DC Part III

Last Tuesday I came out of a meeting to discover unexpected voicemails on both my office and cell phone. It suddenly became imperative to find my supervisor. I had ten frantic minutes of preparation before informing her my days working at the university are numbered. Numbered with a big number, like 75 to 175 days, possibly more. I managed to catch her before she listened to the voicemail message she received - success.

Happened faster than I expected. I did not anticipate mentioning anything until late May or early June. Now that both my supervisor and boss are advised of the situation I can share without chance of the news surprising anyone it shouldn't. The remaining issue being that nothing is yet certain - formal approvals, budget constraints - all things that could significantly delay or prevent my departure from the university.

The good news:

I passed my oral assessment for the U.S. Department of State. Which means I have a "conditional" offer of employment with the foreign service.

My security clearance interview was last week. I know a few of you readers had interviews with various Diplomatic Security personnel. My medical forms are in. I passed the additional certification test I needed to pass on Wednesday. At this point I just wait, and wait, and wait some more. My score is fairly solid. I will brag that I did score higher than diplomat C, but it wasn't exactly the same OA, so we'll say his was harder. My good friend J who took the OA for the same position thinks he scored a 10 - the scoring system must have changed since right now it is out of 7 points and you must score a 5.25 in order to pass.

Needless to say, Friday, March 15th I was quite a mess. The commencement of this DC trip was quiet tense. Testing started at 7am EST. A rough start time for a California girl who flew in the night before. The oral assessment consisted of a 45 min online skills assessment test. Followed by a 45 min written case management section. Then I had a 60 min interview which had three distinct sections of its own. At the end, after an excruciating wait, they call you back into the interview room and tell you if you've passed or failed.

When I walked into the room and began to sit down the lead questioner stopped me, "They are not even going to let me sit down?" I thought for a moment they were going to tell me I failed and send me directly on my way. Instead there was a flood of relief.

After exiting the building I walked the National Mall in a daze. It took several hours for the shock to wear off. This changes almost everything about my life. It is fantastic and frightening.

Reminding myself it is not yet official keeping me sane. I still have time. That, and the fact that I have a masters program to finish this month. Which may not be making me more sane, but is completely distracting.

There isn't much more to do, the boss has been informed, hoops have all been jumped. Life may look quite different by summer's end.

DC Part II

One of the slightly strange thing to do on my list involved a man buried in the Mountain View Cemetery in Oakland. The one who donated drinking fountains which ran afoul of art lovers. There is one in DC. I planned to find it. During a moment of shock (to be explained in part III) I needed something to do. I was standing on a street corner somewhere in DC and decided to look up the Temperance Fountain to see how far away it might be. I became rather frustrated with Google Maps when it kept showing me where I was with no other markers. Finally I zoomed in enough on my tiny phone screen to see it wasn't directing me to exactly where I was standing but just across the street. I looked up and there it was. It was hideous.

But seriously? I decided to look it up when I was standing directly across the street from it. At that point in my day I was so happy to have anything be easy that it seemed a miracle.

I will admit, I had hoped the fountain would be slightly more garish and flamboyant. It's ugly - but I don't know that I am repelled by it enough to disassemble the thing in fury as the mob in San Francisco did.

But judge for yourself.

The thought of getting drinking water from the mouth of a fish with teeth like that is not appealing. With this marketing strategy it's no wonder the temperance movement didn't take off the way Cogswell anticipated. It he wanted to get people out of the bars he should have followed French style - exchange the fish for a naked woman with a jug that the water flows out of. I wonder if Cogswell left an explanation of the fountain's design somewhere?

Q turns 3!

Last Saturday was Q's much anticipated third birthday. J decided on a Storybook themed part.

Preparations began Friday night. Once the moon was settled in we set up floating lanterns in the pool. Q was disappointed they didn't float in the air (like in the movie Tangled), but lil' J was all over them. When an unfortunate manmade gust of air (thank you brother-in-law with the leaf blower) blew most of them over lil'J was distraught.The lights did look lovely for being thrown together with printer paper, tape, and disposable plates.Q was also an enthusiastic blower-out of all the candles when we were pulling them out of the pool.

Saturday was charming. And all the little guests were adorable in their costumes. I had been envisioning a 'too much birthday' situation all week, but Q held it together fairly well...at least until all the guests had left.

Let me describe the different areas J set up in the back yard.

Exhibit A:

There was a butterfly garden/art area.

A table was set up with paper and supplies, once masterpieces were finished they were hung in the gallery.

Exhibit B:

She built a cardboard castle, complete with a functional drawbridge.

Exhibit C:

An alligator pond. Lil'J thought the alligator was about the best thing ever. He couldn't stop talking about it all morning.

Exhibit D:

A castle shaped bounce house (gift of the in-laws): 

There was also a lovely mermaid cove (which I neglected to take a photo of) where treasures were buried in the sand to be uncovered by little hands.

Playing in the sand is the only way I got these two to hold still long enough to take a photo. 

Eating lunch in her castle.

Q needed a little help with those candles.

Chocolate on her face, dirt on her feet.

Wasn't all peaches and cream. Sometimes even the princess can't get everything she wants.

Lil'J handled Q getting the attention like a champ.

This is how it ended, Q streaking from the house screaming hysterically for her princess dolls. Completely inconsolable over having to take a bath and a nap, while we all laughed.

Ode to T

And funny as all hell.
-End

I know, that's not technically an ode, but today is T's birthday, and I am no Keats. 

We have been friends since diapers. Since before I can remember. Her father baptized my parents. Before my sister J was born. Her mother held J as my family was sealed together in the temple. T and her sister L were my first friends. She's been as long as I've had any sense of the world.

At BYU we went walking almost every night for almost a year (except when 24 was on - T couldn't miss). This periodically required multiple sweatshirts and jackets, we walked even in the dead of Utah winter.


Emails have been written every single weekday for years (except during illness or vacation). In 2012 we exchanged over 525 messages. Rarely brief, many reach three or four single spaced pages. I'm grateful she is willing to read all my ramblings and thoroughly advise. Almost everything I think about, she reads about. She sees the process before I've figured out the answer. At times she is called upon to provide the answer. There is no birthday gift I can give to equal that.

I'm honored she trusts me to read her life, hopes, dreams, disasters, and ridiculous moments. Work. Writing. Wonderful boyfriend M. T is amazing, and puts up with a lot from me - breakdowns, bad advice, crankiness, plain stupidity at times. She is always there to comfort, celebrate successes, support, and tell me to snap out of a funk. Laughs and cries with me. Her writing never fails to make me smile, often laugh hysterically. The best friend.

I'm aware how utterly lucky I am. I think of these lines from Anne of Green Gables,

"A bosom friend--an intimate friend, you know--a really kindred spirit to whom I can confide my inmost soul.  I've dreamed of meeting her all my life.  I never really supposed I would, but so many of my loveliest dreams have come true all at once that perhaps this one will, too.  Do you think it's possible?" - Anne, Chapter VIII

Happy Birthday T! I hope it is fantastic.

 T, K, and L. No idea what we are singing.

 Based on the look on my face this may have been the best moment of my life.

 L, A (who we visited in DC), K, and T.

M and 3 giants in the back. Several cropped out entirely.

Because, you know, we lived in Provo.

 Hiking in Utah.

Heading out on a walk, in the snow.

At Disneyland.

 Meeting niece Q.

In Cleveland for a previous T birthday.