First Pack Out Done

On Wednesday, I had my first Foreign Service Pack Out.  Not all that exciting, really.  Some movers came -- very promptly, I might add -- put my stuff into airfreight boxes, had me sign some papers, and then took it away.  I don't know if it's already in DC or if it's sitting at Logan airport, or in some warehouse in Lawrence.  But, I'll trust the process that it will make it's way down the East Coast and get to me sometime before my orientation is over.  Hopefully, it will be there sooner.  Here's what my life distilled to...

A "15 Cube" air freight shipping box

The scale is important, since I get 250 pounds -- including the weight of the containers.

All boxed up and ready to go!

Last Saturday, my husband (I have to get used to calling him that), Mark, threw me very nice Patriotic/July 4th-themed going away party.  It's been a custom for us that wherever we travel we try to buy a flag of that country or state or city.  So, we have lots of flags that I sometimes fly along with our American Flag.  For the party, Mark made "flag poles" that he attached to our fence and created our own private "Hall of Flags"

In this picture, L to R:  Albania, Quebec, France, British Virgin Islands (from Tortola), the HRC banner, and Commonwealth of Massachusetts. 

Mark is holding the flag of Curaçao, behind it is Turkey, and behind that is Montenegro.  Not pictured, but flying, are Argentina, Macedonia, California, Laos, and Indonesia.

It was a lovely, and touching, party with many of my friends from the area.  A nice send off to DC and then points onward.