Car Shopping .... Eastern Addition

Pam and Dave have been car shopping in Saudi Arabia.  The process has been VERY entertaining for them and they are now the proud owners of a Toyota Landcruiser.  We call those "land-crushers" at Casa de Goetz and Mark was worried about them keeping gas in the tank of such a gas-guzzler until I reminded him that they ARE living on the Arabian peninsula .... they just GIVE gas away for FREE over there!!!  My folks were kind enough to share a few pics to help all of us, back at home, experience the Eastern addition of car shopping!

Welcome to Auto Row of Yanbu:














Here is your selection - hope you wanted something in white:

You can rest in the waiting room while the paperwork is being drawn up:

I'm incompetent

Well, I'm not incompetent, but my cervix is.  And I don't want to gross out any poor male reading this blog by throwing around anatomical terms or diagrams.  Suffice it to say my cervix is supposed to hold the baby IN until it's time to deliver and our doctor just is not confident that mine is capable.  We're trying some meds and monitoring baby-boy with weekly ultrasounds.  He's an absoltue jumping bean so I'm supposed to remain seated as much as possible and limit standing to 30 minutes or less.  This means no more Zumba classes and no more step-aerobics and no more Spin classes and no marathon trips to the mall or crazy days spent on yard work or new home remodeling projects.  I have been told to hold still ..... Mark didn't even flinch when the perinatologist instructed me to "act like a princess."  Lawd have mercy on us all!

So now I just sit around the house:

And I watch Mark cook dinner.

And then I watch Mark rotate loads of laundry.

And then Mark carries in the groceries.... etc.

And then I check my lunch-lady-arms in the mirror .... yup, a few more weeks of this "bed rest" business and I'll be ready to take my flabby arms to the Bingo Parlor or a Swap Meet.  It's a good thing that I already like our little jumping bean so much!

does anyone REALLY eat turnips?

Week #17: Baby weighs as much as a turnip - 5 ounces, with a length of 5 inches from head to bottom.

Last week baby was the size of an avocado and that was much more fun.  We had guacamole!  But honestly, does anyone REALLY eat turnips?  I had a hard time finding one at the grocery store.  And then I had to Google this root vegetable to familiarize myself with it ....okay, so folks down South like turnip greens.  I knew that.  But does anyone actually seek out, look forward to and want to eat the turnip itself?!?!?

Please report back if you have something to share regarding the lowly turnip!

Expansion Team

Team-Goetz is proud to announce the impending expansion of our Ball Club .....

We anticipate the debut of our very own Farm League in late September!

While several fans had expressed hopes for fast-pitch softball, current and unsubstantiated reports indicate baseball is a more likely outcome.

helpful documents

This little gem is a good read .... and I particularly like the use of CAPITAL LETTERS FOR EMPHASIS!

Good thing neither of my folks has glaucoma or things could have gotten dicey for their treatment plan!

the countdown has started ....

We've been waiting for it and it has finally arrived ..... Mom's Visa!!!!!

No set departure date as of right now, but we anticipate mid-April. 

Stay tuned for plans for a WILD Going-Away Party!!!

Political Science Lesson

The news regarding conflict in the Middle East is confusing so I thought I would help my friends with a brief lesson on Muslim politics.  There are two main constituencies; the Sunnis and the Shiites.  Reading aloud in 9th grade poly-sci there was one kid who inadvertently called them, "the $h*tty Muslims."  Needless to say the teacher darn-near had an aneurysm!  But back to the task at hand ....

Sunni and Shia Muslims share fundamental Islamic beliefs. The difference between them is essentially political and has to do with acceptance of governing authority. Sunni Muslims account for 85% of Muslims in the world. But heavy populations of Shia, or Shiite Muslims, can be found in Iran and Iraq.

“The division between Shia and Sunni dates back to the death of the Prophet Muhammad, and the question of who was to take over the leadership of the Muslim nation. Sunni Muslims agree that the new leader should be elected from among those capable of the job. This is what was done, and the Prophet Muhammad's close friend and advisor, Abu Bakr, became the first Caliph of the Islamic nation. Sunni Muslims state that there is no basis in Islam for a hereditary privileged class of spiritual leaders, and certainly no basis for the veneration or intercession of saints. Sunni Muslims contend that leadership of the community is not a birthright, but a trust that is earned and which may be given or taken away by the people themselves.”

“Shitte, or Shia Muslims believe that following the Prophet Muhammad's death, leadership should have passed directly to his cousin/son-in-law, Ali. Throughout history, Shia Muslims have not recognized the authority of elected Muslim leaders, choosing instead to follow a line of Imams which they believe have been appointed by the Prophet Muhammad or God Himself.  Shia Muslims believe that the Imam is sinless by nature, and that his authority is infallible as it comes directly from God. Therefore, Shia Muslims often venerate the Imams as saints."

Does that help to clarify?  In short, when Sunnis have the majority of power and elect leaders, the Shia population is not always supporting or following those leaders.  So an oversimplified explanation is that then you might see protests or rebels or insurgents fighting within their own countries.

Extra credit if you can name the mosque in the picture ..... class dismissed!