I want to ride my bicycle...

This summer, when we arrived in the US, I offered to purchase bicycles for Alex and Tyler. They both declined and instead, they requested scooters. So for July and August, they scooted around our apartment complex and various parks.

This week, as part of the Camp Mommy experience (more on that soon), we spent one afternoon at Peace Valley Park with friends. We played wiffle ball, rode scooters, fished, rode paddle boats and thoroughly enjoyed an amazing afternoon. Toward the end of our excursion, Alex decided he was going to try to ride one of his friend's bicycles sans training wheels. Much to my delight, he hopped on and did it! Alex often needs to do things at his own pace, and although I frequently felt the urge to force him to ride without training wheels, my patience finally paid off. We are so proud of him for trying and succeeding!



After riding his friend's bike, of course Alex was geared up to get one of his own. He had long outgrown his bike that is still in Dubai, so off we went to find his new bike. Yesterday afternoon, we started at Peddaller Bike Shop, but they were closed for the holiday weekend. Then we travelled to Toys R Us and Performance Bike to no avail. Alex did not like the colors, the words, the size.... You get the idea. This afternoon, we hit Target and Wal-mart. Same story. Finally, we visited BikeWorks in Harleysville. They were fabulous! Dan treated Alex like his most important customer, and the whole experience was a treat. Alex finally found the bike he wanted, and it was high fives all around. BikeWorks totally won me over for their customer service and selection.




Tyler also scored some new wheels. We'll be working on taking his training wheels off in the next few weeks. He particularly likes that his helmet and his bike match. Go figure.



My bike should be here in about 6 weeks, and I can't wait to be able to ride with the boys!

Run, Forrest, Run.

In response to my training, Monika continues to inspire and ridicule me with her quotes from Forrest Gump. My mileage is increasing, along with my speed and endurance, and I can't wait to run the ING Philadelphia Distance Run on September 20th. Already, I've completed a 12 mile training run, so I am well prepared.

The Distance Run has been in existence since 1978 and promises to be a great course. The race begins and ends at Eakins Oval near the Philadelphia Museum of Art, winds through historic parts of the city including Fairmount Park and boasts musicians all along the 13.1 mile route. I even convinced Monika to run it. My cousin Carrie will also be on the course, along with more than 13,000 other runners. Maybe I'll even make some new friends at my pace, since Monika and Carrie are both speed demons compared to me.

This past Saturday, I ran the EMC Relay for Life 5k in Horsham. All summer I've been trying to break my personal best (PB) time for a 5k which was 27 minutes flat. Not very fast, at all. On Saturday, I blasted through my PB and ran the 5k in 24:24, averaging a 7:52 mile according to my Garmin Forerunner 305. I was thrilled. I placed 46th overall in a field of 160, and I was the 5th woman in my age group. Had there been 5 year age brackets for awards, hardware would have been mine. Next time, maybe. At least I am finally fast enough to keep up with Natalie.

Hawk Mountain

On Saturday, Scott and I announced to the kids that we were going hiking. Groans ensued. Grumpiness abounded. Whines surrounded me. Too bad, it was my birthday weekend, and I was picking the afternoon's activity. Off we went.

We packed into the car around noon and traveled north to a spot just east of Allentown, Hawk Mountain. Scott and I were there once before, and we knew the kids would love it. Love it they did. Within 10 minutes of being on the trails, Alex was exclaiming he could not believe he didn't want to come. Tyler reassured us that we could return any time. I was ecstatic. We hiked to both the South and North Lookouts, and along the way the boys were enthralled with the varieties of mushrooms and insects they found. At the lookouts, I was pleased to spot a kestrel and lots of turkey vultures. Sharing memories of my days working at environmental education centers handling owls, hawks and eagles was fun. The impatience of little boys precluded me from seeing too many raptors, but three hours in the woods on the mountain after living in a desert for almost a year, was spectacular.

Kids on the lookout.


The view.


The trail.


Mushrooms everywhere! Green ones...



Black ones...


Tan ones...


Orange ones...


Brown ones...


Red ones...


Purple ones?!? My favorite color in a mushroom! Who knew mushrooms could be purple?


Mushroom eating fruit flies? Maybe they should be fungus flies...


Alex's find of the day, a walking stick bug. Very cool!

We are all looking forward to returning to Hawk Mountain during the Fall to witness the peak of the raptor migration and the changing leaves. If you are in the vicinity, we highly recommend it!

38... No Way!

In two hours, I was supposed to be on a flight back to Dubai. I should be at the airport, right now, but I'm not. Plans have changed. I'm grateful for the experience I had abroad and for the friends I made. I am disappointed not to be working at ASD one more year. I'm feeling a little lost, but I know I'll find my way. Friends and family have been more than generous and wonderfully supportive. Being welcomed home again feels great.


Yesterday was my birthday, and I turned 38. In the words of my friend David... "38, no way!" I don't feel 38, but somehow I am. To celebrate, I did what makes me happiest. I went for a really long run. I ran with my best friend of 25 years, Monika. By 7:30am we were in the parking lot, gearing up, and by 8am we were off. Our run lasted about an hour and fifty minutes and wound along the river in the shade of the trees. We spent almost 11 glorious miles on the trails of Valley Forge. By the time we wrapped up, I couldn't stop smiling. It really was the perfect way for me to spend the morning.

The rest of the day was just as lovely. Mon and I cleaned up, then grabbed breakfast at a great little spot near her house. When I got home, I took Tyler to the pool for a few hours and basked in the sun of a nearly perfect August day. At 5pm, my parents showed up to watch the kids while Scott and I went to a Vietnamese restaurant for dinner. While we were at dinner, I managed to extract information about my birthday present from Scott. He attempted to purchase something the night before my birthday to no avail. At the restaurant, I was raving about Monika's Garmin Forerunner 305, a GPS training device for running. Much to my surprise, I discovered that my Garmin will be arriving this week. I'll be strapping it to my wrist just in time to train for the two half marathons I'll be running this fall, the ING Philadelphia Distance Run and the Philadelphia Half Marathon. For dessert, my parents provided the obligatory ice cream cake, from Freddy Hill, no less. All in all, I can say that 38 feels just fine.

Old Fashioned Fun

Today we had the pleasure of attending the 5th District Fireman's Water Battle at Towamencin Volunteer Fire Company. My Dad has been a member of the TVFC since I was a baby, and he now serves as the Fire Police Chief. He was pleased as punch to have us there in our TVFC neon yellow t-shirts. Along with checking out all the fire trucks, we watched the Tug of War, the Midnight Ride and Bucket Brigade. The day was beautiful, the events were fun to watch, Tyler couldn't get enough of the free hot dogs, and for the third year in a row, Towamencin took first place among the competing fire companies. Go 76!








With a mascot like this, how could they lose?

Emmett

I mentioned in the last post that I've been reading the Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer. Since I've arrived in the US, I've been addicted to reading these books. Maybe it's because I haven't done much pleasure reading for the last three years that I am so consumed by such easy, cheesy, summer reading. I finally sat down to watch Twilight, the movie last week. I loved the book, and I liked the movie. I was totally surprised to discover that the car we bought for me just prior to leaving Dubai for the summer is almost exactly like one from the Twilight movie.

If you know me and Scott, you have probably heard us talk about our cars by their names. The first car we bought was Zippy, a bright blue Geo Prizm. Then came McCloud, the blue Toyota Highlander, followed by Nessie, the green Toyota Highlander. While we had Nessie, we also had Snowcap, the white Toyota Rav4. After searching and searching for a name for my treasured mid-life crisis car, it seems that he can be named nothing other than Emmett (since my Jeep is a ringer for Emmett's Jeep in the Twilight movie)...

Here he is. I can't wait to take his top off...

What I'm Doing on my Summer Vacation...

The words to best fit our experience in the US, so far, would be JAM PACKED. Along with the anticipated and wonderful visiting with family and friends, we have gone to an aquarium, mini golfed, swam at the pool, attended a wedding, gone to the movies, taken tennis lessons, run races, played at an amusement park, rocked out at a No Doubt concert, and seen the world's biggest crayon. Whew! And we have four and a half weeks to go! Remaining adventures on the radar include seeing Billy Joel and Elton John in Philly and taking in a Yanks game at the new stadium. Can't wait!

It has been such a pleasure to have the quarter off from graduate school. I've actually been reading again (if the Twilight series counts). Time off from school coupled with Scott's return to Dubai for the month of July allowed me to reconnect with the kids in a great way. I am more mellow right now than I've been in quite a long time, but that could be exhaustion from the 1am bedtime routine into which I've settled. Whatever it is, it's working for me.

How is your summer going?

Leavin' on a Jet Plane

Can you feel my guilt? Two months with no blogging. Eek! Working full time sure threw a wrench into my writing....

Soon we'll be boarding a plane bound for the USA. We sure are looking forward to seeing lots of family, friends and familiar places. Since I am taking the summer off from grad school, maybe I'll even have a chance to catch up on the blog! Here's to a great summer.....

Need a tortoise sitter?

While our friend is away for Spring Break, we volunteered to tortoise sit. Yes, you read that correctly. The walled gardens of Dubai make for excellent tortoise enclosures, and lots of expats find the herps agreeable and low maintenance pets. Natalie picked hers up at a garage sale. So while Natalie is in Jordan, we are hanging with Eba, the tortoise. I have to admit, we are all pretty taken with her. Every time we return to the house, we head out to the garden for a where's waldo-esqe game of finding Eba.


Can you find her?



A closer view.


Eba chows some romaine.


My biggest concern is that Eba will burrow under our wall somehow. Apparently, tortoises can dig three feet under. Hopefully, she will survive and thrive during her stay at Chez Ogur. So, if you ever need a tortoise sitter, you know who to call.

Sippy Cups?

One of our family traditions in the US was to get doughnuts on Sunday morning for breakfast. Since Sunday is a workday here in the UAE, and since most stores don't open until noon on Fridays, we have moved that tradition to Saturdays. Most Saturday mornings after the boys have tennis lessons, we stop at one of the many local Krispy Kremes to pick up a healthy breakfast. Since coffee makes me happy, Scott usually makes sure I get a cup o' joe from KK, too. Within the past two weeks, KK has changed their coffee cups here. I'm not sure I can continue to imbibe a coffee that has a sippy cup lid! I mean really, what's up with that?

See Mommy Run

Back in November, after meeting Natalie, I finally got the guts to show up for the Dubai Road Runner's Predictor Race. Since then, I have run almost every week at the Predictor (lately 2 laps ~ 4.2 miles). I've also run both my longest race and my fastest 10k race. One 10k race is remaining, and it is in May. That race is the third in a series of three 10ks hosted by the ABRaS AC at Mina Sehayi Hotel. I am so disappointed that race season is coming to an end here, as the heat is settling in. If anyone has suggestions for races in the Philly area for July, or the NY area the last two weeks of June and first two weeks of August, let me know!

Here's my race season progress told in finish photos with Natalie...



Dubai Marathon 10k : January 16, 2009 : 1:02:48


Mirdif Milers 10 Mile: Februrary 27, 2009 : 1:52:58


Dubai Road Runners 10k: March 21, 2009 : 59:04



ABRaS AC Mina Seyahi 10k: March 27, 2009 : 57:09

Have a Field Day!

Since my return to working full time at the beginning of this month, many things have suffered. Most impacted have been my ability to make dinner, my carving out time to get to the grocery store, my running (although local 10k races have helped), and my blogging. My apologies to all affected. Next week, I will have no excuse to not blog since we are all off for Spring Break!

This month, ASD hosted Field Day for their students. On the 11th, was the Field Day for K1. Tyler's class was the green team. Decked out in his Old Navy St. Patrick's Day t-shirt, he rocked out a warm-up to YMCA, then they took the field. It was a day filled with races, long jump, and lots of fun. His PE / Music & Movement teacher really made a splash with the activities she organized for the kids, and it was the first year Field Day was held for the youngest kids at school

Tyler flies with the greatest of ease...


Green Team boys

Alex's Field Day was held on the 15th. Fortunately, my job is very flexible, and I was able to view Alex's athletic prowess. He was a good sport, put forth a great effort, and had lots of fun.


Little Running Man


Ready to Anchor the Tug of War

On March 20th, we found ourselves back on the ASD field, but this time it was for the annual Spring Carnival. For less than $20 (US), the kids had unlimited access to bouncy houses, a bull ride, inflatable slide, a gyroscope, a bungee jump, a camel ride, a pony ride and lots of games. We were happy to have Natalie's family join us, and once again, everyone had lots of fun.


Boys on the Slide


Air Tyler


Gladiator Champion

Riding the Dunes

"I know the desert is beautiful for I have lain in her arms and she has kissed me." from The Poet in the Desert by Charles Erskine Scott Wood

Friday, February 20th : Desert Safari Day

I started Friday morning by heading out to Safa Park for my last long run in preparation for the Mirdif Milers 10 Mile race I will be running on February 27th. Each lap of Safa is 3.4k or about 2.1 miles. I ran four laps, which was not an easy feat without my running partner, Natalie. While I was running Safa, she was running the RAK Half Marathon with several others I know, so I figured the least I could do was four laps in solidarity with them. After my run, we took Rachel and Ellyn to brunch at Carpe Diem / The Art of Living / La Cafette, a yummy cafe that has way too many names. We lunched on crepes with ice cream and deliciously fresh salads keeping in mind that we wanted empty stomachs for when it came time to depart for our desert adventure.

Our designated pick up time for our Footprints in the Sand Desert Safari with Arabian Nights was 3:15pm. Youssef, our Iranian driver, arrived right on time. We piled into the Toyota Land Cruiser with Ellyn in the front, me, Tyler & Rachel in the back, and Scott & Alex in the way back, and we rambled toward Hatta. Our first stop was a random grocery store along the way which seemed to be a meeting point for tens of 4x4's from many different tour companies headed on similar journeys. Outside the store there were coconuts with straws, a man with a falcon, and lots of random tourist tsotchkes. We decided to hang out in the car in the hopes it would expedite our arrival to the dunes. Once Youssef had visited the facilities and the other drivers, we were off again. We crossed the dividing line of the highway, making a u-turn, and then charged onto the adjacent desert. Climbing the dunes a short distance from the road, we stopped once again. This was the meeting point for all the 4x4's from Arabian Nights on the day's excursion. While we waited for everyone to arrive, Youssef prepared the vehicle. He deflated the tires, checked the fluids, and convened with the other drivers. While the drivers prepared the Land Cruisers, the kids played in the dunes, and we all gathered around for the photo ops.


Youssef and Ellyn


Alex as a Sand Angel


Can you tell they miss the snow?


Ready to launch

Once the vehicles were all present and prepped, we loaded back into the 4x4 and caravanned into and over the dunes.



Imagine, this is the view downhill as we are about to slide toward the other 4x4s.


Sand envelops the car, as we slide down a dune.

Now, I love roller coasters and so does Ty. Unfortunately, Alex and Scott do not. By the time we had careened over and down the third dune, Alex was in tears. I envisioned an hour of screaming hysteria, and took a deep breath. Then, somehow, Alex decided dune bashing was fun. He went from sobbing to giggling and hollering "Wheeee!". It was shortly after Alex had his change of heart that Scott started turning grayish-green. We slowed down to check out some camels, and Scott hopped out to get some fresh air. Once Scott's stomach eventually returned to normal, and he switched seats with me for the rest of the ride. Unfortunately for Scott, Youssef seemed to be getting a kick out of subtly torturing him over every dune. We were laughing, but Scott was getting greener....







Alongside all the tourist safari cars, locals and expats were riding the dunes, too. We passed all kinds of vehicles with all kinds of passengers.


Dune buggies


ATVs


Peace riders

As the sun began to set, Youssef guided our Land Cruiser to meet the others 4x4s in our group on top of a massive dune. We piled out, and the kids darted toward the highest sand peaks they could find. The sunset was stunning over the red sands and even though I had run almost 8.5 miles that morning, I found myself running though the dunes with the kids. It was smiles all around... except for Scott who was still recovering....





A Bedouin style camp was the next stop. At camp, you could ride an ATV, ride a camel, sandboard down a dune, smoke shisha, get a henna tattoo, dress like a local in an abaya or a kandura, eat traditional Arabic foods and drink Arabic coffee while sitting on cushions on Persian carpets, purchase personalized sand art and watch a belly dancer. Whew.











Proving what a small town Dubai can be, we ran into one of Alex's best friends from school at the camp, too. For the latter half of the evening, the children had an impromptu play date running up and down the dunes which suited them just fine. As the hour approached 9pm, we were given the 10 minute warning. The kids made one last pit stop, we found Youssef by the door, and we trudged back to the Land Cruiser. Giving us a few last thrills, Youssef shot us back into the dunes and at one point turned off his lights as we plunged through the sand. We had an amazing experience that we will each remember for a long time. Tyler's thoughts on it all were summed up with one phrase earlier in the day as we were sliding through the sands. In his very innocent and enthusiastic five year old voice, he said "Even my penis likes it!"