Showing posts with label breakfast. Show all posts
Showing posts with label breakfast. Show all posts

Friday, February 11, 2022

October: A Month of Keira

Blog Post About October 2021

Keira turned 9 with cappuccino muffins for breakfast, a day at school, a scavenger hunt for her presents, and a dinner at a restaurant with fun milkshakes (because that's the only way to judge a restaurant).






























You've gotta love moms who take your picture right after you wake up!








































A travel kit for her dolls.






































And who doesn't need a colorful "My Little Pony" onesie?







































This little girl traveled all over America with me last summer, and the benefit was, she got to pick out her birthday presents and travel back with them.

It doesn't always work like that, but she had fun spending ours and grandparents' allotted money amounts.































Washable skin markers





































Now you can see why she chose this restaurant.


Three days after her actual birthday, we had a party with some of her friends at a "Fun Zone."































The next week, she performed as a swan in a ballet and participated in a gymnastics routine at a local art show at a hotel.
























We love Keira just because, but some of the fun things about her are her great laugh, her joy, the way she loves others, her quickness to apologize, her sensitivity, and the way she eats ice cream bars ;)

This is not an act. She LITERALLY eats ice cream bars like this, and we have no idea how it happens!




Sunday, January 23, 2022

A Mad Race to the Finish Line

Blog Post About June 2021

The girls and I planned our departure to the States after all the end-of-the-year dance performances; however, things kept being added that we weren't ready for.

Keira had two ballet performances at a local hotel arts and crafts fair. 



Karis also performed a solo.




June 18, 2021

The next morning (Saturday), I had a "goodbye" breakfast with two friends at one of their homes.




June 19, 2021

After breakfast, Doug and I had to rush Keira to another local hotel where the gymnastics class was invited to perform at a Kindergarten graduation??

This is one of those events we didn't plan for.



June 19, 2021

Then that Saturday afternoon, there was a "garden show" at the dance studio for the parents to attend. It was outside and smaller because of covid.

The girls repeated their performances from the day before and Keira added gymnastics.





June 19, 2021




When the show ended, Karis had to leave, and as Keira and I were getting ready to call a taxi, my friend who lives RIGHT ACROSS THE FENCE from the dance studio, called me and Keira over.

Her daughter was having a 16th birthday party in her garden with a few friends, and she wanted us to come.


It was a beautiful night! The teenagers gladly let Keira hang out with them, and I visited with the mom and aunt of the birthday girl, helped bring out the food, and became the official photographer of the group. After the food was set out, they spent FORTY-FIVE minutes taking pictures of the food and each other before we ate :)

We had a lot of fun, and I'm so glad this impromptu invite happened.


June 19, 2021

The next day (Sunday) at the same hotel as the kindergarten graduation, there was now another arts and crafts show where our girls performed (which we had not planned for either).





June 19, 2021

After the performances, we went home, showered, finished packing, left for the airport around midnight,  and flew out at 1:55 in the morning.

Keira didn't get to finish her last two weeks of school, but this is a picture of her 3rd grade class.


Whew!  Now on to America!

Wednesday, January 19, 2022

Water (and Breakfast) in a Dry Land

Blog Post about June 2021

Two weeks after Karis' birthday, we were able to take her out for breakfast to celebrate. Breakfast is her favorite meal, but with her trying to finish school and us trying to prepare to leave for America, we were short on available mornings.

June 3, 2021

Usually for a Middle Eastern breakfast here, you just say, "Breakfast for one," or "Breakfast for four," etc.

Unless you order a la carte, you don't get to pick what you get for breakfast (hence the weird olive pizza on the table. It's a fun experience, and every time we go, we always get different things...it's never the same.

Also, it was getting hotter here back in June, and this is the time that the city decided to dig up all the grass on this huge field and prepare for some building project.



Keira and I saw the dust flying every morning on the way to school.

Let me fast-forward momentarily to January 2022. We have already had two floods this month, and the dirt has nothing to hold it to the ground. 

On the first flood, mud ran out onto the highway along with two feet of water, and it was hours before bulldozers could remove all the silt and people could travel again.



We thought with all the dryness and lack of rain, it had created a water issue. Water is usually scarcer in the summer as a rule anyway, but...

It turns out that some pipes were broken in our neighborhood and no one knew it, so for a month, our neighborhood was not getting water sent to our homes.

On June 13th, Doug called a water truck to fill up our tanks on the roof. We had not been able to wash dishes, hands, shower, or flush toilets for a couple of days as we waited unknowingly for water that wouldn't come.
























June 13, 2021


The price was very cheap (equivalent of $17).

When Doug ordered another truck a month later, the prices had jumped a bit (~$23). Apparently, more people around the city were having water issues as well. 

It was a blessing that a friend of ours "knew a guy" and got us such good deals, because I think for most people, the prices started at $34 and went up to about $68 for a truck of water.

Supply and demand.


All of our dirty dishes...


Finally got washed!


I wanted to have breakfast with a friend of mine before we left for America, and we decided to try out a new place for breakfast.

This is the "Breakfast for two" at this particular place.


















June 14, 2021


And this little thing wasn't running around like a chicken with its head cut off because she knew Caleb and Doug weren't going to America, and they would be staying behind and could care for her. 

However, she does sort of LOOK like a plucked chicken.

Tuesday, November 23, 2021

Too Much Food and Loud Noises

Blog Post About March 2021

A friend of mine wanted me to come over for lunch, and again, I realized what a horrible host I am in this culture. 

They make sure that they cover surfaces with all types of food. It might be something small, but I just wouldn't think of doing it.





Later that night, a couple invited Doug and I to eat with them at a hotel the man owns.

The food was incredible, and it JUST. KEPT. COMING! Our host said, "Do you want steak or seafood?" When we said it didn't matter to us, he ordered both plus SO many other things on the menu.

I basically consumed too much of that raw meat from Italy on the plate behind the nuts.

More of that story later.


Closer to midnight, our host told Doug and I to go sing with his lounge singer (think Kenny Rogers, John Denver).

My friend took videos that I grabbed these shots off of, but you can kind of see the guitar singer on the left, me in the middle, and Doug on the right.


Our host wanted to join in the fun so he went to the piano and played beautifully by ear, matching the guitar player. I think we sang 4 or 5 songs, and then I politely declined to sing anymore. 

Thankfully, only one couple was left in the restaurant that close to midnight!


When I got home, I did not feel so well. I got rid of most of what I had eaten that night (and I'll spare you the details) and I was sick for TWO days. Doug was also a little sluggish.

Every time I see them they say they want to go out again, but this time I will be a little more discretionary about what I eat :)

Three days after this dinner,  this is a message we received on our phones.

It made me smile that they were actually informing the city. 

We have heard bombs explode near the airport about 4 times this year, so I guess the powers that be know they need to let us know when a loud "pop" is actually supposed to happen.