Catching up

We are thankful to be entering into a season that (hopefully) won't be as insane as the previous half of 2014. We enjoyed some wonderful time out of country this summer with family and friends that has left us fairly refreshed!

Last week was one of my favorite times to be a part of this culture...the end of Ramadan holiday. This is a very festive time of year in this part of the world. For three days we pack in as many visits as possible with as many friends as possible. It's an amazing time to connect and reconnect. 

The first day is mostly a family day, but a fun neighborhood thing is that the neighbor men all gather fairly early in the morning and do a quick visit to one another's houses. We had heard about this happening other years, but never saw it in the other neighborhoods we've lived in. However, it does happen in our current neighborhood!

Here they are gathering outside of our house at about 8:30am. 

Since the first day is a family visit day we restrict our visits to those we are closest with. We even got to join a friend and his family for a wonderful lunch!

My favorite part of this visit was when all the kiddos started getting a little fussy our friend's brother got out a lighter to entertain them with (insert sarcastic tone)! Quality entertainment in these parts, let me tell ya!

The two days following this one were filled with visits that were carefully planned around meal times. We wanted to fit in as many visits as we could, but you don't want to arrive at a friend's house past a certain point where they are then obligated to invite you to stay and eat. It's quite the challenge trying to get that last visit squeezed in, but wondering if you are pushing your luck!

Something I love about these visits is seeing the very different ways people decorate their homes. One of our neighbors took the cake in having the fanciest room I've seen in awhile!

Liza had her own little, gold, princess pillow to perch on while she enjoyed her candy and juice!

This process can be a tiring one, but it's how we enter into the lives of our friends in a meaningful way. It's not always convenient, the kids miss naps, get all sugared up and even a bit wild, but we know each interaction and time spent in a friend's home is an investment in something greater. Therefore, we count it a joy to be inconvenienced!