Family

This whole adventure started back when Nadine and I had this crazy idea to live abroad with our two kids in the Cayman Islands.

The endless beige horizons contrasted dramatically against all the green gliding under the plane now. This contrast of colors surprised me. The family had just left Qatar less than 24 hours ago. Now an over saturation of color attacked the senses.

The one thing my artistic and creative girl has wanted is a henna tattoo. A plant that stains the skin like a tattoo, but only lasts about a week. One of the most popular sites to visit in Doha is Souq Waqif located downtown close to the Corniche. I figured a henna tattoo at Souq Waqif would be a great spot.

The monumental move from the U.S. to the Middle East was an undertaking to say the least. Since we accepted educational positions in Qatar, a strong seller’s market nudged us to sell our house and put our belongings into storage. The focus became packing 18 bags for 16 hours of flight.

My Annie B stayed home today from school. Come to find out at the doctor’s office she had ear infections in both ears. Double whammy. Maybe that’s why she hasn’t listened to me for the last four years. We played UNO. Midway through our second game, the mail truck stopped at the top of the street. Immediately Annie sat up straight. She walked to the window and said, “Oh, he’s cute!” The mail carrier shuffled along looking at his bag of credit card offers and supermarket ads.

I placed Dom (8 years old), Annie B (3 years old), and Momo (2 years old) safely in our metal steed for our road trip across the USA and then I stepped behind the wheel. In preparation for a road trip across the USA with three small kids by myself

Eventually, the essence of the man who was my father sticks with me. He was a fiercely loyal, loving, and proud father, overlooking imperfections of his kids.

What’s to drink? Today at school, Ms. Nicky interviewed Domino. “What would you do if you were thirsty?”