January Wrap-up

We have been very busy since our last post. Following a short visit to Illinois, we were quite exhausted when we arrived back in Dubai. Brad and Jordan came back to the UAE with us, and we enjoyed the first half of the month spending time with them. It was great to have them here for a visit. We love having people to show around. We all experienced most of what the UAE has to offer.

Crab hunting in the shallow seas of Umm Al Quwain.

The Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi

The girls had to get all 'covered up' to go inside the mosque.


Fireworks for the opening of the Burj Dubai now known as the Burj Khalifa. Khalifa is the ruler of nearby Abu Dhabi, who recently paid off a lot of Dubai's debts.

In front of the Burj Al Arab, with the Burj Dubai in the very distant background. This photo was taken from on the Palm Island.

Burj Dubai: self explanatory.

When we got back from the US, I (Adam) immediately moved to a new project. I am now commuting to Abu Dhabi (~50 minutes) everyday. I travel with a few other guys, so I don't have to drive all the time. It really isn't too bad. The project is called Al Raha Beach - The Ultimate Waterfront City. The project is 11km of beachfront property that is being developed with towers, canals, villas, town-houses, etc. You can check it out at http://www.alrahabeach.com/.

Jaclyn's work has gone really well over the last few weeks. She is working at Dubai Center for Special Needs as the work placement coordinator. She is placing a few of her students (17 to 28 year-olds) in after-school work programs, which is a really big step for special-needs individuals in Dubai. The UAE is really far behind on individual rights, but there seems to be a small movement in a positive direction. I really feel that Jaclyn is making a big difference in the lives of the students.

Maggie, our puppy, keeps growing and growing. This weekend we took her out to a secluded beach. She learned to swim, and she enjoyed wading along the shallow beach.

The last two mornings, I got to watch Marty's basketball game over the internet. That was a pretty good deal for me. Even though the video feed was a little bit choppy, I really enjoyed getting to see some of the games.