Where are you watching the USA/Algeria game tonight?

The sheer number of tents/bars/stadiums that have been built for the World Cup in Dubai is staggering! Tonight I will go to the Barasti Stadium--a giant soccer ball dome built on the beach in the marina.
 This mammoth tent reaches more than five storeys high. And with a capacity of 1,200 people, it’ll be plenty big enough to show the England game on the main screen and the US game on a small corner screen. That is what happens then the English expats outnumber you by 10X. The English pining for the US to lose, and of course the number of Arabs pulling for their only team in the Cup to win, means it should be a very interesting match.

(Got threw that entire post without ever saying futbol--whew!)

¡Ay, caramba!

Last year I was lucky enough to have two must-go-to weddings to attend in the states during the summer which ate up about 4 weeks of the monstracity we call June/July/August here. For months the "5 word weather of the day" on the radio includes adjectives that never stray far from: sandy, hazy, overcast, sweltering, record-setting (is that two?), humid, baking, blazing, blistering, boiling, broiling, burning...you catch my drift.

With little vaca in the horizon this summer, I am obsessed with checking the weeks weather. I don't know why...its hasn't been less than 100 in a month and won't be so until well past September. This week however, at night we get into the 80s! Hoorah!

Mon

109°F

86°F

Tue

109°F
87°F

Wed
109°F
87°F

Thu

107°F

84°F

Emirates Palace

Last weekend, for a belated mother's day gift, I took mom to Emirates Palace for some R&R. Our time kinda went like this: beach, pool, book, eat, nap, back in pool, eat, get lost in hotel, ride golf cart from one side to the other, eat, pool, sleep. Just perfect!

Oh yes mom, and that "penny pressing machine" we saw in the lobby, actually distributes gold bars, silly us!

Big, big hair.

Dubai is a dreamland for any girl that likes big hair and major up-dos. For what the US lacks in glamour and getting all gussied up (the entire country lives by comfortable casual i swear), Dubai definately makes up for.

Here is one of my most recent wedding do's. Paul from jetset, aka miracle worker, calls this one "the classic."

And below is my do' from the Dubai World Cup! Hot diggity!

A cyclone?!

A cyclone is going to hit Dubai according to the The National Weather Bureau. There are warnings to stay away from the sea and beaches as cyclone Phet will generate high waves and gusty wines-- aka sand will pelt you in the face, no questions asked.

Also rain is expected! 6:30PM and the beaches are full, I just went for a run, and the sand is still on the ground. Cyclone Phet....where are you?

Cyclone apparel.

Mom's on her way!

I have 1 annual slip-up. Undoubtably once a year I go to the airport a day early to pick someone up. Last year it was Cristina Fotieo. I get confused and reading someone else's itinerary has come to be no easy task. This year was no exception as I went to the airport last night to pick up Mama Yoder to find out that she comes in today. Poor John rode along for the journey to see a glimpse of mom before he got on his own flight to the US--yes, we planned this--unfortunately, John's flight went out of Abu Dhabi Airport....1.5 hours away from the Dubai Airport so he had quite the trip without any satisfaction. Sorry John!

But mom is on her way this time (see below). Can't wait to see her!

Memorial Day

Memorial Day has made me very nostalgic for all things American. I remember being a little girl and riding my bike to the local cemetery on Memorial Day for the Veteran Ceremony. Living away from the U.S. has made me more patriotic than ever and thankful for the safety and security, freedoms and rights that we have in the US. Thanks to those people who protect America.

Vice President Joe Biden delivers Memorial Day remarks in the Arlington National Cemetery Amphitheater in Arlington, May 31, 2010. (Official White House Photo by David Lienemann)


Collectively, the generation of soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines who have served and sacrificed for us are the heart and soul, and I would say, spine of this nation. And as a nation, we pause today to remember them. They gave their lives fulfilling their oath to this nation and to us. And in so doing, they imparted a responsibility on us to recognize, to respect, to honor and to care for those who risked their lives so that we can live ours.