Brightwood Lights

Before I start the second list, I wanted to make note of a story in the Washington Post: It seems Coolidge High School, located right across from our house, has hired a FEMALE head football coach. I ran track and cross country for a male coach in high school who had a bad back and thus couldn’t run himself. I never questioned his credentials simply because of his gender or his ability to run distance, and I hope the players at Coolidge give their new coach the same respect they would a male. Good luck to her and all the Colts!

Now, back to the list: Since we will soon be moving, I am realizing more and more that I take so much for granted here in DC. Here is a smattering of what I love about this city:

*WCF.  Our church, Washington Community Fellowship, has become our extended family here in DC. It is affiliated with the Mennonite church but considers itself “multi-denominational.” That means that folks can join the church but retain their own denominational affiliation, which adds a vibrancy and depth to the various ways we worship. We will miss the

*Sitting out.  Many of DC’s row houses have porches, and neighbors frequently “sit out” on their porches on warm evenings.  It’s been a great way to get to know neighbors and watch the neighborhood, and it’s a particularly refreshing end to those really hot summer days.

*Charlie & Dave. These are the radio announcers for the Washington Nationals, and we LOVE listening to them call games. Charlie has an amazing ability to build suspense and then let loose when the play unfolds, and Dave has a seemingly endless wealth of baseball knowledge. Of course, we’ll miss the Nats (and their beautiful stadium, too), but they’ll be visiting us in Atlanta from time to time.

*Gravelly Point. This is a park in Arlington, VA, is right by DCA- Reagan National Airport. It’s nice to be outdoors along the Potomac, but standing right underneath the path of planes landing and taking off is quite a rush.

*Museums. The Smithsonians provide endless free fun for young and old alike. Our personal kid-friendly favorites are the National Zoo, the Air & Space Museum, and the Museum of Natural History. Where else can you take your kids to see dinosaurs, rockets, or live elephants all for free, and all in the same day?

*Music. The city is the ideal place for free, outdoor summer concerts. The Navy and Army bands regularly play on or around the Mall, and the National Symphony Orchestra often does a free outdoor concert at Carter Barron Amphitheater. It’s hard not to take it for granted!

*The size. DC is large enough that it has all the amenities one could ask for in a big city, but small enough geographically and population-wise that it’s not uncommon to bump into friends or acquaintances fairly regularly. Running into a church friend at Home Depot on a Saturday morning loans a bit of that “small town feel” to urban life.
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Kid Update: Simona is creatively dancing and imaginatively playing all the time. (She has some sweet moves, mostly learned from her father- heh heh.) Andreas is STILL not walking– he’s taken his “first steps” about 20 times, only to decide that he really does prefer crawling. I’m somewhat tired of the laundry and mess created by him being on the ground constantly, but surely he’ll be upright soon enough. . .
Also, our Picasa, which we use to sort & upload pictures, has been acting up lately, so we will update pictures once Picasa has been repaired. Thank you for your patience!

A mom-friend of mine whose husband is a pastor at a local church recently described ministry in DC as “like trying to hug a parade.” She was referencing the transience for which this city is renown. The reason behind the revolving door is manifold: student interns who visit for three to six months, congressional representatives (and their staffs) whose time in office is brief, presidential administrations and their political appointees who rotate positions, college students who attend one of our many universities, government employees who rotate between domestic and international assignments, and so on.

We recognize that this characterization of the District primarily describes our demographic- educated, white collar people who did not grow up in the region- but the fact remains that this trend shapes and affects relationships of everyone who lives here- from the third-generation-native-Washingtonian to the just-arrived-yesterday-college-intern.

Our DC friends & acquaintances who have moved away have landed across the country (and even the globe!), meaning that we now have friends all over the place but that we have also had to say our goodbyes far too frequently over the past nearly-seven-years. Each person who’s moved on has left a mark on our hearts (and often, a void in our social calendar! One of the upsides, though, is that new friends have always stepped into those voids.)

Well, the time has come for us to start marching again. Our parade is moving on. . . to Georgia. Caleb will begin a graduate program at Emory University in Atlanta in May, so VERY soon, we will be the ones saying our goodbyes. It is bittersweet– we are excited for what is ahead, but we have come to love our lives here. This is where we went from dating to engaged to married, where we bought our first home, and where we welcomed our two children into our family. This house and this city are filled with memories and friends, and parting will be difficult.

We hear the music, and we know that God will be there right beside us, wherever this parade may lead.