Surfing U.A.E.

To continue our weekend with the kids, after our Christmas movie sleepover, we woke up bright and early at 7am to take off for the beach. We promised the kids we would teach them how to surf and after checking the waves and surf report, it was as good a day as any to test the waters. We loaded up the car and packed lunches for the day, got the kids all changed with towels and we were out the door by 8am. In case you didn’t know, Steven was a surf instructor throughout college, and surfed competitively in college. I worked at the YMCA in college as a surf instructor for the summer surf camps. More recently, Steven always helped out with/ led the free surf lessons that Kings Harbor Church always put on in the summer back home. Between the two of us, and the 7 surf boards we shipped over, these kids were going to learn how to surf!

We headed out to Sunset beach, which is just to the right of the Jumeirah Beach Hotel and the Burj Al Arab about 15 minutes from our house. We got unloaded, pulled out some surfboard and started with a beach lesson:

Sammy was the first one in the water while Yousef, Missy and I waiting on the beach taking pictures and cheering him on:

This was the biggest day of surf since we have been here and there were a ton of people out in the water but that didn’t stop Sammy from getting up:

Next was Yousef:

Then came Missy:

All three kids did amazing! They totally loved it and had such a great time surfing. Our friend Amy came down and met up with us and the kids loved telling Amy how awesome that had done at surfing and how they were “professional surfers” now. Amy was also eager to learn so we got her out in the water:

Shortly after she went out Amy was catching waves on her own giving Steven a break to surf too:

Some other friends from church joined us as well and we had a great time surfing, playing smash ball, Frisbee and flying a kite of some local guys that were there. It was funny; the kids were drawn to the only other Arabs on the beach and made quick friends with them. So much so, that Yousef was soon wearing the guys’ glasses and eating their food (even though we had plenty of our own). You gotta love the hospitality of the locals here.

The next day was National Day (much like the 4th of July) celebrating the day that the U.A.E. declared its independence. We were invited by a family at church to go water skiing on their boat. The family had never been water skiing and it was up to Steven to put on his instructors hat once again and teach them how. Steven grew up skiing every summer at Table Rock Lake so he knew what he was doing:

I, on the other hand, enjoyed a nice boat ride and views of the city:

Also, for those of you freezing your buns off in the states, take note that we are all in the water without wetsuits, enjoying the beach in December, even though it has dropped down to a brisk 75 degrees. (We almost have to bust out the parkas!) If you ever want to escape the cold, Dubai is just a short 16 hour flight away!

It’s the most wonderful time of the year!

Ever since 2005 when Steven brought Christmas to Dubai for the kids, they have been obsessed with Christmas.  Before we moved out here they would call us every year and ask, “When are you coming?? You come for Christmas??”  So now that we are both here for Christmas this year, we thought we would make the most of it with the kids starting December 1^st. We invited the kids over for a Christmas tree decorating party and Christmas movie sleep over, which they totally loved. In order to prepare, we had to put the tree together, something that was new to me as I have always been blessed with a real live pine-scented, add-water, fresh tree (something I always hated as a kid, ask my mom).  Now we have the “joy” of using a fake, put-me-together-yourself, no water needed but I’ll still drop needles everywhere tree. Real trees can be found here in Dubai, if you are willing to pay an arm, leg and liver for them.  It actually looks really good!

But by the time we got it all together we realized we didn’t have nearly enough lights or decorations for an 8 foot tree (the tree btw, was barrowed). I have always been a fan of getting a shorter tree and putting it on a box or suit case, that way you have room for all the gifts to fit under it (a trick I learned from my mom) plus it saves you money. So we took the tree half way apart, using only the top half, and it was the perfect size!

Sammy, Missy and Yousef were so excited to help decorate the tree that they hardly noticed Mariah Carey’s Christmas album blaring in the back ground, something Steven insisted on. We busted out the decorations and got down to it, but not without some dancing on Yousef’s part.

We finished out the night with some Christmas movies on Mega-Couch, starting with Earnest Saves Christmas and falling asleep to a classic: Elf. Steven and I set up the Christmas village later on along with some other decorations:

We also have this advent tree that we got at a white elephant Christmas party that the kids love. Each day you put a new ornament on it and whenever the kids come, they rush over to it to see if we forgot or not and if they will get to put the days ornament up.

We are hoping in all the excitement that we will get the opportunity to teach the kids the real meaning of Christmas and that it isn’t just about decorating and getting gifts, that the advent tree is counting down to something more than just a day. Pray that the opportunity will rise and that we will be able to share the truth with our loved ones.