A Saudi Howdy!

Things are going well for me here in the Middle East. The pictures were actually taken in the desert north of Dubai, in the northern Emirates. It was near the coast where there was a bit more vegitation.

I am currently in Riyadh, KSA.

I can't wait to get home and tell you all about it.

The plant in the picture is called "desert bread." Probably similar to the cactus plants in Arizona, this plant can be eaten, and has water. It had some pretty purple flowers, though you can't really see them in this picture.

Saw lots of camels, goats and wild donkeys.

On my day off, we went 4-wheeling in the desert. It was a blast, riding up and down sand dunes (and no, I didn't roll it - though I came close!). We actually took the SUV out and did the same thing - I was a little scared. I was sure it was going to roll a couple of times, but my driver knew what he was doing.

Family Photo

Here's the most recent family photo we have. I'm mainly doing this in an attempt to post the photo to our Blogger profile. We'll see if it works.

Baby's 1st Photos (1 of 2)

Hello Family!

I've heard (and read) that things have been pretty boring or dull on the Blog of late. Sorry, I haven't been able to contribute like I used to. The promotion at work has taken all of the free time I used to have. Praise God, from whom all blessings flow! While I miss my free time, I love the new challenges.

Here are some photos from our 1st ultrasound of our baby girl, Edith Lynn (Ede).

Joel & Stacy

Baby's 1st Photos (2 of 2)

The Drury Family Cruise 2007 Number 6

Here are some pictures taken with my underwater camera during our snorkeling excursion off Grand Cayman island during the cruise. Starts with some underwater shots of the coral and fish, then some 'top-side' pictures of David and Lori, Becky, Tom and Shirley.

Becky, Carl, David, and Lori were the only ones that got "wet" during the excursion. Tom and Shirley decided to stay dry and take-in the scenery.

Notice how beatiful the water was!! Clear and warm, although a bit windy and some waves.

The Drury Family Cruise 2007 Number 5

Found some more pictures from our visit to the island of Jamaica.

Still have some pictures to be developed from our day of snorkeling on Grand Cayman island. Will post these in the next few days.

The Drury Family Cruise 2007 4 of 4

More pictures from the island of Jamaica.

The Drury Family Cruise 3 of 4

Pictures taken during the cruise from the island of Jamaica.

The Drury Family Cruise 2007 2 of 4

More pictures of the cruise from January 27 to February 1.

The Drury Family Cruise 2007 1 of 4

Tom and Shirley, Kenny and Susan, Tom and Leesa, David and Lori, and Carl and Becky met in Miami on January 27 for a 5-day cruise to Jamaica and Grand Cayman Islands.

Here are some pictures taken during the cruise, four posts are required because I'm new to blogging and don't know how to load all the pictures correctly.

Carl & Becky's visit to Marco Island Florida 2 of 2

More pictures of our visit to Tom and Shirley's condo on Marco Island Florida from January 24 to 27.

Carl and Becky's visit to Marco Island Florida 1 of 2

January 24th we traveled to Tom and Shirley's condo on Marco Island Florida for a few days away from the Illinois winter. We stayed with them until Saturday when we left for the Drury Family Cruise (more about that in another post).

Attached are a few pictures taken in and around their condo and on the beach.

"Boomer" joins the Ham Family

This past weekend Joel and Stacy welcomed a new member to the Ham family. No, it's not what you think (even though they are expecting their first in May), they have added a new puppy to their home.

Boomer is a six-week old Great Pyranees (sp?) puppy they purchased. They traveled to Indiana and picked up Boomer, then stopped by our house for a few days. Boomer is adorable (aren't most puppies?), but will be over 100 pounds when full grown.

Attached are some pictures taken of Boomer (one including Eric and Nancie's beagle Lucy).