Weekend Wanderings

Hello to my three dutiful followers! I am so proud to call you my own.

Fabulous weekend here in D.C.

Dinner with Natalie on Friday was awesome! I made it there with no problem and the food was great, especially the garlic non (yum!). It tasted even better considering it was free. (Thanks Natalie!) Natalie gave me some great insider tips about what to see and where to eat. Can't wait to see her at the Meet Your Mentor Breakfast. After dinner I met up with Sara and Renee who were exploring M street. Before heading back to the apartment for the night, we stopped by Haagen Dazs. I tried the amaretto almond crunch and the java chip. De-lic-ous!

On Saturday, the three of us set out again, this time we visited two of the Smithsonian's: Natural History and American History. Considering I had just visited the Natural History museum in November [while in D.C. for the Homeless Walk with the Service Council], I found the American History museum a bit more interesting. My favorite exhibit featured the First Ladies, the highlight of which was their inaugural gowns. **FYI: Michelle Obama wore Jimmy Choos** We had some confusion about which way the buses were going, but luckily Sara is even better at asking shameless directions than I am. In fact, our direction asking turned into a conversation which almost got us into a bar that night. Ok, not really. Once we admitted that we weren't 21, it was pretty much game-over, but the moral of the story is: don't be afraid to ask for directions, you never know what it might get you.

Seeing as it didn't get us anywhere, I called it an early night and slept in on Sunday, only to wake up to the glorious smell of scrambled tortillas and eggs. Yes, you read correctly, scrambled tortilla and eggs. Abby and her oh, so adorable boyfriend Anuar, made us breakfast. After breakfast, Sara and I left Renee in bed and headed to Eastern Market. Eastern Market is a kind of farmers/flea market that takes place every Saturday and Sunday. It features lots of fresh fruits and vegetables as well as prepared foods. Sara and I each bought a fruit smoothie, which was a choice of three fruits and a simple syrup. So delicious {and healthy too}! [I've already decided that next time I am getting the empanadas. Who's with me?!]

Besides food, the Market also showcases lots of local artisans. Sara purchased a gorgeous photograph from a really talented photographer who had recently traveled to Thailand. I picked up a really pretty necklace that is a flower made from the shell of a clam with a small pink pearl for the center. We even bought some locally grown zucchini and squash for dinner. The man even offered us free whoopie pies :)) [which Sara had never had]. To top it off, I stumbled upon a great consignment shop called Clothes Encounters. I found a really fun top and great summer dress for work, which by the way is starting tomorrow (ah!).

That night, all five of us sat down for a meal of honey dijon chicken, rice and sauted zucchini and squash. If it sounds good, that's because it was good! All throughout dinner we remarked how great our situation is, as I doubt many other apartments were having dinner together.

We topped of our very busy weekend with a TFAS tour of the monuments. Tour buses took us on a ride through the city. We were able to get off the bus to see the Lincoln, Vietnam and Korean memorials. We asked several people to snap photographs of us, including two Asian tourists. One of the men even asked to have his picture taken with us!! How funny? Abby blamed it on Renee, explaining that they are often intrigued by all-American looking girls with blond hair.

With all of this re-cap, it is easy to forget that it's back to reality. No rest for the weary; work tomorrow!

I'll let you know how it goes!

P.S.-Pictures to come to this post soon. It's late now and I want to get a good nights sleep for the first day, but just wait 'til you see the Asian tourist. ;)