Find your “lost shaker of salt,” we’re going to Margaritaville!  That’s right Brats, “come Monday,” July 1, you can reserve your rooms for the 20th Biennial Reunion at the Margaritaville Resort Palm Springs!

Join us for a “cheeseburger in paradise” while lounging by the pool, Brat style.  The Margaritaville Resort Palm Springs offers a laid-back atmosphere with a mid-century vibe.  “Just minutes from downtown Palm Springs, the resort & spa includes two resort pools, six dining outlets, the soothing St. Somewhere Spa (Palm Springs' largest resort spa)” as well as plenty of space to hang out with BrAts, for our suq and raffle, and the dinner and dance.  For the 2025 reunion, we’ve moved the banquet and dance to Saturday night and the Reunion Committee is planning some exciting events for Sunday.  Registration for the reunion will open in December 2024.

Don’t “blow out a flip flop” but check out the hotel webpage and reserve your room now! Get ready for the “changes in latitudes” to change your BrAtitude!

Introducing your new Database Director!

Please help us welcome our newest board member, Steven Owen (DH '08).  Steven will be serving as ABI's Database Director and we look forward to working with him! 

Son of David (DH '73) and Paula Owen, Steven moved to Dhahran at the age of 5 in 1997. He was active in many things growing up including horseback riding, soccer, and cub scouts/boy scouts but eventually he focused his time towards baseball, both playing and umpiring for the Arabian American Little League. He and his family also performed and assisted with many shows through the Dhahran Theatre Group. He graduated from Fountain Valley School of Colorado for high school and then received a B.A. in Theatre from Trinity University in San Antonio. He came back to Dhahran every year as a returning student to see his family and fellow Brats until 2017. Steven now resides in Denver where he tries to stay active playing volleyball, pickleball, and golf, in addition to hiking, camping, and skiing.  As a 2nd generation Brat, Steven is looking forward to supporting ABI and the Brat community.

Welcome to the ABI Board, Steven!!

Beginning 11:45AM, June 4, the ABI database will be read-only while we undertake a major project that requires an overhaul of sorts. What does this mean for you? You will still be able to use the directory, but you will be unable to make any changes to information in your personal profile. For those who have never registered with our site, the registration forms will remain active.

Shukran,

Your chief cooks and bottle-washers

Save the date! You don't want to miss our 20th biennial reunion!

Photo credit: Palm Springs Bureau of Tourism

For the 20th Biennial Reunion, we're going to the desert.  No, not that desert.*  It's Palm Springs, baby!!  Mark your calendars for June 26 - 30, 2025.

We love, love, love our Arizona and Texas reunions, but we also love a little variety, and, according to our 2025 Reunion Poll, so do you! Once described as "America's desert oasis", Palm Springs, California has the heat and desert we all "love" from our Saudi days.  With it's retro-vibe and glamourous history, it'll have us all feeling like returning students.  



Desert heat, swimming pools, shopping, golfing, hiking . . . it'll be Brat fun in Palm Springs.  There's something for everybody and we can't wait to see you all in Palm Springs in 2025!

Photo credit: Palm Springs Bureau of Tourism

*Best line in an announcement video, ever. 

Can you guess the host city for the 2025 reunion? Here are all the hints! No joke!

Hardworking. Dedicated. Kind.  These are the words most shared amongst the ABI board after learning of the untimely passing of one of our own.  Dawn Kolb (DH92) was a steady presence on the ABI Board of Directors joining in 2005 as Class Rep Coordinator. Dawn's role evolved to include Website Director and Database Director over her 19 years of service to her beloved Brat community.

Beyond these roles, Dawn was instrumental in the success of our reunions...always one of the first to arrive and last to leave. Every member of the AramcoBrats, Inc. board worked with her in some capacity, and every member can attest to her commitment. We will miss her terribly.

Dawn touched so many Brats.  If you paid your AdBak or needed to upgrade your membership level, Dawn was there to help you.  If you ever registered for a reunion online, Dawn was there to assist.  If you attended a reunion, you saw Dawn at Registration, and she was likely helping someone if not you.  If you showed up early for a reunion, there was Dawn, in the wee hours of the morning, setting up and organizing the Raffle, Silent and Live Auction displays. If you submitted a Black Camel notice, Dawn helped you.  And now we, the ABI board and the Brat community, send our dear friend, Dawn Kolb, peace be upon her, home on the Black Camel.

A Celebration of Life for Dawn is being planned for April 13th in Houston, TX.  Details are pending - the outpouring of love for her is apparent!  It's a challenge to secure a location that can accommodate the Brat numbers.  For more information on the event and updates as they become available, please visit Dawn Kolb, Celebration of Life.  Her friends will be creating a video of their favorite memories with Dawn; please share your favorites in this album for inclusion.

Oh happy day!! We've got our 2025 reunion co-chairs, and it's a sister act!!!  The ABI Board is happy to sing the praises of Debbie Urenovich-Vassallo (DH-84) and Mara Urenovich-Barth (DH-85)!  Meet your co-chairs: 

Debbie:  "Our family lived in Dhahran on & off between  1974-1984. We moved to Northern Virginia after I graduated  from Aramco Schools. I graduated from Herndon High School in Virginia and Millersville University in Pennsylvania. Currently living in the Philadelphia area where my husband Nick and I raised two terrific daughters and a scruffy rescue dog. We run an industrial automation distribution business.
I've been happily attending reunions since 2003 and love connecting with old friends and making new ones. I'm extremely grateful for all the previous committees and felt it was time to get more involved and help plan this special event."

Mara: "Our family spent 10 years (‘74-‘84) going back & forth to Saudi (assignments in Florida & VA helped us become experts at being the “new kid” ).   Since then I’ve enjoyed living in VA, PA, DC, Chicago, CT & Paris - back  in CT now!  I’m lucky enough to have a husband who is brilliant enough not to follow me to reunions and an equally brilliant son who is kind enough to pretend I’m still smarter than him (sometimes). I’ve combined my love of traveling (thank you Aramco) and jogging to tackle the journey of running a marathon in all 50 states - completed my quest with Alaska July ‘23.
Now that that’s over I think it’s time to be giving back to the Brats!   After leaving Aramco for good in ‘84 I failed at keeping up the pen pal routine but thankfully the Internet came along to help & DH84 brat Valerie Kelly convinced me to go to a reunion.  That was Bratlanta 1999 and I was floored with how much fun I had reconnecting with old friends and making so many new ones!  I have happily been to every one since and hope to keep up the trend!

P.S. send any complaints to my sister."

We're excited to work with this great team in planning the best BrAt party on Earth! Hallelu...er...alhamdilallah!

We know you have fond memories and great photographs of your Little League exploits in Saudi Arabia.  Here's a great way to share them and reconnect!

Not on FaceBook? Email your stories and photos to dybabaseballksa@gmail.com. 

All are welcome: Aramco Annuitants, Former Aramco Employees, and Aramco Brats

Dear Fellow Annuitants and Brats,

On behalf of this year’s Hafla Organizing Committee, we welcome all Aramcons (Annuitants, Retirees, Brats, and friends) to the 2024 Aramco Annuitants Reunion at the Omni Las Colinas Hotel in Irving, Texas. The three-day event will be held at a beautiful hotel located only 12 minutes from both Dallas Fort Worth Airport and Dallas Love Field Airport.

August 30 - September 2, 2024

Omni Las Colinas Hotel
221 Las Colinas Blvd.
Irving, Texas

Dallas is one of the top visitor destinations in Texas. From AT&T Cowboys Stadium to the Toyota Music Factory, Omni Las Colinas Hotel puts you near everything. Dallas is a major center for entertainment – from sports and music to the arts. With an excellent symphony orchestra, visiting opera, ballet and theater groups and major league sporting teams, adults and families alike will find lots of activities any day or night.

For the fashion-conscious, Dallas is a shopping mecca. Whether it’s upscale shopping at the Galleria and the Legacy West shopping center or outlet shopping at Grapevine Mills, you’re sure to find the perfect “souvenir.”

If you are staying a few days longer, be sure to check out Fort Worth - the 12th-largest city in the United States, known for Texas hospitality and a dozen remarkable districts full of culture and fun. Highlights include:

• The historic western Fort Worth Stockyards featuring the world’s only twice-daily cattle drive and daily rodeo.
• The park-filled Cultural District with the Kimbell Art Museum and four other museums, the Botanic Garden, and Fort Worth Zoo ranked #5 in the nation.
• Sports/concerts at Dickies Arena, Texas Motor Speedway, and Will Rogers Memorial Center and connected downtown with the 37-block Sundance Square district.

The 2024 Hafla will feature two banquet dinners, musical entertainment and activities ranging from indoor/outdoor to cultural/ creative and everything in between! There will also be a Souk, art classes, and special lecturers. The hotel is situated on the picturesque Lake Carolyn and has a full-service spa, heated pool to relax by, and a walking path around the lake. Gondola boat rides and stand-up paddle boards are also available for rent close by. For those baseball enthusiasts, the Texas Rangers will be playing the Oakland A’s Friday night at the nearby Globe Field.

We look forward to seeing you there!

~Hafla Organizing Committee

annuitantreunion2024@gmail.com

Download Hafla Schedule

Download Registration Form & Payment

Download Driving Directions

***The first 75 registration forms to be submitted will be entered in a room-upgrade raffle.***
***We have 6 rooms in this raffle.*** 

***Sign up now to get your name into our room raffle draw!***

Hotel Reservations

CUT-OFF DATE IS JULY 16, 2024. The 2024 Hafla discounted rate is valid from August 27th to September 4th. Room rates are $229 single/double occupancy King or Double Rooms.

Complimentary WIFI is extended to all Omni Select members (membership is free). Either call the hotel or use this link to sign up. https://bookings.omnihotels.com. Free WIFI access is also available in hotel common areas. In-room hotel WIFI rates are $9.95/day. Other room amenities include: lighted makeup mirror, hair dryer, iron and ironing board, Keurig coffee maker, digital alarm clock, flat screen TV, On Demand movies.

Click on the following link for the Omni Hotel to make your reservations:

Hotel Reservations

Activities of Interest

Information and fees for activities are being finalized and will be announced shortly - so be sure to look for future updates on Aramco Expats/Events so you can register for these events. You must register and pay for events in advance.

Saudi Trivia- come and play this unique trivia game where you can test your knowledge and memory on how well you know Saudi.

Guest lecturers on a variety of subjects and authors from within our annuitant community. Specific topics to be announced and subject to change:

• Activities such as Paint & Sip or Crafts & Cocktails
• Bridge
• Golf
• Pickleball
• Henna
• Photo backdrop set up with Arabian props for personal photo opportunities
• Photo booth open throughout the event
  • A tripod and a few selfie sticks will be on site for all to use
  • A professional photographer will be onsite before the Sunday banquet

Working on other activities as well, please email me with suggestions!! annuitantreunion2024@gmail.com

Special Lecturer / Class Signups

Do you have a topic of interest to share with your fellow Aramcons? Whether it is a talk on Middle Eastern Daggers or an activity like Paint and Sip, we are interested in trying to give you a time slot to share the topic or activity. Please send us an email at Annuitantreunion2024@gmail.comwith the details (see below) and we will be back in touch.

Activities will be firming up soon - so don’t be shy or wait too long! Email the following information to: Annuitantreunion2024@gmail.com.

• Activity Name - (Presentation/ lecture or activity such as artsy class, Yoga or fitness, organized sport. i.e., pickleball, tennis.
• Activity Write-Up - Please provide a brief write-up on your topic/activity to let people know why they don’t want to miss it! Please let us know how long you will need for your lecture/ activity.
• Space - Are there any special space requirements for your activity? If you need a workspace, please advise how many tables/chairs. If you are proposing a Fitness activity, please advise on space requirements.
• Audio/Visual - If you are presenting or lecturing, will you require Audio/Visual equipment and/or will you be bringing your own? (Please advise if Mac or Android). Do you require a screen/microphone (depending on class size)?
• Fees - Please advise if you will be charging for the event (to cover cost of materials). If so, please detail the fee you wish to charge and what is included in the fee.
• Special Requirements - Will there be anything unusual you will require for your event? (ie. Paint and Sip will include ‘beverages’). Example: A Yoga session would require space, we would check with the hotel on whether mats are available.

Exhibits / Souk

Chairperson: David Jessich (512) 263-8727, Email: jessich@hotmail.com. Display your hobbies, photos, crafts and special accomplishments before and after retirement. Tables will be provided. There is no charge for this event.

Email the following information to: jessich@hotmail.com.

• Exhibitor Name
• Exhibit Description
• Number of tables needed

Volunteering

If you are interested in volunteering, please message me at annuitantreunion2024@gmail.com

I am currently in need of immediate help in the following areas:

• Tech-savvy individuals to help with online registration, FAQs, etc.

• Volunteers to run the various activities (i.e. pickleball or bridge)

• Volunteers to check in guests at the event

• Committee Chairs (registration, activities, speakers, souk, banquet, raffle & donations)

We are also looking for Aramco and/or Arabian items to auction off. Please message me if you have items to donate for our auction/raffle.

DOWNLOAD HAFLA SCHEDULE

DOWNLOAD REGISTRATION FORM & PAYMENT

DOWNLOAD DRIVING DIRECTIONS