Reyn-drop is 6!

The day we got back from Dubai was Reyn's birthday.  She was excited about opening her presents, so we did that first.   This year she said she wanted 1D and Hello Kitty stuff again, but we found a darling Olaf that we just had to get her.  After presents she picked Golden Corral for her birthday dinner.  She got to stand on her chair at the restaurant while the servers sang to her and after dinner we went home and watched her birthday video and used her new Easy Bake Oven.  She's such a cutie pie.  Happy Birthday Reyn!

 

 

 

40th Birthday Trip

A few weeks ago I was having a rough day so I told Ben I needed a break and wanted to lay down.  He said he had just the thing to cheer me up, and boy was he right!  At first I thought he would probably jump in the car and go to buy me some kind of treat to munch on from Maverick, but I was way off.  He took Alyssa and Holly and disappeared for a bit and then came back with a clue for a little treasure hunt that guided me around the house to more clues. The final clue was a QR Code.  I downloaded an app that would read the code for me and it was a picture of the Burj Khalifa.  I knew that Ben was going there, so I asked what that had to do with me, and the girls shouted out that I was going to the top of the tallest building in the world, which meant I was going with Ben to Dubai for my 40th birthday.  Ben had booked my flight and found a babysitter and everything!  I got a little choked up.

I love having something to look forward to.  The weeks leading up to our trip were so much fun!  We left on Super bowl Sunday which was kind of a bummer since the Seahawks were playing, but we caught half-time and the third quarter in the Atlanta airport.  The flight to Dubai was really long.  I tried to get some sleep, but just couldn't get comfortable.  I watched movie after movie dozing in and out.  By the time we got off the flight, 13 hours later, I was exhausted,  and my feet, ankles, and lower legs had swollen up like they did when I was pregnant.  I was honestly pretty miserable.  Luckily with the time change, we got there at night, so it was time for bed. 

On our first morning in Dubai we headed to Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world.  Ben had purchased tickets to the top and being afraid of heights, I was a bit nervous.  We jumped on the elevated train to the Dubai mall and walked around for awhile before our tour.  We entered the building from the mall and took the elevator up 124 flights in just one minute to the lookout area.  It was pretty impressive being up so high.  At first my palms were a bit sweaty and I was a little dizzy, but it was awesome looking down on so many other sky scrapers that were also very tall and seeing the layout of Dubai.  It was a bit hazy that morning, so I couldn't see as much as I would have liked, but it was awesome! 

That afternoon we went on a desert safari.  We dune bashed in a 4-wheel drive vehicle.  I was in the front seat and had a good view of the terrain which I believe made it a bit more exciting.  I thought we were going to roll a few times, and got super nauseated, but it was fun.  Then we went to a camp and rode a camel, enjoyed an Arabian BBQ and some belly dancing. 

 

Day two I spent catching up on sleep, reading, and laying by the pool while Ben worked.  It was so nice!  That evening we went back to the Burj Khalifa to see the dancing fountain.  It was pretty impressive at night. 





 

Day three I rested a bit more, finished my book and tried to lay out, but it was a bit too cold.  I met up with Ben after he finished at the trade show and we went to the Gold Souk.  Ben was trying to find a nice Tag Heuer watch for a good price, so we went down some sketchy alleyways into some sketchy buildings, but in the end we came away empty handed.  That evening we went to the Marina (which is impressive) where we were treated to dinner by a magazine company that wants Ben to continue to advertise with them,  four very nice people from England.  We ate at a Turkish restaurant that wasn't very good, but the company was enjoyable. 

Gold Souk (market)

View from our room...the buildings on the left are the
Emirates Towers.  We stayed on the 39th floor of the Raddison Royal

Our final day we made our way to the Emirates Mall to check out Ski Dubai (an indoor ski area in a mall.)  It looked pretty cool, so we decided to go in and do the zip line.  We were wearing shorts, so they outfitted us in warm clothes and we made the descent twice, lots of fun!  Then we wanted to check out Jumeirah Beach which is near Burj al Arab (the only 7 star hotel in the world.)  The weather was a bit too cold to hang out long, but the beach was nice, and clean, and the color of the water was beautiful!

  

At Ski Dubai

Jumeirah Beach and hotel Burj al Arab

On our last evening we went to a place called Global Village.  I had expected it to be a place where I could learn more about the culture of the different countries in the middle east, but it turned out to be a big flea market of goods from lots of different countries.  It was alright, but I wouldn't choose to go back.  We also stopped by the Dragon Market to buy some souvenirs for the kids, then made our way to the airport.  Our flight was delayed so they let us rest in the Delta lounge, which was nice because we were both completely worn out. 

 

The flight back to Atlanta was 15+ hours.  So long!  Since our flight had been delayed we missed our original flight in Atlanta and took a later flight to SLC.  Our total trip home took more than 24 hours, yuck!!!  It's two days later and I'm still trying to recover. 

Overall going to Dubai was a wonderful experience.  The buildings were impressive, the traffic was never bad, the people, although not real friendly seemed pleasant.   The service at our hotel was great.  I thought it was a little strange that there weren't more Americans there, I maybe saw a handful the whole time I was there.  I do wish I had learned more about the culture, and Muslim religion before I went.   We talked to most of our taxi drivers and asked lots of questions, I hope they didn't think we were rude.  I found myself wondering if they hated Americans or what they thought about us.  One of our waiters told us that he could always pick out the Americans because they were always happy.  That can't be a bad thing, right?

Anyways, thanks Ben for making my 40th birthday a very memorable one.  I love you and had a blast in Dubai!

On the Right Path!

 Alyssa got baptized today, which means she's on the right path!  I'm so proud of her.  She was so excited for her baptism that she had been counting down the days.  She was baptized and confirmed by her dad with Ben and Grandpa Julien as witnesses and many people there that love her.  Both of her birth parents were able to come, brothers and sisters, aunts, uncles, cousins, and family friends.  Afterward we had lunch at David Wenk's house.  I asked people to bring things that Alyssa loves to eat like chocolate covered strawberries, finger jello, pringles, and Ben's double chocolate cookies.  She ate a full plate of food, which is rare for her.   She received many wonderful gifts and was especially excited about her new scriptures.  Thanks everyone for making her feel special and loved.  I am blessed to be her mom!  Congratulations Alyssa, I hope you will always remember this special day!

 

Alyssa with Nate (her birth father) and Tayla (her birth sister)

Her new scriptures!

Alyssa and Taryn (her birth mom)