Christmas …No Hype, just Happiness!

It happens every year…. Black Friday, Cyber Monday, Christmas Sale, Santa Special…. Then we also see commercial after commercial on TV about the latest and greatest gadgets and toys.  The kids go nuts for one thing or another, and what do we as parents want to do?  Make them happy and save money..right?  So we play into the hands of the commercialism.  As parents we strive to do better, provide more, and give more than our parents did for us.  That is what we should do, BUT….where do we draw the line?  What do we promote more, materialism or quality of life?  

Don't misunderstand me….wanting things is ok, getting things we want is ok, and being excited about being able to provide things that are wanted is understandable and ok.  It is just very easy to succumb to the materialistic side of the holidays.  My hubby and I were guilty of this ourselves.  We both come from meager beginnings.  Neither of us grew up with a silver spoon in our mouths.  We both understand sacrifice, doing without, needs trump wants, and times are tight, as well as wallets, very well.  I believe my hubby actually understands these things even more than I do.  As children he thought my family had plenty of money, at least compared to what he knew.  His mom, my wonderful mother in law, always worked hard and provided for their needs but it was extremely difficult to provide the wants.  She would when she could but it was a hard road back then.  She instilled in him a strong work ethic and that has definitely seen him through life and contributed to who he is today.  My family was not well off by any means but we had many of our wants above and beyond just our needs being met.  Yet my sisters and I were still very grounded and understood just how difficult things could be for our parents.  We saw the days of beans and rice because they were cheap and went further than other food items in the stores, but also saw days of eating out at local restaurants and getting a treat at the store.  I tell you all of this just to lead up to this…. Every generation that is able to improve their lifestyle or station in life above what they grew up in, takes with them the memories of their childhood…their missing necessities…their longing for wants.  These memories play a part in what influences our choices for our own children.  We want our own children to not know the feeling of longing, hunger, sadness, embarrassment, etc.. that can sometimes come from the experiences we remember from childhood.  We only want our children to remember the good times, the fun times, the satisfaction, and the feeling of fulfillment.  

We aren't wrong for wanting these things for our children, BUT if we stop and think about the times we did without or had less, we will see how much we learned from these experiences.  I know that I did.  I learned to see the world from a different perspective.  I learned to see what can truly bring happiness in life.  Lasting happiness doesn't come from material things or money….it buys moments of happiness, that in the end will leave you longing for the next thing to replace that happy feeling with as it fades.  My hubby and I noticed how off course things were going when our boys were very young.  Every Christmas, we would be planning and saving to get them all the things we thought they would want.  We would buy gifts and then I would notice that I might have spent more on one than the other OR that one had more gifts to unwrap than the others.  It became a situation of "keep everything even and fair".  Then before we knew it the dollar amount spent started growing and becoming obnoxiously overwhelming.  I stopped and thought, "why are we spending so much money on THINGS?  Things that they will be excited about for a day…."  While this was on my mind, I stopped to visit one of my closest friends, and I told her what was on my heart and mind.  She shared with me the best idea that day (she had been doing this for awhile), and we have stuck with it ever since.  I changed the idea slightly but the premise is the same.  This is what she and I discussed that day…. Christmas is a holiday that celebrates the birth of our Savior, the King, JESUS!  We grow up our entire lives learning that HE is the REASON for the SEASON, and that when anything becomes more important than HIM, we are worshipping or following the wrong things.  We discussed the story of His birth and how even He received gifts for entering this world.  How many gifts did He receive? 3…He received just 3 gifts.  Not 10, not 20, not how many did you get….3.  So, if 3 gifts were enough for our King, the Savior, how could 3 gifts not be enough for our boys?  That's just it, 3 is plenty.  From that Christmas forward there were 3 gifts under the tree for each of them.  At the time of this decision, all three of our boys knew that Santa was not real. (GASP!!  I know…don't stop believing!)  They all came to the decision on their own.  So they understood.  I sat them down one day and explained the story of the birth of Jesus to them for probably the 100th time in their young lives, and then explained that from then on they too would only receive 3 gifts plus their stocking items.  At first they did not like the idea, but then I said, "wait a second, if it was good enough for our Lord, isn't good enough for you too?"  I got replies of "yes", "true", "ok momma we understand", and "makes sense".  It wasn't a difficult adjustment for them. Expectations and precendence were settled in advance, and they had a great Christmas!  They have ever since…they aren't lacking in any area of their lives.  

They are now 17, 13, and 12….they definitely have received most of their wants but we are hoping that we have also taught them that it is ok to do without those wants (This doesn't mean that they like it, but who does?).  We hope that it has also taught them to weigh the importance of those wants by being patient and taking time to think about them, making sure that they choose their wish list items well.  For example, the newest gadget out right now, is the hoverboard.  My two youngest jumped on the band wagon, and really wanted them.  They told me that they wanted them for Christmas.  I said "we will see."  A few weeks later, they each came to me at separate times and told me that they had changed their minds, it was a waste of money.  (Yea!!! I was glad they made that decision…I really didn't want to get them one.)  I hope that we have planted the seeds in them that will continue to grow, that wants and things are sometimes just HYPE and do not lead to lasting HAPPINESS.  So going forward I hope that you will choose HAPPINESS over HYPE!  


Merry Christmas to all of you from all of us in the Land of Sand!

Life is busy….Prioritize!

It has been a VERY long time since I last updated my blog, so I figured it was time.  Life has been super busy!  I know that life is just a busy situation for everyone really.  The day to day, in and out, come and go…zoom, zoom, zoom…at least that is how I feel.  I have been going non-stop since we returned from our summer vacation in Texas.  We returned to the Land of Sand with school quickly beginning after we landed.  This meant school events, homework, and friends for the boys, and work for me.  Up next, the beginning of baseball season (Ball is life in this family…LOL!). As I mentioned before, baseball season is November to April for us because this is the coolest time of the year. All the while I am taking cake orders for every weekend, which actually means I prepare and plan all week. So as you can see we have been busy, busy…… Let me expound on even more of what we have been doing over the past few months.

Joshua and Denver both took class trips during the school's Week Without Walls (WWW) unit.  This is a unique opportunity that we have been blessed to have been a part of since we moved here in 2013. It is tied to the grade level curriculum, and in the weeks leading up to the trip, each student is researching-studying-preparing a project/speech that is tied to the history/culture of the place they will travel to.  Joshua's 8th grade class traveled to Thailand for a trip over the history and culture but also with an added element of community service.  Denver's 6th grade class traveled to Greece, which made Joshua a little jealous since his 6th grade and 7th grade WWW trips were to Turkey.  Joshua was a little miffed that they changed the trip options after his class had moved on….LOL, who hasn't been through that in some way in their life?

Clay has also made his third service trip since being in high school here.  His 9th grade year he went to Nepal, 10th grade to Tanzania, and then this year he went to India.  The India trip was with Habitat for Humanity.  They were to build homes while in India but huge storms impeded that process.  It flooded the area and they were unable to do any construction work, so the service portion turned into relief aid service.  They bagged 400+ bags of rice, and then delivered them to the people their in the town.  The airport was also flooded, so in order to get back home, they had to take a 9 hour bus ride to another city with an airport.  Then they flew to Mumbai to catch another flight to Abu Dhabi.  They saw lots of the countryside of India, but was glad to be home and glad not to have to eat rice for another meal.

I made the decision to take a break from taking on more cake orders.  Clint was so glad when I made this announcement.  He would never have asked me to do this because he knows this is something I enjoy doing.  He and I had just had a conversation about why he had recently decided to put some of his personal goals on the back burner.  His motivation for making this decision was realizing that our boys are growing so fast.  These are years that we will never get back.  He decided he would rather be here now in the present, enjoying as much of our boys' lives as possible before they venture off on their own.  This is coming all too soon actually….Clay will be a senior next school year!! So I thought about what he said, and realized I could totally respect that decision.  I took inventory of how things were progressing for my own life and realized that I was occupying a lot of my free time with cakes for other people.  I do enjoy making others happy, and getting to be creative with their birthday or celebration cakes, but I was missing a lot of Clay's baseball games.  I don't like missing my boys' games.  The boys play on the weekends and that seems to be when most people need their cakes.  I told my closest friends here that I would do occasional orders for them but that I would not be looking for new customers for a while.  Life is too short to fill it with things that over shadow your most important assets…your children and your spouse!  (It does feel a little strange to not have cake orders on the calendar….)

We hosted our 3rd Annual Thanksgiving dinner for Clint's office co-workers.  I cook traditional southern Thanksgiving food for everyone, and what is so neat is that it is a multicultural mix of people. We had the privilege of sharing our home with families from Hungary, Venezuala, India, America, and Columbia.  I believe it is a true form of Thanksgiving, sharing what you have been blessed with, with others.  We deep fried two turkeys and that is always a hit with everyone.  The deep fryer always impresses those from other countries that have never heard of deep frying a whole turkey.  Our home was filled with the laughter of friends and children.  It was truly a day of being thankful for friends, food, life, jobs, family, and opportunities.  God has blessed us!

It is now December, and Christmas will be here in just a few days. The tree is up, and sparkling in all its glory!  We are about to begin the Christmas break from school….three weeks of relaxation!  As we begin the break, Clint, Joshua, and Denver will take off to Bangkok, Thailand for a baseball tournament.  (I told you ball is life in this house!)  I still marvel at all the amazing experiences we have had since moving here.  Baseball tournaments in Kuwait, Phillipines, Thailand, Qatar, and Dubai….Amazing!  They will return a couple of days before Christmas day, and then we will spend time together enjoying a small Christmas dinner in our home celebrating the birth of our Lord!

Life is busy so we must prioritize!  We must choose those things that are most in important in life over things that can be postponed or that are not crucial to your survival.  Family is more important than creativity or career goals, and memories can only be created if you are present to make them.  So prioritize your life, and leave room for memories!  I hope to have more to share after the 3 week break….hoping to experience some things here in the Land of Sand that we haven't had the chance to do yet!  Stay tuned!!!!

Positive or Negative

I have always been the type of person that sees the good in someone or at least tries to find their good side.  I am not saying this to brag on myself….just simply explaining who I am.  My life is not perfect.  It is not full of rainbows and perfect weather. I am not perfect, but I am perfectly imperfect.  There are days that I am grouchy and not much fun to be around, but I honestly try not to have too many of those types of days.  Here's my point…..

No matter what comes my way in life, I do TRY to face it with positivity.

Throughout my life, my positive outlook on life, people, and the world, has been a puzzle to many.  They do not understand how I can remain positive in such a sad, depressing time that we live in today.  It is not easy!  I sit and scroll through Facebook postings, and one after another they are filled with messages of hate, despair, cruelty, war, inhumanity, defamation, sadness, etc.. I could go on and on….  And on every single one of these posts the comments are filled with bitterness and anger as well the occasional comment that desperately is trying to shed light on how people should be behaving during these times.  I am one of those types of people….  I just can't understand how people can be so hard-hearted and cruel!  It's just not in my nature.  I have tried to be disgruntled and angry but all that does is make me ashamed of my behavior.  I want everyone to put aside their differences, no matter what those differences may be, and just see each other for a moment as a brother or a sister, a parent, or a trusted friend.  I want everyone to practice the old adage of "Do unto others, what you would have done unto you".  I promise you that is not a difficult way to live!  Just do it even when it isn't easy to do!  Open the door for someone, return the found wallet, be courteous everywhere you go and to everyone you meet, use kind words, smile at strangers, etc… These little things add up!

These are the things I would like to see, but they are sadly not what we see!  Instead we see back bighting, racism, destruction, murder, tears, cries for help falling on deaf ears, vanity, and fears.  I have the solution, but so many refuse to accept…..  Refuse to believe… Refuse to trust….they just refuse.  I am not the first to claim it or say it.  It is not my original idea.  It is not even new.  The solution to an open, loving heart is God.  I will never understand why people would rather choose a life of darkness (negativity) over a life of light (positivity).  I will never understand why someone would prefer to feel the heaviness of despair rather than the lightness of hope.  There is no charge, it is FREE!  The debt was paid thousands of years ago….all you have to do is take it!  Stop refusing, and start accepting, believing and trusting….even if it is the hardest thing you have ever done.  You will be glad that you did…your heart will feel happier and your shoulders will feel lighter.  

I challenge you to try this activity for a week….I am not saying that at the end of this week your life's problems will be magically solved or that you will never experience anger, sadness, or disappointment ever again, but just try it and see if you don't at least feel better inside.  So here is what I want you to do: Smile at a stranger.  Help someone that needs assistance without them asking for help. Say hello to everyone. Do not post anything that will incite hate or anger on Facebook.  Do not comment on anything in a negative way.  Be kind, helpful, pleasant, and loving.  Do all this without expecting anything in return.  Continue this behavior even when it is not received well, do it anyway!  I promise you that you will see a difference within yourself!  (Before I end this posting let me just say, we are all human and we are prone to anger and venting…it is ok to vent!  Sometimes we have to "vent, to release the internal pressure" before we self-destruct.  Just be sure you vent in a way that is healthy and not harmful to yourself or anyone around you.)  

May God bless you and keep you for all your days!

“And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.” (Revelation 21:4)

“These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”(John 16:33)

“We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed.”(2 Corinthians 4:8-9)

Spring Fed Water Fun and Land of Sand Return

Summer of 2015 is coming to an end.  We ended our school year just about a month and half ago, then immediately set off for Texas.  We were all ready for a little taste of home Texas home!  The weather back home is usually very comparable to the weather in the Land of Sand, but due to the abnormal amount of rain received this year in the East Texas the temperatures were nice, warm but nice!  It was in the high 90's (farenheit) every day and the evenings were cooler with a nice breeze.  Lovely!  All the while back here in the Land of Sand they were dealing with 120F+….Yikes!!

This summer must have been a very busy time for everyone because although my oldest had plenty of time with his friends, my two younger boys were not so lucky.  Where my youngest saw his two closest friends a few times, my 2nd born did not see his at all.  He did see a couple of church friends during their week at church camp and he had a blast there, but his two closest friends were unavailable. One of them moved to another city the same weekend we arrived back in Texas, and his other friend's family was just SUPER busy!  I am very proud of the behavior and attitude of my two youngest.  When they could have been super whiney and disgruntled, they were helpful and understanding instead.  That made it much more bearable for this momma!

We saw friends and family as much as we could and then due to some unforeseen expenses we decided to cut our Texas visit short by two weeks.  It is very expensive trying to live in two countries at the same time, especially when you return to your home state to find you have to spend money on new tires for your very large 3/4 ton truck, a large deposit on electricity when you didn't have to do that the year before, a hotel expense due to no electricity because of a mix up with the electric company (and you need electricity for the AC in the summer in TX), plus trying to entertain everyone….the $$$ add up quickly!  So it was determined that it would be more cost effective to change our flights and join my hubby back in the Land of Sand (he was really missing us anyway, so this brightened his outlook..LOL).

So our last fun activity before packing up and catching a plane back to the sweltering Land of Sand heat, was an outing to a local East Texas family-fun spot called Camp Tonkawa.  Camp Tonkawa was at one time a Boy Scout camp.  For many years the location sat unused after the Boy Scout camp was closed. Part of the campground was a nice spring-fed swimming area with a sandy bottom and beautiful blue-green water.  It is now under new ownership and has become a Good Sam camp ground.  They have RV and tent camping spots available but you can also pay for just day use.  The overgrown brush has been cleared and in its place picnic tables and fire pits have been added.  Families come in from all around to have some good, clean, cool fun!  You can grill, swim, float, and swing on ropes out into the water!  The water is VERY, VERY cold due to the springs that feed the pool.  (At one time Ozarka bottling company bottled the spring water from this location.)  You can actually go up to where the main spring begins and fill a bottle up if you would like.

We gathered family and friends and made a day of it at Camp Tonkawa!  It was a great way to wrap up our trip home!  We had hotdogs with all the trimmings, chips, cookies and drinks, mixed with laughter and smiles!

Then it was time to pack our bags…board the plane…and fly off into the wild blue yonder!  We are now back in the Land of Sand and just like everyone back home, preparing for the upcoming school year and just enjoying the last few days of sleeping late and being lazy!

Choose A Destination…Make Your Own Adventure

When I was a child I would get the globe, spin it, close my eyes and then stop the globe's rotation by placing one finger on the surface.  Then I would take a look at where in the world would that spin take me.  This was such a fun way to look at the countries around the world.  It would keep me entertained for a long time….spin, stop, and wonder! 

I always wanted to travel. I would see things or hear about places and think to myself, one day I am going to go there!  As I got older and began to understand how our world worked, my dreams of traveling seemed further and further away.

Then one day, my marvelous hubby, gives us the news, "We're moving to Abu Dhabi!"  It was a moment of excitement, blended with nerves and apprehension.  I was actually going to travel…I was on my way…I was going places!

With the step into international living and working, we have been able to experience so many places.  Places that I would never have seen if we hadn't trusted in the Lord, and taken this giant leap of faith!  Our first international stop, LONDON!  Then on to ABU DHABI!  Hold on let me take it all in!…. Amazing!

My little family of five had stepped out of rural America and stepped into city-living and multicultural neighborhoods!  AMAZING!  Together our little family has effectively collected VISA stamps in our passports from many different countries….however some of us have stamps that the rest do not have!  So here is a list of places we all or at least one of us has been over the course of the past TWO years….

London, England (all 5)
Abu Dhabi, UAE (all 5--plus we live there)
Kathmandu, Nepal (Clay)
Turkey (Joshua)
Bangkok and Hua Hin, Thailand (4 of us minus Clay)
Qatar (all 5)
Kuwait (all 5)
Phillipines (Joshua & Clint)
Bahrain (airport only but we have been there)
Cincinnati, Ohio, USA (Joshua, Clay, and myself)
West Virginia University USA (Joshua, Clay, and myself)
Cooperstown, New York (4 of us minus Denver)
Tanzania (Clay)
Germany (just me--hoping to go again with all 5 of us)
Oman (all 5 of us camping at Wadi Hamad)
Beijing and Xian, China (all 5)

SIMPLY AMAZING!  I can hardly believe it!  All because we stepped out on faith with God as our pilot, guide, chauffeur, and leader, we have had such amazing travel experiences!  I still feel strange telling our story to people every day because it is just still such a mind-blowing situation.  This isn't the end of our travels…oh no, because I already know Denver has a school trip to Greece this fall, Joshua will go back to Thailand on a school trip, and Clay will be traveling with a school group for a service trip that we are not sure on location yet.  On top of that, I am in the process of trying to decide where to go for Spring Break next year….decisions, decisions….so many to choose from…currently the list includes Italy, Maldives, Cambodia, Germany, and Egypt, but we can only choose ONE!  WHICH ONE THOUGH????

So here is my advice my friends….Even if you can't travel to the other side of the world at this time in your life, you can travel.  Find a destination within driving distance of a day, and head out on an adventure!  Go see what you can see!  Life is meant to be lived and enjoyed!

Year #2….Finished

We have completed our second full year living abroad. It has been filled with more amazing experiences, trips, and personal growth.  I don't know how the other members of my family of 5 feel, but I personally feel extremely blessed and awed to have had the experiences and opportunities we have had.

I was asked recently if knowing what I know now, would I still agree to move to the other side of the world?  ABSOLUTELY!  If you had asked me about a month into our first year, I would have said that I wasn't sure yet and to ask me again in a few months.  If you had asked me about 5 months in, I would have said that I was depressed and homesick.  If you had asked me about 8 months in, I would have said things were looking up and that it was not that bad (this was about the time I started snapping out of my little depression mode). If you had asked me at the year mark, I would have said that I miss home still and our country way of life but that there are definitely some amazing positives.  So now two years under my belt and my reply is, "I still miss our country way of living, our front porch, our trees, our family and friends, my boots and jeans and one day when it is time, we will welcome and be excited about moving home.  BUT right now, after experiencing some of the world and seeing places I only dreamed I would see, I can't say that I am ready for the traveling experiences to stop.  It is not a better way of life, just a different life."

The entire world is such a vast place but yet when you get right down to what truly makes our world go round, it is vastly smaller.  I have learned some amazing things about so many different cultures, and experienced the opposite side of stereotypes perpetuated by the media.  I have met amazing, kind, wonderful, and loving people from so many different nations.  I have a multicutural list of friends.  It is a very unique life experience for us all.

So what did we do this year? Well of course the normal list of things--school, baseball, work and family time.  Now for the not so normal list (blows my mind to hear myself talk of these things)-- sent one son to Turkey on a school trip, sent another son to Tanzania on a school trip, tent camping in the mountains of Oman and wading in a natural spring fed wadi (term used for a natural pool found in remote places in the mountains), learned a few more arabic words (still can't have a conversation though), baseball in Kuwait, offshore fishing off the coast of Fujariah (this was something that Clint was able to do with some coworkers), a weekend trip to Germany to see some of my former students (now all grown up with babies of their own), and a family trip to China and the amazing Great Wall.  I always wanted to travel as I was growing up but just didn't think it would really ever happen.  I had made peace with that…. Now the doors are open wide and folks, it is truly is a beautiful world!

I Hope You Still Small Standing on the Wall

CHINA! Land of amazing history, interesting views on life, super human feats, and all the noodles and rice you can eat!

Our spring break adventure for 2015 was a trip that Clint has always wanted to take--a trip to China!  Mainly, he has just always wanted to personally see the Great Wall of China.  Well of course that was included on the itinerary but first we made other stops along the way.  We weren't alone on this journey, our good friends, the Rentfro's, joined us for the adventure! So off we went 3 adults, 3 teenage boys, 2 eleven year old boys, and one sweet eight year old little girl….

Our journey began on a red-eye flight from Dubai, UAE to Beijing, China…. Eight hours later we arrive in China, hustle to retrieve our luggage and meet our tour guide. (The travel agency we used in Abu Dhabi to help us plan our trip made sure we were well taken care of… Never travel in China without a guide who speaks both your language and Chinese! A great big thank you to SNTTA travel agency and Jecintha for all her help!)  Our guide was waiting for us as we came off the plane.  He said to call him John because his Chinese given name would be to hard for us to pronounce….how thoughtful!  Honestly he said that most Chinese choose an "English" name when working internationally, just makes things easier on everyone.

We load luggage and crew into the waiting van with our jet-lagged eyes and down the road we went.  In case you didn't know, traffic flow is the same as in the US, same side of the road that is.  Now what is not the same is that cars do not yield to pedestrians in the cross walks!  RUN! It is a serious game of frogger!  Of course the only ones concerned about this were the "Americans"…LOL!

Our first activity was a Chinese acrobatic show.  When we first were approached with this option I wasn't sure if the boys (including Clint) would enjoy it or not.  SURPRISE!! We all enjoyed it!  It was a Chinese version of Cirque du Soleil…amazing feats of balance, body strength, and trust!! A super exhibition of well trained timing and choreography.  I am glad we didn't skip out on this!  The last part of the show took the circus act we all have seen, motorcycles in a cage, to a whole new level!  The cage was approximately the same size used in the US at the circus, which usually causes you to hold your breath as three cyclists enter and then proceed to chase each other in close knit circles.  The Chinese looked at this and said "NO, that's not enough!" So by the time the act is finished they have crammed EIGHT cyclists into the cage to chase each other and make criss cross patterns across the cage!  HOLY SMOKES! (Literally the fumes were thick!) Talk about heart pounding moments of "WHAT!?", "NO WAY!", "ARE THEY CRAZY?"….All survived…We were impressed!

Silk embroidery ART
It is ALL silk thread!

Best Dinner when you are hungry!

We were very glad we had our English speaking guid because EVERYTHING--I mean EVERYTHING was in Chinese!  We lived on the edge and tried some things that we weren't real sure about--some were good, some not so good.  Of course there were products that you knew just based on labeling…Coke, Doritos, Oreos, and some candy bars.

Arent we cute?!

Jade Dragon

It was now time to venture onto the overnight train from Beijing to Xian, China (pronounced shee-on).  We traveled from the acrobatic theater to the train station.  The waiting area was packed with people.  We stood out in a MAJOR way!  Our tour guide, John, informed us that most Chinese never see "Americans" during thier lifetime except on TV.  So people were taking pictures of us, standing near us taking selfies with the American's in the background (LOL), and some even asked John to ask us if they could take pictures with the kids.  The train station was our first encounter with the public toilets….EWWWW, GROSS!  This was an experience all to itself any time we were in public.  The public toilets rarely had what is referred to as "potty toilets".  They had the type that are flush with and inset into the floor, and NONE ever had toilet paper!  What!?  UNSANITARY! I slipped while in the squatting position and had to catch myself with my hand or I would have landed in the "pop a squat" toilet.  GROSS!!  (Felt a little like the monster in Monster, Inc. that had the sock stuck to him--Someone call a 2319!!! Disinfect!!! This was just the first of many encounters with the "pop a squat" toilets, Thank God the hotels had modern "western" potty toilets!) The boys also had their own story to tell about the men's restroom…Denver said the bathroom attendent had a big stick that if you were taking too long, he would bang on your stall door and yell at you!  LOL!! Now our wait was not long, so we were directed to the correct train car and boarded our lodging for the night.  Don't be mistaken, a luxury train it was NOT!  It was your bare minimum, needs met form of transportation.  We crammed our family of five into a tiny little sleeping car with two bunks (sleeps 4), tiny table, tiny storage space (Glad I made us pack in duffle bags and backpacks!).  The linens were clean--the floor was not!  We dined on Ramen noodles, that by this point hit the spot because we hadn't eaten since our last in-flight meal.  Best noodle soup EVER…ok we were really hungry! LOL  The train had a spout reserved specifically for hot ingestible water.  It was scalding hot straight out of the spout, so it was perfect for "cooking" Ramen noodles on a train.  We laughed and joked and tried to get comfy.  Everyone had their own beds except Denver and I…we slept on one bed since we were the smallest members of the family…AWWW!  The Rentfro's were in the sleeping room next door, where I was told they all passed out from exhaustion after their gourmet Ramen noodle meal.  That was not the case for me however.  I tossed and turned…well as much as I could without kicking Denver in the face.  Now, let's add in the MOST negative part of the overnight ride….CIGARETTE SMOKERS! Oh my! Chain smokers on a cramped, badly ventilated, poorly cooled (due to it not being the "hot" time of the year…well it was hot to us, and stuffy) commuter train! It seemed that every hour someone was smoking…UGH!  For a family with 3 asthmatics and all with allergies, this was not good.  I slept with my shirt pulled over my mouth and nose so I could filter the smoke as best as I could.  We all woke up stuffy and wheezy, with Clay and Joshua both needing the inhaler.  Thank goodness it was time to get off the train.  We needed some air!  Although smoking seems to be the thing to do in China, the air outside was better than the contained air on the train.

We reached Xian and here we met our second tour guide that would help us for the next few days.  Timo was great!  (She also told us that her Chinese given name was difficult to pronounce, so Timo was easier.)  While in Xian we ate more noodles (seemed as though that was what we had breakfast, lunch, and dinner).  In Xian we experienced the Wild Goose Pagoda (buddhist temple/museum), Tang Art museum, Xian Old City Wall (we rode bicycles the entire top of the wall--14km in 1 hour!  We are good! Timo said we were really fast!) and the Terra Cotta Warriors Museum/exhibit.  Timo and our driver took us everywhere in Xian.  The most interesting thing happened while we were on our way to see the Terra Cotta Warriors…we were pulled over by the police!  Of course they were all speaking in Chinese and it sounded heated!  We "shoosh" the kids and sit quietly not having a clue as to what was going on.  One of the officers boarded our van and off we went again.  We were all casting questionable glances at each other and shrugging our shoulders…. Finally Timo tells us that we had crossed into another Chinese province (like crossing a state line) and the van was lacking a registration sticker needed for that province.  Shheeww, that was a relief!  We did not know what was going on until then…LOL!  So the officer, continued on with us and then after we got out at the warrior museum, he went with the driver to complete forms and get everything squared away.  The warrior exhibition was mind blowing due to the sheer magnitude of the number of Chinese warrior statues in one place (well actually 3 places on the grounds).  There were thousands--rows upon rows.  Statues of soldiers, horses, officers, and even actual wagons/chariots. It was a marvel to see how the ancient Chinese had reinforced the area to support the earth that would be covering all of the statues.  It was a tomb for the Chinese emperor.  The warriors were created and placed in the tomb to guard him in the afterlife.  Remember, I said we learned some interesting things.

That evening on our way back to our hotel we spied a WAL-MART!  So we made a plan to check it out…  We set out by foot to walk to the Wal-Mart because it was just a couple of blocks away from the hotel.  The shortest distance between two points is a straight line, and our straight line took us right through REAL, AUTHENTIC China!  There were little food carts and vendors on each side of the tiny street (room for one car but they would cram two at times).  They were selling "various" food items that they were cooking on the spot.  There was trash every where, puddles of water/liquids to avoid, and a mingling of smells that varied from savory to vile.  Definitely an EXPERIENCE! The Wal-Mart was also a unique experience and not your typical Wal-Mart….very interesting! Dehydrated chicken, pig snouts, pig ears, chicken feet, well every part of the chicken and pig was hanging out for sale, and everything was written in Chinese.  It was still cool to see though!

Tieneman Square

The next morning we boarded a bullet train for our FAST--5hour--trip back to Beijing.  Guess what? MORE NOODLES---Yea!!! (Not really--more like UGH! But at least we had food!) So thankfully this train was much newer, clean, and fresh (unlike our first train experience), and we took the opportunity to take a NAP…zzzz!

COLD TOES!

Beijing was full of history and lots of knowledge was gained about the Chinese Dynasty (actually the whole trip covered that…they are very proud of their history and rulers).  We toured the Forbidden City, stood in Tieneman Square, watched a man carve Jade, watched ladies unravel silk from a cocoon, viewed the Temple of Heaven, rode a dragon boat across the lake at the Summer Palace garden, and CLIMBED THE GREAT WALL OF CHINA!  My silly self packed only flip-flops (Hey, we have been living in the land of sand for 2 years! Its the perpetual footwear for all!) We had a day of cold, drizzly rain and we froze!  We all had packed jackets, thank goodness!  My feet were freezing, but that was my own fault, LOL!  (We survived and at least had a story to tell!)

On our way up

The Great Wall was AMAZING! It is definitely worthy of being a wonder of the world!  As you climb you can sense the magnitude of what it took all those years ago to create this spectacular structure.  It took 40 years for it to be finished.  The men placed every stone by hand into the wall.  If they died while working they were buried within the wall.  So it was also a gravesite to so many. When you are standing at the base of the Great Wall, about to take the first step, you look up….and up… and up.  It doesn't seem like it is that far, just steep BUT then you begin to climb.  As you climb you physically realize the amount of perserverance and determination needed to make the journey to the top. You have to stop and rest along the way.  In these moments, you can look out across the mountain range and feel the hand of God.  You realize just how massive His creation of our world is and how tiny we are in comparison.  In the words of Dr. Seuss, we are just a speck.  It is an amazing, humbling experience in my opinion.  You want to quit many times but as you look forward to the goal and then back at where you started, you realize how far you have come and you know you can't stop…you MUST push on or you will regret it!  So you continue and push, taking one step at a time…. Finally you reach the top, turn, and marvel at the view.  Truly breathtaking!  You feel so small standing on the Great Wall, looking out at the massive view, and realize that even this large piece of the world is minuscule in comparison to the whole planet, the universe, to God!

This was my experience while on the Great Wall but others may have other revelations or they may see the climb as a challenge worth taking, while others like our boys saw it as a competition--who would get there first!  I believe about half-way up they gave up on racing and just focused on not being a quitter!  Denver said he laid down in the middle of the path and claimed he was dying! LOL!  Clay pushed his Dad and I, and encouraged us to keep going!  He wasn't yelling or really verbalizing it, just merely stayed with us rather than running off and leaving us.  He could have left us behind in his dust but he said he didn't want to do that. He didn't want us to give up--he wanted us to go all the way to the top.  (He is such a good boy--young man!)

Expert carving Jade figure

Our journey was coming to an end and honestly we all were ready. We were very tired… Six nights and seven days of China was great and definitely enough to last a long time in our memories!  We were blessed to be able to have this marvelous opportunity--from the magnificent to the sketchy--and it was worth it!

Stretching silk from silk
worm cocoons

Summer Palace

Jade Showroom

Weekend Holiday in Germany

Outside of Church

Inside of Church

I recently was able to take a short trip to Germany. I visited two of my previous students that I had taught when they were seniors in high school.  They are currently living in Germany, and they hadn't ever had anyone visit them and I had never seen Germany, so a trip north from the Land of Sand seemed like a grand idea!  They welcomed me into their home and showed me true southern hospitality, just like they had been taught to do back in East Texas.  I also was able to spend some time with their two beautiful, spunky girls, and they were truly little blessings!

Authentic German Restaurant

Pastries that are YUM-O!!

The food was very good!  I had a steak with peppercorn gravy on top, as well as, I tried some delectable pastries that I thought I would not be able to finish just based on the large portion but I as I bit into the tasty sensation, it was light and golden with a beautiful chocolatey creamy center.  Oh so good….Amazing!!  

Hiedelberg Castle

Although the visit was brief, I was able to see 3 different castles, beautiful yet all the while dreary countryside (due to the cold and rainy weather), and sample some of the local cuisine.  I hope that I will be able to go back one day with Clint and our boys!  I think that they will really enjoy all the history that I was able to see as well as the things that I did not get to see… PLUS, I want to go on a tour of the Hiedelberg castle!

Historical building outside of Hiedelberg Castle

American Football in the UAE

Are you ready for some FOOTBALL!!!??


Well surprise! American Football is available for ages 7-Adult, and open to all nationalities.  It is pretty amazing to see Emirates, Americans, British, Australian, South Americans, and so many other nationalities cheering and running down the sidelines in the United Arab Emirates (UAE)!

All three of our boys decided that they wanted to play football.  We greatly missed our Friday Night Lights!  So this was the next best thing available….  Games are not on Friday nights but they are under the brightest light of them all….the SUN! The season, thankfully, is during the cooler time of the year here. October through March, the temperature and weather is AWESOME!  Sunny and clear….nice breeze…. with temperatures in the 70's.  

The concept of American football is still in the beginning stages in the UAE.  Just three years ago, the only football talked about here was soccer….  Now multiple nationalities are on the same field playing together an American past-time!  Helmets are clashing, sweat is flying, and cheers are echoing across the field!  Just recently the EAFL (Emirates American Football League) was featured by CNN in a report aired on the same day as the SuperBowl about American Football and the UAE.  Clay, Joshua, Clint, and I can be seen a few times throughout the report.  If you didn't catch it on my Facebook feed (or maybe we aren't Facebook friends), this is the link to the video and the story…. http://wwlp.com/2015/02/01/american-football-touches-down-in-the-uae/

We have had great coaches, great teammates and great parents to share the American Football experience with.  I even ordered shirts for the moms through my personal t-shirt guru lady, Becky Sparks, all the way back in East Texas!  She did an awesome job, as always!  

Culture Added on a Field Trip

It has been a few months since I last posted to the blog. LIFE is BUSY!  Of course, isn't that the nature of all our lives?  Absolutely, but a few months ago I was able to experience a cultural field trip with Denver and his 5th grade classmates.  I usually am not able to attend these types of things being that I am a teacher at a different school than where my boys attend.  I did not think that this time was going to be any different than past missed opportunities, but things worked out in my favor this time! Denver was so glad I was going to be there!

We traveled to the Saadiyat Cultural District of Abu Dhabi on Saadiyat Island to see a sneak peek exhibit of what the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi will be offering in the very near future once it opens its doors.  It featured several pieces that will be on display at the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi facility.  The theme of the exhibition we were viewing that day was LIGHT.  The title was, Seeing Through Light.  Artists' work from the 1960's to present day on display for all to see for FREE!  Simply amazing!

The exhibit was divided into 5 sections: perceptual, reflected, transcendent, activated, and celestial.  Some of the art work left you wondering….why is this art?….what is that?….why did they choose that?…how did they do that?  Some of the pieces wowed, awed, confused, and shocked us, but overall, it was amazing!

I am so glad that I was able to experience this with Denver!  Since I am teacher, I have missed a lot of field trips over the years.  All of my boys are understanding but I know that there were times that they really would have liked for their mom to be the mom that was always available for field trips, class parties, etc…  Well this time I was able to make both of us happy!