One Month Down!

As I write this from a trendy Clarendon (a bro-tastic Arlington, VA neighborhood) coffeeshop, it is bitterly cold outside. It has also been a month since we left Hawaii, so this is the first time I've had the chance and/or have enough of an update to write. While it's still too early to fully make up my mind about this place, I can say this: Northern VA/D.C. has welcomed us with open arms! There is so much to love about this place, and all of our big changes so far have been relatively smooth.

First of all, we survived a military move! Chris is an old pro, but I'm new to this game. Nothing was broken and the actual delivery went well. We still have tons of stuff to put away, which doesn't get done very quickly when you're both working, and MOUNDS of paper and boxes permeate our living space, but that's just normal stuff. Everyone told me to brace myself for high value items being broken and/or our crate falling off the ship in the middle of the sea, but it seems that we dodged that bullet.

The weather here has been great, except for today. It hasn't been colder than Ithaca, so as far as I'm concerned, that's great news! It snowed a bit last night, which was delightful! Today, however, it's bitterly cold. I got in the car to venture a few miles down the road to try this new coffee shop, and while driving FOUR MILES WITH MY GLOVES ON, my hands were in extreme pain. The other big thing everyone told us to brace ourselves for was traffic. It's definitely a thing, and I don't think I'll ever be able to drive anywhere aside from local neighborhood hangs without a GPS, but it hasn't been terrible...knock on wood. Chris has had an average commute considering that he works a good bit away, and I just drove in the direction of traffic a few towns over and wasn't at all intimidated. Tonight I drive over an hour to a hair appointment in the thick of rush hour, so wish me luck!

Work: it's still new, but I really like remote work! I don't work a ton of hours but still feel busy. There is a lot on my plate, which I like. I have an upcoming exam for grad school on top of unpacking, doing the normal move things (cable, internet, car registration, learning where the post office is, etc.), and I honestly don't get everything done that I set out to do each day. When the exam is over, I'm going to take a few days to relax and make sure we're settled, then begin volunteer work. I'm really looking forward to it! Even without "going to work" or having a new major activity here to meet new people, I've met a ton of people through some common friends. Perhaps the best part of D.C. living is that there are SO MANY people we know and love from all corners of our life. Not only do I have 5+ high school friends here, but one of my very best friends is here, and several Hawaii connections live nearby as well. Everyone has been wonderful about reaching out to help us get set up, but we honestly just haven't had the time to do anything. We're still not set up at home and we're both getting used to our work routines. I think that in two weeks, we should be set to start meeting up with old friends. I really want to make new friends as well (that might've been my favorite part about moving back home - I met SO many wonderful people who weren't from my childhood that it kept every day interesting), but know that'll come with time.

We are both so incredibly eager to jump into this new life. D.C. life is it's own thing. Hawaii has HILife and Ithaca definitely had its own vibe as well. I think I've just been so incredibly fortunate to live in places with really unique personalities. D.C. is no exception. There are countless amazing things to do and no shortage of restaurants and bars for us to try. We want to try them all while keeping up with our wedding diets and exercise! I'd love to see everyone I know ASAP, but there don't seem to be enough hours in the day. I know it'll come in time, so for now, I'll just keep focusing on getting our house to feel like a home.

I was so worried for this transition; I thought that I'd totally unravel and that I'd lose my sense of self and have nothing to do. I don't think that situation could be further from the truth! I definitely expect the worst, and was thankfully wrong. Of course, there is still a lot of time for me to get a pang of homesickness or to have a minor meltdown, but so far, so good. I can't believe that we are getting married in LESS THAN FIVE MONTHS AHHHHH. We have made good progress but still have a TON of wedding-related things to do. I told myself that once I got to March (bridal shower, dress fittings, mom visiting), things would fly by. That's still the case, but this time is ALREADY flying by!! There is so much to do and so much to look forward to that I don't have the chance to stop and lament anything. I get to work a bit, hopefully benefit SJV and my former students, and make a little extra cash. It's enough to keep my busy without biting off more than I can chew. I kept thinking that I should get another part-time job to supplement this one, but the school year here would conflict with our wedding and honeymoon plans. I kept thinking that I should find more work. I'm honestly glad that I didn't, because there is no way we would have cable, internet, cars, things set up, dinner made, etc. if I was gone too. This way, I can venture out, work a few hours, come home, study, set up, make some food, and take care of all of the moving errands. I would be so overwhelmed with two jobs, so I think I did it right. For now, I'll just wait to hear from PhD programs and hope that something comes my way. If that doesn't work out, I will gladly begin my job hunt and no doubt find something in one of these amazing school districts.

Real Estate: Our newest hobby is searching for homes on Zillow. We didn't think we'd be settled enough to buy yet, but are beginning to realize the investment that buying a home in this area would be, even if it's just a starter home. The only problem: $$$$$$$$$$$$$. I picked a neighborhood that I liked and ran a search for homes up to $500,000. There were barely any foreclosures! Ouch. Hopefully we'll begin working with a realtor soon and maybe we can even find our own place around the time we're married! Woo! It's exciting and totally daunting at the same time. Home prices here are no joke.

Finally: people are really friendly here! Everyone always totes Hawaii as the friendliest place, but people have been very helpful, courteous, and kind here. The people I knew (worked with, friends, family) in Hawaii were amazing, as were most random people you met. However, there were always a few loose cannons at restaurants, retail stores, or just roaming the street. I actually think that on average, people are friendlier here. We haven't had a rude encounter or a jerk driver yet, so that's good news. We feel very, very safe and are temporarily living in a gorgeous neighborhood with a public high school that makes HI's top private schools look average. There is so much to learn about this place, but our first month deserves two huge thumbs up! It's definitely better than I expected (and I expected great things!) and all has gone well. Hopefully we feel a little less busy soon, and hopefully we can see our HI clan very soon!

Hawaii to New York to Hawaii to Washington, D.C.

Last time I blogged, it was around this time last year. Interestingly, the post was largely about what's going on in my life now. In the past, I’ve used blogging to help me work through challenging transitions. The most challenging transition for me, by far, was my first year of teaching. Blogging helped me to organize my thoughts, reflect on my challenges and successes, and make sense of that unusually difficult time in my life. Eventually, things got better and the blogging took a back seat. I’m just about halfway through my fourth (!!) year of teaching, and realized that it’s time to pick it up again.

Next month, my incredible fiancé (!!!!!!!!) and I will move across the country to Washington, D.C. A bit of history: he’s a naval aviator who wanted a more stable set of shore tour orders. I’ve always loved the east coast, and in order to pursue the career I ultimately want, I, too, needed to seriously consider moving out of Hawaii. We love this place and it will always be our first home together. You can bet your dollar that our pets will have Hawaiian names and that we’ll return as often as possible to this special place so that our kids will come to know and love it as we have. That being said, there are many reasons why we want to start a family back east. First of all, great public schools should not be the exception - they should be the norm. Second, the types of jobs we both ultimately want rarely exist in Hawaii. Third, $$$$$$$$$ does not grow on trees. The best solution that we could come up with for our situation was to move to the Washington, D.C. area. Government/military jobs are plentiful, the arts and education are strongly supported, and it is a beautiful, safe, and enriching place to raise a family. I’m sure that most naval aviators and most music educators would not make the same choice that we have. But then again, he is not a typical naval aviator, and I am not a typical music educator. We march to the beat of our own drum, and this works for us.

That’s the exciting part, and BOY are we super excited! This is exactly what we’ve both wanted for a very long time, and we’re jumping with joy that it actually all worked out. The scary part is the uncertainty. He doesn’t know for sure that he will love this job, and I do not know for sure that a PhD program will even consider accepting me. Beyond that, who’s to say that there will even be a job in the area for a newly-minted PhD? Who’s to say that there will be jobs for someone with his credentials? We are taking risks, and that’s scary. But if you don’t pursue the life you want, then what kind of life is that?

I know that in the near future, we will be very happy. We will live in a super fun and safe young neighborhood. We will participate in a ton of races. We will constantly be in Washington, D.C. to enjoy the sights and attractions of one of the neatest cities on earth. We will eat and drink to our hearts’ content, catch the metro back home, and stumble into our trendy apartment. We already have a ton of our very good friends in the area, and are just a drive away from immediate and close family. Our parents and friends will visit often. We will try new activities, meet new people, and have at least three years sans deployments and crazy work hours. It will be awesome!!

But then there are the first 4-6 months where things will be totally new for me. I’m giving up a job I LOVE. Love is an understatement. I have a program of adoring students, parents, colleagues, and administrators that support me to no end and work together to make incredible musical feats a reality. I run the show, contribute to the larger purpose of our community, and walk away every day feeling fulfilled. Life has become grand, and this job is no longer difficult, but a rewarding challenge. In that sense, it’s time to move on; if the job is no longer pushing me out of my comfort zone, then it probably is time for me to step out of my comfort bubble. I have also forgotten what it is like to not be a full-time, salaried employee with a very stable job and an assistant. Let me clarify: my school and principal are AWESOME, and I will still have a job. I will have part-time, remote work supporting the school in a variety of ways, including throughout the reaccreditation process. I will have things to do and Chris and I will not be starving or struggling. I have saved diligently and if I am so lucky, in the fall, will possibly have the opportunity to pursue what I’ve wanted to pursue since junior year of my undergrad: a PhD in music education. We will get married, honeymoon, I’ll finish my MM, and then we’ll both be busy during normal working hours. But for me, not having something meaningful to do during working hours makes me feel uneasy and restless. He had a great solution: volunteer! I don’t need to get rich, but I need to make the world a better place, one person at a time. I’m not fortunate enough to be born into wealth, so if I must work, I feel the need to be a truly productive member of society. Volunteering would fit that bill. I’ve looked for some part-time, flexible work to complement my other commitments. I can’t take on something full-time because we’ll have SO MUCH to do in order to get settled. I’ll also have other work, and don’t want to be doing it on top of full-time work. I also don’t want to look for a long-term job, as my goal is to immediately pursue further education. I’m trying to balance keeping busy and bringing in a little more income with staying flexible enough to get settled in a new area. If there is one thing I learned from going through the move on this end, it’s that preparing to move (or unpack) as a military significant other is a full time job. I already feel like I’m not getting anything done outside of work here, and can’t imagine trying to get settled in our new location with a new job on my plate that I plan to quit in a couple short months WHILE TRYING TO GET MARRIED AHHHHHH.

So yeah, that’s my dilemma. I think in the mean time, I need to work at being flexible and patient. I’ll begin looking for volunteer opportunities and will do my best to remember all of the exciting things ahead in the midst of all of the sad and difficult things left to do here. Transitions are challenging for me, but this will be the gateway to the life that we want to build together. Here goes nothing!