AAFSW Happy Hour

for Foreign Service spouses, partners and employees

Organized by AAFSW, the non-profit volunteer organization for the foreign affairs agency community

Tuesday, Feb. 18

7 – 9 pm

Capitol Room, Oakwood Apartments

501 Roosevelt Blvd.,  Falls Church, VA 22044

▪ Enjoy wine, cheese and tapas

▪ Network and make new friends

▪ Talk to people who understand Foreign Service life

▪ Learn about community initiatives such as Livelines, the Foreign-Born Spouse Group, and much more!

RSVP (not mandatory) to Barbara Reioux at  office@aafsw.org

Learn more about

AAFSW

  

www.aafsw.org

AAFSW/Foreign Born Spouses 

ccordially invites you to a

Valentine's Day Luncheon 

To celebrate our friendship...

AAFSW and the Foreign Born Spouse Group 

Valentine's Day Luncheon 

Wednesday, February 12  11: 30 am

hosted at the home of our AAFSW member Tere Weinger

Please come and bring your favorite dish to share with other guests 

Also, in the spirit of Saint Valentine, we are asking each guest to bring a poem to make this celebration a special one.

If you would like to see old friends and meet new ones, have fun and taste delicious food, please contact the AAFSW office: office@aafsw.org or 793-820-5420 or Sheila Switzer or Sheila_switzer@yahoo.com or  703-623-6695.  

Please let us know what food you are contributing to the luncheon. 

FS Youth, It’s Time to Get Creative!

Announcing the 

2014 FSYF Art Contest

2014 Theme:   My World of Wonders

Rules & Eligibility:

                                          Open to all U.S. Foreign Service youth, ages 5—18

                                          Entry is free to FSYF members, $20 for non-members

                                          One entry per person

                                          Flat art forms only

                                          Any medium (pastel, watercolor, oil, pencil , crayon, digital, etc)

                                          Maximum Size: 22” x 28”

Age Categories:

5—8 years old 

9—12 years old 

13—18 years old

Prizes in Each Category:

1st place: $500; 2nd place: $250; 3rd place: $100

How to Enter:

Go to FSYF for complete Guidelines & Entry Form.

Complete Entry Form. Attach Artwork and Mail to FSYF.

Deadline for Entry: April 15, 2014

Thanks to our sponsor 

If you have a spare 12 minutes...

Watch this inspired, high-paced video discussion on happiness.  You will have a few laughs as positive psychologist Shawn Achor discusses our ability to positively shape our reality and create our own happiness. 

What are some techniques that help you stay positive?

My friend told me about a great "game" to play whenever you are in a situation that isn't working out the way you want it to.  Ask yourself, "what do I like about this situation"?  Take a moment and really think about it.  Try and find the good in a situation.  For example, I was on a cramped airplane yesterday.  I was tired, and of course, lucky enough to get the middle seat in the last row.  To add to it, I wanted to watch the tv program, but had misplaced my earphones.  Feeling frustrated, I remembered what my friend told me and I asked myself, "what do I like about this situation," and after some thought I realized, "hey, it is pretty cool that I am sitting in a chair, flying, at 40,000 feet in the sky".  It was also pretty cool that since my earphones were missing, I would take the remaining time on the flight and read, something I rarely feel I have the time to do.  I felt better right away.  It didn't take away the fact that I was sitting in the middle seat, but by switching my focus to more positive thoughts, it made it just that little bit better.  So next time, when you are getting hyped up, focusing on the negative, ask yourself that question and you will find it helps you train your mind to think differently, positively.  

Here are some other techniques I pulled from this website:  

1. Never respond when you are not calm. If you are not sure that you are calm, don’t respond. Take time to calm yourself down first.
2. Realize that you can find opportunities in negative situations. Albert Einstein said: “In the middle of every difficulty lies opportunity.”
3. Look at the content of what people say to you for something positive that you can act upon to improve yourself. Don’t just reject the whole messages.
4. For the rest of the messages which is negative, simply ignore it.
5. Realize that having negative feelings will just hurt you, not them. So there is no reason for you to have any negative feeling.
6. If you make mistakes, remember this quote by George Bernard Shaw: “A life spent making mistakes is not only more honorable, but more useful than a life spent doing nothing.”
7. Talk to a positive friend who can encourage you.
8. Remember your favorite quotes to give you inspiration and motivation. This is one reason why you should have quote of the day.
9. Look at the negative situations as your training sessions for real life. The higher you climb in life, the worse the negative situations would be, so you’d better be prepared for them.
10. Realize that you can’t please everyone. In fact, nobody can. Sometimes you need to just let some people go. Realizing this will relieve you from a lot of unnecessary burden so that you can focus on the people that you can positively interact with.

Give your stress wings...

....and let it fly away.  ~Terri Guillemets

If only.

Since most of us can’t do that, on Thursday April 26, 2012 we will host a tele-conference with MHN covering the  topic of “Coping with the Stress of Change”.  We will discuss the challenges of change, identify different aspects of the change process and describe different ways to modify your stress responses to change.  RSVP to floaskut@state.gov.   Please provide your name and employee’s post of assignment and let us know if you would prefer to call in or join us in person.  If you do not have a state badge or diplomatic passport, please let us know so someone will be available to escort you.

I like this extract from Wikipedia defining stress, because reading it, I actually start to feel stressed:  

The ambiguity in defining this phenomenon was first recognized by Hans Selye in 1926 who loosely described stress as something that "…in addition to being itself, was also the cause of itself, and the result of itself." First to use the term in a biological context, Selye continued to define stress as "the non-specific response of the body to any demand placed upon it." Present-day neuroscientists including Bruce McEwen and Jaap Koolhaas believe that stress, based on years of empirical research, "should be restricted to conditions where an environmental demand exceeds the natural regulatory capacity of an organism."  

Some more fun quotes about stress…

Stress should be a powerful driving force, not an obstacle.  ~Bill Phillips 

There must be quite a few things that a hot bath won't cure, but I don't know many of them.  ~Sylvia Plath 

Take rest; a field that has rested gives a bountiful crop.  ~Ovid
 For fast-acting relief, try slowing down.  ~Lily Tomlin 

The mark of a successful man is one that has spent an entire day on the bank of a river without feeling guilty about it.  ~Author Unknown

Read these 41 random, alarming facts about stress.

It's a Kodak moment!

                     

                 UT Team with our Director and Secretary Clinton on December 14th, 2011

Returning from Afghanistan to best friend...

Overload?

I have heard from a lot of people that everything seems to be happening all at once in 2012.  Is this happening to you?  It is to me!  So...  

For ten ideas to make your life easier - click here.  Ideas include, actually eating leftovers, and telling yourself it is ok if your house doesn't look as pristine as Pottery Barn magazines...

To help you sleep, think about incorporating sour cherries into your diet (weird, right?).  For more ZzzZZz food ideas, click here.  

Don't get too caught up in the chaos of every day.  Stay on track and remember what you really want to be doing with each day.  Check out this article on bucket lists.  What is on your bucket list?  As Eleanor Roosevelt famously said, "The purpose of life, after all, is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experience." 


And remember, check out MHN's website for articles on long distance relationships, marriage, stress, coping skills etc.  You can also call them at any time to speak with a counselor.  For information on how to access the website, please contact us at FLOaskUT@state.gov.

Join us next Friday!

All UT family and friends in the DC area are invited to join the UT Team next Friday, February 17th at 2:45PM for a small, fun get together at a local Afghan restaurant in Arlington.   

Please email FLOaskUT@state.gov for details.  We hope to see you there!

One thing leads to another...click-click...

...and that is what makes the internet so entertaining.


I'm always interested in staying current with vast collection of Foreign Service blogs, so I make an effort to check out the official State blogroll.  After a few clicks here and few scrolls there, I landed on the well-known Life After Jerusalem blog.  This blog includes the longest list of Foreign Service blogs I've seen so far.  The list just keeps going...and I keep clicking...


What I found: 


A blog I'd never seen before- all about life in Kabul as a Cultural Affairs Officer.  It has some interesting pictures.  Click here.


Another find:  A NY Times article about biometric data collection in Afghanistan.  If you are an EFM, and have worked in a consular section before capturing fingerprints, you will appreciate this article.  Click here.  

Wing Tips On The Ground, one of our favorites, includes a packing list and tips (including some great pictures) before heading to Iraq.  Click here.  

                      

Happy Monday!

Are you in the D.C. area on November 30th from 6pm-9pm?

Learn how to nurture and strengthen relationships during unaccompanied tours with FSI's Long Distance Relatioships class, MQ801.  This class is open to all foreign affairs agency employees and adult EFMs.  To register, email FLOaskUT@state.gov to find out how to register.  I took the class last year and thought it was well worth it!

Enjoy the weekend! 

Kerri's Corner

Apples, apples, come get your apples!  Fall is my favorite season.  My number one reason for loving Fall is because Honeycrisp apples are out.  Every Sunday we go to the local neighborhood market and buy no less than 3 pounds of apples for the week.  A relatively new variety, Honeycrisps have a sweet, mellow flavor. They're very juicy and full of flavor.  You can eat them raw or make an apple crisp with them.  Some people enjoy their Honeycrisp with a dollop of yogurt.  There is no wrong way to eat a Honeycrisp.  Go get one!

Try Honeycrisp Apple Bread

2 cups sugar
1 cup canola oil
4 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/4 cup sour milk (add 1 teaspoon of vinegar or lemon juice to fresh milk)
1 teaspoon soda
4 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
4 cups chopped Honeycrisp apples
1 cup chopped pecans (optional)

Mix together all ingredients. Divide batter between 2 greased loaf pans. Bake for 1 hour at 350 degrees (at times I have to bake the loaves for 10 or 15 minutes more until they feel set when tapped).  Note: Batter will be stiff. 

Enjoy!
-Kerri

Pastime...

Check out this interesting website - D (our intern) found it for us, of course.  If you love photography- check out the inspiring collection of shots.  If you are looking for ways to design your new house, apartment, or hooch, check out their home and furniture section for unique ideas. 

Warning: you might spend way too much time mesmerized by this website.   

Have you ever had Afghan food?

Are you in the NoVa/DC area and want to try some Afghan food?  Check out this bargain from The Capitol Deal for the Afghan Kabob House in Arlington.

The world's skinniest house?

This house makes hooches look spacious!  I guess it would inspire you to stick to your diet...

Free PIZZA!

Are you in DC/VA?  You get a free pizza from Papa John's if you register below!  

Click here.

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.)

"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.

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 :)