Homeward Bound

There are some things this country does really, really well. Covered parking everywhere we go; shopping malls, movie theaters, grocery stores, Randy's work, all have covered parking. It's nice to shop and have your car shaded and given the current July temps in Dubai, it's also a necessity.

This country also knows how to offer a variety of great food. I never thought I would love eating Lebanese food as much as I do and the other night Randy and I went to a Portuguese restaurant for Date Night. Delicious!

I love that I don't pump my own gas here. I'm so spoiled with the fact that I no longer have to stand out in the elements and fill my tank. I won't be surprised if I roll into the Walmart gas station back in the states and sit in the car waiting for the attendant to ask me if I want, "full special?"

I love buying fresh baked bread at the grocery store rather than the stuff baked off site and trucked in.

I love that in UAE we don't use "change" when paying for stuff. There isn't sales tax here so things are priced in even amounts. Somethings like fruits and vegetables can end up costing 1.35 dirhams but in that case they round down or up depending on the amount so there isn't a need for pennies.

But there is one thing that Dubai just can't seem to get right...an American breakfast and man oh man do I miss a good breakfast! We never go out to breakfast here since the cafes specialize in more English breakfasts and no matter how much I love baked beans for lunch or dinner, eggs with salmon and baked beans is not my idea of breakfast food. The other morning we thought we'd try breakfast out and found a cafe that boasted an American breakfast. Want to guess what these are?

Despite having butter and syrup on them and being called pancakes, they were not the pancakes we love in America. And for this very reason, I cannot wait to get home to the states this weekend and run, not walk, to the nearest Cracker Barrel.

The boys and I will fly home to the states this Saturday while we leave Randy behind to work for a couple more weeks before he joins us in the states in August. I'm driving back to Texas with the boys so I can meet with our social worker for Andrik's one year post placement visit. Yes the one year mark is almost here!! We have so much planned for our trip including taking the boys to Disney World with their cousins, doing my part as an "Economic Ambassador" to stimulate the US Economy with my various shopping lists, and something that I'm super excited about...our big Moscow Adoption Reunion 'The Do-Over' is being hosted by Dinia and Ron again in Alabama and even more families are attending this year.

So as much as I love Dubai and all it's wonderful services, I cannot wait to get back on US soil and catch up with some of the things we've missed over the past four months.

When a Two Year Old Orders Lunch...

One of the things I LOVE about Dubai is everything can be delivered. Want an order of Wendy's fried mozzarella cheese sticks and chocolate Frosty at 9:00 p.m. at night? No problem, a man on a motorcycle will have it to your house in 10 minutes. (not that I've ever ordered that) Too lazy to drive to Chili's to eat? Not to worry, Chili's can get your meal to you in just a few minutes. How about KFC? Chinese food? Hardees? Burger King? We've got it all and it can all be brought to your house on the motorcycle.

But could it be too much of a good thing when your two year old tells the person on the phone to make sure they include tomatoes, pickles, and lettuce on their order? I like to think he's a quick learner rather than admitting that I may indulge in this service a few times too many.