Jealous Much?

I'm not really a jealous person, and I don't really get envious of people, their happy, or the fantastic awesome things that happen in their life.  Because frankly, I'm blessed to have super fantastic awesome things happen to me.  I mean I went to Thailand for a month and in January I'm going to London, Capetown, a safari in Tanzania, some beach in  Zanzibar, London, Paris, and a road trip up to Edinburgh all in 5 weeks. I'm blessed to be able to experience the world as I do and still have a job to come back to who will allow me to take off for 5 weeks.

That positive attitude always  nearly sometimes goes out the window when it goes comes to the FS. Don't get me wrong, I'm happy for everyone, I enjoy reading blogs about FS life, and I'm extremely happy for the current OMS class that recently had their Flag Day. A woman is going to Bangkok. She's so lucky. I had to share my experience with the Patara Elephant Farm.  So last week, I received a call from a lawyer who has taken over one of my accounts from another lawyer I had been previously dealing with, Chandani. As I'm speaking to this new lawyer who is one of the partners, I found out that Chandani was offered a FSO position.  Umm.....WHAT?  My name is Victoria, and I'm green with jealousy and envy. On the inside, I positively passed out. I threw myself out of my chair, and I sobbed hysterically.  I kept my composure, though,  and we spoke about how awesome it is and blah blah blah. WHATEVER!!  She sucks!  I'm just saying....you know I'm right.

In other news....

The OMS position is up again.  I didn't do anything I said I was going to do with regards to revamping my resume and getting certified for Word.  I have until Tuesday.  It will be awesome, as always.  I'm praying that the powers that be like my awesomeness and send me an invite to the OA.  If I said pretty please, do you think that would help?  Probably not. 

PS...what is up with this background? It's really ugly.  I'm terribly sorry. I will change it.

I Can't Make This Stuff Up....

Yesterday at the gas station......

Drunk Girl: Hey! Do you have an awesome Valentine like I do?
Me: Yes! Mine is pretty awesome!
Her: Did he get you something?
Me: No.
Her: What! He doesn't sound awesome at all!!
Me: Trust me, he is.
Her: Well he better make up for his empty hands!
Me: He has.
Her: Oh really?!? How?
Me: He's taking me on a trip.
Her: Where to? The ocean (Ocean City)?
Me: No. South Africa.
Her: OMG! How did you manage that?
Me: I'm fabulous!
Her: He (points to the guy walking towards us) never takes me anywhere.
Me: Well maybe you aren't fabulous.
Her: Oh I'm fabulous alright!
Me: Oookkaaayyy
Her: (screaming) Honey! Am I fabulous?
Him: Not really, but you are a really good lay.
Her: Stunned.
Me: Hysterically laughing
Her: Extremely pissed
Him: Completely oblivious

I'm an idiot!

Can I tell you why?  Because I forgot to submit my application and schedule my FSWE.  How in the world did I do that? 

Yes, my name is Victoria, and I'm an idiot. 

Now I have to wait until June. This could be a good thing.  In the meantime, I'm going to get my MS Cert squared away before the OMS announcement comes out. 

Other than that, nothing much is happening in Baltimore. It's warm, not cold and it doesn't look like I'm going to get any sort of snow day to get off work.  I just need a nice nor'easter that will force Governor O'Malley to close government offices.  5ft of snow will do, please and thank you.   Everyone at work says why don't you take a day. Duh! I can't take a day because I need 25 days of leave and that doesn't include weekends.  Originally, it was supposed to be 3 weeks but it dawned on me that I could just say an extra couple of weeks in London after we get back from Africa and then J and I could do stuff together.  So, we're going to take the Eurostar to Paris for a couple of days. I've been before but I want to go minus the big bus and the group I was traveling with. Then we're going to take a road trip up to Edinburgh for a couple of days, too. I've never been and I've always wanted to go.  Ahh, I'm so excited!  

All of this means that for the next 10 months, I have to come to work every. single. day.

Dear Lord, I need a snow day.

Happy New Year!!

to everyone out there in the world.  I hope 2012 finds you all healthy, happy, and excited for what's to come. I know I am. 

It's been a while. Yes, I know, but it's hard to blog about my life when I originally started it because I wanted to document my journey of becoming a FSO.   What's been happening in my life lately doesn't seen to coincide with that.  Obviously, I have mixed feelings about it.  IDK, we'll see.  Speaking of the foreign service....yes, I have officially applied to take the FSWE in February. Yay! I've taken it once so I know what to expect. The 'OH $#!& ' moment I had last time won't happen again and I'll be able to concentrate. I'm claiming it and speaking it into existence that I'm going to pass, make it the through the OA, clearance, and the register to be in the Foreign Service. I'm going to make it.

I got my diploma in the mail. WOOT! WOOT!  It's still so weird. I am the Master of something; International Business to be exact! Go me! Go me! I'm also flirting with the idea of going back to get a second masters in Diplomacy or International Relations.  I'm just bored, I think, but I don't want to be a professional student getting degrees simply because I can get them.  I actually want to use this knowledge I'm acquiring.

I'm also sick. Mandolin convinced me that all children are incubators of all communicable diseases. They just carry all sorts of germs.  I spent Christmas Day with her and since I hadn't seen her much she was like my 3rd leg. She gave all sorts of hugs, lovely super wet kisses, coughs to the face...the whole 9.  About a week later, the Friday before New Year's Eve, I get sick. Sick as a dog, I tell you.  So, I spent all of last weekend in bed with chills, back ache, shortness of breath, and a nasty cough.  Thanks, Mandolin. Her mom didn't believe me when I told her that Mandolin gave me typhoid.  She called me yesterday hacking and sneezing. Good luck on that a super awesome adventure that awaits you, Jill. She hung up on me. I chuckled.

I have to say I'm very optimistic about the year to ahead.  I'm excited about where my career is headed, the love in my life is progressing, and all of my family and friends are happy and healthy. What more could a girl want?!?

Adjustment....

So, I've been out of school for nearly a week and a half, and I'm bored.  My road has been extremely long and arduous; 2 years to be exact and in those 2 years I've always had something to do.  I've held down 2 full time jobs and gone to school. In those 2 years there hasn't been a moment where I wasn't thinking about school.  Even if I said I wasn't going to do any work, there was still work to be done. There was always this thing in the back of my brain. Now that thing is no longer there and. I'm. BORED! 

As crazy as it is, I'm bored. Don't get me wrong, I'm so happy to be done. I got 3 degrees in 2 3/4 years. Just saying it is exhausting and I'm the one who lived through it! It's crazy, I know.  I'm just bored. I don't have weekly deadlines anymore or papers to write or the pressure of it all. I don't have anymore pressure! It's weird, yet I'm happy.  I have a plan though, get back into Zumba, resume weight watchers, and give J more attention. I was doing really well and then school got serious and I stopped going to Zumba and about 2 months ago I told myself that I would allow myself to eat whatever I wanted. That, my friends, was a bad move.  A really bad one!  I went class last night with Adelicia and I wanted to pass out. The warm up was 10 minutes long and I started praying half way through.  I didn't give up though; I never give up. It's mind over matter and a few prayers of "God, please don't let me pass out."  However, I just may fall out when I go to my WW meeting and see exactly how much I've gained.  WTF was I thinking?

Thailand in Pictures...Part 2

These are pictures of the summer palace. The royal family resides here in the summer.

Hello, my name is Victoria....

and I have my MBA.  Yep, folks that right!   OMGEEEEEEEE!!

I finally made it!

I did it!

I knew I would...

(well, there was a period there last week and the week before that and the week before that)

I was a little worried that I may not make it. It was really scary, stressful, overwhelming, and rest of the adjectives that I've described countless times in my blogs as a ranted and worried.  I mean I woke up this morning and I don't have a single assignment to do. My nights of going to class (the live chats) are over. I don't have to worry about group projects anymore.  It really hasn't sunk in yet; I have an advanced degree!! I'm super proud of myself.   Graduation is in Chicago in the Spring and I can't wait!

In all seriousness, next to getting married and having babies, this is the greatest single thing I've done in my whole life.  EEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!   J has been wonderful throughout the whole process. We have a 5 hour time difference and he stayed up with me late into the night so many nights I've lost count. I'm the first to admit that I can be a hand full and that's magnified when I'm under lots of stress but he stuck it out and took the moodiness in stride. I couldn't have done it without his love and support and also from all of my family and friends.  Incidentally, I mailed him a sleeve of my thin mints and my trefoils last week in his box. You know that's love when a girl gives away her thin mints.  IJS...

I also wanted to thank all of the readers in blog world who sent well wishes and/or offered up prayers. They are much appreciated. It took a village to raise me, and a village to get me through school.

And now, getting back to the task at hand....getting into the foreign service. If I can make it through that program, I can make it through the application process!