Brightwood Lights

Snowmageddon. Snowpocalypse. SnOMG. Snowver done.

Just a smattering of the nicknames we have heard for the snowy weather that has pounded DC this winter. I heard on the radio today that if we were located in Upstate New York, we would be in the running for their “Golden Snowball” award, which goes to the NY city with the most snowfall in any given year.

I’m snowver it. This may be fun for those who own cross country skis and/or Netflix subscriptions, but it’s snow fun for those of us with small children with bundles of energy and a constant need for entertainment. Since Caleb has turned the kids’ bedroom into his home office, the three of us have been restricted to amusing ourselves in about 500 square feet. . . for DAYS on end. I’m snow excited for spring, but I think that is still a ways off.

In case you somehow haven’t heard about DC’s many snow storms this winter, I have chronicled a few here:

Our first snow of the year barely even counts anymore! It’s funny now that I was very deliberate about making sure the kids took advantage of the inch or two. Had I known then what I of course snow now, I probably wouldn’t have taken snow many pictures of this!

Second December Snow (The first “Snowpocalypse,” on December 19th)

Our kids really LOVED the snow. . . can you tell?

But at least our Christmas lights looked beautiful in the two feet of snow!

January was not snow bad. . . I think we had a few light snowfalls, but these days, we barely take note of anything less than a foot! We had some snow on the 30th/31st, and another light, fluffy snow on February 3. You can see some of the remnants of the first and beginnings of the second of those two snowfalls in these pictures. At least they were not significant enough to trap us indoors!

Then came snowmaggedon. We got about 25 inches on Saturday, February 6. It was too cold and windy for our kids’ tastes on Saturday, but Sunday was sunny and allowed for some good sledding.

We also were dog-sitting Bo for my sister.

Simona and I made a snowman, and she was VERY proud. (Unfortunately, the snow was a little too fluffy for a really good snowperson, but she didn’t seem to mind one bit!)

One of the reasons I am not snow excited about all the white stuff is that this is my route to our laundry facilities:

These icicles have formed on the back of our house. They are pretty to admire, but they are dangerous! I was on our back steps when a sheet of ice fell and shattered around me; luckily, I was just hit by a few small shards.

Finally, today’s snow has been the most grueling. We are snow tired of sitting around the house, but wind gusts of up to 50 mph and white out conditions have meant yet another day of staying indoors. Simona has been asking if we can please GO somewhere, and even Andreas seems antsy. It’s snow fun for active preschoolers and toddlers to be trapped! A few photos from today:

And now, pop quiz: Can you find our car?!

As I mentioned in a previous post, DC has not always been my favorite city. However, as I have lived here longer and longer, I have found more and more to love about life in the District. I frequently think that I should make lists so that I never forget what a wonderful place this is. So here goes– List #1. In no particular order, here are the highlights of our great neighborhood.

1. Rock Creek Park. Technically, this may not be in “our” neighborhood, but since it is only a mile away and since it is where I have logged hundreds of running miles, I think it counts. RCP is a national park and is an amazing forest within Washington, D.C.’s city limits. (Thank you for your tax dollars, which help maintain it!) With dozens of hiking (running!) trails; beautiful streams, trees, and wildlife; a nature center adjacent to horse stables; and some historical sites to boot, RCP is the perfect escape from city life. Some of the animals I’ve seen on runs in the park include hundreds of deer (some quite bold!), foxes, blue herons, and a hawk. I love witnessing the changing seasons and experiencing a bit of nature on a a regular basis.

2. The Takoma Rec Center. We live literally a 3-minute walk from the Takoma recreation center, which includes outdoor basketball & tennis courts, our amazing playground (see below), a kid-sized & Olympic-sized swimming pool, a community center, a baseball field, and a soccer field. It is such a privilege to have all of this at our doorstep, and we try to make good use of the open spaces and the facilities on a regular basis. I swam throughout both of my pregnancies and continue to frequent the pool to cross train on non-running days. (The rec center also offers a wide variety of classes and boasts a fitness center, but I’ve never availed myself of those amenities. Still-nice to know they’re there.)
**Incidentally- if you click on the link for the rec center, it takes you to a picture from the website for. . . Caleb’s employer. Yep, this gem was one of his company’s projects, though Caleb himself did not work on it.**

3. “Our” playground. I know there are many wonderful playgrounds all over the world, and there are several wonderful parks within walking distance. Still, I love the one by the Takoma Rec Center for several reasons. First, it is about a 7 minute walk from our house, so we can go any chance we can. Second, it has swings, which not all playgrounds do these days. Third, it is surrounded by beautiful shade trees, which are a must on those hot summer mornings! Fourth, it is a true cross section of the world. I have met au pairs from Thailand, Germany, and France; nannies from Honduras, Peru, St. Martin, and Costa Rica; moms from Mexico, England, Liberia, China, and Latvia; day care workers from Jamaica and the Dominican Republic; and Dads from El Salvador and Cuba. (Of course, there are plenty of born-andbred Americans, too.) What a mix! Finally, fifth, our playground is a community-building center. I know countless people in our neighborhood only because our kids play together regularly, and I treasure that connection to the community around us.

4. Walkability. In addition to the above-mentioned amenities around here, we also live less than a ten minute walk from a major grocery store, a pharmacy, a post office, a shoe store, three or four dry cleaners, several carry out restaurants, a few sit down restaurants, a variety of banks, a thrift store, a dollar store, multiple churches, and a public library. We can also access public transportation without problem, as we live steps from a bus line connecting us to the Metro (which itself is less than a 15-minute walk). We enjoy the convenience of having a car because we have kids but believe that if we were childless, we could easily get by with bikes, our feet, and public transportation. Even with kids, we occasionally go for days without using our car.

5. Coolidge High School. Living across the street from a large DC public high school is certainly a mixed blessing, but we enjoy being able to use their recently resurfaced track and football field (for playing soccer with Simona) during non-school hours. We also get to watch their drum line, football team, and cheerleading/dance squads practice, which is cheap entertainment to a young preschooler!

6. Our neighbors. Last but not least, we enjoy our neighbors. This is a predominantly African American, working class neighborhood, and many of our street’s residents have lived here for decades. Living in such close proximity to others- sharing walls, parking spaces, and sidewalks with them- can sometimes be difficult, but it creates shared space and shared experience nearly non-existent in the suburbs. We have been awakened by the police knocking on our neighbor’s door to deliver tragic news, and we have shared another neighbor’s joy at finally receiving a wheel chair for her disabled son. We have helped and been helped in snow removal and car repair efforts. Kids have spent lazy afternoons having a tea party with Simona on our porch or coloring with sidewalk chalk outside our house. Sometimes we feel like we live under a microscope, but we believe that sharing life with those around us has helped us feel connected to our street and neighborhood.

There you have it– the reasons I love our neighborhood. I will periodically be posting more lists about “What I love about DC.” Stay tuned!
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Other udpates: Simona has fallen and hurt her other top front tooth, so we’re waiting with bated breath and hoping that it will not also need to be pulled. Andreas is taking more and more unassisted steps, so we think he will be fully walking in the next week or so.

So. . . this story is a few weeks old now, but it is funny nonetheless.

In July, a good friend emailed a group of moms and asked if anyone wanted to go peach picking in early August.  Now, I am ashamed to admit that, despite being from PEACHTREE CITY in the PEACH STATE, I had never been peach picking before.  And since I do love peaches, I figured a Friday spent picking peaches in the fresh non-city air would be fun.  So I replied that I’d be up for it.

Come Peach-picking Eve, however, I realized that the next day was going to be a *mite* crazy.  I was scheduled for a 20-mile marathon training run, and we were supposed to meet in rural Virginia at the orchard at 10:30 AM.  Little did I realize that the orchard was an HOUR AND A HALF drive from our house, which meant loading up the kids to head out by 8:45 AM.  But by then, I decided it was too late to back out on my friend, despite Caleb’s urging me to reconsider.

The next morning, I overslept and did not end up with time for my long run.  That meant another day of hydrating and mentally preparing to run 20 miles.  In the meantime, I got the kids ready and headed out the door remarkably punctually, since I had an extra few hours in my morning.  We made a quick stop by the gas station to fill up, and somehow I managed to spray gas all over myself in the process.  After a brief debate about whether or not to run home to wash off, I opted to wipe down with baby wipes and continue on my way.

The peach picking itself went fairly well.  Minor “episodes” included Andreas eating part of a leaf and a handful of dirt, but otherwise, the morning in the countryside was great.  The drive was indeed a bit much, but I was feeling pretty good about the whole outing. . .

Peach Orchard
   

. . . until I got home.  And realized that I had about 50 peaches, 15 tomatoes, and one HUGE zucchini to deal with.  I didn’t have any “canning” supplies, so I spent HOURS over the next few days looking up recipes for peaches, zucchini, and tomotoes.  Caleb gamely helped out in the kitchen, though I doubt having “bake night” for 3 or 4 days in a row was his idea of a good time.  We mashed and froze peaches for Andreas; ate LOTS of peaches ourselves; made zucchini bread, peach pie, and peach-berry cobbler (twice); and STILL had peaches to use up.  Some went bad, but we made a valiant attempt to not let any go to waste.  We suffered from a terrible fruit fly infestation (that I think we have just about under countrol now), and there were even a few ants appearing in our dining room.  I felt incredibly domestic. . . and I think Caleb just felt incredibly like he did not want to deal with ANY more peaches.  His estimate is that between driving, picking, looking up recipes, baking, cooking, freezing, mashing, etc., we probably spent a good 20 man hours on those peaches.

    
Moral of the story: If your gut AND your husband tell you it’s not such a great use of your time, you should probably listen.

One year ago today, Caleb, Simona and I were landing at Dulles Airport after 2.5 weeks of visiting family in Germany and traveling a bit in Sweden.  I’m reminded of this because of where we’ve been- and, actually, where we’re (not) going.  It’s a bit of a long story, but one I want to share.

In the fall of 2007, a good friend of mine was feeling drained by life in DC.  She was tired from the busy pace of life, the distance from family, and the frenetic chase after worldly success that dominates this city.  She had been praying for relief, unsure of how that would look.  Some changes (moving from a 1BR to a 2BR apartment with her husband and daughter, primarily), helped her in her outlook, and her attitude towards living here was starting to look up.  She felt some renewed energy and enthusiasm when- COMPLETELY out of the blue- her husband was offered the perfect job in the perfect location for their family.  They moved, and to this day, she couldn’t be happier.  She thought her prayers had been answered with the apartment change, but she had no idea that God had something much bigger and better in store for her shortly thereafter.  I was thrilled for her but was sad to see her move (and still miss her!!).

As we entered 2008, I began to realize that I was in a place similar to where my friend had been the previous fall.  I was unhappy in DC and wanted to move anywhere else, really.  The thought of sweating out another hot, humid DC summer; sitting in urban traffic & fighting for parking spots; dealing with slow, inefficient District government bureaucracy; watching more friends move away from this transient city; and attending a church that was without a pastor and was bleeding members left me drained- emotionally, mentally, and even physically. As I talked to my friend who had moved, she told me (only half jokingly), “Well, start praying now.  It takes about a year.”

In my head, I had “the solution” figured out.   Caleb and I had been discussing his applying to graduate school for the fall of 2009.  He had long debated the pros and cons of attending and felt like it might be a good time in his career to go back to school.  Since we had never thought we’d end up permanent residents of the District, and since we had already lived here for 5 years by 2008, we thought the timing was right.  Because I was so unhappy, I encouraged him to apply “anywhere but in DC,” and figured this was God’s provision for us.  This would be my ticket out of the District and out of my misery.  I had seen God provide the perfect situation for this friend- and for several others who had moved away from this city- so I figured I’d trust him to provide.

Despite “knowing” that we only had about a year left in DC, I felt like I couldn’t stand one more minute here.  The trip to Germany had been a welcome relief from the “grind” of daily life, but I didn’t want it to end.  As we sat in the airport in Hamburg awaiting our return flight, I started crying and said I didn’t want to get on the plane.  (I nearly cried again when we landed at Dulles and the captain announced the local time and temperature as still being in the upper 80s . . . at 8:00 PM.)  I was miserable, and, unfortunately, I made those around me (read: Caleb) miserable through my whining, complaining, and bad attitude throughout much of the summer.

So, it’s been a year.  Which means it’s time for the “perfect” move to the perfect location for our family.  Except that God didn’t answer my prayers like I had hoped or expected.  A variety of circumstances- ranging from Andreas’s surgery to Caleb’s admissions and financial aid decisions to opportunities here- have lead to our decision not to pursue grad school this fall, meaning we’re not moving anywhere.

INSTEAD, God has answered my prayers in an even better way.  Over the past year, as Caleb went through the application process, I began to treasure my life and experiences in DC.  Maybe it was early nostalgia for what I’d be losing, or maybe it was a realization that living in a walkable neighborhood with amazing playgrounds, access to public transportation, and plenty of other free fun for moms and young children is a rare, precious commodity in this world.  I’ve come to realize that I have thousands of reasons to be thankful for living here, and God has completely turned my heart and mind around.  Plus, He has provided for us in so many ways: a pastor for our church; friends with whom we’ve grown closer after others moved away; and even some family nearby (one of my sisters was here for an internship last summer, and another just moved to Maryland!)

We still don’t know much about where God will take us in the future.  Caleb still has an option to pursue a grad program beginning in 2010, and the possibility remains that jobs or families will take us elsewhere in the future.  But for now, I am excited to be living here and am determined to take full advantage, just in case all that’s left is about a year.

First things first:  We are all amazed at the miraculous change in Andreas since April 24.  Though he has always been a relatively content baby, he suddenly is much more alert, happy, and active.  In short, he is so thrilled to finally be able to SEE!  He reaches for toys, laughs out loud, and rolls over.  He grabs his sister’s hair, looks at books with us, and actually enjoys tummy time.  I should add that many of these changes were evident within 24 hours of the surgery.  We are grateful for the many prayers from friends & family.

Otherwise, all has been well around here.  We have had A LOT of rain this spring, which has made for more indoor time than we would have liked.  The plus, though, is that everything looks amazingly lush and green now.  Caleb and I have kept busy with our ultimate frisbee team, which we’ve played on every fall and spring since 2004.  Simona has been riding her tricycle all over the place.  On rainy days, she rides around in circles on our porch, and on dry days, we have ventured as far as the playground and library. This month, we attended our first Nationals game of the season and witnessed one of the few wins the Nats have had this season. . . unfortunately for Caleb, it came at the expense of his beloved Cardinals.

Another highlight was participating in EU Embassy Day, on which the EU nations open their embassies’ doors to the public.  We went to the German, Czech, and Hungarian embassies.  Simona enjoyed face painting, a moon bounce, and Kinderschokolade at the German embassy, while Caleb and I enjoyed the chance to see the ambassador’s residence and get a good Currywurst.  The Czech embassy (which Andreas and I skipped for his mid-morning meal) boasted live police dogs and, importantly, restrooms.  The Hungarian embassy was also a hit, with a kids’ craft corner, goulasch, and traditional folk dancing that had Simona mesmerized.  Three embassies was plenty for one morning for our little family, but we hope to visit a few more next year.  (We also learned- a bit too late- that the non-EU embassies have open houses earlier in May, so next year we’ll hopefully take advantaged of two weekends of embassy hopping.)

All pictures have been updated through the end of April.  We’re traveling to NY for KK’s college graduation soon, and we’re looking forward to how beautiful Ithaca will (hopefully!) be at this time of year.  And before you know it, May will be over!