Hi all- I was just reflecting on the fact that my life is beginning to feel somewhat like that fabulous old world adventure show that used to be on PBS called Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego...
Washington, DC
This is a collection of posts from our tour in Washington, D.C. from July 2014 to June 2016. There are also posts from various other times we were posted temporarily to D.C. for language or job training.
In the life of Sarah, things are constantly changing lately… Case in point: The Wedding. Or should I say Weddings! Wedding 1 (as we’re affectionately calling it) will take place at this...
It’s official! We’re married… more pictures to come later!
Greetings Blog Readers! Sarah Novak here reporting from beautiful, 40 degree Washington, D.C. It’s been a crazy few days, but I’m happy to report that both Nick and I are faring well in...
Welcome to our new D.C. home for the next 4-9 months. Nick will be keeping it nice and clean for us while I’m back in MN until early May. Let me take you on a quick tour… it won’t...
OH MY GOSH! I’ve been waiting for this day ever since we found out that we got in. For those of you not familiar with foreign service life, Bid List Day is the day we receive a list of the...
Surprise, Surprise. Today (Tuesday) has something BIG and IMPORTANT in it too. What happened to those good old routine days I used to have where my largest decision was what I would make for dinner...
Never under-estimate the bizarre occurrences that take place in the world of Sarah and Nick. Today’s story is a doozy! So I’m in MN freezing my butt off in negative temps waiting for my...
We’re getting closer! Only8 days left until much of this ambiguity surrounding my life is cleared up. Yes, that’s right – Flag Day will take place on Friday the 13th. Being the...
Well, the BIG Day is nearing. I’m about to hop on a flight to DC to see Nick for the first time in 5 weeks. HOW EXCITING! Note to newlyweds: I do not recommend staying apart for 5 weeks right...
We may just be the luckiest people in the word today- we managed to get assigned our number 1 pick: Manila. The city, not the envelope…. :) I’ll do some research to see if there’s...
Last night I threw my first 10+ person party in DC. It was an informal gathering- BYOB, appetizers to share, and BUNCO in the community room at our residence. Let me tell you though, I got SOOO much...
Last night we had the opportunity to attend a reception hosted at the Bacon House by the Diplomatic and Consular Officers, Retired (DACOR). It was such a delightful evening, with each of the retired...
The beaming couple on flag day! You’d think we were holding a newborn; we look so proud! :)
I arrived in DC late Friday night and Nick treated me to a fun new cuisine I had never sampled before – Moroccan! Wow. What a feast! We ate at Taste of Morocco in DC, one of the best know...
Well, I’m back after a week of adventures in DC. Nick and I had one of the most “normal” weeks together that we’ve had in a long time. We managed to have a few date nights at...
Greetings all – sorry for the delayed absence! I am back to blogging! In my defense, I have been quite busy though! After a delightful week in Mexico with the fam, I spent the last few days...
Oh my gosh. This is really happening. We are exactly one month out from leaving! That is insane. For those of you wondering about the Wheels Up reference above, it references the wheels going up on...
Oh my goodness gracious. What is happening to my life!? I just picked up a package at the post office and learned that I am now the proud owner of a Head Flashlight. Nick was in charge of ordering us...
Whenever I’m new to something, I like to observe and information gather for a period at the beginning. Given that the Foreign Service is like an entirely new planet that I landed in, you can...
We’re all about new experiences lately and this definitely fit the bill. My in-laws live on beautiful Chesapeake Bay and they invited us over for a crab-eating shindig before we left the...
….to becoming an amateur photographer! Today I ventured out with our brand new Canon Rebel Xsi Digital SLR camera. If I’m being honest, I must confess that we’ve had the thing for 3...
Wow! We are officially less than 2 weeks out from Wheels Up. It’s hard to believe. I want to thank you all for being such diligent followers of the blog – it topped 150 readers one day...
The shopping is done. FINALLY. I feel complete now with my Ravioli and Diet Coke rations. Nick and I comprised on the final numbers and here’s what I ended up bringing: 20 – 12 packs of...
I have a feeling that I’m going to get some flack for this post, but I’m going for it anyways. Think of it as a Public Service Message (only via the internet). Having gone through the...
Today I’m going to educate you on the concept of the Escape Bag. First, a brief history on my introduction to the Escape Bag. When Nick and I had been dating for a few months I started to...
Well, pack-out day is over and we did manage to survive it…. While we did have a moving team running the move, we still had the difficult task of splitting everything up between 3 categories:...
As some of you may remember, we had booked our dream trip to Bhutan back in early 2011, about 2 weeks before we found out we were pregnant. Â Unfortunately, the altitude of Bhutan is such that they...
After 3 months of being transient, I am pleased to say that we are finally en route to DC where we’ll reside for the next 9 months. Â The car is stuffed to the gills with all my garage sale...
We had our 7th ultrasound of Nia today and I’m pleased to report that she’s thriving in my womb. Â She is up to a robust 5 pounds now and is measuring in the 78th percentile. Â I let her...
It’s been a heck of a week folks. Â Last Friday we pulled out of MN at 6 AM, headed for our nation’s capital. Â Given that I feel like humpty dumpty now at 34 weeks pregnant, I convinced...
With less than 6 weeks to go now, I’m starting to acquire quite the bump. Â Honestly, it doesn’t feel that much bigger than the 30 wk bump and I’m crossing my fingers that it just...
I thought you’d enjoy seeing a couple pictures of where we’ll be living for the next few months. Â The decorating could definitely use some work (the downside of pre-furnished housing)...
I’ve been a girl on a mission this last week. Â While the setting up house was important insomuch as it made Nick and I feel more at ease, the critical issue at hand was putting together our...
Fact: 10-15% of women are affected by postpartum depression (PPD). Fact: If you have a history of depression in your past, you are 30% MORE LIKELY than the average woman to get postpartum depression...
I am officially registering a complaint! At 36 1/2 weeks, pregnancy is no longer fun. Â Yes, up until Saturday, I would have told you that I was having a jolly good time being pregnant. Â I felt like...
It started out as one of those normal Thursday mornings. Â I woke up, got dressed and headed out for my short walk to Caribou Coffee to get my morning mocha. Â There was however one fun small change...
Well folks, we’ve reached the 37 week mark and with all the recent pain in my legs from her compressing my sciatic nerve, I’m VERY ready for her to come out. Â And technically, I’m...
A Brief History of My Relationship with My Body I’m sure you’re wondering what the heck I’m talking about when I say “my relationship with my body’. Â Surprisingly, we...
In case it isn’t obvious, I’ve got some MAJOR control issues surfacing around this whole birth thing. Â This is frustrating for a variety of reasons, but most notably because I’ve...
Baby is slowly starting to make her way down. Â Hopefully it’ll be any time now that we’re welcoming Nia into the world. . .
I had an experience on Wednesday that gave new meaning to the phrase “Rolling Out the Red Carpet.” Â It was, hands down, one of the most exceptional service experiences I have ever had...
Patience has never been one of my strong suits and honestly, these last 10 days have been downright torturous for me as I await Baby Nia’s arrival. Â So much open space on the calendar and...
So, tomorrow (October 21st) is my official due date. Â I had what I **HOPE** will be my last Doctor appointment this morning and was THRILLED to finally get some uplifting news. Â Here’s what...
We are delighted to announce that after a 14 hour labor, we welcomed a healthy baby girl into our family. Her name is Nia Marisa Novak and she weighed in at 7 lbs 8 oz. She was 20 inches in...
It’s hard to believe, but Nia turns one week old today! As most parents would attest to, it’s been a complete and total blur. Nothing could have prepared me for the delusional state...
I was starting to go a bit stir crazy in the house and decided it was time for Nia and I to take our first outing (Dr’s visits don’t count). Â It was a WILD adventure. Â We started by...
So, I’m afraid I’ve hit my max. Â With a diagnosis of Shingles yesterday, a dead car battery today and Nick going back to work on Monday it’s just not looking so optimistic for Mama...
Oh friends, it’s starting to become laughable how many things have not gone according to plan. Â Of course, I’m still shedding a few tears over each miss but I expect that I’ll...
Well, we finally got Nia’s Photo Shoot proofs back. Â Actually, they were better than I expected given how uncooperative she was. Â You can see all 16 final shots HERE. Â Would love to hear...