Countdown is On!

So last night after a very emotional talk with Ed (everything is emotional right now with being pregnant), he helped me realize something.  Well actually two somethings.

First, is our LONG journey pursuing the Foreign Service.  It has always been at least 1 to 2 years out that we would have a clue if this would even be a possibility.  In my mind it seemed that it was still far off in the future and that we might not reach it.  Well Ed helped me realize that in a little over 3 months we'll know if he passes the final step.  Wow, 3 months!!  And we'll know if he is put on the register (like the job waiting list.  They go off of this when offering jobs.) after security clearance and such in roughly 6 months.  So in 6 months, I might actually know which path in life we are taking!   This made me feel so much better last night.

Second, is that this semester at the University for Ed is practically over and that means that if all goes as planned he only has 1 year of school left!  1 year!  I can totally handle 1 year!

So my countdown is on.  In 3 months we'll know if Ed passes the final step in the Foreign Service process, 6 months if he is on the FS register and about the same time I'll have a new baby, and 1 year graduation!

And for fun, here is a picture of my girls, sucking on ring pops pretending to be babies.  

Passing the PN's

Before we moved, Ed received some very unexpected news that he passed the second step (PN's (Personal Narratives) which are 13 mini essays about yourself) in the Foreign Service process and has been invited to Washington DC this fall for the OA (Oral Assessment-- Day Long Interview).

I am very proud of Ed for this achievement and truly hope the best for him in October.

I have to admit, I have days where I think that if the FS (Foreign Service) doesn't work out that I would be happy about it.  I could FINALLY settle down somewhere, have my home and a huge yard with a greenhouse.  And possibly Olivia could get a horse.  I hate moving.  Although a benefit of the FS is that they move you!  Now that I could do.  But it is more than that.  It always takes me so long to make friends.  I've been here for 2 months and still feel like an outsider.  I will not say anymore because the mere thought has me in tears again.  (It's totally the pregnancy hormones.)

Then I have moments and days where I want the FS SOOO BAD!  We've been talking about the FS for the past 11 years.  We waited until Ed had his bachelors degree to even start to pursue it and now that he is starting his Masters, he's gone further in the process than ever before.

I LOVE to travel and I want to experience cultures and life outside of my sheltered life here.  I want opportunities to serve and give back to people who truly need it.  I want my children to realize how much they have and that they do not need worldly things to be happy.

When it comes down to it, whatever happens is meant to happen.  Ed and I went through a long process of studying the FS out.  We read books, emailed families in the FS, and really thought it out.  Once we had our decision, we fasted, went to the temple and finally prayed.  We are suppose to go on this journey, whether it is experiencing the process or actually living all over the world we'll wait and see.  


So until October, there is hope!  

FSOT

Just a quick note today.  Ed just received news from the State Department that he passed the FSOT (Foreign Service Officers Test).  This is actually the second time he's passed it and now onto the remaining steps in hopes of becoming a Foreign Service Officer.  This is a REALLY long process! So much so that he will have completed this Graduate program (that he's starting this summer) before heading off to Washington DC for training.

The next step are PN's (Personal Narratives) which are basically 7 or 8 (I don't remember off the top of my head) mini essays about himself.

(If you're not familiar with an FS Officer.  They work for the State Department and live all over the world at various embassies.  Their job is to help American's in other countries and to issues Visas to those wanting to come here.  It's an often forgotten protection that our country has!)

Selling Our House

It's official!  We have placed our house for sale.  Ed has decided to go back to the university for a graduate program and doesn't want to drive over an hour each way to increase his education.  So we made the difficult decision to place our beautiful house for sale and move back to the big city.  I'm looking forward to this for a few small reasons namely to have a decent library, grocery stores nearer (currently I drive 9 miles to the nearest store) and tons of places for my children to enjoy.

Last week we went and looked at the student family housing near campus and left feeling disappointed. I know it will all work out and thankfully it's only going to be for 2 years.  I have owned a house for the past 10 years and it will be hard going to a space that isn't fully my own.  But this will open doors for our family!

Ed took the GRE last week and did pretty good.  He won't have the official results for a few weeks.  In two weeks he will be taking the FSOT once again (Foreign Service Officer Test).  He passed it last year but didn't move on pass the personal narrative questions.  I am still hopeful that this is something for our family!

My first look at the campus housing.  There are worse things in life and it will only be for 2 years.  I can do this!

Life in 2 1/2 Weeks

Life has been crazy, busy, stressful, and wonderful in the past few weeks.  So much so, that I haven't had time to write about what our family has been doing.  Instead of doing 10 little posts to catch up, here is one big one with the dealings of the Montero Family.  (WARNING:  Very Long Post!)

The end of February brought an annual eye doctor appointment for Olivia and me.  I have horrible eye sight and have worn glasses or contacts since the 3rd grade (8 or 9 years old).  So I have always had to take regular visits with an eye specialist to make sure that I can properly see.  To add Olivia to our insurance for eye care was very minimal so I've been taking her in for the past 2 years.  To no surprise, Olivia is farsighted and most likely will need glasses once she starts reading.  I probably haven't mentioned that she is starting to sound out words and will be reading in no time.  I'm sure at our next visit it will result in her picking out a pair of reading glasses.  As for me, I am tired of suffering with horrible dry eyes (from the contacts) that I am wearing glasses more and more.  I picked out a really cute frame.

Olivia is fascinated with how the human body works.  She is constantly asking questions, observing and making comments.  At a play date early in the month, she was running around the house with her friend trying to escape the monster "Lucy".  Lucy didn't mind being the monster, she wants to be one of the big girls so bad that she is willing to take this role in order to run with them.  While running, Olivia bumped her head on the doorway and cried a little.  Once she was calmed down she broke out into heavy sobs.  I asked what was wrong and she replied, "My brain is now ruined!"  I couldn't help laughing but preceded to have a teaching moment about the function of our skulls.  Since then, she often will draw a brain on people as she colors.

With her fascination of the body, Olivia has decided she wants to be a doctor.  What type depends on the day.  Some days it's a bone doctor, a mama doctor that helps deliver babies and most recently a heart doctor.  I am more than happy to encourage this desire of hers!  Although hopefully she will not be so squeamish around blood.  I like doctor type shows and on one occasion Olivia came in while I was watching an episode.  She watched just for a moment and then literally turned green.  In a panic she tells me, "I'm going to throw up!"  She runs to the bathroom and thankfully was able to calm her stomach down.  She headed back downstairs telling that she only likes to watch "little girl shows."

On March 5th, we purchased a new mattress set for Olivia.  It was finally time to move her out of the toddler bed and into a twin size bed considering how tall she is.  I recently came across a medical record for myself at my 5 year Kindergarten appointment.  My nearly 4 year old is taller than what I was when I entered Kindergarten!  She is as tall as a 5 or 6 year old!  The mattress purchasing process was a stressful joke.  We purchased it on Saturday knowing they didn't have one in stock but would have it in on Monday.  It wasn't there Monday or Tuesday.  Wednesday we were closing on our house refinance (another joke!) and called ahead to see if the mattress had arrived.  It wasn't in yet but was told it was on the way.  After an hour drive to Salt Lake, I stopped at the store to purchase some sheets for the new bed. I inquired if it arrived and was told it had.  I made arrangements for Ed to pick it up in a few hours after the mortgage closing.  He went to pick it up and was informed it wasn't there.  Either they sold it (after we paid for it in full) or it was never received.  Being told that there was one at another store location, Ed drove down to pick it up.  I met him at home only to realize that the mattress he picked up was not the mattress I purchased!  I spent 6 hours on Thursday trying to figure out where my mattress was.  On Friday, Ed packed the wrong mattress up to return it and picked up the correct mattress.  A week to get a mattress was horrible.  To top it off, Olivia's poor room was in shambles waiting for her new bed. I still want to find some nice bedding, but I will wait until a few things are a little more certain in our lives.

Cute and the not-so-cute things Olivia says:

• She often refers to me as "Mama Oso"  (Mother Bear in Spanish), Lucy as Bebe Oso, and Ed as Papa Oso.  Yep, we've become the three bears!  I tried to call Olivia Niña Oso but she tells me that she's not a bear.  Her Spanish is coming along at great speeds.  Her native Spanish speaking grandparents can actually tell what she is saying!
• I made homemade Chicken Enchiladas for dinner one night.  Olivia has become an extremely picky eater in the last few months.  She looks at her plate of food and says, "This taste like crap!"  Ed and I can not figure where she picked this one up at but hopefully have put a stop to it. 
• Out of the blue one day Olivia came up to me and told me, "You're the best mom in the whole world!"  Hearing that certainly makes my day.  I tell her that she is the best big sister in the whole world!

Lucy has really grown up over the past month.  Now 16 months old and FINALLY sleeping through the night.  I don't know what it is, but one day it happened.  She started taking really good naps and sleeping all night.  I am finally able to catch up on many months of sleep and Lucy has been such a happier child.  She acts like she is one of the big girls and tries to hard to play with Olivia.  Olivia and Lucy get along so well right now.  I love when Olivia tells me that she loves Lucy and loves playing with Lucy.

Lucy wearing her hair back in pig-tails for the first time.  She looks so grown up!

Lucy is talking more and more.  She repeats practically anything you tell her and often will repeat it back.  Her favorite new words right now are: glasses, dancer, and princess.

On March 12th, after Olivia's Birthday party, Lucy went to the package of baby wipes we brought out to wipe up hands after cake and ice.  She pulled out a wipe and tried to wipe herself (over her clothes).  I got up to put the wipes away and she runs into the bathroom and lifts the toilet lid.  I think to myself that if she wants to sit on the potty, fine by me.  I bring out the small training potty and sit her on it.  To my surprise she makes a bowel movement in the potty!  She was so proud of herself!  Now the question is do I start to toilet train my 16 month old?

After Olivia's party we went out for dinner.  We asked Olivia what she wanted to eat for her Birthday dinner and told us she wanted hot dogs.  We went to Arctic Circle (a local fast food restaurant) so she could have her hot dog and let the girls play on the indoor playground.  We don't do this often.  I hate to think about all the germs on those things.  Lucy has never really played on a playground or gone down a slide.  Her small stature (she is still wearing the clothes that Olivia wore at 9 - 12 months) certainly did not keep her away.  Once she saw Olivia head off to play, Lucy was right by her side.  Lucy is not afraid of anything and was quick to find out what she could do.  She had a great time and was able to figure out how to do everything offered to her, including the large tube slide which she loved to go down on her stomach head first!  How I wished I had a camera on me!

On March 3rd, Ed received an email saying that he passed a really hard test.  We haven't told many people about this, but the word is getting around and might as well make it official.  This test would lead to a job that we have been discussing for the past 9 years.  This job is reason Ed got his degree in Political Science and Economics. We honestly forgot about it until last summer while Ed was working in Wyoming and Nevada for 9 weeks.  Anyway, this test is the first step in a very LONG process for him to become a Foreign Service Officer.  That means he would be a diplomat working for the US State Department.  If he passes and is offered a job we would be living all over the world as he works at different embassies.  We've really put a lot of thought into this.  We spent months studying it out.  We fasted, prayed and went to the temple with the answer that this is right path for us.  Ed studied for 6 months for the FSOT (Foreign Service Officer Test) and we were ecstatic to find out he passed.  So now on for the next step.  He has to write 6 mini essays about himself.  Easy right?  These have to be about him giving an example of certain things he's done and give a name and phone number of someone who could verify it.  We'll find out the end of May if he moves onto the next step.  (I have been writing for a little about the process and our thoughts but haven't published them to the blog.  If you're interested, just click on the label 'Foreign Service'.)

On March 8th, the girls were invited over to a neighbor's house for a Seussapalooza, a fun celebration for Dr. Seuss's Birthday.  There were plenty of stories, making Cat in the Hat hats, painting with toes and finally eating Green Eggs and Ham which Olivia refused to try.  

Olivia with her Cat in the Hat hat.

Lucy was busy playing with the neighbors dog.  She LOVES dogs!

Painting with feet.  Olivia had a great time!

Helping to whisk the eggs for the Green Eggs and Ham.

Ed and I finally finished drawing up our legal documents in case something happens to us.  I made a comment at the Attorney's office earlier in the week that this sort of thing makes me happy.  Ed said that only I would find it to be like that. It's a comfort to know that if something happens to us that my children will be cared for.  We did our Last Will and Testament (Pour Over Wills), Living Will, Health Care Power of Attorney, General Power of Attorney, Living Trust and some deeds.

And finally a milestone for myself.  I finally was able to depart with the LARGE trash bag full of breast milk that I had pumped for Lucy when she was a baby.  This bag represents about 3 months of pumping before I realized that she would not take a bottle from me.  I have finally weaned Lucy (yay!) and finally took the trash bag out of the deep freezer.  The milk hasn't been good for months, if not a year.  But there was something about parting with it that I struggled with.  When I finally placed it in the trash can outside, I cried a little.  It was such a stressful time for me that was finally coming to an end.   

PN's Once

Tonight I was looking over the PN questions that were given to E.  On a separate paper,  found on a site to help with this part of the process, it talked about how it used to be.  The application and PN were given at the same time. E remembers it taking 3 hours to complete it.  Then you'd be invited to take the exam if they liked your answers.  This changed in the end of 2008.  It was then that I realized that E first took the FSOT in May 2008.  That means that he had already completed the PN and they liked it enough then for him to move on to take the test.  If he can do it once I'm sure he can do it again.  Here's to the next 19 days for him to write up the PN.  

The Test Results are in!

Ed got his test results today.....he PASSED!  Now onto the next step!

Not Thinking About it!

We should have Ed's test results in one to three weeks now.  Honestly, I am trying to push the FS out of my mind as much as possible.  Six months of consistently thinking about it has turned into me not wanting to think about it at all.  Partly because I don't want to be disappointed if he doesn't pass.  Time will tell.... 

3.5 hrs later . . .

I've been asked by Nicol to write about my experience taking the Foreign Service Officer Test (FSOT). First, I will like to make it clear that I cannot give ANY specifics about the questions I had to answer. My integrity is worth a lot and I am bound by a NDA (Non Disclosure Agreement). As you start this process, you will realize there are hundreds of acronyms, however I digress.

I took the test Friday morning at a community college in my area. The exam is computer based and proctored by ACT. You do the entire exam on a computer and the test is 3 hrs long. No kidding. 3 hrs! By hour 2.5 I was beat. Anyway, I checked in and filled out a form, they took a photo and directed me to a small room where 2 other test takers were taking the same test. There were cameras in the room, but at least the room temperature was nice. Anyway, you can take bathroom breaks as long as you tell the ACT person at the counter.

There are four parts to the test. Everything I will be discussing here can be found in the official state department website. Please do not ask details, remember that pesky NDA? I read this on one of the Yahoo groups, the FSOT test is 1" deep 3 miles wide. A great source is the Yahoo Group FSOT. They have a wealth of information there.

The first part is the Job Knowledge Section. Here I was asked what seemed random questions ranging from how the Internet works, history, culture, basic math, management, US government, The US Constitution, geography, current events, etc. I don't think this portion of the test was meant to find out how much I know about the Consular Cone (that is the career track I chose), I think that part will come later on the process. This was VERY general.

The next part was the Biographical Section. You can't prepare for this section. Here you are asked to provide very short examples of how you demonstrated some of the 13 dimensions. Then they ask you the same questions in a different format, this is probably to check your honesty, but I don't know. This part of the test felt like a personality test. You can find the 13 dimensions here.

The third part was the English Section? (I can't remember the exact name). Here you are shown sentences with mispelleengs and grammattikal errors. You are supposed to be able to re-arrange and catch the mistakes. I don't think I did very well on this part.

The last portion of the test was the English Expression?, here you get to write two essays to support your thesis on two different prompts. You do not get to choose the prompts, they were given to me. You are given 30 mins each, the clock starts when you are shown the prompt. I think my prompts were about the international banking and multiculturalism.

At the end of the test I received an email letting me know the results will be provided in 3-5 weeks. This was my second time taking the test, the last time I took it was in 2008. There were two main differences, in 2008 the computer told me right away that I did not pass and there was only one essay to write.

If I don't pass the test, I will have to wait another year to take it again. If I pass it, the next steps will be a Personal Narrative (PN) that will be reviewed by the QEP (Qualifications Evaluation Panel). Til then . . .

~Ed~

Off to take the test

Ed left 15 minutes ago to take the test.  Man, my stomach is in knots.....

Preparing- Cleaning, Inventory, Legal

I am a planner.  I like to think that I make my life a little easier by planning and trying to prepare for things even if those things are uncertain at this point.  While we wait to see if Ed passes the FSOT or if he gets invited for an Oral this fall, I feel that I must do something to prepare.  Naturally I don't want to do anything that is only FS related so I'm working on things that need to be done no matter what.

There are three major things that I am doing right now.

1.  I am deep cleaning my house.  Going through every box, sorting, purging, organizing and getting rid of anything we don't need or use.  My thoughts are:  If we do the FS I'll be one step a head of pack-out.  I'll still have a lot more to trim down, but this will be a huge start.  If the FS doesn't work out, I get to have a clean and organized home.  I'm a clean person and love order!

2. I'm making a home inventory.  Thoughts:  Again will be needed for pack out and if our things get lost or damaged.  And if we don't move out of our house for the next 10 years, I'm prepared in case there is a fire or water loss.  

3. Legal Documents.  Tomorrow we have an appointment with our attorney to draw up our wills, power of attorney, trusts, etc.  Something else that is needed if we live overseas but also much needed if we stay here.  

Who knows where life will take us, but either way I'm preparing!

Pile of Nerves

Ed takes the FSOT in 5 days!  I seems like just a few weeks have pasted since we made the decision to pursue the Foreign Service.  My stomach has been in knots thinking about what Friday may bring my family.  I keep thinking to myself,  Did he study enough?  Will he pass?  How soon after will we have the results?  The last question I have a vague answer to.  If he doesn't pass the first part of the test he'll know that day.  That's how we found out when he took the test nearly three years ago.  If he passes and has his essays read then we'll know in roughly a month.

A month.  A month of thinking and wondering if he did everything he needed to.  No matter what I must continue to have faith that if it is meant to be then it will be.  We're certainly not jumping into this decision.  This has been a LONG thought out process.  But naturally I have days where I think I'd rather stay here, especially after all the evacs going on in Egypt and Tunisia.  I think about all the wonderful benefits and opportunities that my children will have and it keeps me going.     

Children learning a Foreign Language in FS

Recently in a FS Blog Round up the topic was on learning the language.  I had asked one of my FS contacts this same question several months ago and want to share her reply.  Not just to be helpful for someone who is going through the same search as I, but also so I have a place to refer back to what I learned.

My question for her:

I've been thinking about learning languages at each post.  I know from your blog that your husband spoke Spanish prior to the FS.  So I assume that you probably didn't get to go through the training programs in DC to learn Spanish.  How much were you able to learn while living in South America?

I have kind a similar situation.  My husband is fluent in Spanish.  It's actually his native language.  I would hope that if this all works out for us that our first post would be somewhere that speaks Spanish.  I want desperately to learn Spanish as well as my two daughters.  My in-laws speak little English so it would be great to converse with them and have my girls be bilingual.  I figure that since my husband is fluent he wouldn't need the language training and I wouldn't have the chance to go through any programs either.  What kinds of options did you have to learn Spanish other than Rosetta Stone (that is what most people seem to mention on their blogs)?

Did your boys pick up Spanish pretty easy?  What are you doing to keep them from losing it?

Her Reply:

I did not speak any Spanish before we went to our first post.  But, just before we left I took a class at night through a university in DC.  Then, when we arrived, I had a private tutor and then later I was in a class with one other student.  Also, we had a live-in maid so that helped with my Spanish.  It was hard because I had a baby and didn't socialize much with other locals, but having the tutor was the best thing we ever did.  The Embassy offered language classes for spouses, but for only a couple of hours a week...and that's just not enough.  My Spanish is pretty good.  I have a reasonably large vocabulary and I can usually understand what is being said and/or get my point across.  My subjunctive usage is pretty poor and I don't always conjugate properly in the past tense, but I feel very comfortable conversing in Spanish. 

The kids are another story.  They are only 4 and 2 and have spent their entire lives, except for the last 4 months, in Spanish speaking countries.  We had them in Spanish preschool and now my oldest goes to a bilingual school and my youngest has a babysitter who only speaks Spanish.  We also try to speak Spanish at home as much as we can and we have them watch television in Spanish and read stories in Spanish.  You have to be vigilant though, because it is so easy just to revert to English.  We do know lots of FS families who have bilingual kids and kids who speak nothing but English.  It is clearly a choice for those families.  We choose bilingualism, but that is not common.  And, if you want them to learn, they will.  Their minds are so agile, it is amazing to watch them go from one language to two right before your very eyes.  Having said that, we will be in China in 1.5 years, so we'll see what happens then.  Our plan is to send the kids to Chinese schools and for my husband to speak Spanish exclusively to them and for them to get English from me and the other Americans we will interact with.  I want them to keep their Spanish, but I also know that Chinese is more important for them to have in the long run.  I'll let you know how it goes in a couple of years.

Books in the Foreign Service

My family and I are avid readers.  It's a small fact that I'm rather grateful for.  There is nothing like opening a good book and enveloping yourself in a new adventure.  After a recently library withdrawal, I realized that I might not have the book opportunities in another country that I'm used to.  


I have several FS families that I email when I have questions about Foreign Service life.  I am very grateful for their time to answer my questions, especially considering the fact that my husband hasn't taken the test yet.


What is the book situation like in your country? Do you use up some of your weight allowance and ship books, gone to digital, use a local library or purchase through online stores?

Their responses:

"The answer is it all depends.  In Manila there was no library.  There was a pretty weak library run by the American Recreation Club that had old John Grisham books and stuff but for the most part, nada.  We went to the book store and daughter's preschool had scholastic book club so we would always order a ton.  

My husband has a kindle and I am huge fan.  No book weight (except our kid's books).

So the answer really is it depends on where you go but I am willing to bet pretty much all of the third world it is not an option and the first world is probably not in English.  Maybe Canada but who wants to go to Canada?

Amazon prime is your friend and some people do a book exchanging system through the mail (we didn't)."

"This is a great question.  Books are indeed a problem.  For the children, we end up buying a lot, A LOT of books.  I hate to deprive them and the library options are limited -- usually attached to the English speaking school.  But, book weight adds up fast.  So, to compensate, my husband and I have had to get creative with our own reading.  We buy books from discount suppliers (so we don't mind purging when we're done) or borrow/trade with friends or try what's in the Embassy lending libraries or just go without.  We've talked endlessly about getting a Kindle and we may go that route before our next overseas post, we'll have to see.   I don't think you save money with a Kindle, in the long run, but you do save on weight, which has become the priority.  

We have lots of books in storage and I miss them.  But, my sacrifice is the childrens' gain.  I want to encourage reading, of course, but you have to be realistic about collecting and buying books because, as you know, they are very expensive.  We buy lots of bargain books we might not otherwise own, but when it comes to kids books sometimes quantity is equally if not more important that quality.  Not everyone we know in the FS feels this way, but it is really important to us so we forego bringing other things overseas in favor of more books."


"Books are actually one of the hardest things about living overseas for me. I'm a avid reader, like you, and if I could, would probably read about 40 books a year. I'm lucky to have my Mom and my cousin to send me books, but even then it's not enough. I also get books at the Embassy library, but it's limited. I end up buying them or borrowing from friends. Now that we're moving home, one of the most exciting things for me is having a library again. A few friends have joined paperbackswap.com, but not everyone on there is willing to ship to our overseas address."


"Most of our books either come from Kindle, Amazon or from local bookstores.  I have always loved libraries too, and used to take our daughter twice a week to storytimes and for new books.  That is definitely a downside of our post in Manila.  There are no libraries here, but I don't think that's true for all posts.  Actually, there is a tiny library at the American compound, but I'd hardly call it a "library."  It's more of a book graveyard for people who are leaving post. Also, most people I've met here are big readers, so we swap books regularly.

I've heard of online book swap websites that you might want to check out: Paperback Swap and Bookmooch"

"As for libraries: Some countries have library systems, or at least big city libraries, similar to in the U.S. (There was one in Port of Spain, but I never went there, in part because it was in an area of town that wasn't the safest. Part of the reason, though, is that I have TONS of books I've been carting around waiting to read, and I got a little caught up on those.)

The biggest source of English-language books for you overseas, though, will probably be the American or international school. (Do you homeschool? I can't remember. Even if you do, you probably could work out some kind of arrangement with the school most of the embassy kids attend.) In Port of Spain, we would get regular updates on the books the school library was getting, and they were current and sounded interesting.

Most posts also have lending libraries -- many of them informal in a "take what you want, donate what you don't want" sort of way -- in the embassy Community Liaison Office. These differ a lot in size and quality, of course. Here in Milan, there are regular shipments of recently released paperbacks. I think they're for the Marines, but we all have access to them.

I don't know what your weight situation is in regards to the things you're planning on carrying around the world with you, but you might want to consider an e-reader. My husband has a Kindle, and I'm hoping that reduces the amount of books we're constantly acquiring. I love books, but they're heavy, and we also usually end of with boxes of them that don't ever make it into bookcases."

Preparation or Disappointment

Since August when we made the decision to pursue the Foreign Service, my spare time has been diligently used to read numerous blog written by FS trailing spouses, read books covering the subject or simply thinking about what I need to do to prepare.

The Foreign Service is constantly in my thoughts right now.  I could be bathing my children and think about how I would like to purchase new linens to take with us.  It has effected the way I purchase things, which this could be for the good.  I don't want to make anymore major purchases or anything for the house for the simple thought that if we are moving to a another country do I really want to take this with me. Olivia is needing a new bed this year.  She has nearly outgrown her toddler bed.  But I don't want to purchase a bedroom set when there should be one provided with housing.  I will purchase bedding but then I think what if my girls end up sharing a room, should I purchase a matching set for Lucy?

This behavior is very typical for me.  I love to plan and prepare and too often I get myself caught up in a life that may not be.  And when that comes to a realization, in this case it could be Eduardo not passing the test or they may not like him at the interview, it will be a severe disappointment to me.  A disappointment that will practically immobilize me for weeks.

Perhaps it is having something to look forward to (travel, learning a new language, experiencing new cultures) that causes me to act the way I do.  I simply can't help it!

I am not counting on the FS being the life for us, but I certainly hope it is.

Test date

The invitation to take the FSOT came today!  Invites started going out at the beginning of the week and here it is Thursday, I was getting a little nervous!  I'm thankful for this first step towards the FS.

Test date is Friday, February 11th!

Hoping to Test soon

So my sweetheart has been studying for the FSOT for months now.  Every day he reads the current events, glances at the maps hanging in our office and studies either American History, English,or Economics.  This month the plan is to take some timed essays and have someone look over his written work.

This week invitations to take the test will be going out.  His career track is Consular so they will be the third group to receive an invitation.  I would honestly be surprised if he didn't get an invitation simply because he has been invited once in the past before he had graduated.  Hopefully the State Department still likes him.

In little over a month we'll find out if he passed the test and if he'll be invited to continue on this process.

What have I thought about the process so far?  I hate that he's studying all the time.  I know that it will pay off in the end but at the same time I like being able to do things with him in the evenings after our children have gone to bed.  In the mean time I have been lurking at multiple FS blogs, reading about their adventures and getting excited to experience new things.  I will be disappointed if this path doesn't work out for us.  I naturally always go over board with thinking about how things could be.  I plan, read and mentally prepare myself but with that comes huge depressing disappointment.

Come what may and love it!

Pros and Cons of the Foreign Service

Deciding whether or not the Foreign Service is right for our family, has been a daunting task. (The decision has been made to try for it. ) I thought that I would share my pros and cons for anyone making the same decision or for anyone else that may wonder what our thought process was.  We really tried to think of any Pro or Con that we could think of.

Pros (with Potential Cons of the Pros)

• Travel (expensive to travel)
• Being exposed to new cultures (what if we're not happy or the people are rude)
• Children would get a good education
• Learn a new language (could be difficult to learn and would take time)
• Church opportunities (because of not knowing the language might not have callings)
• Savings
• Hire help (could hire people who don't work well)
• Ed would have an impressive resume
• Ed would actually use his degree
• no pet (miss pets)
• See DC
• Downsize (miss some of our things)
• Better medical
• Service

Cons (with potential Pros of Cons)

• apartment living (free housing)
• miss family (less drama)
• miss friends
• lack of Church callings (focus on other ways to serve)
• homesick or lonely
• having to rent or sell our house (no mortgage payments)
• possible danger
• Not a strong church influence (will force us to be strong and teach our children)
• Communication home (skype, webcams, email)
• Stress of the unknown
• family would not come to visit (invite friends, other FSO families or extended family)
• not having our own furniture (it is nice furniture, buy slipcovers)
• Ed's time to study for the test (extra study time = passing the test)
• Hard to learn a new language (always wanted to by bilingual)
• No gardening (get out to see botanical gardens in other countries)
• No food storage
• Eating new foods
• Ed might not like it (5 year commitment)
• Girls moving every 2 to 3 years
• Could be a pay cut
• Our children won't get to know their cousins

Decision Made-- Foreign Service

It never fails that when I start to get comfy in life, change is looming on the horizon. In June while Ed was working out of state, he contemplated about his job and life in general. He loves his job and we really have a great life right now (nice house, wonderful friends....overall we're happy) but started to think that he's not meeting his full potential. That got us thinking and one thing lead to another.

Back in the beginning of our marriage while Ed was attending the university, he was strongly considering applying and working as a Foreign Service Officer (FSO),the part of the State Department that supplies diplomats for the United States embassies and consulates around the world. This was the main reason why he studied and earned a degree in Political Science and Economics. He worked hard in school but by the time he finished his degree, Foreign Service was almost forgotten when he went to work for a great company.

A few weeks ago the Foreign Service resurfaced and we've been thinking about our futures in it. This certainly isn't a decision to be made lightly and even though the FSO people that we've contacted through blogs say to go for it and decide later, we really wanted to know if this was the right decision for our family. Much time, pondering, studying, fasting and prayer went into this decision.

With a decision made, now it's up to Ed to study for the FSOT (Foreign Service Officer Test) the first step in this LONG process.