Steven was asked to provide training to Moldovan government staff on procurement. So we went to the capital city, Chisinau, and had a lovely time. I cannot quantify the amount of pork fat that I ate over the six days...it was a lot! The food was really good. I ate a lot of pork and a little beef (tongue and steak) and lamb. I had fatback, headcheese, and bacon (mostly fat) every day for multiple meals; oh my, it was so yummy. And Steven--the wonderful and sharing husband that he is--gave me a lot of his fat since he is more of a lean-meats kind of guy. Heaven!
The country is the poorest European country outside of the EU. They are working on getting into the EU, but it is a process--a long process, which they may not complete depending on the upcoming elections next year. Regardless, we spent time with the director of procurement and his wife, an official from Czechoslovakia, other experts, and staff from the CDLP program of the US department of commerce. It was more of an education than a vacation. There is corruption, 106 people exit the country every day, and the future is unclear. However, it was evident that they appreciated Steven's expertise and commitment to this project...they were already talking about another workshop before we had even left. We saw some beautiful monasteries, world's largest underground wine cellar, and a bit of the countryside. Moldova is known for their wine, cognac, walnuts, prunes, and apricots.
Is there anything cuter than seeing a bunch of kids all dressed alike? Go Buckeyes! Julia is making her way through the Four Tendencies. I'm so happy I've got her hooked on Gretchen Rubin. Check out her Hot Chicken Takeover and fried mac-n-cheese from Sicilia's. After several months of planning and getting permits, the panels were finally installed. One last hurdle from PEPCO...they need to replace our meter. We are so close!
Julia is busy with classes, running, Buckeye Blackout, and social events. Check out her egg and potato hash. Julia and Sarah have also been making big batches of chili. And, no worries, they still make their rounds to the favorite restaurants around town. One exciting event this past week was my meat haul from Wagshal's: headcheese, liverwurst, beef dogs, flank steak, meat/fat scraps, steamship roast. Yummerific! The highlight each and every week, however, is always our Facetime calls with Jules. She's the best! We love her tons!
Julia is busy with classes, Buckeye Blackout club (madam president!), and OSU spirited events. She had some good eats at Diaspora, favorite sushi place, the Greek Festival, Conado tacos, and various OSU frat and game related parties. She went bowling with the boys, a baseball game, Big Sandy concert, and is also spending time in the lab. We both received our copies of The Four Tendencies, by Gretchen Rubin--whoo-hoo, love her! It was just released this past week and is a fantastic read for any and all people. 
