A dear friend of ours has been suffering from severe vertigo issues for a few weeks now. She finally went to see a doctor about it today and learned some amazing things. Apparently, we have calcium crystals in our inner ears. When they become loose and move about, a sensation of vertigo results. This condition is easy to treat, and now she feels great! But to recap: today my friend learned that her marbles were loose. I could have told her that!

Greetings from Virginia! Ellie and I flew up here this morning from New Orleans. Luckily, the weather that just left the Gulf Coast didn't catch us. It was raining here, but nothing more serious than that. We used the grey day as an excellent napping opportunity! Now we're here with the Mimi and are set for some big fun! Only two more days before Markus joins us! Hooray!
We're so happy that our good friend Mary is doing so well. We're sure her healing will progress even more smoothly now that temptation has left the building. She wasn't supposed to lift anything heavier than 10 pounds for 6 weeks. Ellie weighs 21 pounds. What do you suspect Mary was doing when Jennifer wasn't looking?
As life would have it, we have another dear friend scheduled to undergo surgery tomorrow. He seems well taken care of though, so we will keep him in our thoughts and prayers for a speedy recovery!

Good thing we didn't get too uppity about our tide-turning festivities.
The contractor didn't work today. We were supposed to meet today, but that didn't happen either. He is sick and had a doctor's appointment. But we're handling it. We're cool.


We're keeping our fingers crossed anyway. The contractor doesn't realize that tomorrow is my last full day in town, so let's hope he manages to keep our meeting then!

As an aside, today was another GORGEOUS Southern fall day here in Ocean Springs. Temperature around 70 and sunny, clear blue skies. We took a drive along the beach and stopped at the harbor to visit some friends.



And last but not least, we drove past a Katrina demolished beach house that sported a spray-painted warning: NO TRESS PASSING
Does this mean wig swapping is out?

Could we be witnessing the turn of the tide?

Item #1:
The contractor is at work on the house in Ocean Springs! He has been working every day for nearly two weeks since I called and made it clear in my best junior-high-school-teacher, not-taking-any-more-crap voice that he best get busy. The foundation should be completely repaired before I leave on Wednesday if all goes well. Of course, he doesn't know I'm leaving Wednesday. It helps keep him busy if he thinks I could pop in at any moment. Let's be hopeful that phase 2 (porch and roof) will actually progress after I'm gone. He claims that the foundation was the only part beyond his control, since his crew can do everything but that (thus he had to contract that out and therein lay the problem). I won't hold my breath that the rest will progress smoothly, but I am hoping to be pleasantly surprised.
Yesterday, I priced new kitchens. Dad's appliances all need replacing and the cabinets sustained water during Katrina...besides, it hasn't been updated since it was built. Time to redo! Now, I had heard through the home repair grapevine that the kitchen is the most expensive room in the house to redo, but I had NO IDEA what that meant until I sat down with a kitchen guy yesterday and worked up a quote. Keep in mind that I selected fairly mid-range items from cabinets to appliances. The ballpark was between $15- and $25 THOUSAND DOLLARS! YOW! No wonder Dad never updated it. Holy moly.
The foundation doesn't cost that much.
Sheesh.

Item #2:
We got the house we wanted in The Hague! I have been so excited about this that people assume we must be buying. NOT SO! It's a rental, folks! But here's the thing... Since August 27, 2005, we have not lived in a place we actively chose to live. Katrina sent us to Houston for a few months, where we had a very temporary-feeling apartment furnished primarily by our generous friends' furniture. We moved to Qatar, where after spending almost two months in a hotel (longer for Markus), we were forced into a company house we didn't want...and even that was temporary because the company told us we would move to a different compound in a year if we had stayed. Then we move to The Hague, look for homes, find one that really suits us...and are denied it by HR. Well, denial can return to being a river in Egypt, happy campers! HR caved (why, we may never know) and gave us permission to (shocker!) choose our own residence! We already had a stellar estate agent on our side, and she secured the house for us right away! As soon as I get back, I will post pictures for you to see. FABULOUS location...and TWO guest rooms, so bring it on, people! We want to see you!

Just so we don't get too carried away with our tide-turning festivities, our air freight still has not arrived from Qatar. Air freight items are those items you want right away but cannot carry on the plane. It takes typically 2-3 days for shipment and then maybe a few more for customs on the other end. Our air freight was packed on October 2. It is now November 11th, and we still don't have it. It contains cold weather gear and all documents for my father's estate. LESSON LEARNED. Irreplaceable items MUST be hand-carried in the future, regardless. Meanwhile, Markus is freezing his stubborn heinie off in the cold, waiting for the air freight to deliver his coats, sweaters, and long underwear. I am less affected by this. It's November in Mississippi and we have the A/C on.

Ellie continues to walk like no tomorrow. Yesterday, she took to running away from me at top speed in stores. When I followed asking where she thought she was going, she shrieked with maniacal laughter and gained speed. At least I know we will be getting plenty of exercise from here on out.

Last night, Jennifer and Ellie trekked over to New Orleans to attend the first meet-and-greet with her fellow Muses. For those of you who've missed this important detail, JENNIFER IS RIDING IN MARDI GRAS IN NEW ORLEANS THIS YEAR! Woo-hoo! Mardi Gras parades are done by krewes (clubs for Mardi Gras). My favorite parade for years has been Muses, the only all-women (and diverse!) krewe! Muses puts on an AWESOME parade. While they roll a few days before Mardi Gras, they really mark the start of the better, more elaborate and fun parades. A couple of years ago, Markus and I agreed that the best way to show my enthusiasm would be to join and toss my hat into the ring for upcoming riders. This year, it's my turn! Muses is set to roll on Valentine's Day (possibly up for a date change...keep checking back), and I'd love to see as many friends and family members out there as possible!
Last night was the first opportunity I've had to meet the other ladies on my float. Just about anyone can tell you that getting a bunch of women together with food and wine can make for a crazy affair. I am happy to report that the Muses I met must all be completely insane...it looks to be an amazing year! I can hardly wait to get rolling!

A very on-top-of-it girlfriend has just pointed out that we have reached the one year anniversary for this blog. Blitzpampers has been on the web and sharing our stories for a full year now! We'd like to thank all of our dedicated readers as well as our occasional blog-checkers. Your comments and feedback make it all worthwhile...which brings up a good point. Where are all the comments and feedback? We know you are reading this, people! We'd like to hear from you!

This is one little kitten I'm sure Markus will allow me to keep. Isn't she beautiful? Hope you all had a happy Halloween!

As of the last posting, Jennifer was busy looking online and on foot for houses in The Hague. Then, several days lapsed with no updates, during which time we secretly found a house and worked with the real estate agent to get some minor repairs/detailing worked out with the landlord. The house wasn't perfect, but it couldn't have had a more perfect location. In the city center, but not on a busy street (actually, on a beautiful canal street). Walking distance to EVERYTHING. After Houston and Doha, walking distance to everything seems heavenly. But I didn't post that news. Given what we'd heard about HR, I was afraid releasing that information would be enough for them to send the Bureaucracy SS after me. I kept my mouth (and fingers) quiet, and Markus played their game.
They won anyway.
They have officially denied our request to go on the open market. As in Doha, they want to force us into a company house that numerous other families have already rejected. What bites is not living in company accomodation; it's this uneven application of policy that could mean any arbitary decision from whomever you come up against on whatever day that results in us being told where we can live our private lives. Not fun. But also, apparently, not open for debate. Sigh.
So...Markus is now looking at company houses without us. Why, you ask?
Once again, Jennifer and Ellie are stateside. Sunday morning, we had an email from our dear family friend, telling us she would be having an emergency surgery on Monday. It wasn't life threatening, but the recovery would be challenging for a person on her own so Markus and I agreed Ellie and I should be here. Although we are ahead of schedule, we were planning to come for a few weeks around Thanksgiving time anyway. My dad's house is still untouched by the $%&$^%# contractor (two months after the finish date he quoted me when we signed). I need to be here to either light a fire under his behind or get our contract annulled so I can find someone else (though who that will be, I have NO idea because good contractors on the Gulf Coast are booked out til the end of time, apparently). When I called Steve (the AWOL contractor) and told him I was here, the "oh $%^&!" in his voice was pretty clear. He said his flooring guy ran off with a few thousand dollars and he's been trying to track him down, but don't worry...he's got a new guy who will be there at the beginning of next week. Monday, I ask? Well...apparently the new guy considers Halloween a holiday so he won't be in until after the holiday. Wednesday, I ask? Yeah, Wednesday.
How much money do you want to bet that there will be NO ONE there on Wednesday?
Or Thursday for that matter?
What a debacle.
On the upside, Markus managed to get leave approved for Thanksgiving, when he will join us up at my mom's. Thanksgiving is on her birthday this year, so we're really happy to be able to celebrate with her! Since our things won't clear the massive red tape that completely engulfs The Netherlands until at least December, there's no reason to stick around waiting (no pun intended).

Finally, I am happy to report that little Miss Ellie is officially a walker! I set her down in a shop in New Orleans on Tuesday afternoon, and she just toddled off to get a toy across the store. There's no stopping her now!

The settling in process begins!
Yesterday, we looked at a (first of many) house in the Archipel area. It was a large house, excellent location...but the low price of rent tipped us off that there was a hidden catch. Once we entered the house, the catch was revealed in great clarity. The place is in DESPERATE need of renovation. It would be an excellent opportunity if it were for sale, but as a rental, NO WAY JOSE! The walls were awful, greying-white, painted rough concrete. The kitchen hardly warranted the name. The only bathroom with a tub was in the attic. Yes, folks...up four flights to give the baby a bath. No thank you. So the search continues. Last night's internet searching led me to fall in love with a house listed for sale online. It's entirely impractical for our needs (quite old so very inconvenient layout, a bit small, unlikely that any of our American-size furniture will even fit in the door...), but I love it anyway. It's located on (what I've decided from strolling) the prettiest street in The Hague. Hopefully, I can get an appointment to see it today or tomorrow. Reality may affect my swooning. I also found a different one that has good potential as a rental, but it's partly furnished with antiques. Unless we can get it unfurnished, that's out. The last thing I need is to be responsible for our landlord's antique furniture with a baby in the house. Heck, even with just me in the house. Unfurnished is the way we play.
Rumor has it that the company will assign us a real estate agent or at least point us toward one. Stories conflict as to how that actually works. One person said we have to call and find our own agent, but gave us a personal recommendation. Another person said the company maintains relationships with three agents, and we have to choose among them; open market searches are forbidden. Yet another said we will have one assigned to us and that person will contact us him/herself. Hmph. This is why Jennifer is searching online and on foot. I am not waiting for the almight bureaucracy to suss this out. This is company headquarters! We are not the first family to have come through here, yet no one seems to have a solid story. Welcome to HR, right?

Back to reality?
Since we arrived in The Netherlands last Thursday morning, we have felt more like we are on holiday than a move. In addition to city touring on foot, we've been blessed with visits from dear friends every day! The combination of having new places to see and explore and old friends to chat with has been so wonderful that we feel we must be on vacation again! Today, reality may start to settle in (which is still okay). Markus has to report to human resources. He even has to wear a suit and tie, clothing that hasn't seen much attention in the past five years in the casual environs of Dohot and New Orleans. Jennifer has been keeping an eagle eye on housing during city strolls, and today she'll start making calls. Yes, it seems we actually are going to stay here. Amazing!

Today we spent the day in Delft, a first visit for Ellie and Jennifer. LOVED IT! Of course, it helped that we had picture perfect fall weather. The sun was shining but the air was cool. So wonderful! We even found a cafe in the afternoon that was child-friendly (you can't imagine how surprising it is to find a nice place that has friendly staff, toys, and a changing table in the bathroom)! After today's excursion, Delft is definitely in the running for a potential place to live. It's only 5-10 minutes by train from Markus's office--a better commute than central living in The Hague would be.

Hi everyone! Greetings from Den Haag! We made it and how wonderful to be able to go for long walks OUTSIDE (someone turned the outside temperature down from 37 to 18...wow)! We're in the transitional process and connectivity isn't consistent, so blog updates and emails will be back up and running before too long. Meanwhile, wish us luck settling in as smoothly and quickly as possible.

Greetings one and all! We are back in Qatar for two days after our uber-fabulous trip to the Seychelles! For "non-beach people" (Ellie may well be an exception to this!), we managed to have a wonderful holiday on a true island paradise! So much fun in the sun! Here's a pictorial taste of our vacation (more to come!)...

Whew! What a day!
We woke up at 8 (hooray!) and went downstairs for breakfast. Markus’s phone rang as we went into the kitchen for the cereal. It was the movers, on their way to the house. Fifteen minutes later, they were in the door, bringing in boxes and packing tape and paper and bubble wrap… Ten minutes after that, they were spread throughout the house, packing almost every room simultaneously. For those of you who know how Jennifer feels about moving day, you can guess how thrilled I was about this process; however, I have to give it to them for their professionalism and efficiency. With all the to-ing and fro-ing and on-again-off-again planning surrounding this move, the actual moving day snuck up on us. We weren’t quite ready for the packers, but they came and it all worked out fine. They will be back to finish tomorrow, so we’ll check into the hotel tomorrow afternoon. In a couple more days, we’ll be off on vacation! Yippee!

Last night, we went out to dinner at a pizza place we like in a nearby mall. After dinner, Ellie, as usual, wanted to go for a stroll. This usually involves a hunched-over Markus supporting her with both hands as she makes her little steps anywhere she finds interesting. Last night, however, they came back to the table with Markus holding Ellie by one hand only! She was soooooo proud of herself! She went walking all over the mall holding just one hand (actually, her hand was holding one of our fingers…so sweet!), taking such confident steps. The look on her face was priceless. She kept stopping to grin at everyone who passed and give them a little wave with her free hand.

Today, she was eager to practice this newfound skill. She walked and walked and walked around the club and again at home after dinner. Just before bed, Markus had her by the hand while she was walking around our room, but she let go to pick something up. She didn’t seem to notice that she didn’t have his hand when she started walking again—this time all by herself! Markus had her by the back of her onesie, and she tottered around for a few minutes all on her own! Our baby girl is starting to walk!

Today is Jennifer's 30th birthday! Yippee!

In honor of my birthday, Ellie decided she needed to keep me occupied every single second doing EXACTLY whatever she had in mind at that second. I think she must have been concerned that I would get distressed about the 30 thing, so she left me no time to contemplate the birthday at all. She is one busy baby, and she has some big opinions to share! Blessedly, Markus came home from work and took her to the pool for a little while. I tell ya, in terms of birthday gifts, sitting in peace for twenty minutes is right up there with jewelry! Not that I'm complaining! Our girl is a doll and you can see from the photo taken this past Saturday that we have lots of good times together! She's growing and learning and refining every day, and it's truly a miracle to witness. Still, I did force a hole into her demanding schedule to bake myself a decadent chocolate cake. It is, after all, my birthday.

Yesterday morning, a good friend sent us an email giving us serious flack for not updating the blogspot...and rightfully so! We have been very very busy of late, but the thing is, they haven't really been very blog-worthy doings. Our routine is pretty fixed, as I've said in the past, and we've been keeping busy going through those motions. Ellie is always making us smile with new (and not-so-new) and wonderful things she's doing, but not everyone wants to check in on the baby all the time. So we've been remiss in the blogging arena lately. We apologize to our regulars!

We do, however, have news!
The dates are set. The bureaucracy is in full swing. Our move is afoot!
As it stands now, the movers are coming to pack the house on September 30 and October 1. They will load the truck on October 2. We will spend those nights in the Ritz again (woo-hoo!). On the 3rd, we will fly from Doha to the Seychelles for a family vacation between postings. Yippee!!! We will spend three nights on La Digue and three nights on Mahe before flying back to Doha on October 9. Then, it's back to the Ritz for two nights before we fly to Amsterdam on October 11th. The Hague, here we come!

For those of you who don't know the Seychelles, it's an island paradise made up of over 100 small islands off the eastern coast of Africa (above Madagascar). It is supposedly one of the world's most beautiful diving spots. Though diving is pretty much out with Ellie in tow, we're looking forward to some good snorkeling! La Digue is still home to indigenous giant tortoises, which we expect Miss Ellie will love! The beaches are paradise from what we hear! But, you think to yourself, you guys aren't really beach holiday people, so why are you going? Well, consider the location. This is probably the closest we will ever be to the Seychelles, and it's an excellent opportunity to see paradise for a few days! Can't possibly complain about that, although to escape our desert life we're more up for a trip to the cool mountains someplace than a tropical beach. We know it will be gorgeous, so we're excited!

In the meantime, we're trying to wrap things up here, which is no easy matter. We thought things were inefficient in New Orleans. HA! Everything takes three times as long as you expect it to here, and that's based on expectations that it will take three times longer than it should. One interesting factor is that while they are incredibly inefficient in almost every respect, they have somehow centralized all computing to the degree that you will not be cleared for departure at the airport unless all of your accounts are closed and finalized. Any open or unpaid utilities, traffic violations, what-have-you will show up on the screen when they swipe our passports, and if anything comes up, we are not free to go. Amazing. They don't make it easy to close things out, either. Markus inquired with our bank this week about closing the account (we can't even have an open bank account here when we go). We have a credit card attached to the account, though we don't use it. The bank informed Markus that we have to give 45 days notice before the account will be closed and finalized. During those 45 days, our account balance will be frozen to 170% of the credit limit of our card. The only way around that massive mess is to find someone remaining here in Qatar to go in person to the bank and sign forms to be responsible for any charges that might arise (even though the card is frozen and unavailable for use). We definitely went with Option B on this, because 1) we don't have 45 days to be money-free and 2) we are 95% certain some issue would arise on their end that would entangle our money even longer or make it impossible to retrieve once we attempt to depart. This place is crazy.


Qatari national flag hanging in City Center

It has had its upsides, though. We have made some wonderful friends here, and we will be very sad to say goodbye so soon. We will also miss the club at the Four Seasons. We've spent many a happy afternoon splashing about in the pools and frolicking in the spa there. Just today, Jennifer went for an early birthday girls' brunch at the Four Seasons...incredible array, folks! Just the dessert buffet had its own room! Only serious foodies need apply!

Finally, we have really appreciated the eye-opening cultural experience. This is our first time living in a Muslim country, albeit a fairly Westernized one. Ramadan starts in a few days (though we'll happily escape most of that...it's too hot to think about not even being able to drink water in public or in our cars). It's amazing how the differences that were once so obvious (men wearing all white, women wearing all black, the HUGE sunglasses, everyone and their brother driving Land Cruisers...and more serious things like the regular calls to prayer broadcast all over the city, in the malls, on the radio...) have faded into normalcy over the months. It would be nice if Ellie were old enough to remember any of this, but we're ready to make some new memories in Holland!
Soon, we will start the settling in process all over again, but don't worry...we're definitely planning to look for a home with plenty of guest room and we expect visitors!


crosswalk sign

Now that we've got the blog working again, it's time for the scoop on Dubai!
It was sooooo wonderful to get out of Dohot for a few days, even though it was just as hot in Dubai. At least there were new things to see, new places to go...
Dubai is a shopping mecca, and malls abound. The malls have different personalities too. Ibn Battuta has five "neighborhoods", each with a different country in mind. There's a Chinese section, Indian, Egyptian...



The Souq Medinat Jumeira has more crafts and imports, furniture and clothing from throughout the region. It is brand new, but designed to look like the old souqs. It's also located next to Dubai's most famous landmark, the Burj Al Arab.






Burj Al Arab, the world's only seven star hotel
Dubai, UAE

Finally, there's the Mall of the Emirates, most known for its indoor ski arena, Ski Dubai. I had most been looking forward to taking Ellie to play in the snow in the desert, but unfortunately, they had a strict no-under-3s policy. We got to look through the window, but that was about it. Ironically, when we stepped out of the elevator at the Mall of the Emirates, they were blasting the theme to Mission Impossible.




outside Ski Dubai (the top of the slope)

Finally, a word on our hotel. No, we didn't stay in the Burj Al Arab. I think you need to be a millionaire to stay there comfortably. Rumors have it that the nightly rate can be in the thousands. No, we're not quite there yet. Instead, we stayed at the Grand Hyatt in town, which was a mere five stars (the compromises one has to make!). It was a gorgeous hotel. The interior had a huge garden area with a running brook stocked with fish... Outside, there were three beautiful pools: a massive one for adults, a smaller one for children that had waterslides and fountains in a climbing fort, and a little one for babies. There were huge grounds with lots of grassy playspace and an outdoor jogging trail. The breakfast spread was the best we've ever seen in a hotel, and it was included with the room. We can most definitely recommend staying there!





Of course, we begin to wonder how we will ever keep Ellie in the style to which she's become accustomed. At five months, she lived in the Ritz Carlton for six weeks. She plays in the pool at the Four Seasons. And when we holiday, she stays at five star hotels. I think we're in trouble.

Our baby is growing up! Ellie celebrated her first birthday yesterday, and what a fun day she had! In the morning, we celebrated with her friends at our standing Thursday morning Dairy Queen play group. Pancakes, cupcakes in ice cream cones...yummy! Then, we met Papa for lunch at City Center, and he bought her a Minnie Mouse balloon (balloons are her favorite!). After her nap, we had a special playdate with her new friend Cy and met his pet camels (though we don't have pictures of her with them...they made her a bit nervous)!
We can hardly believe her first year has gone by. She is growing and changing so much every day. What a miracle and a treasure that we are blessed to witness daily. Happy Birthday, Ellie! We love you so much!

Although she's been walking with help for about five months, Ellie has seemed to lack the confidence to have a go on her own...until recently. For the past week or two, she has been standing free and doesn't seem so nervous about sitting back down again. She's been quite a cruiser around furniture too. But the other day, we had another big first...Ellie strolled the entire length of the mall while holding onto her stroller. She was soooo proud to do it all on her own!

To kick off our new year, we are going to Dubai this weekend...our first vacation in ages! Off we go to the land of opulence and riches, the land of shopping shopping and more shopping! Of course, we're just going for the sights and the chance to escape Dohot for a few days. Trading heat and humidity for heat and more humidity, but at least there will be new things to see and different places to go. I'm looking forward to seeing Burj Al Arab (the famous sail-shaped hotel), the massive gold souq, and of course, the indoor skiing arena. The fact that they have built an indoor skiing facility in the desert defies the imagination. Friends have told us that you can go in to a small area for 10 riyals just to play in the snow and throw snowballs. I wonder what Ellie will make of snow! Pictures and stories to follow!