5/6 Expressions

We just returned from a short trip to Washington, D.C. My daughter won first prize for her age group in a national poster contest. The contest was sponsored by a professional organization to which my husband belongs. So, as it was work-related for my husband, his organization paid for his trip. To turn in into a quick family vacation - my frugal skills were employed :) We drove - so, that should be covered. First night's hotel, we drove until we were tired and I started calling hotels in the gas station coupon book (very reasonably priced and appears cheaper than other rates - AAA, etc.). We stayed in a nice hotel and had a nice hearty free breakfast the next morning. We stopped to see the Natural Bridge - exercise was nice too. Oh, I failed to mention that I brought a re-usable grocery tote filled with fruits, raisin, snacks, granola bars from my pantry - oh, and peanut butter cookies from the freezer that my daughter and I baked earlier. We also took a case of bottled water and my husband's favorite beverage - Diet Pepsi Max. We stopped for a late lunch and on to our next hotel that we used hotel points for. No cash out of our pockets for that one and it was nice and we had a hearty breakfast there too. Then to the National Zoo where the organization sponsored a nice brunch - fruit crepes, made-to-order omelets, fruit, etc. Pictures of the poster contest winners were taken and the winners were presented with a gift bag with snacks and momentos from the zoo - all very nice. Plus, we got to see the animals. Of course parking was $15 - but not bad for brunch and an outing. Then on to our hotel. This is a very expensive time DC. Apparently a heavy convention time. My husband's organization had a limit for the amount we would be reimbursed for a hotel - very prudent. So, weeks before, I got on Priceline.com and made reservations. Good thing, because the hotels were booked and apparently, we paid less than 1/2 of the going rate and barely squeeked under the reimbursable rate. The event was wonderful. We saw many sites. For the event itself, awards were presented at the Capitol Building. A nice surprise, our state Senator sent an aide to get my daughter's name and address and sent his congratulations. We were also presented with nice momentos there and had very nice finger foods sponsored by many companies. Then on to the Art Museum. We were treated to a nice tour and then all of us were invited to make "nature boxes". A very memorable family experience - and we were all treated to lunch at the museum. My daughter was also presented with a very nice totebag of items from the Art Museum. It was a memorable experience and one that will last our lifetime. Back to reality. Although I asked to stop the mail delivery during the entire time - I found a day's worth in my mailbox. Of course it was nice - State Tax refund and a nice bubble envelope of products - Neutrogena Bath Wash and Butter Cream that were of a very generous size, and sample of other products (one-time use). So, I am not sure if I "won" a prize - or if this was a generous sample pack from Johnson & Johnson. Either way, all of it will come in handy. Tomorrow, I will pick-up the rest of the mail, do laundry, etc. I took an extra day off from my day job to catch-up and get things back on track again.