Changing Lenses

I met a travelling nurse this weekend. She moved from Orlando to Nashville a week ago and will be here 3 months. I identified with her on many levels. Her family is from Latin America, I think she said Honduras. She grew up bi-culturally and hasn’t spent much time in her family’s homeland. I could also relate to her view of her time in Nashville. She knew she would be here for a finite time and wanted to see as much of the city as she could before moving on to the next assignment. Nashville has been home for 20 years. I graduated high school and college here, I got my first job at Guinn’s Shoes in neighboring Hendersonville. Today I see my beloved city the way the travelling nurse does. I have to see and experience everything I have not taken advantage of. All the parks I need to hike, the events I need to attend, the people I need to spend a little extra time with. I’m not saying goodbye to Nashville yet, but I know that day is coming.

I have also changed lenses on the way I see my neighborhood. My amazing realtor has been sending me listings of comparable homes in my area and I am in shock and disbelief at the asking prices. Yes my neighborhood is awesome, the yards are big the homes are sturdy and the location is close to everything. It’s not East Nashville, but for new Nashville, it’s close enough.

The Horse, the Cart, and Everything In It!

I met with the realtor again this weekend to discuss paint colors, flooring, appliances, etc. to spruce up the house before listing it. I know I'm putting the cart before the horse by selling the cart and everything in it before I'm offered a horse. The hoarder in me will need a lot of time to say goodbye to her things so I'm starting super early. I've done a little research on how storage works, what should go in said storage and what one takes with them. The link here and here were really helpful. I've been following the Ficklins' blog for a year now and love little Allie! They explain their first move here and Deborah has an excellent series about the moving process on her blog "Reflections From a Global Nomad".

The good news is that someone posted on the OMS Hopefuls Yahoo Group that the Position Foreign Service Office Management Specialists will open on March 23, 2016 and will close on April 05, 2016. Soon I'll be able to say that I have at least applied for the job. Soooo excited!!

Will Work, Will Travel: Repurposing This Space

I'm dusting off the old blog and giving it a new purpose. I may review events again but I don't get out like I used to! It's 2016 and my goals are clear. At the top of that list is getting a highly coveted Foreign Service job. I attended the US Department of State Global Careers Networking Event in beautiful Birmingham, AL on February 11, 2016. There I learned about Foreign Service Officers, Specialists, Civil Service and Internships. I am working on my resume, catching up on the FS OMS Hopefuls Yahoo Group posts, and waiting for the position to open soon. I met with a realtor yesterday to sell my house later this year. The process for this job is long and it may take several attempts to get in but I want to be ready to go the day I get that call.