Thank Goodness it's Friday's!!!!

So our TGIFriday's finally opened up this week after months of waiting and checking and watching and asking and waiting. We have already been twice! There are a lot of things on menu that the don't have yet. But the potato skins (with real bacon) and Jack Daniel's Bacon Cheeseburger were quite delicious. It was so strange like totally stepping out of North Africa. Our server spoke English and as you can see from this photo he loves America! The place was packed with foreigners and the two large parties around us were all Americans. We went with our friends from a nearby city and had so much fun!


Excuse me...where are we?!!! The managers and owner are American. AND they had and English menu!!!


Okay this is a random picture. It's an electronic shop on the bottom floor of our building so I have to walk by this nappy hair every day. I don't know why it bugs me but it's HUGE and I don't know if you can tell from the pic her hair is not pretty. If you are gonna blow something up this week you gotta pay attention to detail folks!

That's all I got this week. Peace Out!

Events From our Typical Week

This week I had to do some major undercover work to get these pics.  Luckily, they leave us alone in the rooms with the babies so I was able to sneak some of these.  After I arrive at 8:30 I help feed the newborns and change their clothes.  When all their feeding is done I come to this room and help with the older babies.  These ones are really fun because they play and laugh.  We have to wear white coats (like lab coats) and have our heads covered.

Here is the playpen where there can be like 12 babies at one time.  So they crawl all over each other (notice the little one in the green on the bottom left, his foot is all up in the other one's face :)  

Here are the cribs for this age.  These babies don't walk yet, but some can a crawl a little bit. The newborns are in another room and they stay in those small plastic hospital beds all lined up against the wall.  When they get too big for those they come in rooms like these.  They keep this place remarkable clean.  

This is my favorite little girl.  I wish you could see her little face.  She loves to laugh and cuddle with me.  She recognizes me now when I come in.  (as always, click to enlarge)

I know you are probably wishing there was more of Cody on our postings.  He isn't quite as motivated to take pictures as I am.  I took this one while he was giving a guitar lesson to a friend.  Once a week this guy comes over and Cody helps him learn to play.  

So I joined a gym.  I go three times a week to classes.  It comes out to be about $1 per session! It alternates between strength training, abs, step aerobics, dance aerobics, stretching, and I am not sure what else yet.  


People will come in before or after class and use the equipment.  I don't actually use it, I just attend the classes.  

I totally got in trouble for taking these pics after the class was done.  She said all these women are not wearing their head coverings and are showing their lower back.  I figured ya'll most likely wouldn't recognize anybody! 

Happy Valentines Day (from the bottom of our tiny chicken heart)

Cody is a great cook.  He is learning how to cook local food and he loves it.  He has also started buying fresh chickens.  Where they weigh it, kill it, and pluck it for you.  He brings them home warm and with all the guts inside.  Well he had printed out some instructions from the Internet on how to cut up a chicken but our house-keeper didn't quite get that concept.  She insisted on helping...and by helping I mean doing it for Cody.  He really wanted to learn how, but she said "Now you'll know for next time...crazy foreigners."

I thought the little heart was so cute, and appropriate for Valentine's on Thursday.  Nothing says "I love you" like a tiny little chicken heart.  

Something I love about our country is the fresh, cheap produce.  It's always so organized and the owners are pretty anal about keeping it that way.  Normally I let them choose the best ones for me.  You normally order by the kilo.  Sometimes I will just tell him a price of how much I want and he figures it out.  Our most favorite vegetable is green beans.  We normally boil them for about 7 minutes, drain, and add butter, fresh garlic, and salt and pepper.  I mostly eat bananas and oranges for fruit because those I don't have to wash, and I am lazy.  But my favorite are the tiny mandarin oranges. Strawberry's recently came into season and I have already eaten so many I am sick!  You know the little plastic thing at the grocery store you get of strawberries...well it cost about $.50 here.  

The beautiful bell peppers.  Today we had a delicious local salad of potatoes, bell pepper, carrots, onion, and tomatoes.   The dressing is oil and vinegar with salt and pepper.  Delicious! Does anybody know if eating straight sunflower oil (or any vegetable oil) is healthy for you?


This week I also had a chance to roam the King's palace grounds.  It was my first time, the guard was being nice and let me go through.  I have tried before but they have never let us go in until this time.  
The is a fancy door, huh?  I asked the policeman if I could tour the inside...like the White House lets us do.  He said no because people would steal things.  I preceded to tell him I was a really good girl and wouldn't touch a thing.  He believed me but insisted it was FORBIDDEN!  (One of my favorite words in Arabic)


So here is a pic of my newly dyed hair. Unfortunately this is after three washings and it has already lightened up a lot. I really want it to stay dark but it fades with each wash. Is the same problem buying dyes in America?

Marches, Wigs, and Babies

Last week I invited all of you to my pity party, thank you for attending and thanks for your encouraging comments and e-mails!  I had these photos ready to go on Sunday, the day I usually post, but alas time slipped away and it's now Thursday!  
We are used to seeing riots, protests, and marches in front of the Parliament building all the time but it caught me off guard as I was down at the old market and these people were chanting and marching down a main street.  I asked a lady what it was about and it was the usual "no jobs, unfair treatment" stuff.  It is pretty sad that people will graduate with masters degrees and not be able to get a job here. 

I wanted to dye my hair this week so I decided to try on a dark wig to see if I like it.  Well I did end up dying my hair but it's not this black, just dark brown.  You'll have to wait until next week to see how it turned out (i know you are all dying of suspense :)


Last weekend Cody and I had the pleasure of baby-sitting a friends girl while they were of out of town for a couple of nights.  We had so much and she is super chill and easy.  
Bath time!!!

Here she is making new friends at church.  She loves everybody!

This little girl is 17 months old.  Not sure if she is big for her age or just looks big next to me!