Life is good

This was our home in The Woodlands, Texas. I was thinking about home today after talking to my friend Susan. There were at least 10 trees in our yard in The Woodlands. There is 1 sad palm tree in our garden in Doha. I had friends I had known for years in The Woodlands. I have acquaintances I have known for days in Doha. In The Woodlands there is a church on every corner, take your pick. In Doha, there is really only one church for our family. My family was 2 hours away by car in The Woodlands. My family is 24 hours away by plane in Doha. The high in The Woodlands today was 91 degrees F. The high in Doha was 104 degrees F. Even so, life is good.

The Fabric Souqs

Went to the fabric souqs with my new friends. I don't even know what I am going to make, but I bought fabric. I do know how to sew, fortunately. This is a photo of the soups....I mean souks (every time I try to write souqs, my fingers type soup). There were many, many shops and each was filled to bursting with bolts of fabric. The prices are good, too. The shop keepers bargain with you and always give a discount. I wish my sister were here, she would love it.

Turkey Central Restaurant

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Originally uploaded by mlynncollins

Yesterday, two ladies took me and another new expat wife on a shopping trip and out to lunch. We went to the fabric souqs.....fabric market place. There were many fabric stores, but we went to their favorite one and bought fabric for a quilting project. They are both big quilters. They get together every Thursday to work on projects. We went to a store called Oriental Carpet and Furniture and it was full of treasures, from leather camels to fabulous carpets. We ate lunch at Turkey Central. It isn't much to look at, but the food was great. We shared the appetizer plate and had bbq chicken wraps.....not like Texas bbq....Turkish bbq. It was yummy. I also had mango juice. It was so good, like a desert. It was such a fun day, although it was smokin' hot outside. Must remember to drink lots of water and carry it with me where ever I go.

Trouble with pictures...

I am still having trouble posting pictures on my blog. I started using Flickr, but can only download one at a time, each on a different post which bothers me. Bear with me, as I figure it out. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy these pictures. If you click on a picture, it should take to my Flickr account and you can see the rest of the pics.

Last night we went to City Center Mall....a huge mall with an ice skating rink in the middle. We ate at Nando's, a Portuguese influenced restaurant. They serve huge skewers of grilled chicken, and it was yummy. After, I went to the restroom and discovered that it is BYOTP (bring your own toilet paper) in some Qatari restrooms. When I tried to smuggle a roll of paper towel I found, the attendant said "no,no" and pointed to the paper towel dispenser. I grabbed some paper and learned my lesson. Always carry a little packet of tissue paper with you....always.

Compound living

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Originally uploaded by mlynncollins

This is a picture taken from the balcony of our villa. You can see that the "gardens" are small and everything is cookie cutter, neat and tidy.

Qipco store

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Originally uploaded by mlynncollins

The name of our compound is QIPCO. This is the store inside the clubhouse. You can buy baking soda here and ice cream....good thing to know. On the other side is a store that sells plants, produce, bottled water and has a dry cleaners. It is very convenient to have this little store nearby.

Looking cute!

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Originally uploaded by mlynncollins

Qipco Pool

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Originally uploaded by mlynncollins

This is a pretty picture of the pool. We usually go out around 4 pm so it is cooler. As you can see, it is still pretty deserted around here. As more families return from summer vacation, I am sure the pool will fill up.

Pictures!!

I have been having trouble posting pictures, but looks like I worked out the bugs......so here are a few pics. More coming soon... These are a couple of pictures from inside our villa. It is decorated in red and cream, which I love....I love red. We are not keeping all the contemporary artwork. We are going for the Southern Living meets Middle East look. This is one of the sitting areas downstairs. Below is another sitting area. Of course, it is going to look totally different with all our stuff in here and we are rearranging the furniture.

This is the pool in the compound and the clubhouse behind. The pool curves around the edge of the clubhouse. It has a swim up snack bar coming soon. The kids are happy to have it nearby.

This is my cutie in the airport on our long journey to Qatar.

The Voice of Adventure

I read this on Angel's blog (thevoiceofadventure.blogspot.com) when we were considering our move and it inspired me. I hope it inspires you today to live your life fully as God intended.


The Voice Of Adventure by Max Lucado
(He Still Moves Stones)
There is a rawness and a wonder to life. Pursue it. Hunt for it. Sell out to get it.
Jesus says the options are clear. On one side there is the voice of safety. You can build a fire in the hearth, stay inside, and stay warm and dry and safe. You can’t get hurt if you never get out, right? You can’t be criticized for what you don’t try, right? You can’t fall if you don’t take a stand, right? You can’t lose your balance if you never climb, right? So, don’t try it. Take the safe route.
Or you can hear the voice of adventure—God’s adventure. Instead of building a fire in your hearth, build a fire in your heart. Follow God’s impulses. Adopt the child. Move overseas. Teach the class. Change careers. Run for office. Make a difference.
Don’t listen to the whines of those who have settled for a second-rate life and want you to do the same so they won’t feel guilty. Your goal is not to live long; it’s to live.
Sure it isn’t safe, but what is?
Luke 17:33 Whoever seeks to save his life loses it, but whoever loses his life preserves it.

Desperately seeking emails

I need my brother and sister-in-loves email address. Does anyone have it?? Please email it to me.

I go today for my medical clearance and to get my driver's license. I don't have to take a test, just give them my Texas license. The medical is a blood test and chest x-ray.

Ruby, our sweet cairn terrier arrived at about midnight last night. It is good to have her here. It makes it feel more homey. If you are moving internationally and need the services of a pet relocator in the Houston area, I would highly recommend Jane Edwards, BKS International Pet Shipping Inc. (713) 466-1378. It is very expensive, but if you don't want your kids to hold it against you for a lifetime, it is worth it.

Day 3...We went to church this morning and it was an interesting experience. It is very multi cultural, which is a good thing. The music was led by an African (assumption) man and he was really great. The announcements were led by a French guy(again, an assumption), the prayer time was led by an Asian guy and the sermon by a South African gent. The church does not have a full time pastor, so lay people or guest speakers come in to speak. This guy is going to be here for the month of August and let's just say I am glad we are going to be on vacation for part of the time. Enough said.

After church we went to lunch with our new friends at Doha's Johnny Rockets. The Filipino wait staff even did a dance to YMCA just like in the USA. Our first full day here we met a family at the pool. They are a young couple with 6 kids, yes I said s-i-x all under the age of 11. Fortunately the 11 year old is a boy and he and Cole get along well. I am sure we will have lots of fun with them. After lunch we all took a nap, a very long nap.

We woke up at 7:00 pm. I am telling you, our body clocks are still messed up. Bill, Abbey and I got up at 4:30am this morning.

We went to the recreation center tonight and swam and played ping pong. We pretty much have the place to ourselves most of the time. More families should be arriving at the end of the month.

This is my favorite sign. It is "Caution...Children Crossing" The children have on the Qatari robes. The men wear white ones called thobes and the women wear black ones called abaya.