A truncated account of our journey across the planet

We left for the airport shortly after 3:00 on Thursday afternoon, with all of our stuff loaded into our neighbour's suburban and all of our people loaded into our minivan. Our neighbour's son purchased our minivan, so it made good sense (and was so helpful) to have them drive us to the airport and take possession of our vehicle there.

6 people. 18 checked bags. 6 carry-on bags. 6 backpacks.

Doha Departure Day

The day began with doughnuts.

And then we made the kids clean the bathrooms and throw out everything we hadn't yet thrown out and gather up 100% of everything else that was left in the house.

Doha Eve: The Chattahoochee

When we first moved here, I was quite excited about living so close to the river and we really did enjoy going to Jones Bridge Park and splashing around and walking the trails. But then COVID happened and the park was shut down and then tore up "Paradise" (a big bush the kids used as a fort) and then they closed the whole creek area for "conservation" (and turned a natural creek into what frankly appears to be a manmade disaster) and then they closed the bridge that makes the park be so close to us (quadrupling the time it takes to get there). But we decided we should go today and it was beautiful...but we were a little annoyed to see that the sewer project from last summer (which also closed a large area of the park again) meant that they also shut down half the trail. So the entire hiking trail is now about 200 feet long. 

Perhaps one day the park will be better again, but it has been a bit of a disappointment every time we've gone these last few years. 

That said, the river really was beautiful:

Alhamdulillah

We depart for the airport in approximately 29 hours. 

There was a...delay...in getting Andrew's work visa so up until this very moment, our instructions were to simply move our entire family and all our earthly belongings to the other side of the planet and...ask for a tourist visa upon arrival. 

Which...felt...a little bit like walking into an abyss. 

Like, "Hello there! We'd like one them thar tourist visas..."

I just...need...a little bit more...stability...than that...

But I'm a woman of faith, so...whatever...we were ready to just go. 

Andrew went out to run a few last minute errands this morning and when he came home he presented me a printout of a shiny new work permit—just arrived today.

So...phew!

Pictures from the waterslide party

I realized I never posted any other pictures from our neighbourhood party on July 18. It was such a wonderful day! Our neighbour Lynne rented a blow up waterslide (and at the behest of her daughters made sure to get a double one so the kids could race).

The night before school starts

We enforce curfew for the first time all summer,

say no to kick-the-can, and drag the children

inside for baths at 8:30. They don't want to

say goodbye.

It's the night 

before the night

before we move halfway 

around the world. The children organize

a hugging ceremony. They huddle up, 

strategize ways not to

say goodbye. 

Five more minutes, we say—

then proceed to talk for ten

while mosquitos feast and the 

children's feet collect more magic 

cul-de-sac dust. 

Even I don't know how to

say goodbye

so I end up ugly crying with my mom

friends under the streetlight

while we imagine how to raise our children

without each other.

*****

Anyway, here's a picture of the hugging ceremony huddle:

Doha Adam

It's the day before the day before we leave. 

The kids had a water fight at John's house this morning and then we went to the pool for the very last time—so we have time to wash, dry and pack everything we got wet today. 

Rehoming the pets

I must have forgotten to write about Waffles. 

We rehomed her back in April, thinking it would be better for her stability and mental health to avoid the stress of packing up a home. That way she would have one big adjustment to make rather than a million little adjustments to make as we took away favourite hiding place after favourite hiding place...and so forth. 

The woman who gave us Waffles helped us find a new family for her and from what I hear she's quite happy there (with fewer little people about (she really didn't like children all that much, as it turns out)). 

Here are a few pictures of the kids saying goodbye to her before she made her journey to her new home:

Lifelong teasing

Yesterday I was doing Phoebe's hair and asking her silly questions to help her keep still.

"Who is the cutest Phoebe in the world?" I asked. 

"Me!" she said proudly with a giggle.

"Who is the sweetest Phoebe in the world?"

"Me!"

"Who is the smartest Phoebe in the world?"

"Me!"

"Who is the goofiest Phoebe in the world?"

"You!"

"What—me?!" I objected. "But my name's not even Phoebe!"

"It is," Phoebe insisted.

"It is not!" I said. 

"It is," Phoebe explained, "It's just that no one has ever called you that because everyone has been teasing you for your whole entire life."

This is just the kind of joke she'd consider hilarious (she's been confusing Rachel and Miriam since she was about 6 months old...surely in part because she neglects to verify their identity entirely before saying their names, but also because she thinks it's funny—some days she'll switch them up entirely, other days she'll call them Rachel #1 and Rachel #2 or Miriam #1 and Miriam #6000). She's all about a good long-term prank.

A few good lasts: Church, swim friends, PTC bridge

Sunday was our last Sunday in our ward (and our last Sunday at church for a while since our ward in Doha will meet on Fridays). Nothing too far out of the normal happened, except our primary children were each gifted a rather large bag of leftover Easter candy (which they were thrilled about).