My office is prettier than your office

The other day arriving to work before opening time, my colleague Vivien and I decided to take some photos under the dome while it was still empty. 

There is this particular part of the architecture we have ended up calling the “catwalk” as it attracts an endless stream of visitors that queue up to take pictures there. It is very TikTok and Instagram friendly! We even had the very first proposal onsite recently, on this very podium!

Today I walked the catwalk!

Love how this photo turned out, even though I wasn't really dressed as the other influencers... but was in my office outfit.

Golden coffee

Auntie Nikki stayed on for a little over a week after the Graduation, when we had more time to just hang out. Another thing she wanted to do while visiting this time, was to go and have a golden coffee at the Emirates Palace. Not just the coffee is gold there of course, there is gold, gold, gold everywhere!

We dressed up in our new dresses we had got at House of Colour, and off we went.

The atrium café had changed its decor since last time I was there. It was pretty in pink now, having a bit of a cherry blossom theme, really beautiful.

We stayed all afternoon, enjoying our gold cappuccinos and each others company.

Mors Dag 2024

How lucky am I to have had BOTH my kids with me for Mothers Day this year!

I got flowers too! And not only for this Swedish Mothers Day, but also for the Mothers Day earlier this month.

A new chapter begins

The world is your canvas, so vibrant and vast,
Each step that you take, a moment to last.
With your diploma in hand and a heart full of dreams,
You are equipped to delve into limitless streams.

The books you'll explore, the tales you will weave,
As you embark on life's journey, ready to achieve.
Each chapter your turn, each story you find,
Enriches your soul, broadens your mind.



Remember the lessons that shaped who you are,
The friendships, the mentors, the journeys afar.
Celebrate this achievement, your hard work has paid,
A new chapter begins, with memories made.

We are so incredibly proud of you Linnea.
Your DP journey hasn't been easy, but you have been determined and resilient and you never gave up. Keep dreaming big!
We are so excited to see the bright future that awaits you! ♥︎♥︎♥︎

Class of 2024

Time for the Graduation Ceremony of the Class of 2024! We were all so excited!
For some reason this year, they would only allow one extra flag (apart from the UAE one) on the sash. I was so happy I thought of ordering one in Sweden that Lucas could bring down, and I ironed it on the same morning so she could represent both her countries properly.

We did our family photo shoot before the ceremony this time, here are some behind the scenes from the gymnasium, while waiting for it all to kick off:

The ceremony was as ceremonies are most, some speeches were a bit too long, some a bit stiff... ha ha, but at least we were all there, with Auntie Nikki; and my parents were able to watch along live too, thanks to a live feed during the whole thing.

There she came! We had good seats, in the right direction to spot her in the crowd:

Linnea's time to shine, and go get her diploma:

And finally - the cap throw! Hourrayyyyyyyy!

We received her outside after the ceremony, to congratulate her and her friends. I love this photo I took:, with wind in her hair!

The family ❤️

Linnea and Auntie Nikki:

Linnea and one of her favourite teachers, Ms Eoifa, her English teacher:

The Watson kids and Mr Walter.
Lucas thought it was rather fun to be back on campus. He said it felt like it was a lifetime ago, and I guess a lot has happened in his life. For us it feels like he graduated last week..! He met a lot of his old teachers, and quite a few of his friends who also had siblings graduating.

When the celebrations at school came to an end, we drove up to Mamsha and the Raclette restaurant, where my friend Susanne had organised for a dinner for some of the girls and their families. Here's Linnea and the other graduates:

Susanne's girls, Anjelica and Daniella. Linnea and the twins have been at Raha together ever since Linnea arrived back in 2014. Imagine, now they are graduates..!

Siblings, young and old:

The parents:

A lovely evening to celebrate these gorgeous girls!

All the best to you all - good luck for your next adventure!

Student 2024 / Graduation Reception

It was really important for me to celebrate Linnea with a reception, just as we did for Lucas - the Swedish way. We did it the day before her Graduation, and invited our friends to join in. Auntie Nikkie was more than happy to help out with the preparations, cooking is her love language!
I had been inspired by Peta's 40th grazing table, and wanted to do something similar so I send Pia to buy a lot of charcuterie in Sweden (much cheaper there), and Lucas brought it all down here for us. It took the whole family to help set it all up!

The girls:

The grazing table turned out absolutely amazing! There was so much food, such a spread! All the hams and sausages from Sweden, home made dips, hummus and paté; crackers and cheese, fresh and dried fruit and berries, blinis with salmon, chocolates, nuts and sweets, and much more.

The boys:

It was so lovely that Lucas was able to come down for the weekend, to celebrate Linnea. It meant a lot to her, and to us of course.

Decorations across the whole apartment!

We had a slideshow running on the TV with lots of photos from all her school years, and I had also made two timelines, one with all her first days of school, one with her school photos:

The red velvet cake we had ordered was book-themed, suited our little book-worm well!

 

For some reason (must have been a good party!), I didn't take any photos of our guests - Matt, Will, the McGeehees, Linda & Johan, Kathleen, the Browns and some of Linneas friends.
Linnea got some really lovely gifts, most of them were gift cards to Kinokuniya (the book store), very much keeping on brand for Linnea, ha ha! She also got a cutlery set, cool cash, and a kit with a book, a first aid-kit and a bottle opener in a canvas bag - "something interesting, something useful and something fun".