Eid Al Adha Mubarak!

Happy Eid Al Adha everyone!!!

Once again I'm a day late - but those who know me aren't so surprised....

Husband and I took off for Dubai Mall yesterday to go watch yet another movie and have a nice lunch together.

As we were wandering around the ginormous mall waiting for our movie to start we heard music... as most would we headed to check out what was going on.

Thats a local (meaning Emirati) dance group doing the tradition dance for everyone. They were dancing because UAE National Day is on December 2nd. They were out celebrating and showing their culture.




It was fun to watch and after about 15 minutes we headed over to the theater to watch Old Dogs with Robin Williams and John Travolta... All I will say is that I haven't laughed so hard during a movie in a LONG LONG time. I will recommend this movie to anyone. ANYONE!

Thanksgiving & Eid Al Adha Eve

Happy Thanksgiving & Eid Mubarak everyone!!!

Yeah I know I'm a little late but what to do? I was busy celebrating of course!

This year was unique in that Eid eve (I would guess it's called) was on the same day as Thanksgiving. I found this ironic in that on the eve of Eid Al Adha many Muslims choose to fast yet Thanksgiving in the states is the day of eating. The entire day revolves around our big turkey dinners - which we start eating (traditionally) around 4 pm up until we pass out from a turkey induced comma.

This year was different from the usual however because I spent the day at work. Harrumph. Because apparently Thanksgiving isn't recognized as a holiday in the UAE - what ever that means. It was also kinda weird that we worked because usually eid eve is a holiday and most companies did take the day off.... but don't feel bad for me yet! We get every day off next week except for Thursday making it a one day working week! woot woot!

Anyhoo back on topic - so after work on Thursday I had some very exciting plans that superseded making a turkey dinner

yup I had tickets to the premier of The Twilight Saga: New Moon! I was so excited! SO EXCITED! I had been waiting for this movie to come out ever since I saw Twilight a year-ish ago and finally the day had come (about 6 days after the US but what to do)

So I got home, ate (Kraft mac & cheese very traditional Thanksgiving food hehe) and got changed and we set out for the World's Largest Open Air Theater... Does Dubai do it any other way?

We found our seats and this was the screen in it's idle position - It's laying down where the bottom of the screen is at the highest position and the top is nearly on the ground


When the show was ready to begin the screen flipped up and we kicked off the movie with a laser show - which was cool but I was a bit anxious to get the movie started already!


and finally, after some introductions, laser shows and movie previews, New Moon started


It was a fantastic movie and I enjoyed it more than Twilight only because it seemed to stay truer to the book than the previous had. But then again it might have just felt that way since I had read the books so long ago they weren't all fresh in my memory. But it was a great way to spend a nice Thanksgiving evening / Al Adha Eve with my husband.

And in true Thanksgiving fashion here are 10 things I am thankful for

1. My Husband - I still like him and intend to keep him a long long time
2. My family - I truly have a great family who is accepting of all my choices in life
3. My health - this is something I forget is so important sometimes
4. My friends - both here and back home I have some great friends that I am so happy to have in my life
5. The next step - Husband and I are about to start an adventure (which I will detail soon enough) and I'm grateful for the opportunity
6. My yarn - It really makes me happy (especially when I have had a hard day) to go through my stash and cuddle my yarn
7. My education - not something I ever thought I would be so grateful for but every day I am reminded how important it is in my life and what a change it has made in the way I work through things
8. Did I say my husband yet? cause he's a pretty great guy
9. Gravy - both literally and metaphorically
10 . Internet - Helps me stay connected with my family while I'm living so far away and helps me blab on and on about what I'm thankful for

Hope you all have a fantastic holiday season what ever holidays you choose to celebrate!

seriously funny

this ninja cat is too good

Driving along...

I got a new view.


Cause we got a new highway... Yas Island Highway...


The view makes it hard to keep driving on to work.

It's good to be a Princess

Especially when sitting at your throne

All about the swap

If you ever want to squeal like a little girl who just got the pony they had always dreamed of just join a knitting swap with your closest friends....

I imagine all swaps are great but the bonus of doing swaps with your friends is that they know you and pick up on the things that matter most to you making the swap even more special.

The two knitting groups in UAE (the Abu Dhabi U-Knitted Amiras and the Dubai Knitters) got together for a second swap as the first one went so well that we could hardly wait to start another. Perhaps it's because it involves two of our favorite things shopping for yarn and other knitting goodies and receiving yarn and other knitting goodies. But to keep things interesting we added a theme to the "Swap Round 2": Books!!!! Add a book to the swap gift and even try and get gifts that might relate to said book! SO MUCH FUN!

Well we finally got together for the official Swapping of Swap Gifts and here's what my good friend Rama got for me.........

First I got yarn! That she dyed!!!!!

This one she named Strawberries N' Cream - how did she know I like pink? hmm? who told?


And this one is Lavender Fields - are those colors not AMAZING together?


Then there were these little beauties! My first thought: I can use these as knitting diaries!! (best of both worlds Knitting and Twilight!)


And THE book! Dracula The Un-Dead by Dacre Stoker More vampires!!!


Then I opened this! Another Book! Cupcakes recipe book... The photos are amazing in this book. It looks like you can pick up a cupcake out of the page and eat it! I have never been more inspired to make cupcakes...


But I didn't have to! She made me cupcakes!! Yummy lemony tasty cupcakes (YUM!) that were green and yellow cake with green and yellow icing for the DUCKS!!!!

The Ducks have been doing so well that there's a chance that we could go to THE BOWL (not going to say it til it happens)! I KNOW! So I was feeling a little left out seeing all the fun pics from the games back home that we were winning so much! and this was just the thing to get me in the spirit for kickin' some Arizona a-- er um tush!!!

Needless to say I REALLY enjoyed my swap and have been playing with my new goodies loads! I feel so spoiled! I got pink and purple and ducks and vampires and cake... seriously fantastic!

The Princess is In

Driving along...

today I saw this AMAZING sunset!



I don't know if this pic show the amazing magenta strip across the sky