Omani Adventure

Today is a particularly exciting Tuesday for us.  Last night the Qatar Emir announced that he would be handing power over to his son. (click here to learn more) We received emails and calls around 8pm (or 20 as we are getting used to saying) last night declaring today a holiday and informing us that the office would be closed.  Happy Tuesday to all!

Our surprise holiday was filled with a good mix of fun and productiveness.  We were able to hit the ocean and catching up on some random tasks.  One of which was completing this post to fill you all in on our Omani adventure last weekend.  

This is the story of eight people who flew to Muscat for the weekend to visit two friends. (And before you ask, yes I realize that it would have been easier for the two people to get on a plane and fly to Doha, but that isn't as much fun.)  Orchestrating ten people doesn't always go smoothly, but it was entertaining.

Our first stop was Turtle City:

Then we experienced something called elevation change.  We ventured inland to Nizwa (blue line on the map below).  Hello mountains, it has been a while.

Sprinkled throughout the mountains are forts used to protect territory while traders were traveling from the desert to the coastline.

Fort Nizwa:

   

Irrigation network:

Fort ruins:

It was a great first trip to Oman.  We look forward to returning.  Happy birthday Doctor Alli from us and our tonsils.

In Transit to Muscat

We hope you are having an amazing weekend.  We are on an Omani adventure.  Photos coming soon.

Congratulations Bonnie and Matt.  We are celebrating with you in spirit.  Happy birthday Ashley.

As of Lately

I feel extremely selfish for not immediately sharing the below important life information with you all (Texas friends just read yall):

1. Impostors.  We pretended to be fancy people and attended a ball.  (Get used to seeing my face shiny.  It is nice and humid here now.)

2. We went to an Akon concert on the beach.  I have some fast and furious dance moves and I kept digging holes in the sand with my supersonic feet.  Dancing in sand is really for romantic occasions,  not booty bumpin.  Blurry Akon proof:

3. The trees are full of dates.  My mouth is already salivating.  

4. Friends, I am so sorry that we have been here so long and I forgot to show you what a pedestrian crossing sign looks like.  Shame on me.  It is a bald man without hands in his thobe.

Here is everything you need to know about the men's national dress called thobes: (Thobe Source)

5. I joined a running club and on Tuesdays we get to run inside!  I can't even imagine how happy I will be about the indoor running track in August.  I can hardly contain my excitement during the June heat.  Well, said running group had an article in the newspaper.  I'm pretty much famous.

Happy anniversary Mom and Dad.  Thanks for teaching me that unconditional love and teamwork can create years of happiness.  Happy birthday Tami, Alan, and Ashley.  Amazing people deserve amazing birthdays, so I hope your birthdays can live up to the high standards.  Happy Father's Day Dad and Chris.  We are sorry we can't celebrate with you on the 16th, but look forward to celebrating when we are together next.

S.O.L.O. in Amsterdam

After Jonathon hopped in the taxi to the airport on Monday at sunrise, I did what any logical person would do.  I laced up my running shoes and explored the city before there was a need to dodge bikers and trams.  My run was peaceful and quiet, but maybe a little too quiet.  I was beginning to question if I could entertain myself for a whole week.  Well I did, and you are so lucky because you get to find out how:

1.  Pound the pavement in shorts and without being concerned about heat stroke (both non options in Qatar at the moment).  There was daylight from 5am to 11pm, so there was plenty of time for exploring the city while feeling safe.

                                    

2. Enjoy the outdoors.  The beginning of the week was filled with many sneeze attacks and allergies because my body forgot how to react to green grass, but the running nose was worth the views and sounds of nature.

3.  Have a fiesta.  Who goes to Amsterdam to eat Mexican food?  This girl!  I needed multiple evenings of fajitas to compensate for my eight month drought.  This also might be a reason why #1 is on the list.

4.   Educate myself.  I visited the house where Anne Frank and her family hid for two years during WWII.

Otto Frank moved his family from Germany to Amsterdam when Hitler came into power.  After the Nazis invaded the Netherlands, they went into hiding above his company warehouse.  The bookcase below hid the secret entryway to the hidden rooms.  The photo on the left shows the bookcase hiding the entry and the photo on the right shows how to access the secret rooms.  

The eight people hiding were discovered and sent to concentration camps.  Only Otto survived the concentration camps.  Anne Frank died one month before the liberation.

5.  Call for back-up.  The travel department stars aligned and Sam was also in Amsterdam for work last night.  Words cannot describe how great it was to chat her ear off.

6.  Oh, and when all else fails I can entertain myself by eating German pretzels and blogging while in the airport waiting to return home.



48 Hours in Amsterdam

Pinch me.  Is this really my life?  All you need to know is that we felt cold this weekend (this is a positive) and we were surrounded by beautiful, luxurious, green grass.

Jonathon was in Budapest, Hungary the end of last week for work and I’m in Amsterdam for training this week, so we rendezvoused in the Amsterdam airport on Friday night and spent the next 48 hours exploring the city.

I’m slightly excited, so here I present a photo overload of Amsterdam.  (Imagine me making a Vanna White hand gesture here.)

  

 

Jonathon flew back to Doha this morning and I will head back Saturday after my training.  As sad as it is to have Jonathon gone, I am holding myself together because I have a VERY special reunion planned later this week.  Check back for photos featuring the largest smile in the whole entire world and a bombshell at my side.

Happy (early) birthday Michael.  You are the grooviest redheaded little bro that I personally known.  (If I'd met Ron Weasley then you would have a run for your money.)  We both (Jonathon and I, not Ron and I) hope you have a rad birthday.