new blog address

Attention:

new Blog address is

www.thelandbeyondthedesert.blogspot.com

Mr Sam's Return.....

Today is the day ............. do you hear the drum roll. Mr. Sam returns to America. As you can all tell I don't travel with him back and forth. He gets 1st class and I get in the cattle car section most of the time. Thats if I don't pay through the nose for a better seat. Upgrades are mostly non existent even with highest medallion class on the airline I travel mostly.

So I am introducing my new blog address today since today starts the new life we will have:

www.thelandbeyondthedesert.blogspot.com

Hopefully I will be able to give you a non bias point of view of things and report real facts. hahah.

My goal is to make it through the first winter there but I'm sure there will be many stories to tell while I try my hardest to get out of the desert.

Enshalla everyone.....

Last Night in AD

Packing Day

It makes me laugh, their spelling and interpretation of things. But this is the most important thing to go.

This is all I could take..... half a camel truck full

Chapter 50 The End

As I wrote back in May my feet need air, lots of it. I have lots of flip flops, over 30 pair to cover the casual moments and my very best dressed(which isn't much) moments. My feet sweat when in those other shoes things and I have one toe nail that doesn't like anything to touch it. Please stay tuned for the changes that my feet will go through. It isn't going to be pretty at times but they have to go through it so come along for the ride it could get bumpy and very cold.

Watch for the pictures to come today, no words will be needed.

Love you all,

S

P.S. A new name and a new blog coming your way....for all those that would like to come visit me in that new place.

The Last stop on the last trip... Jerusalem

The Mount of Olives the first thing you saw when you drove up to the city and the last thing as you left, this is looking out left of the Dome of the Rock.I love the colors of everything in this part of the world
The city by day....
And by night.....

Mr. Sam gets muddy

The end result here. People do this several times a week to help them somehow. So I guess one time is just for the pictures.
20 minutes in the sun and the miracle takes place. We weren't sure what the miracle was that was to take place but we waited and waited. Sam whined enough to get put in the shade. I had to roast a little longer.
Floating and trying to stand up was two different things.
The beautiful sunset to an interesting day.

The Kempinski Aqaba

The Hotel was only about 6 weeks old and so there weren't very many people there. Maybe about 30 in the whole hotel. We had great service and a really nice room with a sea view.
Mr. Sam trying to get into the water for his class participation points for the day. He did well and he learned about sunscreen and how important it is for him to have 100spf.
Each morning there were different oil tankers in the bay, I think they were hiding from the pirates.

The Shepherd of Jordan

I was in a taxi on the way to Aqaba and I shot this shot from about 200 yards away from the car window.

The Red Sea

This is the RED SEA and in the back round is Israel. It was beautiful in Aqaba
The Bediowen tents along the way.
Goats and more goats on the hill side. The shepherds wouldn't let me photograph their faces.

Petra

In the help to walk out of Petra had an uphill slant to it , just a hint of it anyway. I told Sam it was time to try out the donkeys to make it a little more interesting. The ride wasn't nearly as long as I needed it to be but it did help in the little upgrade.
The Treasury at Petra. One of the newest SEVEN WONDERS OF THE WORLD. It was an amazing thing to see. Seeing it once was well worth it. Twice, I can look at the picture
Sam just ahead of me in the Siq.

This is the place

This is on top of Mt Nebo,  Moses looked into the Valley to the "Promised Land".

More of Petra

Our hotel at Petra is the middle of the rocks.
Sam got up early the second day and did a run through Petra.  Once again we were the first through the gate and to come through the Siq.(6am)  He ran up to the "High Place" to get a better view.  I wonder how many joggers they see , he didn't see anyone.  No one was up.  The day before we ran into 50 BYU students that were there.  It's funny how you can see them a mile away

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This is the sacrificial grounds at the high place.

Petra

Our favorite mode of transportation....
Dualing of the camera's
The Treasury at Petra
A few of the thousands of tombs

Night in Amman

We went to a great Arabic restaurant out in the hills of Amman.  The bread was fabulous there.  Cooked in a hot rock oven.  With some humus and some baba ghanounsh it was even better.

100% rise here in each piece of bread.  
Below the place was a local Bedouin campsite.  They go up the hills in the summer and down in the valleys in the winter.
It was a great evening with our friends from Amman.

Aariff , Basma , their oldest daughter Diana, son Damioan, and little ? I can't remember her name but I will as soon i ask Sam.  They moved to the US on the 18th of this month.  See you there.

Vacation School 101 for Mr. Sam

I caught him first thing on his phone texting the office....... Oh its going to be a long week.
Little did I know we were going to be seeing the job site in Amman, Jordan  This was ok once. Those are our big pipes going in.  

The Abedelee Project. I'm sure i didn't spell it right but I spelled it how it sounds to me.  If any one has the correct spelling let me know and I can edit it.

I'm Back..............for now

So I'm back after about a 6 month detour in the US.  My work in the states is now complete so it's time for the next phase in my life.  Now your wondering what in the world the next phase might be well let me tell you.  Not what I would have chosen right now.  Not what I planned on.  I fully expected to be here in my Arab world for another 6-7 years.  When we came we came with no contract and told them we will leave when we are tired of this life.  hahahahahha my life here are you kidding tire of it!!!! On the day my mother passed away April 4, 2009 not only was i mourning the loss of my mother but I was told that we would be leaving the UAE this year.   Not what I needed to hear that day but I put it on the back burner for a few weeks since I had more pressing things to take care of at the time.   So now that I am back I have to think about this and plan for the change.  I am trying hard to get my head around this thought of me living in the US again.  Not that I don't like living there I do but not where I have to GO.  Having been born and raised in Montana and lived in Utah and Idaho the cold weather has been something I just haven't appreciated.  The warm weather that I so enjoy here in Abu Dhabi is something I have never tired of.  I'm done being cold, never want to have to wear close toed shoes again or wear a heavy winter coat.  No desire.  I keep thinking maybe I was born on the wrong island or something.  No shoes and the least amount of clothing needed to be legal is what I had in mind for my senior years now that I have hit the decade that will make me a senior citizen.  I'm don't mean to sound un greatful or unappreciative of the opportunities that this new promotion Sam will have.  But really come on.  Why would I want to go into debt again and have to buy another house and another car.  All that is really over rated.  Not very  interested.  I'll never own the house, I'll be dead before that happens now that I'm in the golden decade.  So your wondering where in the world am I going to live .  IOWA.  Now you understand.  So if you want to come and experience my world the time is now before I have to return before the new year.  I figure I'll wait as long as I can and then that way it will be spring sooner in the frozen tundra. Why would I want to go before winter and experience the whole winter.  Right? So with all that  I'll go where I am to go and do what I am to do..... sounds a little hooky but I will find a new life and create something fun if it kills me.  

The last day of session #1

Zander's first day at the pool to watch the girls swim.  He wasn't to impressed.

Lifejacket's were fun in the deep water.
Some serious concentration going here.  Aubrey gives it a try first today.  If it works for her it will work for Sissy.

Scooping your hands, not tiger hands in swimming.  
Grandma don't catch us , I can do it my self.  

On the 7th day we rested and shouted the news....

Uncle Bobbie did you hear we got a new brother.... 
We went to the hospital to see mom in their new big sister shirts.
Zander Issaic George arrived at 3:12 am on April 26, 2008, tipping the scales at 7lbs. 5 oz. -19 inches long and has the Stone lips.  
The new family  2009