Peace Offering

So it's getting to that point where it's been so long since I posted anything that people are starting to drop none-too-subtle hints and/or do some dare-I-say-endearing begging. [You know who you are.] So here is my peace offering as I struggle to get up the motivation to do a legit post.

In church every Sunday we teach the 10 year olds, about 10 or so of them when they're all there. It's just like teaching the 12/13 year olds [who we were over in our last ward] but with just a bit more wrangling and patience, so we were well prepared for the call and have enjoyed it tremendously. Well, this little dialogue happened yesterday at the beginning of the lesson [the lesson I was teaching, mind you], and it was by far the best thing that happened to me all day. I couldn't stop laughing.

Boy [to girl sitting across from him]: You're wearing cocoons for your toes.

Girl [after a pause]: They're called tights.

Biker friendly vs. Biker angst?

Ok, one more post, then I don't have anything else to write about.

There's this car than Fin and I pass a lot on our walks and it has the following bumper sticker:

via

This isn't my photo since I've never had the nerve to take a picture of it. What if they were inside their house and looking out as I did so and thought I was taking a picture of their license plate so I could steal their identity or something? I didn't want to get shot or sued or whatever people do here to people they don't like.

But in the two months we've been here, this has puzzled me. I mean, this car is proclaiming itself to be biker friendly, so does that mean my car is not biker friendly? Like, what is this bumper sticker implying? That there are people out there who get behind the wheel each day with the intention of running down some poor biker and they're not going home until they do? Honestly. That's just ridiculous.

I know I could go to the website listed and find out what their goal is, but I like postulating better. Anyone have any better ideas of the statement the car in my neighborhood is trying to make?

Fin, the not-so-fluffy puppy

So, I wouldn't exactly say it's getting hot around here, but the humidity usually makes it feel about 20 degrees hotter than it actually is. I think you know where this post is going, if you read the title.

As Fin is a rather fluffy and fur-laden dog, we feel pretty bad for him when it gets up in both temperature and humidity. We've been meaning to get him groomed but haven't really gotten a good recommendation from anyone, so Sam decided it was a good DIY job, as we conveniently have hair clippers. [Whatever the electronic buzz thing is called. My mind went blank and Sam's on the phone, so I can't ask him.]

Sam needed to cut his own hair anyway, so he did, and then he embarked on the adventure of cutting Fin's fur. Here is Sam with his beautiful DIY haircut:

He's cute, huh? I like him a lot.

As Sam is not a professional, the job he did on Fin was not perfect, but it's pretty dang good--particularly as it was his first attempt/offense. And now you can tell what size Fin actually is, since with all his fur he looks enormous. [People are always guessing he's in the 80 to 90 lbs range when he just recently cleared 60.]

Isn't it so funny how he sits? The only time he was really interested in sitting on his haunches was just after he got neutered. I guess it hurt to sit like this in those painful days.

I'm not sure which photo shows off his cut better, so I included them both.

Isn't he so cute? We saw another Goldendoodle at the dog park yesterday with a very similar cut (except his was professionally done), and it was disconcerting how much they looked alike. The other dog was a bit bigger, but other than that they could have been twins. I kept forgetting which dog was mine.

And since we're already talking about Finners, here's a nice showing of how much he's grown since we got him:

When he was just a tiny guy

Last month sometime

 Crazy, huh? I can't believe how much he's grown.

And then this is funny. When we first got Tangled (which, let's face it, we got the day it came out even though we did not have a car at the time), we watched it and of course Fin was roaming about the living room. Well, you know the part where Maximus has caught up to Rapunzel and Flynn and she's treating him like a dog and telling him to sit? Fin totally responded! He sat when she commanded Maximus to sit and did just what she said. It was so funny! I sort of got a picture of it, which is below.

As you can see, he was absolutely glued to the TV for quite some time. It was really hilarious. I just wish we'd been able to catch it on camera.

A whole new world

So the reason it took me so long to update the blog is I really hate these kinds of posts--they're so boring both to read and write. So I took pictures and compiled lists so that I don't have to go all travelogue-y on you. You're welcome.

Things I miss about Utah:

•  Zupas

•  Cafe Rio [Though you might notice there is one now in MD. It's a bit of a drive, but we found it to be worth it. And yes, we have already been there. Along with probably all of the Mormons in the DC area and anyone else who's been out to Utah in the DC area.]

•  the dollar theater

•  friends

•  my books [most of which are currently in storage--what was I thinking?! I guess I need a Kindle . . .]

•  being physically present at my writing group

•  all our blankets [we only brought two, and I wish we'd brought them all]

•  the majority of our kitchen stuff, since we brought about five things and the stuff already here is scanty

•  my shoes [I was a little too selective.]

•  the Provo temple and working there

•  my friends' kids

•  our ward(s)

   

Things I'm sad I've missed in Utah:

•  my BFF's new baby's blessing

•  Shannon Hale and Jessica Day George doing a book signing/panel discussion

•  Ally Carter on book tour in both Provo and SLC [though this is a future sadness, as she won't be there until June. Bah.]

•   Going to see Thor with my other BFF

Things I would miss if the equivalent here weren't just as good (or better):

•  Provo library

Things I'm not that thrilled about in DC:

•  humidity [but at the same time, it's comforting--like home.]

•  how it's not possible to even go to Costco without paying for parking. Really? Really?

•  how I am getting taxed by the city for owning a car. Like car payments aren't enough.

 

Things I'm crazy about in DC:

•  the libraries

•  trees [I feel like I've come home--it feels so much like New England here. I love it.]

•  houses/architecture [again--New England flashbacks]

•  Panera [I haven't had the luxury of a Panera close by--though back in the day close was relative--since high school.]

•  no snow and thick rainstorms and shuddering thunderstorms

•  no billboards along the highway

•  having my view of the sky limited by all the trees [swoon]

•  our windows and dishwasher

•  our pool [yeah--it's totally open]

•  dog parks [Fin's personal happiest place on earth]

•  our beautiful new car

•  stores within walking distance

•  my SmartCard--I feel so cool whenever I used it

•  how Cafe Rio followed me out here

•  my new friends

•  our king-sized bed

•  the sights, though we haven't seen many yet

•  our new ward

I think there are more in each category, but I can't think of them at the moment. But I guess you could say I'm wildly happy here. Sam's a little homesick, but he's enjoying it out here, too.

Now for the pictures.

I am obviously very excited about being at the Capitol.

Yes, this is all the sightseeing we've done so far. Don't judge.

Fin also is very happy to be here. As far as he's concerned, there has been no change. We have a very chill dog. Unlike these dogs. And he's in love with the dog park by us.

We pass by this little sign every so often while on walks. She actually has a few along where the sidewalk boarders her lawn. And every time I see it I have to squelch the desire to give Fin the "pit stop!" command. I guess that makes me a bad person?

I've loved the spring colors! There are so many beautiful, remarkable colors--hot pink, magenta, brilliant red, pure white . . . they've been breathtaking. I'm sad they're all disappearing.

Here's an example. My phone really doesn't do them justice. They're so, so stunning.

This glove was in the gravel driveway of a house we pass by fairly frequently on our walks. It was there for over a month--and every time we passed by Fin lunged for it, since it was within reach--so finally I got fed up and tossed it in here. Now, every time I see it, I feel like Boo Radley. Only as far as I know no children have found it interesting. [Yet!]

Fin is the best-behaved dog in the world if he has a stick to carry around with him on walks. It gets him lots of smiles from anyone who sees us, since I guess most dogs don't walk around with huge sticks/branches in their mouths. Speaking of Fin, everyone here is so interested in him. In Utah, most people didn't really care. Here, though, we're always being stopped or having people tell us what a beautiful dog he is. I think it's because here people generally have dogs long before they have children (if they ever do), so it's customary to ask about one's dog the way one would ask about one's children in Utah. That's my best guess.

Sometimes his selections are a bit much for him, though.

And we'll end with the random little garden/grass gnome collection I saw the other day while walking Fin. I'm not sure what they're encircling--probably some blood sacrifice that was interrupted by dawn's light--but I'm intrigued nonetheless. Plus, one of the figurines is a T-Rex (or some form of dinosaur), which sold me.

Our apartment

And now, for the series of posts you've all been waiting for. [And I don't need any comments about how this was all promised two weeks ago--don't be haters.]

We will start with our apartment. [This is sort of the royal we--I guess I'm trying to sound grand or like a documentary narrator. Who knows. I'm tired.]

Here are the best parts of our apartment, hands down:

Yes. A dishwasher. This is the first time in our marriage that we have had one, and it's been like heaven. It makes cooking ok because I don't have to worry about hand washing all the dishes I get dirty. And speaking of cooking, I've become a regular housewife. Meals waiting for Sam when he gets home from work every day (mostly)--and from scratch, even! Who knew, right?

The window in our front room. Yes, it takes up a whole wall, practically. It leads out onto a pretty decent sized balcony, which is Fin's favorite part of the apartment. He could sit out there for hours with his head poking out through the bars, looking at all the cars passing by and the people walking through the parking lot. He is also typically content to just look out the window if it's too hot or cold outside for the door to be open.

The window in our bedroom. This may not seem like a big deal, but if you'd lived the past three or four years in a hobbit hole, however comfortable and loved, with three windows with the dimensions 1' x 1', and no window at all in the bedroom, you'd be rejoicing, too. We've been here two months and still get excited about all the natural light flooding our home.

Fin's second favorite place is the shower, as shown. While he fights to get out of it when we're giving him a bath [and by we're I mean Sam, since I'm usually in charge of the blow drying aspect of bathtime] [and it has sliding doors, so he's trapped in there once they're closed], if the bathroom door is ever open he almost always goes in to explore. He even goes to explore the shower before he goes to explore the trashcan in the corner, which I think is really saying something.

Other highlights of our apartment include Dish TV and a flatscreen TV in both the living room and bedroom. Shazam. I love our glorified hotel.

Promise of things to come

Happy Easter!

So, I'm sure there are those of you who are curious about how Sam and I are settling into life on the East Coast. For whatever reason, you care about us.

The problem is that since I've become a full-time writer I've become very selfish with my time, so I've avoided blogging pretty much altogether.

This will come to an end. I've actually uploaded pictures onto my computer from my camera, so the guilt's been weighing me down. So while I don't have time to do a legit blog now, I'll cross my heart to make time this week and follow through.

In the meantime, I thought I'd share with you some informational videos about my new location. My friend Margaret, who's from this area, shared them with me pre-departure so I could know what to expect from my new home. I found them to be very educational and helpful, particularly insofar as the Starbucks are concerned. So here you go.

About Arlington:

About the Metro:

xoxo

I have a library card now, guys. Nothing says settled like having access to the local public library.

And the best part? It's very much comparable to Provo's. Shazam. We're in a good place.