Friday, August 19th, 2011: Can be found at Ogles and Observations
Friday, August 12th, 2011: Cindy at Enclos*re. Theme: gardens created, love, and left in the Foreign Service. Also, if you know someone in the Foreign Service who doesn't have a blog, but has an expat garden that they would like to share, please ask them to send an email and a few photos (600KB or less each) to: cgoodson51(at sign)gmail.com
Friday, August 5th, 2011: Brooke at The World That We Live In. Theme: "Favorite Places" - places you have discovered on your travels that you have loved or that have kept you sane in some way or another. At home or abroad - what have been some of your place related joys?
Friday, July 29th, 2011: Heather at The Wandering Drays. Optional Theme: Packout: The good (haha, right!), the bad (more likely) and the super ugly (most likeliest). I want your stories. The best of times, the worst of times, the horror of pack-out. Archives welcome as well!
Friday, July 22nd, 2011: Sadie at Sadie Abroad. Theme: Collections and the Foreign Service. What do you collect, want to collect, wish you didn't collect, etc.
Friday, July 15th, 2011: Sara at Wife-Mommy-Woman. Theme: Kitchens
Friday, July 8th, 2011: Brooke at The World That We Live In. Theme: So Many Hats!
Friday, July 1st, 2011: Nomads by Nature - Optional Theme: Red, White & Blue
Friday, June 24th, 2011: Heather at The Wandering Drays - Theme: Vacations/Home Leave. Nice and broad/vague/open, eh? It's summer and that means it's also travel season! I know lots of FS folks are traveling or in the process of planning a vacation or home leave. Where are you going this summer? Where have you been in the past? Any suggestions on planning a great vacation? It's a broad theme. Take it and run with it, should you choose to accept this assignment.
Friday, June 17th, 2011: A at Crafty Foreign Service. Theme: Where are your Manners?! Tips and tricks to be polite in the FS. Or other interesting stuff....
Friday, June 10th, 2011: Becky at Small Bits. Theme: Taming the paperwork insanity...
Friday, May 27th, 2011: Sadie at Sadie Abroad. Theme: In honor of Memorial Day weekend, the optional talking point will be favorite summer traditions and/or what signals the beginning of summer for you.
Friday, May 20th, 2011: Jan at Ogles and Observations. Theme: The Foreign Service and your car...what is your story? It seems like it is a big decision point for many and then....you arrive at post....did you make the right decision?
Friday, May 6th, 2011: hannah at the slow move east - totally optional theme: holidays overseas. it's spring, so that means everyone has an excuse to write about their local ceremony of rebirth/fertility/excuse to drink, right?
Friday, April 29th, 2011: Sarah at Verdant Voyages - Theme - Since it will also coincide with the Royal Wedding and all, she is taking everything about Royalty as her theme. Topics can include brushes with royalty, who in your family behaves as though they are royalty, or whatever else vaguely relates.
Friday, April 15th, 2011: Becky at Small Bits - Theme - Your favorite blog posts of the week
Friday, April 8th, 2011: Daniela at Tuk & Tam - Theme will be The Best Of at your post
Friday, April 1st, 2011: Stephanie at Where in the World Am I? Theme: overseas/international bathrooms
Friday, March 25th, 2011: Connie at Whale Ears and Other Wonderings. OPTIONAL theme: Crafting... though she is happy for all manner of submissions!
Friday, March 18th, 2011: hannah of the blog "the slow move east." And there is no theme! This is because hannah is a free spirit! All are welcome!
Friday, March 11th, 2011: By Shannon at Cyberbones - The theme was housing.
Friday, February 25th, 2011: At Cyberbones - news around the blogosphere, including pay cut opinions.
Friday, February 11th, 2011: At the blog Ogles and Observations. Topic: "Household Help - anyone with good advice? Stories? Tips?"
Friday, February 4th, 2011: At the blog Wife-Mommy-Woman.
Friday, January 28th, 2011: At the blog Ogles and Observations. Topic: Children and languages in the Foreign Service. What has your experience been for your children (or someone else's) in picking up the local language?
Friday, January 21st, 2011: Spectrummy Mummy's Blog. Topic: "Being Different: What makes you different than the other FS Officers or EFMs out there?"
Friday, January 14th, 2010: Becky at the blog Small Bits. Topic: "New Stuff," such as new posts, new languages, new family members, new attitudes, and new blogs!
Friday, January 7th, 2010: Linsey at the blog Rambles and Ruminations. Resolutions, goals, dreams, and plans for 2011.
Friday, December 31st, 2010: Sadie at the blog Sadie Abroad. Reflecting on 2010 and looking forward to 2011...
Friday, December 24th, 2010: Becky at the blog Small Bits. Photo RoundUp
Friday, December 17th, 2010: Nomads By Nature. Theme: Joyous Celebrations.
Friday, December 10th, 2010: Lauren at the blog Adventures In... Theme: What (not) to Wear!
Friday, December 3rd, 2010: Lauren at the blog Global Geraghtys.
Friday, November 26th, 2010: Melissa at the blog Just Us.
Friday, November 19th, 2010: Sara at Wife-Mommy-Woman
Friday, November 12th, 2010: Jan at Ogles and Observations.
Friday, November 5th, 2010: Jill at Adam and Jill Run 2 New Places.
Friday, October 29th, 2010: Becky at the blog Small Bits.
Friday, October 22nd, 2010: Becky at the blog Small Bits.
Friday, October 15th, 2010: Lydia at the blog Here, There & Everywhere
Friday, October 8th, 2010: Connie at Whale Ears and Other Wonderings
Friday, October 1st, 2010 RoundUp: Me. Right here. On this very blog.
Friday, September 24th, 2010 RoundUp: Donna at Email from the Embassy
Friday, September 17th, 2010 RoundUp: Shannon at the blog Cyberbones
Friday, August 20th, 2010 RoundUp: Andrew at the blog The Life Diplomatic
Friday, August 13th, 2010 RoundUp: Kim at the blog Scrivners
Friday, August 6th, 2010 RoundUp: Sara at the blog Wife-Mommy-Woman
Friday, July 30th, 2010 RoundUp: Melissa at the blog V for VonHinken
Friday, July 23rd, 2010 RoundUp: hannah, and is up at a slow move east
Friday, July 16th, 2010 RoundUp: is up at A Fisher Out of Water
Friday, July 9th, 2010 RoundUp: is up at the blog a slow move east
Friday, June 25th, 2010 RoundUp: is up now at You Can't Get There From Here
Friday, June 18th, 2010 RoundUp: is up now at Shannon's blog Cyberbones
Friday, June 11th, 2010 RoundUp: is at Ryan & Lori's Exciting Adventures
Friday, June 4th, 2010 RoundUp: is now up at the blog Wife-Mommy-Woman
Friday, May 28th, 2010 RoundUp: is now up at the blog Diplolife
Friday, May 21st, 2010 RoundUp: hannah at the blog a slow move east
This is us. The one showing lots of shoulder (in her Chengdu, China Marine Ball ball gown!) is the EFM who writes this blog. The one wearing a tux (James) is the employee who moves her (and their two sons) around all over the world. The red link, below, is how you can get in touch with me...
The time in Chengdu, China |
Chengdu: city of fabulous food and beautiful Buddhist monasteries!
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Yes, Beijing's Forbidden City (pictured, above) is really pretty and all, but I like Chengdu much better than Beijing!
In Our Same Boat (with State)
- Beyond the Cornfields
Brand-new State Department family in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Love their two little girls (she just recently had a baby while being posted in Dhaka), horticulture, traveling and adventure! - Email From The Embassy
State Department family formerly in Beijing, China, and recently posted to Amman, Jordan. A trailing spouse, she's also a writer, and frequently publishes articles with major news sources. A very experienced State family, this new post is something like overseas post number six or seven for them. - Just US
A beautiful family of seven - they have arrived at their new post: Jerusalem! They just finished off an unaccompanied tour to Iraq and are very much looking forward to sightseeing around the middle east. - Our Life
State Department family on their second post...Tijuana, Mexico. It's their first overseas assignment and they have two little boys. They love Tijuana so far and post pictures frequently! They also get to enjoy the best of both worlds for they can sneak over the border into San Diego when they want to! - The Dinoia Family
State Department family formerly in California, now in DC for a DC tour. Next, the husband will do a one year unaccompanied tour. A very experienced State family (formerly in Iceland and Caracas) with a blog that has been around quite a while and has great archives. Jen has a sweet heart and a lot to give! - The Perlman Update
State Department family formerly in Chennai, India, who then did a year-long unaccompanied tour in Iraq. They are now on a DC tour and after that will do another unaccompanied tour (Afghanistan). She totally tells it like it is and doesn't sugar-coat what life is really like. Witty, snarky, funny and down-to-earth. Look elsewhere if you want fake. Read if you want REAL. - Where in the World Am I?
State Department family formerly in Bujumbura, Burundi and now in Hyderabad, India. They just had their first baby this summer - a beautiful little girl- (there's a separate blog about this) and she also eats gluten-free (with a separate blog, also).
One of the most intriguing things about Chengdu is that it is a seamless blend of ancient and modern... all together, side by side.
Can't Live Without (non-State)
- Crass-Pollination: An ER blog
The best ER nurse blog EVER! - Doctor Grumpy in the House
The best doctor blog EVER! - In Which...
My IRL friend, a stay-at-home, homeschooling Mama of seven. Her darling daughters are, goshdarnit, probably too young to be hoped for as my future daughters-in-law. - The Crib Chick
My IRL friend, a stay-at-home, homeschooling Mama of five. Hopefully two (Any two! I'm not picky!) of which are my future daughters-in-law. - the underwear drawer
An anesthesiologist who is possibly the most talented & entertaining writer ever. I've read her blog ever since she started medical school. No, don't know her in real life. Wish I did. - The Bloggess
This blog is both hysterically funny and hilariously irreverent. I actually let my 17 year old son read it (who loves it as much as I do!), but wouldn't even CONSIDER letting my 12 year old son read it. Which is about all the description it needs!
The grounds of Chengdu monasteries can be very, very peaceful...even though they are smack dab in the heart of a city of millions of people.
Categories
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Yes, there are Starbucks in Chengdu! All over the place, in fact. So much so, Starbucks even crafted mugs for Chengdu stores!
Texan bluebonnets. Because I learned during our very first posting (Houston) that there's nothing prettier in the spring than the meadows of Texas.
Specifics
James loves me. And our sons. And his job. But not having his picture taken. In 2011 he finished up over a year and half of training, and in the fall of 2011 we got to our first overseas post - Chengdu, China!
Mao says hi! Because Chengdu is one of the only cities in China with a Mao statue.
Flowers are like friends. Each one is unique. Each one is beautiful. They brighten up everything around them. And you can never have too many.
Become a Fan
2012 is the Year of the Dragon, y'all! Talk about the ultimate in good luck! This kinda party only comes around once every twelve years!
Colorful! (Inside a Chengdu ancient Buddhist monastery.)
Have I mentioned that I absolutely adore taking pictures? Here are some that I've taken recently:
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