The Wandering Drays...United.

Fellow Foreign Service blogger, Heather, eloquently describes all her anticipation and excitement as her husband returns from a year long tour in Iraq...

"Finally. Just One Week.

I'm feeling melancholy tonight, thinking back over my husband's unaccompanied Baghdad assignment.  It's been nearly 1 1/2 years since Jason started the seemingly never-ending journey to Iraq.  Six months in D.C. for training; nearly a year in Baghdad.  And now, we have just a week. 
One teensy weensy week.  But the longest week.  Ever.  To get through.

In just one week...Jason will be home.  And I won't have to look forward to NOT looking forward to him heading back to Iraq.

Come to think about it, in just one week...

I alone won't have to bandage up boo-boos and wipe away tears when the kids fall and get hurt.  And I alone won't fail at mending broken hearts when friends hurt the kids' feelings.

There will be a real cook in the house.  One who makes meals.  That actually taste good.

Someone else will be here to carry the never-ending mountains of laundry down two flights of stairs to the basement.

I won't have to eat lunch alone in a restaurant reading a newspaper.

I won't have to walk through the house with the cell phone hoping for great reception in a room that won't dump our call into the black hole abyss of dropped calls.  Or hold my free hand over one ear while squishing the cell phone up to my other ear as tightly as possible so I can hear him better.  Because even a call that I can barely hear him is better than no call at all.

I'll be able to get mad at someone else, other than the kids, for using up all the hot water just before my shower.  Or for using my towel.  Or for forgetting to put a new roll of toilet paper in the bathroom on the dispenser.



We'll watch the kids as they catch fireflies with the sun drifting off into the horizon.  We'll both hear the baby as he tries to say new words and watch as he climbs into things he has no business climbing into.

We'll stay up late and talk about our dreams and plans.  And listen to the kids giggling upstairs as they pretend to fall asleep.

I won't go to sleep every night feeling all alone in a house full of sleeping children.



We'll be a family again.  All together, as we should be.  What a journey we've made to get back to exactly where we belong."

Thank you, Heather, for letting us share this on our blog.  

To follow Heather's blog and read more about her experiences during the UT, click here.  

Happy Friday! Enjoy your weekend...and remember...

Weekends are a bit like rainbows; they look good from a distance but disappear when you get up close to them.  ~John Shirley

 

Don't forget...

We will conduct an interactive in-person and virtual "Orientation Session" with MHN tomorrow at 09:00 AM EDT in the FLO office.  Participants may call in to participate virtually.

Please email FLOaskUT@state.gov for details.

Hope everyone had a happy Fourth of July!

Are you a foodie?

If so...

 check out this Washington Post's Blog: All We Can Eat for the food-obsessed living in D.C. 

(I took this pic at a new restaurant in Chinatown!  Yum.)

Nostalgia...

Our new summer intern sent me the link to this website:  Dear Photograph.  It is amazing!  So what is it?  Well, we all have photos from years ago---maybe photos of our parents traveling through Europe when they were young or photos of the family reunion in front of the grandparent's house during the holidays.  So these photographers took those old photos and matched them up perfectly with a present day photo, in the exact same location.  They then imposed the old photo as an overlay.  The website describes the technique as "taking a picture, of a picture, from the past, in the present."  Actually, this would be a great hobby for Foreign Service families as you travel the world---I think it'd be fun and a great way to preserve memories. 

Happy Friday!

Thanks, D!

Declutter your mind a little...

Happiness is not something ready-made. It comes from your own actions.

If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.

Remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a wonderful stroke of luck.

-Dalai Lama

Check out this article about simple "zen habits" to declutter your mind and your life: click here to read.

How sweet...

I love fun facts so I found this website: didyouknow.org and pulled a few fun things about sweet products...just like the amazing donuts featured below (which are found only in El Salvador---totally worth the trip)...

In the Middle Ages, sugar was a treasured luxury costing 9 times as much as milk.  Ironically, now that sugar is plentiful, sugar-free products are more popular than ever before. Every year, more than $40 billion are spent on imitation fats and sugar substitutes and a further $80 billion are spent on diet programs.

The servants of Queen Isabeau (the wife of King Charles VI who ruled France from 1380 to 1422) may have appreciated diet products. Because the queen decreed that the waistline of her ladies-in-waiting should not exceed 13 inches, causing a few of them to starve to death.

To make 2 lb of honey bees have to visit 4 million flowers, traveling a distance equal to 4 times around the earth.  WHAT!?

Just some thoughts to get your mind off the fact that is Monday.  Also, these are always good back-up conversation starters to remember for those awkward silences at cocktail parties! 

Anyone have any other fun facts? 

Have you recently taken a class at FSI?

I recently learned some interesting facts about our friendly feathered guests that live on the campus, the geese, if you wondering what I mean.  Many of the geese suffer from "Angel Wing” which I learned from reading on Wikipedia can be caused by the geese eating too much human food like bread and popcorn...

Angel Wing also known as Slipped Wing, crooked wing, or drooped wing is a disease that affects waterfowl, primarily geese and ducks, in which the last joint of the wing is twisted with the wing feathers pointing out laterally, instead of laying against the body.  Males develop it more than females.  

The disease manifests as an incurable anatomical condition which is acquired in young birds.  Due to a high-calorie diet, especially one high in proteins and/or low in vitamin D, vitamin E and manganese, one or both (wrist) joints are retarded in their development relative to the rest of the wing; for reasons unknown, if only one wing is affected it is usually the left one.  The result is a wrist which is twisted outwards and unable to perform its usual function. 

The only wild waterfowl populations known to be affected are those fed by man.   So, as tempted as you may be to share, save your chips for yourself, you will need them to get you through class!

"Hillary's Angels"

While browsing A Daring Adventure's blog I couldn't help but steal the great idea for posting this fun article about the Secretary of State's female security detail and post it on here.  The article was published in Elle magazine this month.  Check it out by clicking here.

Do you know about MHN?

Our office has a contract with a behavioral health care provider, MHN, to enhance access to support services for Department of State employees and their families during unaccompanied tours.  Those eligible include direct-hire employees on permanent change of station assignment and long-term TDYers to unaccompanied posts and their family members.  The program includes a customized website, online training, 24/7 call-center support with licensed clinicians  (this particular service for USAID and State employees only), and face-to-face counseling for State employees only.  

It is free and strictly confidential. 

Anyone can log on to the website, which includes tons of useful articles on a variety of emotional health topics, including coping with separation, maintaining bonds with children, and communicating at a distance.  The website also contains online multimedia programs with self-assessment and self-help tools for dealing with stress, anxiety, and depression.

How to use MHN:

To call:   (800) 213-5811,  TDD: (800) 327-0801

To use the website:  members.mhn.com, company code: unaccompaniedtour

If you have any questions, please email us at FLOaskUT@state.gov.

Be inspired to turn obstacles into opportunities...

Last week some of us in our office had the opportunity to attend a lecture “Obstacles or Opportunity:  The John Robinson Story” and we all agreed it was very special.  Part of the lecture included a short video, providing a look into John’s day to day life as a congenital amputee--- and as a successful businessman, husband and father.  

He has an amazing and truly inspiring story.  Click here to watch the eleven minute video about John.  Learn more here.  

.Make a wish.

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Please stand by!

Have a great weekend.

"Change your mind, change your life!"

Martin Seligman founded the field of positive psychology in 2000, and has devoted his career since then to furthering the study of positive emotion, positive character traits, and positive institutions. It's a fascinating field of study that had few empirical, scientific measures -- traditional clinical psychology focusing more on the repair of unhappy states than the propagation and nurturing of happy ones.

Check out this link to a short video lecture by Seligman on positive psychology. 

(Source)

Happy Friday!

Have a safe Memorial Day weekend!  Have fun and enjoy the warm weather and pool openings!

Ideas for students...

A few years ago I had the opportunity to work as a summer hire in an Embassy overseas.  Not only did I really benefit and learn a lot from the experience, but I also had a really great time!  Are you the parent of a high school or college student interested in opportunities at the Department of State?  If so, encourage them to check out the newly revamped State website to find the program that best suits them!  Click here to see the list of the various programs to consider.

Opportunities like internships are available in Washington D.C...or...

...in cities all over the world!

"My family are the true heroes, I was just doing my job"...

All of us recognize the great contribution you and your families are making during the unaccompanied tour and the burdens and stresses this places on your children in particular.  To recognize the sacrifice that children make while their parent is serving a high-risk unaccompanied tour, our office distributes Medals and Certificates of Recognition to children age 0-21. 


Jason Banks recently returned from a one year assignment to Pakistan and ordered a Medal for his five year old son, Matthew.  Because Jason and his family are unable to attend the mid-July Washington D.C. award ceremony event, Jason thought of another creative way to honor his son:  he contacted his Mayor.  After speaking with Mayor Maher Maso of Frisco, Texas, Jason arranged for his son Matthew to be publically awarded his well-deserved medal.  Jason explained,  "I told my son it was for being so brave while I was gone and that the Secretary of State gave it to him.  I told the mayor that since we could not attend the ceremony in Washington, it would mean a lot to me, to have the Mayor present him with his award.  I personally emailed him and he responded in a couple hours saying he would love to do it and said that we should be at the city council meeting the following day."  Jason and his wife, Denise, were kind enough to share some adorable pictures of the ceremony with us to share on the blog.  We hope that this inspires UT families who have yet to request a medal for their children to do so! 

"I think the Mayor Maher Maso did a good thing...and wanted to show that the sacrifices made by the military and other federal government agencies are felt at the local level.  He went on to explain how proud he was about a Frisco resident for serving in such an austere environment and I told him that without the support of my family and a wife that was capable of “doing it all”, I never would have been able to mentally survive.  My family are the true heroes, I was just doing my job."

We hope the Medals and Certificates of Recognition will in some small way let UT children know their sacrifice is appreciated and reaffirm the proud tradition of the Foreign Service.  To request a medal for your child, please click here.  Please stay posted for details about the mid-July award ceremony at the Department.   

Thank you to Jason, Denise and Matthew Banks, Mayor Maher Maso and Kerri- UT Team's Medal specialist!

Jen's "Navigating Life's Unexpected Realities"

Jen, a UT spouse who was diagnosed with cancer during her husband’s tour to Iraq, wrote a moving article about her experience in this month’s Foreign Service Journal.  Take a moment to read her story:  Navigating Life's Unexpected Realities.  Also, follow her blog here.

A blog for kids?

Well, kind of!  More like a family network.  Sesame Street has a fun way for families to stay connected while one parent is away.  It is kid-friendly and interactive, just like a blog.  All you have to do is create a free account, share the log-in information with each family member, and then you can share drawings, photos, messages, videos, and audio recordings on one website--- accessible to each family member.  Check it out here.  

Food truck fiesta!

Use this real time food tracker to follow the location of the most popular trucks in the DC area.  If you need help choosing the best truck, check out this posting which links to the Washington Post's review of 13 of the District's food trucks.  Don't forget, if you have a favorite...most food trucks can also be followed on the Twitter.


Anyone in the DC area have a suggestion for a great food truck they have tried?  Anyone think it would be fun to open your own food truck?  What would you serve?  


I think I'd serve a to-go version of this...with a fresh mini baguette...(of course, along the coast of a beautiful beach)...and accompany it with fresh mango or passion fruit juice :)

A small project to start...

Did you know that Ronald McDonald wants your soda/coke/cola/soft drink/pop (whatever you choose call it) tabs?  It is an easy, fun way to recycle.  It is a great idea to start in your office or school.  We have a tab collector in our kitchen and everyone in our office contributes.  It is a fun way to finish off your soda!  Collect the soda pop's tabs and when you have a sufficient amount, send them to participating Ronald McDonald houses and they will use them to raise money for their cause.  If you have questions, just email us or comment here and I can give you more details about how to get involved. 

Click here for more information. 

Does anyone else have any ideas to share?  Is anyone involved in charities or volunteer?  Tell us about it.