Asian girl, born in Michigan, married to a Texan, living in UAE
Tuesday, April 10, 2018
Dubai Visitors! Danielle & Jonny
Words cannot express how excited I was for Danielle & Jonny to come visit us! They were originally planning to come in November, but with the move from Abu Dhabi to Dubai and my transition back to work, we decided to push the trip to Jonny's spring break. I was so bummed when we made that decision, I really miss my sister! In the last few years, I had gotten used to seeing her every few months, so going nearly a year without, I felt like we so much to catch up on!!!
So happy to see my sister!!!
Danielle arrived a day ahead of Jonny since he was on Spring Break with his classmates in South Africa. Since she just finished her dive certification in Boston (in Boston Harbor. In November. I love my sister, and I think she's a little bit crazy!) we decided to do a pair of tank dives at Atlantis - one during the daytime, and one at night. We had so much fun! I'd never been tank diving before, so the first dive was good for getting used such a high density of underwater animals. The second dive was awesome because we got to feed the rays underwater.
The dive team gave us these ridiculous bunny ears to wear for Easter - it was hilarious!
The sting rays got pretty up-close and personal!!!
We took it easy the day Jonny arrived so the both of them could recover from the their travels. That evening, Baby L stayed with Miss J and the four of us checked out Dubai Mall and Level 43 Lounge. Jonny took some nice photos of Sheik Zayed Road, the main highway through Dubai.
The following morning, we woke up super early (pickup time of 4:15am!) for a hot air balloon ride over the desert. This was extra fun because G plays basketball regularly with the pilot of our balloon! After our balloon ride, we had a quick breakfast in a bedoin-style camp, and then a ride around the Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve in an old land rover (similar to the desert ride that we did with Ben & Sarah).
G's friend, Richard, preparing our balloon
Check out that desert crew!
We came home and napped, played with Baby L, then we were off again for a chartered yacht cruise around the Dubai Marina and the Palm. The first hour of the cruise was super fun - we met up with a Dubai Expat group and went swimming in the Arabian Gulf. The water was warm and very, very salty - I'm pretty sure I couldn't have sunk if I'd wanted. I don't recall treading water ever being so effortless in my entire life! The second half of the cruise was not so great - Danielle and I have both inherited seasickness from our parents, and the waters were super choppy that day. We both managed to survive the rest of the cruise without losing our lunch.
Auntie cuddles with Baby L!
Baby L wants to come on the yacht cruise with us. Sorry Baby, grown-ups only!
Sunday we celebrated Baby L's first Easter! First, we dressed her up in a beautiful outfit, courtesy of Miss J - everything from the dress all the way down to the shoes! We put on some of the jewelry that she received from her baptism, and she was ready for church. As usual, she was a doll during mass, making friends with all of our nearby neighbors until she fell asleep in my lap.
Thank you Miss J for my lovely Easter Dress!
After church, we dressed her up in an adorable bunny rabbit costume that Danielle bought for her. A pair of fortune cookie slippers and a carrot teether completed the outfit! She was so cute stomping around the house with her floppy ears and her new shoes. We kept wanting to pick her up and cuddle her cuteness, but she just wanted us to set her down so she could walk around!!
Full bunny effect
Stomping bunny tries to eat her chocolate egg
Our last group outing was to afternoon tea at the iconic Burj Al Arab. The atrium was lovely with a live ensemble. The tea and sweets were pretty yummy too!
Vertical panoramic shot of the atrium - courtesy of Jonny. I was too lazy to crop out his finger from the top.
And just like that, our whirlwind visit with my jet-setting sister and brother-in-law was over. They had early flights back home on Monday morning, and we were so sad to see them go. We are excited to see them again for Baby L's first birthday in a few months!
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