For those two or three people that were wondering where we've been

Well, I thought that someone else would take up the torch of this blog. I pride myself on the degree to which my children are literate. They are all very good readers and writers and I was sure that one of them would have jumped at the chance to give their spin on our family adventures here in Abu Dhabi. Alas, twas not meant to be. It has been a few months since my last posting. In that time, our lives here have only become more routine. After two years in this place, I have to admit that we’re quite comfortable with our surroundings and are rarely surprised at what we see. I don’t even bother to turn my head at a passing Ferrari any more. Speaking of Ferraris, one of our little adventures over the summer was a day at Ferrari World on Yas Island. If you haven’t heard of Ferrari World, I can’t really blame you. After spending the day there, I’m not quite sure what the market is for the world’s largest indoor theme park. It was basically one big Ferrari commercial, but the thing about Ferrari is that they’ve never really needed commercials. Not many people buy one after seeing an advert on TV. Anyway, the whole time we were there, I felt like we were being pitched on how great Ferraris are, but it felt like a bit of a vain pitch, because I’m never going to be that product’s demographic. It was pretty spectacular--indoor water flume, world’s fastest roller coaster, and a few other nifty attractions. It was fun to visit, but I don’t know that we need to go back, not unless I want to feel really bad about my current ride.

Not sure if the Ferrari camel has a name

After a long hot summer, we all got back into a nice routine with school and work. The apartment has been great. Sure, it would have been nice to move in here at the beginning, but after the cockroaches and the bustling lifestyle of our last abode, we can really appreciate what we have here. 

At the end of September, I started my coursework in my doctoral program. Two months of no rest and very little free time. It’s hard to describe, but in some ways it has kept me sane. I love what I’m learning and though I feel a little slow on the uptake, it’s been totally worth the stress and the late nights. Julie and the kids have been incredibly understanding about how lame their dad is in the evenings and on Saturdays. I’m in between semesters right now, but the work is ongoing. I feel like I’ve got a lot to catch up on in the education field, but there is some time to do it, and I’ve got an incredible support system backing me up.

A couple of weeks ago, Mom and Mike came to visit for a week. I was in the midst of a lot of work and wasn’t able to spend quite the time with them that I would have liked, but they made it perfectly clear that they really didn’t come to see me. The kids had a great time with their grandparents, and what time Julie and I had with them was great. We got to spend some time in Dubai and made a valiant attempt to put Abu Dhabi in the Guiness Book of World records for sandcastle building. There was some great food and some great visiting time and we were glad they came.

A few of our castles at sunset

These sunglasses are just about the right size

We’re not quite sure what the future holds, but our goal is to try and make the most of the time and opportunities here. Hopefully there will be lots of adventures to document in the not too distant future.