Sadie Abroad: You're Welcome Virginia

Tuesday, January 3, 2012

You're Welcome Virginia

Retailers throughout Virginia are rejoicing this week after my whirlwind shopping tour of the area. They're off to a great start in 2012 profits. Have I mentioned how much I love the Coach and Williams Sonoma outlets in Leesburg??

My whirlwind tour - 1400 miles in six days - brought me to NJ to visit a dear family friend, to WV to drop off my grandmother and visit my aunt and uncle and their assorted menagerie, and then to VA-DC-MD for a few days of shopping, sightseeing, and friendseeing. It was blissful.

I answered the eternal question - is vision insurance worth it? - by saving $800 on two and half new pairs of glasses. That's a whopping $700 savings once I factor in premium costs. And one of my eyes actually got better this year - yay!

I went to the Celtics game in DC on January 1st and watched my beloved boys in green get their first win of the season. I always get much better (and cheaper) seats in DC than in Boston to see the Celtics. About 40% of the stadium was also rooting for the Celts, which is pretty amazing for an away game.

Yesterday I stocked up on goodies at Trader Joe's, which is pretty much the greatest store ever. Then I headed to Annapolis to meet up with friends - namely my partner in mischief and adventure from my South Africa days and her wonderful husband. We had an awesome time and laughed and laughed and reminisced and caught up and had a blast. Looking forward to having them visit me in Uganda!

And today, on my way back to NH, I had the perfect drive with no traffic and no delays, arriving home exactly 8 hours after I left VA. That, my friends, is a record. It's usually closer to 10-12 hours.

I leave you now with some pictures of the triumphant Celtics and my beautiful new Coach acquisition. A 2011 reflection post still to come...