Where in the world is Kelly?

Hello Dear Readers,

It seems I am in a new place every time I post something here, which is pretty much true. This summer has been filled with adventure thus far, and the adventure continues in Colorado at this very moment. I am in Salida, Colorado for a family reunion and to satisfy some adrenaline cravings. We are rafting Royal Gorge on Thursday, which has some Class 5 rapids that promise to be quite the thrill. I have also looked into hanggliding and bungee jumping. The former needs a little more planning, so I’ll save that for next time. The bungee jumping is a maybe though…

Adrenaline hunting aside, it has been great to connect with family this week. We are renting a beautiful house that I really don’t want to leave. After all, who would want to leave when this is the view from two story windows inside and a hot tub outside:

Beautiful! And the town of Salida isn’t so bad either. There are plenty of hiking trails, clean air, active locals, and a charming downtown area. I am camped out at a small coffee shop (cash only) enjoying a latte and watching the town go by outside. Coffee, my tablet, and a notebook are companions that will travel with me for some time to come.

In other news, I took the the Foreign Service Officer Test (FSOT) earlier this summer. I didn’t study for it and honestly took it to set a baseline score. But the results are in and… I passed! So what does that mean? It means that I get to advance to the next round in the application process to work for the U.S. Department of State. The next round is submitting essays that I have three weeks to write. I don’t know how far in the process I will go, though I suppose all I can do is take things one step at a time.