I Be ConGenning

Useful Bits

So it’s getting harder and harder to keep up with the bloggio as things progress. As my post title suggests, I am about a week into Basic Consular Training, also known as ConGen. This class is totally rocking my world. I now understand why so many ex-lawyers become consular officers. It is nutso the amount of information you must understand and know how to apply in order to do your job effectively. I can’t go into too many specifics because so much of the info we work with is considered SBU (sensitive but unclassified)* but let’s just say this shit is hard, yo! They are going to grant me god-like powers. No, really! For once this isn’t just a fantasy in my own mind!! Many consular functions are left to the discretion of the individual consular officers working the case. You want your baby born abroad to be a U.S. citizen? BAM, I just made your baby a U.S. citizen…or not. Okay, that last example is sort of not true because citizenship and transmission thereof is written into U.S. law, so it is pretty cut and dry, but there is a lot in Consular World that is not. We have the FAM to guide us (talk about legalese!) and case precedents, but many of the decisions we make are based upon our own personal abilities and judgments. I.feel.so.powerful! If you could see me now *nerd alert*, I look just like Galadreil when Frodo tries to give her the ring…Maybe it wasn’t such a good idea for State to send me on a Consular tour, lol.

Okay, obvs the above is somewhat tongue in cheek, but it truly is amazing the types of decisions I’ll be making. These are decisions that can have profound effects on an applicant’s life, regardless of the service they are looking for, and I am in awe that I am being entrusted to carry out such important work.

In totes different news, I haven’t posted a recipe in a while, so lemme share what I’m eating now. Because I have so little time to cook anymore I am fixated on creating meals that take about 5min to put together. Besides tons of big ass yummy salads, I am currently obsessed with chunking shit in a bowl and hoping for the best. In general I have pretty good luck with that. Here are a couple of creations that are in the current repertoire:

Berries & Shit:

Equal mix of blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries mixed with crumbled goat cheese and about 1 tbsp of sugar-free raspberry syrup (like Da Vinci). Let it sit for at least an hour and mange!!

Nuts & Shit:

Blueberries, sliced bananas, chopped walnuts, raisins, halved dried figs, crumbled goat cheese, and about 1 tbsp sugar-free maple syrup. Mix that shit up and it’s ready to go. Sooo yummy!

PB & Shit:

Chopped roasted peanuts (no salt), sliced bananas, halved grapes (or whole, depends on how much time I have), maybe 1/4cup 0% plain greek yogurt, PB2. Sprinkle a little wheat germ on this one for an added nutrition boost.

Best Dip Evah!

2 parts almond butter, 1 part almond milk, 1 tsp light agave syrup, sprinkle of unsweetened coconut. Whip that shit together and keep adding almond milk until it reaches the consistency you prefer for a dip. This is awesome with either celery and carrots or with any fruit.

Random Shit

So I’m in the bath with J rinsing the soap out of her hair talking about things like the move and camp.** We are casually discussing subjects like how it stinks when Marley (the cat) poops, how candy tastes really good, and the progress we are making potty-training A (fully trained, including pooping – yay – except for the nighttime accidents) when J very nonchalantly says, “Yeah, I always pee and poop in the potty and sometimes I pee in the bath.”

Me: Wait, sometimes you pee in your own bath?

J: Yeah, but it’s okay because it’s just water.

Me: Okay, hold on, did you pee in this bath?

J: *smiles sheepishly* No?

Me: Now I need a shower, too.

*Every time I read that I think SBD and start giggling…because I seriously have the sense of humor of a 12 yr old boy

**J is adjusting well, but there have been a couple of instances where she has asked to “go home” and mentioned that she misses Florida. Sometimes with accompanying tears :(

Belated 4th of July Wrap Up

Yeah, yeah, I know this is about a week late, but considering I sometimes go months without updating, consider yourselves lucky! ;)

Useful Bits

So we’re living in DC, and I’m determined that we shall take full advantage while we can…you can see where this is headed, right? I decide, in all my brilliance, that since we are living in the nation’s capitol during the celebration of our nation’s birth that we should spend the entire day at the National Mall starting with the 4th of July parade and ending with the fireworks over the Washington Memorial. Well, this would probably be a pretty awesome idea if it were for all those dang kids we have hanging around (where do they come from??). Most of my memories from the 4th will probably be of the great amount of perspiration I exuded, the amount of money I dropped on stale hot pretzels and lunchroom-style pizza, and the smell of the metro as we rode home with 1 million of our closest (and I do mean close) friends. The kids, I’m hoping, will remember the parade and the fireworks and possibly the great amount of time we spent inside the Air & Space Museum trying to cool off.

Personally, I thought the parade was a really good event for the kids, but the fireworks? Well, the great mass of people is fun to be in if it’s just you, but it was not a pleasant experience trying to shepherd all five kids through the metro (it was worse than the NY subway after a Yankees game). Plus, I didn’t even think the show was that great. The fireworks only lasted about 20min and there was a lot of condensation in the air that held the smoke in so it kind of obscured the subsequent fireworks. IDK, I was a little let down :( Also, I would recommend either picking only one event to attend or leaving the National Mall area between events because 12 hours downtown was waaaay overkill.

I mentioned to my parents that my greatest memories of the 4th of July were the numerous summers we spent watching fireworks over the lake in MD, walking the jogging paths to get there, eating homemade popcorn, and playing with sparklers while we waited for the fireworks show. My parents’ greatest memories? Trying to get out of the parking lot and fight traffic on the way home, then having to stop and let my little sister pee in someone’s yard because the traffic was so bad and she was too little to hold it. Amazing how the same event triggers different memories depending on the generation, lol! Anyway, we did get some kick-ass pics out of the deal:










Random Shit
A friend shared this on Facebook, and I thought it was hilarious. Personally, for many years I was confused as to why CCR was so obsessed with the “bathroom on the right.”

Officially Sworn In

So Friday was graduation day, at least for the 161st A-100 class it was. I'm excited and a little sad to see it all end, although I have to admit I was ready to be done with the 8hr lecture days! Most of my classmates had their entire families come out for the big day to see them get sworn in, it very much reminded me of the excitement surrounding my commissioning day as an AF officer* I wish I could have been more enthused, but I generally hate these types of events (I even skipped my own college graduation!). It does feel really good to be an official FSO, though. Now I just need to get my paws on that little black passport and I'll be on my way to ruling the world, mwah hah hah hah...er, I mean I'll be on my way to Manila. Same thing.

Anyway, since I enjoy imposing some type of order on this incredibly eclectic and nonsensical blog, I've decided to try and use this forum to actually provide some useful information in addition to my bits of random and useless info. Thus I bring you:

Useful Bits

This whole experience of joining the FS with a special needs kid has been quite the adventure. It is not as simple as having just a Class 2 Med EFM (eligible family member), which you can get cleared through Med itself. For a special needs kid you have to get substantiating info from the schools at Post that they have the appropriate curriculum for whatever it is your particular child needs (in our case A needs speech and occupational therapists and has an IEP that lays out specific goals in each of these areas). You also have to get verification from Post that they have the specialists needed to support the child’s IEP. Originally I had not planned to contact Post until I was much closer to my ETA since my TM1 (the travel message that lets Post know I’m coming) hasn’t even been issued yet, and I hadn’t even begun to think about choosing a school for the kids yet since I still have to enroll them for this school year here in VA! Ah, well, this long-term planning is generally right up my alley. I have sent the CLO (Community Liaison Officer) an e-mail to see if they can help me out since I don’t even know where to start to gather all this info! There is also yet another yahoo group dedicated to FS parents with special needs kids that I am hoping will be another good resource of information for us as we try to figure all this out. Oh, and State does have a lot of guidance out there both on the internet and the intranet, but every situation with a special needs child is unique so each case must be handled individually. Will keep you posted on how this progresses regardless of interest, lol.

Random Shit

On the way home from mandatory fun last week, some friends and I were discussing the blogosphere, and they were stymied by the fact that they couldn’t come up with a clever name for their blogs. First I had to explain that my blog name is actually sort of clever, or at least not insulting (Pu is my Chinese name – pronounced Pooh, not Pee Yew as so many people seem to think. My blog name is a play on Pooh’s Corner, not a reference to my BO). So, anyway, my girlfriend from A-100, M, came up with the awesome idea for a blog named, “I Would Rub My Face All Over That.” She was referring to the rotating gold statue of ex-president of Turkmenistan

but she was also open to the idea of rubbing her face all over the Neutrality Arch

Personally, I think this is a fucking fantastic idea for a blog. Imagine all the things you’d like to rub your face all over like:

Giant Pandas

Pilipino Rice Terraces

Giant piles of pink feathers

Hugh Jackman

A big bowl of pho

Okay that last one might not be such a good idea depending on how hot the soup was, but, still, that’s a lot of shit to rub your face all over. The possibilities are endless!

*Fun Fact - The FS oath of office and the military officer oath of office are exactly the same! :)

I Have a Confession

My name is Pu, and I am an exercise DVD addict. I know you all already think I am crazy obsessive with my workouts, but even I am starting to worry. This year alone I have done rotations with the Firm Express, Insanity: Asylum, Tracy Anderson's Meta, This was my A-100 rotation (I combined BCX with Real Strength), and now I am coveting PeakFit and P90X2! Do I really need all these workouts????

The answer is YES, people. Yes I do....I may also need a straitjacket, but that is another conversation altogether.

Also, I have to give a shout out to AinA who, upon hearing that I will be learning Tagalog* for my first post, commented, "Thank God! Finally, someone else will know an even more useless language than me."

*Fun Fact: Every time I type Tagalog into Word it tries to correct it to Tagalong. Mmmmm, Tagalongs with Manila....


***ETA: Five minutes after I wrote this, I bought PeakFit...I am so ashamed.

Manila...It's Not Just a Folder

Well, if you didn't know that the flag I posted was for the Philippines, don't feel bad. Neither did I! And if you're surprised we're heading to Manila, then you can imagine how I felt when they called my name. I almost fell out of my chair I was so surprised. After all of the talk about bidding strategies and keeping expectations low, we were preparing to go to some of our lower priority areas. Manila was our #3 choice, so we are stoked!!! For future post-bidders (and any looky-loos who are just interested), here's how we looked at it:

Pu's Priorities: I wanted a post that would allow me to learn a 3rd language (on top of Mandarin and English), fulfill my consular tour (now I have a really good chance of doing Econ work in China), somewhere in the EAP (Pacific Region) Bureau (which is the Bureau I would like to major in), and somewhere with great schools & great special education resources for A.

Husband's Priorities: Husband wanted a post that was in a warm weather area on a coast so we could continue to enjoy beach activities, somewhere that had a decent amount of English so it wouldn't be such a shock to the system (a transitional post, if you will), somewhere with a bilateral work agreement so that he could find employment, and somewhere where the cost of living was low so we can afford a nanny.

Secondary Priorities (nice-to-haves): We both wanted to leave DC sometime after the New Year so we could spend one last holiday with our families, we also wanted to be close a military installation so that we can shop for any US necessities and so I could have an opportunity to do my Reserve duty without having to travel to far, and we wanted a location that would allow us to do a lot of traveling.

Manila fits every single one of our criteria. My CDO absolutely could not have advocated for a better assignment for us!

So now what happens? Well, I have about a week after A-100 ends next Friday where I'll have to arrange my own training either by doing some distance learning or scheduling consultations in the Department. After that I start ConGen (consular training where I'll learn how to do my job), which lasts the rest of the summer. In early Sep I will start about 8 months of Tagalog training before we leave for the Philippines next April. So we will be staying here in Oakwood Falls Church until we leave the country since we will be in training status. A will continue to attend DiploTots at FSI through the end of summer when he'll transition into the VA school system (as will the girls, of course). This was really fortunate since I wasn't sure how we'd handle the whole pre-school thing overseas.* Now we can relax and just enjoy the rest of our time here in DC, and you all can start making plans about how you're going to come visit us in the Hawai'i of Asia!



*The State Dept is incredibly generous by paying for your child's schooling while you're posted overseas; however, they only pay for K-12 not pre-school. Since A has an IEP that covers pre-K (like his program in FL), I wasn't sure if they would also pay for his special needs pre-K since it is something that would be offered to him in the States.

And The Winner Is....

A-100 Update #4

So much to catch up on! Let's see where I left off...Camp was fun, but very hot! I can see why this is considered a highlight in A-100 because you really get the opportunity to get to know your fellow classmates in a way you just can't in your normal environment. Luckily I have been blessed to be part of an amazing cohort, so I really enjoyed getting to know my colleagues (the wine may also have had a small part in my increased happy level). Poor Husband, on the other hand, returned from spending several days in the actual, for real woods with the kiddos (about 6-7hrs travel time to get home from rural Wisconsin) only to discover that our car had been towed despite having our complex sticker on the dashboard. Apparently they felt that because our car was parked in the same spot for a number of days that it had become a "suspicious vehicle." You can imagine the Husband's pleasure at returning home after a long day of travel with 3 kids, an extra trip to pay $250 to get our car out of impound (we did complain, and Oakwood will reimburse us), so when I called to talk from the bar it didn't go over so well.

I also got a call from Oakwood while we were gone that they had found us a space over at Oakwood Falls Church (we were in Ballston previously), so we spent last weekend moving into our new apartment. We had to move ourselves since we were the ones to requect the move, but it was totally worth it because FC is like paradise for kids. For any future FS'ers, I cannot recommend FC high enough if you have kids. If you're single or child-free, go to Ballston!

Week 4 of A-100 saw the decent into exhaustion. The excitement has worn off some, and the classes are long (and some a wee bit painful). We're also getting anxious for Flag Day (next Friday!!), so it's harder and harder to pay attention (also there is a lot of info being presented and the likelihood that we'll remember it all is getting smaller and smaller. At least for me it is, I've only so much room left in my brain!) In addition, the s-kids arrived so we are back up to 5 kids + MIL, which makes a total of 8 in our 3-bedroom apartment. So, there isn't much downtime, which has resulted in me developing a terrible cold that I'm desperately trying to get rid of before I head into Core Skills week next week. Core Skills week should return us to our normal level of excitement (and/or terror) since it is mostly focused on how to keep your composure when answering tough questions about U.S. foreign policy (and also how to avoid inadvertently changing it by answering stupidly), as well as public speaking among other things. Then on Friday, as noted above, I will finally find out where I am going in a ceremony known as Flag Day. Basically we'll all be seated in an auditorium where our MC will bring up pictures of the flag of a certain country, we're supposed to yell out the name of the country from memory (so I'll be the one in the back mumbling), and then they call the name of the individual who will be going to that post. This is a big family event, so even though Husband is really not looking forward to having all 5 kids there, it means a lot to me to have everyone involved.

Oh, I also found out last week that putting A on the FSI daycare waiting list paid off. Starting Monday he will be coming with me on the Oakwood shuttle to work to go to FSI's daycare center on campus. This is going to be a mental lifesaver for the Husband, and it should be great for A, as well. I have heard nothing but wonderful things about the FSI daycare and how focused it is on preparing your children for going Global.

This weekend we had a small bbq with a few classmates and there kids (there was a larger event going on last night, but we didn't want to make people suffer through having our 5 kids running around like maniacs). It was nice to finally hang out with people outside of the classroom. Husband and I also plan to attend one of the Happy Hour events next week (we always have about 3-4 events scheduled per week, but I have not really been able to attend any because of the fam), and, of course, we will attend the family-friendly celebration after flag day. I am stressing a wee bit because I have procrastinated on my school work, and I have two big papers due in the next week that I have yet to start. It makes me feel very guilty to come home after work at 6pm and have to hole up in my room trying to bang out homework when Husband has been home all day with the kids (who also miss me, I hope!), but I am so close to finishing! Only a few more months. I have to say, though, that I would not recommend staying in school while attending A-100 to anyone else!

So that's life in a nutshell right now. This week should be fairly busy, but you can be sure I'll post the minute we know where we're gong so everyone can start making their travel plans! :)

Rollin' the Dice

Bid list is complete and sent. Where are we going? No freakin clue! But we'll be happy and together wherever it is :)

This weekend we went to the "beach." FL has spoiled us, and we have become complete beach snobs. We have missed the sun and sand so much, though, so it was nice to have a little bit of it back in our lives even if the sand was orange (J: Mommy, sand a sposed to be white). We also had a birthday party for A, who turned 4 on Sat. My baby is 4! I need a new one stat! I need to schedule a visit to see AinA post squiddo-birth so I can fend off these crazy hormones. 6 kids? I can't even begin to imagine.

We also hit up the Eastern Market. I took the kids by myself on the metro, and we had a blast. It was the first time for the two little ones on any kind of public trans (yes, I know, it is hard to believe that FL doesn't have a great subway system), and they were pretty enamored of it. We'll see how long that lasts.

This week I go to the Woods (actually it's an Army Reserve Base somewhere in WV, but they still call it the Woods). This is for a couple of days of leadership and team-building training, which is a highlight of A-100. I won't be missing the fam too much since they have already abandoned me to go to WI for my family reunion (I couldn't go since we aren't allowed to take leave during A-100). It is a little weird being in my own home without anyone around. I have spent a lot of time talking to the cat, lol. On a positive note, I have already finished all of my homework for the week (only 6 more months!). Now if only I could get the motivation to do anything else!

So Tired

It's so crazy. This should be almost a vacation for me. No deadlines, no crazy people promising others that we will do things that can't accomplished, I don't even have to drive myself to work (yay FS shuttle)! Yet I am utterly exhausted. I can't figure it out?


I had my language test today. The language phone test I took as part of the hiring process was just a mini-test to see if I spoke at a reasonably appropriate level. This test a little over an hour and it was excruciating. It felt like my testers sucked every bit of Chinese knowledge out of my brain with one of those tiny little straws you get with your coffee and spread it out on the table...then they pointed and laughed. And that was just the speaking portion! It. Was. Painful.


So to lighen the mood here's a taste of the send off I got from work. First they gave me this really handy emergency booklet that I can use to help me out in my new jobs as an FSO:

And so forth...There are literally nametags in just about every language. I am so ready for this!

Additionally, I also received a wonderful book of top ten lists to remind me of all the wonderful things I have left behind, as well as all the wonderful things I have to look forward to:

*BTW, I've added a little disclaimer into my intro for any random people wo happen to stumble onto my blog (and in accordance with State's official policy). I've also added some links to other FS blogs written by other people in my A-100. Enjoy stalking them!

1 Week Down

Only 5 more to go. Week 1 was a lot of information and even though we are mostly just sitting and absorbing the info given to us, I feel incredibly wiped out. We received our bid list on Tuesday. There are about as many jobs as there are people in my class, but we have to bid on all of them. We get the choice of bidding every location/job at either High, Medium, or Low, but, of course, the decision on where to send you is based on the needs of the service, so we have been cautioned not to fall in love with a certain job since the only thing that is truly certain in the FS is that you should remain flexible!

For us the process will be a bit more complicated. A was given what is called a Class 2 medical clearance because of his Apraxia. This means that any post we're sent to must have the appropriate care available and we must verify it through MED before we can be given clearance to go to post. In order to figure out which posts on our bid list were actually open to us, I poured through what medical care is available at each post on the list (e.g. did they have a speech therapist), then I looked at the information compiled by the Office of Overseas Schools, which does mini-recaps of the international schools available at each post and states whether or not they have special education resources (and whether the ones hat do meet US standards). This narrowed the list down by about 2/3 for us. Then we used some other criteria to help sort out the remaining available posts into either Mediums or Highs (the ones we can't go to will all be Lows). It has really changed the way I had originally looked at how we might bid, and I should forewarn everyone that we may not end up in any part of the world we had expected (there are also about 20 Mandarin speakers in my class competing for the much less than 20 China posts).
The good news is that if we don't get China as our 1st post, we will definitely get it for our 2nd post (just the way the FS works if you took the S/CNL points), so we will get there eventually.

Made It

We're here, we're safe. No one was killed in the 2 1/2 days it took us to drive here (although a couple came close). So much to write, but I'm just too exhausted right now. My peeps at BB gave me an awesome send-off complete with some nifty little tools to use in my new life as an FSO. I promise I'll take pics and post when I can because they were so funny. It made me feel good to know that I would really be missed (and I'll miss them, too! There's nothing like going through hell together to bring a group close together.)

We went to our first social tonight. Our sponsoring class put it on for us. Found out our class has some 90+ people in it, so you can imagine how many names I remember, lol. Not surprisingly, we were one of maybe 3-4 couples that had kids, and we definitely win the prize for having the most! :) Tomorrow is my first day, but it will mainly consist of in-processing at Main State. My normal training will be at the Foreign Service Institute (FSI), which I will start on Tuesday.

It is about 70 degrees here, and I am wearing long pants, a sweatshirt, and big fuzzy socks. I wonder how long it will take for my tan to fade? On the plus side, there are about 1 million restaurants that deliver to our door and groceries, too! I never have to leave my apartment again (except for that pesky working and all). Promise I'll do a post on our living quarters in the future; it is much better than we expected and we are quite pleased all in all.

Moving Amnesia

Similar to pregnancy amnesia, this phenomena entails forgetting what a complete ass-pain moving a large family across the country is. I have moved over a dozen times to multiple states and countries, and yet it always seems like the inane bullshit that goes along with moving all of the crap you have accumulated from all of the amazing places you have lived is completely brand new. For example, yesterday the movers did not show. I spent the entire morning on the phone with various offices at State and the moving company itself...come to find out someone had entered the date incorrectly (it might have been caught if I had, you know, received my TO before Monday morning - which I had to call back to State to get since they didn't bother to send it to me), and the movers weren't planning to come until the 17th. The problem: Our pack out is a two-day job (hey, we have a lot of kids), and we need to be out of the house on the 18th. So I need time to reorganize all of the crap we're loading in the car and clean the entire house before we turn over the keys. After a lot of headache and extra stress, the movers showed up yesterday at about 2pm. They packed up about 1/2 the house and returned this morning to finish the job. I have a feeling it is going to be a very late night for us :( On the plus side, the movers themselves are great and seem very nice and competent, so at least we have that going for us!

I have to say, this has not been a good intro to moving as an FSO. My travel admin has been completely unresponsive and unhelpful and was, in fact, very, very rude the one time I actually managed to get her on the phone. I had to call the main office several times and instruct them not to patch me through to her but to find someone else to answer my questions. Since our next move will likely be in less than a year and to a much farther location, I do not have high hopes that it will be a good experience. But, who knows, I have been known to be wrong a time a two.


In other moving news, today is my last day at work (only a couple of hours to do my out-brief and sign some paperwork, turn in my badge, etc.). We pick up the rental car tomorrow (we rented a mini-van for the drive since I already sold my car; Husband will drive his own vehicle loaded up with crap) and check into our hotel tonight. Tomorrow consists of house cleaning and check-out, and spending our last few precious moments at the beach. We are bringing our boards and other beach gear with us in spite of our new close quarters, and I envision many weekends exploring the East Coast beaches in our future!

Patience is the 14th Dimension

So when you're going through the process of becoming an FSO, you learn there are 13 Dimensions they (the FS) are looking for in candidates. Patience is not one of them, but it definitely should be. I am supposed to be moving on Monday, but I still have no travel orders. Without these orders I cannot have the movers pick up my things, and if the movers do not come on Monday then our entire time-line (which we have planed perfectly in order to arrive on time) is going to be completely fucked up. I am trying not to lose my mind, but it is becoming exceedingly difficult when NO ONE WILL ANSWER THEIR PHONE. I have been on phone and e-mail for the last couple of days trying to get things in order, but I keep getting the run around regarding what paperwork they need and again NO ONE WILL ANSWER THEIR PHONE. It is so frustrating to sit here at 2:30 on Friday afternoon with no confirmation that I will, in fact, be able to move on Monday. I realize that these folks are overworked right now with the incoming class being last minute and all, but I can't imagine that it is too much to ask to get some kind of contact letting me what the status is. And there is nothing I can do right now but wait.

It's Really Happening

• Agreement to Join the FS & Salary Offer - signed & sent
• Travel Orders - on their way
• Pack out - scheduled for 16-17 May
• Welcome packet - received
• Husband - totally freaking out!

Oh yeah, it is definitely happening!

Man, am I going to miss this place

It's True

I've received my Insanity: Asylum!! And I've already started my rotation. What can I say? I'm a sucker for super crazy Beachbody products.

Oh, and, yes, it’s also true that I’ve received an invite to the May 23^rd A-100 class to start my journey as a Foreign Service Officer!!!! We are beyond thrilled and excited and just a wee bit nervous about this total career change. To answer a few common questions up front:

• We will be leaving FL on 18 May to drive to Arlington, VA where my initial training will be held
• I have no idea how long we will be there, but it will likely be somewhere between 3-12 months depending on what post we get sent to
• No, I don’t know where we’re going yet. I get what’s called a bid list (a list of available posts for Junior Officers with varying locations, training times, and start dates) sometime near the end of the 1^st week of class, and we’ll find out where we’ll be posted sometime around the 5^th week of class. So we should know where we’re going and when we have to be there sometime in July.
• No I won’t be able to make it to the family reunion now :( Unfortunately they don’t allow leave for any reason (short of devastating illness, etc.) during A-100, which is about 6 weeks long.
• We will be living in State Dept contracted housing for the duration of our stay in VA, which means cramming our family of 7 into a 3-bedroom apartment. Yes, we’re going to be “that” family, lol!

It’s all happening very quickly, and there is a lot to get done, so I’ll try to keep the blog updated as much as I can (not that I do now anyway, ha!), but try to be understanding if it seems like I’ve fallen off the face of the earth. We’re still here! :)

One Clearance Down, Two to Go

Got word today that my State Dept security clearance was granted on 3/21. Now I am just waiting on medical and the final suitability review. I suppose in light of the federal budget craziness all this waiting might actually be a good thing. After all, they can't hire me if there isn't any money, lol!

Conversation with J

Me: What did you do in school today?

J: Adriana and Emma and me played the cheetah game.

Me: What’s that?

J: *gives the ‘duh, Mom’ look* We pretend to be cheetahs.

Me: And what do cheetahs do?

J: We chase boys...then we catch them.

Me: And then what do you do?

J: *evil grin* We eat them.

Me: Well, I suppose that’s what cheetahs do.

J: Yeah, then they run away again. *evil giggle* But then we catch them and eat them again.

Me: Well, what about the girls?

J: No, girls don’t taste good.