Wednesday, February 27, 2008

Quick Pics on the progress of the house











We still have a ways to go...but here we are so far!
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Monday, February 25, 2008

Flip dangit!!! I said FLIP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So our dear darling daughter is still uside down which is right side up but upside down...you get the picture. They are going to try to manually flip her in a little less than two weeks. Why is this a big deal?

A. I don't want a c-section...lots of stairs in my house and I had a friend who had a very negative experience with her c-section about a year ago.

B. We have to pay for whatever birth method up front nad it will take months and months to be reimbursed. I don't think I have to let you know how much more a c-section is than a regular birth.

C. Apparently there is a slight risk to early labor if we try to flip her. So, that's why they are waiting to do it for a few more weeks. She will be 37 weeks at the time. She is measuring much smaller than Jacob was...(but so am I) but she looks healthy...so all is good.

Other news:

It's 8:40 in the morning here on Monday (so Clifton's second day at work this week) and I just realized that the race is rescheduled to start at midnight BCS time...20 minutes from now. So, I am glad I had no plans for today. Looks like I will be watching the race and then the Oscars tonight.

Or something like that.

Here is a brief informational video on why I should be saving for college tuition and not waiting on any kind of athletic scholarship on this one...

http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v456/goodgollygriff/QF%20housing/?action=view¤t=Firstdays136.flv






Oh, I've been told that the comments portion of the blog has been acting up!...I

Edit: Okay...it's 9:08 and the race is still not on.
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Friday, February 22, 2008

What's for dinner????

Brought to you by the Griffin boys playing Freebird on their famous broom guitars....


oh yeah...just like Lynard Skynard



So...."What are you eating is the most popular question asked of us from all of y'all.

Lots and Lots of beef and chicken, a little turkey (it is waaaay expensive) and so far Clifton says that most things I cook taste either the same or very close to the same. I have made Mexican, which gave me indegestion so bad I puked all night, baked chicken, fried okra, fries zuchinni, potatoes every which way, hamburger steaks, hamburger mac & cheese, ribeyes, fried chicken and on and on....



Anyone who knows me well, knows I have an obsession for white trash rolls...I look forward to the holidays so I can go by a tray for 50 cents at Kroger (or 12) oh, and for those not educated on the beauty of the WTRoll...it is the paper tray of a dozen rolls with the three little slits on top...I guess they are known as Brown and Serve...but I started calling them white trash or trailer trash rolls a few years ago and it took off...well Qatar has their own version of the "White Trash Roll". It is 27 cents for a package of 10 freshly baked pita bread thingys. Great for peanut butter, butter, honey etc....



As I mentioned before...I found cake frosting....now you can see why that is important. I like to cook, hate to bake, but I feel like I need to bake some shit right now...not sure if it is the pregnancy or the newly found housewife role or just the fact that carbs make you crave more carbs...but I plan on making all of this before Maddie comes. It turns out that cake is about the only thing that doesn't give me indegestion right now.


Never been big on Tex Mex...until you move away from Tex Mex...then you become the world's biggest fan. It's like the time I moved to the mountains for that physics internship and one of the girls I lived with from Maine hated Texans and country music (which I don't listen to) and the first thing I did was buy a cowboy hat that I wore constantly and download a crapload of Hank Jr. songs that I played on the loudest volume throughout the house.



My new obsession....things that come in cubes. I love cubed sugar. It was in the house when we moved in...I know we have all this stateside...but never would have thought to use sugarcubes prior to the move. I'm weird...you all have known that for awhile.


No explanation needed...





Never had junk food at the house...have no idea why we have so much here...





Beef is from Brazil or New Zealand. Chicken is from Brazil





Cokes.... (Soda for Courtney)







See, some fruits and veggies



So all in all...it is very normal here. We are all getting fat and will need extra seats on the plane when we travel back.
I fixed the Blog so everyone could comment now...
I have to go, it's time for me to cook again!
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Thursday, February 21, 2008

Helpful suggestions appreciated, smartass comments are always welcome....

So we have at the least 4 weeks, at the most 6 before Maddie-Mae makes her grand entrance. We can't make international calls from our cell phones if we don't have our Res. Permits yet, (and there is a chance that we may not) and my blackberry passed away today. R.I.P. sweet blackberry. I have no idea how I will survive without you. So, be creative and help me thnk of a way that we can get the news fastest to you...without Clifton having to drive all the way home to get on the computer to give out the information.
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Tuesday, February 19, 2008

"F***, I broke it!"















So far this week has gone "great". I made some updates to the left hand side of this screen. Anytime I get info...I will add to this.



Friday (our first day of our weekend) we went to the City Center mall so Clifton could see the Babyshop and he found a cigar store. That place seems bigger than the Galleria in Houston. We quickly found out that even though the mall doesn't open till late afternoon on Friday, we should not go. That place was INSANE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! After that we went to HJim and Cathy's for dinner. She had Diet Dr. Pepper at her house. You would have thought she offered me a million dollars. I couldn't believe it. In fact, she left town for the states for 6 weeks and she sent the Diet Dr. Pepper to the office with her husband to give to me. I'm thinking of leaving her a car or something in my will. Turns out there is a store here in town that carries it at times. It's just not close or easy to get to. Jacob was actually civil at dinner and I got to meet some new people...that's always good.





Saturday, Clifton finally got out on his own without my navigation. He did great and he went to several malls and grocery stores. Apparently Saturday's are much more pleasant in public.



Sunday, I had to go back to the Health Commission to get my TB test. I hired a driver to take me (which was a brilliant idea) and he was from Sri Lanka. Cool guy...he seemed not to mind Jacob either. After that, we went to one of the local nurseries. I wasn't thrilled. The place is expensive and they like to take the kids on field trips in buses...which for a two year old is different. Even though I liked the mix of kids and all, it just didn't seem like the kind of place I wanted to send Jacob. So we will be lookingh into other options. I love staying at home right now, but I can also tell that I really want to work too! There are so many potential opportunities to be helpful at TAMU Q and I think I could really enjoy working there and I think they bneed me ;) They just don't know it yet.



Monday was a blast...I met a new friend at the mall and we took our kids to play at this indoor soft play area and ate McDonalds. (the pictures)Our kids seemed to mix well and she is a wealth of knowledge. She has been here awhile and we thought we had a few kinks in our move, they really did and not only survived them, but they really love this place. Monday is also where I got my thread title. Jacob put the dvd in upside down in the dvd player at the house. He walked up to me and said that as clear as day. I was so horrified. Some people are not cut out to be stay-at-home-moms and I think his language proved it. I explained that it was a really bad word, so if he heard mom or dad say it. He could hit our hand or tell us NO....but it was funny all the same. We made burritos...I threw up all night and Jacob kept waking up complaining of his tummy.

Tuesday i hired another driver (who knew two words of English..yes and oh) and he took me back to get the TB test read. Of course I'm clear. Even though I liked this driver less, I'm glad he came. I saw three cars jump the curb and drive on the sidewalk. We went to the store later..(I drove) and I found cake frosting. This is an accomplishment. I also saw grape jelly. These items were at the more local store and not the french walmart. I figure...(this is my theory) that the french walmart would think premade cake frosting to be soooo below them with all their pastries and crap and that all the grapes in france are used for wine. But, that is just my theory.

My husband got us tickets to The Boot Scoot which is hosted by the A&M Club, (which we joined) These tickets are as hard to come by as Hannah Montana tickets, because all sorts of people come...and it is the event of the year for expats in Doha. It is open to all folks, not just Aggies. Clifton searched high and low for them, so we are going...of course, we can't dance (at least with each other...an Aggie Wrangler lesson disaster almost kept us from walking down the aisle together) and we will look like a couple at a junior high dance because it is physically impossible to dance close to me right now with thing formally known as my stomach. Well our arms length dancing will look like a junior high couple....not the whole pregnant thing...at least not my junior high. Maybe Clifton's they don't have much to do in that sea of cotton!

Anyways...I'll write more later. Hope all is well. I got to talk to my friends in Scoates today...I miss y'all bad!

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Saturday, February 16, 2008

2/14/08 Week 2


So....this week.

Taking one for the team (as refered to in the previous emails):



I have made several friends around the compound and even left Jacob one morning with a neighbor while Clifton and I went for our health checks. When we got back, he was passed out with the rest of the kids in the neighborhood on the couch, so me and one of the mom's I'm becoming very close with, Nicole, and I left him with the nanny and went to the mall. http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v456/goodgollygriff/QF%20housing/Firstdays082.jpgHe is doing great. We got a part-time maid this week. She is okay...but she is only temp until we figure out something else. There is only a few schools here for kids and they are all booked up. I'm on the waitlist for one and visiting another on Sunday. Their pre KG (that's what they call it, (school starts at 4 here so 2-3 is considered pre-kindergarten) lasts from 7:30 till 12:30.

We will see if we can get him in somewhere...to be honest though, we are having a blast. I have made many connections the last week and now we have to actually choose who we want to hang with and then we have park tine EVERY afternoon. I'm including pictures of the little kids park...it's about a quarter of the big park and then there are 6 small parks around the compound.

So our shipment came this week...I'm only a third unpacked...I'll send pictures later.

Slingbox is up and running Thank you JUSTIN!!!! I'm watching Amewrican Idol as I type this.

I video conferenced with Justin and Jordan this morning...they even managed to play ball with Jacob...that was cool!

Intrernet is getting slowly better.

I found an awesome mall and greay baby urniture...I'm taking clifton tomorrow night. (The malls are closed on Friday's until 4pm)

Doctor's office is even slower, Maddie is breach! She needs to flip...but everything looked great on the ultrasound.

Have to go back to the health commission to get my TB test. They couldn't do it Wed. because they couldn't read it on Friday (holy day) or confirm with an xray so, I have a driver taking me Sunday because it is way far and traffic is crazy that time of the morning.

I have been driving quite a bit and doing ok...it is scary though and I need a bigger car! Can't get one for a month like everything else.

My really really close friend, Amanda, lost her mother this week. She wasn't even 60. SHe has been sick off and on for a few months but she was doing great when we left town and then took suddenly ill this week and became septic and passed. That was the first time in the last 10 days I really wish I was at home. Amanda is doing great considering, but I've cried about it a couple of time in the last 24 hours...I didn't know her mom that well, but it's one of those times that I know I would be right there for Amanda and her family during this and I can't be. She has NO shortage of folks around her though.

Can I say I am so pleased that Rev is retiring...we can only hope the next one is better.

As far as Clifton goes...he is busy all the time. He only had one real day off before he started and he has not been 8-5 for sure!!!! And, as soon as he gets in at night, Jacob is right up in his face and he doesn't get all the fun social time I do. He is a trooper though...he really has been doing great considering how many line we have stood in, how much misinformation we have been told on certain processes and everything else that is going on. Y'all would be super impressed on his patience!


So here are some pics.

Lots of construction...so Jacob likes to watch the cranes and trucks from the window... this is him perched on the kitchen sink.


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v456/goodgollygriff/QF%20housing/Firstdays087.jpg





http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v456/goodgollygriff/QF%20housing/Firstdays098.jpg

From left to right Christina (mom), Trinity (Nicole's daughter), Cam (Christina's son), Jessette (our maid), Diang (Nicole's nanny), Nicole (a mom), Ana (Christina's nanny)http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v456/goodgollygriff/QF%20housing/Firstdays097.jpg






http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v456/goodgollygriff/QF%20housing/Firstdays088.jpg

We are doing good!!! I have brief brief moments of WHAT THE HELL DID I DO...but they only last for a minute or two. It's weird, Clifton and I were talking the other night, we are in the most unsafe area in the world and we feel more safe and secure here than we do at home. Kids roam the compound night and day at a young age on their bikes and at the park and everyone is so close and neighborly. Pretty cool!
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Friday, February 15, 2008

2/7/08 Day 4: I found my sense of humor










New and Improved with Pictures!!!!




OK....so last night Jacob slept...he woke up at 2:30, but went back to bed shorlty after!!! We woke up early this morning and started our adventure.

So we went to the Drivers Lic. Office with Jacob. This place makes our DMV look like the friendliest most efficient place on earth. If one of y'all ever bitches about going to DPS again to me, I might punch you in the face. So we get there (which we had a driver take us and escort us through each of the steps....there is NO WAY we could have done it) he went off roading to get ther by the way. We were waaaaay off the grid and there was NO clear sign on the building. We get to the second floor and there are folks everywhere. They automatically make me go sit behind the desk because I'm a chicka, which pisses off Jacob severely and Clifton has to go sit in this other room. Advantage to being a woman who speaks english. You can only be eye tested by another woman who knows english and there was only one of them so they automatically send me to her room. I find out from her that I should have worn glasses in the picture that I took the night before saince I have to wear glasses....this sucks, but I talk my way out of it. Go through that, wait on Clifton then we go to another floor where the driver butts in line and starts shuffling paperwork and talking to all the folks behind the counter. After about 30 minutes we go to the counter and they look at us and then they hand us a sheet of paper and tell us to sit again. We do that for another 20 minutes and then they call us again and hand us our ID's after we pay something....not sure what.




So we get back to campus and I drive Jacob home after he checks out the cranes. (side note: My car: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v456/goodgollygriff/QF%20housing/Firstdays017.jpgClifton's is the same but white. they both have the hub caps zip tied on...I guess the rental company does that.) He even ran into the head of the campuses office because he has a good view of cranes from his window. Mark didn't mind, but it was slightly embarrassing. http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v456/goodgollygriff/QF%20housing/Firstdays007.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v456/goodgollygriff/QF%20housing/Firstdays013.jpg
No momma...it's a big crane

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v456/goodgollygriff/QF%20housing/Firstdays014.jpg(notice the green stuff)

At the end of this email I will post a bunch of pictures of our house. Keep in mind we have not gotten our shipment yet.

So we went to the park again, this time later in the day. Tons of mom's, nannies and kids out there!!!! Jacob fell down and gave himself one hell of a bruise shortly after we got there....THANK GOD!!! all the mom's came running to see if he was okay and an hour later I had 15 new friends that live in my compound. Thanks for taking one for the team Jacob!!!! They are from all over the world and US and very helpful and cool! Later this evening, Jacob informed us that he "went to the park and broke his head"

Side note: he broke Clifton's heart when he asked if "my Justin coming to see me?" tonight.


Finally made spaghetti...that worked out....luckily most everything could be done stove top because everytime you turn on the oven you throw the breaker.

On the subject of food...some asked here is what I am eating...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v456/goodgollygriff/QF%20housing/Firstdays077.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v456/goodgollygriff/QF%20housing/Firstdays076.jpg

Things that get on my nerves so far. All the outlets look like this

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v456/goodgollygriff/QF%20housing/Firstdays059.jpg

All the plugs look like this:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v456/goodgollygriff/QF%20housing/Firstdays061.jpg

We have adapters everywhere.

Nice new house...but then you will see something like this:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v456/goodgollygriff/QF%20housing/Firstdays064.jpgWhat the hell is that?

My slingbox isn't running yet, buut we have cable...it is 100 channels only 10 are in english, 3 american and they still think that Friends is on the air and they play the World According to Jim alot. I never knew that show really existed. They also showed a E! True Hollywood Story of Saved By the Bell during Jacob's naptime...riveting...did you know that the guy who played Screech felt left out both on and off screen. He goes on later in life to produce a home movie of sorts....but we won't go in to that here. Anyways, guess what one of the 10 english channels is: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v456/goodgollygriff/QF%20housing/Firstdays022.jpg
Yep...that's Joyce Meyers folks....straight from The Bible Network. Yeppers. TBN. Not sure why they choose that and Jim Belushi...but they do. Maybe it's a form of torture or maybe they want to remind their people that we may seem nice and all, but we give alot of airtime to Pat Robertson...who has much love for the middle east and the unfunny half of the Belushi brothers...so we are NOT to be trusted.

Before I forget: Clifton's office is the second door to the left (the first is Howard from Australia...he cusses alot so Clifton is in love)http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v456/goodgollygriff/QF%20housing/Firstdays010.jpg
The view from his office http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v456/goodgollygriff/QF%20housing/Firstdays012.jpg Camp Griffin BLUE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm not posting what things are in the house...It's a house, they are pretty standard. Except 2 out of the 4 bathrooms have a bedais..which Jacob is fascinated by.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v456/goodgollygriff/QF%20housing/Firstdays069.jpg

PS I found out what crawled up Jersey's butt...we have an outdoor cat next door that could be his twin...apparently they like each other.
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2/6/08 Aaaaaack Day 3ish

So day one was us landing, pets arriving, reno scaring the crap out of customs because golden's are so intemidating, house nice, 2 cars there, internet (interwebbing for you J and J) functional for 30 seconds and some food. We all crashed around 11pm our time. Taking us into day 2 we have Jacob's internal clock completely jacked up so he is up and down constantly. We go to the first and closest grocery store Family Food Center. Very local with some american. Get the fixings for spaghetti and some other stuff to eat as well as basic spices. Then later that evening we try Carrefour (french owned walmart type place)) it is in a mall. We get lost on our way....found the prison YIKES!!!!! And then Carrefour is in the mall. Well Vellagio Mall which is upscale. The only thing I cam afford in there is Gap and Banana Republic and (they charge triple) so Carrefour is full of americans, europeans and rich qatari's. They charge duoble FFC but it is very well laid out. Am big mix of euro, american and ME brand. They even carry Kroger brand (for 10 times what you would pay at Kroger) we only get a few american items but mostly local at both, better get on board early. We buy a hairdryer, curling iron, trash baskets, alarm clocks and such there. Ended up spend so much time there that we forgo cooking and get some of the best fried chicken I have ever had. Jacob has a terrible night. I am up with him from 1230am till 430am. Day 3: clifton to go in to work for half a day in the morning. He ends up there all day till 5 with no lunch break. They are making sure he earns that money. Wake jacob at 930 to try to get him on schedule. He and I go to the park and play....which is awesome! when clifton gets home, we all go to get these I'd photos at another mall called landmark. It is more my price range and we eat dinner in the food court (pizza hut for me and clifton and mc d's happy meal for J). This mall is easier to get to! Fill up for gas. Takes 5 bucks to fill the tank. Now I am going to sleep. We have to show up for eye exams for driving permits early in the am. I have a doctors appt on sunday at noon. Yippee and all is well if I can get j on schedule. Reno is doing better than expected. Jersey literally bellyaches all the time which is unlilke him. I hope he settles in soon. J is a hit here. He has probably had hisd cheek touched or his hair touched at least 100 times. The locals and other nationalities adore children, but esp. Blonde hair, blue eyes. He will have to come out of his shell!I will send the funny stuff soon... I promise!later!!!
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Monday 2/4/08...we are here continued

Update...at our villa with cat, dog, kiddo. It's very pretty and roomy.... We arrived to two cars in the driveway and keys, local cell phone, computer with wireless internet hooked up, food in fridgen soaps and detergents, a list of all tamu q people and their numbers, dvdplayer and vcr with huge tv. All is good so far
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Monday 2/4/08 We are here!!!

We are here, we are in 2 vehicles (one for luggage and one for us AND PETS) who hate us by the way. Jacob cried twice in 18 hours once for 30 seconds midway to franfurt because he wanted to say his prayers and sleep in a real bed and he cried once for about 90 seconds before we took off from frankfurt because he didnot want to ride in another plane. So we are on the way to the house, kathy (clifton's boss's wife) has us and the pets in the car! She brought jacob a stuffed camel....he loves it. The qatari's were so scared of reno, they didn't even check his paperwork. They just handed him over and told us to get out. So import of an animal may be difficult for some, but bring a big ass 90 pound dog and they are suprisingly accomidating.
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