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Foreign Service Life

Hip Replacement in Bangalore anyone?

Fast Company recently featured this story titled: Why Americans are Going Abroad for Health Care. Over half a million Americans flew overseas last year to save up to 90% off of US rates on major...

Date Night: A Relaxing Evening on the Water

In celebration of a recent milestone, Nick and I celebrated by taking a 3 hour private sailing lesson on White Bear Lake. Northern Breezes Sailing School offers delightful packages for either 2 or 3...

A Trip Down Memory Lane

Nick and I spent a day at the zoo this weekend. It had been at least 10 years since I’d been there and it’s always interesting to compare an experience in the present to what you remember...

Try not to Covet my Passport Cover!

As many of you know, Nick and I are preparing for our 18 day trip to Malaysia in November.  How does that relate to today’s post, you ask?  Well, when I was out on my lunch-time walk I...

Up, Up and AWAY! (FINALLY)

I can’t believe it, but I finally got my long-awaited Graduation gift from Nick.  In May of 2007 Nick surprised me with one of the things I’ve always wanted to do – go up in a...

What’s in store for the future of retail?

It’s hard to get retail out of your blood after spending 5 years immersed in it, so I tend to stay in the know about how the retail sector is doing.  After last week’s tough times on...

Virtual Assistance: Part 1 of 2

I had never heard of virtual assistants until this past year.  Now I feel like everywhere I turn, people are sending things off to their virtual assistants overseas.  Being one who is fascinated by...

Where in the World is Sarah Miller?

Hi all- I was just reflecting on the fact that my life is beginning to feel somewhat like that fabulous old world adventure show that used to be on PBS called Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego? ...

Going to the Chapel… (I mean Court House!)

In the life of Sarah, things are constantly changing lately… Case in point: The Wedding.  Or should I say Weddings!  Wedding 1 (as we’re affectionately calling it) will take place at...

We did it!

It’s official!  We’re married… more pictures to come later!

A Whole New World…

Greetings Blog Readers!   Sarah Novak here reporting from beautiful, 40 degree Washington, D.C.  It’s been a crazy few days, but I’m happy to report that both Nick and I are faring...

Our New Home in D.C.

Welcome to our new D.C. home for the next 4-9 months.  Nick will be keeping it nice and clean for us while I’m back in MN until early May.  Let me take you on a quick tour… it...

It’s Bid List Day!

OH MY GOSH!  I’ve been waiting for this day ever since we found out that we got in.  For those of you not familiar with foreign service life, Bid List Day is the day we receive a list of the...

Warning: You May Become Addicted

Those of you who know me well know that I am anything BUT a gamer.  It seems though, that I have developed a bit of an addiction.  It’s called Fuzzle.  In fact, Fuzzle has become such a...

Interview Day!

Surprise, Surprise.  Today (Tuesday) has something BIG and IMPORTANT in it too.  What happened to those good old routine days I used to have where my largest decision was what I would make for...

“Hello, Mr. President”

Never under-estimate the bizarre occurrences that take place in the world of Sarah and Nick.  Today’s story is a doozy!  So I’m in MN freezing my butt off in negative temps waiting for...

Nick’s New Boss

Yup, you guessed it.  Nick continues to meet cool famous people while I sit in MN and freeze.  Today’s meet and greet: Hillary Clinton, his new boss.  It’s a tough life, but...

The Countdown Begins…

We’re getting closer!  Only8 days left until much of this ambiguity surrounding my life is cleared up.  Yes, that’s right – Flag Day will take place on Friday the 13th.  Being...

Off to DC… 1 day and counting!

Well, the BIG Day is nearing.  I’m about to hop on a flight to DC to see Nick for the first time in 5 weeks.  HOW EXCITING!  Note to newlyweds: I do not recommend staying apart for 5 weeks...

Destination: Manila, Philippines

We may just be the luckiest people in the word today- we managed to get assigned our number 1 pick: Manila.  The city, not the envelope…. :)  I’ll do some research to see if...

A Weekend on the Outer Banks

After the stress of going through flag day, Nick knew that I’d need to get away for the weekend.  He surprised me with a trip to the Outer Banks of North Carolina (Cape Hatteras, Kitty Hawk...

Nick concedes, “BUNCO Party an Unparalleled Success”

Last night I threw my first 10+ person party in DC.  It was an informal gathering- BYOB, appetizers to share, and BUNCO in the community room at our residence.  Let me tell you though, I got SOOO...

An Evening at Bacon House

Last night we had the opportunity to attend a reception hosted at the Bacon House by the Diplomatic and Consular Officers, Retired (DACOR).  It was such a delightful evening, with each of the...

Flag Day Pictures

The beaming couple on flag day!  You’d think we were holding a newborn; we look so proud!  :)

A Moroccan Feast!

I arrived in DC late Friday night and Nick treated me to a fun new cuisine I had never sampled before – Moroccan!  Wow.  What a feast!  We ate at Taste of Morocco in DC, one of the best know...

Hidden DC Treasure

Well, I’m back after a week of adventures in DC.  Nick and I had one of the most “normal” weeks together that we’ve had in a long time.  We managed to have a few date nights...

Girl Power!

Greetings all – sorry for the delayed absence!  I am back to blogging!  In my defense, I have been quite busy though!  After a delightful week in Mexico with the fam, I spent the last few...

I succumbed to the hype

I’m not sure how it happened, but at some point during the trip to Mexico I picked up a copy of the book Twilight.  Ladies and Gentlemen, it was all over from there.  I had book 1 finished in...

Two Weddings All the Rage in Hollywood

As many of you know, we’re T minus 5 days and counting until Wedding number 2 in Minnesota.  Sorry about the lack of blogging, there’s just so many darn programs left to fold…. I...

The Wedding of the Century!

Yes! I’m married AGAIN!  The 2nd time was equally magical.  Over the next week or two, I’ll share some of the details of the event – from the vendors I used to my favorite pics. ...

Highlights from the Reception

Here’s the first round of speeches from Janet (Sarah’s Mom), Robert (Nick’s Dad) and Sarah Jansen (Sarah’s friend)… I’m working on the last upload for tomorrow...

1 More Speech & Our First Dance!

Here it is folks, the last video from the day.  SIGH.  It’s hard to comprehend that it’s over.  I can see why brides go through a little post-event let-down period.  Rest assured...

The Great Hat Debacle…

Seriously, who’d have thought choosing a hat or two would be such a challenging thing?  Now, you may ask, “Why get a hat anyway?”  I’d be thinking the exact same thing if I...

The Complete Wedding Photo Gallery!

I know this is what you’ve all been waiting for – our COMPLETE wedding gallery.  Warning.  There are approximately 900 shots in the gallery, so we’ve broken them down into smaller...

1 Month ’til Wheels Up!

Oh my gosh.  This is really happening.  We are exactly one month out from leaving!  That is insane.  For those of you wondering about the Wheels Up reference above, it references the wheels going...

Look what arrived today!

Oh my goodness gracious.  What is happening to my life!? I just picked up a package at the post office and learned that I am now the proud owner of a Head Flashlight.  Nick was in charge of...

Some Observations I’ve Made…

          Whenever I’m new to something, I like to observe and information gather for a period at the beginning.  Given that the Foreign Service is like an entirely new planet that I...

Crabbing in Maryland!

We’re all about new experiences lately and this definitely fit the bill.  My in-laws live on beautiful Chesapeake Bay and they invited us over for a crab-eating shindig before we left the...

Let’s Get to Know Manila!

We’ll start with a video.  Music on the video is by the Hotdogs, a Filipino pop/rock band that topped the Filipino charts in the late 70’s/early 80’s.  Watch out, it’s a...

Fun Facts about the Philippines

Today we’re going to learn some fun facts about the Philippines, so that you can be as knowledgeable as I am about this great country!  Here we go: The Philippines is an archipelago of more...

I’m on my way…

….to becoming an amateur photographer!  Today I ventured out with our brand new Canon Rebel Xsi Digital SLR camera.  If I’m being honest, I must confess that we’ve had the thing...

What a 4 Package Day looks like…

Wow!  We are officially less than 2 weeks out from Wheels Up.  It’s hard to believe.  I want to thank you all for being such diligent followers of the blog – it topped 150 readers one...

This is what $1,150 gets you at Costco

Today was a big day – we knocked out all the Costco purchases in one run.  Pretty amazing!  It’s a huge relief to have that crossed off.  I used to feel like $1000 got you so much more...

For the LOVE of Ravioli and Diet Coke…

The shopping is done.  FINALLY.  I feel complete now with my Ravioli and Diet Coke rations.  Nick and I comprised on the final numbers and here’s what I ended up bringing: 20 – 12...

Envision Life Coaching Gets a Make-over!

Well, given that nearly every facet of my life is in transition right now, it makes sense that my business would need an evolution as well.  I think most of you know this, but I’ve been a life...

Funeral Planning Completed: Check!

I have a feeling that I’m going to get some flack for this post, but I’m going for it anyways.  Think of it as a Public Service Message (only via the internet).  Having gone through the...