Before I fill in the blanks on mom and dad's trip to visit, it was great having family here...but, if I didn't share the stories-what kind of blogger would I be? Well, I had planned on them doing several things while they were here, then I changed my plans based on my brother being here with them, then when he couldn't come - oh well, plans changed again...
As I shared a couple of weeks ago, when I met them at the airport, I was a little shocked that dad was in a wheel chair. He had one of those motion sickness patches on his neck (didn't take it off until I told him to in the car) and he got dizzy walking through the airport and fell. He wasn't injured, but got the VIP treatment to the car. We got home OK, put everyone to bed I was off the next day, so I thought we should take it easy and make a nice trip across the street to the mall - I thought a walk through the Souk, lunch at Social House easy afternoon...not so fast batman...We walked across the bridge from the Souk, had a nice lunch, walked through the mall to see the Aquarium and The Ice skating rink, well dad started looking tired, said he was ready to go, so we headed back to the bridge to where the car was parked in the Souk...half way across the bridge dads legs basically stopped working and we laid him down...a small crowd of people gathered around...dad started mumbling and looked white as a sheet...As I held him, I thought he may be dying, it was a very helpless feeling. A stranger from Europe got some water and I dabbed it on dads lips and forehead. After lying there for approx. 15 minutes, we got him up on a wheel chair and the paramedics came and checked his pulse and ran an EKG. He started feeling better, chewed some ice and we signed a release and took him home. It really changed what I was comfortable doing with him the rest of the stay...although there were no more health flare ups. They did get to meet Sham's, Nick and the management team. They also had dinner with my female pal Rondelyn (Rodz). We had dinner together one night, and Rodz bought them lunch on their last day here while I was at work, she liked them and I think they liked her (Fred really likes her- I get to give her a Fred update almost daily, as I get the, "how was your day, and have you talked to Fred? How is he?" Everybody always loves Fred.
Security at the airport was nice enough to let me go through the screening area and get the parents luggage cleared, and off they went. I am happy dad got to come, but it really isn't smart for him to come back, I will see them all (and lots of the rest of you) this August.
The unrest is the region is getting closer to our borders, but so far we are safe and sound. At church on Friday mornings, the list of local conflicts we are praying for keeps getting longer...
Work update...Nick found an apartment for him and his family to move into. He moves in next week. He got his drivers license and is already doing a nice job with the customers he has met. To get a license if you are a passport toting American takes about 10 minutes. Now Juan, is holding a Colombian passport, even though he has an American drivers license he has to take 8 classes, a written test, a parking test and a driving test. It cost him nearly 2,000 Dirhams and he still has not completed it...I feel badly for him, it is hard for him to get started without being allowed to drive. He is traveling back to the states in May to get married. Juan did a presentation last week at the sales meeting that was tremendous...Loran started yesterday, another American on board. She will work National Accounts.
I hired a young man from India yesterday, also hired another American (her name is Reem, she is Palestinian and was born in Jordan, but is a naturalized American Citizen). The team is growing. Our goal for this month was 7 million, we will probably fall just short of the goal, but it will smash through the old record month (6.1 million) that we established in November of 2010, and I bet we beat our record growth month of 65% that we established last month in February. Things are going great at work. I will give you the skinny on the numbers next week!
Cowboy (Richard Ashlock) is relaxed and happy now that his lovely bride Mary has joined him, I picture them with the two bathtubs next to each other in the desert holding hands waiting for the right moment...lol - it's nice to have someone...
I am going to pick up Nick in a couple of hours and we are going to Papa John's for dinner at Festival City and then back to my apartment to watch Survivor and American Idol...it's hell to be old...lol. Keep us in your thoughts and Prayers_
Until next week,
John
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