome birthday surprise it was :-)

The party is just getting started - waiting to leave the port.

Pretty sweet spread, huh?

Our birthday cake had fireworks on the top of it.

They spelled Sinead wrong ;-)

The birthday girls

Completely stuffed and on our way back to land

The entire party - Waleed, Eric, Drew, Karma, Me, Pete, Pam, Julie, Damian, Sinead, Dave, Mandy, Jen, and Nick

Mariachis in Abu Dhabi?

2009-10-23T03:51:00.004-06:00

Who would have thought that there would be a mariachi band playing at a British pub in the Middle East?

They even played Guantanamera!

It's finally nice enough to hang out outdoors! I believe that calls for celebration :-)

Day trip to Al Ain

2009-10-14T06:20:00.004-06:00

I signed up for a day trip with one of the ladies groups that I'm a part of here. The trip was to a "palace" and to the zoo in Al Ain. When I signed up...October seemed a long ways off, and we were all pretty sure the weather would have cooled down by then. Hmmm...maybe, not so much! Anyway, it was nice to get away for a day and the company was good, so I'd say it was a fine day despite the HOT weather!

At the "palace" (which was really more of a museum, and not so palatial after all): Looking cooool in the sweltering heat. (Georgie, me, Ruth, Sally, and Sinead)

This one's for Pete

Just in case you were wondering

Such a small bed for a palace!

On the way out...back to the bus for some lunch and air-conditioning!

We watched the macaque monkeys cannonball into their little pool for about 20 minutes. It was pretty much the most entertaining thing at the zoo...

Pete's Birthday!!!

2009-10-14T06:01:00.003-06:00

A few pics from Pete's birthday weekend:

Our new dining room table arrived just in time for the party!

Homemade cake...it's no Andre's, but I'd say it was still pretty good

Entire pack of candles ;-)

The following day we went out for brunch in Dubai with Norman and Eric

I wore the same thing...

Gummy lips from the "candy bar" at the brunch

After brunch, we went outside to enjoy a few drinks, a good view, and some gorgeous afternoon sun!

It was kind of hot though...

~~~Great weekend overall! HAPPY BIRTHDAY PETE!!!~~~

The Burj Dubai, on a clear day

2009-09-17T05:19:00.001-06:00

This is the best view of this big building that I've had since we moved here.

A few pictures of our new place....

2009-09-17T05:14:00.004-06:00

I know you all have been waiting to see where we live, so here ya go!

Me, standing at the front door on moving day

Our lovely backyard

Our room (thank you, Home Centre)

No bathroom is complete without a bidet

Pete happy to be sitting in his own living room, FINALLY! :-)

More pictures to come, when we get the place a little bit more settled.

Iftar at Bab al Shams

2009-09-17T04:55:00.004-06:00

Last week, Pete and I made the trek out to the Bab Al Shams hotel for an iftar dinner with some of his co-workers. This place is about an hour from both Dubai and Abu Dhabi, so it is pretty well out into the middle of the desert. It was really beautiful though! I hope we get to go back for a stay at some point.

We wanted to make sure and get there before sundown because trying to find this place in the dark could be very challenging.

We got to go take a look around the hotel grounds before we headed to the restaurant for iftar dinner.

We didn't realize that we would be sitting OUTSIDE! Yikes! It was a liiiittle on the warm side ;-) Thankfully, the staff kept everyone cool with a constant supply of frozen washcloths.

This pic kinda stinks...but you can kind of see that the Iftar buffet was huge! It kind of reminded me of a big desert carnival. They also had dancers and people playing music...but I forgot to get a picture!

A variety of dates.

I got some henna done!

There were camels around if anyone wanted to take a ride...or a photo.

My henna design, after the stuff peeled off.

Cartoon Network

2009-08-25T08:17:00.003-06:00

I had to put up a pic of this TV show Pete and I saw today! The cartoon women in the show are wearing one version of the face-covering style that we see in Abu Dhabi - a metal faceplate (called a batoola). It is supposed to be one of the more traditional, old-fashioned versions of their headwear. I wish I had a photo version of what the real thing looks like...

Ramadan Kareem

2009-08-25T06:07:00.003-06:00

Ramadan is in full swing here in Abu Dhabi. For those of you who don't know much about this yearly Muslim holiday, here's what you need to know. Most importantly, this is a time of fasting for all Muslims. Their daily fast begins after the first prayer, which starts as soon as the sun comes up, and goes all day until sunset. At sunset, they break their fast with dates and have their final prayer and then it is time for IFTAR!!! Iftar is the big meal at the end of the day...and it is BIG! Most of the restaurants here serve iftar buffets every night of the week during Ramadan, rather than carrying their regular menu. And, they are also pretty much closed during the day. What does this time mean for the rest of us? Well, mainly the city slows down A LOT during the day. Work hours are shorter, many of the shops are closed, and food and drink is very hard to come by. Non-muslims are not meant to eat, drink, smoke, or even chew gum during fasting hours. It definitely makes things interesting! I could put up some pictures of people sitting around...not eating or drinking, but that's not very exciting, so I thought I'd show you what else we've been up to lately.

I took this when we were driving home on Corniche Road on the first night of Ramadan. The whole town is all decked out with lights!

After iftar, the malls get pretty crazy. They have the motorcycle in Marina Mall that the guy (Paul Senior) from Orange County Choppers made. Kinda cool?

We broke our fast in Dubai the first weekend of Ramadan. Pete and his friend Eric decided to partake in a Cuban to celebrate ;-)

Stay tuned...

We are moving this week! Once I get some pics and we get the internet, I'll be sure to put up some photos of our new digs!!! YAY!

Furniture Shopping

2009-08-19T01:28:00.003-06:00

After months of experiencing the "Inshallah Factor" when it came to moving, Pete and I have finally found a place to live! We should be moving out of the Hilton Corniche Residence sometime in the next week...inshallah. The place that we settled on is a sweet four bedroom villa in the Sas Al Nakheel development, just outside of town. (Yes, that means we have room for visitors!) Since we won't be mooching hotel towels, or furniture for that matter, to deck out our place, we had to brave the crazy world of furniture shopping in Abu Dhabi last weekend. We went to the typical destinations (IKEA, Home Centre) but also scoped out some bargains at some of the lesser known haunts. After this whole experience, I can now understand why so many expats have such similar furniture. The choices were endless, but the style was just a little bit extravagant.

We scored a great deal on some couches at Home Centre.

We are still on the fence about these lovely chairs, found at Options in Khaladiya Mall.

No living room would be complete with a Lover Seat.

This bed was hard to pass up.

Butter

2009-08-15T12:05:00.006-06:00

A group of us got together last Friday for brunch at the British Club. The brunch lasted most of the day, and the food was great, but my favorite part had to be the butter sculpture of the Sheikh that presided over the spread.

Reminds me of a song...Garden of Simple

Birthday Celebration

2009-08-10T22:57:00.005-06:00

Pete and I went out to help our friend Mike celebrate his birthday in Abu Dhabi style last night. We went out for a delicious meal at the Yacht Club with him and his cousin. We might have stayed out a bit late for a "school night", but it was well worth it!! Happy Birthday Mike!!!

The four of us, and a bottle of vino.

Katie - this pic's for you. ;) I had seafood yakisoba noodles and Pete had Thai glazed chicken. Yummmmmm

Surprise!!! Happy birthday from the crew of the Yacht.

Make a wish, or three...

(thanks to the trick candles!)

Moroccan Bath

2009-08-10T22:48:00.005-06:00

Three friends and I decided to set out for a different spa experience in Abu Dhabi yesterday. One of them had read about a "Moroccan Bath" and massage that cost 130 dirhams at the Violet Flower. Having never heard of such a thing, I decided to go ahead and give it a try. The four of us had no clue what we were getting ourselves into! When we walked into the Violet Flower...we realized that they take that name (and especially COLOR) very seriously. Everything in the salon was violet. The chairs, the curtains, the outfits....

The whole experience involved a soaping up with some mysterious green gunk, a long steam shower, full body scrub down and vigorous exfoliation, and finally an hour long massage - all by a very small, old, albeit aggressive Asian woman wearing shorts, a plastic apron, galoshes and a towel (tied like a bandana) around her head. The somewhat comical image of this little lady will probably stick in my head forever. I won't go into any more detail than that, but this pic from the salon sums up how my skin and muscles felt after the whole ordeal was finished. :-)

:-)

Giant Menu

2009-08-08T12:23:00.001-06:00

Pete and I went out for dinner to the 18 Oz. restaurant with our friend Mike Miro tonight. The food was tasty, but the real take-away for me was the SIZE OF THE MENU....

Playing House

2009-08-08T02:27:00.003-06:00

I've started following a couple of food blogs recently (especially this one) and I felt inspired to give you all at home an idea of what I've been cooking up over here. I got quite a few questions at home about what I make for dinner. The answer isn't all that exciting. Mostly, I cook things that most people probably make at home too. I get to cook in a kitchen that is PlaySkool sized though! Last night, I made chicken stir-fry with zucchini, red pepper, onion, carrots, and broccoli, served over brown rice. YUM!!

The big stove.

Sizzzzle...

The final product. Eat UP!

Sandstorm

2009-08-08T02:23:00.003-06:00

I was greeted with some excellent weather upon my return to Abu Dhabi. The entire city was blanketed in a dense cloud of sand. Here's a view from our balcony:

Wedding Season Finale

2009-08-08T01:20:00.002-06:00

My lovely friend Rachel just sent me a few photos from the last wedding I attended. What a great weekend I had with my teacher school friends!! After teacher school was over, a lot of us took off on new adventures. It was great to have a little mini-reunion back in Colorado. Miss you guys! :-)

Jen, Kari, me, Rachel, and Jodi

With the beautiful bride.

Congratulations Katie and Kevin!!! xoxo

Last Weekend Home

2009-08-04T08:10:00.004-06:00

I thought a good way to big farewell to my lovely little hometown was to head out, downtown, during my last weekend there. My friend Jeremy, who I've known since I was just a munchkin, and a few of his friends were in town visiting family (namely, his brother Andy, who's lived in Colorado Springs for awhile now), and the group headed out to Jack Quinns for a night of Irish pub songs and other Irish-related activities. This was followed by a little tour of Tejon Street, including a tiny, little beer at the World's Smallest Bar.

Rebel, Sweetheart

2009-08-04T07:30:00.007-06:00

I'm really trying to hurry up and post stuff from when I was in Colorado so that I can move on and get back to more Abu Dhabi-related things. So here goes...

The week I got back from Taos, I scored some tickets from a gal on craigslist to see THE WALLFLOWERS at the Denver Botanic Gardens with my lifelong concert-going partner, Katharine (who is moving back to Portland, so it's a good thing I got to see her before she moved and I left!!!! I miss you, K!! xoxo)

A couple of thoughts from the concert:

1) The Botanic Gardens rocks! It is really pretty cool to see a show there. The venue is small and outdoors and the weather was great, so that made for a lovely evening. However, they DO NOT serve drinks, of any kind. So, if you are ever going there to see a show, come prepared, or head to the closest Colfax haunt and pick up the necessary items. Katharine and I enjoyed a lovely bottle of rose. Mmmmm...

2) People actually get to the concert when doors open, and you should too. When Katharine and I arrived at 6:30 pm (doors were at 6) the place was PACKED...with picnickers. Holy cow! Everyone was there with their dining room and kitchen in tow. No joke! All the people around us enjoyed a gourmet picnic during the opening act. :-( Next time we'll know.

Anyway...we didn't really care once the Wallflowers came out, because we got to stand right at the stage!! I've loved this band for a long time and have seen them a few times live, but never this close.

Happy Birthday Nana!

2009-08-02T07:22:00.005-06:00

The third weekend of July was cause for celebration! The Saulsbury's and Campbell's got together for a trip down to Taos, New Mexico to celebrate Nana's birthday. Mom rented a house that was a short walk to the town square and close to lots of beautiful New Mexico sights.

The whole fam fit into the ol' minivan :-) We headed out to dinner at Orlando's our first night there

Molnar & Madrid

Day 2: On the lift going to the top of Taos Mountain. What views!!!

On the ride down... whoa!

New Mexico has a really big sky.

Birthday Dinner for Nana at an AMAZING restaurant, The Stakeout.

The grown-ups were at the other end of the table ;)

The patio was set up for a killer view of the sunset!

Last night out in Taos. Steve-O and I standing in front of a mural painted by George Chacon...who also owns the house we stayed in! So COOOOOOL!!!

Coors Light, Baseball, and BBQ

2009-07-31T22:48:00.005-06:00

Pete made a quick trip out to Colorado to go to my sister's and Guido's weddings. During the short time he was there, we managed to get in a few good Colorado activities. Such as...

A visit to the Coors Brewery in Golden, CO.

They don't have tour guides anymore, just a handheld device that

narrates your journey through the brewery.

I think Pete and Ken were anxious to get to the tasting room at the end.

Not available in Abu Dhabi!

A few snaps from Guido and Angela's beautiful wedding at Hudson Gardens. Unfortunately, rain moved everything inside, but it went great anyway!!

First dance...xoxo

We also hit up the July 3rd Rockies fireworks game vs. the Arizona Diamondbacks. It was a really great game and the Rockies won! After the game we got to (slowly) move down to the outfield to watch the fireworks.

Here we are....waiting to get on the field.

It was definitely worth the wait! What a great show :-)

Pete's visit wouldn't have been complete without a 4th of July barbeque at Ken and Tracee's house! Sarah, John, Baby Caden, and Adam even drove out from Kansas to see Pete during his short stay in Colorado! (Nice job guys!)

Unfortunately, it was raining for most of the night, so everyone

had to hang out in the kitchen: Adam, Atti, Maria, and Charlie.

I was a little tired at this point: Sweater Bob, Me, Margo, and Caroline

Madrid Wedding Weekend in Durango

2009-07-29T04:06:00.005-06:00

The weekend of June 27th brought the Madrid and Saulsbury families together in Durango for a beautiful wedding celebration. My mom rented a sweet casa on the west side of Durango in Dalton Ranch. Most of the family stayed there or in the downtown area.

Pete cooked an amazing spaghetti dinner (with short noodles) for the whole family.

Practice kiss at the rehearsal.

Location of the rehearsal dinner.

Beautiful Bride and her bridesmaids!

Something blue...

"C'mon Pete, try and keep your eyes open!"

Katharine and I showed up naked for part of the reception. LOL!

Lil bro and mother of the bride.

Mike and Katie: Suspicious behavior.

View from the scenic overlook near Wolf Creek Pass.

Hello gorgeous greenness!!!!

Bachelorette Party - CSprings Style

2009-07-29T02:34:00.002-06:00

One of the main reasons I came back for part of the summer was to attend a few weddings. Probably the most important one was my little sisters! The second weekend home, we got some ladies together for her bachelorette party in downtown Colorado Springs. The night started off with some awesome margaritas and delicious fajitas at Jose Muldoons. There was a magician who was showing off some tricks to all of the tables, which threw everyone for a loop. Here are a few of the more memorable pics:

Three Saulsbury's: Page, Caitlyn, and me

The bride to be and her big sis!

Reaction to the magician. His tricks were really pretty crazy.

Best comment from Caitlyn: "Now I know why people used to think

magicians were sent from the devil."

Probably trying to dance to Copperhead Road, which was played a minimum of 5 times.

The whole group, towards the end of the evening:

Page, Robin, Caitlyn, Christine, Jenna, Katharine, and Katie

Welcome home

2009-07-29T02:22:00.002-06:00

When I got back to Colorado on June 10th, I was pleasantly surprised to find out that it had been raining almost every day for most of the summer. Colorado, not being used to this kind of weather, sort seemed to come alive. It seemed especially GREEN compared to the lovely views of sand and sea that I've grown accustomed to in Abu Dhabi.

My mom's awesome garden...bursting with life! :-)

A cool looking cloud, taken from the side of my mom's house.

New Wheels!

2009-05-31T04:59:00.003-06:00

Summer is here...and I think that means it is officially TOO HOT to wait outside for taxis. Rather than stay home all day and mope about the heat...Pete and I decided to make our first "too large to fit in a suitcase" Abu Dhabi purchase: a 2006 Honda Accord. YAY! I can get around town now without the help of Pete or any aromatic taxis. Alhamdullah!!

Me and the new ride.

It even came with a sticker of the Sheikh on the rearview!

Our Abu Dhabi plates

To answer your question...

2009-05-25T09:38:00.005-06:00

To those of you at home who have asked me, "What do you do all day?" :-)

Pedicures in the morning....

Cocktails in the afternoon.

(Left to right: Julie, Gillian, me, Sinead, Jen)

HELLO FROM ABU DHABI!!!!!

Where's Pete?

2009-05-18T05:27:00.005-06:00

Pete pointed out to me that I haven't put up any pictures of him on here since early April. (Oops!) So here is a little update on his goings-on as of late.

Out for dinner at Heroes at the Crowne Plaza.

(Pete with Irish Dave and Emirati Matt)

When Tamra was here in mid-April, we went on a dune bashing/desert safari. Pete and I had our photo taken with this lovely camel.

Also from Tamra's visit: Hanging out at night on the bean bags at the Royal Meridien. Pete was there!!

Going out for "Burgers and Bubbly" at the Emirates Palace. This pic is terrible, but the fountains that are out in the front of the Palace are pretty cool.

Pete is in his element - he finally got a chance to do some grilling. He cooked up some delicious hamburgers, sausages, and buffalo wings. Mmmmmm...

Words of Wisdom

2009-05-18T05:02:00.004-06:00

As many of you back in the States have probably already noticed...I have been pretty terrible at keeping in touch since I've been out here. A lot of factors have contributed to this. First off, the time difference makes it darn near impossible to just ring somebody up and expect them to be free at any time that also happen to be free. Right now, Colorado is 10 hours behind Abu Dhabi time - almost opposite night and day. So while I'm sitting in the hotel eating breakfast, everyone I know is most likely asleep. And when we have finished our dinner and feel like making a phone call, most people we know are heading off to work for the day...anyway, you get the point. Secondly, it's kind of expensive to call home from here. As far as I know, all of the cell phones here are "pay as you go" phones. And aside from the required phone cards one must buy to put money on the phone, there are no other [long distance] phone cards that I know of, and the rates seem a little bit ridiculous to me, especially after being spoiled in Australia where it was a half-cent per minute! Lastly, Pete and I had this great plan to get everyone we know to download Skype before we left so we could video chat on there...but so far only a few have downloaded it. (Or maybe more have, but they just haven't been using it?)

As you're reading this, you're probably wondering why I'm just writing out this big long whine, but there is a point to this! Mainly, I think we just miss our friends back at home. Pete and I have made a lot of great friends since we've been out here, and we are truly thankful for all of them, but that doesn't make us miss our old pals any less. Whenever we do get a call or an email (or even a snail mail!) we are so excited to hear how things are going back home :-) (So keep it coming!)

All of this not talking to people at home has caused me, I think, to start having dream conversations with old friends. I wake up in the morning and feel like I've just been over for dinner at Mike and Katies, out for a beer with Kara, or having a relaxed get-together in Leigh's dining room with the whole fam. The other night, I had a dream I ran into Katharine while I was walking to the store in Abu Dhabi. She ran up to me to say hello, took one look at my disheveled appearance, and told me, "Christine, I know you're not working...but pull yourself together!" Each day that I am here - while Pete is working so hard! - pretty much has that goal (pull myself together), so it is nice to know that even Dream-Katharine has some words of wisdom and encouragement for me!

P.S. Both Pete and I will be back in CO for a visit this summer....we are definitely looking forward to seeing everyone!!!!!

Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan Grand Mosque

2009-04-30T05:25:00.007-06:00

The Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan Mosque (or Grand Mosque, for short) is named after the late president of the UAE. This guy seems to be the motivation for most of the massive construction projects around the country. Unlike most of the obnoxiously large buildings though, the Grand Mosque is actually amazingly picturesque. It is definitely a sight worth seeing during any visit to the UAE.

Can you tell it's me?

Now you can!!

There were just a few women on the tour.

The tops of all the domes and minarets behind me are pure gold...

seriously, no messing around here.

"First I wash each of my hands three times, then I was each of my arms three times, like this"

You guessed it, the BIGGEST chandelier in the world. . .

Can't forget, the BIGGEST carpet in the world!

The whole mosque has over 1,000 of these marble columns. All of the flowers are made of semi-precious stones.

Old Dubai

2009-04-30T05:08:00.005-06:00

I had a chance to go for a day trip to Dubai this week and check out some of the older areas of town. First off, I am shocked that some of this still exists! They are doing so much construction and taking down all the "old" things in the city...but it is pretty cool that they kept this part intact!

It was pretty hot, so we stopped at this beautiful cafe (XVA Cafe, if you're ever there) and had some of the best mint lemonade I've ever tasted!! There was also funky artwork and mobiles hanging all around the courtyard.

Lemon with mint...looks disgusting, tastes divine.

Me, standing in one of the little alley-ways.

My friend Mandy, the "tour guide". So nice of her to take me!!

I am in love with this little courtyard.

There were also some art exhibits scattered throughout. I was interested in this piece, which is just a bunch of bowling pins wrapped in fabric. There were two more of them facing this group. Curious....

Juxtaposition on Dubai Creek - One old boat filled with Indian workers crossing paths with a fancy new boat.

Some Photos from Tamra's Visit

2009-04-30T05:00:00.009-06:00

Pete and I had our first visitor! We got to do some pretty cool stuff while she was here (including dune bashing, mentioned earlier). Here are a few other pics:

Red Bull Air Races: Kind of difficult to photograph, but so cool to see in person!

More of the Air Races - we watched from the beach

My friend Sinead and her husband came out with us one night :-)

Tamra looks happy to be lounging in a bean bag and smoking sheesha!

The purple shirt guy has the job of going around and making sure everyone's "hubbly-bubbly" is working properly. I wonder how his lungs are feeling...

Smart Little Bugger.

2009-04-28T07:37:00.004-06:00

After a delicious dinner in Dubai the other night we stumbled across a group of bunnies hopping around in the grassy area of the hotel. (The hotel had a little cage sort of thing set up for them with carrots - of course - and stuff...so I think they must have been pretty tame.) Anyway, there was the cutest little boy, around 7 or so, chasing after the bunnies and trying to pet them. Being a typical little boy, he was being a little too aggressive and running after them. I went up to the kid and was telling him, "you have to go really slow, be gentle" so that he could pet one. He had the best accent, so I asked him where he was from. "Belfast," he replied. I my head, I'm thinking...crap, where is Belfast again? "Ohh, of course," I tell him. To which he replied, "You must be from New York."

Dune Bashing

2009-04-28T07:21:00.004-06:00

It's not everywhere in the world where you can tell someone you went "dune bashing" over the weekend, and they know exactly what you're talking about. We went and checked out this "classic" UAE activity a couple of weeks ago when we had a visitor in town.

The trip started around 3:30 in the afternoon when we got picked up by a random man at a random hotel. Mind you, this was all pre-arranged, so it wasn't all that random...but we never confirmed who we were, and he never confirmed who he was, but we hopped in the Land Cruiser nonetheless.

First, we were taken on an hour drive out of town and landed up at a little encampment with some bedouin guys and their camels.

These guys looked authentic.

Baby camel!! I want one!

Our tour vehicles.

This is DUNE BASHING!!! Basically, the guy just drives around all over the desert. For all you know, he could just be driving in circles - it's kind of hard to tell. The best part is when they drive all the way up the side of a massive sand dune, then just cruise vertically down the other side. Scary...but verrry fun!

At the end of the dune bashing, we got dropped at a bedouin camp where we could ride some camels, eat, and smoke sheesha. I love this pic because the wind in my hair makes it look like the camel is going fast...but in reality, these camels looked like they were about to croak! (The little camp where we had dinner is in the background)

Shawarma

2009-04-08T02:37:00.003-06:00

Like good little tourists, we documented our last trip out for some tasty shawarmas. The place we go to is called Al Rousha...and I'd say they probably have some of the tastiest food in town, and the cheapest! They guys there know us now since we've been such frequent visitors as of late.

Here we are standing in front of the window where you get your shawarma. Chicken on the right, "meat" on the left.

The place was particularly packed that night and there were lots of kids around watching the guys as they were carving the meat.

Or shawarma-making friends :-)

A good article about shawarmas: http://www.gomideast.com/articles/shw1.htm

Viva La Vida

2009-03-29T06:03:00.008-06:00

Coldplay finished their world tour with a stop in Abu Dhabi last night - and we were fortunate enough to have tickets to the show. This was their Middle East debut and I think that people here would probably pay to see them again after the show they put on! Last night also happened to be the first time I've seen RAIN in Abu Dhabi...and it wasn't just any rain, but a complete downpour!

Still dry - riding to the show in the slowest taxi in Abu Dhabi

Finally made it through the gates

Quite a variety of people came out for the show - still dry...

Mike standing at the Emirates Palace-style entrance to the show.

What's with the coupons here?! 1st wait in line to buy coupons, then wait in another line to use the coupons for beer. Hmmm....

We've got our beer! It's starting to get a bit more humid.

Slight downpour!

I look like I just got out of the shower!!

Concert-goers holding up their cell phones to commemorate Earth Hour. All the other lights were turned off. (still raining!)

Viva!

We got a ride home with some random Emiratis who were cruising in their BMW!!! Hahahaha....seemed like a fine idea at the time.

A Bit o' Blarney

2009-03-23T09:59:00.005-06:00

You know that saying, "when in Rome"...well it doesn't ALWAYS apply. For instance, I don't think there is a single Emirati who celebrates St. Patrick's Day, but holidays like this give expats an opportunity for socializing, having a few refreshments, and just having a little evening of feeling like "home". March 17th found Pete and Christine enjoying a few brews at PJ O'Reilly's pub.

'Twas a festive occasion

We were dressed appropriately!

Left to right: Katie (CA), Pete, Christine, Damian (Aus), Julie (Aus), Jenny (UK), and Mike (CO)

We were getting impatient because the service was a bit slow.

Housekeeping!!

2009-03-23T09:52:00.004-06:00

Judging by these lovely towel swans, I would say the housekeeping staff at the Hilton Hotel Apartments might have a little extra time on their hands...

I caught a barracuda!

2009-03-16T06:36:00.009-06:00

We went fishing with 2 of Pete's buddies over the weekend. We were all prepped for a nice warm day on the water. What we got was a cold foggy morning. It was okay though, because everyone was successful and it warmed up enough on our way back that we were able to catch a few rays.

The first F-350 we've seen in the UAE!

I needed a little assistance handling the pole.

Pete caught the first fish.

It was SOOO foggy and COLD! We were not prepared for this weather at all (as seen by our choice of attire). Brrrrr

Christine reeling in her first fish ever!!

We knew we were in good hands with Capt. Mohammed!

Yeah!!! Christine caught a barracuda!

Grande!

Gastronomic tour of the UAE

2009-03-14T23:19:00.009-06:00

The past few weeks have provided numerous opportunities to try new things...especially food! I started documenting the different places that we've been so no one would be surprised when we are rolled off the plane for our first visit home ;-)

Anyone who knows me can tell how happy I was when I found chips and salsa and margaritas! (Chi-Chi's Restaurant, Abu Dhabi)

I took this pic at the supermarket in Dubai. These prawns are HUGE!

Pete ordered "GIANT PRAWNS" off the menu at the Aquarium Restaurant in Dubai.

Pretzels and beer (and lots of meat) at the Brauhaus with Jenny, Rupert, Matt and Mary.

The fanciest burgers you've ever seen! (With champagne at the Emirates Palace Hotel)

We went here for Thursday night happy hour!

When we got our tickets for the Taste of Dubai, they had a tasty looking picture of shrimp on the front. We found what was in the pic, and boy were they good!

Completely stuffed after sampling food from the top chefs in Dubai.

Our fellow Taste of Dubai-ers. Pam, Angie, and ?

If you get too full, you can take a break and lounge at the sheesha bar.

After a full afternoon of sampling, we went for a real meal (haha!) at Asado, an Argentine restaurant. They had some goats cooking over a fire in the kitchen. The nice waiter let us in to take a pic.

My tenderloin and salad, with Pete and Norman's goat (cabrito) in the background.

Naturally, we couldn't leave without dessert! Six flavors of sorbet including: Maté, Malbec, Sweet potato, and Mascarpone

Back to reality: 2 dollar dinner at Al Rousha. 1 meat and 1 chicken shawarma. Best $2 in town!

Pete digs in.

Thursday Night Date and Car Shopping

2009-03-05T10:40:00.005-07:00

Thursday night is the beginning of the weekend in Abu Dhabi. (Note: Do NOT go to the malls on a Thursday night.) After a long work week for Pete, it was a great night to head out together for a lovely evening. We took a taxi down to the Oryx Hotel to go to the rooftop restaurant, The Horizon. Afterwards, we stopped by the nearby dealership to go car shopping. Since neither of us owns a car yet, we figured it was about that time. Unfortunately, they closed before we could make our final decision. :-)

Pete and Christine at the Horizon Restaurant

View from the roof, all the green lights are mosques...

It was a tough decision...Ferrari

...or Rolls Royce? Ehhhh, tough to decide!

Foaming at the mouth

2009-02-27T23:22:00.006-07:00

The big event for us (so far) this weekend has to be the CAMEL RACES! They were possibly one of the best sporting events I have ever had the pleasure to watch. When we got there, we drove in with really no clue where we were meant to go or what we supposed to do as spectators. Well, just as we pulled in, the next race was starting and we found ourselves cruising around the track with several large SUV's, chasing down the camels. We're not sure if that is the way you are supposed to watch a camel race, but since the track is so BIG, I can't really see any other way. Thankfully, we were smart enough to bring our camera, because words really can't explain...

Getting the camels lined up at the starting line seems to take a bit of effort.

The sheiks are there at the finish line!

Coming down the home stretch

A man and his beasts

Pete got his pic taking with a very nice looking camel.

I was not so lucky! Mine needed a muzzle.

Yeah, this guy looks a little bit worn out.

Right after the start of the race - they are going strong

The race track for the cars...

"A camel looks like a horse that was planned by a committee"

Enjoy my commentary of the race. :-)

We found our camera!

2009-02-22T23:58:00.006-07:00

We spent some time exploring this past Friday. During the morning hours on Fridays, the whole city is completely quiet because everyone is in the mosques. But come 1 pm, the streets are bustling, the parks are full, and so are all the stores! We went to visit the heritage village, which is supposed to be a representation of what life was like in the Emirates before it became so developed. There are also a couple of photos from Pete's first few weeks here. (If you click on the photos, you can see the larger version)

Some guys hanging out by the water on their day off

One of the tallest flag poles in the world, naturally

"Dear Visitors, Please do not come close to the beach or swim"

Cell phone palm tree.

The GIANT portrait of Sheik Mohammed (these guys didn't know I was taking this pic from the car...but what the heck is that guy doing with that baby?)

This one's for Steve - skateboarders in the lot by our hotel!!

Enjoying the local fare at Eat n Joy. Mmmm

The first (and only, so far) case of beer for Pete

That one really tall building that you keep getting email forwards about.

Prayer Time at Heritage Village (Pete didn't know I was video-ing)

Some Abu Dhabi Sights

2009-02-20T02:41:00.005-07:00

A few pics from Christine's first week in Abu Dhabi

Drinks with my new amigas Mary and Jenny at 3rd Avenue Pub

What the hell is this?

The entrance to the children's park across the road from our hotel...pretty fancy!

Mmmmm, some delicious hummus & pita

Entrance to 3rd Avenue Pub

Fresh Fish for Valentines's Day

2009-02-16T04:53:00.003-07:00

I got to Abu Dhabi just in time to spend my first Valentine's Day as a wife! Pete did a good job and actually remembered! So sweet :-) We went out for dinner at this restaurant called The Fishmarket, which is at the Intercontinental Hotel. Sadly, we thought we had lost our camera that night, so I have no photos to show you how cool it was!! The restaurant has no menu - they just have a huge U-shaped bar thing that is like the fresh fish section at the grocery store. The entire thing is packed with ice and then all kinds of animals from the sea. After we were seated, a little Indian man named Kumar (he might have just come from White Castle - who knows?) came over and guided us through the meal selection process. We picked out some fresh scallops and a GIANT jumbo shrimp for an appetizer. The shrimp was as big as a lobster, and the lobsters they had were as big as my arm - NO JOKE!! Then for our main course we had grilled hammour (local fare) with lemon garlic sauce, seafood fried rice, and vegetable stir fry. It was delicious! Our table could not have been in a better location either. We were sitting right next to the door and the seafood bar, so we had a prime spot for people-watching...and let me tell you, there were some interesting couples that came to that place.

Another funny thing...some little girl was having her 8th birthday party on the lawn outside the restaurant. Pretty posh place for an 8th birthday I'd say. I wonder what her wedding will be like?

Also, we found our camera when we got home. So I should be posting some pics very soon.