Running for the border and paying to go to work...

Last weekend, we completed a border run. We parked our car, walked into Oman, attempted to do the enter-exit procedure (enter Oman & leave) and were told after flipping through our passports, we needed to go back to the UAE to get our exit stamps.  This wouldn't be a big deal at home, but with 7 children under the age of 9, in the heat, through the desert, and after passing a big, dead scorpion, it was a bit much.  So we trooped back across the border, paid our exit fees, and then repeated our journey to Oman (this time in the car - apparently we could have driven before but that pesky language/communication barrier), paid our fees, and drove back so that Belle and Rob would have the essential entry stamp on their pink paper to allow them to complete their residency process.

We've also been spending a lot of time with our Abu Dhabi family, Corey & Mallory.  Corey is apparently the "Rain Man" of cribbage, and has been patiently teaching us the game. There are no cribbage boards over here, so Corey made one out of a piece of junk wood and another one out of a box.  They do the job, and I'm finally understanding the terminology of "skunk", "double", "runs", and "nobs".  Corey is a great cook, so we've been enjoying both the company and the meals.  Mallory has been an excellent resource for school lessons and I love that she is so sassy, sarcastic and fun. She is never afraid to laugh at herself, or at others, but it makes me feel at home - plus they are from the western region of Massachusetts which means they understand the whole rural New England thing.  Belle loves going over there to play with their two kittens, Alpha & Omega. They've had them since they were three weeks old and are finally old enough to get their first shots.  They are incredibly playful. 

My school is doing a carnival day on the 27th, and teachers have to pay to attend work that day.  It is not an optional work day, so if I want to get paid for the day, I need to help pay for the festival.  Weird.

And finally, I wanted to know who the big acts were going to be for the Yasalam Festival (part of the Formula One Grand Prix race events), so I entered my email and ended up winning free tickets to Britney Spears.  Mallory & I can not wait to go (for some reason, Rob didn't want to join me, LOL). 

Reunions!

Reunited!

Rob & Belle have now been here for ONE WEEK.   Their journey was delayed by weather (for 24 hours) and this first week together has been a whirlwind.  Rich arrived and hung up all the curtains so Rob wouldn't have to start with a project right away. Then he and I went out to dinner with my friend Kristi, and we were off to the airport to pick up our very tired travelers.  After arriving home around 3am our time, everyone went to bed, and I woke Belle up the next morning to take a placement test at her school.  Rob was able to rest for most of the day, but the jet lag is a kicker to overcome, and starting on Sunday, Belle & I had school all week and Rob drove her and my friend Cammie's children to school each day.  We said goodbye to Rich on Sunday, with Rob driving him to the airport in Dubai. On Monday, Rob experienced his first Abu Dhabi accident, which was NOT a good time, although everyone, including the car, was fine.  On Wednesday, Belle and I went to a fun little event at a local hotel, where we received lots of swag and had yummy food.  Then Thursday, we all went out to dinner at the rugby club.  Yesterday, we did a marathon grocery shopping trip after putting together our first wardrobe (have I mentioned we have no closets or storage outside of the kitchen!) and today, we might visit Jebel Hafeet, the mountain in Al Ain with hot springs.

Dinner with Rich & AD friends

I've been very lucky in most of my teaching career in finding great people to car pool with (Liz & Kim, I miss you!), and a move across the world did not end this streak.  The first bit of luck was finding out Cammie, a fabulous lady I met online because we both had little girls of the same age, and I were at the same school. Then, as we sat in the auditorium waiting for our letters to introduce ourselves to our new principal, this dynamic and amazing lady, Ashaunda, asked to join Cammie and me. Truly, it was fortuitous because everyday, we support one another as we process our work day, and make the hour long commute seem a little shorter. We see a lot of desert and some camels, every day, but we also find ways to laugh at things that might make us sad or angry. I love my car pool. 

Our school is in a small community that sort of reminds me of Lisbon, the school I graduated from. It is a K-12 girls' school, with boys attending for KG1 & KG2.  When I was given my teaching assignment, Grade 10 & 11 Art, I almost cried. If you've seen me draw, you know why.  Ashaunda was told 11 & 12 Science. Thank goodness she was brave enough to speak up, because that helped clarify that yes, we were teaching English, but there are two strands, science and art. The science strand is similar to CP & Honors from home, while the art strand is more like general level.  So, no art for me, yay!  Because of the size of our school, I only have one class of each (grade 10 & grade 11), but I meet with them twice a day. The girls wear blue jumpers over white shirts (the standard older girl uniform for the UAE in public schools), and all wear sheilas (a head scarf over their hair).  I'm starting to learn their names, although I don't think I've quite gotten the pronunciation down.  I've learned that our first semester themes are: Emirati Family & Culture (grade 10) and Healthy Lifestyles (grade 11). Currently both groups are working on writing assignments.

Belle has started school at Manor Hall, a private school, and also wears a uniform, a grey and red plaid loose short (looks like a skirt) and white shirt with school patch.  She loves that the lobby of her school has a chandelier and that it has a pool.  The building is physically quite attractive and in addition to her regular classes, she will also be taking French and Arabic as part of their curriculum. She has made friends already with Cammie's daughter, and they sit together in class. So, yay, for mommy plotting! :)

Someone else is driving my car...

Belle, Katie & Grandpa Chuck

Well, technically, it is no longer my car. I truly loved that car (and it is odd because I am so not a person who gets attached to things - a byproduct of moving so much as a child).  I did not cry when we sold the house we lived in for ten years, the first home my daughter ever knew, but I cried over my car.

The sunset the night of our family party.

Tonight, I read another chapter of A Secret Garden to Belle. We'll get to read one more chapter before I leave (Chapter 24: Let Them Laugh), because tomorrow she leaves for a four day, three night camp adventure with three of her closest friends from school and her Girl Scout troop. We'll pick her up on the 2nd, and that night, I'll get to read to her one more time.  I wonder if I'll be able to read to her from Abu Dhabi. I won't be able to read to her on the 3rd because my plane will be in the air while she is going to bed.  I might have to get a second copy so Rob will read it with her.  These are the things I am thinking about tonight after watching her pack her camping bags and methodically check off each item on the list. She's a good packer.

Liz, Ashleigh & me

Erica, Sammy & Belle

I finished up the young writers' writing camp I helped with today, and Belle finished her last round of swim lessons.  My stepmother-in-law called last night and invited us over for dinner tomorrow because she said she's going to miss me and wants to make sure she gets to see me one more time before I go. It made me tear up a bit because I truly adore her and it is an honor to know it is reciprocal.  We finished up getting the passport photo copies I need for all the various things in the UAE, and had a quick visit with our friends Tonya & Rochelle.


Tomorrow, I bring Belle to camp with the other moms, and Rob & I'll empty the storage unit. Tonight, I'm going to resist staying up late just to watch Belle sleep.   Maybe I'll just stare at this picture instead:

Belle at my early birthday dinner

Deep fried hot dogs and other wonders...

Moving across the world is hard, and right now the hardest part is balancing all the things we have to do, with the things we want to do, and the things we feel we should do.... Yeah, that makes a lot of sense.

Our schedule has been crazy, and yet, I've been able to do a lot of waiting (im)patiently for more information about my departure.  I am finally out of my splint and well on the way to recovery.  I am able to do all the normal summer activities I love without being crazy....

On Thursday, we went out to dinner with some of the New England teachers traveling to the UAE. It was a HUGE relief to finally meet some of the people going with us and to find out how nice everyone is.  These three ladies were just a few of the people who took a night out to bond over Italian food.

We stayed over at Liz & Brett's and were able to spend some quality time with Liz and Charlie (Brett had to leave for a frisbee tournament), and even Erica came over for lunch on Friday. Then it was off to Manchester for Stephanie & Sam's rehearsal and dinner at KC's Rib Shack, where the food is "healthy" they deep fry hot dogs (we learned this because of Belle's order) - translation: DELICIOUS!

And in case you were wondering what a deep fried hot dog looks like, here is a picture of her dinner:

They call them diamondbacks because of the way they slice them before frying. 

We managed to avoid most of the race traffic by sticking to back roads. On Saturday morning, we went and painted pottery at a local paint-your-own place and then raced back to Liz's to prep for the wedding. Thank heavens for all the time Liz spent in the bathroom playing with make up and hair in high school because she certainly has a second calling as a beautician. I wonder if Brett knows how lucky he is to have married someone who can do as many things as she can? I mean, look how precious this photo is:

The ceremony was beautiful - with great lighting - everything was backlit because of the sun's location in the sky.  Belle did a great job in her third outing as a flowergirl, and Steph & Sam looked very happy as they celebrated their union. Steph made the cake & cupcakes, and all the bridal party headpieces.  She & Sam also made all the favors: pieces of pottery- I ended up with a lovely blue, tulip shaped glass - which were used as our water glasses and gave each table a unique & colorful touch. 

Belle just returned from her friend, Ari's birthday party, and now I think we might all take a nap after running around for the last four days - if not, we're definitely going to bed early. Tomorrow she starts a two-week cycle of swim lessons, and I'm off to watch the finale of Harry Potter with my pal, Ashleigh.  Then we're off to a Miranda Cosgrove (iCarly) concert on Tuesday evening, and have a family get together on Saturday. I have a writing camp meeting Monday at lunch time, and I'm sure there are other things that I've forgotten occurring this week as well. But soon enough, I'll have a 14 hour plane ride to catch up on sleep.

The first LT's (licensed teachers) are getting their e-tickets with scheduled departures of August 3 & 4. So far, I am not one of them, but it does mean I'll know soon (or go crazy waiting).  Keep your fingers crossed that I get my golden ticket sooner rather than later.

Independence Day and other things...

I finally fulfilled the birthday promise to my friend Erica and we hiked the Zealand Falls trail.  Belle brought along her friend Mackenzie and Erica, of course, brought Sammy.  It was a beautiful day for a hike and even better - no snake sightings!

We had a short visit with my pal Ashleigh where I made her make brownies (delicious) - I have mentioned that I'm a rotten friend, right?, followed by a mad rush visit to Massachusetts to visit Marc & Mary Esther.  Note to self (and to the rest of the world) - DO NOT attempt to leave Massachusetts heading north on a holiday weekend.  It took over two hours to reach the tolls just past Manchester from the Boston area.  Yeah. 

Belle and I went to Good Harbor with Marc & Mary Esther for a beach day.  I couldn't do a whole lot of swimming because my wrist is still healing and I've been told by my doctor that I can swim with my brace on, but do not want to chance messing up my recovery.  Belle searched for seashells, we found a couple baby horseshoe crabs, she swam a bit (YEAH!), and even boogie boarded. (Yes, I am jealous that my daughter was able to swim and boogie board.)  When we got back to Marc & Mary Esther's, Rob joined us and helped grill up a steak dinner. Then we had the super fun drive home the next day.  

On Saturday, we joined some of our friends in celebrating Rich's birthday.  The food was incredible, but the company was even better.  It was amazing to look around the table and realize that we've literally watched the young men (our friends' sons) grow up, and it made me think about how much we'll miss of the younger boys while we are away. 
For the holiday, we drove down to Woodsville for the annual parade. Rob and I have been attending this parade together for the last 16 years, and it was bittersweet when our friend John mentioned next year's - because it is unlikely that I will be back in time for it (although Rob & Belle might be).  We've learned over the years how to prepare for the event, so we brought chips & salsa and watermelon. Our friend Kathy provided the sunscreen, and the kids all had their candy bags.  Everyone brought coolers filled with cold drinks. Belle finally had enough confidence to run out and compete for the candy without relying on the boys to supplement her catch. 
It is kind of nice to know that we only have Belle's alteration appointment for Stephanie & Sam's upcoming nuptials and a trip to the post office planned for this week. I'm sure we will fill it somehow.

Party planning and play dates

Friday evening, Erica & Jen came over to christen the summer home. We made delicious crab rangoons & fruit filled spring rolls (the recipe is from this delightful blog).  Belle had Rochelle sleep over after softball practice and I made them Belgian waffles in the morning.  After our breakfast, Belle & I did the weekly shopping, and then she was off to Nicoria's magician birthday party. Which reminded me that I have a little girl with a birthday coming up... and for the first time in her life, we don't have the space to have the party at home.  After spending a couple hours researching all the local fun spots, and remembering the uncertainty of NH weather, I selected an indoor venue and booked it. The invitations are addressed and will be delivered tomorrow.  And Belle will be able to show off her new swim skills!!! :)

After picking her up from the party - what is the first thing my darling daughter asks me? Yep, for a play date with Mackenzie because she has not seen her friends in oh, so long.... I completely understood her request, being the social person I am, and could not refuse it.  And after church today, I took Belle and her cousin, Ana, to the park to play and out for ice cream.  I even got in a short visit with Loretta, but it was only long enough to realize that we need some serious quality hanging out time in the near future. 

We are all settled into the summer home. What we need for the next couple months is unpacked, and I am going to start to pack the first of the suitcases.  Tomorrow we are back to school, and Belle has a softball game (of course).

Moving forward

This past week we have been busy ridding ourselves of many of the possessions we accumulated in the ten years we lived on Grove Street.  During that time period of home ownership, we celebrated many milestones and memories (both good & tragic): our wedding, September 11th, the birth of our daughter, the weddings of family members & friends, and the births of our niece and nephews... We celebrated a number of birthday's from Rob's 30th to Belle's 7th, the loss of several family pets (our first family dog, the cat, and Belle's mouse), and the acquisition of our rabbit; my two college graduations, and Belle & Rob's first days of school/college.  We learned how wonderful neighbors could be and developed a soft spot for the street we lived on and its people.  This weekend, with the help of some incredibly helpful and hardworking friends, Erica, Ashleigh & Liz, we emptied and prepared our former home for its new owners (who take possession on Wednesday).  I thought it would be hard to say goodbye and there were a couple moments in Belle's room where I got a little choked up, remembering the time spent transforming the space into a princess room.  I found out that it wasn't hard to move on. I'm ready for this new adventure, and eager to start it.  After selling our living room couch, I came back to our summer home and ordered the two suitcases that will carry my remaining possessions with me across the ocean and a continent.

I also celebrated the NH region's Scholastic Writing Awards on Friday (part of the work of the National Writing Project in NH), and had the honor of presenting a silver key to one of my own students (I did not take part in the adjudication) and received a teacher's pin as recognition for being a key winner's teacher.  We also had copies of Middle/High School Voices available for purchase or included in the registration fee for the earlier writing conference with local poet and Plymouth State University English Department chair, Liz Ahl.  During the conference, I learned about the Arabic poetry form called the ghazal and I am eager to use it in my creative writing class later this week (it seems like everything is pushing me towards my destination this summer).  I've turned in my award selections for the end of the year assembly and I'll be presenting three scholarships/awards on the behalf of my English department and teacher's union at the up-coming graduation ceremonies.  The year is quickly coming to a close, and I provided my senior students with their writing portfolio requirements for their now remaining 14 days of class.

Life is going to be busy in the next few weeks with end of the year events, grades, softball, and swim lessons (and probably one more yard sale to empty our storage unit), but it is nice to know that our first move is completed and we're beginning to prepare for the next one.  And today, the Abu Dhabi Ministry of Education announced the school calendar for next year. Off to update our checklist page...

It's all fun and games until...

On Friday, I took one of my two remaining personal days because we had to prepare for the yard sale. I rented our first PO Box, and while I was there, was alerted about an available rental.  One of the mom friends I've made alerted us to an apartment that will be referred to as our "summer home" because our house has been sold and the closing is this month.  So, after a week of freaking out about where we will be residing, we found a home that will allow Belle to finish the school year at her school, and we'll stay in town for my summer writing camps. Thank heavens for small towns.

The first day of our massive possession purge has been completed, and the Tylers are universally exhausted. We are prepping the remaining pieces of furniture and looking forward to some much deserved sleep before doing it all over again tomorrow. We couldn't have done it without the help of so many of our friends who came early bearing coffee and cheerfully lugged boxes, books, and furniture out; brought us lunch when we started to droop from hunger; or stuck around in the afternoon to keep us company and help secure items (and even help with the sales).

We even had a visit from our local law enforcement because they had received complaints from the amount of traffic, so he was required to pay us a visit to alert us to the popularity of our sale. Yes, we were visited by a friendly police officer because of our perfectly legal and legit yard sale.

The highlight of the afternoon was a "lost" Good Humor truck coming down our street - so Belle and her friends (and her parents) could all experience the novelty of buying ice cream from a truck.

Softball and Pink Slips...

Things are moving forward. Thursday night, Rob & I stayed up late pricing things for the big sale starting this coming Saturday. On Friday, our house was thoroughly inspected. Then we got up early to get ready for the opening day of AVS Softball. This is Belle's fourth year playing and first year on the 8U league. When we return from our overseas adventure in two years, she will be in 10U for one season.  At 9:00 I ran out to get her the maroon socks for her uniform and then we headed for the field for the opening day celebrations. Rob received his first official assistant coach t-shirt, although he's been filling that role for several years.

After freezing through the ceremonies - it was not the 60 degree weather promised by the weather man! (and as I write this, the Abu Dhabi widget informs me that it is 97 degrees there) - we went home to find warmer clothes for the game. Thank goodness we did because we spent over three hours at the field (the game lasted for two hours & despite the cold, the sun did come out so I have rosy red cheeks. :) It was so amazing to see the girls apply the skills/knowledge and teamwork they have developed over the years, handle getting outs (this is the first year) with grace, work together to make plays, cheer on their teammates and be good sports towards their competing teams (especially because they are filled with their friends & classmates!).

Obviously softball was exhausting for this bleacher mom, so I came home & took a nap - making me late for what I thought was going to be a simple girl's night out at my friend Kim's - you know, hanging out, eating pizza, etc.  Luckily, my friend Erica sent me a sneaky text asking me what I was up to & telling me how she was out-of-town. I promptly invited her over if she was coming back (yeah, I'm that kind of person) to hang out with Kim & I.  The text woke me up, which caused me to be only 20 minutes late for what turned out be an amazing pink slip party. Yes, my friends & I celebrated my layoff (and my new adventure) with a party, because we are that kind of people (it's called fabulous if you are looking for the word.). ;)  The food was incredible - deviled eggs, seafood & regular lasagna, strawberry cupcakes with almond buttercream, chocolate dipped strawberries, toffee squares, shrimp, a vegetable & fruit salad (mixed together - amazing!).  And there were presents!

Which if you consider how I am purging everything in my possession, you would think would be odd (which I so gracefully reminded my patient friends as I opened the humungous box - seriously, I wonder how they put up with me), but the gifts were oh so perfect for me & for fitting in my 2 suitcases & 1 carry-on (yes, I'm obsessing about how little that means I will be taking). I received a book filled with personal messages from all my soon to be former co-workers, a musical cd recording the soundtrack of my WHS days, and the Kindle ereader I've been patiently saving for! Yes, this post deserves every single one of the exclamation marks I caution my students against using because I am that excited and enjoyed myself that much. The best part is I have more memories to take with me of these wonderful ladies.

Happy Easter and the joys of lists...

Tonight, I am sitting next to two lists that keep getting longer: one for me, and one for Rob.  I have two school applications to complete for Belle which require me to get her school records and begin the withdrawal process from her elementary school.  We are looking for a new home for our rabbit, who celebrated his 2nd birthday with us today (with a strawberry and two carrots) and Belle & I are returning to school tomorrow now that our vacation week is over.

I've prepared lesson plans for the next two weeks (one class is finishing a unit on colonial literature, while another is beginning a unit on propaganda, and my creative writing class will be learning about responding/peer feedback) and helped to plan our Middle/High School Voices & Scholastic Writing Awards celebration coming up in May.  When I get back to school tomorrow, I will start meeting with the graduation speakers for the Class of 2011 as they prepare their speeches.  All this on top of leaving the country in just a few short months. I'm feeling stressed/overwhelmed by the number of things left to do before the August 1st deadline and I can't decide what luggage to purchase to hold the items we'll take with us. 

So, tonight, I'm going to think about all the blessings we were graced with today.  We spent the day celebrating Easter. Belle completed two egg hunts (at home & at our church), we went to church as a family, and then we spent the afternoon with Rob's family for dinner, four-wheeling, and visiting.  Rob held frog eggs so our nephew & Belle could touch them and marvel at the small lifeforms inside. My brother-in-law, Chris, retrieved an old bird's nest so the children could see the wonders of nature.  Our daughter decided she had received too much for Easter and shared her treats with others. Audrey & Josh celebrated their first wedding anniversary.  And most importantly, we were surrounded by people who cared about us and who we care for. 

Worrying about all that we need to do can wait for tomorrow because next year, Easter will be very different. Today was a good day.

Coming home...

These past few days, Belle & I had the pleasure of being with some of the people we love the best in the world, namely my best pal (her godmother/namesake), Audrey, and Belle's best pal since birth, Katelyn.  We spent most of our spring vacation savoring their company and the beautiful region where Audrey has settled with her wonderful husband, Josh.  We introduced Katie to the wonders of Hokie Nation (which were first introduced to us through Josh at our initial meeting during the annual holiday baking - he started whipping up maroon & orange icing for Christmas cookies). We also spent some time enjoying nature through visits to local attractions, zoos, parks, and a stop at Dixie Caverns.  Not to mention, a stop for our sweet tooth at Bubble Cake (ok, it took us two visits to get there because the first day it wasn't open!).

It is hard to know that in a few short months our 13 hour car ride will be evolving into a plane ride of that length.  Distance from loved ones is hard, and it makes me think about how we will stay in touch and keep these relationships as close as they are today. I am comforted by the closeness I feel for the sister of my heart, and the closeness I observe between my daughter and her friend that no longer lives two houses away.  We've managed to maintain these relationships despite changes in our lives, including varying degrees of physical distance. Although we will be leaving this continent, I know there is a piece of these people that will come with us, just like we will leave pieces of ourselves behind.

Saying goodbye yesterday gave us our first taste of how hard it will be, but was also an important reminder that it really isn't farewell - it is: we'll see you soon.