So what exactly is The Foreign Service?

Good question-one which I hope to have answered myself soon. According to the U.S. Department of State's well-written and informative website (to which I have been directed by my ambitious and equally clueless husband), a Foreign Service officer's job is "strengthening peace and supporting prosperity as they promote our business interests and protect American citizens throughout the world."

Wow. That really clears it up for me.

Perhaps more clarity can be ascertained by focusing on his job description as a consular officer. "Consular Officers protect Americans abroad and strengthen U.S. border security." Does anyone still have questions besides me at this point?

Basically, what I have been told is that we will move to the Washington, D.C. area in approximately one month, where he will be trained for five weeks to do something, and after which we will find out where in the world (and anywhere in the world is a possibility) we will be heading next, around about which time I will deliver our third child.

How, you may ask, have I been talked into such an ambiguous endeavor? I don't know. It started as an idea and a written test back in October 2008, which he passed. Well, we couldn't just not see what happened next, right? So he was invited to an oral assessment in July 2009, which he passed, which led to a host of medical and security clearances, which, again, we all passed. In October 2009, he was placed on a list of possible candidates for the position, and yet the possibility still seemed surreal. Until Dec. 23, when he received an email after 9 p.m. telling him that he was granted an offer of employment. Now, it's just too incredible an opportunity to pass up. I'm up for an adventure... I think.

In all reality, I am very proud of Chris for this elite and prestigious appointment to the Foreign Service. I am told that only about 2 percent of people that take the first step (the written test) actually make it all the way through the process to accept an offer of employment. He will be a diplomat representing The United States somewhere in the world, which I see as an incredible opportunity for our whole family. Yes, it is scary, and, yes, we have a lot of unanswered questions, but this experience is just too awesome to pass up.