Preparing to Move

We are a practical pair. Knowing that we could hardly see everyone we wanted to say goodbye to, we had an open house sort of party last Saturday evening, giving anyone who wished an opportunity to stop in for a bit and chat. It was a great success. We also invited the couple who are purchasing our home so they could really meet the neighbors, and hopefully love them like we do. It seemed everyone had a great time.

This morning a representative from the moving company came to look over our move items. We are not allowed to pack any items ourselves, so stuff is beginning to find its way to piles in corners under stickies on the wall naming the category. Some items will be going into long term storage at a State owned warehouse while other items will go there only until our first assignment, then be shipped to us overseas. We also have the option of having a small shipment of personal items delivered to our new place in Arlington.

We close on the house on Friday, attend family gatherings on Sunday and Monday; the packers pack the house on Tuesday, load the moving truck on Wednesday and we are off on a much needed vacation on Thursday!

One of the biggest tips I can offer anyone embarking on a similar journey is to make electronic copies of all of your important documents (birth certificates, living wills, wallet contents, etc.) and have them accessible to you from anywhere in the world by storing them on a secure server. I hope this will save us heartache and time in the future.

Logistics

As you can imagine selling a house, packing up to move who knows where while working your job and taking care of your family can be hectic. I have been craving information from day one, digging for it every day, and it has paid off. We are a week away from closing and I have to say that it is not quite as hectic as it could be, because we have planned and prepared for months.

In the last few days we've gotten a disposable cell phone to replace those we will leave with our employers, collected even more medical and veterinary records, scheduled the movers, canceled internet and cable service, opened a new PO Box, had an extra electronic key made for our auto, organized info on our new residence in DC, prepared 20 years worth of family photos to be scanned...in the middle of that we've had a sick dog and a non-starting automobile!

You know it just doesn't look like that much when you write it down, but we have been very busy. Still feeling great and not feeling overwhelmed just yet, as a matter of fact we are having a blast doing this together!

Start of a New Adventure

Well, after a month of procrastination I'm finally sitting down to type my first entry. A month may seem like a long time just to write a paragraph, but I remember almost 5 years ago being home alone for the whole summer while the Traveler was working an internship in Washington D.C. at the Foreign Service Institute and calling to tell me how wonderful it would be to work with these folks full time. Now this seemingly unattainable career choice is a reality.

There are approximately 270 embassies around the world and we could be asked to serve at any one of them for a term of 2-3 years each. During the first 15 years of our wonderful marriage, I was the one who got to tell stories of my travels to every state in the U.S., except Hawaii. Now, we will travel the world and get paid for it. Our anniversary is 3 days after the start of the training in D.C. and I'm really drawing a blank to come up with a gift to top world travel with endless adventures. Any ideas?

Acceptance Package

I just dropped the completed acceptance package in the mail. For anyone interested to see, here is a link to the paperwork that must be completed. If you entering the Foreign Service, it can give you a head start.

I also just returned the lease on our temporary quarters while in DC. It is a small home that comes fully furnished and has a fenced in back yard for our pups. I know that we will not always be able to live in the most ideal situation for our family, but I can delay it for as long as possible. No reason to add stress we can avoid.

Written Offers

So much has happened since my last post! The written offer from State came, it must have weighed 2 lbs! I turned in my notice at work, as has my partner-in-crime. I have sent an initial response of my intention to accept, but I have to finish filling out forms and send an updated resume very soon.

Not only did we receive a written offer from State, but we also received a written offer on our house. We selected our real estate agent on Friday, put the house on the market on Monday and had an offer for the asking price on Wednesday. Not too bad in a soft market.

Our heads are spinning but we are blessed.

Hopefully you will hear from my Finn sisu soon.

Standing in the Dark

I think all citizens can agree that we do not respect politicians who use games and double speak, as well as parliamentary procedure to accomplish very little for the people and most for themselves. "Politicians" are not representatives of the people, nor are they statesmen who do what is right for their country.

I am pleased to say that I see leadership by the U.S. House members who have now staged a four day protest in the darkened nation's capitol. They protest that Dem. Speaker Nancy Pelosi recessed the House for a summer vacation without bringing legislation to the floor that could ease Americans' current pain at the pump ($4-$5 gas depending on location/grade). Democrats left town without even allowing a vote on lifting a ban on offshore oil drilling.

It is disappointing that major news outlets are paying very little attention to what is a huge story. Their history of this kind of coverage is why people in the know get their information from talk radio and blogs. I have found through the years that information found on blogs if often closer to the truth than news coverage. Of course, you must sift through a lot and decide for yourself what jibes with what you actually know to be true.

I would love to bring this to the attention of so many right-minded people who could help put pressure on legislators to do the correct thing. Unfortunately, this is just one of so many issues that raise my ire and fuel my passions, and right now I just don't have the energy for it. I'm thankful that someone else does.