Carpets and rugs...Rugs and carpets

Many of my friends have asked me about the carpets/rugs I've acquired over the 4 years I've served in the Middle East.  I decided it would be a good thing to build another blog with pictures of them and a bit of information on each one.  This serves 2 purposes.  One, it is a great way for me to share my love of these things and it's also a great way to catalog them so I never forget the information about them.  I've also tried to share knowledge on hand knotted rugs/carpets, writing a bit about each one.  And you can read when it's a rug and when it's a carpet there too along with other bits of information about this wonderful craft.

I will be flying home tonight (3/31) for my final R&R and my time will be consumed with looking for and buying a home to move into when I return to Fort Worth as a retiree July 1, 2014.  Having little to no carpets in the house is at the top of the list.  My 27 rugs/carpets will look beautiful on the floors!

You can find my blog, Irresistible Temptations, here...www.couldnotsayno.blogspot.com. Once I upload all of my carpets, I'll add other things I just couldn't leave behind! 

Preparing for Re-entry

Much of my time lately has been spent thinking about how my life will change after I retire from the Foreign Service.  I start out thinking about what I will miss once I no longer have the opportunity to travel around the world…and what I won’t miss.  Then I think about things I will once again enjoy once I’m back in Texas, as well as the things I will once again have to pay for.  Then I’ll start looking through all my notes and emails I’ve printed out (sorry trees) and wonder just what will slip through the cracks and not get done in time.  The list of names of people I’ve been referred to for answers in Washington is long and through persistence and plain old stubbornness, I have become quite the pest.  At this point, I reach for another glass of wine.

Last week a huge problem was solved.  One of my worries was how I was going to get my car from Washington to Fort Worth, Texas.  It’s been in storage there since April 2012 and because of my status here in Pakistan (Temporary Duty out of DC), I am not entitled to have my car shipped with the hundreds of pounds of household effects that are also in DC in storage.  About 2 weeks ago I began to work on this.  Think of this…the car has been in storage for over 2 years. It has no plates on it as I bought it in Texas and immediately had it shipped to Oman. My Texas driver license will expire before I even arrive in DC.  And at age 65, the thought of driving halfway across the country was giving me major concern.  After explaining my case to my CDO (Career Development Officer) in DC, she gave me the name of a person to send an email to.  I did this.  He asked me to send a copy of my driver’s license…I’m sure this was to make sure I was being totally honest about it being expired.  The next morning when I checked my email, there it was…an email from him saying he would approve shipping my car.  Victory!  It was so nice to check that box and not have to worry about the cost of shipping it.  I'll have enough ‘costs’ as it is when I return without having to worry about shipping costs for my car.  Score one for Debi!

In a week I’ll be home getting ready to go house hunting for my new permanent home. I can’t wait…I've lived the life of world traveler long enough.  Time to settle down…again.  

Earlier this month, we had Family Day at the Consulate. It was a great day.  I did 2 things I've never done before...I held a snake and made cotton candy.  The picture below was the teaser one with the handler holding the snake.  I did finally open my hand and held it...

And the cotton candy, first I've had in years, was real tasty!

Countdown

Today is February 15.  That means that it’s 45 days until I fly home for my last R&R.  And it also means that in 136 days, I will leave the ranks of the fully employed.  Yes, the State Department, for many reasons, forces us out when we reach the magical age of 65.  Since March 31, 2008, I have dreaded the day that I no longer have to use a password for every one of my devices, computers and access to my office.  This has been a dream job for me and my only regret is that I didn't discover it sooner.  

The Department of State puts out information for those retiring and it starts out telling you what to do one year from retirement.  Well, that’s hogwash!  Take notice…you should be preparing for retirement the day you punch the first time card of your first job.  I've done a fairly good job of preparing to be on a fixed income but I’m the first to admit I could have done much better.  If your employer offers a 401(k) or any type of savings plan, participate in it to the fullest extent you can.  Don’t think that you can always do it later.  “Later” will be here before you know it.  Starting early (and sticking with it) will give you a better chance of not outliving your money.  I've been reading all the documents I've saved over the past year on retirement and that phrase is scary.  "Outliving your money."  I've plugged in several ages when they ask for ‘life expectancy.’  One table had me running out of money at age 90, another at 98.  My dad passed away at age 97, my mom at 56.  Options are spend less, make more money or dye young!  I hope I have lots and lots of my dad’s genes running through my body that will help me slide into old age gracefully and for a long time with a good quality of life.  So if that happens, just how long will it take me to run out of money?  I sure don’t want to entirely depend on either of my children in my advanced years.  After taking very hard looks at my finances and deciding that I want to just work part time, I think I've saved enough to supplement my Social Security check and the annuity I’ll get from my government service.  The message here (in case you've just been skimming) is to SAVE as much as you can while you can. 

So just how will I exist beginning July 1?  I hope to find a part time job that will make me happy.  For 6 years, I've loved getting up and going to work, which is more than I can say for a couple of the jobs I've previously held.  I've always lived well within what I earned and am not extravagant. And I sure need to be able to take a couple of trips a year to Hawaii to see my son and grandsons.  That’s a must. A full time job just won’t allow me that time away. I’ll also go back to hitting the estate sales, picking up great bargains and selling them on Ebay.  I did that while I waited to hear about my job with State and loved it.  It’s addicting!  You can make some good money doing that.  I’ll also look for ways to make money using my love of photography.  Besides selling the photos online, I’d love to find a way to photograph special events, like birthdays and anniversaries and then present the photos in books.  And there are also the 350+ necklaces that I've been making in my spare time over the last 3 years.  We can’t use our DPO (Diplomatic Post Office) mail to earn money so I've had to wait until I retire to really begin marketing them.  I do have a website with just photos (http://designsbyyaya.blogspot.com/) and soon, I can add more information, including prices and a way to order them.  Or I can sell them through Etsy or Ebay.  And finally, I've signed up for the State Department’s program for retirees.  In an effort to not lose all our experience and knowledge gained in our years of service when we retire, we can get on a call list and be offered short term assignments.  Could be a month or up to 4 months, I believe.  We can sign up for domestic, overseas or both.  There are many advantages to this, one being we get the same salary rate that we had when we retired.  And that’s a very good thing.

All in all, I think I’m going to be just fine.  This is a comfort to me but it’s still a huge change in my life and I hope I’m up for the challenge.  There are some things I’m not looking forward to…seeing guys with their pants hanging around their knees, women with their boobs exposed in skimpy clothes and the whole list of expenses I've not had for 6 years.   But, the trade-off is that I can drink the tap water, buy meat that’s really beef and not probably water buffalo and be able to work in a garden again. 

It’s the little things in life that matter.

Anticipation...Not Just A Song

Anticipation.  Webster's defines it as the action of looking forward to something.  As children, we all learned well what anticipation was.  We anticipated Christmas.  We anticipated our birthdays. We anticipated summer vacation.  This anticipation thing soon turned into anticipation of our driver's test.  A final exam. A first kiss.

Right now, I'm in a huge State of Anticipation.  Five months from today, I will spend my final day in Pakistan.  In a little over 2 months, I'll head back to Texas to try to accomplish the impossible.


During those 14 days, I  need to look for a house and buy it, hoping for a closing date in early July when I return for good.  I also have appointments to see my dentist, ophthalmologist and financial adviser. Throw in a visit to the Social Security Administration to find out what my benefit will be and you can come close to feeling my pain.  To add to this, I've begun making a list of everything I will have to start paying for once I'm a normal citizen again. In the Foreign Service when you are assigned abroad, housing and many expenses are provided for you. Those expenses will now return to me.  It wouldn't be so bad if I was still earning my current salary!  Pen to paper, I've tried to estimate expenses, income and just what the minimum I will need to live comfortably.  How much can I afford for a house?  Can I get by with just a part time job?  Not knowing what my exact monthly income will be makes it difficult to estimate anything!  As you can imagine, my anticipation level is quite high. Closer to a stress level.

I anticipate I will be just fine.  I've always lived well within my means and things won't change when I retire. I just want to be able to afford a few things...like visiting my son and his family in Hawaii a couple of times a year.  Like going out to dinner when I feel like it.  Like not having to say "no" to myself for a new pair of shoes.  We all hear the stories about people who didn't plan well for their retirement years.  I hope I've done a decent job.  I plan on getting a part time job and hope it will be enough for me to live comfortably.  Time will tell.

I anticipate lots of challenges ahead but also anticipate I will be just fine. 

A New Year...New Plans

Happy 2014!!

New Year's celebration in Pakistan

I survived New Year's Eve here in Karachi.  For the first time in many years, I partied.  And this morning, my head is reminding me why I decided years ago to not party.  Oy.  But I thought I would start the year off right by writing on my blog.  And with the big change that will occur for me in 2014, I wanted to get off to a good start.

2014.  It’s a year I’ve been talking about for 7 years.  It was 2007 when I decided to apply to the Foreign Service as a Specialist.  And due to mandatory retirement, I only had time for 3 two year tours, with no time for language training or anything else that would cut into those 3 tours.   It’s a decision I’ve never regretted.  Well, the only regret is that I didn’t do it years sooner.  I had this “Six Year Plan” and with just one little hiccup, it’s gone according to schedule.  I will retire in June with 6 years, 3 months service to my country. I’ve saved like a mad woman and will be able to do just fine with just a part time job when I retire.  Youngsters, take note.  Start saving NOW for retirement because it will be upon you before you know it.  And at age 65, you sure don’t want to have to look for full time employment because you have to.  It’s one thing if you're young at heart, mind and body, but if all you want to do is retire, it’s a real bummer if, due to finances, you must work full time.

The end of March, I’ll fly home to Texas to buy a house.  Is it possible to look for, find and buy a house in 2 weeks?  I think I can make it happen.  And I need a realtor who realizes the very little work involved and is willing to take a reduced commission. I mean, why not?  Usually people drag their realtor around every weekend for months, looking at dozens of houses.  And they really earn their commission.  Not me…I’ll only have 14 days in town to buy a house so that I can close on it when I return to Texas July 1.  I’ve already been looking at houses for sale online and think the task is completely doable.  Let’s hope I’m right.  Even though I’ll only need a very small mortgage, I still need to be able to put something down on the application for income.  So I have to buy it while I’m still employed. 

2014.  It’s also a year when I pledge to spend more time with my grandsons in Hawaii.  I’ve only been able to visit them once a year and with the miles I’ve accumulated on American Airlines with all my travel, it will mean a few flights to Hawaii. 

So, bring it on! I’m ready for 2014 and all the lifestyle changes it will bring.  

Ringing in 2014 in New York

My Final Christmas Abroad

Christmas is a time that is best spent with family and friends.  Serving in the Foreign Service, most of the time those friends are new friends, made at your current assignment.  This is good, but, as Dorothy once said, there's no place like home.

I don't know how people managed to do this work prior to the great internet.  I mean...they had to write a letter, put a stamp on it and then hope that there was some kind of postal service where they were serving. Then it probably took a month or more to get to the intended recipient.  Then another month or 2 to get a response.  And forget about calling on the phone!  Talk about making a sacrifice!

I've been fortunate to really enjoy the people I've worked with.  I mean, I have to admit that there were times when I had to really work to keep my mouth shut and just nod my head, but for the most part, I've loved my job for the past 6 years.  I don't know that I would change anything or anyone about it.  I've learned lots about security and more importantly, about myself in the process.  When you're in the comfort of your hometown of Anywhere, U.S.A., the thought of chucking it all and living in who knows where might intimidate most people.  I decided to do just that in 2007 and applied to the Department of State.  Best thing I ever did for myself.

About learning about myself...The people I've met, places I've seen and things I've experienced would have never ever happened if I had not taken this job. I've knocked so many things off my Bucket List!  I've discovered the adventurous side of myself and I'm going to have to work at not letting it fade once I retire in June.  I have a few things in mind to keep me busy when I'm no longer gainfully employed.

In the meantime, I look forward to more time with three angels...my grandsons.  That will mean seeing them more than just once a year on Home Leave.  Somewhere in my budgeting, I'll have to find room for a couple of trips to Hawaii a year to see them.

Next Christmas instead of saying Merry Christmas to my son, his wife and my grandsons on Facebook, I hope to be there Christmas morning watching them open the presents from Santa and me, Yaya. That thought will carry me for the next year as I sit here and celebrate my final Christmas overseas...and in of all places...Karachi.

Merry Christmas to you all!

   

Surprise!!

Here in Karachi (or anywhere overseas for that matter), it's always a treat to get mail.  Even junk mail. Some days I'd even settle for my monthly edition of AARP, that I get about once every 3 months.  They just can't find me. The guy in the mail room sends out an email that announces "You Have Mail!"  It always puts a smile on our faces when we leave the mail room with a box.  

Today was special.  Today I received a Care Package with some wonderful yummy things! 

Lynne, you made my day!  What a treat to get some goodies from back home!  One act of kindness deserves another...watch your mailbox for a little something from me...my way of saying thanks! 

Plenty Good!