Some Things Never Change

That's me and Krista four-wheeling in Giza in 2012.
Total rockstars.

WARNING.  This entry is long with a gazillion photos.

Ok. Read on!

So there's nothing like a last-minute three-week TDY that the fab hubby has to take to Tel Aviv to remind you that it really does take a village.  Last minute as in five days notice.  We weren't shocked when it happened; he's TDY'd before, but it's always such a hustle for us when it really happens.

What do we do with the kids?  That's always THE big question.  I work full time at NIH, odd hours (afternoons) and am frequently not home between 5pm and 11pm.  Our daycare closes at 6pm (the fab hubby picks him up).  Plus, I had a five day solo mini-vacay planned (AND FULLY PAID...NONREFUNDABLE) during the surprise TDY in which I was headed to SoCal to see one of my Cairo besties.  WAAAHHHH!!!

So I put the calls out to our posse:  grandparents, friends, co-workers.  And within an hour of receiving the fab hubby's "hey, I gotta TDY" call, we had it completely worked out.  COMPLETELY.

We would drive the kids to Ohio to the grandparents' house where they'd stay for most of the three weeks.  I would work my scheduled hours, get my trip to California (!!!), spend one of the weekends in Ohio with the kids (thanks to a co-worker who took two of my weekend shifts!), drive back to Virginia for the week for work, and then the fab hubby would return, drive to Ohio to get the kids,  drive back to Virginia, and we'd all live happily ever after.

Whew.

Crazy.

I know.

We've done the crazy more times that I'd like to admit.  Stressful, yeah.  But doable.  And like always, we'd make this doable as well.  Kids get an awesome summer in Ohio with grandparents.  I'd get my trip to SoCal and my job would essentially be unaffected.  Fab hubby would do the TDY.

The only snafu would be if the TDY was extended.

Which, of course, it was. For nearly one week.  WAAAAHHHH!!  But after a few texts, our rockstar neighbors (friends from Cairo, you know!) were able to arrange it so that I'd have help during the evenings I worked until he was back.  Whew.

Feel the burn?  I unfortunately did.

Unknowingly feeding the ulcer in California.

During this craziness, I found myself sitting in an ER one evening, having left work with chest pain.  Since I'd recently flown and taken two long car rides back and forth from Ohio,  I was concerned the pain might be a possible blood clot in my lungs (pulmonary embolism).  I didn't even want to contemplate the possibility of a cardiac issue; because you know, nurses aren't always good at identifying personal health issues.  I begrudgingly knew I had to get it checked out.  Four hours, lots of blood work, an EKG, and a X-ray later, I walked away with clean cardiac bill of health.

But my diagnosis?  Gastritis.  Probably an ulcer.  Feel the burn indeed.

I've had low-level heartburn off and on for years.  And truthfully, it typically rears its ugly head most often when I'm stressed.  Thinking back, I can remember the worst of it when I was pregnant, when the fab hubby was in Baghdad, during a particularly dicey time in Cairo, and during the end of my solo stint in California, when the kids had to evacuate from Cairo.  Add the crazy amounts of NSAIDS I take for my arthritis (ibuprofen, naproxen, aspirin) and stir in the crazy amounts of coffee I drink?  It's a wonder I have a stomach lining at all.  But I've only ever once had to see a doctor about it (that was when the fab hubby was in Baghdad).

This time, it was just different - a constant heaviness with lots of pressure.  The burning sensation would come and go, but the pain was non-stop.  Pain meds, eating, Tums.  Nothing helped.  The ER visit was honestly a bit embarrassing for me.  I'm not one to go to the ER, and frankly I remember patients like me when I worked there.  But at least I now know what's going on.  The ER doc put me on something specific for GERD/ulcers and I'm following up with a gastroenterologist.  No NSAIDS (or at least a lot fewer -- bad for my arthritis, good for my stomach!), but thankfully the ER doc did say he WASN'T concerned about my coffee binging habit.  Score.

But stress?  Well, some things just never change.  I can't help the craziness of our lifestyle (And yeah, I know.  We picked this!  So I'm not complaining!  Just stating the obvious.).  And I like to think that I have a pretty good handle on stress, but sometimes my body just says otherwise.  In any case, the fab hubby comes home tomorrow afternoon (!!!!), and we're all stoked.  Pretty much half of our summer was burned away by this TDY (Again, no complaints.  Just stating the obvious.).  And we're looking forward to {hopefully} having a little family time.  Labor Day weekend is my scheduled holiday to work, but the kids are so excited to get the weekend with their dad.  And school is starting up next week, so it will definitely be nice to get back to the "normal."

The magnificent Double Double.
Best burger on the planet.

And what about my mini vacay?!  IT WAS AWESOME.  Remember my friend from Cairo who PCS'd to SoCal last year and then took in my two oldest for nearly three weeks when they evacuated from Cairo?  Yeah.  THAT AWESOME FRIEND.  Well, despite our kids having been able to catch up twice in the last year (summer 2013 surf camp! and spring break 2014), Krista and I had not been able to do so since I left Cairo in February 2013.  Sure we did the "see ya" high five (also know as having a quick Double Double at In and Out Burger) when I picked up the kids at her home last summer before I drove cross-country to the East Coast.  But other than texting and phone calls, we had not had the chance to REALLY catch up.

{{Sob.}}  I missed my friend.  So when some lucky scheduling at work gave me five days off in a row, the fab hubby told me I should fly out to California to see her!  (As always, he's truly fabulous.  He knew how much I had missed her since leaving Cairo.)

Now, I know this lifestyle of "hello! goodbye! hello! goodbye!" can make me worry that maybe things won't be the same when we catch up with our friends.  I'm sure there are plenty of other FS peeps out there who feel the same.  We just don't talk about it.

Yeah, I honestly was a little worried.  BUT I WAS WRONG!!  So wrong.  It was like nothing had changed.  {{Sob.}} So relieved!

Absolutely nothing had changed! We talked.  And talked.  And laughed.  And talked some more.  Four whole days and we could have done more.  The beach.  Old Town San Diego.  We still have so much in common, even though we're not in Cairo anymore.  Some things, the greatest things!  They never change.

The California trip was a much-needed break.  I returned home happy.  Although with the kids and the fab hubby gone during this time (kids in Ohio with the fab grandparents; fab hubby in Tel Aviv), the house felt way too big and way too empty.  Work was great and I got in some good trail runs, but it was just so lonely at home.  The fab hubby and I?  We've done some serious time apart.  His training in 2008 was nine months away from us.  In 2010 he did three additional months of training before leaving for Baghdad for a year.  And in 2013, I departed post six months ahead of my family.  Plus, don't forget the two month TDY he did in 2013, just as we were reunited!  But we're good together, even when we've had a lot of time apart.  It's just one of those things that never changes.  And so when a "short" TDY comes up, I usually don't think much of it.  Four weeks?  Bah.  We could do that standing on our head.

But I guess I should also be the first to admit that some TDY's are just harder than others, even if the time apart is less.  And this was definitely one of them.  Maybe it's because the kids were also gone - and it smarts too close to my six solo months in California.  Or maybe it's just that the timing - it was super last minute and maybe I wasn't mentally prepared for summer to come to a halt so quickly. I dunno.  But it's been tough.

Thankfully, I've got my village!  Lots of friends checked in on me, and I did countless coffee dates and lunches.  I really couldn't be more lucky!

Plus, another friend from Cairo --- she and her family just PCS'd to DC!  I haven't seen them in over two years.  And my high school BFF?!  She had some free time and drove in for a couple of days to hang with me.  And in both cases?!  Yup.  I was worried.  I fretted.  I hadn't seen either of these two friends in a long, long time.  What if things just weren't the same between us?

Seems like I ought to learn.  Some things, they never change, no matter what.  Some friendships, they withstand the tests of time, the tests of growing older, the tests of moving and not seeing each other for long stretches of time.

And we just pick up right where we left off.

I've know Rose for nearly 30 years.  30 YEARS!
We met in 5th grade.  Our friendship is still going strong.

Because you can never have too many sippy faces.

Hanging at the pool with my friend Mel and her adorable daughter.
Lazing in the pool?  One of those things we did in Cairo!
I love that some things never change.

Some more crazy, beautiful moments of summer:

I know said one and done last summer. But I lied.
Krista took me to get some ink done that I'd been contemplating for awhile now.
Don't let this calm face fool you.  I was only looking good for the camera.
This one HURT.

M gorgeous family tree.
Inside of my left wrist/forearm.
Love.

Loving us some Starbucks.

Old Town San Diego.  Fresh, handmade tortilla.
Perfection.

Carnitas and friendship.  Doesn't get better than this.

Arranged marriages are no bueno.

Blended horchata.
BLENDED HORCHATA!
(It's a traditional Mexican drink that I used to have all the time
when we lived in Los Angeles.  The blended is something I've
never had before.  Total awesomeness.)

San Diego, overlooking Coronado Island.
I love it here.

Yes, this.  Wanderlust.
The fab hubby brought me to San Diego in 2004, long before he
joined the Foreign Service.  But I remember it as being the place
that planted the seeds of travel/new careers in our minds.  I loved it there
so much and because of it, I wanted to see more and do more.
But I've always wanted to go back.  There's no place like it.

Treating Krista's people to some fine cupcakes in San Diego.
My kids miss these kids so much.

Because goodbyes are always easier when burgers are involved.

Had a chance to catch up with my friend Shannon in
Long Beach.  At my favorite cupcake place in the whole world!
We've known each other since 2009 -- we worked in the same
ER together.  She's amazing!

The extra weekend I was in Ohio?  I took the kids to a petting zoo that the fab
hubby and I used to take them to all the time when we lived there.
Such a great trip down memory lane.

Owen and the most adorable baby camel.

Abby finally getting up the courage to feed a giraffe.

Kellen always had the courage to feed the giraffe.

Really cool play structure at the petting zoo.  Pirate ship!

Adorbs.

Goat on the right.  Goat on the left?

He got the light-up monkey sword and not the giant stuffed giraffe.
I may have chosen poorly.

Owen eating crickets.

Gross.  Really. Crickets!

One of my many, many trips (three of them!)
back and forth to Ohio in August.
Thankfully, there's multiple Starbucks on
the Pennsylvania Turnpike!

Confessions of an EFM: No Regrets

As I finish what may be my last Army Reserves Annual Training (this is my sixth year of a six year contract), I can't help but get a bit nostalgic about things that coulda/shoulda/woulda been.  You know.  When you start thinking about all the things you *might* have done if you'd done things differently.  Or how things *might* have turned out if you'd chosen a different path.

Tonight, like any other time when arriving at a military base, I pulled my car up to the gate, and handed my military ID card to the very young MP (Military Police) officer on duty.  He scanned it, passed it back to me and proudly saluted me.  As I looked up and saluted in return, I suddenly remembered that once upon a time, I actually was him.  He was easily fifteen to twenty years younger than me.  Had it really been so long ago?

In 1997, I was a junior in college and that winter, I enlisted in the Ohio Army National Guard as a Military Police Officer.  I attended my basic training and completed nearly two years with my assigned unit.  But the summer I was supposed to return for my advanced training, I left the Army -- for very personal reasons, of which I won't write about.  But I will say this.  My decision to leave was one of the worst decisions I ever made in my entire life.  And it became a sort of demon that would follow me around for years.

Regret.  We all know the feeling.  Should have done this.  Why didn't I choose that?  "Hindsight is 20/20."  "What will be, will be."  Truly, we all have different ways to deal with it.  Many of us have ways to avoid it.  Some of us will blame the situation or others.  But it catches up with you after awhile.  It eats at you; it gnaws at the very center of your being.  At least that's how regret followed me.  For years, it seemed no matter what I accomplished, it would still bubble up in the back of my mind.  Why wasn't I stronger?  Why did I make such a rash decision?  Why did I choose to fail?

I'd say I actually became pretty successful at life, despite my Army failure.  I graduated second in my college class (my first degree) in 1998.  I married my soulmate in 1999.  I worked a successful political and non-profit fundraising career for five years before choosing to return to school for nursing.  I excelled in college again when I returned, graduating summa cum laude with a BSN and became a registered nurse.  And during this time, we started a family.  Owen was born in 2003 and Abby in 2005.  In winter 2007, I started my first nursing job at a Level One Trauma Center -- my dream job.  And just out of college.

But still.  My failure.  No, that's really not the right way to describe it.  My decision to quit, my decision to choose failure --- it haunted me.  The fab hubby knew this about me.  He's known this about me for as long as he's known me.  It was while I was in the Army that we had met, nearly ten years before in 1997, in that very Army National Guard unit.  He was there when I chose to leave the Army.  And he knew how much I hated this about myself.  He told me regret was a terrible burden to live with and that it would never stop unless I chose to do something about it.  It was a harsh reality, but he was obviously right.

Life, as usual, was pretty crazy at the time.  He himself had recently left a job and was a stay-at-home dad. We were in the middle of my new career in the ER, with two young children, and he was trying to decide what he wanted to do.  He and I had discussed a job he read about online with the State Department.  It was so different from what we knew.  Sure, he had travelled abroad as a teen and young adult, but I had never been outside of the U.S., except for a day trip to Mexico when I was very young and I lived in Arizona with my parents.  It frankly made me nervous.  Anyway, we'd been living in Ohio in a house we had purchased just after getting married.  We'd already established a life together, with friends, near our families.  Owen, our oldest, was nearing kindergarten.  But what we had wasn't exactly what we wanted.  It was time for a change, for all of us.  We read a bit about living overseas and wondered if maybe it was the fit we were looking for -- for our family.

And still, in the midst of all these possible changes, the regret from my chosen failure in the Army followed me.  It was pretty obvious what I needed to do to overcome this regret.  I had to rejoin the Army.  By this point, it had been nearly ten years since I'd left the Army National Guard.  Ten years of regret.  And as one can imagine, it's not particularly easy getting back into the Army when you've left it before your enlistment period is over.  To put it mildly, I hadn't left under the best of circumstances, either.  There were papers to sign and appointments to go to and people to talk to.  And through it all, the fab hubby encouraged me.

In September 2007, I took my Oath of Office and received my commission as a Second Lieutenant in the Army Reserves Nurse Corps.  I'll never forget how it felt that day, when I took that Oath.  Because that was the day that regret no longer owned me.  That I was able to respect myself again, despite the poor choice I'd made ten years before.  The Oath I took that day in September 2007 was one of the best decisions I'd ever made in my life.  This September will mark the end of my contract with the Army, and I'm proud to say that I made it to my personal career goal when I was promoted to Captain in October 2012.

But, getting back to the past.  In summer 2008, Jason started his training for the State Department job we'd discussed.  We were making the leap into a whole different lifestyle and an entirely new career for him!  In March 2009, after he completed nearly nine months of training in D.C. (during which the kids and I had stayed in Ohio), we moved to his first assignment - at the Los Angeles field office.  As nursing is a relatively mobile career, I found a job at a nearby ER working afternoons.  But my work schedule and the fab hubby's work schedule didn't always meld well together.  I worked 12-hour days with alternating weekends.  He worked 10-hour days and could be sent traveling for a few weeks at anytime.  It took work.  It took commitment.  It took an au pair living with us to help with our two young children!  But those were all the best choices for our family.

Bidding season rolled around quickly, and after many discussions, the fab hubby bid on a hardship assignment.  He was paneled and after just one year in Los Angeles, we moved back to Ohio while he went on to D.C. for training and then to Baghdad for his assigned one-year UT (Unaccompanied Tour).  Honestly, this was hard for me.  I never wanted to return to Ohio -- it's hard enough leaving 'home' the first time, and returning just a year later brought on questions by all those people we'd just left.  Plus, I was pregnant with our third child, who was due just two months after the fab hubby left for Baghdad.  Thing is, that as hard of a decision as it was, it was the right decision for our growing family.  And although that year was terribly difficult,  I regret none of those decisions we made.

For as much as the fab hubby supports me and my career choices, I support him and his.  We've spent many long nights discussing how our careers would shape our and our children's lives.  How would moving affect them in the long run?  How would I be able to perform the requirements of my Army Reserves contract when we were assigned overseas?  How would I be able to work during a UT?  What would we do for childcare?  Additionally, my career -- sure, it's mobile, but what about an advancing career? Because we move frequently, I will never be at one facility long enough to be promoted to charge nurse, to nurse manger, to administration.  This has truly been a hard one for me to let go, because at one point, I had visualized myself doing all those things in a hospital setting.

But these are choices WE made, and we made them together.  When my husband accepted the job, I knew it would affect not only our family's lifestyle, but my career.  I didn't blindly jump into the Foreign Service with him and assume that my career path would remain the same as it had been in the U.S. These were discussions we'd had many, many times before he accepted the job offer and many, many times since.  The State Department didn't ruin my career.  We chose this lifestyle and understood what it would mean to my career when we moved overseas or to another state in the U.S.

In the past seven years, we've moved four times.  And I'm not counting the six months I spent solo in California, or the hubby's packout and travel to/from Baghdad.  I'm talking just the number of times we've packed up the kids and moved! And every move, every bid, every job choice (whether his or mine) -- we have to discuss.  We have to make the hard choices.  We have to make the right choices.  It's a give, it's a take, it's a compromise.  And if it turns out not the be the best choice, we return to the conversation and keep with it until we can find the right choice.  No regrets.

Occasionally, I'll hear a fellow EFM (Eligible Family Member) talk about how the State Department ruined their career.  And honestly, that's not a fair statement.  No one should come into this lifestyle as an EFM and expect what they had in their former U.S. lives, especially their careers, to be the same.  And I'm always shocked when I hear the harsh accusations.  But when I think about it, I realize that often those statements aren't really about the State Department -- those statements are really about regret.  Regret of giving up a career?  Regret of pulling children out of school?  Regret of getting to a post and not enjoying it?  I don't know exactly WHAT kind of regret, but it's regret.

It's often pointed out to me that nursing is an "easy" career to keep as an EFM in the State Department, and that I will "always" be able to find a job.  And frankly, this is one of those statements that makes me flaming mad.  It is NOT an easy career to keep up with.  In fact, I left Egypt six months ahead of my family, so that I could renew some specialty ER RN certifications that were expiring and to keep my ER work experience recent.  Because after you've been out of the game for a long period of time, you're no longer considered an ER nurse.  Trust me.  I've spoken to other EFM nurses who couldn't find jobs back in the U.S. after living overseas because they didn't have their licenses or certifications up-to-date, much less any experience for the years they were overseas.  But that's where I get back to regret.  To maintain my career, I have to work diligently to keep up with it in this nomadic lifestyle.  It's a choice I make and I reevaluate it all the time -- and not just on my own, but with my husband.

Of course, these personal choices are often harshly judged by others.  For instance, last year when I left post ahead of my family.  There were those who said "Well, I could never leave my family for six months."  Well, ok.  That's a decision you make.  And it's different from the one I was willing (AND the fab hubby was willing) to make to maintain my career.  Additionally, it was a decision we made for my renewed military career, too -- because at the end of that solo six-month Los Angeles ER contract assignment, I traveled to Colorado for annual training to fulfill my requirements with the Army Reserves.  ALL of this was a hardship for my husband and our kids; heck, it was a hardship for me.  But ALL of this was a decision we made together, and despite the difficulty of it, it was the best decision for us.  No regrets.

Now I'm not saying that every EFM who wants to work at a post is going to find a job.  I get that.  And I have plenty of friends who have had a difficult time finding a position at their spouse's post, or have had a difficult time getting background checks completed, etc.

I've also had many friends who took positions they were either overqualified for, or positions that they didn't find particularly exciting -- but who really wanted to work, and they were comfortable with the jobs available.  And likewise, I've had friends who decided they'd prefer to be a stay-at-home parent or spouse than take a position that didn't really excite them.  Or who really wanted to be a stay-at-home parent or spouse, no matter where they were posted.  All of those choices are hard to make, but those are all personal choices.  And any of those choices can be right or wrong -- it just depends on the individuals involved.  But I stand by every one of my friends' decisions to do any of the above, so long as they really feel it is the best choice for them and their families.  And like me, many of them are constantly reevaluating these decisions with their families and spouses, especially if it turns out to not be what was expected or hoped for.

 But I am always very weary when I hear "the State Department ruined my career."  If you are truly unhappy and find you regret what you left behind, or if you are just generally unhappy with the FS lifestyle, then sit down and reevaluate the choices you've made with your spouse.  There are other solutions.  They may be hard choices -- I can actually promise you that they likely will be -- but regret is by far worse.

As an EFM, I know that the choices my husband and I have made strongly impact my career (and his as well!).  I know that my career will never be the career I thought I'd have if we'd lived in the same place long-term in the U.S.  And honestly, I've come to terms with it.  Because if I didn't accept this, then I wouldn't have agreed with the fab hubby in the first place to jump into this lifestyle!  But the compromises we've made, the choices we make --- we're comfortable with them. What we wanted was to see the U.S. and the world, for our children to experience different cultures, to take a grand adventure.  THAT is the biggest, all-encompassing choice we made.  All the rest have been details and compromises and changes based on that choice.  But I can honestly say, no regrets.

Finally. Spring! And a Kids' Cairo Reunion!

Spring!  Kids frolicking.  Love.

The windows are wide open and the fresh air is pouring in.  Abby and her friend Alyssa (flew in from California -- but who was with us in Cairo!) are next door enjoying s'mores at our neighbors' house (also friends from Cairo, you know) and I can hear them singing songs while they enjoy the chocolatey marshmallow treat.

You'd almost never guess that just three weeks ago, it was snowing here.  But Spring has finally, FINALLY!, arrived.

Making NINE official!  (And yes, I feel old.)

Abby turned nine (yes, NINE!) at the end of March with the final winter snow.  We celebrated with an ice skating party, Chuck E. Cheese, and a sleepover with some of her friends.  They were friends who were with us in Cairo, and who live in the area now.  It was pretty close to perfect. Of all of our kids, Abby's the one who connected most with Cairo, still occassionally referring to it as "home."  She's doing well here, but really misses her friends from Cairo.  We're so grateful for FaceTime - most of her closest friends have it, and she's able to keep in touch with them using it.  But actually getting together with them in real life is the best, of course.

And that's exactly what happened for our kids tonight.  

Remember the craziness of last summer?  When the kids evacuated from Cairo, but I was still in California?   The fab hubby had to start his new gig in D.C, but I was still on the West Coast.  The Toddler happily went to the grandparents' houses for the five weeks we had to juggle before I would be finished with my contract and military commitment.  But the big kids?  What to do with the big kids?  The big kiddos flew out to be with me in Los Angeles.  But keep in mind, I was contracted at an ER and working most days of the week.  

This is where it gets really awesome.  My amazing friend, Krista and her fab hubby took in our two oldest kiddos for nearly three weeks.   Despite the fact that they have four kids of their own (who are close friends with our kids) AND despite the fact that they had just left Cairo themselves (and were in the middle of accepting their UAB and HHE),  they allowed Abby and Owen to hang with with them at Camp Pendleton (San Diego area) while I finished up my RN contract in Los Angeles.  

Thus making it the kids' greatest summer ever, as all of the kids (ours and theirs) got to enjoy the rest of summer together, even going to surf camp.  But when it was time to leave?  So many tears, from all the kids.  It was heartbreaking.

BUT.  Fast forward to tonight.  It's now been eight months since the kids have seen each other.  After a lot of planning and a lot of United miles points (maybe I should stop grumbling so much about United??),  Krista's two oldest kids flew out to D.C. to spend our kids' spring break HERE!  

It's been an epic reunion for all. And I really couldn't be happier.  I love listening to their laughter, as they catch up with each other.  S'mores time is now over, and the kids are settling in for the night. Owen and Josh are playing XBox and the girls are playing with their American Girl dolls.  It's a perfect Spring night, as they really, truly, fall back into the friendships they've managed to pick up where they left off at last summer.

That's me and Krista at the Marine Corps Ball in 2012 in Cairo.  I miss her.

The only thing that would make it better?  If only I could have seen my awesome friend Krista, too.  Because the hardest part for me is also leaving my friends every time we move.  Sure, we're good about keeping in touch - phone calls and texts and Facebook and more texts.  But it's not the same as actually getting together.

But I won't dwell on it!  Because I know that just like our kids, the next time we see each other, we'll pick up right where we left our friendship at last summer.  Because we're good at that, too. 

But this Spring Break?!  This Spring Break is ALL about the kids.  And it's going to be the best Spring Break ever.

Owen waiting for his friend to arrive.  Because they are unaccompanied
minors, we got to meet them at the gate.  Such a sweet moment.

Josh and Owen.  Abby and Alyssa.  All together again!

The car ride home.  My head still hurts from all the noise.
(But I loved the ride home anyway.)

Krista and Alyssa worked on these jammies together.  So cute!

Of course, the requisite trip down memory lane for the recent birthday girl.  Abby when she was just four years old.  We were living in Ohio and she was outside playing in the rain.  So cute!

Those.Eyes.  

Whirlwind Weeks...California to Colorado!

These past three weeks have flown by and I'm just now [finally] catching my breath here in Colorado Springs, as I enter into my final week of Army Reserves Annual Training.

The thing is, these past three weeks have been AWESOME.  New friends, old friends, kids, family.  It's been one long celebration!

I'm too exhausted to write much, but there is so much to say.  Thankfully, I've taken a gazillion pictures.  (WARNING:  I REALLY DO MEAN A GAZILLION!) So here goes:

I said goodbye to Long Beach.  And my bike.  This sweet little beach cruiser
has never known anything but the ocean and it just felt wrong to take her
out of her comfort zone.  So...

I sold her!  To a really great friend!  I know she's in good hands.
(And don't worry, I've already purchased a new road bike for NoVA!
My dad is probably working diligently in his garage right now, putting
her together.  Thanks, Dad!)

Remember how my super awesome friend Krista (in Camp Pendleton) took
in the big kids for two weeks?  (I LOVE HER!) Well, I took all six (that's
her four plus my two!) out for a day so she could get some much needed R&R.
(You know, latte.  Sleep.  Another latte.  Dinner with her fab hubby.)
The kids obviously love the momvan.

I took the kids to Chuck E Cheese for lunch.  Don't judge me.

And then I took the kids to see Smurfs2 in 3D.  Except for Owen and his buddy,
Josh.  They're "tweens" (see picture above) and they wanted to see Wolverine.
Luckily both movies were playing at the same time!
I bought the kids sugary Icee drinks, candy, and popcorn.
I earned cool Mom points.
Don't judge me.

Classic Americana!  3D Glasses and a giant bucket o' popcorn!
Abby and her friend Alyssa prepare for the movie.

Since we were so close to the ocean, we headed there after the movies
were over.  And we ate ice cream.  Don't judge me.

Beautiful.  Just.  Beautiful.

Ice cream became dinner.
You know you'd do it, too.
Don't judge me!
(And this is the greatest bunch of kids ever!)

My awesome friend Barb introduced me to CHICKEN AND WAFFLES.
Don't judge us.
And then we spent the day in Long Beach at the
Museum of Latin American Art.  Oh, I'm going to miss her!!!

Then work surprised me with a goodbye potluck.
We ate for like two days straight.
Don't judge us.

Really...

...two days straight!  So much food!
This was my second time working at this hospital and it's hard to leave again.

And then!  A bunch of of the girlies and I went out for dinner.
I was leaving and so was another co-worker, so we took an
evening and gossiped and said our goodbyes.
And lied to the restaurant and said it was my birthday.
So the restaurant brought me a free dessert.

Hehe.  It felt like my birthday.  That HAS to count.
Don't judge me.

And then I helped my friend Shannon with her dessert.
Don't judge me.

Of course, I had to say goodbye to the ocean one more time.
So I biked to Huntington Beach (15 miles away!) and
met up with Shannon.  She's so very
California.  I keep trying to get my hair blondier like hers.
I fail.

Shannon took this picture for me.
And I filtered it to make my hair look blondier.
Score!

EPIC FOREIGN SERVICE MOMENT!
I met up with my friend Anne and her fab hubby Bryan.
Anne and I have 'known' each other for like four years.
Well, we've known each other virtually anyway, because she's
an FS blogger, too! She and her fab hubby were in Long Beach
for a couple of days and we got to meet up.
IN REAL LIFE!  Cool thing - they're assigned to DC, too!
We'll be seeing lots of each other.  Serious coolness.

And during all this awesomeness, my heart was still aching to see and hold
The Toddler. I FaceTime'd with the fab hubby one night
to tuck him in and he was just getting ready for bed.
Getting his chompers brushed.
LOVE HIM.

Later that night, I FaceTime'd the fab hubby and he gave
me a sneak peek of The Toddler at his sweetest.
Soon I'll be snuggling with him myself.

The day came that I had to pick up the big kids from Camp Pendleton.
So I stopped in Oceanside on my way south first to say goodbye to the ocean.
One more time.  One more epic SoCal run.
My favoritist place in the whole world.

And Krista and I actually had like 30 minutes to ourselves
without six kids hanging all over us!
So we went to In and Out Burger for a Double-Double.
We'd talked about doing so when we were in Cairo together...
And we actually got to do it!  Score!

And then I picked up the kids at Surf Camp!
Greatest Summer EVER for them.
Owen's with the yellow board in the bottom left corner.
Abby's getting a face full of ocean with the pink board on the right.

Abz lazily hanging out on the boards.  She always been a Cali girl.

Abby gets her moment and rides a wave in!

Owen working his way onto the board with a new friend.

Owen's moment to shine!

One more time with Alyssa.
Beautiful girls, just like their Mommas!

Check out that awesome latte!
We hit the road after Surf Camp ended and started out on our
Great American road trip.  Our destination?
Ft. Carson, Colorado (Colorado Springs).
We made it Blythe, CA that night...SUPER HOT DESERT.
And the next morning drove through Phoenix.
This is just north of Phoenix on our way to Flagstaff.
Totally magnificent.

The next day we drove through Santa Fe, NM.
And found a Starbucks.
Sippyfaces!!  Yes, my kids love Starbucks.
Owen has a ice soy chai latte.
Abz has a vanilla frap.
Don't judge me.

Later that afternoon, we made it to Colorado Springs.
Where my parents were waiting for us!
They had driven out from Ohio to meet up with me and the kids.
Since the kiddos couldn't stay with me during training, they got to
finish up their Great American road trip with Grandma and PawPaw.
Love this.

But first!  We went to the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo.
Owen got an *almost* kiss from a giraffe. 

And Abz *almost* worked up the courage to feed a giraffe.

And PawPaw gave her a lift in the budgie house so she could feed the birds.
I remember him doing the same kind of thing for me when I was a little girl.

And this right here?
My first ER shift with double bars.  I was promoted to Captain last
October and finally got to wear the rank I had earned.