The Old Me

My sister is in DC this week. So, what does that have to do with the old me you ask?? Well, oddly enough my sister works at the very same U.S. Attorney's Office that I did before having kids. And she is on almost the same career path as I was. I started out as a contract employee and she was just recently hired as a contract employee. (Granted she was a student there first.) After a couple months as a contract employee I was hired on with the government. I was a legal assistant first and then by the time I quit I was a victim/witness coordinator.

Anyway, when she told me she was going to DC this week it brought back so many great travel memories I had from when I worked there. Honestly it is really the only thing I can say that I actually miss! Training, before the government built the NAC, could be almost anywhere. (The NAC is nicely situated in Colombia, SC.) I was able to go to DC a number of times; Burlington, VT; Chicago; Memphis; Orlando; and Tampa. There are probably a few other places but I can't remember them right now.

My first trip to DC was amazing!! I had never been there before and I had never traveled alone to a big city by myself. I took full advantage of my opportunity. I was able to fly in on a Saturday and spend all day Sunday sight seeing. It was so exciting waking up that morning, getting dressed and walking outside the hotel. I had stayed right on the edge of Georgetown and that was cool. I quickly found out you could take the Metro, the very clean Metro almost anywhere. I immediately went to the National Mall and made a plan. I knew I couldn't see everything so I picked just few places that I absolutely had to visit. The Hope Diamond, the Lincoln Memorial, the White House are just a few of the things I remember seeing. (I went back to DC on a couple of other occasions and was able to see Ford's Theater and a lot of other things that I had missed the first time around.)

I still remember what I wore that first day in DC, what I ate, how I felt just walking out of that hotel and trying to find the Metro stop by myself. Reading the Metro map. And then standing on the mall and looking up and down figuring out which way to go first. It also happened to be the same day of the St. Patrick's Day parade so that made getting around a little problematic and, of course, there were more people around then normal for a Sunday. The thrill of it all still makes me smile.

In Burlington, VT I took a boat ride on Lake Champlain and ate Ben and Jerry's ice cream every night. (My old boss tried to convince me to rent a car and drive to Montreal. Every thing there is in French so I chickened out.) In Chicago I saw a Renoir exhibit. And saw Rent. And went to the Second Act comedy club. And road the "L." And went to the top of the Sears Tower. In Memphis I ate BBQ and listened to live Jazz and Blues on Beal Street. In Orlando we stayed next to Downtown Disney. And in Tampa I got to visit my mom.

I LOVE to travel and look forward to the day when I can take the kids to some of the wonderful places I have been . . .