Catsup or Ketchup?

Either way, I've got to play catch up for all of my adoring fans (all one of you, if that).
Last I left you, I had left a three-post recap of the amazing trip Mel and I took to Spain and Portugal. The trip was amazing and has left us wanting more travel.
That leads me to my next point. As an FYI, I have been in the process of applying to the Foreign Service. This process began last November with my signing up to take the FSOT written exam. At that point, it reserved a spot, which would allow me to schedule the test in the February 2010 testing window (which lasted through the first week of March). I took the exam on March 3. A few weeks later, I was notified that I had passed. At which point, I had had to answer six personal narrative questions in 200 words, demonstrating experiences of when I displayed certain characteristics such as leadership, effective communication, etc. That step, known as the QEP (Qualifying Evaluation Panel or something to that extent), was submitted prior to our Spain trip, and I was notified that I passed about 1 1/2 months later.
I was then told that I could sign up between the dates of June 21 and June 26, for an oral exam to be held this fall. I did that, and now have scheduled my FSOA for Sept 8, 2010. If all goes well for that, I would only need to pass a background check and medical exam to be able to be listed on the register, from which I could be selected to serve as a Foreign Service Officer. Looking at it, it really seems like a ridiculously long process. But, I think it will be well worth it in the long run. To read more about the Foreign Service, click HERE.
More importantly, and also stemming from our trip to Spain...We're having a baby!!
Said child is set to be born around January 1. We've been told a few dates, so I say around just to cover my bases. I am really hoping, though, that daddy's little tax write off will show his/her smiling face in 2010, so I can have the tax deduction for the whole year. That would be a great, albeit belated, Christmas gift from our little child.We don't know what we're having yet. We'll be finding out on Friday--Friday the 13th at that, so I hope it's not a ware wolf or something like that.
So that's about it for the catch up. I'm sure there's plenty of other things that could be mentioned, but I just don't want to bother right now.