I had more dreams last night. I can't remember the one I really wanted to blog about, so I'll talk about the one I had after it. It was a continuation of a dream from another night. It involved luggage shopping, then a friend from elementary school was there. I gave her one of my things for her to buy instead and after she opened it I remembered why I wanted it. Then the checkout was this weird process and I had little frozen ice things the size of trading cards. I had written notes on them in a code that I couldn't remember for check out.
During trying to figure that out I was woken up by John who'd let me sleep until 7:20! Woot!
Our friends are coming to visit us tonight. I. can. not. wait. Lots of fun should ensue.
Monday, June 28, 2010
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Last Nights Dream
Tom Cruise and a woman from my past stole my kids. In my dream I had five kids including two sets of twins and one set was special needs. John was still my husband.
We did get our kids back, but it was a very strange dream. I'm not pregnant I promise, but I haven't had dreams like this since I was.
Sigh.
We did get our kids back, but it was a very strange dream. I'm not pregnant I promise, but I haven't had dreams like this since I was.
Sigh.
Saturday, June 26, 2010
Dreamy Sleep
It's 11pm here. I don't want to go to sleep. My sleep has been filled with a lot of weird dreams. Last night Simon grew up over night - literally. When I woke up I was happy to have my little baby who's still only four and a half months old. My four and a half year old is still four and a half years old.
Good.
It makes sleeping very unattractive. However, not sleeping is very bad for my health. And it makes for a crabby mom and wife for my family.
Good.
It makes sleeping very unattractive. However, not sleeping is very bad for my health. And it makes for a crabby mom and wife for my family.
Friday, June 25, 2010
Updated Blog Roll
I've updated my blog roll on the side bar. There were a ton of blogs that I follow that weren't there. Most of them are Foreign Service blogs but some are family and friends.
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Bananas
Simon started eating solid foods last night. We bought jars of bananas, pears, and apples. Eventually we'll start making our own food, but yesterday we were at the store during our lunch break buying formula and just decided to buy baby food. Woot!
An other milestone gone. My baby is growing!
Time for another one?
An other milestone gone. My baby is growing!
Time for another one?
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Sunday, June 20, 2010
End Spring Read Thing 2010
I failed. I didn't read any more books. I have been reading a couple of the ones on the list but one of them is so hard to read quickly. It's a very dense book.
Maybe I'll do better next year.
Maybe I'll do better next year.
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Aging
I'm getting older. I'm certainly by no means old. But I'm definitely getting older. It's unavoidable of course. I've been observing some things about my body lately that are annoying. I can't be as lazy about things as I used to be. For instance, I used to get away with using lotion very infrequently. Now I need it more than I ever have. I could probably do it every day.
There are other observations that I've made. But I'll save you from them. My house is coming together more. I went through most of our decorations and said "yes you're staying" or "you can be donated to someone." I didn't really say these things - I'm not that crazy. It turns out that my maid loved the decorations that I wanted to pass on. So she took them off my hands for me. Tomorrow the guest room bed is going to be put together. I have to clean off the stuff on it first. Sigh. Where to put everything?!
We never had an office in Dallas. A small corner in our bedroom is where the desk, computer, etc. were. The corner we have here is much bigger, yet I can't figure out where to put all of the "office" stuff. For one thing, the desk we have now has zero drawers. I lost seven drawers in this transition. Also, you wouldn't know it right now, but it's not really a desk you should set stuff on. It's a very sleek glass top desk and it's covered in crap now, but it looks much better when it's not.
Malachi's friend is over right now. This is their last play date before his friend leaves for the summer. I feel so bad for Malachi because he doesn't have any other friends right now. Once we get our car to drive we're going to start going to church. Malachi should make some friends there. And then in August he'll start Kindergarten (cry) and that'll really help.
There are other observations that I've made. But I'll save you from them. My house is coming together more. I went through most of our decorations and said "yes you're staying" or "you can be donated to someone." I didn't really say these things - I'm not that crazy. It turns out that my maid loved the decorations that I wanted to pass on. So she took them off my hands for me. Tomorrow the guest room bed is going to be put together. I have to clean off the stuff on it first. Sigh. Where to put everything?!
We never had an office in Dallas. A small corner in our bedroom is where the desk, computer, etc. were. The corner we have here is much bigger, yet I can't figure out where to put all of the "office" stuff. For one thing, the desk we have now has zero drawers. I lost seven drawers in this transition. Also, you wouldn't know it right now, but it's not really a desk you should set stuff on. It's a very sleek glass top desk and it's covered in crap now, but it looks much better when it's not.
Malachi's friend is over right now. This is their last play date before his friend leaves for the summer. I feel so bad for Malachi because he doesn't have any other friends right now. Once we get our car to drive we're going to start going to church. Malachi should make some friends there. And then in August he'll start Kindergarten (cry) and that'll really help.
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Cautiously Optimistic
Four weekends ago our car was supposed to be in country. It didn't arrive. The new eta was three weekends ago. It didn't arrive. I think you can see the pattern here. Yesterday John got an email that the new eta was this weekend. "What ever" was my reply. I stopped caring. Not having a car is driving me nuts - absolutely bonkers. But if I care about where the car is then I was destined to go insane.
So...John gets home from work today and says the car is in country. "What?! You're not playing with me are you?" I asked - excited somewhere deep, deep inside. He wasn't kidding. Apparently some other people heard about the multiple delays and we got some new information. It was in fact in country on the 11th and there was a "miscommunication" about its whereabouts.
What ever. Fine. But that doesn't mean I get to drive it soon. First of all, it's in country - not in the city. It's on the way though. Secondly, we're still trying to get proof of registration in Texas. We're waiting on a friend for that and can't seem to get a hold of him (he works nights and our schedules never seem to match - not his fault). EDIT: Just talked to said friend and he's in another state right now. He's going to the office to get the stuff for us next Monday. Yay! Besides that we need diplomatic license plates. We're allowed to drive with out them - but only if we have our original plates on the car. We might - we might not. I forgot to take them off before the car was taken away in Virginia.
Do I sound a little jagged? I think the Foreign Service lifestyle has done that to me a bit. I've lost a lot of my bubbliness in the last two years since we started this process. I don't know if I'll ever get it back.
For those not in the Service or trying to get in: it's not all bad, I promise! Today my housekeeper did all my ironing! She's saving us $120/month in dry cleaning bills for that! Woohoo!!! She also did the floors and is washing/drying/folding/putting away all the linens that got unpacked. See...the Foreign Service definitely has its perks!
Oh yeah, I forgot...Simon rolled over today! The hard kind, from his back to his stomach. He wasn't very happy about being on his stomach, but seemed to have forgotten that he can roll from his stomach to his back because he wasn't doing that. This was in his bed after a nap. I was so excited about it! I love it when my kids learn something new.
So...John gets home from work today and says the car is in country. "What?! You're not playing with me are you?" I asked - excited somewhere deep, deep inside. He wasn't kidding. Apparently some other people heard about the multiple delays and we got some new information. It was in fact in country on the 11th and there was a "miscommunication" about its whereabouts.
What ever. Fine. But that doesn't mean I get to drive it soon. First of all, it's in country - not in the city. It's on the way though. Secondly, we're still trying to get proof of registration in Texas. We're waiting on a friend for that and can't seem to get a hold of him (he works nights and our schedules never seem to match - not his fault). EDIT: Just talked to said friend and he's in another state right now. He's going to the office to get the stuff for us next Monday. Yay! Besides that we need diplomatic license plates. We're allowed to drive with out them - but only if we have our original plates on the car. We might - we might not. I forgot to take them off before the car was taken away in Virginia.
Do I sound a little jagged? I think the Foreign Service lifestyle has done that to me a bit. I've lost a lot of my bubbliness in the last two years since we started this process. I don't know if I'll ever get it back.
For those not in the Service or trying to get in: it's not all bad, I promise! Today my housekeeper did all my ironing! She's saving us $120/month in dry cleaning bills for that! Woohoo!!! She also did the floors and is washing/drying/folding/putting away all the linens that got unpacked. See...the Foreign Service definitely has its perks!
Oh yeah, I forgot...Simon rolled over today! The hard kind, from his back to his stomach. He wasn't very happy about being on his stomach, but seemed to have forgotten that he can roll from his stomach to his back because he wasn't doing that. This was in his bed after a nap. I was so excited about it! I love it when my kids learn something new.
Monday, June 14, 2010
Girls Night Out
I went out with eight other ladies last night. We went to a Wine Bar and Restaurant called Tintos y Blancos. I had my first ever cosmopolitan and really enjoyed it! My friend said it was mild - that's probably why I enjoyed it.
After dinner we went to Sex And The City 2 (hence the drink choice). I know nothing about the series, so I'm sure there was a lot I didn't understand, but I really enjoyed the movie. I laughed A LOT.
I had such a good time with the girls and it was so great to get out with out the kids and the hubby. I hope to enjoy more time with the girls over the next year (they all leave next year).
Simon is having a very hard time falling asleep for his naps today. That's not normal. I won't get worried about anything unless it continues to happen though.
After dinner we went to Sex And The City 2 (hence the drink choice). I know nothing about the series, so I'm sure there was a lot I didn't understand, but I really enjoyed the movie. I laughed A LOT.
I had such a good time with the girls and it was so great to get out with out the kids and the hubby. I hope to enjoy more time with the girls over the next year (they all leave next year).
Simon is having a very hard time falling asleep for his naps today. That's not normal. I won't get worried about anything unless it continues to happen though.
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Scare
This morning I woke up to the sound of my older son talking to an adult male. I was really freaking out, wondering who was in my house. Then I realized that the adult male voice belonged to my father-in-law who was in Iowa, so it must've been the phone. Whew! But why did he call at 6:30?! Oh...he didn't. My son called him! How in the world he did that, I have no idea.
Thursday, June 10, 2010
It was lame
Last night I "led" a Bible study on Philippians 4 at my friend's church. It was lame. I didn't prepare for it well enough. I couldn't find my commentary that I did in a group project many years ago. And everyone but one person didn't show up (including my friend). We did have a good time, but I don't really feel like I taught or led anything. We got to know each other more though, and we did discuss the Lord and Phil. 3 at least. On the way home (she was my ride because we still don't have a car) she invited me and the kids over to her house for the U.S. and England game on Saturday. That'll be fun. John's going to an English pub with some friends from work.
This week my maid has been working a lot of hours because of having our HHE to unpack. She's amazing! (On an unrelated note, I'm missing my crock-pot. I wonder if we got rid of it and planned on buying a new one because I don't think I'm missing anything else from my kitchen in Dallas. It's not an emergency because of the dutch oven that Malachi (read: John) got me for Christmas. John, do you remember what we did with the crock pot?) She washed everything from my kitchen, is washing almost all the linens, and went through all of Malachi's old clothes and organized them by size, organizing Simon's closet at the same time.
Today she cleaned the bathrooms and the floors for the first time this week because I've been having her do HHE stuff. She's also been washing our laundry in the midst of it. I don't have a linens closet, so I need to figure out where to keep all of that stuff. I think I know where we should, it's just a matter of moving what's currently on that shelf to the shelf above it. I can do it!
John and I have a TON of decorations to go through. For the first few years of our marriage I collected a lot of trendy decorations that I don't really like right now. So I think we'll be getting rid of a lot. We still have to decide where all of our wall hanging things will go so the Embassy can come put them up. That service is especially nice because all of our walls are concrete. Great for Earthquakes, not great for hanging things. My calendar is still not up because of that.
Malachi went to school yesterday. He went for the whole day, for assessment, to the school we want him at this fall. I got an email from one of the directors saying that they enjoyed having him and we should hear some time this weekend about whether or not he gets in. I really, really hope so.
I went to the Embassy for Simon's 4 month well check yesterday. He weighed in at 15 1/2 pounds and 26 1/4 inches. He's a growing boy for sure! He really hated the 3rd shot, and the 4th one sent him into a total frenzy. Luckily he's pretty easy to calm down. But as soon as I put him down on the table again to dress him, he started bawling again. Poor baby. He checked out perfectly!
While I was there, I stopped in the office that I'll be working at and scheduled some training time. I won't be able to be paid for it because the government won't pay for two people in the same position, but it'll be valuable training.
I have a stomach bug thing. Hopefully we'll figure it out.
This week my maid has been working a lot of hours because of having our HHE to unpack. She's amazing! (On an unrelated note, I'm missing my crock-pot. I wonder if we got rid of it and planned on buying a new one because I don't think I'm missing anything else from my kitchen in Dallas. It's not an emergency because of the dutch oven that Malachi (read: John) got me for Christmas. John, do you remember what we did with the crock pot?) She washed everything from my kitchen, is washing almost all the linens, and went through all of Malachi's old clothes and organized them by size, organizing Simon's closet at the same time.
Today she cleaned the bathrooms and the floors for the first time this week because I've been having her do HHE stuff. She's also been washing our laundry in the midst of it. I don't have a linens closet, so I need to figure out where to keep all of that stuff. I think I know where we should, it's just a matter of moving what's currently on that shelf to the shelf above it. I can do it!
John and I have a TON of decorations to go through. For the first few years of our marriage I collected a lot of trendy decorations that I don't really like right now. So I think we'll be getting rid of a lot. We still have to decide where all of our wall hanging things will go so the Embassy can come put them up. That service is especially nice because all of our walls are concrete. Great for Earthquakes, not great for hanging things. My calendar is still not up because of that.
Malachi went to school yesterday. He went for the whole day, for assessment, to the school we want him at this fall. I got an email from one of the directors saying that they enjoyed having him and we should hear some time this weekend about whether or not he gets in. I really, really hope so.
I went to the Embassy for Simon's 4 month well check yesterday. He weighed in at 15 1/2 pounds and 26 1/4 inches. He's a growing boy for sure! He really hated the 3rd shot, and the 4th one sent him into a total frenzy. Luckily he's pretty easy to calm down. But as soon as I put him down on the table again to dress him, he started bawling again. Poor baby. He checked out perfectly!
While I was there, I stopped in the office that I'll be working at and scheduled some training time. I won't be able to be paid for it because the government won't pay for two people in the same position, but it'll be valuable training.
I have a stomach bug thing. Hopefully we'll figure it out.
Monday, June 7, 2010
It's official
and is no longer a secret. I've been hired by the US Embassy in San Jose to be the Assistant CLO. Woot!
Sunday, June 6, 2010
News
John came home on Friday with a few pieces of juicy news for me. The first thing he told me is a secret until after tomorrow morning - but I promise to share when I can. The second thing he told me was that our HHE is coming Monday at 1:30!!!!! I jumped up and down and cheered quite loudly when I heard that.
Apparently there are great benefits to the warehouse that's holding our stuff to keep it longer. That's one of the reasons we don't have our stuff yet. Grr. Sigh. It's still a lot faster than if it had been coming from a country other than the U.S. I've heard stories of HHE taking five or seven months to reach a person. Crazy! I can't imagine living on our welcome kit that long.
So when John's co-worker heard that our HHE was in country on May 3rd he told John to notify their boss. They used their experience and influence to quicken the process of getting us our stuff - thank you guys!! So at first they said Tuesday or Wednesday and then John got them to commit to Monday.
This is my first HHE arrival, and I really don't feel like having all those boxes around, so I think we're going to have them unpack everything. That means we need to have the house prepared for that when they get here. P (the domestica - in case you forgot) and I can do a lot of work for that tomorrow, but John and I are going to start today, we have some furniture to rearrange and we can do that today.
John interviewed a family on Friday and all the members have Maple Syrup Urine Disease it makes me very, very happy that I don't carry this (as far as I know anyway).
Last night we went to a party at the house of one of John's co-workers. We had a pretty good time but I'm still feeling a little weird around these people. There's a huge connection that I don't have with them that John does. It was pretty easy with a couple of mom's though. It's usually pretty easy with mom's though.
At noon I'm going to a house of one of John's other co-workers for a spa day. Apparently every 6-8 weeks someone hosts it at their house or apartment and they have people come in to do massages, facials, manicures, and pedicures. Everybody brings food to share and they just have fun together. I really can't wait! I hope the massage is nice, I've wanted one for a long time.
Well I'm off to go bake brownies for later!
Apparently there are great benefits to the warehouse that's holding our stuff to keep it longer. That's one of the reasons we don't have our stuff yet. Grr. Sigh. It's still a lot faster than if it had been coming from a country other than the U.S. I've heard stories of HHE taking five or seven months to reach a person. Crazy! I can't imagine living on our welcome kit that long.
So when John's co-worker heard that our HHE was in country on May 3rd he told John to notify their boss. They used their experience and influence to quicken the process of getting us our stuff - thank you guys!! So at first they said Tuesday or Wednesday and then John got them to commit to Monday.
This is my first HHE arrival, and I really don't feel like having all those boxes around, so I think we're going to have them unpack everything. That means we need to have the house prepared for that when they get here. P (the domestica - in case you forgot) and I can do a lot of work for that tomorrow, but John and I are going to start today, we have some furniture to rearrange and we can do that today.
John interviewed a family on Friday and all the members have Maple Syrup Urine Disease it makes me very, very happy that I don't carry this (as far as I know anyway).
Last night we went to a party at the house of one of John's co-workers. We had a pretty good time but I'm still feeling a little weird around these people. There's a huge connection that I don't have with them that John does. It was pretty easy with a couple of mom's though. It's usually pretty easy with mom's though.
At noon I'm going to a house of one of John's other co-workers for a spa day. Apparently every 6-8 weeks someone hosts it at their house or apartment and they have people come in to do massages, facials, manicures, and pedicures. Everybody brings food to share and they just have fun together. I really can't wait! I hope the massage is nice, I've wanted one for a long time.
Well I'm off to go bake brownies for later!
Friday, June 4, 2010
State Department Weekly Roundup!
I have to begin with thanking Kolbi for getting this started, and reiterate that it is a ton of work. A. Ton. Of. Work. I wish I had more time to work on it and am glad that I started composing this on Wednesday. You people kept blogging though, so there were many revisions over the last 48 hours. I apologize if I forgot someone - and I know there are a ton more State bloggers out there. It's amazing how many people are blogging about their adventures.
So without further adieu I bring you the State Department Weekly Roundup...
When moving day arrives or is very close at least:
The Perlman Update prepared herself for pack out and shared a picture with us of what it looks like in India.
Email From The Embassy is having her life packed up before her eyes, and is praising her son's school.
Something Edited This Way Comes is purging her apartment of maternity and baby things and stocking up on bedding for her daughter, diapers for her son, and a few food items before the move to Italy.
Cyberbones took advantage of her hubby's day off for Memorial Day while their kids were in school - or occupied anyway - to get some more pre-moving things done.
The Dinoia Family said "see you later" to their things and is enjoying a few days of normalcy before they leave for VA.
Barefoot In The Kitchen is counting down until Packout and Wheels Up for India.
Short Term Memory said hello and goodbye to two spots each in Philly and NYC before they depart for Nicaragua.
You Can Call Me Al left for post this week.
The Oil Spill affects Foreign Service Families:
MOPPYSEED PUFFIN can't get the dinner she wants in D.C. because of the oil spill in the Golf of Mexico but enjoys her visitors anyway.
The Diplodocus is being affected on his vacation to New Orleans.
Speaking of travel...
Lees On The Go is very proud of her boys' travel skills.
SassAndSweet finished their trip to DC and posted some night time pictures for us to enjoy.
Lindsey Mae's blog enjoyed a wonderful weekend getaway and shared with us some very funny things you find on the shelf in Manila.
Noble Glomads finished up their trip to North Carolina with the Highland Games.
We in the Foreign Service love food and drinks!
Half-Breed Outlaw is enjoying some very interesting and tasty treats.
from the back of beyond hosted their classmates at their place for a guac-off and enjoyed great food, booze, and company.
FOR LACK OF TACOS thinks she's a bit bananafied and discovers she really does like Dominican coffee.
Two Crabs enjoyed some delicious Baltimore crabs and beer!
Tuk & Tam shared a delicious story about palachinki. My mouth is watering!
Fawda Munathema learned some new ways to make some commonly eaten foods!
Those entering or trying to enter the Foreign Service:
The World that We Live in is officially joining the Foreign Service in August - Congratulations! And welcome to the family!
travel orders announced that Andy passed the QEP! Congrats Andy!
The B Files talks gardening and her hopes to get MED clearance this week and on the register soon!
I'll Take Mine...To Go Please! wonders if she does have nice things to say about the Foreign Service, celebrates her daughter's birthday, and has a Tiger for a husband!
FSO Wannabe wonders if he's a travel snob.
Remembering the fallen this Memorial Day:
Fabling and her family remember at an American cemetery in Manila.
Diplopundit put up the May 2010 blog Index and reminded us that Freedom Isn't Free with a nice tribute to Andrew Olmstead.
HICK/HITCHHIKER/...DIPLOMAT (!?) remembers this Memorial Day and paints a very nice picture of Memorial Day in the U.S.
Regular Life Happens.
Where In The World Is Luca Galeno experienced her son's first hair cut!
Code Yellow Mom is blogging again and regales us with wonderful stories of some of her keepsakes.
EF'M: The Life of an FSO Spouse is lamenting how small the world really is.
Life After Jersualem is celebrating LGBT month.
at post is showing us glorious photos of shopping around the world.
Minnesota Gal is taking a Spiritual journey through the act of tithing and is changing her business model.
lime of sight went camping in West Virginia and wonders if there's much wildlife in that state.
A Daring Adventure lists the pros and cons of PCS and TDY. This is actually a great tool - thank you for sharing it with us!
Delhi Bound's kids finished school and they're looking forward to a summer full of fun!
BEYOND THE CORNFIELDS is learning about Bangladesh, even enjoying an unaccompanied visit to FSI, and invites her readers to come for a visit.
The Skeptical Bureaucrat reports on a report of violence against Americans and the status of al-Qaida's #3.
DiploJournal celebrates his silver wedding anniversary and the graduation of his son from University! Congrats - on both!
Simmons Says brags on her rock star brother.
Newbie to the Roundup:
The Embassy Wife experiences a new desire for trash pick up on the weekends.
Shameless Plug:
TeamRoy Adventures I originally intended him (my hubbie) to be a newbie, but he didn't blog about our awesome adventures this week, so check out his previous blog posts and keep him in mind because this weekend or next week he should have some awesome stories to tell.
Next week the Roundup will be at Ryan and Lori's Exciting Adventures. Please sign up here for your turn on the Roundup.
So without further adieu I bring you the State Department Weekly Roundup...
When moving day arrives or is very close at least:
The Perlman Update prepared herself for pack out and shared a picture with us of what it looks like in India.
Email From The Embassy is having her life packed up before her eyes, and is praising her son's school.
Something Edited This Way Comes is purging her apartment of maternity and baby things and stocking up on bedding for her daughter, diapers for her son, and a few food items before the move to Italy.
Cyberbones took advantage of her hubby's day off for Memorial Day while their kids were in school - or occupied anyway - to get some more pre-moving things done.
The Dinoia Family said "see you later" to their things and is enjoying a few days of normalcy before they leave for VA.
Barefoot In The Kitchen is counting down until Packout and Wheels Up for India.
Short Term Memory said hello and goodbye to two spots each in Philly and NYC before they depart for Nicaragua.
You Can Call Me Al left for post this week.
The Oil Spill affects Foreign Service Families:
MOPPYSEED PUFFIN can't get the dinner she wants in D.C. because of the oil spill in the Golf of Mexico but enjoys her visitors anyway.
The Diplodocus is being affected on his vacation to New Orleans.
Speaking of travel...
Lees On The Go is very proud of her boys' travel skills.
SassAndSweet finished their trip to DC and posted some night time pictures for us to enjoy.
Lindsey Mae's blog enjoyed a wonderful weekend getaway and shared with us some very funny things you find on the shelf in Manila.
Noble Glomads finished up their trip to North Carolina with the Highland Games.
We in the Foreign Service love food and drinks!
Half-Breed Outlaw is enjoying some very interesting and tasty treats.
from the back of beyond hosted their classmates at their place for a guac-off and enjoyed great food, booze, and company.
FOR LACK OF TACOS thinks she's a bit bananafied and discovers she really does like Dominican coffee.
Two Crabs enjoyed some delicious Baltimore crabs and beer!
Tuk & Tam shared a delicious story about palachinki. My mouth is watering!
Fawda Munathema learned some new ways to make some commonly eaten foods!
Those entering or trying to enter the Foreign Service:
The World that We Live in is officially joining the Foreign Service in August - Congratulations! And welcome to the family!
travel orders announced that Andy passed the QEP! Congrats Andy!
The B Files talks gardening and her hopes to get MED clearance this week and on the register soon!
I'll Take Mine...To Go Please! wonders if she does have nice things to say about the Foreign Service, celebrates her daughter's birthday, and has a Tiger for a husband!
FSO Wannabe wonders if he's a travel snob.
Remembering the fallen this Memorial Day:
Fabling and her family remember at an American cemetery in Manila.
Diplopundit put up the May 2010 blog Index and reminded us that Freedom Isn't Free with a nice tribute to Andrew Olmstead.
HICK/HITCHHIKER/...DIPLOMAT (!?) remembers this Memorial Day and paints a very nice picture of Memorial Day in the U.S.
Regular Life Happens.
Where In The World Is Luca Galeno experienced her son's first hair cut!
Code Yellow Mom is blogging again and regales us with wonderful stories of some of her keepsakes.
EF'M: The Life of an FSO Spouse is lamenting how small the world really is.
Life After Jersualem is celebrating LGBT month.
at post is showing us glorious photos of shopping around the world.
Minnesota Gal is taking a Spiritual journey through the act of tithing and is changing her business model.
lime of sight went camping in West Virginia and wonders if there's much wildlife in that state.
A Daring Adventure lists the pros and cons of PCS and TDY. This is actually a great tool - thank you for sharing it with us!
Delhi Bound's kids finished school and they're looking forward to a summer full of fun!
BEYOND THE CORNFIELDS is learning about Bangladesh, even enjoying an unaccompanied visit to FSI, and invites her readers to come for a visit.
The Skeptical Bureaucrat reports on a report of violence against Americans and the status of al-Qaida's #3.
DiploJournal celebrates his silver wedding anniversary and the graduation of his son from University! Congrats - on both!
Simmons Says brags on her rock star brother.
Newbie to the Roundup:
The Embassy Wife experiences a new desire for trash pick up on the weekends.
Shameless Plug:
TeamRoy Adventures I originally intended him (my hubbie) to be a newbie, but he didn't blog about our awesome adventures this week, so check out his previous blog posts and keep him in mind because this weekend or next week he should have some awesome stories to tell.
Next week the Roundup will be at Ryan and Lori's Exciting Adventures. Please sign up here for your turn on the Roundup.
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Memorial Weekend
I'm sorry it took so long to post about our weekend. I haven't been overly busy, but I've been overly lazy! In reality I've actually done some housework this week - speaking of housework. We're one step closer to getting our maid! We have to do a few things to make sure she has insurance and social security. We probably won't be able to have her start by next Monday - but we're on our way!
Ok...the weekend.
We decided pretty last minute to go for a trip. We were looking originally in the area of Jaco but when John contacted a tour guide that he met at the Embassy he was told that that area is too built up and we should look farther south in the Manuel Antonio/Quepos area. He said that he'd try to get us a good deal. And a good deal he did get! We got half off the room and we were upgraded to their best room. From our balcony we could see the ocean, it was gorgeous! From the outdoor jacuzzi tub we could see the forest and the ocean - amazing! We had the top room of a building three rooms high and it was a perfectly picturesque view.
The resort is very nice! It was one of the first green hotels in Costa Rica. Only one tree was removed purposefully to build the resort. In this part of Costa Rica the mountains go very close to the coast, so the resort is built into the mountain which means lots, and lots of stairs. I certainly worked out my legs and rear end at the resort. But it was so beautiful! Because it's built right into nature you're completely surrounded by it. Malachi even saw a monkey outside of our window on our last morning. We frequently heard a critter on the roof which we think was a lizard, and I think he had friends sometimes. One time we thought we heard bats - that was a bit freaky.
On Saturday we got off to a bit of a slow start. We didn't leave until about 11am. It was John's first time driving in Costa Rica - and the first time he drove in six weeks. The longest break from driving he's ever taken. He was a bit nervous - but he did really well! We stopped in Jaco for lunch and had very tasty traditional Costa Rican meals.
We drove the rest of the way enjoying the amazing views and then got checked into the hotel. We found our room and had a great time checking it out - it's huge! After the initial picture taking and room checkingouting we put on our swim suits and headed to the pool. I fed Simon while John and Malachi got in. They enjoyed the pool and then Simon and I got in to join them. The water was really chilly! Simon started shivering after a while so we got out. I wrapped him up in a towel and let him nap. When the other boys were done, we went back to the room and changed for dinner.
We went to one of their restaurants and had a pretty tasty meal. We tried to get a movie going on their super slow internet in our room, but it wasn't working out so we all went to bed.
Sunday morning we enjoyed breakfast at the hotel (included in the room), and then headed to the National Park in Manuel Antonio. We got a guide with a bunch of people we didn't know and really enjoyed the tour he gave us. We saw birds, monkeys, sloths, crabs, a super, super tiny grasshopper with seven different colors, and a deer walked out onto the path in front of us. Elias, our tour guide, told us that they're tame and Malachi should try to pet it. Unfortunately we couldn't catch it because it wouldn't stop. He was sad - but probably not as sad as me, I really wanted to pet the deer. That was pretty exhausting for us, so we went back to the hotel for a period of rest - during which Malachi fell asleep.
After we were refreshed we went to El Avion - a very cool restaurant about a 2 minute drive from the hotel. It's built in/around an old airplane. One of the two that was used during the Iran Contra Affair. It's the one that wasn't shot down in Nicaragua. It's really cool to be sitting so close to such a big part of American history.
After lunch we took the car back to the hotel and rode the shuttle bus to the beach. Oh the beach! We had such a good time! Simon was sleeping when we arrived and he continued to do so once we settled down with our chairs and umbrella (I was prepared to pay a pretty penny to protect my baby's skin, but we only had to pay $8 - not bad!). He napped on the chair for quite a while and then had a bottle. John and Malachi went into the water as quickly as they could! They had such a good time! Malachi LOVES the ocean! When daddy needed a break - Malachi played in the sand for a while until I was ready to take him into the water. We did that for a while and then he played in the sand by the water by himself for a bit. He loved throwing the sand into the water. He was very obedient to stay behind the imaginary line - only needing to be called back a bit (a very little bit) once.
We went home when the sun was setting and desandified ourselves. This wasn't a very easy process because our shower was really lame and the water didn't come out very well. The boys went into the tub to clean off, I dealt with the lame shower.
We went to the nicer restaurant at the hotel that night and enjoyed a delicious meal. I was very full after it and took my desert to go and ate it the next morning. Simon and I were both very tired after dinner so we went to our room and crashed (this was at 7:30 mind you) and the other boys went to a common area to try to run the movie that Malachi hadn't been able to run very well in our room. It didn't work there much better, so John brought Malachi back, put him to bed and then went to the movie theater at the resort. He wasn't that impressed with it, and had seen the movie so he came home to read about an hour into it.
The next morning after another delicious breakfast (although their pancakes weren't as good as the French toast we had the morning before) we went across the street to the resorts butterfly farm, and reptile lagoon. Both of them were very interesting and very informational. We were the only ones in both of them until the very end when another family came in. Our tour guide was great, we all had a really good time. We saw some beautiful butterflies as well as crocodiles, boa constrictors, caymans, turtles and fish (I realize they're not reptiles, but they're food for the reptiles). We had a lot of fun there.
We then packed up and headed out. We had a really great weekend! We have a friend and her friend coming into town next month and I'm going to try to convince John to let me and the boys take them down there for a night or two. Just to see the beach would be great! Check out my flickr for a great collection of pics that John took.
Ok...the weekend.
We decided pretty last minute to go for a trip. We were looking originally in the area of Jaco but when John contacted a tour guide that he met at the Embassy he was told that that area is too built up and we should look farther south in the Manuel Antonio/Quepos area. He said that he'd try to get us a good deal. And a good deal he did get! We got half off the room and we were upgraded to their best room. From our balcony we could see the ocean, it was gorgeous! From the outdoor jacuzzi tub we could see the forest and the ocean - amazing! We had the top room of a building three rooms high and it was a perfectly picturesque view.
The resort is very nice! It was one of the first green hotels in Costa Rica. Only one tree was removed purposefully to build the resort. In this part of Costa Rica the mountains go very close to the coast, so the resort is built into the mountain which means lots, and lots of stairs. I certainly worked out my legs and rear end at the resort. But it was so beautiful! Because it's built right into nature you're completely surrounded by it. Malachi even saw a monkey outside of our window on our last morning. We frequently heard a critter on the roof which we think was a lizard, and I think he had friends sometimes. One time we thought we heard bats - that was a bit freaky.
On Saturday we got off to a bit of a slow start. We didn't leave until about 11am. It was John's first time driving in Costa Rica - and the first time he drove in six weeks. The longest break from driving he's ever taken. He was a bit nervous - but he did really well! We stopped in Jaco for lunch and had very tasty traditional Costa Rican meals.
We drove the rest of the way enjoying the amazing views and then got checked into the hotel. We found our room and had a great time checking it out - it's huge! After the initial picture taking and room checkingouting we put on our swim suits and headed to the pool. I fed Simon while John and Malachi got in. They enjoyed the pool and then Simon and I got in to join them. The water was really chilly! Simon started shivering after a while so we got out. I wrapped him up in a towel and let him nap. When the other boys were done, we went back to the room and changed for dinner.
We went to one of their restaurants and had a pretty tasty meal. We tried to get a movie going on their super slow internet in our room, but it wasn't working out so we all went to bed.
Sunday morning we enjoyed breakfast at the hotel (included in the room), and then headed to the National Park in Manuel Antonio. We got a guide with a bunch of people we didn't know and really enjoyed the tour he gave us. We saw birds, monkeys, sloths, crabs, a super, super tiny grasshopper with seven different colors, and a deer walked out onto the path in front of us. Elias, our tour guide, told us that they're tame and Malachi should try to pet it. Unfortunately we couldn't catch it because it wouldn't stop. He was sad - but probably not as sad as me, I really wanted to pet the deer. That was pretty exhausting for us, so we went back to the hotel for a period of rest - during which Malachi fell asleep.
After we were refreshed we went to El Avion - a very cool restaurant about a 2 minute drive from the hotel. It's built in/around an old airplane. One of the two that was used during the Iran Contra Affair. It's the one that wasn't shot down in Nicaragua. It's really cool to be sitting so close to such a big part of American history.
After lunch we took the car back to the hotel and rode the shuttle bus to the beach. Oh the beach! We had such a good time! Simon was sleeping when we arrived and he continued to do so once we settled down with our chairs and umbrella (I was prepared to pay a pretty penny to protect my baby's skin, but we only had to pay $8 - not bad!). He napped on the chair for quite a while and then had a bottle. John and Malachi went into the water as quickly as they could! They had such a good time! Malachi LOVES the ocean! When daddy needed a break - Malachi played in the sand for a while until I was ready to take him into the water. We did that for a while and then he played in the sand by the water by himself for a bit. He loved throwing the sand into the water. He was very obedient to stay behind the imaginary line - only needing to be called back a bit (a very little bit) once.
We went home when the sun was setting and desandified ourselves. This wasn't a very easy process because our shower was really lame and the water didn't come out very well. The boys went into the tub to clean off, I dealt with the lame shower.
We went to the nicer restaurant at the hotel that night and enjoyed a delicious meal. I was very full after it and took my desert to go and ate it the next morning. Simon and I were both very tired after dinner so we went to our room and crashed (this was at 7:30 mind you) and the other boys went to a common area to try to run the movie that Malachi hadn't been able to run very well in our room. It didn't work there much better, so John brought Malachi back, put him to bed and then went to the movie theater at the resort. He wasn't that impressed with it, and had seen the movie so he came home to read about an hour into it.
The next morning after another delicious breakfast (although their pancakes weren't as good as the French toast we had the morning before) we went across the street to the resorts butterfly farm, and reptile lagoon. Both of them were very interesting and very informational. We were the only ones in both of them until the very end when another family came in. Our tour guide was great, we all had a really good time. We saw some beautiful butterflies as well as crocodiles, boa constrictors, caymans, turtles and fish (I realize they're not reptiles, but they're food for the reptiles). We had a lot of fun there.
We then packed up and headed out. We had a really great weekend! We have a friend and her friend coming into town next month and I'm going to try to convince John to let me and the boys take them down there for a night or two. Just to see the beach would be great! Check out my flickr for a great collection of pics that John took.
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)