I forgot to mention...

...that Jimmy comes homes tomorrow for a 2-week "spring break". We are excited at our house!!

clarification on Jimmy's encounter with Madame Secretary

Okay, Jimmy was upset that I said he said she looked "tired". I told him that wasn't insulting at all. People say I look tired all the time and that's without my jetting all the way around the world to a war zone where I'm trying to restore peace and harmony. Goodness, if I had her job, they'd probably say I looked dead.

So just to clarify... Secretary of State Clinton didn't look tired in a pathetic, stay-at-home mother whose biggest decision is what to cook for dinner kind of way. She looked tired in an official Secretary of State who's trying to save the world sort of way. Not a harried housewife who stayed up too late watching Brothers & Sisters sort of way, but a I haven't gotten a good night's sleep in my own bed in a long time because I go to a full day of meetings every day in a different time zone kind of way.

Does that sound better?

Here's a photo of a brilliant and gorgeous and really refreshed Secretary of State with Jimmy and other people. Jimmy's got the big beard on the left side as you look at the photo.

fairly monumental day for Familia Story

JIMMY.... briefed Secretary of State Hillary Clinton today on her trip to Afghanistan. He sat just across the table from her. He was close enough to touch her if he'd so dared. (He didn't so dare.) I, of course, asked all the questions you want to know, like...

did you get your photo taken with her (not that kind of meeting)

what was she wearing (a pantsuit)

I guessed, but what color (does it matter?)

how did she look (tired)

did she know you were a State Department employee (yes)

And for you Moncks Corner people reading this, he used Moncks Corner, SC in his briefing. She thought that was interesting enough to repeat the town name and write it down (along with a chuckle).


MAC.... got an invitation to his headmaster's house for lunch in two weeks for being a top Sally Foster seller. (They apparently didn't know that his mother is actually a top Sally Foster seller). Mac is thrilled because he LOVES this guy. I'm not sure how much interaction a first grader actually has with the headmaster, but he's made a huge impression.


SUSAN .... had lunch with her best friend Caroline AND found out she's one of a few lucky parents who get to go on the first grade field trip in a couple weeks to Middleton Gardens. She gets to be a bus chaperone and is already wondering how many minutes it takes to drive from Pinewood to Middleton.

CAN IT POSSIBLY GET ANY BETTER THAN ALL THIS?

can I tell you something I really hate?

I know "hate" is a strong word, but I hate when I call to do something as simple as change the address on my son's college investment plan and I'm told that I can't do that because I'm the account holder's successor and not the account holder. (WHAT?) I hate that when I call our health insurance company to change the address, I'm told I can't because I'm not the policy holder. I hate when I call to cancel our ADT service on our sold Baltimore house and I'm told I can't because I'm not the primary account person listed.

HELLO???

Don't they know who does all the bookkeeping/accounting garbage/tax stuff for all this nonsense? (Answer would NOT be the account holder but rather his successor.) Do they think that the policy holder even knows whether the health insurance claims are coming to our house or that they're being sent to the consulate in Sao Paulo which then forwards them to me here in SC? Do they think he even cares? I can assure them the answer is a resounding NO for the last 2 questions. And do they think I'm really going to ask him to call up Blue Cross Blue Shield from a war zone so his wife can get her dental insurance claims in a more timely manner? You can guess what you think the answer is.

[Note to self: everything that we ever do ever again, any new account, any new service, etc is going to be placed in both of our names if not mine alone.]

This makes me CRAZY.

Knock, Knock...

Imagine my surprise a few minutes ago when I heard the doorbell ring and looked out the window to see the big brown UPS truck out there. I love getting mail and getting packages that come on a special delivery truck are even better. But I didn't order anything so whatever could it be?

I opened the door to find this:

How fun is that!! I've never gotten flowers delivered by UPS and that seemed totally cool. Until I realized that it's about 98 degrees outside and the box felt like it was about 95 degrees to the touch.

But never mind. Somebody sent me flowers. Yea! So I opened the box and found a little note that the flowers had been lovingly packed by Gabrielle. Gabrielle told me to remove the outer "sturdy" petals that were left on to protect the flowers in transit, to cut an inch off the stems, and that the flowers would perk themselves after 8 hours in the vase full of water and that solution they always throw in.

I don't think I got all the "sturdy" petals off but here are the flowers (and the cool vase they came in). Keep in mind we're only 30 minutes into that crucial 8 hours!

At this point, I hadn't seen a note yet, but I figured they must be from my secret admirer Jimmy because I was really upset when we skyped the other day and he felt bad. And then I found the note:


Can you believe that in the middle of some outpost in Afghanistan while he's away from his home base on some mission he found the time to order me these beautiful flowers because I was having a bad day? What a guy. I am a lucky girl indeed and I'm going to enjoy these roses until I've lost all the sturdy petals and the not-so-sturdy petals.

day two on the new job

Well my mood has improved dramatically after I hit the pits the other day. The pity party for one is officially over (for the moment). There's no time for a party because there's too much reading to do to get up to speed for the new J-O-B. The good news is that I can work from home a lot and that makes me feel closer to Mac, especially since school is a mile from us in case something happens at school.

Speaking of school, we went to the Back to School Bash at school last night and met some of Mac's classmates and their families. Mac had already met one new friend in his class when he and big cousin (and babysitter until school starts) Arden went to McDonald's for lunch yesterday. The children determined that not only would they be at Pinewood together, but that they'd also be in the very same class together AND that the new friend's dad just spent 18 months in Afghanistan with the military. I met the mom last night and she was a welcomed breath of fresh air and encouragement and understanding and venting. All what I needed when I needed it.

And speaking of Afghanistan, Jimmy's fine. He got his first haircut on the military base and apparently those military barbers think that one size fits all. Oh my, it's short on the sides. But he's still handsome as all get-out and he looks so cute in his khaki, khaki and more khaki!

Jimmy has arrived in Kabul

After a bumpy flight from Charleston to Atlanta, a LLLOOONNNNGGG but comfortable in business class flight from Atlanta to Dubai, an overnight in a hotel in Dubai, and a hop from Dubai on a plane piloted by a Spaniard, Jimmy has arrived in Kabul. He just Skyped from his hooch and let me tell you, deluxe accommodations the hooch is not! It comes equipped with metal bunk beds (which he's sharing with another guy who also just flew in), a bathroom, a tv and dvd, and that's about it. He panned the laptop around so I could see it, but honestly, if he'd been sitting at a different angle, I probably could have seen the whole thing from his webcam. Our rental house is not large by any stretch of the imagination, and he said the entire hooch could fit in our master bedroom.

He's off to the cafeteria or mess hall or whatever they call it to eat dinner. Tomorrow night is "Surf and Turf Night" which apparently is a big draw, but he wasn't sure what tonight's feature was. It almost sounds like he's on vacation.

I can't report a lot of Jimmy's goings-on on the blog, but he did tell me I could tell you about the hooch. I will report as I can, but he's on Facebook and also has his Yahoo account so please keep in touch with him. He would love to hear what you're up to!

As for Mac and me, we continue to get settled in. Yesterday we met with the school nurse to discuss Mac's "allergy plan". Boy, was it all official. They really take allergies seriously. That spurred me on to make his appointment for the pecan open food challenge which will occur next Tuesday. He believes that the future of his beloved Nintendo DSi is in jeopardy if doesn't eat the pecans so hopefully there will be no outbursts at the allergist's office worthy of Best Dramatic Performance Oscar awards.

I thought my new job was supposed to start on Monday but the start date has been pushed back to August 17, which is great as that gives me more time with Mac before he starts school on the 20th. And it also gives me time to get our sea shipment unpacked. We got news yesterday that the shipment had arrived in Miami and had cleared customs. The warehouse lady called and asked for James. When I told her that James was out of the country already, she said she had to get his authorization to release the shipment to me. WHAT? Doesn't she know I have his power of attorney that allows me to do anything and everything I want to do???? And surely that includes receiving MY household effects?!??! Fortunately she reached Jimmy in Dubai and he emailed his authorization.

Yesterday afternoon, Mac and I went to see the movie "G Force" with my niece and nephew. When we came out of the theater, it was pouring down rain and we had to make a run for the car. I was carrying Jackson and told Mac and Hayley to hold hands together and to hold my hand as we ran. They decided we should be the G Force characters and that we'd never leave a man behind. Hayley got to be Juarez (the only girl guinea pig), Mac was Blaster (the cool, hip guinea pig), Jackson was Darwin (the smartest one) and I got to be Hurley, who was the fat pet store hamster with the big hair. Clearly they don't recognize my power anymore than the warehouse lady....