Who? What? ... Where???

Wow, its 2017. I started this blog in January 2010. At the time, I was fairly sure we were headed into the Foreign Service. Ha!

We have moved on from the Foreign Service. The dream has passed. That boat has floated. That dog won't hunt. The porch light's on but no one's home. We have thrown away the FSO Books and Oral Assessment prep paperwork in the basement. Now our basement has a pool table and ping pong table. And a couch. And X-Box. Our kids are securely planted in their schools here in suburban America. We have three kids, all teenagers, two dogs, two cats and a hamster. And stuff. Lots of stuff.

It has been a tough handful of years. My husband started thinking about joining the FS when my oldest son was in 3rd grade. He's in his junior year in high school now. During that time my husband has passed the FS exam and Oral Assessment three times and was added to the PD register three times. He was on "the list" but not high enough to get called. He spent money on brushing up his German skills. But. Nope. No FS for us.

The limbo time was hard. Not knowing to just stop wishing and planning for a different life, the FS life and to just be calm, to be here. To enjoy now. To stop worrying. I am a good worrier. Skilled.

Chicago?

My husband was given the opportunity to take a job in Chicago. This would be a move for our whole family.

The potential new employer wanted an answer quickly. The weekend to think it over. That's it.

We decided no.

One week until OA.

Ha! Chicago's too far, but anywhere in the world? Yeah, that's ok.

Ta da! I'm back.

So, yeah, some time has passed since I wrote last.
Hi, my name is Emily, and I'm a blog-avoider.
All together: "Hello, Emily."

I have a husband on the PD register, still.  He has been for, um, I think three or four years. By the way, 5.4 doesn't get you called off the register. He passed the OA three times with the same score: 5.4.

In a month he's taking the OA again.

I'm not even kidding.

I am working as a preschool teacher.
My husband is working in communications.

I have an 8-year-old spunky daughter (C). A gymnast, soccer player, and quite the talker. She's a reader and makes friends easily.

I have a 10-year-old son (S) who is strong and silent at first glance, but goofy and funny when you get to know him. He's also a competitive gymnast and soccer player. He broke his front tooth a month ago on a snowboard, yes, the permanent one. Gah!

Then there is the 12-year-old son (B) who is already an engineer, always thinking, designing and planning. He swims and wrestles. He is now taller than me and getting so handsome and witty.

And of course one yellow lab and two cats. I had to bring home the cardboard box with the two kittens in it. They were living under the stairs of a Chinese restaurant, so small and innocent. I just had to save them from becoming "sweet and sour kitties." My husband just couldn't say no after the kids caught a glance at the contents of the box....

So, that's where we are.

Blaze and Scout

S, B, and C

"What the Fru??!" Or "Deja vu??!"

My dear husband is home from DC.

He passed the OA.

5.4

AGAIN!

Three times. 5.4, 5.4, 5.4 What the 5-point-frickin-4 is going on?!

I mean, Yeah! Good job! He passed. But we were kind of hoping to be higher up the list.

Each time he did awesomely awesome at 2 sections and failed the third. But, get this!, the section he failed changed each of the three times. ?? Bizarre.

Now we have to decide what is next. Brain transfer with someone who knows Arabic? Hindi? Urdu? Any more viable suggestions out there? Speaking Cub/Boy Scout and Syracuse Basketball doesn't get you any points at all it appears. meh.

Bookmarks and stool samples

It's a week until he (he, alone) goes to DC for the test which shall not be named. No, not a stool sample.

The Foreign Service thing-a-ma-jobber. O to the A to the P-A-S-S to the razzley-dazzley score 6000. haha

I was up until 1:00 a.m. making bookmarks for everyone. Because I am crazy and I love them (kids, and husband, not bookmarks) and I want them not to have to continue memorizing what page they are on in a book. (How can they do that?) Happy Valentine's Day, my loves, here are 10 homemade bookmarks and some candy for each of you. Why the puzzled looks?
What else could they want? Bacon? Maple bacon?


I am off to take the dog to the vet for a check up. I need to walk him and hope he gives up a stool sample before the visit. Fun fun.

Yup, I'm still here!

I know, you thought I was living it up on the beaches of, oh, I don't know, California or Florida, but, I'm not. And I'm not gone from bloggy-land forever.

Here's all the "excitement" you missed. You missed me, right? Shh, don't answer that.

1. We are still in snowy-snow land.
2. I had a bit of a tough time approaching the big 4-0.
3. I turned 40 and, guess what? Everything didn't implode.
4. Two of my kids are WAAAYYY into gymnastics, between them we are at the gym every damn day.
5. Gymnastics is not cheap.
6. Middle school has been great for my oldest kid. He auditioned for and made the jazz band.
7. My husband is a Cubmaster. That is not a position held at the local zoo. It involves dealing with excited, incredibly energetic kids and sometimes unreasonable psychotic parents. Fun.
8. Being the Cubmaster takes a lot of time. Cubmaster's wife gets no respect.
9. My husband is still on the register for the PD cone, but too low to get called without a language.
10. Learning a language is not cheap and takes a lot of time. So we aren't doing that route now.
11. He takes the OA again in about a month. Come on big score.
12. Nobody knows about OA attempt #3. (Except you.) Not his family, not mine. Not our kids. (Feel special??)

That should get things started for now. I've got to get in the habit again. Get the pixels flowing.

Closing shop.

So I wanted to say farewell, at least for now.

The time has come for me to stop blogging.

Thanks so much for reading my ramblings.