A Stranger

Hello. Hi. Hey.

Greetings from the other side of the country. Finally. 

I truly am a stranger. Metaphorically on this blog, and truly in this place I haven't lived in for over 10 years. 

It's been a handful of a few months. Jokingly my horoscope even was correct, and mercury was in retrograde, then it wasn't and whoa. Ish happened.

This place feels foreign to me. October, that time when I posted last, was a while ago, but emotionally feel like a lifetime ago. There is a laundry list of change that occurred, some of which is still sinking in even for me.

While I could say I'll take time and create a bunch of posts about each change, I know I won't. I know I'll be lucky to be back here in another 6 months, so laying it out on the table will be the only way to utilize this space to preserve the memory.

I moved. Closed the DC chapter in my life (almost, there is apparently still an epilogue going on). I have a new routine- I wake up super early. I got to ski almost every weekend last winter. I drive a car to the grocery store frequently and don't dread it. I even bought a new car!!! I frequently go outside and feel genuinely lucky to be alive and taking in the view. I am going to be someone's wife. (!!!) I eat way less. I do laundry more frequently. I am making progress on a cross stitch project I've had for 12 ish years. I visit my friends in Seattle. I see my family every day. I feel like the piece of me that I had been looking for ( we are talking flipping couch cushions, emptying your purse, retracing your steps level of looking) was finally found, and it was right where I knew I left it all along.

Closing the chapter of DC in my life is/has been/will be strange. Bittersweet, and emotional. Perhaps writing about it will be cathartic, as I still lie in bed some nights in wonder and shock about what I did. But I am proud.

Oh, so proud that I took the step for me. 

But there it is. I don't recognize my life from the one I had just a few measly 10 months ago.

I realized that it took me so long to make this move, because I felt alone. Which sounds crazy. It looks ridiculous when I type it. I have a loving and supportive network of friends and family- but I think it really came down to me being able to express feeling miserable in DC, but beside myself, no one truly knew, or will ever know, just how incredibly painful living there was for me, but me.

In hind sight, being here, I know no one will ever understand. But I also know now that I was never alone. No one could know my exact thoughts- but the people in my life knew what I needed, and helped me get here.

I'm still working on readjusting some things in my life. Perhaps that has been the biggest change of all, learning to see me, and to trust that what I am feeling and thinking is ok and just as perfectly normal as it is going to get. I struggle with hiding behind work still, and putting down roots, and being honest and vulnerable with people, but this biggest change of finally putting myself somewhere were I don't feel like a fish out of water was a huge step in clearing the way for me to address those items and start to focus on them.

So there it is. Almost 365 days of my life wrapped up into a post that probably doesn't do any of it justice.

Did I mention I am ENGAGED?!?! 

Breaking a Rule

I broke one of my cardinal rules.

One that I have learned not to break because the rule is there for my self protection more than anything else.

But I went ahead and broke it, and now I've got to deal with the consequences.

What rule did I break?

Life Rule No. 8: (Not sure what 1-7 are, but I am sure I have them)

Thou shall not, evereth thinkith of home before sheith is on the chariot carrying her homeward.

Such a major major major no no, and yet, I didn't pay attention.

Now I am anxious with a side of spontaneous tears that crop up at really inconvenient times. Sigh.

I know better than to think about the comforts of home. The wonderful dinners with family. The beautiful views of Boise. The lack of pee smell when you walk around downtown. The nice people, who don't act like they are better, more important or smarter than you. The families who aren't in a rush, but are just ambling to enjoy the day. The ease of getting around, and comfort of knowing where everything is. The feeling that everything is ok and as it should be.

I can't wait to drink a cup of coffee looking out at the bluest of skies on a sunny morning. Or to eat a slice of pizza from one of my favorite places. Or to just eat dinner with my parents.

But there is reality. Which means I better get a grip or I am going to be leaking tears embarrassingly for far too many days before I get on that plane.

Homesickness. It is the worst.

image via

Luckily, I am not far off from being west bound and being back where I belong for a few days. 

p.s. funny how I never have been "homesick" for DC. Should have listened to myself a long time ago to realize this place would never be more than just a "place" to me. 

No Wallet. No Escape.

image via

This was months and months and MONTHS ago, but it was pretty dang funny so I figured I should preserve it as a "DC memory" to look back at.

Some close friends had come to DC for a wedding and a baby shower for another set of close friends. For the night of the wedding we got the privilege of watching their wonderful daughter for the evening. They had left to run some errands and see DC sites that they missed and I had set out on a last minute effort to get a baby shower gift. I drove out to Pentagon City mall (yuck- DC malls suck) ran into Nordstrom and efficiently picked out an adorable outfit and blanket. Stepping up to the cash register I reached into my bag and started feeling around.

Like most women I carry a bag large enough that I could pretend to be Mary Poppins without the ruffle collar. It quickly dawned on me, that my bag was much lighter than normal. Low and behold- no wallet.

Panic rose through my body, sweaty hands, racing heart and I mumbled something to the cashier about my wallet being in my car.

But I knew it wasn't.

It was at my apartment. Sitting on my desk.

*face palm emoji*

I took my keys out of my car turned it on and then skidded to an abrupt stop where I uttered some curse words at the realization that I was trapped. I couldn't leave the parking garage! Thanks to DC's shitty parking and overcrowding I guess nowhere thinks letting you have a free 30 minutes in a garage is fair. Short two dollars to escape (I didn't even have enough money in change from my car or bottom of my purse), I called for help.

Meanwhile, our friends had returned back to the apartment and had delivered their child into our hands for the evening, so no way could N come help. Some friends who lived in VA close by offered to come rescue me, but then I still couldn't get the baby gift I had picked out, and I was honestly...embarrassed.

Luckily, I magically had my metro cards on me. So what did I do? I rode 35 minutes back into the city, grabbed my wallet, quickly said "hi" to our babysitting charge and then metroed back out to the mall. To ease the pain, my friends who offered to rescue me went to the mall for their own errands and I got to see them, grab a beer and lament my wasted evening.

Only 257 hours later I got to head home, able to pay for my parking and with a baby gift purchased. Success! Fail.

The World Must Be Upside Down: DC Weather Edition

Seriously. The world must be upside down. Or pigs are flying. Or global warming is wonky.

Regardless, this summer weather makes. Absolutely. No. Sense.

I've been in DC 8 years (uggghhh. Shoot me now.) and I've NEVER had an enjoyable summer here. Let's me be clear...I've never had a truly enjoyable ANY season here, but summer is the worst! And last summer when I was on my DC Sabbatical I only heard about "How amazing the weather was in DC!" and I rolled my eyes, laughed, and said under my breath "Lies! All Lies!". But here I am...admitting that maybe just maybe, it wasn't that bad and this summer has been...dare I say almost pleasant.

Proof is in the pudding:

mmmmm pudding. But seriously, what is this craziness? It is usually so hot in July my shins are sweating and I refuse to go anywhere. I won't complain. I'll try to somewhat enjoy it I don't really enjoy anything in DC, but I'll pretend. For my final months in DC...I guess I'll take it. Personally, I think DC is trying to play nice so I don't leave, but I hate to tell it that my mind is already made up and set in stone. But A for effort DC. A for effort.

Catch-up: Family Comes to DC

It is a lazy Saturday ( a much needed lazy one), and the accomplishments today have included: catching up on missed Top Chef episodes, making a "ghetto" latte with coffee from Copenhagen, showering, and eating a lunch of Mac N' Cheese. Luckily, we do have plans to meet-up with some friends tonight, but I am enjoying the art of nothingness for today.

Time continues to evaporate, and I find myself not even knowing how or where to start when I am presented with some down time. Most "down" time is spent watching TV--which is such a waste in so many ways, but often all my brain can comprehend after multiple busy weekends, and weeks of intense work.

After family visiting, a trip back west, a work trip up north and early morning weekends, I relished in a lack of an alarm, and taking my sweet time to get dressed and ready for the day.

To re-cap some of happenings from the last few weeks...I present mediocre iphone photos to capture the moments:

Birthday Dinner for Gramps at DGBG, complete with homemade sausages.

We did a weekend trip down to see Williamsburg and Monticello, and lucked out with some of the most fantastic fall weather.

A final day-trip was to Annapolis where we checked out the state house and waterfront.

A final evening in DC was topped off with a impromptu visit to Graffito (which ended up being the best meal of their trip!)

And possibly the first family selfie.

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It Used to be so Different

When I first moved to DC I didn't have a job, hardly a friend, a very meager amount of cash flow (read: none), and firm desires to have a perfectly kept and pulled together apartment.

We sat in lawn chairs, utilized a desk as our dining room table, had mismatched bedding, and a very 1980's apartment complete with a sun room to fill. It was like an elevated version of living in the sorority (except at the house, my meals were cooked for me). We made do. We utilized what we had to get by. I also cleaned. I cleaned all the time. Practically every Tuesday and Thursday when I wasn't working. I made those IKEA purchased shine and sparkle. 

Fast forward six years (yes...SIX years...ugh) and I now have conversations about if we should cancel the cleaning service this week since our building is still working on repairing the air conditioning situation in our kitchen. I mean....a cleaning service?! when the heck did that happen, is all I can think to myself. "When did I get so busy and tired that I have to rely on someone else to cleaning my bathroom sink?!?".

Granted, the real reality is I inherited the cleaning service. When you move in with someone and you move into their space, you acquire things that had been set-up before you came along- for me, namely- the cleaning service. Regardless, it is this strange reminder that life has gotten so...busy...and important. Two of my least favorite "DC" words: Busy & Important. But the reality is- without a cleaning services, we would have some serious issues keeping things clean. Between my new(ish) more demanding job, and the BFs work schedule, it just wouldn't happen. We aren't dirty, but we certainly struggle to find a lot of time, and cleaning sinks just isn't either one of our favorite activities. 

I feel like an impostor having people who come clean for us. I mean...I'm not even married. I don't even have kids! Or a dog! I am too young, too "poor", too "resourceful" to pay someone to clean for me. 

But I'm not. Not anymore. 

Those days of part-time work, where I was practically begging to be hired full-time, and lazy weekends, and very limited income and where I really didn't do much of consequence outside of writing this blog and using my limited craft supplies to make really amazing birthday cards- have vanished. 

Life was slower. Those first two years in DC- seemed slow. I could remember each month passing and thinking, "I've been in DC X number of months". Now, August (the month of my DCversary), passes by and I maybe pause for a split second to feel the panic rise in my throat- but then I go back to answering a pile of emails, or figuring out how to get my laundry done before the next trip we have coming up. Life is just going so fast. 

I yearn for those slow weeks. I long for the time and freedom to have time to make plans to move, to end this time in DC. I wish for a few moments of uninterrupted thought to create a game plan. To figure out the "what next" part. But like the conversations around if we should cancel the cleaning service- it all is rushed, and sometimes you just have to make a decision. 

Getting older certainly isn't a picnic is it? But at least there is a cleaning service. 

I guess this is my ode to being here in DC for six very long years.

The Only Drive Through Car Wash in Virginia

We've been out of town many of the weekends since returning from the Best Coast for the holidays. Fine with me, as my distaste for DC has grown even more as I prepare for this to be my last year in DC. I guess knowing that you don't have to "make it work" since the days dwindle and the months pass, makes me try less when it comes to tolerating many of the aspects of living here. A perfect illustration of the frustrations (comically- I may add) and typical irritants that drive me up the wall was perfectly summed up last weekend. 

Since we have been out of town so much, I had a super long list of items I needed to take care of. Some hunting for storage boxes for my office (if any one has some ideas, let me know as I've totally struck out), a lamp for my desk, a new pair of jeans, and some random items from Target. A typical errand run, nothing to make me think the day would cause me to rip my hair out. Oh how wrong I was. 

We ended up going out to a mall further out in Virginia so we could return a Christmas gift the BF got. After having a VERY pleasant return experience, we headed out of the mall. Being unfamiliar with the area it was a bit outline our plan of attack, but we quickly found The Container Store where I proceeded to find NOTHING that had a lid, was the right size AND in a color I liked. So we left empty handed.

From all the snow in DC, Delores (the car) was filthy and I could barely see out the windows. We found a gas station were we scrubbed down the windows and filled up. It was also one of those stations where you could go through a drive through automatic car wash, so without hesitation I purchased a car wash. 

We finished filling up the car and went to go get in line. It was a line of like 26 cars! Lined up through the parking lot and even into the street! Just sitting there! We waited and timed a few cars and found that it was about 5-7 minutes for EACH car. 

Thinking we could beat the system we decided to push on with errands and come back later when the line would be shorted later in the day. We head off looking for Old Navy. Only to find that it was in the same mall we had just left after the exchange mission. Fail. 

Next option. Find a Target. New Targets are always hard. Especially if they have a foreign layout. It ruins the enjoyable Target experience for me. I find everything I need, and then realize I've lost the BF. So I marathon walk through the store, peeking down each isle, and no sight of him! I do another lap. Nothing. Thinking he got bored waiting for me while I lamented over lampshades, I decided to just check out. I then realize I left my phone in the car. Which has my cartwheel app on it. Which means I am going to miss out on all those coupons I saved in regards to my shopping list. Total frustration. With no choice, since I still can't find the BF. I just suck it up. Two seconds later. There he is. 

After the less than relaxing Target experience, we try the car wash again. We come around the corner and I kid you not...the line was LONGER!! I mean...is there only ONE automatic car wash in ALL of Virginia?!?

The BF has started getting hungry, so we decide to try one more detour to see if the line goes down. So we head back to the mall (oh yes, the mall that we are at for the return, that we then learned had the Old Navy in) and attempted to go Maggianos. It was like geriatric early and the restaurant didn't even look that busy, but we were told it would be a NINETY minute wait. HA! No. Nope. No way. Not for suburban chain Italian food. We end up at Legal Seafoods (as my sister pointed out "why is it called LEGAL Seafoods, as opposed to ILLEGAL?"), and luckily got some food, but my patience for the day was chaffed to the bare bones. We finish dinner and decide to give the car wash one more time.

We swing around the corner, and as I am sure you are predicting...the line was JUST AS LONG! I screamed, certainly threw in a swear word or two and decided we were just aborting the mission and driving back into the city. 

Needless to say, I am looking forward to NEVER having to deal with shit like this anymore. The day when I can drive to a car wash, and drive out in a sparkly car without a line of a million people will be much appreciated. 

Also, can I hear an amen for being able to have a driveway to wash your car in? Another luxury I can't wait to have. A driveway, any outdoor space to do any of the million things that outdoor space allows you to do. Sigh. The dream lives on. 

Twinkle Toes

I have thought about picking up ballet again for a long time. I even took that one class....forever ago. It has just never been something I could make a priority for a variety of reasons. Luckily, everything falls into place for a reason, and I haven't been the only one thinking about getting back to my dancing roots. My friend Lauren, who was WAY more serious about ballet than I was, wanted to start taking classes again. As we all know, having a buddy always makes it a bit easier to to something and stick with it. 

Lauren and I found a few classes in the area, and ended up settling on the Dance Institute of Washington, since it is in an easily accessible location for both of us, and had a class time that we could both make with our jobs. 

We have attended two classes and I am loving it! It is hard. Like makemefeellikeiveneverdonethisbefore hard. My legs hurt. My feet hurt. I can hardly hold a passe or do a single turn, but it feels good just to think ballet again. I also love having a standing date with a friend. It is really refreshing to do a something that is self centered. It is something that reminds me of someplace besides here. It reminds me of some of the best times of my life, and while we are just struggling to to a simple plie these days-- it is something I look forward to.

I am pretty sure we will stick with it, and possibly pick up another class so we are going twice a week. While I am sure Lauren will graduate to some more advance classes at a different school- I am perfectly content doing the basic and just working on the basics for now. 

Makes me think about other things I did growing up, and how I should get back into them! What would you get back into if you could?

Growing Into Yourself

A strong wave of homesick nausea washed over me this evening as I was walking to the store to pick up a simple dinner for myself. Where it came from, I have no idea. Perhaps, I am still feeling the sadness of knowing my dog is gone (yup still cry when I think about Theo), or just am getting whittled down to a nub of emotion since I haven't been home in almost 9 months. Whatever it is. I am grateful to know I have a plane ticket home. Purchased. In sight. Soon. The trip is short, but I also know it will hopefully be one of many more trips home that I will be able to make after we get some things sorted out here in DC.

It isn't a secret that DC isn't my thing. I write about it a lot. From the weather and nasty girls to teeny tiny apartments and frustrating public transit and a whole host of other things in between, my lack of enthusiasm for DC is pretty readily available. 

A few weeks ago Ben and I (have I mentioned I do have a childhood friend who grew up with me in Idaho and lives like 5 blocks from me in DC!) took a long stroll through the neighborhood with a borrowed dog and just talked. For the first time, I finally was able to articulate what that feeling was about DC. While it comes off as dislike...what I really mean is DISCOMFORT. 

I am uncomfortable in DC. 

Not in a 'getting hit in the head with some one's bag on the bus' or 'it is hot as the Sahara dessert here' uncomfortable, but in a 'this city pushes you' uncomfortable. 

I've learned a lot about myself, about being a professional, about loving someone and being loved, about family and friends, and about life as a big kid. So DC has done me well. It has conditioned me. Run me through the paces. That growth, that pushing..it is good. It is empowering, but is also exhausting. Just like an medical issue, you can only be uncomfortable for so long before it is in your best interest to find what makes you comfortable. 

It is simple things like not having to be stressed about feeling like I might get ripped off, knowing a good tailor and dry cleaner, not having going to the grocery store being an ordeal, being close to nature (real nature), having the option to own a dog, own a car, own a house (and not go bankrupt in the process), and feeling like you aren't constantly having to fight tooth and nail to prove yourself. People here are accomplished. That pushes you. You work hard, you take certification classes and test, you read up on your industry, in a lot of ways, it makes you be the best professional you can be, because there is no other choice. The scary part....there are 9 million and 1 other people exactly like you in DC. Smart. Accomplished. Passionate. And competing for the jobs, promotions and recognition you are working for. Tiny pond with a bunch of sturgeon swimming around if you ask me. I'm not wishing for an easy road. Just one that is more....me. 

This all sounded a lot better on that long walk where Ben and I discussed these things. I might sound whiny, or weak, or entitled. None of which are my intention. DC is a great place to be youthful, curious and ambitious. All of these being traits and qualities I have embraced and will carry with me.  But I am ready for that change of pace.

It may seem weak to be searching for that sense of comfort. To scuttle on out of DC in search of some place that doesn't seem to push me in these uncomfortable ways. I've really struggled with that. I never want to look like I can't hack it, or that I am throwing in the towel. What I have learned, is me saying "this isn't the place for me"  and making plans to go somewhere that is the place for me--simply means I have a deep understanding, appreciation and love of my self. I am ok with this. I am at peace. I don't feel like I am giving up, or not strong enough to handle this. 

I know that I have become strong enough to be me. 

Holy Smokes! What a Week!

Holy smokes* what a week!

I'm telling you- I feel so excited for this Friday evening and the weekend that stretches ahead. Despite it being summer in DC our weather is still absolutely lovely, and I have been doing my best to take full-advantage of this less-than-common DC summer by having lunch outside, walking home (and taking the long way), sitting by the pool to catch the last few rays of sun for the day, and just taking a few moments to appreciate the bluer-than-normal-sky.

This week was the very definition of an "emotional roller coaster". If I didn't have gray hairs before, I certainly do now.

But all's well that ends well, right?

And if I am not jumping the gun, all has ended well.

Remember talking about the Life Trifecta a la SATC? Well, I'm here to say it is back on my mind. Thinking about that tripod of wants. Work, Living, Love. I feel like I just made a radical step in making one of the legs on my tripod super stable this week. But pesky living. Living is, and always has been, the messy part. That ache of homesickness never seems to cease and desist. While it its nagging voice does get a lot quieter at certain times, I always know it is there.

Which makes this rare DC summer all the more special. It is the closest "like home" summer I've had, and at times it makes those waves of gut-wrenching homesickness come in full-force, but it also and calmed that yelling in my heart. With being able to do things outside, enjoying the long hours of sunlight, and savoring those weeks where summer slowly slips into the briskness and coziness of fall.

* Well onto more about home, and smoke. Idaho is burning up right now. With crazy forest fires threatening the Wood River Valley, my favorite place in the world. My heart is in a little clenched up ball worrying about the safety of my loved ones, the community and the ski mountain. My prayers are about hoping they get this under control and soon!

A Favorite

Before I moved I had one of the greatest coffee shop/cares in the world about a 3 minute walk from my apartment. Granted, now I am 10 minutes away, but that convenience is missed! Tryst, is as close as you are going to get to the "FRIENDS" coffee shop in real life. Mis-matched furniture of ugly castaway couches and wing backed chairs, mixed with good food, great coffee, and a bar for those after work moments. It is one majorly redeeming part of DC for me. It may beat out many of the coffee shops I haunted in college in Seattle! Seriously!

It is a favorite of mine for studying (pretty sure I passed my PHR because of Tryst), reading, Internet browsing, and hanging out with friends. I can be found at Tryst a lot.

A favorite of mine, is Tuesday nights at 8pm. The musical talents of Wytold are free, and created the perfect atmosphere to sip a glass of white, eat a cookie, or dinner, and unwind. Wytold layers melodies on his 6 string electric cello with the help of a foot pedal that loops melodies, while he layers on top of existing ones. It is beautiful.

If Trey and him were to collaborate...I have one word....magic. (Trey...I'd be glad to hook you up, if you want to hire me ;))

So tonight I am enjoying dinner, a glass of wine, followed with a cookie and diet coke.

If you visit me. Make me take you here.

Hope your Tuesday is just as relaxing!

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Mini Golf Date at The National Building Museum

Last year the National Building Museum created a Mini Golf course that featured various holes sponsored and designed by various members of the architect, design and planning community. Unfortunately, we never made it to play last year, so when I heard the museum had created two new courses this year I immediately knew this was on the must-do list!

We decided to go this past weekend and top it off with a little custard date at the Dairy Godmother (It was Mint Oreo- the BF's favorite). Due to the crowds, we decided to only do one of the courses, but saved our admission ticket so we can go back and do the second one some night at work.

*If anyone is wondering who won...It wasn't me. Shy by one putt!

DC: 3 Me: 0

I dread summer in DC. D-R-E-A-D. IT. I hate being hot. I hate being sticky. I hate how it gets so hot and so sticky here that for about 5 months I don't want to do anything outside. Which means almost 1/2 of my year is spent hating being outdoors (so not my style) and trying to hide out inside.

 

See that? Its gross. 90 degrees!!! What is this crap in April. I am remember the vow I said to myself last summer that it would be my last and final summer here.....annnndddd here I am, another summer later.

 

The bus this morning was hot, cramped, and already getting that smell-like-a-dead-rodent scent. It is too early for this DC!

 

In addition to the heat, DC decided to turn up its game again. After some really busy weeks and temporarily forgetting how I just am really not a fan of DC. The city reared its ugly head tonight.

 

A "networking" drink that lasted approximately 30 minutes,  with a clearly self-interested, pompous, sleaze ball, left me contemplating how people get in their heads that they are so damn important. I saw myself out and walked home discussing this less than polite behavior with a good friend, and the more I talked, the more I just wanted to catch the metro to the airport and buy a one way plane ticket out of here.

 

And as a PS to this Icantstanddc rant... there are some girls in this city that truly have a lack of respect for social boundaries....and today was just the wrong day to push it. All I want to say to one in particular. BACK. OFF. (and maybe stop trying to weasel your way into someone else's territory via social media).

 

Annnnnnd with that rant at its end I am going to get some sleep so I can possibly survive the first day of 90's temperatures. Sigh.

 

Sigh. So DC. You are winning.

Snowquester- A Rain Day

True to DC form, the scare of some "major winter storm" cause the government offices to shut down for the day this past Wednesday. The result of this massive overreaction was a day off due to....rain.
Yep. There was less than 1/4" of snow. Instead there was rain. Lots and lots of rain. I wasn't complaining! I woke up thinking I was going to have to go to work, and instead I was greeted with an entire day to myself!

I did have to work a bit in the morning (but work in my jammies, is always much much more fun), but then I was free to go to the gym, read, watch the Food Network, annnnd get some much neglected baking done.

The SO passed along a recipe for cookies inspired by the flavor of s'mores the other day, which I knew I was going to have to make at some point. After a quick glance at the recipe, I kind of panicked thinking about my sub-par grocery store and their almost certain lack of "cookie butter". I found a similar recipe as backup in case I couldn't round-up the said "cookie butter", bundled myself up in rain gear and trucked to the store. Amazingly, the mysterious "cookie butter" was at my Safeway (for just a check $6. Sigh) and baking resumed without a hitch.

What resulted:

Oh goodness. I want more just looking at it! Yes that is a toasted marshmallow, with a kiss, atop a soft, chewy, grahamy flavored cookie. It was a perfect way to spend a rainy day. Particularly a rainy day that I was paid to stay home and bake!

Medium Rare

It is no secret that I love me a big piece of red meat with a side of potatoes in some form. Luckily the SO is just as enamoured with red meat and appreciates a fine meal complete with an ice cream sundae. Where did we have such a fantastic meal you ask?

Medium Rare.

With a prix fixe menu, you are guide exactly towards what is perfection:

Artisan Rustic Bread
Mixed Green Salad
Culotte Steak & Hand-Cut Fries w/ Secret Sauce

Sound simple? Simple, but downright scrumptious. Yes. I said scrumptious. That secret sauce is good enough to lick the plate. The bread is good enough to ask for a loaf to take home and smoother with nutella, and the salad....even the salad is so good you want seconds.

Best part is. You get seconds! After your first serving of fries and steak, you are served a second round from a hot pan, straight to your plate. Luckily, they bring a little extra sauce. Let's just say these are the worlds best left-overs.

Top this all of with...you guessed it. Ice Cream Sundae, complete with a cherry on top.

Next time the parents roll into town, this place is a must-go. (Wink wink parents).

What Brought You To DC?

The other day I was walking to work and I received a compliment on my shoes while I was waiting at a crosswalk. Now I have to stop for a minute and talk about the shoes (cuz--I love me some shoes).

These beauties came home with me from Idaho, courtesy of my parents as a Christmas gift. I wore my last pair into the ground, so I have loved getting a fresh new pair, with a little flair too! I bleed gold between the University of Washington and the University of Idaho so these were pretty much perfect.  

Back to where I was going with this. I get a compliment, I start talking to the guy, find out he has some connections to the grand state of Idaho and we walk and pass some generic conversation (how un-DC right?!?!?). Naturally, after a few questions about the great Best Coast and how much I loved growing up there, I get asked the 2nd most common question I think one gets in DC:

"So what brought you to DC?"

Sigh. Well. What did bring me?

Or is it more important to say what has kept me here?

Now, I have learned you kind of have to judge your audience on this one. Sometimes it is best (and easiest!) to just take the easy exit and say "work". Coming for a job is...adult, professional, driven, and rarely receives a second thought. The next answer, which is my true answer is :" for a guy". Which then always gets: "Oh! Are you two still together?". Well, er...umm....how do I say this...."No. BUT!...." and down the rabbit hole we go with my  follow-up stories. Which is a little song and dance about a new boy, a job and the job market being better here.

People don't stay here long. Well not in my age bracket it seems. I feel like my 4.5 years, is a lifetime in DC. I have probably attended more going away happy hours, than I have birthday dinners in my time here. We all have our stories of how we got here. Jobs, love, family, passion for the intrinsic natured jobs, a love of gross swamp-like-kill-you-slowly summer heat (you can sense my enthusiasm). Regardless, it feels kind of like a secret society. You come for work, love, money, fame, glory, or whatever it may be, and you get your head completely rearranged here. Then you spread your little fledgling wings and fly out of the proverbial post-college nest and head (what we can hope for me) westward .

It is like a right of passage.

So while that questions seems to pop up all the time, and almost in an insincere way (similar to the "So what do you do?" question), it is more like the secret handshake for the DC secret society. Or saying the password and seeing if someone knows what you are talking about.

Having your own story to answer that question...it makes you part of this...society or club, or whatever you want to call it. So to the person who complimented my shoes and asked me how I ended up here...thanks for making me realize it wasn't a typical fake DC question...you were just making sure I was initiated.

The Day I Got Flowers At Work

Coming back to reality here in DC is always rough. It is ugly to say the least. Lots of tears, lots of moody moments, lots of wanting to be hugged one moment and not wanting to see another human ever again the next.

Where it gets really bad? When I come back from my home. You better believe I am one hot mess of a human being from the moment I wake up on the day I leave, to weeks after getting back to DC.

Sometimes I get embarassed just thinking about the poor souls who have ended up sitting next to me on the plane while I hiccupped, gasped and cried my eyes out for the long flight back here.

Coming back from Idahome this time around I ended up flying into DC pretty late on Sunday night. I had to take a shuttle from the airport which took forever.

I was so sleep deprieved on Monday and I had a ton going on at work, so I was almost numb to the saddness that I knew would sink in soon enough.

I was running around all morning getting new employees all settled in,answering hundreds of emails, saying my hellos to co-workers and trying to catch up on three weeks of work! Early in the afternoon I got an email saying that I had a delivery downstairs at the front desk. Not thinking much about it, I took the elevator down and asked for my delivery.

Our front desk looks over and there on the counter of the desk is a beautiful boquet of FLOWERS!

The bf was so thoughtful and sent me these beautiful flowers to help ease me into DC life and to put some pep in my step.

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Oyster Cravings and Good Friends

I get these cravings which I am sure are not normal. I've never been pregnant, but these cravings make me scared for when I do have kids!
I love, love, love oysters.
I get cravings for their sweet, salty, briney, cucumber taste and it just gets worse and worse until I can track down some of these delightful creatures for consumption.
After a few weeks of moaning about my latest oyster craving, I was able to rope Ash into heading to Hank's for happy hour before the Thanksgiving holiday.
We easily polished off TWO DOZEN oysters and some glasses of white wine. Mission complete.

Now we just have to see when my next craving kicks in!
Ps you can ask the bf about my rather humorous dining suggestions to get oysters and watermelon. Which always sound good to me. ( yes, together!)

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Clean Bill of Health

Well at least for my teeth that is.

I won't even go into how long it has been since I have been to a dentist (shhhh, mom and dad, you don't see this), but it has been a looonnngg time. Growing up I have always had healthy, cavity free health, so needless to say, my palms were sweating on my walk to the dentist office thinking how they were going to tell me that I had to have all my teeth-pulled,  reconstructive jaw surgery, and braces again.

This was a new dentist office for me (if you are looking for a recommendation in the DC area, let me know), so I got the full run down of x-rays, pictures (upcloseandpersonal!) of my teeth and an all too peppy hygienist who could tell I was mashing my hands together until my knuckles turned white! (Did you know that if you had a sealant on a tooth and it came off it could actually stain your tooth!)

After a lot of scraping and me fearing the "ooo that doesn't look good" I was sent on my merry little way with a  goody bag of teeth cleaning supplies.  I walked out with some clean chompers and a clean bill of health! Amen!

Post-Election Sleep Needs

I would feel ashamed if I didn't mention the election on this little blog. It is Tales from Washington DC after all, not Tales from Boise or Tales from Seattle (sadly). So saying something about the election only seems fitting.

I am sure most of you (since most of you are my family or close friends), have figured out that politics is one of the furthest things from my mind on any given day. Despite my DC address and my politically themed job, I am pretty non-vocal about my political views.

This was my first time voting in DC (last time I lived in VA), and it was kind of fun to make a trip out of, following by post-voting Starbucks.

Living in DC during the past few years and witnessing Obama's first election, and now again, four years later, has been exciting and thrilling. Watching the election results on Tuesday night with friends, their little bambinos, and some pizza, was a fantastic DC memory to make.

I am hopeful for the next fours years and excited to get to continue to follow the beautiful first family. I love Michelle, the girls and Bo!

via USA Today

The punishment for staying up until the wee hours of the morning to watch the speeches and news coverage? Early bedtimes, a coffee IV at work, and haphazard lunches. I am certainly ready for a weekend, a Monday off from work, and lots of sleep.