eid meladie…

Posted on June 11, 2011 by

Yup, thats right my birthday (eid meladie) was this last week! And I have to say it was one of the best birthdays I have ever had. I know that sounds kinda crazy since it was my first one half way across the world, but seriously I felt so loved by people here and people in America!

My day started off with blueberry muffins & coffee from Chase (he woke up before class to fix them for me).

Then homemade pizza for lunch.. I was really wanting Dions, of course, so Chase made this for me! I have already made it again this week… so yummy. I think the key is butter & garlic salt on the bottom and cracked Italian pepper on the top.

Then Chase took me to a cute coffee shop here where both men & women can go in! It is the only one like it in our town. We had a latte and did a little homework- I know who does homework on their birthday?, what can I say I can’t go to class without doing my homework…

Then we went back to our apartment and we opened the door and it was full of all my friends out here! They threw me a surprise party! (I was mostly surprised.. poor Chase can’t pull off a full surprise around me because I am super nosey- ha) We had mexican food (guacamole, salsa/chips, black beans, mexican egg rolls & quesadillas! and yummy desserts) It was a great party with great people.

the cake was called, "Death by Chocolate" and believe me it was!

I ended the day with a chat with my mom, little sis, dad, and the remkes, and lots of texts from friends back home! It was a wonderful day! Thanks to everyone for making it so special. I am excited about my 25th year on this earth… lots of exciting things to look forward to this year…

I am so thankful for technology!

Oh I almost forgot that my mom sent me a birthday package with 25 individually wrapped presents in it! She was so creative… I love little gifts and so it was so fun to open — even if I opened it a few days early 😉 Thanks mom!

So excited to open them!

    Posted in Everyday Life | 2 Comments

    henna hands

    Posted on June 6, 2011 by

    I have lots to catch you all up with, so I decided to start with this…

    Last week my good friend and I went with two local girls and got henna done for a bridal shower we threw for a friend (more on the shower later). Henna is a plant that is used to dye skin, hair, fingernails & clothing. It is like a temporary tattoo that the women here get done before weddings, engagements, and parties.  They also use it as a type of natural nail polish. I have had it on my feel before (as you can see on our header), but never on my hands. I think after this experience I like it on my feet best because it has a slight smell to it (they had petroleum to the plant to help the dye last longer) and now that it is fading it just feels like my hands are always dirty! It was fun to get done though!

    Here are a few pictures…

    waiting for the henna to dye my skin (it takes about 30 min- 1 hour depending on how dark you want your henna)

    day 1: A lovely orange color… To help the color last longer you put lotion/Vaseline on it and don’t wash your hands/feet for at least 2 hours…

    day 3: much prettier…

    More to come about the shower we threw. Only 9 more days of official school left!

      Posted in Culture | Comments Off on henna hands

      Exciting stuff…

      Posted on May 21, 2011 by

      This post is dedicated to my two beautiful sisters…

      First off my little sister, Aubrey (whom I call, “little one”) graduated from nursing school last weekend!! I am so excited for her and proud beyond belief. She has worked so hard the last two years to finish strong and with honors! She hopes to be a labor and delivery nurse (would love it if she could be my nurse one day..). She takes the biggest test of her life, the Nclux- which is the test you have to pass to be a “real” nurse, on Wednesday. I know that she would appreciate your prayers. She is also the reason we get to  come home this summer because she is getting married! What an exciting summer for her! I couldn’t be happier for her and am so thankful for the guy God brought into her life. Can’t wait to celebrate with you in a few weeks Aubs- congrats!

      Isn’t she gorgeous?!

      The other exciting stuff I have to share is that I am going to be an…

      AUNTIE!!

      I found out this week that Brooke, my older sister, is prego! I cannot tell you how excited I am about this! I already have 9 nieces & nephews (3 girls & 6 boys) who I love dearly, but I think it will be different to experience it with my sister. And her baby could potentially look like me! 🙂 (maybe…ha) My sister is going to be such a wonderful mom. She has a huge heart, passion for Jesus, loves children (I have a feeling she is going to love having just one 4 year old running around one day instead of 20! she is a pre-K teacher), she is fun, she is compassionate, and the best big sis anyone could ask for. She certainly mothered me and Aubs well over the years 🙂 I can’t wait to see the mother she will become and the father Clint will be. S0. Exciting. Congrats sister!

      It is also a little bittersweet because I live on the other side of the world… I knew that the day would come when Brooke would get pregnant while I am living over here, but until it became a reality it was hard to see how hard it really is going to be to be so far away. Luckily she will be getting internet and we have skype. I am so thankful for technology. I am sitting here with tears in my eyes as I write this… but I am also thankful because I do feel like this is where we are supposed to be and am confident that the one who knows all will comfort and sustain me. I am reminded of His grace & provision in my life.

      This is the most recent picture I have of the parents to be! Couldn’t be happier for you guys!

        Posted in Family | 4 Comments

        desert days

        Posted on May 12, 2011 by

        I have been meaning to post several times in the past week, but every time I sat down to do it I had to go do something else, so I just decided to do a recap on a bunch of different things…

        1. I picked up my Kandora (Arab women dress- that I had made with my neighbor). I really like the way it turned out! Even if Chase said I looked like I was wearing a curtain… Also, on a side note, I wore it to go show my neighbors and even though it is made of cotton it is super hot! I don’t know how the women wear what they wear out here.

        not really into the whole modeling thing, but wanted you to see my dress!

        2. Our friends had us over the other morning for breakfast and we had pancakes & peanut butter! I actually had never cared for the combination until that day. I am not sure if it was because it was with peanut butter from the states (Peter Pan) or if it was because of the homemade pancakes she made, but it was good!

        3. Peanut Butter cups! I found a recipe to make these from scratch. And to my surprise they turned out great and tasted like the real deal! Next time I hope to make them look prettier- not sure how to make the chocolate melt to where it smoothly pours- any suggestions?

        4. Study break. Last month we stayed in our town (which is small) for an entire month. I sound spoiled, but I really needed a change of scenery so when it was time to do a Visa hop we headed down to Sohar. We had a great refreshing visit with friends and got to do a little studying at Costa Coffee!

        5. This week we have had a break from school. And so we decided to head up to Dubai with some friends. We split a hotel room and had coupons for dinner to save money. It was one of the best trips we have had to this city. Normally when we go there we have been busy looking for our car, shopping, fighting traffic, and getting lost. We had a restful trip this time, despite me losing (or getting it stolen) by I-pod touch, forgetting to take my camera to the beach, and getting locked out of our house when we came home!

        Pool on the roof of our hotel

        Where we spent our mother’s day… Chilis! We thought of you moms as we ate yummy chips & salsa! Thank you for all you have done for us- for your love, care, and prayers. We love you!

        Water show at the Dubai Mall- crazy how fancy this place is.

        Texas Roadhouse coming to the Middle East!

        Pedicures and coffee with my friend for her birthday! Thankful you were born & glad I got to celebrate with you!

        The kids watching Aladdin while the grown-ups packed!

        We are thankful for this week of rest & time with friends & excited to finish our semester of Arabic strong- only 6 more weeks of our first semester here- hard to believe how fast it is going.

          Posted in Culture, Everyday Life | 4 Comments

          helu-wat

          Posted on May 4, 2011 by

          “Helu-wat” (an Arabic transliteration of course..) means sweet ones- referring to a group of girls…

          I am telling you this because I have started (well the last 3 weeks anyway) visiting a group of girls (helu-wat) at their work on Tuesday afternoons to work on my Arabic and build relationships. It has been a great experience so far. There are about 6-10 girls that come a sit & visit with me… most of them speak little to no English! So this can be a bit of a challenge at times. There is lots of laughing, silence, pointing, acting, etc… This week they even wanted me to teach them some ballet! I have a feeling they are going to want a weekly lesson. The girls are very patient with me and have encouraged me to visit them everyday! I can’t do that, but I have made it a goal to go at least once a week.

          In June my friend and I are throwing one of the girls a bridal shower because she is getting married in July (I am sad because I will be in the states for the wedding…). We are going to try and show the girls what an American bridal shower is like- who knows we may even play a game or two!

          Another thing that I enjoy about these visits is the “cappuccinos” the girls make when I come. I also try to bring some sort of dessert to share with them.

          Here is a picture of one of the many plates of cookies I have made since we have been here. Never knew I would be baking cookies so often here! (good think I love to bake!)

          p.s. I am sure most of you don’t care what this looks like, but I am sure the moms will appreciate it!

          sorry for the glare! it is Saran wrap- they love this stuff here..

          Hope to share more stores about my time with these girls in the coming weeks.

            Posted in Culture | 1 Comment

            Easter

            Posted on April 25, 2011 by

            We had a great Easter considering it was our first holiday away from home, family & familiar…

            I made sure we had some familiar things to eat…

            Deviled eggs– notice the orange centers! The egg yokes here are more orange!

            cupcakes with Easter egg toppers (thanks mom mcgoo for these!)

            Quiche for breakfast with our friends…

            I didn’t make these- my friend did, but don’t they look delicious?! Let me assure they were.

            We also died some eggs with our friends kids- not sure if  I had more fun or the kids?! We also had dinner with our friends the night before Easter- we had burgers, veggies, deviled eggs, beans, chips… Chase was calling it a “4th of Easter” celebration- since we ate food more related to the 4th & the weather resembled July more than April 🙂

            Easter morning at sunrise (yes we got up at 5 am!) we went to the desert with some friends to worship & read. It was such a gorgeous morning & refreshing for our souls..

            We also watched The Passion on Friday (it was my first time to see it)- very moving. It is well with my soul. Thank you JC for your love & that you are alive!

            What did you all do for Easter? We would love to hear about it.

              Posted in Everyday Life, Food | 1 Comment

              Glorious Day!

              Posted on April 25, 2011 by

              “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek JC who was crucified. He is not here, for he has risen!” Matt. 28:6

              Hope you all have a blessed Easter celebrating why we can sing that we are alive & all things are made new!

              *more on our Easter festivities soon*

                Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off on Glorious Day!

                Desert Days…

                Posted on April 20, 2011 by

                Time here comes and goes in a strange way- one day time is flying by and the next day it is creeping along. Can’t believe we have already been here for over 3 months.

                Here is what we have been up to:

                1. . There is not a whole lot to do in the town we are currently living in, but there is a decent mountain that you can climb. A few weeks ago we went on a hike to the “hanging gardens” and a cave. It was probably the last day this spring that we could start the hike at 10 am- at about noon we were all dying from the heat & we still had two hours left to climb back down!

                the hanging gardens- I know green in the desert!

                2. Chase met a friend outside of our apartment about a month ago and has been over to visit him & take a tour of his family Oasis a few times. A few weeks ago I got to go too and meet his wife. After lunch I got to go on a tour of the Oasis as well- on the tour we got fresh lettuce straight from the ground!

                3. I started teaching ballet! Some of my friends out here have little girls that have been dancing around their living rooms dreaming about becoming ballerinas one day. I decided that a great way I could serve my friends was to start teaching their daughter’s ballet on Saturday mornings. I have only had one lesson so far, but it was super fun & reminded me about how much I love dance!

                my students

                4. Not sure if I have mentioned before, but I love looking at new recipes. I love getting new ideas for what to cook -not that I cook all of the things I see, but I can dream- right? For date night a few weeks ago I made this dish by Pioneer Woman. It was Delicious.

                I used Chicken instead of beef

                5. There is an arab proverb that says, “The neighbor before the house” and it means that if you have a good neighbor than you have a good home and that is all your need in life. I have been blessed with a great neighbor. She is super sweet & speaks great English- which has enabled us to build a friendship quicker than other people I have met out here. Even though it is not great for my Arabic- I am very thankful for her- a a perk she does help me with my homework & I asked if we could start using more Arabic & she said yes- I think I have to make it happen.

                Anyway, last week she took me shopping at the fabric souk to look at material for a dress that I am going to have made- when it is finished I will post pictures and tell you more about it….

                6. Chase & I have gotten hooked on a new TV series called Chuck. If you haven’t seen it you should.

                  Posted in Everyday Life | 1 Comment

                  happy birthday! hey beautiful!

                  Posted on April 13, 2011 by

                  I have a few posts to catch up on with what we have been up to lately, but I thought I would share this story with you today….

                  Last week I got invited to a birthday party for my American friend & her local friend. It was really fun and a great cultural experience… Here is what we did:

                  – Arrival: typical greetings… “hello, how are you? what’s your news?” (in Arabic 🙂 ) with hugs & kisses from cheek to cheek . After this a girl started talking to me in Arabic… and I sort of looked at her strange (because I didn’t understand) and then she said “how long have you been studying Arabic because I don’t think you understood me…?” –or something to that effect… in Arabic, but I did understand that part. I responded with 2 months only! And then she started laughing because my friend, on accident, told them before I came that I had been speaking Arabic since I was 3!! What she meant to say was that I had been dancing since I was 3! Ha- minor details right! Glad I could clear it up with the confused look on my face!

                  • lesson learned from this: Arabic is hard & easy to say the wrong word for things…

                  – Coffee or tea?: Next we were offered coffee or tea- good thing I love both, because this is offered at most visits.

                  – Party time: Next they lead us into another sitting room where they had the lights off with firecracker candles burning on top of the birthday cake… next we sang “Happy Birthday” in Arabic (in which they say… “Happy Birthday! Hey Beautiful!… I like this version 🙂 ) and then we sang it in English. After a little singing we all sat down and enjoyed a feast. They had so much food prepared and all of it was delicious.

                  the only pic I got all night!

                  – The dancing: After the food was eaten and the cake was cut the music came on… and of course since they learned that I have danced since I was 3 they were telling me to stand up and start dancing! – ha… I just sat there for a minute not wanting to do a solo until one of the girls pulled me up to dance! It was a blast- believe it or not these girls love to dance! I kept thinking about my sisters and how much fun they would have at this party. I hope to get to go to more dancing parties in the future.

                  – The goodbyes: After the dancing was over we moved to the other sitting area and had a really great discussion (most of which was in Arabic, but it seemed good 🙂 ) and then they brought out the incense (or BaKhor in Arabic)… I have heard about this tradition but never had it done to me before… here is what they do:

                  • The put frankincense (which is grown in this area) in an incense burner and as it is smoking they walk around to each girl and put it under their shirt and skirt and wait for the smoke to billow out… not really sure what the tradition behind this is yet, but I will find out…
                  • Once everyone has been “baKhored” (as I am calling it now) they pass around fancy designer perfume & everyone sprays themselves with it…
                  • I have heard that once the perfume and baKhor is brought out the evening is over and it is time to go. They are so polite in this culture that they would never ask you to leave, but I think this is their nice way of saying thanks for coming, but you can leave now, now you smell good. 🙂

                  It was a great night. I am thankful for my experiences here and the conversations that I am getting to be part of. I am humbled each day by the hospitality of these people & their kind hearts to invite you into their homes to share all that they have..

                    Posted in Culture | 4 Comments

                    month of onions

                    Posted on April 5, 2011 by

                    Today in our culture lecture at school we were talking about the difference between “stress” and “pressure” and what it means to have culture stress or strain… I found it ironic since I just posted this last night. Turns out (which I already knew, but always nice to have it confirmed) that I am normal! Also, I learned that this stage in Arabic is called, “the month of onions”… First you have the honeymoon stage (month of honey) and then the onions– makes sense to me!

                    I can also see that after time the onion stage can bring great flavor to life, just like they do in food.

                    Just thought I would share this fun fact with you. Love how God has great timing for all things.

                      Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments