Well life here is settling in well. For the first time since I can remember I am unemployed and I thought this would bug me. I love it, so far. Being a mommy, playing with my kids and even feeding the family is a fun job for me. Thank goodness the apt is small and the cleaning up doesn't take long.

Ballston, where we live is great. I love the apt building, everyone is friendly and talkative. I mostly love that everyone seems to really enjoy children. Almost everyone talks to the kids in the elevators and makes them feel welcome. The pool is great, and most afternoons are spent splashing around. We have been to the library across the street, and the parks and malls. The kids love the metro and we go to DC to museums quite often. It's amazing how easy it is to talk to people here, and how interested in you they are. Met another mom on the metro with her two kids and found out we were going to the same place, so we all just went together, like old friends. Meet another couple at the park, who were foreign service people too. We spent an hour in the park with their little girl, just talking about FS life.

Last sunday, we went with another family to a petting zoo, the kids adored feeding the goats and sheep, and bottle feeding the babies. Yesterday, we went to the mall for school clothes shopping. I think they enjoyed that. B keeps asking if he can put his jeans on. He normally hates jeans.

Last night, O, another spouse of an FSO, organized a happy hour for spouses. It was nice to get out and enjoy some company. The men have happy hours all the time, so it was our turn. The men even had a night away at a resort, to learn 'teambuilding' skills. On the agenda was 'Follies' So glad they scheduled that, I'm sure they would have forgotten all about having some fun, if it wasn't scheduled.

Can't wait for Friday! That is when we find out where in the world we are going! Very exciting!

My Lovelies from the PNW

After spending much of the morning recycling the cardboard boxes that housed our belongs for the past month, the kids and I headed to our trusted Target store. What are we going to do without Target? What might one need at Target, since our shipment of stuff had just arrived? Well on our list, we had five boxes, and we got five boxes here. Box no. 1 was suppose to have a fan, hangers and clothes, Box no 1 did NOT contain said fan, nor hangers. We did get our clothes, and one hanger. Also, so fortunately, we got a trash can, so nicely wrapped in paper and placed in a separate box, along with a $2 ikea light, inside the trash can, was our trash. I am so lucky. I really was missing that capri sun pouch, used tissues and fred meyer bag. So, today I bought 80 hangers. Pretty teal blue one, for $8. Gotta love target.

The kids and I are frequent users of the apt. pool. B with his bright orange floaties and R with her cute little bikinis. They are getting pretty good. B practiced diving for dive sticks today and much to his surprise, he didn't drowned. When we got back up stairs to the apt to change back into regular clothes, B barges into my bathroom, as any four year does, to exclaim..."R has a line on her, and it's brown, you have to see it!" He grabs her shirt and lifts it joyfully to show me his new discovery. "Wow, B, yes she does have a brown line on her. Its called a tan, and you have one too." I showed him his tan, and he giggled with glee.

I found this too funny, since my children have never really had a tan before. We have lived in the Pacific Northwest their entire life, and have satisfied our daily Vitamin D need with the trusted Flintstone vitamin. Now we actually see enough sun, we don't need the extra vitamin D. Maybe I should ship my supply back to the PNW.

Virginia, not homesick yet... still Honeymooning

Well after a crazy world wind trip we are here in Arlington, VA. The kids spent 4-5 days with cousins in Locust Grove, and I went back to work for a couple of days in Washington. It was good to hang out with my friend K. Today is the first day we are all together in the apartment. It feels so good to unpack and organize a little bit. Yesterday I went to the FSI spouse orientation, which was very informative, but even better than that, J got his bid list. It was really good, or so we think. WE had fun trying to picture ourselves as a family in one of the many posts.

I am sure I am going to start missing Washington state soon and all my friends but so far I have been so busy, I haven't even sat down to think. Tomorrow the kids and I are going to the Zoo and I think that will make me sad for Seattle. I am glad to be done with work for a bit, but I am sure I'll miss those darling babies sooner than later.

CRAZY

I am not sure how I survived yesterday but I did. I was planning on having a garage sale which in itself would have been enough work. My luck would have it, the carpet guy called and wanted to installed the carpet in the afternoon. J was working, so we had to clean out the bedrooms of furniture at 6 am, great fun! Then I had the garage sale, then the carpet guy came, then back goes the furniture. Along with a run to the store, goodwill, cleaning the play room and garage. Oh I am tired.

No rest for the weary, today. We have to clean the entire house, with all the boxes everywhere and prepare for the 3-4 families coming to see the house. Of course I run out of toilet bowl cleaner, and the kids used up all the spray cleaner yesterday washing a blue ikea desk over and over again yesterday.

Now off to the store for cleaning supplies and more stuff. Sigh. I am so looking forward to working the next three !

It's all going to be just fine.

As excited and happy I am about starting this new life, I have discovered that I am not as easy going as I was in my youth. I am stressed out, needless to say, we have a house full of stuff we have to sort and a houseful of fixable things to fix, a house to rent, paint and carpet. I truly can't see how it's suppose to get done, but I know it will. Little by little, everyday, it will happen. Thank god, for Good Will.

This weekend, I rode my horse in one of the last horse shows I will get to compete in, and it was awesome. He is amazing. I worked, as usual, and I currently am typing this as a distraction to the mess in the playroom that really needs to be tended to.

The weather won't let up, rain rain rain. I don't mind the rain, but it makes trying to plan a garage sale very difficult. It also makes it hard to paint the house, stain the deck and garden.

On a good note, J got a job with the foreign service and we are going to start our new adventures soon!

Procrastination

Today I took the day off work, and took the kids to school. Alone time so I could focus on getting the toys sorted out. It's now after 2pm and I have NOT done that. This packing and organizing business might not work out well for me.... or maybe I just need a running start. I did however go get my passport photos, since I have an expired Canadian passport, which isn't very useful when traveling overseas. Now I just have to fill in the application to go with the photos and I'll have accomplished something.

J and I researched a few cities in different countries and we seem to be on the same page about ranking them. We shall see if this remains true when we get our bid list. We are pretty open so I think it will work out fine.

I have decided to stay behind for a month, letting J get settled into orientation and I will follow later with the kids. I should arrive in time for R to start school (2nd Grade) in Arlington, VA. Not much new has been decided, just trying to figure out how to pack and sort.

This is my first post, and I'm just testing it out.

SO this week starts our transition to Foreign Service life. It's very exciting, but right now stressful since there are many unknowns. I like to be in the know, and I am not entirely sure how everything works just yet, so I am unsettled. Trust. I'll have to work on that.

Today, I found homes for our house plants, where I know they will be well cared for. Also, the parakeets, button quail and bearded dragon also found a new home. They should all be very happy in their new environments. Awesome start to our new life, I think.

Now time for a glass of wine and to put my feet up. Back to work for the week starting tomorrow.

Oh yeah, I forgot, I applied for a job in VA as well.