Sammie??? A Funny Dog Tale

I have a funny story about Sammie, our dog! Now, if it does not seem funny to you, it is not in the event, but in my story-writing skills! The reason I decided to post it on the blog is because everyone who hears this story, cannot stop laughing! It also is a good story to show how our whole lifestyle has changed by moving to Dubai. 

Last month, we took a trip to London and Paris. That meant that we would have to board Sammie, and our cat, Katie. In Spring, we would have gotten them a reservation at Tomball Pet Resort, and driven them there ourselves the day we were leaving. Then upon returning, picked them up ourselves.

Well, things are a bit different in Dubai! Because we have no car, and metros, taxis, and even rental cars do not allow pets, we found a boarding facility that would come and pick up the pets. For 180 dirhams ($60), they would pick them up, and bring them back to us. So, the day we left, the boarding facility came to pick up the pets! We took Sammie and Katie (in their crates) down to the garage on the hotel luggage cart, and gave them to the driver. Now, he does not actually work in the facility, but is their driver for picking up and delivering pets. This will be an important detail as the story unfolds!

We had a great trip, and assumed the animals were having a great “holiday” as well! When we returned, I called Tino (the manager of the facility) to let him know we were home, and he said that they would deliver the pets the next day.

The next day on Saturday, Larry went down to the garage, tipped the driver, and brought Sammie and Katie "home" on the luggage cart. Larry noticed that Sammie was not overly friendly as he “talked” to her, as he brought them up in the elevator. 

When he got them upstairs, we let them both out of the crates. Katie was her normal stuck-up self! Ha! Sammie, on the other hand, came out quietly, no tail-wagging, no jumping, no “hey, I’m so glad to be home...how dare you leave me at that awful place.” She just came out! We let her out on the patio, and she just sniffed around. She did not respond to us at all! She did not come when we called her, did not even acknowledge. I was thinking, “Wow, she is REALLY mad, or psychologically DAMAGED!” After a minute or two, I promise it wasn’t too long...we both came to the same conclusion that...yep, you’re right...THIS WAS NOT OUR DOG!!! 

I called Tino who, according to my phone, had been trying to call me. I said, “Tino, this is not my dog!” He replied, “OMG...in a foreign accent...I know!” Evidently, the driver got the dog, loaded it, and brought the wrong blonde Lab! I had Tino hang up, go make sure Sammie was still there, and call me back. Sure enough, she was. The driver returned in a few minutes and retrieved the “other Lab”, and Sammie returned the next day because it was too far for the driver to turn around and go back, and come back to us.

Now, you are probably like our children who all thought it was very strange that we did not know that this was NOT OUR DOG! But, in our defense, she was a very close copy! We have had so much fun with this story...imagining what Sammie was thinking when Katie was leaving, what the other dog was thinking...you know she may even have not spoken English...or English might have been her second language! You get where I’m going with this...the more you think about it, and imagine the response of Sammie, Katie, the “other” dog, and even all of the animals at the kennel, the funnier it gets! I rented “Homeward Bound” the other day, and it really made me chuckle to think what our pets and their friends were saying about this “mis-adventure!” What a fun story!

Even with this mistaken identify, God led us all...One Step at a Time!

SERIOUSLY???

Paris...A Wonderful Place!

Paris was a fairy tale trip! Our hotel was less than a block from the Eiffel Tower! We could go out on the balcony, and see it from our room! The weather was beautiful every day we were there. I was in awe of the Eiffel Tower. We went up inside! You will see from the pictures, there are two levels. The “tiny” objects are taken from the very top! The Notre Dame Cathedral is so OLD, and gorgeous! The Louvre is absolutely the most beautiful place I have ever been. The grounds were immaculate: beautiful flowers, trees, statues, fountains...amazing! Once inside, there were several museums. We visited the Egyptian Museum, the Statue Collection, and the Art Gallery. Of course, the highlight was (drum roll please) the MONA LISA! It is true, she looks like she is looking right at you no matter where you stand! I did expect the painting to be bigger, but it did not disappoint! There is just something about seeing a masterpiece you have heard about all of your life! The town itself is very different than London. I can’t put my finger on it, but London seems much more organized, ready for tourists, “with the program.” Paris, is more relaxed, “loosy, goosy”...I loved it! It was really a beautiful city...the architecture was amazing! We noticed the bridges all had small padlocks locked all over them, so we had to find out about that. When couples come to Paris, it is a tradition, to put a lock on the bridge, and throw the key into the Seine River. It symbolizes that their relationship will last forever, and cannot be unlocked! If it doesn’t last, well, the lock is a symbol of something that was wonderful, or stands for the scar “true love” left behind! I must like to eat because I think my favorite part of Paris was the sidewalk cafes! It was so fun just to sit at the small tables for two, facing the street, and watch the people go by! We had a great time!

You know, I was “talking” with a friend on Facebook the other day…I know that God has always led Larry and I…just as He has you…One Step at a Time. But at this point in our lives, WE are more aware of it. God hasn’t changed…He never changes!

View of the Eiffel Towel from our hotel room patio...about 1/2 block away!

Arc de Triomphe...honors those who fought and died for France

View of the Seine River from the TOP of the Eiffel Tower!

Our hotel on the left from the TOP!

Paris from the TOP

Another view of Paris

pretty street corner...

Guess What!

The locks on one of the bridges

Notre Dame Cathedral

Yummy chicken salad at a lovely sidewalk cafe

FUN, FUN, FUN!

Arc on the grounds of The Louvre

The Louvre

Grounds of The Louvre

Can you tell we REALLY liked the Eiffel Tower??? :)

Hello London!

We had such a good time in London! Everything was perfect! We met Luke at the airport, all planes arrived on time, luggage made it, and we headed to the hotel! I don’t want to go into too much detail, as I am afraid it will get too LONG! I’m going to hit the highlights, and if you have questions, please email, facebook, or comment! We had a good overview tour of the city by taking a “hop on-off” bus tour, and a river cruise. It really gave good insight as to where everything was located, and then we WALKED, and WALKED, and WALKED! We visited The Tower of London...it was number “one” on all of the guides I read. It was built to be a fortress, and had been used for many things, including a prison. The “Beefeaters” were guides, and told fascinating stories of the history of The Tower. Many prisoners were beheaded, and their heads put on spears and “posted” at the London Bridge! Ugh! Anyway, they reveled in telling those types of stories! We also saw the Changing of the Guard and toured Buckingham Palace. It was absolutely beautiful! We loved seeing the sights...Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, Parliament, and so many more. Winston Churchill’s underground war room bunker headquarters was interesting as well. The soldiers there “tidied” up their desks the evening the war was over, as though they would be coming back the next day. It was then sealed, and not bothered until nine years ago. Everything was very much the way it was left that day. We also visited the National Art Gallery, seeing amazing art by Picasso, Monet, Rembrandt, and many more. We LOVED Lion King, and “shopped” at Harrods and Selfridges. We bought tea at Twinings, the original shop that provides tea for the Queen! The architecture all over the city was amazing; so ornate and beautiful. There were so many pretty parks. One park was called Green Park, and had no flowers! Over two hundred years ago, the queen at the time (I don’t remember who) would get upset because visitors would walk through the park and pick the flowers to bring to her. She did not want them picking the flowers, so she ordered that the park have no flowers! St James Park, however, was loaded with flowers. All of the parks had chairs, and great crowds of people just relaxing! We found many friendly people in London. They were so anxious to tell the history of the city, and neat anecdotes! “Michael” stood with us at the Changing of the Guard. He has lived in London for many years, and was FILLED with interesting stories! We loved eating at the London Pubs...I think that actually turned out to be my favorite part of the trip! That…and seeing Luke! It was so fun to enjoy this trip with him and Larry! The weather was cool, rained just a bit...a magical trip! God led us One Step at a Time!

"Our" hotel!

A guard at The Tower of London

Inside The Tower walls

The Tower Bridge

Buckingham Palace

a Bobby!

Changing of the Guard

Big Ben

Westminister Abbey (one side)

My Favorite Pub...The Red Lion!

The London Eye

Parliament and Big Ben

Guess What!

The Tower of London

The Thames River

One of the many beautiful fountains of the city...and Luke!

One of the many TALL statues

Lion King at the Lyceum Theatre

Twinings Tea Shop

"Hello..."

We called this the "Gummies" statue!

Does this remind you of The Godfather?

The Burj Khalifa, the TALLEST Building in the World!

This weekend, we toured the Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world, 160 stories! Wow! It was amazing! Security is very high, and you must present your passport, or identification, go through a metal detector, and have all bags inspected as well. We were surprised then, that we could go at our own pace and stop or walk as fast as we wanted.

We rode an elevator from the first floor to the observation point on the 124th floor. The elevator is also the fastest in the world, going forty mph. It was a smooth ride, but my ears popped as we went up so fast! The observation point is considered outside, even though it is glassed in except for the top. You can walk completely around the building, and see the view from all sides. The pictures we took were mostly from the top. You can see the fountain that we saw previously because the Burj Khalifa is next to the Dubai Mall and fountain area. They were all built as part of a $20 billion dollar development, including the mall and fountains. The building itself cost $1.5 billion to build, and took five years. WOW! The “fact” that stuck in my head was this: the concrete alone that was used in the building weighed as much as 100,000 elephants! I quit listening after that, as I was trying to wrap my thoughts around that one fact! It was an amazing building with an amazing view! A very fun place to visit!

This week we are traveling to London! Luke is meeting us there, which that, in itself, is very exciting! I can’t wait to see him...wishing Emily, Ben, and Dave could come as well! Then, Larry and I will go on to Paris! It is our "holiday," as they say here in Dubai! We are going to "beat the heat" hopefully! As through all years, God continues to give us many opportunities and blessings, as He leads us One Step at a Time!

"Sign" The Burj Khalifa

From the "ground"

Elevator going UP to the 124th Floor!

Fountain below

Picture taken looking up the rest of the way from the 124th floor to the top!

This one is my favorite!

Back at the bottom!