Today was not our typical day in Bahrain. Our typical day consists of Charlotte playing inside because it's too hot outside and getting bored and whining for Mommy's attention all day because she's tired of being cooped up in the house. All the while, Mommy's getting annoyed because she's trying to either work from her computer or get things done around the house and she's having a hard time because of Charlotte's incessant whining. I like atypical days like today. They're refreshing and recharging. I feel like we had a mini vacation today that was only 10 minutes from our home. Why?
A senator from the states is doing a mideast tour right now and landed in Bahrain yesterday. You know what that means: Chris is working and I won't see him again until tomorrow after the senator leaves. The Senator is staying at the Ritz Carrolton; therefore, Chris got a room there, too. Who was it, you might ask? Scroll down to the bottom to see or keep reading and see if you can guess from my clues. He was a super nice guy and someone who I actually respect. I don't agree with him on everything (like his social views), but he actually sticks to his beliefs even if it means ticking off either side. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, this man has gumption. Instead of playing politics, he tries to vote upon his beliefs and even switched parties from Democrat to Independent to stick to his convictions. He has been on both sides of the presidential election spectrum...once as a vice presidential running mate for a crazy loon of a Democrat and then as a staunch supporter of John McCain in the 2008 presidential election. Have you guessed who yet? We met Senator Joe Lieberman!
I hate not seeing Chris for 2+ days when politicians come into town, but getting the opportunity to meet them helps make up for it. Note that I didn't say it does make up for it; it just helps. A little bit. A lovely thing about Chris's job is that I can more easily finagle my way into meeting politicians than other people because of the tight schedule they're always on. A "meet and greet" isn't always allocated on the schedule. Chris, however, is the keeper of the schedule and can always figure out when would be a good time to squeeze a meet and greet in, with permission, of course, from whoever the visiting politician is. All I have to do is be flexible and go where Chris tells me. Today, I was told to wait outside an elevator in the Ritz Carrolton. And it was there, outside of an elevator, where I met Senator Lieberman.
He was so nice and I immediately told him what I said above...that I respect him because he sticks to what he believes in even if it means ticking off either side. He laughed, said thank you, and said he has managed to offend just about everyone. I told him that was okay, because it means he's not playing politics and that's how it should be. I then told him I wish there were more politicians like him who were willing to stick to their beliefs and not play politics. Chris said I did real good and that Senator Lieberman really seemed to appreciate what I said. I didn't know until I got home and looked up his wikipedia page that he only has a 25% approval rating and 67% disapproval rating in Connecticut. I can see why saying something like that might encourage him and lift his spirits a bit, so I'm glad I said it.
He also doted on Charlotte a little bit and said that in 1988 when George H.W. Bush was vice president and about to become president, Lieberman was being sworn into office and wanted to get a picture of George H.W. Bush with his daughter, Hani, who was about Charlotte's age at the time. He said Hani screamed as soon as he put her in Bush's arms. Haha! He said Hani eventually came to love him, though, later on as she got older. Charlotte didn't cry or anything, but she was sure wiggly and we had a difficult time getting a good shot. Oh well. It was past her nap time. At least she wasn't blocking his head like she was
when President Clinton came to town. We made sure to hold her this time to keep that from happening.
Anyway, I've been blabbering about meeting Senator Lieberman that I'm failing to explain all the other pictures below. Because Chris has a room at the Ritz, that means we can "legally" visit the Ritz as guests! So this afternoon before meeting Senator Lieberman, Charlotte and I enjoyed the beach and pool. It was a lovely afternoon. Their beach is gorgeous. It was a lovely, soft white sand and very well kept. No trash, cigarette butts, or sharp objects to watch out for. The water was low tide, so that was the only negative. We had to walk a bit just to get to the water. But if that's the only thing I can find to complain about, then it was a great afternoon!
a private island of the Ritz Carrolton. I don't know if this is for parties or what, but it looked nice.
Charlotte loved throwing sand up in the air today. She got it ALL over her hair, and even with a bath, I still haven't gotten it all out yet.
another view from our side of the beach.
Yep, she ate sand again. Lots of it.
Chris surprised us while we were in the pool. He was able to stop briefly and say hello because they were ahead of schedule and stopped by the Ritz for a few minutes. Charlotte was ecstatic to see him because she hasn't seen much of him these past couple of days. She screamed and cried when he left. Poor girl. He better make it up to her this weekend! Here's a picture of her wet kisses. She likes to kiss with her tongue sticking out. It's hilarious and very slobbery!
Attempt 1 at a picture.
Attempt 2...probably the best we got because Charlotte is at least looking in the right direction.
Just not wanting to cooperate...
"All done"...oh well, we tried.
There was a small room dedicated to Harry S. Truman, the ship's namesake. This picture shows what the oval office looked like while President Truman was in office. Apparently, there was a lot of construction while Harry S. Truman was president and he was tried of looking at it, so he hired someone to paint a tree mural to put behind the oval office windows. And did you know the S in his name doesn't stand for anything? He wasn't born with a middle name, but when he was running for office, advisors told him a middle name would make him sound more distinguished. His middle name was literally the letter s. Here is Justine pretending to sit in one of the chairs on the mural!
This is a carbon copy of the letter President Truman signed giving permission to drop the Atom bomb. You should be able to click on the picture to view it bigger.
A collage of pictures inside the ship and a few decals painted onto the planes.
Chris and I posing in front of a plane. We got in the mood to watch Top Gun after touring the ship and I think we will soon.
"Give 'Em Hell" is the ship's motto. Harry S. Truman never actually said this, but one time during a speech by Truman attacking the Republicans during a 1948 presidential election campaign, a supporter yelled out, "Give 'em hell, Harry!" Truman replied, "I don't give them hell. I just tell the truth about them and they think it's hell." Thus, "Give 'em Hell!" became a popular slogan for Harry S. Truman amongst his supporters.
The chain on the ship and some pictures from the flight deck.
The air traffic control tower. It's amazing to think that this ship is its own functioning airport.
Sammy and Justine in an air traffic controllers chair.
Justine in an air traffic controllers chair, typing on a computer, another picture from the flight deck, and a picture Justine took of me.
A view from the balcony of the ship. I loved how they arranged the planes for us tourists!
