Secretary of State Antony Blinken (“S”) made a trip to Buenos Aires after the G-20 in Brazil to meet with the new Argentine president and to say hello to embassy staff. John coordinated the embassy reception on the lawn of the ambassador’s residence Friday morning. The event went off without a hitch! Even though his visit to Argentina was very short, it required a lot of preparation in advance of his arrival – every event is choreographed down to the last detail to keep things on schedule and to ensure there are no gaffes, etc. I didn’t participate in the numerous countdown meetings with S’s large advance team, but it was fascinating to watch the process as John and other co-workers went through it. Adding to the week’s earlier schedule was a CODEL by Marco Rubio, which was also a heavy lift for post. I think we’re all anxious to return to regularly scheduled programming next week!
Also in big news this week: John and I celebrated 28 years of marriage! It seems like we’ve been together forever, but at the same time, it seems like yesterday that we were newlyweds living in Costa Rica! He treated me to a nice lunch at El Preferido.
Last Monday was President’s Day. I celebrated by cleaning out the bulk of my closet, inspired by reading “Wear It Well” last week. I still have a little bit to go, but it felt great. This week I also read “The First Rule of Mastery: Stop Worrying What Other People Think of You” and “The Fabulist: The Lying, Hustling, Grifting, Stealing, and Very American Legend of George Santos” – I enjoyed them both. John and I finished “Criminal Record” and “True Detective,” and started “Expats” with Nicole Kidman.