January in Virginia

More snow, more snow here in Virginia. It is certainly not the major snow event here that the northeast is getting but it is cold and it is white. Here are a few snow pictures to make you glad that you are not here experiencing it. We have a forecast for more snow later in the week and let me tell you, it makes me more ready than ever to head closer to the equator. Stay warm and cozy wherever you are. We are trying to do the same.

Cars covered in snow

My bike on the balcony covered in snow.

The cemetery behind our apartment blanketed in snow.

Snow falling, so pretty, but so cold

And of course, you know that this wouldn't be an Arriaga blog post without at least one picture of Sofia. She is carrying on the family tradition and beating the streets to sell Girl Scout cookies. 

That's all for now, until next time...

Home Leave and Oakwood, again

Hello everyone! We have returned from Africa and spent a fabulous month on home leave with our family and friends. We made our way to Falls Church and are firmly ensconced in Oakwood once more.

Let's get started on an update. Alberto and Sofia left Cameroon at the beginning of July to spend a month in Mexico with Alberto's family. By all accounts, it was a fun trip. Alberto did not take a lot of pictures, but here are a few that I did get.

Puente de dios, Tamasopo

Sofia with her cousins in Mexico

While Sofia and Al were living it up in Mexico, I finished up my tour in Cameroon. It was mostly business as usual, however, I had some great friends to keep me busy so that I didn't miss my family too much. Can you tell we were having a good time?

Nancy was an excellent hostess.

I nicknamed this party Winefest 2014

Doni, Karen, Nancy, Vilma and I are doing our best Rockette kick line. 

It wasn't very good but we had a ton of fun.

After a month apart, we came back together again in Philadelphia to spend time with my family and some of our friends. We had a great pool party with our amazing friends, Richie and Brandy Rea and their kids, Spencer and Meagan. Since most of the pictures include me in a bathing suit, I will spare you the agony, but some of these pictures are too good not to share.

Spencer and Sofia having a great time.

Hours of fun with a huge beach ball!

Alberto thinks that he is in the Olympic diving competition!

We went to Navarre Beach, Florida during our home leave. My dad and Deb were able to spend time with us while we were there. We didn't actually take a lot of pictures since we were enjoying the water most of the time, however, we rented a boat one day and I got some great shots of that.

Captain Al

Sofia and Buela

My beautiful girl

This may be our first "selfie"

Me and my girl

One of the best parts of our home leave was visiting with my family and spending time with my mom, my brother and his family. I have lots of great pictures of the kids but I will just put a few here so as not to bore everyone to tears.

Sofia with Annie

Smiles all around

Fun in the sprinkler and bubble maker

And when it starts raining, we play in the rain with pool noodles

New nephew, Henry Logan

I always love a little guitar music from my brother, Wes

Sofia is having fun!

Henry is having fun!

After a few short weeks of home leave, we had to begin our trek to Falls Church, VA so that Sofia could start 4th grade and I could start training at the Foreign Service Institute. We meandered our way to Virginia, taking back roads and stopping on the way in Gatlinburg, TN. I got to share the Pancack Pantry with Al and Sofia and we went to the Aquarium of the Smokies. And what would a driving vacation be without some Fantasy Golf? We made sure to drive the Blue Ridge Parkway for a while just to get the full experience. Here are some shots that I took along the way.

Glad to be in Tennessee

Looks pretty good!

Sofia and her fishy friends posing for a pic

The drive was interesting and very beautiful. We were very glad to have gotten off the beaten path and meandered through the mountains. 

We have now been in Virginia for about a week. Sofia started school and I have started my training. We have gotten mostly settled in our new home and are glad to be here. This blog is intended to chronicle interesting things that we do on our adventure, so I will post again when something more than just everyday life happens. I leave you with some school shots of Sofia.

Until next time...

First day, a little nervous

Second day, much happier

Two weeks and counting....

Saturday morning, two weeks out from D day, Departure Day. Here's where we stand so far....


1. I have a fully furnished apartment reserved in Washington DC at Oakwood Falls Church; small problem, they called me this week and said that some of the people scheduled to check out have extended and so the 2 bedroom apartment that we are supposed to get will not be available when I get to DC. They have a 1 bedroom available and they will move me into a 2 bedroom, as soon as something is available. This is a small inconvenience, but nothing major. Al and Sofia won't even be in Washington for a couple of months, so maybe by then, we will have the bigger apartment. If not, we will just be up close and personal, all cozy...didn't the Ingall's family from Little House on the Prairie all sleep in one room?


2. I spoke with the packing/moving company this week. We have our pre-pack survey on Wednesday afternoon. This means that someone from the moving company will come and walk through the house with me while I point out which things will need to be packed and moved. Seems easy enough, but since a large portion of our stuff is being given away or sold, this presents a challenge in explaining things. Example: We want the stuff in the cabinet, but the actual cabinet is not to be shipped. They told me to stop packing things myself. They may have to undo everything that I have done, if it is not packed to appropriate specifications. So I am relegated to sorting stuff and making piles. My house is a nightmare. Don't look mom!


3. On the work front, I am turning over the reigns next week to my replacement. She will get to work with me for the whole week, which should mean that is at least 1 area of my life where I still have some control. I am thrilled with my replacement, she should be excellent and I am confident that I am leaving the hospital in competent hands. I am surprised to say, but I am actually sad to leave. I love Garden Park Medical Center and I will continue to be a strong supporter of this amazing facility that has meant so much to me.


4. Finally, my grandparents are on town. Henry and Shirley Richmond have made the drive down from North Texas, just to help if they can. Mostly what they are going to do is help me keep my mind off everything. We are going to play dominoes and other games and just enjoy some family time. It should be great and an appreciated distraction.


What will the next couple of weeks bring? Stay tuned to Arriaga's Adventures for breaking news.