Picture of the Week - 3/31/3023

 Sooooo close!  We are so close to our spring break - and our next adventure.  I've been looking forward to this one for a long time.  

Originally, when we first bought the camper, we thought this trip would be our maiden voyage.  There's a very small and very flat campground just outside of Georgia Southern that (to my untrained eyes) looked like it would be easy to get/out of and would be perfect for our first trip.  (Then we pulled the trigger on Perry last month...)

This trip is the first one with the dogs - and our plans have morphed a little bit - and all of the changes and updates have made me so excited and anxious to get going tomorrow morning!  But also - so. much. planning!

We also bought a blackstone grill.  We knew we wanted to get one and had originally thought we would wait until our big trip to Missouri to get one, but then we came to our senses (maybe when we saw how nice the weather is going to be this weekend) and decided it would be great to get one now.  And Walmart to the rescue!  We got one on SALE even!

So this week we spent time getting the blackstone seasoned and took it for a drive making dinner the other night.  We made breakfast burritos and homemade corned beef hash.  :)  I case you were curious!

We head down to Brunswick tomorrow for a visit with Bob and Phyllis and are pretty darn excited that both Spencer and Quinn are going to join us for a visit.  Spencer can't stay the night, but I've enticed him with a promise of smash burgers on the blackstone!  YUM!  On Sunday we are going to relocate camp up to that initial campground that I really thought would be our first hookup.  We are staying a few nights there - and it'll give us a chance to see how the dogs do with the set-up we will have over the summer.  We bought them a dog fence to set up around the camper door and will see how it goes!  MANY firsts with this whole experience - which makes it fun and interesting - and gives my "planner brain" more than enough to worry about!

Stay tuned for more details and pictures and reports on how our trip goes!  Yay for spring!!

PS - I bought this fun pillow for the couch in the camper, but that's actually probably going to be Quinn's bed this weekend.  It IS funny though!

Picture of the Week - 7/8/2022

 I have gotten VERY bad at getting this message out on Thursdays.  Too many things going on and, to be honest, it slips my mind.  

The revolving door of people in and out this summer continued this last week...

- Beckett left for his 10 year old trip with my parents on Wednesday.  Much more to come on that when I get more pictures and stories.  Here's one of him in his new cowboy hat.  They went out west to Yellowstone and Cody, Wyoming, and Grand Tetons, etc.  

- Spencer's friend Bradford came on Saturday evening (and stayed through Tuesday)

- Bob and I left Monday morning for a short trip to Greenville to do some exploring with some friends.  Greenville is a cute little city - with lots of fabulous places to eat and drink!

- Quinn and Jess took Zane to Woodlands camp on Monday afternoon

- Bob and I came back on Wednesday

- Quinn left for a beach trip with Jess's family on Thursday

- Today we get Beckett back

- Tomorrow we get Zane back

Phew...  it's hard to keep up with - even for me!

Bonus picture of cute Gable all dressed up for July 4th

This weekend - not too much going on.  Then I am leaving on Tuesday for my first work travel in nearly 3 years.  Weird!  Off to NYC for a few days with my team - and will get to meet my boss for the first time in person.  Weird!

Have a great week everyone!!

Picture of the Week - 4/28/2022

 Quinn walked into our room this morning and announced that TODAY is his last full day of school.  And while I knew it, I didn't think about it, and I'm NOT OK with it.  

Sigh...  time marches on... and soon he will too.

BUT before that happens, Bob and I are taking advantage of a built-in/live-in babysitter and taking off for a weekend in Charleston.  We have really fallen in love with Charleston - and we get a chance to see Spencer too.  Win/Win!

Catch ya next week! 

Picture of the Week - 4/8/2022

 Happy post-spring break POTW!

Quinn and I went to Sandestin for a nice visit with the guys he's going to Georgia Southern with and their moms.  We had a really good time - and it was so nice to get away for a while!  I really enjoyed getting to know the other moms and visiting somewhere new.  Sandestin was fun - and has a ton of activities - but the crowded beaches are just not my scene.  I'm not going to complain about the little beach hut with the frozen drinks though!

Here are a couple of pictures of our group.  This is such a good group of kids.  I am so excited for Quinn as he gets ready to head to Statesboro with them.  They got their dorm assignment this week too - and I think it's the best dorm on campus.  They have a 4 bedroom, 2 bath apartment with a full kitchen and a washer/dryer in the suite.  Each boy gets his own room with a full size bed.  I mean...  this is nicer than anywhere I stayed until we bought our first house!  The dorm is also pretty much smack dab in the middle of campus and directly across the street from the food hall.  It's going to be perfect for them!

Tomorrow Bob, Zane and Beck are taking off for a visit with Bob's dad (Hi Bob and Phyllis - sorry I'm going to miss the trip) before heading onto Jacksonville for a wrestling tournament on Sunday.  I'm staying home to get caught up on my HR class.  Boring... but I have a paper to write and a quiz to take and about 600 pages to read.  I really wish I were exaggerating.  I hate that I'm missing out on some fun...  I mean who doesn't love the free manager's reception at the Embassy Suites?  But I need to be responsible for a minute and get myself ready for this certification exam...  Adulting sucks sometimes.

Have a great week!  

Picture of the Week - 10/1/2021

 Happy Happy October!

We have had SO MANY happy things going on 'round here!

We just finished a fun Fall break trip, got to see Quinn's amazing senior pictures (more on that later), and celebrated Spencer and Zane's birthdays.  

Now we are in Charleston about to head to the Citadel campus for day 1 of Parent's weekend festivities.  Our first Parent's weekend - and the first time I get to see Spencer since he started!  So excited about that!!

There's a lot...  and I've done a poor job of saving time to write about it all because I'm too busy enjoying each thing.  Hope you all have a great first week of October!  I'll share more about our Charleston trip on the flip side!!

Picture of the Week - 9/16/2021

 There are so many fun and cool and awesome things happening right now!  Life is good, y'all!

Let's see...  where to start...

Beck and Zane are both doing great!  They are really enjoying school (as much as tweener boys enjoy school) and football.  Zane has settled right into middle school and has found a whole new group of friends.  We are in a weird feeder pattern here where only about 40 kids go from our elementary to our middle.  Thank goodness for sports because there are some friendly football/wrestling faces in the 6th grade hall!  Both of these boys are also growth spurting something crazy.  I'm including a picture of Zane, who is about to pass me in height.  He's pretty pumped about it...

Quinn is living his best life!  He has started his college application process, knocked out another round of SAT testing, and hits the weight room regularly getting ready for wrestling season.  We also got his senior yearbook picture proofs back and he has a college visit scheduled for Monday for his first choice school.

Bob and Quinn are heading to Charleston on Saturday with a bag of goodies for Spencer and a couple of tickets to the Citadel football game.  They will get to spend Sunday with Spencer and then will head over to Statesboro on Monday morning to visit Georgia Southern.  I wish I could go, alas I'm on Zane football duty - and of course work...

Bob doesn't have to worry about work next week because tomorrow is his last day at ADP.  He's been there for 21.5 years, so this is not a small change for us!  He will likely end up doing a very similar job, but maybe on the client-side instead of the vendor side.  We shall see.  The change is long overdue and I'm excited for him!

The boys are on fall break next week, which means that next Wednesday we all get to escape for a quick trip up to Ohio.  I am so grateful that Bob's sister has agreed to take Quinn's "real" senior pictures for us!  And we got tickets to an OSU game, which will be the first game we've seen in person since I graduated.  Crazy!

Good stuff all around!  Oh yeah, and the Citadel wrestling roster is updated on the website and includes a picture of Spencer.  That makes the whole thing even more real!  He's the first D1 wrestler West Forsyth high school has ever produced.  Pretty proud about all he's accomplishing and how he's handling the whole situation.  2021-22 Wrestling Roster - The Citadel Athletics

2021-22 Wrestling Roster - The Citadel Athletics The official 2021-22 Wrestling Roster for the The Citadel Bulldogs

Now if we can just get these tropical storms to take a breath and stop sending rivers of atmospheric moisture through Georgia...  

Have a great week!!

Picture of the Week - 6/10/2021

 Spencer made it back from his Appalachian Trail adventure.  They did fine - no injuries, plenty of food and water, etc.  They did get soaked as this week has been super rainy and humid.  And all the boys admitted that it was harder than they expected to haul gear up and down mountains.  

They also got to make a bunch of memories and met many interesting people!  I kinda love the idea of this exclusive hiker-society out there that few people know about and fewer experience.  These folks are all in this experience together and make fast friends.  They shared food and shelter.  One guy from California was with his friend, who was going much faster than this man wanted/could, so he connected with Spencer's crew and when I picked them up, he was there too.  Not sure what his plan is since his friend connected with someone else and ditched him, but he was super friendly and I'm sure will work it out.  Spencer made some "through" hiker's day by gifting him leftover cans of corn beef hash.  LOL

Countdown is 10 days before he leaves for Charleston and 12 days before I leave him there.  

The other boys are all great and already enjoying summer!

Quinn is actually pretty busy this month!  He's working, wrestling practice, and tackling some SAT prep to get ready for senior year.  

Zane spent this week at Outdoor Adventure Camp where he's gotten to hike, climb trees, kayak, stand-up paddleboard, and today I think he's rock climbing.  Tomorrow is a rope course which he's ridiculously excited about!  He's bruised and sunburnt.  He has bug bites and scraped knees.  It's kind of a perfect 11 year old summer week!  Next week he goes to Wet & Wild camp with MORE of the same - plus lake swimming!

Beckett is at a STEM camp this week where he's gotten to build a robot and fly drones.  From we hear, his robot is the biggest and the fastest and the strongest.  No idea if that's factual, but you gotta love his confidence!

Bob leaves with Quinn on Sunday to drive a 12 passenger rental van to Ohio for a wrestling camp.  Beckett leaves Monday for his sleepaway Woodlands week, which leaves me home with Spencer and Zane next week.  That's another unique combo for the summer.  Interested to see how that dynamic works out...

If anyone is curious what *I* am doing...  it's mostly trying to keep up with laundry required for the revolving door of activities and people around here.  This weekend I get the added excitement of iron-on nametags AND get to tackle building a closet organizer in the newly painted basement bedroom.  I'm living my best life.  LOL

Picture of the Week - 5/20/2021

 Last week was such a weird week for me to skip a POTW message because so much happened.  And yet, it was also so perfectly busy and fun and happy that I'm not even going to apologize for staying in the moment and not thinking about sending out an email.  I didn't even think about the POTW until mid-day Saturday and then by the time we were home and settled... well I'm not sure we will actually be settled until July...

Anyway - a LOT has happened in the last 2 weeks - and all of it is really good stuff.  And most of it is wrestling-related.

Last weekend we went to Myrtle Beach for a tournament in the middle of a gasoline shortage.  The entire trip was in jeopardy for a while and even as we packed up the car and left for the coast we weren't really sure if we were making the right decision.  Turns out everything was fine and we had a blast - and Spencer had an amazing tournament.

On Friday Spence and Quinn wrestled in a duals tourney.  Quinn was, obviously, with our high school team and Spence was picked up as a "free agent" to fill a spot on a team in Ohio.  Neither team did particularly well in the tournament, but in these big national tourneys a high school team is really never going to be able to compete with a club team full of recruited wrestlers.  We don't go to these things to bring home trophies.  It's really all about experience and bonding with the team (and each other).  

Spencer, however, had an amazing day on Friday and went 5-0 with 4 pins and one forfeit.  He was named an All American and was SO FUN to watch.  

Saturday all 4 boys participated in the individual tournament.  This was the first and only tournament that all 4 boys will ever wrestle in together.  I don't imagine there are too many other families out there who can claim 4 wrestlers in a single event.  It was pretty special.  So of course I had to get matching t-shirts!!    The 3 younger brothers had a rough go, but Spencer killed it again on Saturday going 3-0 w 2 more pins and a win on points.  He only gave up 5 points total all weekend.  It was a dominant performance.  He won the 220 lb high school weight class and is ready to get after it again next weekend in his last high school match.  He's dropping to the 195 lb spot for another duals team competing at Virginia Beach.  This one is another national tournament - with even more wrestlers attending.  The competition should be even better than what we saw in Myrtle, so it'll be a good test.  Zane is also making that trip to wrestle as the elementary team's 120.  Bob is taking on chauffeur and snack duties while I hold down the fort at home. 

But before we can get to that trip next week, we have this small event going on this weekend - Spencer's graduation!!!  He finished up classes and exams last week.  Had senior breakfast on Tuesday.  (Thank you to everyone who sent a letter to him for his Blue Envelope!)  And now we are gearing up for his party and dinner on Saturday and then the actual graduation on Sunday evening.  I have definitely had moments where I'm in utter disbelief that this day is here, but I'm also just so excited to see where he goes from here that it's impossible to be sad.  It's a big milestone, to be sure!  But it's also the opening of a door to a path that will be uniquely Spencer's.  I can't wait to see where it goes.

Oh yeah - and just for icing on the crazy-May cake...  last night at wrestling practice J'den Cox (world/Olympic wrestler) showed up.  He wrestled with everyone in the room - how awesome.  Here's a picture of him with the boys.  

OK - next week I promise I won't flake and forget to send a POTW.  It will be full of graduation memories that I can't wait to capture!

Picture of the Week - 4/29/2021

 We snuck away!

Bob and I have left the boys home ALONE!!  We have, of course, left them home alone before, but never overnight - much less for a few days.  It's terrifying - and exhilarating!

When our springtime cruise was cancelled this year, we didn't really think much of it...  until we realized that we really missed having some one-on-one time to focus on each other.  We aren't (and never have been) trying to "fix" anything, but any relationship needs tending to regularly.  A marriage is no different.  

I don't think I really agree with people who say it's "work" to cultivate a happy marriage because it doesn't (98% of the time) FEEL like work.  But I do agree that putting a priority on staying connected, finding activities that we both enjoy, and just spending time together is a pretty key component to a good relationship!  So this weekend - is all about US!  And I've been looking forward to this for months now!

Here's the view from our back porch.  The place we rented is so nice!  It's a little studio apartment rental with an amazing back deck - complete with rocking chairs overlooking Lake Chatuge in Hiawassee Ga.  Hiawassee is a wee little town just across the North Carolina border in northwest Georgia.  

We are here until Sunday.  We brought games and books and sewing and snacks.  There's a hummingbird feeder with frequent guests.  I could live here!  It's so peaceful and quiet.

Meanwhile...  at home...

Quinn has Zane and Beckett duty tonight.  Tomorrow is PROM!  I am actually really sad that we are missing prom, but when we scheduled this trip, prom was scheduled for next weekend and when they started increasing the number of people who could attend, they had to move to a different date so everyone could participate.  We have tuxes and ordered flowers and the boys have plans.  I've pleaded with them to get pictures - so everyone cross your fingers!

While the big guys are at prom, the younger ones (not allowed to call them little anymore...  as Zane is almost as tall as me now) are gonna hang with my parents.  

And throughout, Ozzie and Willow will pace the house worried sick that we are never coming home.

I am so appreciative that we are able to have a weekend like this.  I'm so thankful that I have Bob to share this with!  It's going to be an amazing weekend!

PS - Today was Spencer's last day of high school.  Oh in the world...  literally...  I just can't even wrap my head around that... (he has some AP tests and a couple of finals before he's done-done, but no more high school classes for the eldest Bovy boy.  

Picture of the Week - 4/8/2021

 This week is Spring Break and we took advantage!

Bob and I grabbed Berber and Pappy, Zane and Beck and headed for the Smoky Mountains.  We could not have had better weather.  It was amazing!  We stayed in a cabin perched atop a mountain, which made for slightly nerve-wracking drives in exchange for breathtaking views.  We ate a picnic lunch halfway through the National Park.  We visited Dollywood, saw the Dixie Stampede Dinner Show, and ate dinner-plate sized cinnamon rolls.  We played cards, pool, chilled in a hot tub, enjoyed drinks on the back porch.  We laughed and really just enjoyed.  It was a perfect mini trip!  (That also left me wanting more travel and less staring-at-my-computer-screen!)  Good thing we have lots of stuff planned for the coming months... stay tuned!

I've had regular contact with both Spencer, who is in NC at a cabin with his buddies, and Quinn, who is in Orlando doing the theme park circuit with a friend of his.  They both seem to be having a great time and enjoying the break from work and school.  Spencer comes home tomorrow and Quinn is expected sometime Sunday.

This trip was a bit of a preview into what things will be like in the not-distant future as we transition from a family of 6 down to 5 and finally settle at 4 for a few years.  It's...  bittersweet.  I know we have done our jobs and they are ready to fly.  I can't wait to watch them spread their wings and GO!  But I am going to miss them.  It feels funny without all those faces around the table.  

A week or so ago the high school compiled a list of all the upcoming important dates for the seniors.  It was kind of daunting!  There is a lot of stuff crammed into the next 5 weeks or so.  Spencer will be having an in-person graduation.  We are pretty excited that we will get to watch him "walk" even if it is via limited tickets which means we can't take everyone we want to - including all our kids...  He's got finals, AP exams, Senior breakfast, graduation, parties, etc. etc. etc.  

On top of all of that, he's about kick wrestling preparation back into gear.  Spence has earned a tryout with the Citadel wrestling team and he wants to give it a go.  We aren't really sure what that means yet, but he's going to start hitting the mats again a few times a week to prep for whatever comes.  He's also participating in a couple of wrestling tournaments this May (which is part of the the "stuff planned" I referred to above.)  It's going to be a busy couple of months...  and then he will be off to Charleston.  WOW!

If we are connected on Facebook, you may have already seen my request for you to send Spencer a note that he will receive as part of the high school's "blue envelope" tradition.  Anyone can send him a note of congratulations or wish him well.  All you have to do is send a letter to the school with his name on it - Spencer Bovenizer, c/o West Forsyth High School, 4155 Drew Rd, Cumming, GA 30040.  The letters are being collected from Monday through the end of the month.  He would LOVE to hear from you!

Enjoy some pictures from our trip!  I miss that mountain view already!

Picture of the Week - 11/14/2019

How'd it get to be the middle of November so fast???  Wow!

Bob and I had a great time on our mini-vacation to Asheville.  What a cute little town.  We stayed in a fun, trendy hotel and ate tapas and drank fancy cocktails.  It was like we were grown-ups or something!  We also got to visit the Biltmore house, which just happened to be hosting a Downton Abbey exhibit.  A few thoughts on this...  

Biltmore is beautiful and impressive.  It did pale a bit after visiting castles in Europe...  but was different enough to not feel like an imitation.  I can't wrap my head around living like that!  We lucked out because it was all decorated for Christmas already.  Gorgeous!  I'm so glad we got to see it decorated.  It really did put us in the holiday mood!

We started watching Downton Abbey a couple of months ago.  We didn't watch it back when it was "new", so we are only through about 2 seasons.  I'm really glad we watched it before visiting Biltmore because it was MUCH easier to imagine what the house was like after watching the show.  I do, however, wish we had finished the series before going through the Downton Abbey exhibition.  We learned some things about the storyline and some of the big plot twists were kinda ruined for us.  We'll still watch...  but I wish we didn't know what was coming.  I think this is a little like reading a book and then watching the movie.  It's still good, just different...  

If you ever decide to take a road trip to Asheville... we highly recommend the Foundry Hotel and you MUST eat at Curate.  Get the lamb and thank me later.  Stop at the Social House for cocktails and order the one with the basil in it.  Yum!

In sports news...  Spencer's football team has a playoff game tomorrow night.  It would be a colossal upset if they won, so his football season is likely over this week.  He's really anxious to wrestle, so it's kind of a win/win for us.  Quinn's mostly recovered from his concussion, but going to take this weekend off and should be good to go next week.  Zane and Beck are into practices 3-4 nights a week and seem to really be enjoying themselves.  Their first tournament is a week from Saturday.  

Here are a couple of pictures we took at the pumpkin patch.  I've not shared them before, but thought I'd send them along because they make me smile.  

Have a great week everyone - spend some time prepping the Thanksgiving menu and thinking about all the things you are thankful for this year.  There are SO many... for instance...  I just figured out where to buy my current favorite wine, which I feared I'd lost forever when Total Wine didn't have it.  3 cheers for the Fancy Kroger and Storyteller Chardonnay!

Picture of the Week - 11/7/2019

Happy November!

Fun stuff happening here!  

Spencer's last regular season football game is tomorrow night.  They will go into the playoffs next week, but we have to wait and see if they can pull out a win against a big in-county rival tomorrow.  Oh and it's supposed to be in the 30s!  I may freeze...  

Beckett/Bob's team lost last weekend, so both Beck and Zane have transitioned to wrestling season.  They are both really into it this year.  Far more than last year.  Should be a fun season for them.  They are working out with the high school coaches and also a couple of nights a week at Morris Fitness.  I figure 4 nights a week ought to keep them busy for a while.  LOL  We will be doing some tournaments with them this year.  Both are still in the same age brackets as last year, but this year they are the OLDER ones.  I think they should have good seasons!  There's a huge difference between a 7 year old with no experience and an 8 year old with a year under his belt.  And both boys weigh almost exactly what they did last year, so I expect they are going to have a lot of fun!

Quinn's NOT having a fun week this week...  he and another wrestler smacked heads pretty hard yesterday morning.  Quinn ended up with a mild concussion and has been home for a couple of days.  He's feeling much better, but will have to sit out the team's first tournament of the season.  Spencer isn't wrestling yet either as he has to finish out the football season first.  They are both anxious to get out on the mats again.

Bob and I are practically counting the minutes until Sunday afternoon when we are leaving the boys with my parents for a couple of days to take a little trip to Asheville, NC.  We figured we should take advantage of my free time, Bob's plethora of PTO, and a relatively quiet sports schedule to have a get-away.  We are ridiculously excited!  I'll let you know how the Downton Abbey exhibition at the Biltmore is!  I think we are going to miss peak leaf color in Asheville, but the forecast maps show that north GA will be in peak color for our drive.  Yahoo!! 

Have a great week everyone!  Here are a couple of pictures from wrestling practice last night.  Beck is trying to look intimidating, I think...  or maybe that's his evil alter ego coming out???

Picture of the Week - 7/18/2009

Spending the week away from my boys (all 5 of them) never gets easier.

I'm in Scotland for the week.  I'm running a 3 day event.  It's exhausting - mentally and physically.  I'm not whining...  just facts.  

And I miss my kids.  Here're are a couple pictures of Zane and Beck from the beach.  It feels like MONTHS ago.  Hard to believe this was just a couple of weeks ago.  

(I will be SO SAD when Beckett finally has both front teeth.  He has been missing one - or the other - front tooth for YEARS now.  I fear this uniquely Beckett look is about to come to an end because I think that missing tooth is about to make an appearance.  It will make me sad...  gotta be honest...)

Back home on Sunday.  I have one more day of work to get through - and then I'm planning on spending an enthralling Saturday in Edinburgh studying for an Accounting exam I have next week.  I'd love to be heading home instead, but plane ticket prices are stupid and Saturday stays save (literally) thousands of dollars...  so I shall study in Scotland.  Then Sunday, I have a date to collect a bunch of hugs from a bunch of pretty cool kids!

Picture of the Week - 5/9/2019

I think Mother's Day may have come early for me this year!  I got a picture of my big guys WITH me in it and everyone is smiling!  Woot!  (Also, when did I get so short???)

This week has been a bit of a blur.  Jet lag is real and for at least a day and a half my brain felt completely out of it.  I think I'm mostly back to normal now - although I did wake up at 4:20 this morning...  so...

I've spent some time reflecting on the last couple of weeks and I don't think it's a huge stretch to say that there were some life-changing moments that happened.  These weren't getting to see the tallest building in the world or touching the Persian Gulf water or hanging out in a building that dates back to 1080.  The stuff that truly impacted me was far more subtle.

One of our tour guides has 5 kids.  We spent some time talking to him about his family.  He is raiding his 3 nieces and has a girl and boy of his own.  We weren't prying to learn more, but it came out in conversation that his sister and brother-in-law were killed in a tsunami back in India.  The story is even more chilling than *just* that because it turns out that he happened to be in town visiting when the tsunami happened.  The morning of the event he decided he wanted to go fishing and gathered up his parents to drive over to another village.  He asked his sister and brother-in-law to go too, but they had a restaurant and couldn't leave it.  They did, however, send their kids.  That decision, to go on that day-trip, and to take his parents and nieces, changed the course of his life - and of theirs.  They never saw their mom and dad/sister/daughter again.  

What a strong reminder that the decisions you make every single day have the potential to change everything.  

We went shopping at the Dubai Mall one day.  That place was insane.  We walked all day and probably only saw about a third of the place.  There were tons of people there.  Obviously there were other tourists, but there were also lots of locals - or people whom I assumed were local.  We were in a store called Zara (remember that name because I predict it will become very popular here in the next 5 years...) and we were just browsing.  One of my friends wanted to try on some clothes, so I was just hanging out waiting.  I saw this young family of 3.  The mom was shopping for clothes (just like everyone else) and she was engrossed in her task.  The dad was carrying around the baby, a boy of about 9 or 10 months.  He was cooing and laughing and playing and comforting the child.  It was a scene that could have been played out anywhere.  Except the mom was in a full Muslim robe with her head and face covered.  The dad was also in full traditional dress with a head covering as well.  This was a significantly different image of Muslim people than we are accustomed to seeing on the US news.

What a blatant example that people are people all over the world.  What they believe in doesn't change the fact that they love their kids, each other, and a good sale on trendy shirts.

One day my American colleagues and I had lunch with a man who was originally Scottish, but had spent the last 20 years or so living abroad in a wide variety of locations.  He was pretty fascinating.  He told us his favorite places to live and described the work he and his wife were doing.  The more interesting part of the conversation, however, was how interested he was in US.  Apparently his perceptions and stereotypes of Americans didn't fit nicely with the way we talked, behaving, or shared.  We talked about politics and entertainment and religion and school and all sorts of things.  In almost every topic we surprised him with our answers.  His impressions of who we were and what we believed because we lived in the United States was really skewed.  It was so eye-opening for both him and us!

What a clear way to see that if you really want to know something about someone, you have to actually talk to them.  Where they live, what they wear, what they drive, and who they are with really don't tell the story.  To know someone, you have to put forth effort and set-aside your beliefs and stereotypes.  

You have to have an open-mind if you want to have an open-heart.

So yes, I am so glad I got to feel the powder-like sand in the Arabian desert.  I very much enjoyed eating hummus and fresh bread at pretty much every meal.  And I'll always remember the chaos of the old traditional souks selling everything from tea to leather.  Not to mention the fact that the Games of Strategy class was pretty interesting...

But the real learning of this trip happened in the quiet moments - and those are the ones that have changed and enhanced me.  I really am blessed to have had these experiences...  and even more blessed to get to come home to this crazy, messy, chaotic, American house in the suburbs full of people I love and who love me back.  

Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there!  I get to celebrate with MY mom tomorrow night and I can't wait to have a good chat with her over a good bottle of wine!

Cheers!