It's Good to Set Goals

The couch at my cousin Alicia's house wrapped me up in comfy warm goodness and (along with the help of two Tylenol PM) I slept through that first night on the opposite side of the world with zero problems. I wasn't even too groggy when I awoke. My one goal for that day was to stay awake as much as possible in order to get over the jet lag fast. I had read that exercise helps so I enlisted Alicia to take a walk with me in the morning. Alicia just so happens to live two blocks from one of my childhood homes, so it was a trip around the neighborhood filled with nostalgia. (She just so happens to live in the cul-de-sac that always gave out full-sized candy bars on Halloween.) I really appreciated the one-on-one time with her (especially since I missed her wedding).

The next trick up my jet-lag-reducing sleeve was a sufficient amount of caffeine. On the way to my uncle and aunt's house in Lynnwood, we stopped at an AM/PM gas station for some Diet Dr. Pepper. I grabbed the largest cup I could find, and began to fill up all 64 ounces, with just a few cubes of ice. At the cash register, the newbie cashier fumbled through some barcodes on a ring and asked if I was getting the gallon size. My eyes lit up "I didn't know that was an option!" I replied, but decided that 64 ounces was probably more than enough. At this point in the blog I would post the totally awesome picture of me enjoying my beverage, but I lost it. Maybe it is in my other computer...

At my uncle and aunt's house my mom got to work on a big family meal for the following day, but took a break when my uncle offered to take us to lunch at a Mexican restaurant. ("Us" included my mom, grandma, sister, and of course myself.) Dubai doesn't have too many Mexican restaurants, so getting food wrapped up in a tortilla was high on my vacation to-do list. I had a basic huge bean burrito, and although I am not certain I finished it all, it was certainly tasty. Thanks, Uncle Bruce!

My mum, ever the caretaker, decided to extend her cooking break by taking me clothes shopping. She had obviously read a previous post about my shabby attire and didn't want her daughter being looked down upon by foreigners, so off we went to Alderwood Mall. It wasn't too successful. While I am sure the mall's patrons have no problems with the stores (thus the reason they are still there), I didn't find anything that fit my style. I am neither a teen or a middle-aged woman, so I was kind of at a loss. Plus the mall has no Anthropologie or J.Crew. (Neither store is exactly bakery-friendly, but the clothes are pretty!) My mom found a nice top at Macy's for herself, though.

The afternoon progressed, and even though I started to feel fatigued I didn't take a nap. The Dr. Pepper was doing it's job. I think Grandma napped, however.

That evening I was treated to a Mariner's baseball game with my dad, sister, uncle, Alicia, her two stepsons, and a family friend. It was chilly, but I had a blast. We snacked on peanuts and arabic sweets, you know, all the traditional baseball fare. I sat next to Aidan, the youngest stepson, and I must say he was pretty charming, except when he tried to get me to drink out of the bottle of water that he backwashed into. The Mariner's played the Texas Rangers, who took an early lead, but the Mariners were able to catch up...at least until they gave up a nice handful of runs in the last inning. I was certain that the M's were aware that I was in town, so they were supposed to win. I guess the Ranger's didn't get the memo. Here, I would post some of the pictures I took of the game. Yep, they're lost as well. Awesome.

My eyelids were especially heavy on the ride back to Alicia's after the game. And with the aid of my favorite jet-lag-bedtime snack (erm, Tylenol PM), I slept soundly once again.