Hello & Dubai

I am in Dubai! At least for the next month.

This is a short blog, really just to report in that arrived safely and am slummin' it here in the Middle East. That, of course, is complete sarcasm as there is no world in which my current living quarters could be defined as roughin' it!

Actually, the last six days have been fantastic as there has been zero slummin'. The trip started with a fantastic flight in business class. I fear I may never be able to fly economy again. I'll attach a picture of Ibby (partly because it's just a terribly cute picture) that shows the accommodations in business class with Emirates Air. Not only is it a fantastic way to travel period, but it is THE only way to travel with kids on a 13 hour flight!

What this picture doesn't show is the 15 inch(ish) screen on the seat back of each seat. The remote is above her head and you can use it to select a movie, tv shows, music, video games, etc. And, the food was fantastic!

This is the front of the villa where we are staying. In these developments, many of the houses are similar. In this particular one - Meadows 2 there are 12 different home styles you can choose from - I think I read that it ranges from 4 - 7 bedrooms. This particular villa has five bedrooms, gorgeous marble and hardwood floors, and great, comfy furniture throughout.

This is my favorite part of the house - the pool! The pool is heated so it's pretty cozy anytime. The temperatures get so hot here in the summer (upwards of 120 degrees) that many of the pools are chilled!

You can see a bit of the background and view in this picture.

This shot is looking down the street. What is so crazy to see here is that EVERY building is under construction. At home, you might see one high-rise going up but here, literally every building has a crane on top. There are no unions here so construction goes 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. While I was out and about yesterday, I could hear the call to prayer and then I noticed that some of the workers left their area and knelt on the construction site for prayer.