Fabulous Friends

Dec 25-Jan 4: We have always been blessed to make good friends wherever we live, and it is super exciting to reconnect with these friends.  Look at all of these VA people in the middle of the desert! The Woodruffs made the trek all the way from Tokyo, and it couldn't have been more fun! I don't think any of us realized our next opportunity to see each other would be here in Abu Dhabi, and we made the most of it.  Here are just a few of the things we did. Dinner at Lebanese Flower - a hit!

Fun at the park - with our 11 kids between us, we knew how to catch everyone's attention :) 

We also embarked on a camping trip to Fujairah with a whole bunch of friends. It was amazingly beautiful. As with any epic road trip for our family, it began with a sudden need for 3 members of the family to use the facilities out in the great outdoors approximately 17 minutes into the drive. I thought the scenery was so pretty I snapped a picture of these two intrepid explorers looking for the perfect spot...

With our tents all set up facing the ocean, it was one of the most perfect camping spots ever! The kids got lots of opportunities to go out on the kayak or paddle boards and try to spot cool ocean creatures. I FINALLY got to see a sea turtle while snorkeling - definitely a highlight!

The moon was SO bright we didn't even need flashlights.

One of the most unexpected things I've discovered I like about about camping - I really like watching the sunrise. Traditionally, I love nothing more than to sleep as late as possible in the morning, something my kids have been attempting to put a stop to ever since they were born. But getting up early while camping leads to some of the most beautiful vistas! These kids were in heaven, running around in their pjs making sand creations.

Will and Hailey came down with fevers, but were unwilling to stop going for very long. They'd crash for a quick nap, then as the medicine kicked in, they'd be up and off on some new adventure.

Guess who loved the tent?

Proof we were all together. We sure love these folks!

We got home New Year's Eve, and Heather had all kinds of noise makers and poppers for the kids to celebrate in style!

We also went to a camel race (just trying to make sure Todd and Heather hit all of the important Middle East highlights :) 

Will and Ellie decided they were going to race WITH the camels, and as they ran we noticed that instead of filming the camels, the camera guys were more intent on filming the kids! It was a close one, those two were pretty fast:)

For the very last race of the morning, Tyler begged us to drive around the track with the camels, so we did. We picked a camel and stuck with him all the way to the end, cheering him on. It was really fun :)

One of the last things we did was go out to the dunes one night. Despite the chilly evening, everyone had a great time racing around.

Thanks for coming to see us Woodruffs, we can't wait to see where we'll meet up next :)