Celebrations and Farewells

Deric and I have been spending our last months in Dubai doing some celebrating and "farewelling"!  We celebrated our 13th wedding anniversary on June 6.  We somehow managed to pull off 24 hours alone at a new hotel in Dubai called the Zabeel Saray on The Palm.  This is a true Dubai hotel....crazy, over-the-top arab fancy! Deric and I were lucky enough to get to attend the grand opening of this hotel back in January so it was so fun to come back as actual guests!  This hotel just can't be described with words!  Pictures do the talking of this Turkish-themed palace!  Once again, pinch me!!!  If you would have told me 13 years ago that I would one day live in The Middle East...well, I would have laughed all the way down the aisle! And here we are 13 years later in the sand. Thanks to all the people who helped us pull this night off...It is not often that we get time away!

GRAND OPENING ZABEEL SARAY

HEADING TO THE SPA!

DO WE HAVE TO GO?

2 days after our anniversary is Deric's birthday.  Yes this is his last year in the 30's!  Can you believe this amazing cake?  Our amazing Franny...(Elan's brother-n-law) made this cake for Deric.  Completely edible except for the Littlest Pet Shop visor.  Really?  LOVE when people make cakes..homemade cakes are the BEST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

As if the amazing cake wasn't enough our buds the Sassos outdid themselves and invited us out on the bay for some birthday fun.  We jumped in the Persian Gulf, (which is crazy-burn-your-throat-SALTY!), rode out to the see the "World Islands"(which kind of look like a Galveston jetty from a boat) and just enjoyed the amazing view of Dubai!  It was a Dubai night to remember ending with me, yes me driving the boat in to dock.  Add that to my hats...ship captain!

DIVING IN TO YEAR 39!!!!!!!

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

SHIP CAPTAIN EMILY

Expat life means adventure, excitement, sacrifice, frustration...Farewells!!!! Two of my Texas pals are trading in their residence visas for their cowgirl hats and heading back to the Lone Star State!  I met Sarah and Amy when we first came to visit Dubai at the ASD carnival.  When I met these two I was in shock about moving to the Middle East and they both helped to make me feel welcome.  Of course we had to celebrate their departures!  It was a week of amazing barbecue and FLASH MOBS!

I MADE SARAH AND AMY THESE SIGNS THAT SHARE SPECIAL MEMORIES AND
WORDS ABOUT THEIR TIME IN THE SAND!  THEY HAD THEM PRINTED ONTO LARGE CANVASES!
I WILL SO MISS THESE TWO!

MY GREAT PAL SARAH WHO ALWAYS KEEPS ME LAUGHING...I WILL MISS YOU!
SO GLAD SHE IS HEADING BACK TO H-TOWN!  DON'T WORRY SARAH, AS FAR
AS I KNOW THERE ARE NO SECRET POLICE CAMERAS IN HOUSTON!

HAVE YOU EVER HEARD OF A FLASH MOB?  WELL..WE PULLED ONE OFF AS A
SURPRISE FOR OUR PAL AMY!  WE DANCED, WE SANG AND WE SURPRISED
THE HECK OUT OF HER!  A NIGHT TO REMEMBER!

We celebrated Father's Day with a date night to the movies!  Movies in Dubai= reclining, cushy, super-cozy seats with a blanket and pillow and a butler that serves your popcorn and candy!  Here we are in the swanky lounge waiting to be "seated".  Movies in Dubai also = lots of editing and black bars through the screen.  Note to self: See Hangover 2 again in states!

DERIC HORIZONTAL IN HIS FATHER'S DAY MOVIE SEAT..
ONLY THE BEST FOR OUR DADDY! HAHAHAHA

FATHER'S DAY CELEBRATION AT SCHOOL

And lastly, one more farewell.  A gut-wrenching farewell!  The last day of school we had to say good-bye to our Sassos.  These 5 kids above have been the best of friends for the past year.  Their mama and I have laughed our way through this crazy adventure.  Words just can't express how much I will miss this family!  Oh well, as Dr. Seuss says "Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened".  I won't repeat what Elan says about Dr. Suess.