I didn’t sleep well Saturday evening. I think I was worried my alarm wouldn’t go off. Stuart got permission from his principal to be off for the next three days, whereas I didn’t have the nerve to make such a request. So I was going to have to drive back from Dubai to go to work each day.
I left at about 5 am, and got to school to discover my principal wasn’t even at school. I decided to leave around 10:30 to get some things done and head back to Dubai. No one really cared if I was there or not. I went by the Rugby club to pick up hats for Josh and Matt. I went to the bank to cancel my account. I stopped at the mall to get Millie some sandals, which she didn’t like and I ended up taking them back. I then stopped by the house to get Stuart some work clothes. It seems he will have training on Tuesday, so will have to go to work after all on Tuesday.
I got back on the road around 12:30. I was thinking I would get to the lounge just as they were opening for afternoon tea. Oh, but that wasn’t due to start until 3 pm. I thought it started at 2 pm. I purposely didn’t eat anything so I could enjoy that spread. Oh what to do? Do I wait for an hour or do I join the family at the pool? I got a cup of tea and then joined the family at the pool. This extra charge for the lounge may not be paying for itself.
After the pool we came upstairs and hit the lounge for a beverage and a snack. We didn’t eat much, except for Millie, who ate her weight in fish fingers. Once we were back in the room, Jack decided he wanted to order spaghetti from room service. After he snarfed that down, we crawled into bed and everyone was asleep before 9 pm.
We were up at 6 am, as we had to get to Al Ain for the kids to have their assessment at Brighton College. We got there just in time for Millie to go into a Year 1 class to play, and Jack to take his computer assessment. I saw a lot of people I knew and they all congratulated me. It was such a good feeling to come into the school and be able to know I was going to work there next year. I was also a bit nervous about the experience.
After their assessment, we hit the road to go back to Dubai. This weekend has definitely been exhausting as far as travel is concerned, but it has been so nice for all of us to be together.
We got to the hotel and changed into our swimmers. Josh, Matt and Stuart came to the room for a bit and then we all headed to the pool. We stayed there for a while, then back up to the room for showers in order to get ready to go to Hunters, the best steak house in Dubai.
After dinner it was night time. Everyone was exhausted. We woke in the morning to another muggy day. We had breakfast in the lounge and then Stuart was off to a meeting he had to attend. The kids and I hung around a bit longer, and then decided we had might as well get back to Al Ain. Halfway back we discovered that Millie had left blankie somewhere other than her back pack. Matt looked and I called the hotel, but no luck. She handled it pretty well. Stuart promised her we would get her a new one.
On the way home we stopped and had Millie’s hair cut. It looks a lot like mine now. She’s a pixie for sure. We got home just after 11 am. I unpacked and then started packing again for our summer adventures. It was all too exciting to be leaving in a few days.
Claire came over to stay with the kids until Stuart got home from his meeting. I had to go to Brighton to meet one of my new students next year. Transitions are not always easy for this little guy so everyone involved thought it would be a good thing for us to meet before the first day of school. I was told he loves Lego, so naturally I took pictures of my two Legos that I have completed so that I could show him. I also took him two of the little figurines to give to him. I’m not stupid. If I need this boy to trust me and let me help him, then I know the tricks. After I met with his teacher from this year and a few of the other key players, I met this delightful young boy who brought me his Lego to show me. When I showed him my pictures, he was totally engaged and then started, every so slightly, interacting with me. It was such a good feeling. He reminded me of my all time favorite, yet most difficult students, whom I also named my son after.....Jack. The whole experience made me even more excited about the year ahead. I know God has led me to Brighton College. I look forward to the adventure.
I got home just before 3 pm. Stuart then decided to take Jack to get his hair cut and pick up some groceries for dinner. We didn’t want to buy much, as we would not be there many more days. Millie decided to go with them to the store. I continued to pack and keep laundry going.
Once they were all back, Jack played on his PS4 and Millie listened to music in his room on her phone. It was peaceful. Both kids showered just before 6 pm, had dinner, and then Millie decided to watch the new movie version of Benji. Stuart and I got sucked in as well. She went to bed a bit later than normal, but it was okay.
When I got up on Wednesday morning all I could do was dread going to school. When I got there I discovered again that my principal wasn’t going to be there again that day. It was easier to be there, but I was still bored out of my head. I left at the normal time and picked he kids up from school. We got home and just chilled out. The Richardsons came over for dinner. It was our last dinner together and was sad, to say the least.
I stripped our bed on Thursday morning. I always like everything clean and today before going on holiday, mainly because coming home to a dirty or messy house makes me crazy. At school we had a party and celebration at school. Many teachers were not going to be there the following week, so it seemed appropriate.
These are the gifts they gave to different teachers who were getting married or moving into a new home. It never ceases to amaze me of how over the top the UAE is!
I got home just after noon and started getting the rest of our bags packed and animals organized. I gave Duke a bath and noticed a rash on his belly. I decided to take him to the vet before delivering him to our friends, Jane and Bryce. It turned out to just be a heat rash.
When I got home, the kids and I took Duke to his vacation home. We had prepared envelops for their boys that had money in them. I knew Jane and Bryce wouldn’t take the money for keeping Duke, so I gave it to their boys.
We went to have dinner with Mandy and Cathy at the rugby club as a final farewell, at least for Mandy. We would see her again in London in August. She is moving there with her new found love.
We got home and everyone showered. We headed to the airport around 8:30 pm, turned in the car and then had to wait for nearly an hour before we checked in. The kids were so tired, but were troupers. They didn’t complain, even though Jack had developed a stye in his eye. Poor kid! He was in pain but still carried on.
Once we were through security it was nearly 11 pm. Millie decided she wanted a Happy Meal, and she ate it all, while Jack slept on my lap. We were able to go to the gate at 12:45 am and then boarded the plane, premium economy, at 1 am. How we managed to get into premium economy is beyond me. I clearly am married to a travel genius. We were served drinks in real glasses and the cutlery was real as well, not plastic. There was a ton more room and it was just a step above what I’m used to.
The flight was relatively uneventful. Millie slept the entire 7 hours, but I had to convince Jack to go to sleep about 3 hours before we landed. His eye was still bothering him when he woke up, but he said it did feel better. I’m hoping it passes soon.
Once in London, we headed to the Aspire Lounge for coffee and to relax. We had a 6 hour layover so we needed something to pass the time. We were granted 3 hours of lounge access with our credit cards, which made everything free. We all had a bite to eat and coffee, well, the kids had juice and soda. It was an easy way to spend three hours. After we left the lounge, we did some walking around for a little over an hour, until finally the gate was open.
We boarded the plane and the reality of sitting in premium economy was awesome. The seats are a bit bigger and a lot more motivating to sit in for 10 hours. I watched a few movies, as did the rest of the family. The kids slept quite a bit, but I just dozed. Stuart seemed to sleep some. All in all the flight was uneventful and comfortable. Millie slept so much she didn’t eat any of her meals.
When we landed in Phoenix, we went through customs without a hitch. We thought we might have issues, but not a word was said. Our flight landed at 2:40 pm on Friday afternoon and were waiting for our bags by 3 pm. Waiting for the luggage was the long part. We finally got through to the waiting area at 4 pm. The kids were elated to see Grammie and Pop. They ran straight to them and wouldn’t let go of them. It was so sweet. Grammie, as usual, brought gifts for the kids.
We piled the bags into my dad’s truck and were off towards Queen Creek. The kids rode with Grammie and Pop, while Stuart and I drove the truck. We unloaded the bags and then headed to the T-Mobile store to get SIM cards for our phones. Then we had our usual meal at Chipotle. We headed to Target for some shopping, mainly for toys for the kids, and then we were back to the house to unpack the bags, take showers, and try to convince the kids it was time for bed.
We were awake several times in the night. We finally resigned ourselves to getting out of bed at 5 am. We tried to be as quiet as possible, and quickly were reminded that Millie doesn’t know how to whisper. I had my coffee on the porch, as is my favorite thing to do at my Mom and Dad’s house. The kids had some yogurt and cherries, and were fascinated by the dew on the grass from the sprinklers. It’s amazing the things you forget your children have possibly never seen.
Stuart and I met our friends Sue and Tim for breakfast. The kids stayed with Grammie and Pop. We had a great time with Tim and Sue. It’s always so good to visit with those friends who are lifelong friends, no matter how short the time.
Once we left our favorite breakfast spot, The Farmhouse, we headed to Wal Mart to get Stuart some undershirts. When we got home, Stuart and I decided to go to the outlet mall to do some more, you guessed it, shopping. I was looking for closed toed shoes, as next year I will not be allowed to wear sandals to work. Boo! We found a few treasurers for much cheaper than we could ever buy them in the UAE.
When we got home, the kids, Grammie and Pop we’re heading to Wal Mart to get some sandwich stuff to have on hand for the week. So we sorted out our shopping while they were gone. When they returned, Stuart decided to take a nap. Before long we were all asleep in our respective spots. At about 5:30 pm I woke the kids up and forced them to shower. Millie fell right back to sleep and she was down for the night.
Stuart and I headed to dinner at Cantina Loredo with our friends Ken and Maytee. We had a great night with them. We decided to hit the casino and give them some of our money. When will I ever learn? We made a random stop at Wal Mart so Ken and I could get some Little Debbie snack cakes. We are troubled eaters for sure. We were hopeful that our jet lag had passed and we would be able to sleep through the night. Our holiday has just begun and so far we have enjoyed every moment.
Dinner!
Gelato!
My friend Maytee!
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