Paul gets to go on lots of trainings and attend conferences for work, but this time, I got to go on training too! Paul was studying the nitty gritty of managing contracts and I was studying the basics of U.S. assistance to other countries. Our trainings were conveniently both in Washington, D.C. (so we got to spend some time in one of our favorite cities, eat at our favorite restaurants, and see our friends!) and conveniently timed around our nephew’s baptism and my Grandfather’s major award! Although we promised ourselves after Christmas that we wouldn’t do it again, we crammed 4 states, 7 flights, a train, and 2 buses into 2½ weeks – and it was totally worth it! We were pretty useless at work the first day back so this weekend is the recovery consisting of sleep, water and vegetables.
So the trip starts out with us, as always, super excited to be back in the States. Because we were on official training, work told us a dollar amount that we can spend on the hotel and we find our own hotel. And if you know me, you’d know that I will get the best deal – so we stayed in some of the most famous 5 Star hotels in the city! Fabulous! We got to see a lot of our friends which was really really great (and the main reason we were excited to get back to D.C.).
Just like every time before, I loved D.C.! The food, the architecture, the smiling people! What better way to start off your day than a man saying “Good Morning! Have a great day!” and handing you a free newspaper as you enter the metro? The training was really interesting and we got in as much time with friends as possible while being introduced to three new great restaurants: Founding Farmers, Grill Fish and Hill Country. The first is all local food with amazing cocktails (like the specialty cocktail at our wedding. The second was delicious fish – also ecofriendly! The third wouldn’t make my list of favorites, but Paul liked it so much he ate there twice in two weeks. We also checked out a few houses but they were just slightly over (4xs) our budget.
The highlight of Part One for me was my short trip to Miami! I’ve heard many people compare Miami to Tel Aviv – nothing alike. Okay, very much alike, but to compare them is to compare McDonald’s to Ray’s Hell Burger…or Wal-Mart to Nordstrom’s. The best part about it? Alexandria!!! If you haven’t seen us together, we are quite a pair. Not only do we ALWAYS get asked if we are sisters, but there is always an interesting or funny story about the people we meet or the things we do. She is great, her friends are great, the food was great, the weather was great! My only complaint is that I never have enough time!
No comments:
Post a Comment