Memorial Day In Our Nations Capital

So Larry and I were super excited for the 3 day weekend right, but the train and bus schedules were all nuts and not running due to the holidays so we had to use cabs and ask our land lords to take us to the metro a couple times so we could eat and get out but it was still a great weekend. We walked around tons and saw that every memorial had been decorated with red roses. Also apparently Arlington Cemetery puts a red rose on every grave stone in the entire cemetery...that is a lot of roses. Its touching and was fun to see a different way of celebrating the holiday.

We have also discovered Georgetown which is a little area suburb where the university is lots of cute classic row houses and lots of upscale shops. Its fun to walk around on the brick roads and see the scenery. I would die to live in one of those they are beautiful and so expensive :) We joke Larry should go to law school there it would probably never happen but a fun dream. Its fun to discovery little areas and to just walk everywhere. There is a bridge down the street from Larry's office that takes you over the potomac and into georgetown we literally walk into D.C. its the best walk over the river.

Its been interesting being here and really I am starting to like it. I have found a job that I am going to start next week working for a family in Crystal City which is in Arlington just a stop from the Pentagon. She is studying to take the bar exam and her husband is a lawyer, its fitting right? They are LDS and have three little boys I will be watching during the week its good money and hopefully will keep me busy and we will be able to pay all our bills because Larry is an intern and lets face it he doesn't make much! Its starting to feel like "home" kinda.

The Longest Escalator In The World.

I found it. I seriously think that this escalator has got to be the biggest and longest one I have ever ridden on. Its one where you could maybe read an article from the newspaper while waiting to get to the top or bottom. There is a rule here in D.C. an unspoken rule of how to ride the escalators. If you aren't going to walk up them then you need to stand to the right of the escalator so others who are more important or in a hurry can walk past you.

This escalator is a work out man, the first few times I rode up it I waited patiently on the side while people raced up the steps. Finally I decided to stop being lazy and walk up it...I mean middle aged people were doing it so I could to right? Haha half way up I was wheezing and dying it was SO many steps I gave up and quickly got out of the way. Its pretty fun. Its also really funny to go walking down if in flip flops or high heels...clomp clomp clomp all down and it echos underground.

Its kinda like an 8th wonder of the world I think. I saw someone fall down while trying to walk down it was not a pretty sight. This escalator is not for the weak of heart. I am really talking it up right? The sad thing is the pictures I have don't really do it justice. But Larry as my witness will verify he ride it every day up to work at the Roslyn stop. Its pretty amazing and its always busy really no matter what time of day its packed with people. Sorry the picture doesn't do it justice just come and visit and I will show you, you will be in awe, I guarantee it.

the yellow line.

This is our lifeline. We use the metro everyday. We live close to the yellow line and take it into the city everyday. We usually take a bus straight to the pentagon and go form there, its faster because they have these cool things called express buses crazy right?

After using the lines for a couple of weeks you get really use to what you are doing and where you are going. I feel like a pro now and know how to get around and where all the entrance points are. The hardest part about not living directly on the line is having to rely on busses that don't run to well on the weekends and the last ride home is at 10:00pm so you miss it and your taking a cab...it has happened to us a couple of times. There also has been times when we are running for our lives through a deserted pentagon to get to the bus before it leaves. Such great times.

My feet are starting to get use to it all but the humidity is a different story. At times like these it would be great to be able to wear a tank top, but its okay. We are having the time of our lives. Work is good, busy and the kids are a bit cranky and misbehaved but I am getting paid well and it is keeping me busy during the day and it has allowed us to eat because our rent is so much higher here then back in Utah and lets face it Larry is getting paid an intern salary. Now that I know better where I am going I am feeling a lot more confident about everything.

The Other End Of The Mall:The Working Government.

We made it down to the other side of the mall. It isn't like it is this long distance or anything its just a lot of walking, we could ride the metro longer and get off right next to the capitol but we for some reason always get off earlier {we are creatures of habit} so on Saturday we spent the entire day eating and walking around the capitol. We went into the visitor center to see the inside but did not end up going on a tour we are planning to do it on a less busier day then Saturday. There was some exhibits inside the visitors center we walked through and it really is an amazing building, the pictures do not do it justice. Surrounding the capitol are the office buildings of the senate and house and behind the capitol lays the supreme court and the library of congress {more on those later} There is also a cool pond in front of the capitol and has some really funky sculptures of horses and someone that maybe is General Grant its hard to tell :) We really like just talking everywhere and taking it all in. Larry and I keep joking I should be a tour guide I am starting to get everything down pretty well.

Just a Few New Places In D.C.

Tonight after Larry was done with work we hit some big sights in D.C. We live here! I can't get over it. We walked around the mall as usual we like going there often. We went and walked around the Washington Monument and let me tell you a secret. Soft Ball leages are huge here and the lawn around this monument is vast and in the evening is filled with tons of softball teams playing. Funny right? You have to be careful as you walk around because you could get hit by a ball. Its not little kids playing either its adults like local firms and jobs have these teams, I found it pretty funny because how cool is it to play your games on the national mall.

Anyways we walked around the tall monument and then made our way down onto the beautiful World War II monument. I think it is my favorite. It is newer and dedicated by president Bush {#2} and represents both the Pacific and European theater tied together with a beautiful water fountain in the middle. I loved walking around it as the evening cooled off and the lights came on. In the distance farther down you can see the Lincoln memorial which we will go see soon it was getting to late to give it our full attention. It is nice to walk around in the evening because the massive school groups are usually not out. That is our newest enemy haha everywhere we go we sometimes get mobbed by high school students touring the capital. They are nosy and annoying I am embarrassed to think how I must have been at their age! Apparently though we have learned that more mid June is when the school groups stop coming and things become peaceful again around town.

I'm out!

Today I left our house!
I did it!
With the help of my parents I got the courage to go meet Larry at his work. I made it to the bus stop 1/2 a mile down from our house. I got on the bus and rode to the pentagon. From there I was a little lost because you don't know this but the pentagon is a major hub of the metro system its just all underneath the huge building. When you get off the bus you walk straight up to the building basically and there are arm guards everywhere so its intimidating especially because there are people everywhere in black suits rushing along to catch a bus or the metro.

Anyway after asking for help I found the metro and then and made it to Roslyn Virgina stop its right after the Arlington Cemetery stop. I was so excited I had made it I called my parents haha. Larry and I went and walked around where he works and then walked over to Roosevelt Island where there is some huge statues of Teddy.

I am so proud of myself, I really have never rode with public transit, Larry is a pro because of his mission. I am so excited though to get out and about now and to see so many things with Larry. I am still looking for a job, but I think I have one lined up to watch an LDS woman's kids a couple times a week while she studies for the bar...how fitting right? I leave you with some pictures from our outing on the island. My feet hurt a lot because I am not use to walking so much, but its cool to see that you can live without a car out here.

{Larry & the buildings he works at in the distance}

The end before the begining...

Well it happened I had a melt down. It was bound to happen right? Please tell me yes AnnMarie it is totally okay you can because moving across the country is nuts and lonely. It happened about the 2nd day Larry went to work and I sat at home. I hadn't been out anywhere yet and we had no food. I didn't eat all day long and was feeling so hopeless and I wanted to go back home.

Yes I know we have just gotten here but I was already done. Well Larry got home from work and I was distraught. I had really worked myself up and had re-packed everything. I has sitting on the suitcases when Larry came through the door. I lost it I cried and cried telling him through sobs I wanted to go back and I couldn't do this.

Now the good husband I had let me cry it out and through this major fit. I laid on the floor refusing to move and just saying I wanted to go home. When I was done he picked me up and we walked down the 1/2 mile to the pizza place. He ordered pizza and a large diet coke while I sat there silently looking very disheveled and had very red eyes I am sure. We sat there in silence while we ate and after awhile I started to feel better.

My husband is the best. He puts up with my emotional melt downs and knows how to fix everything. We walked home in the rain carrying a case of diet coke and some snacks for the next day. We decided I need to find a job and get out of our house...and eat more.

Hurray for amazing husbands. He unpacked everything and we watched a movie on the laptop, tomorrow will be a better day and I will be meeting Larry in the city if I make it there alive.

Virginia is for Lovers...

It really is! So our first few weeks have been a bit rough. We had some drama at the airport...some big drama. In the stress of it all packing up our apartment, driving out to California, not having a place to live still yours truly forgot the date we had bought tickets. We were suppose to flight out on Wednesday not the Friday we showed up to the airport. It was bad, really bad. The airline couldn't help us so my amazing dad came to the rescue. I was seriously heartbroken that he had to pay full price that day to flight us to DC.

I cried the entire plane ride to Salt Lake City where we had a quick lay over. My dad kept reassuring me it was okay, but I felt like such a loser and just sobbed for a good hour. Once we finally got there it was really an out of body experience. It was humid and we were lost. We rented a car and with our 4 pieces of luggage (the only things we brought for the entire summer) and headed out check out a place to live.

Yes at that moment we were still homeless...it was nerve racking especially because we had limited funds and no place to really sleep for the long term. It was so different looking...green green everywhere! The foliage back east is amazing, and the freeways are killer for outsiders.

We made it to this little home about 10 minutes outside of D.C. which would eveuntally come our "home." There was a little Hispanic lady that answered the door, it was overwhelming to me and Larry did most of the talking. We looked at the tiny basement and realized we would be sharing the kitchen with them...Larry said okay. I couldn't believe it... I did not want to live there but Larry pointed out that no one would rent to us for such a short 4 months.

We left to go stay at Larry's childhood friends house in Maryland for the night and once again I sobbed for a good hour. I was lost, homesick, jet lagged and worried. We went back to live in our "home" a day later and set up our tiny place with an air mattress, 2 towels, and our clothes that is it. We drove our rental car back to the airport and attempted taking the metro home. Figuring out how to pay and get a ticket took a while and finally giving up and asking for help. We went the wrong way once and then figured out how to get back. We also had to catch a bus because it was the weekend...little did I know then how much I would learn about the transit system.

These first few weeks have been overwhelming. I feel so lost and homesick. I really have never felt this way. Larry has started his job and is liking it a lot. He has met some great people is even driving to work with one of the women we rent from.Hopefully I can find some work and adventure out of here in the next few weeks!

Virginia or Bust

We are leaving on a jet plane. We have packed up our campus apartment, my job at the bookstore is being held for me for the fall, and we are driving to California to spend the week with my parents before leaving for Virgina.

We packed everything into a storage unit and our heading down to Provo so Larry can attend his last LSAT-prep class and then we are gone...dedicated to killing the LSAT I think so!

Funny how all your possessions can just be packed away and put into a tiny 10x10 space and you can say goodbye to them...even your car which we are leaving at my parents house for safe keeping. I am freaking out about this...really we are moving across the country, we have no place to live, no way to get around, and no money. I hope it is worth it!