Four Months

We left DC four months ago and I've delayed and dragged my feet on writing some kind of conclusion to that experience. I've finally realized there is no perfect way to wrap it up. Every day spent there, every experience shared is something that Scott and I and our kids will carry with us. It's left a mark on my emotionally and physically that I'll forever carry and I think the experiences speak for themselves. My words and photos will never truly convey the impact of that almost three year adventure.

Coming back to the exact place we left is strange. It was hard to leave, and was the benchmark for any new comparison, and now, my world lenses simply feel like my optometrist clicked the better view. I don't think I was living in a bubble before, but probably to some degree. If I took anything away from this entire experience it was this-take the leap, whatever that leap may mean in your life. Perspective gaining, personal growth, boundary pushing--I grew in ways I didn't know I needed to. Big decisions will always be tangled with, but this move became my new benchmark for agonizing pros and cons lists. Previously it had been jumping out of a plane. I don't plan on one-upping my cross country move while pregnant scenario.

People move away from home all the time. What made it feel unusual to me, was that most of our family and friends and even neighbors grew up and remained close to home, at most within a day’s time of driving distance, or a short flight away. When my husband asked me how I felt about him taking a job with the government, I thought, well Sacramento is in the other half of the state, but, sure why not, thinking nothing would come of it and that whatever application he submitted went into a digital blackhole. When he clarified it meant Washington, D.C., I raised my eyebrows, shocked, but shrugged it off thinking, sure, at the rate government jobs move we’ll revisit this conversation in about 12 months. Well, joke’s on us, because it was approximately three months later that we made the decision to move to our family across the country. We packed up our belongings, rented our house, bade tearful goodbyes with our families, and my husband set out early on the last Monday of September, armed with essentials that wouldn’t fit in our shipping containers--primarily, our two cats. My three-year-old son and I remained at my in-laws until our one-way flight, that Friday, September 30, 2016. I’ll never forget that day, leaving them behind at security, and holding the small, still slightly chubby hand of my son, and having tears streaming down all of our faces as we joined the security queue. I was also eight months along with a high-risk pregnancy and no doctor lined up on the east coast. I have to imagine some of those tears were out of pure WTF are we/they doing packing up in and leaving everything at this moment in time?!?

Spoiler alert-there’s a very happy ending. Our family made deep and wonderful connections. I made it my mission to know my neighbors-it was natural to me coming from a place where I hung out in my front yard every afternoon and chatted with fellow residents. We connected with families. My son went to kindergarten and played in his first t-ball league there. My daughter's first story time was at the Library of Congress.

While I enjoy being back and so close to family and friends and a somewhat familiar routine, I miss the friends that brought energy and intimacy to my days. I miss the landscapes of monuments, high rises, and the Capitol and National Mall but also the flora and fauna of living on the border of wilderness. Upon returning, I initially experienced boredom without having the sense of adventure and exploration that a new and very fast-paced city brought on the daily (and I say this whilst living in Disneyland’s backyard and in a fantastic neighborhood. It’s a weird kind of culture shock) and resuming a life that feels like I hit the pause button binge-watching my own life. As nice as it is to “come home”, it was also extremely hard to leave it-both times. 

The idea of home used to mean the single-family home we’d buy and live our forever life in. I’ve come to realize that life is much too short for me with that as my end goal. The world is worth exploring. Our country is worth exploring. Perhaps I’m now sounding like some high, know-it-all, self-help evangelist, but I hope not. This is simply my story and for those who have followed along, I feel like I owe you as much as myself some kind of reconciliation of our DC volume.

I'm not sure what is next for us six, nine months down the line. There's potential for another out-of-state move. I have mixed feelings as our kids get older, and wanting them to have a sense of consistency with school, friends, and family. I know it will work out because we are fortunate to have options and an extremely supportive family.

We came for the adventure, the excitement, a chance to try something new. We left with a lifetime of memories and more importantly, friendships that gave us community and truly made the epicenter of the United States feel like home. 

Playing Catch Up

Time flies when you're having fun! In the last month, we've had new adventures, visited some old favorites and had some west coast visitors :)

Thanks to my favorite source for ideas around the city, we made our way to the American Indian Museum which has a really great kid space (ImagiNATIONS) that Henry has talked about weekly ever since. They built igloos, rode in kayaks, and played in traditional houses of indigenous people.

We also met friends at the Children's Science Center in Fairfax, VA, where Henry loved learning about coding for robots (much to Scott's delight), powering solar fans, creating tornados, and making slime. Both kids also got a spontaneous high five from the Easter Bunny while we had some snacks next to his burrow (hollow? lair?) which was surprisingly mellow.

THERE IS MORE SNOW IN THE FORECAST THIS WEEKEND and we also had a pretty big storm at the end of March, so big that it delayed flights for family coming in to visit us and see the sights. WHERE ARE YOU SPRING?!?! (That being said, we continue to geek out over snow despite the fact that I am done with the cold and mostly kids + jackets + hand warmers + gloves etc., etc.) Said kids? They LOVE it.

The snowstorm just created further excitement and anticipation for the arrival of a beloved grandma and aunt who was able to see the sights for the first time, participate in a march, and spend oodles of time bonding with the kiddos.

During spring break, I took the kids to the Beauvoir National Cathedral Elementary School which has the most epic playground I've ever read/seen/been to (and this is from a former Parks and Recreation Commissioner). First, you can't beat the backdrop of the magnificently gothic National Cathedral, with a terraced playground of rope bridges, mazes, giant wooded and laddered climbing structures and a legit zip line. Did I mention the sand boxes, swings, soccer field, playhouses, and three story slide? #PrivateSchool. It's actually really well maintained and so nice of the facility to allow the plebeians to play after school hours and on holidays.

For Easter, we stayed local and enjoyed a massive egg hunt at Lincoln Park where Jo learned real quick how egg hunts work and filled her basket leaving no prisoners. We enjoyed lawn games, an Easter dog (?) and bunny, farm animals, face painting, and a great time with our neighbors roaming the park.

Later that day we dyed Star Wars eggs in anticipation of the rabbit's arrival that night.

Said bunny came, and the children were joyous.

Later that day we hopped the fence to the local elementary school and played on their fabulous playground with other miscreant families and Cookie Monster.

More recently, the cherry blossoms have bloomed! It was really special to see them last year and this year, even more so. There is so much anticipation leading up to the "peak bloom" that events and committees must be in a constant tizzy waiting for it. We went earlier this week, and while it was a little rainy and cold, we still enjoyed their beauty. Today, I sat in traffic along the National Mall and took them in, in all their glory, along with 10,000 visitors under blue skies.

While things may are overall enjoyable here, most of our days have been taken up by lengthy walks in our neighborhood searching for our dear cat, Oliver, who escaped last Thursday. He's been gone a week and we are missing him dearly. Our hope is that someone sees him after seeing the many posters plastering the neighborhood, the social media pleas, and contacts us or the Humane Society, or of course, he finds his way home. I've been touched by the tips and leads that have come in on Facebook, texts, phone calls, and even FaceTime calls. This neighborhood has rallied to find him and I'm so grateful that there's such a large group of eyes on the lookout for our big boy.

Resident Tourist: Newseum

While I frequent museums with the kids each week, I rarely have an opportunity to read anything beyond the headlines in the exhibits. It's been on my personal bucket list for a while to get to a few museums solo before our time here comes to an end, and high on that list was the Newseum.

A non-Smithsonian venture, the Newseum celebrates all that has to do with the first Amendment-freedom of speech, religion, press, assembly, and petition. I had intended to be gone a few hours on Sunday and be able to see the National Archives as well, but instead, spent over three hours moving at my own pace through the six levels of this amazing museum.

With my communications background, I found much of the content fascinating. Some highlights: the front of the museum has a front page from every state represented, as well as most major countries inside. I choked up no less than five times in the Pulitzer Prize photographs gallery. Many images were quite iconic but others I had never seen and/or known the backstory and was moved to tears learning more about the stories and context of the images. And, I was impressed to see an image from the Orange County Register among the collection.

The Newseum also has a fully-functional television studio that has hosted President Obama and regularly featured ABC News anchor George Stephanopoulos, among other broadcast notables. Pretty cool to stand inside those walls. And, on the lighter side, they also have an interactive exhibit where you can pretend to be a newscaster. Of course I did that, too.

Other exhibits took a look at the Civil Rights movement the past fifty years, and how student protests have continued to be main forms of free speech. 

Exhibits also focused on the accessibility of news. Standing on either side of the Berlin wall and looking at maps as to how much freedom of the press actually existed in Berlin at that time and now, globally, was sobering. 

The museum had an amazing 9/11 gallery reflecting a timeline of events that day, journalists' stories and videos of capturing the events as they happened, and an antenna that used to reside atop World Trade Center. Their discretely placed tissue boxes were much appreciated.

Other highlights of the visit included an entire gallery dedicated to front page stories spanning three centuries. Headlines included Napoleon returning to France to the Titanic's sinking and both royal weddings of the last 30 years. It was fascinating to read (those in modern English anyway), along with exhibits on war reporting, women in news, and how the FBI is fighting modern terrorism in a pre and post 9/11 world. There's also an amazing panoramic exhibit on the top floor, flanking Pennsylvania Ave, with picture perfect views and a detailed timeline of the headlines that made it "America's Main Street."

Being non-Smithsonian the cost is around $25 for adults, but the first weekend of the month is free for Bank of America customers (credit cards, bank cards, even my Alaska Airline's credit card applied!) but it's definitely worth the money. And Wolfgang Puck's restaurant is next door and also the supplier of the cafeteria, where I had lunch. Win win!

January

As January inches closer to February, I want to be sure to recap our activities before either I forget or iPhone shouts at me to add more storage.

We had another overnight dusting of snow mid-month and it really doesn't take much white stuff to excite these two.


We've also revisited the Natural History Museum since Jo has been able to walk, which is an entirely new experience. We went through the butterfly garden and she had to be stopped from grabbing/slapping/stepping on all of them-generally frowned upon behavior. Henry is still an eager participant in all tarantula feedings.

We made our way across the John Phillip Sousa bridge to check out the Anacostia Park Playground after the snow melted. Henry loves a good river to throw sticks into and playground with fireman's pole, so win win for him.

Most of my adventuring ideas come from the blog KidFriendlyDC, and the author suggested a visit to River Farm. The temperatures were right and so we made our way to Alexandria, quite close to Mount Vernon, to check out the farm. It wasn't a barnyard animal type farm but more expansive gardens and lawns. It's also the headquarters for the American Horticulture Society. 

They have an awesome children's area with pirate ship, forts, playhouses, and general romping and exploring area. And another river (Potomac this time) for Henry to throw sticks into.



I of course attended the Women's March again this year and was blown away by the participation. It wasn't as large as last year (guessing because DC was not the headquarters), but that being said, I was also able to make my way up to the Lincoln Memorial and look out across the expanse of men, women, and children and frozen reflecting pool. It was a pretty amazing feeling to hear the empowering speeches from men and women, and watch from the steps that carry so much history.

We also made another visit this week to the National Building Museum. If anyone ever reads this and comes to DC with kids, I highly recommend. It's not a Smithsonian so there is an admission fee, but it's a great hands-on museum for kids, has interesting exhibits for adults, and a beautiful atrium for running around. Like the Natural History, it was the first time we've been back since Josephine could walk so it was great to see her able to enjoy it as well.

We've also had some mellow days at and around the house-perfecting our BMX-riding prep, storytime at our favorite book store, and pre-bedtime silliness :)

Wrapping Up December

Christmas feels like it might as well have been months ago (could have something to do with the fact that I strip everything down on the 26th) but we did quite a bit of merrymaking leading up to the beloved holiday.

Henry was really into the Christmas season this year, from the music, to the decorating, lights, stories-it was really magical to experience the holiday through his four-year-old eyes.



We had our first snow right before Christmas and it was a joyful experience for both kids. Henry made two snowmen, had a snowball fight, and made a snow angel. Snow boxes check, check, and check.

Josephine loved the stuff icey stuff as well :)

"Henry and Dad Snowmen"


Henry was quite happy with Santa's deliveries of his requested toy soldier and bike bell. Josephine, the resident goat, was stoked to have new paper to chew on.

We had a second snow overnight a few days ago which made for more snow play fun despite the 20 degree temperatures (though note, the "feels like" temp is hovering below 10. It's COLD.)

I braved the cold to take Henry to a "noon" year's eve for kids at Yards Park and we were both number in the fingers and toes and ready for the gosh darn balloon drop to take place. We bolted for lunch and enjoyed some Mexican fare and bloody mary's for an unexpected New Year's Eve day date.


And in the blink of an eye another year has gone by! 2017 was a pretty amazing year for our family with so many adventures, new friends, holidays shared, and memories made. We definitely ended our year on a high note. Cheers to 2018!

Hello, December

I have already mentioned how this late fall and winter is an entirely different experience than last year, when I was carrying around a newborn...and that's assuming we left the house for more than a grocery trip. While it's still pretty darn cold (and we have our first snowfall forecasted for tomorrow) I'm not as worried about the kids warmth while outside this year, and as such, much more agreeable to outings that might require a longer walk.

Last year, we attempted to visit the Botanical Gardens' holiday train exhibit, but the lines were cah-razy. So, this year, we had our act together and went on December 1 and were able to take it all in without any crowds. 2017's theme is "Roadside Attractions" and each state has a plant-matter model of a roadside attraction represented (California's? The Santa Monica Pier...a little bummed it wasn't Baker's giant thermometer.) Both kids loved the attractions and especially the trains.




Also on our bucket list this holiday season was ice skating, and what better place to do it than in the Sculpture Garden, surrounded by all the Smithsonian Museums?! I haven't been in YEARS and had a moment of anxiety in how I'd be able to handle it and Henry at the same time. I was pleasantly surprised to see it was like riding a bike, and Henry LOVED it. He kept declaring it awesome and was eager to spot Scott and Jo as we made each (sloooow) lap. He is already talking about going again with his dad.

This morning, we made our way to the Library of Congress for a special story time with Paddington Bear, in the flesh fur, which both kids enjoyed. Might have been the promise of cookies, hot chocolate, and marmalade sandwiches that were available after, too.

And of course, no holiday season is complete without a picture of a crying baby in Santa's lap.

November Notes

Well here we are post-Thanksgiving and ready to call it quits on November and welcome December and all of it's festivities!

November has been totally picturesque with plenty of outings to take in the rainbow of fall colors and sear it into my memory.

We visited the Jerome Buddie Nature Center and hiked around the Dora Kelley Nature Park...

We went to a table manners class at Room & Board...

Found another new park playground nearby...

Enjoyed the crisp (and not rainy!) weather with trips outside, although some of us have honed in our indoor climbing abilities too...

Enjoyed a positively lovely Thanksgiving at our neighbor's house, where we were welcomed among family and friends...

Finally made it to Rock Creek Park, and while we missed the Observatory show, will be back another time...

Returned to Hains Point at East Potomac Park to enjoy the playground and watch the flights takeoff and land at DCA...



Ventured to the National Zoo for Zoolights, where Henry went tubing and I FINALLY glimpsed two of the four toes on a rather elusive two-toed sloth...



And ended the month with a visit from one of my favorite people and a pickup game of baseball in the back parking lot with our favorite neighbor!


And we officially have a walker in the house...

This is Halloween

Another year, another Halloween for the books!

Henry proclaimed his idea during the summer and thus, I started my little droid assembly to make his Halloween dreams come true. If you had asked me five years ago if I'd be dressing up as Princess Leia and creating C3PO and R2D2 costumes, I'd have laughed. Today I have had quite the Star Wars education thanks to Henry! (Though Scott will tell you he's certainly tried over the years.)

I'm pretty proud of how they both turned out (thank you Internet for the ideas, because otherwise I'm pretty sure I'd be spray painting foil) and people certainly knew who he was.

Henry had a great time trick-or-treating and like last year, handing out candy to our own visitors, often calling them up to the porch as they walked by so as not to miss out on candy collecting.

Hope everyone had a great holiday!

Fall Visits and a brush with the Bushes

We were pretty lucky to welcome both Grandmas for a visit this month! We were able to catch up, celebrate the season with Halloween activities, a pre-birthday celebration for Jo, and just enjoy a mellow DC visit to some of our favorite haunts.

The Halloween season isn't complete without a visit to the pumpkin patch. Bonus points for aerial goat runs!

Across the road from the pumpkin patch is a strategically located winery and farm. Moms of all ages rejoiced!

If anyone reading has been living in a bug-out bunker the past few weeks, allow me to inform you through your spotty WIFI that the DODGERS ARE IN THE WORLD SERIES! There are some pretty devoted LA fans here, ahem, staying up into the wee hours of the morning to support our boys in blue. Obviously I hope they win, but it's been so cool to see them advance this far and a truly well played series.

My mom stayed a few days longer than my mother-in-law, and we took her to some of our favorite parks and made a second visit to Great Falls National Park.

While Scott's handshake with Obama may go down as the number one highlight of our time here, I had my own political embrace this week when I went to the DC stop of the Bush sisters book tour for their newly published memoir, "Sisters First." For anyone that watches the Today show, Jenna is exactly as she appears-comedic, witty, and a gal's gal. Barbara is reserved, allows her sister to take the lead with the microphone, but incredibly articulate and doing great humanitarian work. They were engaging, humorous, and pretty relatable considering their unique upbringing. The book presentation included a photo opp at the end and while it was incredibly fast to experience, they were so kind, laughed at the words I put together and then forced out of my mouth-it was exhilarating.

Friday I decided to load the kids up and make the two hour trek to Shenandoah, a beautiful National Park with tons of recreational activities for children and adults. We specifically went for the caverns, because Henry is very interested in earth science and I knew it would be something he'd thoroughly enjoy. The drive out was incredible with the changing leaves and rolling hills and the caverns themselves did not disappoint. It was about a mile of walking underground and with the handful of kids in our group under 10, they all did exceptionally well. The formations were fascinating and we even walked under an inactive fault line. That was about equal parts cool and crazy.

Still riding on a high of my brush with the Bush twins, Henry and I had a dress rehearsal for Halloween at Hilloween, the Capitol Hill neighborhood's pre-show for candy and general kid mayhem. We've got some costume kinks to work out before the big day, but I am very proud of what we've assembled. I enjoyed an evening of wine out with my neighbor and then we spent Saturday afternoon at the National Arboretum on a picture perfect fall day and ran into our neighbor friends there as well.