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Fun on the Fourth of July
Yesterday was the Fourth of July, and so we celebrated as many Washingtonians do: by driving in the opposite direction from all the tourists on the Mall! Been there, done that, and anyway, it was...
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Are We Having Fun Yet?
Movers are coming tomorrow, so we’ve spent all day sorting and organizing for our 12th packout. That’s seven posts plus two mid-tour moves. I think I’m going to call a halt at a baker’s dozen after we...
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Anger Management and the Trailing Spouse
Moving is stressful. I think we can all agree on that. If there is a trailing spouse out there who thinks it isn’t, well, I want to know what she’s smoking, and where can I get some. I’ve written...
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We Are In Warsaw And The Sofa is Not Poopy
We made it! After the usual series of last-minute hassles, including a drive to USDA-APHIS in Richmond the day before our flight to get one silly piece of paper for the kitties which NO ONE looked at,...
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Postcards from Socialist Warsaw
Warsaw is treating us well so far. OK, so we arrived just in time for possibly the hottest day ever recorded here (99 degrees Fahrenheit) but we have air conditioning, and the public transit is air...
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Government Housing Hack: Kitchen Decals
“Drexel hacks” are a thing now. You can see some good ones here. I actually tried one yesterday, without success: it turns out that Drexel sofas have measurements that somehow do not match the...
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Armed Forces Day in Warsaw
Święto Wojska Polskiego, or Armed Forces Day, is a really big deal here in Warsaw. This holiday, celebrated every August 15, commemorates the Polish victory over Soviet Russia at the Battle of Warsaw...
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Government Housing Hack: Patio to Catio
When I heard that we would be moving into an apartment in Warsaw, I immediately added “catproofing” to the list. Not because I am a crazy cat lady (though I am). Because cats can’t fly, and ask us how...
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A Bit Less Shiny Brass and Harvest Gold Please
By the time we leave Warsaw, I will have spent 19 years of my life in Embassy housing, 17 of them surrounded by Drexel furniture. In other words, each post may be just temporary, but sadly, this is my...
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Drexel Chairs: Boring to Boho!
The 8 chairs that come with our huge Drexel dining table are upholstered in more gold polyester. Blech. I am certainly not the first person to cover the seats, but I am so pleased with the result that...
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Chilling in Copenhagen
I was so not ready to travel last week. But, it turns out that section heads at large missions can’t just hit the road any time they like. Go figure! Six weeks after arrival at post was when the...
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Getting Our Viking On
Our addiction to a certain History Channel show had nothing to do with our choice of Denmark as a vacation destination. Nope, not even a tiny bit ;) But we were pretty psyched to spend a day going...
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Embassy Housing Hack: Velcro Bathroom Coverup
So, this bathroom was kind of bugging me. It’s our guest powder room, and has a functional, but really cheap-looking Formica vanity. I also like to keep extra toilet paper and cleaning supplies in each...
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Socialist Realism at Plac Konstytucji
OK, both HHE shipments are unpacked, we’re back from our strangely-timed trip to Denmark, and most of the rental fixtures and Drexel uglies have been camouflaged. Now I’m ready to blog about Warsaw! I...
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One Word That I Don’t Mind, And One That I Do
The term trailing spouse is used to describe a person who follows his or her life partner to another city because of a work assignment. The term is often associated with people involved in an...
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Indian Summer in Warsaw
This past weekend was summer’s last gasp in Warsaw. The forecast from here on out is in the 40s and 50s. Exactly what you’d expect here. So, yesterday, along with thousands of other Warsowians, we hit...
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Embassy Housing Hack: Weird Bench Coverup
After I dealt with that unattractive bathroom vanity, I got to thinking about this weird, built-in bench. It is Formica with plain metal legs. Like a cheap kitchen island got lost and ended up in our...
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Gray Sundays in Warsaw: Warsaw After the War
It wasn’t actually gray yesterday. It was sunny and very cold! So, why the title? I’m restarting a short series of posts I wrote in Vienna, about things we did on gray Sundays. Everyone keeps assuring...
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Five Things That May Surprise You About Being An FS Spouse
This is sort of a postscript to my earlier post on being a “trailing spouse.” Once I wrote it, and started discussing it with others, a few annoying little things came to mind that I probably should...
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Gray Sundays in Warsaw: Jewish History Museum
This past Sunday really was gray. And cold. And raining. A good day to visit the POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews, built on the site of the Jewish ghetto that was established by the Nazis in...
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