We took a big trip! We went to the UAE for Nora's wedding. Here are a TON of pictures from our time there:
Our kids first airplane rides! Here we are at the airport waiting to board...
and many, many hours later, here we are in the Dubai airport.
We stayed with friends who live in Dubai for the first two days. On Monday we visited Jeff at the school where he works.
In the evening we headed into Dubai to see the Burj Khalifa - the tallest building in the world - and spent time at the Dubai Mall which is right next to the building. Every 30 minutes there is a fountain show, and on the 15/45 minutes of the hour the building lights up. It was incredible!
The Mall is humongous and had different displays and things to "interact" with. Here was a perfect opportunity for a photo op :)
Tuesday was our Abu Dhabi day. First up was the Grand Mosque. It was pretty hot on this day. We were glad for the under-ground parking area and the airconditioned mall next to the Mosque. We met up with Uncle Stephen's sister and her family and his dad and friends on this day. We spent a lot of time together during the week and it was nice to get to know them!
Also on Tuesday we did the Louve Abu Dhabi. It's an extension of the Paris museum.
After all that walking, we headed to check into our Airbnb which was in RAK. We had a great location - perfect for visiting the beach, and close to others in the wedding group.
On Wednesday we took a boat ride in Oman. We took a bus ride there and then spent most of the day on the boat. We saw dolphins, swam in two locations, had lunch, and saw fish & loved every minute :)
On Thursday we had a relaxing morning on the beach. We found so many great seashells!
That evening was interesting! The girls and I went to Nora's henna party. It's a traditional event two nights before the wedding. I was so excited for this night!
While we were at the party, Kevin and Peter went with the guys to go 4-wheeling.
About 5 minutes into their ride, an accident happened and they went to the hospital where Peter got 11 stitches on his chin!!! I'm thankful that they were with Uncle Stephen who was such a big help. God was with them and Peter was very brave.
On Friday, we went to church! We then enjoyed a meal at the beach, provided by the mother of one of Nora's students. It was so delicious - and it was a moment that I thought to myself "this is my real life" :)
That evening we met back up with our friends in Dubai and went to the Global Village. The best way to describe this place is "like Epcot". It had many different countries and was SO cool!
Saturday was the Wedding Day! First, we checked out of our Airbnb and met up with Uncle Stephen's sister for a walk through a park area. We took the kids to pick out souvenirs right after lunch. Chloe picked a scarf and a bracelet set. April and Peter picked models of the Burj Khalifa.
Soon, it was time to head to the wedding! It was in the middle of the desert. First was the ceremony and then activities before eating dinner and dancing.
After the ceremony was the activities. We held a falcon, tried sand boarding, and rode a camel!!
This is Chloe sand-boarding!
The moment my kids had been waiting for - riding a camel!
They also had a henna station, and Peter got a star :)
Then we got to take some family photos. We were proudly representing the Fesmire side of the family at this wedding! :)
We had dinner, and sat on cushions while eating - so many different dishes were served and I think Kevin tried them all. We continued eating while there were dances and speeches and some special songs.
We left the reception and drove to the airport. Here we are around 2:30am about to get to the gate.
One of our favorite parts of the trip was all the camels. I took so many pictures of them :) Similar to how the USA has cattle, or sheep, UAE had camels. We'd spot them in the sand.
It really was a trip of a life-time, just like everyone said. It was amazing to see the other side of the world. We are so happy that we got to go, and that it went so well. Even with Peter's accident, we'd do it again in a heartbeat! Now we are recovering from jet-lag and getting back to the normal days here at home.
Our kids first airplane rides! Here we are at the airport waiting to board...
and many, many hours later, here we are in the Dubai airport.
We stayed with friends who live in Dubai for the first two days. On Monday we visited Jeff at the school where he works.
In the evening we headed into Dubai to see the Burj Khalifa - the tallest building in the world - and spent time at the Dubai Mall which is right next to the building. Every 30 minutes there is a fountain show, and on the 15/45 minutes of the hour the building lights up. It was incredible!
The Mall is humongous and had different displays and things to "interact" with. Here was a perfect opportunity for a photo op :)
Tuesday was our Abu Dhabi day. First up was the Grand Mosque. It was pretty hot on this day. We were glad for the under-ground parking area and the airconditioned mall next to the Mosque. We met up with Uncle Stephen's sister and her family and his dad and friends on this day. We spent a lot of time together during the week and it was nice to get to know them!
Also on Tuesday we did the Louve Abu Dhabi. It's an extension of the Paris museum.
After all that walking, we headed to check into our Airbnb which was in RAK. We had a great location - perfect for visiting the beach, and close to others in the wedding group.
On Wednesday we took a boat ride in Oman. We took a bus ride there and then spent most of the day on the boat. We saw dolphins, swam in two locations, had lunch, and saw fish & loved every minute :)
On Thursday we had a relaxing morning on the beach. We found so many great seashells!
That evening was interesting! The girls and I went to Nora's henna party. It's a traditional event two nights before the wedding. I was so excited for this night!
While we were at the party, Kevin and Peter went with the guys to go 4-wheeling.
About 5 minutes into their ride, an accident happened and they went to the hospital where Peter got 11 stitches on his chin!!! I'm thankful that they were with Uncle Stephen who was such a big help. God was with them and Peter was very brave.
On Friday, we went to church! We then enjoyed a meal at the beach, provided by the mother of one of Nora's students. It was so delicious - and it was a moment that I thought to myself "this is my real life" :)
That evening we met back up with our friends in Dubai and went to the Global Village. The best way to describe this place is "like Epcot". It had many different countries and was SO cool!
Saturday was the Wedding Day! First, we checked out of our Airbnb and met up with Uncle Stephen's sister for a walk through a park area. We took the kids to pick out souvenirs right after lunch. Chloe picked a scarf and a bracelet set. April and Peter picked models of the Burj Khalifa.
Soon, it was time to head to the wedding! It was in the middle of the desert. First was the ceremony and then activities before eating dinner and dancing.
After the ceremony was the activities. We held a falcon, tried sand boarding, and rode a camel!!
This is Chloe sand-boarding!
The moment my kids had been waiting for - riding a camel!
They also had a henna station, and Peter got a star :)
Then we got to take some family photos. We were proudly representing the Fesmire side of the family at this wedding! :)
We had dinner, and sat on cushions while eating - so many different dishes were served and I think Kevin tried them all. We continued eating while there were dances and speeches and some special songs.
We left the reception and drove to the airport. Here we are around 2:30am about to get to the gate.
One of our favorite parts of the trip was all the camels. I took so many pictures of them :) Similar to how the USA has cattle, or sheep, UAE had camels. We'd spot them in the sand.
It really was a trip of a life-time, just like everyone said. It was amazing to see the other side of the world. We are so happy that we got to go, and that it went so well. Even with Peter's accident, we'd do it again in a heartbeat! Now we are recovering from jet-lag and getting back to the normal days here at home.
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