An Empty Space

As I walk through the place we once called home I feel a pinch of sadness rush through my body. Though it is is the midst of summer I feel chills run through my body as I make the last few rounds to make sure we haven't forgotten anything. I look at these empty rooms that are no longer filled with furniture and love. The only evidence that people once lived here are nails in the walls. Nails in which will soon be taken out in preparation for the new tenants. It is hard saying goodbye to a place we spent so much time and effort on. It is hard to say goodbye to a life you once lived. Now we will be leaving this place for the next people to come in and call it home. 

One thing I have learned is that home truly is where your heart is. I know that we will walk into our new place in Bahrain and stare at those plain walls and get started again. It takes love to turn a house into a home. So we will begin our new journey in due time. We will fill our new place with hopes and dreams once again. Further down our timeline of life I know we will too walk through that place doing our last rounds and feel the same tinge of pain. Only the next time we will do this will be because we will have finally reached our end goal. All of the time, love, patience, effort and hard work will be because we will finally be making our move back to the states into a home that is truly ours. It will be in a house that we own. A house that our future children will grow up in. A house that Indiana and I will grow old in. It will be the home that when we are old and grey we will look around and be proud of. We will remember our life in the Middle East and reminisce all the countless moves we made and smile. We will smile because our life will have been filled with color.

This move has been tough but we have kept a positive outlook because it is proof that we are progressing. It is proof that we are one step closer to our ultimate goal. A goal in which we will have earned more than we can even now imagine. 

So I say goodbye to my long stint in Kuwait and hello to a new adventure. I know everything will work out in the end because my true home lays in the heart of the man that stands beside me. This strong man that I have given my whole heart to is where I feel safe. That is the true meaning of home. 

I am lucky and I never take my life for granted as each day passes. 

Take care for now. Xoxo

Ribs and Rumps- A must try!

Goeie Middag! (Good evening in Afrikaans) :)
Tonight Indiana and I went to Ribs and Rumps for our second go at the restaurant. Both times was a big success. Both times I have gotten their Fillet cooked medium. I am a big steak person and must say that this has become my favorite steak place here in Kuwait. Their selection is great and the service is impeccable.
It is a South African restaurant and I am happy to say it is also equipped with South African chefs.
My steak was amazing and so was Indiana's.
We did have one little mishap however. We ordered their white fish cooked in batter appetizer thinking it would be pieces of fish fried and served with a dip of some sort. However, it was tiny local fish with their heads still on fried and served like that. I did try it, not my favorite. It is also not appeasing to the eye to have the heads still on. My only criticism is to include a description of that on the menu. I felt bad wasting the food but I certainly wasn't going to eat it.
If you happen to be a Saffer, they have boerewors and boereworse rolls with the proper red relish. It is delicious. Their mixed grill is also on par.
If I had to give an rating I would give the place a 9 out of 10. The steak is a 10/10 by far. The menu would be a 9/10 (more description needed). The service would be a 10/10. The ambiance would also be a 10/10.

The prices are reasonable. It is more on the expensive side, as steak places are, but worth every fil. We ordered drinks, a fillet, a rib eye, two extra sides and three sauces bringing us to a total of KD 26.500.

If we were staying here this would definitely turn into our date night place of choice. Now that I am properly full, I am going to retire to a blissful slumber.

My delicious fillet cooked medium!

The white fish cooked in batter appetizer (notice the heads...eww)

OH on a side note, Indiana, my mom in law, and I will be on our way to South Africa next week!!! Things are really coming together! I can not wait to eat good food!!!! 

Totsiens!!! xoxo

2 for 1

Hello All!!!!
Our spirits have been lifted seeing as things are finally moving in our favor. We finally got our deregistration papers from the ministry. However, I must say, do not hire a mandoub here to do this process. Usually we use mandoubs for car registrations, visas and even re registering our boat's registration. For this process, there really is no need. You will have to be directed to 700 different rooms before you reach the right one but take it from me, it is faster. Stay polite and keep a smile on your face and people will help. You still will have to wait if the people who need to sign the papers happen to not be at work but alas we got our papers. Now we have given them to the shipping agency and they do the rest of the work. By Sunday or Monday our boat will be on the way to Bahrain! Now Indiana can cancel his residency and hopefully by Thursday we will be on our way to South Africa for his medical and a little R&R. Packing up your life really is overwhelming but finally we can see a light at the end of the tunnel.

Now for my second topic of this post!!!!!! Mama Lita's Authentic Mexican Food!!! It is a restaurant in the Mahboula area. It is tiny and easy to miss because it is the size of a bakala. Do not let looks deceive you. I am from Texas, lets just say I like my Mexican food! I have not had a flauta in forever and I tell you, this place hit the spot. It is pretty cheap too. They have a wide range of traditional Mexican food. The best part is, when the ingredients finally make it to Kuwait, they will make TAMALES!!!! Oh how I miss tamales. This place is worth checking out. If you like Mexican food or food with flavor in general then you need to put this on the list.

Adios Amigos!!!!!!! xoxo

Let's Talk Life- Love

Let me start off by saying this past month, though it is not over, has been a very humbling experience. First off, living in a beautiful apartment while sleeping on an air mattress, sitting on lawn chairs, ordering take out because we don't have kitchen appliances, bringing our laundry to my mom-in-law's, and so on so forth has been an experience we won't forget. You really do not know how good you had it till it is all gone. Our trip to South Africa is still on hold pending our boat situation. All in all, though it can be frustrating, this has been an adventure for Indiana and I. It has brought us closer in ways I did not know possible. I am so happy to have him in my life. My partner my best friend and my rock.
My life lesson for today: The true meaning of love. I thought I knew love. I felt it many times before. I do know love, but true love only came when I met Indiana and spent time with him. I always fell in love, went along for the ride and then it ended. I kept thinking. 'what am I doing wrong?' Now, and only now, I realize that I wasn't necessarily doing anything wrong. In fact, I was doing everything right. The problem was always in the love. I thought love was sacrificing more than you should. I thought love was questioning anything and everything. I thought love was saying and hearing the words. I thought love was those butterflies you feel in your tummy that eventually go away and you find yourself at a crossroad saying, 'well I have put so much time and effort into this I might as well stay'; or you find yourself letting go and pursuing new love. In the end the answer ended up being so simple that it is so easy to miss. Love is loving someone completely and then here is the big secret, love is feeling all the love you give, given back to you in return. Everything I sacrifice, Indiana does the same. All the love I give and show him, he gives and shows it back in return. When you finally find someone that truly loves you back, you feel it. You know it in your heart and all the way through your bones. Saying the words is nice but you no longer need it when you find true love. True love is a hard thing to come by. All I can say is that when it comes along, hop on for the adventure, get lost in the moment and stay on that journey, with your special person, for the rest of your days. Be willing to feel the love back. It hits you when you least expect it.
True love has been the best thing that has ever happened to me and I wouldn't change it for the world.

Just some food for thought from my life lessons...xoxo

The things we do for the love of water...

So as everyone knows, Indiana and I are preparing to make our move to Bahrain. Our goal was to leave to South Africa next Tuesday so Indiana can do his medical and we can take a short vacation and see family. Well that trip has been pushed back a bit because of our boat and jet ski. They are coming with us to Bahrain. So here is some advice that I believe I have always known but only now experienced it. Thus now, I only learned the lesson. 

When shipping a boat or jet ski out of Kuwait there is a fairly easy process to be followed. Yes easy. However, if anyone has lived in Kuwait long enough they will know that even the easiest of procedures here can turn into a long process. First get in contact with a shipping agency and give them all the required info and paperwork. Then you will have to go to the ministry and deregister your asset before the shipping company can prepare the paperwork needed in order to clear the asset for shipping. The shipping agency is really easy to work with. It is the ministry that is a bit more tricky. Basically, the ministry just has to sign a bunch of papers. They don't even need to see the asset. However, what can take a day usually does not here due to people not showing up to work. So we initially were supposed to get the boat shipped tomorrow. Now, that has been pushed back a week because the guy that is supposed to sign off our papers is not here this week and we will only be able to get our papers next Tuesday. So basically all of our plans have been pushed back a whole week for a piece of paper that just needs a signature on it.

So a word of advice, do not put a set date on tickets or any of that until your asset has been deregistered and the shipping process has started. This will help you avoid headaches and wasting money. 

The shipping agency we are using is wonderful. They are affordable and very easy to deal with. They help you through the entire process. I would recommend them. Their name is Transcontinental Shipping Services or TCS. 

Over and out my friends! Xoxo

Currently how I feel....

Little Philippines Detour

Sorry I haven't been on in a while. I took a short trip to the Philippines from Sunday till Thursday. It was good fun. I met some really great people from around the world and learned a whole lot from them. I really enjoy learning. I take every opportunity that comes my way just so that I can expand my horizons. Life is just plain dull if you stay in your comfort zone and continue to be stuck in your ways. 

The Philippines was a lot like I expected; beautiful but dirty, full of life but filled with struggle. There are parts of Manila that your heart aches just driving by. Then, there are the grand malls and so forth that make you realize that it is just like the rest of the world. Poor and rich all at the same time. I really loved the people. Such a friendly culture. Everyone, male or female, rich or poor greeted me with a smile. 

I didn't get to see even close to what I wanted to but my hotel was grand! We stayed at the Sofitel Plaza in Manila and it was just out of this world. If you want luxury then that is the place to go. 

It was really hot and humid. Everyone said I should be used to it coming from Kuwait but hell no!!! Kuwait is dry people! We have a very short and mild humid season and that is it. I could not handle the humidity. 

Indiana and I have to go back to go exploring and find a nice place to dive! 

On a life note, I am back home. We don't have hardly any furniture left. Living on lawn chairs in the living room and sleeping on an air mattress in the bed room. We are taking the living out of our suitcase thing to a whole new level. It is fun though I must admit. I would recommend taking away all of your luxuries from time to time and remember that life and love is a gift on its own. All these other things are added bonuses. 

Now we are at my mom in laws place getting ready to eat a pork rib feast!! Yay! My mom, sister and our niece nephew are on their way. Family is good. The best really. 

On that note...I must go! Xoxo