To summarize:
-John's Parent's arrived shortly after the new year and stayed almost through the end of January;
-We celebrated Mom's birthday at a brunch at the Marriott;
-We enjoyed a day-long exhibit by the Rugman at our compound;
-The Spring 2014 Semester began and that week we also visited the Souq Waqif;
-We took a weekend trip to Dubai;
-John and his dad volunteered at the Qatar Masters Golf Tournament;
-We enjoyed sightseeing in Doha with Mom & Dad Campbell; and
-Finally, John and 3 of his students participated in the TAMUQ Chili Cook-off.
That was the quick recap so now let me elaborate!
We had the pleasure of hosting Mom & Dad Campbell from January 8th - January 21st. While they were here, we were able to enjoy many activities together. Their stay was kicked off by a brunch at the Marriott where we celebrated Mom's birthday. The next day, we enjoyed a history lesson and rug exhibit presented by Mr. Riyaz Bhat (aka. The Rugman).
It's funny how we should never-say-never like for example, "We'll never buy a rug!"
After a great day learning about the history of these beautiful tribal and silk rugs, I think most of the people who attended walked away with at least one rug, including us! Dad was hoping for a flying carpet so he is testing out his new carpet. Unfortunately, the only way it is going to get airborne is through the use of the hangers on the back!
After the rug exhibit, the semester got underway and we welcomed our students back from the winter break. Some were excited and some not so much. This semester, I have the pleasure of teaching Indoor Cycling, Yoga, Strength Training and Tone & Flex. John is teaching soccer, strength training, ultimate frisbee and basketball. 
We also showed mom and dad around campus a bit where they got to enjoy a few minutes in a tent Majilis outside the Student Center. 
That same week, we made our first visit to the Souq Waqif where we stopped at the camel and falcon souqs. A falcon owner was gracious enough to allow us to get up close and personal with his falcon.
Next stop - Dubai! John and I had yet to visit Dubai since our arrival in Qatar. John's parents' visit presented us with the perfect opportunity to check out the infamous city. I personally had little interest in visiting the city after having heard how commercial and "ritzy" it is but after our brief weekend visit, I must say, I am impressed and thoroughly enjoyed our time there. 
While in Dubai, we made our way to the top of the Burj Khalifa, did a city tour, walked around The Marina observed "The Fountain" show and ate at The Texas Roadhouse - twice. I look forward to the opportunity to visit again.
After our trip to Dubai, John and his dad participated as volunteers at the Qatar Masters golf tournament. They had the opportunity to see professionals such as Sergio Garcia and John Daly. John lucked out and carried the scoreboard for Sergio Garcia's group while dad enjoyed being a marshal at holes 1 and 10. What a good looking pair of volunteers below!!
The week after the golf tournament, we visited other Doha sights such as Katara, The Pearl, and of course the Souq Waqif (two more times)! While in Katara, we walked around the grounds then ate dinner at the fish market (which was delicious) and just enjoyed the evening out and about.Below we are having coffee at the Souq Waqif!
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Mom & Dad's visit culminated with an evening of chili making! John's chili cook-off team came over the night before mom & dad left and made a huge pot of chili. They cooked over 6 kilos (13.2 lbs) of meat in one evening. The problem was that the chili was so good and the boys had never been treated to chili before so when it was done, they ate half the pot! John had to cook some more the next day in order to ensure that there was enough for cook-off night!
All of their hard work paid off because on January 31st, 2014, the "Red Hot Chili Pepper's" were named the 2014 Chili Masters! It was definitely a great way to kick off the semester! Good job guys!
And that concludes a fun filled January! February has also started off with a bang so I will try to update everyone on recent happenings soon so stay tuned!!
