Exciting Times

We've been having a great time here with friends,

and walking to the local store,

and watching the local goat herd.

Yep, pretty exciting times.

My New Purse

I finally got it. I've looked at the thing 5 times before finally going directly to the shop in the local market and telling the guy I wanted it. I love it. Mostly because it is bright, makes me think of sunshine. Joey says its a little too 80's but at least he can find me. And seriously he can. I could fall down in a big pit, but if I had my purse you'd see me. And hey, its big enough to hold everything I could ever want. Ok, I exaggerate a bit, but its pretty big.

Benson & The Bees

This morning while having our usual Saturday morning pastries we were joined by some local bees. Benson's expression was priceless.

Nemo & Youfish

Two weeks ago Joey came home with some fish. There was a guy selling them on the street corner in town. they looked exciting so Joey got them. The boys named them "Nemo" and "Youfish" (Youfish is how they say Youssef - Joey's name in Arabic).

The boys were SO excited about the fish. Josiah would randomly come up to Joey and say "I love you Daddy because you brought us fish." It was too cute. Unfortunately, as is the case with fish, Nemo didn't live with us too long. After a short 3 days he succumbed to some unnamed disease and became dinner for the local cats. Youfish is still with us though and happy as a clam. He lives in our living room and makes our lives better just by blowing bubbles. Gotta love fish.

We've also been lucky enough to spend some time with animals that actually let you touch them and snuggle them. This baby goat loved all the attention. His mother however didn't enjoy it too much. She spent much of the time screaming for us to keep our hands off her kid.

Bsara

We had a favorite lunch the other day. "Bsara" which is split peas that they cook into a thick paste/soup type dish. Its full of garlic and cumin and SO good. Pour a bit of fresh olive oil over it, dip your bread and away you go. We also got to have fresh fish. Another favorite. Benson likes to just start at the tail or the head and work his way down. Josiah is a bit more careful and at this point William isn't very interested at all. 

I'm so thankful for boys who love the food here!

Ruby Tuesday and Other Random Thoughts.

I love that song by the Rolling Stones - Ruby Tuesday. Actually, if I'm honest I really enjoy classic rock period. Oldies, slightly younger oldies and quality 80's & 90's hits. I can thank my Dad for my general love of music. He knows more about oldies than anyone I know and made sure his kids had a good general knowledge of the classics. Including random historical information like what was happening the first time he heard such and such a song and what songs were on the B side of the record. Important stuff.

Its raining. No power. A team of 9 volunteers here to help us out. Those three things put together make for an interesting morning. So far so good. We're just going about business as usual and hoping it clears up real soon.

My right ear is plugged and making funny bubbling sounds. Not entirely sure what that means, but its weird. Thankfully I can still hear and thankfully I've never lost my hearing. Seriously, what a blessing to be able to hear. Something I know I take forgranted daily.

This volunteer team brought us some new printer cartraiges. So we can start printing things again. My life is going to be so much easier! Except for today, cuz there is no power. But otherwise so much easier!

My Mother-in-law also sent some Jelly Bellies with this team. You know the full size costco Jelly Bellies?! Amazing. Nothing like them here. I am keeping them on top of my fridge, where they are hard to reach so that I can make them last. Its hard though, they are SO good.

My sleepy-heads just woke up to start their day which means I should stop with this random mumbling and get going. Hope you're all having a wonderful day!

A Fast Connection, And A Few Photos.

A few from the road a few days ago. I love the way the hills look as the sun is setting. These days the greens are mixing with the wild flowers to create one of the most beautiful views ever.

Joey reading with the "cheese" king. Pull out a camera or phone and he's posing immediately.

 A while back Joey saw a guy standing on the side of the road, nothing too unusual in these parts, what was unusual was his backpack, so Joey picked him up and sure enough he was a traveler from Italy. He came and stayed with us for a few days. His English was broken and his Arabic limited, but he was a hard worker and grateful guest. Gotta love the surprises that you find on the side of the road.

 Benson with his chocolate eye art. Yum, yum.

Josiah, such a cool dude.

Hope to post more photos and updates soon. Happy Weekend!