This week, Glenn and I went to Dahuk for a couple of days. After spending two days in Dahuk, we then went over to Erbil for another day. I know I need to get up to Dahuk and Erbil more frequently, and I always enjoy visiting my Resident Offices there. But I do feel guilty any time I go because of how safe and secure those areas are. I have numerous blog posts floating around in my head from this recent trip.
We had the chance to do some shopping while we were there. We wandered aimlessly through the bazaar in Dahuk with Gee. He kept asking us what we were looking to buy. We had no idea and just kept walking. I did walk in a scarf shop. I was quickly overwhelmed by the array of colors. The effect was almost dizzying!
Glenn decided he wanted a couple of plants to make his CHU more homey. So Gee took us to a small nursery in the middle of Dahuk. There was a small, elderly Kurdish gentlemen who owned and operated this nursery. Glenn asked him to show us some indoor plants, but he wouldn’t go into the makeshift greenhouse with us because he was afraid of our guns. So we went in and started looking around. Glenn found one he liked that looks like aloe vera but with thorns. Of course, when he picked it up, he immediately pricked his thumb on a thorn and let out a yelp. Everyone got a kick out of that! Periodically throughout the rest of the day, one of the Peshmerga guards would pretend to prick his thumb, yelp, then point at Glenn and laugh. Glenn was a good sport about it and can take a little pickin’.
I’m sure the kids miss my pickin’!
Last Saturday, Josiah was invited to attend a birthday party for a girl in his class. He would not normally consider such an invitation, but it involved a movie ticket to National Treasure II and free pizza. He and his buddies (mates) agreed they would all go together thereby making it an acceptable occasion. The difficult part, of course, was the gift buying. Abby informed Josiah that the girl liked webkins, and that Josiah could purchase one at Hallmark. Abby loves Hallmark with all its bric-a brac and girly things. Josiah was a bit apprehensive when we set out. We arrived at 0855 and the store opened at 0900. We sat in the car and began to watch our fellow Hallmark shoppers. They were all men. It was the Saturday before Christmas and these men were forced to go out and find a gift for their wives. My brother-in-law Rich was shopping on Saturday, but had to finish up a few purchases on Christmas Eve. He didn’t want to break with the tradition of buying the gift and wrapping it on Christmas Eve. This year, Dale was unable to adhere to this Christmas Eve shopping tradition as a result of his distance away and the speed of the Army postal system. I received my gift weeks in advance. I will no longer be able to grumble about him always shopping on Christmas Eve. Anyway, back to Hallmark…One guy was peering intently in the window with the hopes that he could spot something before hand, so that when the clerk opened the door, he could dash in, purchase it, and make a quick get away. Another guy, who was clearly military, was walking back and forth not directly in front of the Hallmark as if to fool anyone who happened by that he wasn’t actually waiting to go in. He threw something away in the rubbish bin down the sidewalk, he wandered around on the street in front, and constantly looked over his shoulder in case a friend happened by to accuse him of Hallmark shopping. The smart guy stayed in his car and made a quick dash for the door when the clerk finally unlocked it. Josiah and I went in to join our fellow shoppers. I began to find various things and hold them up for Josiah to see. I then noticed a glaze come over his eyes and I thought of Dale. When in a store like Hallmark, Dale will wander around in a daze. He can not relate to anything in the store and the choosing becomes a torture to him. I said to Josiah, “You won’t feel comfortable giving any of these gifts will you?” He replied, “No.” To his great relief, I let him escape. So, down the sidewalk we went to the bookstore where he purchased a day to day calendar and a journal. He brought the gifts home, wrapped them, and even made a funny card. When I dropped him off in front of the movie theater, he realized to his dismay that only the birthday girl had arrived. I left him on the curb and drove away laughing as the dazed look came back over his face.
December 3rd was my 41st birthday. A year ago, I was at the Botanic Gardens in Canberra with our Aussie friends celebrating my 40th. Most of the time was spent watching all of our children attempt to fall into the pond nearby. Raffe was the only one who succeeded. It was a beautiful day and a fun time and I even spotted a fairy wren flying in the bushes. This year, I had my cake a week early when my family was here for Thanksgiving. Abby made me eggs for breakfast and I opened my gifts in the morning. Dale wasn’t here to take the kids shopping at Walmart for my gifts. Dale believes all good things come from Walmart. I, however, do not believe in that mantra when it comes to my birthday presents. Not wanting to veer too far from their pattern of gift shopping, the kids shopped for my birthday gifts at the home improvement store. Last week, we had to stop there to get rakes and gloves for Abby and Josiah’s rake-a-thon and it seemed as good a place as any. When we walked in, they were caught up momentarily in the over the top Holly Jolly Winter Wonderland. Eventually, after pushing the buttons of every obnoxious Christmas decoration in the store, they chose my gifts. They kept them hidden from me and paid for them with their allowance (pocket money). We made it out of the store and into the car without my seeing the gifts. However, Gabe made the mistake of placing his gift next to Zeke. While we were loading up I heard Zeke say, “What’s this? Oh a pretty plant! Nice and green leaves!” Keeping gifts a secret is near impossible in this family. Dale sent me a lovely silver necklace with matching earrings from Iraq. He told me that the cost of it was determined by the shop owner weighing the jewelry on a scale and calculating the cost based on the current price of silver. The shop owner used a calculator to show the price of the jewelry just like they do in Korea. Here’s hoping my necklace is actually silver, just like I hope my bracelets really are jade. I spent part of my birthday at the bookstore with Zeke. The entire time there, he tried to convice me that it was not about me. “Not your books, Mommy. Zeke’s books!” Then off he’d walk towards the children’s section. For dinner, the kids and I went out to a Japanese steakhouse. I figured that flames and knives would keep Zeke occupied long enough for me to eat a hot meal. I had forgotten to warn the kids that the hostess would seat strangers at our table. Five guys who looked like they had just gotten off the job site came and joined us. What do you do in that situation? Other than a polite hello and goodbye, are you supposed to talk to the other people at the table? With Dale deployed and me alone with four kids, it didn’t seem like a good group to chit chat with. Every time I go into one of those restarants, I don’t know what to do. When the waitress came out banging a drum and carrying a small cake, we were all forced to interact. The construction crew got to sing Happy Birthday to me. After dinner, the kids and I had planned to stop at a good dessert place, but were sad to discover that it was not open on Mondays. Gabe was extremely disappointed, so I agreed to try and find somewhere else to go. I made the decision to go to Bob Evans. This was a bad decision. The only good thing to say about the place was that the kids got cool bendy straws with their water. Dale claims he’ll be here for my next birthday. I hope he is. It will make me thankful for gifts from Walmart and dessert at Bob Evans. Well, maybe not the dessert at Bob Evans.
Doing renovation work always seems like a great idea to make your house more appealing. Living in the midst of the mess created by the renovation dims its appeal. Our house has been a work in progress since the day we closed: 6 July. It is now 9 August and it is still a work in progress. It is impossible to look at what has been accomplished when the mess of what there is still to do is everywhere. Hopefully, when God looks at me, He looks more closely at what’s been accomplished than at the mess of what there is still to do. I was a bit of a mess today. I had the kids ready to go to Walmart to buy school supplies at 0930. The workman had informed me that he would be here at 1000. He arrived at 1345. I knew that the timing was now all wrong, but I insisted on driving on with the mission. So to Walmart I went with a 3 year old in need of a nap and a confusing list of school supplies. Why must there always be something on the list that says: “Spiral bound sketch pad 9 x 12”, and on the shelf your choices are 1. a spiral bound sketch pad 8 1/2 x 11 or 2. a regular sketch pad 9 x 12. When neither choice is the correct choice, what do you do? Me? I stand there glaring at the shelves in the hope that if I get mad enough a “Spiral bound sketch pad 9x 12” will suddenly appear. Soon Josiah was pushing an overloaded cart with a noisy wheel behind me down aisle after aisle. I finally told him to wait at the center display while I searched the 4 hardware aisles for something else. I told Gabe to just stand there with him. By the time I got back Gabe was crying hysterically. He had gotten his elbow jammed in the cart and had pinched and bruised his skin. I’m trying to be the concerned mother and all I can think is “can’t you just stand there?”, full well knowing that no, he can’t just stand there. Zeke is now crying as well and I decide that our shopping day is done whether or not we have everything on the list. I got home, put Zeke to bed and realized my personal renovation never seems to be done either.
