Saying Goodbye to Oman!

I haven't posted for awhile--we've been busy relocating from Oman back to the states. We had lots of farewell dinners and parties, and yes, even a few tears. However, we were also happy to be returning to be closer to family again. Here's a quick look at some of our good-byes and our hello's, as well as a sneak peak at our new homeland!

Muscat Women's Fellowship--this is the group of gals who were moving on.

Don's office buddies

Wonderful friends Michael and Vinoo with Don

and with me

We shared a going away party with our friends Brady and Amber
at Mary and Jeff's house.

I will really miss Sharon, one of the hostesses for the party!

Here's just a few of the pictures of the friends I had to say good-bye to! I don't have pictures of all of them, but I think you'll get the gist of it! The PRO (Public Relations Officer) of OXY who escorted us through the airport on our final exit to have our visas cancelled told us he had never seen people crying at the airport as they said good-bye--that usually people are happy to leave! That really says it all for us--living in Oman was a time of wonderful friendships and relationships with lots of very special people!

Vinoo

Wanda

Marquita

Wanda and Jennifer

Erin and Gila

Jenny

Amy

Paula and Lisa

Monika and Ashwin

Famous "Andy in Oman" with Don

As hard as saying goodbye is, saying "hello" and hearing "welcome!" is equally as pleasant. Rest assured, we heard that many times as we returned to the states to see our family and friends!

Don's family

One of our nephews

Daughter-in-law, nephew, son, and nephew

Our granddaughter and our nephew

 This was just one family reunion we had before moving on to California and checking out our new, temporary digs. It seems that we have moved from a land of crazy traffic, palm trees, dolphins, beaches, sea views, mountains and sand to a place of even MORE crazy traffic, palm trees, dolphins, beaches, sea views, mountains, and sand!

California even has bougainvillea in abundance as well!

View of the bay and the Queen Mary in Long Beach--just a few blocks away from our apartment.

Palm trees galore--and traffic!

View from up high above Los Angeles from the famous Mulholland Drive

Dolphins statue and fountain--they offer dolphin-watching tours in Long Beach too!

Mountains--not the best picture I've ever taken, but you'll see more in future posts!

View of the bay, the Queen Mary, and the aquarium from Don's office. See the blimp in the upper left corner?
It makes regular appearances here along the coast!

And Don's concession to the traffic--an electric car to help with his looonnng commute!

So, while life is changing, some things are the same. We have a new set of adventures awaiting us in the months and years ahead. It's a great life if you can hang on! We're grasping hard and placing all our trust in God as He leads the way on this new venture!