The FS BRU ... You Ought To Be In Pictures

It didn’t take but a few seconds to decide which picture I wanted to showcase in this week’s FS Round Up. It is actually our favorite photo ever taken ... with such an incredible story behind it.

Oman offers some of the most hair-raising cave exploration in the world. One of the famous caves is the Majlis al Jinn (Meeting place of the Spirits), of which Matt and four of his friends had the most exciting and challenging adventures of their lives, as they repelled down it on March 10 - 11, 2005.

This cave is difficult to negotiate and involves two drops, one of 160 meters and the second of 120 meters. To enter the cave, one must be lowered down on a free-hanging rappel. The find at the end of these drops is well worth the effort as the Majlis Al Jinn is a half-domed cave measuring 60,000 square meters -- the second largest cave in the world after the Sarawak Chamber in Malaysia's Borneo region. To get a better idea of its size, imagine that the Majlis al Jinn could easily accommodate the Great Pyramid of Giza.

Preparing for this cave trip was no easy matter. The guys had four separate training sessions before the guide would "allow" them to go. During these training sessions they learned how to strap themselves into their safety harnesses , how to change ropes, and how to ascend and descend on the ropes using technique rather than muscle. The training sessions lasted approximately 2 hours, and Matt came home each time exhausted and bruised.

Majlis al Jinn is located in a remote region of the Eastern Hajar Mountains, and is a 3 hour drive outside of Muscat, over some rough terrain. They got there by 5 pm, they set up camp, unpacked the car, and had their first glance at the cave. Looking at this small hole in the ground you wouldn't have any idea that what lies beneath is a cavern SO large that it could accommodate five 747 airplanes standing from tail to nose on top of each other, or that it goes as far down as a 50-story building.

The early sunrise and excitement of the next day had the guys up and around by 6:30 am. By 8 am they were all dressed, and by 9 am they were ready to begin their descent. Matt said that while the training classes prepared you to comfortably maneuver up and down on the ropes, it doesn't prepare you for the utter shock and awe you have once you're lowered into the cave and suddenly realize how damn high up you are. It is so high that you can't tell that the little pebbles seen below are actually large boulders. Matt's life briefly flashed before him as he realized that the only thing between life and death was the one thin rope hammered into the rocks above. It took everyone about 1/2 hour to descend into the cave. As Matt and his friend John went down at the same time, they passed the camera back and forth and took photos of each other. Matt also took several photos both above and below to show the volume and magnitude of the cave chamber.

The inside of the Majlis al Jinn is spectacular, so much so that National Geographic Magazine did a piece on it in March, 2004. Once you arrive in the cave, there's a book for everyone to sign and a place to leave a piece of memorabilia behind. The guys spent about 1 1/2 hours in the cave taking in the tranquility and admiring the scenery, and shooting lots of photos before they began their long ascent back to the top.

While it took them only 20 minutes to descend, it took each climber over an hour to ascend back to the top. Matt likened it to performing a succession of squats and pull-ups for over an hour. At times it felt like he was not making much progress. However, by 3 pm everyone was up at the top, a little bruised, bloodied, and battered, but glad to be alive. The SUV's were repacked, and the guys wound their way back to Muscat for a much needed rest .

A few additional interesting facts about the Majlis al Jinn. In the book at the bottom of the cave for everyone to sign, there are only about 100 names or so. Additionally, no Omani has ever been down in the cave as they fear the spirits (or Jinn) that are believed to haunt the chamber. The term "Genie" is derived from the Arabic word Jinn... You can check out a compilation of photos of his trip on Shutterfly at http://tinyurl.com/7jnwnxk

I chose this optional topic because those who know me in real life know I never EVER leave home without my camera. I either have my iPhone, my little point and shoot, or my Canon SLR on me at all times. I document everything. My kids. Funny signs around town. Hysterical outfits. My pictures are my life. And as you can see from the massive number of FS bloggers who submitted posts to me this week ... it looks to be their lives too!



The Saunders Family shows us that The Royal Ascot Goat Race is the biggest “who’s who” social event of the year in Kampala, Uganda. Everyone is dressed to the nines and in their most outrageous hats. It is definitely an African version of the Kentucky Derby!

Heather in Zimbabwe has some amazing animal photos ... which is obviously what happens when you do back to back tours in Africa!

There are SO many crafty people in the FS. The Committed Stitcher is a newcomer in Chisinau to the FS BRU and her blog all about Stitching.

Tabbies In Tow has some funny street signs in Colombia. Can you figure out what this is?

Denise in Dhaka is a woman after my own heart, always carrying her camera with her too! With tons of opportunities each day to snap photos ... here are a few around town.

Daniela’s recent trip to the Newseum in DC brought back floods of memories from her life back in Bulgaria ... and saw a picture that wasn’t meant to be.

Nothing like the insanity of shopping for a consumables posting to brighten up your day. Go take a look at the Sherwood Family Nonsense’s pantry in Azerbaijan. Wow!!!

Hello Talalay is in my old stomping grounds in India! Here’s a sign taken on vacation ... with clearly no explanation needed!

Sadie continues her travels in Jordan with a trip to Wadi Rum and Aqaba. After seeing these I’m so bummed we didn’t get a chance to make it there while living in Israel.

Alix shows us how amazing her daughter is at Tae Kwon Do, recently testing for her white belt. She also lets us in on a little secret ... that she kicked a** at the same age ... with a picture of herself cutting a watermelon with a sword to prove it!

Kelly in Vienna will never disappoint us with her pictures. Make us jealous ... absolutely. Here she re-visits her old haunts in Prague. Dredging up memories while snapping away!

Lisa in Tijuana has a lot of thing she wishes for ... including a pony. Doesn’t she look good sitting on a pony?

Families get to do some pretty exciting things at post. Melissa’s son at was recently baptized in the Sea of Galilee. How many of his friends can say that?

Have you ever noticed the absurdly large cameras and glamour photography culture of China? Well Danielle at Hot Pot sure has ...

Digger, at Life After Jerusalem, who authors probably THE most popular blog within the FS, with THE most expansive blogroll, shares with us just how creative she has to be with editing her lists. Can someone please send her more hats and mittens because it’s flipping freezing in Estonia right now!

Becky at Small bits is one positive chica and always manages to focus on the beauty in the experience.

She may have WANTED to do it, but since there was a sign there, Kristin from There Is Fun To Be Done!!, who was on vacation in Indonesia, decided against it ...

In honor of the upcoming presidential election, Anne, at adventures of a freckle faced girl, in Conakry, is pretty sure she knows who the Guinean people would vote for ... if only they could vote in the US.

I’m so glad I’m not the only one who loves documenting the experiences our kids have growing up in the FS lifestyle. Jackie at the Pryor Adventures in Laos sent in a photo of her daughter riding in an old boat down the Mekong River in Luang Prabang. Seriously, how many of us actually know where that is? A-ma-zing!

I’ve been an avid fan of Connie’s for years, and I’ve yet to come across anyone’s cats who are spunky as hers. So much so that she had to write a note to them!

Adrian in Wellington, New Zealand sent in a photo of the USA team and their cheerleaders for the Wellington Sevens rugby tournament. And dogs. It’s a Mardi-Gras like celebration that is quite off color. How much so? Well ... check out his latest posting!

Sarah at Verdant Voyages proves to us that we will do just about anything for our beloved pets. Including dressing them in snow gear to take him outside in the negative temps just to let him do his business.

Hats off to Melissa at V for VonHinken for sending in such a glorious photo from the Fourth of July here in DC.

You can always count on Shannon in Malawi to both WOW us with her incredible photos from her safaris ... and skeeve us out with her creepy crawly photos taken in her own back yard.

Heather in Cairo shows us one of her favorite family photos ... along with the joys of driving around Cairo. Her reminder? No matter what, you don’t have the right of way.

Crystal, of the Briden Bunch, an amazing lady who so generously schlepped my husband around Kuwait 1.5 years ago, sent in some photos that her dad took while recently visiting them in Mali.

As Jen prepares to send her husband off to Afghanistan in a few months, it brings back memories of her first attempted unaccompanied tour in Iraq... you all know the rest of the story. Jen’s favorite photo of Pete is where he's hugging her little guy in the airport. But my favorite is him kissing the iMac during a Skype session.

The B Files in the Dominican Republic is learning how to entertain in the FS. Stop on by and give her some tips for her future parties!

Nicole is packing out and leaving Brazil in a few weeks. Come check out her nifty count down calendar that she made for her son ... a useful tip for toddlers preparing for a big move!

Speaking of Brazil, my friend Kate at Pulling Stakes is really flirting with him lately. She even went so far as to pass a note to him in class and totally ask him if he’ll “go with her”. So Junior High school. So hilariously!

Kolbi, the queen of photography, left it up to me to decide which photo to post. Which gave me full authority to include my favorite. She's always so critical of herself in photos ... which, when you look at this photo can't quite understand why. I love this one of her not just because she's beautiful, but rather because she's genuinely happy.

Which leads me to the next FS Round Up to be published on Friday, March 2nd. The optional talking point is "Something that makes you happy at your CURRENT posting."

We know that it's not always peaches and cream here in the Foreign Service. Sometimes things happen that really have you shaking your fist in the air, or pulling out another box of kleenex. But there has to be something that you like. Something that makes you smile. Whether it's the ability to walk to your local coffee shop, ice cream shop, grocery store. Or having wonderful weather, the ability to go snow skiing, or to jetset to exotic locations.

Send me a posting where you can show us all a time that you and your family were truly happy. Don't bother writing a new entry unless you REALLY want to. I'm sure there's something in your archives that oozes with positivity. Of course, feel free to send me a link to just your blog if you just can't find anything happy to showcase. thefsroundup@me.com

Also, if you're an FS blogger and you're on Facebook but aren't in the FS blogger group, find me, friend me and I'll add you in. Many people post there regularly and I want to make sure that you get the notices.

Oh yeah, one last thing. If you're in DC, remember that there's an FS blogger meet-up happening Saturday evening from 4:30 pm - 7:30 pm at the Oakwood Falls Church. RSVP to Becky at smallbitsfs@yahoo.com if you can make it. I'll be there and I'm schlepping the family along ... come say hello and break bread with your fellow "family".

Until next time ... keep snapping away!

Meet Berry and Azulia ...

... the newest members of the Perlman household.

They are my, Matt's, the girls betta fish. Also known as Siamese Fighting Fish. Because apparently, we don't have enough fighting going on in our house already.

These "pets" were earned because both girls got straight A's on their latest report cards. So last Saturday we went to Petco where they each got to pick out their own bowl, fish, plant and rock color.

Of course, it would have been FAR easier, and much less expensive if we were able to get just one tank, and put both fish together. Except the kicker about owning betta fish is that they can't be put together because they're aggressive ... and you know ... will fight and possibly kill each other.

Much like the girls attempted to do when they had to share a room.

So double the price of everything later, we left the store with a laundry list of do's and don'ts for the girls to remember. Do change the water every week or two. Don't feed them more than 2 - 3 times a week. Do condition the water every time you change it. Don't put the fish together when you change the water.

Lots of things for the girls to remember. Because, you know, they ARE going to be taking care of the fish themselves since they ARE their fish. Right?

Of COURSE right. In fact, they are SO attentive that I'm actually worried that the fish aren't going to die from lack of care. They're going to meet an early demise because of either over feeding or over handling. I mean, how much can these poor fish stand to have their bowls shaken by a 7 & 9 year old to ensure that they're still alive? Or worse, from a 2.5 year old!

We've been told that the lifespan for these betta fish are 2 - 3 years. And with any luck they will be.

Just as long as I'm able to flush a floater while the girls are at school and replace it by 3pm.

L: Azulia ... named after the color blue and our favorite Lebanese restaurant

R: Berry ... named because of a mixture of the fish's raspberry, blueberry, and blackberry coloring. And not difficult at all to replicate should this fish die young ... right?

Today She Is ...

... NINE!

I wanted to write something pithy. Tell a funny story or two. Show a few photos of her growing up. But I just couldn't seem to find the perfect thing to say to my beautiful baby girl on her very special day.

And though we had to postpone her birthday lunch due to a very sick girlfriend ... the rest of her day turned out perfectly! Manicures. Homemade cupcakes. Girl Scout meeting at the house. Dinner with a bestie. What more could she ask for?

Happy birthday Riley. We love you...

One Can Only Hope That With A Name Like This ...

... it's at LEAST 80 proof

It's A Barf-Fest Here with the Latest FS BRU!

It always starts with a look. A cough. And then mass hysteria as we all scramble to find a bag and the baby wipes. I am so in tune with the signs, that I KNOW from the time of recognition of what’s about to happen until the time I have to take action, is less than 8 seconds.

We are a family of pukers. We can’t leave the house without a minimum of two vomit bags. We use them every-single-time we take a road trip.

No seriously. EVERY F&#@$&*! time. Don’t believe me? You can catch up on our puke-fests in Israel, India (which there are many), Thailand, Sri Lanka, and ALL over the U.S.

When preparing for this weeks FS BRU I searched through my blog to pull up a few postings on the topic, and you know what I discovered? I had nine entries with the word ‘puke’ in it, and thirty-three with the word ‘vomit’. Who in the hell writes that much about upchuck and horking?

Clearly, I’m a self-proclaimed expert.

Of course, it’s not just the kids who spew their breakfast, lunch and dinner, as I reminded my friend Digger, who a few days ago said she felt left out of this Round Up’s optional talking point because she doesn’t have any kids. Some of our most memorable vomitous moments have actually been from the dog. Remember when she hurled her dinner on our brand new rug from Jaipur? Or how she ever so sweetly retched all over the entire third row of my brand new, less than a month old Land Rover in Oman.

Ah the memories ...

Thankfully I’m not the only one who has all the fun with throw up. After a little nudging, I heard from a whopping amount of Foreign Service friends who’ve dealt with a fair amount of gagging, heaving, and barfing themselves.

I know ‘that’ smell. The tell-tale sign that all is not right in our kids rooms. Well these people know that too ...


... WIFE - MOMMY - WOMAN found out about her kids mess when she walked down the hall and did the ‘sniff’ test.

... Spectrummy Mummy had the joy of being house bound and void of all social media after dealing with two sick kids.

... Heather at The Wandering Drays is a nurse and can clean up puke all while popping snacks in her mouth. A trait not all of us have. Thankfully she doesn’t deal with it all too often either.

... The Dinoia Family has dealt with a whole heck of a lot of puke ... not only with their kids, but also with the cat.

... The Polillo-family in Tijuana could have vomited from the email they received from their school a few weeks ago.

... It’s never fun when mom’s get sick, which is exactly what happened to Nicole. Of course she got well just in time to take care of a sick munchkin.

... Andy at Travel Orders may not be puking right now, but at some point he may from the chemo. Sending only good wishes to Andy right now after his diagnosis...

... Zoe is already planning her summer travel to Walt Disney World, and her research of Universal Studios and Harry Potter World. One may even think that those destinations and vomit may be related, eh?

... Melissa from Jerusalem dealt with vomit on her recent R&R. Which frankly is a travesty in and of itself. Nobody should be allowed to barf while on such a whirlwind trip back to the States.

... Nobody amuses me quite like Shannon in Malawi does with her weekly Wednesday photos of every 8 legged creature known to man. Today she solidified why I will never own bunk beds ... or eat blueberry cobbler ever again.

... The Freelancing Researcher shows us how easy it is to get sick while taking medicine.

... And the Sherwood Family’s kids got sick on make-shift roller coasters in their own house!

... Adrian's royal tush-kicking probably made his boys vomit after their latest training for the Round the Bays run. Pride is a horrible thing...

... Sunny just spent ten minutes in Brussels talking topless to her doctor ... which frankly would make me queasy enough to ralph.

... Naoma thankfully didn’t puke on her never-ending medevac back to the States ... though she had every right to!

... Kolbi reminded us how truly amazing she is by taking the FSI Chinese exam by storm ... and ever so fantastically did NOT vomit while doing so!

I was a tad surprised that my two friends, whose kids puke almost as much as mine, opted not to participate in this week's FS BRU because they were afraid that even typing the word "hurl" would somehow jinx them. Thankfully they don't write it, so I can attach links to their previous puke fests and you can enjoy along with me ...

While searching Donna's archives, I had more than a few posts to choose from for the BRU. In fact, I think I read all of her posts and feel fairly certain that it's her middle who heaves the most. Oh how I can relate. BTW, anyone who has a post titled Vomit Part 2 is totally cool in my book!

My snarky friend Kate in Brasilia is the lucky gal who somehow attracts vomit not only from her kids, but from everyone around her. On the plane. At the mall. You name it, it's there! As far as I can tell, this is the last time someone lost their lunch at her house ... though it's only a matter of time.

Of course, barfing wasn't the only thing going on around the world in the FS these past few weeks.

... Kelly, at Well That Was Different, decided to follow in Donna's footsteps and admit to her own secret addiction.

... A Fisher Out Of Water took their latest R&R in Maui. Hello jealous!

... Michele at GlobeHoppers just made an awesome quilt out of shirts. She's also very glad to see January go as her family has unfortunately dealt with a few deaths.

... Where In The World Am I just went to the Kite Festival in Hyderabad, India. Check out the cool rangoli.

... A newcomer to the FS, Sir Winston The Intrepid has an awesome recipe to share.

... Diplomatic Mom was a busy lady with her kiddos in Dhaka while her husband was away in my old stomping grounds of Chennai.

... Lydia in Bahrain at Here, There, and Everywhere had to do the unthinkable of moving to a new house mid-tour. Argh...

... Sarah at Verdant Voyages in Moscow is keeping warm and humorous with her A to Z's of what's been cooking in her neck of the woods.

... Daniela at Tuk & Tam showed that she too is Another Foreign Service Badass

... Eve at From The Back Of Beyond has some amazing photos of a Shipwrecked Beach.

... Sadie Abroad's mom had a medical emergency recently which quickly brought Sadie back to the States. She got to experience firsthand exactly why we need this community.

... A Freckle Faced Girl came "home" on R&R from Conakry and found out the sex of their baby. It's a ...

... And last, but certainly not least ... You KNOW When You're A Foreign Service Officer When ... The comments are just as good as the post!

Whew! I hope you enjoyed reading this weeks gross-out edition of the FS BRU. I have just a few house keeping items for the future.

Please send me your links / posts for the upcoming BRU by the Monday prior to publication. This gives me a few days to write it, rather than cram it all in on a late Thursday night. Additionally, as I noted on Facebook earlier this week, I don't have the time to continually 'nag' people for links. So once you publish something that you'd like to have added, please email the link to me. There are well over 250 FS blogs out there, and I am only familiar with a small percentage. Spread the word. Self-promote. Everyone enjoys seeing their name in red with links to their published works. Don't wait for me to come after you ... because the reality is with my 3 kids, husband, house to manage (remember, I don't have GSO here), and preparing for Matt to leave on his next UT ... I won't. Reminders will be on the Facebook page once a week.

The email to reach me and send in your submissions. thefsroundup@me.com

The next FS BRU will be out on Friday, February 17th. The optional talking point? It's all about the Pictures. Send me your funniest, your most breathtaking, your wackiest, your dearest, or your "you'll never believe it until you see it" photo. It can be a link to something you've posted on your blog. Or a picture you'd like to now showcase. Make sure to include a description.

But wait? You don't take any photos but still want to participate?? ABSOLUTELY. The optional talking points are just that ... optional. Keep writing. Keep sending me your links. I'll publish whatever you send me.

Until next time ...

Just Call Her ...

... brace face.

She's loving every single minute of it ... right now. Though the pain is slowly starting to get to her. Give it another day or two and I'm not so sure she'll be smiling this big.

The before, during, and after shots of getting the braces on.
Total time? About 15 minutes! Dr. C's office rocks!

Casa de Perlman ... Take 9

In the fifteen years that Matt and I have been together, we've lived in 9 different houses. It truly is of the many perks of moving around as often as we do. And while that may sound awful to most, I don't mind it ... in fact, I'll actually admit (in a hushed tone of course) that I like it. Sure, in the heat of the packing and labeling and schlepping and inventorying, I may be a bit moody. But when offered another chance to design and decorate a new space, the grumpiness fades away and the excitement begins. Who doesn't love a fresh start?

I've given many guided tours of our homes over the years. From our two homes in Muscat, Oman. To our house in Tel Aviv, Israel. To the two houses we lived in in in Chennai, India. And onto our tiny rental cottage in Newport Beach, CA.

However, it's been quite awhile since we've had the pleasure of furnishing a house with all of our own belongings ... and as you can see from our latest tour, it's totally been worth the wait. While we are still deciding on paint colors and rugs, window coverings and artwork, we're finally ready to unveil our newest abode.

Here's the latest from Casa de Perlman ...

L to R ~ The family room ... kitchen ... opposite view of the family room

L to R ~ the dining room ... the sun room.

L to R ~ Riley's room ... Sheridan's room ... Gray's room.

L to R ~ view of the upstairs landing into the MBR ... the office and view of Gray's room
... one view of our bedroom

L to R ~ the storage room in the basement ... the kids play area ... the guest bedroom

Beautiful sunsets as viewed from my front porch.