sha·war·ma (shə-wär'mə)
n. Meat, especially beef, chicken, or lamb, that is roasted slowly on a spit and wrapped in pita bread, traditionally served with lettuce, tomato, and garlic sauce.
[Arabic šāwurma, šāwirma, from Turkish çevirme, a turn (as on a spit), meat roasted on a spit, from verbal n. of çevirmek, to turn.]
Whitney started school this week. Her first day was Saturday. That seems odd but remember our week-ends here are Thursday and Friday so Saturday is really like Monday. She goes to Dhahran High School. Most people call it "The Academy". I'm not sure if it was once named that or what but that's what it's called. Her school is not within the walls of the compound. The Aramco schools only go through ninth grade. But an Aramco bus picks of all "The Academy" kids in front of their houses and transports them to and from school. She gets on the bus about 7:30 and gets home by 3:15. School has been quite a culture shock for her but she's made several good friends and I'm sure this year will be even better. Here's a picture of her on the way out the door on the first day and of the bus she rides. It's certainly not your everyday yellow school bus!
Love you, Whitney and hope you have a great year!
I've been meaning to post this picture of Brad for awhile. After we left for home, Brad and some friends took a little dive trip. He loved it! They got on the Aramco plane and flew to Yanbu on the other side of Saudi Arabia on the Read Sea. Enlarge to see all the tiny fish around him. What an adventure!
I've done an awful job keeping the blog updated over the summer. Hopefully now that I'm back in Saudi, I'll be able to do a better job. We had a great summer at home in Louisiana. It was extra nice being there with no job, no school, no real responsiblities. It was basically, Who are we going to play with today!? We got to spend lots of time with family and friends which was great. We flew back on August 16. We rented a car and drove to Houston and flew out about 4:00 pm. We didn't have any trouble at all. Of course, it's a looooong way, but the trip was uneventful, thank goodness. We flew into Bahrain this time. Brad had parked the car at a parking garage so it was easy just to get it and drive over the causeway back to Saudi Arabia. We stopped at McDonald's in Bahrain because the kids won't touch the airplane food. It was really nice to come into our house here and see everything just how we left it. The kids stayed up all that night and slept all the next day. I tried to sleep a little but still woke up early. Jet-lag is a very strange thing. Brad had to get up first thing in the morning and be at work so he didn't have any options! I got busy unpacking all the stuff we brought back and washing clothes. My friend Donna dropped by and it was great to see her again after all this time. When the kids finally woke up, they got together with some friends and hung out. Of course we've already eaten our schwarmas and stir-fry that they sell by the pool every week-end! School starts Saturday for Whitney so that will give us more of a routine. I think Evan starts a week from Saturday. Sometime Wednesday, Evan and I both came down with a summer cold. We feel bad but hopefully they won't last long! Picked up our dog, Chelsea from the kennel Wednesday. She acted pretty mad at us for a few hours, pouting and laying by the wall. We aren't sure if she's mad or if she really misses the little guys that took care of her at the kennel. She probably got way more attention there than she does at home. She got back to her old self by that evening. I'm planning to do alot of organizing this coming week. Also, going to get back in the habit of going to the gym everyday. Walking on my favorite walking track is out of the question until it cools off a little! We'll miss all our Louisiana people that we love! Don't forget to call.....
I think Brad was a little worried about me getting back on the plane after having so much fun with everyone in Louisiana. So I guess he thought I needed a bribe. One day I came home and he had bought me the Nikon D-90 that I've wanted for a long time! I am so excited to have it but honestly, am feeling totally overwhelmed by it! I even took a photography course here before we left for summer and still don't feel like I know anything about this camera. I'm trying to read and learn and I know in time, I'll catch on! Thanks, honey, I love it! (and I really was gonna get on the plane....)
.....a party happened. It didn't start out as a party. A few friends and family dropping by to say good-bye turned into lots and lots of people. We had a great time seeing everybody and getting to visit. Even though Brad and I spent most of the evening in the back packing boxes and bags, lots of people came back to keep us company! It was so fun! (you can also see that I got my Christmas tree up so when we get back in December, I won't have to do it!)
While Ivy and Calder were in town, some friends put on a fun baby shower for Ivy! It was so fun and extra special because both of Ivy's grandmothers could be there. She got tons of pretty little pink dresses, outfits and headbands. All adorable. We had so much fun laying them all out on the floor and mix-n-matching things. 
So.....this will be one well-dressed little girl! Thanks everybody! It was a blast!
So my friend Debbie that lives in Saudi is in Houston for a little while. She is friends with LouEllen whom I've known for a long time and is the sister of my friend, Susan. Debbie and LouEllen decided to drive over for the shower. It was SO fun to have them here and to let Debbie meet all my friends! They even came over to the house after and we talked and laughed until the wee hours of the morning.
Debbie and I
Debbie, LouEllen and Susan
Whitney and Evan went to Youth Conference last week at Northwestern in Natchitoches, La. This was Evan's first year. They both had a great time hanging out with all their friends. Here's a few random shots:
Ivy and Calder went to the ultrasound today....Our grandbaby is going to be a sweet little girl! She's due December 30th and is right on schedule. I'm sure Ivy will put the pictures on her blog soon. She is adorable!
