Parking at the Bulk Store

Today we went to the bulk store on camp.  The bulk store is the place you go if you want the same things the commissary has, but more of them.  (Like if you want more than a 24 pack of coke, you can go here and get 5 24-packs of coke.)  I still fail to understand the usefulness of the bulk store, because you can also buy 5 24-packs of coke in the commissary.  And the prices are the same as the commissary.  And this place is the same building as the commissary.  In fact, I think this is just the unloading/unpacking room for the commissary, and they allow people to buy stuff before it is put on the commissary shelves. One advantage of getting stuff here, I guess, is that people like for the Filipino guys to wheel the items to their cars for them, instead of having to do it themselves.

So anyway, when we pulled up to the door, here was this interesting sign:

One minute??  You're kidding, right??  Considering that my personal best for getting the kids OUT of the car is 1 minute 26 seconds, and my personal best for getting the kids BACK INTO the car is 3 minutes 42 seconds (for a total of 5 minutes 8 seconds), this is a real problem for me.  I just can't do it any faster, guys.  Sorry, but I'm going to be in that spot for at least 6 minutes.  You'll just have to deal with it.

Man, this company loves its rules. 

Commissary Sign

Ha!  Thank you, commissary.   That's really helpful. 

Same ol'

It's been a few days since my last post, and I'm feeling this naggy urge to get on and write something....but what?  There's not much going on here.

We are doing the usual workweek-to-weekend, preschool pickup and dropoff, craft playgroup on Mondays, two-naps-one-nap-every-other-day-nap juggling, what-are-we-going-to-have-for-dinner routine.  Wish I had something more exciting to tell you.

Recent roses:
   Catherine loves to wave.  She waves at everyone in the Queen's style.  Even our British neighbors say she waves like the Queen, so you know it's true!  She is so proud of herself.

   Lawrence is working hard to be dry through the night, and he is succeeding!

   Everett has been eating SO MUCH FOOD lately that we are sure he is getting ready to grow.

   We have some new friends from Minnesota who moved in up the street, and we really like them.  

   We found matching chairs for our new table - same wood and everything.  They are ultra-modern looking, and it's an antique/modern juxtaposition that works.  We also made it to Ikea for chair cushions.  Amazing!


   It rained today!



Recent thorns:
   We've been out of milk for two days and can't seem to get to the commissary to get more.

   There is not much to do here for fun.  The kids are bored already and it's still January.

   The lady who runs E and L's preschool told me that Lawrence may no longer wear shortalls because the teachers find it too hard to get them up and down for the potty.  The last vestages of my former life have now been swept away.  

   Today I got so mad that I ripped my abaya off in the car (on camp) and threw it out the car window.  Of course I had to go back and get it later (in the rain) so I can sew it up and wear it again.  


So that's life over here these days.  Hopefully something good will happen soon that will be worth reporting.  And we hear there's been some crazy weather back home...enjoy the thunderstorms for me. 

Homemade Bread!

Hey, look what I did!! 

 

All by myself, too.  And it was good!  So easy!  I rock!

There is a certain gourmet cook in Rock Hill, SC, and I hope she is reading this and being impressed.  IEM, if you are impressed, then I have succeeded!

Pictures of the Children

Today the kids were amenable, so we took some pictures outside in the yard.  Some of them turned out pretty well!  Enjoy. 

Chasing each other!

Back to Ras Tanura

Today we were bored so we drove to Ras Tanura to be on the beach and scoot.

Ras Tanura is so pretty.  It's more humid and tropical than Dhahran, and there's something about it that just feels more comfortable.  The beach is gorgeous, it's more lushly landscaped, and it's just nicer in general.  It's a pain to get there with the three kids:  we have to wait until after nap time, it's a 45 minute drive up and back, and we always end up eating dinner there so we get back later than I would like.  But every time I get out of the car when we arrive, I am so glad we came.  It's refreshing and relaxing.  And of course, there's nothing that beats the real beach.  (Half Moon Bay is more like a lake - no waves or anything - so it doesn't feel like the beach.  Ras Tanura is a real beach with real waves and lots of real shells, and it smells and sounds right.) 

The first thing we did when we got there was to stop at the RT Commissary and get a couple of bottles of strawberry milk, which is the boys' favorite.  Then we parked near the Beach Path and played on this new play structure before we headed for the water.  

 


We ran around on the beach and collected shells and then found this steep wall with sand underneath, so the boys spent a long time climbing up and jumping down.  






Then we got back in the car and headed for the Golf Course to eat dinner (there's a snack bar there). (The kids call it "The Restaurant".)  Tired, happy, and hungry. 

[Hang on a second...I think this picture is from the day we took pictures in the yard, not the day we went to RT.  Check out the clothes.  Huh.  Oh well.  At any rate, this is what it looked like when we got in the car in RT, but the clothes were different.]

It was a good trip.  We really should do that more often.  The kids love it, it is re-energizing for me, and of course, it's Mike's home and favorite place to be.  A winner all around.

Assimilated

Well, it's official!  Mike has assimilated.

I guess we all knew it was just a matter of time.



Ha ha, actually, this is the guy who works at the shop where we bought our new table!  It is an antique window turned into a table.  I have no idea what his name is, but he is hilarious.  Next time we are home, please all of you remember to ask Mike to do an impersonation of this guy.  He is SO energetic and effervescent, and he calls the kids "cutie."  The closest way I can describe it is as though Apu has had one too many Red Bulls and suddenly exclaims, "Ohhhhhhh, cutie, cutie, cutie, would you like chocolate?" Everyone here is always offering the kids candy and wants to hold them and touch them (it's a cultural thing that I am still getting used to), but when this guy whipped out 5 Snickers bars (one for everyone, even the baby!) and immediately stopped a Lawrence meltdown, I figured what the heck and let them eat it.  Lawrence used to be terrified of him, but now he's Lawrence's good buddy. 


So anyway, our new table is made out of teak and it is extraordinarily heavy.  It is just the right size for our dining room (seats six), and I really like that it gives our boring-white-walls-and-Company-furniture look some pizazz.

Now we just have to pray that the children don't destroy it.  And that's like driving in Khobar - good luck!