Everything I Need to Know...Part 2

Kim J., Karen (our friend from college), Kim S.

I had a wonderful time chatting with my sweet friend Kim from Houston the other night. I have known Kim longer than I have known Keith, if you can believe that. We first met our freshman year in high school, in 1971. I am pretty sure Kim knows everything about me. That's what happens when you room together all through college, are in each other's weddings, share the same name and both have 3 boys. Kim's mom was like a second mom to me. Mama Frog will always occupy a big chunk of my heart. Anyway, I am little off the track...

Kim asked if I had ever thought about blogging a list of some of the things that are different about Doha. No blog is big enough to hold the whole list, but here is my attempt to at least share some of what I have learned from what is different about life here. It's surprisingly simple!


You can live without 95% of your own household stuff for at least two years. (Real proof that it's only stuff.) Houston drivers are wonderful compared to the situation I am currently in. You can almost understand Italian even when you don't know a word of the language, but Arabic is another story. Mints, gum and pills are just as good for change as coins are. In Qatar, when your kid has an out of town game, it is also out of the country. Church is the people, not the building. And you can run a Sunday School, even if it's a Friday School, without construction paper. Spanish rice is much better when it's homemade. And you can chop up frozen french fries to make hash browns for a potato casserole. Roses are beautiful in the winter. Pink is not such a bad house color. I love dates, especially Peggy's chocolate dipped ones that come from the tree in her front yard. The sunset in this part of the world is amazing. I could not live without a Vonage phone. Out of sight does NOT mean out of mind. It doesn't matter if gas is 75 cents a gallon if cereal is $8 a box. A neighborhood post office is a blessing. God is REALLY EVERYWHERE....especially in the places you least expect Him to be.

There is much more that I have learned, but if I share it all now, I won't have any ideas for Everythi ng I Need to Know....Part 3!

(sunset photo by my neighbor Adrian)

Time Flies....

The year was 1985. TWENTY FOUR years ago...hard to believe! I think I was in labor for at least TWENTY FOUR hours. It seemed that way, anyway, after the c-section was completed. Then there he was, our perfect little son. Well, maybe not little at 9 pounds 11 ounces and 22 inches long. But certainly perfect. It was love at first sight for Keith and for me. William Robert Shrull, a.k.a. Billy Bob, our firstborn, had entered the world. Life has never been the same. If I were in Texas, I would dig through the picture cabinet and drag out the baby pictures. But, I'm not so I won't. Suffice it to say, our baby's all grown up! We are proud of him and would give anything to be at home to celebrate. I am sure we would fire up the grill and cook up some steaks. The Birthday Song and birthday cake. Of course the traditional (yes, we have birthday traditions, too!) birthday banner and balloons on the breakfast nook shutters. And get out the red "You are special today" plate. Will, we love you more than all of the stars in the sky. Happy Birthday, Precious One!

All Dressed Up...and Someplace to Go!

About once a year (or maybe once a decade!) Keith and I get really dressed up for a fancy night out on the town. It was such a night last Friday when we got all gussied up for the American School Black Tie Gala at the Intercontinetal Hotel. I actually wore a long dress...first time since we got married! Keith looked soooo handsome in the great suit he bought a couple of years ago and has worn maybe twice. We had a wonderful night. Good company, good food, good fun. Yes, there was dancing....for most people there, but not us! (Keith is just not that into disco.) There was some black jack going on. I did pretty well, but am in no way ready for Vegas! And the silent auction...suffice it to say I wasn't as lucky there as at the black jack table. Just the same, it was FUN getting all dressed up. Maybe we will do another one of those gala things....sometime during the NEXT decade!

P.S. KVH~ My friends in Doha are as cute as my friends in Houston! See???

Christmas Leftovers ( or More Mi Tierra)

I know you are thinking, "Enough already! Christmas was over weeks ago!!!" I just couldn't resist posting these pictures. See why we LOVE to celebrate at this place???

Goodies from the Mexican market

Angels Among Us

Angel on top of a Christmas tree at Mi Tierra in San Antonio

Here I am, a week into jetlag and I finally, just last night, got my first full night's sleep. Oh well, I put some of those sleepless night to good use and started a blog entry. So, I'll finish it now. Besides, I KNOW you guys are all anxious to know how the second half of our Christmas homeleave went....

Sam and I spent one day at the Houston Museum of Natural Science with some dear friends. (Judie and crew) Here I am, pictured with two of my favorite little girls in the whole world, Adrielle and Deborah. We're standing in front of some prehistoric creature. A mastadon, I guess. (Did I spell that right, girls?) The boys were busy hiding from the camera.

There were more fun outings with friends and family. (Sherry C., I need your picture of us at La Mad's. My eyes were closed in mine!) I remembered my camera only some of the time. Darn it all!

Christmas Eve was wonderful. We went to the 6:00 service at First Pres Sugar Land and, of course, I cried when we sang 'Oh, Holy Night!" with the candles. Afterwards we rushed home for the traditional meal of tamales and deli sandwiches. What was for desert? Jesus Birthday Cake, of course! Instead of watching 'A Christmas Story', the movie we watch EVERY year, we watched the football game du jour. That's okay...I'll get used to it.

Christmas Day was wonderful, too. I like not having to get up too early now that the boys are all grown up....or are they? After our again traditional breakfast of SOS, gifts were opened and enjoyed. I got a new lens for my camera, so watch out! I gave Keith a goat....you will HAVE to ask him about that! We had yet another traditional food for Christmas dinner....beer can chicken. OK, so it was a tradition this year. (What's the deal with all these traditions anyway???) The best part of the day was being together with my guys and Mom, Don and my sweet friend Pines. Why the heck I don't have a picture of that, I will never know.

It was the day after Christmas and off we went on our, yes, traditional trip to San Antonio for Christmas with the rest of the family. Friday we met my sister Deb, my brother Mark and all of their precious ones for lunch at Mi Tierra, a fairly famous Mexican restaurant downtown. Yum and yum....not to mention the festive atmosphere. A little shopping in the market next door and our day was complete.

The next day we made the short trek to New Braunfels for the gathering of the Shrull clan. It was so good to be with everyone at Keith's sister's house. A blessing, for sure.

Our last week in Sugar Land was spent shopping, packing, playing and welcoming in, quietly, I might add, 2009. There was lots of football watching going on. Afterall, that was the reason we didn't leave until Jan. 2....and I quote, "There are too many good football games on to leave on the 1st!" Hang the jetlag at school and work. I didn't argue. Keith and Sam were the ones that had to get up and go the morning after we arrived! It was hard to leave but, rest assured, I left something behind to keep an eye on the house...and the big boys. She was worth that $19.86 I spent at the Mexican Market in San Antonio!

P.S. Did I mention that my sister Deb and sister-in-law Sandy have angels exactly like this one? We call them the Sister Angels.