A Boring Update from a Boring Home Leave

Obviously, I made it and had a successful surgery.

I'm a little under two weeks out from recovery and doing pretty well. Gallbladder removal is done laproscopically so it's a less-invasive procedure. That said, the first five days after the surgery were basically miserable...I was afraid I'd made a huge mistake and that I'd never feel normal again! That passed (thank you, Vicodin, for your help) and while I'm not 100% (still hurts to sneeze and yawn, plus I have to watch how quickly I sit and generally move my abdomen) I'm doing pretty good.

That said, it SO NICE to be sick back in America. Here, I can communicate with doctors and pharmacists with ease, pick up familiar products from the grocery shelves, and watch endless episodes of Millionaire Matchmaker and Keeping up with the Kardashians. So great.

This week is the end of home leave for me (some home leave, I've been no fun to anyone around me though I was spoiled being cared for by my husband, parents, and sister) and I am trying to fit in house-hunting along with random things like finding a dog-walker, arranging for a CSA, medical follow-ups, and receiving our UAB. No complaints though - it's definitely nice to not be working and not be sick - all at the same time!

So this is it.

My last blog posting in America for (probably) the next year and I'm filled with random thoughts. We depart shortly for Dubai and will push onwards to Kabul from there. I've been reading some blogs by FS colleagues currently posted in Afghanistan and they're posting some cool information and photos. Probably cooler stuff than I'll ever blog about so I'll link to them on the blog page one of these days.

I've known for awhile that I'd need long tunics and scarves to wear when I'm off the compound during the next year. However, I wasn't really thinking clearly and assumed that I'd be able to buy stuff when I get to Kabul. Duh though, what will I wear off the airplane? My friend Amanda rescued me by buying me a scarf and I found a beach coverup that I can layer for length. Crisis averted and low profile maintained.

It's much easier to transfer without a dog, I'm finding. We miss Cooper SO MUCH but have Skype dates with my parents so that we can catch him there. He much prefers their swimming pool to the dusty grimy city life of Kabul, I'm sure.

I just found a bunch of pictures from Chicago and Toledo and I'm realizing that I never finished blogging about our home leave road trip. Maybe on the plane?

We've knocked off a number of food items from our DC restaurant bucket list. Zaytinya, Rosa Mexicano, Georgetown Cupcake, Honey Pig, Tacklebox, Five Guys, Bubble Tea at the Eden Center, Coco Sala, Trader Joe's (kind of a stretch but definitely on the list), and J+G Steakhouse. We have bunches more to do and are looking forward to returning to DC next year.

I sure hope that the airline will let my 'just at the limit' bags go through. Updated the ipod and Kindle. I think I'm as ready as I can be for this 13 hour flight. Yeesh.

Sunday Funday in Dupont Circle

Squash and beans at the Dupont Circle Farmer's Market

Crabcake Eggs Benedict from Circa

Independence Day

Spending Independence Day in the good ole USA is really a treat. It's not just the fireworks and BBQs, it's also the fact that we don't have to work and entertain at official celebratory events. Those events really aren't so bad but it's nice to kick back and have a real American treat every couple of years. With family in town, we headed to the Mall to watch the DC fireworks.

Now, I normally HATE the Mall during the 4th and, in years past, have avoided it at all costs. This year was different. We live downtown and in easy walking distance so the dreaded packed metro was skipped. Rather than deal with the crowds, we strolled down to the Lincoln Memorial around 7.30pm (fireworks were scheduled for a little after 9) and actually managed to find a nice spot to fit the five of us on the steps.


We chatted for awhile but the time passed pretty quickly and before we knew it, the fireworks were starting. EVERYONE had cameras out, obviously I did too. However, what I wasn't doing was taking photos of the fireworks and then showing them to my companions as the fireworks were still going off. Why would you do that? Anyhow, the musical selection was odd but the show was fantastic, even though the smoke over the reflecting pool kept growing.


I've seen fireworks over lots of international monuments but there's something special about being in my nation's capitol, listening to patriotic music and surrounded by red, white, and blue. It's been 234 years since the Declaration of Independence was adopted by the Continental Congress.