Kuwait Zoo

Today we went to the zoo. We have been wanting to visit for a while, and it was a nice afternoon to get outside. Today is also a local holiday so the zoo was packed!

 There were a lot of birds, monkeys, zebra, elephants, a cheetah, hippo, and a reptile house.

There were several large bird atriums around the zoo. 

 The boys checking out the zebra.

 And what better way to end a trip to the zoo, than with ice cream!

 We had a fun day, and I'm sure we will be back to the zoo again soon.

New Old Toys

The boys received some special toys in the mail. These toys were Nathan's, from when he was Caleb and Ben's age. So, of course they are old! But, also new :).

 Caleb likes to pretend he is in jail. He is breaking free here.

 The boys love to rock before bed.

It is not an easy feat to get a picture of the boys sitting together.

Goodnight from fireman Caleb and fireman Ben!

We got grass!

Nathan recently put down grass in our front yard to make an outdoor play area for the boys. Since there is endless amounts of dirt everywhere we go, we thought it would be nice to add a little greenery.
We purchased the grass form the plant souq. After visiting a few nurseries, including one called, The Grass Nursery, we learned that none of the nurseries in the snouq sell grass. It turns out men wait along the curb with rolls of sod each day, and they sell it by the square meter. Two trips to load up the back of our car did the trick, and here we go!

He did a great job, and the boys are very happy with their new play area!

Souq Mubarakya

Today, I had a date with Abeer. We usually get together as a family and let the boys play. But today it was a treat to get to spend the day with just her. She took me to the souq Mubarakya in the downtown area. We shopped for a few items, then stopped for a delicious meal in the souq.

Pomegranate, pomegranate, pomegranate…on hummus and salad, it was so tasty!

And lots of delicious meats!

With any good meal, there is lots of good talking. It is so interesting to hear about her life growing up here, and being able to ask questions about the culture. Abeer went to Indiana University, so we have fun talking about things from back home, how adorable Marissa's little baby Henry is, and she and Nathan get to reminisce about college days when we get together.

Afterwards, we went back to the house, and she got to see Nathan and the boys. Caleb was running around,  but Ben stopped for some good cuddling.

We had a fun day and will plan to do it again soon!

A foggy drive to Mutla Ridge

It rained most to the day on Friday.  The temperature this time of the year is wonderful, and the rain is a nice change.  We walked the boys to the park during a break in the rain and spent the rest of the morning playing inside the house.  We enjoy spending quite weekends together as a family.  The rain stopped in the afternoon and we decided to take a drive into the desert to visit Mutla Ridge, a popular ridge line about an hour outside of the city.  The Kuwait desert is a featureless, almost barren landscape and this ridge line is the only notable landscape feature in the country.  It a unique spot and we were excited to finally visit.

To access the ridge, we drove outside the city towards the Iraq boarder.  There is a small two lane road which leads into the desert and many small dirt roads leading further in the desert.  We turned off onto one of the small dirt roads and drove across the sand a couple miles to reach the top of the ridge.

 The drive across the sand was bumpy and rough.  Nathan had fun navigating the terrain, the boys laughed each time we hit a bit bump or had to drive hard over a sand dune, and I tried to stay relaxed when we drove close to the edge or had to put the SUV into four wheel drive to keep going.  The view from the top was well worth the bumpy trip.  

In Kuwait people take great pride in their automobiles and especially enjoy sports cars and large off road vehicles.  This ridge is a very popular off roading spot. We thought we had taken a bumpy ride until we parked at the top and watched the locals having fun in their Jeeps and trucks.  Nathan wanted to attempt to summit the ridge from the bottom.  But the boys and I out voted him 3 to 1, so we just watched from up top.

I think this guy is waiting on a tow truck!  

Of course, no trip in Kuwait is complete without seeing a sports car.  This man decided to leave the four wheel drive at home and visit the ridge in his brand new Corvette.  I question his judgement, but applaud his driving skills considering we had to use our four wheel drive to access this point.  

We drove around the area and watched the locals attempt to summit the ridge until sunset.  The sunset over the desert is always very pretty and the fog created a unique feel.

47 Years

How do you measure 47 years of marriage? Is it the dates you had at your favorite pizza parlors in New York City? Is it the many places you traveled around the world, exploring new places together? Is it the birth of your children, and the blessing of watching them grow into adulthood and motherhood? Is it the challenges you faced over the years, and how you worked together to over come them? Is it fond memories of family vacations and spending time together? Is it holding hands all the time while out in public, and giving each other a kiss goodnight. Is it years of hard work in school and multiple career changes? Is it retiring and living in a place you always dreamed of, with your best friend. It is all of that, and so much more!

My mom told me, "forty seven years flew by Heather,  just wait and you will see." I can't wait for that day....a long time from now! How cute are my parents ;).

Happy 47th Anniversary, dad and mom. We love you!

Visit with the Jolliffs - Part 7

There is still more Jolliff visit blogging to go…in between posts about things around here ;). The morning after Christmas, the boys enjoyed playing with their new gifts, and spending time together.

 Dining room tables can be repurposed as ping pong tables. Don't worry, Ben did not take any hits!

 That day we went back out to the square to walk around and visit a few sites.

Health code alert, health code alert! Have you ever seen a cotton candy machine like this? Exhaust and all, just for you :).

First, we toured a church built over the location believed to be where Mary gave birth to Jesus. This is one of the oldest working churches in existence today. The first church was build in the 4th century AD. During the 6th century, the Byzantine emperor Justinian built a new church on the same spot, and it was spared destruction by the Persians in the 7th century. In the 11th century, Crusaders renovated the church, as it stands today.

 Next, we visited a church that was built on the foundations of the Crusader church, from the 12th century. The church was dedicated to a saint who died as a martyr in Egypt during the 4th century.

 Afterwards, we walked around the square and the streets and enjoyed the nice day.

Next we visited an olive wood store that has been family run for generations. Just like the glass factory we visited the other day, every piece in this store was hand carved and unique.

 We ended our day with delicious ice cream!