Journeys with Josie and Chulo

By: Josie and Chulo


Mom and dad broke the news to us on a Saturday night. They were moving to the desert and we weren't going with them. We were moving to the farm with Grandpa Craig and Grandma Becky. Talk about a shock to the system... It all happened so fast. Packing, crying, more packing, and more crying. It seemed like those last few days went by so fast.

We all posed for one last photo. Mom and dad's eyes were a bit red. They said it was allergies, but we're not buying it.

Our final goodbye.

We hopped in the car for the long drive to Ooooooklahoma, where the wind comes sweepin' down the plain.

And just like that, we were farm dogs. The farm is sooooooo cool! There are tractors...

And riding in pickup trucks...

And water troughs...

And then there's Jake. He's a true farm dog. We kinda had a love-hate relationship with him. Don't tell him, but we're really gonna miss him.

Jake, Grandpa Craig, and Chulo out on the front porch.

On Christmas morning we got a huge surprise. Grandpa Craig (Santa Clause) brought home a stocking stuffer for Grandma Becky. Bella is her name. And she is so cute.

Bella and Josie. A rare photo where Bella isn't driving Josie up the wall.

We weren't exactly sure how long mom and dad were gonna be gone, but we were told that it would be a really long time. Then we started hearing the rumors. We might be moving to the desert too. Mixed emotions for sure. The farm is so fun, and the people and so nice. And the cows... We love the cows!

Josie says, "I was so excited to move to the desert with mom and dad. I will miss my farm duties though. There are so many baby calves to raise. It turns out, I have quite the maternal instinct. But I will leave the baby calves in the very capable hands of Grandpa Craig. He also has quite the maternal instinct."

This baby calf was born under dire circumstances. It was touch and go as to whether or not it would live. Josie never left his side for three days. Here, the baby is taking his first steps. Josie is so proud. 

Saying goodbye to grandma Becky was the hardest thing. She took such good care of us. We can't wait for her to come see us in the desert.

So, it was time to head out on a new adventure. We had lots of visits to our vets (we love Dr. Steadman and Dr. Schwandt) and lots of shots and lots of paperwork. And we were now on our way. Abu Dhabi here we come!!!

Chula says, "You bet your butt there are live animals in here. Handle with care people!"

We made a brief stop in Frankfurt, Germany. Those Germans sure were nice. They took such great care of us..

Onward to Abu Dhabi!!! Mom and dad say they watched us the whole way. We're not real sure how they did that, but they've never lied to us before. They must have been very sneaky, because we never saw them.

We landed in Dubai at 10:30pm on Thursday night. We were so excited, but we had a few more hoops to jump through. Luckily we're both good jumpers. Three hours after landing, we were in a car bound for our new home with mom and dad. That was the longest ride of our lives, but our driver from Snoopy Pets was so good. It was a foggy night, so he was very careful.

Then the moment arrived... WE ARRIVED!!! Of course dad was filming with his GoPro camera... And of course mom was crying...

We had a small meal and both of us took a much needed poop. Then it was time for bed. That bed was a bit crowded for the four of us, but it was the best night's sleep any of us had gotten in a long time. Together again at last!

Our first morning in our new home, we got a real treat. Mom and dad took us to the desert. It doesn't look too much different than the farm in Jett, OK, but they tell us this place is pretty crazy.

If you would like to see a video of our some of our first moments in Abu Dhabi you can click... Video: Josie and Chulo in the Sandbox

We left behind some pretty special people. Grandpa Craig and Grandma Becky took us in as if we were their own. We can't thank them enough for the care they provided and the love they showed us.

And then there's Adam, Coby, Andrew, Jessica, and Caleb... We interrupted your lives, but you never let it show. Thanks for taking such good care of us. We will miss all of you so much!

We hope to see you all soon in the sandbox!

As-salamu alaykum y'all.

Ruff Ruff Ruff!

Christmas in the Sandbox

Obviously we were up against many uncertainties by moving to the Sandbox. The list is too long to count. But one worth mentioning is Christmas. We had no idea what to expect. Would we have a Christmas Tree? Decorations? Gifts? Does Santa come to the UAE?

We got our answer in early October. With Halloween decorations on the shelves, the Christmas decorations went on display at Ace Hardware. Soon after, they could be seen country wide.

No PC police and no Happy Holidays. It's Merry Christmas everywhere you look.

Now this tree might not seem like much. But to us... It's Beautiful!!! We could give Charlie Brown a run for his money...

On Christmas Eve, we went to a candle light service at Al Dhafra Air Force Base. Brigadier General Quintas and the men and women of the 380th Air Expeditionary Wing have been a major blessing to us. God bless them and their families for their service.

That's General Quintas (aka Santa Claus) and his trusty reindeer Rudolph on the flight line at Al Dhafra. You gotta love the Air Force!

It was touch and go as to whether or not we would have pumpkin pie this Christmas. Pumpkin pie mix is awfully hard to come by in the sandbox. After going to 7 grocery stores, our persistence finally paid off. BINGO!

Oddly enough, we went to the bank on Christmas morning. It's a long story, and we won't bore you with the details. But sometimes here in Abu Dhabi, you just have to be unconventional. So we had a meeting with our banker on Christmas morning...

After our bank meeting, we treated ourselves to a cappuccino. Not just any cappuccino though... This one was garnished with 24K gold flakes. Not kidding! 

It was quite yummy!

A Christmas selfie at the Emirates Palace Hotel, drinking cappuccino with gold flakes. Only in Abu Dhabi.

This year's Christmas card list was a bit shorter given the logistical difficulties of living half way around the world. If you didn't see it, you can check it out below. We had so much fun with this one. We have heard from some that they didn't understand the card. If you find yourself in that category, google The Beatles Abbey Road. That should clear things up...

Our Christmas present finally came one week into the new year. Santa brought us a slay of our very own. Of course we had to get it a little dusty. And of course there were camels.

It was certainly difficult being away from our family and friends during this time of year. Understatement of the year... But we are blessed beyond measure, and this Christmas will not soon be forgotten.

We hope you all had a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! As-salamu alaykum y'all.

No Borders

This is a difficult blog post for us. How do we post about our adventures and all the incredible experiences we are having, when we know of the tragic killing of an American teacher just a few days ago?

First, our thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends of the victim. With such a loss, there must be so many questions and so much pain and anger. All we can do is pray for God to bring peace and comfort to this family.

As for us, of course we were a bit shaken. The news of this event is shocking not only to us, but the entire expat community living in Abu Dhabi. However, in any situation perspective is key.

Our perspective is as follows...

The world can be a dangerous place. While we do not seek to place ourselves in dangerous situations, we will not allow fear to control our lives. We live in a wonderful city that is among the safest in the world. Not only is terrorism virtually nonexistent , but the UAE is very active in the fight against Muslim extremism and the global war on terrorism.

It would be crazy to not be alarmed by this attack. Having said that, Tracy and I feel as safe here as we have ever felt anywhere. We are vigilant and we are aware of our surroundings. But no more so than if we were walking the streets of Nashville, London, Chicago, Rome, or Kalamazoo. God's protection knows no borders. Thanks, Sue Long!

We have heard from many of you, and we feel the prayers, love, and support everyday. Thank you all for that.

Now for the good stuff and the reasons we love living here...

The biggest celebration of the year in the UAE in National Day. It's like the 4th of July in the U.S., except they celebrate it for an entire week. So we joined them.

Of course we had to have the proper attire...

There are so many styles and designs and colors from which to choose. The gentleman that owned the store was so nice. He must have pulled out 25 abayas for Tracy to try on.

And we have have a winner! It's a simple, but elegant design. Not too overstated but yet says, I've got sophistication and style. Arab chic if you will...

HOTTIE!

We might need to stop at this point and make a bit of a disclaimer. We have heard from some of our friends and family regarding the sight of Tracy in an abaya. We certainly recognize and understand what the sight of an abaya means to some in America. We have found it to mean something entirely different here. No, we have not converted to Islam. We are simply engaging in a culture that we have found to be warm and welcoming and utterly fascinating.

Tracy - I was very unsure what it would feel like to wear an abaya (cloak worn over clothing) and shaylah (head scarf). When I heard that we were encouraged to wear local attire for a national day celebration at school, I was eager to give it a try! It was an amazing experience! I felt confident, yet conservative. Beautiful, yet conformed. It was enlightening and eye opening. I have learned so much in the short time I have been abroad. One of the most important things is to not be afraid of the unknown. Try new food. Visit strange places. Walk a mile in someone else's shoes... or clothes.

Tracy with a few of her colleagues, Carmen and Sev, celebrating UAE National Day at Gems American Academy.

And now it's my turn find a new wardrobe. We found a great little shop owned and operated by an Iranian gentleman. He is an absolute sweetheart of a man. I needed a little help with the keffiyeh (head scarf) at first, but now it's like tying a tie...

Here I am with my new taylor and more importantly, my new friend. Looking pretty good I'd say. Wearing a Kandura is oddly liberating. I'll just leave it at that...

While in the store, another gentleman walked in to do some shopping, and we struck up a conversation. Turns out he is from Basra, Iraq. Before leaving, he agreed to pose for a photo. An Iranian, an American, and an Iraqi. And Johnny Cash of course! As Tracy took the photo, my new taylor says, "Komeini, Bush, and Saddam. Together at last." I don't care who you are. That's funny!

Now that we both have a new wardrobe, it's time to go to the National day celebrations on the corniche.

There was a fantastic air show put on by Al Fursan, the UAE's Air Force acrobatic team. They were quite good.

But as we soon found out, National Day is largely about dressing your car up...














And spraying silly string.

As the day came to an end, we went to the corniche beach met up with some great new friends. Since "silly" seems to be the theme on National Day, we joined the fun.

The remainder of the evening was spent on a very peaceful beach, taking in the sights and sounds of an Abu Dhabi Arabian Night.

Of course a National Day celebration wouldn't be complete without a day at the camel races. Trust me when I tell you, there is just no way to adequately describe the camel races. The best description I can come up with is NASCAR meets demolition derby meets horse racing. Except with camels and robot jockeys. You just have to see it to believe it, but I hope these photos provide some insight...


At the starting gate. You can cut the tension with a knife.

And they're off...

Down the front straightaway...

They're neck and neck going into the first turn...

It's anybody's race at the half way point...

Can't really see anything at this point so... Go Camels!

And it's down the backstretch they come!

We have no idea who won, so we just took a picture of ourselves.

Click here to watch a short video from the camel races. Password: camel



At the conclusion of the camel races we went to the Sheikh Zayed Heritage Festival. Here are a few of the highlights...

It would be impossible to do this place justice just by posting to a blog with a few pictures and videos. But we'll keep trying... Until next time...

As-salamu alaykum y'all.