Busy Fridays

Between Church, lunch invitations, and game night, it usually makes for a 12-hour day. I really like our branch here, even with all the ex-pats gone. It's fun to be in a semi-single's ward again, with a few married couples smattered here and there. There aren't as many fun ward activities like in a single's ward, but we like it nonetheless. Since all of the regular branch members are gone, there are a lot of callings that don't get filled during the church day. I laughed when at the end of the meeting, the bishop rushed down from the pulpit and did a quick count of the people in attendance since there was no clerk to do it. I didn't laugh at this (because who could laugh at poor 3rd counselor Chelsi?) but it was pretty odd when she stood up after the opening hymn and asked if anyone had prepared the lesson for that day (she did a great job of winging it, though).

Lunch invitations, how we love thee. I don't think we've cooked a Sabbath day dinner/lunch all summer. Between Hamdi's family and their delicious Egyptian food, random branch members, our home teachers, and the humanitarian missionary couple, we've been set on dinners for quite a while. It's so nice to leave Church to go straight to a meal, rather than having to prepare it yourself. So far, we've been fed everything from barbecue pork sandwiches to mashi. There has been Breyer's ice cream and cantaloupe smoothies and baladi bread and salads with ranch dressing. Mmmmmm.

Game nights are probably one of our favorite types of nights. We go around 6, Amir goes to sleep in the back bedroom around 7 or 8, and we play Bang! and Crazy Six and Sorry! until Jason and Sarah kick us out. Sarah makes brownies, Chelsi makes popcorn. The combination makes for a delightful evening.

The best part about Friday: Saturday is the next day. And when we have nothing to do... Saturdays are the greatest days. There is swimming at the pool and long afternoon naps and fruit smoothies.

The worst part about Saturdays: the next day is Sunday. And that means back to Arabic. And Arabic is running** our lives right now.


** I almost put "ruining", which might also be true.