In pursuit of adventure

That last post was a bit doomy and gloomy. I am so grateful for the outpouring of support, thoughtfulness and prayers. We really feel it. We will get there. And until we do, we will seek out all sorts of fun and adventure. Here’s what we’ve been up to in photo’s.

We head to the beach a lot in the evenings after naps. It’s out of the question mid-day, but in the evening as the sun is setting it’s pretty pleasant.

They’re going to be best friends, whether they like it/know it or not.

We also spend a fair amount of time in malls. They are quite the sight here and the main attraction when it’s hotter than Haites outside. The Dubai Mall claims itself to be the biggest in the world. And I believe them. It has an extensive electronic directory, movie theatres, ice rink, arcade and aquarium.  They’ll paint your face, you can grocery shop or bank, and choose from about 1000 places to eat.  I could go on and on. Some stores are even in there twice.

We were intrigued enough by the huge plexi-glass aquarium wall to go back and explore it further a few days later. That plexi-glass may I share with you, like most things in Dubai is the biggest and the best. There is a "Guinness Book of World Records” certificate right in front of it stating that it is indeed that largest single piece of plexi-glass in the world. The WORLD people. Never did I think I would be so lucky as to see the largest piece of plexi-glass EVER.

The Burj Khalifa. Or the tallest building, in, you guessed it, the world!! She really is pretty impressive, especially when you see her against the rest of the skyline. This night was particularly humid, my shins were sweating… but it was fun to see it all lit up at night and the accompanying water show was great. An interesting tid-bit. When they were building it, they didn’t have firm plans on how high they could go. They were unsure of how the structure would hold, so they just started up and when they realized they could add a little more, they added more. When it was safe to go a higher still they added a little more, until they finally capped out at 850 meters, about 400 meters HIGHER than the Sears Towers. It’s full of offices, residences and the Armani Hotel. It’s a great landmark to orient you, especially when you are frequently flipping u-turns like myself. Every once in awhile, I’ll hear from the back seat, “Raise your hand if you see the Burj Khalifa!”

And these I just had to add. Bode got some suspenders when we were in Italy and he looks so awesome every time he wears them. Dapper little Bubs.

Lost Chambers at the Atlantis. A great little aquarium all themed after the Lost City of Atlantis. It was kind of dark and spooky and mysterious, a great twist on your average aquarium. I love a good aquarium and so do my kids. The world that lies under the water is pretty fascinating.

We went to the park around 9:00 one morning to beat the heat. We lasted 20 minutes. It was miserable. We were so sweaty and thirsty and vowed to not go back until at least October. Everyone keeps telling me that in a few weeks it’s going to feel great. I’m holding them to their word.

Friday is our Sabbath here. The Muslims observe it as such, and since we are in a Muslim country, so do we. Church isn’t until 1, so sometimes we head to the Marina in the morning for a walk. And maybe sometimes donuts. Come 1, we head to the villa for Church.

Dubai has so much to do and see. I’ve made a list and we’re slowly checking them off. I really want to make sure and take advantage of every opportunity we can while we’re here and abroad elsewhere. I know I will regret it if I don’t. Luckily, Tessa and Bode are always up for an outing and Wade too, when he joins us on the weekends.