One year ago today, I was 8+ months pregnant and M was recovering from surgery he had just 4 days before on his right knee for a torn meniscus. We loaded our car with our cat Merlin and as much stuff as it could hold, and got on the road to Washington, DC. I was leaving behind a good 8-year career in banking, we were expecting our first child 2 months later, M was unable to walk properly much less drive due to completely unexpected aforementioned surgery, and we were putting up our house for sale in a market not very conducive to selling. I had been told repeatedly in anxious, warning tones that the types of changes I was making to my life within a few months were normally done over a few years or certainly not done together. So why then were we so crazy? We were taking this enormous leap of faith in order for me to start my dream job as a Foreign Service Officer with the U.S. Department of State. I have always wanted this job, this life, but I never could have imagined I would be embarking on it under the circumstances described above. I was soooo nervous about showing up first at a meet-and-greet event on May 9 and then to work on May 10 with my 8.5 months pregnant self... I was convinced they would send me home in spite of laws against discrimination in such instances. My fears were unfounded and they did not send me home. Instead, they sent me to Barbados for my first tour, and we'll be going to Mumbai, India for my second tour. The rest, as they say, is history and has been documented on this blog over the past year.
Lesson learned: LIFE happens and sometimes things don't work out quite like you plan or in the order in which you expect. With a lot of hard work, strong support from some wonderful family and friends, and my rock of a life partner M, I am living the dream! The best part... we have no regrets!
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