Evacuees...

Our beautiful view from our new livingroom...

I guess as most of you know by now we have been evacuated to Saudi Arabia by our company....*sigh*  It is absolutely beautiful here on the compound...it really does look like a beach resort somewhere in the Carribbean.  I am so thankful that our company cares enough to get us out of a dangerous situation.  And I am thankful that their compound is so gorgeous!  I need to thank whoever it was that arranged for us to get a villa at the last minute because John lives in a small two bedroom apartment...and we would have been just fine there, but we are so thankful that they were nice enough to get us a villa. 

It only took us a couple of months to fall in love with Bahrain.  We love the culture, the people, our friends, and even the food.  I have made some great friends and so have the girls.  Janie has the nicest friends and I am going to miss them coming over and hanging out and talking.  We are teaching them about SARCASM (as we are experts) and they are teaching us Arabic and their culture (by observation of course) and how to speak clearly without using too many words, etc..  I feel for them and their families because they are watching their country be torn apart...we have Saudi Arabia to evacuate to but their home is in Bahrain.

No one really knows what will happen in Bahrain...and there are no big news stories in the States about our civil unrest...and rightly so seeing as how Japan has been devastated by natural disasters and a nuclear meltdown.  I only have to look at those news stories to know that life could be soooo much worse. 

As best as I can see one of three things can happen.  Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, UAE, etc. have sent in their troops and it will either scare the opposition in to backing down and starting dialogue...hopefully with as little bloodshed as possible, OR....it will cause Iran to get more involved and they will try and intervene on the oppositions behalf...as has already been threatened.  If this happens, I suspect the U.S. (who has the Navy's 5th Fleet in Bahrain) and other E.U. countries will have to get involved as the GCC (Gulf Coast Countries) are our allies.  The last option would be that a civil war between the two sects in Bahrain will happen.  This will be the worst because I fear it will go on the longest and be the bloodiest.  I don't think you'll see big protests like you saw in the beginning of all this.  I think it will be street warfare like we started to see this week.  Gangs of thugs from both sides patroling neighborhoods and terrorizing the country.  Hopefully with the military support of the GCC the last two options won't happen. 

I ask that while you are praying for Japan and their people....just throw a little prayer in there for Bahrain and their people.  This is a sad situation for them and its more than just about it being an inconvenience or the fact that all this unrest causes the gas prices to rise in the U.S.  It is a volatile situation that affects the world in very serious ways.  So please pray.  Pray for peace in the Middle East...but especially Bahrain. 

The girls are in the middle of the second semester of the school year.  It would really stink to have to start at another school this year.  In Jubail, the school only goes up to the 10th grade so Janie would either have to home school, virtual school, or go to an International School in Dahran.  I do not want her driving over an hour to school one way on the Saudi roadways every day....I can't stand the idea that not only would she be over an hour away from me, but I cannot drive myself to get her if something were to happen as women aren't allowed to drive in Saudi.  I am praying that the unrest in Bahrain will be solved quickly so that we can get back to our lives and we won't have to make any of those decisions.  Janie actually has quite a few friends in Saudi, unfortunately they are all on the ARAMCO compound which is about an hour away.  Quite a few of the dorm kids that go to The Bahrain School are from that compound.  Hopefully she will get to go and visit some if we are here for an extended amount of time.

My family is crazy worried and this evacuation really isn't that big of a deal.  We are safe and secure....I am sure that they are baffled as to why we can't wait to go back to Bahrain.  And I know they are wondering why we haven't just flown home instead of evacuating to Saudi.  All I can say is that is that the thought of being that far away from John is excruciating to me.  I know we can do it...and we have before....but I unless there isn't another option then we want to be close to him.  I am a better person and parent when he is around.  I am a bit too lenient with the girls and he is my voice of reason...he is the balance to my check.  HA!  John loves his job...and his job is here...  I will say that the thought of going home and being near Alison again is inviting...but she has her own life and she is in college and growing up.  I miss her every day and I choke up even writing that line, but I feel like God moved us to Bahrain for a reason.  And until he makes it painfully clear that it's time to move back home....we will stay.

The compound here is incredible...there are lots of CPChem families living here....most of them have younger children.  The ladies that live here are so nice and welcoming.  I hope to get together with some of them as soon as my pity party is over....LOL! I think this is a great place to have a vacation, but I can't wait to get back to our old life...all of us in one house together with little to do tends to make for a grumpy set of women....poor John...pray for him.

A Skewed Self-Serving American Perspective of Bahrain

I have been talking to a lot of my friends lately about the whole Bahrain situation with the Shia and the Sunni.  I have even been chastising myself for taking sides...but as I sit and think about it further I realize that it isn't so much about Sunni vs. Shia in the mind of Americans, but more of the haves and the have nots.  I have been looking at the Bahraini situation with American filters....a westernized point of view.  How else CAN I look at it?  I have spent 42 years seeing things in a "western" way because I am "western." 

When you break the whole situation down the major problem they are dealing with in this country really isn't so different from the problems in America.   What people here AND in America fail to realize is that while OUR CURRENT government is doing little to help lower our own unemployment problems, the King has implemented policies to alleviate the issue.

Unemployment, especially among the young, is a long-term economic problem Bahrain struggles to address. In 2009, to help lower unemployment among Bahraini nationals, Bahrain reduced sponsorship for expatriate workers, increasing the costs of employing foreign labor. The global financial crisis caused funding for many non-oil projects to dry up and resulted in slower economic growth for Bahrain. Other challenges facing Bahrain include the slow growth of government debt as a result of a large subsidy program, the financing of large government projects, and debt restructuring, such as the bailout of state-owned Gulf Air.

What is causing the "global financial crisis" referred to above?  It would be easy to blame the housing bubble....blame Fannie Mae and Freddy Mac....but what about the non-U.S. economies that are experiencing the same housing crisis?  How does one explain that?  We could easily blame the greedy rich people on Wall Street and our politicians, and I am sure that they bear their fair share of blame, but it doesn't explain the problem in it's entirety.  Both of those answers would and could be accepted by the country...they give us someone to blame...we need someone to blame in our society.

Three of the six members of the Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission created by the last Congress to investigate the causes of the financial crisis explain that it is not so easy to explain.  It wasn't just one thing or one entity that was at fault, but the product of 10 factors.  Only when these factors are taken together can they offer a sufficient explanation of what happened. 
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704698004576104500524998280.html

Statistics put Bahrains umemployment rate at 3.7% and Americas unemployment rate at 8.9%.  Hmmmmm....interesting statistics, no? 

So what do the protestors want?  I have been reading and reading different sources to see what they want.  In the beginning I believe the voice of the opposition had relevant concerns and wanted specific reforms to be made....now as I peruse the different media sources all I can find is that they want the King and his cabinet to resign (some of the more benign protesters) and/or they want "death to the King" (the extremists). 

In the beginning they wanted jobs, higher paying jobs, better housing, an end to sectarian discrimination, etc.  They wanted the government to provide these things.  That is where my "taking sides" kicked in...as far as I can tell.  It isn't about Shia and Sunni to me...it is about wanting to be taken care of by the government.  So looking at it through my strictly westernized eyes I get angry...just like I do when I am in America and people want something for nothing.  I guess that's just human nature, no?  I just makes me mad.  I/we have worked hard for everything we have.  We have been broke and on the verge of losing everything before, but I never once asked the government for assistance.  I didn't even get assistance from the government to pay my college tuition (because of that, it took me more than 17 years to finish).  We just worked harder...and when I didn't have a job and needed money I went and looked for a job....I took jobs that were "beneath" me in skill, wages, humility...you name it.  I needed to pay my bills and feed my children.  Did I enjoy cleaning someone elses toilets?  NO.  Did I like being the smartest one in the room but treated as though I was the dumbest?  NO.  But I did what I did to survive and make a better life for my family.

My "taking sides" in this situation has nothing to do with sectarianism...I am not prejudiced against the Shia nor am I pro-Sunni.  I am a Christian and I pray for both sides to come to a saving knowledge of Christ.  My taking sides has more to do with situational prejudices.  I often feel that if I can do it then anyone can...and I have found out the hard way that that is not the case.  THAT is the issue I forget.  I don't come from a situation where the government provides EVERY need so that is my prejudical problem them I intend on working on.  Showing grace and mercy to those that I have no empathy for because I cannot relate to them.  I will be praying for God to show me ways to pray for the country of Bahrain and for the Bahraini people. 

This situation in Bahrain reminds me of our own civil rights movement.  There is always a class of people in a society that is thought to be "less than" and here in Bahrain it appears to be the Shia.  I am not sure I will every really understand the differences and issues between the two sects, but that is because I am looking through my westernized eyes.  I come from a relatively young country that once had its roots in faith, but has now become so far removed from that we cannot comprehend a country that has roots in its faith dating back thousands of years.  I cannot look through those eyes as I don't have those eyes.  I can try to read and understand as much as possible, but I feel I will ultimately fall short.

Mostly I have come to realize that my stance is purely self-serving.  I like my life here.  I like my friends here.  I like living in Bahrain and the longer this civil unrest goes on the more likely our family will get sent home at some point.  I know it is selfish, but I want the two sides to work something out so that we can continue to live here in Bahrain.

Bahrain and the Popcorn Revolution:

Bahrain and the Popcorn Revolution:

We Are Bahraini...

This is a letter that a mom of Janie's friends wrote to Sky News...I am posting it because all over facebook and the internet we see the side of the Shia, but rarely do we see the other side...just trying to be fair and balanced...

The True Bahrain - Repost for all those who missed it. Please share and send to all friends, family, media.

by We Are Bahrain on Saturday, February 19, 2011 at 3:46pm

Dear Sky News

I am currently living in Bahrain. I have lived here for thirty years. I am a British born naturalised Bahraini. I am a businesswoman and a mother of two.

I have been watching your coverage of the current situation in Bahrain with increasing dismay. It is not the whole truth. You are not talking to any of the Bahraini's who do NOT support the rioters. At this very minute, our streets are packed with thousands of peaceful Bahrainis loyal to the King and the Government who are marching throught the streets to make it clear to the world we are happy with our leadership. It is being broadcast on Bahrain TV, on Al Jazeera News, so why are SKY NEWS ignoring this?

Your Headines even as I write this are talking about "Anger in Bahrain', well yes there is anger, but not just anger from the illegal rioters. There is even more anger from true Bahraini's who are sick of external forces trying to interfere in our affairs.

Look at history, read Bahrain's Consitution, talk to Bahrainis and expats alike who live here in total harmony . I realise telling the truth may not be as sensational or provide such graphic headlines, but your handling of this is unfair and will only serve to jeopordise all the progress Bahrain has made since our King voluntarily brought about democratic and social reforms ten years ago. His Majesty had a clear vision for his country. Other Arab leaders who questioned his wisdom at that time now find themselves wishing they had emulated him. Bahrain is not Libya, Yemen, Tunisia or Egypt.

We live in the most free, open, liberal country in the Middle East, we have free education, and healthcare for all, women have equal rights under the law and there are jobs for everyone who REALLY wants to work. There are free Training Programmes, free business set up and development advice and grants, and press freedom that you will not witness elsewhere.

The rioters have lots of rights under our laws, they hold senior positions in lots of government posts, they hold 18 out of 40 seats in parliament and much more.
Drive through any of the shia villages either today or over the last four decades and you will find pictures not of Bahrain's leaders but of political and religious leaders of another country in this region. What does that tell you? Despite all of this blatent disloyalty to Bahrain, (some would call it treason) our government continues to do everything it can to meet their demands . Unlike Britain, where David Cameron recently admitted that 'multiculturalism had failed', Bahrain is a shining beacon to the world that multiculturalism can and does work.

It has worked here for decades. In Bahrain muslims, jews, hindus, christians, buddhists all enjoy religious freedom and we all live in harmony. Why? Because in Bahrain we recognise that abiding by the law and showing mutual respect for your fellow citizen comes before anything else. We are all "Bahrainis" before we are muslims, jews, hindus, christians, or buddhists and that is why multiculturalism works here in Bahrain. Of course multiculturism can only work where citizens respect the laws of Bahrain and love the country in which they reside. Therein you have the answer to why we have illegal rioters .

Many, many of Bahrain's wealthiest businessmen and women are Shia, why are they not amongst the rioters on the streets? Why do you not talk to some of them? I have many shia friends who are as equally appalled as I am at this current situation.

Why does your Reporter in Bahrain show only coverage of the injured rioters in hospital? Why not also the injured police? You showed pictures of weapons confiscated from the rioters, but you did not reveal that was where they came from. You have allowed your viewers to assume they were weapons used by police against the rioters. Manipulative reporting which does you no credit.

No one is more heartbroken than our King, that violence has been involved and that blood has been shed on the streets of our beloved Kingdom. His Majesty has been incredibly patient, some would say too patient, he has freed political prisoners and convicted criminals many times over in the hope that his forgiveness and generosity of spirit would serve as an example and would allow these people another chance to live a fruitful life and offer them the opportunity to tread the path of their fellow Bahrainis, showing loyalty and respect to their King and country.

All Bahrainis love their King, whether sunnis, shia, jews, christians. This love is the glue that holds our society together and will continue to do so even in our darkest hour.

Please listen to both sides, please report both sides truthfully, fairly and professionally. It is what we expect from SKY NEWS.

These rioters have every right under our laws to air their grievances and pursue their demands by legal, peaceful means.

Please read our Consitution and you will see what I mean.

Finally, to the instigators of this turmoil. For decades, you have failed to achieve the destruction of our country. You will continue to fail, because the people of Bahrain will continue to stand unstintingly behind their Leadership.

Hate destroys. Love conquers all.

Sincerely

Betsy B Mathieson

Don't Worry....We're Fine!

Greetings from BAHRAIN! 

To our friends and family at home...we are fine!  We woke up today to a phone call from our security guy here in the country telling John not to send the girls to school today.  It seems as though last night the riot police, in an attempt to prevent another Tahrir Square, used force on the protesters killing 3 and wounding 50 or more.  Obviously this is not the ideal situation for the country, but we are not alarmed...yet. 

Just like in any small town in America, rumors fly around here with exaggerations and inflated numbers.  The entire country is 34 miles long by 11 miles wide.  Not very big...and the latest census puts the population at 1.2 million.  We do currently have a security guy, who works for CPChem in Saudi, on the ground checking things out.  I am so thankful that he has been in country for the last three or four days.  Sometimes living in Bahrain away from the main group of families that are in Saudi can make you feel isolated...it can also sometimes feel like we are forgotten over here.  BUT, without Mark checking things out and reporting via text and phone we would have no idea what areas to avoid, if it is safe in general, if we should send our kids to school....Again, I am so very thankful and he has been invaluable...and it makes me feel a little less "forgotten."  HA!

I have gotten numerous emails and texts from friends and family wondering why we aren't scared or why we aren't coming home.  Since we moved here six months ago we have had so many demonstration notices I can't even count them all!  The Bahrainis like to demonstrate about everything.  There were numerous demonstrations leading up to the elections in October, there have been demonstrations calling for the release of 25 detainees accused of terrorism, there are demonstrations for everything.  Not that they don't have a right or reason to demonstrate, but we have just accepted them as part of our life here.  The U.S. Embassy does a good job of notifying Americans when and where the demonstrations will be and we steer clear of the areas.  Most of the demonstrations are held in areas we don't frequent and most are peaceful.

The protesters are not anti-American protests...they are protests against the government of Bahrain.  They want a new constitution, they want better paying jobs, better housing...and the list goes on.  Not that they don't have a right to protest, but compared to Egypt and Tunisia where all this started, Bahrainis have it pretty good.  The Bahrain GDP is four times Tunisias and SEVEN times Egypt's GDP.  In Bahrain they are afforded the right to demonstrate, they have some religious freedom, they have a parliament elected by the people, etc.  Relative to other Arab countries they have it pretty good here...but it is easy for me, as an American, to sit back and say that they have it pretty good...I might think differently if I was a poor Arab living in Bahrain.

You will probably also hear on the news that the protests here are not sectarian, but from what I have been able to read and hear from numerous sources, it is still sectarian.  How could it not be?  The Sunnis are the ruling party and they are only about 30% of the Bahraini citizenship...the rest are Shia.  I am obviously simplifying the plight of the Shia, but they are angry that they don't have representation in the goverment, aren't given government jobs, and have bad housing.  Basically it is an US against THEM situation...and I think it always will be.  To add to the unrest, Iran likes to stir the pot of discord here in Bahrain as well as other Arab countries. 

So to all our friends and family...we are fine.  We live very close to the Saudi Causeway and we are a good ways away from the vicinity of the big protests.  We are not going out any time soon and John is here with us until Sunday morning.  We are not scared...the girls are happy to have a THIRD day off of school (two for protests and one for the prophet's birthday) and they are sleeping soundly...as I suspect they will be doing ALL DAY.  The biggest disappointment will be that the Madeline's Valentine's Dance will be cancelled.  John is watching television and I am getting ready to go and take a nap.  There are men working on our tile in the backyard and we have plenty of rations to last us a few days (he he).  Just know that we would never keep our children in harm's way.  My warning is that you don't believe everything you see on television...I have seen some of the footage and they make it sound and look much worse than it is....

See you all in 4 1/2 months!

Insights on Revolution

Our pastor, Graeme Dunkley, has resigned from our church effective this summer and John and I are just sick about it.  We absolutely love him and we love his preaching style as well as his dry wit and humor!  We were so excited to find a preacher that we loved so quickly after moving here....so now we are left wondering, "What is UP, God?!?!?"  I know that he has great things planned for the Dunkley family as well as Saar Fellowship.

The following article is from our pastor's website...Graeme has such a great way of breaking it down that I couldn't have said it any better...so I stole it...

<> 

Why the Egypt Revolution succeeded and the Bahrain one won't 02/14/2011 1 Comment   Why do some revolutions work and other don't? Here's a few reasons why real change in Bahrain is unlikely. Egypt is full of Egyptians, Bahrain is full of foreigners. Expatriates now outnumber Bahrainis. Expats don't care about the government as long as someone keeps signing their paychecks. Bahrains just don't have the numbers to revolt. The Egyptian army is full of Egyptians, the Bahraini army is full of foreigners. Strange as it may seem, the Bahraini army is 80-90% foreigners, and the police probably even higher. One reason the Egyptian revolution worked is because their army was reluctant to fire on their own people, and the junior officers had a lot of sympathy for the protestors. None of that is true here. Many in the police and military don't even speak Arabic, and have no compunction about about firing on citizens. There's no Tahrir Square in Bahrain. Bahrain has no focal point for public demonstrations, no place for crowds to gather. There may have been tens of thousands of people protesting yesterday, but they were doing it in isolated groups outside their villages. There was no 'strength in numbers'. And because there were no big crowds, there was nothing newsworthy. Nobody knows where Bahrain is. Most people in the West have heard of Egypt, some might even have been there on holidays, but nobody cares about Bahrain. As long as it doesn't causes trouble, the West is blissfully ignorant. And so, although lots of people went outside yesterday, and lots of police were busy, and lots of people got beaten and tear-gassed, nothing has changed.

January Update...

It just realized that it has been since Christmas since I posted last!  Time seems to be flying by in Bahrain!  Which is a good thing because we will be home to visit before we know it!

Ali went home in January to visit friends and go back to Aggieland.  *sigh*  It took me a couple of weeks to recover and pull myself out of the funk that I was in when she left.

January proved to be a month of illness.  It started with Madeline being sick the first week and continued with me being sick the second week and I THOUGHT concluded with Madeline being sick again, more severely, the third week.  BUT, no, Janie has been sick for about the entire first week of February.  Ugh.  My children have been sick more in the last five months than in their entire lives!  Every time there is a bug going around the school my children seem to catch it.  I was told to expect that the first year that we are living overseas, but I just thought that my children had a superior immune system so I wasn't worried...HA!  Turns out....they don't!  One morning I had to go and pick Madeline up from school because she was so sick she could barely move....thank goodness the nurses aid had the forethought to hand me a puke bag on my way out of the school as Madeline didn't even clear the school's hedges before she was puking.   Janie and I stood there and laughed because, well, isn't it always funny to see someone puke?  HAHAH!  We went straight to the International Hospital where the girls pediatrician is located....and after seeing how weak Madeline was she decided to keep her in the hospital for a while and hydrate her!  OH MAN!  You should have seen how quickly Madeline "recovered!"  It was almost comical.  The pediatrician, who is a total pushover, agreed to JUST give her a shot and run some tests to make sure it was just viral and let her go home with me.  But Dr. Mona is the most awesome pediatrician...she calls me at night to make sure that the girls are doing well and also to give me test results.  It is amazing how fast the hospital gives test results here!  In America we would sometimes have to wait longer than 24 hours...here it is never more than 25 minutes (for basic results, obviously)!

January also proved to be the month of villa improvements from hell.  We were told that they were going to be removing and re-tiling all of the villas.  The time frame from start to finish was two weeks.  Now...I have lived in the Middle East long enough to know that two weeks is very often NOT going to take two weeks...it might be more like four weeks...Inshallah (God willing).  January 3rd they began bright and early taking a jackhammer to every single 12" tile in our yard, around our pool, on our side patio, and on our front steps...everywhere.  It took them approximately one week to remove all the tile...with the jackhammer....then came the week it took for a worker with a hammer and chip away all the tile on the walls and columns.  Week three....nothing.  Week four....nothing.  At the beginning of week five I heard the workers outside again only to look out and see that they were starting to remove the tile from the villa across from ours.  I ran in to that neighbor at the mall the next day and she told me that they threatened to move out if the work wasn't done in two weeks like promised.  So for the entire fifth week the workers were removing tile from their house.  I called our property manager to complain and he assured me that work would be started....a few days went by and nothing....so I called our awesome realtor, Philip, to ask if we could threaten to move or at the very least withhold rent payment.  Philip called the property manager and they property manager promptly called me to apologize...again.  He assured me that work would be started THAT DAY...which was Saturday.  Sunday rolls around and I return home around 2:15 from bible study and lunch to find them TILING THE NEIGHBORS BACK YARD.  Many of you who have seen me flash know that it can be pretty ugly...BUT, fortunately I had just come from bible study, so I said a little prayer and called the property manager....let's just say I am not sure that I necessarily glorified God with my words, but I didn't do him any harm....I hope.  The conversation was a bit heated as I have been nice and polite for FIVE weeks...he assured me AGAIN that work would start on my villa ASAP.  Our watchman then came over to explain the delay only to get an earful of very angry "frustrations" from me.  I gave them one day to start work or we were moving out.  They workers were here bright and early Monday morning starting on the tiling.



Before

 

During

 

After...but not completed...



   

  

For the most part, the villas have been very good about meeting any needs and making any repairs we have requested....with, of course, the exception of my dishwasher that took 5 months to get.   In all of those five months all I every did was politely request the dishwasher once a week.  Five months of polite requests....five months....  I finally asked that John call and take care of it...he did....aaaand nothing.  A week later I finally decided to call the property manager myself and politely ask that they hook my dishwasher up ASAP...it was done THAT DAY. 



Our new long awaited dishwasher



Unfortunately all the workers in the villas are scared of me now....which I think is a bit unfair as I have been polite and patient for five months!  Apparently even in the Middle East the squeaky wheel gets the grease.

The girls are back to being busy again.  Both Janie and Maddie were playing varsity volleyball, but Madeline has decided that she wants to play middle school basketball with her friends instead....so I will be shuttling back and forth between basketball and volleyball practice...they can never be at the same times as the school isn't big enough to accommodate more than one or two different practices at a time.  Ugh. 

The varsity volleyball played their first Island League game last Wednesday against the British School of Bahrain....and while their school beats ours in aesthetics with their campus they couldn't hold a candle to our girls volleyball.  It was downright embarrassing.  I think it lasted 30 minutes and they won 25-3 and 25-6...They have their second game against St. Christopher's today...I think it will be much the same as the last match. 

Janie still loves it here.  She has completely immersed herself in Bahrani culture.  She has a great group of friends and she is rarely home...just like in the States!  Madeline still likes it here too, but she misses her friends a bit more...she has a great group of friends and does stuff with them, but really likes to be home with us on the weekends for the most part.  Both of them have an awesome group of friends from around the world.  They are the ONLY two who haven't lived overseas before...they have friends from the Seychelles, Egypt, Jordan, Japan, Korea, Italy, Palestine, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, America, Canada, Denmark, Bahrain, and the list goes on.  I love my girls because they don't care where you are from or what color your skin is...they judge people simply by WHO they are and not what race they belong to...

We had planned to go to Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Oman for spring break with the girls and Janie's best friend, Allie, but we are kind of waiting to see if John can go with us.  Right now he is extremely busy at work and it doesn't look like he will be able to go.  I think we are going to go without him, but that really stinks because he loves to travel and he is really our comic relief.  They are working on his area of responsibility at work right now and they have so little manpower that he is having to stay in Saudi rather than come home on the weekends just to get his work done.  Duty calls.  He really loves his job so he doesn't complain...but of course that doesn't stop ME from complaining...he he....

We are looking forward to our trip home this summer.  I have a list of things we have to shop for when we get home and I cannot wait!  I think we will be home the last week of June or the first couple days of July.  Janie is planning on flying to the Seychelles with her best friend, Allie, to visit Allie's family.  John and I are having a hard time dealing with her flying all over the world by herself at 17...Ugh...we even thought of taking a family vacation to the Seychelles at the same time so that we would be "with" her in the same country....Janie wasn't really too fond of that idea....LOL!  So it is undecided whether we will be coming home to Houston via the Seychelles or not....

We cannot wait to see everyone!  We are also excited to be leaving the desert in the hottest months of the year....and this year we will be missing Ramadan!  Thank the Lord!