Hittin the Dirt

I’ve really enjoyed the last few months here in NoVa, but I don’t think I really appreciated all we have until I got out of school for the summer break. Now suddenly I’m completely free to explore museums, parks, markets, and restaurants. After a few days of sheer recuperation from a long year in a new school (catching up on sleep, mostly), I was ready to hit the ground running.

And that’s just what I did. Burke Lake Regional Park is a beautiful tract of land managed by Northern Virginia Parks Authority. With disc golf, an ice cream parlor, volleyball courts, and boat rentals, it’s an ideal place for a family reunion or picnic gathering. I went solo with a different focus—to run the 4.5 mile lake trail. It’s a terrific path, well-maintained and a mixture of asphalt and sand segments. At dusk it’s pretty typical to see helmeted families on bikes, shirtless runners racing through the forest, and chatty couples with smiling dogs in tow. Unfortunately, the trail can get a bit congested on weekends and during the week when the 9 to 5 group comes out to play. I moved out of a mountain biker’s way, hit my right foot on a big tree root, flew through the air and slammed into the dirt.

The first word out of my mouth was not “Shit,” or “Ow!” Instead, as blood dripped from my left knee and right hand, I looked up at the cyclist and moaned “Sorry!” Completely stupid. And the biker looked over her shoulder as she continued to ride away and shouted back, “are you okay?” I feebly waved her off (cue the blood spurts!) and started planning the task of getting back to my feet.

I rolled myself over to my right, unhurt side and stood. With a bloody watch and a dusty iPod I trudged over to the lakeshore and rinsed off my elbow, knee, and hand. I don’t know if the water really cleaned me off that much, but it definitely helped ease the burn of my scrapes. I was then able to walk the remaining mile and a half back to my car.

As a kid I was perpetually scabby-kneed. Falls off of my bike, roller-skating injuries, and hiking mishaps kept me outfitted in bandages throughout my childhood. But it’s weird to be thirty-three, when I’m used to wearing skirts and dresses, and have to rethink my wardrobe so I don’t scare little children on the Metro.

Things Are Getting Better

It's almost hard for me to imagine our disgusting winter, now that the daffodils have opened, Bradford pear trees are stinking up the joint, and the cherry blossoms decorate the Tidal Basin shores like giant sticks of cotton candy. I'm wary of typing it for fear that I'll jinx it, but I think spring might be here to stay.

It's incredible how my outlook has changed with the climate. Even though I work in a windowless classroom all day, the mornings still start infinitely better when I don't have to scrape my windshield or risk breaking my tailbone on the black ice. Now I just go to work drama-free, come home in the early evening, and go for a run before sunset. A much better quality of life.

Other things have improved, too. My husband finally got a job and started working in early March. Although we haven't seen a paycheck yet (and that first one will be headed straight to the credit card company), it's nice to know that it's coming in the near future. More importantly, it's nice that everyone in our household has his or her own job and things to look forward to each day. It's tough getting up sometimes when you don't have a game plan, but it's a lot harder in a new city with no friends and 2 feet of snow on the ground.

We've been lucky to see a lot of cool people recently. Two great friends have passed through town, along with my brother and his family. We also took a whirlwind road trip to Cincinnati for Jason's wedding, and we were able to catch quite a few folks there as well. Even though we live in an interesting part of the country with plenty to do, it's much more fun when we can share these experiences with our friends and family. I wish everybody lived closer! I guess we'll just have to keep getting out there and hopefully make some new friends here in Virginia.

Happy Valentine's Day

Even when I was single with zero prospects, I never really harbored bad feelings for Valentine's Day. From the time I was very little, there was always candy or a nice card. Dad always brought home flowers for Mom, and she usually cooked something a little more elaborate than the norm. When I got older I suppose I could have become bitter, wishing pain upon my high school students who received bears and balloons in the front office, or feeling the sting when my girl friends told me of their elegant candlelit dinners. But I just always figured my time would eventually come. And it did. I am married to a wonderful man who I really love. I look forward to many more Valentine's Days with him down the road.
Other things I love:

• coffee
• Greek food
• a good sunrise
• Seinfeld re-runs
• board games
• baseball
• Italian sausage
• my father's laugh
• learning how to navigate a subway system
• plain M&Ms
• jamming with my brother or friends
• hearing Mom tell a story or a joke
• riding bikes
• the smell of ocean air
• tulips
• puppets
• learning new things
• my husband's hugs
• dogs
• the feeling after a road race
• sitting in a hot car
• reading
• pro tennis
• a perfectly cooked steak
• a student who improves
• my sister's joy about virtually everything
• thermal blankets
• satellite radio
• olive oil

Washington's Less-Than-Warm Welcome

Of my nearly thirty-three years, thirty of them were spent in the warm and sunny south. Places like Savannah, Georgia and St. Petersburg, Florida wrapped their slightly sweaty arms around me, the humidity frizzing my already curly hair, the sweet teas and iced coffees vaguely yellowing my teeth. I loved it all.

But with the budget crisis, my Tampa school district decided it was sensible to cut the elementary strings program. In turn, my husband Marc and I decided it was sensible to cut our ties to Florida before we a) had a hurricane or b) a ridiculous mortgage that we couldn't escape. I applied to 13 school districts--a different 'how I would change the world' essay for every application--and when all was said and done, I accepted a job in Fairfax County, Virginia.

I was prepared for the traffic, the high cost of living, and the silly politics. I was not, however, prepared for the most snow this region has ever seen. When I say 'not prepared' I mean I did not own a winter hat or waterproof gloves. This time last year I was kayaking off of Tampa Bay and getting sunburnt at Spring Training games. I didn't fully consider the fact that I might have to dig my Kia out of more than two feet of snow. Twice!

Needless to say, things are different this year. And different isn't necessarily a bad thing, it's just...well, different. I'm learning a ton about our country's history, our government, cultural diversity, along with all the great things that go along with an extended trip--new foods, new sights, new museums, new people. How long this 'extended trip' will last, I'm not sure. I work in the arts and my husband's a writer, not the most stable positions out there these days. But we will try our best to dig out of the snow, have some fun, and maybe even learn something along the way occasionally.