God Bless America

Thanks to huffington post...i don't have tv

Four years ago, when we came to live in this country, little A and I sat in the Millennium  Hotel and watched the United States elect her first black president. It was a historic moment--one filled with so much hope for the U- S of A, and our world, which is so impacted by the actions of the Americans.  I am sure I have a post about it...way back when we first arrived.

 Much has changed for us since then.  We have enjoyed boldly going where no man has gone before (well--at least not anybody we knew), meeting so many interesting and wonderful people and  having many new experiences.  We have even added two more people to our tribe.  I am so pleased that Barack is back for another 4 years.  This gives me another four years to try and live in the United States while he is president.

Magoo has a time-out

Today I had to take a sick day.  My chest is hurting and my stomache is very upset (and gets worse when I am vertical).  I think it is a result of all that coughing I have been doing.  I have spent practically the whole day in bed.  Now, as it is time to sleep, I am finally able to sit up for a few minutes (to record my joy for the American election results).

Pickle didn't start vomiting, but got diarrhea instead. Little A has had a suppressed appetite (and so I think she is fighting something as well).  Hopefully, we will all be well for the weekend.

Amongst the happiness today, I have had some bad news.  An old friend, Derek Jeffels died.  Peter always just called him "Jeffels" and he was also nicknamed "Shoes" (though I can't remember why...I didn't give him that moniker obviously).  We have been out of touch with him for a long time, but all the same, it was still distressing to hear the news.

I have a fond memory of dancing with a VERY inebriated Derek Jeffels on my wedding night.  It was one of the later dances of the evening.  In his great (intoxicated) wisdom, he was telling me how lucky Peter and I were to be together, as we were 'the real thing'--true love.  Not many people get to experience it (not even him--he confessed, after I reminded him of his current relationship status), he slurred in my ear.  He said knowing a couple like Peter and I gave him hope, that true love existed.

This has always been one of my favourite memories of that night.  It was a completely different side to him, than I had ever seen.  Though he was very drunk--he was also very earnest and sincere.  I was quite touched by his words.

Derek--you never got around to teaching me to two-step ( you were definitely the best two-stepper in our group), and I am going to go out on a limb and guess that you never managed to find your one true love.  I am sorry for that.  You always lent a helping hand to anyone who needed it (as evidenced by your one man demolition crew for my kitchen renovation).  And you always brought a smile to my face.  A toast to you, my friend--I hope you have found some peace.  

The Harvest Moon...

...was the perfect gift to celebrate all the time I spent having meetings, writing emails, organizing materials, making paper plate jack o'lanterns, setting up a (second place) booth and manning a thirty minute time-slot with my amazing 5 year old, who completely came out of her shell to lend a helping hand my way.

When it first peeped out from behind a villa--I was amazed at it's marigold hue.  As it moved further up in the sky, the colour lightened to a pale lemon, but it was still a marvel.  How can it be I have never noticed this before?  I raced home, in the hopes that A might still be awake to see it, but she was fast asleep in her bed.  Oh well...I pray she will have many harvest moons in her future to see.

At the Harvest Festival

Suffice it to say, next week I am hoping for minimal school involvement, and to take it easy being just a 'regular mom' again (til the next event anyway!).

Our jack o'lanterns...better every year!

Halloween was a good time.  We had the cutest skunk in the world!!  Peter scoffed at the outfit which he deemed  'not very manly'--but it was a big hit and Pickle had strangers taking his picture.

Hurry up papa!

Magoo was a pumpkin (with a gravity defying stem), and little A was a beautiful witch-princess.

Pumpkin purse

Sisters

We went with my friend Samar and her troops, which included their golden lab puppy Ice.  It was a bit challenging keeping together a group where so many people had different speeds of travel.  I think next year we will just take our trio together (and maybe we will go thru Sas Al Nakhl, as it sounds like that community has more ex-pats than ours).

New friends

Pickle absolutely LOVED it, and I will always have a memory of him running, pumpkin bag at his side, looking for the next villa to hit.  Magoo didn't quite get it, but liked to dress up.  Of course--Malou was very happy once again with the candy she collected!

In a hurry

 
Today was a quiet day at home.  I woke up at 4:00 a.m. this morning, to the sound of Magoo vomiting.  I managed to get up and clean everything without Peter even noticing (he slept through it all).  We went for our usual breakfast (though I was wary of it being the second week in a row that we brought vomit to the Shangri-la). Luckily for us, Magoo was fine...at least until we came home.

She was awakened from yet another peaceful slumber, by loads of vomit.  Mercifully, when I had remade the bed from the mornings events, I thought of adding a towel to the mix (just in case).  NOW, I plan to just make sure the towel goes OVER the sheets (instead of underneath). No food for Smile-ah tonight...just mommy's milk...until the morning.  Hopefully that will stay down, and she will be improved in the morning.

Praying Pickle doesn't get this bug.  He sleeps alone, and nobody will know until tomorrow morning if he has been sick...think I'll get Peter to sleep downstairs with Pickle's monitor (but if a baby throwing up beside him in the bed doesn't wake him...what are the chances a the sounds of a baby throwing up over the monitor will?).

Something smells SWEET!!