Travel: Home for Thanksgiving

We're coming home for Thanksgiving!  The dates are finally settled and booked, and I'm emailing all of you with specifics.  We'll be in the states for 2 weeks and we're spending ALL of it in Nevada.  (Except for a small London excursion/day trip on the way there.)  

Aaaaaand we'll be in Reno for ~4 of those days. WE'RE GOING TO SEE ALL THE FAMILIES.

We are super excited and can't wait to see you all!  Until then, I'll be busy trying to get souvenirs for the kids.

Dubai Life: A Very Short Walk

We took Phoebe for a walk around the neighborhood tonight, the first in several months.  Because Dubai is so hot during the summer, Phoebe has spent most of her time doing this:

And after 4 months of laying around, my super active, bouncy, run-laps-around-the-yard-for-fun dog has gotten a bit lazy.  

So I've been watching the temperature closely, and tonight after dinner it was finally cool enough for a short walk.  Well, "cool enough" in relative terms - it was still 90F.  The photos are pretty awful but I wanted to give a glimpse of what our neighborhood looks like (in a nutshell - just like Las Vegas).  But I haven't mastered the art of sweaty/humid nighttime iPhone photography yet.

We didn't go very far, maybe 1/2 mile, but Phoebe is so done.

Dubai Life: A change of heart

Tonight, Steve was bringing in a couple grilled turkey breasts when he felt something on his neck.  He carefully put down the turkey with one hand while trying to grab his neck with the other.  And then he turned around so I could take a look.   

THERE WAS A LIZARD ON HIS BACK.  

Steve got it off in under 5 seconds through a combination of grabbing, swatting, and taking his shirt off.  During which I was zero help; I basically had a mini fit just watching him.

But now, the part that really creeps me out (aside from the whole lizard jumping on husband thing) is that we have no idea where the creepy little reptile went.  He just kind of vanished in our living room.  And of course, that is where I'm sitting to write this post, alone at 4am.  

And even though I felt differently last month, suddenly I'm thinking it would be super awesome if we could train Phoebe to immediately catch all the lizards so they cannot crawl on our backs.  But considering that she was standing next to Steve when all this happened and she just watched him jump around...maybe she's had a change of heart (or palette?) too.

I guess we'll just have to see.  If the last few months have been any indication, there are many more lizard "adventures" to come.

Dubai Life: Great Hairrrr

You guyyyyyyyys it was finally time for me to get another haircut this week.  And after what happened last time, I didn't take any chances.  I went all the way downtown to Salon Nadeshiko, where I was certain the stylists would know what to do with all my heavy, straight, Asian hair.

And it was soooooo worth it.

I was so pleased that I had to take a car-selfie in the parking lot!

Okay, vainest post of the week is now over.

Dubai Life: Favorite Mornings

My favorite mornings are the ones where Steve and I are the most in tune with each other.  We're still learning what it means to be harmoniously married, and I have a feeling it's a lesson we'll be working at for the rest of our lives.  And while I think we're pretty darn happy - some days are just better than others.

On these days, in these moments, we aren't distracted by our schedules, other people, other interests, or technology.  It's just the two of us, and we're fully focused on each other and being together in a way that isn't always common in our daily patterns.  Usually, we aren't even doing anything special.  There's just something *better* about the way we leisurely make/drink cups of coffee, cook a slow breakfast while listening to music, chat nonstop, and clean up together afterwards.  And when it happens, it reminds me of what's possible, what's good, and what we're striving for.  And that when we take the effort to remove everything else except each other, we really feel like two pieces of one whole.  It's a brand new feeling for me, and one that I wasn't sure I could feel to begin with (that fierce independence gets in the way sometimes).  So in these little/big moments, I am reminded me of how good it is to be married to Sven.  

And while these aren't the best photos (and probably not that interesting), I really wanted to document this bright, shiny, and wonderful day so I could look back on it later.

Making Aeropress coffee

Our slow, scrumptious, and satisfying breakfast

Cooking: Lemon Meringue Pie with Matty Matheson

I was perusing the internet for lasagna recipes this afternoon (remember how I explained my internet usage) and I stumbled across this article about Matty Matheson.  I was instantly enthralled and spent the next 90 minutes reading more articles/interviews and watching 5 of his cooking videos.  I only stopped because:
1) Phoebe was whining nonstop for something,
2) I realized these videos had nothing to do with lasagna, and
3) my scheduled phone call with a friend was in 3 minutes (the real reason I stopped).

I think some of you might enjoy him too.  So here he is - in all his quirky, tattooed glory - making lemon meringue pie.

Lately: Just Hangin'

Steve went back to work yesterday after 9 days off.  Phoebe and I were also supposed to snap out of vacation mode and do things like: wash the 3-day pile of dishes, unpack and wash all our India clothes, finish a couple library books before the due dates, try going for a walk around the neighborhood (it might be too hot), and meal prep.

But...we don't want to.  Sometimes it feels good to be lazy.  Like now.