Re-do

So actually, our puppy's name is now Asad.

We wanted an Arabic name for him and one that was culturally appropriate at that, but after we came up with Zeki, we were told that this was actually the name of a very good and wise man who lived a long time ago and therefore, not a good name for a dog. So we quickly scratched that one and went back to the drawing board. Thankfully, everyone in the neighborhood joined in. I don't know if our Arabic is sad enough that everyone figured we needed a little help, or simply the idea of a Khawaja having a local dog with a local name was funny enough that everyone wanted a part in the process, but everyone from the town carpenter to a guy we just met at the airstrip had a suggestion. People offered to brainstorm overnight and get back to us "with the perfect name" the next day and some were even calling up buddies on the phone for input. It was hilarious. After an increasingly confused nameless puppy and several suggestions of Asad we decided to go with it. "Lion" still seems a little over the top for someone who cries during wind storms but he's working on living up to his name. Stalking our rooster is one of his favorite past-times.

On another happy note we have more good news. Our ATV arrived on the plane yesterday! As much as I have loved riding our motorcycles around, I am really, really excited to have a form of transportation that can haul more than a kilo of tomatoes back from the market at a time. It's somewhere between a really small car and a four wheeler and we turned quite a few grinning heads when we rode into town yesterday - but it will be perfect for the rough roads around here. So when you guys come and visit you won't have to cling to the back of a motorcycle on the way back from the airstrip but will get to cruise to our house in style! (:

And finally, for those of curious about our Valentines Day...We had a happy quiet day at home during which time I convinced Bryan to watch some cheesy chick flicks with me. We contented ourselves with homemade cards (I loved it - it felt like kindergarten again!) and he even surprised me with a plastic heart shaped box full of melty chocolate that he found in the market. But I experienced the full extent of his precious love last night when we ordered a couple of sodas in town. Mine came out fairly cool but his was ice-cold. It was the coldest thing I have ever felt here. My sweet husband took one sip of it and handed it over to me! I never knew brain-freeze could be so romantic. That my friends, is true love!