Goodbye DC

Living close to Washington DC has been the best part about this summer. I will miss having such a cool city to spend Saturdays in. I (so naively) thought we would see everything in each Smithsonian, visit each monument multiple times, and Cutie Bug and I would visit the zoo or aquarium each week. This was not the case, because
a) we could live in DC for five years and probably not see everything
b) it takes an hour and a half to get to said zoo on the Metro, meaning it also takes that long to get home after a long day at the zoo with a sleepy/sleeping two year old.
But really, it doesn't matter. We've seen a lot of things, and been a lot of places (I feel a song coming on) and I am just satisfied and ready to go home!

nyc

What better way to spend a weekend than to cram yourself onto an island that is already quite crammed? Well. Maybe there are better ways but once in a while I do crave the city life.
This was the first time visiting New York City for both me and Ricky.It did not disappoint. We had about 2 1/2 days to see the city, and like most tourists, we mainly stuck to Manhattan. For the amount of time we had, and considering we had a toddler in tow, we did pretty well. Some of the highlights:

• A charming hotel just 3 blocks from the Empire State Building (we had a junior suite with, wait for it.....our own bathroom. Just had to throw that in because it was advertised in a way that made it seem quite special. Space is quite the commodity, I know.) Anyway, it was fun to walk around that area each day as we were coming and going.

• A bus tour that was super-touristy, but perfect for us, since it doubled as a day taxi and let us see big chunks of the city without worrying about navigation ourselves.
• Walking. One evening we decided to have dinner in Little Italy, and had originally planned to take a taxi. We weren't very hungry yet, so we just started walking, and ended up walking the 30 or so blocks there. We also ran into a very talkative woman who I initially thought was crazy but was in fact just friendly. She asked what route we were taking, and when I told her that, oh, we're just going to walk down Broadway, she said "WRONG." Then it was awkward for a moment, but she the proceeded to explain a much more interesting route that led us through the original Five Points area. Best of all, when we got to Little Italy we were good and hungry. Sometimes on vacation I feel like I'm just eating and eating because I don't want to miss the local flavor, but I'm not even that hungry most of the time. Walking definitely helped with that.

• Getting rain-soaked during a night-tour of Brooklyn. Well maybe not the shiniest highlight but it made for a funny memory. We had some saran-wrap like ponchos, and Ricky had Nicky inside his. Nicky just curled up and went to sleep, as we sat there, squinting because the rain was falling so hard. Poor Ricky had glasses on so he couldn't see anything.
• A pastrami on rye from Katz's Deli. It was perfect.

• The view from the top of the Empire State Building. We waited until the morning of our last day to go up, and there was no line! I loved seeing the outline of Central Park; such a tidy rectangle of green in a sea of tan and gray.

• The drive up and back. We initially planned to take a train up from Baltimore, but it ended up being less expensive to drive, even with the tolls and parking costs. It was kind of a hassle getting around, but I just love the anticipation of driving somewhere, and then the coziness of driving home. It's when Ricky and I have some of our best conversations I think.
• Nicky boy's highlight: watching all the "Bob the Builders" at work at Ground Zero.

He's been asking to go "see the buildings" ever since.

august

Our last week here commences, and I for one am feeling a bit restless. Definitely ready to head back to our home and get back to the business of living among familiar people and places, and finish school (hooray)!
Today we enjoyed a long rainy morning and then, feeling the restlessness pretty strongly, headed out to a nearby park. It's one of the best things to do here. Nicky played on the large playground, we walked around and enjoyed the trees, then rented a canoe and paddled around the lake.

Canoeing was frustrating at first, as we slowly went around in circles, but soon we got the hang of it. I left feeling better: relaxed, hopeful and full of peace. I am grateful for this summer--for the beauty of this place, for the closeness our little family has found here, for all sorts of little lessons that I've learned.

4th of July

Since we currently live so close to the nation's capital, it seemed only right to be there for the Fourth. Ricky's not a huge fan of crowds, so he was probably the least excited one, but he came along and was in a good mood anyway. Because he loves me.
First, we crowded in with everyone else for a bad view of the parade:

Then, to escape the crowds for a bit we wandered over in the direction of Chinatown and found a street cafe for lunch. I glanced across the street and noticed that the National Portrait Gallery was there, so we decided to duck in for a while and take a break from the heat. We wandered around The Presidents Exhibit. It was so interesting to see the different personalities presented, and how the level of formality has really come down since the early days. I like that. The newer portaits capture more of the spirit of the person than the office.
Next we thought that Nicky should probably have a nap, so we walked over to the sculpture garden that has become our default nap spot. It's a peaceful spot--plenty of shade and has a large fountain in the center that becomes and ice skating rink in the winter.
Note the headless folk watching the fountain. All part of the charm.
Also note Nicolas, in dire need of rest. He didn't feel that it was necessary, however, so it took at least 45 minutes to get him to sleep. In the meantime, we just read, talked, and sipped on some iced coffee.
Since it was almost evening, Ricky went to scope out the firework-viewing situation along the National Mall. When he came back, we were rested and ready to roll. So, we packed up and headed down the Mall to find a good spot. We walked down to the Capitol, passing lots of people, a Christian concert (side note, it seems to be very popular for Christian bands to sing John Mayer's song Waiting on the World to Change right now) and the most interesting juxtaposition of the day, a Hare Krishna festival offering free dinner. The bright colors were nice, but we didn't partake.

After this stroll, we settled down with our blanket on a nice patch of grass and found ourselves with less than two hours to wait. We passed the time with hot dogs, cherry ices and people-watching. One of my favorite moments was hearing a man tell his wife and son "this is the ultimate spot!!" They settled down too and played some cards. Then Ricky and I wished we had cards. Soon enough, though, 9:00 came and then we got to see this:

Pardon my bad pictures. It was spectacular, really, and I will never forget the feeling of sitting there on the Mall, surrounded by people we didn't know but feeling so connected. It was worth the hours it took to get home on the very crowded Metro, and the hours of waiting. All in all, a good day.


PS Here's a good view of the Cutie Bug's special haircut that he gave himself.

down to the shore-day 2

We spent the morning on Assateague Island. It's an absolutely beautiful spot with grassy marshes, a long stretch of seashore, and wild ponies.


When I was a kid, one of my favorite movies was Misty, based on the book Misty of Chincoteague by Marguerite Henry. It was fun to see the island that inspired the book.


And to see this beauty up close.



A chilly walk along the shoreline ended our visit. The little girl in me was quite happy.

down to the shore

One Saturday in June, we went "over the bridge and down the shore", as they say in these parts, to Ocean City, Maryland. I love days that involve:

a) the three of us together, for the whole day
b) the combination of coffee, a nice drive, and conversation with Ricky
c) a new adventure

and this was definitely that day! We took the Bay Bridge (six miles long!) across the Chesapeake, and continued on through gorgeous scenery. When we arrived at our destination, we first located our hotel, which was surprisingly charming, even though we had picked it because it was one of the few that didn't cost threehundreddollars a night. Whew. Then, we munched on our packed lunch of BLT's and hit the boardwalk.

the Cutie Bug thoroughly enjoyed this:
and we bought some yummy treats:
and ate some while we waited out the rain.

Then it was back to the hotel to check in, and just in time, the rain stopped. Perfect timing to walk to the beach.
We rounded out the day with a seafood dinner and another stroll on the boardwalk.

Summer Away

Our summer adventure in Maryland has almost ended. In just a few short weeks we will trek back to the land of cactus, green chile, and heat! Life here has been.....well let's see, different. I think that's the best word. Different from my expectations. Some things have been wonderful, like the canopies of green trees everywhere, living close to so many amazing sights, and just the excitement of being somewhere new. We've also missed our family and friends terribly, felt lonely, and been frustrated by different attitudes and the high cost of living. Overall, though, this has been a good experience. It has sharpened my ideas of what I want, what is important. What a gift that is. I've realized how much I love our little desert corner of the country, and how precious our relationships there are to me. I feel so much clarity, and I'm grateful for it.
So, just a few more weekend trips to DC. Trying to decide what I really want to see--things high on the list that we haven't done yet include Union Station, the Holocaust Museum, Georgetown, National Cathedral, Ford's Theater, the rest of the zoo, maybe the Lincoln memorial just one more time......decisions, decisions! Since I'm starting to wax nostalgic for this place (funny how that happends) I think I'll devote a post to each of our outings this summer.....more to come.

on finding a home

Lately I am thinking about the future more than usual. I think it's because we have some big changes coming up, and some big decisions. Where to live, where to work, when to have another baby---all decisions I am very excited to face. The question of where to live is the most prominent in my mind I suppose.
I love so many things about our life here. We have a good church and good friends. Everything is so familiar. Natural disasters are rare. (Just thought I'd throw that one in :) But seriously--those things are not easy to find. When we got married, we had a transition period from our "college friends" to our "grown up friends"--hate to put it that way but that's kind of how it was. Not that we're not close to any of those people, but it did change things. Anyway, the point is that it takes time to build a life with someone. Moving away presents the challenge of starting over, which in some ways is exhilarating and in other ways terrifying.
On the flip side, something I've learned from life is that good situations can stagnate. Change can be good; it keeps us on our toes and forces us to pay attention. And it's funny--there was a time in my life where I welcomed change with open arms--I just wanted things to happen. Now I guess I crave a little more stability.
All of this just reinforces one thing for me; I need to appreciate what I have right here, in this moment. Sometimes that's all we have. Whatever happens, I will always be so grateful for this time in our lives.