ExxonMobil Family Fun Day

George got to ride on a camel at ExxonMobil's Family Fun Day at the Intercontinental hotel beach. There was so much to do, bouncy houses, carnival games, camel and horse rides, water trampolines, jet skis, and yummy food.

Chris and I rode jet skis for the first time. I did it by myself, eventhough I couldn't sign the waiver myself, since I'm a woman.

It felt so exhilarating to go fast. As I went around the turns I had to slow down or else I felt like I would flip over. I took a picture of Chris on the jet ski, but he forgot to take one of me.

While walking on the beach we realized this was George's first time to a beach. He enjoyed walking in the water and playing in the sand.

We all had a blast. We are so grateful that ExxonMobil does this each year. It was so fun.

George is swimming!

We have enjoyed our second summer here in Doha. When we arrived in August, it was much hotter than Houston. The heat has lasted all of September and October. It is finally cooling off enough that we don't feel like we need to swim everyday. But during those hot months George and I went swimming several times a week. We had little else to do. I meet a woman teaching a mommy and me swimming class with small babies. I asked her if she taught older kids. She did and I immediately scheduled George's first lesson. He loved it! As you can see in the video, after 6 weeks he has become a little fish. He even tries to swim in the bathtub. It is so fun to see him move his arms and kick his feet. I'm so grateful for our longest summer ever so George could have so much fun in the water.

Hi to all from Doha, Qatar

Hello! I'm starting this blog so all you friends and family members can keep up to date with our adventures here in the Middle East. For those that may be surprised we are here...Chris was assigned to work as the lead machinery engineer for an ExxonMobil facility here in Qatar. We saw it as a good opportunity, so here we are.
The first few months have been quite interesting. Adjusting to living in a foreign country has proven to be challenging, but there are many silver linings.
First, the weather. Well, we live in the desert, so it is hot. But not only that, the water coming into the house never cools off either. So, we take very hot showers. And we can forget about washing clothes in cold water. But, we don't have to worry about any germs surviving on your dishes in the dishwasher. It's finally starting to cool of a little, highs in the 80s, lows in the 70s. And I can sometimes get a cool rinse at the end of my shower.
Second, driving. Now, the roads here are difficult to navigate with few signs and many cars. There are some traffic lights, but most intersections are managed by roundabouts. We could drive on our US driver's license for 14 days, so we got a rental car for that long. Then, we had to depend on taxis and drivers, until we got our Qatar driver's license...about a month and a half later! But, it makes me try to combine all my errands in one trip, which is good for the environment, and gas is cheap here.
Third, Food. There are several different kinds of grocery stores here, but the experience at each of them is very different from what I experienced in the US. I have to go up and down each aisle since items get moved often. I spend a lot of time looking at the labels to see if it is similar to what I'm used to. There are many US brands and items distributed here, but are on the shelf one time and gone the next time you look for it. So the rule is if you see it and like it, you buy it, in bulk! Luckily we have been blessed with great neighbors and church friends who invite us over for dinners, often. So I didn't have to cook much in the first couple of months. There are many American restaurants, too. We have McDonalds, Burger King, Chili's, Bennigans, Fuddruckers, Pizza Hut, among others. There are lots of new things to try here as well. I think every country is represented in the cookie or "biscuit" aisle. Due to the stress and feeling deprieved of what I know and love, I have come to find comfort in a delicious cookie, "Hit" cookies made in Germany. They are kind of an inverted Oreo, a nice crispy, vanilla outside with a chocolate cream middle. YUMMY!
So that's a short summary of the last three months. There have been ups and downs, but I think we are finally adjusting. We have all our stuff from our shipments, we have callings in our ward, and we are making some great friends. Things are feeling a little more settled and more like home. Like I told Chris the other day when he asked me what I thought about living in the Middle East, "It feels pretty normal, when we stay home and don't go out." :)