Moving On Up

Last month, my family and I moved.  In Abu Dhabi, most people have two options when  it comes to housing: you either live in a villa (known as a house, to us Americans) or you live in a high rise apartment building.  For our first 3 1/2 years in Abu Dhabi, we chose the villa route.  It was a big villa, walking distance to my kid's school, with a lovely rooftop terrace and so many bathrooms that even if all 6 of us had to go at the same time, there was never a line. The street itself was comprised of similar villas and housed families from all over the world. In fact, we were the only Americans on the street, which made us a bit of a conversation piece to our Syrian, Morrocan and Emirati neighbors.  
It was a great place to live.  But, we were ready for a change.
I knew that finding the right apartment could prove challenging.  Most apartments aren't big enough to house 6 people.  Many don't accept dogs. And, if I was going to be really picky, I wanted a view of the ocean. Not too much to ask, right?
Everyone told me I would hate apartment living. They said it's a drag to wait for the elevator, that hauling groceries and dog food and backpacks would get old very quickly. I explained that, though I appreciated the conveniences my villa afforded me, I wanted to try something different.  As my husband put it, "We didn't uproot our family and move 8,000 miles, just to live in the same place for 15 years again."
One Saturday morning, as we were out walking George, we found it.  The apartment that would be our next home.  It checked most of the boxes:  5 bedrooms? Check. Walking distance to school? Check.  Dog Friendly? Double Check.
Bonus? This view...  

This one's a little fuzzy, thanks to the high humidity today and 105 degree haze, but you get the idea.  Looking out over the Arabian Sea every morning makes waiting for the elevator worth it.  At least until we see what the next adventure brings...