We slept until 10:30 this morning – a combo of the two hour time difference and our late night. Nick headed out to the mall solo for his genius bar appointment at the Apple Store. I had to drag Millie out of bed so we could get our free breakfast before it closed.

She and I hung out in the hotel room for a while, drawing, jumping between beds, and dancing.

Then we went for a swim in the pool. She lasted about 30 minutes and then sweetly said “actually mom, I’d prefer to be drawing, is that okay?” So we headed back up to draw.

Nick got back after a very successful trip. His watch is under warranty but he will need to wait until we’re in Japan to replace it. He got Millie a Millie-sized snorkel. And he’s been searching for a white whale pair of pants (stretchy, not too baggy, breathable, fashionable, etc) that he finally found. He even went into Sephora for me to get me some specific makeup, bless him. I’ve decided it’s time to start wearing some again.

When he got back he took Millie back to the pool to test the snorkel while I sat in the room to do some hotel booking and budgeting. I occasionally stood up to look down at the pool to see how they were doing. 100% cuteness every time.

When they came up we got dressed and took an Uber over to the mall for an early dinner. We should have probably branched out and explored Dubai beyond the mall but it’s 104 (feels like 115) and we didn’t have the energy.

We had a mediocre and overpriced early dinner. I walked all around the fancy perfume shops pretending I was interested in purchasing some but instead just asking for samples so I could “try them and come back”. Getting free stuff is my favorite pastime.

We got lost trying to leave the mall which seems to just be part of the experience. I’m on the hotel rec floor now waiting for our laundry to finish. We are very “feast or famine” when it comes to laundry, so we’re doing some even though we did it 2 days ago.

A thought about Dubai before I finish. I’ve written about it unfavorably but there is actually a lot that is interesting about it. It’s a city of immigrants, where only 8% of the residents are citizens. It’s a fascinating experiment to observe, and in many ways it appears to be working. It’s safe, it’s clean, it’s modern, and it’s growing in a way we haven’t seen anywhere else. In my opinion, still not worth the oppressive laws, but still… there’s probably something to be learned.

Onwards in the morning.