After the fabulous wedding of the Zink's, Ben and I made our way to Minneapolis to visit Jamie, Keith, the girls, and Andy. Ben's parents were also there for a couple of days and we were able to enjoy their company as well. We were amazed at how much Kara and Nina had grown in our year away. Both girls are very active and we enjoyed getting to play with them.
Thoughtful Kara
Silly sisters!
Fearless Nina
Silly sisters!
Ben and I took a day to do a bit of a MN date. We started our morning with a bit of Hazel's drunken banana French toast (absolutely, hands down, the greatest French toast EVER). We stopped at a few shops by Hazel's before heading to downtown St. Paul to hit up our favorite used bookstore. We stopped at a few other stores along the way and decided to head back to the house.
Mouth watering. . .
Nap time. :)
While in MN we cooked a couple meals for everyone, one being an Arabic dish we learned how to make in Dubai. Both went over very well. Keith almost made his delicious Pad Thai one night which is always on my request list! Aside from yummy eats, we also enjoyed wonderful conversation and quality time with everyone.
When everything was packed and ready do go, I lined our suitcases up at the door with our shoes for flight.
Waiting for this day, I thought it would be a celebration. Now that the day has come and passed, it was more of a heavy-hearted departure than anything else. Good things have come from our return to the States, but a part of my heart will always be with those we shared our lives with in Dubai.
The one part of moving you don't really think about until the end is having to say goodbye. For me, this applied not only to the amazing people I met, but to the city itself. With that said, the last few weeks of our time in Dubai was a scramble to fit in as much as possible. Coffee dates with my beloved Naomi & Julie, brunches with friends and nights of drinks and cards with our Dubai family. . . All of it had to come to an end too soon.
Part 1: To kick off 'the end', Collegiate American School had a fabulous end of the year party. The theme was Great Gatsby and there were some people who went all out in their attire. Ben and I kept it simple, but sophisticated.
We enjoyed a so-so meal (hey, it was free at least!) with all you can drink wine and beer which ended with a bit of dancing.
^^ I miss this girl!
Part 2: Our Dubai family (Ben, David, Casey, Naomi and me) used our last full night in Dubai to indulge in a bit of German food. We had all gone to Germany for Christmas and discovered that there was a Brauhaus in Dubai. We had been dying to try it, so no better time than the last night, right?
Naomi, Casey, me, Ben & David
David is obviously VERY excited about his beer!
Cheers!
After our delicious meal at Brauhaus we went to the Burj Khalifa/Dubai Mall to watch the fountains one last time.
The dude taking the picture was smoking. . .
The moon just looked awesome despite the photo.
My Dubai Family.
After our final night, we had our final day. The boys helped David get his place packed up for storage while Naomi and I indulged in a mani-pedi. Around 2 p.m. we went to World War Z and all got together for supper at our place. A few final drinks, a game of SkipBo and many hugs ended our day.
Then we were all off to other places and parts of the world.
Sometimes it is hard to believe that we are grown ups, but we are, and that means big life changes. Shortly after our return to the States, Ben and I picked up and went to Austin, MN for a wedding. Ben's college friend, Ari, was marrying a beautiful and wonderful young woman, Breanna. We felt incredibly honored to be invited to their wedding and were glad to be able to attend. It was a truly enchanting and beautiful wedding. The ceremony and reception were held in a lovely garden with simple, yet stunning decorations. You had to take a wooded path to reach the location and it was like being in a fairy tale! The love present at the wedding was almost palpable and made both Ben and I equally sentimental and lovey. :) Boy, do I love weddings!!
Now that we are closer to everyone I look forward to getting to know and spend more time with friends of Ben's and my own. And of us both. <3
