I keep thinking if I wait to post, then I’ll actually have something to say, but time is flowing past and along with it, lots of little memories. But no orders. It’s now March and I’m like a pregnant mama in her 41st week. You logically know the baby is coming, but you’ve stopped expecting it to arrive. Ever. It’s only fitting since all of my children kept me waiting long past when they were expected, why not this very important set of orders? But just like in my human baby overdue days, I’m plodding along, pregnant with cynicism, and sweating (winter is long over and we are rapidly cruising into summer).
But on a positive note, one of my kids was accepted to what may or may not be their school next year, 2 more applications are in the middle of the evaluation process, and one child has one form left to be submitted by a teacher. So progress is being made somewhere, I’m just not sure if we’re headed in the right direction . . .
But since we might be leaving, we had to buy another carpet. Just in case. Totally reasonable, right?
We had been saying that we want one more big one since all but one of ours is medium sized (5×7 or 4×6). We had the joy of going carpet shopping for a friend and picking out a carpet for her and then as long as we were already there . . . we started looking at something for us.
I love that it’s neutral without being white (very important in my kid and animal household), it’s Persian, wool, older (50 years I think, different than anything we have already (not red), and huge.
I think it’s big enough for under our dining room table!
The kids participated in a color run on base with their youth group. Each color was a station to raise awareness of a social issue: domestic violence, drug and alcohol abuse and I’m not sure of the rest. As the youth group kids ran (along with the rest of the base) they also got bible verses on wrist bands for each station.
They had orange and green in their ears for the next two days . . .
Our Saturdays have been busy with soccer games. The Saturday before Josh left for California (yes, he’s gone again) was Calvin’s birthday and after Camille’s game we all went out to breakfast to celebrate. This French style cafe has a variety of fancy French toast and everyone tried a different one — Camille picked the one with marshmallows, ice cream, and chocolate bread.
Caleb went for Nutella, bananas, and vanilla ice cream and Calvin picked berry and cream crepes (that one is my new favorite).
But the “basic” pain perdu is a close second.
We got a quick rain shower this week! Huge drops, thunder and lightning, and gone in less than 5 minutes. Such a tease.
It happened while Meels and I were doing a charity run after school. They called the race because of lightning, but we both felt like we had run enough by then anyway.
This past weekend we had church in the desert. I think I’ve told you how the Bahrainis “camp,” right? In the winter they go out to the oilfields and throw up makeshift tents in the dirt and have bonfires and party all weekend. Some families have their own campsites, but there are others who have them available to rent out. Our church rented one of the campsites and had a church service right in the middle of the oil fields.
Each campsite has a temporary fence around it to stake out their area (and probably to act as a wind barrier against sand and dirt blowing.
Worship
It was a really good turnout considering that the directions were a GPS coordinate. I was worried I was going to get lost, but the boys and Google Maps brought me right to it.
After church we had a picnic lunch and everyone relaxed in the tents,
ran around in the desert next to the oil pipelines,
and rode bikes.
Then we played games
and the kids played on the playground inside our campsite
until we were all worn out and it was time to go home.
It’s not quite like camping in Oman, but it’s as good as it gets here!