Happy National Day and Welcome Winter!

Yesterday, the UAE celebrated National Day, a celebration of their independence from the British and the unity of the Emirates. It was kind of like Indepedence Day with NYC Puerto Rican Day flair. Cars were decked out to the nines. UAE flags were flying everywhere, including at our house. The most impressive flag was flying free off about 12 stories of the Dusit just off Sheikh Zayed Road. Congratulations to the UAE for 37 years of being a country. When I think about how few years it has been in existence and how much they have done, I am amazed.

Today, it is raining, again. I've been told that winter is heralded by a few days of rain. The local newspaper even ran an article about it. For now, the caulking around our windows is holding back any potential indoor puddles, and I am enjoying the pitter patter sound and the cooler temperatures, even if we did have to run outside to take the laundry off the drying racks.





The kids are longing for winter in subtle ways. Tyler normally dislikes any kind of restrictive clothing. For the past week or so, in the morning he begs to wear long sleeves and/or long pants. This morning, when he got dressed, he chose a turtleneck. My response was, "you can always change if you get warm". Honestly, I am pining for fall clothes, myself, and wondering exactly when I will be able to wear my favorite embroidered Ugg boots instead of flip flops.