Kuwait National & Independence Day

OK, before you freak out.... These are pictures from the practice for the military parade that took place in Kuwait during the long holiday weekend. We're NOT being invaded :)

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Judging by how excited they get over other minor holidays (honking and dancing in the streets excited), we thought this weekend was just going to be a mad house. And mind you, it probably was in some parts. We didn't see much action though by our house, not even traffic! . I guess there were supposed to be 10,000 people attending the actual military parade (not the practice you see above).

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The last picture you can see the American flag being flown. Those are Kuwaiti soldiers carrying the flags somewhere.

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One more day of our long weekend and then a 3 day work week. I'm LOVING it.

Independence Day

{IMAGE FROM GOOGLE.COM}

If you're looking at my blog today, you probably already saw this, but I thought I'd share that today's theme on Google was Kuwait's Independence day. The town has been in a frenzy as they prepare for this holiday weekend. We're staying in mostly, but I'll try to get some photos to share!

Cooking Craze

I'm on a roll! Pancakes, cappuccinos, 2 loaves of banana bread & a red pepper marinade have already come out of my kitchen today, and its only 2:00. I'm going to attempt to make the Pioneer Women's - Beef Fajita Nachos tonight. Yum!

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I think I'm finally over the hump to where I feel somewhat caught up with everything and life is back to normal. My work weeks have been very long since I came back from my visit to the States. Partly because of the many deadlines as we wrap up the project I've been working on, but honestly I think it's mostly because of the temperature in the office. The building is in this sucky in between time where the weather has warmed up outside but they refuse to turn on the air conditioner yet. So its muggy and gross in my office and I think it's been wearing me out.

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BUT, this 3 day weekend has been awesome. Having yesterday (Thursday) to relax, run and hang out gave me a kick start to my weekend. I caught up on sleep and now I've started the weekend off productively. The weather has been in the 70's the past few days and 60's at night. It's been great. Although I'm afraid this is the beginning of the summer's temperature rise.

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Everyone enjoy your weekend!

Long Weekends

{Photo above by Steve Burling - To see more visit The World We Live In}
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We have two long weekends in a row (this weekend being one of them). This weekend is to celebrate the prophet's birthday and next weekend is for the national/liberation day celebrations. I'm so excited to do nothing! Being home at 9:45 in the morning just feels right :)

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Wouldn't it be cool to wake up with a view like this?

Highway Driving

Outside of the city

Happy Weekend!

My New Obsession

Well maybe not new, but recently replenished. While in Austin I drank lots of tea and stocked up on some amazing loose tea from The Steeping Room and Tea Embassy. I'm back in Kuwait though and am already regretting not buying more!

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I just checked though, and the Tea Embassy has an online store with everything that's in their real store! If you haven't tried loose tea, you should. I love Chai and I'm hooked on this Chcolate Crunch tea from The Steeping Room. The Wedding Chai from the Tea Embassy is really good and I think I'll try the Bavarian Chocolate Creme Tea next :)

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Here is a link to both websites. I've sent The Steeping Room an email asking about their online sales, so I'll let you know if I hear back.

~Tea Embassy~

~My favorite mug!~

~The Steeping Room~

Aaanndd I'm back...

Back to Kuwait and awake at 5:00 am :( I woke up throughout the night and finally got tired of trying to go back to sleep about an hour ago. The first day back at work should be a fun one! I really need to figure out how to work from home!!

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Mom said that Austin had a snow fit when I left :) The above picture is from Standford E. Moore. What a great view, huh? It was SO cold the last couple of days there!

Hoppin' the Pond

Well my trip is almost over and I can't believe it. I have mixed emotions about going back. I miss my husband, my bed, and my friends, but wouldn't be against just bringing those three things here and not going back to the Middle East :) I will say though that his trip has reinforced the feeling that home truly is wherever my husband is. One day I hope to have an actual home tied to that concept, but that's probably quite a ways away at the moment.

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We had a really big cold front, as I'm sure most of your are experiencing right now as well, so my outdoor activities have been limited the last couple days of my trip. I wish I could have run around the lake one more time, but 15 degrees is too cold! The thing I miss most about the States when I'm in Kuwait (besides family/friends) is the fresh air. I love being outside and just breathing deep. I've tried to savor it while I've been home, but I don't think you can ever get enough.

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Wish me luck on my long trek over the pond and keep your fingers crossed for an uneventful trip. Kuwait is currently ramping up their celebratios for the 50/20 anniversary of Kuwait (50 years of independance and 20 years since the invasion), so that will be interesting to return to.

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Everyone enjoy your day despite the cold and be thankful for all that you have.

My Publisher

My Publisher is having a really good sale right now and I had to pass it on! I've done one for a lot of our vacations and I even did one as a gift to family after our wedding. I'm obsessed!

Click here for Sale Info

Cold Weather Soups

{PICTURE COURTESY OF FINECOOKING.COM}

I've had a taste of cold weather the past couple of days and I'm craving soup! They have this delicious Butternut Squash and Maple Soup at Central Market that I have had not once, but 3 times now in 2 weeks. Its slightly amazing. The only thing I've made in the past month is my homemade granola, and I think I have the cooking bug. Lucky husband? Maybe...

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Stay warm and try some of these delicious looking soup recipes!

The Pioneer Women - French Onion Soup

Food Network - Butternut Squash & Apple Soup

Fine Cooking - Roasted Hubbarb Squash Soup with Hazelnuts & Chives