Thought for the day

I have nothing funny to post. Nothing really even that interesting. When I read some of the old posts from other Fs'ers, it seems that we all get into this 'holding pattern' that gives us really nothing to blog about.
So, I'll blog about some of the things that happened this summer that I couldn't really blog about until now.
Audrey learned how to do 2 back handsprings in a row this summer. She is very proud of herself. I always wanted to learn how to do that. Now, I think I may break in two pieces, or maybe more when I hit the ground. Probably not a good idea.

I did say two in a row...not three. Not yet.

Tyler had fun in Africa. We are seriously considering sending him on another mission trip this fall. Our church is offering one to Mexico for 5 days. This one would be without me or any other family. It is a high school mission trip through the church. I had been more excited about it until I read about the killings of the 6 Americans in Afghanistan...now, I am not so sure. Not that I am comparing Mexico to Afghanistan, but, well, Mexico has developed a not so safe reputation lately. At least here in Arizona. 


We lost our dog, our sweet friend, Lucy this summer. Right before I left for Africa, actually. It happened to be on our wedding anniversary. Boo. We miss her terribly. She was only 4. A great family friend and pet. We had an A/C guy out to work on our system, and unfortunately, he left our gate open, unlatched, as he left. When we arrived home, we found our dogs missing. We looked for hours, then found our female boxer lying on the side of the road. She was alive, but her back was broken, and sadly, we had to put her to sleep. On our freakin wedding anniversary, did I mention that? Some present.

Lucy Burkett 2006-2010
AKA: "Luter" (for stealing food from our countertops!)
We miss you!

Since then, our male boxer, Dezi, has been grief stricken. As much as we want to get another dog, we are not sure if we should. Why, you ask? Because we may be moving overseas with the FS.  Not sure we want to make a travel commitment to another canine, since we have no idea what the quarantine issues may be. So, for all you Foreign Service Travelers, feel free to advise. How much would having two 60-80lb dogs cramp your traveling lifestyle?

As far as I can tell, my security clearance is in a holding pattern. I called on Monday and was told that the case is in review by the case manager. From there, one of three things could happen. Either the CM will 1)send it back for more info, 2)approve the clearance, or 3)send it through a final adjudications process.  Hmmm.  We are hoping for option #2, please. No news is a good news, right? I am still hopeful to hear something soon.

Next week it is off to Chicago for a work conference, with a brief stop in Indiana to visit some dear friends. After that, it's Labor Day and we are heading to Vegas for Tyler's soccer tournament. Hopefully I will have some news after that.  We will see.

In the meantime, here are some more shots from Africa.

And finally, the thought for the day...If I were in the FS in a country where I did not speak the language...how would I communicate?

Mimic, of course!  It works!