Happy 4th!

Happy Independence Day to those of you that celebrate it! I’m spending the day with my two favorite pets - Peema and Laika. I briefly considered dressing them up in some red, white & blue concoction and snapping an adorable photo for the blog, but decided that was too much work and one or all of us would end up wounded. I have enough scars from the puppy as it is (she likes to bite and scratch everything…especially things that move).

Those of you familiar with the Foreign Service know that the Fourth of July is the biggest representational event of the year at embassies abroad. Hence, Shawn is putting in a 12-hour workday today. Right about now, all the employees of the Embassy are getting ready to welcome Ukrainian officials and other Important People at a reception at the Ambassador’s residence. I could have gone, but spending 2 hours schmoozing with people who don’t really care to talk to me isn’t really my idea of a good time. And it’s not like I was going to be allowed to speak to the President or Prime Minister of Ukraine, so what’s the point?

Oh, and I have a big favor to ask of someone in the US: Could you please go to your local Dairy Queen and have an ice cream cone on my behalf? I’ve been craving one big-time today. It doesn’t get any more Midwest Americana than a Dairy Queen cone on the 4th, right?