Shawn was talking with one of the guards today about Laika. This particular guard seems a little less scared of her than most, and therefore actually willing to talk to us. (The guards that are really scared of her just scowl. It’s like being back in Kyiv.) So this guard was able to shed a little light on the subject for us.
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First of all, you may not have noticed on the last post, but I was included in last week’s roundup of Foreign Service blogs! I just discovered that this website existed a couple weeks ago, and I was amazed to see just how many FS blogs are out there these days. When Shawn and I started (has it really been almost 4 years ago now?), there were a few other blogs in existence, but nothing like there is now. And it must be an overwhelming job compiling these round-ups each week, but it’s been a great way for me to check out some new blogs.
After coming home from what is usually a crazy morning at work each day, here’s what I have to look forward to:
Every year or so, it seems that suddenly almost every married friend I have around my age is pregnant. Right now is one of those times: I know 7 pregnant women and 2 women that have had babies in the past two months. Luckily, I love making gifts for babies. And while I can’t make gifts for everyone, obviously, I do try to make gifts for close friends.
There have been moments over the past three days during which Laika and Peema have appeared to actually get along. Laika nuzzles Peema’s belly, while Peema purrs and kneads her claws into Laika’s face. (Yes, this is Laika’s idea of a good time.) I just heard some soft meowing and purring coming from the next room and walked over to find this:
We had our first big get-together at our Nassau house yesterday. The guest list got a little out of hand, so I was actually glad that only about two-thirds of the group showed up. And Shawn was glad that meant about half of his favorite cookies were left over. One of the highlights of the event was when someone said, “Hey, look what your dog’s doing!” Those are not words I’m ever happy to hear.
Today we took Laika to the beach for the first time to formally introduce her to the Atlantic Ocean. She was pretty unsure at first, planting herself on the beach, then looking distressed as the waves washed around her and caused her to sink into the sand. But after about 20 minutes of wandering on the rocky part of the beach, she decided the water was pretty fun to splash around in.
As I may have mentioned, we have spent the summer living (in the tiny house) in the Foggy Bottom neighborhood of Washington. The neighborhood is also sometimes known as The George Washington University neighborhood. Even though there seemed to be a substantial number of students around for summer school, it wasn’t that big of a deal. The campus is urban, but nice to walk the dog around, so that was cool.
We’re back in Washington, DC for the summer. We arrived Sunday afternoon and Shawn started training on Monday, while I began the process of getting the house in order and exploring the neighborhood. We’re in a great location - Foggy Bottom - with plenty of green space, restaurants, and a quick commute for Shawn. Our apartment is an old row house and is the perfect size for a single person without any pets. We, on the other hand, are two people with a large dog. We knew it was going to be small, but when we got all our stuff in the house and it filled the entire first floor (of two) of the place, I almost started crying. But now I’ve got the mess under control, and although I’m constantly tripping over Laika, I think it will be fine for a few months.
Our first 2 1/2 weeks back in the US have basically been a blur. We’ve done a lot of driving - our families live about 2 hours apart, in the same state, but different time zones (thank you, Indiana!). And we’ve done some serious work on stimulating the economy - purchasing a new car, a fancy camera, and a laptop.
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