September Summary

 We returned back to Doha after an amazing summer in the US to begin our ten day home quarantine with the girls. Thankfully they were able to do school online (they were hybrid 50/50 attendance so they just join online the whole time) It definitely helped pass the time and the jet lag!

1. The biggest and hardest things when we came back was the cats. This is the longest we've been away from them and we immediately could tell something was wrong with Zoey. I made an appointment for the vet where she ended being diagnosed with diabetes and staying over the weekend in order to get her glucose levels stabilized. Thankfully she's home now and doing good!
2. Jet lag, hahaha. And sister sleepovers.
3. Snuggling with Zoey after she was home safely. 
4. CeCe "helping" with their lego. 
5. The girls received this big lego from Grandma and didn't have time to build it before we left. That ended up being a blessing as it helped occupy them during the home quarantine.
6. Delicious cauliflower soup and homemade garlic cheese bread.
7. Family games - we got some new ones and love them!!
8. More family games.
9. And some Nintendo as well to help pass the time. 😂

We also brought back a crystal growing kit that the girls had a blast making and watching!

1. CeCe snuggles on Madi's bed.
2. More family games 😂 - this one became a fav quickly (Catan Jr)
3. Once the girls were free we headed to the movies!
4. Culture dress day at school - we had a cowgirl and a gymnast. 
5. Delicious charcuterie board for a friend's birthday.
6. The cats wanting to go SUP with me. 
7. Hitting the water to SUP with friends instead 
8. So thankful to have water nearby to get outside!
9. Taco night!

We had a lot of fun in September with friends and birthdays and a feelings of normalcy after COVID with starting up in person (and hopefully 100% soon!). 

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Houston House AirBnB

 During our time overseas we played with the idea of purchasing a house - somewhere to stay in the summers, a place to empty our storage unit, etc. We finally bit the bullet May 2020 and purchased a house, sight unseen, in Qatar. We questioned our sanity (Are we crazy buying a house in the middle of the pandemic?!) especially when we couldn't make it back last summer to see the house. 

Thankfully we were able to rent the house unfurnished for a year and only delay our plan - clear out our Houston storage unit, furnish the house, and list it as an Air BNB during the rest of the year that we aren't using it. 

We spent a good portion of our time this summer working on getting the house ready. We tried to use furniture we already owned since it's a rental and so I had a lot of furniture painting. We were so blessed to have friends and family help us watch the girls, move boxes, assemble furniture, and provide design input and shopping help. 

Four of these boxes turned into two sofas thanks to my friend Chelsea and me. 🙌🏼

It was a labor of love and while we didn't get to actually enjoy the house (we were still finishing work the day we left for the airport 😆), we look forward to staying here next summer. 

We have an amazing property management company and the house is doing well so far on bookings. It's located near the Museum / Medical District of Houston. If you want the details and booking information you can find it here. 

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First Day of School

 Due to some extenuating circumstances we ended up extending our time in America this summer to the end of August. This resulted in the girls having to start online for their classes (which was fine as Qatar began with a hybrid schedule anyways). 

We would wake them up for registration and then do some of the work during the day. They were serious troopers and excited to "meet" their teachers and classmates. 

Once we were back in Doha the girls finished their home quarantine and then excitedly headed back on campus!

We are thankful the girls love their school and were excited to go back to ISLQ!

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