Flag Day

In the Foreign Service, all entry level personnel find out their first assigned post in a large ceremony affectionately known as "Flag Day". It gets it's name because during the ceremony, the presenter calls out a location's name first and then the name of the person heading there. You then walk up and receive a flag for the location.

Prior to this special day, you submit a list with all your desired locations rank-ordered. You could get your number one choice or your bottom choice... all depends on the needs of the service. You have very little say in the matter.  Unfortunately, a few people weren't happy with their assignments, but luckily, I wasn't one of them. I got my first choice...

Houston... Here we come!!!!

The Safest Block in the USA...

As I write this, I'm at the Candlelight Vigil put on by the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund with a few colleagues from work.  Twenty thousand law enforcement officers and their loved ones come every year on May 13th to honor officers who were killed in the line of duty.  And with that many cops in the same place, it was definitely the safest block in country at that moment.

This year both Attorney General Eric Holder and Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano made remarks and read names of the fallen officers.  It was definitely a moving event and I'm glad I went!

20,000 candles gets pretty bright when they all shine together!

Until we meet again

We are already missing daddy and counting down the days until we get to see him again.  Carl left yesterday morning after Todd’s soccer game to embark on a 2-day drive to Virginia to begin training for his new job.  On the first leg of the drive, he stopped at his favorite rib place in the world… Charlie Vergos’ Rendezvous in Memphis, TN. 

YUMMMM!!!

I went there with Carl about 4 years ago when he was doing some Navy training in the area.  If you’re ever in Memphis, you’ve got to stop by… it’s in an alley in Downtown Memphis and you won’t be disappointed.

After an exhausting 1,300 mile drive, Carl made it to his destination and is getting settled into his temporary housing.  Carl will be in Virginia for several weeks and then will head to Georgia for more training. 

These past 2 weeks have busy with fun filled activities and last minute packing.  Carl was on leave last week in order to get things ready for the cross-country trip to Virginia. He was able to have lunch with Todd at school and spend some quality time with the kids and me.  We discovered a fun park with a splash pad and had a picnic.  We enjoyed having daddy home during the day and Katelynn enjoyed chilling with him in the mornings. 

At the Splash Pad with Daddy

Watching Todd's Soccer Game with Daddy

One thing I know Katelynn will miss is running to the door to greet daddy after a day at work.  We have already used Skype and FaceTime to communicate with daddy and are thankful for technology.  We are excited that this journey is beginning and look forward to seeing where it takes us as a family.  We will find out where we will be moving to in about 2 weeks. So stay tuned….

Celebrating Texas-style

For her 30th birthday, we all got together and gave my sister, Rachel, the one thing she asked for... a trip to see her brother. So we all cleared our schedules, bought a plane ticket, and gave it to her last month. So with her birthday wish granted, Rachel got to visit Texas for the first time. And as an added bonus, our brand new, 7-week old niece, Sophia, got to join her.

Friday was rainy and we spent it relaxing and catching up since it had been a year since we saw each other.  As we get older, it seems prolonged absences have sadly become the norm.  I realize it's oftentimes my busy schedule that keeps us apart (I couldn't see her while I was in Iraq for a year), but it's usually big events that bring us together.  Now that she has her own family and I have mine, we don't just hop in the car and drive over to visit like we could back in the day.  Sometimes it stinks growing up!!!

Cousins hanging out (What you don't see are the three adults
in the background ready to catch Sophia if necessary)

Someone loves his baby cousin

Getting a little quality time with Aunt Karen

To remind her of one of the great parts of our childhood, we went to Jimmy's Food Store in Dallas... which, by far, has the best Italian meats, cheeses, and desserts in Texas. We got some Genoa salami, imported parmasean and mozzarella cheese, and yummy cannolis for lunch. When I brought Rachel into the store, I asked her what the smell reminded her of.  Her one word response said it all... "Home!"  Later in the day, after dinner, we went to Braum's for some of the best ice cream Texas has to offer!  I've yet to find a non-Texan who disagrees with that statement!

Saturday morning, I made my famous ham, eggs, and cheese along with some biscuits - a favorite of both Karen and Rachel.  Todd had his favorite too - eggs and Katelynn ate her banana and a little from everyone's plate. After breakfast, soccer was on tap for the morning.  Aunt Rachel has been very excited to see Todd play soccer. He played his heart out for her and left it all out on the field... including his breakfast!  (Note to self:  A hearty egg breakfast is not the meal your 5 year old should eat 90 minutes before his soccer game).

Our little Soccer Star 

After the game with Aunt Rachel

After soccer and naps, we drove to Ennis, Texas for some bluebonnet viewing. The bluebonnets bloomed early this year, so we almost didn't get to see them or take pictures before all the grass and weeds grew up in them. Despite cutting it close, we got some great pictures with the state flower of Texas...

A family portrait

Aunt Rachel and baby Sophia

Loving the Bluebonnets

Taking a stroll 

The happy couple

What a cute family!!!

She loves to go "WEEEEEEE"

Todd and his baby cousin

Sunday was a great day of church and resting.  Todd insisted Aunt Rachel go to his new favorite restaurant, Souper!Salad!  We rested and relaxed and enjoyed Aunt Rachel's last night in the Lone Star State.

Hanging out with Aunt Rachel

All in all, it was a great weekend.  Rachel's trip to visit was just as much of a present for her as it was us as we celebrated Texas-style!

Making Memories

Easter is a time of celebration and, coincidentally, that's what we did this weekend too.  Some of it planned, some of it not-so planned, but we celebrated being together as a family the whole weekend.

It all started when a friend at work showed me a picture she got of her son at the mall with live bunnies.  Now her son is cute and very photogenic, but seeing him with the bunnies was just so stinking adorable!!!  I knew the moment I saw her picture I wanted to get one of Todd and Katelynn.  So I took off of work Friday and we got to the mall at 10:30AM, only 30 minutes after the mall opened.  With two kids, that's not bad, right?

Wrong!!! Turns out there were 44 other parents with the same idea and they got there earlier.  In fact, we learned the mall opens its doors at 9AM and lets people walk around before the stores open at 10AM, so 44 other parents got a jump on the morning bunny picture rush.  We decided to get some lunch and walk around, but when we got back and hour and a half later, they were only on #22 and we were #45.  Thankfully, the Disney Store was right next door so we got to watch music videos and movie clips from our favorite Disney classics... over and over again.  But after a total of three and a half hours of waiting, the kids were bordering a major meltdown.  And they said it... the magic number... 45! We fixed hair and clothes and introduced the kids to their new friends, the bunnies.  Katelynn warmed right up to the bunnies and Todd eventually got there.  Here's what we ended up with:

Bunny Picture

This picture is so cute and made the long wait worth it.  By the time we left, there were over 120 names on the list (I would have hated to be #120)!  The bunnies did really well too, even with Katelynn pulling on their tails.

If that wasn't enough fun for one weekend, our church hosted an Easter Egg Hunt at the Firewheel campus, so we packed up the kids and went on Saturday morning.  Todd took off when it stared and got about eight eggs (he's really competitive and is starting to learn he needs to leave some eggs for the other children).  Katelynn wasn't too interested in the eggs but picked up some very nice rocks and blades of grass! The kids enjoyed the egg hunt but had a blast on the bounce house and slide:

Ready to Go! 

Loving the Bounce House

After the egg hunt, we set out to go shopping at a single store, but ended up staying out all day, skipping nap time, and visiting tons of stores. We didn't buy much, but we had fun together.  Katelynn had a lot of fun playing with the harmonica I keep in my truck...

Blues Traveler

Six stores and one outlet mall later, we all went to bed that night exhausted.  But the next morning, the Easter Bunny made a stop at our house...

Lots of Goodies

... and left some interesting goodies.  There was the standard fare, of course, which includes chocolate bunnies and Legos.  But then there was a surprise too... tickets to the Texas Rangers game that night!  Going to a professional Major League Baseball game was on the "Dallas Bucket List" before I leave for training next month and since Todd was off of school Monday, we figured it would be the pefect time.  So all four of us were headed to cheer on the Texas Rangers that night.  So we had breakfast and got dressed in our Easter clothes for church.

All Dressed Up

After church, we had lunch and headed straight home for naps.  It was raining all afternoon and we weren't sure if the game would happen, but as we drove to the stadium, it cleared up and was actually a little cooler than we expected.  While it was our first time taking a baby to a baseball game (and at times we thought we were nuts), overall, we all had a blast rooting for the home team as they beat the Chicago White Sox 5-0.  We were all decked out in our Texas Rangers garb:

Ready To Go!!

Always Smilin'

Very Tired Kiddos

Of course, we didn't get home 'til really late and the kids were exhaused after another fun-filled day, but it was all worth it.  We had a fabulous weekend making memories!

Hardship Assignment

As the saying goes, someone's got to take a hit for the team.... and this time, it was us.

In the Navy Reserve, Carl is required to complete his annual training "in support of the gaining command." In short, he has to give back to the people who pay him. Well, his gaining command happens to be in Hawaii, so with his upcoming new job and extensive training, he volunteered for a training course at his gaining command.

What does that mean? Well, it means the Navy sent him to Hawaii to take a course. And of course, those of you who know me know that I typically turn all of his Annual Training assignments with the Navy into mini-vacations... and this wasn't going to be any different. Of course, he was happy to have me along!

We haven't been to Hawaii in 8 years. Some people live an entire lifetime and never once experience this tropical paradise... I've been blessed enough to visit on two separate occasions, Carl three times. My first time was on our honeymoon. A lot has changed since we were last here, but the magic of this tropical paradise still remains.

And always the romantic, Carl surprised me with a trip to the Big Island and a sunset cruise around Waikiki. Below are a few pictures, including Carl's view on his way to work, the view of Oahu from the plane as we headed to the Big Island, and Waikiki at sunset from our cruise boat.

We've got a lot of adventure ahead for our family over the next few months, but at least Carl and I got a little time together before the chaos ensue!

A New Beginning... again

So... we've decided to start a blog.  I'm not one for advertising our life online, but given the newest choice we've made as a family, I figured we needed a way to keep in touch with everyone at the same time.

First, the blog.  Many of you may be asking, "Where did you get a name like 'Spots' Around The Globe"?  It's a play on words.  First, since our last name is butchered so often (for those of you who know our last name, you know exactly what we mean), I figured the play on words would be cute.  And of course, the rest of the blog's name has everything to do with our new beginning.

I've been offered a position in the Foreign Service as a Specialist.  This particular job is something I've pursued for the past 8 years.  It took a lot of hard work, determination, and thousands of dollars traveling to dozens of interviews, but I've finally landed my dream job!  Of course, landing this job with the State Department means we'll be traveling all over the globe, hence the name "Spots" Around The Globe.

I start in May, but we have a lot to do before then.  We're excited about this opportunity and can't wait to see what the future holds!