From Villa 5 to Villa 9

So the Bryant 6 are all doing well and have recovered from the sandstorm.  The first day back to school after it happened the school counselor called all the girl scouts in and they had a special lunch to discuss what had happened.  I was super impressed with that!  It is still crazy windy here and sand is always blowing across the freeways from the desert!  My hair always feels gritty and I keep feeling like I have sand in my throat!  The sky always looks hazy and visibility is bad....that cool skyline is nowhere to be found!  What I am learning is that no matter where you live Mother Nature can affect your life!  In Illinois it was the snow, in Houston it is the hurricanes and Dubai....SANDSTORMS!!!  I have been hearing about how cold it is right now in the US and it makes me so miss home!  I love cold days with the fireplace crackling.  Needless to say people in Dubai do not have fireplaces!

So enough talk of sandstorms!  We have big news!  We are moving into a new house!  Our lease here at Villa 5 is up February 28 and we have decided to move.  I know you might think that it is crazy to move again but for us it is extra exciting.  Villa 5 has been great but for a few small reasons we decided to look around.  It is really common for expats to move around some.  When you are a renter you have that freedom!

Looking for a new home was an experience in itself!  You would not believe some of the houses I saw! Remember I did not shop for houses the first time around because I was in America with a new baby and Deric was here.  So it was fun seeing what was out there...I could have lived here....

 And had this for a front yard!  These huge houses are in an area near our school called Al Barsha.  Al Barsha is called a free-hold zone.  It is an area in Dubai where the government owns the land and no expats, only locals can purchase property in this zone.  This land is GIVEN to the local Emiratis when they marry.  They can then get a grant from the government to build a huge home!  However they usually build the home and then rent them to expats to make some money.  The rent in this area is cheap because its surroundings are just not that aesthetically pleasing.  The picture below is really the front "yard" of this house.  Not a blade of grass or anything green around.  The realtor asked me if I would consider renting the villa if he had the landlord plant a small garden.  NO THANK YOU.  This area of Dubai is a complete construction zone.  Just driving up to this villa you felt like you were in a warzone!  My friend and I have recently renamed this area "Al Barfa."

I looked at this villa too..really just for laughs with my friend Elan
It is directly across from the school.   Notice the construction and ROAD in front.  

 I looked at many, many villas and started to get discouraged.  We were only going to move if we found something that the family really, really loved and met all our needs.  Just when I was about to give up I found what I think will be our perfect Dubai home!  We are moving to an area in Dubai called Jumeirah Islands.  It is a really beautiful neighborhood composed of "islands" (I call them cul-de-sacs).  The image below is a map of Jumeirah Islands and each circle represents what they call a"cluster"(I call it a cul-de-sac) We are "cluster" 38, Villa 9!  The neighborhood is so pretty and the "villas" look more like "houses" to me!  We are going to have a huge front yard with GRASS!!!  I found the villa by just driving through the neighborhood one day at a last ditch effort to find something.  Honestly when I saw Villa 9 and all it's trees it reminded me of our yard in Chicago!!! It just feels more like a neighborhood you might see at home. We are counting the days until the end of the month when we can move in!

Here is an arial shot of a "cluster" in Jumeirah Islands.

Below are some photos of the actual new house.  We should move in the last week in February.  This part of the world makes moving easy.  They come pack you up, move you and UNPACK you when you get there!!!!  It is very close to Villa 5 which makes it nice.  A few things I love about the new house are the light floors, light walls and big yard.  Oh!  And did I mention the AWESOME family we met next door with FOUR kids, 3 girls and a boy...the boy being Luke's exact age!  Before we knew we were going to get the house I became very emotionally attached to the house because of them!  The second we met them our kids ran off to play which reminded me so much of Northview.  They are from Ireland and they go to our church! I see lots of Irish-American fun in our future!

This shot was taken before the great sandstorm!  We stopped to see the house
on our way to the campout.

You drive through this wall of trees onto our driveway!

Backyard...

Big front yard!

That is our British realtor Justin- He uses words like rubbish and brilliant!

Our new street!

 Carol stopped by to see her new neighbor!  Yes!  She and Trinka live in Jumeirah Islands!  We are now referring to it as Nalco Islands!  Here we are in our new kitchen.

We have taught Lilly to say "cheese"!  This is what we get! 

Family room-

Deric measuring for appliances-

I love the light floors!

Sweet Lillian on the new stairs that soon will be gated from her!

Master bath with a real shower!  We have a tub shower
here at Villa 5-

This is the girls BIG bedroom!

Breakfast area-

More postings soon about our move and my favorite..decorating! My head is spinning as to where everything will go!  I will be working hard to make it a home before our family arrives!  YES!! Debbie, Wayne, Reid, Riley, Reagan, Eric, Nancy and sweet Winnie Kate will be here mid March!!!
How amazing is that!!!  Stay warm United States and we will try to stay out of the sand!