Slacker...

Um, yeah... that would be me... big time blog slacker. We've just been so wrapped up with doing all we can at home (especially after 2 weeks of confining snow storms) that I haven't been able to keep up with photo editing and writing. But never fear, in a few days I'll have a bunch of posts to add! So, don't give up on us yet, k? =)=)

Walking in a winter wonderland!

Yesterday we woke up to find glittering snowflakes fluttering to the ground. And what's more, they stuck! Woo hoo!
After church, the Marshall crew ventured into the snow to find the perfect family Christmas tree. Our very own little Griswold family Christmas- we belted out Christmas carols and everything=). The snow flakes continued to fall, as we wound through slick streets, lined with icicle-laden trees. Just after we arrived at the tree farm, the snow flurries became hail-like pellets, so we chose our tree quickly. Despite our hurry, we chose a beautiful evergreen that now sits, glowing in the living room.



Sisters, sisters, never were there such devoted sisters...




It's snowing!!!




Ike and Toby snuggling on the way to get our tree




Rach and Josh




2008 Christmas card photo=)









Leah has just returned from her first term in college!














Snow gloves are not conducive to whistling




Aww=)



After selecting our tree, I went out with Rachel, Josh, and Josh's mom to take some Christmas pictures. We got stuck trying to ascend an icy hill, and a group of kind-hearted pedestrians helped us push our car up the slope.








So cute!


Rachel and Josh had a great time frolicking in the snow!

Welcome, baby Kora Lynn!

Baby Kora Lynn made her long-awaited debut on December 8th! Congratulations, Cody and Alicia! We are so happy for you and we are looking forward to snuggling your cute little bundle of joy some more=).







Baby Kora makes lots of great faces... she kept us entertained...










Cousin Isaac didn't want to give her back!

Blurry, but too cute to pass up. How I love those cheesy "monkey" smiles!

Oh there's no place like home...

for the holidays!
For no matter how far away you roam,
if you long for the sunshine of a friendly gaze,
for the holidays- you can't beat home, sweet home!!!

The song is oh-so true, folks! We are heading to the airport in a few hours to make the loooong trek back to Oregon. Amazing how a 22-hour flight doesn't seem too daunting anymore. How blessed are we to have an entire month off for Christmas?! We are so excited to see friends and family we can barely stand it! MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYBODY!!!!!

Smoochie Portraits

On Thanksgiving I had fun taking some photos of our friend Erica and her oh-so-smoochable daughter, Louise. How cute is she?! We are really looking forward to taking their family portraits when we get back from winter break=). We have several portrait sessions and even a wedding (ahhh!!!) to shoot when we are home. It is absolutely thrilling- and to be honest, a bit terrifying (but mostly thrilling)- to start moving this photography dream into reality.

J Marshall: Puppy Rescuer!

To start out with a quick side note... Today Dubai was hit by another shamal, complete with wind, rain, thunder, and lightning! Glad I wasn't on the boat =). The wind blew so hard that numerous roadside barricades were skidding out into traffic. We watched as countless workers frantically scrambled to retrieve the clumsy barricades, and struggled against the fierce wind gusts to keep them from moving further onto the roads. It was quite a sight! Too bad I didn't have my camera=P.

Onto the puppy rescue bit... We went to Fakih's Antique Museum (I can't help but giggle when I say the name out loud) today to do some Christmas shopping. This sprawling "museum" is hidden in a labyrinth of warehouses in the Al Quoz district. Unless someone shows you exactly where to go you would never find it! To enter the building, you climb through a maze of dusty furniture to a single glass door leading to an atrium. Once inside the atrium, you squeeze through a tiny set of intricately carved wooden doors, and find yourself in a narrow, dimly lit aisle of floor to ceiling shelves, crammed with every trinket imaginable. Countless lanterns and curios dangle overhead, and a thick layer of gray dust covers everything. Its difficult not to gape, open-mouthed at the thousands of objects crammed into every possible nook and cranny. After a few hours of shopping, and some decent bartering, we left, happy with our purchases (can't give any more detail than that- don't want to spoil any Christmas presents!). As we walked out of the building, our friends Lacey and Lee, called us over behind some cars where they had discovered a tiny puppy! Oh, was she CUTE!!! A tiny, blond creature, with a dainty little face, floppy ears, and a curled tail. She was huddled against the wall, quivering. Being the animal nut I am, I scooped her up immediately and gave her a good cuddle. Isaac made it very clear that I was NOT to try and rescue this puppy, because the K9 Friends organization may not have a foster family to take her. (This was what happened with Feline Friends, when we found Safa, so Isaac was rightly hesitant!) We girls spent several minutes trying to pressure each other into taking the puppy home, but ultimately made the heart-breaking decision to put her back where we found her. Agh! The pain! She even scampered hopefully along behind us as we returned to the car, furthering our agony!!! As soon as we got home I collected Safa for a vet appointment. Poor little guy's right ear has been bothering him for a few days, and he is now shaking his head constantly in discomfort. At the vet I mentioned finding the puppy and one of the receptionists told me that K9 Friends never turns away little puppies. She then offered to take the puppy in if I would bring her to the vet clinic! I was so elated I thought I would burst! We rushed home from the appointment (Safa will be okay, just needs some drops to heal up his ear), I picked up Lacey, and we excitedly set off to rescue our sweet little puppy.
By the time we made it back to Fakih's (hehe), it was pitch black out, and do you think either of us thought to bring a flashlight?! Argh! Note to self- keep a flashlight in the car! We stumbled around through the dark alley, whistling, calling, and making kissing noises for the puppy. After several minutes of searching we decided to ask some of the workers if they had a flashlight we could borrow. A woman approached us, as we peeked under the last few cars, and asked if we were looking for a puppy. I explained the situation, and the woman got a huge smile on her face. She lowered the bag she was clutching, and inside was the puppy! The woman was thrilled she had found us, because she didn't know what she was going to do with the puppy. She only knew she couldn't leave it on the street. We chatted with the woman and her friends about our good fortune in finding each other, before happily setting off with our little baby.
On the drive back we decided to stop by Lee's apartment to surprise her with the puppy. We called everyone we knew, and no one could tell us which apartment was Lee's. The Harts thought her apartment was on the 5th floor, and Teryl had been to it before (though she couldn't remember the exact number) so she lead us to the apartment. We decided to be really silly and put the puppy on the doormat, ring the bell, and then hide. Much to our surprise a little kid opened the door! Oops! I quickly apologized and scooped up the puppy. We decided to try the next door over. This time we surprised an elderly gentleman, who got quite a kick out of our cute friend. We decided to check with the Weavers to see if they knew which apartment was Lee's. They were fairly certain she lived on the 4th floor, so we set off again. As they always say, third time's the charm! Lee was completely shocked when she saw the puppy at the door and we got a great photo of her, wide-eyed, mouth gaping, eye-brows leaping off her face!
The ladies at the vet clinic fell in love with our puppy instantly, and whisked her off for a warm bath, dinner, and plenty of snuggling, I'm sure! We were so happy to know that she will be looked after by a loving foster family. What a blessing to know that we gave such a precious creature a chance at a better life.
Wishing you a long life filled with lots of love and snuggles, our sweet Antique Museum puppy!!!




Yay! We've got her!




Lacey and I with our "baby"




Isn't she PRECIOUS?!?!









Taking a little snooze




Saying farewell at the vet clinic

Gobble! Gobble!

Happy Thanksgiving!!!
What a wonderful time to gather with loved ones to reflect upon our lives and give thanks for the many blessings we've received throughout the year! We have so much to be thankful for... our abiding faith, an incredible love and marriage, fantastic friends and family, good health, a comfortable home, exciting jobs, and a healthy sense of adventure paired with excellent opportunities for world travel! God is so good and we can hardly believe what an amazing life we have!
We love working and living overseas, but it is very tough being away from our closest friends and family, especially during special occasions and holidays. We love you all, are so very thankful for you, and miss you terribly!!! Lucky for us, we'll be on our way to seeing most of you in a week- hooray for month long winter holidays!
Despite residing in the middle of a desert, we enjoyed a traditional Thanksgiving feast with all the trimmings! Close to 30 of us gathered together at the Bernston's villa (same complex where I lived as a tot) to celebrate. Everyone contributed a dish or two. I made leek and potato gratin, pumpkin bars, and mashed potatoes with LOTS of butter- delicious, but disastrous for my clothing! Melted butter ran down the length of my shirt and skirt as I carried the bowl. Darn you, sneaky butter and ineffective recycled tin foil! I smelled like I was baking all night! Oh well... still thankful! We feasted and feasted and feasted some more... a bunch of little Thanksgiving piggies=). Oink, oink! (I abashedly admit I am still miserably full) Besides enjoying the food, we had a great time catching up with everyone and just lounging around with the post-turkey sleepies.

Wednesday was a whirl-wind day in my class. The kids finished their Thanksgiving projects, baked pumpkin bars, AND participated in the elementary holiday concert! Whew! I get tired just thinking about it. For their Thanksgiving project, the kiddos made their own garland of paper leaves. On each leaf, they wrote about something they were thankful for. When completed, each child had an adorable garland to keep, and use as decoration for some lucky wall or table in their home. Reading over the students' writing was such a treat- so many precious and entertaining statements! I just couldn't resist sharing some of my favorite leaves (a variety of heart-warming and hilarious) with you...




















Of course, any child who wrote about me got extra credit! ;)
























My favorite! The little girl who wrote this is such a sweet and gentle child. She clearly does not like bugs and truly appreciates her canine companion for his ability to rid her home of creepy crawlers.














In case you can't read the leaf, he is thankful for his birthday because it is in between the Ides of March and St. Patrick's Day. I didn't help him with that at all. Too funny!









Some finished products




Just a little taste! Making some cream cheese frosting for our pumpkin bars



That afternoon we went to the Ridley's for a wine and cheese gathering with the ASD art department. It was just a short stop off for us, as Isaac had 2 softball games that night. I wasn't sure if my senses were playing tricks on me, but I thought I kept hearing thunder in the distance, and maybe even spotted a flash of lightning. Just as the guys were getting ready to take the field for their second game, it started to sprinkle. Within minutes there was definite thunder and lightning, and the sky seemed to open up and pour on us! Gumball-sized raindrops plummeted down on us at rapid speed, so obviously the game was canceled. We all huddled underneath the cover of the bleachers, hoping to avoid the windy spray from the downpour, to no avail. The storm had moved directly over us, and the thunder exploded overhead, with flashes of lightning illuminating the sky. We decided to make a run for the car, as the storm didn't seem to be letting up, and the thought of our car getting stuck in a flooded sandlot was less than appealing. In our mad dash from the field to the car we got totally soaked! Even by Oregon standards, this was an impressive rainstorm! We drove home with wet hair plastered to our heads, and damp clothing clinging uncomfortably close. Given the way most people drive here, we opted to avoid the freeway, and took Al Wasl and Beach roads. Al Wasl had lanes completely underwater by the time we made it (amazing how fast water backs up when there is no drainage system!). By the time we reached the Burj al Arab, the rain had let up, and Barsha showed no signs of precipitation at all- bizarre! Despite half an hour of wet, sticky discomfort, I couldn't complain, because we got home much earlier than if we stayed for the second game, which meant more time snuggled up in cozy pj's=).













Hazard lights are extremely popular here! People turn them on for any traffic condition- quick stop, rain, fog, seemingly no reason... Too funny!




The right lane of this stretch of Al Wasl was flooded

World's BIGGEST fireworks display... only in Dubai

Last Thursday was the official opening for the Atlantis Hotel on the Palm. This gazillion dollar event attracted celebrities from all over the world, and boasted the biggest fireworks display in history. We spent the afternoon and evening recovering from the long week... glued to the couches, and stuffing our faces with cheese bread and chex mix with Dan, Lacy, and Ashley. Oh, Thursday afternoons, how I love you! Around 11:30, we piled into the car and drove down to our "dog beach" to catch the fireworks. After a few panic stricken moments of being stuck in loose sand, begrudgingly digging out the tires, and pushing on the vehicle with all our might, we found a suitable parking spot, and began weaving our way through the hundreds of other people and vehicles who were gathering for the show. We found a great spot right by the water with an unobstructed view of the Atlantis, laid out some blankets, and plopped ourselves down. We sat, chatted, and eventually dozed off for an hour or so, waiting for the show to begin. Atlantis started with a flashy laser light show before the deafening fireworks began thundering around us. Our chests rattled as they exploded in brilliant bursts of color and light. The long line of fireworks erupted simultaneously- the fireworks themselves were fairly standard, but the shear magnitude of the event was amazing! Miles of fireworks erupting at once, lighting up the sky and leaving thick gray clouds of smoke, hanging over the coastline. Again, Dubai proves to be an interesting and exciting place to live right now.









Not the clearest shot, but I like how everyone is holding up a camera or mobile phone to capture the sights





























My favorite=)












The fireworks display seemed a bit disorganized from the shoreline, but this video will prove otherwise. Amazing!!!
p.s. have your sound turned on for some dramatic accompanying music =)