This has been a busy week for us. I think every week will be a busy one for us the next few months. The movers came and loaded our big shipment. They did a great job. They were much more careful and meticulous than any packers we've dealt with in the states. We packed up 95% of the stuff we brought with us and have accumulated over the past 20+ months. It was a lot. All this stuff added to our stuff in storage in Memphis will equal too much stuff when we get back to California. Of course, this all depends on the status of our stuff in Memphis. They have had two large floods since we left. We are assuming everything survived, but we'll have to wait and see. We are already planning to have a pretty large garage sale in August. Moving so much really reminds you to keep only what's absolutely needed. Unpacking will be done very carefully with a few keep piles and many garage sale piles, I'm sure.The villa is so empty now. Each room echoes when we speak or walk up the stairs. Pictures are down and all personal 
touches are gone. It's a bit sad, but it's only for about 5 more weeks. We can handle it. It's amazing how cold and "un-homey" your house can feel when all your personal items are missing. Each morning since we've lived here, I've walked out of the kitchen with my cup of coffee or tea and placed the mug down in the same spot. Well, I went to do this yesterday and I couldn't do it. I'm getting myself into a whole new routine. I, like most people, don't like changing my routine. I'm handling the change much better than Benny. He's a walking, depressed, needy and emotional lab. Most of his toys have been packed up and the ones he has left, he's been ripping to shreds. Scott, as usual, is as cool about this as he is everything else. Maybe he's just used to doing this since he's been doing it for 20-years. Benny and I are still fairly new to all this. Hopefully our next move will be our last & I'll be an expert by then.
touches are gone. It's a bit sad, but it's only for about 5 more weeks. We can handle it. It's amazing how cold and "un-homey" your house can feel when all your personal items are missing. Each morning since we've lived here, I've walked out of the kitchen with my cup of coffee or tea and placed the mug down in the same spot. Well, I went to do this yesterday and I couldn't do it. I'm getting myself into a whole new routine. I, like most people, don't like changing my routine. I'm handling the change much better than Benny. He's a walking, depressed, needy and emotional lab. Most of his toys have been packed up and the ones he has left, he's been ripping to shreds. Scott, as usual, is as cool about this as he is everything else. Maybe he's just used to doing this since he's been doing it for 20-years. Benny and I are still fairly new to all this. Hopefully our next move will be our last & I'll be an expert by then.Work is going well. We are winding down. We have about a month to go. My class 
went on their second fieldtrip of the school year on Thursday. We went to see the movie, Rango, and then went to a burger place for lunch. There's a big play area for them to run around like wild animals. Fortunately no bones were broken, no one choked, and no one was separated form the group. We had a good time and it was a sad feeling for me because I knew this would be our last outing as a class. I've been finding many notes on my desk lately asking me not to leave Bahrain and asking if I could be their 4th grade teacher. Saying goodbye in a few weeks will be tough.
went on their second fieldtrip of the school year on Thursday. We went to see the movie, Rango, and then went to a burger place for lunch. There's a big play area for them to run around like wild animals. Fortunately no bones were broken, no one choked, and no one was separated form the group. We had a good time and it was a sad feeling for me because I knew this would be our last outing as a class. I've been finding many notes on my desk lately asking me not to leave Bahrain and asking if I could be their 4th grade teacher. Saying goodbye in a few weeks will be tough.Whenever some
one leaves their current duty station in the military to go on to a new duty station, a hail and farewell is held. This was all new to me a few years ago. What happens is, the person leaving is "farewelled" and the person replacing him/her is "hailed". Ideally you like to have both people there. Last night was Scott's farewell. There were three other colleagues who were also farewelled. Scott's replacement (relief) is still in Afghanistan, so he wasn't there last night. Scott's boss spoke very highly of him (of course) and Scott gave a nice speech as well. Scott works with really great people. We all realize that we have to make the best out of living over here, so real bonds form. We all have dealt with the same stupid stuff that we're not used to while living over here, so we understand eachother's frustrations. The hail and farewell was held at a colleague's "bachelor mansion." This guy is a single guy living in an unbelievable villa. Apparently, he's known as the bachelor who likes to entertain at his pad. He's a really nice guy and reminds us of The Rock. The food was catered by a great Turkish grill. As with most guys who throw parties, the main item available was liquor. Luckily for me, there was soda and water. Not a vegetable in sight. Lots of chips and salsas and of course the meat. No complaints, though, the food was delicious, as usual!
one leaves their current duty station in the military to go on to a new duty station, a hail and farewell is held. This was all new to me a few years ago. What happens is, the person leaving is "farewelled" and the person replacing him/her is "hailed". Ideally you like to have both people there. Last night was Scott's farewell. There were three other colleagues who were also farewelled. Scott's replacement (relief) is still in Afghanistan, so he wasn't there last night. Scott's boss spoke very highly of him (of course) and Scott gave a nice speech as well. Scott works with really great people. We all realize that we have to make the best out of living over here, so real bonds form. We all have dealt with the same stupid stuff that we're not used to while living over here, so we understand eachother's frustrations. The hail and farewell was held at a colleague's "bachelor mansion." This guy is a single guy living in an unbelievable villa. Apparently, he's known as the bachelor who likes to entertain at his pad. He's a really nice guy and reminds us of The Rock. The food was catered by a great Turkish grill. As with most guys who throw parties, the main item available was liquor. Luckily for me, there was soda and water. Not a vegetable in sight. Lots of chips and salsas and of course the meat. No complaints, though, the food was delicious, as usual!It is officially hot here now. We have reached the triple digits daily. Evenin
gs and early mornings are in the 90's. We're happy though because there has been minimal humidity. The humidity is the real killer. I crack up when I see friends posting current temperatures on facebook. We'd love to have a high of 90-degrees. That seems almost perfect. Try 111 over several consecutive days! I try not to complain, because I really do think about the guys in Afghanistan wearing full uniform all the time while dealing with this heat or worse. At least I can go indoors to an air conditioned house and I can wear loose, cool clothing. So, I promise to do my best not to complain. No guarantees, but I will try.
gs and early mornings are in the 90's. We're happy though because there has been minimal humidity. The humidity is the real killer. I crack up when I see friends posting current temperatures on facebook. We'd love to have a high of 90-degrees. That seems almost perfect. Try 111 over several consecutive days! I try not to complain, because I really do think about the guys in Afghanistan wearing full uniform all the time while dealing with this heat or worse. At least I can go indoors to an air conditioned house and I can wear loose, cool clothing. So, I promise to do my best not to complain. No guarantees, but I will try. Benny has been swimming most days. We have to be careful. Due to his double coat, his hair doesn't dry quickly and he got a skin infection last summer. It's hard to keep him from the pool. We aren't walking him as much or taking him to the dog park as often because of the heat, so we just let him jump in and do his thing for a while. Poor guy! Soon enough he'll be a California beach bum. We can't wait to take him to the beach and let him just run free.
