Lookie here... The Foreign Service Companion is out.

You can buy it on Amazon.  Just check out the table of contents and see all the wonderful articles to help you make the decision to join our crazy lives.

Looking Back

So I've been going through the blog looking for some specifics I need, which means I'm also spending a lot of time reading old entries that have nothing to do with my search.  Like the one from 28 August 2004 where I posted:

Bubblefly: A flying insect with often colorful wings.
Catterputer: Those little crawly bugs that turn into bubbleflies.
Munty: aka Something.

These were a few shared words between the boys, when Nicholas was 4 1/2 and speaking at about 3 1/2, and Jonathon was 3 years old.

Of the three, two are still in use in our house, though Bubblefly has since mutated to Bubblebye.  Catterputer remains the same.  Munty has sadly disappeared.

Fast Flowing Water

There are books and websites out there about the interpretation of dreams and parts of dreams.  Ones involving lost teeth, being chased by wolves, losing a loved one, falling, flying.  It's all figured out and documented.

I've never read one.

I, like everyone else, have some dreams I remember but most I don't.  The ones I tend to remember are those that wake me in the middle of the night and then cause restless, dozey sleep the last few hours of early morning.  There are those that repeat over time, sometimes not for years, but quickly recalled that yes, I'd dreamed it before.  Some result in deja vu later on.

Dreams are a weird beast.

The first time I truly remember these particular dreams was in Togo: a cave with fast flowing water careening past while the kids and I were in a little cove with water swirling, just waiting for a misstep to pull one of us away and disappear into the flowing depths.  I had that dream regularly for months.  The same dark cave, the same swirling pool, the same flashing river, the same loss of Jonathon over and over again.  I tried to grab him as he tumbled into the pool and then disappeared down the river.

It was not a pleasant time, but it didn't take long to connect it to my unhappiness and frustration at living in Togo.

There were similar dreams in India.  And then again in Virginia.  These times generally preceded our moves.  As we prepared for international transitions and worried about this or that... moving the kids... what to do with the car... getting forms and documents and signatures...

Yes, the dreams resulted from stress and they always involve fast flowing water and usually involve trying to keep family members safe.

So today I'm trying to figure out what my brain is really gnawing on.

Last night's... this morning's... dream took place in the dark.  A raging river.  Houses submerged.  A search for someplace safe.  It was a little different than the norm, my kids weren't there, but some kids were. I don't know who they were, it was a class of some sort.  And my parents.  My parents were there.  My parents, this pack of kids, and I were rushing to get somewhere, and the river raged on.

The dreams aren't involved, but what they are is unsettling.  This time I didn't lose anyone, but I wonder why I had it at all.

What am I worried about?

What does my brain know that I don't?

Chocolate Treat

What does any smart man bring home after a week away?

 What shape does a special chocolate treat come in?

A cockroach.  Of course.

A perfectly crushed cockroach. As all cockroaches should be.

A perfectly crushed cockroach with chocolates stuffed inside.  Amazing chocolates.

Amazing chocolates I didn't have to share (but did).

And a perfect treat during a morning game of chess with Jonathon.

Other updates

So either my fever, which hit 102 overnight, finally burned itself out, or the Excedrin I took at 3 a.m. is just making me feel 100 times better for a little while.  Either way, so glad to not have the fever/chills right now.  The coughing, sneezing, congestion, and blocked ears are all just annoying.

In my haste to get up a blog post yesterday I neglected a few important details.

1) Nicholas struck out twice at yesterday's game... and hit a double.  It. Was. Awesome.  I still don't care one bit about baseball, except when something like that happens and I see my kid just light up.  Add to that he was switched to first base (from left field) due to the first baseman out sick, and he got two runners out.  This whole baseball thing is teaching my kid that good sportsmanship exists (after basketball and football in Virginia I don't think he believed it was true, here the other kids on his team are all helpful and supportive, high fives go around even for a strikeout), but it's also teaching him that speaking up can yield results.  When the first baseman didn't show to practice, he asked the coach who would fill the spot, then volunteered himself.  He tried the same thing when he did football a couple years ago and was so readily dismissed he gave up.  This coach listens and encourages.  Nicholas was moved to center field near the end of the game to give another kid a chance at first base and that's just the way it goes.  Good stuff.

2) Jonathon had a private riding lesson.  Rebecca had alternate plans and the other kids from his class didn't show (which is a good thing since one of them clearly is terrified of being on a horse which means the instructor spends a good deal of time cajoling her into doing anything while everyone else just walks in circles).  So with plenty of space and the full attention of the instructor, Jonathon was cantering on purpose around the ring.  He's done it a couple times before when the horses freak out about something, but to do it on purpose is a nice change of pace.  Hah.  Punny.

There's Too Much to Catch Up On

So here's everything from the past week in one post, from this side of the Mediterranean.  Ian was in Germany this week for a conference and I'm assuming there will be some photos shared on FB.

Nicholas had his birthday last Saturday.  He's officially our 3rd teen in the house.

We took him to Magic Planet.

He opened gifts.

And loved the popcorn bucket from gma and gpa.

A cookie cake for school, a baseball cake for home.

I started work on Sunday as a CLO at the Embassy.  The person I'm replacing is still there for a few weeks which is awesome.  Sorry, no photos.  There was a Local Staff Breakfast on Thursday morning, the Easter Egg Hunt on Friday morning, on top of all the regular stuff like housing visits and meetings, Mgt meetings, a Cyber Security Awareness seminar, etc etc etc.  I signed up for part-time.... I'm not feeling very part-time at the moment.

I received the box from my FS exchange partner.  I sent her a box of items from Jordan, she sent me a box of items from Thailand.  When she asked if there was anything in particular I'd like I asked for a frog.  Not only did she send a frog, she sent a friend for the frog, which is totally awesome.

Wooden pig!

Nicholas got braces.  He chose dark blue and now gets to eat a lot of pudding, jello-o, and ice cream.

Wednesday afternoon were parent/teacher conferences for the high school girls, and student-led conferences for the middle school boys. Student-led conference entailed the boys creating presentations on their laptops for showcasing highlights from each of their classes and talking about them.  Sorry, no pictures. Rebecca's teachers all raved about her.  Katherine is still struggling some.  The boys have been challenged this year, which is great since they'll be better prepare for starting high school with its increased demands.

And Jonathon and I participated in the Embassy Peep-o-rama contest at Easter Brunch.

The Peep-C-S.

The traveler with his pet.

The x-ray guy.

The luggage scanner guy.

Waiting for arrivals... mail bag... lost luggage.

Dead Sea poster.

With the arrival board.

Outside the airport.

Lost luggage office.

Overview.

Second place ribbon.. out of 2 adult entries ;)

The winner!

Marines at Post One.

 And now I have a nearly 100F fever, feel lousy, and will go to bed.  It was a crazy long and busy week. The kids and cats don't quite know what's hit them.

Travel Tip: Amman-Petra-Dead Sea-Amman is too much for one day.

A friend of ours from our time in Chennai came for a visit.  She's currently serving in a UT and takes breaks as often as she is allowed, and I don't blame her.  Places to be outside, walk around, Jordan has them.  The one thing she said she really wanted to do was Petra, and for good measure we encouraged her to stay overnight at the Dead Sea as well.  Two birds and all that.  What I don't suggest is trying to do it all in one day.

I do encourage a visit to Petra in the winter/spring, during a week day, before noon and after 3 p.m.  There were times we were the only people visible and audible in the Siq.

It's fabulous for more than absorbing the vastness of the Siq and Petra in general, because without people shuffling along in front of and behind you, pushing you along to take a quick snap here and there trying to get an angle without folks traipsing through... you see some very cool stuff.

And every time you go, the sun is a little brighter or perhaps hazed over, the time of day is an hour off from your last visit, the sky is a little bluer or a little yellower, the rays cast new shadow angles.  You walk down the trail in the middle this time, or maybe the side.  Any way and time you go, it's a place that can be visited and revisited time and again without boredom.

And Petra has really cute, friendly cats.  This little girl was very thirsty so we shared a drink during our break in front of the Treasury.

Further into the Nabatean city (fewer tombs, more paved road and excavated buildings), take the stairs on the left up to the Brown University excavation of a temple.  Next time perhaps we'll take the path on the right up to the Byzantine church, but this was the temple's turn.  A little lady was very persistent in wanting to sell her trinkets and ancient coins.  A little too persistent as she followed us around a bit, then after retreating back to her mat spent more time just yelling her requests to come see her items.  Kelly explored a little further in the temple while I took the time to sit and soak in the sights, and rest my weary feet.

I wore the wrong shoes and my feet did not let me forget it for a moment.  Multiple trips and near ankle twists and for several hours I simply gritted my teeth and pushed on.  It's not like there's a Timberland outlet cave stall.

The challenge of Petra, for those who dare, is the Monastery.  Before our first visit we assumed that Petra was the Treasury (no, we didn't really read up, however we were not alone in that mistake). Yes, the Siq is gorgeous and the Treasury is a work of art.  But there's so much more beyond.  It takes a couple hours of slow and steady walking to reach as far as the restaurant at the "end."  There's no fast walking, not with the uneven ground, the stones, the sand, the old road... a slow and steady plod gets you there, with stops for photos of course.  But at the "end" you have the decision whether to continue on to the Monastery or to turn around for the 2+ hours back.  Remember all that sand on the way down is still there for the way back.  And the entire return trip, all several kilometers, is uphill.  It's tiring.

But, well, you can keep going anyway, knowing you'll add a significant chunk of time to your visit with another kilometer or two and roughly 800 steps upward.  The Monastery is worth it, just take your time.  There was no crowd to fight against, so we didn't worry about taking 5 steps and taking a break, then another 4 and taking a break.  Do watch out for the donkeys. As sure footed as they are, the most you can hope for is not careening off the side into a canyon.  They still slip and jostle and miss steps as they bound up and down the hillside. Some portions have average steps, other portions are so worn that it's more slide-like than stair-like and takes full attention both up and down.

Go ahead and tell me it's not awesomely impressive.  It's cut in one piece from a single rock face.  We made it, and sank into a couch at the Monastery cafe.  Kelly was so kind and bought both of us a drink and a sandwich.  Considering we left Amman with coffee and tea in hand at 8:45 a.m., stopped for a few minutes in front of the Treasury for a water/oranges/crackers snack, and reached the Monastery at 3:30 p.m., we were due for some sustenance and rest.

We took a couple of silly photos to prove
we were both there.

The climb and descent offer amazing views.  The grandeur is there.  Not the Grand Canyon sort of grandeur, I haven't seen anything yet that matches the Grand Canyon, but the beauty of Wadi Mousa in general and Petra in particular is inarguable. The skies are often a shocking blue, the rocks vary from deep red to gold and white, and even streaks of blue can be found.  There's no doubting that when you look at these hills and valleys you see history far deeper than carvings and etchings.  With upheavals from earthquakes and weathering from wind and water, sliding a hand along the gentle curves of the Siq connect you directly to history a million years old.  A rock casually kicked aside (or tripped over in my case) has strata formed by millions of tons of pressure.  A little rubbing with a touch of oil (happened to have some sunscreen on my hands) and the rock practically glows.

Man made is awesome.  Nature made is spectacular.  I honestly am looking forward to going back and seeing what else we can "discover."

But next time with the proper shoes.