Mark on Vacation

The Holy Month of Ramadan ended last week and after it is over, the Muslim world celebrates with a holiday called Eid.  It is actually a longer name, but I'm not sure of it and it seems like it's just shortened to Eid anyways.  So the whole kingdom goes on vacation, including Mark after only 2 weeks at his new job (lucky guy).  He was feeling kind of sorry for himself that he was by himself and really nothing to do but I couldn't work up a whole lot of sympathy :-)  It sounds like he had a good week.  He went into the city a couple times with someone else from his group or someone that is in our ward at church.  He bowled, played table tennis, went to the beach and rode his scooter around.  Not the most exciting vacation I'm sure but I can honestly say that I'm a little jealous - what mom of 5 kids doesn't wish for a week long vacation in a warm climate by herself? 

Here are a few pictures that he took of sunset at KAUST.  I think they're very pretty. 

Only 2 more weeks until the rest of us start our adventure.  It's hard to believe that it's so close and still it seems pretty far away also.  We are going to miss our family here and all of our friends too!

MMMMMM....love the beach!

As the weather starts to turn a little colder here in MI - especially after the rainy day we had yesterday, I'm really starting to look forward to the weather in Saudi Arabia. This is the beach on the KAUST campus.  You can swim or rent boats to go out on the water too.  I know it will be hot but I'm imagining myself sitting right here in January - lounging with a good book and a cold drink....

Still waiting to move....

It's a little frustrating how everything seems to take so long right now. First the decision to move, and now the wait to get there. Mark got his iqama (his work permit) and once he had that, we can start the process of obtaining VISAs for the kids and I to move over to KAUST to join Mark. The problem is that pretty much everything slows down during Ramadan and then after the month of Ramadan, there is a week long holiday. So we must wait until after the holiday to get our VISAs. We currently have a flight scheduled to leave on October 1 so hopefully we will be able to keep that.

We do get to talk to Mark everyday through skype. The pictures is great and it all works very well. I think that technology is just the coolest thing. I can talk to my husband (and see him) half way around the world pretty much anytime I want and I don't have to pay for it. How cool is that! We are keeping our current home phone number with Vonage so when we move, you just call our current home number and you'll get us in Saudia Arabia! Love it!!!

It's a little hard being out of our home (we're living at my parents in Auburn Hills) because we're a little farther from the kids friends. So I spend a little time driving the kids up to Lake Orion pretty much every day to play and visit. Everyone goes back to school on Tuesday so we'll start up homeschooling again until we move. I'm doing it mostly because the kids would be bored out of their mind if we don't do something. They'll be attending the International School on the KAUST campus when we arrive there. I need to work on getting them all enrolled in the next couple of weeks.

Mark has shared a few more pictures from Campus - notice the blue blue blue sky! It's still very hot there but I am truly looking forward to the warm weather during the winter. Anyone who knows me really well (and probably not even really well) knows that my dream has been to live somewhere warm for a long time. I would prefer Cinderella's Castle at DisneyWorld but I guess this will have to do for a while. So here are the pictures...

A look at the Red Sea from campus

Another building on campus

The IT building where Mark works

I think this is the IT building in the background

Mark's new scooter to cruise around campus

The scooter's view of the playground and pool nearby