It's all about relocation, relocation, relocation

I will avoid the requisite apologies for the vast time gap between posts, I know alright, and get right into it. Red and I moved to beautiful Austin, an amazing city, after she was offered a job working for a marketing company. One exhausting weekend of furious packing, 200 miles in a Uhaul and we were on to another adventure. Saying goodbye to Dallas was harder than I thought, given my general malaise about the city. Living in Deep Ellum, especially in the last few months before the move, was overall, a plus. We met some great people and felt a sense of community. It's nice when you know your local watering hole, bartenders, baristas, neighbors and business owners by name. But then again, there is a that old feeling of change and adventure I get from packing for a new place which tickles my feet and makes my heart beat just a tick faster.

We've been staying with Cake Baker, Down Town's older sister, for a couple of months in her and her husband's new house. Living with a professional baker is just how it sounds, AWESOME! There is always cookies and cake to be had and she is constantly experimenting with new flavors and recipes.

Down Town is now officially a Peace Corps Trainee in Ukraine and I will gladly take some credit for helping her make the decision. She seems to have a great attitude about the whole experience and is surviving Pre Service Training like a champ. Pre Service Training or PST is an all out 3 month marathon learning session. High stress and high intensity. PC intentionally makes it difficult to weed out anyone still on the fence. The attrition rate is about 40% and a good share of that comes from PST early terminations.

I am gearing back up for the February FSOT exam. I feel as though I learned from my mistakes last year and know what my weak points were (my application). I have a higher target this year, making it through the orals. I do worry a bit about my experience level and that I am still a few years under the average successful applicant's age (30). Regardless, if I have learned anything in my 26 years (yes, yesterday was my birthday) it's that the truly important things in life cannot be easily attained or purchased. They require planning, consistent and diligent effort and luck (Malcolm Gladwell would probably add a few things).