Feeling Inspired!

I've spent countless hours (literally!) trying to compile and organize our photos from our recent African adventure... I think I may have done it... phew!
Through this tedious experience I have learned some valuable lessons...
--We MUST become MUCH more organized and systematic when saving and backing up our travel photos (ie renaming/categorizing them by date-- why? see next bullet)
--We MUST check the date and time on our camera before we take pictures (at least on long term trips) because I HAVE TO HAVE my trip pictures in chronological order to keep my brain at peace... I don't understand why exactly... apparently there is a wee bit of activity on the left side of my brain!

I was so proud of finishing the organizational process of our Africa pictures, that I scoured through each and every one of our external hard drives, and corralled thousands of images from many of our other travels into neat and tidy folders! Ahhh, a girl can really breathe when her photos are organized!
I didn't have much time to look through the images in depth, but the glimpses I did manage were amazing! WOW!!! We've had some pretty incredible experiences in the last couple of years. Let's see... we have Jordan 2007, two Oman trips 2008, Thailand spring break 2008, Thailand/Laos/Cambodia summer 2008, Nepal spring 2009, South Africa/Namibia/Botswana/Zambia/Malawi/Tanzania/Kenya summer 2009... I think that should keep me busy for a while!
Despite the enormity of this task, I am feeling even more DETERMINED to get ALL of our travel photos not only organized, but edited, and either on our walls (in the sad, empty frames that have been hanging there for 2+ years) or in coffee table books within the school year! I WILL DO THIS!!!

Here is one lovely image from our first trip to Thailand, on a sweltering afternoon in April '08. Let's hope I have all of these photos taken care of before we head back this coming April!!!

Only in Dubai

It's been a lovely weekend... a nice blend of checking to do's off our list and quiet relaxation. We were cuddled up on the sofas yesterday afternoon when Isaac suddenly pointed out the window and exclaimed, "Look!"


Yes, this mishmash of cranes, high rises, and general disarray is our everyday view. But if you look a little closer you'll notice something we definitely don't see everyday!




???



If you guessed a construction worker... working on the end of the crane... 13 stories above the earth... WITHOUT any sort of safety harness... you would be correct! Only in Dubai, people... only in Dubai...



I love how his leg is hanging down, all relaxed... just another day on the job... no big deal...




CHEESE! He caught me spying and stopped to offer up a giant smile=) He later waved before heading back to the safety of the ground. What a guy!




The boys were not as impressed with the worker's feat as we were... they've been having a lovely weekend too =)

What ARE you teaching those 2nd graders???

Some might ask that very question after seeing these...um...detailed? illustrations that were handed in yesterday...

In my defense, I have said nothing in any way, shape, or form about the human body or anatomical structures!

**Update: photobucket didn't see the humor in the cropped versions of the below photos (the thumb and thimble without their labels) but you still get the drift of how completely silly they were!

Oh, the life of a teacher...
...it's exhausting and exhilarating, inspiring and aggravating, fabulous and... not so fabulous at times... but never- and I mean NEVER- is teaching boring! As a early elementary teacher, your days are likely insanely busy (really, nothing short of crazy) and peppered with obscure entertainment and (often twisted) humor. I've learned to embrace these bizarrely amusing happenings, for they are what keep me sane in my day to day classroom life!
Some of the very best twisted classroom humor, in my humble opinion, comes in the form of accidental anatomical drawings... hehehe...






Yes, I realize that I am being completely and totally immature, but honestly, isn't it fun just to have a little giggle over these??? Come on, you know it is...



giggle... giggle...giggle...





Oh, I love the parts of my job that bring me laughter! Life is good=) Happy Wednesday!

Eid Break

Lounging, cookie baking, snuggling, eating, movie-watching, relaxing with great friends, incredible Ruth's Chris steak dinner, milkshake-making, breakfast in bed, more lounging, bubbly, bookstore, yummy dinner dates, 6 month photos for Jazlyn... it's been a wonderful and restful Eid Break.



This just melts my heart...

We've spent so many wonderful hours with sweet Jazlyn and her wonderful parents since we returned to Dubai. We are so blessed to have such fabulous friends! This past weekend Jazlyn and Isaac invented a special little head bonking game. More of our spontaneous 6-month photo session with Jazlyn on Wayfarer.

I also created our new blog header... safari style! What do you think?

Here's to Lazy Days!

Here's to the days where you stay cozily curled up to your loved ones, snug as a bug in your jammies all day! That's just the kind of day we've had today=)


Miller was dying to model for you...





He was very relaxed!



Last night, our wonderful friends, Kelli and Adam, hosted Al Barsha's 2nd annual Turkeyfest! Last year, Adam decided that Thanksgiving was just too far away, so he bought a couple of turkeys and had a bunch of us over for a delicious feast. Such a popular event it proved to be, people demanded another! Woo hoo!!! Nearly 50 of our friends gathered together to experience scrumptious food, fantastic conversations, a cozy home (with beautiful Balinese artwork), and fabulous hosts... thanks again for a fantastic evening!









Awww, sweet little William- of course most of my pictures were of this cutie!


And just in case you were curious about my thumbnail... it is now colorful!

Another Zebra

We have finally loaded all our Africa photos- hooray!!! Now, comes the monstrous task of organizing, backing up, and editing- hooray?

As I was flipping through the images, I noticed this zebra shot. As soon as I saw it, I was reminded of the moment I took the photo. Our truck, Old Morag, had stopped to let a group of these black and white cuties cross the road, and I lined up THE PERFECT shot of a zebra's head. My finger was just beginning to push down the shutter when that blasted Morag lurched forward, and a branch obscured my view. ARGH!!!!!!! Oh, the pains a photographer must endure! I was soooo annoyed at the time. Now looking at the ethereal effect the disruption had on the photo, I'm glad it happened...



It became clear to me that while we were in Africa that I have just a wee bit of an obsession with zebras. No matter where I pointed my camera, a zebra just somehow ended up in my viewfinder! Funny how that happens=)

OUCH!

Hey! Look at this...


While examining the above photo you may not have realized you just came face-to-face with a fierce, dangerous, thumb-nail mauling device. You might say, "That's just a paper towel dispenser!" But don't be fooled...





It has VERY sharp and VERY thick teeth- perfect for grabbing an innocent, unsuspecting thumbnail...



... like mine... =(








Last week we celebrated 2 birthdays in class, and we were fresh out of napkins, so, I headed over to the paper towel dispenser. Looking into my students' little sugar-crazed eyes, I knew I had to work fast, and I was pulling out paper towels at a near-frantic pace. I somehow, genius-ly, managed to catch the middle of my thumb nail on one of those nasty prongs. OUCH!!! It lifted the nail bed straight up and away from the skin... and that little sucker bled like crazy! Lucky thing I had a paper towel right in my hand! Ha! I am very proud of the fact that I didn't yell out some completely crass or inappropriate expression in front of my entire class and several parents... I managed to hold it together, however, I'm fairly certain I was cross-eyed with shocking pain there for a few minutes!

Despite the whole traumatic ordeal, I am still alive... whew! That was a close one!

We're Back!!!

First off, NO, this blog is not dead and we extend our apologies for our lack of posts. Our spring became insanely busy and left very little time for blogging. We hope to be caught up and back to regular blogging before long!
We spent the first 6 weeks of our summer on an incredible 6-week overland journey across Africa. It was truly the experience of a lifetime! Our time at home was far too short, but jam-packed with memorable events. We will be adding summertime posts (and maybe some overdue springtime posts) in the coming days. For now, a favorite shot from the Serengeti...



Lots of love,
I+J

Great Weekend with the Johnstons!

Last weekend, our friends Mike and Erin, came to visit us from Kuwait. Isaac met them during an arts conference in Qatar earlier this year and I was so happy to they came to Dubai so I could get to know them as well. They are an amazing couple, and we had a blast with them! We have so many common interests and values, and within a few hours it felt as if we'd all known each other forever. It was an insanely busy weekend for Isaac and I, as we already had photography and SAT obligations, but we managed to get in some good quality time with the Johnstons.

On the night of their arrival we introduced them to the oh-so-delicious cheese bread from Al Reef.


Mmmmmmmmmmmmm... cheesy goodness....


The next day we set out for the Dubai Mall (just a side note- this is a fantastic mall!) and feasted on Taco Bell for lunch. YUM! It's all about the simple pleasures, folks... =)




Later that afternoon we headed down near the Burj al Arab and took Mike and Erin's portraits. These two were ridiculously cute together! Check out the rest on Wayfarer.




Later that night we grilled up some steak and shrimp, and had tostadas and corn pudding for dinner. Miller made sure to get plenty of snuggle time with Mike and Erin- he LOVED them. Pretty sure the feeling was mutual...


Nevermind my buck-toothed grin... =P



Reaching for snuggles



Kissing machine!


That night we met up with friends from Dubai and Kuwait at Barasti. It was a nice, low key night out, with the stars above (somewhere, behind the smog) and sand between our toes.







We had a fabulous weekend and can't wait to hang out with Mike and Erin again!!! Thanks, guys, for sending us pictures to remember the weekend by!

Life of Ike, part 2: JV Basketball

Dubai Coast Conference Tournament

I had the privilege of coaching the JV boys basketball team at ASD; this being my first head coaching gig. Last year I tagged along as the assistant varsity boys coach and picked up valuable experience from Tarique Al-iesa... the head coach and ASD athletic director. My JV team was an absolute joy to work with, and we had a very successful season. The team was quite young, with 2 of my top players being 7th graders... and a few others in 8th grade.

The competition is limited here in Dubai, but we manage to pull together teams from the area and surrounding Emirates to field a competitive schedule each year. We play in a conference of 4 teams that are all American schools, and we add games against the local Dubai club teams (equivalent to American high school sports teams) and a school from Abu Dhabi. The real preparation is for the Dubai Coast Conference (DCC) tournament and the East Mediterranean Athletic Conference (EMAC) tournament at the end of each season.

We went into the DCC tournament as the #3 seed out of the 4 teams. Not exactly the big March Madness field of 64 teams... but we had our work cut out for us. Having lost to both of the top 2 teams in the regular season, I think we were slightly overlooked going into the tournament. As the coach, I certainly knew that we were much better than what we had shown earlier in the year. I felt all along that we'd be peaking as a team when we hit the DCC tournament... and I was right. We blew out Universal American School in the first game and moved on to the championship game to face our bitter rivals, Dubai American Academy (psh.... "academy"... so vain, right?). A week prior to the tournament they beat us pretty good on our court with some very hot outside shooting. We made some defensive adjustments during the next week of practice and came out ready to defend the shooters. What proceeded was nothing short of amazing... we absolutely hammered DAA and won the game by 25 points. It was wonderful as a coach to see everything you have been teaching and practicing throughout the season finally come together at such a crucial point. I knew the potential was there, but I had no idea we had that much fight in us. I was blown away by the growth of my players... and they continued to impress me in Kuwait the following week.

Here are some pics from the DCC tourney
(disclaimer: these weren't compiled for their photographic genius... just for a visual reference of how intimidating I look as a head coach)


See that gameface? Stone cold.















Since the game was already decided early on, we didn't have much of a celebration at the end. Just business as usual for ASD. But what's the deal... no Gatorade bath for the coach??


Kuwait (part 2)

As I wrote in my previous blog entry, I went to Kuwait for the East Mediterranean Athletic Conference tournament and got to stay with my buddy Mike and his lovely wife, Erin. Shifting to the basketball side of things, it was a very successful tournament for my guys. We came in as one of the youngest in a field of 5 teams, with very little EMAC experience on the roster. We played our best basketball of the season through the tournament and fought our way to the championship game. It was an exciting experience to be a part of as a first year coach, and I thoroughly enjoyed the festive atmosphere of the EMAC tournament. We arrived in Kuwait on Wednesday, the 18th of February, and played for 3 straight days, Thursday through Saturday.

We opened the tournament with round robin play, facing Cairo American School in game 1. They were a very well coached team with no shortage of talent and size. It was by far our toughest match-up of the season, and they made things difficult for us with some very clever traps and presses. We played tough and gave them a good fight, but fell short in the end. However, I came away certain that we would be facing them again in the finals on Saturday. As we continued round robin play through Thursday, and on into Friday, my premonition became valid as we handled the remaining EMAC teams with ease. On Saturday, after the tournament played itself out, we received our rematch with CAS in the championship. This time around, it was a very different game. Cairo did a tremendous job scouting out my players (something that I hope to improve on in the future) and they were ready to challenge our team strengths. Unexpectedly, they pulled back their presses and traps after we scored a few baskets and they shifted the game to a very slow tempo... which was contradictory to our team's style. We had developed a fast-paced, up and down game by the end of the season, and CAS made every effort to control the tempo and slow things down. They succeeded, and we were unable to hit outside shots in order to break their zone defense and get into our rhythm. We had some great moments during the game, but were unable to keep up with the size and experience of CAS. However, there was no reason for us to hang our heads... we had played a tremendous tournament, and put up a valiant fight against a very strong opponent.

The moment I will remember, and cherish, the most from the tournament was the scene I walked into immediately following our loss in the championship. As I gathered my things around the bench and exchanged pleasantries with the opposing coaches, I headed out the front door towards the cafeteria. It was there I found my entire team of 10 players hanging out together at one of the dining tables, joking, laughing, and carrying themselves with the kind of attitude you'd expect to see from the champions. It was my goal throughout the season to teach humility, graciousness, and sportsmanship just as much as I taught them about the game of basketball... if not more so. In that moment I was able to witness those important life skills being practiced and realized by my team.

Thank you guys for a wonderful and memorable season. You worked hard all year and gave everything you had right up to the final buzzer. I can't wait for next season to get started.

(Thank to Evelyn for providing the pictures from the event. I did not have a camera with me.)


Out on the town with the boys. Although, not a charming shot of Rashad, my starting center. Sorry bud.


On the bus headed to the American International School of Kuwait with Selma and Sean. Selma plays basketball with her full cover on.


Left to right... Myself with the JV girls coaches, Sean and Evelyn.


Spittin' knowledge during the championship game. Hasan is a 7th grader and was a very integral part of our success this season. He is a talented and respectful young player and I look forward to coaching him next year.


Couldn't quite pull out the victory in the big game, but everybody stayed in good spirits and the girls team was very supportive.








Kuwait City along the coast.


How awesome are these caps?

Nepal Peek

I just love all the beautiful children we came across during our stay in Nepal... inquisitive little faces peering out from doorways and windows everywhere we went.



Can I also just say how much I LOVE our new 50D!?! This picture was taken from a moving vehicle, which was operated by our sleep-deprived driver, at high speeds, in the WRONG LANE... I shudder just reminiscing. Despite everything, I was impressed with how well it came out... a little soft around the edges, but I still love it!

And, yes, I know I have been terrible at keeping up with our blog the last 2 months=(. We've had so much going on with work, Wayfarer, tutoring, coaching, directing, travel, visitors... and sleep had to fit in there too... so, our poor blog was left all alone. Sad. While our schedule remains just as rigorous, I've missed my blogging time too much, so I'm determined to find the time to get on here more regularly!

We're off...

to NEPAL for spring break!!! We'll be back in a week with plenty of pictures, stories and catch up posts from the last month!

Life of ike, part 1: Qatar and Kuwait

The last 3 months have been overflowing with awesomeness (shout-out to Barney Stinson). After a great trip home to Portland for Christmas it has been non-stop since returning to Dubai.



Qatar
My first adventure took me to Doha, Qatar for an education conference over a weekend at the end of January. Without getting into the boring details of the conference I'll skip to the awesome part where I meet the greatest American couple currently living in Kuwait... Mike and Erin Johnston. Mike chimes in via email to provide a recap of our time together... "This past weekend was super sweet! If they made a movie about it, my character would be played by Marky Mark and your character would be played by Denzel Washington!!! That's how we roll." Pretty wild, considering that all we did was slack-off and goof around together during the conference. There was little time to do anything outside of it. Mike and Erin teach middle school art at the Al Bayan Bi-lingual school in Kuwait, and Mike is quite the artist. We first struck up a conversation when I noticed his shoes, which were painted in the style of Piet Mondrian and Roy Lichtenstein... two of my personal favorites. Mike painted the shoes himself, and he directed me to his website, Squeaky Sneaks, where he has many more customized shoes on display. As Mike puts it, "Customize your life... it's too short for generic crap." Amen. I didn't have my camera with me in Qatar, but here is a lasting memory from the trip...


This is the bag they provided for us at the conference, which was decorated with all kinds of ugly swag on the front. No problem for MJ... he covered the front in white paint and proceeded to customize.


Kuwait (part 1)
The good times with Mike and Erin carried over to my trip to Kuwait for the JV basketball tournament. I was able to arrange housing with the Johnstons and they were gracious enough to take me in and provide a bed and my favorite Kashi cereal, Cinnamon Harvest. I quickly decided that the Johnstons needed to move to Dubai and work at ASD and be our best friends. Unfortunately, due to the demanding schedule of the basketball tournament I was not able to spend nearly enough time with them. However, we seized every opportunity and maximized our time with such awesome things like homemade date rum (actually quite good) and Step Brothers on dvd... which caused Mike and I to realize that we were simply long lost brothers. So, we went and did karate in the garage and made bunk beds.

As I mentioned above in the Qatar section, Mike designs and hand-paints his own shoes, and he takes shoe orders from friends. Naturally, Jenni and I just had to have ourselves a customized pair of the Johnston Squeaky Sneaks. So, I commissioned Mike to create two pairs of shoes while I was busy with coaching duties at the tournament. I got a chance to watch some of the magic happen, and the dude is like a modern day Michaelangelo. The final product was absolutely beautiful... check it...

For my pair, Mike used the Lichtenstein comic book, pop-art style















Jenni wanted a rain forest... that's exactly what she got... check out these cute little critters












I think we'll become collectors of Squeaky Sneaks. Mike and Erin will be visiting us at the end of April... what should the next theme be for my shoes?

Stay tuned for more... this is part 1 of a 4 part series of events I've been meaning to post about for the last 3 months. Up next, Part 2 will cover my coaching journey with the JV boys basketball team. Following part 2 will be my trip to Greece with the 6th grade class of ASD, and part 4 will document my run at the middle east softball championship with Dubizzle.

I apologize for my lack of photos of Kuwait and Qatar. I didn't bring my camera with me on either trip.

-Isaac