Rick and I have completed the required State Dept. seminar. I guess Rick summed it all up by saying "It is a good thing this is not a recruiting seminar, because nobody would do this if they heard all of this first." The topics are worst case scenarios and just exposing you to the risks of living and working abroad. I think it was very good information to have.

My favorite part of the seminar was when one of the subject experts suggested everybody read the book "The Gift of Fear". I read this book about two years ago and Rick said it was psyco-babble. The book discusses: 1. how people react in crises; 2. who is most likely to survive and why; 3. that your gut feeling is not to be ignored.

On a more positive note, we are checking things off our bucket list. We ate dinner at Anita's (best cream cheese enchiladas) last night and tonight we ate at Hard Times Cafe (yummy Cincinnati chili, you can't get that in Texas).

The kids loved seeing Minnie at her new home. On this trip, the kids are getting a sleep over at my mom's house and my aunt's house. After seeing Minnie play with my aunt's dog, a labradoodle, I think when we get her back we will have to get a second dog. Oh well.

The days are ticking by faster and faster, it won't be long now.

Rick's last day at work:

Well, yesterday was my last day at work here; the closing of one chapter, and the opening of the next. It was a challenging company to work for, and I learned more than I thought my little brain would hold.

We had a couple of happy hours in honor of my departure... I daresay that they probably have quite a going-away party planned for sometime next week to celebrate that I'm really gone. There are some people at that company with whom I will genuinely miss interacting on a daily basis.

Now would be the most opportune time for Becca to tell me that this is all an elaborate prank, and that we're not moving to Rome after all.

(Just for the record, if this has all been an elaborate prank perpetrated by my better half, I will be most upset about selling our CX-9. And... I will be impressed as hell at her commitment to the prank!)