criplomats

My classes started this week at FSI – it was a lot of fun to be back on campus, meeting new folks and running into old friends.

This week I had a course called “Pakistan Familiarization,” a series of speakers who addressed different topics related to Pakistan. The neat thing about class was meeting people who I will be working with in Islamabad. My friend Michael from Juarez was in my class, and we’ll be working closely together in the Consular section.

Monday night  I met Pamela B. and Laura D. for dinner in Clarendon – so good to see them both. Pam and I made a stop in Trader Joe’s, then sat outside and had another glass of wine and yakked some more.

Tuesday and Wednesday nights, I went out with Miguel G., who was in from Prague for a few days (Miguel and TFran were our neighbors and co-workers in Juarez). The weather in DC has been beautiful this week, so we sat outside Wednesday night and had a drink. It was great to see him.

Friday after class, I ran into our good friend Richard S., so we caught the shuttle together, then took the Metro to Foggy Bottom. We sat outside at a nice Indian restaurant and had dinner and a glass of wine. He’ll be in Karachi, so hopefully we’ll get to see a lot of him in Pakistan.

Saturday I went over to Pentagon City to do some shopping, then came home and watched a movie and got caught up on episodes of “Mad Men.”

I’m very happy to report that Flavia is doing very well. I was a little worried about her when we first arrived because she just stayed under the bed, but the last few days, she has been very social and even playful!

John sent a link to a video of Islamabad – it’s about five minutes long and shows some local scenery – take a look if you are interested.

Also, I finished uploading all of my home leave photos – click here to see the album.

This was a really busy week – and fun! It started last Sunday with a bus trip up to Bentonville with a group of Hendrix alumni. We went to the new Crystal Bridges Museum of Art, a gift to the city from Alice Walton. WOW. It was just incredible. The art is wonderful and the building and grounds are even better. I had a wonderful time visiting with Pamela, Rosemary (drama professor) and my former Dillard’s manager Beth S. After touring the museum and grounds, we had a lovely reception on the outdoor landing. Just a really fun day!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tuesday evening, Alison invited me for a sunset cruise around Lake Hamilton on the party barge. It was a beautiful evening and we had a great time visiting, drinking a glass of wine and eating dinner on the boat. We topped it off with delicious desserts from Josh’s restaurant, Java Primo – carrot cake and coconut pie to die for.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I had my last appointments with the dentist, the podiatrist and the dermatologist – whew! I also ran by to see my favorite optometrist, Neill Clem. The doctors in Hot Springs are all really good and their staffs are really accommodating.

Saturday morning, I packed up my bags – all good things must come to an end, I guess. Boy, Flavia did not want to leave Mom’s house. She just wailed when I put her in her carrier – much more than normal. She really had a great time at Mom’s – she played and meowed and was generally right at home (unusual for her). She was really not happy to leave! But I can’t imagine not having her with me for the next two years, so she came with me.

We checked into the Embassy Suites (coincidentally, the very same hotel where John and I rescued Flavie eight years ago!) so I could go to my last event for home leave, and it was great!

My good friend Kelley threw a HUGE party at the hotel to celebrate her five year anniversary of surviving pancreatic cancer (survival rate: 6%). It was fantastic! I went to college and worked with her sister Kathy at RDS, and I worked with Kelley at Dillards, AND played golf with both Kelley and Kathy, so there were tons of people at the party who I know. It was so fun! There were at least two hundred people there (if not more), food, drinks, and a band. I was hoarse from talking by the end of the evening! Loved it!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After grabbing a couple of hours of sleep, Flavie and I were at the airport to catch our 6AM flight to DC. We got checked into Oakwood Apartments in Crystal City, then I walked over to the grocery store to get some basics, ate and took a nap – ready for class tomorrow! The next phase has begun!

 

This was a really laid back week without a lot of activity. The highlight of the week was having lunch with my good friend Leslie. She was in Hot Springs, and we had a long leisurely lunch on the patio at Rolando’s downtown – a really pretty setting with the patio cut into the side of the mountain. It’s always fun to catch up with her!

Another fun date on the calendar was dinner with Alison at KJ’s on Thursday!

I’m making the rounds of the doctors’ offices while I’m in town. Unfortunately, a freckle that I had removed and biopsied last week needed more attention, so after having the first set of stitches out on Wednesday, the doctor took out more tissue and sewed me up again on Thursday – ouch! Hopefully this will be the last of it!

 

There’s just nothing better than a good margarita on the La Fonda patio in San Antonio! I spent a great Memorial Day weekend with some of my very favorite people!

I flew in Saturday and had a good visit with James and MaryBeth, and Maverick (the biggest and friendliest Golden I’ve ever seen!) Later I caught up with Mike and Wayne, and we spent a lazy afternoon on the patio at La Fonda with margaritas in hand. They indulged me and took me to Los Barrios for lunch on Sunday (love their chimichurri), then we went back to La Fonda for dinner on Sunday evening (you can tell what I like to do in San Antonio: eat!).

I spent Monday with Jim and Joan before I returned to Hot Springs. They are doing great and it was so fun to visit with them! Joan made us a delicious lunch, complete with stuffed grape leaves made from a neighbor’s garden.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Earlier in the week, Mom and I had a nice road trip to Mountain Home to have lunch with Pete and Ginger – it’s such a pretty drive up to northern Arkansas. We had a good visit and were delighted to see Ginger’s photos of the two owls they had in their yard recently.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Last Monday I went to Mr. Peters’ funeral. It was a lovely ceremony, and the graveside service with military honors was beautiful. One thing that really struck me was in the procession from the church to the graveside – everyone still pulls over to the side of the road to let the processional pass, even on the highway. One of the big tourist “ducks” (the amphibious trucks) pulled over, too. It’s just nice to see that even today, people still take the time to show such respect.

Here are a few more photos from home leave. Click to see all of my home leave photos.

I’m having a great time on vacation and am being very lazy – it’s nice!

Last Sunday was Mother’s Day and I celebrated with lunch with Mom and Aunt Bonnie on her back porch. We had a nice lunch and enjoyed the weather – not too hot yet.

During the week, I went to the hospital several times to visit with Cindy while her dad was there. Unfortunately, Mr. Peters passed away on Wednesday evening at age 90 – he was such a sweet man and always put up with us girls running around their house and talking constantly on the telephone. (Click here to see his obituary and tributes.)  Mom and I had dinner with Cindy at KJ’s Thursday night – Mom always enjoys Cindy’s company.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wednesday I went with Mom to her monthly lunch with ladies she used to work with at the telephone company – they were a hoot.

Saturday morning I drove up to Hendrix for Odyssey Weekend. We had a great time – my good friend Pamela  was in charge, so we got to spend  a lot of time together. We heard alumni speakers, got updates on the college development and had a great dinner together. We slept in the dorm, and did a yoga class the next morning, led by our friend Karen. It was a fun weekend! Before dinner, we ran over to the Conway hospital to visit our friend Ann who is recovering from hip surgery.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After a yummy brunch at Hendrix, I drove to Little Rock to spend the afternoon with Mary – she is doing great and has a gorgeous new kitty named Cruella. I had a great time sitting on Mary’s front porch and getting caught up.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I topped off the weekend with a visit with Dail and Nancy, two of my very favorite people. We had a nice dinner at Bravo – they are doing fantastic! And I always enjoy seeing their cat, Gabby, who lives up to her name. I just wish John had been able to join us!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Flavie is doing really well at Mom’s house. I was afraid she would just hide under the bed, but she has been out and about, being curious and pretty friendly, since we arrived. She has her bluff in on Mom’s cat and growls when she sees him – but he is outdoors most of the time so it hasn’t been a problem (yet).

Here’s a close-up of Mary’s pretty kitty. Click here to see more photos from vacation.