I Don't Know Why

I don't know why I haven't posted, but dang do I miss you guys!  It's like I'm busy or something.  The Things and I are doing really well.  Life is good and we couldn't be happier.  Work has been nuts with visits and more, but it's a good kind of nuts since I love what I do and I love the people I work with.

We've made an effort to travel more over the past few months, so I thought I'd share some pictures of our adventures.  I've even included some of me because for the first time in a long time I don't feel self-conscious about having my picture taken.  Thank you, Paleo! Sorry the formatting is a bit screwy.  I made the pictures as large as possible so that they would be easier to see.

In December ex-Mr. Globetrotter came to visit but could only stay a few days.  We took advantage of the opportunity to go on a little road trip to El Jem, site of an ancient Roman Colosseum.

Thing 1 probably won't talk to me after he sees that I've posted this picture for the whole world to see

The Things were feeling a bit down that their dad could only visit for a few days so I asked them what we could do to make it better.  Thing 3 said he wanted to see the Eiffel Tower, so off to Paris we went for New Year's.  As luck would have it, I can't find any pictures of our trip.  No idea what happened but massively bummed.  For me, pictures are like an insurance policy.  Years from now when my kids are in therapy (and with me as a mother they surely will be) I will point to all the pictures we took on our adventures in a futile attempt to convince them that their childhoods weren't really that bad.  

(EDIT:  I found them!!!  All of the above still holds true.)

The Eiffel Tower at night

We rented a little apartment in the Montmartre area, and just a block from us was a little Christmas street fair.

We gorged on roasted chestnuts -- my favorite winter treat!

Thing 1 and Thing 2 in front of Montmartre

Four of us at Moulin Rouge

That awkward moment when your first grader can sound out words and doesn't understand why you won't let him go to the toy store.

Near the Louvre

We had to go to Angelina's for the hot chocolate.

It was amazing and thick and we all felt sick after drinking it and eating pastries.

One of my favorite photos!

Jumping at the Louvre

Someone made a statue of me nekkid.

Yeah, I know.  We're kind of immature.

We walked from the Louvre to the Arc de Triomphe.  The kids were sort of irritated and cranky at that point so no pics of them!

In January one of my good friends came to Tunis on a work-related visit, and we took advantage of the opportunity to visit more ancient Roman sites.  Here are some pictures of Dougga and Bulla Reggia.

Me pointing at pretty flower or maybe it was a penis, symbol of fertility.  I can't remember.

Look!  It's a temple thingy!

A better shot of temple thingy

More temple

Learning about mosaics at Bulla Reggia

The countryside near Bulla Reggia

February was a busy month, with a short-fuse visit of Secretary Clinton.  Here's a picture I took of the plane as it pulled up on the tarmac:

I also got a pretty decent tan that day. Thank you, tarmac.

No matter how many visits I work, I just makes me feel so damn patriotic whenever I see this plane, particularly when I'm far away from home.

March was Spring Break and the perfect opportunity to head down to the Sahara Desert before it got too hot.  The Things said this was the best vacation we've ever taken.

This was the first time the Things have been on a propeller plane.  They weren't fans.  Ha, ha.  Get it?

Nefta

Nefta with a Star Wars prop

Running Down a Sand Dune in the Sahara

A Star Wars set in the middle of the desert

Another shot of the set

Ong El Jamel -- The Neck of the Camel

We stopped in Tozeur and went ziplining

We checked out an oasis.  I think it's Chebika.

More Oasis

And then we rented quads and took them out into the desert

Riding Quads in the desert

The Red Lizard -- Train ride through the desert and canyons.  Parts of the English Patient and a few other famous movies were filmed here.

One of many pictures from the train ride

Camel ride...Thing 3's camel was a bit too big for him.  He hung on for dear life.

Taking a break from the camels

Matmata -- Troglodyte dwelling used for one of the original Star Wars films

I cannot remember the name of this vilage but they make beautiful carpets and have rosemary tea and honey.

Drinking rosemary tea and eating rosemary honey

Ever since I learned that the Star Wars movies were filmed in Tunisia and that Tataouine is an actual city, I've wanted to visit. 

Tataouine!

More Tataouine

The boys exploring Tataouine

The pictures don't do it justice.  It's just gorgeous.

We headed to the island of Djerba and stopped at the Gallela museum.  The museum showcased Tunisian traditions and customs from the various regions.

This was my favorite "scene" -- a circumcision.  The guy with the scissors was just too much. 

Also on the island of Djerba?  A tight knit Jewish community with their own synagogue.  Jews and Muslims live side-by-side peacefully.  Too bad the rest of the region can't follow suit.

After four days of traveling, we were ready for some R&R.  The view from our hotel room at the El Mouradi, after we got upgraded to the Presidential suite.

It's EER season so I'm focused on keeping words like "dumbass" and "underwhelming" out of mine, but hopefully when that's over I'll have more time to share bits of our lives with all of you.  As they say in my hood, inshallah!