"Be careful"

Hi friends.  Sorry it has been so long.  Since we are busy here, I'm going to steal things from around the internet.  This is from a blogger who lives in Abu Dhabi, she just says it better than I can.

http://theabudhabipta.com/2014/09/07/be-careful-over-there-what-i-live-in-the-uae/

Be careful over there! my American friends said to me. As if the Middle East is simply one big mosh pit of danger, mayhem and debris.
...

They must be thinking about Iraq or Iran and they are as close to the UAE as New York is to West Virginia; although, you must agree, there is a huge difference between them. If you lumped New Yorkers and West Virginians together, any American would tell you they have nothing in common. They may be the same religion and in the same country but there is a world of difference between them. We live in a bubble, a very expensive bubble it may be; that separates us from the rest of the Middle East. Life here is grand we have no complaints. We live in a world of over-the-top excess. Free from the badness many nations face.

There’s no danger here. We are a very happy bunch. We shop and we explore and we eat fancy brunches. Tell the media how happy we are and to stop lumping Muslims together. There’s nothing threatening about being here. Get out your maps and look into it. Get on a plane and come visit us.

We are here of our own choosing we like our little Utopia. Please save your be careful over there for someone who needs it. We are living the dream. Please come and see it!

Happy birthday Nathan and Jackson!  Hope your birthdays are a blast!  Sending lots of love and cheer.