Umm Zaytuna

A friend of ours took us on a day trip outside of Amman the other weekend. We ended up in a little village called Umm Zaytuna. This little village is on a mountain where on a good clear day you could see the Dead Sea. It was so beautiful, looking down in the valley and seeing the desert. I think the desert is beautiful because of the exposed land. There is nothing to cover up the flaws, it's vulnerable. Anywho, on the mountain it was slightly green and a few flowers were blooming. We enjoyed ourselves so much, hiking around and having a picnic. We came across a little cave that is a stable. I was nervous to walk in it as first but nothing scary was there. It was really cool to see because I'm sure it's exactly like the stable Jesus was born it, down to the smell, and mountains much the same as the ones the multitude of angels appeared and sang at. I felt the story come alive in those few minutes in that humble cave. What a reminder of what Jesus did for us! Really cool!!!

Fat people unite

The other day I was reading the Jordan Times newspaper, in which there was an article saying that about 80% of Jordanians are overweight or obese. This is about the same percentage as Americans. Yeeha, fatness loves company!
As the article progressed, they gave out a few hypothesis' of why Jordanians are becoming so fat (change of diet, lifestyle, etc.). What I found curious was what one professor gave as a solution to the problem, he said "All Arabs need to do is eat and live like they used to." Seriously, this is your solution! Let's just go back and live nomadic desert lifestyles, herd goats your whole life. Set your people back a hundred years, instead of educating them on nutrition and fitness.
I just found this whole thing silly, and realized that I could probably be some expert in this field of health...if only I wasn't so fat.

www.marcosuarez.com

Hey Friends,
One of my friends is quite an artist. And I want to suggest you all go and check him out at www.marcosuarez.com

a nickname for craig

We had some friends over for dinner last night. Loads of fun! Our friends are a family of four, Rob and Lia and their kids Levi (3) and Koen (1). The kids ran around the house like crazy and dived off our couch onto the bean bags. Craig made calzones which were absolutely delicious. Toward the end of the night, Levi was becoming even more comfortable with Craig, tickling him and wanting to poke his belly. We found this very funny b/c Levi began calling Craig "belly guy." What a great name!! We'll add it to the list: hotpants, crack, craigers, craigel, bantalone harr, (he wants me to add stud muffin) and now BELLY GUY!
Below is a picture of Levi. Cute!

I went to a wedding a few months ago and thought I'd put some pictures of the event.

Quotes from Three Cups of Tea

I am really loving this book called Three Cups of Tea by David Relin and Greg Mortenson. Greg Mortenson is a humanitarian who's mission is "promote peace...one school at time" in the poverty stricken villages of Pakistan.

Here are some quotes
on education:
"If you really want to change a culture, to empower women, improve basic hygiene and health care, and fight high rates of infant mortality, the answer is to educate girls."

on war:
"In times of war, you often hear leaders-Christian, Jewish, and Muslim-saying, 'God is on our side.' But that isn't true. In war, God is on the side of the refugees, widows, and orphans."

speech given by village leader after 9/11 (i love this):
"It is by fate that Allah the Almighty has brought us together in this hour. Today is a day that you children will remember forever and tell your children and grandchildren. Today, from the darkness of illiteracy, the light of education shines bright. We share in the sorrow as people weep and suffer in America today...Those who have committed this evil act against the innocent, the women and children, to create thousands of widows and orphans do not do so in the name o Islam. By the grace of Allah the Almighty, may justice be served upon them....Why have we not been able to bring education to our children on our own? Fathers and parents, I implore you to dedicate your full effort and commitment to see that all your children are educated. Otherwise, they will merely graze like seep in the field, at the mercy of nature and the world changing so terrifyingly around us. I request America to look into our hearts and see that the great majority of us are not terriosts, but good and simple people. Our land is stricken with poverty because we are without education, But today, another candle of knowledge as been lit. In the name of Allah the Almighty, may it light our way out of the darkness we find ourselves in."

have you ever had a shoogy boom?