The Great Pumpkin Hunt

We are so thankful to be enjoying cooler weather and the wonderful breeze from the sea. We haven’t had this cool of weather in the middle of fall (mid-70’s) in about 2 years! We are loving it and soaking in every second. Because it is this time of year… we decided to join in with the traditions of home and look for the perfect pumpkin and carve it. We did this last year with Sadie Mac, and if you will remember we did the best we could with a watermelon! So, we were thrilled to see a few pumpkins here and there, so we decided to hunt for one.
I will be honest here, I am a realist in most cases living overseas. I wasn’t expecting to meet an actual pumpkin farmer like there are in the States. I wasn’t expecting a tractor ride or anything out to a pumpkin patch where we can walk through isles of them and pick your very own PERFECT PUMPKIN! I DO love living overseas and am content to know that there will be only a small batch to choose from, but I was eager to find that small batch!!!
We set out one afternoon and knew of a “vegetable guy” about 2 blocks from our house and we started there. He had a small rack of average sized pumpkins, but we knew there had to be more! We walked up and down that street as we had heard there were several “vegetable guys” around there and were sad to see that there weren’t more. So, we asked a few of the people on the street where a vegetable market was in hopes of a greater selection. Two ladies told us where a vegetable sooq (big market) was and so we set off. The taxi driver concurred that there was in fact a vegetable market where we were headed. On the way, we went we landed in some late afternoon traffic which deterred our adventure, but finally we did arrive! As we walked down the street where this large market was suppose to be, we were saddened to find that it was a smaller vegetable selection than the original one we found near our house. So… the hunt continued. We asked some other people and they sent us to another location and after being yet again disappointed and having a squirmy one-year-old we had a decision to make. Shall the hunt continue as dinner time approaches or be content in finding an average pumpkin? Well, neither seemed to suit us so we decided to go back to the first guy near our house. As we once again looked through the options, we picked a pumpkin that would be average to some upon first glances, but was truly a diamond in the rough! We were happy to find the PERFECT PUMPKIN!!

Sadie Mac and Daddy disagreeing as to where the eye of the pumpkin should go

Hmmm... this feels strange!

This is the Pumpkin Guy (or veggie guy) and his selection in the background

A True Tar Heel!

When we are living in the sandbox, our feet are brown from the dirt and dust that settle there. Here, it's strange as there is a black soot of some sort that resides with us and especially on our balcony. Sadie Mac was running around yesterday and this is how we found here. We know she is destined for UNC one day! :-)

Family Finale!

The last day my mom and sister were here with us, we headed down to see The Egyptian Pyramids in Cairo. If you are in Egypt... you have to see them! We had a blast the entire day, but were for sure exhausted at the end of it! When arrived and walked around the first large pyramid. Taking lots of pictures with all the other tourist and climbing on the ancient site. We decided to take a camel/horse ride to the next pyramid so mom can say she has ridden a camel. And... that she did... she rode a camel! I have proof!! And.... well, I will leave that part of the story at that!!... (mom, you are welcome!)


After we had our short ride on the camel, mom, Sadie and I decided to ride in a buggy. Avee wanted to ride a horse, so that is what her and Stephen did. She did a great job and at one point her horse guide started riding on our buggy so he didn't have to walk... and she did it all by herself and did a great job! We took pictures and had a great time on the rocky ride... but it was a memory we won't ever forget.
That evening we went to the "Khan", which is the big market here and mom got her souvenirs and goodies to take back to family there. We were very sad to see them go but are so thankful for the sweet time we had together.
Before they came we had been practicing saying "NanNan" and "Avee". By the end of their visit, she knew exactly who NanNan was and it was so precious to see her calling out to my mom. They left Saturday morning and I went with them to the airport while Sadie Mac was still sleeping. That morning after I got back to the room and we were heading to breakfast, Sadie walked down to Avee and NanNan's room and was calling for her. It was so sweet.

Avee and Stephen on their horses.

Avee kissing the Sphinx!!! (OOoooOoo!!!)

Hello from the Mediterranean Sea!!

One evening while my mom and sister were here, we took an evening stroll down to the water so they could see the sea! We dipped our toes in and had a fun evening watching the sun sink down into the water. We were so thankful for the beauty of the sea and time with family... and the gift of being able to enjoy them together!!

YAY... my NanNan is here!!!

Hand-in-hand... 3 generations

Avee "fell" into the water... We're not sure if it was the sea's fault or her's! :-)

FAMILY is HERE!!

We are so thankful that Amanda's family has come to visit for a week and we are soaking in every second! After our last meeting in Dubai where Sadie Mac gave Auntie Avee the chicken pox, we didn't know if they'd want to come for another visit!! But, thankfully they did and they are enjoying the culture and sites of the sea! Sadie Mac is now 14 months and doing much more than she was when they saw her at 6 months... walking, talking, into and climbing onto everything! We are also thankful for all the goodies from home from family and friends there!! Thanks for all the treats!!! Love and miss you all! Anyone else want to come for a visit?!?

Here is Avee being the sweet Auntie that she is!!! (No longer fearful of the chicken pox!)

Trip to Jordan

Shortly after we arrived in our new home country, we left and spent a week in Jordan visiting with some friends and doing some training that will help us in our work in the sandbox. We had a great time with friends and were so thankful for those who came to help watch the kiddos while we were working and planning.
We were thankful to get some site seeing in that included a castle as well as being able to see ancient Roman roads and some of the ruins around them. It was such a great experience to see all the history that is found there. Hope you enjoy some of the shots!

Little Missy walking down a Roman Road!

Ruins from the Romans

Here are our new found friends from GA... thanks girls! It was a blast!

One afternoon we went up to the Ajloun Castle... a fortress that was built for Saladin in AD 1184-1185. It was amazing and from the top we could see the Jordan River and over into Israel. It was beautiful.

Another family Photo Opp...

Our New City...

We are now in our new city and we are loving the coastal view. We get to overlook the Mediterranean Sea every day and are enjoying the cool breeze that it brings to our balcony. We are so thankful to our friends who searched endlessly for our perfect little apartment! :-)
We decided to take a little adventure the other day and go out on the pier near our house. Little Missy is walking everywhere now and enjoying the new sights and sounds of the town. While we were there, a fisherman came up and took her down to the water with him. We laughed as this happens all the time and she doesn't seem to mind. We always keep her in sight, but we are thankful she is such a friendly little munchkin. He gave her a fish as a gift... we laughed and gave it back, thought he could use it more than we could! While we were there we talked with her about being not just a fisher of fish, but a fisher of men like the One we follow. We loved the walk, sunshine and breeze, and new found fisherman friend.

A Southern Wedding

A few weeks ago we went to our language teacher's wedding and he is a southerner from the sandbox. Weddings in the south and north are very different in terms of music, program and attendance. We were told the wedding would be at 10 am, which we know the sandbox and "African time" is very different than western culture. So, we showed up at 12 noon and the they were still setting up the tent! So, we decided to go have lunch along the Nile and hang out until around 3 when the groom said he would be there. When we arrived, there were few guests trickling in, but we knew it was soon to take place. A a wedding in the sandbox, the bride is not actually there and the groom has to do negotiating for her (still!). The groom arrived around 6 pm (remember, he originally told US to be there at 10 AM!) and the festivities continued from the singing and dancing of their culture. We had a wonderful time and were thankful to be a part of the big day! Sadie Mac did a great job at making friends and entertaining every one!

The view from our seats

The "Gift Table"

The local children playing on a nearby tree.

And the rains came!!

This past week we have experienced lots of rain. On Sunday night we had a huge storm and it knocked out our power. Thankfully we have a generator, but sadly the water pump that runs water up to our tank on the roof is not connected to our generator. Needless to say we quickly ran out of water and had to bring a few buckets in from the street. This morning we woke up to more rain. Because it's so hot, the rain is a wonderful refresher... but there is a huge mess and lots of people's homes have problems from a heavy rain like this... so it's a mixed blessing. The sandbox doesn't have any sort of draining system so the roads just become lakes. People have to wade through the water and cars send water everywhere... it's a mess! The water in the house is also muddy for a few days so we have to think twice before bathing! :-) But, the good thing is when you live somewhere as hot as we do... the heat drys out the streets in a few days (we hope!)

Wading in the water

Water, water... everywhere!

Our landlord's garden... under water!

This is Stephen scooping up water from the street so we could at least flush the toilet!

No... our faucets do not produce chocolate milk.

Day at the Museum

A few weeks ago we had a "cultural day" (well, I guess that's every day!!) and went to the National Museum in town. We saw the country's Muslim and Christian history along with the influences of long ago. It was amazing to see artifacts and pharaonic statues. We had a fun family day enjoying the past of the sandbox.


Did you say something?

AAahhh... it's chasing me!