How much is too much?

I am a believer that life at post is what you make of it.  I truly believe I could be happy in any post.  Maybe not as happy as I could be in say London or Madrid; but nonetheless there is good and bad about each post. 

So I wanted to start this by telling you how much I love Paraguay.  Sure there are things that drive me crazy, the coke store closes in the middle of the day everyday (yes, I know it is sad that the coke store is on the top of my list, but if you know me you know I love Coke), drivers think they are the MOST important person on the road, buses stop every 30 feet to let people on or off, everything is closed on Saturday after noon (so get your errands done early)!  But Paraguay has so much to offer.  All in all the people are so nice and want to help, in general they love Americans, I can walk pretty much anywhere (in my neighborhood) during the day without a second thought, we have hot (yes blazing hot) and cold (actually really chilly) seasons, we have a pool in our yard, and there are even some extra benefits we have a maid, and a cook, gardener, and massage therapist that come to the house once a week.  It would not seem that I have much to complain about.  In fact I dare say (being so far away from family aside) the pros out weigh the cons. 

However, our housing here has been one big headache.  We were put in a house that although lovely was unable to be repaired when it rained.  It rained inside every time it rained outside.  So after some pleading from those in housing we decided to move.  We put the request in with the embassy and were given a house with a whole different set of problems.  From day one my 4 year old has been sick.  I reported the smell of mold to maintenance and the health unit.  We spent months fighting to get someone to fix the issue.  I even switched his bedroom with my older son because I thought that might help. People came over to the house with moisture readers and told me that the house was in fact very moist, "but there is nothing we can do about it.  We live in Paraguay, it is humid."  I finally gave up the fight knowing we only had 6 months left. 

In April we returned from a trip and our floor had a bubble in it.  Not just a little bubble a bubble that was about 5 feet long and 4 feet wide.  So in early May the work finally began.  When they pulled up the floor there was so much mold they could not relay the floor.  They cleaned it and let it dry (only the 5x4 section of it because there must not be mold anywhere else).  It dried for nearly 2 weeks before they finally relayed the floor.  Once it was relayed the repair guy told me that when they finished the floor we would need to be out of the house for 12 hours.  They would start about 8 am and could probably return to the house around 10 or 11 at night.  Really??? What am I supposed to do with my kids for all that time?  So I told them to wait to refinish the floor until we moved. 

Now we have the exact same issue in another part of our house.  The direct exposure to the mold has caused breathing problems and headaches for everyone.  Even keeping my kids away from the area it is still in the air making everyone feel under the weather.


Although housing issues do arise when living stateside (I have had my fair share) dealing with them while living overseas adds a different kind of stress.  It is not in my power to fix it.  We can't just move.  And we run the risk of pissing off the people we work with/for.  And this one has been especially hard because my husband (the state employee) has not been here to advocate for our family, so we have in a way been swept under the rug, so to speak. 

So although one would think the pro's out weigh the con's of living here, once you factor in our housing experience, for me, it quickly leans in the other direction.

7 Months and Not a Peep!

So I really thought I would be a great blogger while my hubby was in Afghanistan.  I was going to let the world know just what our Unaccompanied Tour was like and how like so many others have claimed, it was "so much easier than expected." 

Well, after September 13 I realized this year was going to be hard.  It was going to be filled with fear and worry, sleepless nights and tears.  Lots and lots of tears. 

I had decided to stay at post.  I did this for a million reasons but mostly because we didn't know where we would be headed next so I didn't want my kids to be in 4 schools over the course of 2.5 years.  Sounds reasonable right?  I did not take into account that our embassy would have a HUGE turn over the summer my hubby left and thus no one would know me.  I would be left out of the embassy community and at home counting the days until our next R&R. 

I was unofficially asked to move houses right before my hubby left because of an uncompliant landlord, and the process to move after he left was a NIGHTMARE.  Not just moving but navigating the embassy politics when I didn't have anyone at post to call BS on my behalf.  The house we were moved to all though not perfect is better than the one we left in so many aspects, but I'm not sure it was worth the fight to make it all happen. 

We have had some exciting adventures this year because the UT provided some extra money to splurge on a couple of great vacations. 

In December the kids and I visited Panama.  We spent a few days just hanging out on the beach, swimming and playing.  Then we took a tour and saw the Panama canal and visited the Natives.  It was truly amazing.  A few days later we met up with the hubby for Christmas and enjoyed 2.5 weeks together.

In April we flew to Germany and stayed in Garmisch for 2 weeks.  It was amazing.  Other than 2 days in the hospital because Eli took a fall we saw it all and still had time to relax and EAT!

May also brought an R&R.  The hubby came "home" and we tried to have life as normal.  The kids going to school and we spent the days planning our pack out and watching movies.  Oh yeah, and we took 3 days and went to Rio ALONE! 

We are about to say our final good-bye of this UT and begin the craziness of end of the school year and sorting through the house to lessen our load.  Good-bye's SUCK!  And even with the mantra of only 45 days to go, I wonder how we are going to do it. 

We are looking forward to being a family again, we are excited to move to Manila, and we already have a summer packed full of activities. 

I hope to be a better blogger in Manila.....but honestly, probably not.

The Pants

     One of the things I love about living in Paraguay is having household help.  Please understand sometimes it is actually more work to have her around than it is to not have her here.  There have actually been days when she has not come to work for one reason or another and I do a little happy dance.  It is a day I can lay around the house watch anything I like on TV and eat junk food.  But all of that is for another blog.
     Most of the time it is very nice to know that first thing in the morning dishes will be done, beds will be made and floors will be mopped.  One thing however that I will not let her do (which drives her crazy might I add) is wash the clothes.  There are a plethora of reasons I do not let her wash clothing, when she washes I have to replace clothing more often, the uses laundry soap by the cup, she often washes dry clean only stuff with Levi's, she washes every single day so often it is only 3 things in the washing machine, etc.  But one of the biggest reasons is I do it is because, I don't mind doing it and it feels like it is something I still "do" for my family. 
     Since my husband left for Afghanistan we have moved houses.  So the house has a weird feeling in it, it is a place he has never lived, or even step foot in.  When I moved in, all of his cloths went into the corner of one of the closets and that door is never opened.  I sleep on the other side of the bed because it is closer to the kids.  I use up most of the space in the house.  But there is this one pair of pants.
     Every time I wash the laundry there is one pair of my husbands pants that are at the bottom of the pile.  At first I didn't wash them because they have to be washed separately and I just had too much laundry to do to wash a single item.  But now I do not wash them because it means he must be coming home.  My goodness he still has laundry undone here, of course he will be home.   
     I know that this line of thinking is silly and clearly his dirty pants have no actual bearing on him coming home, but it is still my thing I need to do for him.  It is my unfinished business and I need that.  So call me crazy, or call me lazy, but Honey, I still have your laundry in the hamper and I can't wait until I have another pair of pants in the hamper so I don't have to wash them separately.

Three and a half months down..... eight and a half to go. 

315 Easy Steps to Obtaining a Paraguyan Drivers License

So when we arrived two and a half years ago we were taken to get our drivers license.  My license expired in April so I decided it was about time to go get another.  At this point I would like to thank the AMAZING guy from the embassy that helps with this process, without him we would be lost.

So if you follow these directions and get the nice guy from the Embassy to walk you through it you should have your license in under 2 hours.  --- Sorry the photos are so bad.  The camera on my phone sucks!!!

Desk 1

Step 1:  Collect all documents (including a certified letter stating your blood type)
Step 2:  Start at desk to fill out paper work.
Step 3:  Go to another desk to get copies of passport, government ID etc.
Step 4:  Pay for copies
Step 5:  Go back to first desk with copies and get paperwork and copies approved.
Step 6:  Go to cashier to pay for "stamps."  The purpose of these stamps are unknown.
Step 7:  Go to the Documentacion y foto desk and give them new papers with stamps on it.
Step 8:  Answer questions about purpose of needing a drivers license.
Step 9:  Wait
Step 10: Be called into a small room with two men to give you a "driving test."
Step 11: Take test 1 vision test.  Name letters and colors.
Step 12:  Take "reaction" test.  This is a test to see how fast you can slam on the break should something (probably a small child) run in front of your car.
Step 13:  Take hearing test.  This one is awesome because you can see which side the sound is going to be on and they only test each ear once.
Step 14:  Receive the "you passed" smile and leave room.
Step 15:  Wait

Waiting, waiting and more waiting

Step 16:  Be called into another room for your picture.

Step 17:  Wonder if you should smile because no one else does but they all look so unhappy in their pictures.
Step 18:  Smile and graciously thank the guy that is hitting on you for taking your picture.

1984 computers

Step 19:  Wait
Step 20:  Wonder why they are still using computers from 1984.
Step 21:   Get more paper work from the counter.
Step 22:  Go back to cashier and pay even more money.
Step 23:  Return to the counter with the receipt.
Step 24:  Wait
Step 25:  Get Drivers License that can not be used as ID in Paraguay and thank the guy.

Eli's Debut

        On Wednesday we attended a performance of Pinocchio put on by Eli's Preschool, Minigente.  I could not believe how much work the wonderful teachers had put in to put it together.  The story was so cute and each kid was included, but best of all, have you ever seen a 4 year old play Geppetto?  It was stinking funny.  And the more the audience laughed the more he laughed. 
        The show was put on at the Embassy of Argentina.  They have the most beautiful theater that was a perfect set-up for the performance.  The turn out was amazing, it was standing room only (so glad we got there early), but of course it would be in a culture like Paraguay's, where families are so close and so supportive.
       I showed up in levis and quickly realized that I was WAY underdressed.  Many people were dressed in sequins and heals.  But others (the late ones) showed up dressed down so when I was leaving I didn't feel quite so out of place. 



Very Underdressed Eli Supporters

      As for Eli....well he was a riot.  He is very stubborn and because he is speech delayed it often times makes it hard to have a conversation with him.  So when it was almost his turn to go out on the stage he ran out about a third of the way and stopped just looking at the audience.  He smiled while his teachers were whispering, "Eli vení, nesicitamos esperar."  (Eli, come here, we need to wait.)
       He just looked at them and said, "No."  Then continued smiling at the audience.  He was the only one doing anything so all eyes were on him.  He loved it.  I think because he is fair skinned and blond people tend to think he is adorable.  So the audience laughed; and he soaked it up and smiled.  We all knew that if they tried to drag him backstage it would be all down hill from there with kicking and screaming, so they just let him stand there until the music started. 
       Once the music started and his classmates joined him on stage he realized that the music was very loud.  He covered his ears and soon began to cry.  So that was it for Eli.  He spent the rest of the show down in the dressing rooms playing and watching TV (probably where he wanted to be anyway.)  --  The video above shows his cute classmates, but we missed his "performance" in the beginning.
       We got to sit next to our good friends, who I will miss dearly when they leave next month.  Their daughters were wonderful on stage, and did exactly what they were supposed to.



Proud parents and sisters

     


Sounds of the Herat Attack from Paraguay

It is a little after midnight and my phone rings waking me up and I think, "He does know it is midnight, right?"
I pick up the phone and I can hear a lot of noise and my husband say to me, "I'm alright.  I need you to say it back to me, I'm all right."
"You are alright."
Then it hits me...something is not right.  Suddenly the noise in the background becomes all that I can hear.  I hear people yelling, I hear panic. Then I hear my husband again... "We have been attacked, but I'm alright."
I immediately pick up my cell phone and start looking for news.  I hear him say words like, "air support," "bomb," "communications down," and "troops," but all I can see are images of Bengazi in my head.  And then like a bolt of lightening the fear of losing the most amazing man I have ever known, my life, shoots through my body.  Tears begin to flow, and my own panic sets in, because I know that he is not the guy hunkered down in the safe room, behind the blast proof walls.  He is the guy making sure everyone gets to those rooms, he is the guy helping with the guard force to make sure the embassy is not over run, he is the guy with the gun.
Our conversation lasted less than 4 minutes, just long enough for me to know that the shooting had stopped, the marines had arrived and he was alive.

After the attack on September 13th

Before

The next three hours I sat in front of my computer waiting for news sites to catch up on the news.  I talked to my loving Mother who wished more than anything that she could be here to hold my hand (and I wished for the very same thing.) I read anything and everything I could about the bombing.  Around 4 I finally went back to bed, but not before sending an email just to make sure that he was... still here.


The last 40 hours have been some of the hardest of my life.  I have cried more than not; not only because I'm so worried about my husband, but because the reality of how dangerous his job is over there sunk in.

Telling my children  and watching them go though the emotional roller coaster that I had been going through was heart breaking.  I simply cannot imagine being 9 years old and trying to process that information.  I remembered watching as my amazing brother-in-law who at 9 years old learned that his father was going to die, and I feel so much gratitude in my heart that I did not have to have that conversation with my son.

We are still continually praying for his safety and the safety for all of those in that part of the world.  I am especially grateful for the military who were sent to guard the consulate while my husband works, who risk their lives to protect the lives of others.  And I am grateful to the spouses and children of those military members for their sacrifice.  I know that sacrifice; and I know it is often overlooked.

I ask that you please pray for the families of those who lost someone that day.  I know they were not American but none-the-less they died in the service of our country.  I will be forever grateful to those men who did their job with such honor and integrity.

And we continue to pray for the safe return of all of those serving to protect our great nation, no matter which corner of the earth they are doing it in.

How a Small Embassy is Like High School

So my last few weeks at post have been very trying.  We were forced to move the same day we returned from R&R.  I guess forced might be a bit of an exaggeration.  They emailed me while I was on R&R and suggested that they move all of my stuff into the new house while I was gone.  I said that was NOT a good idea mostly because of my cat (who I put on valium when we fly for fear she will have a heart attack and die), but also because if something got lost or broken I would be totally unable to prove that the movers broke or took it because my maid has had access to my house the whole time I was gone; and really lets be honest who wants other people going through their personal stuff?  Would anyone else be alright with this?  Coming back from a 5 week R&R to a house full of boxes not knowing where anything was.  Hoping someone could put together the complicated computer system your husband had designed?  Not to mention, I have no hubby to help me through it all, we were starting the FIRST day of school the day we got back.  I just felt it was a bad idea. 

So I agreed to move THE VERY DAY I arrived back in country so that the government could have me out of my house by the end of the month.  I felt this was really nice of me because I am a planner.  I generally "pre-pack" before the movers arrive so that all of the contents of my drawers are not just thrown in boxes but are nicely bagged and easy to find.  I unhook all electronics and secure them to the electronic which they belong, and I move things around so that when we arrive to the new place vital things are found easily and knick-knacks will have a home when the last boxes are unpacked. 
Of course there was not time for any of that, so drawers were emptied into boxes, I still (3 weeks later) cannot find the cord to the Wii or movie player for the kids, and my computers are ... well functioning ... although not networked.

And through all of this it was the last 3 weeks of summer semester for me.  So I have completed 3 papers, and two finals in this week.  Completed paperwork for my kids, set up tutors, working on a preschool (required) project for children's day, arranged to have internet in my new house, and a mess of other things in the last few weeks. 

One thing I have realized in this horrible mess (other than I made a mistake moving and should have just stayed in a house with a leaky roof) is that some embassies feel like a high school, or at least this one does at times.  I'm sure this is true with any small community.  I have experienced similar experiences at church and in small towns, at work and even within a large family, but none-the-less it is true. 

First, you have the popular kids, of which I am not one, for many reasons, but mostly because I'm not as involved as I should be, and many of those people are just fake anyway.   There is the back stabbing witch that if you make her mad she will make you pay, even if that means making your kids pay.  There is the gossipy girl and/or the girl that will listen to all of your problems, that you get to comfortable with and it ends up biting you in the butt.  There is the jock, that smiles at everyone, is constantly making jokes and seems like he really wants to be your friend; but when push comes to shove, he won't lift one finger for you unless it is in his job description. Of course there is the jocks wife girlfriend, the cheerleader, that is really just too good for you.  Then there is the geeky debate boy.  This is the kid that did cross-x or Lincoln Douglas at debate tournaments (yes, I realize this makes you think that I was probably one of those kids too, but you would be wrong, I didn't Cross-x or LD in high school---but I was on the debate team.  But if you know me you know I will go toe to toe with almost anyone.)  He doesn't really think for himself, his sole purpose is to be "right according to the evidence" and be a complete asshole while doing it. Then there are the worker bees.  The people that keep their head down, don't get involved in the politics unless they have to and just do their job, and sometimes the job of others to help keep the embassy  high school functioning.  There are those people that will go out of their way to make sure everyone is taken care of even at their own expense.  And their are those people who are users; they are your "best friend" when they need your homework answers or a ride.

I guess I knew the whole high school dilemma before moving here.  In fact being a part of a small community was one thing I really wanted.  I still choose it.  I could have gone home and found a different "high school group" to be a part of, but I decided to stay and enjoy the family I have here.  I know it is not perfect and I will steer clear of some of these people, but I hope to also learn from my mistakes, sidestep the landmines, embrace the good, be a little more outgoing and keep moving on... once my house is unpacked. 

Did I mention my next semester starts on Thursday?

How I will [NOT] Survive our UT

So back in May, my sweet "has been through it all" friend Jen posted a suggestion list of how to get through an unaccompanied tour.  You can find her May blog here.  However for convenience I'll list the suggestions:



1.  No regrets

2. Don't pull the Kabul card too often.

3. Don't read all the UT advice.

4. Don't do it all



1.  Relax

2.  Keep your eyes on the prize.

3.  Let your kids do more.

4.  Say No



In the last 48 hours I'm pretty sure I'm broken most of these rules. 



Since moving houses I have regretted staying at post every single day.  I do hope this will change but the less stress life I was supposed to return to has yet to arrive.  (That is not to say the stress level in the states would not be just as much or more so.) 



I pulled the Kabul card just today trying to get GSO to take care of me, and yet it did not do me any good.  I know that I don't get (nor do I want) special treatment because the hubby is in Kabul, but dammit I would like someone in GSO to recognize I'm doing this on my own and to cut me a little slack. 


Don't read UT advice, well I'm posting this so...


Maybe part of my problem is that I am breaking rule #4.  I have been trying to do it all on my own.  It finally took my hubby calling my sweet, sweet friend Vicki and asking for help before I realized I might have a complete meltdown before my hubby even reaches the one month mark.


Relax.  Well, that is not going to happen anytime soon.  New house, school, "repairing" old house with leaky roof, 3 kids, etc.  I can't even list it all without hyperventilating.


"The Prize" the bid list came out this week.  There are a few great spots on there, don't get me wrong, but there are not nearly enough for everyone in PSP to get what they want.  So at this point I'm praying and praying this will not be a totally wasted year.


I would love to let my kids do more.  But we have to wait until we are not living out of boxes any more.  If I ask them to put a single box away I will be looking for what is in that box the rest of the year.  PATIENCE!


And SAY NO!  This is the one thing I have been trying to do, and yet some people will not take no for an answer.

Other rules I have broken today, don't watch the news on Afghanistan, and don't count down.  Yes there are 342 days until this UT is over.  I hate to wish it away because I hope there are going to be so many good things about it.  But today, I would wish it away if I could.

So as we can all see I will probably NOT survive the UT.  I'm going to curl up tonight, right after I help the 4th grader finish homework, write a paper for my class due tomorrow, clean up dinner, and change the fuse in my car, and watch an episode of FRIENDS and go to sleep.  Maybe things will look better when I wake up...if I sleep until Friday. 

 

And so it begins....

Well, our life significantly changed a little over a week ago when we dropped my husband off at the airport.  We have done this before, many times but this time was different; and we all knew it.  We will be seeing him in a few weeks when the kids are out of school while we take some time in the states.  However, when he packed up and left our house he was NEVER going to live in Paraguay again.  It was/is a really weird thought.  And to top it off we have been having some major problems with our house so we have been assigned to another house.

I'm not super excited about the move (because if you know me you know exactly how much I HATE moving!), but even more than that it will be strange to live in a place my husband has never lived.

Life continues like it was before.... well almost.  Now we have breakfast for dinner at least once a week, and left overs at least two other nights.  Now we eat dinner at 5:30 instead of 7:15 and try to find time to Skype whenever possible so daddy doesn't miss one moment of the kids growing.

I am planning trips and vacations and trying to encourage the kids to focus on the here and now instead of counting down the 410 days until this year is over.

I'm avoiding news about Afghanistan and comforting my kids when they come home and tell me that a friend said that, "daddy is serving in a war zone."

I mutter to myself when I'm cleaning up puke or up with a sick kid in the middle of the night (Yes, I'm aware it has only been a week.  They had to wait until he as gone to get sick.  We have a very clear division of labor in our marriage, and cleaning up puke falls to his side of it; always has.)

Anyway, enough of the complaining, we are strong.  My kids are rock stars! I'm grateful I have them and I know that in years to come we will look back on this year as a year that made our family even stronger (or crazier).    Unless of course our next post sucks, then I will feel like this year was all for naught and curse the Department of State.

We all know I suck at updating the blog, and this year will be even more hectic.  But you will get tidbits here and there to let you know we are still alive.

What?!? You are staying in Paraguay?

I have decided to blog about my experience deciding to safe haven at post while my husband goes on an Unaccompanied Tour because I think many people in my life, both here in Paraguay and back home think I am crazy for making the decision to say put while my husband leaves for Afghanistan.  And when asked about it I can lay out the pro's and con's list but still few understand. My crap, I don't understand!

When we first started talking about doing an unaccompanied tour there didn't seem to be a doubt that we would move back home.  That decision became even more obvious when my sister added two babies to our family the summer after we moved here.  Why would we stay in a place so far away from home?  But when the time came for us to bid and make the decision and I really sat down and weighed our options the choice didn't seem as clear as it once had.  I can give you the shpel about financially it makes sense for us to stay here.  I can tell you that moving is my least favorite thing to do.  I can explain that moving is super hard on my kids and although being away from family is equally as hard, introducing them into a new school environment for a single year seems like cruel and unusual punishment.  I can tell you of the 12 extra months we will be living here 3 of them will probably be spent stateside. But what it came right down to was no matter how I laid it out, staying always felt like the right thing to do.  I feel like I can be a better mother to my children here where our lives will not be chaos (I hope.) I have prayed, I have visited the temple, and I have filled out every "decision maker" the state department puts out to help you decide. 

But then some issues came up with the school this year and I threw in the towel.  I decided that it was too much work living here (and it is a lot of work) and I didn't know if it was doing more harm that good.  So again (as I have several times in the last six months) sat down, looked at houses for rent in the area I want the kids to go to school back home, looked at timelines, and started working on the logistics of getting us moved back to the states.  And again I was sick to my stomach, I couldn't sleep and it felt like the world was resting on my shoulders.  I prayed and felt the overwhelming sensation that we needed to stay put. 

Some of you may not believe in the power of prayer, but I believe that not only can prayers be answered but if you listen carefully enough you will hear answers you didn't even ask for. 

I think that some family/friends believe my motives may be selfish.  All I can say is that I love living in Paraguay; but not as much as I love and miss my family.  Right now this is what I feel is best for us, and as much as it pains me to be so far away from family, friends and Cafe Rio it is where we need to be. 

If you are faced with making the decision of staying put or going home while your spouse serves on an unaccompanied tour, I do not envy you.  This has been one of the hardest decisions of my life, probably because our decision was so unexpected for all of us.  I hope our family will see fit to forgive me, maybe squish in a visit, but at the very least make the most of the time we will spend at home over the next year.

Potty Training - Post 1

I named this post Potty Training - Post 1 because I have a feeling I will have several posts to share.  I remind you I blog for my family who misses us dearly so if you have no desire to read potty stories, please don't feel obligated.

So a few weeks ago I bought Eli a new potty.  He likes it well enough.  He would carry it all over the house if I would let him.  And with the older kids I did allow it.  But that was when I was in control.  Now we have a nanny, and I can't explain to her why it is alright for him to carry it all over the house now, but when he actually starts using it, it MUST stay in the bathroom.  So for Eli, the potty stays in the bathroom. 

Anyway, we aren't really potty training as of yet.  Just letting him get used to it.  He sits on it every morning and if I'm going to be in the bathroom for an extended period of time.  But he has not really shown enough interest for me to put my heart and soul into it yet.  But this morning we NEARLY had a break through.  While he was sitting on the potty he felt the urge to pee.  So he promptly stood up and peed on the floor in front of his potty. 

Well...at least now he knows was pee-pee is. 

Turmoil in the Middle East, but Tranquility in Paraguay

So I got an email from my Dad today begging me to call my mother.  "We are concerned and your mom (and I love the wording here) is a nut case." 
I found this article and although it was not written by my mother, it very well could have been.
As I'm sure most of you know, the safety and security of our diplomats in the Middle East is cause for concern.  But please rest assured that thus far our family has been blessed with the tranquility of being surrounded by good people in a small and stable nation.  Even when there were questions several months ago by the ousting of Former President Lugo and the Embassy asked Mission personnel to stay clear of downtown and congregating crowds and protests, there was still relatively little violence throughout the country. 
So if you called my mom wondering if we are alright, thank you so much for your concern.  We are doing great!  Next time you are worried about us, feel free to give us a call.  We still have the same phone number we have had for 10 years.  -- If you have lost it, call my mom; I'm pretty sure she still has it. 
PLEASE NOTE!!!  You do not have to wait until there is tragedy in the world to call us.  We would love to hear from you anytime.  (Please just check the time zones we will soon be 4 hours ahead of mountain time.)
I would like to take this moment and thank my family who has been so supportive of our adventurous journey.  Sometimes it is easier not to say anything, to fail to acknowledge the sacrifice we have forced you to make.  I'm sorry, I know this is hard for you.  I know that it is times like these that the sacrifice seems amplified.  Others can't possibly know how you feel (well except possibly the mother that wrote that article, maybe you should facebook friend her), not even us.  I wish there was something I could say that would make the distance between us feel justified.  But there isn't, so please just know, I appreciate that you support our decision, I love that you worry, and I'm grateful that you visit. 

4th of July in Asuncion

     Sorry this post is not coming to you until 6 weeks after the 4th of July.  I can blame some of it on family fun, and getting ready for back to school; but some of it just boils down to being lazy.    

     So I think the best way to tell you about the party is just to show you how much fun we had.  This was our first 4th of July overseas as a family and I didn't know what to expect.  It was a lot of fun.  However the party for families actually occurred on June 30th.   

Friend Fun

Balloons

Food

Family Fun

Statue of Liberty

Egg Toss

Long lines for bouncy slides

Soccer (futbol)

Cheaters in the 3 legged race

Super Cute Babies

Dancing

Music

Cartoon Artists

Tug-o-war

Still got it!

Egg Toss

Prizes (we had 7 tickets and won 3 prizes!)

Uncle Sam

      



  




Best of All FAMILY!!!

 The following pictures are pictures from the actual 4th of July.  There was a more formal party at the Ambassador's residence later in the day that I do not have pictures of, but was a very nice event.  I was an interesting event as the change (ousting of the last president) of political power had just occurred (a week or so ago) here in Paraguay and the Embassy didn't know if they should expect the old administration, the new administration, some of each or none at all.  I'm going to say it was a success, although my Spanish leaves something to be desired so I could have missed something.  But I enjoyed myself and they had peanut butter cookies.  What else could a girl ask for?

Marines with the flag

Raising the flag



Star Spangled Banner

Ambassador speaking

FS BRU- Livin' in Asuncion

Well it is bidding season again and as usual excitement, anticipation, sweat, stress, excel spreadsheets the smell of burning the mid-night oil as tales mag, blogs and other Internet research is exhausted and a myriad of other things have begun to fill the air.  WHAT!?!!?  Bidding is not like that at your house???  Okay, I guess I just gave you a little in site as to what my husband has to live with every few years. 

I love that Jill has asked the FS blogging community to post the pro's and con's of living at their current post.  I would like to preface my comments by saying this is my first overseas post, so we really don't have anything to compare it to.  So my elation here (because many here as not as happy as I) might simply be because I don't know there is better out there. 

Pros

1.  Great fresh fruit and veggies most of the year.

2.  House hold help is cheap.  I know it might seem tacky to put this on my list of pro's, but I like having household help.  I like not dragging my kids to the grocery store with me.  I like that my bathroom is cleaned everyday and that I know my baby will probably not put a bug in his mouth because the floors are swept, mopped and vacuumed every day.  And honestly I like my maid, I think she is nice and she loves my kids.

3.  All in all it is pretty safe to live here.  Yes, we still have petty crimes here and there has even been reports of con artists posing as people from the embassy to steal televisions.  But there is very little violent crime (especially against Americans).  We still shouldn't walk after dark alone, or take public transportation, we should involve ourselves in political rallies or argue with drunk people about soccer.

4.  Activities.  There are many activities to participate in for a reasonable cost provided you can find the time.  Horseback riding, MMA, tennis, swimming (still looking for a team), golf, cooking, art, dance, music, singing and I'm sure many more. 

5.  Super awesome supportive community.  I don't know if it is because we are a small embassy, or because there are just really cool people here right now, or if it is just because I'm awesome so everyone wants to be my friend, but I love the people here.

6.  Can I add a 6???  The embassy works M-Th 7:30-5:30 & F 7:30-11:30  This is super awesome for everyone except DEA, military, and DS.  Those people generally end up working late anyway.  But for the rest of you out there it is great! 


Cons

1.  Getting home is not as easy or cheap as the rest of South America (although it should be getting better we will have a direct flight from here to Miami starting 3 times a week in November---provided you want to go to Miami).  It takes me about 24-27 hours to get to Utah. 

2.  Paraguay is NOT an exotic travel destination, and travel around South America is not super cheap.  There are some cheap flights to Buenos Aires, or Santiago ($200 RT.)  But as a whole it is like flying at home, watch for the deal and hope for the best.

3.  No one is singing the praises of the schools here.  Don't get me wrong we feel like our kids are getting an alright education, but it is what they would be getting from an average public school in the states.  I was hoping for more intimate classrooms, and more challenging course work.  (Also the school is 75% Paraguayan students and only 15-20% US --- I might put this in my pro's too, but many people have put it in their cons as far as learning for their child goes.)  I think it increases time in which your kids learn Spanish but slows other subjects down, especially in the lower grades.  However, there is an hour a week of "Guarani" that many people hire private tutors to go to the school to help make up for that difference. 

4.  Traffic, I hesitate to list this as a con; not because traffic doesn't suck as bad as it does in other places.  And really it might not even be the traffic but the totally insane way the traffic flow was laid out with all the one-way streets and lack of a left hand turns.  None-the-less it is something that drives me crazy here, but it is nothing compared to most other posts.

5.  There is no doctor on post.  There are several doctors and a couple of decent hospitals in the area.  However, we happen to be a mosquito magnets.  We had only been here about 3 weeks and my one year old got Hemorrhagic Dengue Fever, which a local doctor (with US credentials) diagnosed as a respiratory infection.  (We have not been back to see him!)  At the beginning of this year my 12 year old got the very typical strain of Dengue Fever.  So having a doctor at the embassy would be nice, but after a year here we have figured out the in's and out's of health care here. 


Hope this was helpful.  Happy hunting!  And my the odds be ever in your favor. 

Baking Bread with the Young Women

Since moving here we have been blessed with a wonderful ward.  A few months (okay 6) I was called to serve in the Young Women.  I was surprised because we really only had 2 active young women.  But I was happy to serve and work with the girls. 
Over the last few months we have had Emma turn 12 and a new Mission President who has a YW, but we have that still leaves our count at 4. 
This last Wednesday for our activity we told the girls we were going to bake bread as a service to the ward.  The plan was to have each girl make their own dough and I would make a loaf.  We would donate my loaf to the church and it would be used on Sunday for sacrament.  Well by the time we got started on Wednesday we had 9, yes count them NINE girls show up.  We had 3 less active girls and 2 visitors come to make bread with us. 
Needless to say I was scraping together enough bowls and spoons for each to make their own loaf of bread.  I did not get mine made.  But it is all good.  I made mine today, Saturday, so it will be fresh for tomorrow mornings service.  Now it we can just get all 9 of those girls to church on Sunday.

Paraguay Party

So if you attend the American School of Asuncion you will be invited to 40 birthday parties a year.  Upon arriving here (after our 3rd party) I decided to create a rule about this.  You must PLAY with this friend at recess in order to attend the party.  This has cut our party's down to just a few each year.

So Emma was invited to a birthday party on Friday.  She is good friends with the little Paraguayan girl that was hosting the party so we added it to our calendar.  Lucky for me this friend only lives 6 or 7 blocks straight down the road.  I had a vague idea of where I was headed.  As we were driving down the street we could hear a ton of girls screaming in a back yard.  "That has to be it!"  So we pull over and start looking.  The numbers on the house didn't seem to match up but it was a corner house I I thought the numbers must match up with the other street (they do weird things here, who am I to second guess their logic.) 

So the guard waves us over to the door to the backyard.  While we are waiting Emma says to me very quietly, "I hope I'm not over dressed."  She was wearing her cute black skinny pants with the sequin belt and a beautiful shirt with some sparkles on it.  I tried to reassure her as we entered the back yard.  We can see the girls are jumping on the trampoline in the the far corner of the yard.  But it was dark and the yard was very large so we couldn't see them very well.  I walk her to about the middle of the yard and realized none of the little girls were yelling "Emma you came!" as I had expected (because we were about 40 minutes late.)  Then as we got closer I realized all the girls (now I can see they are about 16) are in their bra's and panties, while jumping on the tramp.

I looked at Emma, she looked at me, I quickly said, "This looks like a swim party.  I don't recall that being on the invitation."  So we headed back to the guard.  He looked at the invitation and then assured us that we were at the wrong birthday party. 

We were one block off but easily found the party on the next street, where there was a totally different atmosphere.  They had hired a DJ and brought in a huge plasma screen TV, with a disco ball, fog machine, 2 waiters serving drinks (that I truly hope did not have any alcohol in them), a dance floor, karaoke machine, bar style seating all over the patio and confetti.  Most of the kids were dressed up and if asked I might even say Emma was a bit under dressed, although it didn't matter because there were so many kids there she quickly got lost in the crowd. 

The invitation stated that the party ended at 10:30 but as I headed out the door the girl's mother told me not to come pick her up before 11 or 12 because she didn't quite know when the party would end.
 
I arrived shortly after 11, there were fewer kids there but the party was still going strong.  Emma however was ready to head home. 

I guess the moral of the story is, Paraguay birthday party's are like a box of chocolates.....

Is it Just Me, or Am I CRAZY?!?

So Emma's teacher sent an email last week asking for "bite sized" treats to sell at lunch to help support the school.  Now I think this kind of stuff is a waste of time, but Emma has gotten a ton of pressure from her friends about participating in this stuff so I obliged.  I bought cute little star cup cake tins and broke out a box of brownie mix and got to work.  She was asked to bring 12 but I sent her with 18.  They were sold for 1mil each.  ONE MIL!  This is the equivalent of 22 cents.  Totalling a whopping 3.88 (because she ate one) that was raised for the school that day.  Now I'm pretty sure that box of brownies cost me about $3, and once I put in the cost for powdered sugar, plates and baggies to sell I think they may have taken a loss.  I asked next time can't I just send $5 and not have to make anything?  Nope, if we do that I'm not considered a team player.  ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!? 

Happy Birthday Emma!

So Emma's birthday started out different than most years.  Shawn and Isaac had a scout camp out at a neighbors house.  So they boys took off on Friday night and left the house to the girls. 

We watched Switched at Birth and ate ice cream before heading to bed.  (Where Emma slept in Daddy's spot.) 

On Saturday morning I went to pick the boys us and we started the morning off with Frenchies (of course). Then Emma had FAME practice for 4 whole hours. While she was gone we decorated the house, started on dinner and a cake and the boys planned a scavenger hunt for her to find her presents.  

The present hunt begins.

Clue #1

The clues lead her all over the house, the linen closet, the kitchen cupboards, the quincho, here she was directed to watch 20 seconds of The Emperor's New Groove.    

 Isaac was especially proud of this clue.  It was his idea to put it floating in the bowl in the pool.  I think he was secretly hoping she would jump in to get it.

 Finally we were lead to the TV room where.... Sweetie Pie and Papa joined us via Skype.  Emma found her presents behind (and under) the couch and sat down to open them.

 This year I was really shooting for the Mother of the Year award.  I mean my mother has had it for so long I felt like it was time she shared it with me.  So in my attempt to win the award (and to make up for our lack of paragliding last year) we bought Emma a Galaxy tablet.  Now in all fairness we were going to buy her a Kindle but decided that she is going to need something for school next year anyway and this just seemed to make a little more sense.  She is so excited!  She has already customized it, and is working on downloading a ton of apps.  We did have to warn her if we found any of the parental controls uninstalled she would lose any and all access to the tablet.  But for now my little girl is growing up. 

 I love this picture, because this is how Eli is with all technology.  "I wanna touch, I wanna touch." Who knows we might be buying one of these for him in the next few years. 

 Last but not least, Emma had 2 requests for her birthday cake.  She wanted to decorate it and she wanted it to be a money cake.  As much as I loved money cakes when I was a kid, and even for the first few years I had kids I really don't love them now.  It takes forever to wrap the money to the point that I know none of it will touch food that might be eaten.  Then when I go to throw the cake out (which I almost always do) I have to go back through and dig for the left over money and wash it off.  So this year I just wrapped 2 bills in plastic wrap and put it on the top of the cake.  When we cut the cake I gave each of the kids one of the bills and told them to enjoy the cake.  I think I took all the fun out of it.  I guess I'll go back to wrapping coins next year.

It is NOT Negro Viernes, but Black Friday

So someone somewhere in Paraguay got the idea that Black Friday was a killer idea and they should have one here.  I seriously doubt that they understood the reason we have Black Friday in the States or why it is even called Black Friday; but none the less $$$ were in their eyes and thus Black Friday in Paraguay was born.   

The idea was conceived a while ago and they tried it out in Ciudad del Este about 6 or 8 weeks ago.  It went so well how could they not do it here in Asuncion?  So for a few weeks every store was advertising Black Friday.  Please note here that because it is a totally American "day" it was called Black Friday in English, not Negro Viernes.  Anyway, the only thing I knew about this whole event is that I wanted nothing to do with it.  I didn't car how much money I could save being out in these crowds was just not worth it.

That evening the traffic was horrific.  We later learned that there was an influx of over 600,000 people into the city that day.  There are only 2 million that live here, and only 6 million in the entire country.  It was NUTS trying to get around. 

I'm sure stores did well enough we will have another Black Friday next year, if not before.

** The following picture was taken from a local news paper. I did NOT enter a mall that day.

Post Machu Picchu

On our first stop through Lima Shawn and I at a Dunkin' Donuts.  It was soooooo yummy.  Yes they have donuts in Paraguay; but they taste like crap and we don't eat them.  So before we boarded our plane for Asuncion we stopped and bought a dozen for the family.  They cost $14 but it was worth every penny to see these faces. 

Please note, before Eli took a bite he answered his like a telephone.

"Hello?"