Cookies! Cookies! Cookies!

The other day Madeline and I decided it would be fun to make homemade sugar cookies and decorate them!  I am hoping to make this a tradition for the holidays for our family. We had a really good time - Madeline specifically loved covering her cookie in frosting and sprinkles, licking it off, and then doing it all over again and again. 

I recently purchased some Christmas cookie cutters from one of the holiday craft fairs they had here last month so we were excited to use our new cookie cutters!

Candy Canes

Snowmen

 

Stockings



Gingerbread Men (but not REAL gingerbread men)



Shining stars



All the cookies together


It took me several hours in between feeding Mads, entertaining Mads, and putting Mads down for a nap, but I love decorating cookies so it was a fun day and we were happy to share our cookies with some of our friends and neighbors! 

Ol' Saint Nick

I didn't think it would happen this year, but some people on camp had someone dress up and they did pictures with Santa! It was all planned and arranged very nicely.  Parents were supposed to drop off a well labeled, wrapped gift for their child before the actual Santa visit day and email something about their child so he would have something to give and talk about with their child.  I was very impressed.  The home they had the actual visit in was very beautiful with lovely music playing and decorated so perfect. 

This is Madeline's FIRST visit with Santa ever. It was last year at the Memphis Zoo, and it didn't really go over too well...

I was hoping this year would be a little different since she is older and understand a tiny bit more.  So we got Madeline all dressed up for her first memorable visit with Santa.  It doesn't take much if anything to make this little girl look perfect:

When we arrived Madeline was a little hesitant, but as soon as Santa said he had a gift for her she went running over and popped on his lap.  He talked to her about how she has a new baby sister coming and (with me feeding her answers) she replied.  Then she got really nervous and started shouting that she wanted me to come hug her.  So Paul and I went over and we got a family picture with Santa.  Then Mads got a tiny candy cane and we were done.  It was fun!

Here are some pictures from the event...

Madeline ran over for the present and Santa picked her up... this is her "what are you doing?" look.

  

Smile for the camera! Nope - more like, "mom, Mom, MOM! HUG! HUG!" But at least she didn't cry.




Family photo with Santa!

 

Tiny candy cane afterward - it was gone before we got to the car.

The Holidays Are A Little Different This Year.

When Paul and I attended orientation in Houston, when he was interviewing for this job, it was strongly stressed that we leave any possessions that are important to us and have to do with religion or holidays celebrating certain religious events or people, with someone at home.  Some of the religious laws here pose strict rules on what can and cannot be brought into the country and going through customs can sometimes be a devastating experience because they can take your things and there is nothing you can do about it.

Throughout my life and my marriage I have collected some pretty awesome and cherrished things pertaining to the Christmas holiday and I didn't want to take any chances, neither did Paul - who is a fervent follower of rules.  He's smart, because he recognizes blessed opportunities for his family and himself and doesn't want to "rock the boat."  SO, we left all our decorations and religious relics at home with our parents.  Now that we are here, we realize things aren't as strict as portrayed and there are ways of getting things here . Of course, there are still laws that need to be obeyed and a respect of the dominating culture that is very important for a peaceful life here.  But life inside our little world is very different than life outside these walls that surround us - that is for sure.

Originally, I imagined we would be travelling home to the States for the holidays, so thoughts of decor or plans for holidays were not worried about.  Even after we found out the news of little Abigail Lily entering our lives and finding out her due date was the end of December I didn't worry because I planned on coming home for the birth.  When we really thought about it and the pregnancy progressed we realized leaving wasn't the best thing to do for our family, so we decided to stay. This time of year has always been so important to me.  I have so many wonderful memories of times shared with family and friends and I have always wanted to make Christmas an exciting, memorable time for my children, so not having any decorations was a little upsetting. 

This is the first year Madeline is actually excited about Christmas so we have tried to make it memorable for her by reading Christmas stories, making paper snowflakes to hang in the window, listening to holiday music... I even found a lovely, crackling fireplace video on Vimeo that is only 3 minutes long, but will play over and over when put on a loop.  It's almost like we have a real fireplace going! Closing the curtains, popping on some holiday tunes, and boiling some cinnamon and orange slices on the stove sometimes makes me forget I am living in the desert of Saudi Arabia.

We got rid of our beautiful new tree when we moved here - a deep regret - so I have wanted to find a tree for our house for several months now. Rumors of stores with trees in secret rooms, trees in a nearby country for sale, or possibilities of getting an old tree off the camp classifieds were all possibilities, but we have had a hard time finding one.  We finally and easily caved and got a Charlie Brown from a store in Khobar for way too much money, but it was something, and Madeline in all her adorableness was quite pleased with it.

Then I heard about a recycled "holiday" sale going on in camp where people who have been here a while donate their used decorations to sell (the money going toward a great cause) to new expats who don't have anything. Even better, they would have a donated tree raffle we could enter to possibly win a more normal looking tree!

Here on camp there are some really thoughtful people who always try to make the new expats experience here in Saudi a little better by helping them feel more at home.  They provide extremely helpful information and opportunities for a more comfortable, normal-feeling life.  Sometimes that is really hard to do.  I think that's one of the reasons I've stayed in my house more than usual since we arrived (other than the fiery hot summer weather) - because in my home I can create my own comfort zone and there have been many times that I forget where we actually live, which has been a good thing on those hard days of adjusting. 

Things are changing, and after 8 months here we are getting happier, more at home, and used to life as expats.  And I am starting to notice that staying in the house isn't really the best way to feel better on those emotional days.  Every time I do go out and attend a social gathering I feel so much better and happier about being here.

So on the 10th I attended the recycled "holiday" sale.  I was able to find some lights - another thing that is really hard to find here because of the difference in voltage in homes inside camp and outside camp.  They just don't sell a lot of products that are 110 volts.  So I scooped up 3 of the 4 white light strands - I felt a little guilty but first come first serve - and some garland, wrapping paper, and a wreath.  I also purchased 8 raffle tickets for the tree drawing.  In all they had 12 trees - one big one you could bid on and 11 that ranged from a craft store Charlie Browner to a not so bad one with some lights already on it.  I put most of my raffle tickets on bag #5 and went home. We got the call a couple hours later that we won it!  So now we have a pretty nice tree, and after some electrical re-wiring on the part of my brilliant husband, we were able to get most of the lights I bought to work - just enough for the tree. I'm so happy!!

I was also able to find some supplies at a local craft store here to make a really nice wreath.  Somehow our stockings, a glass tree for candy, and our advent calendar also made it to Saudi so we do have some decorations, which is really nice and adds to the ambiance and feelings of the season. 

All of these discoveries have really created a nice feeling in our home for the holidays.  I love this time of year, and although we won't be spending it with our family in a snow-covered house, the spirit is still here and I've realized as the holidays have gotten closer that even if we had no decorations the meaning of Christmas, and feelings shared and felt this time of year would still exist.

A Happy Thanksgiving It Was.

I know this post is a little late, but I didn't get copies of the pictures until a couple weeks after Thanksgiving and wanted to wait for some reason.  So now I am trying to play catch up on the blog a little.  Anyway - we had an awesome Thanksgiving with some awesome new friends here in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia.  People who will most assuredly be great friends for many years to come.

I have been very blessed in my life and it seems no matter where my path leads me, the blessings continue to poor in. We have been here in Saudi Arabia now for just over 8 months and in that time we have met some amazing people.  People who treat you as if they have known you for years; people who give you the benefit of the doubt; people who make adjusting to life in a different culture more tolerable. We've had our ups and downs - like anyone would in our situation - but so many more ups because of our new friends and our blessed lives. 

Here are some pictures from the evening (in no particular order).

This is Jeff and Fiona... I'm not even sure when we first met them.  It has always seemed like we have been friends - they are those kind of people.  They hosted the dinner at their home and Fiona - who is an amazing cook - made several of the tasty dishes we were able to partake of.  Their son Benjy is one of the cutest little boys and Madeline really loves visiting with him and playing at his house.  He is about 7-8 months older than Madeline but they usually get along really well and I like the influence he has on her.

This is a shot of the mouth-watering deliciousness we ate the night of Thanksgiving.  GOOOOOOOOD.

It took me 5 attempts, but I finally made the perfect lemon meringue pie!  And JUST in time for the dinner.  I was so nervous it would be runny, or have beads on it, or recede from the edge - like the first 4 I made.  I think the reason this pie worked is because I cried as I was making it.  There is just something about thankful desperation that aides in creativity. I was absolutely - well dare I say it - TICKLED when the eye rolls and moans began to eminate from people's mouths as  they devoured the pie and began making requests for future pies.  BIG CHEESY GRINS all over the place.

This is Kasonrdra and Travis and their two girls Teagan and Kiersten.  This little family, who happens to live down the street from us (which makes it even more awesome) have been the kindest, coolest, and most caring people we have met since our journey to Saudi.  Kasondra showed up at my door with a plate of cookies and an honest offer of help shortly after we arrived and she has been a great friend ever since.  I always hoped we would find these kind friends here. Madeline absolutely loves the girls and talks about going to Kiersten's house on a regular basis.

This is Madeline, Paul, and Edith.  Paul is the sexiest, most hunkalicious man I have ever seen and that little girl, Madeline, is the most perfect child ever created.

This is the Williams family.  Tanya and Fiona are very close and their two families travel together a lot.  I don't know them extremely well just yet, but Tanya has always been there with a hug, an offer of help, and a wonderful smile.  I forsee a great friendship in our future.  Her boys are very sweet and her husband is a very nice man and a GREAT cook - he did the Turkey and it was really good.

There were a few lone men at the dinner as well who are awesome, kind people whose wives/families were out of town for the holiday.  It was really nice meeting them and sharing the holidays with them. 

Fiona being funny with her flat, unpregnant belly and me looking like I swallowed a watermelon.  If it weren't for these ladies I probably wouldn't have any profile shots of Abigails pregnancy because when you are huge, like I am, you just don't feel like taking pictures of your voluptuousness when you are preg-O.

Here is everyone getting ready to devour the delicious table of desserts!  There was cookies, and pumpkin pie, and sweet potato pecan pie, and lemon meringue pie, and chocolate chip cheesecake... GOOOOOOOOOOOD.

Here is Fiona keeping the kids entertained by taking them on a walk around the house several times.  I love when the kids all hold hands and have fun together.

And here are the kids winding down and watching some Christmas movies together in Benjy's playroom. 

It was an awesome evening and we are SO THANKFUL for our new, great friends and all the blessings that come along with knowing them. 

Calm Down Mommy.

Madeline is two.  I hate to put her in a category or label her... labels are evil.  But she is SO TWO.  I love her so much and she is such a cuddly, lovable, sweet little person but she is testing our limits on an hourly basis lately.

It's funny in a way (after I've taken a few breaths) because it's silly little things like saying everything is hers, and I mean everything.  It's not looking at us, ignoring us, hiding from us... and now, all of the sudden, after two years of never putting anything in her mouth she is putting EVERYTHING in her mouth.  She licks.  She licks the floor, herself, furniture, doors, and US!  She climbs, stands on tables and chairs, bangs on the walls with hard, pointy objects... Whenever she sees I am getting upset with her she now immediately says, "Sorry Mommy, Sorry" and she actually tells me to calm down.  My two year old tells ME to calm down and tells me to go into time out.

I honestly believed she was so perfect we wouldn't have to go through this.  I know - I'm naive and a bit unrealistic. 

At least we have some stories to tell her when she is a mom... "Well, you know Madeline, if you think little Freddy is bad...."

Through it all she is still a sweet, sensitive little stinker who keeps us smiling and laughing and we love her so stinkin' much. 

P.S. I wanted to get some pictures from our great friends who had us over for Thanksgiving before I made a late Thanksgiving post.  So hopefully that is coming soon! 

Ras Tanura

This past week has been the Eid al-Adha or "Festival of Sacrifice" holiday here in Saudi Arabia.  It is a time for all Muslims to commemorate the willingness of Abraham to sacrifice his only son, Ishmael, as an act of obedience to God.  Holidays also mean that Paul is off from work so he has been able to spend the entire week here at home with us, which we LOVE. 

We've spent a lot of time eating out, sleeping, playing outside, and watching movies... it has been really nice. 

On one of our days off we went with some friends, for our first time, to Ras Tanura - another Aramco compound about 45 minutes from ours.  Ras Tanura is smaller than the compound we live in here in Dhahran, but it is very nice and they have a very beautiful beach accessible from inside the compound for residents to use.  So we decided to spend the morning there letting the girls play in the sand and water and then we had a nice lunch at the snack bar on camp. 



Our little family

Madeline loves sand, and she had a really fun time playing in the sand with her friend, Kiersten.  By the time we were ready to get cleaned up for lunch they were both completely covered in sand from head to toe.  



Madeline learning to pack sand



Madeline and Kiersten

When we first arrived the girls had a good time jumping into the water... that is until Madeline lost her balance and got a nice face full of sand and salt water.  She was pretty upset about it and kept her distance from the water after that.  She gets upset when I get her face wet in the bathtub too... I hope she eventually embraces water because there is a lot of swimming and beach time in our future.


The girls jumping into the water

After we got cleaned up (as best as possible) we had some lunch at the snack bar and got some free ice cream from a celebration going on inside the dining area.  We would have gotten the girls faces painted, but an evil, dressed up Tom (from Tom and Jerry) got a little too close to the girls and scared them a little so we were done after that.

Here are a few shots of the shore on the beach.  It really is a beautiful place with crystal blue water and light sand.  I was able to collect a few sea shells near the water.  Unfortunately there was also floating tar and some garbage in the sand near the tables.  Despite a few annoyances we had a great time with our great friends! 

It Really Is Okay If They Get Dirty.

Lately Madeline has had a serious interest in, and fascination with, dirt - more specifically sand.  In fact, in her little mind, the more sand she can get all over her body and in her hair the better.  And seriously, we live in the desert of Saudi Arabia... sand is everywhere - in our backyard, our front yard, along the sidewalks of the streets, and at all the parks. Could I get her away from it even if I wanted to? Probably not.

She could literally spend hours and hours playing in it - building sand piles, covering her legs with it, sprinkling it on nearby plants, digging in it or filling her shoes to the brim with it. 

I became a bit of a germaphobe while attending nursing school and working in surgery.  Being in hospitals and seeing some of the infections patients get and being surrounded by coughing, feverish, snot-nosed people can affect a person.  Regularly using hand sanitizer and washing my hands after every little interaction became a normal part of my repertoire because we were taught how important it was NOT TO SPREAD INFECTION.  And in the hospital setting, this is still very, very true because you are surrounded with people who have low immunity and can't risk that exposure.

Since Madeline's birth, hand sanitizer and antibacterial wipes have been readily available in my purse and in her diaper bag.  But is that really a good thing? Two totally different situations and environments don't always have the same rules.

So, of course, Madeline's new love affair with sand/dirt/rocks has forced me to really think about all of this in a new perspective.  Am I really being a good mom by being a germaphobe and raising her in an overhygenic environment?

I have be reflecting a lot on my childhood and the things I used to do.  I remember eating dirt!  One of my favorite things to do as I played was suck on rocks.  We even made mud stroganoff with grass and rocks in it.  I am now a perfectly healthy adult.  I survived. 

How is her immune system ever going to build up immunity to the bacteria out there if I don't let it have the chance to work?

So, IS IT OKAY IF SHE GETS DIRTY?

Research suggests that "exposing infants to germs may offer them greater protection from illnesses such as allergies and asthma later on in life.  A hypothesis known as the "hygeine hypothesis," which isn't new, holds less exposure to bacteria, viruses, and parasites early in life increases your child's chances of allergies, asthma, and other autoimmune diseases in adulthood." Basically, if kids aren't exposed to normal bacteria in their environment the immune system's response can turn inward on itself.  

In the book, Why Dirt is Good: 5 Ways To Make Germs Your Friends, Immunologist Mary Ruebush suggests:

1. Let your kids play in the dirt! " If your child isn't coming in dirty every day, they're not doing their job. They're not building their immunological army."

2. Wash using REGULAR soap, not an antibacterial soap. 

3. Keep your child's vaccinations up-to-date. "Vaccinations are an artificial way," Ruebush points out, "of exposing yourself and your child to things that may not be encountered naturally. It causes them to meet the germ without getting ill from it, so it's very important."

4. Take care of yourself and your children by making sure your family gets plenty of sleep, drinks a lot of fluid, eats well and avoids stress - playing the dirt has been known to reduce stress. An even better reason to go get that mud mask at the spa.

5. And last - USE COMMON SENSE.  Lately, in this swine flu, H1N1, SARS world we live in, people feel pressured to be germaphobes and to think they aren't a good parent if they aren't obssessive about cleanliness.  I'm not saying let junior suck on dog poop. But next time baby decides to test some kitty treats out of the cat's dish or decides that the chunk of ice cream she so deleriously loves - the one she just accidentally dropped on the floor - should be licked up? You don't scream with disgust and emotionally scar your child for life.  She's gonna be OKAY.  Really!

Lemon Meringue Pie: Take 1

Childhood memories have always been very peculiar to me. I remember certain things so clearly I could describe colors, smells, or even the pattern on someone's shirt.  Then there are those times I can barely recall anything.  Great big chunks of nothingness. The mind is so strange. Just the other day I was laying next to Madeline as she was going to sleep for a nap and she was talking to me - so we were face to face - and her breath smelled exactly like I remember my Grandma Vivi's breath smelling.  I remember how much I loved that smell as a child.  It was sort of sweet and clean smelling. Then I remembered how much I admired my Grandma and how much I miss her.  The experience surprised me and made me really happy all at the same time.

 A lot of my favorite memories revolve around food.  My Great Grandma Lily, My Grandma Vivi, and my Mom were all very good cooks and you could count on tantalized taste buds when sitting down to a meal at any of their homes. My Mom is still a great cook, but I have certain memories and certain favorite recipes I will never forget.  Off the top of my head: Mom's meatloaf (I still haven't had meatloaf anywhere in the world as good as hers), which was always accompanied by peas and a baked potato or it just wasn't right; her scrumptious Spanish rice and meatballs with bacon and green peppers (drool); homemade braided french bread and breadsticks - I could eat two loaves in one sitting; and that cheesy, creamy halibut casserole - Mmmm! One of my most favorite desserts - Her homemade lemon meringue pie passed down through the generations.  The crust was always flaky and melted in your mouth; the filling was sweet and tangy; and the meringue was the perfect sweetened topping, which was not only edibly pleasing, but aesthetically pleasing. As a child I requested it many times for special occassions.

Anyway, so I got married...


Forever and ever, amen.

and I always imagined making these recipes for my husband and children when I grew up, and passing on the secrets and traditions of our family.  Only, I happened to marry a very picky eater and, unfortunately, he wasn't a big fan of casseroles, seafood, meat with onions or ketchup in or on it, any form of Mexican/Spanish foods, and desserts other than ice cream - specifically PIE.  That pretty much knocked out everything but the breads.

So in the almost 9 years we have been married, I haven't done much traditional cooking.  Our weekly meal plan consists mainly of chicken in several different forms, spaghetti or some other noodley-type dish, and once in a while a steak or some hamburger ("no bun or condiments though for me please," said Paul.) - all with a nice side item of either rice, potato, salad, beans, corn, or - if I am feeling really fancy - some kind of fruit.  Admittedly, he has come a long way since then and will try more things and eat more things and if a piece of rice just happens to touch his meat, he's okay with that.

Considering I was a college girl the first 4 years of our marriage and then I worked full time as a nurse after that, it didn't really cross my mind that I wasn't doing what I always thought I'd do.  It didn't really bother me... I just made what made the man happy. Isn't that what a good wife does?

But then...



Baby Madeline Olivia

Hi baby!

And then...



We moved to Saudi Arabia

All of the sudden, I had, not only a child of my own, but an opportunity to be what I always wanted - a stay at home wife and mother.  This blessing alone had changed everything and my thinking has changed some.  I still, and will always accomodate the tastes and likes of my man.  He is everything to me and I can't fault him for being him.  I wish he liked all the wonderful foods he is missing out on, but he doesn't... and that's okay.  BUT (and that's a huge BUTT), I want to give every choice to my children.  I want them to be exposed to the delicious peppers, and onions, and casseroles, and PIES... there is so much out there to taste my friends, and it is friggin' delicious! 



So, for the first time in my life I am trying to cook more.  I am starting to make those old recipes and trying to bring back the tasty deliciousness of my childhood.  To begin: I am attempting to make my Great Grandma Lily's lemon meringue pie for this upcoming Thanksgiving.  I have two weeks to perfect it and get it just right.  Not until recently did I learn that not only is this the best lemon meringue pie in the world, but it was very important to get "the nod of approval" from Great Grandpa Paul before one was deemed worthy and received the "right of passage" as a lemon meringue pie professional wife and mother. 

My Mom's experience:

"We actually had to make the perfect pie and then take it to Grandpa Paul for the final taste test judgment.  I still remember watching Grandpa staring at the piece of pie I brought him for several minutes and then him putting the first bite in his mouth and rolling it around while breathing deeply in and out... and then I got "The nod." His approval was a crowning moment in my life."

So, even though my guy isn't a pie man, I want my children, my friends, and strangers from all walks of life to say, "Holy crap! This is the best lemon meringue pie I have ever tasted in my entire life... I can die now. Thank you so much Edith... Thank you so damn much!"

Here is my first attempt (I will not be sharing the recipe with anyone other than my family, sorry.):

I started with the crust. The recipe is surprisingly simple and easy. My main concerns were getting it round and wide enough to fit the pan perfectly and making sure it had the perfect balance of strength and mobility so it would stay together and make it into the pan.  It worked: 



The Crust

Then I made the filling.  It took a while for it to thicken, but then all of the sudden it thickened quick and it was a beautiful lemon yellow color and it was sweet and tangy and just right!



The lemony filling

Then I made the meringue.  My main concern with it was that it seal to the pie edge so there is no shrinkage or slipperyness.  Then I tried to do the flippy, swirly design my Mom was always so good at and after much frustration I just made it look messy with a few small swirlies.  Obviously practice and work for perfection is required for this artistic endeavor.



The Meringue



Then I cooked it!  It's not the most beautiful pie in th world, but it looked and smelled like a lemon meringue pie.  And I have to say, pretty great for a first attempt.



My very first homemade lemon meringue pie made all by myself

I was going to just leave it at that and say it was perfect the very first time, but... it wasn't.  I let it sit for a couple hours and then after dinner (steak, rice, and salad - surprise surprise! hee hee) I cut into it.  The filling was way too watery and sort of spilled all over the place in the pan.

BUT!!  The crust was AWESOME.  The meringue was fluffy and sweet and tasted delicious!!  And, although runny, the filling was sweet and tangy and yummy-yummy-yum (just like Moms).  So, I do not have far to go.  After some wonderful tips from Mom I am ready to keep trying.  A couple of practice rounds with adjustments to the filling ingredients and it should be juuuuuust right. Worthy of nods from all over the world.

It's The Little Things That Make All The Difference.

1. Green, apple smelling dish gloves.  I found them at a local grocery store here recently and I just love them!  I still don't like doing dishes very much, but because I like these gloves so much, I am reminded to wear them when I use cleaners and have to do something that has to do with stinky, icky stuff.  Also, ever since I became involved in nursing and became obsessed with clean hands my skin dries out and cracks easily so remembering to wear these beautiful green gloves will protect the moisture of my skin!!  There are just too many positives here not to be amazingly impressed and envious of my new gloves. 

2.  Last week a good friend and I went to the "A Creative Affair" craft extravaganza they have here in camp each year. Several talented women (I didn't see any men selling anything) get together at two or three homes and set up tables displaying such things as paintings, jewelry, food, house decor for the holidays, etc.  One woman was selling her pottery and she had two of these cute ceramic dishes.  They are meant for serving olives to guests. The small little container on the left is for toothpicks, the larger bowl is for the olive seeds, and the main dish is for holding the olives!  I cannot WAIT to have someone over to try out my new olive dish on.  This morning Madeline and Paul were having some dates and I insisted they use it.  Madeline had a good time puttings the seeds in the seed holder.  I asked her,
"Madeline... what do you think of this lovely dish that is holding the dates?"
She replied, "Nice mommy!" with the cutest smile in the world. 
I then asked Paul, "so what do you think?" and he replied, "mmm hmm," with a handsome smile as he chewed.
So yeah... they were impressed, and I am sure the dates even tasted better because they were served on such a lovely ceramic dish.

Visiting The Past: Homeo

...until I can come up with some more entertaining and interesting blogs, I thought I'd take you back on a journey many moons ago to 2006.

I STILL haven't seen a movie like this made: Homeo. Enjoy!

Hi Neighbor!

 (<--- That's me in the hat) When I was a child, and in the neighborhood I grew up in, everyone knew everyone else.  Part of this was because most everyone in the neighborhood went to the same church  - that helps a great deal when you can regularly see someone else and talk with them when in any other circumstance you may not.  But even those families who didn't attend church were known by everyone else.  In fact two families in particular who were not very religious were a regular part of my childhood and had a huge impact on my perception of society and people in general.  There was a feeling peace and a neighborly trust most of the time.

Most of my childhood was that way.  Kids from all over the neighborhood played outside until dark at night, families went on walks and visited friends. I think back then that's just how it was. 

As I grew up neighbors weren't a big part of my life because I got busy and wasn't home much, but the changes in our area and how society responds to each other were very apparent.  The reasons for neighbors not talking or knowing each other are endless - increased work or a busy involved life somewhere else = no time, increased crime, word of kidnappings and murders on the news, terrorism threats and actual devastating events happening on U.S. soil, etc. etc. etc.. I moved into an apartment for a while and then met Paul and got married and moved away for good.  Mom mentioned how much things had changed and how different the neighborhood was at times when we would talk, and then she left.  On a visit home one year Paul and I took some time to drive through just to see how things were and I was overwhelmed at how small and trashy it felt.  It wasn't the same place at all. 

I always hoped when we moved to Tennessee and into our own place that we would have good neighbors and it would be like it used to be.  While there were lived in two different apartments and one house and, sadly, it just wasn't the same.  After 8 years in TN I had pretty much given up hope on having that kind of relationship with any kind of a neighbor.  But then... Saudi Arabia happened. 

This place we live... this tiny little compound in the middle of the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia that is protected by multiple walls with wire and trees and armed guards at 3 different points before you get to the neighborhoods - it reminds me of my childhood a little bit.  When we first arrived here about 7 months ago (I can't believe it has already been 7 months) we were greeted by several of our neighors - at least 8 families - who brought us food, and cookies, and toasters and other house supplies, toys, and information for house help and where to get things, etc.  It was so amazing and so overwhelming all at the same time. 

Kids are regularly outside riding their bikes each night and playing together. People are taking walks and stopping by to see if you are doing okay "just because."  I sometimes think of it all as a desert mirage because, at times, it doesn't seem real.  Adjusting to life here has been difficult, frustrating, interesting, and the strangest experience of my life, but things keep getting better as we meet new friends and get more involved.  It gives me hope that there are still people out there in the world who care about their fellow man.  It also reminds me of how important it is to be a part of the community we live in.  How important it is to be a part of something and to share my gifts and talents with those around me.  How important it is to be a good neighbor.

We came here for our own reasons, but I also believe there are some unknown reasons our life path brought us so far off the course we had originally planned.  It's scary and exciting all at the same time.  And it's kind of nice to know we've got some pretty good neighbors around us going through the same thing. 

Happy Halloween!

We weren't sure how Halloween was going to work this year - being in Saudi Arabia - but apparently it is a pretty big deal and it turned out great!

Madeline decided she wanted to be a princess, so we got a cute little costume from Toys R Us. At the last minute we got together with some of our good friends here on camp and we took the kids trick-or-treating on our street. Later we heard that on busier streets around the elementary school there were over 1,000 trick-or-treators and it was a zoo! A lot of Saudi families will invite their family and friends into the camp to trick-or-treat. Who doesn't like free candy and being silly? I think what we did - staying on our nice quiet street - was perfect for our little 2-year-old's first time trick or treating. And, not including the mask incident at the beginning of the evening that scared the crap out of the kids, I think they had a really good time.



A friend of ours put together this little video of pictures from last night and I think it turned out wonderful and wanted to share it: