Prayer Request

Some of you know my dear friend, Pooh (Jennifer) who I consider a cousin. Her dad's brother married my mom's sister :) Its confusing. So, Pooh and I are related by marriage. We became close friends while we were at Baylor and spent one summer in Waco as roommates. Her dad is in ICU in Little Rock right now. He is dealing with a very serious neurological health issue that doctors can't explain. Last fall Uncle Allen handled this same situation and was literally delivered by God's healing hand 100%. It was truly a miracle before our eyes. Doctors never could explain what happened but none the less we were all so thankful God delivered his body back to health. Over the last week he has again slipped back into a similar desperate situation that needs prayer. He's having severe tremors, halucinations, along with balance and physical challenges. Will you please join us in praying for Allen Smith and his incredible family. God has been glorified through the Smith's in every way. No doubt we have all grown by experiencing this along with them. If you want to keep up with any other details they keep a blog updated daily. It will encourage you beyond what you could imagine! Thank you for praying!

http://www.allensmithfamily.blogspot.com/

Allen and Margaret Smith


Pooh (Jennifer) and precious Brooke who's 1st birthday is next week on February 20th!

Playdate with the Bees

Today we had a play date and lunch at one of the malls in Doha.
the Bees

Yes, they actually celebrate Valentines Day here. Lots of cheesy stuff. Check out this set up.

Doha Starbucks

After eating lunch in the food court we played at this awesome play area...Circus Land!


We met some dear friends the Volstad boys to play.
I refer to my boys as the Bees, simply because both names start with "B"
But check this out...here are the REAL BEES from left to right.
Brennan, Barrett, Bodee, Brady, Brooks


This place is pretty unbelievable. And we had it to ourselves. The boys obviously had a blast!



Just about all the jumping that Barrett can handle...a little on the side.

First time for bumper cars.

From Sugar to Sand

Brooks and I made Valentine cupcakes for his class to enjoy today. I dropped the Bees and cupcakes off at school and then went to Bible study. I was visiting outside after Bible study and in a matter of seconds the sky went from blue to brown. A huge sand storm literally took over. Below are a few pictures from my car. It was like a driving in very dense fog but like nothing I've ever seen before. The storm started around 11:30am and is still going...its been almost 5 hours. Not a chance of keeping sand out of your mouth if you go outside. I'm sure our house will be extremely dusty and sandy tomorrow. If we weren't sure we were in the desert, we are NOW! I guess it could be worse and will be...this summer with temperatures over 110.

Brooks and his sprinkles!

Just outside church

Pulling out on to the main road from our church

Entering a round-about

Cars approaching from just a few yards away.

Looking at a gas station across the road.

Waiting at a light, looking across the street.

Approaching the light at a round-about. Just before this picture an ambulance tried to get through traffic, which Doha drivers aren't respectful of to begin with. Even worse when drivers are completely freaking out over the storm. Most drivers here think they're entitled to drive just about any way they choose. So being on the road during a sand storm is not a safe place to be. We're home for the rest of our day and there's certainly no playing outside.

Here's the counter in our kitchen when I returned home...oops!
Lesson learned...never leave windows open, a sand storm might blow through.

Lunch and the Park with Daddies

We got to meet our friends and Daddy at the park for lunch.

Barrett (aka Raggamuffin), Jacob, Brooks and Isaac (in the stroller behind)

Daddies in the sand

Jacob (15 mo)

Mr. Happy and Raggamuffin

Brooks

Taste of Home

What a day of eating! That's what we get excited about in Doha. There's a lot of good food here but sometimes you just need a something that tastes like home. Most of the chain restaurants are just a little off to what we have in the States. Even Subway and Pizza Hut are a little differnt. Better than nothing, that's for sure! We need to adjust our expectations a bit. Sooner or later, we'll just forget about the real stuff back at home. BUT today was a day when the taste of home was right on!!

First of all God has blessed us again with incredible friends. I met the LaRoveres at the DC airport on my way back to Doha with the boys after Christmas. They were traveling back to Qatar with their little boys as well. As soon as we were back Jackie and I re-connected and realized we had lots in common. She grew up in Plano and went to PSHS. Her family knows some of my family...and on and on. Pretty amazing!

All that to say Jackie and Mark introduced us today to the best food we've had since Christmas! After church (Friday is Holy Day) we went to Ric's Kountry Kitchen! Praise the good Lord...it really was a Holy Day after what we ate! Its a lot like a hole-in-the-wall Denny's or IHop. They serve breakfast, lunch and dinner and its ALL good. Although Qatar doesn't allow any pork in the country there might actually be something porky in Ric's kitchen. Its very close! If its not, it will work! We had chicken fried chicken, gravy, mashed potatoes, a breakfast burrito with SALSA, pankcakes, eggs, and the best was the TEXAS TOAST and GRITS! Oh my word...we were in Doha Heaven and the boys were too! They loved it. Obviously we didn't eat dinner. BUT we did hit the local TCBY tonight after a little house work. I must say...it was just like home. No difference what so ever! White Cholocate Moose! We'll do a little extra workin' out this week to burn off what we ate this weekend but it was worth every bite!

The stuffed Junods and LaRoveres after lunch.

Serious Middle Eastern Hole-in-the-Wall!


TCBY faves...Rainbow Cream and Banilla with sprinkles, of course.

Lunch with Daddy

This week was a rather tiring week for me since Brooks decided he wouldn't take naps anymore. No naps means very cranky Brooks...therefore very cranky Wendi. After a rough morning we decided we needed to meet Daddy for lunch to break up our day before the nap battle began. We went to Bennigans. We never went to Bennigans at home but when you're in Doha you do things you don't usually do. Its actually a great place to eat and the play area is awesome! The boys love it.

Erin McCarley

Gotta put in a plug for a sista! Lookout...the next star is Erin McCarley (Baylor Pi Beta Phi sister of mine!) You must listen to her music. She's beautiful and so talented. She's already been heard on Grey's Anatomy, One Tree Hill and more. She's also been on Letterman and is making all kinds of fuss for being amazing! Slightly bigger deal than the All University Sing performances we were so proud have her in!!! Check out her video, website, iTunes, ringtones, etc. She's a star and a great girl! So excited to see her succeed in such a tough business. She's earned it herself and worked hard.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jfZ-FOHQDaA&eurl

http://www.erinmccarley.com/