Winter In The Desert

It is difficult for us to remember that it has been winter around here.  We have been able to wear the same type of clothing our entire time we have been here.  Occasionally I have put on a light sweater on my way to school, but the winter temps here are comparable to a nice June day at home.  So, for the past 5 months the weather has been very pleasant.  I really thought I would miss the seasons of home, but I have found it quite enjoyable to have such warm temperatures outside all the time.  Maybe next year I will miss the seasons. 

In the winter our community is able to do many outdoor activities because the heat isn't at heat stroke levels.  I know I have put a few of these pictures on facebook, but it is important for me to keep this blog as a journaling of our time here.

Bike Race: Carter, Cameron and I participated in the yearly bike race.  I am not sure why Bryan was on the sidelines cheering us on, but he decided to sit this one out.  The bike race was divided into age groups.  Carter was first to go and took third place!  If only his tires were bigger then he could roll a little faster.



 

Cameron also did the bike race, but his chain fell off in the first 100 meters.  It was quite ironic since Bryan works on everyone's bikes. Bryan ran out on the race course and fixed his chain but Cameron was at least 90 seconds behind at that point.  My heart broke for the little guy.  However, after lap one he had already caught up to many of the kids and he finished really well.  We are so proud that he did not give up, never cried, and tried his very best.  This kid impresses us everyday. 

 

I wasn't planning on racing, but was talked into it by a group of ladies and couldn't let down all my students that were there to cheer me on.  I believe my race was 17km, and was easier done on a road bike.  I pushed my "Sweet Pea" and she held her own against all the roadies.  I think next year I will try and find a road bike for the race.  It would have made it a little bit easier on the quads.

 

 

We left the bike race and had to quickly get ready for Carter's 6th birthday.  We decided to make it an Olympic party and had so many countries represented.  The kids had a great time!  Bryan was in charge of the games, and I was in charge of the treats.  We feel so lucky that our children have so many great friends here.

 









Many people at home have asked if we ever work.  Yes!  We actually work really hard, but we play hard too.  We might as well do everything this place has to offer!  No regrets!  The best part of living here is learning about the world.  Our kids have already gained such a rich educational experience and we have only been here since July!  This past weekend was the Parade of Nations.  Most people in our community met at Discovery Square and we marched to the recreation center with our country.  I have never dressed up patriotic, but I did here.  It is nice to connect with the USA and helps one not miss home quite as much.  The parade was fun!  Each country had a table on the field and shared food, pictures, and unique items.  The USA booth had hot dogs, cupcakes, and cookies.  I never did get anything from our booth because the line was long.

 

 My teaching assistant!  I love her and will miss her when she goes on maternity leave.  She has done so much for me!

 Carter's teacher dressed for Pakistan and marched with the USA.  She is such an amazing person!

 4 countries are represented in this picture!  So  blessed to have these people in my life!

 Carter's very best friends from school!

The Girls from my class!  We are each from a different country!  Love them!

 

 

Well, that has been our life for the past few weekends.  I did leave off our overnight stay in Jeddah, so will have to blog about that on a different day.  We are having fun and feel LUCKY to be living in Saudi Arabia.  There are so many interesting, fun, and unique people that have decided to make this place there home.

 



Diving in the Red Sea

We finally had a three day weekend!  Yay!  Bryan coordinated a boat to take 30 of our friends out on a snorkeling trip to sand island.  Can you guess what would be on sand island?  Hermit crabs, 1 bush, and lots of sand.  Bryan and I never got to see the island because we snorkeled the entire time.  I can't believe that was our first time out.  It is so easy, cheap, and beautiful. 

This is my first time inserting a video.  Hopefully it works.  Notice the octopus!  So cute!

 Here is the upper deck.

 Can you see Sand Island!  Looks like a whopper!  However, it has a great reef that surrounds the island.  It keeps the kids busy while we play.

 Here is most of our gang.  Imagine us coordinating an event. 

 My Kiwi girlfriends!

 The blue is the inside of a clam.  They were so beautiful when they opened up . 

 Lion Fish

 Jellyfish Season

 They served us breakfast and lunch.  We only paid about $125 for our entire family for the day.

 Home Sweet Home

 

We had a fun day with all of our friends.  Bryan and I are now working on taking a refresher course for scuba diving.  We are doing a weekend out to sea when the whale sharks come.  I can't imagine swimming with something so big!  I will have lots of pictures when that happens.

Kids Triathlon

Today the Recreation Center hosted a kids triathlon!  Our boys had a blast swimming, biking, and then running.  They were troopers! Enjoy the pictures.

 I don't think many triathlons have this type of view!

 Cameron is the 2nd child over and Carter is the 4th child over.

 Determination! The brothers were duking it out at the end.

 Cameron was 3rd!  Way to go Cam!

 Carter was 4th!  Way to go Carter!

What a fun morning!  Next week there is a bike race.  Should be fun!  We feel so lucky to have all of these opportunities. 

Sand Dunes

Rebecca's Point of View: This has been the longest we have gone without posting a new blog since we have lived here.  I guess the month of January was a little busy with the end of the semester, new sports, and our daily activities. Cameron started playing after school rugby, Carter continues with TKD, Bryan is all over the place, and I have decided to try golf.  I have completed two lessons, so we will see what happens with this new adventure.   Today is Bryan's turn to blog.

Bryan's Point of View:  Rebecca stated that I am all over the place, but does that surprise anyone??  That is what I thrive on, and here, I am able to go full-tilt until I crash and need sleep.  Actually, it is not that bad and more just generally being busy.  I was coaching 3rd-5th grade baseball which was fun watching kids who are normally cricket players hit the ball with a round bat.  Cameron loved playing too which was fun for me and it was good to get to know more kids in the community and share baseball with them, which is not very common in these parts. 

While Rebecca was in a professional development class yesterday, the boys and I jumped in with one of our friends here and his 2 daughters, and drove about 30 minutes down the road to some wonderfully cool sand dunes (I know, sand dunes in Saudi Arabia - surprising!) 

 

We had boxes and tubs to sled in but the sand was too loose so we just tumbled down the hills.  The dunes were amazingly picturesque and I got some great shots with the camera that now needs a new lens because of the sand in it!!  Will bring my kites next time too.

Playing golf 1-2 times a week but still not getting any better.  But I have a heck of a time playing and try to keep the swearing and club throwing to a minimum.  Have a good group of 10-12 guys that have a standing 7:30pm tee time.  Played during the day a short while back and it was strange as I am very used to playing under the lights.

Had a chance to go on my second mountain bike ride in the desert today which was fantastic.  It was a very hilly, loose road but made for some great descents and grueling uphill chugs.  It wore my fat old body out but I will be ready for the next ride.  I am also helping the mountain bike club put together a bike track here for the kids and adults.  We have been given a plot of land and said "tell us what you want built" so that is kind of fun helping out with that.

Got into Jeddah this past week and finally bought a new bbq.  Only issue here is that there is not propane, only butane, so I need to go into the neighboring town and have the hoses swapped and a new regulator put on - things are never as easy as they appear here!  Looking forward to bbq'ing some fresh fish, chicken, and steak.

My days seemed to be occupied with all sorts of fun things to do, but being here has given me a great opportunity to attend almost all of the school activities that the boys do - and there is a lot!  It has been excellent having that flexibility.

Cameron will be blogging about his swim races soon!