Iron Man

I gave blood this morning. My hemoglobin was 14.1, in the high average range. Go figure, that's why I could breathe normally at 14,000 feet. I figured I was an excellent candidate to give blood with all my extra red blood cells floating around, someone should benefit from it! The Blood Mobile was at the girls' high school, there was a young lady beside me who passed out while giving her pint. I was impressed with the efficiency of the staff reviving her. Afterward, I suggested she not try to donate for at least 5 years...she heartily agreed! :-)

Before giving blood, I showed up 24 hours early for my eye appointment. I really need to get a busier schedule! Then I won't do things like that. Thankfully they took me anyway so I'm happy to announce that my post-Lasik eyes are doing great.

This afternoon, I went into Fort Walton Beach and picked up a textbook from a high school there that Lisette needs to stay up to date with her school in La Paz. On the way home I stopped at WalMart and bought some groceries along with "Iron Man". When I picked up Jake, he was slightly less than insanely excited to find out we had it.

So you can imagine what's playing on our TV right now. Lisette is watching it too. Nicole chose "That 70s Show" instead.

John received an email with news that a Hurlburt airman had lost his leg this weekend in a motorcycle accident. I contacted a friend of his and he's going to arrange for me to meet with the family. Prayers please!

No other news about Bolivia. There were some talks scheduled for today...

No Signs

Yesterday the kids and I went to church and then out for brunch with friends. The brunch service was ssssllllooooowwww. I thought Nicola was going to keel over weak from hunger before our dishes were delivered. She made it though.

In the afternoon they came over to hang out at the beach, I made dinner and Nicola curled up and tried to sleep off a nasty fever. Nicole and Nicola's daughter Xandra went to Youth Group at the church so I sent Nicola home with the rest of her brood and brought Xandra home when Youth Group was over.

Laundry was done, dishes were washed, Jake was showered and tucked in, beach equipment was put away so I went to bed early with a good book.

This morning I've already had my coffee and toast. I emptied the dishwasher. Now I'm going to hit my list - first up, change the site of Lisette's SAT this weekend, nope she's not taking it in Bolivia... :-(

Another Good Day

I woke up to the sad news that Paul Newman passed away. I'm pouting now just thinking about it. I recognized how beautiful he was way before I cared...in other words, well before puberty. He was also an admirable man, happily married in Hollywood can't be an easy thing.

The rest of my day was rather mellow. Jake had slept over at a friends, Lisette wanted to spend the day with Dylan and Nicole was beach bound. I finally met up with Nicola for our dinner and a movie date at around 3:30.

We went to see "Nights in Rodanthe" - we'd both already read the book and were anxious to see Richard Gere and Diane Lane. Diane Lane was awesome. Richard Gere wasn't bad at all - I've decided I need to hook Nicola up with him! We came out of the movie theater with red eyes (not unexpected, we had read the book), did some shopping and went to a diner for dinner. We chatted about everything from kids to politics - and as we were sitting outside, fully enjoyed a perfect evening weather wise too.

I dropped off Nicola, said goodbye to Nicole (she was sleeping over) and brought home Jake. It was a child swap!

Party after Party

It was a busy day for me today. I had a Book Club meeting, a lunch date, an Auction and a football game to attend. Each one was a reunion with old friends! What a pleasure that is!

I keep getting the same look when I run across people I knew. They look, smile, grin and then get that confused look and ask what I'm doing there. It's like they recognize me, then they identify me and then they try and remember where I've been/where I'm supposed to be. It's hilarious how many times I've seen it happen, those same expressions over and over.

The news continues to frustrate me. No definitive move from any side. My hubby's safe though, that's a constant relief.

The high school won the football game, soundly. That was unexpected and therefore that much more exciting. As usual, this small town filled the stadium to bursting...so much fun!

But I'd still rather be in La Paz! ;-)

Need News

It's driving me crazy. No news. No whisper of news. Nothing. Nada. I'm sure it's too early for any decisions to be made but I haven't even heard from John so I feel completely out of touch. The news media have little to report and Morales was even quiet today.

So the kids have smoothly transitioned into their schools and I'm semi-miserable.

John, call me. Kim, come and visit!!!!

Fickle Internet

My wireless is now working beautifully! If I only knew why...but I shan't look a gift horse in the mouth!

I had my hair cut today. Just a trim. Then took the girls there after school for their haircuts.

Chilled out at the beach house most of the rest of the day until it was time to pick up Jake. I answered some emails from fellow evacuees. It's interesting to note the somewhat delayed response to the stress that we're feeling. We were never in any imminent danger, we all recognize how nice and easy it is to back here but there's a general feeling of uneasiness. I think it's because our lives just got popped upside down and we're pissed...or maybe that's just me! Ha!

I can't settle into enjoying our time here, I recognize that. I'm much too concerned about how/when/where we're getting back to Bolivia. That unsettled feeling is not something I'm used to. There's been many times when we didn't know where we were going to be in 1-2-3-6 months time but I know where we're supposed to be now and we aren't there! Hmmphf.

Anyhoo, I'll do some suntanning tomorrow after my manicure - maybe that'll calm me down! ;-)

Wireless, Smireless

I hooked up our new wireless computer router today...took me hours! Mind you, I had Kathy here and we talked for a long time...then we went out and grabbed some subs to bring back here for lunch and then we talked for a long time. Somehow, hours flew by before I could finally get the wireless working. Unfortunately, it's not working smoothly. Not sure why and not sure I care yet. Maybe tomorrow I'll call Linksys and get some help.

Jake had another good day at school but he ended up doing homework for over two hours! Between Nicole and I, we kept him pretty much on task too. I wrote a note to the teacher requesting clarification...is he not completing work at school? 68 math questions plus a page of English, seems like too much to me. I don't want him doing more than an hour of homework a day plus reading. I'll let you know what her response is.

Nicole called me from her Physics class. The teacher was insisting it was her birthday, asked her to call me to listen to the class sing her "Happy Birthday" - it was hysterical! Ended up that some paperwork said it actually was her birthday...didn't clear it all up until the end of class. This is now her favourite class! LOL

First Day of School...kind of

Today the kids started school. I took the girls with me to drop off Jake and meet his teacher. She seems very nice and his classroom only has 19 children in it. When I picked him up after school he said it was the best first day of school ever! Woohoo! Although I think he may have said that at the school in Bolivia too. He only knew one student from our time here before, her name is Emily, she was in his kindergarten class. She also happens to be a beautiful little angel! My little guy has good taste!

The girls got dropped off next. They got the schedules they wanted, picked up the info on buses and lockers...and off to class. When I picked them up, they had plenty of stories of the shocked faces of old friends/screams/hugs of delight. Sounded like a good day.

I went to the base and got the financial paperwork done for the evacuation. Hopefully all will go smoothly but I'm not about to hold my breath. Ran some little errands and was back to pick up the kids.

Jake went to his first Hapkido lesson in two years...I thought he did pretty well. He was very happy with it and then ate a huge bowl of chili and rice to prove that, yes indeed, he'd worked hard. Between school and Hapkido, he got a much needed haircut - it's still quite hot here!

On the way home from Hapkido, Jake and I witnessed an accident. No one was hurt but it happened right in front of us. A guy doing a U-turn, clearing the intersection on a yellow light was hit by an older lady coming straight through. I was right behind the guy but I was turning left and watched the hit right outside my windshield. Youch! Thought of you Kimmy!

Chillin'

What a mellow Sunday! I'm positive we deserved it but man, was it mellow.

We started the day with church. That just felt like a welcome home blanket was thrown over us. Lots of hugs and concerned faces. Then smiles to let us know they were there for anything we need. The cool thing was, this was a service dedicated to the Ecuador mission folks - that was us two years ago!

A quick stop at WalMart to pick me up some shorts...I'm tired of jeans. Back here to the beach house where we laid around all day. Nicola and the girls came to visit...almost all of us actually took a nap at some point. We soaked in the sun, read some good books, watched some bad television and ate pasta for dinner. I even forgot to break out the red wine to go with the pasta...but I didn't need it, I was mellow enough.

So now the kids are in their rooms, backpacks are ready for tomorrow and I'm going to finish my book and start a list of everything I need to get done in the morning. I know it's going to be a long list so it's a good thing I'm well rested!

Missing John

I'm pouting a bit. Wish John could have come with us...then I think I could really enjoy this trip back "home".

Lisette is spending another day with Dylan. I picked up Nicole, Nicola and Xandra and we went shopping in Destin. Quiet a pleasurable trip. We zipped back to get Xandra to a sweet sixteen party on Pensacola Beach, dropped Nicole off at another friend's house for another potential sleepover and then picked up Jake.

Jake and I went on a dinner date. He's still happy to be here but missing his best bud back in Bolivia. I encouraged him to talk to me about any concerns/nervousness/worries about starting school here but he seems quite unconcerned about it.

I was pulled over for running a stop sign. He said I slowed down but didn't stop. I believe him. It's kind of in a dumb spot for a stop sign but I didn't mention that to him. :-) He gave me a verbal warning, thankfully saving me over $200! I'll be more careful. Um, really.

Kimmy's coming to visit in a few weeks! Yeah!! That'll help with missing my hubby!!

School Registration

Busy day...got the kids registered to start on Monday. Then had a meeting at the base to start the financial process of being part of an evacuation. Bought some school supplies and picked up a Florida paper stating the kids have been immunized.

Tonight, Lisette is hanging out with Dylan (no surprise!), Nicole and I went to see movies with another Mom and daughter team - though we didn't see the same movie, heaven forbid - and Jake and Nicole are sleeping over at our friend's house. Nicola and I saw "Burn After Reading" and both were very disappointed. There were some very funny parts but overall...blahh.

So now I'm at the beach house alone, waiting for Lisette to get home in an hour. I'm sleepy but happy with all that was done today. Plus, I get to watch "What Not to Wear" - my favourite!

Now Safe and Sound in Navarre

Our flight arrived here at around 1 PM. Got our bags, got our rental car and then got our beach house. The house is lovely, right on the Sound so it should be a soothing "safe haven" for us all.

I'm exhausted but Lisette is at a concert with her boyfriend and Nicole has a girlfriend here for the night. How do they have the energy???? LOL

Poor John sounds so stressed. I'm sure it's because we're away and he's stuck between his duty and his family. The biggest shame of all this is that we chose attache duty as a way to serve the country yet stay together as a family...so much for that! :-)~

I keep reminding myself that this is hopefully only going to be for 4 weeks. We've been apart for a lot longer than that before. The kids will be at school so this could just be a long beach vacation for me! Positive thinking! Positive thinking!

Your thoughts and prayers mean the world to me...thank you from the bottom of my heart. Through stressful situations, it really makes all the difference knowing that someone cares...it sounds like such a simple thing but it definitely is helping me handle all of this!

Safe and Sound in DFW

We're in Dallas. Long flight from Santiago, Chile. We couldn't fly through Santa Cruz, which would have been a lot faster to Miami than our route south to Chile and then all the way north to Dallas-Fort Worth. But we're here and we're fine. Sad to leave La Paz but we had plenty of company. Two of Jake's buddies were on board so he was tickled.

None of us slept very well on the overnight flight even though Lisette and Nicole had an empty seat beside them and Jake and I had the two seats up against the window. Oh well, the beds in our beach house are going to feel sooooo good!

I'll post again when we get there. Thanks for the prayers, they really help!!

I spoke to John a few minutes ago, all is quiet in the Embassy and in La Paz. "Peace talks" are expected so hopefully we'll be cleared to return at the 30 day mark!!

Prep for Evac

The phone has been in use non-stop this morning. The President (ours) and the Secretary of Defense want us out...by week end. So now John's office is scrambling to find seats for everyone by Friday, so we may be flying through Peru instead of Chile...doesn't matter to me!

I have a list of 12 things to do and I'm proud to say I've already completed 9 of them! Plus I've pulled pretty much everything out for Jake to pack. Yesterday I unpacked all of our boxes from our Express shipment and this morning I even put together my desktop computer and hooked up the printer. Whew! Mind you, I'm still in my pajamas!

Now I'm going to get dressed (not even on my list!) and get those last three things done. I got choked up this morning during a phone conversation with Nicola - she told me Denise (all our kids' second grade teacher) had asked if the church (our church) in Navarre could do anything for us...I said, "Pray" - that's when it hits me that this isn't a picnic. Okay, choked up again! ;-)

Bolivians Are Non-Violent

So here's how the demonstration went...a few thousand tried to march on the U.S. Embassy but were somewhat thwarted by police blockades. A thousand of them decided to march all the way to the suburbs. We heard about via official channels so we were not too worried as they were going to an area close by but not too close.

When they got to the bridge that leads to Calacoto, they were thwarted by another police blockade so they dispersed. It was lunchtime by then anyway.

One demonstration leader vowed the Embassy would have been burnt to the ground if it weren't for the fact that the Ambassador was already gone. Gotta wonder if they really have it in them to strike like that and in all seriousness, I hope they don't.

I've found a great beach house in Navarre...with room for visitors!

Demonstrations

The police set up roadblocks two blocks from the Embassy but people are taking side streets. Still relatively quiet at the Embassy according to John.

Word has it that about a thousand people are heading to Zona Sur (the suburbs) but they're supposedly headed to Calacoto - we're not in Calacoto. However, some of our Embassy friends are, so please send them prayers!

Babysitting

This morning I headed to a friend's house to watch her two boys until their maid can get here. The Embassy is at minimal staffing and everyone was required to be there by 7. So I was up at 6 and have been hanging with the little guys since 6:30.

No word of any demonstrations yet but will keep you posted as I receive any info!

Plans Underway

We're coming home. Our flights were booked today for later this week. It's not an easy thing, leaving your husband and dog and belongings behind in a questionable situation, in a foreign country. We're also sad to leave Bolivia itself but we're praying it's only for a month.

There was a Town Hall Meeting at the Embassy this morning. Not much was discussed that wasn't something John had already told me. I did find out it had been 25-30 yrs since an Ambassador was designated "Persona Non Grata" so that helps define what a huge deal it is. Bolivia has made a huge step away from diplomacy with the U.S. and along with kicking out USAID and the DEA from the main coca growing region, it's certainly not a step in the right direction.

In all the reading I've done over the past week, along with the information John has provided about the US and Bolivian government, I've learned much about the role of the U.S. here in Bolivia. John's jumped on the defensive a few times over my questions but I've managed to have some honest discussions with him and come to my own conclusions. I won't share them here because, well, they're mine. :-)

The Ambassador left Bolivia this afternoon. There are demonstrations expected all over La Paz tomorrow, with a potential for some out here in the suburbs. The kids' school will be closed tomorrow. We'll be lying low.

I'll keep posting, but the kids and I will be stateside soon!

Busy but Safe

No time to write - just because of stuff to do. All's still quiet. Will be back soon!!

Rock and Hard Place

I spent way too many hours watching the news and reading the articles about this Bolivian crisis on the Internet. I throw my hands up in the air when a couple of articles complain about the lack of attention the States has given South America and then the other articles complain about the "meddling" of the States in South America. Both Morales and Chavez have accused the States of undermining the politics in their countries but give zero proof that there's been anything but a difference in opinion. No suitcases of money, no secret training grounds, no "smoking" email, nada. Just a good scapegoat. Oh, there was the meeting of the Ambassador with the one of the governors a few weeks ago. Unfortunately, there wasn't much said at the time since it's the man's job to visit government officials...all of them, the ones that oppose the federal government and the ones that support it. See, in this country, you're criminal if you disagree with your government...in our country is just the average joe's favourite pastime.

Yup. I'm frustrated.

Haven't started packing yet but sounds like the Embassy might really like us to. John worked until about 6 (so much for the half day) and he's taken the girls to an Attache Teenagers party at an Argentine's house. Hopefully we'll get a chance to talk before we collapse into bed tonight. We did take the girls out for dinner - Jake's at a sleepover - and it was another meal taken between gasps of laughter. We do have fun together!

Still Quiet

John just headed to work, probably will be a half day today.

The US government approved an "Authorized Evacuation" for us last night, meaning it's voluntary. Yesterday, John bought airline tickets for the kids and I...for security reasons, I won't say for which day but they're arranged. We have some time to decide if we're going but I'm leaving the final decision wholly in John's hands.

The attache families have an awesome resource for evacuation coordination back in DC. The lead lady was at the conference I was at in Tucson last month. The world we live in has provided her with a lot of experience bringing home families from around the planet and looking after them. If we do decide to return to the US, it is a minimum stay of 30 days. The government gives us money for housing and rental cars, after 30 days that amount drops significantly (annoying) but we're certainly hoping things will be much calmer here in a month. My concern is mostly on the return option. I'd hate to be gone from here more than 30 days, I wish it could be less.

So, that's how it stands. I've decided to continue unpacking our shipment from Thursday, there's not much left to unpack anyway!

La Paz is Still Quiet...

There was a small demonstration in front of the Embassy today. Someone threw some firecrackers, Bolivian national police (some in riot gear) kept them clear of the Embassy walls.

On an interesting note - General Trigo, the armed forces commander, who we briefly met at a Brazilian celebration earlier this week - has spoken heatedly against the idea of the Venezuelan or any military forces entering Bolivia. General Trigo reacted to meeting us rather like we were vipers (not too surprising, considering the relations between his country and ours) but his wife seemed very warm - I liked her at first sight.

Things have deteriorated in the state of Pando, the government declared martial law tonight. Pando is quite far from here, I believe it's the state farthest north (we're in the middle of the country).

There are discussions about a voluntary evacuation for families. There's a great deal of cooperation/communication between the Embassy and the American school the kids are attending. It's hard to believe we may evacuate when we've only been here a month but the possibility is there. In the meantime, we had a generator and multiple boxes of MRE (meals ready to eat) delivered today. There was gas at the gas station today...no disruption of power yet either. One of the ladies at dinner tonight said there was not one piece of meat at the grocery store today though.

I went to a birthday party for another American attache spouse. There were a whole bunch of international attache spouses present. I received a whole lot of hugs and kisses (even more emphatic than usual) from them. They're a nice bunch.

John met Jake and I at a local restaurant for dinner with other Embassy families. The political issues were the topic of conversation of course. Later, I lamented with John the fact that so many of the Embassy personnel and the families get along so well and so many of us are new. The potential for such a great tour is at stake here. Please pray that we all get the opportunity to work and live together for the next few years!

Heading Down the Street

I was going to go into the shopping district nearby. Do some shopping that needs to be done. Now I have a houseful of workers, fixing some drapes, installing some screens and drilling a golf hole in the cement floor of our patio. So shopping is delayed but the plan is still there.

This is my early day blog note...as I'm planning to be gone through lunchtime this is all you get! :-)

The kids went to school this morning celebrating the fact that it's Friday. Lisette wore her hot red high heels...with flats tucked into her backpack. Both of the girls have social plans for this evening and are concerned they'll be cancelled due to the unrest. I reassured them that if all stays calm in La Paz, they can party the night away.

I'm trying to stay on top of news but between the pathetic television stations I have on our "cable" TV which has no significant news reporting at all and the Internet which is still reporting stuff from yesterday but nothing from today really...I'm a bit frustrated! So shopping I will go, forget it all for a few hours and get some things done!

Chavez Stirs the Pot

Like we needed that, you know? Chavez has now given the US Ambassador to Caracas 72 hours to get out, in a show of solidarity to Evo. Buds, how nice. Not sure if you read about it, but he's also planning to bring his troops into Bolivia if Evo looks like he's going to be kicked off the throne. Venezuelan troops vs. Bolivian civilians...in Bolivia...Danny Glover still wants to be friends with this guy?

Things are not getting better but for now they're not getting worse here in La Paz. We're preparing for the worst, kind of like prepping for a hurricane, evac and all. John's still at work, he's liking the action just not liking that his family is here with him. Everyone's still hoping that things will cool off and Evo will stop slamming doors. Can't we all just get along?

I'm a bit more nervous but plans are underway to keep us safe. Again, all's quiet on the La Paz front and no word that that's going to change. There's concern that the power might go out but we're supposed to have a generator here as soon as tomorrow. We've got a satellite phone, a bat cave kind of radio with communication between us and the Embassy.

Tomorrow I'll go get more water and toilet paper...maybe pick up some vodka!

It's Official

Ambassador Goldberg is going home. No news from John, other than "don't bug me, I'm busy" - he didn't really say that but I got the message.

The reason I called and "bugged" him? We received our UAB (Unaccompanied Baggage) today. We had nine crates, all but one of which were packed and sealed at the house in Virginia. There were a few small boxes leftover, they didn't have a ninth crate with them and we were informed that they'd pack them into the ninth crate back at the moving company. The contents of the boxes weren't valuable.

We had nine crates delivered here today. Upon opening (unsealing) the third crate (they were in no specific order), everyone involved had a collective heart attack to find it completely empty. Skip ahead about an hour, and we found all of our items had actually arrived - they had purposefully sent a totally empty crate!!!! Crazy!! And expensive!!

So, life here at the house is very calm and relieved. The kids are at school (think fortified castle) and John is getting more grey hair at work. Send your prayers directly to him!

Bolivia's Still Interesting

Latest news, our Ambassador is supposedly "PNG" - persona non grata. Evo is expelling him from the country. That was announced at a press conference from the presidential palace a few hours ago. Seems no official word has made its way to the Embassy yet. The city is still pretty quiet, Santa Cruz seems like it's still a mess. We're building us some provisions "just in case". I feel like I'm prepping for a hurricane again! Water, non-perishables...fun, wow.

Otherwise, life is going on normally. The kids had a half day at school. Lisette and Nicole had lunch together at one restaurant while I took Jake to Burger King. Afterward, they met back up with us and rode a simulator ride that was sponsored by BK, in the parking lot. The kids riding before L, N and J had quite an exciting ride as the door to the simulator kept opening and closing. My kids looked at me with some trepidation but I channeled my dad and told them they'd be fine! LOL The door problem was fixed and the ride went without a hitch.

On the way home, I noticed a extremely long line up at the gas station near the house. Nothing else was remiss though.

John called and suggested I fill up on non-perishables so Jake and I headed to "Ketal" and filled up. Again, on the way home, I noticed the gas station was now closed. Supplies are being cut off from the regions to the east. As we have no car yet, that one thing that might not affect us for a bit.

Since things are a still somewhat volatile here in Bolivia, I'll try to write in this blog twice daily to keep you aware that all is well. Tomorrow is expected to be busy here at the house (shipment #1!) but I'll try to get word out before noon and again before bed.

Besitos!

Safe at Home

Nicole's back! She flew through Santa Cruz which was undergoing some significant civil unrest but I guess they spent little time on the ground before heading to La Paz. It's an hour flight and by the time she landed here, the airport in SC was surrounded. Scary business but she's now safe at home. My stomach is relatively back to normal after being in quite a knot for about an hour and a half. What's left is a cool story for her to tell. I was just happy to hug her.

La Paz is quiet...some demonstrations are expected but not likely in our area. We're just the suburbs, demonstrations tend to take place downtown. I'll keep you posted. Not planning to go anywhere near downtown in the foreseeable future. Did I mention we initially thought this was going to be a "boring" post?

The unrest is coming from the anti-Evo crowd. We happen to live in an area that's very supportive of the president. Which basically makes us safer. The demonstrations are going to be pro-Evo so it shouldn't get out of hand.

Sleepy Monday

We haven't heard from Nicole since before the party on Saturday...seems she's having too much fun to call home! :-( I did talk to her hostess/mom Tereza tonight. The girls are off at the movie theater but all is well.

I slept poorly again last night. It seems to happen every third or fourth night. Very common at this altitude. Luckily, John needed to go into work late so he got Lisette and Jake off to school and I was able to sleep in a little.

Most of my day was spent reading. Yesterday was so busy, I felt little guilt at mellowing out today. John was at work late tonight and now he's out male bonding with some guys from the Embassy. Lisette had piano then soccer. Buddy's dog walker started this evening, he's now passed out at my feet (Buddy, not the walker!). Jake and I had a giggle fest over dinner and now he's tucked into bed.

We miss everyone at home but we're doing just fine waaaaay down here!

Party Number One

Whew! I'm beat. John suggested that we throw a BBQ this weekend for some guys who are here temporarily plus the other attaches in his office. Sure...I'm pretty game for that kind of stuff. We made it a potluck, with us providing the meat and the booze. Sweet deal. :-)

We had hot dogs, steak, sausage and chicken. John slaved over the BBQ but it was a typical male-bonding experience so he ended up with plenty of help. I set up the bar downstairs, made some rosemary and garlic roasted red potatoes, filled the chip bowls and thoroughly enjoyed myself. Kids seemed to have a blast, some of the little ones got in our hot tub/kid-sized pool. I really like the people John works with and their families - we're lucky!

Even though we used the paper plate/plastic cup route, there were quite a bit of dishes to be done when the party was over. Jake, Lisette and John were great at helping clean up but I jumped into the dishes and got'er done!

Now, I'm going to bed!

My Panacea

I've discovered what takes all my ailments away...Sangria! John and I went out and met a bunch of our new friends last night before my stomach had recovered. Some of the ladies had already ordered a pitcher of Sangria and, voila!, my belly ache went away! Score!

This morning, my baby girl headed to Argentina. All by herself! She's surprising her best buddy from down there whose Sweet Sixteen birthday party is tonight. How I wish I could be a fly on the wall when her old friends show up and see her there. Fun, fun, fun!

Around noon, I went with a couple of friends to an art show at the British Ambassador's house (what a house!) but couldn't fall in love with anything so we all left empty handed. We stopped at El Sultan's for some gyros for lunch then I headed home after a quick stop for dog food.

Jake's friend Manny slept over again last night - he's an absolute sweetheart so he's more than welcome! They left with John a little while ago to go play football. If I can, I'll attach last week's football picture of the little boys watching from the stands. They did eventually play too but the clearest picture from the Embassy newsletter is them in the stands. Jake was happy to see himself in "print" (it's an emailed newsletter).

Good/Bad Mexican Food

I'm supposed to be somewhere in 5 minutes but I may be in the bathroom instead. Such is the fate of us weak gringo stomachs. Lunch was at a Tex-Mex restaurant with good tortilla chips, yummy guacamole, tasty steak burrito and delicious Mexican rice. Perhaps it was simply too much flavour for my stomach to handle but the rumblings began on the taxi ride home.

Today I accompanied the students of the Embassy Spanish teacher on a field trip to a couple of fabric stores. It was a little overwhelming but I'm already looking forward to returning and actually buying some of their beautiful fabric...silk/wool/cashmere mixes in some wonderful patterns.

The opportunity arose today to talk to both the doc and the nurse practitioner about the job I didn't get. They made it obvious that they want me there. I figured out what was really bothering me about the possibility that the job description would be rewritten to accommodate my level of Spanish. Part of it is pride and another is the feeling that it's not really ethical. I suggested to the NP that they keep the level 2 Spanish in the job description, with the condition that the level must be obtained within a certain time limit, say 3 months. She said that made perfect sense and she planned to talk to the Human Resource dept. ASAP. Obviously, my spirits are much higher now about the whole thing. Oh, and I spoke to the Spanish teacher while we were in the taxi and she thinks I can make the level 2 very quickly, I simply need to know the past tense!

So here's to the med clinic and here's to slowing down the digestion of my lunch!

Another Day

Yesterday was so depressing. I realized I've never not been hired for a job I've applied for. It's definitely a cruddy feeling. Life lesson #.....

I didn't sleep well last night either, found myself sitting on this couch I'm on now at 4 AM reading until about 6:15...back to bed and I slept through the kids getting up. Finally I got up at around 9:00 and jumped into the shower to rouse myself. I knew Nicole's info and money were due today for her school trip to Machu Picchu and mid-shower I reflected on the hours they they'd be accepting the paperwork etc today. That's when it dawned on me that I only had until 10. Ahhhh! Nothing like panic to fully awaken oneself!

I made it by 10, paperwork not even started but money in hand. Most of the papers were completed/handed in then the rest of my day started.

What was amazing about my morning/early afternoon was the wealth of things I was able to get done. Breakfast, waxed eyebrows, hair styling ($3), hostess gift, new watch battery, notebooks for girls, more cash out, and groceries. I came home at about 1 PM feeling so much better!

There was an Attache Spouse tea this afternoon at the home of a lovely Russian lady. The food was fabulous and we started the whole thing with a shot of vodka. Gotta love the Russians!

Some Bolivian trivia...how to get around...there are three options that I've seen. First, the Radio Taxis. These are what we use, safe and effective to get from point A to point B. Anywhere around our area costs about a dollar. Into the city/to the Embassy costs about 2 dollars. Second, the Truffi. These look just like taxis but they fly two little flags up front. They are cheaper than the Radio Taxis because they pick up multiple riders along the way from point A to point B. Lastly is the MiniBuses (pronounce MeeneeBooses). They are more like minivans but, hey, I didn't name 'em. These are cheaper yet again than the Truffis but work pretty much the same. It's amazing to see one of these pull over, six people pile out to let one person loose at their destination, pile back in and the "bus" pulls away before the sliding door can be closed again. Remember, the minimum wage per month here is equivalent to $70 U.S. - those MiniBuses are probably not for everyone...there's a lot of walkers here too.

Bummer

Update on my Spanish test - I received a 1+ and I needed a 2. Now it goes to the Nurse Practitioner when she returns on Friday to determine if they want to resubmit the job description requiring a lower Spanish score. :-(

Happy Belated Labour Day!

And Karrissa Nicole's Birthday!!!

The BBQ yesterday was great! English spoken everywhere!! Woo Hoo!

I got to hold two babies, I played nurse to a sick little 10 yr. old and made some new friends. Perfect party, huh (except for the sick little guy who felt soooo much better after some Tylenol)?

Dominga made us some delicious meatballs and rice for dinner but it was a rag tag meal as we were all pretty much full from the BBQ so we just helped ourselves as the hunger hit us. We watched some more movies and wished for English-speaking TV. We're holding off until we get our TVs.

I slept very poorly last night for no known reason so I flopped back into bed after my family members went on their merry way this morning. At 9:30 I dragged myself into the shower so I could make my 10:30 pedicure appointment...rough, I know.

When my toes were pretty, I jumped in a taxi to the embassy to meet John for lunch. The embassy doc sat with us, he's new too and a total sweetheart. Retired from the Navy, he and his wife have been traveling the world, working at different embassies. We were joined not long after by the Human Resource boss, hopefully the person who will be hiring me soon. No word yet on the Spanish test.

After lunch I went to John's office and with some help from Randy (OPSCO - don't even know what that stands for but he is Mr. Super Assistant in the Attache Office) we placed an order with the State Dept. to complete the furnishings in this house plus the delivery of the stuff from the Defense Attache house that we need here. DATT house stuff hopefully will be here by the end of the week. As is our Express Shipment, supposedly.

Now I'm back home, Jake's doing homework, the girls are at soccer practice. The house is quiet and clean! Sigh. :-)

Wake Up Call

The door buzzer sounded at about 9:30 yesterday morning. I was still in bed, mostly asleep as our curtains were drawn letting in little of the morning light. John was up though so he answered the door. A few minutes later, he shook me and told me that Diana was here and we were going shopping! Oh really? I smiled and said I'd come down and meet her (we'd only spoken on the phone) and then slap her!

Instead, I just hugged her. She's one of these energetic, fun people you cross paths with occasionally. And, yes, I got dressed and headed downtown to the "Black Market" with her for a few hours. It's another big market full of clothing, household goods, electronics and knick knacks...not the illegal type of market that it sounds like. I came home with a garbage can and a tablecloth for the kitchen table. Diana bought a huge assortment of fresh flowers for about $7, a few garbage cans and a stone for her heels. She's a hoot!

Jake had Manny over for the afternoon and we finally filled the hot tub for them to play in. We haven't figured out how to turn the heater on so it was just a bubbly pool.

I talked to my sister Cindy for a while and caught up with her. Then it was time to get ready for dinner. Turned out that the girls had other plans, they went out for dinner together with some friends from school while John, Jake and I met Diana, her husband, her son and a mutual friend Mercedes at a literal hole-in-the-wall gyro joint. The tables were tiny so the ladies split with the men who split with the boys and we all had a great time. Bless her heart, Mercedes has invited me along with her this morning to her manicurist who does acrylic nails - mine look horrid from neglect!

Fun, fun....and we have a BBQ to go to this afternoon.