Yesterday, Ellie and Jennifer looked at houses with the company housing guy, Les. The company has decided that all employees must live in company housing, and they rent/own numerous homes in compounds around the city. (Compounds are like mini gated communities back in the States.) We saw Castle Compound and Palm Plaza. Both are very closely ringed by their respective walls, giving a bit of a prison feel when one is in the house. The house in Palm Plaza was really nice and new, but the compound facilities were lacking and it will be quite a commute to get to clubs (and work, for that matter). The house in Castle Compound wasn't bad but was much older and is in the middle of massive construction effort for the Asian Games. Neither was what we hoped for. The company has many homes in wonderful compounds (some with such fabulous facilities--indoor and outdoor pools, kiddie play areas, sauna, steam room, gym...--that no club would be necessary). Unfortunately, we are at the tail-end of a HUGE influx of people for the company, and housing was first-come, first-served. What we see now is what everyone else has rejected. Alas. Les told us that he might have some different places available next week. Please keep your fingers crossed! This transition has not been a very smooth one, so we'd really love to have a good home here.

This morning, we were given a tour of Doha by a lovely South African woman named Antoinette. One common outlet here is club membership, so we took a look at a couple of clubs first. For you US folks, it's like being a member of a country club...only almost everyone seems to be a member of one club or another. Most are in hotels. We've seen and used the one here at the Ritz and it's generally acknowledged to be the most luxurious...but maybe a bit too posh for us. Today, we looked at the club at the Hotel Intercontinental and the independent "Diplomatic Club" (where most of the diplomats go since it's near their homes). Both of those have private beaches (something the Ritz lacks), but the Intercontinental Club definitely had a swinging singles scene idea going (and not in a particularly nice way). Over the next few days, I'll try to see some more clubs and see what we like. If we can find a home in a compound with nice facilities, we might not need a club at all. We'll see houses on Thursday. Keep your fingers crossed for us that they will show us something nice (since we have to take one the company finds for us).
Antoinette drove us all over the town and showed us a number of nice shops, grocery stores and markets. Although we didn't get to go there, she did point out the market where one can buy all types of animals...including camels!

Doha is definitely a different location for us. We still have a lot of adjusting to do, but I think it will be interesting. Next step, find a house. Though staying at the Ritz is nice, it will be even nicer to have a home again!

Yesterday was another day of whiling away the jetlag in the hotel. Ellie and I decided to indulge in the luxury and lounge poolside during the afternoon. The wonderful staff of the executive lounge gave Ellie some rubber duckies, so of course one had to be toted to the pool for thorough chewing. Why chew everything? Besides the obvious "why not?" response, Ellie is sprouting her first tooth!

News from the UN website:
Annan To Attend Alliance of Civilizations Meeting in Qatar
20 February -- To emphasize his concern over the violent reactions to the caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad, Secretary-General Kofi Annan has decided to attend in person the meeting of the High Level Group for the Alliance of Civilizations, to be held in Doha, Qatar, this coming weekend.

News from us:
And he's staying in our hotel!

Greetings from Doha, Qatar!
Despite the one day delay, Ellie and Jennifer arrived without further incident and in amazingly good shape after a 21+ hour journey. Ellie, of course, was a complete and total angel baby on the planes. The first leg was from Mobile, Alabama, to Atlanta, Georgia, and we were seated next to another mom with a one year old baby girl named Reagan: FASCINATING! We have discovered that Ellie LOVES other children and is endlessly amazed by them. She watched Reagan (who was a VERY busy beaver) in quiet wonder all the way to Atlanta. In Atlanta, we transferred to British Airways, and let me just say that one cannot underrate the beauty of 180 degree flat beds in business class! The only thing more beautiful than that was the empty seat next to us, giving us TWO big ol' seats to play with. Ellie had a ball playing in her seat in between naps, and I think most of the other passengers had no idea there was a little baby on board. Arriving in London (where it was snowing!)without a hitch, we had a bit of a jam transferring to Qatar Airways (no elevator to the South Terminal, meaning we had to go through immigration--Ellie's first passport stamp--then customs, and then check-in all over again just to change terminals), but the plane ride was nice. The flight crew was extremely friendly. Even the captain took some time to play with Ellie when we saw him in the corridor! One of the flight attendants provided a bassinet for Ellie, which she proceeded to chew with gusto (see photo exhibit).

Now, our little family is reunited and happily whiling away the jetlag in the Ritz-Carlton. Talk about fancy-schmanzy! The spa facilities are gorgeous! Today, Ellie had her first pool experience. We don’t think she knew what to make of the water, but she splashed about like a pro!

Not so fast!
Well, we thought we'd be travelling to Qatar today. Actually, we expected to be at least eight hours into our journey by now, but instead we are back in Mississippi. How do these things happen to us? Apparently, there was a major debacle involving the booking of our tickets by the travel agency. Our tickets could not be issued even after hours of attempts to sort it out with various travel agents and airline personnel...which wouldn't have mattered anyway since the first leg of our journey was cancelled and we were stuck in New Orleans for the night, regardless.

I've been listening to "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" on audiobook lately. In it, Arthur Dent has a line that applies so well to today's situation that it is my new motto:
"I'm sorry, but would it save you a lot of time if I just gave up and went mad now?"

Off we go!
This Tuesday, Ellie and Jennifer will board a plane and begin the 21+ hour trek (via New Orleans, Atlanta, and London) to join Markus in Doha, Qatar (map courtesy of the CIA World Factbook, http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/qa.html). We're wrapping up loose ends and saying some goodbyes...though we are always hopeful that we will see visitors before too long. We realize that Qatar is a bit of a stretch for most casual travelers, but there are many desirable locations close-by that we would be happy to see as well!
Markus has been in Qatar for a few weeks already, and his first impressions have centered on the massive construction efforts by the ambitious government. We're looking forward to exploring a bit as a family, and we plan to do much more frequent posting once we are able. Keep checking in on us!

BABY FEET!

Bayou beauty
(view from Barry's backyard)

We have discovered a new skill...

Ellie is five months old and ready to experience new things. We thought it was time to introduce a bit of diversity into her dining repertoire.



The rice cereal went over well...though she appeared far more interested in the spoon than the food.



Bypassing the bottle completely, Ellie handled her first attempt at a cup with grace and skill. What a smart girl!

Dr. Berlin and Barry

For those of you who have checked the blog repeatedly in hopes of updates on the Ocean Springs saga and have come up short, our apologies. Knowing what is okay to blog has been a bit tricky, as we want to keep friends and family updated while at the same time being sensitive to Barry's privacy about his health and well-being.
Generally speaking, Barry is doing well. The chemo days are very hard and leave him feeling physically devastated and exhausted. He has chemo treatments every two weeks for three days at a time each time. During the time in between treatments, he gradually regains a balanced physical state, and often he feels quite well in the days just before another treatment (which makes the treatment days seem so horrible, having gone from feeling almost great just the day before).
This week, we had the opportunity to meet with Dr. Jordan Berlin of Vanderbilt Medical Center for a second opinion on Barry's cancer status and current care regimen. Dr. Berlin made a wonderful impression on us, and we were so thankful for the visit! He talked with us for quite some time, answered each and every one of our questions, and offered his number for questions we might have in the future. Overall, he approved of Barry's current regimen, though he did make some suggestions for tweaking medications and dosages here and there. He thoroughly explained Barry's cancer status in a way that was far more detailed and satisfying than we had from the oncologist back at home. At least we know what's coming and what to expect as treatments continue.
Barry has a great fighter's spirit. He wants to proceed with the chemo and "whip this thing", despite the extreme discomfort (to put it gently) he experiences during treatments. Any and all signs of support are greatly appreciated by him, so thank you for all of your calls and messages.

On a different topic...
This past Friday, Markus hopped on a plane and headed for Hannover, Germany to visit his family before continuing on to Qatar. He was slated to carry on in that direction today, but heavy German fog afforded him a few more days with his mom and his sister. Although he could have caught a flight to Doha tomorrow, that would make his first full day there a Friday, which is a weekend day in Qatar. Rather than traveling to sit in a hotel, he'll head to Qatar on Saturday instead (to be there for Sunday, which is the first day of the workweek there).
Ellie and Jennifer traveled to visit Ellie's Mimi (Jennifer's mom), then to Nashville for Dr. Berlin, and then to New Orleans for doctor's appointments of their own before returning to Ocean Springs to check on Barry. Whew! What a whirlwind!
Check out this little (almost) five month old cutie, who has recently discovered her feet...

It's time for some changes.
On Friday, Markus and Jennifer flew up to D.C. with Ellie and the two cats. From there, Markus carried on to Germany to visit family before traveling to Qatar (due there Feb. 1st). Jennifer and Co. stayed in D.C. to visit Jennifer's mom. Ellie is having a blast with her Mimi! The kitties will stay behind in Virginia with the Mimi until we can get settled in Qatar and have them shipped over...or until we find a good home for them here (whichever comes first).
On Monday, January 30, Jennifer and her dad will go see Dr. Jordan Berlin at Vanderbilt for a second opinion. Dr. Berlin was personally recommended and has an amazing pedigree (google him if you don't believe me), so we are very excited that he has agreed to see Dad on short notice. We are very concerned with the current state of Barry's (Jennifer's dad's) health. He has lost a lot of weight (and is continuing to lose weight) and experiences a lot of pain. His current doctor is not nearly proactive enough about these things (especially the pain), so we are hoping Dr. Berlin will give us a new perspective and hopefully a new game plan. Our wonderful family friend, Mary, will be coming along on the trip as well. She will be a great help to Barry during the traveling bit, and she and Ellie will have lots of fun while Jennifer and Barry see the doctor.
Today is Markus's birthday! HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MARKUS! We hope you have lots of fun with your family! We love and miss you!!!!

Markus got fed at The Shed on his last day in Mississippi.
Ellie wanted some too.

Ellie meets Uncle Bob.
Who knew facial hair was so fascinating?

black Houdini cat escapes to roof and surveys neighborhood

We realize that we have been posting relatively little until things are said and done. Unfortunatley, this defeats the purpose of trying to keep everyone updated on our comings-and-goings, which is the point of this blog, so...
This week has been a big one. Markus remained in New Orleans to be in our apartment as the movers packed us up for Qatar. This process took two (very long) days, and then today, a cleaning service came to tidy up. The house is clean, the door is locked, and it is our home no longer. After four post-Katrina months of having a New Orleans apartment we don't live in, we are no longer resident New Orleanians. Heavy sigh. We will miss it. New Orleans was always non-functional and often very third-world, but it's personality grows on you and we have a deep affection for it after our four years there. Alas.
Meanwhile...
Ellie and Jennifer have been in Houston tying up various loose ends. Although Markus still has work here until around January 20th (and will return here in a few days), Ellie and I are heading out tomorrow...going back to New Orleans and then back to Ocean Springs where Jennifer's dad is. His house was damaged by flood during Katrina (Ocean Springs is next door to Biloxi on the Gulf Coast of Mississippi). In the days that followed, he ripped out all the carpeting and insulation...but that's where the work stopped because he was diagnosed with cancer. Surgery followed, and now chemo...and the house is still a disaster. The foundation subsided in multiple places, the roof leaks despite the FEMA tarp, and the floors are nothing but bare plywood boards (between which one can see down to the ground). Insurance also provided for new drywall in the downstairs to eliminate possible mold, which hasn't become apparent but may well be growing inside. In the midst of all this, Jennifer's dad is going through chemotherapy and having the usual associated troubles with his health on a daily basis. We're very concerned about his environment on top of his health concerns, so Jennifer and Ellie are going to stay there for a while to help out. Jennifer plans to get the house repairs organized and started as soon as possible. An added bonus is her ability to keep an eye on her dad's meds and meals most days. Ellie, darling trooper that she is, will come along for the ride.
A very hard part will be a short-term separation of our family. Markus has to wrap up his work in Houston in the next few weeks, and he is expected in Qatar on February 1st. If our current plans work out, Jennifer and Ellie will only carry on to Qatar in a few months' time. We try not to think about this (too stressful and sad!). Anyway, the reason we're doing it is a very good reason, so that's what we cling to and we take the rest one day at a time.
And it all begins tomorrow.

It's amazing how things work out.
Two days ago, the moving company began packing our things in New Orleans, and I was so frustrated at the prospect of leaving things behind to save on volume. Two major items were our couch and lounge chair plus ottoman. They are bulky and we had talked of replacing them in the past, but being told by the movers that they wouldn't fit in the container for Qatar made me genuinely irritated.
Well...
Today, one of the packers (who is a very nice man) shared with Markus some photos of his house, post-Katrina. Water had covered his roof. When the flood receded, the structure was still standing and most of their belongings were still inside...but everything was irretrievably damaged. They lost everything they owned.
Markus gave him our couch and chair. A source of frustration and strain turned a thing of beauty.
In the words of Tiny Tim, "God bless us, everyone."

From our family to yours, we hope you had a wonderful holiday season!
May 2006 bring you happiness and peace!

Holy moly!
On Christmas, Jennifer received a digital SLR from her favorite Santa's helper! Let the photo madness begin!
(As you can see by the short sleeves, Christmas Day was a balmy 70 degrees Fahrenheit. Welcome to the South, y'all)