IT'S INDEPENDENCE DAY!!

HAPPY 4TH OF JULY, AMERICA!!!

This was absolutely the BEST way to celebrate.

JUNE - Our fun time in DOHA!!!

For those of you who have been monitoring our website looking for an update since our sisters' arrival, we extend our apologies for our prolonged absence from our website. But, we whole-heartedly know that once you have viewed the following posts, you will sooo understand WHY! Without further adue, here are the pics:

THEIR ARRIVAL - They brought goodies and more, but could not even make it passed the front door!!!

When Sarah and Martha arrived at the front door of our villa in Doha, I don't know who was more excited - them or us, or should I say, the kids. We all knew it was going to be very special to see our family again, but we were all also a bit anxious to receive the suitcase of American goodies that Lucy's sister was wonderful enough to haul. The biggest hits were the beautiful charm bracelet and the pint size wallet that each of the kids received as gifts from Aunt Martha. Needless to say, bringing Sarah safe and sound to all of us from Texas was the biggest gift of all!! Thank you, MARTHA!!! And having you here,too, was just the cherry on top!!!

So after a short night's rest, we were all off and running the very next morning!!!

No time for JET LAG!!!
The girls were both such troopers during their visit. Lucy had a schedule of events that just had to be met.....and the girls were just more than happy to comply. The very next morning, and with both kids in tow (Gabrielle missed a day of school after waiting up for sissy the night before!), we all attended a Cultural Event hosted by the SSLG at Alfardan I. They got a good education on local culture, tried some of the local food, and were exposed to some of the local dress and other items that make this culture so unique. Then were were off to Cafe Ceramique to have each of us create our own little masterpiece! Nick's choice was of course the soccer ball, Gabrielle chose the flower picture frame, Sarah was the peace sign Volkswagen, and Lucy helped her sister Martha with a traditional teapot which was a big project all it's own!!

The next couple of days consisted of a trip to the Gold and Jewelry Souq to place an order for our necklaces with the charm of our names in Arabic, which are must haves for anyone visiting the middle east!!! That's a picture of Nader with our children. He is our nice and helpful friend at the Gold Souq whom proposed marriage to our oldest daughter, Sarah. The $3,000 US necklace she's wearing was just a loaner for the picture, once the proposal was turned down, of course.

A visit to ASD, Gabrielle's school, was a great event. Big sister Sarah was able to spend the afternoon with little sister's entire 1st grade class!

After school that day, we ended the busy day's activities with visit to one of the infamous juice stalls of Doha, to enjoy a delicious fruit smoothie, in a variety of flavors. That night, Auntie and Big sister were in for an early and relaxing evening, while Rolando and Lucy had other plans for that evening!!

Along with the U.S. Embassy of Doha, we celebrated Independence Day on June 4th at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel! During the playing of the National Anthem, I don't believe there was a dry eye in the entire room. GOD BLESS AMERICA!!! AND HAPPY 4TH TO YOU ALL!!!

The souq required a second visit due to the great time that was had the last time we were all there. This visit brought on more great souvenir finds, and great eating treats such as BABY CAMEL!! Yes, that's right. CAMEL!!! The best way to sum up the experience is by Sarah's words, "It tastes just like a roast!" We TRULY enjoyed the meal more than we thought we would.

And since time was of the essence, the best and most memorable of times was during our weekend's trip with both Dad and Gabrielle to the dunes with our excellent tour guide, Mr. Ibraham! (Thanks for the recommendation, Sybil!)

He was absolutely the best thing ever! We had him as our personal tour guide of the desert, from the deflating of tires ritual, to the very skilled driving on the dunes, a trip to the Saudi border, and a quick stop at the camel farm for some camel riding, drinking of the camel's milk (with or without the Arabic tea), and the very cleverly planned trip back home, just as the beautiful sunset was blessing the Doha skies. All in all, a perfect day!!!

After that, the days passed even more quickly. I guess time flies when you're having fun, no matter what side of the world you are on. We continued with shopping at the great local malls, had a very peaceful trip on a dhow, and enjoyed another of Nick's music 4 me classes with auntie and sister.

We visited the Souq at night and watched as Nick enjoyed yet another ride on the donkey's back. The rest of us opted for the very traditional henna and the smoking of the, also very traditional, shisha pipe (Apple was our flavor of choice.) Also, one day, the girls and I were fortunate enough to be coming home at the perfect time to visit an empty mosque, between prayer times. But it did not compare to the very emotional and peaceful visit to Doha's own Catholic Church. That was without a doubt the most emotional event for all of us to be witness to. And before leaving Doha, we were also fortunate enough to get acquainted with the country's bird, the Female Falcon. WOW!! How beautiful she was!

Their 10 day visit was a very short one....we are sooo looking forward to next year's visit! As for what was next for us, it was time to pack our suitcases with all the souvenirs, cooler-weather clothes and all the fun trinckets the kids needed for yet another adventure, as we were off to our next stop - BARCELONA!!!!! Until we see you again, Doha....I think this sticker says it all!!!