putting our feet in the persian gulf

On our last day in Dubai, Josh and I took a couple minutes to sit and relax on the beachfront at our hotel. I love that we were able to take Lucy with us all the way across the world. She was the most amazing traveler...although, I think kids are better travelers than parents think they are. We completely underestimate the flexibility of our children because we're so high-strung. Lucy slept the entire flight back to the States, with only the exception of eating. She was stellar. The trip was incredible, and I loved being part of a big city again, but in all honesty, I'm really glad that I don't live in the desert. It's just too stinking hot for me.

gold souk

Lucy and I took an outing by ourselves to the Deira gold souk today. I had this idea that it would be this amazing open-air, very authentic market, complete with dust and dirt but filled with many Middle Eastern treasures, but I was kind of bummed. All the stores were air-conditioned and it was more like a cheap strip mall than like my favorite markets from Hong Kong. I was able to capture a few images, though, from our time there.











and sweet Lucy's sweaty little head. this was pretty much her state of being while we were in Dubai.

karaoke & princess birthday parties

I had to go all the way to Dubai to sing karaoke for the first time in my life. If anyone knows my husband, then you might know that singing in front of people is not one of those things that he enjoys, more or less, so I "took one for the team" and sang for our new friends. Do any of you remember that Lisa Loeb song: Stay (I Missed You)? If you're a product of the 90's, then you probably wish you will never have to hear that song again in your whole life. Well, that's what I sang and I got a 93%....the karaoke program graded us after we sang. So, watch out, Simon. Here I come, American Idol.



Lucy attended her first princess birthday party, and she didn't even know how much fun she was missing. She chose to make friends with this little sleeping buddy, Rhys.



The birthday girl, Tiana.

business lunch where Lucy tries to seal the deal.

Maybe by holding my hand just like daddy's, I can get my point across.


Well, I guess I'll just have to resort to the "Look how cute I am doing the Titanic pose" tactic.


Now, can you please accept my offer?! I mean, seriously, look how cute I am.  And my daddy is really cute, too, but he's using the "Divert eye contact to give the buyers a moment to decide" tactic.  I think mine is way better.  

saturday at the souqs

This is how Lucy has been spending a lot of her time here in the Middle East. She's been so great in the Baby Bjorn. And as I walk around, people of all cultures just think it is so cute and they love to talk to her and touch her face. I was kind of warned about that, so I really don't freak out....being a mom for a second go-around has helped.



I went to this boutique shopping area today called the Madinat Jumeirah. It is a new area but it is a recreation of an antique Arabian souq (or market). I really found the architecture quite beautiful.

Yet another view of the Burj Al Arab.  

All the colorful shishas (hookahs).  

After the boutique market, we went to Mall of the Emirates, which is the largest mall in the world.  It was incredible.  The place just kept going and going and going....and you can shop at stores like Louis Vuitton or H & M or Osh Kosh B'Gosh or Burberry or any number of toy stores or children's clothing stores or whatever.  They have everything, including this indoor ski resort called Ski Dubai.  It comes complete with fake evergreens and ski chalet.  True snow skiing in the middle of the desert.  Just amazing.  We ate at a restaurant overlooking all the skiers.  

More architecture shots.  The mall is just gargantuan.  

This is John, Ayumi and Aiko Sardar.  They were so gracious in letting me spend their Saturday with them.  They are actually friends of friends in my parents' church and they lived in Saint Louis for many years before moving overseas.  In fact, I found out that John knew my father-in-law because he was a deacon at Twin Oaks Pres.  I think the world is actually getting smaller. They took me to this awesome restaurant, Karam, with the best Lebanese cuisine in town.  John and Ayumi, thank you so much for your hospitality.  I so enjoyed my time with you and your daughter.  

You see that building on the far right in this picture?  That is the Burj Dubai, and as of now, the tallest building in the world.  It is something like 162+ stories.  The building has Hager hinges on it, along with some other Hager products.  I guess that makes us famous...not really.  

finding our feet in Dubai

Friday afternoon we tried to get into the Jumeria Beach Hotel for brunch, but were denied, so we took a little walk on their pier. This building is the Burj Al Arab, the most famous building in Dubai. It is the most exclusive hotel in Dubai and the rooms go for about $3000 US per night. They are always at least 95% occupied.





this is one of the many painted camels around the city

After walking , we tried to enjoy a beer by the beach, but beer + a crabby fair-skinned baby + jet lag + 4 o'clock in the afternoon + 108 degree heat = exhaustion

.....so we went walking and got some of this, but still ended up napping after it all

but not until we were able to photograph the Grand Mosque, the largest mosque in Dubai which is right across the street from our hotel

just a small taste

Friday in Dubai is like Sunday in the States. The weekend here is Friday & Saturday, but Friday functions a bit more like Sunday, I guess. We were actually able to attend church with another new friend....a connection of a connection that actually originates with Glen and Audrey Woita. (I guess it's like the six degrees of Kevin Bacon. Somehow, when you start to connect people, you can always get back to the Woitas.) Anyway, our new friend Doug Cousino and his three beautiful daughters, Elisabeth, Hannah, and Rachel, were so kind to pick us up and bring us to church with them. One of the things Josh and I enjoy so much about visiting other countries is the opportunity to worship with other believers. Dubai was no exception and we were able to meet some incredibly fascinating people. Truly the most culturally diverse congregation we've ever been a part of. Even more diverse than our church in Hong Kong. It was a fresh reminder that heaven will be full of people who do not look like me and what a rich thing that is. Heaven is going to be shockingly different than anything we expect or imagine.



one of the windows inside the church

global friends

Dubai has been amazing. It is such a fascinating place. There is so much to learn about, I only wish I had more time to be here. Thursday was spent doing just a little bit of shopping, but we were able to meet some new friends for dinner at their flat in the evening. A friend of a friend of some connection or another. Josh couldn't actually even remember how we got connected with Chris, but it was so fun to meet someone new...who is originally from Kansas. He and his family have been living here since January. He's a Red Sox fan, but we won't hold that against him. We enjoyed a wonderful meal with him in his cozy apartment along with another new friend, Asa, from Iran, who is on her way to the States via Japan to attend Law school in Philadelphia. Talk about global. Asa was so sweet with Lucy and loved holding her. Asa, thanks for the yummy sweet treats from Iran! We wish you all the best in Philly. And Chris, thank you for welcoming us into your home. We look forward to meeting your wife and son in the future...hopefully at a Cardinals-Red Sox game where we show you how baseball is really played!


Asa with Lulu


Josh, Chris & Lulu

Sights, sounds, smells of Thursday:

crazy, hidden upstairs rooms with "special" handbags....it took quite a bit of climbing up things and ducking under things, along with secret knocks and hidden keys to get into these rooms....

Lucy totally drenched from sweat in the 104 degree afternoon sun

the hustle of the city from Chris' apartment balcony

international appeal

We arrived in Dubai at about 7.30 pm here and the city was already dark, but that was probably a good thing, seeing at it was still in the low 100's. Hot, but not humid. It is the desert, after all. Dubai is quite lenient about letting Americans come to visit, because we didn't even fill out a single piece of paper work to enter the country. We spent the evening with Edward and Anita, long-standing friends of the Hagers, who treated us to this amazing Lebanese meal, including the belly dancer and hookah. Lucy just continued to be a trooper and was mesmerized by the belly dancing.



Sights, sounds, smells of the day:

the Tex-Mex restaurant sign "Livin' La Vida Loca" (globalization or what?!)
the babaganoush
the sweet taste of the hookah
Lucy's quiet cooing and kicking at 4 am as we were all jet-lagging
the call of the Moslems to pray
my 5 am Snickers from the mini bar

it's business, baby

One of the perks of your husband being a business man is being able to fly in business class, and let me tell you, it makes a 14-hour flight feel like no big deal. I haven't been on an airplane for that long since my last trip to Hong Kong in 2004, but I was like an old pro. Our flights to Hong Kong were 16 hours from Chicago or LAX and I've done that flight probably 14 times or so. It's one thing to do that flight every couple months, but when almost four years go by since the last time you take a flight like that, it kind of seemed mammoth. But it was super easy, and Lucy was a little superstar. Emirates airline is the best I've flown on and they had probably 160 movies to choose from, plus hundreds of television shows and video games and all sorts of other choices to whittle away the time. I watched The Darjeeling Limited (for the second time. a must-see movie), The Jane Austen Book Club (not so good) and Dan in Real Life (really loved this one). We ate two meals, slept for about six hours and still had a little bit of time to spare. And they have this NIFTY little bassinet contraption that bolts into the bulkhead....it made all the difference with having Lucy. She slept great.



And the flight attendants loved her. They took pictures of her in the hat they wear as part of their uniform. This is us after the whole 14 hours. Lucy was such a trooper.

this is how it all started

So, Josh and I have the opportunity to travel, once again, and this time we're on our way to Dubai. Yeah. I know that sounds quite shocking if you didn't know we were about to do this trip. Lucy is going with us and she is going to be my little sight-seeing partner as Josh does all his business meetings. We are going to have the awesome opportunity to meet lots of new people. I actually can't believe we're doing it. This was the view from our car window as Josh and I were waiting for the police officer to return to our car with his license and registration. Yep. We were running late to the airport and were both multi-tasking so we didn't notice that we were going 17 miles over the speed limit. Watch that speed trap on 170. They're really out to get you.

me and my girls

Mother's Day was quite eventful this year, but a wonderful day, nonetheless. I have two amazing, beautiful. healthy little girls. What an incredible gift.

hot shot(s)

Today we went to the doctor for Huntleigh's 30 month and Lucy's 4 month check ups. Two birds with one stone. It was awesome and overwhelming. To be in a small room for over an hour with your pediatrician, your busy 2 year old, your little baby and your mom....well, let's just say it was good to finally open the door and leave. I really wrestle with the whole immunization thing, as some of the shots seem so arbitrary to me and the manufacturing of the immunizations is really kind of sketchy...but I won't get into those details now. I really didn't want those needles touching my first babe and I still don't like the idea of my second babe having to go through the immunization process. But since I am way WAY behind with Huntleigh's shot schedule, today we caught up on a few of them and it was almost more than I could bear. I don't even remember the last time she had a shot and she certainly doesn't remember it. I was crying before the nurse even came into the room with her three shots today. Huntleigh just said so innocently to the nurse, "What are those?" mere moments before she pierced her precious arms with those horrible things. I was pretty much weeping when I scooped Huntleigh up to rescue her from the experience. If you're not a parent, you may think this is no big deal, but just you wait. I hate not being able to explain to my child why allowing her to be hurt like this now may actually be a healing thing for her in the future. And sweet Lucy...she uttered a sweet little cry and then that was it. She's my little trooper. Thank goodness for yummy medicine that makes us all feel all better. (For Huntleigh, that's strawberry Tylenol, for mommy, that's a margarita, and for Lucy, well, that's just a boob.)

wednesday morning

abc's, popsicles and fat lips

Huntleigh had a serious wipe out tonight and I thought it was just her toe that was hurting, until I noticed the blood on her lip. The boo boo warranted a popsicle, one that daddy made specially for her in her new popsicle trays she got for her half birthday party. She loved it, until the very end when she bit off the last piece and got brain freeze...although I knew she didn't know what was hurting her. She just knew the cold hurt pretty sharply.


I love this picture of my mom. To me, it is quintessentially her.