Are we on the Amazing Race?

The Amazing Race is our absolute favorite show!  We haven't missed a season or an episode.  Greg and I like to think we are THAT adventersome and could enjoy and survive such a race.  Survive?  Maybe.  Enjoy?  Would that mean each other or the scenery, the different cultures, or the competition?  We've always said we would love to get on the show.  We've both filled out applications for it.  Oh, did I fail to mention that we applied for the show ---but NOT to be partners?!?!  Oh yes.  We decided long ago we would KILL each other on the show!  That's sad, I know....which is why we are thankful that we are not actually racing, nor are we being videotaped along the way! ;)  However, the video footage might make for a more interesting recording of our own version of the Amazing Race for our readers. 

Our first outing in the city, riding in a cab, Greg turned to me and said "I'm glad we watched the Amazing Race.  I can see where it has helped me."  WHAAT??  What did I miss?  I sat next to that man on the same couch for every single episode..... all I recall, is the same chaos surrounds the competitors as it is in our REAL life!!!  All I can say is,  "I'm glad it's working for you buddy.  For me?  NOT SO MUCH!"  I'm the girl that sits down and cries.  (I haven't done that yet, nor do I plan to---but everything within me WANTS to!!)  Okay.  Back to whatever survival mode switch that kicked on in his brain.  By our 3rd cab drive, my man was telling the cab driver where to turn!!!  WHOOT WHOOT!!!  My man is G-O-O-D!!!

I've started this blog twice now, and both times I get way ahead of myself.  We want to make sure we are recording special moments of our journey.  Already, we have experienced many "firsts".  Flying for the kiddos.  Flying Internationally for 3 of us.  Oh, and the airport was quite the adventure for ALL of us!  Try packing 4 people's life for 2 years into 8 suitcases!  We made it into 9 suitcases and 4 backpacks. 

It was pretty easy as long as we had Mama, Daddy and Lou there helping us lugg all of it around!  ha 

               And they're OFF!!!  

What you can't see is Amy sobbing the whole way......................

 

Finally we made it to security.  We tried prepping the kids for the chaos.  Thankfully, we have two very easy children!  Though Riley was smiling in this picture, she had just taken her hands off of her head and said "this is STRESSFUL!"  lol  Bless her.

 

We made it!!! Now time to enjoy our first flight to Chicago. The kids both got window seats so they were happy campers!

 

After a short flight and a whirlwind at the Chicago Airport, we settled in for a 15 hour flight overseas!  The plane was HUGE and full of exciting new things for all of us.  Right off we were handed a menu describing to us our meals.   

  Sure sounds yummy, don't you think?!  WOW!!!  Welcome to your new life Davidsons! Somehow I don't think any of these lines and dots spell out Diet Sunkist, Twizzlers or BACON!!!  However, at 1am we received a nice ice cream treat.  At 4 am we enjoyed a bag of caramel popcorn.  How do I know about these items in the middle of the night, you ask?  BECUASE I DID NOT SLEEP!!!!!!! 

 

Anyhow, there's so many more funny moments and pictures I could share but my blogging goal is to not write an entire novel every time I write.  However, if you are a facebook friend of mine, you may have already seen my most recent post about me not being anywhere close to reaching my word quota.  So, reader BEWARE.....I NEED TO TALK!!! lol

 

After a VERY LONG flight, puffy eyes, swollen ankles and sore bodies we landed in the UAE (8pm Thursday).  Somehow, we missed an entire day.  Though we all were completly exhausted we were excited to see our new "home".  ADEC (Amy's new employer) shuttled us to a very fancy hotel and we were on our own for 2 days!  Eeeeekkk! 

 

Needless to say, we are safe and sound, excited and terrified, exhausted and our bodies are very confused.  We are hoping to catch up on sleep and become "normal" once again.  Stay tuned for more pictures and memorable moments on our journey!   

We Have Arrived!

Good Morning Friends and Family!

WE'RE HERE!!!!!!!

Wow......so much has happened in the last 48 hours that its hard to determine what is newsworthy.......but I'll do my best!  BTW, this is Greg, and my first attempt on the blog, so please forgive me if I don't write quite as creatively as my better half.

I guess I'll start by thanking all of you for loving us so much!  We have been absolutely blown away at how much you love us and take care of us.  We've received literally hundreds of emails, notes, and quick calls......checking on us and sharing your support.  We held a going away party this past Sunday night and we're overwhelmed at the number of you that took time out of your busy schedule to come say goodbye.  I told someone that my encouragement tank was overflowing.......

We can't thank our families enough either.  They have been so supportive from day one and even when they didn't totally understand what God was up to, they supported us and encouraged us to do whatever God was calling us to.

ON WITH THE STORY......

Our flight out of Atlanta departed at 3:40 pm on Wednesday and we arrived in Abu Dhabi on Thursday around 11 am (GA time).  I briefly mentioned this on Facebook, but we definitely felt your prayers Wednesday during check in.  Our flight had two legs, Atlanta to Chicago and Chicago to Abu Dhabi.  The baggage allowance on the international leg was two checked bags, one carry on bag, and one personal item.  The night before departure I called American Airlines to check on baggage allowance for the domestic flight and they informed me that since we were continuing on internationally that we would have the same baggage allowance, but normally we would only get one checked bag, one carry on and one personal item.  Long story short......we got to the airport with eight checked bags and were informed that we would have to pay $200 to get the extra four bags to Chicago...........after a few minutes of discussing........and an attempt to contact customer service...........the agent came over and informed us that she was going to allow the extra bags!  So emotional crisis avoided!  Not to mention..........we saved $200.00!

We had our last goodbyes with Amy's family and headed through security......we no sooner walked to the gate and they were paging us as the last people not on the plane....so we hurriedly walked onto the plane and took off for Chicago.  The kiddos loved it and were so excited that we joked about getting them some Valium.........it was so cute.  Every time, and I mean every time a plane taxied by us......"Look!"

T- 5 Days!

Phewwww...we are worn slap out!  Feet hurt, aching legs, tense shoulders, back aches, broken fingernails, puffy eyes....but hey!  IT'S ALLLLL GOOD! I'm really not complaining....just stating the obvious so that when you look at us, you won't be shocked by our frazzled appearances!:)

It is finally official!  We have received the news we've been anxiously awaiting!  At midnight, on the floor of our completely empty, favorite house the email was opened!  Time stood still.  I think my heart stopped.  The first thing I saw was my passport picture at the top (that's good, it was ME!)  And just a side-note here, apparently the passport pictures are VERY important in this culture seeing how we EACH had to have at least 8 of them printed, cut at that very easy to lose size, and readily available at ANY point! Back to the email.  The next thing I saw was a little bit of English and then a WHOLE LOT of Arabic!  PANIC!!!!!! I scrolled down a bit to the most important tidbit of information.  Accompanied by:  NONE!!!! (in English).  My heart did actually stop this time. 

Frantically, I read. At the bottom, we saw the fine print that stated it could not be displayed properly.  Phewww... holding one's breath for long periods of time while already sleep deprived is NOT recommended.  Hands shaking, I handed my phone to Greg and said "fix this!"  Thankfully, my hubby is a computer goo-roo and figured it all out! 

FINALLY----we got the fully downloaded version and....YES!!!! ALL 4 TICKETS WERE THERE!!!  The breathing began again.  Tears of relief and thankfulness began to flow.  The Lord has so graciously taken care of each detail and so sweetly whispered that every one of our fears of the unknown were in HIS hands.  DO NOT FEAR was a song written and sung over me by a sweet friend many years ago.  It's melody and Truth still flow through my mind at the needed moments.  Through the tears I smiled at my Jesus, because once again I could feel His hands holding me tight, stroking my hair and whispering in my ear "Baby girl, I told you I've got this.  I love you and I AM taking care of everything."  

PEACE.

Now, let the CRAZINESS begin again....or shall I say, continue.  

As of now, both cars are sold and gone.  Departing with the dream car (the Sequoia) was an emotional moment.  We said goodbye to our dog.  We won't talk about how difficult that was!!!!   We have moved out of our favorite house.  A sweet family has already moved in.  We are currently living out of about 10 suitcases at Amy's parents' house in Cartersville.    The funny thing is, Greg mentioned that he was glad he only had to do this "living out of a suitcase thing" for a week.  HA!!!  I quickly reminded him that we will most likely be living out of suitcases for the next 2 months!  He did not appreciate that comment. :)

Needless to say, we are very excited to be given an actual date.  However, the reality of leaving has just slapped us in the face.  For the past month, I have thought of the passage in Luke where Mary had given birth to the baby Jesus.  It said "and she pondered these things in her heart".  As a mama as well, I picture her holding her precious baby and soaking up everything about that little bundle in her arms:  the 10 perfect toes, the long wrinkly fingers, the pudgy little nose, ooh those perfect little lips, breathing patterns and everything about the moment.  I look around, or I look at the people I'm talking to and try to soak in everything about them.  Their smiles, her laugh, the things I love most about them, the taste of the Chic-fil A sweet tea....... everything.  Knowing you've only been given a small window of time changes your perspective.  It causes you to be much more intentional with your time and your conversations.  Sounds kinda like what I've been taught in Sunday School all these years! :)

With that being said.....we don't like goodbyes but we just ask that when you see us this week, please hug us tight and maybe a little longer than usual because we will need that memory to help us get through the tough days of missing you ahead! 

Testing 1-2-3!

Yes, we are STILL here!  We are anxiously waiting the email containing our tickets revealing our departure date. 

I am really writing this entry as a test to see if we are doing this blogging thing correctly!  We want to make sure that this is actually posting in a place people can actually FIND!   I am NOT the most techno-savvy chic out there and I had a moment of panic as I searched for my first entry and couldn't even find us!  Oh gee...... yes, yes I know....we are CRAZY are many levels. 

Anyhow, we have been blessed with another week at home (seeing how the tickets didn't arrive for this week).  We were able to enjoy many lengthy lunch and dinner "meetings" with teachers and families that are living in the UAE right now!  HOW COOL IS THAT?!?!  We already have friends over there and some connections.  We have learned a lot and are working on preparing our hearts and minds for this life change.  We are really trying to get our minds in gear for "Island time" and being flexible flexible flexible.  For a "teacher-mom" who likes structure, hmmmmmm... this will be interesting to say the least.  LOL

Since this is just a test :) I will keep it short.  Please continue to pray for us.  We still have quite a few major decisions to make and aren't guaranteed the time.  Our goal this week is to be living out of suitcases.  Once the tickets arrive, we will have about 4 days until departure!  EEEK! 

Please be praying specifically for Amy :).  Though this week seems to be starting off much better, last week was full of tears and literally walking around the house in circles not knowing where to begin or what to do!  But thankfully Mama Glaze is back in town and she's gonna get this girl in gear!  You might want to add Greg to the prayer list as well, seeing how he has to deal with my sudden sobbing outbursts!  :)

Alright, TEST TEST TEST....sure hope this thing is working!  Hope you can find us, follow along, and enjoy our craziness.  You can ENJOY it b/c you can rest peacfully knowing that it's not YOUR crazy chaos sending you in a whirlwind for today, right?!  Love you!

Are We Crazy?

Hey! :) If you are reading this, then you may already know about the exciting journey we are on.  In less than 3 weeks, we will be moving to the other side of the world!  At this moment, I am sitting amongst boxes and messes trying to stay glued to this seat to finish this "To Do List" line item so I can free up some brain space by crossing off one more item off of my super long list.  This is a very difficult task because the boxes are still calling my name! 

Back to the point. 

So "Are we CRAZY?"  Why YES, yes I do believe we are!!! 

We are packing up and heading to the UAE (United Arab Emirates) in the Middle East.  I, Amy have accepted a teaching position for the next 2 years.  This is an exciting opportunity to take what I know of education to help with their educational reform.  They are undergoing a 10 year educational reform, recruiting Western educators to come help take their educational system to a new level. 

It has been a whirlwind of events already!  We have already experienced every emotion---and we aren't even there yet!  Regardless of the emotion, we can stand up on this truth--we know that God has called us to this new adventure.  A couple months ago, some were asked to pray specifics at the time of the interview, and this was a portion of the prayer:  "Please Lord, do not be silent." And He wasn't!  He was VERY CLEAR!  We are a testimony of 300 NO's leading to the 1 YES!  Greg's favorite verse is Jeremiah 29:11---"For I know the plans I have for you, says the LORD.  They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope."  WAITING AND TRUSTING---WAITING AND TRUSTING.  This has been our theme for lessons being learned for a while now.  Sooooo, again, we are waiting and trusting for what is yet to come! 

I am so excited, and as you know, I could talk for days!  I wish I could tell you every detail of what the Lord has done so far.  I just get so excited that I want to tell everyone- EVERYTHING!  But I will chill.....and try to use fewer words.  SOME people appreciate FEWER words!  lol

OKAY.  Here we go.  We want to keep you up to date on our journey in another land.  We also want to know about YOU!  I know that hearing from you will bring comfort to us on the tough and lonely days.  Have I mentioned that none of the Davidsons speak Arabic?  So hearing from you in English will be exactly what we need! haha 

Here are a few specifics, you will indeed think we are crazy after reading this! :) We are also asking that you please pray for us and pray for these details as well.

*Please pray for smooth transitions
*We do not know when exactly we are leaving.  We will get the plane tickets in the mail---there may be 1 for me, or all 4 at the same time.  We won't know until the tiickets arrive!  If it's just mine, the rest of the clan will come a month later!  We are praying that we ALL get to leave at the same time! 
*We don't know where we will be living, where I will be teaching, or what grade I will be in UNTIL we get there!  (typing this, I am laughing out loud because IT IS CRAZY!) 
*VERY IMPORTANT---please pray for us to find the RIGHT school for Hayden and Riley!  This is a "stress" I find myself laying at His feet every morning, or driving down the road when the sweat outbreaks and heart racing starts! 
* Speaking of sweat---I don't want to die of heatstroke while there either!  :)
*Cars to sell before leaving
*a JOB for Greg!  No, we don't know what he will be doing over there but praying for opportunities to open up for him quickly. 
*Pray for Amy and her new school.  All of you teacher people----you know how to pray specifically!  SO PLEASE DO!   Pray for my Administration---that they would be on board with this new reform and embrace theWestern educators.  Pray for my classroom---that God would give me exactly who I need and who needs me.  I've been told I will most likely be in an all boy's school 1st/2nd grade.  EEEEEK!!!!  Boys don't scare me---but boys in a culture that doesn't respect women and/or discipline DO!  oh my.....I'm sweating now, so I will stop on that note and trust you to pray!  HA! 
* Please pray for Hayden and Riley.  Oh my, I can't see to type because now I'm crying.  I know they are resilient.  I know they are HIS.  I know they will be fine. I just pray that it would be a smooth transition for them, that they will adjust quickly to a new school and  a new culture quickly.  I pray that the Lord would use them mightily---beyond their age and understanding to love on and shine Jesus to those they come into contact with.  I pray they would learn more about the love of Jesus and trust and depend on Him in ways like never before as they learn how to do life in a very dark place. 
*We have found a church that we will look into.  HOWEVER, we have no idea how close we will be to it or any others.  Please pray that we will find Christian fellowship, other Believers close by and a place to call our church "home" for a while. 
*Please pray that MY personality, loud laughter and constant talking to strangers would not get me into trouble!  It is somewhat frowned up there for women to be quite like me!  haha

I will stop there for now!  Thank you so much for loving us, following us, encouraging and praying for us.  We love you and appreciate you.  You have touched our lives more than you know.  You each hold a special spot in our story.  Thank you!